Australian melodic hard rock band, The Radio Sun, have announced Outside Looking In as the title of their upcoming album, set to be released in September via Melodic Rock Records and Anderstein Music (Japan). The album will again be mixed by Paul Laine (ex-Danger Danger).

Guitarist Stevie Janevski states: “We can't wait for everyone to hear our new album. We've been overwhelmed with the way our first two records have been received and the songwriting is even stronger on this new one. We even had one of my favourite Australian guitar players play on it - Brett Garsed from John Farnham/Nelson plays a guest solo... unreal!!!”

The Radio Sun have been extremely productive since they formed, and with a new album and more upcoming worldwide live dates - things are looking up for the boys from down under. Stay tuned for updates.

Suns Of Thyme have released an EPK (Electronic Press Kit) for their upcoming sophomore album, Cascades, out on May 27th via Napalm Records. The EPK can be found below.

It’s hard to imagine that something called krautgaze could grow up in any other place than Berlin. In its glittering darkness, the city is a perfect breeding ground for a band like Suns Of Thyme. The five-piece crashes together space rock, shoegaze, psych and Velvet Underground on its sophomore album Cascades.

Cascades was mastered by Brian Lucey, Magic Garden Mastering in Los Angeles (The Black Keys, Marilyn Manson, Arctic Monkeys, Ray LaMontagne, Ghost).

Cascades tracklisting:

“Do Or Die”
“Intuition Unbound”
“Ich Traeum‘ von Dir”
“To Vanish”
“Rush”
“Schweben”
“Deep Purple Rain”
“Val Verde”
“The Field”
“Aphelion”
“Prelude”
“In Dreams Awake”
“Kirwani”
“Kirwani II”

EPK:

“Intuition Unbound” video:

“Do Or Die” lyric video:

Pre-orders for Cascades are available here for European customers, and here for US customers.

Suns of Thyme is:

Tammo Dehn - Synths, Percussions, Sampler
Tobias Feltes - Vocals, Guitars, Sitar
Tim Hoppe - Guitars
Jascha Kreft - Drums, Vocals
Jens Rosenkranz - Bass 

Last week, Finland-based Saurai metallers Whispered released their third album, Metsutan – Songs Of The Void, via Redhouse FMP / Inverse Records. Today the band unveil an epic new music video for lead single, “Strike!”. The video, about "executing a flawless, godlike strike with a sword," was written and directed by guitarist and vocalist Jouni Valjakka with cinematography by Teemu Jortikka and Niko Finsk.

Metsutan – Songs Of The Void is a a complex masterpiece, addictive from the get-go and has received critical acclaim by the metal media and has been cited on numerous occasions as a record poised to snatch top spots on many end of year lists. The band seamlessly fuse traditional Japanese instruments and atmospheres with Scandinavian melodic death making for a captivating listening experience throughout the album’s ten tracks.

Tracklisting:

“Chi No Odori”
“Strike!”
“Exile Of The Floating World”
“Sakura Omen”
“Kensei”
“Our Voice Shall Be Heard”
“Tsukiakari”
“Warriors Of Yama”
“Victory Grounds Nothing”
“Bloodred Shores of Enoshima”

“Sakura Omen” lyric video:

Order the album at this location.

Teutonic thrash metal band, Rezet, have released a lyric video for “Reality Is A Lie”, the title track of their new album, released on May 27th via Mighty Music. The clip can be found below.

Reality Is A Lie is the third album from Rezet, recorded and mixed by Patrick Bieler (Revolverheld and Royal Republic) and mastered by Harris Johns (Sodom, Tankard, Sepultura). The album contains 12 tracks of fast speed/thrash metal-parts that lead to the greatest choruses and hook lines Rezet have written so far, embedded in a soundscape that neither gets boring or tiresome nor does it come across as too progressive or complicated.

Tracklisting:

“Reality Is A Lie”
“Madmen”
“Dying By The States”
“Dead City”
“Cannibal's Revenge”
“Breaking The Chains”
“Checkmate (War Is Hell)”
“Too Smart To Live”
“Worm In The Core”
“Lost”
“Fight For Your Life”
“Like A Wolf”
 
“Reality Is A Lie” lyric video:

“Dead City” video:

Rezet lineup:

Ricky Wagner - Lead Guitar, Vocals
Thorben Schulz - Lead Guitar, Back-Up Vocals
Lucas Grümmert - Bass Guitar, Back-Up
Vocals Bastian Santen - Drums

Canadian bashers Untimely Demise recently checked in with the following update:

"Stoked to be heading out on the road again this May and June across Canada in support of our new album, Black Widow. This will be our first tour with the formidable Bryan Newbury (Into Eternity/Death Toll Rising) on drums and will be the perfect means to introduce him, and our bludgeoning new tunes, to live audiences across the country. We begin with two support slots for Canadian metal stalwarts, Zimmers Hole (featuring Gene Hoglan of Testament, Death, Dark Angel, SYL). Then we join up with ex-Megadeth/Shadows Fall members killer new thrash metal band Act Of Defiance for the majority of their Canadian tour which is gonna be beyond sick. From there we are playing Toronto and continuing back into Quebec. This will be our first tour of Eastern Canada in three years so we are more than itching to get back there, shred some stages, hang with old and new friends and crush some beers and poutines!"

On May 21st, Untimely Demise supported Zimmers Hole in Edmonton, Alberta at The Starlite Room. Fan-filmed video from their set is available below.

Remaining tour dates are as follows:

May
28- Saskatoon, Saskatchewan - Louis Pub ** 
29 - Regina, Saskatchewan - The Exchange ** 
31 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - Park Theatre **

June
1 - Thunder Bay, Ontario - Rockhouse ** 
3 - Sudbury, Ontario -  The Asylum ** 
4 - Toronto, Ontario - Hard Luck Bar

** with Act Of Defiance

Quebec live dates to be announced soon.

Untimely Demise have issued an official lyric video for the first track off their new Black Widow record, "Forgotten In Time". It can be viewed below. 

In addition, Bryan Newbury of Into Eternity / Death Toll Rising has officially joined Untimely Demise as their full time drummer. Act Of Defiance drummer Shawn Drover performed drums on one song, "Anticolonizer".

The album tracklist is as follows:

"Forgotten In Time"
"Enslaver"
"Black Widow"
"Cancer Of The Heart"
"Anticolonizer"
"Calling Me Back From The Light"
"Sickening Repression"
"Holy Man"
"Anticolonizer" (drums - Shawn Drover)

Black Widow was produced by Justin Bender (Into Eternity) and Untimely Demise

Discovery Channel has announced a new family-friendly series from some of today's hottest recording artists, including AEROSMITH singer Steven Tyler.

Presented in association with World Wildlife Fund (WWF), "Hello World!" is a six-part series taking a look at the wonders of the natural world through the eyes of some of today's most celebrated musicians. The series brings out the universal themes of the artists' music by using it as a soundtrack for the stories of animals in the wild. "Hello World!" debuts Saturday, July 9 with two back-to-back episodes for three weeks. The series is produced by RadicalMedia on behalf of Discovery Channel.

"It's a thrill to have six Grammy-winning or -nominated artists working on 'Hello World!'" says Rich Ross, group president of Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Science Channel. "All of these artists bring a powerful love for wildlife and the environment, and we cannot wait to share these films with families across the world."

"Hello World!" takes viewers deep into the environments of animals as varied as sea turtles, jumping spiders, rhinos, and hawks as they live their daily lives. Whether they are searching for water, looking for love, or caring for their families, these animals all have a singular way of surviving. Each episode features the artist's vibrant storytelling and one of their well-known songs, as well as a lush musical score.

Episodes include:

* It's a big, tough world out there, where animals face harsh environments and voracious predators. Usher's new track "Stronger", also the title of the episode, provides the backdrop as the sea turtle and red fox demonstrate how adversity only makes them more resilient.

* In "Crazy Love", Goulding uncovers the amazing (and hilarious) lengths some animals go to to attract a mate. Her hit "Something In The Way You Move" sets the mood for animals as diverse as polar bears and garter snakes.

* Just about every animal needs water. Yet each creature's search for it is unique. With "Save Me", Matthews follows the stories of three very different species — rhinos, spadefoot toads, and manatees — as they search for the fresh water on which all life on Earth depends.

* A mother's love is something so fierce that anyone who gets in her way better beware. In "Don't Mess With Mama", Aguilera uses "Light Up The Sky" to showcase the strategies of such strong maternal caregivers as a mountain goat and a cheetah, as each protects her young.

* Tyler's recently released country song "Red, White & You" is a perfect backdrop to "Summer Wild". This episode shows how several North American critters — prairie dogs, hawks, and wild mustangs — like to spend their summer vacation.

* Our favorite bad girl Jett highlights the stories of many of the creatures we love to hate. Featuring wolves, alligators, and sharks, "Bad Reputation", featuring the hit song of the same name, makes the case that for all the fear they put into the world, these guys might just be getting a bad rap. And more than that, they each are really a crucial part of their native ecosystem.

"Not many people may know of my strong affinity for animals and nature," comments Grammy-winning artist Usher. "'Hello World!' gave me an opportunity to not only look cool to my boys, but also help introduce a new and modern way of learning about the world and the animals living within it."

"I was thrilled when I was asked to come aboard to be part of 'Hello World!' as I had never done voiceover work prior and the experience was amazing!" says Grammy-winning artist Aguilera. "Discovery does such great work in educating people in an entertaining way and I know I will enjoy watching the series with my kids."

Comments Grammy-nominated artist Joan Jett: "It is important for us to learn about misunderstood animals and how they affect the ecosystem and support human life."

"Discovery's 'Hello World!' provides a compelling new platform to engage people about wildlife and wild places," said Terry Macko, senior vice president of communications and marketing at WWF. "As we're faced daily with news and information about the declining state of our natural world, this series brings a hopeful message that bridges generations to inspire conservationists of any age."

"The wonders of our planet never cease to amaze and there's no better way to capture the joy, drama, fear and love all species experience than with our oldest form of storytelling, music," comments John Hoffman, EVP of Documentaries And Specials, Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and Science Channel. "We're blown away by how these great artists' music and voices lend themselves to telling stories of the natural world and by their commitment to WWF and animal conservation."

LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia was interviewed on the latest installment of "The MetalSucks Podcast". You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.

Asked if she takes care of herself on the road by living a healthy lifestyle, Cristina said: "I'm not obsessed with healthy living. I know it's a big thing now. And everywhere I see, it's about 'eat healthy, work out' and it's driving me nuts, because I take it so easy. I mean, I try to eat healthy every once in a while, but I eat shit every once in a while.

"My life is really balanced. I try to do things in a way that they are pleasing me, because they are wrong to do sometimes, but at the same time, I try to eat in a proper way, drink a lot of water, try to sleep as much as I can, to rest my body, but I don't do anything special or obsessive to take care of myself… It would drive me crazy to think too much about it. I want to live life. I mean, that's what we're here for. We only have one life, and I wanna take care of mine, but I don't wanna go crazy about it and spend my life worried about the fact that I have to take care of my life. I want to enjoy it."

She added: "I mean, I don't do drugs, just because I'm not interested. I don't drink a lot, just because I am fine drinking a beer every once in a while. But it's not because of self-control or because I'm straight edge or anything like that. It's just who I am, without any stress."

Cristina also talked about how she protects her voice from strain while she is touring with LACUNA COIL. She said: "My problem with my voice is that I talk a lot; that's my only problem. That really is. Because, as I said, I don't smoke, I don't drink very often, and it is not to protect my voice, but I talk a lot and that's fucked up."

She continued: "We did a show with HALESTORM and we ended up with in an arcade bar that was right in front of the buses pretty much. And we had a great time — we met fans, we played with them, and I started to talk with them. So it's like I had a beer, which is nothing — one beer — but I talked all night long, so today my voice is just like, 'Ugh. Ugh. It hurts.' Just because I talked. So that is my main problem."

LACUNA COIL's new album, "Delirium", will be released on May 27 through Century Media. The CD was recorded at BRX Studio in Milan between December 2015 and February 2016. The effort was produced by LACUNA COIL bassist and main songwriter Marco "Maki" Coti-Zelati, with engineering by Marco Barusso and additional assistance from Dario Valentini. Coti-Zelati also created the artwork for "Delirium", which is based on an atmospheric session captured by Italian photographer Alessandro Olgiati.

LACUNA COIL has recruited Diego Cavallotti as a fill-in guitarist for the band following the recent departure of Marco "Maus" Biazzi.

Biazzi left LACUNA COIL in January, explaining in a statement: "I felt I couldn't add more in this project any longer so I decided to leave my second family, LACUNA COIL, to take a different path for a new challenge in my life.

Greece's Rockpages web magazine recently conducted an interview with former ACCEPT and current U.D.O. frontman Udo Dirkschneider. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked what he would say if he got a phone call from ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann or bassist Peter Baltes asking him to play one last show with the band, Udo said: "If Peter and Wolf called me, but I don't think [they would], but [if they did], I would say, 'Have fun. Bye bye.'"

Udo recently told Spark TV about his current relationship with the members of ACCEPT: "There is no relationship at all. We don't talk to each other. It's, in a way, also sad, but what can you do?"

Dirkschneider also gave his opinion of ACCEPT's musical output with current singer Mark Tornillo. He said: "I don't know really the whole albums; I know a couple of songs. I mean, I think they did very good albums, they had, in a way, quite a good success, and the singer is not bad. I mean, I think he's got a little bit of problems when he has to sing the old stuff, but, I mean, come on, this is normal. To copy me really, it's not so easy, but I think he's doing a good job. And, yeah, we will see what they are doing, you know. I mean, I wish them all the best. And that's it."

Dirkschneider in February embarked on a special tour during which he is performing ACCEPT songs one last time before he closes the chapter for good.

The April 2 DIRKSCHNEIDER concert at Kaminwerk in Memmingen, Germany was professionally filmed and recorded for a DVD and CD release later this year.

U.D.O.'s latest studio album, "Decadent", was released in Europe in January 2015 via AFM.

Tigman of the Q103 radio station conducted an interview with bassist John Campbell of Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD at the inaugural Rock'N Derby festival, which was held May 20-22 at the Schaghticoke Fairgrounds in Schaghticoke, New York. You can now watch the chat below.

Speaking about LAMB OF GOD's status as one of the forerunners of the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal movement, Campbell said: "Well, from my perspective, what happened was we started this band to drink beer and go play people's basements, and somehow that started to escalate. And these other bands were doing the same sort of thing. And we all kind of came up together, and all of a sudden they had a label for us as a way to, I guess, write about. I'm just flattered that people paid any attention to what we were doing. But the New Wave Of American Heavy Metal was not something that we strove for or came up with, or in any way, shape or form did anything other than go out and play shows and did what we did. And that was it."

LAMB OF GOD's third album, "Ashes Of The Wake", which came out in 2004 via Epic, was officially certified gold in February by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales in excess of a 500,000 copies.

LAMB OF GOD's latest album, "VII: Sturm Und Drang", was released in July 2015 via Epic in the U.S. and Nuclear Blast Entertainment in all territories outside of North America. The CD was once again produced and mixed by Josh Wilbur with engineering by Wilbur, Nick Rowe and Kyle McAulay, and was recorded at NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood, California and Suburban Soul Studios in Torrance, California.

The Venezuelan chapter of Dream Theater World conducted an interview with DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess on April 27 in Cincinnati, Ohio. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked how DREAM THEATER plans to top this year's concept album "The Astonishing" with the band's follow-up effort, Jordan said: "I don't think it's a question of necessarily topping it. I think that this is a particular creative adventure for us, to write something that was a concept album, very much like a musical or a rock opera. I think that whatever we decide to do next, which we haven't really decided, will be something obviously very different. And we'll invest our energies into that when it comes to that. Obviously, it's not gonna be another concept album — I just don't think that would be necessarily the best thing to do — but it will be some creative adventure that we'll feel like we want to put our energies behind."

"The Astonishing" was released on January 29 via Roadrunner. The CD was made available in a wide range of distinctive versions, including standard 2-CD set, 4-LP vinyl box set and a limited-edition deluxe box set.

Recorded at Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York, with guitarist John Petrucci producing, studio luminary Richard Chycki (AEROSMITH, RUSH) engineering/mixing and legendary arranger, composer and conductor David Campbell orchestrating, "The Astonishing" paints a tale of a retro-futurist post-apocalyptic dystopia ruled by medieval style feudalism. It's a place aching for a Chosen One to rise above the noise and defeat an Empire defined by the endless drone of noise machines and the illusion of safety in bland conformity.

"Listened to the latest tracking ruff on the upcoming Neal Morse Band album yesterday," says drummer Mike Portnoy (The Winery Dogs). "I have to say it again: this is the GREATEST album of my career! It is my/our Tommy meets The Wall... absolutely mammoth and my greatest recorded work... my desert island disc! Can't wait for you all to hear it."

The as yet untitled new release from Neal Morse Band is a double disc concept album, slated to hit stores in September or October.

Portnoy previously said, "If you think you've heard the prog album of 2016, you ain't heard nuthin' yet! Wait 'til you get a load of this..."

 

 

Gary Hoey will release his Provogue / Mascot Label Group debut Dust & Bones on July 29th.  Looking towards his 20th album release Hoey shares, "This is where I belong—playing this ferocious blend of blues and rock music.  My last album, Deja Blues, proved to myself that I could play authentic blues, and now that I feel more at home there, I felt it was time to mix my favorite guitar styles into something seamless, organic, and powerful.”
 
Released through Mascot Label Group, Dust & Bones showcases Hoey’s Fender Stratocaster-driven fury alongside open-D-tuned resonator guitars plugged into half-stacks. The massive sonic attack was essential for paying sincere and appropriate homage to some of Hoey’s influences, such as Johnny Winter (“Steamroller”), Robin Trower (“This Time Tomorrow”), and Brian Setzer (“Who’s Your Daddy”), as well as a thrill-a-minute mash up of Robert Johnson meets Led Zeppelin (“Boxcar Blues”). There’s also a classic power ballad (“Coming Home”) where Lita Ford sings a duet with Hoey.

 
“This is the biggest-sounding album I’ve done in years,” says Hoey. “From the guitars to the vocals to the rhythm section—everything was designed to produce a huge impact. I’m just so proud of this record.”
 
For the Dust & Bones tracks, Hoey went with a power-trio configuration, rocking hard with drummer Matt Scurfield and bassist AJ Pappas. The other selections on the 11-song CD are the first single, “Dust & Bones,” as well as “Born to Love You,” “Ghost Of Yesterday,” “Back Against the Wall,” “Blind Faith,” and “Soul Surfer.”  Guitar Player Magazine's Editor in Chief Michael Molenda offers, "Gary Hoey’s awesome command of styles, tones, and techniques drives so many different moods on Dust & Bones that you’ll feel as if he transports you across the musical universe and beyond. Buckle up!"

Tour dates:

June
3 – St. Charles, MO – Family Arena
17 – Hermosa Beach, CA – Saint Rocke
18 – Romona, CA – Romona Mainstage
20 – San Diego, CA – Guitar Workshop Plus
25 – Lowell, MA – Lowell Summer Music Series
30 – San Francisco, CA – Biscuit & Blues

July
1 – Seattle, WA – WAMU Theater
2 – Reno, NV – RockBar Theater
22 – Auburn Hills, MI – Callahan’s Music Hall
23 – St. Charles, IL – Arcada Theater
24 – Milwaukee, WI – Shank Hall

August
4 – Los Angeles, CA – Rock N Roll Fantasy Camp
19 – New Hope, PA – Havana
20 – Teaneck, NJ – Mexicali Live
21 – Westford, MA – Blues N Brews Festival

Ronni of the Columbus, Ohio radio station 99.7 The Blitz conducted an interview with DISTURBED drummer Mike Wengren at this year's Rock On The Range festival, which was held May 20-22 in Columbus, Ohio. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked for his opinion on BLACK SABBATH embarking on its final tour this year, Mike said: "You know, I think there's a lot to be said for a band to go out when they still can. If they have the means to do that… They don't have anything to prove. They have a legendary career, [and] I think that they should go out when they're still on top, and not go out there limping. You know, MÖTLEY CRÜE just did that. And there's even a lot to be said for… I mean, that could tie into the reason we [DISTURBED] took the hiatus in the first place. We were feeling a little burnt out, and it became pretty predictable, and we took a nice little break, and now we're back stronger than ever. So I don't know… I think if the bands have the means to do either the break, or you've had a nice, long career, then absolutely — hang it up."

DISTURBED's "comeback" album "Immortalized", was released last August and debuted at the top of The Billboard 200 chart. That made it DISTURBED's fifth effort in a row to enter the chart at No. 1, a feat shared only with METALLICA and DAVE MATTHEWS BAND.

Two French summer music festivals have canceled Eagles of Death Metal's scheduled sets following controversial statements made by singer Jesse Hughes regarding the November terror attack in Paris and the Bataclan massacre. Although Hughes apologized for the comments he made in a March interview, both Le Cabaret Vert and Rock en Seine festivals announced Friday that Eagles of Death Metal would be removed from their lineups.

SIDEBAR
EODM EODM's Jesse Hughes Apologizes for Bataclan Accusations »
"Being in total disagreement with Jesse Hughes’ recent allegations given in an [interview] with an American media, both Cabaret Vert & Rock en Seine festivals have decided to cancel the bands performance," organizers announced on Facebook Friday. "We thank you for your understanding."

In March, Hughes insinuated in a Fox Business Network interview that some Bataclan security guards had inside knowledge that a terror attack was going to happen at the venue that night and called out sick. In another interview, Hughes blasted France's strict gun control laws, arguing that the laws allowed the terror attack to occur.

"Did your French gun control stop a single person from dying at the Bataclan?" He said. "If anyone can answer yes, I'd like to hear it, because I don't think so. I think the only thing that stopped it was some of the bravest men that I've ever seen in my life charging head-first into the face of death with their firearms."

Soon after, Hughes apologized for his comments in a statement where he admitted he'd been suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and "non-stop nightmares" since the Bataclan tragedy.

"My suggestions that anyone affiliated with the Bataclan played a role in the events of November 13 are unfounded and baseless—and I take full responsibility for them," Hughes said in a statement. "I haven't been myself since November 13. I realize there's no excuse for my words, but for what it's worth: I am sincerely sorry for having hurt, disrespected or accused anyone."

Eagles of Death Metal were scheduled to perform August 25th at Charleville Meziere, France's Le Cabaret Vert fest and August 26th at Rock en Seine in Paris. The band, who are currently on a North American jaunt, kick off their European tour August 9th in Katowice, Poland.

Guitarist Rob Scallon, who made a name for himself through his whacko interpretations of some of metal's finest works, has returned a part of his "May-tallica" special with a cover of Metallica's "One" performed with five hands. In the clip below, Scallon covered rhythm guitar, solo guitar, bass and vocal lines on his signature 8-string Chapman guitar with the help of Jeff Linville on one-finger bass and Joe Shadid on lead.

Scallon previously unleashed a Metallica cover of "Blackened".... on ukulele.

In 2014, Scallon released a video clip featuring his banjo-charged version of the Slayer classic "Raining Blood". It is his second take on Slayer, having released a ukelele cover of "War Ensemble" previously. Both tracks are available below:

For information and updates on Scallon's work go to his official Facebook page here.

On June 3rd, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release Totally Stripped by The Rolling Stones. One of the most anticipated releases in recent years, this collection features The Rolling Stones going back to the source of many of their favourite tracks, creating new stripped back versions. Selected material from studio sessions and shows presented here formed the Stripped album of 1995.

Check out the first teaser from the album below:

Totally Stripped is available as a DVD or SD Blu-ray containing the newly-revised documentary of the same name, or on DVD+CD or DVD+LP featuring the documentary and single CD / 2LPs compiled from live shows. Additionally a DVD or SD Blu-ray deluxe edition is available, packaged with a 60 page hard book set containing 5 discs which boasts hours of previously unavailable music (three complete shows made available for the first time ever) from this truly legendary act.

These reimagined versions lose none of their impact and emotional heft, and in fact connect with listeners in a different way. Totally Stripped itself is a brand new version of the documentary of the same name, which tells the stories of the two studio sessions and three live shows (The Paradiso in Amsterdam in May 1995, L’Olympia in Paris and Brixton Academy in London in July 1995) that make up this project. The Deluxe Edition contains a CD of favourites drawn from across the live shows and three DVDs featuring, for the first time, ever each of those shows in full.

Following the Voodoo Lounge tour, The Stones released Stripped, an album of reconsidered, pared back renderings of some classic Stones tracks, and also a couple of carefully chosen covers. The album mixed new studio versions of tracks with some live songs. The tracks that made up Stripped were taken from two studio sessions that took place in Tokyo (March 3rd - 5th, 1995) and in Lisbon (July 23rd - 26th), and a trio of live shows in July 1995 at small concert venues in London, Paris and Amsterdam.

Keith Richards commented, “There’s something about playing these small venues, the immediacy of it. Also we can keep God out the band, because on big gigs he sometimes turns up as rain or wind.”

As Mick Jagger said at the time, the aim was to “Take the best element from (MTV) Unplugged, the intimate thing of it, without actually doing it completely unplugged”.

This collection is built on the power of lyric and melody, and the material here feels somehow simpler yet potent, as the songs stand on their individual timeless quality rather than on the production techniques and technical expertise that generally come as part and parcel of being the biggest band in the world.

Totally Stripped is the release that the fans have been waiting years for, a document that reveals the inner workings not only of The Rolling Stones themselves but also indeed some of their most loved tracks. Revealing, intimate and moving, Totally Stripped is unmissable.

Tracklisting:

CD
“Not Fade Away” - Amsterdam
“Honky Tonk Women” - Paris
“Dead Flowers” - Amsterdam
“Faraway Eyes” - London
“Shine A Light” - Amsterdam
“I Go Wild” - Paris
“Miss You” - London
“Like A Rolling Stone” - Amsterdam
“Brown Sugar” - Paris
“Midnight Rambler” - London
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash” - Paris
“Gimme Shelter” - Amsterdam
“Rip This Joint” - Amsterdam
“Street Fighting Man” - Amsterdam
 
DVD1 - Totally Stripped Documentary

DVD2 - Paradiso, Amsterdam May 26th, 1995
“Not Fade Away”
“It’s All Over Now”
“Live With Me”
“Let It Bleed”
“The Spider And The Fly”
“Beast Of Burden”
“Angie”
“Wild Horses”
“Sweet Virginia”
“Dead Flowers”
“Shine A Light”
“Like A Rolling Stone”
“Connection”
“Slipping Away”
“The Worst ”
“Gimme Shelter”
“All Down The Line”
“Respectable”
“Rip This Joint”
“Street Fighting Man”

DVD3 - L’Olympia, Paris July 3rd, 1995
“Honky Tonk Women”
“Tumbling Dice”
“You Got Me Rockin’”
“All Down The Line”
“Shattered”
“Beast Of Burden”
“Let It Bleed”
“Angie”
“Wild Horses”
“Down In The Bottom”
“Shine A Light”
“Like A Rolling Stone”
“I Go Wild”
“Miss You”
“Connection”
“Slipping Away”
“Midnight Rambler”
“Rip This Joint”
“Start Me Up”
“It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll”
“Brown Sugar”
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash”

DVD4 - Brixton Academy, London July 19th, 1995
“Honky Tonk Women”
“Tumbling Dice”
“You Got Me Rockin’”
“Live With Me”
“Black Limousine”
“Dead Flowers”
“Sweet Virginia”
“Faraway Eyes”
“Love In Vain”
“Down In The Bottom”
“Shine A Light”
“Like A Rolling Stone”
“Monkey Man”
“I Go Wild”
“Miss You”
“Connection”
“Slipping Away”
“Midnight Rambler”
“Rip This Joint”
“Start Me Up”
“Brown Sugar”
“Jumpin’ Jack Flash”

Back in November 2014, the helicopter descended upon the infamous Hard Rock Hotel as KISS invaded Las Vegas for an historic nine-show run. Now, for one night only on May 25, fans will be able to experience this spectacular night for themselves as "Kiss Rocks Vegas" hits cinemas across the globe. From this blistering live show, fans can expect sky high flames, ear-bursting volume and a few drops of blood! Includes exclusive interviews with band and footage you will only see in the cinema.

A preview clip of the "Shout It Out Loud" performance from "Kiss Rocks Vegas" can be seen below.

Famed for their iconic face paint and stage attire, KISS was formed in New York City in 1973 by Paul Stanley (vocals, rhythm guitar) and Gene Simmons (vocals, bass guitar). Their sensational live performances feature fire breathing, blood-spitting, smoking guitars, shooting rockets, levitating drum kits, and pyrotechnics to spare. Tommy Thayer (lead guitar, vocals) and Eric Singer (drums, percussion, vocals) round out the band's powerful lineup. Tommy is also producer of the film "Kiss Rocks Vegas".

Said Stanley: "See us on the big screen with the awesome power of Surround Sound. Feel like you are in Vegas and don't be shy to 'shout it out loud!'"

Added Simmons: "Join us for a 'crazy crazy night' in your cinema!"

Stated Thayer: "We are all tremendously proud of this production; it captures a truly unique performance. You need to see it in a cinema to get the full on experience."

Said Singer: "We rocked The Joint at Hard Rock in Las Vegas. You get up close and personal with KISS. You're going to love it."

A select number of cinemas worldwide will also be screening the concert in Dolby Atmos, providing a powerfully immersive and moving audio experience for the cinema audience.

For more information and to book tickets for the cinema event please visit www.kissmycinema.com.

Speaking to Las Vegas Weekly, Stanley stated about how the idea for the KISS residency came about: "To spend as much time as we do in Vegas and to live as close as we do, the idea of doing a residency and leaving our stage setup, as opposed to breaking it down nightly, was really appealing."

He continued: "We just finished 42 cities and played for 600,000 people, but that meant that every night the show got disassembled and moved. There’s something appealing and challenging about building a set that doesn’t have to be moved. You don't have to take into account the practicality of it, being able to be broken down constantly and reassembled. So this was something that we had wanted to do for quite a while; it was just a matter of making sure we found people who were in agreement on how to do it. The Joint was the natural place to do it."

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN have uploaded a two-minute video clip showing the bandmembers backstage as they prepare to hit the stage on their "The Book Of Souls" world tour. Check it out below.

IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith recently told David "Devo" Oosthuizen of South Africa's The Blacklist about the band's current setlist: "It's a balance [between the new album and the classic songs]. The thing is, with the Internet now, as soon as you play one show, everyone knows the setlist. Because the show is so theatrical, there's a lot of cues in it, so it's not like we just get up there and play and change songs every night. It's a coordinated show, so we [aren't] changing much. It's a good balance of [the classic tracks and] our favorite of the new songs, from the new album, 'cause we wanna promote the new album, 'cause we're very proud of it. As a band, as musicians, we like to be moving forward and be creative. That’s always been the biggest buzz for me."

Asked if it is ever frustrating that the fans expect MAIDEN to keep playing songs the band wrote decades ago when MAIDEN has released so many other albums since then, singer Bruce Dickinson told Noisey: "I don't mind, because the new record's really good; it stands up a hundred percent on its own. To an extent, we can always tweak the set list. We'll see how the new record goes down, we'll get some ideas from fans, what they think about it, what tracks they super super love, what tracks they'd really like to see. But I think that there's three or four, maybe five, songs off the new album which would be terrific to play live. And that's half the album, you know? That's 45 minutes!"

Regarding whether there are any songs he would never want to play live, Dickinson said: "Ah, no, it's not that there are songs that we don't necessarily like, but the one that would be the biggest problem in the context of a regular IRON MAIDEN show would certainly be 'Empire Of The Clouds', because it would be so different. On the other hand, it could be really, really cool to perhaps do it in a different context, just because it is so different, you know? Just do something special for it, but that special thing might not even be MAIDEN, you know? It could be that you just do a special event based around it. I don't know though, that's all speculation."

IRON MAIDEN's world tour, in support of the band's latest album, "The Book Of Souls", kicked off on February 24 in Sunrise, Florida (a suburb of Fort Lauderdale).

XLrator Media will screen the Duff McKagan / Guns N’ Roses documentary It’s So Easy And Other Lies: Live At The Moore in 50 cities across The United States beginning May 26th, prior to the film’s June 3rd theatrical release in Los Angeles, reports Deadline. 

Based on the best-selling memoir from bassist McKagan, It’s So Easy features exclusive archival footage and chronicles McKagan’s rise to fame and fortune with Guns N’ Roses and Velvet Revolver, his struggles with alcohol and drugs and his life transformation. Learn more at this location.

A couple of preview clips can be seen below.

Legendary Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos has released a second track from his forthcoming solo album, Greeting From Bunezuela!, due out on June 24th. Bun E.'s version of The Who's "Armenia City In The Sky" features vocals from John Stirratt (Wilco, The Autumn Defense) is streaming below.

The album preorder is also available today. Fans who purchase the album will receive "Armenia City In The Sky" and "Do Something Real" as instant grat tracks. Preorder the album on iTunes.

In addition to Stirratt, the album also features Robert Pollard (Guided By Voices), Xeno (original Cheap Trick vocalist), Hanson, Alejandro Escovedo, Dave Pirner (Soul Asylum), John Stirratt (Wilco), Nicholas Tremulis, Alex Dezen (Damnwells), Rick Rizzo (Eleventh Dream Day), and members of Candy Golde and the Monday Night Band.

"Do Something Real," a cover of a Robert Pollard song featuring Pollard on vocals, was released right before Carlos' April induction into the 2016 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with longtime band Cheap Trick.  

Greetings From Bunezuela! tracklisting (order subject to change):

“Do Something Real” - Robert Pollard Lead Vocal (Robert Pollard solo)
“Him Or Me” - featuring Hanson (Paul Revere & The Raiders)
“Armenia In The Sky” - John Stirratt Lead Vocal (The Who)
“I Love You No More” - Alex Dezen Lead Vocal (The Blackstones)
“Tell Me” - Alejandro Escovido Lead Vocal (The Rolling Stones)
“It Takes A Lot To Laugh, A Train To Cry” - Dave Pirner Lead Vocal (Bob Dylan)
“Let The Mystery Be” - Xeno Lead Vocal (Iris DeMent)
“Idea” - Robert Pollard Lead Vocal (The Bee Gees)
“Le Cactus” - Nicholas Tremulis Lead Vocal (Jacque DuTronc)
“I Can Only Give You Everything” - Rick Rizzo Lead Vocal (Them)
“Slow Down” - Alejandro Escovido Lead Vocal (Alejandro Escovedo)
“Count On Me” - Xeno Lead Vocal (Fra Lippo Lippi)
“I Don’t Mind” - Alex Dezen Lead Vocal (Alex Dezen)

"Armenia City In The Sky":

 

Snowy Shaw has released a new video written, produced, recorded, and sung by the man himself. The video for “Alcoholocaust” was mixed and mastered at Sound Industry, Gothenburg by Arnold Lindberg.

As a matter of fact, this also marks a new chapter or whatever as this is his first new original music Snowy puts out as a solo artist actually. Whereas over the past couple of years he has released the exclusive live DVD/CD box Snowy Shaw: 25 years of madness in the name of metal (2014) and a couple of albums and singles, all recorded live from his conceptual super show.

The 2016 edition of his super show can next be seen live at Wacken O.A in August and Metallsvenskan June 3rd, which is also the only show on home turf Sweden as Snowy has opted to focus primarily on working on new material being recorded and filmed, with tentative release of a full length studio by February next year.

Although his super show have consisted mainly of material from his past and often featured special guest stars from the aforementioned bands, no less than 65% of the material performed was inked by Snowy Shaw himself. But as previously stated above, “Alcoholocaust” is the first new original material under his own name.

Music lesson website PlayThisRiff.com has uploaded a new guitar lesson video of Overkill’s “Bring Me The Night” (First Two Riffs).

In this lesson, Overkill guitarist Dave Linsk shows players the intro and verse to “Bring Me The Night” off their album Ironbound. Check out the lesson at this location.

Overkill have announced dates for a European headlining tour in November, with support from Crowbar, Shredded and Desecrator. The dates are listed below.

November
2 - Zürich, Switzeland - Dynamo
3 - Brescia, Italy - Circolo Colony
4 - Pinarella, Italy - Rockplanet Club
5 - Graz, Austria - Explosiv
6 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn
7 - München, Germany - Backstage
8 - Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp
9 - Köln, Germany - Essigfabrik
10 - Erfurt, Germany - HSD Erfurt
11 - Osnabrück, Germany - Hyde Park
12 - Weissenhäuser Strand/Ostsee, Germany - Metal Hammer Paradise
13 - Berlin, Germany - SO36
15 - Warsaw, Poland - Progresja
16 - Krakow, Poland - Kwadrat
17 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra Club
18 - Vienna, Austria - Szene
19 - Zlin, Czech Republic - Winter Masters Of Rock

BraveWords was on the scene in Oberhausen, Germany, where Overkill recorded a live Blu-Ray/DVD, commemorating 30 years since the debut and the 25th anniversary of Horrorscope. However, Pissing Razors drummer Eddy Garcia was drafted into the live tour, and will appear on said recording. On the previous Friday, the band ran through almost 10 hours of rehearsals. Check out the full report and photo gallery here.

Other Overkill tour dates include:

June
17 - Rue du Champ Louet - Clisson, France

July
14 - Bang Your Head Open Air - Balingen, Germany
15 - Gefle Metal Festival - Gavle, Sweden

Greek thrash metal tank, Suicidal Angels, will release their new album, Division Of Blood, on May 27th via NoiseArt Records. The limited digipak edition of Division Of Blood includes the bonus DVD Conquering Europe with an entire live show from 2015 and a tour documentary with interviews and backstage footage (see “Divide & Conquer” live below). Today the band has unleashed the official lyric video for the new song “Capital Of War”:

Recorded in Sound Lodge in Germany, Nick Melissourgos and producer Jörg Uken arranged a sound that gives Suicidal Angels’ energetic art the fitting, powerful clothing it deserves. Division of Blood will not only make your stereo raise the roof, but it will also bring several Open Airs and clubs to a boil.

The cover artwork was created by acclaimed artist Ed Repka (Megadeth, Death, Municipal Waste).

Tracklisting:

“Capital Of War”
“Division Of Blood”
“Eternally To Suffer”
“Image Of The Serpent”
“Set The Cities On Fire”
“Frontgate”
“Bullet In A Chamber”
“Cold Blood Murder”
“Of Thy Shall Bring The Light”

"Divide & Conquer" live video:

“Image Of The Serpent” lyric video:

The band states: "Against the odds of the times (that we live), against gods, masters and slaves, the Division Of Blood marches on and kills! Another incredible piece of art from Mr. Repka, follows our official 6th studio album. The banners of the Moshing Crew raise high and the legions are ready to unleash all the passion and the flame. Join the forces to clear the path, one is the way, no side loss just wrath!"

Bloody Hammers will release their new album, Lovely Sort Of Death, on August 5th via Napalm Records.

According to the band, "our distributor in the UK doesn't like our album cover so we had to tape up the horribly offensive bits." Both the censored, and uncensored covers can be seen below.

"This album is certainly the darkest album I've ever recorded," states Bloody Hammers mastermind Anders Manga, who stays on the dark path to the nether world and opens the seven gates with Lovely Sort Of Death.

Lovely Sort Of Death tracklisting:

“Bloodletting On The Kiss”
“Lights Come Alive”
“The Reaper Comes”
“Messalina”
“Infinite Gaze To The Sun”
“Stoke The Fire”
“Ether”
“Shadow Out Of Time”
“Astral Traveler”
“Catastrophe”
 
Deluxe Edition Bonus CD:
“Altar Of Fear”
“The Shrine”
“Halloween”
“At Dawn They Sleep”

A new Bloody Hammers music video for “The Reaper Comes” will debut this Wednesday, May 25th; the same day pre-orders will start to be accepted.

 

Capsize‘s new album has been christened “A Reintroduction: The Essence Of All That Surrounds Me” and will be released on July 22nd through Equal Vision. A music video for the album’s opening track, “XX (Sew My Eyes)“, has been revealed below. Pre-orders for the new album have been launched at capsizemerch.com. Band frontman Daniel Wand said of the newly released track:

“The song is about the idea of wanting to move on from a moment, person or cycle in life, but feeling like your actions that leave you unexplainably content in discomfort make up who you are, and battling that in your head. It isn’t about one certain thing, just the fear that you can’t change fast enough in your own eyes.”
He further went on to state of the album as a whole:

“For this album, I wanted to write lyrics that I felt like I needed to hear, or would have liked to have heard at certain times in my life that I have only just recently worked through enough to put into words. The title represents what the album does for the band, and me personally. It’s a reintroduction of who we are as a band, in reference to the things that have led to this point in my life.

This record does more for me and my self worth than anything I’ve ever touched before. Everything from the lyrics to the songs themselves are a musical embodiment of my interests and personality and I love that I get to put that out there for people to listen to and be involved with.

Right before going into the studio, I told one of my best friends that the most important thing about this record was that it needed to be something that if I heard when I was at my most impressionable point, it would’ve made me desperate to make a band. I think I did that. And I think if I had this record when I was growing up it would’ve led me to exactly where I am today.”
The band will be out on this year’s ‘Vans Warped Tour‘, playing from July 17th through to August 13th.

New extreme metal juggernaut, Oracles, featuring members of Aborted, Abigail Williams, Systems Divide and Dimlight have signed to French label Deadlight Entertainment for the release of their debut album. Check out the new track "S(k)in" below.

Entitled Miserycorde, the album was mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen (Epica, Volbeat) while it’s artwork has been done by Colin Marks from Rain Song Design (Nevermore, Exodus). The album will be released on July 1st. Preorders are available at this location.

Tracklisting:

“An Adagio For The Callous”
“The Tribulation Of Man”
“Catabolic (I Am)”
“Quandaries Obsolete”
“Scorn”
“Body Of Ineptitude”
“Remnants Echo”
“Canvas Of Me”
“S(k)in”
“The Beautiful People”
“We, The Indifferent”

"S(k)in":

“Quandaries Obsolete”:

“Scorn”:

Oracles is:

Sven De Caluwé (Aborted) - vocals
Sanna Salou (ex-Dimlight) - vocals
Mendel Bij de Leij (Aborted) - guitar
Steve Miller (ex-System Divide, Loculus) - guitar
Andrei Aframov (ex-System Divide) - bass
Ken Bedene (Aborted, ex-Abigail William) - drums