Boston, Mass. – December 7, 2015 – Harmonix Music Systems, Inc. is thrilled to announce tomorrow’s release of Rock Band™4’s completely free* December Feature Update will include an all new gameplay challenge for Expert players, called Brutal Mode.



Brutal Mode - which will be available to Expert players in its own area off the Main Menu - will put even the most hardcore players’ skills to the test. Available in solo or multiplayer, Brutal Mode modifies the note track to react to how well you are playing. The better you play, the harder it gets. Players who master this mode are rewarded with a new Star threshold beyond Gold: the Crimson Star!











Today Harmonix also announces the addition of three intense metal tracks to the Rock Band Music Store for Xbox One and PlayStation®4! Releasing tomorrow, December 8th, in conjunction with the December Feature Update, these songs will surely challenge even the best players.



Between the Buried and Me mark their Rock Band return with “The Coma Machine,” the 7+ minute long track from the band’s 2015 chart-topping concept album, Coma Ecliptic. Opeth’s epic “Heir Apparent” comes from the Swedish metal masters’ 2008 album, Watershed, and clocks in at almost 9 minutes long. Rounding out the pack is 2015’s “Nevermore” from the Dante’s Inferno-inspired album, Underworld, by Symphony X.





Each track can be purchased individually for $1.99.





Between the Buried and Me - “The Coma Machine”

Opeth – “Heir Apparent”

Symphony X – “Nevermore”











Extending the challenge even further, Harmonix is also kicking off a nationwide Brutal Mode Battle, which will run from 12/8-12/19. Finalists will be flown out to Boston for a live streamed final event where they will battle for major prizes, including a custom-skinned Rock Band 4 console of choice, a PAX East Penny Arcade Rock Band 4 guitar, and an entire year’s worth of Rock Band 4 DLC, courtesy of Harmonix. For full details, visit http://www.harmonixmusic.com/blog/the-rock-band-4-brutal-mode-battle/.



Called “the new benchmark for rhythm gaming” by GamesRadar+, Rock Band 4 delivers the ecstatic rush of a live full-band game experience like never before. Rock Band 4 builds on the core gameplay people love, with brand new features, including game-changing Freestyle Guitar Solo gameplay that allows players to craft their own face-melting and truly original guitar solos.



For more information on Rock Band 4 and to stay up to date with the latest news and announcements, head over to http://www.rockband.com and follow @RockBand on Twitter for updates.



*Xbox Live or PlayStation®Network account required to download and install update.











