To celebrate the release of Tombs‘ new EP, All Empires Fall, guitarist/vocalist Michael Hill’s Savage Gold Coffee has announced the limited “Dark Deceiver” blend for serious connoisseurs of the blackest of coffees. The “Dark Deceiver” blend combines high-elevation African beans blended with Indonesian and Central American beans to form a deliciously dark smoky flavor with traces of berry and cocoa.

Savage Gold Coffee and Holy Mountain Printing have also teamed up to offer exclusive coffee and t-shirt combo packages (available for a limited time only). Visit savagegoldcoffee.com to pick up a bag of “Dark Deceiver” now, and visit Holy Mountain Printing here to pick up coffee/shirt combo packages.

All Empires Fall was released last Friday on CD/LP/Digital via Relapse Records and is now available worldwide. The EP can be ordered at Relapse.com and streamed in full or purchased digitally via Bandcamp.

In celebration of their new EP, Tombs have announced a brief run of live performances in North America. Check out a list of dates below and stay tuned for more info on additional Tombs tour dates to be announced shortly.

Tombs Live Date:

May 13 Philadelphia, PA Kung Fu Necktie
May 14 Pittsburgh, PA Roboto Project
May 15 Detroit, MI El Club
May 16 Chicago, IL Chop Shop
May 18 Baltimore, MD Metro Gallery

Rock Hard \m/

Doom/sludge metal group Sourvein will release their very first Metal Blade Records offering, Aquatic Occult, this coming Friday, April 8th, but right now you can stream it in its entirety over at Noisey.

Pre-orders for Aquatic Occult are available now in CD, vinyl, and digital formats via metalblade.com/sourvein.

Rock Hard \m/

Death metal disciples Gruesome — featuring within its punishing ranks current and former members of Exhumed, Possessed, Malevolent Creation, and Derketa — has just shared the first new song, “Forces of Death,” from their newly announced EP, Dimensions of Horror.

Check out the “Gruesome” track here.

Now, I’ll let guitarist/vocalist Matt Harvey promote the track, because, not only does he provide a solid case for checking it out, but he also makes me want to party with him. Here’s what he had to say:

We’re totally psyched to bring you the first track from our new EP. This record, Dimensions of Horror, delves deeper into the roots of our favorite Floridian, Chuck Schuldiner, and revisits the days of Scream Bloody Gore and the numerous Death demos. We wanted to do something rawer, nastier and more primitive than [Gruesome debut] Savage Land and we hope you guys enjoy it and get into that gutter-level, early death metal head space with us. So as you listen, close your eyes, imagine that you just got home from high school in 1987, ditched your Mongoose bike and ejected your brand new None Shall Defy cassette out of your Walkman to check your mailbox. Inside, there’s a 60-minute TDK tape in the mail from an overseas pen pal with the Insanity 1985 rehearsal on one side and a dub of this new ‘mini-LP’ on the other. You steal some of your dad’s beer, light up a joint before your parents get home, and pop this bad boy in the stereo while you watch a worn out, second generation VHS dub of The Beyond on mute on a 125-pound television. Now you’re ready to enter the dimensions of horror and enlist in the forces of death.

Now, if that does’t sound like a good time, I suggest you reexamine your life choices.

Dimensions of Horror is due out May 20th, 2016, on CD, LP, cassette, and digitally worldwide. Physical pre-orders via Relapse.com can be found here, and digital pre-orders via Gruesome’s official BandCamp page here.

id Software proudly announced today the dates for Doom’s open beta run, which will be available to everyone, and won’t require any special codes to access. From April 15 through 17, players will simply be able to logon to the platform of their choice and download the beta to access Team Deathmatch and Warpath on the Heatwave and Infernal maps.

According to the developer, these maps and modes are just a fraction of what players will experience when the game launches in May. Bethesda Softworks, the publisher behind the new Doom previously released a series of videos, which explored some of the maps mentioned above, modes and power-ups of Doom’s multiplayer. If you missed them, then you’re in luck because we have embedded them for your convenience right below.

Doom officially launches on May 13 on Xbox One, PS4 and PC. The first DLC ($14.99) will be available this summer and gives player access to the following.

– Three new maps
– One new weapon
– One new playable demon
– One new armor set
– One new piece of equipment
– New hack modules and taunts
– New customization colors and patterns

As a family returns home from vacation at the Grand Canyon, they innocently bring home a supernatural force that preys off their own fears and vulnerabilities, threatening to destroy them from within, while consuming their lives with terrifying consequences.

The Darkness stars Kevin Bacon, Radha Mitchell, David Mazouz, Lucy Fry, Matt Walsh and Jennifer Morrison. The film will be released by BH Tilt in coordination with High Top Releasing.

Are you afraid of heavy metal’s future? Maybe you shouldn’t be; it might be in good hands, at least from a committee’s point of view.

Last month, LA Weekly named Ronnie James Dio among the “20 best singers of all time.” Now, that’s nothing to scoff at and quite the posthumous honor. Sure, he came in at number 20, but he’s still among such esteemed and beloved vocalists as Mariah Carey, Marvin Gaye, Ella Fitzgerald, Prince, James Brown, Maria Callas… well, I was going to pick through the list and present some of more interesting ones, but, hell, I’ll just give you the rest of the names: Diamanda Galás, Jimmy Scott, Elvis Presley, Ann Wilson, Amy Winehouse, Michael Jackson, Frank Sinatra, Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Axl Rose, Aretha Franklin, and Freddie Mercury.

Now, credit has to be given to LA Weekly for saying up front that the list is composed of their favorite singers based on such criteria as expressiveness, phrasing, and showmanship, but really? Dio is the best vocalist heavy metal or hard rock has to offer based on those qualifications?

I wasted enough years working for a huge online website to be able to recognize a list voted on by committee, an editor’s favorite pick (in this case, probably Dio), out-of-place inclusions to look well-rounded, and a pretentious editor in chief’s choice. So, this list is null and void before it even gets to name the deserving Freddy Mercury. What’s more is the opening paragraph: “They’ve yet to invent an instrument that can move us more than the human voice… no guitar solo can do that.” Who the hell wrote that drivel? Have you not heard Eddie Van Halen, Slash, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and countless others? Heck, The Beatles sang about weeping guitars, so what the writer was thinking, I don’t know. But that is neither here nor there for our purposes.

It’s clear that we’re not exactly talking about vocal technique here — since the publication stated this outright — so let’s ask, where’s David Lee Roth? That man right there has been one of the most dynamic, athletic, charismatic, and engaging vocalists in rock history. Oh, and he might not have been perfect, but he could belt it out. Or how about Steven Tyler? Where is he?

However, neither Roth nor Tyler are the same type of vocalist as Dio. But Bruce Dickinson is, and I’d definitely put him on LA Weekly’s list over Dio. In my opinion, the Iron Maiden frontman is a giant compared to the Black Sabbath replacement singer. Not exactly in the same vein, but Steve Perry of Journey could be on this list instead of Dio, or Chris Cornell, or Blackie Lawless, David Coverdale, Robert Plant, Sebastian Bach, Rob Halford…

That’s just a cursory selection of alternatives, as the list could go on ad nauseam.

Although I would have prefered to see heavy metal represented differently, it’s hard to condemn LA Weekly for including Dio on its list. It is, after all, surprising that the publication even knows who he is. It’s also hard to argue with a fire-breathing dragon that shoot lasers from its eyes. But, if I had to argue, I’d fight for Bruce Dickinson or, at the very least, the Black Sabbath singer who helped put the godfathers of metal on the map.

If you don’t like my objection to Dio’s inclusion, YELL at me in the comments section below. And don’t forget to tell us who you would have liked to have seen on the list… or tell us why Dio is deserving.

Rock Hard \m/

Former WWE superstar Dave Bautista (Riddick) will officially join Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford and Robin Wright in an important supporting role in Alcon Entertainment’s sequel to Ridley Scott’s 1982 masterpiece, Blade Runner.

A sequel directed by Denis Villeneuve (Sicario, Prisoners), which is set several decades after the 1982 original, with Ford reprising his iconic role as Rick Deckard. The film is written by Hampton Fancher and Michael Green, and succeeds the initial story by Fancher and David Peoples based on Philip K. Dick’s novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep. Story details, as well as Bautista’s character, are not being revealed.

Principal photography for the Blade Runner sequel is scheduled to begin July 2016 and the film will be released in January 2018 by Warner Bros. in North America.

If you live in London, or plan to take a trip there this Spring, then keep on reading to get the scoop on a terrifying new interactive movie experience with Danny Boyle’s cult horror masterpiece, 28 Days Later.

From 14th April 2016 to 29th May 2016, fans can take part in a five-hour experience inside the world of 28 Days Later with interactive sets, live performances by actors, a special screening of the film, and much more. The interactive project in London has full support from Boyle, screenwriter Alex Garland, and producer Andrew Macdonald.

Andrew said,

Secret Cinema never fails to amaze with their experiences, and it’s exciting to see them tackle their first ever horror. London prepare.

The secret location in London for the movie experience hasn’t been announced yet, but tickets can be purchased online. Follow this link for all the details.

Get all this and more in Episode 4, so what are you waiting for? Hit the play button and watch the video clip right above.

It’s no secret that multi-platinum hard rockers Drowning Pool support our troops in a big way. Today, the band heads out on their fifth USO tour to perform and visit with service members stationed at Andersen Air Force Base (April 6th, Guam), Kadena Air Base (April 8th, Japan), and Camp Foster (April 9th, Japan). This particular visit is in conjunction with the USO’s Campaign to Connect.

Whether inviting service members to an album release party or donating proceeds from album sales to the USO, Drowning Pool is always there to support the men and women of our military, who protect us. Drowning Pool has volunteered with the USO for 11 years and has incredibly strong family ties to the military. Guitarist C.J. Pierce’s father-in-law served in the Navy, bassist Stevie Benton’s father is a Vietnam veteran, and drummer Mike Luce’s brother currently serves. As a result of those personal connections, the band has entertained more than tens of thousands of service members on 14 military bases in five countries, to date. Drowning Pool has traveled with the USO, performing to troops in the U.S., the U.K., Germany, Iraq, and Kuwait.

Guitarist C.J. Pierce states:

We love giving back, it’s the least we can do… There are a lot of families involved in the armed forces and we love giving them a hand. It’s definitely great for us to go overseas and play at different bases. I think 2005 was our first one (Iraq and Kuwait) and it’s personal for us. Each one of us has someone in our family somewhere in the armed forces and it’s all about those friends and families.

This year marks the USO’s 75th anniversary and the official kickoff of not only a yearlong celebration around the world, but also the USO’s Campaign to Connect, a new digital message platform designed to show appreciation to those who serve. Drowning Pool joins the USO in its mission of connection and commitment to strengthening America’s service members by keeping them connected to family, home and country. Visit www.uso.org/connects to learn how you can join Drowning Pool as they help the USO deliver more than one million messages of support to service members and their families worldwide.

In addition to their USO tour dates, Drowning Pool will visit a few select countries on their return route. Also, the band has several confirmed U.S. performance dates lined up. See below for all confirmed tour dates in addition to the USO dates above:

Drowning Pool Non-USO Tour Dates:

International Dates:
4/10 – Bangkok, Thailand @ The Rock Pub
4/13 – Hong Kong, Hong Kong @ Hidden Agenda
4/17 – Jakarta, Indonesia @ HAMMERSONIC 2016

U.S. Dates
4/22 & 4/23 – Orlando, FL @ Central Florida Fairgrounds
5/5 – Toledo, OH @ Realm – w/ Saliva
5/6 – Lexington, KY @ The Manchester Music Hall – w/ Saliva
5/7 – Cleveland, OH @ The Odeon – w/ Saliva
5/14 – Kansas City, MO @ Liberty Memorial – KQRC Rockfest
5/29 – Dallas, TX @ Gexa Energy Pavilion – KEGL BFD
6/12 – Inwood, WV @ Summer Jam
7/15 – Bridgeview, IL @ Toyota Park – Chicago Open Air
7/16 – Mansfield, OH @ Ohio State Reformatory – Ink in the Clink
8/13 – Brownfield, TX @ 4B Wild West Bike Rally
8/19 – Glen Flora, WI @ The Northwoods Rock Rally

Rock Hard \m/