Orlando, Florida-based hard rockers ALTER BRIDGE will release their fifth album, "The Last Hero" on October 7 via Napalm Records in all territories excluding North America. The CD was produced by Michael "Elvis" Baskette, who helmed the band's previous three albums, "Blackbird" (2007), "AB III" (2010) and "Fortress" (2013).

The first single from "The Last Hero", a song called "Show Me A Leader", was premiered this morning on SiriusXM's Octane and can now be streamed at SiriusXM.com. The track will be released digitally on Tuesday, July 26.

"'Show Me A Leader' is a reflection of how polarized and fractured things are in our society," ALTER BRIDGE singer Myles Kennedy said. "This song doesn't push an agenda; it simply expresses a very common sense of disillusionment people seem to be feeling at this point in time."

ALTER BRIDGE will return to Europe this fall. Their biggest headline shows yet, the 24-date tour treks 15 countries and kicks off on November 4. Special guests include Danish rockers VOLBEAT, who released their sixth album, "Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie", last month. French progressive metallers GOJIRA and up-and-comers LIKE A STORM..

ALTER BRIDGE's last album, "Fortress", featured the Active Rock Top 15 single "Addicted To Pain".

When ALTER BRIDGE is on hiatus, Kennedy can be found fronting Slash's band, SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS.

Tremonti released the third effort from his band TREMONTI, titled "Dust", on April 29.

Photo credit: Carlos Amoedo

"Bad Boyfriend", the new video from the Canadian rock artist Lee Aaron, can be seen below. The song is the title track of Aaron's new album, which was released on March 25.

Aaron stated about the track: "I had this campy little song kicking around for a couple of years. We had included it in our live set as an encore, and it always went over great, so we decided to record it. It's one girl's self-satirical dialogue about the struggle between the worldly and the divine and coming to the realization that she's really the common denominator in all her relationship problems. Is it autobiographical? Ha, ha... in a been-there-done-that, taking-the-piss-out-of-myself kind of way."

Ever timeless, seemingly ageless, and artistically fearless, Aaron has sustained a three-decade strong career based on the powerful songwriting and vocal delivery that are at the heart of "Fire And Gasoline" (Big Sister Records/ILS/Caroline). The CD features songs like the title track, "Fire And Gasoline", "Wanna Be", "Heart Fix" and "Bitter Sweet", which evoke the influences of LED ZEPPELIN, HEART, DAVID BOWIE, THE RUNAWAYS and FLEETWOOD MAC while weaving in and out of Aaron's unique artistic vision. It is a vision that has led her to sales of close to a million copies in Canada alone, multiple awards and nominations, and a fervent following around the world. Videos for songs like "Metal Queen", "Whatcha Do To My Body", "Hands On" and "Some Girls Do" were staples of MuchMusic in Canada, and continue to rack up massive views on YouTube, bringing Lee Aaron classics to a new generation.

"Fire And Gasoline" was recorded at Vancouver's The Farm studio (better known to rock aficionados by its former name, Little Mountain Sound) with acclaimed west coast engineers Ben Kaplan (MOTHER MOTHER, HEDLEY) and vocal engineer/keyboard guru John Webster (BON JOVI, AEROSMITH, THE CULT). Their gold- and platinum-certified ears give "Fire And Gasoline" a contemporary sonic sheen while also honoring the energy of the "off the floor" approach of real musicians interacting in real time.

"Fire And Gasoline" track listing:

01. Tom Boy02. Fire And Gasoline03. Wanna Be04. Bitter Sweet05. Popular06. 50 Miles07. Bad Boyfriend08. Heart Fix09. Nothing Says Everything10. If You Don't Love Me Anymore11. Find The Love

Dutch symphonic metallers EPICA will release their seventh studio album, "The Holographic Principle" on September 30 via Nuclear Blast. The CD was produced by Joost van der Broek at Sandlane Recording Facilities and was mixed by Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, DESTRUCTION). The cover artwork was created by Stefan Heilemann.

"The Holographic Principle" track listing:

01. Eidola02. Edge Of The Blade03. A Phantasmic Parade04. Universal Death Squad05. Divide And Conquer06. Beyond The Matrix07. Once Upon A Nightmare08. The Cosmic Algorithm09. Ascension - Dream State Armageddon10. Dancing In A Hurricane11. Tear Down Your Walls12. The Holographic Principle - A Profound Understanding Of Reality

The second part of a studio documentary on the making of "The Holographic Principle" can be seen below.

"Halfway through 2015, EPICA started a new journey: writing and recording the seventh studio album, 'The Holographic Principle'," explains EPICA guitarist Isaac Delahaye. "In between touring, we spent our time in the Sandlane Recording Facilities with producer Joost van den Broek and here's the first part of our studio documentary! It gives you a little insight into the creation of what we see as our most complete album ever. You'll hear rough snippets of new music, and you'll see how we built things up. Enjoy!"

EPICA previously stated about the lyrical inspiration for "The Holographic Principle": "'The Holographic Principle' deals with the near future wherein virtual reality has taken off and allows people to create their own virtual worlds which can't be distinguished from 'reality as we know it.' This raises the question whether our current reality is a kind of virtual reality on itself, a hologram. This implies the existence of a higher reality which we currently do not have access to. The lyrics challenge you to think out of the box, to reconsider everything you thought to know for sure and to be open-minded towards recent revolutions in science. Fasten your seat belts and get ready for a ride as nothing appears to be what it seems in our holographic universe."

Speaking to Spark TV, which is part of the Czech monthly magazine Spark, EPICA singer Simone Simons stated about the follow-up to 2014's "The Quantum Enigma": "It's a huge amount of songs, it's a lot of information, it's a lot to take in, but we put everything in this record and we hope that it will pay off and that the people will feel what we feel when we listen to it."

She added: "Since 'The Quantum Enigma' was received so well, we set the bar so high, but we accepted the challenge to make an even better record. And we've done everything bigger than before — we had more orchestra, a bigger choir. We had so many different instruments — real, live instruments. Vocally, I put everything in the record that I can possibly do, and I'm very pleased with it."

According to Simone, she has once again experimented a bit with her vocal approach on the new album. "With each record, I try to get the best out," she said. "And Joost [van den Broek], our producer, he's also very good at getting everything out of me. And the songs themselves, they just ask for a lot of variation in the vocal style. And I do opera, rock, pop, and in the ballads you hear the really soft voice. And, yeah, I can belt out some high notes as well."

Even though "The Holographic Principle" is one of EPICA's most ambitious offerings to date, the album doesn't sacrifice any of its instant appeal, something which Simone says was intentional. "I think it needs to be all in balance," she said. "We are, in heart, a metal band going in the symphonic direction. The orchestration, the choir is a little bit like the seventh and eighth bandmember of EPICA, and that's something we'll always keep in there. And the choir parts are often very catchy, the choruses are very catchy. But on this record, besides having catchy melodies, we also wanted to have really groovy vocal lines. And that's something that we worked on as well; we changed up some things to make it less predictable."

One of the aspects of EPICA's sound which has been enhanced on "The Holographic Principle" is the growling vocal style of EPICA guitarist and main songwriter Mark Jansen. "Well, it's Mark and it's actually our drummer as well," Simone said. "Mark is the main grunter, and our drummer, Ariën [van Weesenbeek], has a really nice, thick sound. So I don't know if he sang all the grunt parts as well, if he doubled them with Mark, but them together makes a totally new grunt sound, and I like it. Also, it changes it up a bit. Mark can do also really low grunts, he can do screams, and Ariën really has that deep sound to it."

Simone also praised the contributions of Isaac Delahaye, who came into the band in 2009. "The guitars are definitely more brutal," she said. "Also in the mix, the melodies, the grooves, and I think that ever since Isaac joined the band, not only as a songwriter but also the guitars have been lifted to a different level, and have become more interesting to listen to, I find myself. So I'm a big fan of his guitar work and also his songwriting."

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA will release its sixth full-length album, "Transit Blues", on October 7 via Rise Records. It follows last year's "Space" EP that bowed at No. 18 on The Billboard 200 and earned widespread acclaim. Upholding a career-long tradition of progression and perseverance, the group's new record represents another natural evolution. The band retreated to both Watertown, Wisconsin and Sawyer, Michigan last winter to write "Transit Blues", for the first time living and creating in a shared, full time space. They re-teamed with "Space" producer Dan Korneff (PIERCE THE VEIL, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE) in the spring of 2016 to record the 11-track effort. Overall, the album reflects themes of transition, separation, and mourning. "It's like zooming out on a commute," explains singer Mike Hranica. "It's the notion of getting from one place to another. Most people go from their homes to work while we go from date to date on tour. Either way, it's the inevitable process of growth and change. There are moments of anger, but the pervading theme is separation. Drawing the full circle, it is separation that is inherent in moving from one place to another." Last week, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA unleashed the first single "Daughter", and it racked up nearly 270,000 views in less than a week. A marriage of metallic elegance, punk immediacy and sweeping alternative, the track nods to a passion Hranica has yet to properly write about: literature. Specifically, it takes a page from Simone de Beauvoir's novel "The Mandarins". "It's strange," smiles Hranica. "I will write EPs based on subjects that aren't super close to my heart like 'Zombie' or 'Space' because it opens the door for me to make my own stories based off the topics. When we did 'Transit Blues', it was only natural to incorporate fiction. 'Daughter' is the most forthright example."

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA is Mike Hranica (vocals), Jeremy DePoyster (rhythm guitar, clean vocals), Andy Trick (bass) and Kyle Sipress (lead guitar).

Sitting behind the drum kit for the "Daughter" video shoot was Guiseppe Antonio Capolupo (HASTE THE DAY), who has also joined THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA on the road. His addition to THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA follows the departure of Daniel Williams, whose exit from the band was made public earlier in the month.

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA performed at the Chicago Open Air festival on July 15 and embarked on a short, intimate club tour last week, starting at Cleveland's Grog Shop on July 18. The run will wrap up in Springfield, Missouri at the end of the month. Photo credit: Anthony Barlich

Dutch doom death metal pioneers ASPHYX will release their new studio album, "Incoming Death", on September 30 via Century Media Records. The follow-up to 2012's "Deathhammer" was recorded at several diffferent studios throughout 2016 and was once more mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö, who previously worked with the band on the "Deathhammer", "Death…The Brutal Way" and "Live Death Doom" releases.

"Incoming Death" track listing:

01. Candiru02. Division Brandenburg03. Wardroid04. The Feeder05. It Came From The Skies06. The Grand Denial07. Incoming Death08. Forerunners Of The Apocalypse09. Subterra Incognita10. Wildland Fire11. Death: The Only Immortal Commented ASPHYX vocalist Martin Van Drunen: "'Incoming Death', the third ASPHYX album after our resurrection in 2007, contains 11 furious songs in the traditional death/doom style which we are known for so well. Only more unmerciful than ever! Lyrical themes include gore humor, death, doom, war, sci-fi, the varying trustworthy ASPHYX subjects, each fusing perfectly with the metal of the tracks. "The album title already existed two or three years ago, being a phrase that doesn't really exist but refers to what entrenched soldiers cry out when under severe artillery fire. Thus 'Incoming Death' implies another relentless bombardment of monstrous ASPHYX death/doom metal!" The "Incoming Death" artwork was once again created by longtime cover artist Axel Hermann (SODOM, GRAVE, MORGOTH), who commented: "'Incoming Death' is my tenth collaboration with ASPHYX. Instead of visualizing the obvious, which would have been a reaper just collecting the soul of a dying man on his deathbed, I tried a maybe more sinister approach, simply by giving the concept a slightly different twist. A demon-infested living cemetery filled with decaying souls, forever being tortured with their own consciousness...or worse!" Martin added: "Of course, no ASPHYX release without the magnificent cover art of Axel Hermann, whose interpretation of the title fits superb with the atmosphere of the recordings. His demons are ours and soon they will be yours too!" "Deathhammer" entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 67. The CD was released in February 2012 via Century Media Records. ASPHYX is:

Paul Baayens - GuitarAlwin Zuur - BassMartin Van Drunen - VocalsStefan "Husky" Hüskens - Drums

PIERCE THE VEIL's music video for the song "Circles" can be seen below. The clip was directed by Drew Russ who helmed the band's 2012 "King For A Day" video that has accumulated more than 70 million YouTube views. The video's concept is loosely based on the 1991 feature film "Nothing But Trouble" that was directed and written by Dan Aykroyd and starred Chevy Chase, John Candy and Aykroyd. PTV is on tour, on the road, their bus pulls up to their hotel for the night, and the second thoughts about this hotel start immediately. The hotel's bar serves drinks laced with snakes, bugs, eyeballs, and other animal parts, the hotel rooms are decorated in "crazy" — rooms full of mirrors. rooms full of rotting food, rooms full of skeletons and mystery stains. San Francisco morning radio host and former MTV VJ Matt Pinfield plays a featured role as an obsessed and very creepy old man.

"Circles", currently a Top 40 track at alternative radio, a is taken from the band's long-awaited and critically-acclaimed new album, "Misadventures", that debuted at #4 on the Billboard Top 200 chart. PIERCE THE VEIL, nominated for "Bandom of the Year," performed the track on last night's broadcast of MTV's Fandom Awards. The band recently completed the sold-out U.S. "Misadventures Tour" and just announced the "Made to Destroy Tour", presented by Journeys, a seven-week North American trek that kicks off on September 3. The band also recently announced a UK tour to follow this winter.

Photo credit: Jonathan Weiner

ARMORED SAINT guitarist Phil Sandoval (pictured) will sit out the band's festival appearances in Germany next week so that he can stay home and be with his girlfriend while they expect their first child. The group states: "We have enlisted the help of guitarist Matt Price from BEHOLD! THE MONOLITH to step up and fill in for Phil for these three festivals in Germany.

"Phil will miss seeing all of you this time but he promises to 'deliver' once he returns for the dates we have booked in the fall.

"Please help us wish Phil and his girlfriend a positive and safe delivery."

Affected shows:

July 28 - Headbangers Open Air - Brande-Hörnerkirchen, DEJuly 29 - Saarmagedon Festival - Saarbrucken, DEJuly 30 - Noord Open Air - Essen, DE

ARMORED SAINT will join forces with progressive metal veterans QUEENSRŸCHE for a U.S. tour in the fall. The month-long trek will kick off on November 15 in Seattle, Washington and conclude on December 15 in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Also appearing on the bill will be MIDNIGHT ETERNAL.

ARMORED SAINT's seventh studio album, "Win Hands Down", was released in June 2015 in North America via Metal Blade.

Regarding the songwriting process for "Win Hands Down", ARMORED SAINT bassist Joey Vera told Metal Forces magazine: "[Singer John Bush and I] always have these discussions — him and I — about what we're gonna do, and the state of the music. We look at our past a little bit, and we look at what our intentions are gonna be. We usually have the same conversation, and it goes something like this. For one thing, we never wanna repeat ourselves. We don't want to just make part two of another record that we made and at the same time; we want to experiment more. We want to push ourselves as far as the soundscapes go, and as far as instrumentation or arrangements go. We never wanna go out and just make a record that is obligatory, you know what I mean? We never wanna feel like we're obliged to please a group of fans, let's say, where all they wanna hear is 'Symbol Of Salvation' over and over and over. We never wanna do that. We always have to make music that's basically pleasing to ourselves first. Now, that's not to say that we are willing to just completely abandon everybody. We are well aware of where we come from and what the lineage is of our group. Once we decided on that, then that's the conversation we continued to remind ourselves of along the way, like, 'How can we make this bigger, better and more interesting? Let's be challenging to ourselves a little bit.' That's usually the conversation we have."

More than thirty people were arrested Saturday night (July 23) at the GUNS N' ROSES concert at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Sgt. First Class Gregory Williams, a spokesman for the New Jersey State Police, said a 30-year-old woman was arrested during the event and charged with aggravated assault on a police officer. She remained in police custody Sunday night.

Williams told NJ 101.5 that there were several other arrests during the show for charges ranging from marijuana possession to solicitation, including:

* 9 disorderly conduct arrests;* 11 solicitation arrests;* 1 arrest for “open lewdness”;* 1 resisting arrest charge;* 2 arrests for simple assault;* 1 charge of harassment;* 3 criminal trespassing arrests; and* 1 arrest for possession of under 50 grams of marijuana.

GUNS N' ROSES played another show Sunday at MetLife Stadium, which which has a maximum capacity for concerts at around 50,000-55,000.

In other news, WickedLocal.com reported that two employees at Gillette Stadium were arrested and charged breaking into a fellow employee's car during GUNS N' ROSES concert in Foxborough, Massachusetts last Tuesday (July 19).

The men were charged with breaking and entering a motor vehicle, receiving stolen property over $250 and possession of marijuana with intent to distribute.

A review of the stadium's video surveillance footage revealed that two people got out of a vehicle and took the items from the victim's car and then put it into their own vehicle. The men had forced a window open in the vehicle to gain entry.

The two were placed under arrest and the items were recovered.

According to The Sun Chronicle, a total of four people were arrested and another sixteen were taken into protective custody for intoxication during Tuesday night's GUNS N' ROSES concert at at Gillette Stadium, which was attended by 42,100 fans. At Wednesday's (July 20) GUNS N' ROSES performance at the same stadium, where there were 21,700 in attendance, there were a total of six arrests and five taken into protective custody.

Rock legends Twisted Sister performed at the Hell & Heaven Festival in Mexico City on July 23rd as part of their Forty And Fuck It farewell tour. The show was streamed live and the first clip has surfaced on line. Check it out below, expect to see the entire gig online soon.

According to TeamRock.com, Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French will take part in a Q&A with fans at a screening of We Are Twisted F*cking Sister in London, England next month. He will join the film's director Andrew Horn at the event at Prince Charles cinema in Leicester Square on August 10th. Tickets are available at this location.

Following on the heels of the critically acclaimed documentary film We Are Twisted F*cking Sister! comes a deluxe box set chronicling the meteoric rise of the legendary glam rock outfit who strutted their way to the top of the music scene in high heels and fishnet stockings. Featuring three full length vintage live recordings dating back to the group’s late ‘70s, early ‘80s heyday, this incredible release, titled Rock ‘N’ Roll Saviors - The Early Years, is available now via Deadline Music.

In addition to the classic Twisted Sister lineup of vocalist Dee Snider, guitarists Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda, and bassist Mark “The Animal” Mendoza, these recordings feature early drummers Tony Petri and Ritchie Teeter as well as the man who earned the spot as permanent drummer, the brilliant A.J. Pero, whose passing last year was mourned across the entire rock universe.

All together, these legends of crazed, cross-dressing hard rock mayhem absolutely slay on stage with performances of the early classics “Rock ’N’ Roll Saviors,” “The Kids Are Back,” “What You Don’t Know (Sure Can Hurt You),” “Ride To Live, Live To Ride” and many, many more.

Each concert CD comes in its own individual wallet with inner sleeve and the whole set is packaged in a lavish, red velvet-lined box with pop up mirror. In addition to the CDs, inside the box is a gorgeous full-color 20-page booklet of rare photos and extensive liner notes written by music journalist Malcolm Dome, plus three signature guitar picks, a custom bright pink lipstick tube, and a backstage pass. It’s everything you need to properly celebrate this extraordinary band.

Tracklisting:

Disc 1: 1979 Detroit Club
“Rock 'N' Roll Saviors”
“Pay The Price”
“Follow Me”
“Under The Blade”
Guitar Solo
“Can't Stand Still”
“Lady's Boy”
“Workin' On You Baby”
“Come Back”
“Without You”
“Chinese Hustle”
“I’ll Never Grow Up Now”
“Plastic Money”
“Johnny B Goode”
“Rock 'N' Roll Saviors”

Disc 2: 1980 Hammerheads
“What You Don't Know (Sure Can Hurt You)”
“Come Back”
“Bad Boys”
“Destroyer”
“Pay The Price”
“Without You”
“Under The Blade”
“Rock 'N' Roll Saviors”
“Plastic Money”
“You Know I Cry”
“I'll Never Grow Up Now!”
“Born To Be Wild”

Disc 3: 1983 Donington
“What You Don't Know (Sure Can Hurt You)”
“The Kids Are Back”
“Shoot 'Em Down”
“Destroyer”
“Like a Knife In The Back”
“Ride To Live, Live To Ride”
“We're Gonna Make It”
“You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll”
“I Am Me (I'm Me)”
“It's Only Rock 'N' Roll”

Buy the CD. Buy the digital version.

Kansas-based death metal unit Unmerciful - which unites the extreme metal ingenuity of bassist Jeremy Turner (ex-Origin), guitarists Justin Payne and Clint Appelhanz (ex-Origin), drummer John Lonstreth (Dim Mak, Origin, ex-Gorguts etc.), and vocalist Kris Bolton (D.F.W.B.) – has released the sonic brutality of their Ravenous Impulse full-length via Unique Leader Records. Captured at Appelhanz's own Waveworks Studio with drums recorded at Chapman Studios (Origin, Tech N9NE) with longtime producer and friend, Robert Rebeck, Ravenous Impulse raises the proverbial bar of inexorable, unsparing, belligerent, and plainly vicious death metal. Stream the whole album on Bandcamp.

Ravenous Impulse is available on CD, vinyl, and digital. For various bundles head to this location.

Tracklisting:

“Unmerciful”
“Abscission”
“Ravenous Impulse”
“Sociopathic Predation”
“Kill Reflex”
“Habitual Savagery”
“Enduring Torture”
“Kingdom Of Serpents”
“Methodic Absolution”

Founded in 2001, Unmerciful released its debut, Unmercifully Beaten, in 2006. With intensive tour runs from 2006 through 2009 with the likes of Cannibal Corpse, Dying Fetus, Necrophagist, Decrepit Birth, Cryptopsy, and more, the band went through various personnel changes before deciding to disband in 2009. What started out as just a reunion show in 2012, quickly returned the band to working status. With consistent live shows and numerous metal fest appearances, the band released a self-titled demo in 2014 as a first step in the process to completing its first full-length release in nearly a decade. After the abrupt departure of drummer James King, John Longstreth was enlisted to record drums for Ravenous Impulse.

Translation Loss has announced the signing of the ambitious death/black metal band, Bhavachakra. The Floridian quartet will release their eponymous album via the label on Septeber 23rd later this year.

The word "Bhavachakra" itself coming from eastern theology; the name is given to the depiction of a large demon holding a wheel, which represents each of the different realms of rebirth one may find themselves in, depending on their karma in the cycle of life. It is these very concepts and lyrical themes the band employs on their crushing debut full-length.

Bhavachakra founder Kenneth Redar comments on the premiere: 

"Kali Yuga is the name given to the fourth and final epoch in the procession of epochs that must reach their conclusion before the Universe is born again and starts over anew. Kali Yuga is the age of vice. The age of materialism, chaos and pain. The darkest of the four ages and the one we currently find ourselves living in. Kali Yuga, the last song on the album, is about an awareness of existing in this age and coming together as a collective organism to move beyond material and interpersonal strife."

Redar continues to discuss the full-length and signing:

"This first Bhavachakra album (Self-titled), our full length debut, is the result of a series of compositions written in 2014/2015. This being the first album I've written completely on my own it was also a new opportunity to tackle conceptual / lyrical material I've always been impassioned about. Concepts ranging from Buddhism / Hinduism, duality, the cosmos and our rapidly deteriorating planet. Musical influences included Gorguts, Krallice, 1349, Deathspell Omega and others. I was very excited when Translation Loss Records expressed interest in releasing this album. Their roster rich with artists and bands I've always greatly respected and admired such as Dysrhythmia, Rosetta and Intronaut. We're honored to be working with Translation Loss Records to release the Bhavachakra debut full-length in physical form."

Tracklisting:

“Intro”
“Sri Yantra”
“Oceans Of Existence”
“The Burden Of Attachment”
“Prelude”
“Sybaritic Apparitions”
“Rivers Of Transmigration”
“The Diadem Of Thought”
“Untitled” (instrumental)
“Avalokiteśvara”
“Kali Yuga”

“Kali Yuga”:

Bhavachakra by Bhavachakra

On October 7th, Greyhaze Records will release a vinyl LP reissue of Die Hard - the only official, comprehensive demo collection of Brazilian black/death metal cult act Sarcofago.

 
Beautifully packaged as a double-LP with gatefold jacket, the album will be available on black and limited-edition yellow vinyl, including an over-sized booklet and poster, as well as liner notes by Sarcofago front man Wagner Antichrist. Die Hard includes material that had never before been made available, such as the band's very first demo recording, as well as material recorded for “Rotting” and “The Laws Of Scourge”. Renowned artist Zbigniew Bielak (Ghost, Watain) created the artwork for a very limited slipcase version of the vinyl reissue. The album can be streamed in its entirety on Bandcamp. Preorders are being taken at Greyhaze Records.

Sarcofago's influence and legacy in the realm of extreme metal cannot be overstated. Classics like INRI, Rotting, and The Laws Of Scourge have paved the way for a large number of bands spanning various genres such as black and death metal. The band's demos have been shamelessly bootlegged for decades and demand for an official demo collection has been constant.

With upcoming performances in their home province of Ontario that includes a show date with Abiotic and Vesperia (listed below), Toronto's Sludgehammer have posted their new video “Ectogenesis” from their recently released debut full-length The Fallen Sun.

Tour dates:

July
29 - Oshawa, ON - The Atria (with Caym, Backlash, Astaroth)

August
27 - Oshawa, ON - The Atria (with Abiotic, Vesperia)

The band released The Fallen Sun on June 10th. The album was self-produced by the band and mixed by guitarist Tyler Williams and mastered by world renowned producer and engineer Lasse Lammert (Gloryhammer, Alestorm, Teramaze) at LSD Studio in Germany.

Tracklisting:

“Demons From The Woodwork”
“Intestines Entwined”
“The Black Abyss”
“Ectogenesis”
“Carrion Eater”
“Consuming Afterbirth”
“Carnivorous Forest”
“Utopian”
“Revolting”
“Organ Harvester”
“Casualties”

“Carrion Eater” video:

“Demons From The Woodwork”:

(Photo - Hayden John Wolf)

Swedish heavy metal heroes Sabaton will release their new album The Last Stand on August 19th via Nuclear Blast. A fourth video trailer for the new album, once again produced by Peter Tägtgren (Pain, Hypocrisy), has been released. All four trailers can be seen below:

Trailer #1

Trailer #2:

Trailer #3:

Trailer #4:

The album can be pre-ordered in various formats here, or digitally here.

CD+DVD tracklisting:

CD
“Sparta”
“Last Dying Breath”
“Blood Of Bannockburn”
“Diary Of An Unknown Soldier”
“The Lost Battalion”
“Rorke’s Drift”
“The Last Stand”
“Hill 3234”
“Shiroyama”
“Winged Hussars”
“The Last Battle”

Bonus:
“Camouflage”
“All Guns Blazing”

DVD - Live @ Stereolux, Nantes (France)
“Intro (The March To War)”
“Ghost Division”
“Far From The Fame”
“Uprising”
“Midway”
“Gott Mit Uns”
“Resist And Bite”
“Wolfpack”
“Dominium Maris Baltici”
“Carolus Rex”
“Swedish Pagans”
“Soldier Of 3 Armies”
“Attero Dominatus”
“The Art Of War”
“Wind Of Change”
“To Hell And Back”
“Night Witches”
“Primo Victoria”
“Metal Crüe”

CD tracklisting:

“Sparta”
“Last Dying Breath”
“Blood Of Bannockburn”
“Diary Of An Unknown Soldier”
“The Lost Battalion”
“Rorke’s Drift”
“The Last Stand”
“Hill 3234”
“Shiroyama”
“Winged Hussars”
“The Last Battle”

Earbook tracklisting:

CD
“Sparta”
“Last Dying Breath”
“Blood Of Bannockburn”
“Diary Of An Unknown Soldier”
“The Lost Battalion”
“Rorke’s Drift”
“The Last Stand”
“Hill 3234”
“Shiroyama”
“Winged Hussars”
“The Last Battle”

Bonus:
“Camouflage”
“All Guns Blazing”
“Afraid To Shoot Strangers”

DVD - Live @ Stereolux, Nantes (France)
“Intro (The March To War)”
“Ghost Division”
“Far From The Fame”
“Uprising”
“Midway”
“Gott Mit Uns”
“Resist And Bite”
“Wolfpack”
“Dominium Maris Baltici”
“Carolus Rex”
“Swedish Pagans”
“Soldier Of 3 Armies”
“Attero Dominatus”
“The Art Of War”
“Wind Of Change”
“To Hell And Back”
“Night Witches”
“Primo Victoria”
“Metal Crüe”

Live CD - Live @ Stereolux, Nantes (France)
“Intro (The March To War)”
“Ghost Division”
“Far From The Fame”
“Uprising”
“Midway”
“Gott Mit Uns”
“Resist And Bite”
“Wolfpack”
“Dominium Maris Baltici”
“Carolus Rex”
“Swedish Pagans”
“Soldier Of 3 Armies”
“Attero Dominatus”
“The Art Of War”
“Wind Of Change”
“To Hell And Back”
“Night Witches”
“Primo Victoria”
“Metal Crüe”

2LP - 45 RPM tracklisting

Side A
“Sparta”
“Last Dying Breath”
“Blood Of Bannockburn”
“Diary Of An Unknown Soldier”
“The Lost Battalion”

Side B
“Rorke’s Drift”
“The Last Stand”
“Hill 3234”
“Shiroyama”

Side C
“Winged Hussars”
“The Last Battle”

Side D (Bonus)
“Camouflage”
“All Guns Blazing”

"Blood Of Bannockburn" lyric video:

“The Lost Battalion” lyric video:

The Last Tour is the biggest tour of Sabaton yet and is scheduled to kick off January 7th at König Pilsener Arena in Oberhausen, Germany. Very special guests are none other than heavy metal legends Accept. Find Sabaton’s complete tour itinerary at this location.

Atlanta's southern rock sons, Blackberry Smoke, have announced their brand new studio album, Like An Arrow. Set for release on October 14th via Earache Records, Like An Arrow follows the band's 2015 album, Holding All The Roses, which landed in the Top 50 on album charts around the world upon release, including the UK, US, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Norway and The Netherlands, as well as taking the top spot in the UK Rock Chart and the US Country Chart.

Check out the album's lead track, “Waiting For The Thunder”, streaming below.

Blackberry Smoke frontman Charlie Starr discusses the track: "Simply put, it's a rock and roll song. It's the statement we want to make, musically. Lyrically, I think maybe it touches on how crazy the world seems right now."

Like An Arrow features 12 rocking new hits, including a track featuring The Allman Brothers Band’s very own Gregg Allman. The album was recorded and mixed by Billy Joe Bowers at The Quarry Recording Studio in Kenneshaw, Georgia, and was produced by Blackberry Smoke with sleeve artwork created by Alex Hagen.

Pre-order Like An Arrow now on limited edition signed CD and coloured vinyl, as well as regular CD, vinyl, and various merch bundles at this location.

Tracklisting:

“Waiting For The Thunder”
“Let It Burn”
“The Good Life”
“What Comes Naturally”
“Running Through Time”
“Like An Arrow”
“Ought To Know”
“Sunrise In Texas”
“Ain't Gonna Wait”
“Workin' For A Workin' Man”
“Believe You Me”
“Free On The Wing” (feat. Gregg Allman)

“Waiting For The Thunder”:

Carnifex have released a video for the title track of their new album, Slow Death. The album lands on August 5th via Nuclear Blast, and is available for pre-order at this location.

The Slow Death album was produced and recorded by Carnifex and Mick Kenney (Anaal Nathrakh, Bleeding Through), and co-produced by Jason Suecof (Death Angel, Chelsea Grin, Job For A Cowboy). It was mixed by Mark Lewis (The Black Dahlia Murder, Whitechapel, Devildriver, Deicide) at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida. Cover art was created by renowned artist and longtime collaborator, Godmachine.

Slow Death tracklisting:

“Dark Heart Ceremony”
“Slow Death”
“Drown Me In Blood”
“Pale Ghost”
“Black Candles Burning”
“Six Feet Closer To Hell”
“Necrotoxic”
“Life Fades To A Funeral”
“Countess Of The Crescent Moon”
“Servants To The Horde”

"Six Feet Closer To Hell" lyric video:

"Six Feet Closer To Hell" 360-degree play through video:

Studio report videos:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Catch Carnifex on tour as part of Summer Slaughter, alongside Cannibal Corpse, Nile, Suffocation, and more. Confirmed dates are as listed:

July
23 - Ft. Lauderdale, Florida - Culture Room
24 - Tampa, Florida - The Ritz
26 - Knoxville, Tennessee - The International
27 - Baltimore, Maryland - Rams Head Live!
28 - New York, New York - Webster Hall
29 - Poughkeepsie, New York - The Chance
30 - Worcester, Massachusetts - The Palladium
31 - Cleveland, Ohio - Agora Theatre

August
2 - Minneapolis, Minnesota - The Cabooze
3 - Chicago, Illinois - Concord Music Hall
5 - Denver, Colorado - The Summit Music Hall
6 - Salt Lake City, Utah - The Complex
8 - Seattle, Washington - Showbox SODO
10 - San Francisco, California - The Regency Ballroom
11 - Santa Ana, California - The Observatory
12 - Los Angeles, California - The Novo
13 - Tempe, Arizona - The Marquee
15 - Dallas, Texas - Gas Monkey Live
16 - Austin, Texas - Empire Control Room
17 - Houston, Texas - Warehoue Live
19 - Richmond, Virginia - The National
20 - Wilmington, North Carolina - Ziggy's By The Sea
21 - Atlanta, Georgia - The Masquerade

Now based in New York, Swedish technical death metal band Armageddon are re-releasing their classic album, Crossing The Rubicon, later this year .

Produced by Fredrik Nordström at Studio Fredman in Göteborg, Sweden, Armageddon’s debut album was originally released in May 1997. Celebrating its 20th anniversary, Crossing The Rubicon really generated waves when it came out, probably one of the most accomplished Swedish metal debut albums ever released.

Christopher Amott remembers: “The creation of the whole project was a collaboration between me and Michael (Christopher’ brother now playing in Arch Enemy). We are both sci-fi fans. The album is a concept album about the destruction of the planet, and the escape and subsequent adventures of the earth’s survivors. Apart from the obvious metal influences, we were also looking towards bands like YES and Rush for the conceptual progressive rock feel of the 70s - hence our decision to give each member a solo track. Michael and I were less than thrilled when the movie Armageddon came out a year after Armageddon’s debut. It was also a crap movie."

After the release of their latest album, Captivity And Devourment, released in 2015, Armageddon played their first show outside the US at the prestigious Loudpark festival in Tokyo last year: “Having played the Loud Park Festival numerous times with Arch Enemy, it was great to be on stage with Armageddon and to present my new band to the Japanese audience. It was a magical moment for all of us - we’d worked hard, with the Captivity And Devourment album, to come to this point. Playing in Japan is always a great experience. The stage crew is always of the highest quality, and everything is well organized. The fans are very kind and receptive to the music. They’re genuine music fans, as I’m sure you’ve heard. This case was no exception. It was amazing to hear the melodies that I wrote in my bedroom being chanted by thousands of people.”

Christopher adds he was very thrilled to play Japan with his buddies in Arch Enemy’s Black Earth album era with the Black Earth project earlier this year as well: “I hadn’t played with Johan (J. Liiva first Arch Enemy vocalist) since 1999, so that was great - to be back on stage with him. His voice sounded better than ever. It was special to bring back the old sound of Arch Enemy once again. I love the old Arch Enemy style, with its 70s rock influence and rawer, old-school death metal touch. The three first albums with Arch Enemy were extremely successful in Japan, and we were expecting an older audience. But the crowd was very mixed, with a lot of younger Arch Enemy fans. It was definitely a unique experience: different from what Arch Enemy evolved into, and different from Armageddon. Also, it’s been a long, long time since I’ve been in a band where everyone speaks Swedish, so it was a pretty hilarious atmosphere. Between the shared language and the 20-plus years of common references, we were joking around 90% of the time, and nobody else could understand us.”

More news on Crossing The Rubicon - Revisited coming soon.

Armageddon lineup 2016:

Antony Hämäläinen - Lead vocals
Christopher Amott - Guitars and clean vocals
Joey Concepcion - Guitars
Andrew Pevny - Bass
Márton Veress - Drums

(Photo - Armageddon Facebook)

The Pineapple Thief will return with its most ambitious studio album to date, Your Wilderness, on August 12th (August 19th in France) via Kscope. A video for the album track “In Exile” can be found below.

Frontman Bruce Soord comments: “”In Exile” is the first track on our new album and I think it sets the tone perfectly. To me, it's immediately apparent to the listener how important Gavin [Harrison's] drumming is, as well as Darran [Charles'] fantastic guitar work - not to take away anything from the three of us in the band of course! As for the meaning, it's a song about estrangement."

Your Wilderness, the band's 11th studio album, showcases the group performing without any inhibitions, providing a springboard for the ongoing creative growth of The Pineapple Thief.

"The new album was a joy to make. More so than any other The Pineapple Thief album before it," commented Bruce Soord. "Everything came together so effortlessly and I think this comes across when you hear the record."

For the first time, The Pineapple Thief has brought in several special guest performers. Bruce Soord added: "Since our last album Magnolia, the most eye catching change is obviously having Gavin Harrison contribute drums throughout the album. This has not only redefined our sound, but also redefined how we approached the songs as a band.  Gavin's drumming is technically brilliant, but also incredibly musical, and it inspired all of us to raise our game. I've also rediscovered my progressive roots in terms of song-writing and arrangement. Added to that, we were lucky enough to have John Helliwell from Supertramp contribute some beautiful clarinet parts and Geoffrey Richardson (Caravan) provided a string quartet. We were also joined by a lovely four piece choir and, to cap it all off, my friend Darran Charles (Godsticks) added some jaw dropping guitar playing... You've never heard a The Pineapple Thief album like this one!  I am convinced people will love this record as much as we do."

Your Wilderness was recorded entirely by the band with the exception of the drums, which Gavin Harrison produced and engineered at his own studio. The string quartet which was recorded at Geoffrey's own studio in Canterbury. The album was mixed and produced by Bruce Soord and Steve Kitch with mastering duties also carried out by Kitch. There will be a special lossless 5.1 surround mix available with the special edition mixed by Soord.

Cover artist Carl Glover's thought provoking collection of photographs perfectly compliment the concept of the album, something which Soord is tight lipped about. "It should reveal itself to the listener and be open to interpretation. I don't want what it means to me to influence how it affects you."

Your Wilderness will be released on CD, LP, digitally and as a special deluxe hardbook. All formats available for pre-order at this location.

Tracklisting:

“In Exile”
“No Man’s Land”
“Tear You Up”
“That Shore”
“Take Your Shot”
“Fend For Yourself”
“The Final Thing On My Mind”
“Where We Stood”

“No Man’s Land” lyric video:

Teaser:

Despised Icon released their Nuclear Blast debut, Beast, today, July 22nd. To coincide with the band's first release since 2009's Day Of Mourning, they have released a full band performance of the track "Inner Demons". View the footage presented by ICI Musique/Radio-Canada, below:

The new album was produced and engineered by former guitarist Yannick St-Amand (Beneath The Massacre, Neuraxis) and mixed/mastered by Andy Sneap (Megadeth, Opeth, Nevermore). Artwork was created by Alexandre Goulet. Order here.

"It's been 7 years since our last record and our batteries are fully recharged," comments the band. "The O.G. lineup is back and the new shit hits hard. You'll hear sounds of our older slammin' death metal days blended with the speed and technicality of our latest records. Cheers to everyone that has stood by us after all these years. Can't wait to unleash the Beast."

Beast tracklisting:

“The Aftermath”
“Inner Demons”
“Drapeau Noir”
“Bad Vibes”
“Dedicated To Extinction”
“Grind Forever”
“Time Bomb”
“One Last Martini”
“Doomed”
“Beast”

"Bad Vibes" video:

"The Aftermath" video:

"Beast" video:

Despised Icon’s live itinerary can be found here.

(Photo - Charlie Baron)

Swedish adventure metallers, Twilight Force, have released a third video trailer for their upcoming new studio album, Heroes Of Mighty Magic, out on August 26th through Nuclear Blast. Find the new trailer below.

The band recently announced the guest bards on their forthcoming record. Fabio Lione from Rhapsody Of Fire joins them on “There And Back Again” and Joakim Brodén from Sabaton on the title track, “Heroes Of Mighty Magic”.

Joakim commented: "When one of the best bands to come out of Sweden in a long time turns out to be your friends and people you have played with many times over the years, it's quite easy to feel proud about being invited to sing on the title-track on their new album, fantastic!"

Twilight Force comments: “It is an honour to have two of the most powerful, esteemed and renowned voices of the genre appear on Heroes Of Mighty Magic. Joakim Brodén and Fabio Lione are two very different sonic entities. They each bring something very unique and captivating to our tonal landscape. Our old and revered friend Joakim appears on the title track of the album, and provides an excellent contrast to Chrileon's voice, at just the right moment in the song. Nothing in the world even comes close to Joakim's unbelievably mighty voice! Fabio did an amazing performance on 'There And Back Again'. He entered the Twilight Forge with a brave and proud mind, emerged victoriously and left us in complete awe. His familiar voice provided the track with an absolutely magical contribution. We feel really humbled and grateful to have been given the opportunity to create something alongside these two titans of the genre!”

Heroes Of Mighty Magic tracklisting:

“Battle Of Arcane Might”
“Powerwind”
“Guardian Of The Seas”
“Flight Of The Sapphire Dragon”
“There And Back Again”
“Riders Of The Dawn”
“Keepers Of Fate”
“Rise Of A Hero”
“To The Stars”
“Heroes Of Mighty Magic”
“Epilogue”
“Knights Of Twilight's Might”

“Battle Of Arcane Might” lyric video:

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

Trailer #3:

"This next opus of Twilight Force will be a journey unlike any you have ever experienced. While we are still staying true to the essence of power metal, the songs, sounds and magic adventures have all evolved from the once drake hatchling into a colossal arcane arch-dragon. The time, effort and primordial wisdom that we have invested into this album is truly immeasurable, and we profoundly hope that this will shine through upon our venerated audience."

(Photo - Twilight Force Facebook)

LINKIN PARK's Mike Shinoda has defended Chester Bennington's comment that the band's debut album "kept metal alive."

In a recent interview with Metal Hammer, the LINKIN PARK singer talked about fans approaching him to gush about his influence on them: "I met a kid a few days ago who said, 'You were the first rock band I ever listened to' and I hear that all the time. Every one of them was either, 'Your band was my first record.' Or, 'Your band is the reason I'm playing music.'"

Bennington went on, saying that when the band played the Vans Warped Tour in 2014, they invited other artists to perform, every single artists "was either, 'Your band was my first record.' Or, 'Your band is the reason I'm playing music.'"

He said that experience made him realize that "we were the band that people looked at in the way that I look at DEFTONES, METALLICA and STONE TEMPLE PILOTS."

Bennington added: "In my opinion we actually kept metal alive."

After a number of web sites, including BLABBERMOUTH.NET, reported on Chester's comments, Shinoda took to his Twitter account to chime in. He wrote: "Bunch of rock outlets taking Chester's 'kept metal alive' quote out of context today. So dumb. Its click bait, don't fall for it. He basically said that pop music was ruling the world, and we made a case for (commercially) viable heavy music. NBD [No Big Deal] Maybe not the best choice of words, but the sentiment wasn't as outrageous as today's rock news would have you think."

Both Bennington and Shinoda have said that the band's return to heavier sounds on their last studio album, "The Hunting Party", was partially a reaction to the more subdued music being played on Modern Rock radio.

LINKIN PARK is currently working on the follow-up to "The Hunting Party" for a 2017 release.

Bunch of rock outlets taking Chester's "kept metal alive" quote out of context today. So dumb. Its click bait, don't fall for it.

— Mike Shinoda (@mikeshinoda) July 22, 2016

He basically said that pop music was ruling the world, and we made a case for (commercially) viable heavy music. NBD

— Mike Shinoda (@mikeshinoda) July 22, 2016

Maybe not the best choice of words, but the sentiment wasn't as outrageous as today's rock news would have you think.

— Mike Shinoda (@mikeshinoda) July 22, 2016

Australia's Sticks For Stones recently conducted an interview with guitarist Wolf Hoffmann of German/American metallers ACCEPT. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On AC/DC's decision to hire Axl Rose to front the band after doctors told Brian Johnson he faced a total loss of hearing if he did not stop touring immediately:

Wolf: "It's not really up to me to have an opinion on that. I imagine that they had good reasons why they went with Axl. AC/DC is an amazing machinery that's been successful for so many years, so who am I to comment on their decision? I have no insights [and I don't] know [any] more [about it] than you do, and out of respect to other musicians, I wouldn't dare of having an opinion on it, or publicly voicing it anyhow. I'm sure they had good reasons why they went with Axl. Quite honestly, everybody said… I've heard a lot of people bitching about Axl and stuff, and I thought what I heard sounded pretty damn good to me. Everybody was saying, 'You can never…' But it kind of reminded me a lot of what people were saying when we started with [current ACCEPT singer] Mark Tornillo. At the end of the day, you always have to sort of wait and see and hear and listen and be objective about it, and then have an opinion, not beforehand."

On whether it was a dream come true opening for AC/DC back in 2010:

Wolf: "As you can imagine, man. I've been an AC/DC fan since the '70s. When I first heard about 'em, I got all their albums — still on vinyl back then, of course — and I've been hooked ever since. So to actually be on the same stage with them, and to be on their stage, it was amazing. It was really fantastic. It was two outdoor shows we did in Germany. I guess it was about eighty thousand people each, or sixty, but huge. It was amazing. [I] never met the guys, [I] never got to talk with them. We had to leave while they were playing, and they just came, and I guess they always do, just one minute before the show and they went straight on stage and had no time for anything. And an army of stage managers kept everybody away. Of course, I wanted to go and pay our tribute and shake hands and all that, but it never got that far."

Hoffmann has just released his second solo album, titled "Headbangers Symphony", via Nuclear Blast. The effort is a collection of rock-guitar-driven interpretations of some of classical music's most loved compositions. Wolf took the main pieces, and then wrote riffs that fit them. Lastly, in the grand hard rock tradition, he layered a guitar solo over it. He shaped the sound into a quite adventurous elegance, but the key themes of the originals remained.

According to Billboard, British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN have landed at position No. 8 on the list of the "Top 10 Highest-Grossing Tours" of the first half of 2016.

The band's dates in support of MAIDEN's latest album, "The Book Of Souls", brought in more than $35 million, with almost 540,000 tickets sold for its 34 concert dates.

The following were some of IRON MAIDEN' North and South American concert attendances/grosses, as reported by Billboard magazine:

Artist/Event: IRON MAIDEN, ANTHRAXVenue: Estadio Nacional Jorge Magico GonzalezCity/State: San Salvador, El SalvadorDate: March 6, 2016Gross Sales: $1,331,925Attendance/Capacity: 22,041 / 22,041Ticket Prices: $175, $15

Artist/Event: IRON MAIDEN, ANTHRAXVenue: Estadio Ricardo Saprissa AymaCity/State: San Jose, Costa Rica Date: March 8, 2016Gross Sales: $996,194Attendance/Capacity: 16,655 / 18,000Ticket Prices: $100.36, $32.84

Artist/Event: IRON MAIDEN, ANTHRAXVenue: Estadio NacionalCity/State: Santiago, ChileDate: March 11, 2016Gross Sales: $2,181,940Attendance/Capacity: 54,911 / 56,674Ticket Prices: $123.01, $28.94

Artist/Event: IRON MAIDEN, ANTHRAXVenue: Estadio Mario Alberto KempesCity/State: Cordoba, Argentina Date: March 13, 2016Gross Sales: $857,309Attendance/Capacity: 17,680 / 18,600Ticket Prices: $80.43, $36.86

Artist/Event: IRON MAIDEN, ANTHRAXVenue: Estadio Velez SarsfieldCity/State: Buenos Aires, ArgentinaDate: March 15, 2016Gross Sales: $1,558,520Attendance/Capacity: 32,629 / 32,629Ticket Prices: $77.08, $37.03

Artist/Event: IRON MAIDEN, ANTHRAXVenue: HSBC ArenaCity/State: Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Date: March 17, 2016Gross Sales: $844,709Attendance/Capacity: 12,219 / 12,219Ticket Prices: $156.12, $29.11

Artist/Event: IRON MAIDEN, ANTHRAXVenue: Esplanada do MineiraoCity/State: Belo Horizonte, Brazil Date: March 19, 2016Gross Sales: $1,165,280Attendance/Capacity: 16,844 / 16,844Ticket Prices: $157.31, $34.50

Artist/Event: IRON MAIDEN, ANTHRAXVenue: Ginasio Nilson NelsonCity/State: Brasilia, Brazil Date: March 22, 2016Gross Sales: $631,263Attendance/Capacity: 10,942 / 11,380Ticket Prices: $132.45, $27.59

Artist/Event: IRON MAIDEN, ANTHRAXVenue: Arena CastelaoCity/State: Fortaleza, Brazil Date: March 24, 2016Gross Sales: $1,449,220Attendance/Capacity: 23,531 / 23,531Ticket Prices: $215.35, $13.84

Artist/Event: IRON MAIDEN, ANTHRAXVenue: Allianz ParqueCity/State: Sao Paulo, Brazil Date: March 26, 2016Gross Sales: $2,844,250Attendance/Capacity: 39,583 / 39,583Ticket Prices: $168.17, $27.12

Artist/Event: IRON MAIDEN, THE RAVEN AGEVenue: Madison Square GardenCity/State: New York City, New YorkDate: March 30, 2016Gross Sales: $1,472,331Attendance/Capacity: 13,289 / 13,289Ticket Prices: $125, $64.50

Artist/Event: IRON MAIDEN, THE RAVEN AGEVenue: Bell CentreCity/State: Montreal, Quebec, Canada Date: April 1, 2016Gross Sales: $866,918Attendance/Capacity: 14,963 / 14,963Ticket Prices: $67.47, $42.02

Artist/Event: IRON MAIDEN, THE RAVEN AGEVenue: Air Canada CentreCity/State: Toronto, Ontario, Canada Date: April 3, 2016Gross Sales: $889,288Attendance/Capacity: 13,734 / 13,734Ticket Prices: $74.91, $38.03

Artist/Event: IRON MAIDEN, THE RAVEN AGEVenue: Palace Of Auburn HillsCity/State: Auburn Hills, Michigan Date: April 5, 2016Gross Sales: $750,508Attendance/Capacity: 10,232 / 10,900Ticket Prices: $89.50, $29.50

Artist/Event: IRON MAIDEN, THE RAVEN AGEVenue: United CenterCity/State: Chicago, IllinoisDate: April 6, 2016Gross Sales: $1,085,976Attendance/Capacity: 13,968 / 13,968Ticket Prices: $89.50, $39.50

Artist/Event: IRON MAIDEN, THE RAVEN AGEVenue: Rexall PlaceCity/State: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada Date: April 8, 2016Gross Sales: $842,035Attendance/Capacity: 12,813 / 12,813Ticket Prices: $74.40, $22.51

Artist/Event: IRON MAIDEN, THE RAVEN AGEVenue: Rogers ArenaCity/State: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada Date: April 9, 2016Gross Sales: $794,762Attendance/Capacity: 12,478 / 13,405Ticket Prices: $74.59, $22.57

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).

MAIDEN's sixteenth — and first-ever double — studio album, "The Book Of Souls", was released worldwide on September 4, 2015 through Parlophone Records (BMG in the U.S.A). The CD was recorded in Paris, France with producer Kevin "Caveman" Shirley in late 2014, with the finishing touches added last year.

IRON MAIDEN announced in May 2015 that touring plans to support the album wouldn't happen until this year to allow singer Bruce Dickinson time to fully recuperate after his successful cancer treatment.

"What's special about this tour is that a year ago I didn't even know if I could sing," Dickinson told reporters in February. "We've had an amazing turnaround in fortune after, obviously being ill a year ago, getting rid of that, and getting out and looking forward to doing the tour."

Regarding the fan reception to the new CD and the tour, Dickinson said: "The album was a massive success, and we were about that far [finger and thumb barely separated] off from getting the No. 1 slot [in its debut week on The Billboard 200 chart]. So now, we get to bring it out to the people, and, I mean, there [were] a few tickets left but not many. Pretty much the whole of the U.S. [was] sold out. It's amazing."

SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor had a "fan" ejected from the band's concert in Toronto, calling the spectator "a cunt" and explaining that he has been "doing this too long to deal with that disrespect."

The incident happened while SLIPKNOT was performing the song "(sic)" on July 19 at Air Canada Centre. Fan-filmed video footage shows Taylor pointing at someone in the crowd and saying into the mic: "You don't show me shit, you little pussy." He continues singing the song while keeping his finger pointed at the culprit. Within fifteen seconds, the security apparently reaches the audience member in question and has him escorted out. Taylor can be seen changing his hand gesture into a wave and saying, "Bye bye. Yup. Bye bye, bitch," as the unruly fan is being led out of the venue.

Corey addressed the incident on Twitter a couple of hours later, insisting that the ejected fan was being "a cunt." He added: "And I've been doing this too long to deal with that disrespect."

The SLIPKNOT frontman made headlines earlier in the month when he joined DISTURBED singer David Draiman in having no patience for fans texting or chatting on phones during their shows. A short video clip of Taylor smacking the phone out of the hand of a texting fan during a recent SLIPKNOT concert surfaced online, with Corey later explaining his action by tweeting, "If you're gonna text, stay home." Taylor later claimed in a separate post that the fan "TOTALLY understood the fuckup and we laughed together."

When a female fan responded to Taylor that she always sends a few texts when she's at a show to check on her daughter, Taylor replied, "Fair enough. But you might wanna do it between sets or between songs. Am I right?"

Taylor recently discussed his dislike for people using their phones at concerts in an interview with Detroit radio station WRIF, saying: "So many people have their faces glued to their phones and they're not paying attention...get off your phones and pay attention to what the hell you're doing."

The singer admitted that he sees people looking at their phones "every once in a while" at SLIPKNOT shows, adding, "If they do, they do it from quite a ways back, because I empty whole water bottles into people as soon as I see them staring at their phone or tweeting or whatever."

He added, "People need to unplug and realize that they're missing their lives, dude. It's sad. And that may be me just being an old jerk, but I don't care. I don't care. Truth is truth; it doesn't matter what age you're at."

Taylor told The Pulse Of Radio not long ago that he's long past the point of holding back his anger about things that bother him. "I guess I've just gotten to the point in my life where I'm just tired of holding back," he said. "After a while, you see all this stuff pile up, if you don't say anything man, you're just gonna drive your car into a brick wall, you know. You're just gonna lose it one day and they'll find you running down the boardwalk naked. I've just gotten to the point where it's just like, 'Man, I've got to say something,' just to get it off my own chest."

Taylor is performing with a neck brace on SLIPKNOT's summer North American tour with MARILYN MANSON after undergoing spinal surgery last month.

SCORPIONS guitarist Rudolf Schenker has refused to be drawn into a public war of words with his brother Michael after the former UFO axeman accused him of being "a trick master" and "a wannabe."

Michael Schenker gave a number of interviews in recent months in which he questioned his brother's integrity, going so far as to call Rudolf "a con artist" who "completely adopted [Michael's] image" as his own. He also denounced the SCORPIONS for "distorting" the story of his brief tenure with the band and criticized what he saw as ongoing efforts to minimize the contributions of the group's former drummer Herman Rarebell and ex-bassist Francis Buchholz, as well as SCORPIONS' long-running creative complacency.

During a June 23 interview at the Copenhell festival in Copenhagen, Denmark, Rudolf — who is seven years older than Michael — said that he was aware of the statements that his brother has been making, but that he had no intention of responding to them publicly.

"Some people were sending me stuff [from online interviews where Michael has made some comments]," Rudolf told Nalle Österman of Finland's Etelä-Suomen Media news agency and Iltamakasiini magazine. "But I can say to all these things: I love my brother. He's an outstanding guitar player. That's all what I can say."

Michael Schenker said earlier this year that he was "disappointed" in his 67-year-old brother over the way the SCORPIONS described his time with the band during the writing and recording of the 1979 album "Lovedrive". Michael also claimed that that the SCORPIONS took advantage of him and took credit for his songwriting efforts. It all came to light, Michael said, when he was approached to help with the recent 50th-anniversary SCORPIONS reissues.

Michael told the SiriusXM satellite radio show "Eddie Trunk Live" that he had no intention of reaching out to his older brother to clear the air. He explained: "My side of the street is clear. I'm just very disappointed. And Rudolf has to figure out what to do with his life. It's on his shoulders. He knows exactly what he did. And so I stay away from him as far as I can, because I don't know what else he's got up his sleeve to justify things. He's a trick master, and he's a wannabe. And that's it. He can do whatever he wants. He can enjoy his life on every level that he wants. But I stay away from him. I'm his younger brother. He's basically bullying me and he's doing with me whatever he wants."

Former SENTENCED and POISONBLACK frontman Ville Laihiala has launched a new band called S-TOOL. He is joined in the Finland-based group by drummer Aksu Hanttu (ENTWINE), bassist Kimmo Hiltunen (LULLACRY) and guitarist Sami Leppikangas. Laihiala describes the band’s sound as more straightforward and heavier than POISONBLACK and SENTENCED, and he draws parallels to PANTERA and ENTOMBED.

S-TOOL recently started a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for the recording of the band's debut album. Ville said: "For years, we all have been doing albums with record companies, but hearing, seeing and feeling the people's support at the live shows, fan web sites etc., we'd want to take a different road this time. It would mean a world to us to do it this way. Together. For it is still the fans who keep the bands alive. And, honestly, we do not have the funds to finish the album. So, with whatever amount you can help us will be grately appreciated and remembered."

S-TOOL's video for the song "Shovel Man" can be seen below.

S-TOOL is:

Ville Laihiala (SENTENCED, POISONBLACK) - Vocals, GuitarSami Leppikangas - GuitarKimmo Hiltunen (LULLACRY) - BassAksu Hanttu (ENTWINE) - Drums

POISONBLACK announced last August that it was taking an indefinite hiatus, explaining that it was "time to stop and think about the future." The band's sixth studio album, "Lyijy", was released in September 2013.

Photo credit: Jani Mahkonen / Loma Graphics

Quality fan-filmed video footage of GUNS N' ROSES' July 23 performance at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. It's So Easy02. Mr. Brownstone03. Chinese Democracy04. Welcome To The Jungle05. Double Talkin' Jive06. Estranged07. Live And Let Die (WINGS cover)08. Rocket Queen09. You Could Be Mine10. Attitude (MISFITS cover)11. This I Love12. Civil War13. Coma14. Speak Softly Love (Love Theme From "The Godfather") (ANDY WILLIAMS cover)15. Sweet Child O' Mine16. Better17. Out Ta Get Me18. Wish You Were Here (PINK FLOYD cover)19. November Rain20. Knockin' On Heaven's Door (BOB DYLAN cover)21. Nightrain

Encore:

22. Patience23. The Seeker (THE WHO cover)24. Paradise City

Check out reviews of the concert from Daily News, Newsday.

GUNS N' ROSES' "Not In This Lifetime" stadium tour features classic lineup members Slash (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass) and Axl Rose (vocals) backed by drummer Frank Ferrer, guitarist Richard Fortus, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and new second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

Of the 25 shows GUNS N' ROSES is playing on the "Not In This Lifetime" stadium tour, 12 have either sold out or are close to it, with concert promoter Live Nation saying it expected to sell out five more on an average ticket price of $130.

Live Nation exec Bob Roux predicted the company would sell one million tickets for the tour, roughly 90 percent of what's available. He added that some less well-attended shows were the result of the band playing cities it wanted to play, rather than sticking to the highest population centers that would better guarantee sellouts.

Drummer Steven Adler performed with the reunited GUNS N' ROSES for the second time on July 9 in Nashville, and also spent some time with Slash, McKagan, Ferrer and Reese during soundcheck. Adler joined GUNS for "My Michelle" and "Out Ta Get Me", the same songs he played with them in his first appearance on this tour on July 6 in Cincinnati.

The "Not In This Lifetime" tour will play MetLife Stadium again tonight (Sunday, July 24) before hitting Atlanta, Georgia's Georgia Dome on Wednesday, July 27.

Tampa-based melodic death metal band THE ABSENCE has released its first song in three years, titled "Septic Testament". The track is the band's first to feature their two new guitar players: Joey Concepcion (ARMAGEDDON) and Taylor Nordberg (RIBSPREADER, INFERNAEON).

"Septic Testament" was recorded at Smoke & Mirrors Productions by Jeramie Kling and Taylor Nordberg. It was mixed by David Castillo (BLOODBATH, OPETH, KATATONIA) at Ghost Ward Studios and was mastered by Thomas "Plec" Johansson at The Panic Room. The song is available for purchase at Bandcamp, as well as iTunes, Google Play and Spotify.

THE ABSENCE drummer Jeramie Kling stated about the band's new lineup: "We had Per Nilsson (SCAR SYMMETRY) playing guitar with us when we put out 'Oceans' in 2013, but he was unable to tour with us so we had to find a fill-in guitarist. Taylor and I had played together in INFERNAEON and so we've had him playing with us live since 2013. When Per became tied up with SCAR SYMMETRY full-time, Taylor was the obvious choice to be a permanent member. Then last summer Pat [Pintavalle, guitar] decided to leave the band to pursue his own musical ventures. I had been friends with Joey on Facebook and had seen his insane guitar videos, so we invited him down to jam with us and bam! The rest is history."

THE ABSENCE has finished writing a full-length album and has begun recording at Kling's Smoke & Mirrors Productions for an early 2017 release.

THE ABSENCE vocalist Jamie Stewart stated about the making of the new CD: "Writing this album with Jeramie, Taylor and Joey has been a fantastic experience, to say the very least. For me personally, it brought back a feeling of the early days when we first started playing; back to a time when it was all together, a visceral experience, long before the business side sunk its inevitable hooks in. I cannot wait for the world to hear the best album this band has made to date!"

The "Septic Testament" cover artwork was created by Tyler Gearhart at Voidscape Visions.


Septic Testament by The Absence

Fan-filmed video footage of QUEENSRŸCHE's July 21 performance at the Jackson County Fair in Central Point, Oregon can be seen below.

QUEENSRŸCHE will embark on a month-long headlining tour of the United States in November. Support on the trek will come from ARMORED SAINT and MIDNIGHT ETERNAL.

QUEENSRŸCHE hired singer Todd La Torre to replace Geoff Tate in 2012 and has released two albums with the ex-CRIMSON GLORY frontman: 2013's "Queensrÿche" and the aforementioned "Condition Hüman".

"Condition Hüman" debuted at No. 27 on The Billboard 200 chart, having shifted 14,000 equivalent album units in the week ending October 8, 2015.

QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton recently spoke to the "Music Mania" podcast about the role La Torre has played in rebuilding the band's classic sound and reconnecting with some of the early QUEENSRŸCHE fans who didn't care for the last few albums that the band recorded with Tate. "Well, obviously, it's critical," he said. "I mean, just how [the pairing with Todd] happened, I guess, it's fate. But thrust into that position, it's not an easy deal, and he's a trooper for doing it. He has the musical ability and he has the songwriting frenzy that we need. And we're touring a lot and everything, so it's been a good gelling, growing process for Todd. It's not easy when you've got such hardcore fans, but he's won the fans the over, he's won so many people over, and it's so great to see all the great crowds that are coming to see QUEENSRŸCHE now with Todd. The energy's back, the band's playing great, and he's a great frontman. He's the guy that's given everybody in the band a good shot in the arm of adrenaline. And we're having fun playing all over the world. He's definitely at home. And we get so many compliments of, like, 'You couldn't have found a more perfect person to replace your old singer,' and it's just like that every show that we go to; people are just so into Todd."

QUEENSRŸCHE will enter the studio in January 2017 to begin workon the follow-up to "Condition Hüman".

Former SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo says that he has two "surprises" planned for his fans, both of which will be revealed before the end of the year.

Lombardo, who has been touring with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES for the last few months in addition to playing select shows with his DEAD CROSS project, was asked by Orbita Rock three weeks ago at the Rock Al Parque festival in Bogota, Colombia what is coming up for him in the near future. He said: "I have a new DEAD CROSS album coming out and two other surprises that I'm gonna release in the next, probably, six months, which I can't talk about."

As previously reported, Lombardo is rumored to have been recruited by the classic-era lineup of the horror punk outfit MISFITS to play drums for the band for their upcoming shows at the end of the summer.

Glenn Danzig, Jerry Only and Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein will reunite for first time since 1983 to headline this year's Riot Fest.

The reunion, billed as "The Original Misfits," will take place at the Riot Fest in Denver and Chicago. The first show is scheduled for September 2-4 at Denver's Riot Fest And Rodeo, while the second will happen at Riot Fest And Carnival, set for September 16-18 in Chicago.

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES' new album, "World Gone Mad", will be released on September 30. The follow-up to 2013's "13" disc will be the band's first to feature Lombardo and guitarist Jeff Pogan, who replaced Nico Santora in May.

In addition to Lombardo, DEAD CROSS features members of THE LOCUST and RETOX.