Restricted Release has set an October 26 the North American release date for "Heavy Metal Thunder", a special reissue package from England's Viking SKULL. Remastered and featuring all-new artwork, "Heavy Metal Thunder" combines the band's popular debut album, "Born In Hell", and the "Chapter One" EP, both previously unavailable through proper American and Canadian retail outlets. The album also includes five bonus songs and will precede a new, still-untitled EP planned for release in early 2011.

Viking Skull, featuring vocalist/guitarist Roddy Stone, guitarists Dom Wallace and Frank Regan, bassist Kevin Waldie, with sole-American drummer Jess Margera (CKY, THE COMPANY BAND), found initial American interest when the song "Skull Heaven" appeared on volume one of Bam Margera's "Viva La Bands" compilation series in 2005. A second song, "Blackened Sunrise", would follow on volume two in 2007. Early fans would have to wait until the Winter of 2008, however, to Witness their first Skull show; the band finally landing on U.S. shores to share the stage on a short east coast tour with CLUTCH.

Stone recalls, "Our tour with Clutch was the first time for us playing the States. It quickly became quite clear to us that America loves big riffs through big amps and that's what we're about. No fancy haircuts, eyeliner, or spooky clothes, just balls-out, meat-and-potatoes heavy rock. That tour was one of the best we've done in terms of crowd Reaction, and on top of that we got to see Clutch every night."

"Heavy Metal Thunder" comes nearly two years to the day after the release of "Doom, Gloom, Heartache & Whiskey" (Powerage); an album that was Embraced by international media on its release in 2008.

"We tend to think, if it ain't broke don't try and fix it," notes Stone  about the band's straight-forward Heavy Metal anthems. "We like to think back to the day when men were men, and amps where amps. The time when having a good riff/song was important and had Nothing to do with posing, we're a proper band with proper tunes."

"Heavy Metal Thunder" track listing:

01. Beers, Drugs And Bitches
02. Wizard's Sleeve
03. Frostbite
04. Rape Pillage And Burn
05. Crazy Trucker
06. Skull Heaven
07. Born In Hell
08. Crank The Volume
09. Red Hot Woman
10. Seedealer
11. Heavy Metal Thunder
12. Saddle Up
13. Double Or Quits (demo version)
14. Rock And Roll Suicide
15. Conquer The World
16. Baby Let Me Know
17. Skulls & Whiskey
18. Dirty Dirty Hole
19. Inject My Woman (With Love)
20. You Can't Kill Rock & Roll

---

My Last FM Profile
Xbox Live Gamertag SnakeBiteKiss