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EXODUS drummer Tom Hunting says that says that he is “thankful for the science” that helped him in his battle with squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the stomach. The 56-year-old made the comment just three weeks after he rejoined his bandmates on stage at the Aftershock festival in Sacramento, California. The concert marked the musician’s first appearance with EXODUS since undergoing a successful total gastrectomy in July.

Tom discussed his cancer battle during an October 27 interview with “The Classic Metal Show”. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “It’s just some stuff that some of us are gonna have to go through. I’m very thankful for the science and what they were able to do to turn a bad situation around for me. I think I got lucky — I’m a lot more lucky than brave, that’s for sure.

“As far as perspective changes, I definitely don’t think I sweat the small stuff anymore as much,” he continued. “Things that used to stress me out or whatever, it just ain’t worth it anymore. But I’m in a good place now. I was able to rejoin the band, and that felt great. I got to do one show with them back so far, and we’re doing another one next month.

“I don’t have any limitations — dietary, physical or whatever,” Hunting explained. “I’m in a good place right now. I’m pretty lucky. They can’t find cancer in me right now. And believe me — they’re poking and prodding and doing screenshots of my guts and innards all the time. They use words like ‘markers’ and ‘margins,’ and all of my markers and margins are just good right now. They got it all; that’s what they told me. I won’t say [I’m] cancer free, because I don’t wanna jinx it. But they’re cautiously optimistic. They say I have a lot to celebrate right now, so I’m celebrating, bro.”

EXODUS tapped John Tempesta to play drums for the band at Psycho Las Vegas in Las Vegas, Nevada in August and at Full Terror Assault in Cave In Rock, Illinois in September while Hunting was recovering from surgery. Tempesta was a member of EXODUS from 1989 until 1993 and played on the band’s albums “Impact Is Imminent” (1990) and “Force Of Habit” (1992).

When Hunting announced his absence from Psycho Las Vegas and Full Terror Assault, he said in a statement: “I need to manage my own expectations, and then work my very core back into shape to be fully ready for action. I have no doubt I’ll bounce back and get there.”

A GoFundMe campaign to help Hunting with medical expenses had previously raised more than $114,000 — including $5,000 from Tom’s former EXODUS bandmate, current METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett, and $1,500 from FOZZY singer and wrestling superstar Chris Jericho.

EXODUS will release its new album, “Persona Non Grata”, on November 19 via Nuclear Blast Records. The LP was recorded at a studio in Lake Almanor, California and was engineered by Steve Lagudi and EXODUS. It was produced by EXODUS and was mixed by Andy Sneap. For the third time in the band’s history, they returned to Swedish artist Pär Olofsson to create the album artwork.

“Persona Non Grata” is the follow-up to 2014’s “Blood In Blood Out”, which was the San Francisco Bay Area thrashers’ first release since the departure of the group’s lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Steve “Zetro” Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

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John Bush has spoken about his part in ANTHRAX’s 40th-anniversary celebrations, calling the experience “really cool to be part of.” The singer also talked about reconnecting with some of the ANTHRAX members, and how he’s even in touch with current ANTHRAX singer Joey Belladonna. John, who fronted ANTHRAX between 1992 and 2005 but was sidelined when the band reunited with Belladonna for a 20th-anniversary tour, made his comments while talking to Eonmusic about ARMORED SAINT’s recently released “Symbol Of Salvation Live” album.

ANTHRAX’s 40th-anniversary celebrations saw the thrash metal pioneers revisit their career with a weekly YouTube series, which went album by album, from their formation in the early 1980s until the present day.

Said John: “It was really cool to be part of the documentary. I think the way they did that was really cool in the sense that they went record by record. I think that was really a cool idea. Obviously, I made some records [with them], so it’s cool that those records got some props and talked about, so I dug that. I was interviewed and got to tell some stories and share some funny memories.”

When asked if he would have liked to have guested with the band during the ANTHRAX global livestream event in July, Bush commented; “The live performance, I wasn’t too concerned about that. I know there was a couple of guests, but I didn’t really feel slighted by it. They approached it the way they wanted to, and my relationships with those guys have all gotten a lot better, and I’m happy about that because there was a period of time where it was basically non-existent.”

Elaborating on his harmonious relationship with his former bandmates, he continued: “Me and Scott [Ian, guitar] have always stayed in contact because he lives out here in L.A., and we run in some similar circles, but there was a period of time with Charlie [Benante, drums] and Frankie [Bello, bass] where we just didn’t speak, and every now and then we’ll text something funny, and then there’s banter, and the relationship is a lot better. Especially after Charlie came up and played the METAL ALLEGIANCE show that we did in San Francisco, and he came up and played ‘Only’ and that was an awesome moment. So that kind of let the waters rest, and I was happy about that.”

Bush further revealed his respect for Belladonna, stating: “I don’t speak to Joey too often, but my wife and his wife have developed this relationship, and they’re friends, which is ironic. They text and they just shoot the breeze, and they’re always talking about kind of ‘defusing’ this battle that people like to create, and it’s just not necessary because Joey’s great, and I have the utmost respect for him.”

He concluded: “I always say that he is the guy that should be in ANTHRAX — of course. It’s the classic lineup! It’s all worked out right. I yearn to not have too many enemies in my life, period, and I really don’t think I do, and I certainly don’t want those guys to be, because we just have too much history”.

Read the entire interview, where John talks about the making of “Symbol Of Salvation”, the new live set, plans for vinyl reissues, and more, on Eonmusic.

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MACHINE HEAD’s Robb Flynn joined ONCE HUMAN on stage this past Tuesday, October 26 at The Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, California to perform the MACHINE HEAD classic “Davidian”. Video footage of his appearance can be seen below (courtesy of Capital Chaos TV).

ONCE HUMAN, which was founded by former MACHINE HEAD guitarist Logan Mader, will release its third album, “Scar Weaver”, on February 11, 2022 via earMUSIC. The group’s lineup is completed by vocalist Lauren Hart, longtime bassist Damien Rainaud, drummer Dillon Trollope and second guitarist (and now chief riff writer) Max Karon.

Pieced together over the last two years, “Scar Weaver” sees ONCE HUMAN refining and redefining their sound, inspired by a sudden creative surge from Karon, and Hart pushing herself to new heights, showcasing a vastly expanded vocal range in the process.

“I always had a tremendous amount of belief in Lauren’s ability to be a legit frontwoman, but when this began she was new, and so there was a lot of development to happen over time,” says Logan. “She’s really blossomed. She’s grown a lot as a vocalist, a performer and a lyricist through all of this.”

“Vocally, I’ve changed a lot since the last record,” Lauren notes. “My screams got lower and the cleans became stronger. I’ve become much more comfortable with clean singing through touring with KAMELOT, because they really pushed me to do that. I’ve learned a lot about my voice since then. But a lot of this starts with Max’s melodies, and sometimes I felt like it would be cheating to just growl over these amazing pieces of music, and it’d be so much better to do something that complements it. So sometimes the growls have melody too.”

One highlight of the new ONCE HUMAN record is preview single “Deadlock”, featuring a vocal cameo from Flynn. Mader’s history with MACHINE HEAD is well documented, not least in recent times when he toured the globe with Robb for the Bay Area band’s “Burn My Eyes” 25th-anniversary tour. As a result, this new collaboration needs no explanation, but Lauren remains thrilled by the whole experience.

“It was absolutely amazing, are you kidding?” she grins. “I didn’t believe it was happening until he sent something back and I heard his voice on our song. I was like, ‘Holy crap! This is real!’ He came back with a new chorus and it was so much better than mine, so my chorus was gone! [Laughs] But then performing with him in the video, that was insane. The energy he brings on stage, he brings in person too. It was a great experience and his energy is so powerful. The video came out amazing.”

MACHINE HEAD’s “Burn My Eyes” anniversary tour saw Flynn and bassist Jared MacEachern play the band’s classic debut album in its entirety for the first time ever, with original “Burn My Eyes”-era drummer Chris Kontos and Mader joining in.

Last November, MACHINE HEAD released a new single called “My Hands Are Empty”, via Nuclear Blast. The song marked the first musical collaboration between Flynn and Mader in 24 years.

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French progressive metallers GOJIRA have released a music video for the song “Sphinx”. The clip was directed and animated by Zev Deans, who has previously helmed videos for BEHEMOTH, GHOST and more.

“Sphinx” is taken from GOJIRA’s latest album, “Fortitude”, which entered Billboard’s Top Albums chart at No. 1 last May, while also claiming the No. 1 spot on Billboard’s Top Current Albums, Current Rock Albums and Current Hard Music Albums tallies. The release also marked a career high debut on the Billboard 200 for GOJIRA, arriving at No. 12, with several career high chart positions and Top 10 debuts in countries around the globe including: France (No. 2), United Kingdom (No. 6), Australia (No. 3), Germany (No. 8), Belgium (No. 2), Netherlands (No. 4), Denmark (No. 3), Portugal (No. 4), Finland (No. 2) and Norway (No. 10).

“Fortitude” is highlighted by the singles “Another World”, “Born For One Thing”, “Into The Storm”, “Amazonia” and “The Chant”, a slow-burning track featuring some of GOJIRA’s most melodic material to date.

Furthermore, GOJIRA recently concluded a month-long fundraising initiative in support of the indigenous-owned NGO The Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) who advocate for environmental and cultural rights of indigenous tribes in the Amazon. Working with the social good-focused digital platform Propeller, the charitable campaign raised over $300,000 through an auction and raffle of one-of-a-kind items from the band and their friends in METALLICA, TOOL, SLIPKNOT, SLAYER, Slash and more. All proceeds will be donated to APIB to support their work aiding the indigenous tribes of the Amazon who have suffered immensely — victims of deforestation, land loss, forced labor, violence, and harassment.

Recorded and produced by Joseph Duplantier at Silver Cord Studio — GOJIRA’s Ridgewood, Queens, New York headquarters — and mixed by Andy Wallace (NIRVANA, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE), “Fortitude” is GOJIRA’s first album in five years and the follow-up to 2016’s Grammy-nominated LP “Magma”. A collection of songs urging humanity to imagine a new world and then make it happen, “Fortitude” has been earning widespread critical praise with Rolling Stone naming it one of their best albums of April 2021 and remarking “It’s all the rage of death metal mixed with the conscience of punk rock and the musicality of progressive rock.” NPR hailed “Another World” as “an apocalyptic banger,” and Paste called “Into The Storm” a “much-needed revolutionary anthem.” Stereogum declared, “hearing this band operating at their peak is a life-affirming thing,” while Revolver attested “Fortitude” “could spark a revolution.”

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Danish/American rock and rollers VOLBEAT have released a new song called “Becoming”. The track is taken from the band’s eighth studio album, “Servant Of The Mind”, which is due on December 3 via Republic Records. The effort will be available in standard CD, deluxe 2LP vinyl (in various limited-edition variants) and a deluxe digital edition.

For “Servant Of The Mind”, the band, which consists of Michael Poulsen (guitars/vocals), Jon Larsen (drums), Rob Caggiano (guitars) and Kaspar Boye Larsen (bass) took their signature heavy metal, psychobilly and punk ‘n’ roll sound up a notch while showcasing Poulsen’s keen ability for songwriting and storytelling.

“I wrote the whole album in three months,” recalled Poulsen, “I was in a good place and mood while at home, and had a captive audience of myself… There are a lot of VOLBEAT signatures in it. If you go back to the first record and compare it to where we are now, you can hear how the band has developed its style, while keeping the signature sound.”

When the album was first announced in September, the band released the “Shotgun Blues” single, an anthemic track in which Poulsen explores the ghostly events he recently experienced upon moving into a new home.

“Every time you move into a house, you bring dead people with you,” he explained. “Weird stuff happens when I move into a [new] house… it’s very otherworldly.” Watch the lyric video below.

The album also includes the “double barrel” of summer songs the band released this past June: “Wait A Minute My Girl” and “Dagen Før” (featuring Stine Bramsen), the former of which became the band’s ninth number one single on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart.

Other songs on the album weave intricate and fascinating tales. “The Sacred Stones” tells the story of “an earthly being who has committed himself to the dark side. He is on a mission, speaking to darker forces and fallen angels.” Meanwhile, “The Devil Rages On” looks at the idea of the devil taking human form. Album opener “Temple Of Ekur” returns to the ancient themes explored in past songs such as “The Gates Of Babylon”, while the epic album closer “Lasse’s Birgita” explores the story of the first witch burnings to occur in Sweden in 1471.

“Servant Of The Mind” standard edition track listing:

01. Temple Of Ekur
02. Wait A Minute My Girl
03. The Sacred Stones
04. Shotgun Blues
05. The Devil Rages On
06. Say No More
07. Heaven’s Descent
08. Dagen Før (feat. Stine Bramsen)
09. The Passenger
10. Step Into Light
11. Becoming
12. Mindlock
13. Lasse’s Birgitta

Deluxe 2 CD/2 LP and digital deluxe bonus tracks:

14. Return To None (WOLFBRIGADE cover)
15. Domino (THE CRAMPS/ROY ORBISON cover)
16. Shotgun Blues (feat. Dave Matrise from JUNGLE ROT)
17. Dagen Før (Michael Vox Version)

Vinyl variants (North America)

* Standard 180g black vinyl 2LP
* Translucent Rust 2 LP – Volbeat.dk exclusive, limited to 550
* Transparent Yellow 2 LP – Revolver magazine exclusive, limited to 400
* Mystery Color LP2 – indie retail exclusive, limited to 100

Vinyl variants (Europe)

* Standard 180g black vinyl 2 LP
* Crystal Clear 2 LP, volbeat.dk exclusive, limited to 2,000
* Glow In The Dark 2 LP, EMP exclusive, limited to 2,000
* Orange and Blue 2 LP, UMG exclusive, limited to 3,100
* Danish Red and White 2 LP – only available in Denmark, limited to 2,000

Regarding the musical direction of the new VOLBEAT album and how the rest of it compares to the recently released songs “Wait A Minute My Girl” and “Dagen Før”, Michael told Germany’s Rock Antenne: “It’s the most heavy VOLBEAT record to date. The two singles that are out now — I’m very, very proud of them; they’re pure rock songs — but they don’t really represent the rest of the material. There’s a good reason why we released those two songs now. It’s summer. People need some light. They need some positive energy. They need good vibrations, good mood. And I think those two songs have all those kind of things.”

Asked if the new VOLBEAT songs are as heavy as “Evelyn”, which originally appeared on the band’s 2010 album “Beyond Hell/Above Heaven”, Michael said: “There’s definitely stuff that’s just as heavy as ‘Evelyn’ — no doubt about it. I wouldn’t say much more than that. But there’s definitely stuff that’s just as heavy as ‘Evelyn’. And there’s stuff that’ll bring you back to old BLACK SABBATH with Ronnie James Dio, early METALLICA, even some old DEATH inspiration, old BOLT THROWER inspiration. So some of those classic songs from old-school heavy bands. For sure, there’s definitely stuff that sounds like early CANDLEMASS. So, there’s gonna be a lot of thunder and lightning for the rest of the material.”

VOLBEAT is two decades deep into a career that has found them sharing stages with genre legends like BLACK SABBATH, METALLICA, MOTÖRHEAD, SLIPKNOT, MEGADETH, ANTHRAX and more. They have racked up nearly three billion cumulative streams over the course of their career, notched a “Best Metal Performance” Grammy nomination for “Room 24” (featuring King Diamond) from 2014’s acclaimed (and gold-selling) “Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies”, and have grabbed multiple Danish Music Awards. Not ones to rest on their laurels, their forthcoming album “Servant Of The Mind”, which was written and recorded during the shutdown and quarantine necessitated by the COVID-19 pandemic, is introspective but pulls no punches and is no less raucous or driving than their previous efforts.

Since forming in 2001, VOLBEAT has gone from the clubs of Copenhagen to headlining stages around the world, including the famed Telia Parken stadium in Denmark (becoming the only domestic artist to ever sell out the venue). Over the course of seven record-breaking albums the band has picked up number one songs (including nine No. 1s on the U.S. Mainstream Rock chart and counting, the most of any band based outside of North America), multi-platinum certifications, awards and accolades all over the planet. Their latest album, “Rewind, Replay, Rebound”, was released in August 2019 and has spawned the hit singles “Last Day Under The Sun”, “Die To Live” (featuring Neil Fallon) and “Leviathan”. A live album featuring songs recorded during the subsequent world tour, “Rewind, Replay, Rebound: Live In Deutschland”, was released digitally in November 2020. Most recently, they contributed a cover of “Don’t Tread On Me” to “The Metallica Blacklist”, with all proceeds from the track benefiting METALLICA’s All Within My Hands foundation and the Børne Cancer Fonden of Denmark.

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SLIPKNOT’s Corey Taylor spoke to The New York Times about his love for Swedish pop superstars ABBA, who made a surprise announcement in September that they would release their first new album in 40 years.

“Growing up in the ’70s, there was such a weird amalgam of music all over the place,” he said. “I had Elvis; I had Motown; I had weird disco. Through all of that, I remember hearing ABBA’s music. It seemed like it was always on, and it was clearly different from everything else. It had this full-spectrum lush production that felt and sounded big. It was only four people, but those songs sounded like there were a thousand people being recorded. The math didn’t add up to me.”

As for his favorite ABBA song, Taylor said: “‘Take A Chance On Me’ was always my jam. I love the juxtaposition; the beginning sets the whole tone for the song, with this weird Gregorian monk-like chant going on, and all of a sudden the crazy European production kicks in. The modulation in those songs is beautiful; it hooks you in, the way it plays between the major and the minor. I just love the yearning feeling. When you put it on, I’m instantly in a good mood.”

ABBA was originally formed in 1972 and became massively successful after winning Eurovision in 1974 with hit single “Waterloo” and releasing 11 albums. The group split in 1982 after its respective couples, Agnetha Fältskog and Björn Ulvaeus and Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Benny Andersson, both divorced.

ABBA’s new album, “Voyage”, will be released on November 5. An immersive digital stage show will begin on May 27, 2022 at at the ABBA Arena, which is a state-of-the-art 3,000 capacity venue located at the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in London. The concert will feature ABBA’s best-loved hits from throughout the years plus two new tracks, “I Still Have Faith In You” and “Don’t Shut Me Down”.

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MasterClass, the streaming platform where anyone can learn from the world’s best across a wide range of subjects, today announced that METALLICA will teach a class on being a band. In celebration of the group’s 40th anniversary and as the first rock band to teach on MasterClass, James Hetfield, Lars Ulrich, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo will reflect on four decades of transcendence, giving members a window into their journey to teach strategies for growing and staying together as a band, collaborating creatively and maintaining a unique and intimate relationship with a loyal legion of fans. METALLICA’s class is now available exclusively on MasterClass, where subscribers get unlimited access to all 100+ instructors with an annual membership.

“With 40 years of sustained success, METALLICA is arguably one of the greatest bands of all time,” said David Rogier, founder and CEO of MasterClass. “For the first time, METALLICA will bring MasterClass members along their dynamic creative process, teaching strategies for what it takes to be a band and demonstrating how individuals with big ideas can start, maintain and work together as a collective.”

In their class, METALLICA will unpack the principles that ensure longevity as a group by being effective communicators, managing criticism and navigating collaboration. Breaking down some of their greatest hits, including “Enter Sandman” and “Master Of Puppets”, they will provide techniques for songwriting, taking members through the process of a song from its conception as a riff to its finished arrangement, complete with lyrics, solos and moments of dynamic tension.

Drawing on a devoted international fan base, METALLICA will dive deep into the audience-performer relationship, sharing advice on how to connect with fans on stage and off, and how to cultivate and maintain these lifelong relationships. Their philosophies on writing lyrics, creating albums and sustaining a band’s interpersonal relationships over time will help aspiring musicians come together as a unified creative team. Members in creative fields will appreciate the band’s insights on how to offer constructive feedback, communicate effectively when strong personalities are involved, and take a pragmatic approach to the necessities of business. After sharing stories of the band’s transcendence and keys to creative collaboration, METALLICA will leave members inspired to think of their own creative collaborations in a new light with an exclusive six-song performance.

“We have sustained our bond for more than 40 years because we’ve learned a lot about each other and ourselves over time,” said Hetfield, lead vocalist, rhythm guitarist and cofounder of METALLICA. “In our class we not only teach MasterClass members how we write songs and find inspiration for our music, but how the experiences we’ve had together have contributed to successful creative collaboration.”

Formed in 1981 by Hetfield and Ulrich, METALLICA ranks as one of the most commercially successful bands of all time, having sold more than 120 million albums worldwide and generating more than 15 billion streams. METALLICA has released 10 studio albums, four live albums, a cover album, five extended plays, 37 singles and 39 music videos. Its last six studio albums have consecutively debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The band’s awards and accolades include nine Grammy Awards, two American Music Awards, multiple MTV Video Music Awards and a 2009 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. In 2018, the band was awarded one of the most prestigious musical honors in the world: Sweden’s Polar Music Prize. In 2017, METALLICA established the All Within My Hands foundation to give back to communities that have supported the band. To date, All Within My Hands has donated more than $4 million to critical local services and the fight against food insecurity, working with partners around the world to feed more than 10 million people. In addition, the Metallica Scholars Initiative has pledged a total of $4.1 million in grants benefiting 23 community colleges across the U.S. For 40 years and counting, METALLICA has forged an unwavering bond of mutual loyalty with its legions of fans, as represented by the more than one-million-strong Fifth Member fan club.

Launched in 2015, MasterClass is the streaming platform where anyone can learn from the world’s best. With an annual membership, subscribers get unlimited access to 100+ instructors and classes across a wide range of subjects, including arts & entertainment, business, design and style, sports and gaming, writing and more. Each class features about 20 video lessons, at an average of 10 minutes per lesson. You can learn on your own terms — in bite-size pieces or in a single binge. Cinematic visuals and close-up, hands-on demonstrations make you feel like you’re one-on-one with the instructors, while the downloadable instructor guides help reinforce your learning. Stream thousands of lessons anywhere, anytime, on mobile, tablet, desktop, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku players and devices.

Photo credit: courtesy of MasterClass

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According to TMZ, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons has purchased a mansion in Beverly Hills, California for $10.5 million. The home occupies more than 7,000 square feet of living apace and an additional 1800 square feet of “sleek deck space.” The sophisticated design allows for scenic views from the expansive kitchen, dining, living room, four bedrooms and five bathrooms, upstairs library/gallery space and a sliver of glass in the home theater. The home is one half solar powered, using roof panels to heat the pool and radiant heated floors.

Check out photos of the property at TMZ.

Last week, Gene spoke to The Wall Street Journal about his decision to sell his Southern Nevada estate, only five months after buying it.

Simmons paid a combined $10.8 million for the home and a lot adjacent to it back in May and is now asking $14.95 million for it. Among the improvements Simmons made to the Vegas house is installing all new floors and ripping up wall-to-wall carpeting in some of the rooms.

According to Gene, his wife and their two adult children never wanted to spend time in Las Vegas, preferring to stay at the family’s other homes, an extensive portfolio which includes a modern lake house in Whistler, British Columbia, a home in Malibu and two houses in L.A. that Gene bought for the Simmons kids, Nick and Sophie.

“They’re not fans of 115-degree weather,” Simmons told The Wall Street Journal.

Because of KISS’s touring schedule and his business travel, Gene said he never spent more than a few weeks total in Las Vegas. He went on to say that he had no regrets about selling the property so soon after the purchase, adding: “How many houses do you need anyway?”

Last month, Simmons sold his Los Angeles mansion for $16 million, almost a year after he first put it on the market for $22 million. He later relisted it for $25 million after it never sold and he reportedly invested a lot of money in making improvements.

Simmons has been very vocal about his desire to leave California for some time due to wanting a quieter lifestyle and to get away from being listed on celebrity maps or having to deal with Beverly Hills tour buses. He also said that part of the reason he and his wife listed the two-acre property in Benedict Canyon because the home had become too big for the both of them since their children had grown up.

Gene and Shannon were married in 2011 after dating since 1975.

Gene, Shannon and their kids all appeared on the reality TV series “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” from 2006 until 2012.

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There are occasional golden moments in the life of an extreme metal fan when new music is so ridiculously brutal and over-the-top that the only fitting response is to burst into hysterical laughter. That is not to say that there is anything lightweight or comical about ARCHSPIRE, as anyone that has listened to the Vancouver quintet’s three previous albums will attest. But the music on “Bleed the Future” takes ultra-brutal, technical death metal wizardry to absurd levels of virtuosity and precision, and it’s as infectious as a fit of the giggles. Even in an overpopulated scene where lofty standards of musicianship are generally expected, ARCHSPIRE are an audacious proposition and seemingly so technically gifted that their only real challenge is to keep themselves amused.

“Drone Corpse Aviator” slams the gauntlet down for any other death metal with aspirations to be among the genre’s elite. Delivered at an insane speed, without sacrificing a single shred of lethal to-the-grid accuracy, it would be hugely impressive even without all the clever melodic tricks, blazing solos and moments of mechanistic groove that make its four breathless minutes feel so crafted and complete. Likewise, “Golden Mouth of Ruin” is a straightforwardly great death metal song, but one with bursts of inhuman complexity and a vocal from frontman Oliver Rae Aleron that defies all rational explanation, such is its speed and power. Although ARCHSPIRE are firmly in the tradition of forebears like NECROPHAGIST, ORIGIN and WORMED, the Canadians’ musicality extends way beyond those bands’ all-out tech attack. “Abandon the Linear” is another breath-taking, hyper-speed assault, but one whose twists and turns always lead somewhere fascinating, from drugged-out, downtempo interludes to juddering flashes of neoclassical shred. Meanwhile, the title track is a master class in syncopated violence and malicious mood swings, while also being weirdly catchy.

The second half of “Bleed the Future” keeps that speed and intensity at their absolute limits, across four more explosive mini-symphonies of destruction. ARCHSPIRE are so resolutely on-the-money throughout that, against the odds, they occasionally make playing this music sound easy. But it really isn’t easy. And it’s rarely this substantial, memorable or innocently enjoyable to listen to. Once listeners recover from the shock of hearing death metal shoved brutally into a turbocharged, steroidal future, “Bleed the Future” will stand out as a fabulously vicious and unrelenting metal record. This time, however, the bar has definitely been raised.



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