Danish/Swedish squad Down Among The Dead Men will unleash their second full-length, Exterminate! Annihilate! Destroy!, on November 6th via Cyclone Empire Records. Check out the band’s cover of Anvil's "Forged In Fire”, featuring guest vocals from Kam Lee (ex-Death, Massacre):

The D-beat/crust-laden death metal outfit, featuring Dave Ingram (ex-Benediction, Bolt Thrower, Downlord) and axemaster Rogga Johansson (Paganizer, The Grotesquery, Ribspreader) have recorded 14 “heads down, no nonsense” tracks, amongst them two covers by Discharge and Anvil.

The cover artwork is again dragged from the filthy mind of Turkka Rantanen, whose past work has included Archgoat, Adramelech, The Grotesquery, Demilich, Demigod and more.

Tracklisting:

“Pyramids Of Mars”
“Warriors Of The Deep”
“The Oncoming Storm”
“The Ambassadors Of Death”
“Forged In Fire” (Anvil cover featuring vocals by Kam Lee)
“Arc Of Infinity”
“Death Seed”
“War Machines”
“Unearthly Child”
“Tooth And Claw”
“Armageddon Factor”
“Protest And Survive” (Discharge cover featuring vocals by Bob Thunder & Donovan Spenceley)
“Deadly Assassin”
“Exterminate! Annihilate! Destroy!”

“War Machines”:

Prepare to be Exterminated, Annihilated and thoroughly Destroyed.

Sweden’s Tribulation have launched a brand new video for the song “Melancholia”, taken from their latest album The Children Of The Night. You can watch it below:

Tribulation are currently on tour through North America, supporting Deafheaven. The band recently announced Grave Pleasures as co-headline act for the The Wailing Dead Tour 2016 across central Europe in January, which also features fellow Swedes and label-mates Vampire as support.

Grave Pleasures have checked in with the following comment about the tour: “There's a new dark wave coming, black-flagged by bands like us and Tribulation, who stretch their skeletal hands further out into the abyss of deathly rock. Each in our own directions, but sewn at the naval by shared influences, as children of the night-music. You're either with us or against us. Either way, we're out on the road through Europe in January 2016 to crash your dreams and drink your spirits. Fear the wailing of the dead."
 
Tribulation added: "We're proud and excited to announce that death rockers Grave Pleasures will join forces with us and the mighty Vampire on our European tour in January! Safe to say this will be the grandest achievement in our journey so far - the product of our struggle. Prepare for experiences wonderous and strange!"

Check out Tribulation’s live itinerary at this location.

 

Powerhouse American singer Tim "Ripper" Owens (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, BEYOND FEAR, JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH) was interviewed on a recent installment of HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta's official podcast, "The Jasta Show". You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On his departure from Yngwie Malmsteen's band:

"The funny this is, I quit Yngwie, and I never even announced it. I never announced that I quit, which was kind of funny. I get fired from so many bands, you'd think I'd finally be excited to tell someone I quit. But I just told [my manager] Wendy [Dio] to get hold of him and say I quit. And [the reason] I quit was he kept asking me to do shows, and I was already booked to do a solo show. So I thought he should get a singer that's young. He doesn't have to pay him anything… 'Cause they didn't advertise my name anyway, so I never understood it."

On whether he would ever work with Yngwie again:

"I would… I'd maybe do a record with him again, and maybe a quick tour, but I just couldn't fit it in. And the one cool thing about me doing it was it was totally different for me. It was really different… even the tunes. My records I did [with Yngwie] was a little bit more straightforward and I sang… It was decent, and it was cool. But it was different, and that's why I did it. First of all, it was Yngwie, and when I was young, he changed the face of guitar playing, and it was kind of cool…. I did it. I thought, 'I'm gonna have people see me sing that's never seen me,' and that was why I did."

On how he was treated by Yngwie:

"I'd seen things that I'd never seen before… hair dryers, some mascara… the normal stuff. But I'll tell you, he treated me really good, to be honest. Every time I got off stage, if I didn't have a good night, he'd be, like, 'Man, you fucking were great.' And he told jokes all the time. I'm not saying he treats everybody great. But I actually enjoyed my time being around him. Listen, he is bigger than life, man. His demeanor and his jokes were even just told like it's on stage, you know. And he loves to play the guitar. He sits with a guitar, playing blues, jazz… whatever it is. He is playing the guitar non-stop. And I learned from that. And he looks the part all the time as well, whereas me, I'm wearing a baseball hat and I just go out looking normal.

"There's a lot of things that I just really thought was cool, and one thing was that I don't always see is somebody who loves playing; he loves it, man. So when people try to get dirt from me about Yngwie: 'How was he? I heard he's an asshole.' I'm, like, 'Listen, man. He was great to me. I had a good time.' I just didn't have the time to do it. I thought he could get some young kid that could blow me away, pay the kid five hundred bucks a week on a tour and be happy with it and make the show better."

On being a hired gun as opposed to touring with his own band:

"I've gotta be honest. It was kind of comforting [to be singing in Yngwie's band]. I didn't have to do all the interviews at all the shows. Well, I didn't have to do any interviews, ever — not even one. But it was actually kind of nice, instead of being the guy that does all the interviews. And it started off where I sang about seven songs a night. Then, as I was in the band, he got excited and he started… I think I [was doing] about fourteen [songs] by the time [I finished touring with Yngwie]. Because it would be a song, and then you had the long solo section in the song, and then it would be the solo song next, and then it would be a solo section and then… But, you know, some of that stuff… Having to end the night with 'I'll See The Light…' 'Cause you'd go off stage for about fifteen minutes. It was tough, because you would keep shutting your voice off and then going back out."

Owens recorded two albums with Malmsteen: 2008's "Perpetual Flame" and 2010's "Relentless".

"Bohemian Rhapsody" was the song that changed everything, a song that resonates through time, a special moment in music history that has yet to be repeated. At The Q Awards yesterday, Queen were presented with the Classic Single Award, marking the 40th anniversary of song which was originally released on October 31st, 1975.

To mark the occasion for the first time ever, "Bohemian Rhapsody" will be released on 12 inch black vinyl with the original B-side “I’m In Love With My Car” on November 27th. Alongside this, Queen, A Night At The Odeon, Live At Hammersmith ’75, is set for release on CD (Hollywood Records), DVD & Blu-Ray (Eagle Rock Entertainment). This show was a culmination of the 26-date Queen Invite You To A Night At The Opera UK tour and the first tour that they had ever performed Bohemian Rhapsody on.

The CD, DVD & Blu-Ray package features the band’s full live show, complete with a never heard before ‘second encore’ of “Seven Seas Of Rhye” and “See What A Fool I've Been”. The DVD and SD Blu-Ray versions also contain two special bonus features – Looking Back At The Odeon, a brand new 22-minute documentary featuring a previously unseen interview with Brian May and Roger Taylor by Old Grey Whistle Test presenter Bob Harris about the 1975 Hammersmith Odeon show, plus the rarely seen Live At The Budokan – Japan 1975 footage, featuring three songs (“Now I'm Here”, “Killer Queen” and “In The Lap Of The Gods… Revisited”) recorded during their legendary tour of the Far East.


Spirits were high within the band for this show; "Bohemian Rhapsody" - universally hailed as one of the most ground-breaking ‘pop’ songs ever released – was in the middle of its record-breaking nine week run at Number One in the UK charts. Their fourth album, A Night At The Opera (the most expensive record ever made to that point) was climbing the album charts on its way to No 1, which it achieved three days after this concert.

With over 6.5 million copies sold worldwide, "Bohemian Rhapsody" is one of the world’s most well known and well loved songs. To this day, it continues to top ‘favorite song’ opinion polls and be discovered by new generations of music fans over and over again. Freddie wrote the whole song – including the composite harmonies – on telephone books and scraps of paper.

Brian May recalled recording "Bohemian Rhapsody”” “That was a great moment, but the biggest thrill for us was actually creating the music in the first place. I remember Freddie coming in with loads of bits of paper from his dad's work, like Post-it notes, and pounding on the piano. He played the piano like most people play the drums. And this song he had was full of gaps where he explained that something operatic would happen here and so on. He'd worked out the harmonies in his head."

Queen spent days overdubbing the vocals in the studio using a 24 track tape machine. By the time they were done, about 120 vocal tracks were layered together. The opera parts alone took longer than 70 hours to complete. At the time, it was the most expensive single ever made and upon presenting it to their record label, they were told by various executives that 5 minutes 55 seconds was too long and the song would never be a hit. But after the song was played by DJ and friend of Freddie, Kenny Everett, 14 times in two days before its official release, the song was only ever destined to be a hit. Hordes of fans attempted to buy the single only to be told by record stores that it had not yet been released. Over in the US, it was the same. American radio RKO managed to get a copy of the tape and started to play it in across their network, which forced the hand of Queen's US label to release the song in its entirety.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" was Queen's first ever number 1 single and the 1975 UK Christmas number one, holding the top position for nine weeks. It is the first song ever to get to number one in the UK twice with the same version, and is also the only single to have been Christmas number one twice with the same version. The second was upon its re-release (as a double A-side single with “These Are the Days of Our Lives”) in 1991 following Mercury's death, staying at number one for five weeks, eventually becoming the UK's third best-selling single of all time.

The single has sold in excess of 6.5 million copies worldwide and has been covered by everyone from Kayne West during his 2015 controversial Glastonbury headline slot, Axl Rose, Elton John and Pink to The Flaming Lips and Elaine Paige and forever immortalized again by Mike Myers and Dana Carvey in the smash hit 90’s film, Wayne’s World.

Queen - A Night At The Odeon, Live At Hammersmith ’75 released November 20th. 12-inch Black Vinyl Version released November 27th.

Tracklisting (CD/Vinyl/Digital):

“Now I'm Here”
“Ogre Battle”
“White Queen (As It Began)”
“Bohemian Rhapsody”
“Killer Queen”
“The March Of The Black Queen”
“Bohemian Rhapsody” (Reprise)
“Bring Back That Leroy Brown”
“Brighton Rock”
Guitar Solo
“Son And Daughter”
“Keep Yourself Alive”
“Liar”
“In The Lap Of The Gods... Revisited”
“Big Spender”
“Jailhouse Rock” Medley
“Seven Seas Of Rhye”
“See What A Fool I've Been”
“God Save The Queen”

DVD and SD Blu-ray formats do not include “Seven Seas Of Rhye” or “See What A Fool I've Been”.

In a new interview with Heavy Talk in Brazil, guitarist/founder Roland Grapow discussed the band's South American tour and future projects, which include re-recording songs from Grapow's Helloween days:

The Helloween re-recordings have been on the table for quite some time, as Grapow first revealed the idea to BraveWords scribe Carl Begai back in 2013:

Grapow: “I’ve been in the business for 25 years, and I was thinking I should do something like a Best Of Roland Grapow album. I’ve asked AFM Records about that because I think I’ve written some good songs with Masterplan and Helloween, and my solo stuff. There’s enough material for a double album. AFM didn’t like the idea, and then I was thinking that maybe Masterplan could re-record some Helloween songs as a bonus CD. Songs that I wrote like ‘The Chance’, ‘Mankind’, ‘Time Of The Oath’ and ‘Still We Go’. It’s not a lot of work since it would just be covering songs. Nothing to rearrange, lyrics are done, we could probably have it done in two weeks. The more I think about it, the more I like the idea because it’s a shame that my history with Helloween has been pushed aside. They don’t play any of the songs that I wrote, which is a shame.”

Check out the complete story here.

After releasing five studio albums since the band debuted with their self-titled debut in early 2003, melodic metallers Masterplan are set to unleash their first ever live release on October 9th. Check out the first taste with the official live clip of “Spirit Never Die” below.

Keep Your Dream aLive will be available as DVD/CD and Bluray/CD sets, both including the entire  show from Masters Of Rock festival, recordings from Wacken Open Air, footage from the band's latest Asian tour and ProgPower USA, as well as all (five) official Masterplan video clips. The Masters Of Rock show is featured on the CD.

CD tracklisting:

“Enlighten Me”
“Spirit Never Die”
“Lost And Gone”
“Crystal Night”
“Betrayal”
“Crimson Rider”
“Back For My Life”
“Time To Be King”
“Keep Your Dream Alive”
“Heroes”
“Soulburn”
“Kind Hearted Light”
“Crawling From Hell”
“Black Night Of Magic”

DVD (Masters Of Rock show) tracklisting:

“Intro”
“Enlighten Me”
“Spirit Never Die”
“Lost And Gone”
“Crystal Night”
“Betrayal”
“Crimson Rider”
“Back For My Life”
“Time To Be King”
“Keep Your Dream Alive”
“Heroes”
“Soulburn”
“Kind Hearted Light"
“Crawling From Hell”

Masterplan will tour Latin America in October.

New Brunswick, New Jersey-based technical death metal quartet, Dystrophy, has signed a deal with Selfmadegod Records to release their second full-length this November, the album bearing the title Wretched Host.
 
Formed in 2007, Dystrophy was spawned from a DIY ethic that has stuck with the band to this day. Progressing from the rapid technical approach of their first album, 2010's Chains Of Hypocrisy, Dystrophy has since refined their style, and on Wretched Host the band weaves an intensely personal tale of mental health into a savage and dissonant style of technical death metal. The album was tracked and mixed at One Stone Recording Studio, and mastered at West West Side Music. Initially self-released in June with a small amount of copies made available directly from the band, a few months later Wretched Host caught attention of Polish label Selfmadegod, which lead to signing official deal and proper worldwide release.

Wretched Host will see release on CD/digital formats in Europe on November 16th and in the US on December 1st. Preorders are available now via Selfmadegod.

Tracklisting:

“Apex”
“Singularity”
“Within The Mind”
“Exoparasite”
“Wretched Host”
“Demise”
“Anhedonia”
“Nadir”

“Singularity”:

Stand by for additional audio samples from Wretched Host, tour dates for Dystrophy and more in the days ahead.

The Swiss metal hopefuls Broken Fate will release the band's debut album next month.
 
Vocalist and guitarist Tobias about The Bridge Between:
 
"We wanted to create a nice mix between our modern and our old-school influences on the album, and I think we did well. Everyone who's into old-school thrash, modern metal, hard rock or rock will love our album!"
 
The album was produced, mixed and mastered by Christian Schmid and R.D. Liapakis at Music Factory/Prophecy Studios.
 
Tobias also talked about the album artwork, created by Anestis Goudas:
 
"The artwork pretty much symbolizes us: The man under the bridge, who has to fight his way to the top, and who has to conquer a lot of things before reaching the Rock Olymp. Broken Fate currently stands on the bridge between, and our journey is the reward!"

Tracklisting:

“The Beginning (Intro)”
“Your Night”
“Mind Control”
“The Bridge Between”
“No Chance”
“Thorns Of A Rose”
“Rising To The Dream”
“Freedom”
“Fall Of Serenity”
“The Moment With You”
“Take You Away”
“Forever In Me”
“Broken”
“Steel Grove”
“Layla”
 
The Bridge Between will be released on November 6 via Massacre Records.

 

Available on vinyl for the first time since its original 1988 release and appearing in its entirety for the first time ever, in any format, the legendary debut album from East Bay thrash metal legends Vio-Lence has been remastered with five bonus tracks added by Wax Maniax. Includes the previously unreleased album version of “Torture Tactics” - intended to be the eighth track on the album but omitted from the original release by MCA because of the extreme lyrical theme. Additionally, the band’s legendary four track Mechanic Demo is presented in its entirety and for the first time ever on vinyl. Eternal Nightmare is set for release on November 13.

Deluxe package includes a full color gatefold jacket featuring several rare and previously unpublished photos of the band from the Eternal Nightmare era, lyric insert, plus extensive liner notes from guitarist Phil Demmel.

Eternal Nightmare is held in reverance by thrash metal fans young and old and stands among legendary debuts from fellow first-wave Bay Area thrashers like Exodus, Forbidden, Testament, and Death Angel.

Chicago-based atmospheric progressive metal trio Austaras are set to release their debut full-length LP, Prisoner of Sunlight.

Following a four-year break since 2011's Under the Abysmal Light EP, Prisoner of Sunlight showcases a staggering musical evolution. The post-black metal stylings of the aforementioned EP are almost all stripped away in favour of grandiose musical passages that combine the band's atmospheric black metal roots with elements of jazz fusion, post-rock ambience, and classic synth-laden progressive rock. Brutal directness and groovy syncopation coexist alongside melodic guitar harmonies, massive choruses, and sweeping analog synth tone. Drummer Adam Hansen's soaring clean vocals, alongside those of guitarist/multi-instrumentalist John Becker, propel the album's compositions into epic territories. The massive record is loosely based around an original mythical concept, following the journey of an outcast soul to the inhospitable ends of the earth. It's an emotionally heavy opus that transcends genres and takes the listener on an enthralling sonic journey.

Prisoner of Sunlight was composed between 2012-2015 and was recorded, engineered and mixed by Vincent M. Ippolito at Swift Road Studios. The record was mastered by Collin Jordan at the Boiler Room and the artwork and layout were crafted by Niels Geybels.

Austaras (ow-STAR-ess) is a Chicago-based atmospheric progressive band, formed by guitarists John Becker and Shane Hill. They first performed live in 2010, and have shared the stage with a wide variety of local and international acts. After working the Chicago underground scene to support their 2011 debut EP Under the Abysmal Light, Austaras took time off to compose their next release. Despite numerous obstacles and major lineup changes, the band emerged with a stronger, more potent artistic vision than before. Prisoner of Sunlight serves as the band's definitive musical statement.

Prisoner of Sunlight will be available as a high-quality digital download or limited edition CD on November 6th on the Austaras webstore. The album's official trailer can be found below.

Prisoner of Sunlight tracklisting:

“Deserter”
“Thrones”
“Refractions”
“Threshold”
“Ossify”
“Fractures”
“Reflections”
“Seaworthy”

Trailer:

Austaras is:

John Becker: Electric & acoustic guitars, violin, viola, analog synthesizers, vocals
Adam Hansen: Drums, percussion, vocals
Shane Hill: Electric, acoustic,  and classical guitars

With:
Jeremy Eberhard: Synthesizers, Yamaha CP-80d piano
Richard Stancato: Electric bass, electric fretless bass

(Photo - John Becker)

Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, will release JACO: Original Soundtrack on Friday, November 27th. Pre-order links below.

A single-disc collection of music from the forthcoming documentary film, JACO, the JACO: Original Soundtrack premieres three brand-new recordings including two riveting interpretations of Jaco classics: "Come On Come Over" by Mass Mental (featuring Robert Trujillo, Armand Sabal-Lecco, Flea, Whit Crane, Benji Webbe, Stephen Perkins & C-Minus) and "Continuum" by Rodrigo y Gabriel; and "Shine," the new track by Tech N9ne containing a sample of "Kuru," as recorded by Jaco Pastorius.
 
Produced by Robert Trujillo and Jaco's eldest son John Pastorius IV, JACO: Original Soundtrack brings together 16 essential recordings including Jaco Pastorius solo tracks, Weather Report masterpieces and musical collaborations with Joni Mitchell, Ian Hunter, Herbie Hancock and more. The album offers music fans the rare evocative sonic soundscape, "Longing," featuring Jaco's daughter Mary Pastorius (vox), Chuck Doom (bass), Robert Thomas, Jr. (hand drums/drum kit) and God (rain/thunder).
 
A full-length documentary film chronicling the life, music and ongoing influence of the mythic electric bass pioneer Jaco Pastorius, JACO is produced by Robert Trujillo (bassist: Metallica, Infectious Grooves, Mass Mental) John Pastorius IV, Bob Bobbing, and John Battsek of Passion Pictures (Searching for Sugar Man, Project Nim) and marks the directorial debut of documentary filmmaker Paul Marchand and Stephen Kijak (Scott Walker: 30 Century Man, Cinemania). JACO incorporates interviews with musical visionaries including Sting, Joni Mitchell, Flea, Jerry Jemmott, Bootsy Collins, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Carlos Santana and others with never-before-seen photos and films from the Pastorius family archive. This extraordinary film reveals the story behind Jaco's life and music, both as a solo artist and member of Weather Report, the tragic arc of his demise and early death and the enduring influence and inspiration of his artistry and genius.
 
Legacy's JACO: Original Soundtrack includes liner notes on Jaco Pastorius penned by Robert Trujillo and album co-producer Chuck Doom.
 
Also slated for consumer home release on November 27th, JACO, the documentary, will be available via VOD, streaming services, digital download and on DVD and Blu-ray.
 
JACO had its world premiere earlier this year at Austin's SxSW Film Conference & Festival, accompanied by a panel discussion featuring filmmakers Trujillo and Marchand as well as longtime Pastorius collaborator Peter Erskine (Weather Report, Word of Mouth) and Executive Producer John Pastorius.
 

JACO: Original Soundtrack tracklisting:

“Come On, Come Over” - Jaco Pastorius
“Continuum” - Jaco Pastorius
“River People” - Weather Report
“Teen Town” - Weather Report
“Portrait Of Tracy” - Jaco Pastorius
“The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines” (Live Version) - Joni Mitchell
“All American Alien Boy” - Ian Hunter
“Liberty City” (with Herbie Hancock) - Jaco Pastorius
“Okonkole Y Trompa” - Jaco Pastorius
“Barbary Coast” - Weather Report
“Crisis” - Jaco Pastorius
“Longing” - Mary Pastorius
“Nineteen Eighty Seven” - †††
“Shine” - Tech N9ne
“Continuum” - Rodrigo y Gabriela
“Come On Come Over” - Mass Mental (featuring Robert Trujillo, Armand Sabal-Lecco, Flea, Whit Crane, Benji Webbe, Stephen Perkins & C-Minus)
 



 

According to MusicWeek.com, Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) has concluded a deal with TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider to acquire his Snidest Music music publishing catalog of 69 songs, including the classic TWISTED SISTER rock anthems "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock".

The songs in the catalog have been featured in numerous national commercials, films, television and the Broadway musical "Rock Of Ages", which currently has residency at the Venetian in Las Vegas.

UMPG previously administered the copyrights in the U.S. and Canada.

"We're Not Gonna Take It" and "Stay Hungry" were the biggest hit single and album, respectively, in TWISTED SISTER's career. Snider said "We're Not Gonna Take It" is now part of America's cultural fabric.

"It's become like a folk song. It's a traditional song now. It has a simple message that's applicable to everything from sports teams to politics. I even once heard about the song being used by people protesting the development of commercial property," he said.

The song's lyrics say in part "Oh you're so condescending/Your gall is never ending/We don't want nothin'/Not a thing from you."

"We're Not Gonna Take It" has been used in commercials for hotel chain Extended Stay America, Claritin, Walmart, Stanley Steamer and Yaz birth control.

Pictured from left to right: Jody Gerson, UMPG Chairman and CEO; Dee Snider; Phil Carson, manager for Dee Snider; and Linda Newmark, UMPG Executive Vice President, head of acquisitions & strategic projects.

MÖTLEY CRÜE lead singer Vince Neil was recently interviewed on the i95 Rock radio station in Connecticut. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On whether there is anything still left on his bucket list:

"Man, that's a tough one, 'cause I feel like I've done everything I've ever wanted to do. And the last thing I just wanted to do — as a band, too — was I always wanted to play Rock In Rio in Rio [De Janeiro, Brazil], and we just played it last [month], so that was pretty amazing. [I can] cross that one off. You know, if you look back on our career of 34 years, we've done some pretty cool stuff. I can't think of anything else that I haven't done that I still wanna do."

On how the way he prepares for a tour has changed over the years of being on the road:

"Ahh… Not really getting ready to go out on the road, but maybe just being on the road. Obviously, it's changed a lot from when we were in our early 20s. It was the early '80s and it was your first time out on the road and your first experiences in different cities and countries. Now, 35 years later, we've pretty much been everywhere and kind of done that. People say, 'Did you go out and look at the city?' And I go, 'No. We've seen it. We're just here to play a rock show and that's it.'"

MÖTLEY CRÜE's "The Final Tour" kicked off last year and will end New Year's Eve at the Staples Center in Los Angeles after one last round of North American gigs.

While announcing the first details of "The Final Tour" at a Los Angeles press conference in January 2014, the four members of MÖTLEY CRÜE revealed that they took the unusual step of having their lawyer draw up a formal "cessation of touring" agreement that goes into effect at the end of 2015 and prohibits the members of the group from going on the road again under the MÖTLEY CRÜE banner. The 2014 leg of "The Final Tour" was one of last year's top-grossing tours, selling close to a million tickets across 72 cities and grossing more than $45 million.

In a brand new interview with Songfacts, UGLY KID JOE frontman Whitfield Crane recalled the time when he served as the fill-in singer for BLACK SABBATH rehearsals during the late '90s. He said: "I jammed with BLACK SABBATH December 3rd, 4th, and 5th 1997 in Birmingham, England when they were recording those particular dates for a live SABBATH record. They had Thom Panunzio back there with an 18-wheeler truck, with a full-on studio backstage at the NEC. So it was the first of a series of reunion shows that included the original SABBATH lineup — that includes [drummer] Bill Ward."

He continued: "So when I got there, I was like, 'Holy shit. This is so awesome — we're going to see BLACK SABBATH... the real SABBATH.' And they needed to run daily through soundchecks to get their stuff tight, whether it be the studio backstage or just the players themselves. Their sound is kind of like a jazz band if you think about it, and they needed a vocal cue."

Crane added: 'From what I can gauge, Ozzy [Osbourne, BLACK SABBATH singer] was like, 'I don't want to sing a whole set and then sing another set.' And fair enough — I wouldn't want to, either. But of course, I would. [Laughs] And I got a note on my door at the hotel in Birmingham, that said, 'We need your help,' and that included me going to jam with BLACK SABBATH for three days — the full set, on the full PA, on Ozzy's mic, with the band loud as fuck, in Birmingham at the NEC. That did happen, and what a good trip."

UGLY KID JOE's new full-length album, "Uglier Than They Used Ta Be", was released in North America on October 16 via Metalville/UKJ Records. The CD was recorded at JT Studios and Balance Studios in Louisiana with producer (and UGLY KID JOE guitarist) Dave Fortman (SLIPKNOT, GODSMACK, EVANESCENCE).

GODSMACK singer Sully Erna, who has been pursuing an acting career over the past few years, recently that he's going to start shooting his next movie early next year. A Thunderclap crowdfunding page for the film, titled "Black Files", has been launched, featuring a teaser and synopsis, which reads as follows: "The family of the U.S. Ambassador in an East-European country is slaughtered. The world's media attention is now pointed at Sofia, Bulgaria. Top CIA agent is assigned to find out who is responsible for the assault. He recruits a local rookie cop and they dig deeper into world of corruption, terrorism and international crime. The deeper they go, the more they realize that the truth is hidden behind 'non-existing' powerful organization, named Black Files."

Erna recently told The Pulse Of Radio about the movie: "There's a company that approached me. They're really, really great filmmakers, and they're gonna be doing this really cool film and shooting it in Bulgaria. And it's a movie about terrorism and international organized crime and stuff like that. It's based on, you know, Russian KGB and, you know, all that whole kind of vibe. Really really cool — kind of like a darker 'Mission: Impossible'-style movie."

Erna and Marilyn Manson earlier in the year both landed roles in a new movie called "Street Level", with Erna also contributing music to the soundtrack. The film is expected out on Christmas Day and the writer, producer and director is David Labrava, best known for playing Happy on "Sons Of Anarchy".

This appears to be the same project that Erna mentioned in an interview last year, when he said he was shooting a pilot for a new TV series along with Labrava and other "Sons Of Anarchy" cast members. It now seems that the project has been turned into a film, with a trailer also surfacing online.

Erna's other roles include a small part in the Martin Scorsese-produced "Bleed For This" and a lead role in the recent low-budget horror movie "Army Of The Damned".

GODSMACK last week released a new song called "Inside Yourself" as a free download at the band's official web site.

NINE INCH NAILS guitarist Robin Finck and musician Wordclock (Pedro Pimentel) are set to release their evocative soundtrack to upcoming survival horror game "Noct" digitally worldwide on October 22 via Laced Records to coincide with the release of the game. The 10-track album marks the first time the NINE INCH NAILS guitarist has worked on a game soundtrack and the first time the publisher Devolver have teamed up with such a massive artist.

The game itself sees Earth as a ruined wasteland engulfed in perpetual darkness. Older than any recorded texts, an ancient evil has descended upon the world without warning, consuming the population and leaving only despair behind in its wake. The unfortunate survivors of this purge now struggle to overcome the horrific terrors of the Nocturnal.

Comments Finck: "I was invited into the world of 'Noct' to complement the established work of Wordclock, and to collaborate, bringing a spirited sense of melody and hope to an utterly devastated terrain, one enshrouded in despair and haunted by… creepy fucking monsters. It has been a hair-raising experience, cooperating to design the immersion of this audio trek. The team are each scrupulous creatures and together we enjoy turning over many stones."

The soundscape to "Noct" resides somewhere between the player and the Survivor, a line that is decisively blurred. For Robin, the idea of satellites and surveillance was a cornerstone to creating the soundtrack. He says: "We followed intuition. Felt the terrain beckoned a spacious, distant longing for the Survivor to trek through, with fleeting moments of hope, like indirect memories. We sometimes found ourselves outside the scope of the game, cascading toward some epic or song structure, and had to real it back in to this forlorn quest. Mostly just followed the muse, step by unsteady step."

Though the soundtrack to a survival horror game, the music at times is more hopeful than haunting, creating the sense of the horror of being "approached." Within the game, things can turn unexpectedly creating an unnerving tension and the illusion that all is well.

With Robin based in California and Wordclock in Portugal, the duo worked together via Skype and Dropbox, exchanging ideas and concepts.

While there were going to be no words or vocals on the soundtrack, or a live show to consider, the pair knew there was always going to be a sense of randomness to the music to support the constantly changing states within the game. Robin also found that the way himself and Wordclock worked together at times mimicked the players within the game itself. "We shored our clocks together for weekly or daily hook-ups," he says. "For me, it kinda supported the idea of a lone survivor, seeking assistance of an anonymous entrant, maybe a little unsure, plenty to wonder about… like the game. It was pretty cool. But then I'm a little nuts."

"Noct" the game is set for release on PC, Mac, and Linux on October 22 through independent developer C3SK and noted survivalist game label Devolver Digital.

Finck has worked with NINE INCH NAILS since 1994.

The new CHASTAIN album "We Bleed Metal" will be released worldwide on November 6. It is the follow-up to the band's 2013 reunion CD "Surrender To No One". That release marked the return of original vocalist Leather Leone. She has long been considered one of the originators of the female power metal vocal style. Leather was the vocalist on the classic CHASTAIN albums: "Mystery Of Illusion", "Ruler Of The Wasteland", "The 7th Of Never", "The Voice Of The Cult" and "For Those Who Dare". Also returning to the band is original bassist Mike Skimmerhorn. The drums are now being handled by Stian Kristoffersen (PAGAN'S MIND, FIREWIND).

"We Bleed Metal" track listing:

01. We Bleed Metal02. All Hail The King03. Against All The Gods04. Search Time For You05. Don't Trust Tomorrow06. I Am A Warrior07. Evolution Of Terror08. The Last Ones Alive09. Secrets

The song "All Hail The King" can be streamed using the SoundCloud eidget below.

Guitarist David T. Chastain states: "This new album is a continuation of the sound we created on 'Surrender To No One'.

"We still have a foot in the past but we are also embracing the future.

"I have my style of writing metal and it isn't ever going to change to any major degree.

"I tried to write on some subjects that are important to me: The financial systems inevitable downfall, religious insanity, mankind's self-destructive nature, our own self-preservation and few other esoteric topics.

"Leather proves on the new CD she hasn't lost anything from her glory days.

"Stian's kicks the band to the next level, as he is the youngest member with the most modern influences.

"I think this is my most 'shredtastic' CHASTAIN guitar work since 'The 7th Of Never' era.

"I think all in all this is one of the best CHASTAIN releases in the catalog. Of course, it is hard for me to be objective about a CD until about ten years after it comes out."

Leather adds: "After our absence through the years, the response has been fantastic! I find much of it to be classic CHASTAIN. There are undeniably some modern concepts involved!! But I guarantee it will not disappoint. It is 100% a CHASTAIN CD!"

She continues: "The title track, 'We Bleed Metal', should be a battle cry for all who live and love metal! The song is about the camaraderie between metal lovers and overcoming the struggle, barriers and stigmas society places on the music. 'We will sacrifice and we will pay the price 'cause we bleed metal!'"

The Leather-fronted version of CHASTAIN recorded five CDs in the mid-to-late 1980s: 1985's "Mystery Of Illusion", 1986's "Ruler Of The Wasteland", 1987's "The 7th Of Never", 1988's "The Voice Of The Cult" and 1990's "For Those Who Dare". After the "For Those Who Dare" tour, David and Leather amicably went their separate ways but kept in touch over the years before reuniting in 2013.

Leather in 2012 released the debut album from her SLEDGE LEATHER project, "Imagine Me Alive". The CD was inspired in 2010 when Leather called Sandy Sledge to collaborate on the Ronnie James Dio track "Egypt" for a demo tribute recording. Due to the overwhelming response for more material, SLEDGE LEATHER was born and performed at Germany's Keep It True festival in April 2011.

Frontiers Music Srl will release the sophomore album from MAGNUS KARLSSON'S FREEFALL, "Kingdom Of Rock", on November 6.

Magnus Karlsson is the mastermind behind several Frontiers Music Srl productions, including the successful initial ALLEN/LANDE trilogy, STARBREAKER, BOB CATLEY, KISKE/SOMERVILLE and several others. In 2008, he joined the German heavy metal icons PRIMAL FEAR and with them has toured the world and recorded three successful albums that climbed high on the charts in several countries.

For this new album — aptly titled "Kingdom Of Rock" — Magnus enlisted again a dream team featuring some of the strongest melodic singers in metal and hard rock! Magnus says: "I didn't plan to make a second FREEFALL album at first but one album wasn't enough for my wish list of singers… so after the summer last year, I started on some ideas. Without pressure or a deadline… just for fun. So I started to look at the list with singers and thought if can I get these guys on board, I will work harder than ever before to make the best album I could. I wanted not only some of the best singers I ever heard, but singers that meant a lot to me and that have given me inspiration. For example: Tony Martin and Joe Lynn Turner… I grew up with their music and that made me the musician I am today. It feels unreal to make music with them now!"

The final list includes Tony Harnell (SKID ROW, TNT, STARBREAKER), Rick Altzi (MASTERPLAN, AT VANCE), David Readman (PINK CREAM 69, VOODOO CIRCLE), Jorn Lande, Jakob Samuel (THE POODLES), Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, DEEP PURPLE), Tony Martin (BLACK SABBATH), Harry Hess (HAREM SCAREM) and Rebecca De La Motte. Rounding out the lineup on the album is Jaime Salazar on drums, with production duties handled by Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, PRIMAL FEAR, AMARANTHE, PRETTY MAIDS).

Magnus says: "There is a lot more work in this album. Normally, I don't throw away good ideas. This time I skipped great ideas and replaced it with something better.

"I don't want to do the same thing over and over. I want to do something better. I also had a bigger budget for the production and was able to work in great studios.

"Jacob Hansen did a fantastic job with the mix and mastering and the sound is just what I always wanted.

"This is not about having big names on the album, this is simply about making the best music I possibly can for the best singers I know!"

"Kingdom Of Rock" track listing:

01. Kingdom Of Rock (Jorn Lande, vocals)02. Out Of The Dark (Jakob Samuel, vocals)03. No Control (Joe Lynn Turner, vocals)04. When The Sky Falls (Tony Martin, vocals)05. Angel Of The Night (David Readman, vocals)06. I Am Coming For You (Magnus Karlsson, vocals)07. Another Life (Rick Altzi, vocals)08. Never Look Away (Tony Harnell, vocals)09. A Heart So Cold (Harry Hess, vocals)10. The Right Moment (Rebecca De La Motte, vocals)11. Walk This Road Alone (Magnus Karlsson, vocals)

The song "I Am Coming For You" can be streamed below.

California-based extreme metal titans SUICIDE SILENCE will release a digital-only EP titled "Sacred Words" on October 23 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The EP features the title track "Sacred Words" as well as various previously unreleased songs, including three live tracks taken from the band's RockPart festival performance on August 9, 2015 in Hungary,

"We are dropping a digital EP with some sick live tracks and much more," commented guitarist Mark Heylum. "Get your fill of SUICIDE SILENCE with this release of 'Sacred Words' dropping October 23! I said goddamn!" "Sacred Words" digital EP track listing:

01. Sacred Words 02. Inherit The Crown (live) 03. Cease To Exist (live) 04. Sacred Words (live) 05. Sacred Words (We Are Strong Remix) 06. Sacred Words (instrumental)

"Sacred Words (We Are Strong Remix)" can now be streamed below.

"You Can't Stop Me", SUICIDE SILENCE's first album to feature vocalist Hernan "Eddie" Hermida and their first since the tragic loss of singer Mitch Lucker, was released in July 2014 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment.

"You Can't Stop Me" was produced and mixed by Steve Evetts (SEPULTURA, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN), who worked with the band not only on "The Black Crown", but also on some instrumental demos for the new CD just prior to Lucker's death in the fall of 2012.

Mitch Lucker died November 1, 2012 after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle crash in Huntington Beach that Halloween night.

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

Official fly-on-the-wall footage shot of METALLICA's September 19 performance at the Rock In Rio festival in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil can be seen below. The 10-minute clip, which was shot by a MetOnTour reporter, includes pre-show tuning-room footage, and "King Nothing" from the show.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Fuel02. For Whom The Bell Tolls03. Battery04. King Nothing05. Ride The Lightning06. The Unforgiven07. Cyanide08. Wherever I May Roam09. Sad But True10. Turn The Page11. The Frayed Ends Of Sanity12. One13. Master of Puppets14. Fade To Black15. Seek And Destroy

Encore:

16. Whiskey In The Jar17. Nothing Else Matters18. Enter Sandman

METALLICA has reportedly been working on its tenth studio album, which will follow up 2008's "Death Magnetic".

Drummer Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone magazine that the band doesn't want to record in a way that feels "labored over and overthought."

METALLICA has spent a lot of time outside the studio in the last year, with activities that included a string of European all-request shows last summer, a week-long residency on "The Late Show With Craig Ferguson", and a Rock In Rio USA stint.

METALLICA has not revealed when it plans to begin recording or tentatively release the new album.

Multi-camera video footage of JUDAS PRIEST performing the song "Desert Plains" on October 17 in Las Vegas, Nevada can be seen below.

JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford recently told the Q104 radio station in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada about the band's plans to record the follow-up album to last year's "Redeemer Of Souls": "Well, you know, in rock and roll, you've gotta kind of strike while the iron is hot, and that iron has been burning hot for decades for PRIEST now. It doesn't show any sign of cooling off, I can tell you that. The cool thing about where we're at right now is, of course, having Richie [Faulkner, new PRIEST guitarist] with us and having gone through that first writing experience together [on 'Redeemer Of Souls']. We were so motivated to keep writing as we were going along, but our label had a time schedule for us to keep, so we had to put the brakes on and start recording the songs that we'd written. And with that in mind, we're raring to go again, and I'm sure there'll be another PRIEST record in the not-too-distant metal future."

"Who knew that this band would be still making metal over forty glorious years later. And in no short measure have we stayed this course without the most incredible fans that we have — all of our PRIEST fans. We know you guys have been following PRIEST, and some of you have made long journeys to come and see us in different places, so we owe you guys a debt of gratitude for looking after us for so long and keeping the PRIEST alive. And that's what we're doing now."

Asked whether he feels that "the clock is ticking" on JUDAS PRIEST's recording and touring career, Rob said: "Yeah, the clock is ticking, [but] we’re trying to hold it back. [Laughs] But it's great, man. I've gotta tell you, this band is having the time of its life, and we're very excited to be back out on the road after a short break from our last show, in Wacken in Germany at the big heavy metal festival there in front of eighty thousand heavy metal maniacs. So we're still bringing the fire and the metal with us wherever we go."

"Redeemer Of Souls" was released in July 2014. The follow-up to 2008's double-disc concept album "Nostradamus" was billed as a return to JUDAS PRIEST's heavy-metal roots.

"Redeemer Of Souls" sold around 32,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Candlelight Records has set a November 13 as release date for "Razed To The Ground", the new album from New York's VISION OF DISORDER. Produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (HATEBREED, DEMON HUNTER, ROB ZOMBIE), it is the band's second recording for Candlelight. In conjunction with the release, the band has confirmed a special November 14 Long Island performance at Revolution Music Hall in Amityville, New York. Tickets for the show will go on sale Friday, September 18.

The "Razed To The Ground" title track can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below. Recorded during July and August, "Razed To The Ground" contains ten hearty and provocative new songs from the hardcore luminaries. Vocalist Tim Williams notes: "We are very excited for our fans to hear this record. We believe it offers everything VOD does well. I am especially excited about the growth of the songs; the brutality, the melody, and the overall sound of the record." Bassist Mike Fleischmann adds: "As a band, VISION OF DISORDER strives to evolve musically with each album. Having Zeuss as producer really allowed us to achieve that goal. 'Razed To The Ground' contains some of this band's finest moments and we are extremely grateful to Candlelight that we have been given the opportunity to demonstrate that we are still at the top of our game." The album's first single, "Hours In Chaos", is set to premiere in early October. Questioned about the track, Williams stated, "Upon hearing the first riffs of the song, I knew it was gonna be a monster and needed strong vocals and lyrics to bring it where it needed to be. It is a song to awaken people to what is going on around them; the unrest, the guns, the utter disregard for human life. The world has become a dangerous place. I feel I have illustrated the feelings of anxiety and insecurity that is so prevalent today." Guitarist Mike Kennedy asserts: "This song embodies everything that is VOD. Politically relevant and musically explosive, 'Hours In Chaos' is one of the most raw and powerful tracks VOD has ever written. Lyrically, it is a stark reflection of the state of the world today. The frenetic pace of the song mirrors the chaos we see on the streets. The vilification of the police by media and citizens alike is simply the status quo today. 'Hours' shines a harsh spotlight on these events and the tragedies surrounding them." "Razed To The Ground" comes three years after the release of "The Cursed Remain Cursed", the first newly recorded material by the band in over ten years.

"Razed To The Ground" track listing:

01. Heart Of Darkness02. Hours In Chaos03. Electric Sky04. Razed To The Ground05. The Craving06. Cut My Teeth07. Red On The Walls08. Nightcrawler09. Severed Wing10. Amurdica: A Culture Of Violence VISION OF DISORDER is guitarist Mike Kennedy, drummer Brendon Cohen, vocalist Tim Williams and bassist Mike Fleischmann.

Europe's diabolical death metal force, Belphegor, is working on new material: check out this exclusive clip of the band playing “Totenkult - Exegesis Of Deterioration”, recorded live right in their "rehearsal bunker", tracked and edited by Jakob Klingsbigl, filmed by blood brother Barth Resch:

“Totenkult - Exegesis Of Deterioration” will be included on the upcoming album, scheduled for a late 2016 release. The track will be performed live for the first time during the upcoming North American tour. The raid kicks off at Knotfest Open Air in San Bernardino, California on Saturday, October 24th with an early play time at 4:05 - 4:50 PM, Extreme Stage 004.

Confirmed North American dates with Kataklysm are as follows:

October
24 - San Bernardino, CA KnotFest 2015
25 - Las Vegas, NV - LVCS
26 - Oakland, CA - Metro Opera House
27 - Portland, OR - Panic Room
28 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
30 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock
31 - Chicago, IL - Reggies

November
1 - Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room
2 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theater
3 - Amarillo, TX - Yellow City Bomb Shelter
4 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey
6 - Orlando, FL - The Haven
7 - Charlotte, NC - The Casbah @ Tremont
8 - Baltimore, MD - Soundstage
9 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theater
10 - Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall
11 - Columbus, OH - Al Rosa Villa
12 - Toronto, ON - Mod Club
13 - Montreal, QC - Corona Theatre
14 - Quebec City, QC - Complexe Meduse *
15 - Sherbrooke, QC - Theatre Granada *
16 - Ottawa, ON - Maverick's *

* - no Belphegor

Belphegor recently announced their European Conjuring The Dead Raid in support of their current release, Conjuring The Dead.

The Belphegor horde, led by band founder Helmuth Lehner, will launch their crushing assault on European clubs alongside US death metallers Vital Remains and Polish death/black metal group Hate, as well as Liverpool-based symphonic black metallers, Ethereal. The run of dates includes 17 shows in nine countries, kicking off in Aalen on December 2nd.

Tour dates:

December
2 - Aalen, Germany - Rock It
3 - Leiden, Netherlands - Gebr. De Nobel
4 - Lyss, Switzerland - Kulturfabrik
5 - Luynes, France - Le Korigan
6 - France - TBA
8 - Southampton, England - 1865 Club
9 - Wolverhampton, England - Slade Rooms
10 - London, England - The Dome
11 - Leeuwarden, Netherlands - Neushoorn
12 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpehuset
13 - Flensburg, Germany - Roxy
15 - Berlin, Germany - K17
16 - Uherske Hradiste, Czech Republic - Klub Mir
17 - Vienna, Austria - Viper Room
18 - Cham, Germany - L.A.
19 - Oberhausen, Germany - Helvete
20 - Arlon, Belglium -  L‘Entrepot

Belphegor have uploaded the video for “Black Winged Torment”, a track off their latest album, Conjuring The Dead (Nuclear Blast). It was filmed and edited in Aveiro, Portugal by director Guilherme Henriques.

Devil You Know have debuted the uncensored, NSFW version of their new single “The Way We Die”, which is streaming here. The track is featured on They Bleed Red, their upcoming album available everywhere on November 6th (Nuclear Blast Records). This version of the video showcases the Burning Angel stars bearing it all and having a lot of fun with each other.

Howard Jones (vocals), Francesco Artusato (guitars), John Sankey (drums), and Ryan Wombacher (bass/backing vocals) deliver a dense monstrosity of technical prowess and angst-ridden passion. A deep interpersonal understanding and an evolving camaraderie set the stage for the unique confidence behind They Bleed Red, the band’s ferocious follow-up which extinguishes any so-called “sophomore slump” without mercy. It’s the sound of primal bloodlust.

Produced by Josh Wilbur, They Bleed Red is a breakneck paced trip through Devil You Know’s broken psyche, struggles with anxiety, and ultimate triumph against adversity, all laid upon a foundation of high-level artistic achievement and vitriolic full throttle heavy metal fury.

Tracklisting:

“Consume The Damned”
“The Way We Die”
“Your Last Breath”
“Stay of Execution”
“Break The Ties”
“Shattered Silence”
“Let The Pain Take Hold”
“Master of None”
“Searching For The Sun”
“How The End Shall Be”
“Broken By The Cold”

Bonus tracks:
“Eye of The Tiger” (Cover Track)
“I Am Alive”
“We Live”

They Bleed Red making-of video:

"The Way We Die” video:

“Stay Of Execution”:

 

"Braveheart", the new video from CIVIL WAR — the Swedish metal band featuring former SABATON members Rikard Sundén (guitar), Daniel Mullback (drums) and Daniel Mÿhr (keyboards) alongside singer Patrik Johansson (ASTRAL DOORS, LION'S SHARE), and guitarist Petrus Granar — can be seen below. The song is taken from CIVIL WAR's sophomore album, "Gods And Generals", which was released in May via Napalm Records.

Asked about the "Gods And Generals" album title, Patrik Johansson told Sound The Charge! web site: "Well, when we were about to come up with our debut, we came over this trilogy about the American civil war and the titles were so fucking good. We just said: this is us. However I cannot guarantee you that our next album will be called 'The Last Full Measure'…. It would be too easy, right?"

Johansson also spoke about CIVIL WAR's SABATON connection and whether it has made it easier for CIVIL WAR to get tours and recognition in the metal scene. He said: "Of course, this whole SABATON thing has made it easier for us to achieve fame. No doubt about that. On the other hand it is tough for us to convince the 'real' music fans that we actually are a good band since most of the real metal fans hate SABATON. So it's both good and bad."

CIVIL WAR's debut CD, "The Killer Angels", was certified gold in Sweden by the International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry for sales in excess of 20,000 copies.

"The Killer Angels" was distributed in Sweden via the June 2013 issue of Sweden Rock Magazine and each copy of the magazine containing the CD was counted towards the certification; the album was also sold separately. CIVIL WAR's debut EP was released on November 13, 2012 via Despotz Records.

Swedish occult rockers GHOST recently stopped by the 100.3 The X studios to perform a couple of songs. Check out the clips below.

As previously reported, GHOST will perform on the October 30 episode of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert". The show airs at 11:35 p.m. EST / 10:35 p.m. CST on CBS.

GHOST's third album, "Meliora", entered The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 8 with first-week sales of just over 29,000 units — nearly all from pure album sales. The set follows the No. 28-peaking "Infestissumam", which was released in 2013 and has sold almost 70,000 copes in the U.S. to date.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

"Meliora" was released on August 21 via Loma Vista Recordings. The CD was helmed by Klas Åhlund, a prolific songwriter, producer and guitarist who is also a member of the Swedish rock band TEDDYBEARS, and was mixed by Andy Wallace (SLAYER, NIRVANA, SEPULTURA, LINKIN PARK, GUNS N' ROSES).

SOUNDGARDEN singer Chris Cornell was joined on stage by his 11-year-old daughter Toni last night (Monday, October 19) at the Beacon Theatre in New York City for an acoustic performance of the Bob Marley track "Redemption Song". Fan-filmed video footage of her appearance can be seen below.

Prior to the "Redemption Song" duet, Cornell told the crowd that he'd recently performed with Toni at an assembly at her school, and it made him more nervous than opening for METALLICA in front of 40,000 people.

Cornell kicked off the "Higher Truth" tour on September 18 in San Diego, California at the Balboa Theatre. The trek will wind down on November 4 in Phoenix, Arizona at the Orpheum Theatre.

Cornell's fourth solo studio set, "Higher Truth", was released on September 18. His first album on his own since 2009's controversial "Scream" is in the singer-songwriter vein and very different from his work with SOUNDGARDEN. Cornell told The Pulse Of Radio that that was the point of doing it. "Writing an album like 'Higher Truth', the same as it was writing any of my solo records, there's always this effort to try to make it different than the band that I'm known for," he said. "Mainly just 'cause I've never — as a music fan — never really liked when those two lines get kind of smeared."

"Become The Enemy", the new video from New Zealand's highest-charting rock act LIKE A STORM, can be seen below. The clip features the band performing amidst a raging ring of fire, and even features a flaming didgeridoo being played.

The video for "Become The Enemy" was directed by LIKE A STORM's longtime collaborator Chris Fisher, whose previous efforts with the band produced the multi-million-viewed "Love The Way You Hate Me" clip.

"Become The Enemy" has risen rapidly at U.S. Active Rock radio, breaking the coveted Top 25 within just weeks of being released. It is LIKE A STORM's third single in a row to do so.

LIKE A STORM is hitting the road on its first-ever headlining tour of the United States this fall. The band is no stranger to touring after building a diehard fan base sharing stages all over the world with ALTER BRIDGE, Slash, BLACK VEIL BRIDES, THREE DAYS GRACE, STEEL PANTHER and more.

LIKE A STORM is heading out on the Didgeridoo Destruction Tour 2015 with special guests FROM ASHES TO NEW, FAILURE ANTHEM and STITCHED UP HEART. The seven-week trek kicks off on November 6 in Flint, Michigan at the legendary Machine Shop and will run through the middle of December.

LIKE A STORM is touring in support of its latest album, "Awaken The Fire" (Another Century Records).

Known as one of the hardest-working bands out there, LIKE A STORM fought hard to be heard. The New Zealand brothers— Chris Brooks (lead vocals, guitar, didgeridoo, keys/programming), Matt Brooks (vocals, lead guitar, keys/programming), and Kent Brooks (bass, vocals, keys/programming) — came to the United States knowing no one, and built a diehard and devoted fan-base by tirelessly touring. Their intense work ethic fosters the fertile creativity that is apparent in everything they do even today. LIKE A STORM write, perform, record and produce all of their records themselves.

Dutch polyrhythmic metal maniacs TEXTURES will release "Phenotype" and "Genotype", two new albums based on one concept.

The sextet is not a band that puts out a record every year. The band took almost two and a half years to write and record albums No. 5 and 6.

Music is no fast food! Details are crafted and re-crafted. Extra layers are created and stretched to form the ultimate tension span for years to last.

"Phenotype", the first of two efforts, is a song-based, 60-minute long album which will be released on February 5, 2016 via Nuclear Blast. TEXTURES present an eclectic overview of what modern metal offers. Catchy, innovative and progressive songs are what TEXTURES stand for.

The new virtuosos Uri Dijk (synth) and Joe Tal (guitar) deliver a new, harmonic vibe to the mature TEXTURES sound.

"Genotype", which will be released a year later, is a 45-minute-long conceptual track. The root material "Phenotype" consists of is presented in this song, but in a totally different context. TEXTURES go out of the box. More proggy, more atmosphere and lots of extra layers to fill the last gaps left in this extensive, double roller coaster ride.

If support of "Phenotype", TEXTURES will hit the European stages in February 2016. The dates are as follows:

Feb. 12 - NL - Dordrecht - BibelotFeb. 13 - NL - Tilburg - 013Feb. 18 - CH - Zürich - DynamoFeb. 19 - D - Frankfurt - ElferFeb. 20 - D - Berlin - Musik & FriedenFeb. 21 - D - Hamburg - HeadcrashFeb. 25 - UK - London - The UnderworldFeb. 26 - F - Paris - Divan Du MondeFeb. 27 - F - Lyon - CCOFeb. 28 - F - Colmar - Le GrillenMar. 04 - B - Hasselt - Muziek-O-Droom