All too often bands falling under the “Power Metal” banner, lack power, diminishing many of the key elements, such as aggression, that are necessary for metal. On Sounds of the Forgotten (DeathWave Records) Witherfall take a heavier route, drawing from the mid-1980s. This tie to Thrash even led to singer Joseph Micheal taking the mantle from the late Warrel Dane to front Sanctuary for a reunion tour. Continue reading
Los Angeles-based dark melodic metal outfit, Witherfall, have released “Ceremony of Fire” this week, their newest single and accompanying video. The track is taken from their upcoming fourth full-length, Sounds Of The Forgotten. The album is due out May 31st 2024 via DeathWave Records. Head into the article below to catch the video and find out more about Witherfall.
Reunited Thrash legends Sanctuary will embark on a 30th Anniversary celebration, a tour supporting their 1990 release Into The Mirror Black in 2021. Direct support will come from Prog metallers Halcyon Way. The original album released on February 2nd, 1990 via Epic Records, and its remastered special edition release is out now via Century Media Records. Even though the initial plans to commemorate this big anniversary live in 2020 with current singer Joseph Michael (Witherfall), stepping in for the late Warrel Dane, had to be postponed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the band will perform the entire album and likely hits and eep cuts as they have done recently, on their 2021 tour. Sanctuary’s iconic vocalist Warrel Dane passed away on December 13th, 2017.
The album was carefully remastered by Zeuss (Queensrÿche, Iced Earth, Overkill) to make it sound a bit fuller and heavier without losing the original feel and the extra tracks are real gems for die-hard fans.
Line-up (on this recording):
Warrel Dane – Vocals
Lenny Rutledge – Guitars
Sean Blosl – Guitars
Jim Sheppard – Bass
Dave Budbill – Drums
Line-up (current):
Joseph Michael – Vocals
Lenny Rutledge – Guitars
George Hernandez – Bass
Dave Budbill – Drums
SANCTUARY online:
Rock Hard, MusiX and Metal.de present:
Into The Mirror Black 30th anniversary tour 2021
SANCTUARY
+ support HALCYON WAY
16.09.2021 (DE) HAMBURG Kronensaal
17.09.2021 (BE) AARSCHOT De Klinker
18.09.2021 (NL) LEIDEN Metal Experience Fest
19.09.2021 (CH) LUZERN Schüür
21.09.2021 (DE) MANNHEIM 7er Club
22.09.2021 (DE) MUNICH Backstage Halle
23.09.2021 (DE) ASCHAFFENBURG Colos-Saal
24.09.2021 (DE) LUENEN Lükaz
25.09.2021 (DK) AALBORG Studenterhuset
26.09.2021 (NO) OSLO Krøsset
28.09.2021 (FI) HELSINKI On the rocks
30.09.2021 (SE) STOCKHOLM Slaktkyrkan
01.10.2021 (SE) GOTHENBURG Valand
02.10.2021 (SE) MALMÖ Babel
03.10.2021 (DE) OLDENBURG MTS Record Store *** special record store show ***
Watch our interview with Lenny Rutledge about Warrel Dane, Joseph Michael and the Sanctuary reunion.
Telling you all you need to know in one gaudy technicolour piece of cover art, the new album by metal legend Ross the Boss features chains, fire, exploding rocks, a semi-naked woman and a giant winged demon. In fact, the only missing items required for a True Metal Bingo are muscular warrior types and a giant eagle.Continue reading
Sad news on the Festival and Convention front as the long-running Rock and Shock Festival in Worcester, Massachusetts has disbanded after 15 years. The announcement was made in a post to social media about the festival canceling all further festivals. The fest paired the best Horror convention and concert series in the USA and made use of both the famous Worcester Palladium venue and the convention center at the DCU Center up the block. Ghost Cult covered many Rock N Shock fests which featured incredible conventions, horror celebrities, amazing vendors , indie films, headliners such as Rob Zombie, Alice Cooper, Disturbed, Danzig (including a pre-reunion Misfits headline set with Doyle), ICP, Ministry, GWAR, King Diamond, Type O Negative, Lordi, Disturbed, Mushroomhead, Voivod, Amorphis, Twiztid, Dark Tranquility, Hatebreed, Devildriver, Motionless In White, Death Grips, Superjoint, Wednesday 13, Sabaton, Prong, Witch Mountain, Sanctuary, Soilwork, OTEP, Shadows Fall, God Forbid, Cavalera, Conspiracy, Anthrax, Overkill, Misfits, and more!Continue reading
The Fresh-faced act Gatecreeper and the veteran collective Exhumed both recently released shiny new full-length albums. Just six weeks ago we were gifted with some fresh and fearsome material from these great groups. Now they have joined forces on the road to play their new fantastically foul tunes. The Sanctuary was an ideal venue to host a stop on this tour. It’s the perfect size and atmosphere for the fans to experience an intimate and enjoyable encounter with these Death Metal experts. Just outside of Detroit, The Sanctuary caters particularly well to the heavy. This pocket-sized music club proudly hosts some of the best metal shows that come through Michigan. With venues like this, and local acts like Mutilatred, show us that the metal scene in this state is alive and well. The enthusiastic gang of guys in Mutilatred opened the show with a spunky, spirited set. They even handed out actual paper flyers which gave the night a marvelously old school feel. Continue reading
If you are a fan of the much loved and missed Savatage, you get precious few chances to hear their music anymore outside of your car, headphones or old record collection. Sanctuary and Witherfall singer Joseph Michael has assembled a collection of peers to pay tribute to the band with a cover of ‘Chance’! Along with Michael the all-star group includes Van Williams (ex-Nevermore, Ghost Ship Octavious), Anthony Crawford (Witherfall, Chon), Joey Concepcion (Sanctuary, Jasta), Alex Nasla (Witherfall) and Will Wallner (White Wizzard). The song is available for purchase and streaming right now, so do it! Michael is currently on tour fronting Sanctuary on the “Refuge Denied” Tour, with Ghost Ship Octavious opening. We saw the show in Brooklyn, and it ruled. Continue reading
Sanctuary kicks off their new tour dates next week with Ghost Ship Octavius, seeing the band performing all of “Refuge Denied”, continuing to pay tribute to late singer Warrel Dane. The band has teased their new album, with artwork and a promise of new music coming soon. Continue reading
Sanctuary guitarist Lenny Rutledge and new vocalist Joseph Michael speak about the future of the band and 2019 live shows. Moving forward with the project they are protecting and sharing the legacy of late singer Warrel Dane who passed away late in 2017 and are planning to make new music as well. Continue reading
Words like “distinctive” and “legendary” are bandied around far too frequently at bands and artists with no discernible legacy, or real impact on any scene. With both Sanctuary and Nevermore vocalist Warrel Dane helped impart a genuine influence on both the Thrash Metal and Heavy Metal landscapes, before his tragic passing away from a heart attack in December 2017 while recording Shadow Work (Century Media).Continue reading