Artist

Heavy hypno riffers Om have set October 2nd as the official release date for their 3rd full-length album, Pilgrimage. Om—comprised of ex-Sleep bassist/vocalist Al Cisneros and drummer Chris Hakius—recorded Pilgrimage at Electrical Audio in Chicago, IL. by Steve Albini. The album is currently being mastered by Bob Weston at Chicago Mastering Services.

The track-listing for Pilgrimage is as follows:

1. Pilgrimage
2. Unitive Knowledge of the Godhead
3. Bhimas Theme
4. Pilgrimage (reprise)

A gatefold LP version of the album will also be released sometime shortly after the CD release.

OM will also be performing live on the following dates:

09/13 Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, OH
09/14 Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL w/ Circle
09/15 Empty Bottle - Chicago, IL w/Daniel Higgs
09/16 Southgate House - Newport, KY
09/19 Marquee Theatre - Tempe, AZ w/Pinback
09/20 Sunshine Theatre - Albuquerque, NM w/Pinback
09/21 Bricktown Live - Oklahoma City, OK w/ Pinback
09/22 Palladium Ballroom - Dallas, TX w/ Pinback
09/23 Emo's - Austin, TX

While French black metal group Deathspell Omega cultivate extreme anonymity when it comes to their identity (they rarely, if ever, give interviews and offer no background info or lineup IDs), they're definitely forthcoming when it comes to their metaphysical philosophies on Satanism.

The most recent example of Deathspell's ideology is their latest release Fas - Ite, Maledicit, in Ignem Aeternum (Ajna), the title of which translates from Latin into "By divine law, go, you cursed, into the eternal fire!" and is taken from the 15th century morality play called Everyman.

The second album from their preordained trilogy, beginning with 2004's Si Monumentum Requires, Circumspice , Fas deals with such weighty concepts of divine will, perdition and man's inability to escape judgment.

Musically, Fas is filled with murky silences and Gregorian chants that are violently snuffed by slashing guitar assaults, pummeling drums and brutally tense vocals. This tornado of razors calms only for a moment, to allow clean, discordant melodies to slip out like snakes from a startled nest.

To put it simply, Deathspell Omega are one of the strongest examples of uncompromised black metal in today's scene. Go to your basement. Play this record. Be eviscerated. – Ian Caskey

Continuing MetalKult's French black metal kick of late, we'd like to hail Glorior Belli's brutal sophomore album Manifesting the Raging Beast (Southern Lord).

Filled with seasick riffs, guttural reverb-laden vocals and surprisingly melodic lines, Manifesting is as darkly beautiful as it is gloom inducing. Fans of Deathspell Omega and Funeral Mist would do well to grab this album, which claims to be "eight psalms of terror; the altered verses of the Holy." – Brad Angle

Click to hear "Manifesting the Raging Beast."

Under the moniker of Alcest, French multi-instrumentalist Neige explores what happens when heavily melodic progressions and uplifting atmospheric effects are mixed with isolationist black metal je ne sais quoi. The result? Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde (Profound Lore Records), Alcest's unexpectedly profound and affecting full-length debut.

Where many black metal records tunnel inward to the dark centers of their authors, Souvenirs D'un Autre Monde (translated to Memories of Another World) looks outward and upward, encouraging the listener to release its grasp on reality and float into the ether. Nice. –Brad Angle

On July 24, 2007, the Arkansas sludge metal crew Rwake rolled into the MetalKult offices in New York City, where they were in town to play a gig at Club Midway in support of their latest release, Voices of Omens (Relapse).

We pulled guitarists Gravy and Kiffin away from a serious band discussion on Death, Brutal Truth and finding parking in NYC for the following interview, in which the guys discuss a range of topics including how Southern culture has influenced Rwake's sound, Voices of Omens' classical arc, and tranny hookers dumping in alleys. Whoah!

Dig that and more below:

[playlist:mk-qa-rwake]

Offering a sample from their upcoming full-length, Rise Of The Tyrant, Arch Enemy have posted their opening track, "Blood On Your Hands," on their official MySpace page, myspace.com/archenemy.

Arch Enemy guitarist Michael Amott states: "I know there is a lot of excitement out there amongst the fans to hear this new album, so we thought it would be cool to give you all a sneak preview. 'Blood On Your Hands' is the opening track on Rise of The Tyrant and it kicks the album off with a huge bang! It's a full on, no holds barred slab of classic Arch Enemy where the whole band is going for it 110%. The song was a blast to write and record and now we are looking forward to playing it live. To me it captures all aspects of ARCH ENEMY perfectly with just about as much guitar as it's possible to cram into four and a half minutes. Enjoy!"

Arch Enemy's tour dates are as follows:

ARCH ENEMY
W/Machine Head, Throwdown, Sanctity
09/07 House of Blues - Anaheim, CA
09/08 Jillian's - Las Vegas, NV
09/09 Soma - San Diego, CA
09/11 Rialto Theatre - Tucson, AZ
09/13 House of Blues - Dallas, TX
09/14 Meridian - Houston, TX
09/15 House of Blues - New Orleans, LA
09/17 House of Blues - Lake Buena Vista, FL
09/18 Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
09/19 Hooligans - Jacksonville, NC
09/21 Palladium - Worcester, MA
09/22 Nokia Theatre - New York, NY
09/23 Sonar - Baltimore, MD
09/24 Norva - Norfolk, VA
09/26 Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA
09/27 Evolution - Buffalo, NY
09/28 Opera House - Toronto, ON
09/29 The Medley - Montreal, QUE
10/01 House of Blues - Cleveland, OH
10/02 House of Blues - Chicago, IL
10/03 First Ave - Minneapolis, MN
10/05 Harpo's - Detroit, MI
10/06 Orbit Room - Grand Rapids, MI
10/07 Pops - St. Louis, MO
10/09 Gothic Theatre - Englewood, CO
10/10 Sunshine Theatre - Albuquerque, NM
10/12 The Warfield - San Francisco, CA
10/13 Avalon - Hollywood, CA

MetalKult.com has stepped on board as official sponsors of the SuperNova Records 2007 North American Tour, featuring four bands from the SuperNova Records roster: Today Is The Day, Defcon 4, Christine, and Taipan.

SuperNova Records is the new label founded by Today Is The Day frontman Steve Austin, also renowned for his production work with such bands as Lamb Of God and Converge. SuperNova Records is distributed exclusively by MRI/RED/Sony Distribution in the US, Cargo Distribution in Canada, F.A.B. Distribution in Canada, and IODA for all digital distribution.

MetalKult editor Jimmy Hubbard gives this statement:

"As I longtime fan of Today is the Day, I'm pretty damned pumped that MetalKult has the opportunity to sponsor this tour. We're really stoked to support such a pioneering act like Today is the Day, as well as Steve Austin's first DIY label endeavor, SuperNova Records."

All four bands on the tour — Today Is The Day, Defcon 4, Christine, and Taipan — have new releases out on SuperNova Records in August and September.

SuperNova Records 2007 North American Tour Dates are as follows:

Today Is The Day "Axis Of Eden" Tour 2007 with Defcon 4 Christine and Taipan

09/13/2007 07:00 PM - The Middle East, Boston, Massachusetts

09/14/2007 07:00 PM - Europa, Brooklyn, New York

09/15/2007 07:00 PM - The Sterling Hotel, Allentown, Pennsylvania

09/16/2007 07:00 PM - Fun Haus, Toronto, Ontario

09/17/2007 07:00 PM - Howard's Club, Bowling Green, Ohio

09/18/2007 07:00 PM - The Note, Chicago, Illinois

09/19/2007 07:00 PM - Creepy Crawl, St. Louis, Missouri -

09/20/2007 07:00 PM - Sokol Underground, Omaha, Nebraska

09/21/2007 07:00 PM - Marquis Theater, Denver, Colorado

09/23/2007 07:00 PM - Studio Seven, Seattle, Washington

09/24/2007 07:00 PM - Mt. Tabor Legacy Chrisione, Portland, Oregon

09/25/2007 07:00 PM - Uptown Nightclub, Oakland, California

09/26/2007 07:00 PM - The Knitting Factory, Los Angeles, California

09/27/2007 07:00 PM - Showcase Theater, Corona, California

09/28/2007 07:00 PM - The Stray Cat, Tempe, Arizona 37214

09/29/2007 07:00 PM - Zeppelin's, El Paso, Texas

09/30/2007 07:00 PM - Emo's, Austin, Texas

10/01/2007 07:00 PM - Walter's On Washington, Houston, Texas

10/02/2007 07:00 PM - The Bar, New Orleans, Louisiana

10/03/2007 07:00 PM - The Imperial, Jacsonville, Florida

10/04/2007 07:00 PM - Back Booth, Orlando, Florida

10/05/2007 07:00 PM - Crowbar, Tampa, Florida

10/06/2007 07:00 PM - Masquerade, Atlanta, Georgia

10/07/2007 07:00 PM - The Exit Inn, Nashville, Tennessee

Car Bomb has announced a U.S. tour in support of their brand new album and Relapse debut Centralia. Car Bomb will begin this month long run of dates on August 5 in Lawrence, KS , working their way through the South and along the East Coast from there. Car Bomb will be joined by Last Chance to Reason for most of this sponsored by yours truly here at MetalKult. A listing of confirmed dates can be found below

with more to be announced shortly.

Car Bomb drummer Elliot Hoffman will be featured on SickDrummer.com later this month as their featured drummer PodCast interview. Hoffman's interview will go live on August 27 at 9:00 pm EST at this location.

Additionally, Car Bomb, who have been named one of the '100 Bands You Need to Know in '07' by Alternative Press magazine, have recently posted their video for Centralia track "M^6" on their MySpace site: www.MySpace.com/CarBombCult. The video was shot in New York with Jeremy Jackson of the Filmcore crew (Unearth, Cannibal Corpse).

Car Bomb Tour Dates:

August 5 Lawrence, KS The Jackpot Saloon
August 6 Oklahoma City, OK The Conservatory
August 7 Dallas, TX Tomcats
August 8 Beaumont, TX The Vortex
August 9 Metairie, LA The Bar
August 11 Rotonda West, FL Rotonda West Pavillion
August 12 Cocoa Beach, FL Surfers Pub
August 13 Orlando, FL The Dungeon
August 14 Marietta, GA Swayzes Venue
August 15 Spartanburg, SC Ground Zero
August 17 Charleroi, PA Vitamin Water Fest @ Club Octane
August 18 Muncy, PA Ritz Theater
August 19 Levittown, NY The Vintage Lounge
August 31 Tempe, AZ The Marquee Theatre (w/ Soulfly, Sacred Reich)

YeboT, a web-based TV network, will stream Slayer's concert at the San Diego Sports Arena on Saturday, August 25 starting just before 8:00PM PDT. This will be a live, real-time stream viewable to fans globally on www.YeboTV.com. In addition, fans can access the broadcast on

Slayer.net, HotTop.com, and esp.com.

The San Diego concert is a stop on Slayer's current North American co-headline tour with Marilyn Manson and is in support of the release of Slayer's Christ Illusion, Special Limited Edition CD/DVD (American Recordings) which hit stores on July 24.

In addition to viewing the show live, fans will have a virtual all-access pass to the behind-the-scenes locations and activities leading up to the concert. YeboTV.com will have five cameras posted at various locations at the San Diego Sports Arena, and fans can choose if they want to check out catering, watch the stage be set up, or see the members of Slayer arrive. YeboTV will have five video chat rooms where fans can converse about the show in real-time.

Beginning on August 1, Slayer fans can access daily video updates from the tour on their YeboTV.com profile pages - including interviews with the band and highlights from the tour leading up to the August 25th webcast.

Features include:
* Stream is viewable globally on multiple sites, including YeboTV.com, Slayer.net, HotTopic.com and esp.com
* Multiple cameras inside and around the venue
* Pre-show interviews
* Backstage footage and stage set up
* 5 chat rooms (only on Yebo.TV.com)

On July 25, 2007, when Chicago instrumental band Pelican rolled through New York on their tour supporting their latest release, City of Echoes (Hydra Head), MetalKult had the opportunity to sit down with the always talkative and entertaining guitarist Laurent Lebec.

After soundcheck at the Luna Lounge in sunny Williamsburg, Brooklyn, we dragged Lebec across the street to the Black Betty bar, where we bought the guitarist some beers and got his thoughts on the past, present and future of Pelican. Check out the video below.

Oh, and while you're at it, check out Guitarworld.com's exclusive online feature with Pelican.
[playlist:mk-qa-pelican]