UGLY KID JOE's video for the song "Under The Bottom" can be seen below. The track features a guest appearance by MOTÖRHEAD guitarist Phil Campbell, who also appears in the clip.

"Under The Bottom" is taken from UGLY KID JOE's latest full-length album, "Uglier Than They Used Ta Be", which was released in North America in October 2015 via Metalville/UKJ Records. The CD was recorded at JT Studios and Balance Studios in Louisiana with producer (and UGLY KID JOE guitarist) Dave Fortman (SLIPKNOT, GODSMACK, EVANESCENCE).

Whitfield Crane (vocals) and Klaus Eichstadt (guitar) teamed up with Sonny Mayo (guitar), Shannon Larkin (drums), Zac Morris (drums), Cordell Crockett (bass) and Dave Fortman (guitar) to form the now seven-member lineup (a.k.a. "Seven-Headed Monster") and write and record in the studio. The result is the most cohesive sounding UGLY KID JOE record to date.

In addition to the nine newly written original songs, the album features a couple of cover songs, including RARE EARTH's version of "Papa Was A Rolling Stone", with Australian chart-topping vocalist Dallas Frasca lending her unmistakable vocals behind Crane, and the MOTÖRHEAD classic "Ace Of Spades", with a very special guest appearance from Phil Campbell, who lends his signature sound to the timeless track. Campbell also appears on the songs "My Old Man" and the aforementioned "Under The Bottom".

UGLY KID JOE will embark on a 36-date European tour in the fall. Frontman Whitfield Crane says: "You can expect a kick-ass rock and roll show."

UGLY KID JOE released three full-length albums and toured extensively throughout the 1990s before disbanding in 1997. The group reunited in 2010.

Frontiers Music Srl will release PHANTOM 5's self-titled debut album on May 13.

The official EPK (Electronic Press Kit) for the LP is available below.

PHANTOM 5 is the new band featuring former BONFIRE singer Claus Lessmann and producer and guitar player Michael Voss (CASANOVA, BONFIRE, MAD MAX, MICHAEL SCHENKER). They have enlisted a sort of "who's who" of German classic and melodic hard rock, with a lineup completed by Robby Boebel (FRONTLINE), Axel Kruse (JADED HEART) and Francis Buchholz (SCORPIONS).

Born as SUPREMACY, this new German melodic rock alliance, with five real aces on the pitch, could not disappoint. So, after the name change to PHANTOM 5, the new album started to take shape. Voss states: "For me, it sounds like we did a follow-up to the famous BONFIRE 'Fireworks' album with a touch of FRONTLINE meets JADED HEART groove… It is a driving monster, with huge walls of guitars, powerful soaking drums and fine catchy melodies… We took a trip back into the world of the eighties!"

Lessmann adds: "I am very proud of being part of a very fine piece of melodic rock and I hope that many people will like and love it the same way we do. Everything came together very naturally and I had the feeling that our flow of creativity never seemed to run dry, just like it should be. After the more than painful situation with BONFIRE, it was exactly the right thing, at the right time to do for me and it just felt and feels so damn right!"

Lessmann and Voss will appear at the Frontiers Rock Festival in the Acoustic Night reserved for VIP tickets purchasers on April 22.

"Phantom 5" track listing:

01. All The Way02. Blue Dog03. Someday04. Don't Touch The Night05. Renegade06. Flying High07. Since You're Gone08. They Won't Come Back09. Frontline10. We Both Had Our Time11. Why12. Sing Along (bonus track; digital version)

PHANTOM 5 is:

Claus Lessmann - lead vocalsMichael Voss - guitars, vocalsRobby Boebel - guitarFrancis Buchholz - bassAxel Kruse - drums

Rival Sons will release their fifth album, Hollow Bones, on June 10th via Earache Records. A snippet of the new song “Fade Out” is streaming below:

The first single, "Hollow Bones Pt. 1", is streaming below. The track is also included as an instant download for everyone who pre-orders Hollow Bones on iTunes. Order now and get your instant download of "Hollow Bones Pt. 1" at this location.

The new album features nine brand new tracks of electrifying rock 'n' soul, including a breathtaking cover of "Black Coffee". With a huge range of Hollow Bones products available, including limited edition gold, silver and transparent vinyl, plus ultra-limited signed CD and vinyl editions, there's something for everyone from the casual fan to the die-hard collector.

Pre-order Hollow Bones now on CD and vinyl at this location.

Tracklisting:

“Hollow Bones, Pt. 1”
“Tied Up”
“Thundering Voices”
“Baby Boy”
“Pretty Face”
“Fade Out”
“Black Coffee”
“Hollow Bones, Pt. 2”
“All That I Want”

“Baby Boy” snippet:

“Thundering Voices” snippet:

“Hollow Bones Pt. 1”:

Swedish metallers AVATAR have debuted yet another visually stunning music video, for their track "The Eagle Has Landed". Directed by longtime collaborator Johan Carlén, this is the first official music video we've seen from the band from their upcoming album, "Feathers & Flesh", which will be released on Friday, May 13 via Another Century in Europe and Entertainment One (eOne) in North America and Canada.

AVATAR vocalist Johannes Eckerström explains: "During the past few months, I've ended up saying 'this is our most ambitious work to date' quite a bit, but this one takes the cake. While still keeping it in the family, we've created yet a new universe for everyone to get immersed in. A fable is a metaphor to explore the human condition and we've taken it one step further, zooming in on one song and what it has to say in and out of itself beyond the frames of the concept of 'Feathers & Flesh'.

"This is the story of five conmen traveling around the land, selling their snake oil to the easily persuaded people of the soil. Often when we want karma to bite someone's ass the most, they always seem to get away. It was fun to play the bad guy for once. I think the visuals and our treatment of the classic one take-concept speaks for itself. This is one of those you'll want to watch over and over again. I know I'm already doing just that."

"Feathers & Flesh" was recorded in Germany, Finland and Sweden in December 2015 with producer extraordinaire Sylvia Massy (SYSTEM OF A DOWN, TOOL, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS).

"Feathers & Flesh" track listing:

01. Regret02. House Of Eternal Hunt03. The Eagle Has Landed04. New Land05. Tooth, Beak & Claw06. For The Swarm07. Fiddler's Farewell08. One More Hill09. Black Waters10. Night Never Ending11. Pray The Sun Away12. When The Snow Lies Red13. Raven Wine14. Sky Burial

The official lyric video for the song "Seven Enemies" from Connecticut-based hardcore/metal masters HATEBREED can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "The Concrete Confessional", which will be released on May 13 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The follow-up to 2013's "The Divinity Of Purpose" was produced by longtime collaborator Chris "Zeuss" Harris (ROB ZOMBIE, SUICIDE SILENCE, WHITECHAPEL) and mixed by Josh Wilbur (LAMB OF GOD, MEGADETH). The artwork was created by Marcelo Vasco (SLAYER).

"Seven Enemies" is a take on the Seven Deadly Sins that have a place in most of the world's religions. "A lot of people gravitate towards their vices and sins and it dooms them," said HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta. "They lead to destructive lifestyle patterns, and then that starts affecting the people around them."

"Seven Enemies" is now available as an instant-grat track when "The Concrete Confessional" is pre-ordered on iTunes.

HATEBREED — Jasta, guitarists Wayne Lozinak and Frank Novinec, bassist Chris Beattie and drummer Matt Byrne — has just completed a run of European dates. Starting this Friday, the day the album is released, the band kicks off a 25-date headline tour of North America with DEVILDRIVER (on all dates), DEVIL YOU KNOW and ACT OF DEFIANCE on select dates.

"Seven Enemies" lyrics:

Today is not the fucking dayI sympathize with their painTheir negative waysGiving birth to endless cries and complaintsI'm too close, just boiling with rageI choke on this feeling of war In my throat every daySwallowed every bitter pill, now I'm forced to chewHearing every vicious word Their filthy mouths spewMy thoughts descend into the abyssMy heart is begging me to finish this Today I wish a motherfucker would tryThink of someone other than themselves one timeToday I wish a motherfucker would tryTo see this fucked up world through my eyes Please god don't let me act on these wordsAnd forgive those who choose to test my last nerveI see red, can't cleanse it awayThey took kindness for weaknessNow they answer on this desperate dayWake up alone, again nothing's changedInfected my demons, all my visions become derangedSeven enemies to vanquish one by oneHatred blisters the surface of my tongue Today I wish a motherfucker would tryThink of someone other than themselves one timeToday I wish a motherfucker would tryTo see this fucked up world through my eyes Not todayI thought they'd find a better wayToday is not the fucking day [End of lyrics]

Regarding the "The Concrete Confessional" artwork, Jasta said: "I think da Vinci said it best when he said painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen. Marcelo was able to capture a feeling that will accompany our musical and lyrical vision and he put together a striking piece that speaks volumes."

Swedish death metal outfit Gutter Instinct will release their caustic, flesh-ripping debut full-length album, Age Of The Fanatics, to unsuspecting audiences worldwide on May 27th via Prosthetic Records. The album develops a further blackened edge to their already haunting death metal - as heard on their debut EP The Insurrection - by forging their way through the influential mire of death metal innovators including Teitanblood, Bölzer, Grave Miasma, Black Witchery and Portal whilst still reeking of their classic buzzsaw Swedish sound.

The album track, "Counter-Culture", can be heard below.

Age Of The Fanatics is a study in cynical nihilism that lashes out against organized religion, corporate greed and political corruption leading to a hopeless state of depression and alienation, while closing the circle with a desire for isolation and total death worship, welcoming the apocalypse. In perfect correlation with Gutter Instinct's depraved musical theme, renowned artist Dávid Glomba, aka Teitan Arts (Cult Of Fire, Svartidauði, Inferno) aligned his harrowing aesthetic creating the artistic concept for the entire layout utilizing several large-scale illustrations.

Age Of The Fanatics will be available in a limited edition format with a total first pressing of 1,000 copies on CD and 300 copies on vinyl, including a four-page foldout featuring the detailed artwork. Pre-order's are now available directly via the Prosthetic Records web shop at this location.

Tracklisting:

“Leper Beholder”
“Age Of The Fanatics”
“Bloodstorms”
“No Place For The Cross”
“Bridge Of Broken Bones”
“An Ending In Fire”
“Death Cult”
“Counter-Culture”
“Faith Junkies”
“Exile”

“Counter-Culture”:

“Age Of The Fanatics”:

Formed in 2012 in Helsingborg, Sweden, Gutter Instinct have received wide underground acclaim supported by punishing live appearances across Scandinavia with the likes of Sadism, Chronus and Oberion to name a few.

Gutter Instinct is:

Thomas Ernemyr - vocals
Oscar Persson - guitar
Hannes Hellman - guitar
Simon Iskakssn - bass
Ola Håkansson - drums

(Photo - Zua-Mihn)

Jennifer Kessinger of CBS47 FOX30 Action News Jax conducted an interview with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine at the Welcome To Rockville festival, which was held Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1 at Jacksonville, Florida's Metropolitan Park. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On MEGADETH's new lineup:

Mustaine: "We've had a lot of different lineups. A lot of bands have had changes; all the bands that are in the 'Big Four' have had changes. And I think sometimes people change so you've gotta either adapt and improvise or you become a fraud and you're not yourself and you're doing it for the wrong reasons, and I think that's why we've had some of those changes. Right now, with Chris [Adler, drums] and Kiko [Loureiro, guitar] and David [Ellefson, bass] and myself, I think we all kind of have the same kind of goals; we all are more similar with the music that we like. Because, in the past, we've had other bandmembers that were hardcore jazz buffs, which was great for helping create our style, but when you're trying to say, 'Hey, do you like that song by [the punk band] FEAR?' And they're, like, 'Who's FEAR?' It's just really weird — it's like you're talking two different languages — and I think that we have a really common language between all of us."

On social media:

Mustaine: "Well, the thing with social media is there's so much dishonesty about it out there and anonymity, so people will say stuff that they've met us, [that] they know us. I mean, there's something going around that the singer from PARAMORE is my niece or something like that, and it's like… I know the band PARAMORE, but I didn't know what he lady's name was. So when they'd said her name, I was, like, 'I don't know who that is.' And then I looked it up and I went, 'C'mon!' Real bright comparison there. But, you know, I think that social media can be used really for good too, if you know how to use it. You have to have a thick skin, you have to not worry about what the trolls are [saying], because, as funny as this sounds, trolls need love too, and you just kind of either ignore 'em or you just kind of love on 'em until they wake up or they go away. 'Cause if they see they're getting in your face and they're bugging you, they're gonna keep doing it. So I just look at it like this: I treat everybody with as much love and respect as I possibly would want."

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 its first week of release. In terms of pure album sales, "Dystopia" 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.

Owners and employees of a store in Jakarta, Indonesia have been arrested for selling a KREATOR t-shirt featuring the hammer-and-sickle symbol adopted by the long-prohibited Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

Around 50 or 60 jerseys featuring the hammer-and-sickle motif were sold through the More Shop in Blok M, a business and shopping quarter located in Kebayoran Baru, South Jakarta.

After determining that the shirt in question was actually just a band t-shirt and not communist propaganda, Kebayoran Baru police chief Ary Purwanto said: "At the moment, [the shop owners are] just being questioned. There is no indication of treason. According to the suspects, they didn't know it was the PKI symbol [on the t-shirts]."

Last November, Indonesian authorities seized toys bearing Soviet flags and hammer-and-sickle symbol in markets in Yogyakarta because they feared the toys could spread Communism.

"We're worried that the symbols could be attractive to our children over time," Lt. Col. Kavaleri Tumadi told the Jakarta Globe at the time. "If that happens, then the ideals could enter their minds."

A half a century ago, an estimated 500,000 to 1 million people perished as the army, paramilitary groups and religious organizations hunted down members of the PKI, suspected leftists, supporters and their families.

Indonesia is the world's most populous Muslim majority nation and communism has been banned there since the 1965-66 massacre, which was sparked by a coup attempt blamed on the communist party.

Evie Star of Evie Star Music conducted an interview with ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello at this year's Welcome To Rockville festival, which was held Saturday, April 30 and Sunday, May 1 at Jacksonville, Florida's Metropolitan Park. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked what advice he would give to new rock bands on how to get ahead in the music business, Bello said: "It's harder now than ever, from what I can see. 'Cause I know; I'm in a band that's been around for thirty years, and I see how hard it is for us. So I feel bad for the bands that are starting out now because there's no outlets, and the only way you can do this is get on any show you can get. Just play your ass off, as we did. You have to get in a van, travel for one show, get on the road, and whatever you can do to promote your band and get that vibe going and that buzz. [There's] gotta be fire in your gut. We all have this fire in our gut, like, 'This has gotta come out. I've gotta get this out.' And it comes out in our music. That's gotta feed you to stay on the road, to really do what you've gotta do, 'cause, look, you're gonna smell, you're gonna stay in the back of that van, and you're gonna be hungry."

He continued: "I remember in the early days [of ANTHRAX], [we were getting] five dollars a day, even when we had a record deal. Five dollars a day to eat, and that was breakfast, lunch and dinner, and that had to really last you, and at the end of the day, it did last you, so you picked a meal. So it was McDonald's, Burger King, blah blah blah. But that's the way it works. It's all about the fire in your belly and believing in what you do. It's tough, but if you really want it…"

Bello said that he is very supportive of the newer bands and is always willing to offer words of encouragement to the up-and-coming acts. "I want the next generation to please do it," he said. "I want the next generation [to succeed], 'cause I wanna be inspired. I love helping bands. If I can give any kind of knowledge that I've gottan [and] push it forward."

ANTHRAX's latest album, "For All Kings", came out on February 26 via Megaforce in North America and Nuclear Blast in Europe.

WNOR FM99 conducted an interview with one of the Nameless Ghouls from the Swedish occult rock band GHOST at the Lunatic Luau '16 festival, which was held May 6 at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater in Virginia Beach, Virginia. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked how big he envisions GHOST one day becoming, the Nameless Ghoul said: "It's hard to fully set a parameter of, 'This is exactly how big we wanna become.' But I think that the one goal that we want to achieve… I mean, set aside a lot of the personal, I guess, monetary things that you want to achieve as a human being; you wanna be rich and you wanna be that… But when it comes to the size that I've always wanted us to become or turn into, it's basically a full-production band that can do almost anything that we need in order to fully accomplish the show that we've always had in mind. Obviously, it's not exactly the same vision from eight years ago — it's grown — but the idea has always been for it to be a full-production arena [show]."

GHOST's current U.S. headlining tour kicked off on April 13 in Montclair, New Jersey and will wrap up on May 22 in Albany, New York.

GHOST won the Grammy for "Best Metal Performance" during the pre-telecast ceremony at the 58th annual Grammy Awards. GHOST was nominated for the song "Cirice" from its 2015 album "Meliora".

The other nominees in the "Best Metal Performance" category were AUGUST BURNS RED, LAMB OF GOD, SEVENDUST and SLIPKNOT.

A Nameless Ghoul from GHOST told Grammy.com about the nomination, "Being nominated for a Grammy is obviously a big honor for any band or artist — obviously, ourselves included. Especially for us, as a Swedish band, it feels extra honoring, I guess. Especially us maneuvering in the rock genre, where traditionally it's usually British or American bands."

"Cirice" recently reached the Top 10 at rock radio, the first song from the band to get significant airplay in the U.S.

Former Leaves' Eyes vocalist Liv Kristine has checked in with the following update:

"Dear Fans & Friends, today the video clip for Tanzwut's upcoming single 'Stille Wasser' was shot in Aarau, Switzerland. It was an absolute pleasure and great fun working with Teufel and Team VDPictures! This duet will give you goosebumps. 'Silent waters run so deep'... that's definitely true. Time for a glass of red wine..."

Liv, who launched Leaves' Eyes in 2003 with her husband Alex krull (Atrocity), was recently fired and replaced by Finnish singer Elina Siirala, who made her live debut with the band on April 17th at the Hammersonic Festival in Jakarta, Indonesia. The band has been raked over the coals since the news broke, and fans have been getting two sides to the story from Leaves' Eyes and Liv Kristine respectively.

Liv has posted the following update, capping it off with some surprise news.

"Dear Fans & Friends! I'm sending you all my love and thankfulness - you all have been there for me during these rough times. Music is our common love and I have so much in my musical heart and soul that I would like to share with you.

I am so proud of my fanclubs and everybody believing in me. Let's look into the future!

Can't wait to work with Ray and Tommy Olsson!"

Liv is referring to former Theatre Of Tragedy bandmates Raymond Rohonyi and Tommy Olsson. It was revealed to BraveWords in December 2015 during Liv's tour with Raymond as a special guest that the pair would work on a song for her next solo album, and that Olsson was also involved. Stay tuned for more information.

Following is an excerpt from BraveWords scribe Carl Begai's interview with Liv and Raymond:

CB: Any chance of a live DVD to commemorate the tour? It’s a reunion that nobody expected…

Ray: “I hope not. I really hate seeing myself on screen…”

Liv: “I don’t know. I’m kind of old fashioned. I really like the old style of things: you go to a concert, you have that experience, you go home with great memories of that night.”

CB: How about dragging Ray kicking and screaming into the studio to record a song or two? For old time’s sake. That, and you know the diehard Theatre of Tragedy fans would lose their minds.

Liv: “You know what’s going to happen. The last album that was produced at Mastersound was the Leaves’ Eyes album (King Of Kings), so next up is a Liv Kristine solo album. I would really like to have Tosso (Thorsten Bauer / guitars) write a song with Ray in mind. I’ve told the record company it’s going to be in the same vein as Vervain and that it would be perfect to have Ray on the album.”

Ray: “We talked about it the other day, and Liv would like to have me on the album growling for her upcoming recordings. It doesn’t mean I’m back in the music business, though. There still some of it left in me so that I enjoy performing, but I don’t want to do the business thing again. It doesn’t make any sense to do that unless you do as Liv’s done with having these other bands and the studio and all that. It’s especially difficult being in the music business if you live in Norway because it’s so damn expensive, too.”

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Fan-filmed video from the show in Moscow, Russia at the Volta Club can be viewed below.

The setlist on the night was as follows:

“Vervain”
“Venus” *
“A Hamlet For A Slothful Vassal” *
“My Wilderness”
“Paris Paris”
“Cassandra” *
“On Whom the Moon Doth Shine” *
“Image”
“Panic”
“Let You Down”
“Siren” *
“Machine” *
“Black As The Devil Painteth” *

Encore:
“Commute” *
“Love Decay”
“Der Tanz der Schatten” *

* with Raymond Rohonyi

Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford is featured in an in-depth interview with Rockcellar Magazine, which reaches back to the band's early years. An excerpt is available below.

Q: Did you always have a confidence in yourself as a front man or did that come over time?

Rob Halford: "It does develop. For me it developed over time. If I look at some old footage, like what I did on the Painkiller tour, that’s not me now, I’ve got a different vibe going and I’s just the way that I’ve changed over time as a front man, lead singer and that’s cool. It’s a case of evolving and it’s also a case of not wanting to be repetitive, just for me personally.

There are things said about rock and roll that if you’ve got a formula for success, don’t fuck with it. There’s a lot of truth to be said for that but also I think that brings in a certain thing of comfort knowing that when you see a bad they’re gonna give you what you expect, which is great. But for me I’ve always been curious about trying to seek out other opportunities. So I think that’s why if you look at the rich history of Priest you’ll see a band that has developed and done a lot of things in our metal world, our Priest world as we call it."

Q: Is there a specific Judas Priest album where you felt you finally hit on your sound and could use as a foundation to move forward?

Rob Halford: "That’s a very very good question but it’s very hard to pin down in terms of an honest answer because if I listen to British Steel I go, 'That’s it, there it is.' But then I listen to Painkiller and I go, 'Well wait, this is pretty good' and then I listen to Redeemer of Souls and go, 'Wow, this is some of the best things that we’ve ever done.' There really are no two Priest albums that are alike in terms of definition.

It’s a broad swath of all of these different styles and approaches and production and mixing and sound, all of the different attributes of Priest are in each of the records that we’ve made. I think again that speaks volumes for this band; there is no other band in the world like Judas Priest. There just isn’t. Name me one, tell me one, there isn’t. And that’s because we’ve always be curious and we’ve never wanted to make another Painkiller, we’ve never wanted to make another British Steel. I mean, what’s the point? It’s been done. We’re always looking to see what’s next."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

On March 25th, Judas Priest released Battle Cry. Recorded live on August 1st, 2015 at Germany's Wacken Festival in front of an audience of 85,000 people, Battle Cry is available on a 15-track CD, with the entire show on Blu-Ray and DVD (running over 94 minutes), as well as digital audio and video formats. The DVD and Blu-Ray also contains three bonus tracks shot in Poland on December 10th, 2015 at The Ergo Arena in Gdansk.

Check out “Halls Of Valhalla” from the release, streaming below:

"The Priest is back! Bringing you molten metal mayhem captured live, we're coming at you in full force on Battle Cry. This is Priest burning up and delivering the goods for all our metalheads around the world like never before - so hold tight and turn it up as we roar you through a night of screaming heavy-metal magic keeping the faith alive!"

Swedish guitarist Jesper Strömblad (IN FLAMES, THE RESISTANCE, DIMENSION ZERO) took part in a question-and-answer session with Headbangr earlier today (Saturday, May 7). You can now watch the chat in three parts below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On his upcoming solo album and full-length release from his new project:

Jesper: "I have a solo album in the pipeline, and I've had for quite a while — like, twenty years — but all of a sudden, this other thing happened, so I joined… Well, we formed another band that I can't tell you so much about, because it's kind of… It's not a secret, but it's very early in the process. So the solo album is coming. And at the moment, we're writing for this new band, and we will tour, and we will definitely play festivals with this new band. So let's say that this my new band, this is what I am really, really focusing on, because it turned out to be so good. And I would say that it's the best songs I've ever written, to be humble. What I'm doing now [with] a hundred percent focus is to finish the record with [this] new band and get it signed, get everything.. the shit together, so we can set a timeframe on everything to start recording. And, yeah, I'm feeling good, I'm feeling very creative — much more than in a long, long time. Also because the guys I'm working with right now are giving me so much back, in a way. We have such great chemistry, so it's really fun for the first time in a long time to record and do this process that I quite didn't like before."

On plans for the long-awaited follow-up to DIMENSION ZERO's 2007 album, "He Who Shall Not Bleed":

Jesper: "I have three or four songs in the bag already. It's a little bit challenging now, I would say, because we… It wasn't turbulent; it was just… I asked the guys if they wanna do another record. We're not the most productive band in the world. We did three full-lengths in twenty years, so I asked around if they wanna do another one, but they were busy, basically, and they didn't wanna do it. So me and Hasse [Hans Nilsson, drums], we said that we… I mean, DIMENSION ZERO will always be around, so we will… I will write all the material, and he will be on drums as usual. I can't really say that much right now. I am constantly writing the DIMENSION ZERO album when I have time. But when it will be recorded, I have no idea."

Strömblad announced his departure from THE RESISTANCE in March. The band's bassist, Rob Hakemo, later said in an interview that Jesper "saved" THE RESISTANCE by qutting, explaining that the guitarist is "an alcoholic" and "drug addict" who "doesn't want to [get] sober." Rob added: "[Jesper] thinks that two weeks [sober] is good, and then he can drink some. And then he's gone for a month, and then he's back and he's not drinking [for a short while]. It's a sad thing, and we really tried to help him and wanted the best [for him]. So when he told us that 'I'm leaving the band,' we were relieved. We were really relieved."

Strömblad quit IN FLAMES in February 2010 in order to continue receiving treatment for his alcohol addiction.

Swiss folk metallers Eluveitie recently checked in with some sad news, revealing the band has splintered following the firing of drummer Merlin Sutter. They have posted an official statement explaining the situation, which can be found here. Sutter's statement, originally posted here, can be read below.

"I’ve been asked to leave Eluveitie, and I am joined by my friends with whom I shall continue my musical journey, Anna Murphy and Ivo Henzi. The decision to leave was not mine, and those who took it might not understand it any better than my friends, who were not given the opportunity to debate it. It is most certainly even harder to understand, and impossible to judge, for anyone else.

This is an incredibly sad time for me. But it is also one of opportunity, rather than defeat; a new beginning as much as an ending. It is a time to reflect on what I've achieved with Eluveitie; on my errors, of which there were many, and of my successes, of which there is an equal number (and I'm proud of both).

Twelve years, 6 studio albums, some 890 shows, 46 countries, 6 continents. Thousands of miles on the road and in the air. Thousands of hours of always putting every ounce of energy into my drumming. The best of times, and the worst. And, most importantly, an incalculable number of the most amazing fans in the world, from a range of places and cultures few ever have the privilege to experience. I left school with nothing but the determination to play the drums, on stage, around the world - with no plan whatsoever for how to achieve my goals, nor any reasonable likelihood of success. I joined Eluveitie just after my 18th birthday; I saw my chance, I took it, gave it everything, and I made the best of it. It's been the ride of a lifetime, and I regret nothing. Taking part, and often charge, of building Eluveitie to what it is today, is what I consider my life's work so far - but it shall also be only the beginning.

Eluveitie as you know it is unquestionably the product of the talent, energy, and relentless efforts of a group of people, too many of whom are now leaving. Yet Chrigel Glanzmann, whose role in creating the opportunity provided to me I would like to recognise, will continue on his path just as we will on ours. The music you love will evolve and branch out, and I encourage you to look forward to it.

In the meantime, Anna, Ivo and I will give it everything on stage one more time, for and hopefully with you, while completing the current world tour in Asia and Australia as well as our last European shows in May and early June. The last show in Switzerland takes place in Basel on June 3rd, and our final show with Eluveitie will follow the same weekend at Fortarock Festival in Holland.

What matters most to me in all of this is that in my departure I am joined by my best friends, my fellow musicians and travellers, Anna and Ivo; two people who have been at the heart of Eluveitie's music and will be at the heart of, rather than just part of, anything they will touch in their future. Together we've carried the torch for over a decade, and have grown a bond that can weather any adversity. Our musical journey together is far from over - we are, in fact, working on new music as you are reading this. I am beyond excited to explore what's next, and I hope you feel the same way. Without your support we would have achieved nothing, and we are eternally thankful for it. If you would like to continue supporting us, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and the like - we will share news about our future projects as soon as they are ready. In fact, following our official channels is the most certain way to be among the first to hear new music.

For now, I'll quote one person who was wiser than I am, and one who's tougher:

'Choose not to be harmed -- and you won't feel harmed. Don't feel harmed -- and you haven't been.' (Marcus Aurelius)

And, perhaps less pretentious:

'Sometimes we win, sometimes we learn.' (Most recently Conor McGregor, after taking a beating)."

On the 4th annual Metallica Night at AT&T Park, James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett performed "Star Spangled Banner" at the San Francisco Giants game against the Colorado Rockies on May 6th. Fan-filmed video is available below.

Back on April 16th, in celebration of Record Store Day, Metallica invited members of their Fan Club and some old friends from back in the day to Rasputin Music for a little gig. Videos for all songs that the band performed can be seen below.

The show is available to download from Live Metallica.

Setlist:

“Helpless”
“Hit The Lights”
“The Four Horsemen”
“Ride The Lightning”
Kirk Solo
“Fade To Black”
“Jump In The Fire”
“For Whom The Bell Tolls”
“Creeping Death”
“Metal Militia”

Fly on the wall footage shot by the MetOnTour reporter at Rasputin Music can be see below. Footage includes a loose, unplanned jam on "Helpless”, a ripping performance of "Jump In The Fire" and a bit from the after party at the old El Cerrito Metalli-mansion.

On August 20th, Metallica will headline the first rock concert at US Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, the new home of the NFL's Minnesota Vikings. They are currently in the studio working on a new album.

Fan-filmed video footage of AVATARIUM's May 7 performance at the Stockholm Rocks festival at Debaser Medis in Stockholm, Sweden can be seen below.

AVATARIUM is the Swedish metal project whose recording lineup includes Leif Edling, founding bassist and main songwriter of Swedish doom metal legends CANDLEMASS.

AVATARIUM's latest album, "The Girl With The Raven Mask", came out in October 2015 via Nuclear Blast. The CD was released in North America as part of a joint licensing venture between Nuclear Blast and Metalville.

Asked if it was clear from the start that AVATARIUM would be more than a one-off project, guitarist Marcus Jidell told Darkview: "When we started to work on the [first] AVATARIUM album, I think we all felt that we had something special going on. To find a band where everything just works musically from the start is very rare, I would say. The first rehearsal was filled with great vibes as well as the album recording and the first show.

"I have been playing in a few bands by now and I never experienced such a strong unit as AVATARIUM. We also had the great opportunity to work with a serious record label and a booking agency that helped us reach out to people with our music.

"When you find a band with this great potential, you have to get out on the road and play your music. Also it is the best way to make a band tight and get better musically and artistically.

"For us, it's very important to never stand still, but to keep on getting better at everything we do, so that's why live shows are very important.

"At the end of the day, there's nothing better in the world than to play a show with an energetic audience and to feel the power of a real rock band."

Regarding the recording process for "The Girl With The Raven Mask", Marcus said: "We really wanted to capture the sound we have when we play live, and since I'm the only guitar player, there's way much more distorted organ live, so we used that in the studio as well. Carl [Westholm] brought in his big Leslie and turned the volume on loud. It also doesn't hurt that we also get a little closer to the DEEP PURPLE and URIAH HEEP sound here.

"As the producer of the album, my main goal was to bring out everybody's personal touch in the songs, and I really think that you can hear each member in the band shine here.

"We recorded the basic foundations live to get the rough live feel, and I didn't let our studio engineer move or repair anything.

"I think people were a little frustrated in the start of the rehearsals and recordings, but now it seems like everybody are very happy with the result.

"When we were done with the recordings, I told David Castillo, who mixed the album, that he had free hands to put his mark on the mix as long as he kept the feel. It was all very well prepared and recorded so he just had to polish it and give the songs the final touch, and he really did an amazing work with the mix, I must say."

Due to his health condition, Edling is unable to perform with AVATARIUM at the band's gigs.

HALESTORM's Lzzy Hale joined DISTURBED on stage on May 7 at the Ascend Amphitheater in Nashville, Tennessee to perform a cover version of the U2 classic "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For". Fan-filmed video footage of her appearance can be seen below.

DISTURBED singer David Draiman previously recruited Hale for a remake of "Close My Eyes Forever", which was originally recorded by Lita Ford and Ozzy Osbourne, for Draiman's DEVICE project. At the time, David called Lzzy "the strongest, most distinctive female voice in rock today." He added: "I think she's just as good as it gets."

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

HALESTORM's first two albums, 2009's "Halestorm" and 2012's "The Strange Case Of…" were both officially certified gold in March by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales of more than 500,000 copies. The certifications came after RIAA started including on-demand audio and video streams and a track sale equivalent in gold and platinum album award.

The band's third effort, "Into The Wild Life", which features "Dear Daughter", debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard 200 album chart, selling 56,000 copies in its first week of release — more than double the first-week haul of their second CD — but has not reached gold yet.

Fan-filmed video footage of ALLEGIANCE OF ROCK's May 7 performance at the Stockholm Rocks festival at Debaser Medis in Stockholm, Sweden can be seen below.

ALLEGIANCE OF ROCK is the new Swedish/Greek collaboration between guitarist Gus G. (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIREWIND), bassist John Levén (EUROPE), drummer Anders Johansson (HAMMERFALL, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) and vocalist Mats Levén (CANDLEMASS, TREAT, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN).

Stockholm Rocks marked the first-ever appearance by ALLEGIANCE OF ROCK, which performs songs from the past, present and future of the bandmembers' own back catalogues and more.

In an interview with Hardrock Haven, Gus stated about his collaboration with Mats: "I met him in 2003 at a festival in Sweden where he was playing with . And I'm bit a fan of him since he saw on Yngwie Malmsteen's 'Facing The Animal'. So we met there and had a great time. And we became buddies through the years and jammed together. We always stayed in touch. And he's the guy whose I always wanted to do something with. And in 2010, I asked him to join FIREWIND because our singer couldn't come on tour with us. Mats has the advantage to be not only a singer but a songwriter and producer too."

METALLICA's original manager has revealed to Metal Hammer magazine that the band briefly considered making drummer Lars Ulrich its frontman.

Jon "Jonny Z" Zazula, who started working with METALLICA before the release of the band's debut album, "Kill 'Em All", recalled James Hetfield's lack of confidence in handling lead vocal duties. As a possible solution, it was suggested that Ulrich could step up from the drum stool to the microphone.

Zazula told Metal Hammer: "Lars and I planned a lot of stuff. But James wasn't the most confident of singers. I don't think he felt comfortable.

"At one point there was even talk of Lars becoming the frontman. For about five seconds."

Other singers who were being considered for the frontman position in METALLICA included Jess Cox of Newcastle, England's TYGERS OF PAN TANG and John Bush of ARMORED SAINT (and later ANTHRAX), who actually turned the offer down.

Bush later said in an interview: "METALLICA did ask me to join, but I said no for all the right reasons. People must think that's crazy, but you have to remember the scene then. METALLICA was nobody. ARMORED SAINT was hot; you have to remember that. Also, I was very tight with the [ARMORED SAINT] guys, back to elementary school in fact. ARMORED SAINT was getting interest from all kinds of places, and we had a lot of people starting to turn up at shows."

He continued: "METALLICA came to see SAINT at a gig in Anaheim, at The Woodstock in 1982. I heard they were interested in asking me to join, which they did later. The thing was that METALLICA was this new kind of thing, and nobody back then. I don't care what they say now; nobody could have predicted what would happen. I didn't know the guys either, so there was no real interest. It was great to be asked — in fact, a lot of people asked — but ARMORED SAINT was really strong.

"Some time after 'Kill 'Em All' had come out, I heard the same thing again, but I never understood that because James was singing great then and he was doing a great job. I understood the lack of confidence back in '82 but not for 'Ride The Lightning'. James owns that record."

In a 1989 interview with Metal Forces, Ulrich talked about what METALLICA could have sounded like had Bush ended up fronting the group. He said: "Only a couple of days ago, we were actually sitting around talking about how it would be now if John Bush had joined the band. Obviously, it's impossible to know how different it would have been, but I can't imagine METALLICA without James Hetfield up there growling into the microphone, fucking curved over and everything. It's really weird to think about it. I mean, nothing against John Bush — I think he's a great vocalist — but ... Well, thank God it didn't happen."

According to E! News, Ozzy Osbourne and his wife of 33 years, Sharon Osbourne, have split up.

A source has told E! News that the couple mutually agreed that Ozzy would move out of their house temporarily.

The report states that the couple's breakup is not related to Ozzy's sobriety. The BLACK SABBATH singer has apparently been sober for three and a quarter years.

British tabloid newspaper The Sun claims that Sharon left Ozzy after she reportedly accused the musician of having an alleged affair with a celebrity hairstylist.

Ozzy, who relapsed into drug and alcohol abuse for 18 months a few years ago, has previously credited Sharon for saving his life. "I'm alive because I've got a strong wife, I think," he said. "I didn't expect to live past 30. I remember when I was 21 saying I would be dead by 40. That was all right until I was 39½."

Sharon discussed Ozzy's last relapse during an episode of her U.S. talk show "The Talk" in April 2013. She said: "Everybody knows he's been struggling with this his entire life and I never knew that he was using prescription drugs. I knew he was drinking occasionally, but I didn't realize to the extent.

"It's a disease that not only hurts the person that has the disease but it hurts the family. It hurts people that love you and we're dealing with it. We've dealt with worse and we will deal with it and this too shall pass. Otherwise my husband will be taken to the hospital to get my foot removed from his ass."

As part of his recovery, Ozzy was going to daily AA meetings which he said was the only way he can stay sober. "Sharon tells me I'm a bloody fool and screams at me when I'm drinking, but that doesn't stop me," he told DailyMail.co.uk. "But she supports me, she knows it's an illness, she knows it's part of who I am and it's only me who can deal with it and it's because I don't want to lose what I have with Sharon and the kids that I do it. No one else can cure an addict but the addict."

After Ozzy was fired from BLACK SABBATH in 1979 because of substance abuse and erratic behavior, Sharon became his solo career manager, and then his girlfriend. The two were married on July 4, 1982.

The couple's early relationship has been described as volatile, with Ozzy blacking out and almost strangling Sharon after a five-day Vodka binge in 1989.

Ozzy and Sharon have three children: Aimee, 31; Kelly, 29; and Jack, 28.

On June 3rd, Pink Floyd Records will begin the reintroduction of the Pink Floyd catalogue on vinyl for the first time in over two decades. The first four records will be The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, A Saucerful Of Secrets, the soundtrack from the film More and the 2 LP set Ummagumma. Pink Floyd Records will reproduce the vinyl catalogue throughout the year with release dates being announced at regular intervals. In the meantime, all Pink Floyd records are now available on CD, digital and most streaming platforms.

Special care has been taken to replicate the original packaging. The first batch of releases, mastered by James Guthrie, Joel Plante and Bernie Grundman will be pressed on 180gram vinyl for optimum sound quality.

Pink Floyd featuring Syd Barrett, Roger Waters, Rick Wright and Nick Mason first broke onto the music scene in 1967, with the hit single “Arnold Layne”. Despite the departure of Syd Barrett, the group, which now included David Gilmour, recorded some of the most innovative and ground breaking records of the time, culminating in 1973 with one of the biggest selling albums of all time, The Dark Side Of The Moon. There followed numerous global number 1 albums, including The Wall, Animals, Wish You Were Here, The Final Cut and 2014’s finale, The Endless River.

Pink Floyd Records releases will be manufactured and distributed by Warner Music for the UK and Europe and by Sony Music for North America and the rest of the world.

Max Lousada, Chairman and CEO Warner Music UK said: “We're proud to continue to support one of the world's greatest and most influential bands. This is an exciting new chapter in our long-standing partnership with Pink Floyd and we look forward to working with them to help curate their remarkable body of work.”

Rob Stringer, Chairman and CEO Columbia Records said: “We are proud to continue the long standing relationship in North America and beyond between Columbia Records and Pink Floyd. We are excited to work together with the band on their incredible musical legacy.”

Fan-filmed video footage of RESURRECTION KINGS performing on May 6 at Brick By Brick in San Diego, California can be seen below.

RESURRECTION KINGS is the new so-called "supergroup" featuring singer Chas West (TRIBE OF GYPSIES, LYNCH MOB), guitarist Craig Goldy (DIO, GIUFFRIA, ROUGH CUTT, DIO DISCIPLES), bassist Sean McNabb (DOKKEN, GREAT WHITE) and drummer Vinny Appice (DIO, BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL). The band's self-titled debut album was released on January 29 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Everything began with a set of demos Goldy recorded with singer West, a guy with an unbelievable set of pipes.

West said: "It started about five years ago when Craig Goldy contacted me and said he'd like to do something, do a project. 'Let's get together and write.' Because we had played together, doing some covers in an all-star thing called the HOLLYWOOD ALLSTARZ."

Added Goldy: "I was contacted by Serafino [Perugino], the president of Frontiers. He wanted to do an album with famous guys from the '80s, and I was absolutely flabbergasted that they came to me for it, so I was more than happy to say yes."

Said Appice: "Craig told me he was doing this project and he needed somebody to play drums on it, and he'd love for me to come check it out. He played me a couple of songs, I loved it, so I said, 'Yeah, I'll do it.' So I laid all the drum tracks down, sent them back, and I thought it came out great." Frontiers in-house writer and producer Alessandro Del Vecchio (REVOLUTION SAINTS, HARDLINE, RATED X) offered his services to the band and wrote (or co-wrote with Goldy) a few tracks to round out the material that was available.

Regarding the songwriting process for RESURRECTION KINGS' debut CD, Goldy said: "Originally, I had the music [for the song 'Living Out Loud']… I had learned the hard way that you've gotta start off with a good groove, and then you come up with a cool riff and then you come up with some simple chord progressions and then a melody line. And then, once the melody line is established, and we're starting to work on lyrics, that's when you can go back and kind of mess with the chords and stuff to make them more interesting. But we kind of had the outline of the song already, and then I presented that to Chas and him and I just started doing the process that's supposed to be. The first thing he did is just start improvising, what came naturally. So it came from his heart and it came from his talent."

Goldy also spoke about some of the other tracks on RESURRECTION KINGS' debut album which were written by producer Alessandro Del Vecchio. He said: "[Alessandro] is an amazing songwriting [and] a great producer, a keyboard player. I think he plays guitar and stuff as well. He's a great singer too. I can't wait for people to hear how he sings. So some of the demo versions already had vocals, drums, bass and guitar on them. So we would learn the songs, and then we'd do them our way. It was something Alessandro and I called 'Goldy-izing.' 'Cause we would get these demos, and they'd be kind of in an odd kind of shape, and so I would Goldy-ize it and turn it into something that I thought would be more interesting. Once Vinny and Sean got ahold of these songs, they really came alive. 'Cause a lot of the times, songwriters will write demos to drum machines, which is fine, 'cause it's just basically a sketch, and then you turn that sketch into an oil painting. And so when Vinny and Sean got ahold of these songs, it really came alive. So that gave me automatic inspiration on top of a great song that Alessandro had already written." The cover artwork for "Resurrection Kings" was designed by Stanis-W Decker.

Appice and Goldy played sporadic shows last year as part of BLACK KNIGHTS RISING, also featuring bassist Elliott Rubinson (Uli Jon Roth, MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, Carmine Appice) and vocalists Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, DIO DISCIPLES) and John West (BADLANDS, LYNCH MOB, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA).

After joining DIO in 1987, Goldy became Ronnie James Dio's right-hand man and went on to co-write such DIO classics as "Dream Evil", "One More For The Road" and "As Long As It's Not About Love".

Fan-filmed video footage of Connecticut-based hardcore/metal masters HATEBREED performing a brand new song, "A.D.", on May 6 in Vienna, Austria can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "The Concrete Confessional", which will be released on May 13 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The follow-up to 2013's "The Divinity Of Purpose" was produced by longtime collaborator Chris "Zeuss" Harris (ROB ZOMBIE, SUICIDE SILENCE, WHITECHAPEL) and mixed by Josh Wilbur (LAMB OF GOD, MEGADETH). The artwork was created by Marcelo Vasco (SLAYER).

A number of tracks provide a pragmatic look at issues that have become front-and-center in today's New Normal, and "A.D." is a case in point. Reflecting what is today a challenging time, it's a song that fuses together frustration with torrential thrashed-out guitars, double bass drums, and Jamey Jasta's immortal growl.

"'A.D.' was a way that I could voice my frustration about the loss of opportunities available to the average guy," said Jasta. "With the government and big business drowning in corruption and greed, the average person is being squeezed, so achieving the American Dream is becoming less and less real.

"We all need to pay closer attention to what our elected leaders are doing," Jasta added. "Start locally, in your own community, make your representatives accountable."

"A.D." is now available as an instant-grat track when "The Concrete Confessional" is pre-ordered on iTunes.

Regarding the "The Concrete Confessional" artwork, Jasta said: "I think da Vinci said it best when he said painting is poetry that is seen rather than felt, and poetry is painting that is felt rather than seen. Marcelo was able to capture a feeling that will accompany our musical and lyrical vision and he put together a striking piece that speaks volumes."

"The Concrete Confessional" track listing:

01. A.D.02. Looking Down The Barrel Of Today03. Seven Enemies04. In The Walls05. From Grace We've Fallen06. Us Against Us07. Something's Off08. Remember When09. Slaughtered In Their Dreams10. The Apex Within11. Walking The Knife12. Dissonance13. Serve Your Masters

In support of "The Concrete Confessional", HATEBREED will embark on a North American headlining tour. Joining them on the trek are modern metal stalwarts DEVILDRIVER, Nuclear Blast labelmates DEVIL YOU KNOW and Metal Blade recording artists ACT OF DEFIANCE (featuring former MEGADETH members Chris Broderick and Shawn Drover).

HATEBREED's last album, "The Divinity Of Purpose", sold 17,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 20 on The Billboard 200 chart.

GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose took the stage earlier tonight (Saturday, May 7) for his first concert with AC/DC at Passeio Maritimo de Algés in Lisbon, Portugal. You can now watch the entire performance below.

The setlist:

01. Rock Or Bust02. Shoot To Thrill03. Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be04. Back In Black05. Got Some Rock & Roll Thunder06. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap07. Rock 'N' Roll Damnation08. Thunderstruck09. High Voltage10. Rock 'N' Roll Train11. Hells Bells12. Given The Dog A Bone13. Sin City14. You Shook Me All Night Long15. Shot Down In Flames16. Have A Drink On Me17. T.N.T.18. Whole Lotta Rosie19. Let There Be Rock20. Highway To Hell21. Riff Raff22. For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)

Rose was recruited for twelve European dates and ten North American concerts after AC/DC singer Brian Johnson was forced off tour by hearing loss.

AC/DC's North American shows will likely take place later this year, after Rose completes his summer tour with the reunited lineup of GUNS N' ROSES.

During an interview with BBC 6 Music's Matt Everitt, Rose stated about his plans with AC/DC after the European shows: "There's makeup dates in the States, and if I don't get throw out before then, I'm looking forward to doing [them]. I think after that, it's about what they wanna do. I'm in if they want me in, and we'll sort it out, but right now that's getting ahead of ourselves with everything else that's on the table."

AC/DC guitarist Angus Young told NME in a separate interview that the band "had to act" immediately after learning that Johnson wouldn't be able to finish the tour. "It was a crisis that came then," he said. "We were in Miami at the time, when all of this came up, and unfortunately, when you're in that situation, you've got to make decisions pretty quick, because there are a lot of people waiting. We were supposed to actually play in Atlanta, so you're kind of going, 'What do we do now?' Because of the nature of Brian's deafness, we knew that there was no easy fix. So you've got to then say, 'What do we do here?' The options were very limited, and you think, if we just stop with all of this machinery, it's going to be a hell of a lot of legal entanglement."

Asked if they ever considered pulling the shows, AC/DC bassist Cliff Williams said: "We wanted to finish what we'd started."

Added Angus: "And that was our main goal, especially Cliff and myself, being there the longest. We wanted to complete what we had started. And I mean, you can't call a tour 'Rock Or Bust' and then go bust!"

Angus also talked about a possible AC/DC future with Brian Johnson. He said: "[Brian] has to be very careful of what hearing he's got left. This is what he told us. He was gutted about not finishing [the tour], because he says he would have loved to have gotten through. It was his call, what he wanted. He made that decision himself. He didn't want to be deaf. And I perfectly understand that; when you stop doing this, you want to walk away with all your pieces! I don't even want to leave without my fingernail!"

For the Libson show, Rose was still confined to a throne after snapping his metatarsal bone while singing during GUNS N' ROSES' Troubadour reunion show on April 1. It is the same custom throne Dave Grohl used last year for FOO FIGHTERS concerts after breaking a leg.

Asked how his recovery is going, Axl told BBC 6 Music: "I think we're about halfway there. I feel good. I've only started walking on a little bit on it the last few days, and now I'm starting to put weight on the front. It's inconvenient, but it's also helped me focus on the singing in another way. Other people are, like, 'How do you do that sitting down?' And I'm, like, 'It's a lot easier than standing up.' But I feel like an idiot; I do. I mean, I've done GUNS shows and I feel like a moron sitting there. But I have to ignore that and just get into the songs and do my best on the songs."

Rose met with AC/DC twice in March, in Miami and Atlanta, about doing the shows. Singers from AC/DC tribute acts were also auditioned, and at one point there was talk of having other vocalists alternate with Rose.

Despite a large negative reaction from fans to the collaboration, England's Metal Hammer magazine has listed several reasons why Rose fronting AC/DC is a "brilliant idea," saying, "Anybody who's watched GUNS N' ROSES' version of 'Whole Lotta Rosie' on YouTube must grudgingly admit that he riotously delivers the punch and snarl of the original. There is no debate that Axl has the style and the range to handle the band's current set list."

The magazine added that the eccentric GUNS frontman is "possessed of high intelligence and his own keen survival instinct. No way will Axl blow this."

A teaser for LEAVES' EYES' video for the new version of the song "Edge Of Steel" — featuring the band's latest addition, singer Elina Siirala — is available below.

The new version of "Edge Of Steel" will appear on the earbook tour edition of LEAVES' EYES' latest album, "King Of Kings", which will be released in June. There will also be a U.S. edition of "King Of Kings" with the new version of "Edge Of Steel" as a bonus track.

Siirala, a Finnish vocalist who lives in London, England, made her live debut with LEAVES' EYES on April 17 at the Hammersonic festival in Jakarta, Indonesia.

The remaining members of LEAVES' EYES and their former singer, Liv Kristine, have offered different accounts of the circumstances behind their split, with LEAVES' EYES claiming the decision to part ways was amicably made in January and Liv saying she was dismissed from the group on April 6.

LEAVES' EYES said: "We understand that many fans and friends are surprised and shocked about the change in our band. We all know Liv had an important role for the band in the past, and we understand people are sad as it was not an easy decision for every one involved. But since a lot of hateful and disrespectful comments are in the social media, we would like to take the opportunity to make some points very clear: LEAVES' EYES has always been a band, and not a project, nor a Liv Kristine solo project at all. We always worked as a team in LEAVES' EYES. In the last decade Tosso [guitarist Thorsten Bauer] and Alex [Krull, LEAVES' EYES' co-vocalist and Liv's husband] wrote the music for LEAVES' EYES and Liv took care of the lyrics.

"Liv's solo project is called 'Liv Kristine.' We supported Liv also in her solo career, writing music, recording and producing albums and doing management in the past.

"The decision to part ways with Liv was taken by all LEAVES' EYES members, including Liv. A mediator — a friend of Liv and Alex — was at the band meeting who can witness that the decision of parting ways was agreed by all members. Liv was happy to have the opportunity to plan changes in her future life and she does not have to go on tour so much anymore. The idea to go separate ways came up already in January. Elina was not part of this decision or process. It was also agreed to help Liv for her solo project 'Liv Kristine' and record her new demo songs and her further projects at the studio just like in the past."

Shortly after the LEAVES' EYES statement was posted on April 16, Liv took to her personal Facebook page to thank the fans and to say: "I was told a bit longer than a week ago that I am not preferred as the band's singer for further tours and recordings anymore. I asked for the situation concerning Indonesia and the soon-to-happen upcoming shows. The answer was 'no.' I asked if there's a replacement and I got no clear answer."

She added: "I can't believe this process happened behind my back, parallel to a huge disappointment in my private life.

"A few days later, there certainly was a replacement. I must say — that was 'quick'!

"I still see LEAVES' EYES as 'my baby' and I will miss playing these gigs, feeling the good vibes, sensing the real Norwegian Viking power with the audiences. Inside my heart I will always treasure LEAVES' EYES for all the good music, tunes, themes, concept and true Viking power. The melodies I used to sing will always stay alive in my ears."

Fan-filmed video footage of SIXX:A.M., the band featuring MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx alongside guitarist DJ Ashba and vocalist James Michael, performing on May 3 at Cannery Ballroom in Nashville, Tennessee can be seen below.

According to music industry web site Hits Daily Double, the first volume of "Prayers For The Damned", the new double album from SIXX:A.M., is likely to sell between 16,000 and 20,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD was released on April 29 via Eleven Seven Music.

"Prayers For The Damned", the fourth studio album from the trio, represents the band's most ambitious, complete and adrenaline-soaked effort to date. The album also boasts first-class production and mixing by Michael and original artwork from Ashba, proving that this collection of music is a true labor of passion. "When we toured our last record (2014's 'Modern Vintage'), it was the first time we had really been a band that existed outside of the studio," confessed Michael. "Playing those songs we finally realized how much fun this band is and finally admitted to ourselves that, yes, we are a proper live band. DJ took the decision to leave GUNS N' ROSES and Nikki wrapped up MÖTLEY CRÜE. There are no distractions anymore and we're all 100% dedicated to SIXX:A.M. now."

"We've been together for seven years and I believe we've just got tighter and tighter in that time," added Ashba. "For me, on our last tour, something clicked inside. What touched me most was seeing what our songs had some to mean to people." "It's absolutely time for us to treat this band with the time and energy it deserves," echoed Sixx. "It's a gang, a tribe and we're incredibly proud of that."

Fan-filmed video footage of HELLYEAH performing its new single, "Human", live on May 3 at Upstate Concert Hall in Clifton Park, New York can be seen below.

"Human" is taken from HELLYEAH's forthcoming fifth album, "Unden!able", which will be released on June 3 via Eleven Seven Music. The effort marks the first time HELLYEAH's current lineup — vocalist Chad Gray, guitarists Tom Maxwell and Christian Brady, drummer Vinnie Paul and bassist Kyle Sanders — has recorded together as a unit, promising a very special return to their true metal roots.

"Unden!able" was produced in Las Vegas at The Hideout Recording Studio by Kevin Churko (PAPA ROACH, ROB ZOMBIE), and showcases everything that the band’s fans have come to know and love in a more focused, concise, and powerful sound, with Churko co-writing all songs.

The album art by William Felch and Chad Gray features a predatory, gleaming eye with an exclamation point pupil — the ultimate signifier of what’s inside: anger, pain and a hyper-focused, high octane, heavy metal collection for the ages.

Maxwell offered: "There's a lot of new stuff coming out that we've never tried before, and a lot of heavy shit… It's gonna be moody, it's gonna be dark, it's gonna be crushing, it's gonna be heartbreaking, it's gonna be everything. So it's going to be a proper take-off from our last record, but with a lot of new surprises, musically and lyrically. We are moving forward with the path that we've taken with 'Blood For Blood'. It's a really, really savage album, and we’re really excited for fans to hear it."

"Unden!able" will be available just in time for HELLYEAH's upcoming "Hell Pop Tour" with IN THIS MOMENT, which starts on June 18 in Des Moines, Iowa. This run will follow HELLYEAH's "We're All In This Together" headlining tour which also features ESCAPE THE FATE, NEW YEARS DAY and FROM ASHES TO NEW.

MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx and late MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy are featured in a new public service announcement (PSA) for Rockers United, the non-profit charity foundation founded by acclaimed rock photographer Kevin Estrada.

Rockers United's goal is to build awarness and raise funds to support the fight against human trafficking in the U.S. Estrada says: "I have two young daughters that I care about and love very much.

"For the past few years, human trafficking has been on my radar as we see and hear more and more about this spreading sickness. Young girls, like my daughters, fall victim to this travesty every day — and that worries me. It burned my heart. I had to do something. So, I decided to call my rock star friends and see who wanted to join the cause. The response was mind blowing [and] Rockers United was born. "Human trafficking is the second largest criminal industry in the world today — second to drug activity. This is tragically happening to nearly two million girls worldwide every year. Some of these girls are as young as 7 years old. This is happening all over the world, and it is also happening right here in our own backyards. Los Angeles, San Francisco and San Diego are hotspots here in California. "The proceeds from our last very successful all-star concert event and rock n' roll auction were used to rescue and rebuild the lives of some of these young victims. Rockers United also extends overseas and donates a portion of its funds to build and set up monitoring stations on the boarders between countries that are known as hotspots for human trafficking."

For more information or to make a donation, go to RockersUnited.org.

An audio recording of GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose soundchecking with AC/DC for their first concert together, which will take place later tonight (Saturday, May 7) at Passeio Maritimo de Algés in Lisbon, Portugal, is available below.

Featured songs:

* Rock'N'Roll Damnation* Back In Black * Thunderstruck * Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be* High Voltage* Hells Bells* Dog Eat Dog

As previously reported, Axl said it was his idea to approach AC/DC about helping them complete the last twelve dates of their world tour after Brian Johnson was advised to stop playing live or "risk total hearing loss".

"I called the day I read about it in the news, that there was a situation going on with Brian's hearing," Axl told BBC News.

"I called a guy who's their production manager right now... because I knew there was going to be a problem with having dates on sale and dates sold and stuff like that. So if I could help, and if I was able to do it, and they were interested, I'd love to help. And that's how it started.

"I wasn't looking at it like, 'I'm singing for AC/DC.' I was looking at it like, 'Y'know, if I can, and if they think I'm able to do it."

Rose also said he didn't know whether he would be able to sing some of the songs that AC/DC has been playing in its set during the "Rock Or Bust" world tour.

"A lot of the 'Back In Black' stuff is really challenging. I'm not here in any way out of any disrespect to Brian. I can't take anything away from his singing at all," he said.

"He's a great singer and it's really challenging to sing it. I'm just trying to do it justice for the fans."

Axl said that he was looking forward to making his debut with AC/DC in Lisbon.

"I'm happy and excited in one sense, but I think it would be inappropriate to be celebrating, in a certain way, at someone else's expense," he said.

"That's not what I'm here to do. It's an unfortunate situation."

Angus told BBC News that he had extensive talks with Johnson before the singer decided to step down from AC/DC.

"In his heart he wanted to finish [the tour], but because of that hearing factor he had to make the decision," Angus said.

"It's a hard thing to do, and he'd had the problem since we kicked off touring. It was his call. It was a shock to us too.

"The last thing you want to do is walk away from something, but you don't want someone in a tragic situation; being deaf, or any other affliction."





Thanks: There Is No Dana Only Zool