Music

While we're all eagerly awaiting the new Megadeth album, their first studio record since longtime bassist David Ellefson's return to the band, we'll have to make due for the time being with a clip of a new song, the title track of forthcoming video game, Never Dead. The game is due later this year; Megadeth's new album is due this fall. Below, watch the Never Dead trailer, which features the song rocking under the game play. Let us know what you think in the comments.

Burn Halo, the SoCal hard-rock outfit led by former Eighteen Visions frontman James Hart, drop their sophomore album, Up From the Ashes (Rawkhead), on June 28. But they're giving us a special sneak peek, with this exclusive debut of new song, "Dakota." So crank up the volume, hit play, and read below to see what Hart and guitarist Brandon Lynn have to say about the track.

[audio:http://revolvermag.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/08Dakota.mp3|Titles="Dakota"|Artists=Burn Halo]

REVOLVER What's this song about?
JAMES HART "Dakota" is a song of despair. It tells the tale of a person that lives in a black hole. Their emptiness is eating them from the inside out. They're so consumed by hatred and addiction that they neglect the idea of hope and faith in those that love them.

Which part of it did you come up with first? And what was the inspiration?
BRANDON LYNN I came up with the music bed first. I was inspired by A Perfect Circle, Muse, and Loudermilk. It's a song I had written a couple of years ago and felt it would be a great fit for what we wanted to do on the new Burn Halo album.

Was this an easy song to write?
LYNN Writing the music bed came pretty easy. It sounds like a song we sat down and wrote together.
HART Most of the vocal arrangements came pretty easy as well. I just sat down with an acoustic guitar strumming out all of the chords and was able to come up with the chorus melody in minutes. Lyrically, the song wrote itself. It's a dark and aggressive song. I just had to put myself there mentally. Visualizing the things I see in people I know on a daily basis.

What sort of feedback have you gotten on this song so far?
HART It's all been amazing. It's songs like this that I think a lot of our fans have been wanting to hear. I know my old Eighteen Visions fan base will come to love it. This is the album I think they wanted from me as a vocalist and I'm glad we could deliver.

Goth-glam metallers Black Veil Brides have unleashed the music video for their new single, "The Legacy," off their highly anticipated second album, Set the World on Fire (Lava/Universal Republic). Watch the clip below and let us know what you think in the comments!

Jane's Addiction have unveiled the music video for new song "End to the Lies." The track is off of the alt-rock pioneers' highly anticipated forthcoming album, The Great Escape Artist, which is scheduled for a late summer release. You can read more about the making of the record in the new issue of Revolver, on newsstands now. Watch the clip below and let us know what you think in the comments.

French extreme-metal outfit, and Revolver favorites, Gojira have unveiled a new song from their forthcoming self-released benefit EP, Sea Shepherd, which is due out this September. As if a new Gojira song were not exciting enough, this track also features Devin Townsend and Meshuggah's Fredrik Thordendal! Holy shit. Listen now and let us know what you think in the comment.

And to own the track, pick up the new issue of our sister mag, Metal Hammer, right here—it comes with a CD sampler featuring the song.

SoCal deathcore manaics Suicide Silence have unveiled a new song, "You Only Live Once," from their highly anticipated new album, The Black Crown (Century Media), due out this July. Crank up the volume and blast the song below. Let us know in the comments! And make sure and check out the band live at Mayhem Fest this summer!

Hatebreed and Kingdom of Sorrow frontman Jamey Jasta is putting out his long rumored solo album, Jasta (eOne), this July. The record features a host of big-name guests including members of Lamb of God, As I Lay Dying, All That Remains, as well as one Zakk Wylde of Black Label Society. Father Zakk appears on the track, "The Fearless Must Endure." Crank it below and let us know what you think in the comments! Check out Jasta playing with Kingdom of Sorrow this summer on Mayhem Fest!

Floridian metal outfit Trivium, who will be heading out on Mayhem Fest this summer and releasing their highly anticipated new album in August, posted a new song, "In Waves," online this weekend. Listen to it below and let us know what you think in the comments!

In this final part of our exclusive premiere of In Solitude's upcoming album, The World. The Flesh. The Devil, we bring you Side B, which includes "Demons," "To Her Darkness," "Dance of the Adversary" and the epic, Seventies-esque "On Burning Paths." (Check out Side A and the first part of our interview with singer Hornper here).

In listening to the last half of the album, it's clear that the young Swedish five-piece isn't interested in the latest retro trends. Instead, In Solitude are determined to push the boundaries of heavy metal into darker territories without falling into tired black metal clichés. Finally, read what Hornper has to say about working with producer (and ex-Dismember drummer) Fred Estby, analog vs. digital music formats and the album's bleak cover artwork.

The World. The Flesh. The Devil is out next Tuesday, May 24, through Metal Blade Records. Be sure to be at the band's debut North American show at this year's Maryland Deathfest, set to take place from May 26 - May 29 in Baltimore (In Solitude will perform on Saturday, May 28). Get your tickets here.

[audio:http://revolvermag.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/insolitude/05Demons.mp3, http://revolvermag.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/insolitude/06ToHerDarkne..., http://revolvermag.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/insolitude/07DanceoftheA..., http://revolvermag.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/insolitude/08OnBurningPa...|titles="Demons","To Her Darkness","Dance of the Adversary","On Burning Paths"|artists=In Solitude, In Solitude, In Solitude]

Production-wise, what made you choose to work with Fred Estby? Did he bring anything to the table or did the band already have a clear idea of where it wanted to go sonically?
Fred has a good ear for music, that's for sure. After the first meeting, we knew we wanted to work with him. We share similar preferences of how a rock album should sound and he also had a similar vision of how our album should sound, too. The ship sailed in a steady direction downwards the deep river, meaning, there were no arguments or any opinions that differed. We didn't write the album during the studio session, so to speak. We were quite prepared but he came with a fresh ear and had many good ideas which ended up on the album. This is something we admire him for.

Was there any consideration for the album's sequencing?
We wanted to have a track listing that was as dynamic as our material allowed and to recreate the journey we were on when we wrote this album in the best possible way.

What are you thoughts on presenting music digitally as opposed to analog?
I prefer an analog production and presentation of music. Though an album needs to function on MP3, vinyl and CD these days, I don't have a problem with that.

Finally, the cover art is quite ominous and bleak—can you give us some background information on it?
We had a lot of problems trying to find a suitable artist for the cover. We collaborated with different artists and explored many ideas but none seemed to capture the album's essence in the right way. However, as we discovered the world of Jesse Peper, we felt at home, especially as we saw the specific shadow-portrait that the album carries on the cover.

Like I've said before, it was as if we stood face to face with something that had been present our whole lives and it symbolized a triggering and driving force into another step deeper into the darkness. We have come to realize that the painting depicts our guide in one of its many masks. I told you earlier about the "voice that is calling on you." I think that this voice shows one of its many faces on our cover.

Ever since we first discovered In Solitude back in 2009 via their debut self-titled record, the young Swedish quintet  have been one of our favorite new bands.

Vocalist Hornper's dark, baritone voice, coupled with the precise, heavy riffing of guitarists Niklas Lindström and Mattias Gustavsson and the rock-solid rhythm section of bassist Gottfrid Åhman and drummer Uno Bruniusson took the dark essence of early Mercyful Fate and perfectly mixed it with the power of Iron Maiden—a sure-win combination.

Finally, the band—along with new recruit Henrik Palm of Sonic Ritual on second guitar, who replaced Gustavsson early last year—is back in 2011 with the heavy metal album of this generation and beyond: The World. The Flesh. The Devil. The classic metal sound of their debut record is still in tact, though the five-piece has delved deeper into the darkness and emerged a more mature and cohesive unit. This time around, the band appears to have drawn influences from Hawkwind, UFO and even the twisted mind of the infamous film director David Lynch. The World. The Flesh. The Devil is not only leaps and bounds over the band's peers, but takes the sound of heavy metal to levels it has yet been.

To celebrate the release of this album on May 24 on Metal Blade Records, we're stoked to bring you an exclusive listen to Side A of The World. The Flesh. The Devil, which includes the title track, "We Were Never Here," "Serpents Are Rising" and "Poisoned, Blessed and Burned." (Check back this Thursday when we bring you Side B.) In addition, we caught up with Hornper for a quick chat about the title and themes within the album and the progression the band has taken.

[audio:http://revolvermag.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/insolitude/01The%20World..., http://revolvermag.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/insolitude/02WeWereNever..., http://revolvermag.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/insolitude/03SerpentsAre..., http://revolvermag.com/wp-content/uploads/audio/insolitude/04PoisonedBle...|titles="The World. The Flesh. The Devil","We Were Never Here","Serpents Are Rising","Poisoned Blessed and Burned"|artists=In Solitude, In Solitude, In Solitude]

Can you explain the title, The World. The Flesh. The Devil?
We have chosen not to feed everyone our personal perception of the title nor over-analyze it in interviews because we want the listeners themselves to rely on what the title evokes in them personally and for them to find their own way of perceiving it. The title and the specific song and poem that carries its name is very significant to what this album reveals and deals with. If you read and listen to it carefully and close to heart, all answers shall come.

There is an obvious musical growth within the band, as songs such as "Demons," "We Were Never Here" and "Serpents Are Rising" are more dynamic and even explore psychedelic passages, which is more prominent this time around. The band also seems to have grown better technically. Has the addition of Henrik Palm influence the band's writing? Did the band have a vision of where it wanted to go?
Well, the band was already moving in that direction by the time Henrik joined the band. I think we had really understood who we are and where we were going at that point. The same goes for Henrik and that's why he instantly became an essential part of In Solitude. By the time we had written half the record, it felt as if Henrik had been there from the beginning. So, I think Henrik was the perfect addition to the direction that the band was taking.

The vision—and action—has always been to venture deeper and deeper into that dark place from where our creativity, spirituality and hunger comes from. And we are always venturing deeper, and we'll do that until we disappear. It's like following a voice that is calling on you: a wordless langue that demands sacrifice. The sound of the new record is the result of our venturing into that realm and what we do with this record is to take you there.

In Solitude's sound is darker and more atmospheric than a lot of your peers. There also seems to be a very heavy occult philosophy within the lyrics and themes. As the band's voice, what are you trying to channel through the band's music? Is there an underlying theme present in The World. The Flesh. The Devil?
I don't know if I would be comfortable calling it a "theme." I feel like there's a better word out there somewhere.

Anyhow, the words stem from the same locus and the same heart—they are my personal and empirical poems based on wound and experience from intense black magical work and wandering. That's what they all have in common and it is the emotions and visions of these experiences that I want to channel and share with my words—as good as I can. But, words tend to say far too little. These are "matters" that mean the world to me and as soon as I write from my heart, it automatically becomes what my lyrics are. If anything would have been a lie, I would be dead.

Check back on Thursday for side B of The World. The Flesh. The Devil and to read the final part of Hornper's interview. Also, be sure to catch the band perform its debut U.S. show at Maryland Deathfest in Baltimore on Saturday, May 28. Tickets are available here.