This week, Maelstrom wish to honor those who serve in the US military and as first responders. Through Friday, the band is offering their new studio album, Of Gods And Men, for free to all those who serve. The offer is live now and will run until 8 PM EST on May 29. Of Gods And Men is Maelstrom's debut album, and the culmination of over three decades together as a band.

Those who are non-service members are encouraged to pay whatever they feel comfortable with for the album (through Friday), or instead to make a charitable donation to TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors). For more information, visit this location.

Speaking about the importance of service members in his own life, Maelstrom lead singer Gary Vosganian talks about his brother, stating:

"My brother John was a big fan of ours back in the early days, and having his support meant a great deal to me. He was an active duty Marine, and sadly passed away at the age of 22 while serving in Japan.

“In his honor, I'd like to offer our new album for free to those who serve in the military, as well as first responders, through Friday. For those who aren't service members, we ask that you either pay whatever you feel comfortable with, or instead you can make a donation to an organization like TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors). Thank you."

MaelstroM independently released their debut album, Of Gods And Men, on May 22. Order the album here, and watch a lyric video for "Th13teen Within A Circle" below.

Tracklisting:

Part I - An Arisen Avatar:
“Arise (A Waltz Toward War)”
“Army From Ash”
“The Mirror Calls"
“A Futile Crusade”
“Lament Of The Fallen”

Part II - Of Sacrifice, Saviours and Sanctity:
“Th13teen Within A Circle”
“Thief Of Light”
“An Ancient Art”

Part III - A Predestined Prophecy:
“Predestined”
“SonRise (A Lullaby To The Gods)”

“Th13teen Within A Circle” lyric video:

Formed in the ferocious firestorm of the eighties thrash movement, MaelstroM began its storm surge by quickly dominating their local scene of Long Island, New York. Within a few years they expanded beyond regional borders and began to gain worldwide notoriety. Unfortunately, like many bands of that era, MaelstroM fell victim to the changing scene as harder metal gave way to Seattle grunge and the landscape of heavy music shifted.

Not satisfied with the way things ended with MaelstroM’s legacy, vocalist and lyricist Gary Vosganian and main song writer and guitarist Joey Lodes set out to finish the vision they had left incomplete all those years ago. Finally, after multiple fits and starts, hurdles and heartaches, the pair has realized their dream with the worldwide release of their debut album Of Gods And Men. A journey that began, humbly, as a few kids in a basement, some 32 years ago.

Of Gods And Men is rooted in the sounds and themes of MaelstroM’s eponymous 1989 debut demo and 1991’s acclaimed, This Battle to Make History, Yet History Never Comes. It represents a further step in the band’s evolution beyond their superlative 2008 EP It Was Predestined.

Of Gods And Men delivers a 69 minute album of such complexity and decades-intense planning, that it can hardly be considered simply a collective of ten songs. “There was always a very cinematic pageantry to what we were looking to do,” continues Gary. “The idea was to create a cinematic vision, more than simply individual songs. It is meant to be a whole piece, conceptual in all aspects and truly an album, which we consider to be ‘an abandoned art’ these days”.