Founding and former KISS guitarist ACE FREHLEY has died of a brain bleed after a serious fall last month.
ACE FREHLEY was 74.
FROM VARIETY:


The legendary extreme metal journal ITP. Extreme metal reviews, news, and insight on extreme metal music, culture and society. Extreme music for a brutal and extreme society.. Hails. -l- \m/ NO MALLCORE, NO METAL CORE, NO CORE, NO HIPSTERS.FREEDOM FOR UKRAINE
Founding and former KISS guitarist ACE FREHLEY has died of a brain bleed after a serious fall last month.
ACE FREHLEY was 74.
FROM VARIETY:
BEN KELLER (CONVERGE) and JEFF PRICE (CEO OF TUNECORE) have launched THE HEAVY MUSIC COLLECTIVE, and organization that helps songwriters recover digital royalties.
FROM BLABBERMOUTH.NET:
The Heavy Music Collective (HMC) has officially launched, co-founded by Ben Koller (CONVERGE, KILLER BE KILLED, MUTOID MAN) and Jeff Price (founder and former CEO of TuneCore Audiam and founder and current CEO of Word Collections). The new initiative's mission is to ensure heavy music songwriters finally receive the streaming royalties they've rightfully earned.
A subsidiary of Word Collections, the leading global publishing administration company founded by Price, the Heavy Music Collective focuses specifically on recovering unpaid digital publishing royalties via direct agreements from platforms like Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music and other global streaming services.
Often referred to as "black box money," these unclaimed royalites are given away to the major music companies and others if not identified and claimed. The Heavy Music Collective, in conjunction with Word Collections, tracks down and recovers these royalties before they are taken via direct relationships with services like Apple, Amazon, Spotify and with the MLC in the U.S.
"I felt like I was doing everything right — working with major collection organizations like ASCAP, SoundExchange, Kobalt and others — but I still had a feeling that I was missing some pieces of the puzzle. I assumed that between all of these agencies and my record labels, I was collecting all the money owed to me. I was wrong," said Koller. "What I've come to learn is that the system, particularly when it comes to digital songwriter and mechanical royalties, is confusing at best and corrupt at worst. Thanks to Jeff Price, and my other business partners at the Heavy Music Collective, I finally have a clear, transparent view of where my royalties are generated and how to collect them properly. This experience has put me on a mission. I'm now dedicating myself to educating others so they don't have to learn the hard way like I did. We all deserve to be fairly compensated for the art that we create, not lied to and robbed."
In addition to royalty recovery and collection of newly earned royalties, the Heavy Music Collective serves as an educational and advocacy hub for songwriters. HMC produces resources to help musicians better understand how digital songwriter and mechanical royalties work, how to protect their copyrights, and how to navigate a system that is often intentionally opaque. By combining action and education, HMC aims not only to recover lost and new income into songwriter's pockets but also to empower artists with the knowledge to protect their rights going forward.
The Heavy Music Collective leverages the infrastructure and expertise of Word Collections, which already represents artists including METALLICA, GRETA VAN FLEET, THE OFFSPRING, BARONESS, CONVERGE, HEALTH, Yngwie Malmsteen and others. With the launch of HMC, Koller and Price are doubling down on their shared commitment to protect original music and fight for fair compensation across the global heavy music community.
The Heavy Music Collective (HMC) is a new initiative from Koller and Price's Word Collections dedicated to helping songwriters in heavy music collect and recover unpaid digital publishing royalties. HMC also provides education and advocacy to ensure songwriters understand their rights and the value of their work. By auditing rights databases, identifying uncollected royalties and cutting through industry red tape, HMC ensures that artists get paid for every stream of their songs.
For more information, visit www.heavymusiccollective.com.
Norwegian black metal legends MAYHEM have announced the reissue of the bands classic release "GRAND DECLARATION OF WAR" vinyl release, due to be unleashed 12/5/2025 via SEASON OF MIST.
MAYHEM have announced WINTER 2026 EUROPEAN TOUR DATES WITH MARDUK and IMMOLATION.
MAYHEM unleashed "DAEMONIC RITES", 9/15/2023 via CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS.
Norwegian black metal legends MAYHEM have won the Norwegian Grammy honorary award.
MAYHEM unleashed "ATAVISTIC BLACK DISORDER/KOMMANDO", 7/9/2021 via CENTURY
MEDIA RECORDS. MAYHEM unleashed "DAEMON", 10/25/2019 (DIGITAL) and 11/8/2019 (PHYSICAL) via CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS.
MARDUK unleashed "MEMENTO MORI", unleashed 9/1/2023 via CENTURY MEDIA RECORDS.
IMMOLATION unleashed "ACTS OF GOD", unleashed 2/18/2022 via NUCLEAR BLAST RECORDS
FROM SEASON OF MIST:
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada based thrash metal warriors LUTHARO have announced vocalist KRISTA SHIPPERBOTTOM and drummer CORY HOFING have left the band.
LUTHARO, via SPOTIFY, are streaming the bands anticipated new release "CHASING EUPHORIA", unleashed 3/15/2024 via ATOMIC FIRE RECORDS.
FROM LUTHARO:
Swedish power metal warriors BLOODBOUND have posted a video for "AS EMPIRES FALL" , a track from the bands anticipated new release "FIELD OF SWORDS". due to be unleashed 11/21/2025 via NAPALM RECORDS.
BLOODBOUND have posted a video for "THE
WARLOCK'S TRAIL" (LIVE) , a track from the bands anticipated new live
release "THE TALES OF NOSFERATU-TWO DECADES OF BLOOD" (2004-2024)", unleashed 4/19/2024 via AFM RECORDS.
BLOODBOUND unleashed "TALES FROM THE NORTH", 7/7/2023 via AFM RECORDS.
FROM NAPALM RECORDS:
Swedish
Power Metal Warriors Bloodbound to Make Napalm Records Debut With
Thrilling New Album, Field Of Swords, Out November 21! 🤘
⚫ First Single, “Defenders Of Jerusalem”, Unveiled: https://youtu.be/iXoFOa7yOJs
⚫ Pre-Order: http://lnk.to/BloodboundFieldofSwords
Raise
your swords up high: BLOODBOUND march into a powerful future with Field
Of Swords, out November 21, 2025 via Napalm Records. Twenty years after
the release of their debut album, the Swedish warriors, who were just
featured in the Paramount success series “Knuckles”, stand taller than
ever on the front line of epic power metal, delivering their most modern
work yet. Most recently drawn to the Viking era, the latest concept
album Field Of Swords turns the page to another chapter in history,
moving past the year 1066 and into the Middle Ages. As warfare evolves
and the significance of forging iron with carbon leads to superior
swordsmen, the bloodstained battlefields show new, grim faces, leaving
room for more of BLOODBOUND’s vivid storytelling that continues to
thrill audiences at countless live shows around the globe.
Along with
the album announcement, BLOODBOUND unleash their first single,
“Defenders Of Jerusalem”, a sweeping tale of glory and defeat. Cleverly
ambiguous on the ultimate outcome of the battle, the first single off
their first album with Napalm Records gives enticing insight into the
future Field Of Swords will lead the band to: dominant and catchy while
driven by heavy riffs and melodic keyboards alike—BLOODBOUND raise their
swords to victory!
Fredrik Bergh about “Defenders Of Jerusalem”:
“‘Defenders of Jerusalem’ is, in my opinion, one of the top tracks on the new album.
It’s
a song Tomas wrote on his own. On every BLOODBOUND album he always
delivers outstanding tracks; this is one of them. It’s going to be a
killer song to play live as well.”
Tomas Olsson about “Defenders Of Jerusalem”:
“‘Defenders
of Jerusalem’ is a song about the siege of Jerusalem in 1187 where
Balian of Ibelin bravely defended the city against Saladin’s
overwhelming forces.”
VIDEO BELOW: BLOODBOUND: NEW TRACK ""AS EMPIRES FALL" (VIA YOU TUBE, COURTESY OF NAPALM RECORDS):
Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-
French melodic black metal warriors FAUST have posted the title track from the bands anticipated new release "CRYPTS OF ETERNITY", due to be unleashed 10/24/2025 via BLACK LION RECORDS....
FAUST, via BANDCAMP, are streaming the bands anticipated debut release "DEATH FROM BEYOND", unleashed 12/9/2022 via BLACK LION RECORDS.
FROM BLACK LION RECORDS:
VIDEO BELOW:FAUST: NEW TRACK "CRYPTS OF ETERNITY"(VIA YOU TUBE, COURTESY OF BLACK LION RECORDS):
Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-
Brussels, Belgium based black metal warriors ENTHRONED have posted the title track from the bands anticipated new release
"ASHSPAWN", due to be unleashed 12/5/2025 via SEASON OF MIST.
ENTHRONED have posted a video for "AGHORIA", a track from the bands anticipated new release "COLD BLACK SUNS", unleashed 6/7/2019 via SEASON OF MIST.
VIDEO BELOW:ENTHRONED: NEW TRACK "RAVIASAMIN" (VIA YOU TUBE, COURTESY OF SEASON OF MIST):
FROM SEASON OF MIST:
VIDEO BELOW:ENTHRONED: NEW TRACK "ASHSPAWN" (VIA YOU TUBE, COURTESY OF SEASON OF MIST):
Thanks-Stay Metal, Stay Brutal-\m/ -l-
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