On May 27, death metal veterans SIX FEET UNDER will release the fourth installment of their "Graveyard Classics" series, this time paying tribute to two of metal's most heralded legends: IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST. Titled "Graveyard Classics IV: The Number Of The Priest" and mixed by Jesse Kirkbride at Kirkbride Recordings in Cape Coral, Florida, the album is comprised of five JUDAS PRIEST covers (side A), and six IRON MAIDEN covers (side B), handpicked by Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel.

The cover version of IRON MAIDEN's "Murders In The Rue Morgue" is now streaming below.

In regards to this new serving of death metal tributes, SIX FEET UNDER founder Chris Barnes comments: "Get ready to have your ears violated and your mind blown! 'Graveyard Classics IV: The Number Of The Priest' just crawled out of the Heavy Metal Cemetery!

"Having a good time playing music is what it's always been about since day one, and that's what the 'Graveyard Classics' albums are to me... a good fucking time! On this trip down memory lane, we cover songs from JUDAS PRIEST and IRON MAIDEN; the two greatest metal bands of all time. Ray Alder from FATES WARNING did a guest background vocal appearance on 'Invader', our first single. Ray is a great friend, and an awesome vocalist, and I felt our differences in styles blended well together for the middle section and added some harmony to the rawness. I hope you all enjoy the band's twist on these legendary songs!"

"Graveyard Classics IV: The Number Of The Priest" track listing

Side A: Judas Priest

01. Night Crawler02. Starbreaker03. Genocide04. Invader05. Never Satisfied

Side B: Iron Maiden

06. Murders In The Rue Morgue07. Prowler08. Flash Of The Blade09. The Evil That Men Do10. Stranger In A Strange Land11. Total Eclipse

SIX FEET UNDER will be on tour this summer in Europe for a very special select run of dates. Barnes comments: "'Graveyard Classics' the tour begins June 30th and ends July 9th, with our return to the all-powerful With Full Force festival!! Looking forward to that as well as playing an entire setlist of cover songs on this tour — something we've never done before! It will prove to be a very special group of shows. If you're anywhere near these places this summer, make sure not to miss this!"

SIX FEET UNDER tour dates:

Jun. 30 - Rotterdam, Netherlands - Baroeg Jul. 01 - Roitzschjora, Germany - With Full Force FestivalJul. 02 - Flensburg, Germany - Roxy Jul. 03 - Rostock, Germany - Alte Zuckerfabrik Jul. 04 - Hamburg, Germany - Bambi GaloreJul. 05 - Munchen, Germany - BackstageJul. 06 - Innsbruck, Austria - PMK Jul. 07 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - RockfabrikJul. 08 - Pratteln , Switzerland - Z7 Jul. 09 - Essen, Germany - Turok

SIX FEET UNDER is:

Chris Barnes - vocalsRay Suhy - guitars and bassJosh Hall - drums

“Scarecrow #2”, a previously unreleased track from Numero Group's upcoming release of White Zombie: It Came From N.Y.C. - the quintessential resurrection of White Zombie's eternally out-of-print early EPs and LPs, is streaming below:

This set is the most exhaustive attempt so far to document the band's wondrously ugly birth. Get reintroduced to White Zombie as New York noise-rock, a grotesque creation that clawed and threatened its way to crossover metal glory.

Watch an unboxing video featuring a lucky set of hands rifling through the vinyl edition of the set. What you see inside is just a taste of what you can expect from this painstakingly-arranged media documentation of White Zombie's formative years. Take a look inside White Zombie: It Came From N.Y.C. now:

Spread across five LPs or three compact discs, all 39 tracks on White Zombie: It Came From N.Y.C. have been remastered by White Zombie guitarist J. Yuenger himself and packaged alongside the original lurid artwork. The accompanying 108-page book painstakingly documents White Zombie's punishing progression through scores of unpublished photos, period discography, a T-shirtography, and tales from the terrifying early years that stitch together the sordid story of a band whose true power eclipsed its mainstream heyday. White Zombie lives. Don't be afraid. Pre-order your copy now via Numero Group.

It Came From N.Y.C. package details:

- 5LPs or 3 CDs
- 108 page hardcover book
- 20,000 word essay by Grayson Currin
- Flyer gallery
- Complete Shirtography, 1985-1990
- 50 previously unpublished photographs

Available on black, white*, and Toxic Waste Green* vinyl
*only available via Numero Group website

Tracklisting:

God’s On Voodoo Moon 7” – 1985

“Gentleman Junkie”
“King Of Souls”
“Tales From The Scare Crow Man”
“Cat’s Eye Resurrection”
“Black Friday”*
“Dead Or Friday”*

Pig Heaven 7” – 1986

“Pig Heaven”
“Slaughter The Grey”
“Scarecrow #2”*
“Red River Flow”*
“Rain Insane”*
“Paradise Fireball”*

Psycho-Head Blowout 12” EP – 1987

“Eighty-Eight”
“Fast Jungle”
“Gun Crazy”
“Kick”
“Memphis”
“Magdalene”
“True Crime”

Soul-Crusher 12” LP – 1987

“Ratmouth”
“Shack Of Hate”
“Drowning The Colossus”
“Crow III”
“Die Zombie Die”
“Skin”
“Truck On Fire”
“Future Shock”
“Scum Kill”
“Diamond Ass”

Make Them Die Slowly 12” LP – 1989

“Demonspeed”
“Disaster Blaster”
“Murderworld”
“Revenge”
“Acid Flesh”
“Power Hungry”
“Godslayer”

God Of Thunder 12” EP – 1989

“God Of Thunder”
“Love Razor”
“Disaster Blaster-2”

*Previously unreleased

 

 

The official lyric video for the song "The Business Of Hate" from STUCK MOJO can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Here Come The Infidels", which will be released on June 24. The CD was once again produced by Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with MEGADETH, EXODUS, TESTAMENT, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and ACCEPT, among others.

STUCK MOJO guitarist and main songwriter Rich Ward told BLABBERMOUTH.NET about the song: "'The Business Of Hate' is a movement that attempts to crush individuals and companies with whom it differs, a mob that requires a totalitarian adherence to its viewpoint. To them, thoughts can be violent, even when never acted upon."

In addition to Ward and longtime drummer Frank Fontsere, "Here Come The Infidels" features STUCK MOJO's latest additions, vocalist Robby J and bassist Len Sonnier.

Speaking about why a planned reunion of STUCK MOJO's classic lineup — featuring vocalist Bonz and bassist Corey Lowery — fell apart less than a year after playing a well-received show in the band's hometown of Atlanta, Georgia, Ward said: "The goal was to do a reunion record. And after doing three reunion shows, we just realized it wasn't gonna work — for the same reasons it didn't work the first time. But we'd already started the process into making this new album. And I knew that I wanted to work with Andy, because the best records in my career were done partnering with Andy. And Andy is not a producer in the sense that he sits in the back of the room with a cigar and says, 'Do that again.' So Andy then takes up part of that responsibility of being another member of the band to bounce ideas off of, help me creatively."

Containing eleven tracks of unmistakeable Ward riffing, "Here Come The Infidels" is available for pre-orders through Pledge Music. As a "thank you," everyone who pre-orders the album will immediately receive a digital download of the track "Verbal Combat", the lyric video for which can also be seen below.

Said Ward: "Robby J is a fucking ninja, the total package vocalist/frontman. Mark my words, this guy is going to set a new standard for what a band with a rapper looks like."

Hailing from the Texas-Louisiana border, Len is a veteran bass player, best known for his time spent as the touring bassist in KING'S X frontman Doug Pinnick's POUNDHOUND project.

"Generation Idiot", a brand new song from NONPOINT, can be streamed at SiriusXM.com. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "The Poison Red", due later in the year via Spinefarm Records. The CD was recorded at Uptown Recording Studio in Chicago with producer Rob Ruccia.

"The Poison Red" is the first NONPOINT album to feature lead guitarist BC Kochmit, whom frontman Elias Soriano has described as "Eddie Van Halen's illegitimate child."

Soriano told SiriusXM.com the song was inspired by Internet culture, which breeds digital "zombies."

"Over the past five years, I began to notice people, myself included, getting lost in a few of the simple things — life, art, passions," he explained. "Everything became a reality TV blog with pictures and comments, likes and dislikes, online bullies and online tough guys. And no one is talking anymore. Everything is texts, e-mails, replies and denies. They're all anchors. They all suck the life out of life. It creates zombies with unhinged appetites. It's a real zombie apocalypse and, motherfucker, I'm grabbing a machete and a shotgun."

Soriano previously said that "The Poison Red" would be "the product of pain, frustration, power and the environmental influence on this band."

From their 2000 debut, "Statement", through 2014’s "The Return", NONPOINT have stayed the course, continuously crafting smart rock anthems with the kind of hooks that take up residence in your brain for days. The band is a staple performer at all the core U.S. festivals, such as Rock On The Range, Carolina Rebellion, and Rocklahoma, and has enjoyed several Top 20 rock radio singles. NONPOINT's 2014 single, "Breaking Skin", was the most played track of the year on SiriusXM’s Octane channel.

UK heavy stoner rockers Fire Red Empress have finished the recording of their debut album, which will feature a track co-written with Brian Tatler of legendary NWOBHM band Diamond Head.

The album is being mixed and mastered by Über Producer Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Mercenary) at Hansen Studios in Ribe, Denmark and marks the first release with new singer Jennifer Diehl (formerly of Furykane). “We can’t wait for people to hear Jen on these new songs. She’s given us a different edge and her voice is unbelievable” says Fire Red Empress guitarist Paul Gethin. “It's definitely a heavier direction but the hooks are still there” 

The track "Black Morphine" features a guitar solo from Brian Tatler and was also co-written by him. The band met Tatler after he read an interview with guitarist Carl Gethin in Classic Rock Magazine, and named Diamond Heads Canterbury as one of his favourite albums. "Brian is a great guy, really down to earth and to write a song with someone you respect so much was an honour" says Carl.

Following the release of their EP Paint Me The Devil, and within days of playing storming sets at Bloodstock and Summerbreeze Festivals last summer, the band shocked fans with the announcement that singer Nik Taylor-Stoakes was being replaced. “It’s been a tough year, but to record an album we're this proud of has made it all worthwhile” says bassist Ben Picken.

Fire Red Empress live:

May
18 – London, UK – The Borderline (Label launch)
28 – Birmingham, UK – O2 Academy

August
28 – Bilston, UK – The Robin 2 (with Diamond Head)

Hot off the heels of a very successful European mini-tour with The Ocean – French cinematic metal heads Hypno5e have released a brand new video for the track “South Shore - Blind Man's Eye”, taken from their new album Shores Of The Abstract Line (2016 Pelagic Records).

Clocking in at a whopping 15 minutes, the video represents the final chapter in the Shores Of The Abstract Line album odyssey.

Written and directed by singer and film director Emmanuel Jessua, the video also includes clips from his yet to be released short film Cerbere as well as outtakes from his upcoming independent movie debut El alba, Les ombres errantes (2017), filmed in Bolivia.

Sao Paulo traditional heavy metal act Primator has released a video for “To Mars”, a track written by Dark Avenger vocalist Mario Linhares. The band released their debut album Involution in 2015.

The collaboration between Primator and Linhares became closer when the band and Dark Avenger shared the stage at a show in San Paulo in April 2015. Linhares produced Primator’s debut album and also wrote the song “To Mars”.

Produced by Daniel de Sá, the video for "To Mars" occurred at Pedreira do Icatu, in Votorantim/Brazil at the same disabled mine that was used in 2012 for a memorable show of Focus, the legendary Dutch progressive rock band. 

(Photo by: Nina Cortinove)

Following Mausoleum Gate's 2014 self-titled debut album comes the two-track 7" vinyl release of Metal And The Might. The EP is set for a June 17th release on Cruz Del Sur Music.

Metal And The Might contains two new songs to please all their fans and keep the flame alive. Reflecting once more the eccentricity and uniqueness of these Fins, the title track is a straight in your face metal offering. The B side is occupied for over 6 minutes by the fantastic "Demon Soul," representing the band's progressive essence.

The band has recently hired the services of new bass-player Nino Karjalainen, though he doesn't play on Metal and the Might. Wicked Ischianus has now moved to keyboards full time.

Preorders are available at Cruz Del Sur.

Tracklisting:

“Metal And The Might”
“Demon Soul”

“Metal And The Might”:

Sharon Osbourne has been dealing with husband Ozzy Osbourne's infidelities throughout their three-decade marriage - and this time, In Touch has learned, she used a private investigator to try to catch him in the act.

News broke over the weekend that Sharon and Ozzy were splitting after 33 years of marriage due to Ozzy’s alleged infidelity with a much younger hairstylist. An insider reveals that Sharon, “found out that Ozzy was spending a lot of money. She wanted to know what he was buying and who he was buying it for.”

“The investigator discovered that he was basically living a double life,” the source added.

Read more at InTouchWeekly.com.

“I’m empowered… I’ve found an inner strength,” Sharon Osbourne told her co-hosts on yesterday’s episode of CBS' The Talk. Sharon rejoined her co-hosts after taking Monday off amidst a media storm over trouble in her 33-year marriage to Ozzy.

Asked on The Talk if it was true that she had kicked Ozzy out, or just a rumour, Sharon bluntly replied, “No, it’s true!” On whether or not he was still out of the house, Sharon updated by saying, “No, he’s back, and I’m out of the house.”

Speaking calmly of her turmoil, Sharon added: “I honestly, at this point today, have no idea what I’m going to be doing with the rest of my life. I need time to think. I really want to think about it very carefully.”

Having gone through problems with Ozzy throughout their marriage, Sharon was asked if things were different this time, to which she replied, “I’m 63 years of age and I can’t keep living like this.”

Has she talked with Ozzy since this all went down? “I spoke to him last night,” she said. “I’m not with him, but I speak with him.”

Sharon continued: “I love Ozzy dearly, he’s given me an unbelievable life and three gorgeous children.”

Asked if she thought that her and Ozzy would break up for good, Sharon said, “At this point I can’t answer that.. I don’t know what I want.”

On May 9th, Ozzy spoke to E! News after word broke that the Prince of Darkness and his wife are splitting. With many reports circulating about the break up, the Black Sabbath vocalist wanted to end one rumour immediately. "I have been sober for three and a quarter years. I have not touched drugs or alcohol in that time. Any reports that I am not sober are completely inaccurate."

Ozzy will be on stage with Black Sabbath at their upcoming farewell shows. When this tour concludes, it will truly be The End, The End of one of most legendary bands in rock 'n roll history... Black Sabbath.

Black Sabbath's remaining 2016 tour dates are as follows:

June
1 - Budapest, Hungary - Groupama Arena
8 - Berlin, Germany - Waldebuhne
11 - Donington, UK - Download
13 - Verona, Italy - Arena Di Verona
15 - Zurich, Switzerland - Hallenstadon
17 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop
23 - Halden, Norway - Tons of Rock
25 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Copenhell
28 - Vienna, Austria - Stadthalle
30 - Prague, Czech Republic - 02 Arena

July
2 - Krakow, Poland - Tauron Arena
5 - Riga, Latvia - Riga Arena
7 - Helsinki, Finland - Monsters of Rock
9 - Stockholm, Sweden - Monsters of Rock
12 - Moscow, Russia - Olympisky Arena

August
17 - Wantagh, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach Theater
19 - Philadelphia, PA - Susquehanna Bank Center
21 - Washington, DC - Jiffy Lube Live
23 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
25 - Boston, MA - Xfinity Center
27 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
29 - Toronto, ON - Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
31 - Detroit, MI - DTE Energy Music Theater

September
2 - Indianapolis, IN - Klipsch Music Center
4 - Chicago, IL - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
7 - Dallas, TX - Gexa Energy Pavilion
9 - Albuquerque, NM - Isleta Ampitheater
11 - Salt Lake City, UT - USANA Ampitheater
13 - Portland, OR - Sunlight Supply Arena
15 - Oakland, CA - Oracle Arena
17 - Las Vegas, NV - MGM Grand Garden Arena
19 - Hollywood, CA - Hollywood Bowl
21 - Phoenix, AZ - AK-Chin Pavilion

Gruesome have released a music video for the title track of their forthcoming Dimensions Of Horror EP.  Dimensions Of Horror is due out May 20th on CD, LP, cassette and digitally worldwide. Pre-orders are available at Relapse Records. The new video can be found below.

Self-produced by the band and recorded with Jarrett Pritchard at New Constellation Studios in Orlando, FL, Dimensions Of Horror is a gruesome salute to Death’s iconic Scream Bloody Gore. and once again features cover art by the legendary Ed Repka (Death, Atheist, Massacre). A six-song slab of grisly, bone-breaking death metal jams, Dimensions Of Horror continues the development of Gruesome’s homage to the founding fathers of the genre and proves that no matter the decade, old-school death metal is always relevant, always savage, and always irresistible.

Tracklisting:

“Forces Of Death”
“Raped By Darkness”
“Amputation”
“Hellbound”
“Seven Doors”
“Dimensions Of Horror”

“Dimensions Of Horror” video:

"Raped By Darkness":

"Forces Of Death":

Trailer:

California-based metal outfit CARNIFEX will release its new album, titled "Slow Death", on August 5 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was produced and recorded by CARNIFEX and Mick Kenney (ANAAL NATHRAKH, BLEEDING THROUGH), and co-produced by Jason Suecof (DEATH ANGEL, CHELSEA GRIN, JOB FOR A COWBOY). "Slow Death" was mixed by Mark Lewis (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, DEICIDE) at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida. Cover art for the album was created by renowned artist and longtime collaborator Godmachine.

"Album number six, over ten years as a band and we have more fire and passion than ever," comments CARNIFEX vocalist Scott Ian Lewis. "This album will reshape our genre and be looked back on as an album that started a new movement for aggressive, dark metal. We're going to show those who love us and those who hate us just how far reaching our ambition is."

"Slow Death" track listing:

01. Dark Heart Ceremony 02. Slow Death 03. Drown Me In Blood 04. Pale Ghost 05. Black Candles Burning 06. Six Feet Closer To Hell 07. Necrotoxic 08. Life Fades To A Funeral 09. Countess Of The Crescent Moon 10. Servants To The Horde

CARNIFEX's latest release, "Die Without Hope", reached No. 98 on The Billboard 200 chart upon its release in March 2014 via Nuclear Blast. The record also reached No. 8 on the Hard Rock chart.

The official lyric video for the song "Time To Go" from veteran Arizona metallers FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new, self-titled album, which will be released on May 20 via AFM Records.

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM in 2014 parted ways with guitarist Edward Carlson and bassist Jason Ward and replaced them with Steve Conley and Michael Spencer, respectively. The band also recruited SHADOWS FALL drummer Jason Bittner after Kelly Smith left the group in November 2014 to focus on caring for his family.

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM singer Eric "A.K." Knutson recently told Metalholic about "Flotsam And Jetsam": "There's a couple of songs on there that Spencer wrote for 'No Place [For Disgrace]' back in the '80s that never made it to the record that we kid of revamped and put on this new one. The remaining songs were half Steve Conley and half Mike Gilbert so they put a lot of input into this new record. Bittner's drumming just brought everything up to the next life level from where it was when we wrote everything. He's really been a huge addition."

Regarding the band's decision to make the new FLOTSAM AND JETSAM album a self-titled affair, Spencer told Metal Invader: "When we started talking through songtitles to see if there was a lyric theme, we felt there really wasn't anything that tied the songs together when it came to a theme. But the one thing that did tie the songs together was the new entity of FLOTSAM that we now are, with Steve Conley, myself, and Jason Bittner now in the band. We were all wanting to get back to more of the old-school FLOTSAM thrash sound, since that's where the band was when I left them in 1987. We looked at the self-titled aspect as being the start of the incarnation of the band that was always looking back on the history of the band's sound."

Spencer also talked about FLOTSAM AND JETSAM's current lineup. He said: "Steve and I have been in the band for three years now, and Jason about one and a half years. So we've became a tight unit on and off stage in that time. Steve is a great fit as a player and songwriter, has the same musical influence as the rest of us, and Jason has been a fan of the band since he was 16-17 years old, playing to 'Doomsday' and 'No Place' in his bedroom. So he understands the legacy of the band and he's allowed to still put his personality into the songs to still be himself, while keeping it as FLOTSAM as he feels it needs to be. The current lineup is also what drove the self title for the album, because we're really starting off new as a band putting out their first album."

The track listing for "Flotsam And Jetsam" is as follows:

01. Seventh Seal02. Life Is A Mess03. Taser04. Iron Maiden05. Verge Of Tragedy06. Creeper07. L.O.T.D.08. The Incantation09. Monkey Wrench10. Time To Go11. Smoking Gun12. Forbidden Territories

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM is:

Eric "A.K." Knutson - VocalsSteve Conley - GuitarMichael Gilbert - GuitarMichael Spencer - BassJason Bittner - Drums

Canada’s Mortillery have released a music video for “Torture”, a track from their their upcoming third album, Shapeshifter, set to be released on May 27th via Napalm Records. The new clip can be found below.

Mortillery are on a mission to deliver true thrash metal. They stand out with their smashing riffage, raw energy and dynamic female vocals.

Tracklisting:

“Radiation Sickness”
“Age Of Stone”
“Bullet”
“Mantis”
“Black Friday”
“Wendigo”
“At The Gates”
“Torture”
“Shapeshifter”
“Patient Zero” (bonus track)
“Neckbreaker” (bonus track)
“Shine” (Motörhead cover) (bonus track)

“Torture” video:

Album preview:

“Radiation Sickness” lyric video:

Greek black metal legends Rotting Christ released their new album, Rituals, on February 12th via Season Of Mist. An official lyric video for the album track “The Four Horsemen” can now be seen below.

Rituals tracklisting:

“In Nomine Dei Nostri”
“Ze Nigmar”
“Elthe Kyrie”
“Les Litanies De Satan (Les Fleurs Du Mal)”
“Apage Satana”
“Tou Thanatou”
“For A Voice Like Thunder”
“Konx Om Pax”
“Devadevam”
“The Four Horsemen”
“Lok'tar Ogar” (bonus track)

“The Four Horsemen” lyric video:

“Les Litanies de Satan” lyric video:

“For A Voice Like Thunder” lyric video:

Album stream:

Legendary Swedish black metal band, Marduk, have unveiled dates for the North American leg of their Frontschwein 2016 tour, which includes special guests Rotting Christ, Carach Angren and Necronomicon.

September
2 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room
3 - Tampa, FL - The Orpheum
4 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade
5 - Baltimore, MD - Soundstage
6 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre
7 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
8 - Montreal, QC - L'Astral
9 - Toronto, ON - The Opera House
10 - Columbus, OH - Al Rosa Villa
11 - Chicago, IL - Reggie's
12 - Minneapolis, MN - Triple Rock
13 - Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room
14 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theatre
16 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre
17 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
18 - Portland, OR - Bossanova Ballroom
19 - Oakland, CA - Metro Opera House
20 - Las Vegas, NV - LVCS
21 - Los Angeles, CA - Regent Theater
22 - Phoenix, AZ - Joe's Grotto
23 - El Paso, TX - Mesa Music Hall
24 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Bar & Grill
25 - Austin, TX - Dirty Dog Bar

Swiss avant-garde extreme metal titans, Schammasch have revealed plans for a late fall jaunt across Europe supporting Rotting Christ alongside black metallists Inquisition and Mystifier.

October
19 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
20 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Beta
21 - Berlin, Germany - TBA
22 - Warsaw, Poland - Progresja
23 - Katowice, Poland - Mega Club
24 - Prague, Czech Republic - Storm
25 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra
26 - Ljubljiana, Slovenia - Gala Hala
27 - Salzburg, Austria - Rockhouse
28 - Munchen, Germany - Backstage
29 - Brescia, Italy - Circolo Colony
30 - Lausanne, Switzerland - Les Docks
31 - Lyon, France - CCO

November
1 - Luynes, France - Le Korigan
2 - Madrid, Spain - Caracol
3 - Barcelona, Spain - Apolo 2
4 - Toulouse, France - Metronum
5 - Rennes, France - Ubu
6 - Paris, France - Petit Bain
7 - London, UK - Islington Assembly Hall
8 - Dublin, UK - Voodoo Lounge
9 - Manchester, UK - Sound Control
10 - Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg - Kulturfabrik
11 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix
12 - Nijmegenm, Netherlands - Doornroosje
13 - Vosselaar, Belgium - Biebob
14 - Weinheim, Germany - Kafe Zentraal

Rotting Christ lineup:

Sakis - vocals, guitars
Themis - drums
Van Ace - bass
George - guitars

The Jelly Jam will release their new album, Profit, on May 27th via Music Theories Recordings / Mascot Label Group. A new lyric video for the album track "Water" can be found below.

Dream Theater’s John Myung, Winger’s Rod Morgenstein, and King’s X’s Ty Tabor will tour globally for the first time to support the recordings. Profit is a cinematic experience, full of suspense, as the individual songs sequentially follow the heroic yet daunting journey of The Prophet, who inspired by a deep sense of responsibility embarks on a mission to try and save the world, aiming to open the eyes of those who will not see .

When asked about collaborative efforts of The Jelly Jam guitarist Ty Tabor describes John as, “The forefather of the band,” and enthuses that “Playing with Rod has been a lifelong dream. I was a huge fan of his right out of high school and The Dixie Dregs transformed my idea of what a band could do. Rod was a huge part of the insanity on all of those early Dixie Dregs albums. It’s just a joy to get to play with him.”

The band’s first album The Jelly Jam was released in 2002, followed by 2004’s The Jelly Jam 2. The members’ work with Dream Theater, Winger and King’s X kept the band away from the studio until the critically acclaimed Shall We Descend in 2011 marked a triumphant return for the trio.

Guitarist Ty Tabor’s musical pedigree is vast. Not only has he produced The Jelly Jam’s four albums, he wrote all three of King’s X top ten songs that include “It’s Love”, “Black Flag”, “Dogman” and toured the world with AC/DC, Pearl Jam, Cheap Trick, Scorpions, Iron Maiden amongst others. Honoured by VH1 as one of Hard Rock’s Top 100 bands, they were also included in the 1991 movie soundtrack to Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey and their 1994 appearance at the Woodstock Festival was hailed by USA Today, The Daily Show’s Jon Stewart and Howard Stern as the festival’s highlight.

Bassist John Myung is a founding member of Dream Theater who have sold over twelve million albums worldwide. Dream Theater have won many awards including the Spirit of Prog Award from Classic Rock Magazine, and were inducted into the Long Island Music Hall of Fame in 2010. The band have two Grammy nominations, while Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory was voted the #1 Progressive Rock Album of All Time by Rolling Stone, whose readers also voted Dream Theater as one of The Best Prog Rock Bands of All Time.

Drummer Rod Morgenstein began his illustrious career with The Dixie Dregs, who received six Grammy nominations, before becoming a darling of the ‘80s rock scene with Winger who achieved multiple chart topping singles including “Seventeen”, “Headed For A Heartbreak” and “Miles Away”. Rod has played with Platypus, The Steve Morse Band, Dream Theater’s Jordan Rudess and is an Associate Professor at the prestigious Berklee College Of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. He has also been awarded Modern Drummer Magazine’s Best Progressive Rock Drummer five years in a row, as well as the Best All-Around Drummer Award, and was inducted into the magazine's Honor Roll.

The Jelly Jam will support their latest album Profit with a full tour (dates to be announced). As guitarist Ty Tabor explains, “This album is without a doubt the most special moment the band has ever had together and we must make touring real this year to support this album.”

Ty Tabor describes the album’s concept as “a fight between progress and jobs at all cost and not thinking about any future payment that are going to have to be made.” Adding further that, “Each Jelly Jam album is very different and we are most definitely discovering new ground. The first album was pretty straight ahead in its nature and vibe. The second album was more about the songwriting and had a very different feel. By the time we got to Shall We Descend, we were all at different musical places. It had more of a darker edge to it, but we finally realized that we had tapped in to something that was unique to us. There really is no Jelly Jam ‘sound’. In order to make Profit the strongest album, we recorded a lot of excess music and chose songs that work together towards the general story idea. Musically and sonically we started experimenting a lot further than we had before. It stands on its own as an album beginning to end with a purpose. It’s not just a bunch of songs thrown together. It’s an entire journey through a story.”

The album will be available in LP + Mp3, CD, Digital and MFiT formats.

Tracklisting:

”Care"
"Stain On The Sun"
"Water"
"Stop"
"Perfect Lines (Flyin')"
"Mr. Man"
"Memphis"
"Ghost Town"
"Heaven"
"Permanent Hold"
"Fallen"
"Strong Belief"

“Water” lyric video:

"Stain On The Sun”:

“Care”:

Guns N’ Roses performed at the new T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, NV on April 8th and 9th. The band have uploaded this short video featuring quality footage from the April 9th show:

Footage from the April 8th show can be found below:

The short video below features footage from GN’R’s concert at the Troubadour on April 1st.

Stay tuned for a new video every day 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

 

 

On June 3rd, The Wildhearts will release Never Outdrunk, Never Outsung – PHUQ Live via Round Records Records. The album artwork has been revealed, and can be seen below.

The live album was recorded when the band reunited in September 2015 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their most commercially successful album PHUQ and Never Outdrunk, Never Outsung contains the full original album tracklisting.

Never Outdrunk, Never Outsung was a phrase coined by Wildhearts fan Tom Reed and the album is named in honour of The Wildhearts' audience who are ‘very loud and very thirsty!’

P.H.U.Q. (pronounced in obvious fashion) originally released in May 1995, crashed into the UK Top 10 Album Chart at #6. It spawned two Top 40 hit singles, “I Wanna Go Where The People Go” and “Just In Lust”, which reached numbers 16 and 28 respectively.

Never Outdrunk, Never Outsung – PHUQ Live opens with the euphoric clarion call “I Wanna Go Where the People Go” and for the next hour The Wildhearts play huge riffs and catchy choruses taking the audience on a roller coaster journey continuing to captivate their fans before “Getting It” closes out the set in a riot of chants and refrains. Never Outdrunk, Never Outsung – PHUQ Live is the perfect document for The Wildhearts' Anniversary tour

“All hail the noisy, thirsty Wildhearts fans!”

To pre-order Never Outdrunk, Never Outsung – PHUQ Live go to this location.

Never Outdrunk, Never Outsung – PHUQ Live tracklisting:

“I Wanna Go Where The People Go”
“V Day”
“Just In Lust”
“Baby Strange”
“Nita Nitro”
“Jonesing For Jones”
“Up Your Arse You Fucking Cunt”
“Woah Shit, You Got Through”
“Cold Patootie Tango”
“Caprice”
“Be My Drug”
“Naivety Play”
“In Lilly's Garden”
“Getting It”

Alice Cooper is at work on his next studio release, and so far it’s shaping up to be a little bit of a killer album.

“I’ve always liked the idea that Alice Cooper has always been a Detroit rock band,” Cooper tells The Weekender. “We’ve always been a hard rock band, guitar rock, and I’ll never give that up. But every once in awhile, though, there’s just a flavour of what album do we want to go to here to give it that flavour. And it seems to be going toward the Killer album. And I kind of go, that album, let’s revisit the sound of that album and what we were kind of thinking. You can never go back and totally recapture it, but you can certainly look at the elements that made that album work the way it did.”

It’s early in the writing process, but Cooper said in addition to its sound, what might also connect the next album to Killer will be a mini-reunion of the original Alice Cooper Band on the next album.

“I wrote three or four songs with (Alice Cooper Band drummer) Neil Smith and (guitarist) Mike Bruce,” Cooper said. “And so we worked together in Phoenix for about two weeks just writing songs and demoing songs. And you never know which ones are going to make the album, but I said let’s do that.

“Dennis Dunaway (bassist in the Alice Cooper Band) wrote two or three things,” the singer added. “We haven’t seen those yet, but I know Dennis has always written great stuff. It’s fun to go back and work with guys you haven’t worked with in awhile. It’s not trying to recapture your youth. It’s trying to recapture a sound. And it’s a very elusive sound.”

Those three musicians (along with lead guitarist Glen Buxton), of course, played on the original Killer album, released in 1971. The album came on the heels of the early hit single “I’m Eighteen” (from the previous album, Love It To Death) and included the song “Under My Wheels,” which has become a fan favorite.

The Killer album, along with Cooper’s next two albums, 1972’s School’s Out and 1973’s Billion Dollar Babies, are considered peak Cooper albums that not only established him as a major star, but also solidified his rowdy, garage-ish brand of hard rock.

Read the full story at TheWeekender.com.

Subrosa, a BMX lifestyle brand with the goal of producing high-quality complete bikes, has partnered with SLAYER to make a series of bikes and gear. There are four collaboration bikes, the Subrosa Thunderbeast X Slayer frame and a Pivotal seat. They have a 12' balance bike, 20" BMX bike, 26" cruiser and a 700C fixed gear bike that are all available through BMX shops and mail-orders that carry Subrosa worldwide.

Subrosa brand manager Ryan Sher stated about the collection: "We couldn't think of a bigger way to celebrate our 10th year as a brand than teaming up with SLAYER to create some of the most badass BMX bikes ever seen. I am stoked, and frankly still blown away to introduce you to the Subrosa/SLAYER collaboration.

"BMX has always had love for metal. Whether it's in the headphones of riders ripping through town, background music during a contest run, or the soundtrack to some of the most famous and influential video parts, SLAYER has been a huge piece of it all.

"We are humbled and honored to be teaming up with SLAYER on this project. We wanted to create bikes that BMX riders could use and abuse, and we had to do justice to SLAYER and their fans by creating a look that would represent the band, and stand out from anything we've done before.

"The 'Cradle To Grave' theme in this collaboration project will embrace audiences from all ages because once you are a Subrosa or a SLAYER fan, you are a fan for life."

The entire Subrosa/SLAYER collection will be available worldwide in October.

For more information, visit SubrosaBrand.com.

Former Faith No More vocalist Chuck Mosley - who sang of FNM's We Care A Lot and Introduce Yourself albums - has signed a deal with THC : MUSIC who will release the Chuck Mosley (And The VUA) LP, Demos For Sale, in July through EMP Label Group/eOne in North America, EMP/SPV in Europe.

Demos is a compilation of demos and early mixes from 2009’s Will Rap Over Hard Rock For Food that the band compiled as a better representation of their initial vision for the songs.

Says Mosley: “While it was a great record for what it was, and a lot of people love it, Will Rap Over Hard Rock turned into a monster that I let get completely out of control with overdubs, over-production, my live tracks getting redone by God knows who. Demos for Sal, is a choice version of the LP, before it mutated into Will Rap Over Hard Rock for Food, a little closer to how we wanted it to be - live, dirty and punk rock.. warts and all.”

The LP will be released on July 8th on CD and July 22nd in limited edition vinyl LP formats, both of which are available for pre-order now from EMPmerch.com.

Mosley will hit the road in May and tour through 2016 with Reintroduce Yourself: An Evening With Chuck Mosley, an intimate acoustic tour playing a retrospective of songs from his storied career. Dates are as follows:

May
19 - Eau Claire, WI - The Plus 
20 - Madison, WI - The Red Zone
21 - West Chicago, IL - Cairo Ale House

June
10 - Dubuque, IA - The Venue 
11 - Colorado Springs, CO - Sunshine Studios 
12 - Denver, CO SoCo Nightlife - City Hall 
15 - Spokane, WA - The Pin 
16 - Everett, WA - Tony Vs Garage 
18 - Portland, OR - Hawthorn Lounge
19 - Seattle, WA - Fun House
24 - South Bend, IN - Smiths Downtown

July
12 - Kutztown, PA - Young Ones Records 
13 - Philadelphia, PA - Hard Rock Café 
14 - Harrisburg, PA - Federal Taphouse 
15 - Clifton, NJ - Dingbatz 
16 - Long Branch, NJ - Brighton Bar 
21 - Manchester NH - Shaskeen Pub 
22 - Northampton MA - Bishops Lounge

In September 2015, over the course of four sold-out shows, Ayreon's legendary progressive rock concept album, The Human Equation, was brought to life as a full-blown musical production at the Nieuwe Luxor theater in Rotterdam.

This limited run of performances was witnessed by die-hard fans from across the world, but now Arjen Lucassen's story can be witnessed by all, as a recording of the final night of those special evenings is being released as both a DVD and Blu-Ray package on June 17th. The Theater Equation is subtitled in nine different languages and includes nearly one-and-a-half hours of bonus content.

The Theater Equation will be available as a special edition 2CD+DVD Digipak, standalone Blu-ray, and audio-only Digital Download. Watch a new trailer below:

Arjen comments: "Even today as I write this, I am amazed and touched by how hard everyone worked and how much love and care they generously gave to make it all happen. Sometimes the dream becomes reality!"

The stage show stars Dream Theater frontman James Labrie in his original roll as "Me" and features nearly the entire cast of vocalists from the original 2004 album. The main cast is supported by a specially put-together 19-strong Epic Rock Choir. This is a unique document of an undertaking that was surely once in a lifetime.

Cast:
James LaBrie as 'Me'
Devon Graves as 'Agony'
Heather Findlay as 'Love'
Eric Clayton as 'Reason'
Magnus Ekwall as 'Pride',
Marcela Bovio as 'Wife'
Irene Jansen as 'Passion'
Anneke van Giersbergen as 'Fear',
Jermain van der Bogt (Wudstik) as 'Best Friend'
Mike Mills as 'Rage/Father'
Nienke Verboom as 'Nurse'
Peter Moltmaker as 'Doctor'
Anita van der Hoeven as 'Mom'

Band:
Ed Warby: Drums
Jeroen Goossens: Flutes and woodwinds
Johan van Stratum: Bass
Maaike Peterse: Cello
Ben Mathot: Violin
Marcel Coenen: Guitars
Freek Gielen: Guitars
Erik van Ittersum: Keyboards/synths
Ruben Wijga: Keyboards/synths
Epic Rock Choir

The Human Equation story:

After a mysterious single-car accident, the victim - a man in his late 30s - lies comatose in the hospital. Before the accident he was a powerful businessman, wildly successful by any measure but also known for his cutthroat business tactics. Now he finds himself trapped in a prison that took him a lifetime to build: the prison of his own mind.

Guarding the prison are his emotions, which have taken on vivid personas inside his mind. Some are friends, some are foes, and they all have their own agendas. Some aim to trick him or dominate him, others to comfort or inspire him. But the one objective they all share is to force him to face up to the demons of his past and the deep truths about who he is and how he's lived his life, all of which he's conveniently ignored until now. Fear, Rage, Agony, Love, Passion, Reason and Pride take turns engaging the man in this emotional warfare.

Two people hold vigil at the man's bedside: his wife and his best friend. They are desperate to understand how the accident happened and to see even the tiniest sign that the man will regain consciousness. But the man's recovery is not their only concern: is it possible that he somehow found out their secret, and that the "accident" wasn't really an accident at all? Would he ever be able to forgive them?

Will the man have the strength to face the truth about himself and the ones he loves? The story unfolds over his twenty-day emotional struggle with Fear, Rage, Agony, Love, Passion, Reason and Pride, in which each day of coma is represented by a song.

Norwegian progressive metal band, Withem, will release their new album, The Unforgiving Road, on June 3rd. Listen to the album track, “In The Hands Of A God”, streaming below:

Withem are inspired by the likes of Symphony X, Pagan's Mind, Dream Theater and Circus Maximus, concentrating heavily on melodic, memorable hooks, but still with plenty of stunning and virtuoso instrumental sections. The band debuted with The Point Of You in 2013, gathering excellent reviews from several music websites, blogs and magazines from all over the world. The release was followed by European touring with Pagan’s Mind, Circus Maximus and Seventh Wonder, and performances at both ProgPower USA and ProgPower Oslo, always with an extremely positive reception.

The new album, The Unforgiving Road sees the band perfecting their style. Withem’s gripping, melody-driven songs avoid the clichés and pitfalls of overly dramatic instrumental sections and sheer senseless complexity and instead centre on creative interplay between the musicians, while the unique vocal range of Ole Aleksander Wagenius gives the band a distinctive touch. Just like the debut album, The Unforgiving Road was produced and mixed by guitarist Øyvind Voldmo Larsen at his own Lionheart Studio, boasting powerful and bombastic production values with plenty of moments for the listener to notice the most subtle intricate parts of the songs.

"The Unforgiving Road is a the culmination of almost a year worth of composing, recording and producing. We didn't want to rush things after the first album, to avoid the usual pitfalls of "sophomore albums," says Withem guitar player and producer Oyvind Larsen. "The challenges we encountered while writing and recording can only be matched with how rewarding it feels after everything is set and done!"

"Øyvind once again took the helm for most of the composition and the whole scope of recording, mixing and producing, and we can't wait to hear everyone's reactions after they listen to the end result," adds new bassist Miguel Pereira. "We are looking forward to start promoting The Unforgiving Road with live shows right after the album is out, and meet all our friends and fans throughout the world."

The Unforgiving Road tracklisting:

“…Intro”
“Exit”
“In The Hands Of A God”
“The Pain I Collected”
“Riven”
“C'est La Vie”
“The Eye In The Sky”
“Arrhythmia”
“In My Will”
“Unaffected Love”
“Outro…”

“Arrhythmia”:

“The Pain I Collected” lyric video:

Withem lineup:

Ole Aleksander Wagenius - Vocals
Frank Nordeng Røe - Drums
Øyvind Voldmo Larsen - Guitar
Miguel Pereira – Bass

Fan-filmed video footage of SCORPIONS' May 10 performance at Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee can be seen below.

SCORPIONS have tapped Mikkey Dee, formerly of MOTÖRHEAD, to play drums on their current tour. Dee is filling in for James Kottak, who is currently on break while he seeks medical attention.

Swedish-born Mikkey Dee joined MOTÖRHEAD in 1992 and is well-respected among the rock and metal community. SCORPIONS singer Klaus Meine stated: "We would like to continue our 'Return To Forever' tour with James, but we have to realize that his health is priority. We wish James a speedy recovery and he will be back to rock with us very soon!"

Kottak rejoined the SCORPIONS on the road in November 2014, eight months after he spent a month in a Dubai, United Arab Emirates jail in April for insulting Islam.

Kottak, who had been receiving treatment for alcohol abuse, released a statement in June 2014 in which he said "this entire incident caused me to realize that it is time to stop drinking once and for all so that I can become the father, musician, and friend that I know I can be."

For some of SCORPIONS' 2014 concerts, Swedish drummer Johan Franzon filled in for Kottak.

SCORPIONS vocalist Klaus Meine told the SCORPIONS French fan club Crazyscorps in October 2014 about Kottak: "With James, you know, when he went through this unfortunate incident in Dubai, we said, 'At this point, it's good if you take a break. Not so much for us, but for yourself. And not so much being the drummer of the SCORPIONS, but for yourself being a family man. And you should go into rehab and don't think about anything else but just try to clean out yourself and come back the same James we know for so many years that's been not only our drummer, but also our friend, and a great guy.' So, giving him that time, we played this whole stretch of shows with a great Swedish drummer, Johan Franzon. And now, of course, we want James back, and we said to him, 'The door is open for you to come back. But first, it's up to you, and you have to take care about yourself, take it serious, go through a serious rehab, and then the door will be open for you.'"

Dee was originally scheduled to play drums for THIN LIZZY on the latter band's forthcoming anniversary shows planned for 2016 and 2017 but recently bowed out of the dates. He has since been replaced in that group's touring lineup by JUDAS PRIEST's Scott Travis.

The official lyric video for "Serein", a brand new song from KATATONIA, the Swedish purveyors of dark progressive rock/metal, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's tenth studio album, "The Fall Of Hearts", which will be released on May 20 via Peaceville. The follow-up to 2012's "Dead End Kings" was recorded at Stockholm's Studio Gröndahl & Tri-lamb studio, and was produced by Anders Nyström and Jonas Renkse. Mixing and mastering duties were carried out by Jens Bogren (OPETH, IHSAHN, DEVIN TOWNSEND) at Fascination Street Studios, with Karl Daniel Lidén (SWITCHBLADE, THE OCEAN, GREENLEAF) brought in as engineer. The dramatic-yet-desolate artwork was created by longtime KATATONIA designer and illustrator Travis Smith.

"The Fall Of Hearts" track listing:

01. Takeover [07:09]02. Serein [04:46]03. Old Heart Falls [04:22]04. Decima [04:46]05. Sanction [05:07]06. Residual [06:54]07. Serac [07:25]08. Last Song Before The Fade [05:01]09. Shifts [04:54]10. The Night Subscriber [06:10]11. Pale Flag [04:23]12. Passer [06:25]

Bonus tracks:

* Vakaren [04:54] (CD/DVD & Deluxe Edition)* Sistere [04:11] (LP & Deluxe Edition)* Wide Awake In Quietus [04:59] (Digital & Deluxe Edition)

KATATONIA spent the past four years since the release of "Dead End Kings" touring the world, as well as expanding its fanbase through two special albums on Kscope, the sister label of Peaceville. 2013 saw the release of "Dethroned & Uncrowned", which exploded the core of the songs on "Dead End Kings", creating new moods and textures. In 2015, they released the live acoustic album and concert film "Sanctitude". Both releases illustrate the band's journey toward this, their current more progressive sound.

"The Fall Of Hearts" is the first record to feature new drummer Daniel "Mojjo" Moilanen and with the addition of their recently recruited guitarist Roger Öjersson (TIAMAT), who came in just in time to sprinkle some blistering solos on the album, KATATONIA will continue to push their musical boundaries beyond their roots in the metal scene while drawing in new fans from across the musical spectrum like peers such as OPETH and ANATHEMA have also done, cementing KATATONIA's place as one of the most revered and cherished of all bands in the world of modern heavy music.

KATATONIA comments on "The Fall Of Hearts": "This album is probably everything we unknowingly ever dreamed of to release. It's a bleak but adventurous journey through our elements, we haven't held back, we have pushed to get forward and backward in the ever spiralling night of our musical legacy."

On December 31, 2015, legendary rock icons MÖTLEY CRÜE completed their 35-year touring career as a band with a spectacular final concert at Staples Center in their hometown of Los Angeles, California, just 10 miles from the Sunset Strip where the band's infamous and decadent career first launched. The band thrilled the sold-out arena with performances of such mega-hits as "Kickstart My Heart", "Girls, Girls, Girls", "Home Sweet Home" and "Dr. Feelgood". While not everyone was able to see their final show live, CRÜE fans can now catch all the action when Fathom Events, Live Alliance, Eagle Rock Entertainment and Tenth Street Entertainment present "Mötley Crüe: The End" in select U.S. cinemas on Tuesday, June 14 at 7:00 p.m. local time for only one night. In addition to the epic concert footage, cinema audiences will be treated to behind-the-scenes footage of the band's last global tour. Tickets for "Mötley Crüe: The End" can be purchased beginning Friday, May 13 online by visiting FathomEvents.com or at participating theater box offices. Fans throughout the U.S. will be able to enjoy the event in nearly 250 movie theaters through Fathom's Digital Broadcast Network. For a complete list of theater locations visit the Fathom Events web site (theaters and participants are subject to change). In January, 2014, MÖTLEY CRÜE held a press conference announcing their Final Tour, complete with a "cessation of touring" agreement signed by all members prohibiting any and all future live engagements under the MÖTLEY CRÜE name. MÖTLEY CRÜE's two-year concert trek, saw the band — Vince Neil (vocals), Mick Mars (guitars), Nikki Sixx (bass) and Tommy Lee (drums) — perform across five continents (North America, South America, Europe, Australia and Asia) for a total of more than 164 shows in 72 markets grossing over $100 million.

Known for their over-the-top production, MÖTLEY CRÜE did not disappoint for their last show ever on New Year's Eve: from massive, cutting-edge pyro, including Nikki Sixx's bass guitar spitting fire over 30 feet into the air, and Tommy Lee's "Crüecifly" drum roller coaster, amongst many other spectacular elements. Lead singer Vince Neil delivered an emotional "thank you" speech to the audience, while the band supplied next-level, high-octane fueled energy, ringing in the New Year on stage with thousands of balloons raining down on the crowd. The grand finale of the show included a blow-out performance of their hit single, "Kickstart My Heart" with Nikki Sixx and Vince Neil floating above the audience in far-reaching "cherry-pickers." Leaving fans in tears, the show concluded with an emotional encore rendition of "Home Sweet Home" from the second stage riser in the center of the audience. Fathom Events CEO John Rubey said: "We're excited to bring the opportunity for MÖTLEY CRÜE's legion of supporters to experience their final show and relive the magic one more time. Filled with their hard-rock anthems and unforgettable stage presentation, this show is not to be missed."

"Mötley Crüe: The End" was produced and distributed by Live Alliance and Eagle Rock Entertainment. Christian Lamb directed the concert portion. Jeff Tremaine, creator of the "Jackass" series, directed the documentary segment.

Photo credit: Dustin Jack

Canada's Headstones kicked off 2016 with the release of a 12" vinyl EP featuring the title track, "Fuck It", and the B-side "One By One". The band has released a video for "One by One", which can be viewed below.

The Sound Of Music Festival in Burlington, Ontario presents The Cult, Headstones, The Glorious Sons and more on June 11th, 2016. More artists will be announced in the coming weeks for this full day of music.

Go to this location for details and ticket links, check out the event page here for updates.

Anderson / Stolt, the brand new duo of legendary YES vocalist and singer/songwriter Jon Anderson and progressive rock veteran Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings, Transatlantic), will release their collaborative album, Invention Of Knowledge, on June 24th via InsideOut Music. A new teaser can be found below.

Jon Anderson had this to say: ".....Music is always the driving force in my life... working with such a wonderful musician as Roine Stolt made the creation of this album very unique,we are very excited with the release of Invention of Knowledge."

Roine Stolt adds: "It is not aiming at being new YES music; just new music, modern and classical, rock and ethno, tribal and orchestrated, grooving and floating. Hopefully in the true spirit of "progressive" - leaning forward, surprising and also comforting with familiar run-arounds. We've been "inventing" as we go along - Jon is an endless source of new ideas. We've been bouncing ideas back and forth for months and as a result there are probably dozens of versions of these songs. It's been a very interesting and rewarding time and the result is just insanely detailed."

InsideOut label-head Thomas Waber comments: "I have been talking to Jon for ages about making an album of ‘YES music' - as Jon calls it - and Roine seemed like the perfect guy for him to work with. I am really happy that it has finally happened and I am also thrilled with the material they have come up with. I think it will please a lot of fans!"

The idea came to life swiftly off the back of a performance from Roine's band Transatlantic, and Jon Anderson on the Progressive Nation At Sea Cruise in 2014, and was initially instigated by InsideOut Music label boss Thomas Waber. The duo set about crafting new music in the spirit of early epic works such as Tales From Topographic Oceans, Awaken & Olias Of Sunhillow, but giving it a modern twist.

Written AND recorded over the course of 1 and a half years, the tracks have been in a state of constant change as Roine and Jon swapped and refined ideas by sending tracks to each other via the internet. In March 2015, an ensemble was put together by Roine to realize the music live in the studio. Joining him there was Tom Brislin (who played on the YES Symphonic tour) and Lalle Larsson on keys, Jonas Reingold and Michael Stolt on bass and Felix Lehrmann on drums. The sessions were also bolstered by appearances from Daniel Gildenlöw, Nad Sylvan, Anja Obermayer, Maria Rerych and Kristina Westas, who all provided backing vocals.

Tracklisting:

I.  Invention of Knowledge
“Invention”
“We Are Truth”
“Knowledge”
 
II. Knowing
“Knowing”
“Chase And Harmony”
 
III.Everybody Heals
“Everybody Heals”
“Better By Far”
“Golden Light”
“Know...”

Teaser:

Arkansas Online is reporting that UK rockers Def Leppard will meet the Deaf Leopards today (May 11th), marking the end of a successful petition for the British rock band to show support for the Arkansas School for the Deaf.

Originally, the petition sought to have the band visit the school for a photo in front of a scoreboard featuring the Leopards' mascot.

“While their schedule doesn’t get them in town in time to get to the school, they’ve agreed to take a picture with the students [and] a large replica of the scoreboard at Verizon Arena,” Tyson wrote of Def Leppard on his Change.org petition.

Tatera said she is grateful that Def Leppard agreed to use its international fame to provide positive publicity for the school, calling it the "crown jewel of Arkansas."

"We're so proud for anyone to shine a light on our school, on deaf education and on the work we do here," she said, adding her hopes that the photo go viral.

In March, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported that the school has used the name Leopards since at least 1941, long before the formation of Def Leppard in 1977. Still, the coincidence was something many have found hard to ignore over the years.

Def Leppard's US Summer Tour kicked off on May 2nd in Pensacola, FL at the Pensacola Bay Center. The Live Nation promoted outing will storm through 56 cities across all parts of the US and Canada. Please see full tour routing below.

In addition to the tour, Def Leppard will be performing on Good Morning America on June 21st.

Def Leppard - Joe Elliott (vocals), Vivian Campbell (guitar), Phil Collen (guitar), Rick "Sav" Savage (bass) and Rick Allen (drums) - continues to be one of the most important forces in rock music. With 100 million records sold worldwide and two prestigious Diamond Awards to their credit, the group's spectacular concerts, filled with powerful melodic rock anthems, continue to sell out venues worldwide. For the past thirty years the band's epic live shows and arsenal of hits have become synonymous with their name, leading Def Leppard to be heralded as an institution in both the music and touring industry.

Def Leppard's influential career includes numerous hit singles and ground-breaking multi-platinum release's-including two of the best-selling albums of all time, Pyromania and Hysteria. The band's 2015 US tour was one of the year's highest grossing, hitting 70+ cities nationwide. In addition to the tour, Def Leppard debuted their self titled new album in October 2015. The album secured the #1 slot on Billboard's Top Rock Albums chart. It features the #1 Classic Rock chart single "Let's Go" and their new single "Dangerous" out now.

Tour dates:

May
11 - Little Rock, AR - Verizon Arena
13 - Greensboro, NC - Greensboro Coliseum
15 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
17 - Allentown, PA - PPL Center
18 - Huntington, WV - Big Sandy Arena
20 - Orlando, FL - Amway Center (no REO Speedwagon)

June
22 - Boston, MA - Xfinity Center
24 - Bangor, ME - Darling's Waterfront
25 - Quebec City, QC - Videotron Centre
27 - Syracuse, NY - Lakeview Amp
29 - Hershey, PA - Hershey Park Stadium

July
1 - Indianapolis, IN - Klipsch Music Center
2 - Chicago, IL - Hollywood Casino
5 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
6 - Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest
8 - Pittsburgh, PA - First Niagara Pavillion
9 - Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena
11 - Wantagh, NY - Nikon at Jones Beach
13 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
15 - Detroit, MI - DTE Music Theatre
16 - Toronto, ON - Molson Canadian Amphitheater

August
6 - Madison, WI - Alliant Energy Center
8 - Evansille, IN - Ford Center
10 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Center
12 - Atlanta, GA - Aaron's Amphitheater
13 - Raleigh, NC - Walnut Creek Amphitheater
15 - Tampa, FL - MidFlorida Credit Amphitheater
17 - Birmingham, AL - Oak Mountain Amphitheater
19 - Austin, TX - Austin 360
20 - New Orleans, LA - Smoothie King Center
22 - Houston, TX - Cynthia Woods Pavilion
24 - Dallas, TX - Gexa Energy Pavilion
26 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
27 - ST. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
29 - Cleveland, OH - Blossom Music Center
31 - Darien Center, NY - Darien Lake PAC

September
14 - Billings, MT - Metra Park
16 - Salk Lake City, UT - USANA Ampitheater
17 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
19 - Albuquerque, NM - Isleta Amphitheater
20 - Phoenix, AZ - Ak-Chin Pavilion
22 - Irvine, CA - Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre
24 - Sacramento, CA - Toyota Amphitheater (no Tesla)
25 - Mountain View, CA - Shoreline Amphitheater
28 - Boise, ID - Taco Bell Arena
30 - Eugene, OR - Matthew Knight Arena

October
1 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome
4 - Omaha,NE - CenturyLink Center
5 - Minneapolis, MN - Xcel Center
7 - La Crosse, WI - La Crosse Center Arena
8 - Toledo, OH - Huntington Center
10 - Cedar Rapids, IA - U.S. Cellular Center

*Styx to appear