Heavy Metal

At About.com Heavy Metal we are big supporters of underground and unsigned bands. Check out our monthly column Drago's Dungeon, featuring great albums from unsigned metal bands. Dan Drago is himself a member of an unsigned band and knows the struggles and challenges unsigned bands face. If you're in an unsigned metal band anywhere in the world, or know someone who is, there's information in the column on submitting material for future columns.

Drago's Dungeon: May 2013's Best Unsigned Metal Bands

Kamelot will be touring North America this fall in support of their latest album Silverthorn. Delain and Eklipse will be opening all shows.

"We are really looking forward to getting back on the road for our headline shows in the US and Canada, along with great support acts Delain and Eklipse, says Kamelot's Thomas Youngblood. "This tour will be something very special."

2013 Kamelot, Delain and Eklipse Tour Dates:
9/2 -- Columbus, OH -- Al Rosa Villa
9/3 -- Baltimore, MD -- Soundstage
9/5 -- Philadelphia, PA -- Trocadero
9/6 -- New York, NY -- Stage 48
9/7 -- Worcester, MA -- Palladium
9/8 -- Montreal, QUE -- Club Soda
9/10 -- Toronto, ON -- Opera House
9/12 -- Chicago, IL -- Mojoe's
9/13 -- Kansas City, KS -- Granada Theater
9/14 -- Denver, CO -- Bluebird Theater
9/15 -- Salt Lake City, UT -- In the Venue
9/17 -- Seattle, WA -- El Corazon
9/18 -- Portland, OR -- Hawthorne Theater
9/20 -- San Francisco, CA -- Slims
9/21 -- Anaheim, CA -- The Grove
9/22 -- Phoenix, AZ -- Joe's Grotto
9/24 -- Dallas, TX -- Trees
9/25 -- San Antonio, TX -- Backstage Live
9/27 -- Louisville, KY -- Diamonds
9/28 -- Atlanta, GA -- Masquerade
9/29 -- Orlando, FL -- House of Blues

5 Questions With... is your chance to get to know a new or up-and-coming metal band. Tribulation are a Swedish death metal group whose second full-length is The Formulas Of Death. Guitarist Adam Zaars introduces us to his band.

Give us a brief history of Tribulation.
We have been around for a long time now, since 2004, though I would probably say that the "real" Tribulation really started with writing our first album that was recorded in 2007. Prior to that we had released a demo and a 7 inch that people still seem to like, and I do for what they are, but I don't really see them as creative stepping stones for what we have become, they are what they are. After the delayed release of our first album in 2009 we did some touring until we felt that the songs couldn't really conjure up anything new in a live situation and hence started focusing on our new album The Formulas of Death.

Describe the songwriting and recording process for The Formulas of Death.

Read More...

Every Friday I turn the blog over to Dan Marsicano for his Retro Recommendation, giving you a chance to learn about underrated and overlooked gems from metal's past. This week, Anvil are in the spotlight. The Canadian band, whose hard luck story was told in the incredible documentary Anvil! The Story Of Anvil, are a study in dedication and perseverance. We go all the way back to the beginning for this week's Retro Recommendation, their 1981 debut Hard 'n' Heavy.

Retro Recommendation: Anvil - Hard 'n' Heavy

Other Recent Retro Recommendations:

• Quartz - Stand Up And Fight
• Vain - No Respect
• Dr. Mastermind - Dr. Mastermind
• Starkweather - Crossbearer
• St. Elmos Fire - Desperate Years
• Cianide - The Dying Truth

The latest album from The Dillinger Escape Plan is One Of Us Is The Killer, which has been getting rave reviews, including 4.5 out of 5 stars on this site. I had a great conversation with vocalist Greg Puciato about the writing and recording of the album, the issues that inspired the album title, their memorable performance at the Golden Gods Awards and other topics.

Read the complete Dillinger Escape Plan Interview

(photo courtesy Sumerian Records)

Every week our writers deliver a ton of short reviews of the latest metal albums, all collected in one convenient location. This week we put nearly 30 releases under the microscope, including Aggressa, Ape Machine, Arckanum, Artizan, Beyond Creation, Black Cowgirl, Damnation Angels, Death Ray Vision, Devil, Enemy Reign, Entrails, Eternal Rest, Gravewurm, Heart In Hand, Intoxicated, Kadavar, Kings Destroy, Lifeforms, The Monolith Deathcult, Mortal Form, Orchid, The Resistance, Steve Von Till, Surgeon, Tribulation, Utopium, Zolle and Zombiefication.

New Heavy Metal Album Reviews: May 15, 2013

Also check out these recent full CD reviews:

Adoran - Adoran
The Dillinger Escape Plan - One Of Us Is The Killer
My Dying Bride - The Manuscript EP
Pop Evil - Onyx
Sodom - Epitome Of Torture
Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats - Mind Control

(CD cover courtesy Nuclear Blast Records)

Volbeat's latest album Outlaw Gentlemen and Shady Ladies has something for everyone. There are radio-friendly singles, a little rockabilly flavor, and even a guest appearance from metal legend King Diamond. I spoke with Volbeat singer Michael Poulsen about the writing and recording of the new album, how King's appearance came about, his memories of Slayer guitarist Jeff Hanneman and other topics.

Read the complete Volbeat Interview

(photo courtesy Universal Records)

Here are the new heavy metal CD releases for this week.   For the most detailed and up-to-date schedule, check out our complete Heavy Metal CD Release Date calendar.

May 14, 2013
Adoran - Adoron (Consouling)
Aggressa - Nuclear Death Re-Release (Iron Bonehead)
Ape Machine - Mangled By The Machine (Ripple)
Arckanum - Fenris Kindir (Season Of Mist)
Artizan - Ancestral Energy (Pure Steel)
Beyond Creation - The Aura (Season Of Mist)
Beyond Mortal Dreams - Dreaming Death (Lavadome)
Black Cowgirl - Black Cowgirl (Restricted Release)
Bolzer - Aura EP (Iron Bonehead)
Cultura Tres - Rezando Al Miedo (Devouter)
Death Dealer - War Master (Steel Cartel)
Death Karma - A Life Not Worth Living EP (Iron Bonehead)
Death Ray Vision - Get Lost Or Get Dead (Bullet Tooth)
Devil - Gather The Sinners (Soulseller)
The Dillinger Escape Plan - One Of Us Is The Killer (Sumerian)
Enshine - Origin (Rain Without End)
Entrails - Raging Death (Metal Blade)
Escape The Fate - Ungrateful (Eleven Seven)
Extinction Protocol - Aeonic Obliteration (P2)
Fatal Smile - 21st Century Freaks (FS)
From Far Away - Recover Repeat (At Your Command)
Gravewurm - Infernal Minions (Hells Headbangers)
Heart In Hand - Almost There (Siege Of Amida)
Hexvessel - Iron Marsh EP (Svart)
Hybrid - Angst (Deepsend)
Immolation - King Of Conspiracy (Nuclear Blast)
Intoxicated - Rock N Roll Hellpatrol (Hells Headbangers)
Kadavar - Abra Kadavar! (Nuclear Blast)
Killing Joke - The Singles Collection (Spinefarm)
Kings Destroy - A Time Of Hunting (War Crimes)
Lifeforms - Multidimensional (Lifeforce)
The Monolith Deathcult - Tetragrammaton (Season Of Mist)
Mortal Form - The Reckoning (My Kingdom)
My Dying Bride - The Manuscript EP (Peaceville)
Negator - Gates To The Pantheon (Prosthetic)
Ocellus - Departure (Pavement)
Ogdru Jahad - I (Iron Bonehead)
Orchid - The Mouths Of Madness (Nuclear Blast)
Pop Evil - Onyx (eOne)
The Resistance - Scars (Armoury)
Steve Von Till - As The Crow Flies Re-Release (Neurot)
Thinning The Herd - Freedom From The Known (Saint Marks)
Tribulation - The Formulas Of Death (Invictus)
Trucker Diablo - Songs Of Iron (Ripple)
Uncle Acid & The Deadbeats - Mind Control (Metal Blade)
Utopium - Vicious Consolation / Virtuous Totality (Bleak)
Vindictiv - Cage Of Infinity (Escape)
Zolle - Zolle (Supernatural Cat)
Zombiefication - At The Caves Of Eternal (Pulverised)

After a couple of limited release demos drew a lot of attention, Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats signed with Rise Above Records, which is distributed by Metal Blade in North America. Their latest album Mind Control comes with high expectations. The band's namesake and frontman Uncle Acid fills us in on the new album, signing with Rise Above, tour plans, his musical background and other topics.

Uncle Acid and The Deadbeats Interview

(photo courtesy Rise Above/Metal Blade Records)

Black Sabbath's new studio album 13, their first since 1995, will be released June 11. The band has now announced a 20 city North American tour that kicks off July 25 in Houston.

Black Sabbath Tour Dates:
7/25/13 -- Houston, TX -- Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
7/27/13 -- Austin, TX -- Frank Erwin Center
7/29/13 -- Tampa, FL -- Live Nation Amphitheatre
7/31/13 -- W. Palm Beach, FL -- Cruzan Amphitheatre
8/2/13 -- Bristow, VA -- Jiffy Lube Live
8/4/13 -- Holmdel, NJ -- PNC Bank Arts Center
8/6/13 -- Detroit, MI -- DTE Energy Music Theatre
8/8/13 -- Uncasville, CT -- Mohegan Sun Arena
8/10/13 -- Philadelphia, PA -- Wells Fargo Center
8/12/13 -- Boston, MA -- Comcast Center
8/14/13 -- Toronto, ON -- Air Canada Centre
8/16/13 -- Tinley Park, IL -- First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
8/18/13 -- Indianapolis, IN -- Klipsch Music Center
8/22/13 -- Vancouver, BC -- Rogers Arena
8/24/13 -- Seattle, WA -- Gorge Amphitheatre
8/26/13 -- San Francisco, CA -- Shoreline Amphitheatre at Mountain View
8/28/13 -- Irvine, CA -- Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
8/30/13 -- Phoenix, AZ -- US Airways Center
9/1/13 -- Las Vegas, NV -- MGM Grand Garden Arena
9/3/13 -- Los Angeles, CA -- Los Angeles Sports Arena