Swedish medieval metal outfit, Apocalypse Orchestra, has signed with Sweden's fastest growing label, Despotz Records. The sextet, who hail from the Baltic Sea region, and utilize non traditional instruments such as lutes, bagpipes, the mandola and even the hurdy gurdy, have one leg entrenched in medieval times and the other firmly in modern metal.

Apocalypse Orchestra was formed by mult-instrumentalists Mikael (vocals, guitars, mandola, lute and cittern) and Erik (hurdy gurdy, mandola, bagpipes, backing vocals) who developed a bond over their mutual love of the unlikely combination of folk music and doom metal.  With a foundation of original music and lyrics the duo also decided to incorporate melodies stemming from as far back as the 11th century, the goal was to create a musical homage to a long gone era.

The songs tell stories of plagues, of hell and the senseless acts of war and suffering, all while weaving a romantic era thread combined with the crushing modern metal mentality that only Apocalypse Orchestra can deliver.  

The band says, "We are very happy to commence this cooperation with Despotz Records, It feels like the next logical step for us today. Despotz have shown that they understand the band and our music and have shown complete confidence in us."  

Apocalypse Orchestra have begun recording their debut album in various castles across the Swedish countryside and expect the album to see a release later in 2016. The band have uploaded a live clip that can be viewed below.

Despotz Records' Omer Akay says, "Apocalypse Orchestra is Sweden's 'Best Kept Secret' and we couldn't be prouder than to have them with Despotz."

Brazil’s Hangar have unveiled the cover art and tracklisting for their new studio album, Stronger Than Ever. More information about the album will be released soon, in the meantime check out the first details below.

Tracklisting:

“Reality Is A Prison”
“The Revenant”
“Forest Of Forgotten”
“A Letter From 1997 (MHJ)”
“Just Like Heaven”
“The Silence Of Innocent”
“Beauty In Disrepair”
“We Keep Running The Course”
“The Hangar Of Hannibal”
“Just Like Heaven” (Acoustic)

Ozzy Osbourne's wife and manager Sharon Osbourne has told Rolling Stone that the 67-year-old singer will carry on as a solo artist after BLACK SABBATH's farewell tour comes to an end. "We'll continue until Ozzy finishes, and Ozzy won't be long behind them when he calls it a day," she said.

"It's not going to be within the next year, but it's coming up," she said. "I don't want Ozzy singing 'Crazy Train' at 75. I think it's best you go out before you hit that 70 and go out on top."

Ozzy told Billboard that he is not planning on hanging it up once SABBATH has retired from touring. "I just get on with it," he said. "I'm not stopping, Terry [BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler] is not stopping; we're just stopping SABBATH. We're not gonna sit in our rocking chairs and look at our scrapbook. We'll still be involved in the music scene; that's what we’ve always done. It's been the best thing that ever happened to me."

Ozzy has not released an all-new solo album since 2010's "Scream", having spent the last few years touring with BLACK SABBATH and recording that band's "13" album.

Epic Records president Sylvia Rhone told Billboard last August that Osbourne was working on a "really special album." She added, "It's going to be amazing. It's something Ozzy has never done before that he's always wanted to do."

Ozzy confirmed last year that he was planning to make another solo record and embark on a solo tour after SABBATH was done touring. He explained: "I mean, my wife's a shopaholic, always off buying fucking shoes or something, so I've got to keep the money coming somehow."

Each day this week, Guns N’ Roses are posting video from their recent tour dates. Today’s video highlights the band’s show in Mexico City on April 20th. Check it out below, as well the previous clips posted this week.

Upcoming Guns N’ Roses tour dates include:

June
23 - Ford Field - Detroit, MI
26 - FedEx Field - Washington, DC
29 - Arrowhead Stadium - Kansas City, MO

July
1 - Soldier Field - Chicago, IL
6 - Paul Brown Stadium - Cincinnati, OH
9 - Nissan Stadium - Nashville, TN
12 - Heinz Field - Pittsburgh, PA
14 - Lincoln Financial Field - Philadelphia, PA
16 - Rogers Centre - Toronto, ON
19 - Gillette Stadium - Foxboro, MA
23 - Metlife Stadium - East Rutherford, NJ
27 - Georgia Dome - Atlanta, GA
29 - Orlando Citrus Bowl Stadium - Orlando, FL
31 - Mercedes-Benz Superdome - New Orleans, LA

August
3 - AT&T Stadium - Arlington, TX
5 - NRG Stadium - Houston, TX
9 - AT&T Park - San Francisco, CA
12 - CenturyLink Field - Seattle, WA
15 - University of Phoenix Stadium - Glendale, AZ
22 - Qualcomm Stadium - San Diego, CA

 

 

MÖTLEY CRÜE and SIXX:A.M. bassist Nikki Sixx says that he has "no respect for Gene Simmons" after the KISS co-founder's statement that the death of Prince was "pathetic."

Earlier this week, Simmons received backlash from friends, family and fans after insinuating that Prince died from a drug overdose. Sixx also ripped Simmons on Twitter, saying his "recent heartless and uneducated remarks about Prince's death shows why he's not my hero anymore or anybody's."

During an interview with the WNOR FM99 radio station this past Wednesday (May 11), Sixx was asked about Gene's comments and the impact that Prince had on the world of music. He said: "Gene Simmons taking swipes at Prince without actually having the information is what I said #FromHeroToZero. We have no respect for Gene Simmons anymore; nobody in rock does. And I'm not gonna sit back quietly as a person [and] allow a bully to go out there and put down people he doesn't know anything about. The last thing that me and Gene got into is he said that if people are depressed, they should kill themselves."

He continued: "I think that Gene should call it a day, and that we should look at this beautiful catalogue of music that Prince has given us. And if you wanna compare Prince to KISS, I mean… okay, c'mon. There's no comparison. Prince has been an amazing artist. He's kept his standard high over the years and was never just about money and ego; it was about music."

Simmons on Wednesday took to Twitter to clarify his remarks about Prince. He explained: "I apologize — I have a long history of getting very angry at what drugs do to the families/friends of the addicts. I get angry at drug users because of my experience being around them coming up in the rock scene."

Prince died on April 21 at his home in Minnesota, but no cause of death has been identified just yet. A law enforcement official told the Associated Press that his death was being investigated as a possible drug overdose.

Over the years, Simmons has never hidden his feelings about drug use, even when his bandmates were involved. He told The Pulse Of Radio that drugs are the number one reason for bands failing to live up to their potential. "I have no sympathy at all for anybody that doesn't have enough self-respect for themselves and for their bandmates, because when one guy decides that his dalliances with crazy things is more important that the welfare of his band, that guy doesn't deserve any success," he said. "Because a team is a team, and every guy's gotta carry the weight. You're only as good as your teammates."

KISS kicks off its 37-date summer tour on July 7 at Boise, Idaho's Taco Bell Arena.

MÖTLEY CRÜE and KISS co-headlined a North American tour in the summer of 2012.

Witherscape, the progressive death metal outfit consisting of Swedish singer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Dan Swanö (ex-Edge Of Sanity/Bloodbath, Nightingale, etc.) as well as fellow Swedish multi-instrumentalist Ragnar Widerberg, have announced the worldwide release of their sophomore full-length album, The Northern Sanctuary, on July 22nd via Century Media Records.

Following up on the refreshing impact of 2013’s debut album The Inheritance and 2014’s The New Tomorrow EP, The Northern Sanctuary is yet another mesmerizingly dense conceptual album, enhanced by breathtakingly powerful artwork courtesy of Hungarian artist Gyula Havancsák (Nightingale, Destruction, Tyr, etc.), which can be seen below.

Once more lyrically supported by Paul Kuhr (Novembers Doom), Witherscape continue the storyline launched with the debut album, as Swanö explains: “The theme picks up where we left off with the The New Tomorrow EP. There is a 50 year jump in the time line from the 1st album and the main character Mannen i vitt (The man in white) has purchased the house where all the horror initially happened. He's restored it and rents out rooms to people from the big cities, who are aiming for some peaceful northern Swedish silence. But the entity still haunts the house and Mannen i vitt is possessed by it, so consequently he/it does terrible things to the "patients". Since the house is built on one of the gates to hell, there's a ritual taking place, opening the hellish dimension from where the evil entity once came, so it can go back there…”

Musically, The Northern Sanctuary manages to seamlessly blend the best elements of the band’s 70’s/80’s prog/hard rock and even AOR roots with contemporary, yet always atmospheric and subtle extreme metal. Its infectious catchiness will doubtlessly appeal to the passionate followers of Swanö’s diverse artistic catalogue, but also to fans of bands like Opeth, Amorphis or Symphony X.

Look out for further album details and first song samples for The Northern Sanctuary to be revealed soon.

In related Swanö news, look out for a special festival appearance by his progressive rock group Nightingale this weekend at Rock Hard Festival in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Nightingale will perform on Sunday, May 15th between 2:05 – 2:50 PM and will also have a signing session between 3:30 – 4:15 PM.

German Celtic metal act, SuidAkrA, have released a video for “Pictish Pride”, a track from their newest album, Realms Of Odoric, which will be released in North American on May 20th. The new video can be found below.

Realms Of Odoric is presented with extensive epic artwork by artist Kris Verwimp.

Tracklisting:

“Into The Realm”
“The Serpent Within”
“The Hunter's Horde”
“Creeping Blood”
“Undaunted”
“Lion Of Darcania”
“Pictish Pride”
“On Roads To Ruin”
“Dark Revelations”
“Braving The End”
“One Against The Tide”
“Cimbric Requiem”

Bonus track (Digipak version)
“Remembrance”

“Pictish Pride” video:

“The Hunter's Horde” lyric video:

"Daybreak", the new Shan Dan-directed video from California's groove metal juggernauts DEVILDRIVER, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's seventh studio album, "Trust No One", which will be released on May 13 via Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2013's "Winter Kills" was once again produced by Mark Lewis (ARSIS, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, DEICIDE, SIX FEET UNDER) with assistance from Jason Suecof (AUGUST BURNS RED, DEICIDE, DEATH ANGEL). The new CD marks the group's first release since the departures of guitarist Jeff Kendrick and drummer John Boecklin and addition of axeman Neal Tiemann and former CHIMAIRA sticksman Austin D'Amond. "Trust No One" track listing:

01. Testimony of Truth02. Bad Deeds03. My Night Sky04. This Deception05. Above It All06. Daybreak07. Trust No One08. Feeling Ungodly09. Retribution10. For What It's Worth

Said frontman Dez Fafara: "'Trust No One' is a vicious record filled with huge grooves and big hooks, guitar bass assery and thundering drums!Lyrically it goes to a realistic space exploring a ton of different emotion and headspaces regarding being human and what it means to exist. The band worked long hours writing as well as in the studio along with our producer to forge 'Trust No One'! I hope you turn it the fuck up and enjoy this record from start to finish!"

Added Spreitzer: "'Trust No One' is the record that I’ve been wanting to write for twelve years."

DEVILDRIVER has tapped former WAYNE STATIC guitarist Diego Ibarra (a.k.a. Ashes) to play bass on its tour in support of "Trust No One".

Ibarra joined DEVILDRIVER as the replacement for former BURY YOUR DEAD guitarist Chris Towning, who appeared on the Dez Fafara-fronted band's 2013 album "Winter Kills".

Boecklin and Kendrick played their last show with DEVILDRIVER as part of the 2014 Knotfest in Devore, California.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star, the company which creates "beautiful lullaby versions of your favorite artists," has just released "Lullaby Versions Of Trivium" via Roma Music Group.

"Lullaby Versions Of Trivium" track listing:

01. Until The World Goes Cold02. Strife03. Silence In The Snow04. In Waves05. Dying In Your Arms06. Down From The Sky

The song "Until The World Goes Cold" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Check out audio samples at Amazon.de.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star was born for the parent that wants to pass along their biggest passion to their child, music. Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star transforms popular music into instrumental lullabies perfect for babies, yoga or just relaxation. Now, parents can enjoy the music from LADY GAGA to METALLICA in soothing lullaby style. With over 135 titles to choose from, Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star is the largest line of pop, rock, metal and jamband music lullabies in the world. These aren't novelty recordings. They are cute, they are soft but these are serious recordings. Roma Music Group, which releases Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star, is run by two music industry veterans who put the fidelity of these recording at the top of the priority list. Let's face it, much like the brand name clothes you buy for your infant, this music is really for you. Whether you are raising a metal baby, rocker or hippie baby, Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star has your music transformed from arena anthems into nursery classics.

Ozzy Osbourne's estranged wife and manager Sharon Osbourne attended Thursday's (May 12) press conference in Hollywood to announce the details of Ozzfest Meets Knotfest, a combination of the two hard rock and metal events that will take place on Saturday, September 24 and Sunday, September 25 at San Manuel Amphitheater and Festival Grounds in San Bernardino, California. Sharon even introduced her husband and the other musicians, although neither she nor Ozzy addressed their current marital woes. Ozzy embraced his wife during the proceedings at several points although she did not return the gesture.

Sharon spoke to E! News' Will Marfuggi about the festival, explaining (see video below): "My kids grew up going to Ozzfest; you know, twenty years this year it's been around. So I have a very soft spot in my heart for Ozzfest."

She added: "We made a lot of news doing Ozzfest, a lot of success, a lot of money, and the fans have been so amazing to us by [continuing to come] back every time we come out."

As for what she wants to see happen next with Ozzy after BLACK SABBATH completes its farewell tour, Sharon said: "I'd wanna see him go out and do his own farewell tour with his own music, 'cause they're two totally different music genres, really. You know, Ozzy's got his fans, SABBATH have got their own fans, so I would like to see him go out and say farewell to his fans with his music and then really call it a day."

In a separate interview, Ozzy spoke of Sharon's support, saying: "Our wives have been very important to us. Asked if she's "still the boss," Ozzy replied, "Oh, yeah."

As for whether she will continue to run his career, Ozzy told E! News, "Oh yeah. I hope so."

Sharon confirmed her split with Ozzy during an appearance on "The Talk" earlier this week. The 63-year-old admitted to kicking her hubby out of the house but explained that he has since moved back in and she has decided to leave. Sharon told her co-hosts that she doesn't know if she and Ozzy will stay married because she hasn't figured out what she wants yet. She also acknowledged that she loves her husband for the life and children that he has given her.

She did not specifically address the rumor that Ozzy cheated on her but Page Six reported that she has suspected it was the case for some time.

Iconic MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy Kilmister is being honored by the German postal service in the form of a range of stamps.

The collection is the result of a partnership between Deutsche Post and the German newspaper Bild.

Only available in Germany, a book of ten stamps can be purchased for €10 via the Bild web site.

The newspaper says: "The German official post office Deutsche Post together with Bild are honoring our beloved late Lemmy Kilmister with an official set of German postage stamps for standard-size letter.

"One stamp package contains ten stamps, five Lemmy motifs in total and everyone can compile the stamps the way they like.

"These stamps are limited to 7777 — Lemmy's lucky seven — and will be available for four weeks only, between May 17 and June 17."

Bild goes on to call Lemmy "a great artist, a gentleman, an honest and loyal person, an icon for many and an inspiration for his fellow artists and fans."

Lemmy passed away at his home in Los Angeles on December 28, only four days after his 70th birthday.

Author Marisa Williams conducted an interview with MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson at this year's edition of the Fort Rock festival, which was held on Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1 at JetBlue Park in Fort Myers, Florida. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked about the different instrumentation MEGADETH has incorporated into some of its albums over the years, Ellefson said: "In MEGADETH, we've had everything from sitars to the Nashville Symphony Orchestra director, which is [producer] Dann Huff's father, come in on the 'Cryptic Writings' album. Even strings on the 'Dystopia' record, [and guitarist] Kiko [Loureiro] being able to play piano."

He continued: "I played piano years back. In fact, I wrote some stuff, actually some riffs that turned into guitar riffs on the 'Youthanasia' record. So the piano has actually been a friend to MEGADETH. I mean, the piano is an interesting instrument, because, to me, it was very lightweight, almost like a sissy instrument that I never thought had a place in metal. But then I started to take some lessons. This was many years [ago], like, mid'-'90s, I bought a home in Arizona, and I thought, 'Well, I need to put in a pool table or a grand piano,' so I bought a grand piano, and I sat down and I learned how to play it and I took some lessons. And the kid who was giving me lessons, he was a child prodigy, and he taught me that the piano is really a percussion instrument. And you look at it from a percussion rather than a melodic point of view, and it really opened my eyes to that. And looking at everything in octaves versus on the fingerboard of an instrument, depending on how it's strung and the frets and everything. So all of a sudden I had a whole new view of it, and I was writing things that would become, basically, riffs for even MEGADETH songs."

According to Ellefson, "probably the strangest instrument" that he has seen incorporated into a metal album was when he worked with Max Cavalera on SOULFLY's 2004 album "Prophecy". He said: "[Max has] got instruments that I don't even know what the names of them are, that he brought from Brazil. He was into these very strange… It looked to me like it was a bow and arrow, and they're plugging it, and it had a name. So Max is one of these artists that reaches deep inside of his very historic culture and brings in those sounds. And me being of Norwegian and European descent, my ear kind of goes, I guess, a little bit to some of those things of a lot of the Northern European kind of music."

MEGADETH filmed a video for the song "Post American World" late last month. The track is taken from the band's latest album, "Dystopia", which came out in January.

"Dystopia" shifted 49,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending January 28. In terms of pure album sales, it opened with 48,000 copies, marking MEGADETH's highest-charting album since 1992's "Countdown To Extinction" debuted and peaked at No. 2 on the chart dated August 1 of that year. "Dystopia" also logged the group's best sales week since 2007, when "United Abominations" landed at No. 8 with first-week sales of 54,000.

Berlin, Germany’s Tanzwut will release their tenth studio album, Schreib Es Mit Blut, on July 8th via AFM Records. The band have released a video for the album’s title track, which can be found below.

Tracklisting:

“Schreib Es Mit Blut”
“Steig Ein”
“Bruder Leichtsinn”
“Chaos”
“Reiter Ohne Kopf”
“Geteert Und Gefedert”
“Stille Wasser”
“Reicher Als Ein König”
“Hahnenkampf”
“Wenn Ich Tot Bin”
“An Den Klippen”
“Bleib Bei Mir”
“Wer Wir Sind”
“Neue Ufer”

Bonus track:
“Stille Wasser” (featuring Liv Kristine)

“Schreib Es Mit Blut” video:

After celebrating the album release with a live show at this year's RockHarz Festival and playing two other festival gigs, Tanzwut will be on club tour in the fall.

Dates are as follows:

July
7-9 - Ballenstedt - Rockharz Festival
29 - Langen Trechow - Open Air auf dem Nopperhof

August
13 - Aich - Schlosshof Festival

October
7 - Zwickau - Alter Gasometer
8 - Dresden - Tante Ju
14 - Munchen - Backstage Halle
15 - Kaiserslautern - Kammgarn
16 - Nurnberg - Hirsch
20 - Osnabruck - Rosenhof
21 - Rostock - M.A.U. Club
22 - Wilhelmshaven - Pumpwerk

November
3 - Koln - Underground
4 - Aschaffenburg - Colos-Saal
5 - Hannover - Musikzentrum
11 - Hamburg - Knust
12 - Berlin - Postbahnhof Club

December
23 - Polten - Mittelaterspektakel

German metal queen Doro Pesch celebrated the 30th anniversary of performing live during 2013 and 2014 by touring the world extensively for a year and by playing three official anniversary shows.

The tour kicked off impressively in front of 85,000 people at the world's biggest metal festival, Wacken Open Air, followed by two sold-out nights in her hometown, Dusseldorf, where she also started her outstanding career.

And everyone came to party with Doro: Phil Campbell (MOTÖRHEAD), Biff Byford (SAXON), Chris Caffery (SAVATAGE), Blaze Bayley (ex-IRON MAIDEN), Joakim Brodén (SABATON), Hansi Kürsch (BLIND GUARDIAN), Udo Dirkschneider, Uli Jon Roth, LORDI as well as many more amazing guests — the list of stars who celebrated the metal queen on stage comes across like a "Who's Who" of the rock and metal scene.

Three decades of Doro — three unforgettable nights — forever captured on three DVDs and two Blu-rays; including an two-hour-plus great music movie, which delivers deep insights behind the scenes and inside the heart of Doro. Nuclear Blast will release this incredible Doro anniversary package, titled "Strong And Proud - 30 Years Of Rock And Metal", on June 24. It is a fantastic memory for everyone who has seen Doro live worldwide during her anniversary and a revelation for all fans of good, hard rock music and classy live performance with blood, sweat and tears.

A performance clip of the song "Raise Your Fist In The Air", taken from "Strong And Proud - 30 Years Of Rock And Metal", can be seen below.

Says Doro: "We spent endless hours, days and nights working on the DVD, because we wanted to present a real highlight for all rock and metal fans for the 30th anniversary. We took care of every detail. It began already with the bombastic stage in Wacken, we worked one year on its design. In Dusseldorf, we even celebrated two nights in a row. One 'Classic Night' with a 40-piece orchestra and one 'balls to the wall' rock show on the second evening. It continued subsequently nonstop — with an anniversary tour, with led us to Russia, South America and my second home, the USA, among others."

"Strong And Proud - 30 Years Of Rock And Metal" contains 38 songs in total, a full load of rock and metal, including all Doro classics, many old WARLOCK hits and ingenious cover versions of songs such as "Fear Of The Dark" (IRON MAIDEN) and "Balls To The Wall" (ACCEPT). The filming and cutting is phenomenal, and the sound crystal-clear. Once again, the packaging was drawn by Doro's favourite artist, Geoffrey Gillespie.

Additionally, "Strong And Proud - 30 Years Of Rock And Metal" offers a unique music movie with a two-hour plus documentary, "Behind The Curtain, Inside The Heart Of Doro". It gives the spectator deep and detailed insights into the world of Doro.

Says Doro: "There's always great impressions from all over the world and never before seen pictures from our life behind the stage. The camera team accompanied us for over one year everywhere and captured very emotional, intimate and human situations."

"Strong And Proud - 30 Years Of Rock And Metal" will be released in the following formats:

- 2Blu-ray-Digi- 3DVD-Digi- CD- Earbook- 2LP (black) in gatefold- 2LP (blue) in gatefold (mailorder + wholesale)- 2LP (silver) in gatefold (mailorder exclusive)- Earbook in tote bag (mailorder exclusive)

DVD1

30 Years Anniversary Show - Wacken Open Air

01. Intro02. Wacken Anthem (We Are The Metalheads)03. Burning The Witches04. East Meets West (feat. Chris Boltendahl)05. Raise Your Fist In The Air06. Hellbound07. Revenge08. Earthshaker Rock09. Breaking The Law (feat. Phil Campbell)10. All We Are (feat. Eric Fish, Joakim Brodén & CORVUS CORAX)

30 Years Anniversary Show - Classic Night

11. Touch Of Evil12. On The Run13. Fear Of The Dark (feat. Blaze Bayley)14. The Night Of The Warlock15. You're My Family16. Above The Ashes17. Beyond The Trees18. Hero19. Princess Of The Dawn (feat. Udo Dirkschneider)20. Dancing With An Angel (feat. Udo Dirkschneider)21. Hard Rock Hallelujah (feat. LORDI)22. Love Me In Black23. Für Immer (Mix Clip Classic Night/Rock Night)

30 Years Anniversary Show - Rock Night

24. Raise Your Fist In The Air25. Save My Soul26. Running From The Devil27. Without You28. East Meets West (feat. Sabina Classen)29. Rock Till Death (feat. Hansi Kürsch)30. Bad Blood (feat. LORDI)31. Denim And Leather (feat. Biff Byford)32. Out Of Control33. Wacken Anthem (We Are The Metalheads)34. Metal Racer35. Herzblut36. Burn It Up37. Balls To The Wall (feat. Udo Dirkschneider)38. All We Are

DVD2

01. Behind The Curtain, Inside The Heart Of Doro (Documentary)

DVD3 - Bonus Concert Movie

30 Years Anniversary Show - Classic Night

01. Celebrate02. Burn It Up03. Breaking The Law04. All We Are05. Metal Racer

30 Years Anniversary Show - Rock Night

06. True As Steel07. Evil08. Egypt (The Chains Are On) (feat. Chris Caffery)09. Revenge10. Hellbound11. You've Got Another Thing Comin' (feat. Biff Byford)12. Fight13. Drum Solo14. Ich Will Alles (feat. Andy Brings)15. Metal Tango16. Unholy Love

30 Years Anniversary Show - Wacken Open Air

17. Metal Tango (feat. Eric Fish & Frau Schmitt)18. Drum Solo19. Für Immer (feat. Uli Jon Roth)

Rock Hard Festival 2015

20. Hellbound21. Für Immer

Russia Tour 2015

22. Touch Of Evil23. I Rule The Ruins

CD + Digital:

01. On The Run02. Save My Soul03. Raise Your Fist04. Fear Of The Dark05. Revenge06. Earthshaker Rock07. Without You08. Rock Till Death09. Egypt (The Chains Are On)10. Für Immer11. Hellbound12. Balls To The Wall13. You're My Family14. All We Are

Blu-ray 1

30 Years Anniversary Show - Wacken Open Air

01. Intro02. Wacken Anthem (We Are The Metalheads)03. Burning The Witches04. East Meets West (feat. Chris Boltendahl)05. Raise Your Fist In The Air06. Hellbound07. Revenge08. Earthshaker Rock09. Breaking The Law (feat. Phil Campbell)10. All We Are (feat. Eric Fish, Joakim Brodén & CORVUS CORAX)

30 Years Anniversary Show - Classic Night

11. Touch Of Evil12. On The Run13. Fear Of The Dark (feat. Blaze Bailey)14. The Night Of The Warlock15. You're My Family16. Above The Ashes17. Beyond The Trees18. Hero19. Princess Of The Dawn (feat. Udo Dirkschneider)20. Dancing With An Angel (feat. Udo Dirkschneider)21. Hard Rock Hallelujah (feat. LORDI)22. Love Me In Black23. Für Immer (Mix Clip Classic Night/Rock Night)

30 Years Anniversary Show - Rock Night

24. Raise Your Fist In The Air25. Save My Soul26. Running From The Devil27. Without You28. East Meets West (feat. Sabina Classen)29. Rock Till Death (feat. Hansi Kürsch)30. Bad Blood (feat. LORDI)31. Denim And Leather (feat. Biff Byford)32. Out Of Control33. Wacken Anthem (We Are The Metalheads)34. Metal Racer35. Herzblut36. Burn It Up37. Balls To The Wall (feat. Udo Dirkschneider)38. All We Are

Blu-ray 2

01. Behind The Curtain, Inside The Heart Of Doro (Documentary)

30 Years Anniversary Show - Classic Night

02. Celebrate03. Burn It Up04. Breaking The Law05. All We Are06. Metal Racer

30 Years Anniversary Show - Rock Night

07. True As Steel08. Evil09. Egypt (The Chains Are On) (feat. Chris Caffery)10. Revenge11. Hellbound12. You've Got Another Thing Comin' (feat. Biff Byford)13. Fight14. Drum Solo15. Ich Will Alles (feat. Andy Brings)16. Metal Tango17. Unholy Love

30 Years Anniversary Show - Wacken Open Air

18. Metal Tango (feat. Eric Fish & Frau Schmitt)19. Drum Solo20. Für Immer (feat. Uli Jon Roth)

Rock Hard Festival 2015

21. Hellbound22. Für Immer

Russia Tour 2015

23. Touch Of Evil24. I Rule The Ruins

German metal band, Rage, will release their new album, The Devil Strikes Again, on June 10th via Nuclear Blast Records. The band have released the second official album trailer. Watch two trailers below:

Part 1:

Part 2:

The Devil Strikes Again will be released in various formats: CD / Digibook (2CD)/ Deluxe Digibook (3CD) / 2LP. Pre-order the new album at this location.

Tracklisting:

CD/LP:
“The Devil Strikes Again”
“My Way”
“Back On Track”
“The Final Curtain”
“War”
“Ocean Full Of Tears”
“Deaf, Dumb And Blind”
“Spirits Of The Night”
“Times Of Darkness”
“The Dark Side Of The Sun”

Bonus (Digibook/ Deluxe / LP)
“Bring Me Down”
“Requiem”
“Into The Fire”
“Bravado” (Rush Cover)
“Slave To The Grind” (Skid Row Cover)
“Open Fire” (Y&T Cover)

CD Live 2016 (Deluxe only)
“Black In Mind” (live)
“Sent By The Devil” (live)
“End Of All Days” (live)
“Back In Time” (live)
“Down” (live)
“My Way” (live)
“Until I Die” (live)
“Don't Fear The Winter” (live)
“Higher Than The Sky” (live)

“Spirits Of The Night” lyric video:

“My Way” video:

Studio trailers:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Legendary German thrashers Destruction, whose new studio album Under Attack is out today (May 13th), have released a new video trailer for the effort, which can be viewed below:

The album artwork was created by acclaimed artist Gyula from Hungary, who has also created artwork for Annihlator, Grave Digger, Stratovarius, Tankard and many more.

Tracklisting:

“Under Attack”
“Generation Nevermore”
“Dethroned”
“Getting Used To The Evil”
“Pathogenic”
“Elegant Pigs”
“Second To None”
“Stand Up For What You Deliver”
“Conductor Of The Void”
“Stigmatized”

Bonus tracks:
“Black Metal” (feat. Alex [Krisiun])
“Thrash Attack”

"Under Attack" video:

Trailer:

“Second To None” lyric video:

Teaser:

Artwork trailer:

Comments bassist/singer Schemer: "I had the vision of the exploding earth with the Destruction skull as continents before we even had the title. Never has the earth and every individual been so Under Attack: whether it’s environmental issues, wars or politics and media madness, we just destroy everything that we love! The cover brings together the classical concepts of the band’s history and fits in well with the discography… but unfortunately it also represents the current state of the world today!"

The back cover of the vinyl edition of Under Attack can be seen below:

Guitarist/vocalist Thane Farace of Rabid Assassin was severely injured in an ATV accident on April 24th, sustaining major damage to the left side of his body.

His injuries include:

- Compound/Shattered collarbone
- Broken shoulder blade
- Broken upper rib
- Partially collapsed & bruised lung
- Head laceration
- Lacerations on back of shoulder

Dealing with the aftermath of his accident, Thane, a telecommunications subcontractor, has health insurance but due to his extensive injuries Thane is out of work for an extended period of time and needed to file for Short Term Disability. Upon filing, he found out that his Short Term Disability was never renewed for 2016. This poses a tremendous problem now as Thane has NO income to cover his current living expenses much less the new medical bills already rolling in.

A Go Fund Me (Help Thane Farace) account has been setup for anyone who would like to donate to help Thane's situation, click here. No money means no bills paid and potential loss of everything he has ever worked for. Whatever anyone can contribute will help tremendously.

Thane is back home on the mend and is providing daily updates on his healing process along with his struggles. Stop by and say hello and/or wish him well at this location.

Metal Life conducted an interview with bassist/vocalist Jeff Walker of British extreme metal pioneers CARCASS in February. You can now listen to the chat below.

Asked about the progress of the songwriting sessions for CARCASS's follow-up to 2013's "Surgical Steel" album, Walker said: "Well, I could bullshit you and tell you that we've already written a double album, and it's a concept album. The truth of the matter is we've not had any time to sit down and regroup. I'm pretty sure Bill [Steer, guitar] has riffs somewhere, and maybe he's had a couple of jams with the drummer, but we've not sat down and started composing or writing stuff. We've literally had no time. We've not stopped touring or playing, on and off, since the beginning of 2013, before the album came out. We've just been busy. I mean, we were looking to wind down and then this SLAYER tour [offer] came up, and it [was] too good an opportunity to turn down. And as long as there's demand out there, we're gonna play."

He continued: "In all honesty, 'Surgical Steel' came out at the tail end of [2013], but it just seems like it was yesterday. We're not really in some kind of careerist cycle where we're gonna record albums, tour… If we were clever, we would get a new album out as soon as we can to capitalize on the wave of good feeling and the supposed success of 'Surgical Steel'. But that won't happen, because, as pretentious as it is, we're kind of artists and we'll take as much as we need to write the next album. Now, if that takes a year or two years, then it's just tough shit. And if that's to the detriment of any success or career that we've got, then it's just tough shit. It's not a money-spinning exercise."

CARCASS has scheduled 17 shows in the U.S. between its appearance at the Chicago Open Air festival in late July and the August 6 performance at the Heavy Montreal festival. Support on these dates will come from CROWBAR, GHOUL and NIGHT DEMON.

Joining Walker and guitarist Bill Steer in CARCASS' current incarnation are drummer Daniel Wilding (ABORTED, TRIGGER THE BLOODSHED) and guitarist Ben Ash (PIG IRON, DESOLATION, LIQUEFIED SKELETON).

"Surgical Steel" sold around 8,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 41 on The Billboard 200 chart.

A special edition of "Surgical Steel" was released last October on CD and digitally and on vinyl in November via Nuclear Blast. The "Complete Edition" includes the whole album "Surgical Steel", along with the entire "Surgical Remission / Surplus Steel" EP. All the songs were recorded during the "Surgical Steel" sessions, which were helmed by producer Colin Richardson (NAPALM DEATH, BOLT THROWER, GOREFEST, CANNIBAL CORPSE, SINISTER, RODRIGO Y GABRIELA) and mixed/mastered by Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, ACCEPT, EXODUS, TESTAMENT).

Vocalist Chuck Billy of San Francisco Bay Area metallers TESTAMENT has confirmed that the band's forthcoming eleventh studio album will "definitely" be titled "The Brotherhood Of The Snake".

Speaking to TheNationalStudent about the lyrical themes covered on TESTAMENT's follow-up to 2012's "Dark Roots Of Earth", Chuck said: "'The Brotherhood Of The Snake' was actually a society about six thousand years ago that debarred all religions. It was just a fascinating topic that caught our eye and attention and spawned a lot of songs. We're going with that vibe."

He continued: "There will be some songs that deviate, but the majority will be around that and aliens and religion. Then I'll probably tap into my native heritage and write some songs about that. It's not just going to be one concept, but there is some interesting stuff that we're finding to write about."

Billy added that most difficult part of making new albums for a band like TESTAMENT "is that we don't live near to each other. We're not like a normal band where we're, like, 'Oh, we'll see you at the studio, we're jamming tomorrow." Alex [Skolnick, lead guitarist] lives in New York, Eric [Peterson, rhythm guitarist] lives in San Diego, and me and Steve [DiGiorgio, bassist] are the only ones that still live in the Bay Area. So when it's time to rehearse or go on tour, they bring everybody in together to practice. It's not the easiest way to write when we're going through that stage. It's, like, 'We're writing. Okay, everyone send in stuff through e-mail.' That's the hardest part of it, but I think it keeps us focused on the song a little more, so it has its ups and downs. I still like getting together and kicking around thoughts in the studio with the band."

Peterson recently told Metalholic.com that the song "The Brotherhood Of The Snake" will feature "the fastest blast" TESTAMENT drummer Gene Hoglan has ever played, a sentiment that was echoed by Billy. "It is definitely some fast blast beats going on in there," Chuck said. "That's definitely a standout [song], but a lot of this record, the new record, is definitely gonna be geared up to a little more faster than 'Dark Roots Of Earth' record, definitely a little more aggressive musically, for sure, probably vocally as well. I think I'll probably attack with a little more heavier voice on this one. I'll kind of feel my way through the song, which voice to use. But there's definitely gonna be some 'Demonic' [-type] stuff, but again like 'The Gathering', 'cause I think I did a little bit of everything on that record, which that's what we'd like to accomplish."

TESTAMENT's U.S. tour with SLAYER and CARCASS kicked off on February 19 in Chicago, Illinois and ended on March 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Long-time YES fans, rejoice! Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman are proud to announce that after a hiatus of 25 years, they are to reform the definitive YES lineup as Anderson, Rabin & Wakeman (ARW).

Since they last played together in 1990 on the highly successful YES Union Tour, there have been various hybrid versions of the band. However, none featured the iconic voice of Jon Anderson, the outstanding guitar talent of Trevor Rabin, and the keyboard wizardry of Rick Wakeman. The aim of the band will be to restore the standard of excellence in performance that they established with their 1990 shows - which saw YES members past and present come together for the first (and only) time of the legendary band's career.

"To be able to sing and perform with Rick and Trevor at this time in my life is a treasure beyond words," explains Jon. "I'm so excited to create new music and revisit some of the classic work we created many years ago, it's going to be a musical adventure on so many new levels."

"Trevor and I have wanted to play Yes music together since the Union Tour," adds Rick. "And as for so many of us, there is no Yes music without Jon.  The 'Holy Trinity of Yes' is for me, very much a dream come true."

The most successful prog rock group of all time, YES was founded by Jon Anderson in 1968 and went on to sell millions of units with releases such as Fragile, Close to The Edge, Tales From Topographic Oceans, Going For The One and 90125, as well as embarking on several record-breaking world tours.

While Rick is associated with the '70s "prog era" of the band (which saw YES become a worldwide stadium headliner) and Trevor associated with the '80s "pop era" of the band (which furthered the band's popularity - including the band's biggest chart success), Jon is the bridge between both factions (as he was a member of both eras).

Not content to rest on past glory, Jon, Trevor and Rick are working on new songs, which are currently being recorded. The band will make its live debut in North America in October/November, followed by the Rest of the World in 2017.

The worldwide ARW Tour is being produced by legendary concert promoter Larry Magid, who is considered an architect and leader of the modern concert business. With over 16,000 concerts to his credit and still counting, he has produced national and international tours for Yes, Richard Pryor, Bette Midler, Stevie Wonder, Robin Williams, Kristin Chenoweth, Earth Wind & Fire, Il Divo, The Allman Brothers Band, Patti LaBelle, Grover Washington Jr. and many others. In 1985 Larry Magid co-produced the American portion of Live Aid and in 2005 he was the producer of Live 8.

The following are confirmed dates, and on-sales for each market will be announced soon. Additional dates may be added:

October
4 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
6 - Hollywood, FL - Seminole Hard Rock Casino
7 - Clearwater, FL - Ruth Eckerd Hall
9 - Durham, NC - Durham Performing Arts Center
10 - Atlanta, GA - Fox Theatre
15 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre
16 - Glenside, PA - Keswick Theatre
19 - Boston, MA - Wang Theatre
21 - Wallingford, CT - Toyota Oakdale Theatre
22 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount
24 - Montclair, NJ - Wellmont Theater
26 - Red Bank, NJ - Count Basie Theatre
28 - Atlantic City, NJ - Borgata Event Center
29 - Akron, OH - Goodyear Theater at East End

November
1 - New York, NY - Beacon Theatre
2 - Pittsburgh, PA - Heinz Hall
4 - New Buffalo, MI - Four Winds Casino
5 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theatre
7 - Nashville, TN - Schermerhorn Symphony Center
9 - St Louis, MO - Fox Theatre
11 - New Orleans, LA - Saenger Theatre
12 - San Antonio, TX - Majestic Theatre
14 - Austin, TX - ACL at the Moody Theater
16 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre
17 - Salt Lake City, UT - Capitol Theater  
19 - Las Vegas, NV - The Pearl  
20 - Phoenix, AZ - Celebrity Theatre  
22 - Los Angeles, CA - Orpheum  
25 - San Francisco, CA - Masonic  

For tour, tickets and VIP info, head to this location.

A Music Blog, Yea? recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Matt Tuck of Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked if there are any goals left for BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE to achieve, Tuck said: "Honestly, no. I think when we first started BULLET, our main goal was to hopefully one day do some touring, and that was that. That's definitely done. And then we kind of had these other dreams. They were never things we thought were achievable, but it was like touring with certain bands and getting an album out and going gold. It's just all these things; I had this wish list that we never thought was achievable. But we did. And I don't think there's anyone left that we would love to tour with, 'cause we've already done that. We've got tons of plaques for achievements of the albums have done and stuff, which is thanks to [the fans]. And that's it. We're just really content and just kind of doing our thing. I think having that mindset now rather than these really feisty, angry twenty-somethings that we were… It was great, you know, but I think we've got to a point now where we're just content, and it just makes life so much more easy to do what we do."

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE recently signed a worldwide deal with Search And Destroy/Spinefarm Records. The band's latest album, "Venom", was released in August 2015 via RCA. The CD marked BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE 's first release since the departure of longtime bassist Jason James and addition of Jamie Mathias (formerly of REVOKER).

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE drummer Michael "Moose" Thomas took a temporary leave of absence from the band earlier this year to spend time with his wife, as they awaited the birth of his first child. Filling in for him was Jason Bowld (PITCHSHIFTER, AXEWOUND).

DEFTONES drummer Abe Cunningham has dismissed rumors that Stephen Carpenter might leave the band, after the guitarist made comments in which he expressed being unhappy with the direction of the group's new album, "Gore".

"Stephen has been on a media blackout since 2000," Cunningham told the Broward Palm Beach New Times. "He doesn't do press. Stephen is brutally honest, and I love him for that, and, of course, that's clickbait and things go viral. But if you read the article, you'll see that it says, 'At first, I had a hard time getting into it...' But it's nothing different in the world of DEFTONES."

According to Cunningham, the "most emotionally draining and cathartic" album DEFTONES have ever made was 2010's "Diamond Eyes", which followed the auto accident in 2008 in which longtime bassist Chi Cheng was seriously injured. (He eventually died in April 2013.)

"['Diamond Eyes'] is when everything happened," Cunningham said of the time surrounding Cheng's accident. "His passing, for me, was a relief. For him, for his family, for us, when his accident happened, it wasn't immediate. He was seriously injured and left in a minimally conscious state for five years. All the initial emotion was when the accident happened, and to have him pass was a relief after all those years... This is the first album with him not being here, but he's still here. He had a tremendous spirit, and he's here with us. I miss that dude more than anything."

DEFTONES singer Chino Moreno recently described Carpenter as the "odd man out" while the band recorded its eighth studio album, although he added that it "wasn't our intention to exclude him."

Carpenter admitted previously that he initially didn't want to work on the record, saying: "All the songs were all a challenge for me to get into. I would never leave the band, but the band starting to leave me, I can't control that."

"Gore" debuted at No. 2 on The Billboard 200, having shifted 71,000 equivalent album units in the week ending April 14. It is the band's highest-charting effort since their self-titled fourth album bowed and peaked at No. 2 in 2003.

SHINEDOWN singer Brent Smith was recently interviewed by the 95.1 WIIL Rock radio station in Kenosha, Wisconsin. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On whether he is nervous to tour Europe due to terrorism concerns:

Brent: "No, man, I'm not nervous or anything. Neither are my guys, or my girls — you know, our staff and our crew and everything. I mean, this is what we do for a living; this is part of who we are.

"I have to be aware of what's going on at all times, no matter if I'm in another country or if I'm my own country. I remember back in 2005, man, we went to Iraq and played for the soldiers with the USO. We went to Fort Buehring in Kuwait. We went to Iraq at kind of the height when they were still throwing missiles back and forth at each other. I mean, that whole tour that we did over there, I was wearing a bulletproof vest and really didn't think anything about it, because I was there to play for our soldiers.

"I think you have to show that you're not going to allow someone to dictate your fear. And what I mean by that is you have to live your life; you can't live your life in fear. And that's what these individuals want you to do; they want you to be in fear. And there's no reasoning for that. They're cowards — point blank. They send people into buildings to kill themselves and to kill other people because they're cowards, and you've gotta fight 'em."

On whether SHINEDOWN has any new music in the works:

Brent: "[In] September we're gonna go into the studio for just an open…we call it an 'open mic,' which means we all get in the studio when we have time and we just kind of see where everybody's at and what ideas are starting to come up. That's the only real break we have. After [the] 'Carnival Of Madness' tour, we have about ten days left of… well, a little less than ten days of August left after we finish the last date of 'Carnival Of Madness', and then we go into September, and then we go to South America for the first time, and then we get back. So right around the 10th of September through the end of that month, we have that open, so we're gonna go in the studio and start seeing what everybody's got. As far as new material actually finished, nothing right now, just because we have an insanely booked year. But in September we're gonna take a look and see what's percolating in everybody's brain."

SHINEDOWN's fifth studio album, "Threat To Survival", debuted at No. 6 on The Billboard 200 album chart, selling 65,000 copies in its first week of release.

"Threat To Survival" was the third SHINEDOWN album to enter the chart in the Top 10, following "Amaryllis" and 2008's "The Sound Of Madness", which debuted at No. 8.