HALFORD guitarist METAL MIKE CHLASCIAK has announced the upcoming release of a digital only EP, This Is War.

The offering, named after the second single from Mike’s upcoming solo album The Metalworker, will also feature additional tracks from the full length release.

This Is War will be released on August 14th via Chlasciak’s own imprint CMM Entertainment and will be available via iTunes, Amazon and most other major digital distributors.

The tracklisting on This Is War is as follows:

'This Is War'

'Tonight We Ride' (instrumental)

'Hell No!'

'M Is For Metal' (instrumental)

Mike's upcoming full length solo record, The Metalworker, features Chlasciak and vocalist Carlos Zema (OUTWORLD, VOUGAN) alongside Kevin Talley (DAATH, CHIMAIRA, HATE ETERNAL, SIX FEET UNDER) on drums and Mike LePond (SYMPHONY X) on bass.

Produced by Mike, The Metalworker was mostly recorded at Mike’s House Of Metal Studios, New Jersey and mixed by Orlando Villasenor at Dead Room Studio in San Antonio, Texas. Artwork was provided by Guilherme Sevens of Sevens Design Studio (ADAGIO, PAINSIDE).

"I am looking forward to releasing This Is War in just a few weeks,” says Mike. “It is a four song collection of uncompromising metal that also features some definite straight up sick guitar shred. You have two songs that Carlos sang on, one of them being ‘This Is War’, while ‘Tonight We Ride’ and ‘M Is For Metal’ are great over the top heavy guitar hero instrumental tracks.”

In related news, in the prog-rock special September issue of Guitar World Magazine (Steve Vai/Tosin Abasi cover) you can find the latest installment of Mike’s Metal For Life guitar column called ‘Pick Your Power Metal’. In this column Mike shows metal guitarists a wide variety of pick-hand techniques, from using all downstrokes to alternate picking to economy picking and more. The lesson offers guitarists a systematic approach to building up an arsenal of techniques that will allow them to play with more expression, control and power.

Preview the videos from ‘Pick Your Power Metal’ below: