Earth have joined up with label mates Wolves in the Throne Room for a week-and-a-half long West Coast tour for this April. The string of dates will also include opening support from instrumentalist Cello performer Lori Goldston, who will also be part of Earth’s live lineup for the tour.

Earth have been finalizing material for their next full-length to be released on Southern Lord Recordings by early 2011, and will be showcasing some of these new songs on the tour. The Earthlineup on these dates shall consist of:

Dylan Carlson – Guitar
Adrienne Davies – Drums
Karl Blau – Bass
Lori Goldston – Cello

Wolves in the Throne Room have just completed their first Australian tour, alongside French doom unit Monarch!, and will appear alongside Shrinebuilder at a special one-off East Coast appearance in New York City this tonight.

EARTH / WOLVES IN THE THRONE ROOM / Lori Goldston April 2010 Tour:
4/14/2010 The Oak Street Speakeasy – Eugene, OR
4/15/2010 Noctrum – Eureka, CA
4/16/2010 Slim’s – San Francisco, CA
4/17/2010 Brookdale Lodge – Santa Cruz, CA
4/19/2010 Ché Café – San Diego, CA
4/20/2010 The EchoPlex – Los Angeles, CA
4/22/2010 Rotture – Portland, OR
4/23/2010 Neumo’s – Seattle, WA
4/24/2010 Capital Theatre – Olympia, WA with special guests Mount Eerie and Ô Paon

http://www.myspace.com/earthofficial

The fellers over at Metalreview.com have posted an exclusive track called “Worship the Sun” from Master’s upcoming album The Human Machine, and it’s a prudent ass kicker. Fear the old school!

http://community2.metalreview.com/blogs/editorials/archive/2010/03/10/master.aspx

NYC’s transcendental black metal artists LITURGY kick off their month and a half long U.S. tour today in Pittsburgh. The band will play this weekend’s Scion Rock Fest alongside Pelican, Shrinebuilder and more, then blast their way south towards this year’s SXSW in Austin where they’re confirmed to play four full showcases throughout the week’s festivities. The band will also hit Bro Fest in Dallas alongside Rwake, White Mice and more, as well as MtyMx festival in Monterrey, Mexico alongside Dan Deacon, Andrew W.K., Acid Mother’s Temple and countless others.

3/11/2010 Garfield Arts – Pittsburgh, PA
3/13/2010 Scion Rock Fest – Columbus, OH w/ Voivod, Cannibal Corpse, Pelican, Shrinebuilder + tons more
3/14/2010 Now That’s Class – Cleveland, OH w/ White Mice, Tinsel Teeth
3/15/2010 The Mopery – Chicago, IL w/ White Mice, Tinsel Teeth
3/16/2010 Camp Concentration – St. Louis, MO w/ White Mice, Tinsel Teeth
3/17/2010 The Conservatory – Oklahoma City, OK w/ White Mice, Tinsel Teeth
3/18/2010 House of Tinnitus – Denton, TX w/ White Mice, Tinsel Teeth
3/19/2010 Encore – Austin, TX | SXSW @ WFMU/Aquarius showcase w/ Iron Man, Speedwolf
3/19/2010 Headhunter’s – Austin, TX | SXSW @ 20 Buck Spin/Profound Lore showcase w/ White Mice, Salome, Yakuza +more
3/19/2010 Encore – Austin, TX | SXSW @ WFMU/Aquarius showcase w/ Iron Man, Shit And Shine, Speedwolf +more
3/20/2010 Red 7 – Austin, TX | SXSW @ Brooklyn Vegan showcase w/ Priestess, Gates, Nebula, Naam
3/21/2010 Bro Fest – Dallas, TX w/ White Mice, Withered, Rwake
3/22/2010 MtyMx Festival – Monterrey, Mexio w/ Dan Deacon, Andrew WK, Acid Mothers Temple
3/24/2010 Rogue – Fayetteville, AR
3/27/2010 Big Ears Festival – Knoxville, TN w/ Terry Riley, Gang Gang Dance, The Ex
3/28/2010 *TBA – Hickory NC
3/30/2010 Berkley Cafe – Raleigh, NC
3/31/2010 The Triple – Richmond, VA
4/01/2010 The Talking Head – Baltimore, MD
4/16/2010 Shea Stadium – Brooklyn, NY w/ White Mice + TBA
4/17/2010 Bard College – Annandale-On-Hudson, NY
4/25/2010 WBAR-B-Q @ Columbia University – New York, NY w/ Cold Cave, Jana Hunter, Blues Control

http://www.myspace.com/liturgynybm

Alcest, hailing from France, are coming to the U.S. to give our atmospheric rock sensibilities a run for their money (I’m looking at you Sigur Ros, you weird bastards you). I for one hope to get a chance to see these guys for the sheer fascination I have for their ability to walk a thin line between U2 mainstream college rock and metal. Alcest will be playing the following dates with a number of bands, so please check out their Myspace for further details.

04-22 Québec, Quebec – Bar Octobre
04-23 Toronto, Ontario – Hard Luck Bar
04-24 Chicago, Illinois – Reggie’s Rock Club
04-25 Cleveland, Ohio – Beachland Tavern
04-26 Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – Rex Theater
04-27 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – Kung Fu Necktie
04-28 New Haven, Connecticut – Cafe Nine
04-29 New York, New York – The Studio at Webster Hall
04-30 Montreal, Quebec – Underworld
05-01 Boston, Massachusetts – Unit 11

http://www.myspace.com/alcestmusic

It’s a sad day when a Kalmah album isn’t reviewed, because these guys are one of the most under-appreciated bands in the history of metal. Sadly, AMR failed to review this album back when it came out despite being a magnifficent display of modern melo death. Well now I am encouraging all of my readers to jump in, head first, into this fantastic Kalmah release and when you’re done listening to it, stay tuned for a review of their latest album 12 Gauge which just came out last month. It’s a good time to be a Kalmah fan here at AMR!

Combining the likes of Opeth, Arcturus, Agalloch and Amorphis, Sweden’s In Mourning are a come out of nowhere success in the underground metal scene. Despite finding their roots as early as 2000, In Mourning have only released two albums since 2008. Monolith, the band’s latest album, is making waves as the next Swedish sensation with a deep, chilling heaviness that is seemingly only rivaled by Opeth in popularity and, arguably, skill.

The technical precision of Monolith is really impressive, and while I don’t think it quite equals the immensity of Opeth, comparing the two is unfair to In Mourning who have crafted easily one of the most memorable records of the year, bar none. However, one avenue where In Mourning differs from Opeth is their focus on their death metal roots, instead of becoming a progressive metal band that employs death metal when it suits their needs, In Mourning are a progressive death metal band that harnesses the depth of melancholy and atmosphere. In this respect, I think Monolith takes on a bit of their Swedish brethren in Dark Tranquillity, melding melodic death with outside elements.

In years to come, these Swedes could become the cream of the crop of one of the world’s most rich bastions of metal. Monolith marks the rise of In Mourning to whole new levels of respect and admiration amongst both critics and general fans alike, and perhaps what makes that even more of a grand statement, is that Monolith is enjoyable enough, without all the heady weight attached to it, which allows for the average listener to replay over and over again. I have a feeling we are going to see so much more from these lords of precision and chaos.

AMAZING

Similar Artists: Arcturus, Opeth, Amorphis, Agalloch, Dark Tranquillity

1.    For You To Know
2.    Debris
3.    The Poet And The Painter Of Souls
4.    The Smoke
5.    A Shade Of Plague
6.    With You Came Silence
7.    Pale Eye Revelation
8.    The Final Solution (Entering The Black Lodge)

Tobias Netzell – Guitar, Vocals
Bjorn Pettersson – Guitar
Tim Nedergard – Guitar
Pierre Stam – Bass
Christian Netzell – Drums

Pulverised Records

http://www.myspace.com/in_mourning

Review by CODY

The world of American Thrash Metal has a lot of influences, coming from all over the country. Bands come and go, but few have done what Overkill, hailing from New Jersey, has done over the years. Their sound has been shaking the speakers of listeners since 1980, and with the release of their latest album Ironbound, they certainly haven’t lost any of their Thrashing touch, and can show clear ties to their roots with this release!

With Overkill on the bill for Wacken 2010, Ironbound definitely has a lot to offer for both the older fan base, and the fans that are somewhat new to the scene that might be attending. On first listen of this release, I immediately knew that the album as a whole was done well. The production quality was right on a level that you would expect a band of this stature to have, especially at this point in their career. Bobby “Blitz” sounded great throughout the recording, with no apparent difficulty to stay on key. You can definitely tell that he’s coming along in the years, and that might have affected the sound for some. This production mixed much of their sound from albums such as The Years of Decay, keeping the up-beat pace and vocal tone that has made them popular and recognizable in comparison to other bands in the genre, but they have also thrown in some break-downs throughout all of the songs, with some entrances that have me thinking of mixes from other bands in the trade, such as Metallica, and Megadeth. Songs like “Killing For A Living” brings an entrance that reminds me of the intro from “Damage Inc.” from Master of Puppets, and song speed exchanges like in “Killing is my Business…And Business is Good!” By Megadeth. A few of the complaints I might have about the album as a whole, is that when you set the intro’s and breakdowns aside, many of the tracks on this album progress in the same way, and show a lack of variety. It also seemed that “Blitz” sounded slightly bored with the tracks. This could very well be attributed to Ellsworth’s extent of time in the scene, or it could also be a figment of my imagination, but I just didn’t feel the flair that I felt on some of the earlier albums.

Altogether, Ironbound definitely has a sound that would take any of the big followers right back to their albums from the early days, but even for any new listeners, this one would be a very good example of how Thrash bands can stay true to their sound, and still do amazing things, while keeping the fans entertained.

VERY GOOD

Similar Artists: Megadeth, Annihilator, Corrosion of Conformity, Kreator

1.   The Green and Black
2.   Ironbound
3.   Bring Me the Night
4.   The Goal Is Your Soul
5.   Give a Little
6.   Endless War
7.   The Head and Heart
8.   In Vain
9.   Killing for a Living
10. The SRC

Bobby “Blitz” Ellsworth – Lead Vocals
Dave Linsk – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals
Derek Tailer – Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals
D.D. Verni – Bass, Backing Vocals
Ron Lipnicki – Drums

Nuclear Blast Records

Overkill Homepage

http://www.myspace.com/overkill

Review by TONY

I am just going to call these Germans D.A.R., because their name is a bitch to type out (I guess I could copy it, but they needed an acronym anyway). My primary exposure to D.A.R. has been in the form of Allegro Barbaro, the band’s 1999 effort, which despite my owning it, is very hit or miss. Allegro Barbaro is definitely an original album, but the clean vocal moments are borderline ruinous on several songs. Licht on the other band, is a damn fine album, it fluidly combines punk, death metal, folk metal and Euro pop influences to create an upbeat, catchy album.

In support of their latest album “Morphosis” (Listenable/E1), Polish death metal institution HATE anounce their first North American tour with Hypocrisy, Blackguard and Swashbuckle.

May 11 – Tucson, AZ – The Rock
May 12 – Mesa, AZ – UB’s
May 13 – West Hollywood, CA – House of Blues
May 14 – Santa Ana, CA – Galaxy Theatre
May 15 – Ramona, CA – Ramona Mainstage
May 16 – San Francisco, CA – DNA Lounge
May 17 – Portland, OR – Peter’s Room
May 18 – Vancouver, BC – Rickshaw Theater
May 19 – Seattle, WA – El Corazon
May 22 – Chicago, IL – Reggie’s
May 23 – St Paul, MN – Station 4
May 24 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave
May 25 – Louisville, KY – Uncle Pleasants
May 26 – Detroit, MI – Blondie’s
May 27 – Cleveland, OH – Peabody’s
May 28 – Worcester, MA – Palladium
May 29 – Toronto, ON – Wreck Room
May 30 – Montreal, QC – Les Foufounes Électriques
May 31 – Quebec City, QC – Imperial
June 1 – Farmingdale, NY – Crazy Donkey

That’s right, the one and only (until now) vocalist of Dragonforce for 10 years, ZP Theart, has left the band due to the stereotypical excuse of musical disagreement between him and the band. I can’t even imagine what ZP Theart means considering every Dragonforce record has sounded the same for good or bad. Was the man bored with the process of the band? Or perhaps the rest of the band wanted to go in a different direction, while ZP Theart wanted to continue to jump off of trampolines during live shows whilst wearing leather pants and little else?

I find this kind of ironic considering the first two Dragonforce records are being re-issued on Spikefarm records; could this be a promotional stunt to get more sales? All I know is that this is probably a good move for the band, as the Dragonforce schtick had run its course, and new blood and ideas have been desperately needed for quite sometime in the British power metallers camp. I do have to say that I will be looking forward to seeing what the band produces on their next endeavor with a fresh voice.