Congratulations to Magic Pie, who once again have won our annual Best Of the Year award for favorite release as voted by our readers! Their 2011 CD The Suffering Joy was the runaway winner, easily outdistancing runner-up Dream Theater for A Dramatic Turn of Events and our third place finalist Steven Wilson for Grace for Drowning. Thanks to all of you who voted, and once again, a big round of applause to Magic Pie, who are now our first ever 3 time winner of our Best CD of the Year award.

Prog. metal band from São Paulo Heptah made available for listening and free download their second single entitled ANGEL'S WHISPERS, the song is taken from the band's forthcoming debut album Master of Delusion.

January is always a lean time for gig goers and so the enduring appeal of the music of Philip Lynott and Thin Lizzy ensured a healthy turn out at Wolverhampton's Civic Hall. The merits of the band continuing as a touring entity will forever divide opinion but the current line-up certainly comes closer to doing justice to the back catalogue when compared with the John Sykes fronted metalized version of a few years back. And in vocalist Ricky Warwick Lizzy are led by someone that perfectly understands his role in paying tribute to their legacy.

To some former Black Sabbath vocalist Tony Martin has seemingly been out of the spotlight for quite some time since recording albums like Eternal Idol, Headless Cross, Tyr, Cross Purposes, and Forbidden with the heavy metal legends in the 80's & 90's, but the reality is he's quietly kept busy, and just recently finished recording a third album with Italian guitar master Dario Mollo. The Third Cage has recently been released on Frontiers Records, and SoT Publisher Pete Pardo was able to track down Martin to talk about the new CD, his busy schedule, and time spent with Black Sabbath.

With their first full length, StormDragon, being unleashed on 14th February 2012, Immolith's guitarist and vocalist Isiamon takes time out to talk to SoT's Jason Guest about the band's formation and their early works, their preference for the darker end of the metal spectrum, the writing, recording, and production of their album, why they chose to re-record early material for it, the impact of the internet on the metal scene, SOPA and PIPA, and the future of the band.

Spewing their black terror metal into the world since 1995, Azaghal's ninth studio album, Nemesis, will be available to mere mortals from 31st January 2012. Staying true to the stripped-back aesthetic of black metal, the ten tracks that make up Nemesis are fierce, brutal barrages of anti-Christian mantras. In this interview, Azaghal's bassist and vocalist Niflungr takes time out with SoT's Jason Guest to discuss, amongst others things, the album, its themes, its artwork, the band's philosophy, its history and development, and the effects of the internet on the black metal scene.

With 10 years behind them, Adimiron's first two albums – Burning Souls (2004) and When Reality Wakes Up (2009) – have garnered much respect from European fans and critics alike. Having shared the stage with the like of Annihilator in 2010, Death Angel in 2011, Meshuggah, Sepultura, and many more, Adimiron have release their third album in late 2011 and supported Vader and Gorgoroth on their recent European tour. Bassist Maurizio Villeato here takes time out to discuss the band, their music and history, the album, and the tour with Sea of Tranqulity's Jason Guest.

Tonight was all about giving the ears a good hard battering before the onslaught of the Christmas holidays and with this line up it was a certainty. Dripback bolted out of the gates with their metal/hardcore assault receiving some very positive reactions from the crowd. Energetic brutality mixed with a 'fuck you 'attitude ensures these are ones to watch out for in 2012.

Darwin's Radio seemed to have it all with their two excellent albums finding the band being lauded by fans and critics as the future of Prog. Whether it was the debut album Eyes Of The World and its mix of short and snappy tracks that captured the imagination, or the longer expanses of Prog to be found on its follow up Template For A Generation which rekindled a love of the epic, the Prog world held its breath to see what the band would do next. Well after a brief sojourn with Jem Godfrey's Frost*, the answer was that singer and guitarist Dec Burke would leave the band, resulting in them going into hibernation. Now having just released his second excellent solo album in just over two years - Paradigms & Storylines, Dec spoke with Sea of Tranquility's Steven Reid to look both forward and back...

Moribund have done it again and discovered another atramentous gem in the underground in the form of Pennsylvania's Pact. Taking traditional black metal and warping it to their own design, Pact's knowledge of the occult, literature, and philosophy forms the foundation for their own golden dawn. Comprised of guitarist Wretch, vocalist Hag and T on drums, the six-year old band describes its music as being "driven by the forces of chaos and death." Having all played in previous extreme metal outfits, sometimes with each other and sometimes apart, the three musicians "throw [their combined tastes] all into the melting pot with a black metal score ultimately in mind" to create the "trance-inducing yet brutal and intense black metal" that is their debut, The Dragon Lineage of Satan, a work they refer to as "a monument of individual empowerment and exaltation."

Since turning professional at the age of 17 Nils Lofgren has enjoyed a lengthy career that has encompassed solo artist, band leader and stints as a member of Crazy Horse, Ringo's All Starr's and the E Street Band. Nils joined the latter when he replaced Steve Van Zandt for the mammoth Born In The USA tour during the mid-1980's and he remains a member to this day. 2011 saw the release of his latest solo album Old School that we described as being "a journey of anger, grief, purpose and quiet contemplation". As a long time admirer of Lofgren's work, Sea of Tranquility's Dean Pedley was delighted to have the opportunity to speak with him about Old School, memories of Clarence Clemons and the upcoming E Street Band tour.