ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian got to live out a dream this past Saturday, October 1 when he joined CHEAP TRICK on stage at the at the Louder Than Life festival in Lousville, Kentucky to perform the latter band's song "Auf Wiedersehen". Video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

ANTHRAX recorded a version of "Auf Wiedersehen" in1992 during the sessions for the "Sound Of White Noise" album. They also covered CHEAP TRICK's "Big Eyes" on the "Anthems" EP, which came out in 2013.

"We were toying around with the idea of doing a CHEAP TRICK song, and 'Big Eyes' was one of our favorites," ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante stated at the time of the EP's release. "We recorded it, but then got busy with other things, so we never finished it. What happened was, Joey [Belladonna] was out in L.A. doing vocals for the EP and Jay Ruston [co-producer] pulled 'Big Eyes' up and had Joey do the vocals, something we didn't know he was going to do. But it turned out so great. Joey's vocals are so amazing, so we knew we wanted the song on the EP. After Joey's vocals, all the song needed was a guitar lead, and I did that in my Chicago studio. I think the song turned out to be one of the best songs on the EP.

"Everyone in the band is a huge CHEAP TRICK fan. They were one of the first concerts I went to, probably in 1978 when I was living in New York. I saw them at the Palladium."

ANTHRAX is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "For All Kings", which sold 34,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 9 on The Billboard 200 chart

Former SEPULTURA members Max Cavalera (guitar, vocals) and Igor Cavalera (drums) played at the Southport Music Hall in New Orleans, Louisiana on September 25 as part of their "Return To Roots". Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

The Las Vegas (September 12) and Albuquerque (September 13) dates of the "Return To Roots" tour were postponed due to a recent ankle injury suffered by Igor. The Albuquerque show at Sunshine Theater has already been rescheduled for October 19.

The "Return To Roots" tour sees Max and Igor celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the band's classic album "Roots" by performing the LP in its entirety. They are joined on stage by their CAVALERA CONSPIRACY bandmates Marc Rizzo (guitar) and Johny Chow (bass).

The tour features support from THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, COMBICHRIST, ALLEGAEON, ALL HAIL THE YETI and ONI. Fans who attend the shows will be able to purchase special meet-and-greet passes from the merchandise booth. Max and Igor will take photos with fans who grab meet-and-greet passes and sign copies of the "Roots" CD, cassette or vinyl. This applies only to the "Roots" album. Only one autograph and one photo will be permitted per person.

Later this year, Warner Music will release a special vinyl edition of "Roots", in addition to a CD/vinyl box set of classic SEPULTURA records, with more surprises in store.

Max and Igor first played all of "Roots" at this year's edition of the Amnesia Rockfest on June 24.

Max spoke to Holland's FaceCulture about how he looks back on the "Roots" album twenty years later. He said: "Yeah, [the personal stuff around the band] was chaotic, but musically, it was good. I think 'Roots' is an excellent record. It's a very brave record. It's a very fearless record in terms of saying, 'We're gonna do this. No matter what people say, we're gonna do it.' And we did it. And it was a huge risk. Not many bands take that risk. And we stuck to our guns and put the album out. And I think it was a very interesting record, because I think it was the beginning of my experiences in world music, which I really love, and bringing metal… making metal different. You can combine indigenous sounds and stuff with metal and make something cool with it. So I think 'Roots' was the blueprint for all that; it was like the first one that was like that. We went to the Xavantes tribe and recorded with them. It was killer. It was an amazing experience."

"Roots", along with 1993's "Chaos A.D.", is considered SEPULTURA's most commercially successful release, having been certified gold in 2005 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for U.S. shipments in excess of 500,000 copies.

In 1996, Max exited SEPULTURA after the rest of the band fired Max's wife Gloria as their manager.

Igor left SEPULTURA in June 2006 due to "artistic differences." His departure from the band came five months after he announced that he was taking a break from SEPULTURA's touring activities to spend time with his second wife and their new son (who was born in January 2006).

Dark metal band Novembers Doom is set to re-enter the studio to record their 10th studio album, set for release in 2017 via The End Records.

Starting on October 21st, the band will record with Chris Djuricic (Jungle Rot, Malevolence) at Belle City Sound in Racine, WI, before sending the album to metal legend Dan Swano (Opeth, Dissection, Katatonia) for mixing.

Formed in 1989, Novembers Doom is one of the earliest US dark / doom metal bands still active today, and this upcoming 10th studio album proves there's plenty more music to be made.

Says vocalist Paul Kuhr: “One of our biggest personal challenges have been to evolve and change with each album, so there’s always been a gradual progression in our music. We have tried to consistently create a better album then the previous, to our ears at least, and this is no exception. The process is always influenced by our lives at the time of writing, and if I had to describe the direction of the music, It feels a bit darker, and gloomier than the previous Bled White. Lyrically, it deals with human relationships, good and bad. Love, Hate, Anger and everything in-between. Exactly what you would want from Novembers Doom, because happy music sucks.”

Stay tuned for updates.

Recently unleashing their debut album 'The Human Paradox' produced by Chris Donaldson (Cryptopsy, The Agonist, Beyond Creation, Neuraxis) on September 7th, Montreal prog metallers Fractal Cypher have released the new music video “Imminent Extinction”.

"'Imminent Extinction' clearly reflects the death metal influences of the band. This one is a good blend of heaviness and catchy melodies, definitely one of the most brutal and technical songs of the album. Play it loud and bang your head hard!" comments the band.

The Human Paradox features nine songs, each handpicked and strategically chosen to best represent the living, breathing entity that is Fractal Cypher. The band exists to captivate audiences with progressive instrumentals that cut through the mesmerizing vocals yet somehow evolving; each listen provides a new perspective. Straight out of the heart of Canada’s metal scene, these Montreal metallers constantly shift their compositions with seamless transitions and theatrical interludes to keep audiences on their toes. Since 2014, ex-Far From Reality members Simon Lavoie (vocals), Ludovick Daoust (keyboard), and Vincent Bruneau (guitar) have dedicated themselves to Fractal Cypher. 

The powerful quintet is just as versatile in their music as they are in their musical interests, darting between djent, death metal, and classic rock. Each song acts of their own volition almost taking control of the members and shaping a personality and energy not unlike a living entity. Ludovick is at the helm of songwriting, calculating and unlocking each melody and becoming the voice for each piece.

French death/black-metal newcomers and recent Finisterian Dead End signees, Derealized have shared the leading single from their forthcoming full-length debut “Isolation Poetry”.

Bonded together over a mutual love of progressive and extreme metal, French group Derealized was formed in 2014 by vocalist Myriam Fischer and guitarist Man Fischer. The duo then joined forces with bassist Mat Roger and drummer Victorien Delacroix (ex-Diluvian) to record their debut album “Isolation Poetry”, which is set for release on October 21st via Finisterian Dead End.
 
Recorded at Rockbox Studio by P.E. Fischer, mixed and mastered at Vamacara Studioby HK, “Isolation Poetry” features nine tracks that merge the brutality of death metal and the ferocity of black metal with progressive overtones and will surely impress fans of Anata, Aosoth and early Opeth. Preorders are available at this location.

Tracklisting:

“Devil’s Got Green Eyes”
“The Opium Den”
“Torment’s Work”
“Cover My Eyes…”
“…And Tie My Arms With Ivy”
“Derealized”
“Hollow”
“A Late Letter”
“Isolation Poetry”

“Torment’s Work”:

Austria’s #1 hard rock band Sergeant Steel has recorded a new single with legendary producer Michael Wagener (Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne, Alice Cooper, etc.), set for release early November.

Not long ago, Sergeant Steel recorded their upcoming single at Tone-Art studio in Vienna. Wagener travelled from Nashville, TN to Vienna,Austria to produce the song.

Sergeant Steel did record a cover version for the first time. Listeners probably will be surprised, because the original song is not a typical piece of rock music. But for sure the formation plays it in their very own style, which means “Aerosmith meets Queen meets Rainbow” in particular. The track will be available in early November via download and streaming platforms.
 
Sergeant Steel’s current full-length record Riders Of The Worm was released globally in November 2015. It features guest appearances by Mark Slaughter (Slaughter) and Kane Roberts (Alice Cooper). It was mixed and mastered by Michael Wagener.

Italian thrash/death killing machine Methedras have released a live video of the band performing "Dead Memories," a track from 2014 Pavement Entertainment release System Subversion. The video was filmed in December 2015 at Sentrum (Kiev, Ukraine) during a performance in support of Kreator.

Order System Subversion from Pavement at this location and directly from the band here.

A description of System Subversion: “Methedras undertook their personal warpath against everything and everyone, an endless spiral of revenge, madness and suffering in order to claim the ultimate System Subversion and break the wall of hypocrisy! A deep voyage into the hugest sacrifices to get a fake freedom, the mankind blame for an imminent nuclear disaster, the last standing against misery and poorness, the strongest answer to our worst nightmares and an intimate hope for a final resurrection, without forgetting what is really important for every one of us: true friendship, good feelings, human dignity and mental sanity... the sensational comeback of the one and only Italian thrash-death-killing-machine, taking no prisoners at all!"

Formed in end of 2013, Beyond Chronicles is a melodic death metal band from Paris, France. This powerful and inspired formation proposes a melodic and heavy sound, alternating between energetic guitar riffs, guitar solos, a gutural and clean vocals. By producing dynamic shows since their beginning, Beyond Chronicles is one of the most promising bands of the French metal scene.

This year, Beyond Chronicles returns with their new album, Human Nation, set for release on October 14th.

Very committed to the current human condition and its evolution, the album Human Nation is the follow-up to the Shatter EP. Tackling sensitive topics like the new forms of violence and insecurity which are threatening our societies, the album follows the guiding principle of constant duality between alienation and individual conscience.

Influenced by the recent events which has touched the world, the lyrics deal with the evolution of humanity towards a disquieting end, while keeping a unifying optimism. The album is as the same way dark, serious, but also shifted, to bring its own identity to each track.

Tracklisting:

“Ground Zero”
“Cold Vengeance”
“Last Transmission”
“Powerless”
“Upon Them”
“Not Scared To Die”
“Human Nation”
“The Best At Everything”
“Trebuchet”
“We'll March On”
“Beyond The Dark”
“Win By Blood”

(Photo - guillaumebideau.com)

Fresh off a Canadian run, the occult rock alchemists in Castl today return to the road for a 22-date European takeover. The latest stretch of onstage conjurings follows Castle’s massive North American trek, which commenced on June 15th and has rolled steadily through the fall months. The band's overseas journey includes performances at Old Grave Fest V in Romania and Desertfest Belgium. Upon their return, the band will take a short break to recharge before joining Washington state riff rockers, Mos Generator, for a short West Coast tour. In December the tireless duo will return to the stage, this time in Japan with Guevnna.

To mark today's tour kick off, Castle unveil their new video for "Down In The Cauldron Bog”. The hymn comes by way of the band's Welcome To The Graveyard full-length issued earlier this year via Ván Records.

Says the band: ”It's fitting that we're releasing the video for “Down In The Cauldron Bog” as we kick off our European tour since we actually wrote it while we were in Europe last year. It was the first track we wrote for the new album and was really the catalyst that set the mood musically. The haunted melody seemed to come from the landscape and the inspiration for the words were from a book we were reading at the time, The Bog People. That idea mushroomed into a larger concept of death and rebirth that we used throughout the album and also serves as a backdrop to the video."

Find the band’s complete live itinerary at this location.

Seeker have revealed the second video from their upcoming album, Loss. The album will be available October 14th. Clocking in at 25 minutes, Seeker will deliver Loss in its entirety as they hit the road with The Last Ten Seconds Of Life, Traitors and Spite beginning next week. On December 1st, Seeker will continue pummelling the road with a headlining tour to be announced shortly.

Watch the new video for “Loss” below. The powerful track is, “about the day that the person who I loved more than anyone died and the mental and emotional aftermath of her suicide,” divulges frontman/bassist Bryce Lucien. "Most of songs on the album are about the events leading up to that. It's why I left the band. That's as much as I'll get into it. I came back into the band because it was the only way I knew how to process through everything that happened.”

Loss was recorded by Zach Ohren, known for his work with Chelsea Grin and Fallujah, and the artwork comes in the form of a hand drawn, custom piece by Farron Loathing (Nails, Huntress).

Lucien continues, “We've spent nearly three years working on this album and can't wait for everyone to hear it. Expect the darkest, fastest, and most chaotic music that we've ever written.”

Loss tracklisting:

“Without”     
“Throat”     
“Void”     
“Rot”     
“Swallowed”     
“Welcome Death”     
“Empty Vessel”     
“Submit”     
“Self Harm”     
“Loss”

“Void” video:

Loss pre-order packages are available now at VictoryMerch.com and include an instant download of the first single "Rot”. The track is also available now at Apple Music, Spotify, Google Play, Amazon Music and everywhere digital music is available.

Tour dates:

October
15 - Ringgold, GA - Cloud Springs Deli
16 - Columbus, GA - The Estate
18 - Jacksonville, FL - Nighthawks
19 - Biloxi, MS - Zeppelins Pizzeria
20 - Houston, TX - BFE Rock Club
21 - Dallas, TX - Reno’s Chop Shop (So What?! Music Festival)
22 - Austin, TX - Empire Control Room (Texas Revolution Festival)

November
5 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Loading Dock
6 - Denver, CO - City Hall
7 - Wichita, KS - Rock Island Live
8 - Minneapolis, MN - The Cabooze
9 - La Crosse, WI - The Warehouse
10 - Cudahy, WI - The Metal Grill
11 - Crest Hill, IL - Bada Brew
12 - Indianapolis, IN - Emerson Theater
13 - Lakewood, OH - The Foundry

Atlanta's southern rock sons, Blackberry Smoke, will release their brand new studio album, Like An Arrow, 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 track, “Let It Burn”, streaming below.

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)

“Let It Burn”:

“Workin' For A Workin' Man” sample:

“Waiting For The Thunder”:

Due to overwhelming demand, FM’s Indiscreet 30 album will see a formal commercial release on November 4th. The album’s lead track, “That Girl”, is streaming  below.

Thirty years after the release of their now classic debut album, FM decided to record a modern-day version of Indiscreet. FM were asked many times to consider re-recording the tracks on the album using today's modern technology and recording techniques to give the songs the "FM sound" of today.

Over the years, Indiscreet has deservedly won the reputation of being an iconic album for the band. FM always steered clear of the idea of re-recording it, but while in the studio recording the follow-up to their most recent release, Heroes & Villains, FM decided to put down a backing track to the song "That Girl" to see how it would feel with the huge sounds they were getting at the time. It gave the song a new dynamic and power that was not possible to achieve with '80s recording technology.

“We played it back the following morning and decided it would be great to hear all these classic songs with this new lease of life,” says bassist Merv Goldsworthy. “We are not trying to recreate the original, but this is our interpretation played by FM as we are today with the sound of FM 2016.”

In addition to the re-recording of the original album, Indiscreet 30 also features seven bonus tracks, including brand new song "Running On Empty" and a new recording of "Let Love Be The Leader".

Indiscreet 30 was produced by FM, recorded at Tremolo Studios and Coal House Studios, Staffordshire and mixed by Jeff Knowler.

Tracklisting:

“That Girl”
“Other Side Of Midnight”
“Love Lies Dying”
“I Belong To The Night”
“American Girls”
“Hotwired”
“Face To Face”
“Frozen Heart”
“Heart Of The Matter”

Bonus Tracks:

“Let Love Be The Leader”
“Running On Empty”
“Rainbow's End”
“Shot In The Dark”
“Bad That's Good In You”
“Love & Hate”
“That Girl” (Acoustic Version)

“That Girl”:

Trailer:

The band will be honoring pre-orders received to date for delivery on October 28th as originally announced. The album will also be on sale during the band’s tour dates commencing October 28th at Wakefield Warehouse 23. For the Warrington Parr Hall show on Saturday October 1st, pre-orders will be taken at the merchandise stand.

Tour dates:

October
28 - Warehouse 23 - Wakefield, United Kingdom
29 - Rescue Rooms - Nottingham, United Kingdom
30 - River Rooms - Stourbridge, United Kingdom

November
11 - Razzmatazz 3 - Barcelona, Spain
12 - Sala Chango - Madrid, Spain
13 - RCA Club - Lisbon, Portugal
18 - Cardiff University Students' Union - Y Plas - Cardiff, United Kingdom
19 - Islington Assembly Hall - London, United Kingdom
 -  WinterStorm - Troon, United Kingdom

March
10 - HRH AOR - Pwllheli, United Kingdom

FM lineup:

Steve Overland - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Merv Goldsworthy - bass, backing vocals
Pete Jupp - drums, backing vocals
Jem Davis – keyboards
Jim Kirkpatrick - lead guitar, backing vocals

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich says that he might consider returning to his native Denmark if Donald Trump wins the U.S. presidential election.

Speaking with Denmark's Ekstra Bladet, Lars — who moved to the U.S. in 1980, when he was only 17 years old — said (translated from Danish): "I am a hundred percent Danish citizen, I pay taxes in the USA but I can't vote in America."

Asked whether he would move back to Denmark if Trump gets in the White House, Ulrich replied: "Yes, certainly sometimes I think about moving home to Denmark.

"I'll stick to my Danish passport. If Trump becomes president and everything goes to shit, I might make my way to the airport and ask if I can get back in again."

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield said in a recent interview with BBC 6 Music that his band stays away from topics like politics or religion in their music. He explained: "That just seems to polarize people even more. We all have our own beliefs, but at the end of the day, we're trying to connect with people and it seems like political views don't do that as much as music does."

In 2007, Why Democracy?, a documentary project using film to start a global conversation about democracy, posted a video interview with Ulrich in which he was asked whom he would want to be the "President of the World." Ulrich replied: "I want the smartest guy, and the smartest guy is Bill Clinton, so Bill Clinton should be the president of the world, absolutely."

"Hardwired...To Self-Destruct", METALLICA's tenth studio album, is set to come out on November 18.

METALLICA plans extensive touring in 2017 behind the new album but will next perform at Neil Young's Bridge School Benefit in Mountain View, California on October 22 and October 23.

Former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens has weighed in on the 2016 presidential race, saying that controversial Republican candidate Donald Trump might be what America needs to move the country forward.

Owens, who revealed in a 2012 interview that he was voting for Mitt Romney in that year's election, made his comments on September 27 during a press conference in Mexico City. Asked for his opinion of the real estate mogul, the vocalist said: "Well, unfortunately, with the state of America right now, everybody's looking for somebody different, you know — somebody who will not be afraid to say something, to voice their opinion. Even though Donald Trump's an ass, he might be the ass that America needs, because Hillary Clinton sure isn't. Unfortunately, it's Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. How could that even happen? But I'm not a Democrat and I'm not a Republican; I'm in the middle. And for my way of life, and being a businessman, I couldn't have Hillary Clinton in there; that's the problem. The way they tax people, I couldn't do it. But, you know, it's hard to say. I mean, they're both really bad. It's just we've had eight years of really bad right now. I shouldn't say that — the first four years of Obama was probably all right. The last four years have been… I mean, it's not very good right now."

He continued: "America is still the best place in the world to live. You know, I travel the world; America is the best place to live, in my opinion. But right now they have some troubles. And I think a lot of American people are just trying to figure out something other than what he [Obama] was doing for the last four years, and that's what she's [Hillary] gonna continue to do. So I think that's why people are going towards Trump.

"I've always said, why does the president have to be a Republican or a Democrat? Can't they just get a president who knows how to run things? I didn't think it would be Donald Trump. That's kind of… That's the problem. We'll see."

Tim's Akron, Ohio bar and restaurant Tim Owens' Travelers Tavern shut down for good on September 2 because he and his partner, Micah Posten, were no longer able to "commit the time and energy" to the business that it deserved, Owens said in a statement.

Owens recorded two studio albums with JUDAS PRIEST — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before the band reunited with Rob Halford.

KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons has once again weighed in on the 2016 presidential election, saying that controversial Republican candidate Donald Trump is "a true animal."

Simmons, a former contestant on Trump's "The Celebrity Apprentice" show, told the Associated Press about the real estate mogul (see video below): "What you see is what you get. The ones that like him like the fact that he does not give… May I be blunt? He does not give a fuck. He'll say whatever he wants to say, and that way he's a true animal. If I were him, I'd pull back on some of the stuff, but, hey, that's his decision. Hillary Clinton is much more experienced, been around the world. But at the end of the day, who cares what I think? You should go into the voting booth and vote your conscience. At the end of the day, need I remind you, there's a curtain when you vote, because it's nobody's effin' business who you're votin for. And why would you care what George Clooney or Gene Simmons or Chubby Checker have to say about who they're voting for?"

Simmons recently told People magazine that he likes how Trump is shaking up the current presidential race.

"The important thing about Trump, and I'm not saying whether I'm voting for him, or Hilary [Clinton], or anybody else, is that he has changed the game," Simmons said. "He doesn't want your money. This guy funds his own campaign, and he is going to say things that tens of millions of people actually say quietly because politically it's 'incorrect.'"

Paul Stanley was the first member of KISS to make it clear celebrities should stay out of politics.

"I don't know what's more embarrassing, these musicians and actors talking about politics in interviews or the media actually giving them credibility about it," Stanley said. "It's absurd that a celebrity could speak out on the economy or politics with no more justification than a hit album or a movie. Not to deride Gene, but I just think he's part of a symptom of absurdity where you'll see somebody on television whose only criteria for being there is success in a field far away from what they're being asked about. I really don't know who is more ridiculous, the celebrity answering these political questions or the person asking them."

He continued: "I'm usually not at a loss for words, but this whole celebrity political thing always gets me. It's so embarrassing to see people with absolutely no inside knowledge of anything they are talking about. I have friends who are intimately involved with world affairs and these are the people who won't give opinions like these celebrities do. For my friends, it's far more complex and sensitive than that, unlike these celebrities who read some newspaper story, or watch CNN, and then spout out some opinion on something they truly don't know anything about."

In a world where haunted houses are part of the kitsch of the season, Alice Cooper been electrocuted, guillotined, shock-therapied and subjected to other torments—and not only remains, but has been a source of inspiration for disparate musical forces the Sex Pistols, They Might Be Giants and the Flaming Lips.

“People think I live in a castle with snakes everywhere,” Cooper tells Paste, laughing. “They want to believe that, and it’s okay. This is entertainment and catharsis; but I believe in hard rock—and the idea that the songs endure. Over the years - and it was this way in musical theater back in the ’20s and ’30s - if I know a song is going to pulled away from the action, it still works as a stand-alone song.

“Look at the songs people go to - even “Only Women Bleed” - and they work on their own. Take everything away, and those songs live on the strength of the song.”

Read Paste’s new interview with Alice Cooper at this location.

Alice Cooper will hold his 15th Annual Christmas Pudding on December 3rd at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, AZ. Korn, Hollywood Vampires, Gin Blossoms and Sammy Hagar are all schedule to appear during the event. Las Vegas illusionist / magician Murray Sawchuck and the winners of this year's Proof Is In The Pudding musical talent search will also perform on the night.

Tickets are on sale now, and proceeds from the event will once again benefit Cooper's Solid Rock Teen Center, whose mission is to "allow teens to build confidence and discover their passion through music, dance, self-expression and creativity in a sanctuary for troubled teens."

Go to this location for ticket details.

Former DEEP PURPLE and current WHITESNAKE frontman David Coverdale has dimissed reports that he is contemplating retiring in 2017 on the 30th anniversary of the release of one of the best-selling hard rock albums in history, WHITESNAKE's "1987".

Asked by Argentina's Vorterix radio if there is any truth to rumors that he will call it quits after next year, Coverdale said (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Well, no. I made the mistake of saying to a friend of mine, a journalist, when I was mixing [WHITESNAKE's] 'The Purple Album', my tribute to [my DEEP PURPLE bandmates] Ritchie [Blackmore] and Jon [Lord] and Ian [Paice] and Glenn [Hughes]. I thought, 'Wow! This could be an interesting last project for me to finish as I started, 'cause the first time anybody ever heard of me was the [DEEP PURPLE] 'Burn' album. So it was kind of a foolish thing of me to say. Then we went on an incredibly successful fucking tour, which we're finishing up editing, a DVD and a CD for spring [release] next year of 'The Purple Tour' experience. But, yeah, so I turned around to a friend of mine and said, 'You know, this would be a great way for me to stop.' I was very pleased with the album. And my co-producer, Michael, looked at me like I was fucking crazy. And then, of course, we had an amazingly successful tour last year. And then we started getting invited to come out this year. I think it was [WHITESNAKE guitarist] Reb Beach who said, 'Why don't we do a 'greatest-hits' tour? We've never done that.' Which is why we're doing songs [on the current WHITESNAKE tour] like 'Judgement Day', 'Slow An' Easy', 'Crying In The Rain' — stuff we haven't done for many years."

"The Purple Album" was released in May 2015 via Frontiers Music Srl. The effort was billed as "a re-imagination of classic songs from Coverdale's time as the lead singer for DEEP PURPLE's Mark III and Mark IV studio albums." Coverdale was DEEP PURPLE's frontman from late 1973 to early 1976 and sang on the albums "Burn", "Stormbringer" and "Come Taste The Band".

David previously told Macedonia's Metropolis Radio that "The Purple Album" was originally going to mark the end of his recording career but turned out to be the catalyst for the new WHITESNAKE band to work on new material. He said: "When I was mixing 'The Purple Album' with my co-producer Michael McIntyre and Reb, it felt to me…You know, I was 63 years old, and I'm going, 'Man, how long do I have to do this? This would be a perfect closure for me — to finish as I started.' But it's just kind of… In essence, it's re-energized me. I still write new music. We'll be recording some new music [in 2016]. But it's just revitalized me… re-renergized. That's all I can say. So any ideas that I had six months ago of retiring… I was totally honest, when I was making interviews, that I thought, you know, 'This is probably it.' But I had an incredibly good time on this U.S. tour with my musicians. It was incredible… Everybody contributed to this project in the most positive way. Now we've been performing these songs, it's even better than when we were recording them.And it just makes it more inspiring to look at the future for new stuff, with these guys. They are fabulous musicians, great people. I have no desire to hang up my rock and roll sneakers just yet."

WHITESNAKE's current touring lineup — David Coverdale (vocals), Joel Hoekstra (guitar), Reb Beach (guitar), Michael Devin (bass), Tommy Aldridge (drums) and Michele Luppi (keyboards) — made its live debut in May 2015 at Northern Quest Casino in Airway Heights, Washington.

PURPLE classics revamped for "The Purple Album" include "Stormbringer", "Lady Double Dealer", "Soldier Of Fortune" and "Sail Away".

One of the Nameless Ghouls from the Swedish occult rock band GHOST has told Billboard that the group has started working on its follow-up to 2015's "Meliora" album, with plans to hit the studio in earnest once it comes off the road.

"We haven't really started the pre-production yet, but I am very far into the writing," the Ghoul said. "I'm usually piling stuff up, and then by the time it comes to pre-production, that's when you start going through it and see what you have. I think that we have a pretty good idea of what we're doing next, but once we start recording I usually get very inspired and work a lot faster."

GHOST's new EP, "Popestar", sold 21,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The effort landed at position No. 1 on both Billboard's Top Rock Albums and Hard Rock Albums charts.

Meanwhile, the new GHOST original song "Square Hammer", which is featured on "Popestar", entered multiple Billboard charts, including Hard Rock Digital Song Sales at No. 7 (3,000 downloads sold), No. 33 on the Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart, No. 36 on Rock Digital Song Sales and No. 41 on Hot Rock Songs.

"Popestar" was released on September 16. The effort includes covers of songs from bands like ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN and EURYTHMICS along with "Square Hammer".

"Popestar" was helmed by English producer Tom Dalgety, who has previously worked with ROYAL BLOOD and KILLING JOKE, among others.

GHOST kicked off the "Popestar" U.S. tour on September 16, with dates scheduled through November 12 in Brooklyn, New York.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, singer Chris Cornell, bassist Jeff Ament and guitarist Mike McCready of the legendary Seattle supergroup TEMPLE OF THE DOG have not ruled out recording new music. McCready has already told Classic Rock that he would "record new songs in a minute," while Cornell said to Rolling Stone: "There's always a chance. Just from my perspective, it would have to feel great. I don't want to say it would have to live up to the album, but I wouldn't want to take away from it. I don't want to detract from what happened before."

Jeff Ament added: "That record is so unique in terms of what initiated it — but I love recording, so I'd always be up for it, I think."

TEMPLE OF THE DOG was originally assembled in 1991 as a tribute to MOTHER LOVE BONE frontman Andrew Wood, who'd died of a heroin overdose the previous year. It featured members of SOUNDGARDEN and a new group that would eventually morph into PEARL JAM.

Although there have been occasional TEMPLE OF THE DOG performances over the years, the collective will tour for the first time next month in support of their reissued album, which came out last Friday (September 30).

Although the band is only playing five cities on this run, Ament said that there is the possibility of more touring down the line. He explained: "If everyone is excited, it might become a thing we do every once in a while. We can call each other up and say, 'Hey, we just got an offer to play London,' or something. That would be fun."

The "Temple Of The Dog" reissue is available in four configurations, including a four-disc super deluxe edition, a double LP, a two-CD deluxe set, and a single CD.

ALTER BRIDGE vocalist Myles Kennedy told FaceCulture in a new interview that even though the band's new album is called "The Last Hero", it's not necessarily a politically oriented record. Kennedy explained: "The trick was not to get too directly political, because all that does is piss people off. One of the key emotions a lot of people seem to be feeling is disillusionment, and what I try to do as a lyricist is touch on these emotions."

Guitarist Mark Tremonti agreed, telling The Pulse Of Radio that the album title and concept is more general in nature. "Myles kind of ran with that as a theme for the record," he said. "It's a calling out for leaders in this world that you can trust and put faith in and, you know, it's just such a circus right now, especially here in the States, with everything that's going on. So it's just, you know, a call out to find new leaders in this world."

"The Last Hero" is scheduled for worldwide release on Friday (October 7). The first single is called "Show Me A Leader".

A previously unreleased song called "Breathe", first recorded by the band in 2004 during the sessions for its debut album "One Day Remains", will be included as a bonus track on the Best Buy edition of "The Last Hero".

ALTER BRIDGE is out on a short headlining tour to promote the album's release that brings the band to Nashville on Wednesday (October 5).

Bret Michaels has told NorthJersey.com in a new interview that he has his fingers crossed that POISON will hit the road again in 2017.

"I'm beyond thankful for Rikki [Rockett, drums] and C.C. [DeVille, guitar] and Bobby [Dall, bass]," he said. "These guys are an important part of my life and I'm hoping that POISON and DEF LEPPARD can tour together next spring."

Bret originally mentioned the prospect of a POISON-DEF LEPPARD tour in a July interview with The Salt Lake Tribune. LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen later told the 106.9 The Eagle radio station that he knew nothing about the proposed pairing. "I think that was made up — I think it was Bret Michaels's wishful thinking," he said. "[That was] first I've heard of it. I actually heard that as well, and it's, like, 'No!' But, yeah, we are gonna be touring, but we haven't got anything set in stone yet at all."

POISON and DEF LEPPARD first hit the road together back in 2009, and then again three years later.

POISON appeared at the 2013 Indy 500 Miller Lite Carb Day, but has otherwise been mostly playing private shows, including one in January 2015.

The band hasn't done any major touring since taking part in the 2012 "Rock Of Ages" trek with DEF LEPPARD and LITA FORD.

DEF LEPPARD is continuing to tour in support of its latest, self-titled album, which came out last year.

SLIPKNOT guitarist Jim Root underwent disk replacement surgery on Tuesday (October 4) — two days after the band's headlining performance at the Louder Than Life festival in Lousville, Kentucky. He wrote on his Instagram account: "[It] seems as if fractured vertebrae and hemorrhaged disks are an occupational hazard for metal bands. So early in the morning after Louder Than Life, I flew out for disk replacement surgery. Had the procedure [Tuesday] morning and other than being a bit sore and spun out from jet lag and Norco's [opioid pain medication], it's all good."

He added: "Although I won't be as 'mobile' onstage as before, I'm looking very forward to the upcoming Knotfest shows and places we'll be going in between."

Root is the second SLIPKNOT member to go under the knife this year. Vocalist Corey Taylor had emergency spinal surgery in June when it was discovered that he had been walking around for years with a broken neck.

Jim recently talked to The You Rock Foundation about the often overlooked hardships of the touring life of musicians and the toll it has taken on his mind and body. He said: "I'm extremely lucky to be doing what I'm doing right now and I work very hard at maintaining this career and living this dream that I'm living, but there's also a price to pay. I mean, we give a lot of ourselves and every day… It's not like we're playing the show 24 hours a day, and that's really the only part of the day that feels normal to me. The rest of the day is occupying your mind with things that don't take you to the dark side of the mind, so to speak, and that can be tough in itself. I think that's why with what we do for a living, a lot of people do turn to drugs and alcohol and things like that. And I tried that as well. I think everybody kind of goes through that phase, and for some people, what starts out to be a social things ends up becoming a medicative sort of thing — whether they're using it to kind of shut off all these problems that are around them or that they have in their mind, but at the end of the day, it's not really solving anything."

SLIPKNOT's early November appearance at Knotfest Japan will likely to be the band's last show in support of its latest album, ".5: The Gray Chapter", which was released in October 2014.

HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale was recently interviewed by Kronik of Reno's rock station Rock 104.5. You can now listen to the chat below.

Asked about the upcoming U.S. presidential election, Lzzy said: "If you come to a HALESTORM show, there's all walks of life — everyone has a different sexual preference, there's all different colors, there's all different ages. There was a show that we had a couple of weeks ago, we had a 7-year-old in the front row with his dad, and then we had a 76-year-old lady decked out in HALESTORM gear in the balcony. So I'm an advocate for people. I love the human element, and we all share that. I'm into equality and I'm a people person."

She continued: "In all honesty, the problem that we have right now is that politics breeds hate and division; it just does that. So I can't, as a human, as a girl that has lived her life to kind of promote that type of positivity and that equality, I can't vote for anybody that even has an inkling of being that… just building their empire on that type of division and hate and inequality. I can't out of good conscience do that."

Hale added: "I usually don't talk about that stuff; I don't talk about politics or religion, because, like I said, a lot of the time it is just somebody else's opinion. But this has become just such a joke. And it's so funny, 'cause I've been watching the new 'South Park' and I'm, like, 'Wow! They really hit the nail on the head here.' [Laughs]"

Lzzy said earlier in the year that she was a Bernie Sanders supporter, but expressed concern that he would "die the first year in office" if he got into the White House. Hale went on to say that there was "really no fantastic choice" for the next president of the United States. She explained: "Last time, it was kind of, like, 'Okay, well, that's kind of a no-brainer,' but it's really tough this time; it really is. It's definitely not [Donald] Trump. Hillary [Clinton]… The only thing about Hillary… And I'm sorry for all those ladies out there that are just doing it because she's female, but I just don't buy it; I don't get what she stands for. She keeps changing her mind. When the time comes, I think I'm just gonna close my eyes and pick one, I think."

Pressed on why she wouldn't vote for Trump, Lzzy said: "I've just never been a fan. And for kind of the same reason with Hillary, he's just extremely inconsistent, and that's just a weird scenario."

HALESTORM is continuing to tour in support of its third album, "Into The Wild Life", which debuted at No. 5 on The Billboard 200 chart.

QUIET RIOT has announced Seann Nicols (formerly of ADLER'S APPETITE) as its new vocalist starting in 2017. QUIET RIOT is currently in the studio with Seann recording its forthcoming full-length album of all new material, to be released on Frontiers Music Srl in early 2017. They will also be releasing a music video, which will be the first QUIET RIOT music video since 1989. The band will kick off their tour on January 27 in Medina, Minnesota and will continue their touring schedule around the globe.

Vocalist Jizzy Pearl (LOVE/HATE, L.A. GUNS, ADLER'S APPETITE, RATT), who is departing to concentrate full time on his solo career, will finish off the 2016 QUIET RIOT tour dates through December. Frankie Banali claims the departure is amicable. "QUIET RIOT thanks Jizzy for a great three years and we wish him the very best," he says.

Banali revived QUIET RIOT in 2010, three years after singer Kevin DuBrow's death, along with veteran bassist Chuck Wright, who played on several of the tracks on the classic QUIET RIOT album "Metal Health", and guitarist Alex Grossi. The group went through two vocalists — Mark Huff and Scott Vokoun — before settling on Pearl in 2013.

The Pearl-fronted QUIET RIOT recorded six new songs for an album called "10", which was released digitally on iTunes and Amazon.com in June 2014, but Banali pulled the songs from both download stores shortly after putting the effort on sale and hasn't made them available again.

Banali said last year that his decision to remove "10" from iTunes and Amazon.com was motivated in part by the fact that he couldn't find a record label that would properly promote the album. In addition, he said that the system that brought us classic rock music has been forever altered by the times and the promotional and marketing engine that is broken, no longer effectively exposing music from the labels through radio and to the masses.

"DJs today are not allowed to play anything at all," Banali said. "In the old days, we'd walk into a radio station with the new record and the DJ would play whatever he wanted. It didn't even have to be the perceived single. That's gone. So the idea of releasing a new record so you can say you're touring for a new album is an antiquated equation. It just doesn't make any sense anymore to make records. I feel badly for the real fans who want the music, but it's just not worth it."

Banali told Yahoo! Music in May 2015 that he was fine with QUIET RIOT moving forward by mining the nostalgia circuit for all it's worth, touring on the strength of past hits and eschewing recording new music altogether.

"One thing I always enjoyed about QUIET RIOT, and especially when Kevin was alive, was that we continued to record new music because it was fun for us," Banali said. "And we could infuse two to four new songs into the set. But in this day and age, no matter what you do, people are only interested in hearing 'Cum On Feel The Noize', 'Bang Your Head (Metal Health)', 'Mama Weer All Crazee Now' and 'The Wild And The Young'. And if you could add one new song to the set, it might be well received, but it doesn't make any difference because it's not going to get any radio airplay and you're not going to release it. So it's an unfortunate situation. But that's the reality we're facing and we just have to deal with it."

KORN's official video for the song "A Different World" can be seen below. The track is the next single from KORN's upcoming album, "The Serenity Of Suffering", following the Top Five song "Rotting In Vain". "A Different World" also features a guest appearance from SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor.

KORN singer Jonathan Davis spoke about getting Taylor to appear on the track. "We were trying to figure out who we wanted to collaborate with, and I'm like, 'You know, that's the one, that's the guy,'" he said. "And I texted him, I'm like, 'Do you want to be on a new KORN track?' He's all, 'Hell yeah! When and where, what do I do?' So he did great on the song. I already did my parts, I'm like, 'Do what you do, man.' And I like the way he did it, the approach: he starts creeping in underneath the song, you can start slowly hearing his voice under mine, and it crescendos up into the middle part where he sings, and then it's just full-on at the end, so the song came out great."

Taylor said that he became involved in "A Different World" after receiving "a phone call, like, 'Hey, do you wanna do this?' And I was on the plane the next day. I flew in, and I hadn't even heard the music. I was, like, 'Yeah.' 'Cause as a fan and as a friend, it was just something that we had been talking about for years. And all the stars aligned and I got to do this track. And it is heavy, dude. It is so righteous. People are gonna lose their minds.

"This whole [new KORN] album, and I'm gonna brag now, because I've heard eleven songs of this, it is such a great throwback to the first three KORN albums and mixed with that maturity that they have now. Like, it's, really, really heavy. People are gonna lose their minds. It's that good."

Due on October 21, "The Serenity Of Suffering" marks the band's return to Roadrunner, which previously released 2010's "Korn III - Remember Who You Are" and 2011's "The Path Of Totality".

The cover art for "The Serenity Of Suffering" was created by acclaimed artist Ron English. It depicts a teenage KORN fan at a dystopian acid-nightmare funfair who is clutching a disembowelled and skeletal version of the doll who adorned 1999's "Issues".

KORN has hit the road this fall with co-headliners BREAKING BENJAMIN for the "Nocturnal Underground Tour". The trek kicked off on September 24 in Fargo, North Dakota and will run through late October.

Florida death metal veterans DEICIDE have finished laying down drums for their next studio album, tentatively due early next year via Century Media.

DEICIDE drummer Steve Asheim told Metal Wani back in May about the musical direction of the band's new material: "It seems like we're gonna be taking the same approach. I mean, we're not gonna fix what isn't broken, as far as what we do. You know, we've been writing heavy riffs. We're just gonna make 'em heavier as work [on] them together."

He continued: "It was weird. When we did the last record, I was, like, 'Eh, I'm really not that psyched about these songs,' and the album turned out being great. And the way the new material is, it's funny, I'm kind of, like, 'Eh, it could be better.' So we're just gonna be hashing some more stuff out and really make it intense, because we know we did a pretty good one and we're gonna have to beat it. But we're gonna work on it hard, make sure it's good."

Asked what inspires DEICIDE to keep making new music, Steve said: "Well, you know, just wanting to be heavy. We have a nice, steady band lineup that is focused, and we feel that we can really do some good work now that everyone's kind of on the same page. So as long as we focus our riffs and focus our energies on making the songs good and doing good tours, it's gonna give us another few years, another few records, and a good number of years left ahead of us to keep doing this. It still feels good, it's fun, and we'll keep at it as long as we can keep going."

"In The Minds Of Evil" sold 2,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release.

ABBATH, the band led by ex-IMMORTAL frontman Olve Eikemo (a.k.a. Abbath), has begun rehearsing for its upcoming album in the group's hometown of Bergen, Norway. The follow-up to this year's self-titled debut will be released sometime next year via Season Of Mist.

Bass duties for ABBATH are being handled by a man familiar to metal fans across the world — Tom Cato Visnes, more widely known as King Ov Hell and main composer for several GORGOROTH albums as well as his own bands OV HELL, with singer Shagrath from DIMMU BORGIR, and GOD SEED, with exceptional black metal vocalist Gaahl.

Abbath told New Noise Magazine that he had no intention of ever leaving IMMORTAL. "I never thought for a minute about going solo with ABBATH," he said. "I was kind of forced, forced into making other decisions about things. I thought, okay, if I'm going solo or whatever the fuck, I'd need the right guys to play with."

He added: "I don't see ABBATH as a band. That's my name. It's no SABBATH or ABBA, you know? I said, 'If someone could come up with a logo, then I'd consider it.' Suddenly, it was there and I said, 'Yes, let's proceed!'"

Regarding the circumstances that led to his split with IMMORTAL and the formation of his new group, Abbath said: "I thought it was about fucking time [to release a new album], you know? I said to the guys in IMMORTAL, Demonaz and Horgh, 'C'mon, let's finish rehearsing, let's do this album now.' I had all my ideas, the pre-production was all there, but they… They didn't have the time. At one point, we split. We didn't socialize. We became strangers more and more. They weren't there and I felt alone. I was working, I was waiting. There was this, 'Should I go on with this new album or will no one hear it, because it was supposed to be IMMORTAL?' No! It's my music! They're my ideas. IMMORTAL, it's in my heart, but when I can be Abbath, I feel IMMORTAL. If there's someone I'd really like to apologize to, it's Apollyon, [ex-IMMORTAL bassist and AURA NOIR leader]. When we did that comeback thing we did, we couldn't have done that without him. If there's someone I miss, it's Apollyon."

He continued: "I was lucky to meet with the right people, and out of the fucking chaos comes something else. For me, it's the beginning of something new. Not something bigger, I don't need to be bigger. I need to be fit, fit for a fight. I want to be a survivor in this scene, I want to be up there doing my shit when I'm 72. We're on a fucking campaign now."


STARTED REHEARSALS FOR NEW ALBUM.Abbath, King & Creature have this week started rehearsals for the upcoming album in...

Posted by ABBATH -Official- on Wednesday, October 5, 2016

"Wild Child", a song from Kee Marcello, can be streamed below. The track, which is a new version of a cut that was previously demoed by EUROPE but never officially released, is taken from his new studio album, "Scaling Up", which will be made available on October 14 via Frontiers Music Srl.

With "Scaling Up", the former EUROPE guitarist is using his past as a springboard to take a giant leap into the future. With the new music firmly grounded in the songwriting tradition that made him a multi-platinum rock star in the first place, Kee explores the boundaries of melodic hard rock with a contemporary performance that nods to his past and employs sizzling production. This is an album all his fans will have to pick their jaws up off the floor after hearing!

Kee Marcello is a unique artist in the hard rock genre. He has never stopped evolving and growing as both a writer and a guitarist and the new album illustrates how much he has managed to raise the bar yet again with both his guitar playing, singing and writing.

Conceived and recorded in the winter and spring of 2016, "Scaling Up" encompasses all the influences and genres in which the Swedish musician has been involved in since the start of his career. Besides the obvious resemblances to EUROPE's classic sound, Kee also gives a nod to his past in EASY ACTION. Speaking of EUROPE (particularly the "Prisoners In Paradise" era), Kee took two officially unreleased songs, "Wild Child" and "Don't Know How To Love No More", and rearranged and re-recorded them from scratch. Beyond those two tracks, you can hear a touch of sleaze and more classic hard rock on songs like "Fix Me", "Blow By Blow" and "Soldier Down".

Marcello says: "The whole idea of 'Scaling Up' is to, very respectfully, use the music of my past as a canvas to paint a picture of where I stand today and what I aim for in the future as a guitarist/singer/writer. I think we've got the balance of now and then just right, and it's performed by the best group of musicians I've ever had the honor of playing with!"

Kee Marcello is one of the most renowned guitarists from Scandinavia and has an amazing history to his name. He's best known as the guitarist — from 1986 to 1992 — of one Sweden's biggest musical exports, EUROPE. In the late '80s and early '90s, EUROPE were one of the biggest rock bands in the world. They sold over 30 million albums, landed at No. 1 on sales charts in 26 countries and shared the biggest stages with acts like METALLICA, DEF LEPPARD and BON JOVI. Kee is now also enjoying a new wave of success as a TV persona in Sweden, as well as being involved in other musical projects.

"Scaling Up" track listing:

01. Black Hole Star02. On The Radio03. Don't Miss You Much04. Fix Me05. Wild Child06. Finger On The Trigger07. Soldier Down08. Scandinavia09. Good Men Gone Bad10. Scaling Up11. Don't Know How To Love No More12. Blow By Blow

Recording lineup:

Kee Marcello: Guitars/Vocals/KeysKen Sandin: BassDarby Todd: Drums

Special guests:

Mattias Eklundh – guitar solo on "Good Men Gone Bad"Michele Luppi – keyboards on "Wild Child"

Produced and arranged by Kee MarcelloMixed by Tobias Lindell


Original EUROPE demo version of "Wild Child":