GHOST has set "Prequelle" as the title of its new album, due on June 1 via Loma Vista Recordings. The disc was recorded last year at Artery studios in Stockholm with producer Tom Dalgety (OPETH, ROYAL BLOOD) and was mixed in January at Westlake Studios in West Hollywood, California with Andy Wallace (NIRVANA, SLAYER).

The official video for the disc's first single, "Rats", can be seen below.

"Prequelle" track listing:

01. Ashes

02. Rats

03. Faith

04. See The Light

05. Miasma

06. Dance Macabre

07. Pro Memoria

08. Witch Image

09. Helvetesfönster

10. Life Eternal

"Prequelle" marks the introduction of GHOST's new leader, Cardinal Copia, who made his live debut with the band on April 6 at a private, three-song acoustic performance in Chicago.

The last Papa, Papa Emeritus III, was forcibly taken from the stage during the final show of the band's "Meliora" tour cycle last fall, with Papa Zero arriving to announce the beginning of "the Middle Ages." Of course, all the Papas — except the elder Zero — and Cardinal Copia are the same man, GHOST founder and vocalist Tobias Forge.

Forge's new alter ego will play his first full live show with GHOST on May 5 as the Swedish band kicks off a run of North American dates in Riverside, California.

Forge told Revolver about "Prequelle": "It is loosely themed around the concept of death and doom. It's a themed album around medieval times, but it's definitely clinging onto a lot of very current things. The Black Death [plague] is a great example of a turning point for a whole civilization. Complete villages were annihilated. Most people knew very little, so all of it was God or the Devil — and about their faith being questioned: Why are we being stricken down by this great scourge? It must be because of our not fearing God enough and all this superstitious bullshit.

"There's a lot that you would recognize today in online mannerisms," he continued. "In many ways, we've gone back a few steps because now it's closer to how it was back in the old days when people were standing at the square and all of a sudden, it's like in Monty Python's 'Life Of Brian': 'Stone him! Ra! Ra! Ra!' Public trials are very unsupervised and extremely swift and speak to the most primordial parts of us."

In a separate interview with Metal Hammer, Forge talked about the musical direction of "Prequelle", saying: "It's a very bright-sounding record. And it's a very heavy record, I'd say, but not from a Metal Hammer point of view, meaning all metal through and through. But it's a heavy record with a heavy theme. I think the overall ambience is very serious.

"Technically, a GHOST song could just be piano and vocals but it could also be full pounding, heavy-thrashing hard rock," he added. "I'm not in any way comparing us to them but I guess our modus operandi is a little like what QUEEN did — just decide to play really good songs and not focus too much on sticking to a recipe."

Forge last year revealed his identity while responding to a lawsuit filed by four former members of GHOST, who accused him of cheating them out of their rightful share of the profits from the group's album releases and world tours.

The official lyric video for the song "Messiah" from RIOT V, the band featuring members of legendary metal pioneers RIOT, can be seen below. The track is taken from RIOT V's upcoming album, "Armor Of Light", which will be released on April 27 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was produced by Chris "The Wizard" Collier (METAL CHURCH, FLOTSAM & JETSAM, SLIPKNOT, KORN), while the cover artwork was created by Mariusz Gandzel (CRYSTAL VIPER).

The new songs promise to please fans of the "Thundersteel" era of RIOT, as longtime Mark Reale music collaborator Donnie Van Stavern undertakes a lot of the writing as he did on "Thundersteel", "The Privilege Of Power" and the latest offering, "Unleash The Fire".

Hardly any other metal act has such a long and absorbing history behind it. Since the quintet formed in 1975, they have been hit by several severe strokes of fate during their long career. Three deceased members — Rhett Forester (R.I.P. 1994), Guy Speranza (R.I.P. 2003) and Mark Reale (R.I.P. 2012) — have left their mark on the four decades of RIOT's band history.

Since their legendary debut album, "Rock City" (1977), RIOT has released numerous heavy metal classics, including "Fire Down Under" (with classics like "Swords And Tequila"), their masterpiece "Thundersteel" (1988) and the unforgotten "The Privilege Of Power" (1990).

After the death of Mark Reale and the departure of Tony Moore, Todd Michael Hall (from Michigan), completed the lineup of RIOT, which changed its name to RIOT V and moved forward under the auspices of the two long-term members and main songwriters Donnie Van Stavern (bass) and Mike Flyntz (guitar). With the critically acclaimed "Unleash The Fire" (2014), a pure power metal jewel once again underlined the musical importance and influence of the quintet.

Many artists name-check RIOT as an important influence of their musical career and have paid tribute to the power metal godfathers on multiple occasions. The list is long and includes several well-known acts such as HAMMERFALL ("Flight Of The Warrior"), Luca Turilli's RHAPSODY ("Thundersteel"), AXEL RUDI PELL ("Warrior") and newcomers such as NIGHT DEMON ("Road Racin'"), ALPHA TIGER ("Flight Of The Warrior"), SAVAGE MASTER ("Swords And Tequila") and STALLION ("Rock City").

"Armor Of Light" track listing:

01. Victory

02. End Of The World

03. Messiah

04. Angel's Thunder, Devil's Reign

05. Burn The Daylight

06. Heart Of A Lion

07. Armor Of Light

08. Set The World Alight

09. San Antonio

10. Caught In the Witches Eye

11. Ready to Shine

12. Raining Fire

Guitarist Richie Sambora rejoined BON JOVI on stage Saturday night (April 14) at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland, marking his first performance with the band since 2013. Also appearing with the group was bassist Alec John Such, who hadn't played with BON JOVI since a one-off performance in 2001. They performed several crowd favorites, including "Livin' On A Prayer", ''You Give Love A Bad Name" and "It's My Life".

Sambora, who joined BON JOVI in 1983 and co-wrote most of the group's iconic hits over the following three decades, hadn't shared the stage with the band since he left the "Because We Can" tour five years ago. Such was fired from the group in 1994, reportedly because of his poor live performances.

Radio personality Howard Stern inducted BON JOVI with a profanity-laced speech during which he joked that Jon Bon Jovi single-handedly "destroyed the ozone layer in the 1980s with hairspray."

"I'm very proud to be inducted with these guys," said Sambora during his acceptance speech. "If I wrote a book, it would be [called] 'The Best Time I Ever Had'."

"I've been writing this speech many days, in many ways — some days, it's the thank you speech, some days the fuck you speech," Jon Bon Jovi said. "It's about time — that has been the theme of my weekend. I thank my lucky stars for the time I got to spend with each of you," he said, looking at his bandmates. "Tonight the band that agreed to do me a favor stands before you so I can make this reality a dream."

Backstage after his band was inducted into the Rock Hall, Jon was asked by a reporter if Richie is coming back to BON JOVI. "I think Richie's got his own career," he replied. "Maybe you'll have to ask him." He tossed it over to Sambora, who replied: "If he asks me..."

In addition to BON JOVI, the 33rd annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame class inducted the MOODY BLUES, THE CARS, DIRE STRAITS, Nina Simone, and early influence gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

The event took place at Cleveland's Public Auditorium, with an edited version of the ceremony airing May 5 on HBO at 8:00 p.m.





#rockhall2018 A post shared by nareif (@nareif) on Apr 14, 2018 at 6:07pm PDT

It’s my life & it’s now or never - @BonJovi takes over the Induction stage #rockhall2018 pic.twitter.com/LoeccbdGdS— Rock Hall (@rockhall) April 15, 2018

Massachusetts metallers KILLSWITCH ENGAGE have reunited with former singer Howard Jones for a new song.

The collaboration was revealed by current KILLSWITCH frontman Jesse Leach, who posted a photo of Instagram of him, Jones and guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz in the studio, along with the caption: "This dude was in the neighborhood, so I figured hey let's get him to lay down some stuff for a thing...He did, and it is going to be EPIC!"

Leach didn't provide any details on what the track will be used for, but he did offer a few hints by including the hashtags #kserecordingsessions, #Duet, #TheSignalFiresAlight, #LightTheTorch and #YesItHappenedYouKnewItWouldSomeday.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE is currently working on a new album for a tentative late 2018 release.

The follow-up to 2016's "Incarnate" will mark the band's third full-length effort since the return of Leach, who rejoined the group in 2012.

Leach appeared on KILLSWITCH's self-titled debut and sophomore album, "Alive Or Just Breathing", before exiting the band. Jones took over on vocals for "The End of Heartache", "As Daylight Dies" and the 2009 self-titled set before being dismissed from the group six years ago.


Jones is currently the frontman of LIGHT THE TORCH, which recently released its debut album, "Revival", after issuing two efforts under its previous name, DEVIL YOU KNOW.

This dude was in the neighborhood, so I figured hey let’s get him to lay down some stuff for a thing...He did, and it is going to be EPIC! . That is all carry on with your day. ?? #killswitchengage #kserecordingsessions #TheSignalFiresAlight #killswitchengage #AdamD #HowardJones #JesseLeach #LightTheTorch #Duet #YesItHappenedYouKnewItWouldSomeday #BombTrack #Banger #Unity #PMA A post shared by ?JeSsE LeAcH ? (@jesse_d_leach) on Apr 12, 2018 at 5:26pm PDT

God Is An Astronaut have released a music video for "Komorebi", a track from the new album Epitaph, out April 27th via Napalm Records. Watch the video below, and pre-order the album here.

Intense rock instrumentation, ethereal and emotional soundscapes by ambient instrumental band God Is An Astronaut await! Since forming 16 years ago, the Irish trio has reigned as one of the premier instrumental groups. Their new album will move you deeply.

Epitaph tracklisting:

"Epitaph"
"Mortal Coil"
"Winter Dusk/Awakening"
"Seance Room"
"Komorebi"
"Medea"
"Oisín"

"Komorebi" video:

"Epitaph" video:

Teaser:

Former RAINBOW and DEEP PURLE singer Joe Lynn Turner has been hospitalized in Belarus "with a heart issue," his friend Graham Bonnet has confirmed.

Turner's hospitalization was first reported by the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, which quoted the press service of the Ministry of Health of Belarus as saying that the singer's condition was "stable" after he was treated at a Minsk facility for "myocardial infarction," commonly known as a heart attack. Turner's presence at the hospital was also reported by Belarus's most influential daily newspaper, the state-owned SB Belarus Segodnya.

According to the Russian news agency TASS, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health of Belarus said that Turner was transported by ambulance to the hospital and that he will continue to receive treatment at the facility.

Earlier today, fellow former RAINBOW vocalist Bonnet confirmed the reports, posting a Facebook photo of him with Joe and writing in an accompanying caption: "My friend Joe was hospitalized in Minsk with a heart issue last night and myself, [GRAHAM BONNET BAND bassist] Beth-Ami [Heavenstone] and the rest of the GRAHAM BONNET BAND wish him a complete and speedy recovery. We love you, Joe."

BLABBERMOUTH.NET has reached out to Turner's representative for more information on the singer's condition and will update this story accordingly.

Joe was the frontman of RAINBOW between 1980 and 1984 and he sang on the album "Difficult To Cure", which featured the band's most successful U.K. single, "I Surrender".

During Turner's time with RAINBOW, the band had its first USA chart success and recorded songs that helped define the melodic rock genre.

1990 saw Turner reunited with RAINBOW leader Ritchie Blackmore in a reformed DEEP PURPLE for the "Slaves And Masters" album.

The 66-year-old singer is married to Maya Kozyreva, a lawyer from Minsk.

My friend Joe was hospitalized in Minsk with a heart issue last night and myself, Beth-Ami and the rest of the Graham Bonnet Band wish him a complete and speedy recovery. We love you, Joe.Posted by Graham Bonnet on Saturday, April 14, 2018

Wishing my buddy @joelynnturner a speedy recovery, love ya bro!! https://t.co/u18mj5tzaO— Jeff Scott Soto (@jeffscottsoto) April 14, 2018



Wishing all the best and a speed recovery to one of my heroes, Mr. @joelynnturner ? https://t.co/DS5GuY4vYK— Ronnie Romero (@ronnieromerov) April 14, 2018



Wishing our friend @joelynnturner a speedy recovery!!!! https://t.co/W3P4HocE9J— Frontiers Music srl (@FrontiersMusic1) April 14, 2018



Please keep my friend Joe Lynn Turner in your prayers. Joe suffered a heart attack at his home in Minsk, Belarus yesterday and is listed in stable condition in hospital.Posted by Stuart Smith on Saturday, April 14, 2018

WISHING MY BUDDY JOE LYNN TURNER A COMPLETE AND SPEEDY RECOVERY!

http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/former-rainbow-and-deep-purple-singer-joe-lynn-turner-hospitalized-with-heart-issue/Posted by Frankie Banali on Saturday, April 14, 2018

Want to send love and healing thoughts to my old pal Joe Lynn Turner!— TONY HARNELL (@tonyharnell) April 15, 2018



My thoughts and prayers go out to long time friend and Big Noize alumnus @joelynnturner who is recovering from a heart attack. God bless you my friend and speedy recovery #carloscavazo @VinnyAppice1 pic.twitter.com/nLU1fI87eI— Phil Soussan (@philsoussan) April 15, 2018

Swedish metal act Follow The Cipher have released a video for "Carolus Rex", a track from the band's upcoming self-titled debut album, which will be available on May 11th through Nuclear Blast. Watch the video below, and pre-order the album here.

Follow The Cipher tracklisting:

"Enter The Cipher"
"Valkyria"
"My Soldier"
"Winterfall"
"Titan's Call"
"The Rising"
"A Mind's Escape"
"Play With Fire"
"I Revive"              
"Starlight"
"Carolus Rex"

Bonus DVD
"Valkyria" - Music Video
"Carolus Rex" - Music Video
"A Mind's Escape" - Lyric Video
"The Rising" - Lyric Video
"Enter The Cipher" - Live from Masters of Rock
"My Soldier" - Live from Masters of Rock
"A Mind's Escape" - Live from Masters of Rock
"Winterfall" - Live from Masters of Rock
"I Revive" - Live from Masters of Rock
"My Soldier" - Live from Falkenberg w/ studio sound
"Carolus Rex" - Live from SOA w/ camera sound
Presentation - Ken Kängström
Band Interview
Masters Of Rock - Vlog
Sabaton Open Air - Vlog
Behind The Music Videos - Vlog

"Carolus Rex" video:

"Valkyria" video:

"The Rising" lyric video:

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

Trailer #3:

Follow The Cipher live dates:

June
1-3 - Pilsen, Czech Republic - Metalfest Open Air
21 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop Metal Meeting

(Photo - Georgios Grigoriadis)

Unprocessed have released a video for "Ghilan", a track from the upcoming album Covenant (Long Branch Records). Watch the clip below.

Unprocessed is a progressive metal band hailing from Hessias central City Wiesbaden in Germany. Ever since the band was founded in 2014, Unprocessed has shared the stage with bands like Monuments, Betraying The Martyrs, Being As An Ocean, Napoleon, and As They Burn, went on a first EU tour and played numerous shows in and around Germany, promoting the first releases, In Concretion (2014) and Perception (2016).

Unprocessed's sound features insanely fast palm muted, chugged guitar-riffs and shredding solos that meet soundscapes from another dimension, guttural vocals that are contrasted by lucid and melodic clean singing. A sharp bass tone and groovy, yet detail oriented drum-lines form a massive rhythm section and add a lot of pressure to the bands overall sound. This mixture shows that this young band is ready to conquer the scene.

Pre-order Covenant here.

Tracklisting:

"Covenant"
"Haven"
"Ghilan"
"Malleable"
"Millenium"
"The Division"
"The Mirror"
"Meridian"
"Exhale"
"Exeunt"

"Ghilan" video:

"Haven" video:

Lineup:

Manuel Gardner Fernandes - Vocals, Guitars
Christoph Schultz - Guitars
Christopher Talosi - Guitars
David Levy - Bass
Leon Pfeifer - Drums

Former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent joined his former bandmate Gene Simmons earlier today (Saturday, April 14) at the KISS bassist/vocalist's "Vault Experience" event in Nashville, Tennessee.

Video footage of Vincent's appearance can be seen below (courtesy of a Facebook Live video from Rosie Luck).

When the event was first confirmed in early March, Vincent stated in a Facebook post: "To Gene, thank you, my very valued friend. I'm humbled and honored to be a part of you again and I thank you so much for this wonderful ad. I will treasure it and you and our incredible history together. [I am] looking forward to seeing you. Love always!"

Vinnie made his first public appearance in 20 years at the Atlanta KISS Expo in January. During a question-and-answer session at the event, Vincent said that reconnecting with Gene was "probably the nicest thing that's happened" to him in recent years. "I love Gene," he said. "In the early days, he treated me so supportive."

Regarding how he re-established friendly relations with his one-time bandmate, Vincent said: "I have an e-mail address that I hadn't checked in about five years. It was an e-mail I only used for certain things that were going on business-wise, and once that business was done, I never checked it anymore. I don't know what caused me to do this — forces sometimes, they compel you to do something, you don't know why — Christmas night, I said, 'I better check this e-mail, just to see if it's still there.' I see three e-mails from Gene. I say, 'Isn't that great? How nice. I wonder what I did wrong now. [Laughs] I wonder what he's yelling me at for now.' I'm looking at the dates of these e-mails, and they're from June and July. This is Christmas night. I opened it up and it had to do with [Simmons's recently released box set] 'The Vault'. We had written a lot of songs during the 'Revenge' era, and I think there's one on there — one of my favorite songs, my own personal favorite songs, 'I Wanna Live'. This was June; he sent me another one two weeks later and gets no answer from me. Then he sends me another one in July, and there's no answer from Vinnie, basically about the same thing. I said, I bet that's why he's mad at me. I read all three e-mails, and I said [imitates typing], 'I love you; I miss you; come on home,' you know? Then we started e-mailing again. He said, 'I'd like to have 'I Wanna Live' on 'The Vault', and invited me to Nashville and receive it on stage and to meet each other again. I said to him, 'Listen, you said some stuff about me — come on, we're past this.' I said, 'I just want you to know, I still love you. I always will. We had a lot of good things. Let's move on.' The e-mail vibe was great."

Vinnie joined KISS in 1982, replacing Ace Frehley. As the "Ankh Warrior," he toured with the group in support of "Creatures Of The Night", on which he played lead guitar on six songs prior to becoming an official member of the band. From there, KISS wrote and released "Lick It Up" — their first album without makeup — in 1983, a recording on which Vincent co-wrote eight of 10 songs, including the title track, which remains a staple of the group's live performances to this day.

Despite the album's success, Vincent was fired by KISS after the "Lick It Up" touring cycle came to an end, allegedly due to a dispute over both the terms of his employment contract with the band and royalties. From there, Vincent founded VINNIE VINCENT INVASION, which recorded the aforementioned two albums.

In 1992, Vincent re-teamed with KISS principals Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley to write three songs for their acclaimed album "Revenge", including the record's first two singles, "Unholy" and "I Just Wanna". Their relationship quickly soured once again, however. Four years later, Vincent released a solo EP, "Euphoria", which featured vocals by former VVI singer Fleischman and included material from sessions recorded around 1990. Soon after that, Vincent vanished from the public eye and remained off the grid for more than two decades.

In recent years, Vincent has been the subject of a number of rumors about his gender identity, including that he has been cross-dressing and that he has undergone a sex change.

Gene began personally delivering copies of his new box set, "Gene Simmons - The Vault Experience: 1966-2016", in January.

"Gene Simmons - The Vault Experience: 1966-2016" is a comprehensive box set of Gene's solo material that comes packaged in a safe. The set includes 150 previously unreleased songs spread over 10 discs, a leather-bound photo book, a Gene Simmons action figure, an "In Gene We Trust" gold medallion and a "surprise item."



Gene and Vinnie together after 20 years . ❤️Posted by Rosie Luck on Saturday, April 14, 2018

Fan-filmed video footage of Geoff Tate's OPERATION: MINDCRIME performing on April 13 at Backstage in Munich, Germany can be seen below.

Tate celebrated the 30th anniversary of QUEENSRŸCHE's "Operation: Mindcrime" album on his recent European tour.

"Operation: Mindcrime" is the third studio album of eleven that Geoff recorded with QUEENSRŸCHE. The concept album and rock opera is a story following Nikki, a recovering drug addict, who becomes disillusioned with the corrupt society of his time and becomes involved in a revolutionary group, acting as an assassin of political leaders. The certified platinum album was rated by Kerrang! as one of heavy metal's top 100 albums of all time.

QUEENSRŸCHE played "Operation: Mindcrime" in its entirety during the band's 1990 tour to promote the "Empire" album. The performance featured video, animation and guest singer Pamela Moore as the character Sister Mary.

Tate was fired from QUEENSRŸCHE in 2012. He has since been replaced by former CRIMSON GLORY singer Todd La Torre.

Polish black/death overlords BEHEMOTH have just released their new live DVD/Blu-ray, "Messe Noire". The set includes the band's victorious shows in Warsaw, Poland on October 8, 2016 and Brutal Assault 2016, as well as "The Satanist" cinematic archive featuring all official videos associated with the band's globally successful record of the same name.

For a preview of "Messe Noire", a new full production video for "O Father O Satan O Sun!" (from "The Satanist" cinematic archive — the last clip to be released from this album!) can be viewed below.

Commented singer, guitarist and mainman Adam "Nergal" Darski: "'Messe Noire'. Well, that is everything that the BEHEMOTH live magick represents, and we're stoked that we have a true representation on record for everyone out there to enjoy. 'Messe Noire' captures the true intensity of what we do as a band and the energy we share with our fans. This is also an exclamation mark, the perfect way to conclude 'The Satanist' cycle which has been an overwhelming experience and amazing chapter in BEHEMOTH's career and our lives so far! By the release of 'Messe Noire' we would like to hail our legions all around the world for undying support! Now let the art speak..."

"Messe Noire" DVD/Blu-ray track-listing

Live Satanist (Warsaw 2016)

01. Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel

02. Furor Divinus

03. Messe Noire

04. Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer

05. Amen

06. The Satanist

07. Ben Sahar

08. In The Absence Ov Light

09. O Father O Satan O Sun!

10. Ov Fire And The Void

11. Conquer All

12. Pure Evil And Hate

13. At The Left Hand Ov God

14. Slaves Shall Serve

15. Chant For Ezkaton 2000

Live Assault (Brutal Assault 2016)

16. Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel

17. Furor Divinus

18. Messe Noire

19. Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer

20. Amen

21. The Satanist

22. Ben Sahar

23. In The Absence Ov Light

24. O Father O Satan O Sun!

25. Ov Fire And The Void

26. Conquer All

27. Chant For Ezkaton 2000

"The Satanist" cinematic archive

28. Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel

29. Messe Noire

30. Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer

31. The Satanist

32. Ben Sahar

33. O Father O Satan O Sun!

CD track listing

Live Satanist (Warsaw 2016)

01. Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel

02. Furor Divinus

03. Messe Noire

04. Ora Pro Nobis Lucifer

05. Amen

06. The Satanist

07. Ben Sahar

08. In The Absence Ov Light

09. O Father O Satan O Sun!

Vinyl track-listing

Live Satanist (Warsaw 2016)

Side A:

01. Blow Your Trumpets Gabriel

02. Furor Divinus

03. Messe Noire

04. Ora Pro Nobis Luficer

Side B:

01. Amen

02. The Satanist

03. Ben Sahar

04. In The Absence Ov Light

Side C:

01. O Father O Satan O Sun!

02. Ov Fire And The Void

03. Conquer All

04. Pure Evil And Hate

Side D:

01. At The Left Hand Ov God

02. Slaves Shall Serve

03. Chant For Ezkaton 2000

Little Rock, Arkansas-based ruminant progressive doom quartet PALLBEARER has released a brand new track titled "Dropout" as the 53rd instalment of the Adult Swim Singles Program. The song encapsulates the singular doom-prog metal sound the Arkansas outfit is known for and can be heard below.

Comments the band: "We have almost always written music intended to exist as part of an album, with common musical and lyrical threads that tie many elements together into one release. Being freed from those confines in recording this song allowed us to explore themes and immediacy that might not have been uncovered in our more typical 'large format' composition process."

The track will be available for download and streaming on April 27.

"Dropout" follows the band's 2017 critically acclaimed album "Heartless", which was recorded entirely to analogue tape at Fellowship Hall Sound in Little Rock, Arkansas between June and August 2016. The record was produced by PALLBEARER, and mixed by widely known producer Joe Barresi (TOOL, MELVINS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, FU MANCHU). Engineering was handled by Jason Weinheimer and Zach Reeves, and mastered by Grammy-winning mastering engineer Dave Collins (BLACK SABBATH, ALICE COOPER, SOUNDGARDEN, METALLICA).

Initially formed in 2008, PALLBEARER grew from the fertile underground metal scene of Little Rock, Arkansas — releasing their debut full-length, "Sorrow And Extinction", in early 2012. The record made an immediate and immense impact on die-hard doom fans and metal critics alike, also forming the four-piece fans outside of the metal scene. Hailed by Rolling Stone as the #1 metal album of 2012, the album also received the coveted Best New Music stamp of approval from Pitchfork and landed the band on end of year lists at SPIN and NPR.

Their formidable sophomore record, 2014's "Foundations Of Burden" featured on countless critics' end-of-year lists and cemented their reputation as an unstoppable and emotive force — driving doom beyond its imagined limits, carving themselves an entirely original path through the realm of heavy music. The record charted in the Billboard Top 100, achieving Pitchfork's Best New Music accolade and Decibel's highly honored "Album Of The Year" award.

PALLBEARER is:

Brett Campbell - Lead Vocals, Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Synthesizers

Devin Holt - Electric & Acoustic Guitars, Vocals

Mark Lierly - Percussion

Joseph D. Rowland - Electric Bass, Vocals, Synthesizers

Photo credit: Diana Lee Zadlo

German rock pioneers OOMPH! have inked a deal with Napalm Records. The band is currently working on a new studio album, to be released in 2019.


Since its formation in 1990, OOMPH! has been a leader in the scene and has created its very own version of hard rock music. Along its journey, the band was never afraid of fusing any influences. This courage was rewarded by creating the group's own niche between metal, industrial, EBM and gothic. They have shaped a new musical genre in Germany with bands such as RAMMSTEIN, who have cited OOMPH! as one of its influences.


Gold and platinum awards, international chart entries, the #1 single "Augen Auf!" are just a few examples of their remarkable success. For OOMPH!, being on top of German rock music is the result of lots of hard work and fearless creativity. Now they have found a strong partner in Napalm.


OOMPH! comments: "Right between both of our last tours in Russia and Europe, we started to gather new ideas for our upcoming 13th studio album! With these first new songs, we contacted various record labels and were able to choose from eight very promising offers in the end!


"We are extremely happy to have found in Napalm Records a strong and broad partner worldwide, who has worked extremely successfully in all different areas of rock and metal with their artists in recent years. Napalm Records offers exactly the right prerequisites for our next steps and we look forward to a long-term collaboration!"


Added Thomas Caser, CEO of Napalm Records: "With OOMPH!, we proudly present one of the most exciting and influential German rock bands as a brand new signing on Napalm Records! We are very much looking forward to a successful future with the band!"


OOMPH! is:

Crap - Guitar, Keyboards

Dero - Vocals, Drums

Flux - Guitar, Sampling

Silvestri - Drums (Live)

Hagen - Bass (Live)

Felix - Keyboards (Live)

Okusa - Percussion (Live)

Acclaimed producer/guitarist Waldemar Sorychta (GRIP INC., LACUNA COIL, MOONSPELL, SAMAEL) last year resurrected the German technical thrash band DESPAIR. Joining him in the group's current incarnation are former MORGOTH vocalist Marc Grewe, original DESPAIR drummer Markus "Makka" Freiwald and new bassist Marius Ickert.

The revamped DESPAIR is in the studio putting the finishing touches on a reworked version of the band's debut album, "History Of Hate", which was released in 1988. The songs from the original LP have been rearranged and will feature new lyrics by Grewe.

Audio samples of the tracks that will appear on the upcoming album can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

Waldemar told BLABBERMOUTH.NET last September: "This is not a reunion. I wouldn't say I am an enemy of reunions, but in most cases, it seems pointless to me to share a stage with old man trying to play old songs i think about old good times.

"After beeing asked year by year about DESPAIR, a new idea came to my mind. The debut album, 'History Of Hate', which was also the birthday of Century Media, sounds more like a gathering of parts than a compact album with great songs. The blood was young, the view naïve, but the passion big. With the time, the passion went to a higher stage, so why not the songs too?

"I got the idea to re-write the whole album with chosen original parts and remake to modern songs how I would play them today. After the first try, I was surpriced how great it sounds, so I continued.

"It wouldn't make sense to build a band just on memories, so I asked Marc Grewe to join as a singer. MORGOTH was the second band on Century Media and Marc became a great friend. Since then, he was singing all backing vocals for DESPAIR records with me. In a way, he was always kind of a part of us.

"What came out is amazing mix between original ideas with deep roots and a total modern sound with a face of heavy grovy trash band 2017.

"Original member Markus Freiwald is on the drums.

"A very young talent, my nephew, so also my blood, Marius Ickert as a bass player is completing the band.

"The main priority was to make it special and true. The whole idea is round and not built up artificial."

DESPAIR was the first band to release an album through the Century Media label, and "History Of Hate" featured lead vocals by Century Media founder Robert Kampf.

Former DESPAIR guitarist Marek Greschek committed suicide in May 2013 at the age of 45.

Freiwald joined German thrash metal veterans SODOM in December 2010 as the replacement for Bobby Schottkowski. Freiwald was fired from SODOM in January and was replaced by Stefan "Husky" Hüskens (ASPHYX, DESASTER)

LIV SIN, the new band led by former SISTER SIN vocalist Liv "Sin" Jagrell, has released its cover version of the DANZIG song "Devil's Plaything". The track will appear on LIV SIN's upcoming EP, "Inverted", which will be issued on May 25. The vinyl-only release, which was produced by Martin Sandvik of HARDCORE SUPERSTAR at Studio Österlyckan, also includes reworked versions of the songs "Black Souls" and "Killing Ourselves To Live" from LIV SIN's debut album, 2017's "Follow Me", as well as a bonus track called "Murphy's Law" that was originally recorded for "Follow Me".

"Inverted" track listing:

01. Devil's Plaything

02. Black Souls

03. Killing Ourselves To Live

04. Murphy's Law

Liv stated about "Devil's Plaything": "[The] next [LIV SIN] album will not sound like this, but it will not sound like 'Follow Me' either."

From the gutters of south Sweden, Jagrell emerged as a major force as the vocalist for hard rockers SISTER SIN. Throughout the band's 13-year career, SISTER SIN sold thousands of albums and toured the world with high-profile tours supporting the likes of SLAYER and KING DIAMOND on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, as well as being a part of the Revolver magazine "Hottest Chicks In Metal" tour. SISTER SIN toured relentlessly for over a decade across Europe and North America garnering an intensely loyal following of rockers that craved the band's aggressive and melodic brand of hard rock.

When SISTER SIN called it quits at the end of 2015, Liv knew that she had much more to give to her fans. From this, LIV SIN was born. Liv's new music shows the power, sexiness, and attitude that she is known for.

LIV SIN offers a modernized hard rock sound to take Liv into her next phase, a sound that is destined to please both new fans and her longtime fans of SISTER SIN.

The official lyric video for the song "Your Tongue's Got The Cat" from Finnish heavy metal monsters LORDI can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's ninth studio album, "Sexorcism", which will be released on May 25 via AFM. The disc is described in a press release as "a full-on and uncensored shot of LORDI brand hard rock and roll" and "possibly [the band's] most controversial record to date."

"Sexorcism" was recorded and mixed at Finnvox studios by Mikko Karmila.

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Sexorcism

02. Your Tongue's Got The Cat

03. Romeo Ate Juliet

04. Naked In My Cellar

05. The Beast Is Yet To Cum

06. Polterchrist

07. SCG9: The Documented Phenomenon

08. Slashion Model Girls

09. Rimskin Assassin

10. Hell Has Room

11. Hot & Satanned

12. Sodomesticated Animal

13. Haunting Season

LORDI's most recent album, "Monstereophonic: Theaterror Vs. Demonarchy", was released in September 2016 via AFM. The first half of the follow-up to 2014's "Scare Force One" contained classic LORDI standalone songs while the second half was said to be "a mini-concept album."

LORDI is:

Mr. Lordi (vocals)

Mr. Amen (guitars)

Mr. Ox (bass)

Mr. Mana (drums)

Ms. Hella (keyboards)

We Sell The Dead, featuring Niclas Engelin (In Flames, Engel), Drömriket’s Jonas Slättung, Gas Lipstick (ex-HIM) and the voice of Apollo Papathanasio (Spiritual Beggars, Firewind), are streaming "The Body Market", the opening track of the band's debut album, Heaven Doesn’t Want You And Hell Is Full, out now via earMUSIC. Listen below.

Heaven Doesn’t Want You And Hell Is Full is available on CD, LP and Digital formats. Order links below:

- CD
- LP
- Digital

Heaven Doesn't Want You And Hell Is Full tracklisting:

"The Body Market"
"Echoes Of An Ugly Past"
"Leave Me Alone"
"Imagine"
"Turn It Over"
"Too Cold To Touch"
"Trust"
"Pale And Perfect"
"Silent Scream"

"The Body Market":

"Trust" video:

"Silent Scream" video:

"Pale And Perfect" video:

"Turn It Over" video:

"Echoes Of An Ugly Past" video:

Track samples:

(Photo - wesellthedead.com)

"Southern Fried Friday Night", a brand new song from Kentucky rockers BLACK STONE CHERRY, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Family Tree", which will be released on April 20 via Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group.

"Family Tree" is the much-anticipated follow up to 2016's "Kentucky". As was the case on "Kentucky", the BLACK STONE CHERRY members opted to produce and track the new disc at David Barrick's Barrick Recording in Glasgow, Kentucky, the same studio where the four-piece recorded its eponymous debut. BLACK STONE CHERRY also chose to not over-rehearse upfront of the album sessions, instead preferring the immediacy and spontaneity of in-the-moment takes. The band also entrusted frontman Chris Robertson to mix the songs, which perfectly fit the loose, creative process that birthed "Family Tree".

"Family Tree" boasts BLACK STONE CHERRY's tried-and-true lucky number with its 13 songs, and like all BLACK STONE CHERRY releases, features songwriting contributions from each member.

Drummer John Fred Young says: "'Family Tree' showcases all of our collective musical influences and how we have taken those to create something that is truly our own unique Southern American rock 'n' roll sound."

Two special guests appear, one bringing the concept of family full circle. Chris's five-year-old son contributes backup vocals on the swaggering "You Got The Blues", while the other, revered jam-band musician Warren Haynes (GOV'T MULE) offers a guitar cameo and vocals on the delta stomp of "Dancing In The Rain". The band first met Warren 17 years ago as freshly signed youngsters on their first visit to New York City.

The concept of family looms large in the world of BLACK STONE CHERRY's four band members. Young's father Richard and his uncle Fred are founding members of the Grammy Award-winning country rock 'n' roots band THE KENTUCKY HEADHUNTERS.

BLACK STONE CHERRY's four high school-aged friends — Young, plus frontman/guitarist Chris Robertson, guitarist Ben Wells and bassist Jon Lawhon — grew up honing their craft in the HEADHUNTERS' Practice House, an abandoned property on the Young family's farmland. John Fred says: "We grew up in THE KENTUCKY HEADHUNTERS' rehearsal space, looking up at posters of CREAM, LED ZEPPELIN, URIAH HEEP, THE [ROLLING] STONES MONTROSE, and THE FACES. We were like kids someone took in a time capsule and put in the woods."

"Family Tree" track listing:

01. Bad Habit

02. Burnin'

03. New Kinda Feelin

04. Carry Me On Down The Road

05. My Last Breath

06. Southern Fried Friday Night

07. Dancin' In The Rain (feat. Warren Haynes)

08. Ain't Nobody

09. James Brown

10. You Got The Blues

11. I Need A Woman

12. Get Me Over You

13. Family Tree

The official video for the song "Immortal" from German metallers CREMATORY, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's new album, "Oblivion", which is being released today (Friday, April 13).

Like all great rock bands, CREMATORY has based its success on the creativity of a well-rehearsed songwriting team. With Germany's leading gothic metal act, it's drummer Markus Jüllich in collaboration with the producer of each individual album that's kept the group's compositions on course for more than 25 years. At the same time, Markus Jüllich has enough experience to know that the band's evolvement depends on fresh ideas and new influences. So, by enlisting guitarists Tosse Basler and Rolf Munkes and, soon after, bassist Jason Mathias he has ensured that the band has remained contemporary and diverse ever since their 2016 release "Monument", reaping the fruits his efforts on "Oblivion".

"In particular, the sound and the selection of songs reflect the impact our three new band members have had," comments Markus Jüllich. "Tosse is a fantastic rhythm guitarist who adds even more diversity to the material with his clean vocals, and our lead guitarist Rolf enhances the record with his solos. Jason has added lots of drive to the deep frequencies, which is why we've consciously opted for a loud mix of the bass parts."

Along with Markus's wife Katrin (keyboards and samples) and vocalist Felix Stass, the three new additions are important factors that ensure that CREMATORY find themselves in a contemporary and forward-looking position in 2018.

In fact, the band went one step further on "Oblivion": while Markus Jüllich and producer Kristian Bonifer were busy working on the basics of their new recording at the Kohlekellerstudio, Stefan Glass, Dirk Riegner and Walter Stobbe were asked to contribute additional input to the creative process.

"Dirk comes from the indie genre and helped to add an important new nuance to the characteristic CREMATORY approach," Markus Jüllich explains. "Stefan Glass is a specialist for orchestral arrangements and Walter Stobbe is a real riff virtuoso on the guitar." The result is thoroughly compelling as well as ingenious. CREMATORY's unmistakable style manifests itself on programmatic numbers such as "Ghost Of The Past" and "Revenge Is Mine", but also on the anthemnic "Wrong Side" and the melancholy title track. The Stefan Glass-inspired orchestral arrangements can be heard on the dark opener "Salvation" as well as on "Until The Dawn", "Blessed" and "For All Of Us". Walter Stobbe's penchant for heavy metal features on "Cemetary Stillness" and on the album's impressive finale, "Demon Inside".

CREMATORY has rarely sounded as multi-faceted and timeless as on "Oblivion". The group's classic trademarks, such as Felix Stass's deep growls, are still present, at the same time new influences emphasise their great commercial potential. Markus Jüllich says: "So far we've had a special motto to set the direction of each of our albums, but 'Oblivion' simply combines all our strengths and experience. Over the years we've learned to blend different styles into the typical CREMATORY sound without ever losing sight of the importance of playing in a way that benefits our music. The motto 'less is more' applies to our compositions 100 percent. CREMATORY songs never lose themselves in exaggerated effects but always go the whole hog. That's partly due to the fact that we've remained very much down to earth."

Which is exactly what CREMATORY's countless fans will be able to witness when the band embarks on its 15-show tour of Germany at the end of April. As Markus Jüllich aptly puts it: "Even if we know exactly what matters when you tour, we want to learn something new with every new concert."

"Oblivion" track listing:

01. Expectation (1:27)

02. Salvation (4:36)

03. Ghost Of The Past (3:59)

04. Until The Dawn (4:36)

05. Revenge Is Mine (4:50)

06. Wrong Side (4:12)

07. Stay With Me (4:13)

08. For All Of Us (4:06)

09. Immortal (3:32)

10. Oblivion (4:52)

11. Cemetary Stillness (4:50)

12. Blessed (4:02)

13. Demon Inside (4:06)

CREMATORY lineup:

Felix Stass - vocals

Rolf Munkes - guitar

Tosse Basler - guitar

Jason Mathias - bass

Markus Jüllich - drums

Katrin Jüllich - keyboards

Swedish black metallers MARDUK will release their new album, "Viktoria", on June 22 via Century Media Records. The effort will be made available in the following versions:

* Limited CD box set (with CD, woven patch, metal pin, three stickers)

* LP (with inlay and 180-gram vinyl)

* Standard CD Jewelcase

* Digital

"Viktoria" track listing:

01. Werwolf

02. June 44

03. Equestrian Bloodlust

04. Tiger I

05. Narva

06. The Last Fallen

07. Viktoria

08. The Devil's Song

09. Silent Night

The disc's first single will be released in the coming days.

MARDUK's latest album, "Frontschwein", was released in 2015 through Century Media.

"Frontschwein" is German Army slang for "front pig" — a soldier serving long at the front, often used as an ironic accolade for a soldier with the will to fight.

Guitarist Morgan Steinmeyer Håkansson is the sole remaining member of MARDUK who played on the band's debut album, 1992's "Dark Endless".

MARDUK's 13th studio album, "Frontschwein" was the band's first solely war-themed release since 1999's "Panzer Division Marduk".

"High For An Eye", a new song from LOVE/HATE singer Jizzy Pearl, can be streamed below. The track is taken from his will upcoming solo album, "All You Need Is Soul", which will be released on May 11 via Frontiers Music Srl.

"In my opinion, this is the best record I've done since 'Blackout In The Red Room'," says Jizzy. "It captures all the energy and power of that album with great songs, high-energy vocals, big drums courtesy of Dave Moreno (PUDDLE OF MUDD) and amazing guitars from LOVE/HATE guitarist Darren Housholder."

From the opening vocals of blistering first song "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone" to the effortlessly cool album closer "Mr Jimmy", Jizzy's new record is brimming with fresh new music that's easily recognizable whilst contemporary in its delivery. Listen closer and you'll discover the hard-rocking groove of "High For An Eye", the funk rock of album title track "All You Need Is Soul" and many more new favorites. Make no mistake, Jizzy Pearl has returned and he's better than ever.

Jizzy Pearl and LOVE/HATE burst on to the scene in 1990 with the debut album "Blackout In The Red Room" and proceeded to take the U.K. by storm with "Best Album Of The Year" from Kerrang! and Metal Hammer magazines. Playing sold-out shows and opening for SKID ROW, AC/DC and DIO put LOVE/HATE on the map. MTV hits "Why Do You Think They Call It Dope", "She's An Angel" and the band's follow-up album, "Wasted In America", have ensured a loyal following to this day.

"All You Need Is Soul" track listing:

01. You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone

02. Comin' Home To The Bone

03. High For An Eye

04. All You Need Is Soul

05. House Of Sin

06. Mortified

07. Frustrated

08. When The Devil Comes

09. You Don't Know What It's Like

10. It Doesn't Matter

11. Little Treasures

12. Mr Jimmy

Following Jizzy's U.K. tour in support of his new album this May, the vocalist will reunite with original LOVE/HATE drummer Joey Gold, along with guitarist Darren Housholder, for a special homecoming show at the world-famous Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California on June 22.

Detroit noise rock collective CHILD BITE will release "Burnt Offerings" this spring via Housecore Records. A 2-CD set, "Burnt Offerings" is a compilation of CHILD BITE rarities culled from the last eight years of audio bedlam. The record boasts a menacing twenty-eight tracks including several unreleased tunes as well as cover songs featuring Housecore owner and former PANTERA frontman Philip Anselmo.


"Here we have all of our loose ends," elaborates frontman Shawn Knight. "Lots of great stuff that's either out-of-print or never came out for one reason or another. This serves as a mass grave for all of our musical orphans..."


"This whole project came to mind when both our guitarist and drummer left the band last summer," he continues. "We had put out so many random bits and pieces over the years, not to mention a full album's worth of unreleased songs, that it really felt like a good time to take stock and officially wrap up that chapter of the band. The first six tracks [from disc 1] are from vinyl-only split EPs we've put out. We've found that our strongest writing comes in small batches. These songs were written and recorded as pairs, and are some of our best tunes, not to mention some of the best sounding recordings we've ever had. Tracks seven through ten were meant for what became 'Negative Noise', but soon after we recorded these demos we got a new drummer and we started moving in a different direction. These quick studio recordings have been collecting dust now for nearly five years... Tracks eleven through thirteen were recorded down at Anselmo's place on our way south for a big tour with VOIVOD and KING PARROT. A couple members felt that the songs weren't ready for prime time so we held off from using them until now. I wouldn't be surprised if we revisited one or two of these in the future."


"Burnt Offerings" will be available on May 11 as a 2-CD digipak with a fold-out poster.


"Burnt Offerings" track listing:

Disc 1:

01. The Will To Disappear

02. Stag Thrall

03. Gang Omega

04. Sick & Subhuman

05. Prowl

06. Modern Torment

07. Abstract Interior Putrefaction

08. Feeding Tube Blues

09. Stroke the Negative

10. Carrion Tabernacle

11. Throb Forever

12. Corrosive Devotion

13. As I Approach The Void

14. Jerk Off Your Life


Disc 2:

01. My War

02. Police Truck

03. Earth A.D. / We Bite

04. I Against I / Jam

05. Guilty of Being White / It Follows

06. Hey!

07. Don't

08. Unbridled

09. Siege*

10. Morrisey*

11. Chump Change*

12. Radio Hit*

13. Song #5*

14. The Usurper*

* featuring Philip Anselmo

Three songs from "Burnt Offerings", including covers of CELTIC FROST's "The Usurper" and ANAL C**T's "Chump Change" — both featuring Anselmo — can be streamed below.

CHILD BITE is an American noise rock/hardcore punk/heavy metal band formed in 2005 in Detroit, Michigan. The band's core members are founding vocalist Shawn Knight and long-time bassist Sean Clancy. CHILD BITE has released four full-length albums and ten EPs over the past twelve years, all featuring artwork by Shawn Knight.

Former MARILYN MANSON and current ROB ZOMBIE guitarist John 5 was joined by Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW) and Stephen Pearcy (RATT) during his concert Wednesday night (April 11) at Discovery Ventura in Ventura, California.

Bach stepped out on stage for covers of KISS's "Parasite" and MÖTLEY CRÜE's "Shout At The Devil", while Pearcy came on to sing the VAN HALEN classic "Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love".

Check out fan-filmed video footage below.

Less than a week earlier, John 5 welcomed Ace Frehley (KISS), Nikki Sixx (MÖTLEY CRÜE), Scott Ian (ANTHRAX) and Scott's wife Pearl Aday (daughter of actor/musician Meat Loaf) at his concert at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

John 5 is touring in support of his concert album, "It's Alive!", which came out on January 25. The first live album released by John 5 and THE CREATURES — which includes Ian Ross on bass and Logan Miles Nix on drums — is also the first LP released by John 5 to be made available on vinyl.





TONIGHT VENTURA CALIFORNIA @ The Discovery we are LIVE with @john5official & The Creatures! Show starts @ 8 cya there!

...Posted by Sebastian Bach on Wednesday, April 11, 2018

IRON MAIDEN's Bruce Dickinson celebrated the release of the award-winning film "Scream For Me Sarajevo" last night at Vue Cinema West End in London, England, and treated fans at the preview screening to an in-depth live interview following the film.

"Scream For Me Sarajevo" is a documentary telling the story of a 1994 concert given by Dickinson while the Bosnian War was raging and Sarajevo itself was under siege.

The first time Dickinson was in Sarajevo, the city was cut off from the world, its citizens brutally terrorized by shooting, bombing and starvation with electricity and water supply being nothing short of a luxury. Bruce and his then-solo band drove through the frontlines and ultimately played a show for the people trapped in the city. What this gig meant to the people and how it changed Bruce and his band is told in "Scream For Me Sarajevo".

Featuring footage from the historic gig, the film also meets those that made it to the show and made the show happen; determined to keep living their lives despite the atrocities going on around them. Interviews with the band, crew and security bring home the reality of the situation that was not only dangerous, it was barbaric.

"We weren't protected, there was no plan and the bullets were real, but fuck it, we went anyway," said Bruce in his autobiography "What Does This Button Do?" "The gig was immense, intense and probably the biggest show in the world at that moment for the audience and for us. That the world didn't really know didn't matter. It changed the way I viewed life, death and other human beings."

"Scream For Me Sarajevo" will be released beginning May 10 in select theaters across the U.S. and Canada, it was announced today by CineLife Entertainment, the event cinema division of Spotlight Cinema Networks, and Eagle Rock Entertainment, a producer and distributor of music films.

In addition to the feature film, a specially recorded interview with Dickinson will be included as exclusive theatrical-only content in participating theaters.

"We are excited to be working with Eagle Rock Entertainment to bring this special film to moviegoers, and Bruce Dickinson and IRON MAIDEN fans in the U.S." said Mark Rupp, managing director, CineLife Entertainment.

In a December 2015 interview with the Radio Sarajevo show "The Aebyss", Bruce spoke about the security concerns he has in an age of terrorism when it comes to deciding which countries to travel to in order to play for the people there. He said: "Personally, yeah, I'll play no matter what. Your concern has to be, actually, for people who don't have a choice in the matter. I mean, it was my choice [in 1994] — actually our choice, collectively, 'cause we all, collectively, said, 'Yeah, we're all crazy enough to try and do this thing and drive into Sarajevo in the middle of a war and see if we can do and do a gig. And [laughs] we're not quite sure when we're gonna come back.' But those poor people that went for that [EAGLES OF DEATH METAL] concert at the Bataclan [in Paris, France] had no choice; they were completely, completely innocent in every possible way. And, of course, nobody knew that the place was gonna get targeted. So, unfortunately, there's a judgment call that people have gotta make, and you have to make it on the best information available — as to whether or not you're suddenly gonna get… If somebody says, 'We're gonna massacre everybody at a rock concert,' you say, 'Well, is it some lunatic, or is it genuinely credible that this might happen?'"

He continued: "You can't take the responsibility for what might be some lunacy, massacring people, just because you wanna be kind of 'macho man' and stand up and say, 'Ah, yeah, yeah, yeah, we did this and people threatened us, but we were like macho men.' And that's great until one day it turns out that somebody does go and do [something like that] and then you have lots and lots of dead women and children, and you go, 'Maybe we shouldn't have done the show, because there was a credible threat.' So, unfortunately, you've gotta be grown up about it. But, at the same time, you still need to be able to offer people that hope and send that message out there. They can't stop… Real life just carries on. I mean, when the Irish Republican Army, years and years ago… when I was a kid, things were getting blown up left, right and center in the U.K., and one lot was blowing things up and horrendous things happened, and nothing stopped — people just got on with it and carried on. You don't stop. You don't back down from living your life. And that was the message in Sarajevo — that in all the craziness, this little bastion of rock and roll and kind of normality happened, for five minutes, in the middle of it. You know, yeah, you know what? There is light at the end of the tunnel there. So all those kinds of things are acts of defiance, but not involving guns or bombs or bullets and things like that."

"Scream For Me Sarajevo" will be screened in select U.K. cinemas from April 17.

The second trailer for "Live In Overhausen" from legendary New Jersey thrashers OVERKILL can be seen below. The set will be released on May 18 via Nuclear Blast.

Celebrating the band's history, "Live In Overhausen" captured not one but two album anniversaries. Fans assembled on April 16, 2016 at Turbinenhalle 2 in Oberhausen, Germany for the 25th anniversary of "Horrorscope" and 30th anniversary of where it all began, "Feel The Fire".

OVERKILL singer Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth comments: "From the stage to your eyes and ears! 'Live in Overhausen', celebrating 'Feel The Fire' and 'Horrorscope' in one filmed/recorded concert in Germany, from 2016. A rare two-hour look at what has transpired over three decades in one of the world's hotbeds of metal. Hang on to your hats, kids, it's going to be a 'thrashy-ride'!"

"Live In Overhausen" will be available in different formats:

* 2 CD + Blu-ray Digipak

* 2 CD + DVD Digipak

* LP (Limited edition Splatter, Green, Black)

* Feel The Fire (Live in Overhausen)

* Horrorscope (Live in Overhausen)

* Mail-Order Edition

"Live In Overhausen" track listing:

01. Coma

02. Infectious

03. Blood Money

04. Thanx For Nothin'

05. Bare Bones

06. Horrorscope

07. New Machine

08. Frankenstein

09. Live Young Die Free

10. Nice Day - for a Funeral

11. Soulitude

12. Raise The Dead

13. Rotten To The Core

14. There's No Tomorrow

15. Second Son

16. Hammerhead

17. Feel The Fire

18. Blood And Iron

19. Kill at Command

20. Overkill

21. Fuck You

OVERKILL utilized a stand-in drummer — the band's soundman Eddy Garcia, who is also a member of the El Paso, Texas act PISSING RAZORS — for the Oberhausen show because the group's then-drummer, Ron Lipnicki, was forced to stay home due to undisclosed family issues.

OVERKILL last year announced the addition of drummer Jason Bittner (SHADOWS FALL, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM) to the group's ranks.

OVERKILL recently returned to the studio to resume work on demos for its upcoming album. According to a post on the band's Facebook page, at least four new songs are in varying stages of completion at this point, with more to come.

Ellsworth told Australia's 3D Radio about the band's songwriting and recording process: "Well, for us, coming from the old school, to some degree, it has to be physical. And what I mean by that is standing in a room with the others, splitting a pizza, splitting a beer, sweating, coming up with some good ideas, occasionally, or even more than occasionally, going, 'Oh my God! That sucked.' And then moving from there into what the modern era offers us, and that's the Pro Tools and trading files back and forth over the Internet, because instantaneous ideas can be traded from home now. So we use kind of a combination of the old 'let's sweat it out and tune the guitars up' to the modern day of 'let's get down with the computers and exchange our ideas.' So it works both ways for us. So it's a combination of the old and the new."

Ellsworth went on to say that OVERKILL has "adapted" to the new writing and recording techniques. "But," he added, "we've never abandoned the studio rehearsal space. That, to us, is necessary. I think it gives us a link to how we started. And I think there's something very humbling about saying, 'Sure, this was still worth it back then.' And to some degree, when you think of this type of music — metal in general, aggressive — I think it needs to be presented as a group, or understood as a group, as opposed to invididuals just coming up with ideas. So the combination really works for us. And I think this keeps us grounded."

OVERKILL's latest album, "The Grinding Wheel", was released in February 2017 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was produced by OVERKILL and mixed by Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, ACCEPT). The artwork was created again by Travis Smith (NEVERMORE, OPETH, SOILWORK, DEATH).

ALICE IN CHAINS is putting the finishing touches on the much-anticipated follow-up to 2013's critically acclaimed album "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here". Due out later this year, the new disc was recorded in part at Henson Studios in Los Angeles with Nick Raskulinecz, who produced both "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" and its predecessor, 2009's "Black Gives Way To Blue", and is currently being mixed by Joe Barresi (TOOL, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE).

Guitarist and co-vocalist Jerry Cantrell told Guitar World about the upcoming LP: "It's not that we were keeping it a secret — we just didn't want to say a whole lot about it until we had something to say. And we certainly have something to say with this one. It's a fucking strong record."

The basic tracks for the new ALICE IN CHAINS album were laid down at Studio X in Seattle, marking the first time the band had recorded in the city in more than 20 years, since tracking its 1995 self-titled album at the same facility back when it was known as Bad Animals. "It was cool to be back, because the studio is a part of our history," Cantrell told Guitar World.

As for the musical direction of the new ALICE IN CHAINS material, Cantrell said: "It's a record we haven't done yet, I can tell you that. But it's also a record that has all the elements of anything you would expect from us. It's got our fingerprint. And we're really proud of the material that we wrote and the performances we captured. There's some really heavy shit, some really ugly stuff, some real beautiful stuff, some weirdo trippy shit… it's good!"

Cantrell also addressed the fact that it has been five years since the release of ALICE IN CHAINS' last album. "It's a lot of work doing a record," he said, "and I think it gets harder the older we get. But we just wait until we're ready and until we have enough material that's up to the ALICE IN CHAINS standard, and then we do what we do. This is just the racket that we make when we get together."

"The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" was the band's second disc with singer William Duvall, who joined in 2006 following the death of Layne Staley.

"The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" sold 62,000 copies in its first week of release. It followed up 2009's "Black Gives Way To Blue".

The first two singles from "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here", "Hollow" and "Stone", both hit No. 1 on the rock radio airplay charts, while the album itself debuted on the Billboard album chart at No. 2.

Canadian hard rockers Thunderbird are releasing their anticipated self-titled third album on Delinquent Records on April 25th. Thunderbird was recorded in Vancouver BC, produced by Marc LaFrance and Kelly Stodola and mixed by famed engineer Mike Fraser.

Says lead singer & producer Marc LaFrance, “The album is like a collection of short stories. I am singing the songs as different characters, or telling their tales. A gallery of rogues from the dark side!”

Musically, the songs are inspired by classic hard rock. Heavy guitars, blistering solos, driving rhythms.

The songs were written during 2016, after the band finished their last album Heavyweight. Recording began for a third album late 2016 at Vancouver's Armoury Studios with famed engineer Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Aerosmith, Van Halen). Sessions continued through the first half of 2017 at several Vancouver studios with other veteran engineers including Ken Burke, Kris Siegers and Mick Dalla-Vee. The finished album was mixed by Mike Fraser at The Armoury and mastered by Adam Ayan (Def Leppard, Foo Fighters, Queen) at Gateway Mastering.

The band's former guitarist Rod 'Doc' Coogan was unable to take part this time due to other commitments, and rising young talent Brice Tabish joins Thunderbird on guitar. Rod still makes a welcome appearance with the guitar solo on opening track “Liar (Fool's Gold)”. Guest musicians on the new album include jazz pianist Chris Gestrin, and a string section on closing track “Vampire” arranged and conducted by film composer Peter Allen.

Tracklisting:

“Liar (Fool’s Gold)”
“Little Jenny”
“Star”
“Rain”
“Into The Sun”
“Painted Lady”
“Revolution”
“Man Of Clay”
“I’m With You”
“On The Brink”
“King Rat”
“Vampire”

Century Media Records has announced the signing of heavy rockers LUCIFER. The band's second studio album, "Lucifer II", will be released on July 6.

Apart from a new label home, the follow-up to 2015's "Lucifer I" also marks the first studio release of the new LUCIFER incarnation now consisting of vocalist Johanna Sadonis, guitarist Robin Tidebrink, and multi-instrumentalist Nicke Andersson, who plays drums and also took over bass and guitar when recording "Lucifer II". The band's live lineup also features Martin Nordin (DEAD LORD) on guitar and bass player Alexander Mayr.


"Lucifer II" was recorded at the Honk Palace in Stockholm. It was mixed by Ola Ersfjord (DEAD LORD, TRIBULATION, PRIMORDIAL) at Cuervo Recording Service in Madrid.


Sadonis comments: "We are beyond thrilled to roll our heavy rock tank to the monster fortress of Century Media. What better place to kick off the new chapter! This should go together like Buck Dharma and his mustache. Here's to an unholy union!"


Jens Prüter, head of A&R at Century Media in Europe, adds: "We are very proud to support LUCIFER's next chapters. I met Johanna a couple of times and was always impressed about her strong vision for LUCIFER. The addition of Nicke Andersson makes it even more interesting, because he always contributed the highest level of rock 'n' roll to every band he has been involved in. Looking forward to see LUCIFER rising!"


Originally, LUCIFER formed in Berlin back in 2014 consisting of Sadonis and members of CATHEDRAL, ANGEL WITCH and LADYTRON. The first seven-inch single, "Anubis", and debut album, "Lucifer I", were released by British label Rise Above Records, quickly establishing the group as a promising new act offering excellent 1970s hard rock with a good dose of proto metal and doom added to the mix. Citing BLACK SABBATH, DEEP PURPLE, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, LUCIFER'S FRIEND, STEPPENWOLF, 70's HEART and FLEETWOOD MAC as inspiration, LUCIFER corrupted the souls of many and achieved international recognition on tours through Europe, USA, Canada and Japan.


With a shift of constellation within the band in 2016 and Sadonis moving from Berlin to Stockholm, LUCIFER is now ready for an exciting new chapter in its career. With Nicke Andersson, Sadonis found a congenial new songwriting partner, and "Lucifer II" turns out to be a strong sonic statement.


As a first glimpse at what is to come, the doomy single "Faux Pharaoh" was released in December 2017 and can be heard below.

Next up is the launch of the album's opening track and first video, "California Son". The song will be released as a seven-inch via U.S. label Electric Assault and digital single via Century Media Records on May 4.

LUCIFER is already booked for a number of international festivals and concerts, like Psycho Las Vegas, Hellfest, Desertfest and Germany's cult TV show "Rockpalast".

Despite a run of legendary hit singles in the 1970s, BLACK SABBATH and the seven-inch single format didn't always sit well together. After the release of their debut single, "Evil Woman", in 1970, followed by their ultimate explosive chart success with "Paranoid", the band was not comfortable with the confines of the mainstream pop format and the audience it brought to the group, leading to their now-legendary self-imposed ban on releasing singles in the early '70s.

"We didn't intend to make a single in the first place," said Tony Iommi to the Disc And Music Echo in 1971. "But after we'd completed the album, the 'Paranoid' track was sufficiently short to be a 'trailer' for the LP. We really didn't expect it to do anything at all. We don't go into the studio to make singles. We make LPs only. But if there is anything suitable as a result of the recordings, it would be considered, of course."

BLACK SABBATH's music was vast, expansive and heavy; not the kind of vision that can be easily shackled to the three-minute pop format. Record Mirror ran a story in November of 1970 stating that "SABBATH have decided to place a 'ban' on singles in the future. Their hit, 'Paranoid', as far as they are concerned is their first and last single. They will also oppose any attempt to draw singles material from future albums."

BLACK SABBATH's 'ban' on singles in their own country lasted for more than two years, and good to their word, no singles were issued from 1971's "Master Of Reality", but in 1972, as a harbinger from fourth LP, "Vol 4", "Tomorrow's Dream" was issued as a 45 and from then on a steady run of singles followed that showed that, despite SABBATH's initial dislike, many of their songs did lend themselves well to the format.

"Supersonic Years - The Seventies Singles Box Set", released June 8 through BMG, documents the band's run of hit singles as never before and features an array of unique content.

* This limited-edition box set includes five rare single edits: Iron Man / Sabbath Bloody Sabbath / Am I Going Insane (Radio) / Hard Road / Symptom Of The Universe.

* 10 unique color picture sleeves from around the world, either ultra-rare or exclusive to this box set.

* Remastered by renowned engineer Andy Pearce.

* New liner notes booklet detailing the rarities contained within the box set, along with the story behind the birth and evolution of the most culturally important genre of all time.

The box set features the following singles:

Disc 1: Evil Woman (Don't Play Your Games With Me) / Wicked World - 1970

Disc 2: Paranoid / The Wizard - 1970

Disc 3: Iron Man (Single Edit) / Electric Funeral - 1970

Disc 4: Tomorrow's Dream / Laguna Sunrise - 1972

Disc 5: Sabbath Bloody Sabbath (Edited Version) / Changes - 1973

Disc 6: Am I Going Insane (Radio) (Single Edit) / Hole In The Sky - 1975

Disc 7: Gypsy / She's Gone - 1976

Disc 8: It's Alright / Rock 'N' Roll Doctor - 1976

Disc 9: Never Say Die / She's Gone - 1978

Disc 10: Hard Road (Single Edit) / Symptom Of The Universe (German Single Edit) - 1978

Pre-order "Supersonic Years - The Seventies Singles Box Set" here.