Warner Music Group Intends to Buy French Digital Music Company Believe SA, Owner of Nuclear Blast Records and Tunecore


One of the largest record labels in the world, Warner Music Group (WMG) has announced it intends to purchase Believe SA, a French digital music company. Among the many companies Believe owns includes a controlling stake in Nuclear Blast Records (acquired in 2018) and its offshoot Blood Blast Distribution, as well as Tunecore a Brooklyn, New York–based digital music distribution, publishing and licensing service founded in 2006. Tunecore distributes music through online retailers such as iTunes, Deezer, Spotify, Amazon Music, Apple Music, Google Play, Tidal, Beatport. According to the press release you can read below, Warner “would provide Believe with strategic support and financial stability to help the development and growth of the Company, including by accelerating its expansion into new geographies.” Nuclear Blast founded in 1987 in Germany, is home to some of the greatest bands in Metal such as, Slayer, Anthrax, Testament, C.O.C., Nightwish, Sepultura, Sabaton, In Flames, Lamb of God (Europe), and countless others. In addition to their legendary main brand known for Rock, Pop, Country, and Dance music, WMG owns a ton of sub labels boasting some of the biggest names in Hard Rock, Metal and Punk like 10K Projects, 300 Entertainment (Highly Suspect, Waterparks), Asylum, Atlantic (Shinedown, Halestorm) Big Beat, Elektra Entertainment (formerly: Metallica, Slipknot & Paramore – current: twenty one pilots, Brandi Carlile, Sturgill Simpson) Erato, First Night, Fueled By Ramen (Fall Out Boy, Jimmy Eat World, A Day To Remember), Nonesuch, Parlophone (Iron Maiden), Reprise (Lamb of God in the USA, Deftones, Disturbed, Crosses), Rhino (boxed sets, vinyl and CD reissues, and countless legacy releases), Roadrunner (Gojira, Turnstile, Motionless In White, Trivium, newly signed Deafheaven, Coheed and Cambria, Stone Sour), Sire, Spinnin’, Warner Records, Warner Classics, and Warner Music Nashville. WMG’s music publishing arm, Warner Chappell Music, as well as artist management and services divisions. If the sale goes through, it remains to be seen what shape the deal would have and what impact is might have for Nuclear Blast and Tunecore. Stay tuned for more news on this story.Continue reading


Cult Of Fire to Perform with Bohemian Symphony Orchestra Prague at Brutal Assault



In a unique tribute to Czech classical composer, Bedřich Smetanat, black metal band, Cult Of Fire will join their forces with the Bohemian Symphony Orchestra Prague. Together they will deliver a special set commissioned by Brutal Assault, an experience not seen at the festival before, and rarely elsewhere. Keep reading below for more details.
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Abbath, Darvaza, Devil Master, Dødheimsgard, Grand Magus, Impaled Nazarene, Khold, Primordial, Triumph Of Death and More Booked for Brutal Assault 2024


 

The blackest wave of black metal will undoubtedly come from a act whose name speaks for itself: Abbath will play the songs of Immortal! All fans of the dark genre will also enjoy Triumph Of Death, who, led by Tom G. Warrior (Triptykon, Celtic Frost), will once again play the songs of the legendary Hellhammer. The strongest Norwegian wave with an inimitable style will come with the underground cult Tulus and the personally connected Khold, experimental and avant-garde tones with Dødheimsgard / DHG and Ved Buens Ende, and the Nidrosian-connected Darvaza will put on a wild show. Continue reading


Motionless In White Shares a New Music Video for “Sign Of Life” – “Scoring The End Of The World (Deluxe Edition)” Album Out Now


 

Motionless In White have released Scoring The End Of The World (Deluxe Edition), a special deluxe reissue of their celebrated album, Scoring The End Of The World which sees the band expanding on their acclaimed 2022 album with new four new bonus tracks including: ‘Hollow Points,’ ‘Fool’s Gold,’ ‘Timebomb’ (STEOTW Mix), and ‘Porcelain: Ricky Motion Picture Collection’ [Deluxe album art / full track listing below]. Scoring The End Of The World (Deluxe Edition) is available in multiple formats and on vinyl for the first time ever in several different colour variants including: Black, Orange, Hellfire, Scorched Earth, and Electric Purple, the latter of which comes with exclusive alternate cover artwork. To celebrate the deluxe release, Motionless In White have also shared a Jensen Noen-directed official music video for ‘Sign Of Life’ – watch below.

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FESTIVAL REVIEW: Download Festival 2023 Part 2, Live at Castle Donnington


 

Saturday, and as will be of no surprise to anyone, it was pretty damn hot today too, people were noticeably moving much slower through the arena, and people were checking their phones for the forecast of tomorrow’s storm with excitement.

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FESTIVAL REVIEW: Download Festival 2023 Part 1, Live at Castle Donnington


 

After hearing horror stories about the queues I was pleasantly surprised to arrive at the hollow turn of Donington for Download Festival 2023, and was parked up within 10 minutes. Not to dismiss the stories is it close the rather excellent download festival app a tool which I would find invaluable during my visit constantly advising incoming travellers of reach to avoid owing to congestion.Continue reading


Download Festival 2023 Sells Out In Record Time, Headlined by Metallica, Slipknot, and Bring Me The Horizon


 

Download Festival 2023 has broken their own record this summer with weekend, day and camping tickets now completely sold out. Metallica, Bring Me The Horizon and Slipknot headline a remarkable year for the UK’s biggest rock festival. Download Festival’s 20th anniversary has become a double celebration, as today the festival sells out, marking 2023 as the fastest-selling year of all time. Day, weekend and camping tickets have been snapped up by fans eager to celebrate an incredible 20 years for the legendary festival. The special anniversary edition, taking place for the first time over four days on 8-11 June 2023 at Donington Park, will feature headliners Bring Me The Horizon, Slipknot and Metallica, who will perform two headline sets with no repeat songs.

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Download Festival 2023 Adds Halestorm, Neck Deep, Hot Milk, Alter Bridge, Bob Vylan, Electric Callboy, Carcass, Five Finger Death Punch, Palaye Royale, Jinjer and More


Download Festival 2023, celebrating 20 years as a festival has added 40 new bands to the lineup and announced its day-splits for the weekend! Newly added to the festival are Halestorm, Neck Deep, Hot Milk, Alter Bridge, Bob Vylan, Electric Callboy, Carcass, Five Finger Death Punch, Palaye Royale, Jinjer, and many more. The full list can be viewed below. Already the fastest-selling event in its 20-year history. Day tickets are on sale now! The four-day festival (first time ever) is headlined by Metallica, who are performing two unique headline sets over the weekend with no songs repeated, and will be joined by fellow headliners Slipknot, and Bring Me The Horizon. Over 60 bands announced including Evanescence, Parkway Drive, Disturbed, Pendulum, Architects, Ghost, The Distillers, Placebo, Alexisonfire, Asking Alexandria, Motionless In White, I Prevail, The Blackout (reunion), Fever 333, Stray From The Path, Lorna Shore, Nova Twins, Within Temptation, many and more.

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STAFF PICKS: Ghost Cult Photographer Chris Small’s Top 20 Albums of 2022


Ghost Cult’s Chris Small (aka Smallz, Papa Smallz) has been an essential member of our live coverage team this year and chipped in a few other types of reviews over the years as well. When he is not voraciously consuming heavy music, he is also a dad, documents underground rap shows, and streams on Twitch. Here are his top 20 albums of 2022 list! Peace and Chicken grease, as Chris would say…

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Welcome To Rockville 2023 Books Pantera, Tool, Slipknot, Avenged Sevenfold, Deftones, Rob Zombie, Godsmack, Evanescence, Incubus, Queens Of The Stone Age, Alice Cooper, and More!


 

Pantera, Tool, Slipknot and Avenged Sevenfold will headline the 2023 edition of the Welcome To Rockville festival, set to take place May 18-21 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. Also scheduled to appear are Deftones, Rob Zombie, Godsmack, Evanescence, Incubus, Queens Of The Stone Age, Alice Cooper, Chevelle, and Coheed & Cambria, among many others. Tickets are on sale now at the link below.

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