Venom may not have singlehandedly invented black metal, but they indisputably gave it its name with their 1982 album, which was titled (wait for it…) Black Metal. The album made worldwide metal waves and soon the band, having been laughed off by every major label only a couple of years prior, were the fathers of a brand new underground genre.

Venom has undergone numerous lineup changes, breakups, resurrections, and assorted other dramas but have never quite matched the success of the Black Metal era. Nevertheless, the band is highly revered by hardcore metalheads and it’s impossible to count how many bands owe their existence in some way or another to Venom.

Now the English legends are set to return on January 27, 2015 with their 14th studio album From The Very Depths, which will be released through Spinefarm Records and also be available as an MP3 Download. The first single from the album is a classic Venom rager titled “Grinding Teeth.” Check it out here below.

Angel Witch is one of the most underrated bands to emerge during the new wave of British heavy metal movement in the late ’70s and early ’80s. The list of bands who cite them as an influence are as long as your arm, but Angel Witch never broke through to mass acclaim that some of their peers such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest did.

Formed in London in 1977, the band has endured so many breakups, reunions, lineup changes (at least 28 different musicians have been in the band at some time or another… some multiple times), and mismanagement debacles that they could make a documentary to act as the sequel to This Is Spinal Tap. This has all led to a rather sparse output; Angel Witch have issued only four full-length studio albums in 35 years.

Here below is the title track of the band’s eponymous 1980 debut album, the highly revered Angel Witch.

Exmortus is a thrash/technical death metal crossover band from Whittier, California. The band formed in 2002 and have been building a rabid following ever since. To date they have released three demos, two EPs, and three full length albums. The two phenomenal guitarists are doing their part to revive the art of shredding and are a must see for aficionados of the form.

“Kneel Before The Steel” is an anthemic staple of Exmortus’s live show. The song appears on the band’s second full length album Beyond The Fall of Time. Check it out below.

Bay Area thrash titans Machine Head are set to release their highly anticipated new album Bloodstone & Diamonds next Monday, November 10th in North America, but for a limited time they are streaming the album in its entirety over at their label Nuclear Blast’s YouTube channel.

After only a single listen to the album, it is clear to me that the album is an instant classic that continues Machine Head’s tradition of producing top notch thrash. Check it out here below, and stay tuned for my full album review.

John Carpenter is pushing 70 and, sadly, he doesn’t direct very much anymore. At this rate he may possibly never direct another film. But early next year he’ll be able to satisfy one of the greatest cravings of his massive fan base when John Carpenter’s Lost Themes is released from the indie record label Sacred Bones. An album featuring nine never-before-heard tracks of music the veteran director created in collaboration with the assistance of his son and Ludrium frontman Cody Carpenter and musician Daniel Davies.

The first track from the album, “Vortex,” is currently being streamed for free at the Sacred Bones website. You can listen to the song here below, as well as take a gander at the official album art.