Dallas-based AC/DC tribute band BACK IN BLACK has revealed that its longtime frontman Darren Caperna was one of several people who were selected by AC/DC to audition for the job of the lead singer in the legendary hard rock outfit.

The audition took place the week of March 14 at a private rehearsal studio in Atlanta. Caperna was contacted by AC/DC via phone, and was immediately flown out by the Australian rockers. Joining him on the trip was founding BACK IN BLACK member and guitarist Mike Mroz.

The audition began with a soundcheck, whereby the AC/DC tech crew performed a couple of songs with Caperna, to set levels and to help him feel more comfortable. Then, after a short break, AC/DC came in the room and greeted both Caperna and Mroz. "After the soundcheck, Darren and I were talking to the guitar techs, and all of a sudden I look over my shoulder and Angus Young was standing behind me waiting to say hi!" said Mroz.

After meeting the band, and having some tea, AC/DC put Caperna to work. What was supposed to be three- or four-song audition turned into a 21-song concert. Caperna ended up singing the entire "Rock Or Bust" tour set, plus two additional songs that AC/DC guitarist Angus Young wanted to play, "Dog Eat Dog" and "Riff Raff". Caperna commented: "Before we started 'Riff Raff', Angus came up to me, and said, 'I'm warning you in advance that we are still a little rusty on this song!' Did I just hear Angus apologizing to me?!"

Mroz and Caperna spent over four hours with their musical heroes. Caperna stated: "It was all so surreal. We had a couple of breaks, and Angus told me some great Bon Scott stories. They were all so friendly, and treated us as their peers. I still can't believe that I sang with AC/DC!"

Caperna added: "Even though I did not get the job, it was the experience of a lifetime! Being in a tribute band for 16 years, we were hoping that we would be able to meet AC/DC one day — but this goes way beyond our expectations! Now, I have a great story to tell my grandchildren, and the guitar students that I teach at For Those About To Rock School in Southlake, Texas."

Mraz said: "This experience was so inspiring and educational. Plus, I had my own private AC/DC concert, fronted by my singer. At the end of the night, I saw Angus outside, and he told me that Darren had done a great job. I thanked him again for the opportunity. I told him that when I first started our tribute band (BACK IN BLACK), I was a little uncomfortable wearing his trademark schoolboy outfit. But then I realized that it drove the girls crazy! Angus laughed and replied: 'Don't tell anyone our secret!'"

What sets BACK IN BLACK: THE AC/DC CONCERT EXPERIENCE apart from all other AC/DC tributes is the the fact that they can perform full sets of all the high-voltage hits from both the Bon Scott and Brian Johnson eras — one singer, two personas.

Formed in 2001, BACK IN BLACK remains one of the top-drawing, and longest-enduring tribute acts in North America, having performed to hundreds of thousands at sold-out shows from Honolulu, Hollywood, and Puerto Rico to Calgary, Canada (concert performance with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and a headlining concert at the Calgary Saddledome).

For more information about BACK IN BLACK, visit the band's official web site.

Following their wildly successful concerts at the Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles, in front of 100,000 screaming fans at the Rock In Rio festival, and their spectacular worldwide television debut on the 2016 Grammy Awards reaching a global audience of almost 25 million people, fans worldwide demanded more. Hollywood Vampires - Alice Cooper, Joe Perry and Johnny Depp – always deliver and arranged their schedules to give their fans what they want.

Hollywood Vampires have announced a full summer tour across the US and Europe kicking off May 24th in Verona, New York and continuing through.

Alice Cooper and Joe Perry spoke with Rolling Stone about the upcoming tour. Read an excerpt below:

Rolling Stone: What can people expect on this tour?

Joe Perry: “It's really about us having fun. Obviously, I love watching the audience get off, but to turn around and look at the people onstage with me, I've just got to shake my head. Never in my wildest dreams. To have Matt Sorum and Johnny Depp and Alice – I mean, I've known Alice for years and years and years, but we've never really had the chance to play together. And Johnny's sat in with us a few times on Aerosmith shows, but we've never really had the chance to do something like this. So it's really exciting. All that excitement is what we're going to bring to the stage and put it out there for the audience.”

RS: Will it be a theatrical show, like an Alice gig?

Alice Cooper: “I don't think it needs to be theatrical. It needs to have its own flavour.”

Perry: “It'll be a good rock show. I don't think we're going to go in with a bunch of bombs, fireworks and all that stuff. I don't think we need that. And it takes away from the music. We'll just let the music do the talking.”

Read the full interview at RollingStone.com.

Joining the Hollywood Vampires on tour will be their rock star musician friends and modern day Vampires Matt Sorum (Guns N' Roses/The Cult) on drums, Robert DeLeo (Stone Temple Pilots) on bass, Tommy Henriksen (Alice Cooper) on guitar, and Bruce Witkin (The Kids) on piano, percussion and guitar. For tickets, visit this location.

"Here is a gang of friends who came together really by chance and over the last year we were finally able to wrangle our schedules and the energy just fell into place. Playing with this line up is like a dream come true. After seeing the reaction at Rock in Rio in front of 100,000 fans, I know this band is going to tear the house down. Hell, I would want to be in the audience to see us rip it up." – Joe Perry

A super-group comprised of rock royalty and a Hollywood superstar, the Vampires will hit the stage offering fans a non-stop, energetic rock concert like no other, performing their new single "Bad As I Am" from their new deluxe album, as well as renditions of popular classics including "My Generation," "Whole Lotta Love," and a "School's Out"/"Another Brick in the Wall" medley.

Hollywood Vampires released a new digital deluxe version of their self-titled album. This expanded version includes three additional songs, including one original and two rocking covers. The deluxe version includes the scorching new single "Bad As I Am" an original song penned by Johnny Depp, Tommy Henriksen, and Bruce Witkin and features Matt Sorum, Alice Cooper, Joe Perry, and Johnny Depp. Also included is "I'm A Boy," a Who original, that was only available as a Japanese bonus track. "7 and 7 Is" is an unreleased track from the album sessions and is the classic song by the legendary Los Angeles band Love, a Vampires special pick and one that Alice covered on his 1981 solo album, Special Forces.

In 1969 on the Sunset Strip at a club called the Rainbow Bar & Grill, the Hollywood Vampires were born in the upstairs bar. It was a gathering place for the rock stars living in or passing through L.A. "To join the club, one simply had to out drink all of the members," says Alice Cooper, a founding member of the original Vampires.

Cooper and good friend Johnny Depp got together and decided the spirit of the Hollywood Vampires should live again (minus the drinking). Cooper and Depp were joined by Joe Perry, who is an old friend of both, and the recording began: a tribute to the original Hollywood Vampires. An environment was born for great artists to hang, laugh and play together.

Tour dates:

May
24 - Verona, NY - Turning Stone Casino
27 - Lisbon, Portugal - Rock in Rio
29 - Herborn, Germany - Hessentag Festival
30 - Stockholm, Sweden - Grona Lund

June
1 - Horsens, Denmark - The Prison
6 - Bucharest, Romania - Romexpo Parc C

July
1 - Bethlehem, PA - Sands Bethlehem Event Center
2 - Mashantucket, CT - The Grand Theater at Foxwoods Casino
3 - Atlantic City, NJ - Borgata Resort Spas and Casino Event Center
5 - Milwaukee, WI - Summerfest BMO Harris Pavilion
7 - Aurora, IL - River Edge Park
8 - Orillia, ON - Casino Rama Entertainment Center
9 - Niagara Falls, ON - Stage at Seneca Niagara Resort & Casino
10 - Brooklyn, NY - Coney Island Amphitheater
12 - Kettering, OH - Fraze Pavilion
13 - Mt. Pleasant, MI - Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort
14 - Cadott, WI - Rock Fest
16 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
18 - Fargo, ND - Scheels Arena
22 - Rohnert Park, CA - Weill Hall
23 - Jacksonville, OR - Britt Pavilion
24 - Saratoga, CA - The Mountain Winery
25 - Paso Robles, CA - Mid State Fair

Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley was recently interviewed on "Elliot In The Morning", the morning radio talk show hosted by DJ Elliot Segal. You can listen to the chat below.

Speaking about the planned sequel to his autobiography "No Regrets: A Rock 'N' Roll Memoir", which came out in 2011, Frehley said: "Well, I've got a couple of chapters written and I have several notes for other chapters that are gonna be included, so I'm thinking hopefully getting it finished by the end of this year and out next year."

Frehley also acknowledged the fact that he has had to piece a lot of the material together from third-party anecdotes owing to his active addictions around the time that the events took place.

"Everybody does have an Ace story, in most cases, and it's actually good for me, because my memory isn't what it used to be," he said. "So [how it comes together is by] sitting down with old friends and employees and family members, and saying, 'What do you remember? Jog my memory.' And nine times out of ten, it comes back to me once they kick off the story."

Frehley said a couple of years ago that his next book will "be along the same lines as the first one." He continued: "I don't believe in bashing people. I don't believe in a lot of negativity, so most of the stories in the book are going to be about me: funny stories and funny situations on the road, all stories about me in the Bronx growing up, and so on and so forth.

"There wasn't much in the first book about the FREHLEY'S COMET years, and there's plenty of stories along those lines, there's still plenty of KISS stories, and plenty of stories of me growing up. I probably have enough stories for five books."

"No Regrets: A Rock 'N' Roll Memoir" landed at position No. 10 on the New York Times "Hardcover Nonfiction" best sellers list. The book, which was described as a look back at Ace's "life of sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll," arrived on November 1, 2011 via Gallery Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

"No Regrets" was co-written by New York Times journalist Joe Layden who also authored "The Last Great Fight" about what is considered by many to be the biggest upset in the history of boxing: James "Buster" Douglas' tenth-round knockout win over Mike Tyson in 1990.

Frehley performed with KISS from its inception in 1973 until his first departure in 1982 before rejoining KISS in 1996 for a very successful reunion tour. Frehley's second stint lasted until 2002.

"Origins Vol. 1", a collection of twelve newly recorded classics from Ace's formative years featuring some of the biggest names in rock and roll, will be released on April 15. Most notably, KISS frontman Paul Stanley joins Ace on FREE's hit "Fire And Water". This collaboration marks the first time that Ace and Paul appear on the same studio recording since KISS's 1998 reunion album "Psycho Circus". Other guests are none other than Slash trading leads on THIN LIZZY's classic "Emerald", Lita Ford singing and playing lead on THE TROGGS staple "Wild Thing", ROB ZOMBIE guitarist John 5 playing guitar alongside Ace as he sings his classic KISS composition "Parasite" for the very first time, as well as Jimi Hendrix's "Spanish Castle Magic", and PEARL JAM's Mike McCready also plays guitar with Ace as he finally sings his KISS "Alive!" mainstay "Cold Gin".

DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen says that he was "misquoted" in a recent interview in which he gave his opinion regarding GUNS N' ROSES' reunion shows featuring Axl Rose, Slash, and Duff McKagan.

This past February, Collen was asked about GN'R's long-awaited comeback gigs, and spoke for his band when he told The Daily Telegraph: "We obviously think it’s really fucking lame. I love GUNS N' ROSES; I think they're really cool. I'd love to see Slash and Axl and Duff play together; that's great. But I think it's fucking lame considering we've been hardcore. Our integrity's still intact; we've never split up. We've gone through if someone had a little sniffle or something, we soldier on."

Collen, who performs nightly without a shirt, added: "Someone dies, someone loses an arm, someone gets cancer, we soldier on. [With GUNS N' ROSES], if someone has a little barney backstage, they can't deal with each other. I know it's difficult, but I do think it's pretty lame when you compare anyone else to us."

During an appearance on the April 4 edition of the "Toontrack" podcast, Collen clarified his comments, explaining (hear audio below): "I actually just got into trouble recently, 'cause I got misquoted talking about GUNS N' ROSES, of who I think are amazing. I love GUNS N' ROSES. I think they're an amazing band. I would love to go and see them. And someone said, 'Oh, you said they're lame.' No. I said it's lame that they broke up in the first place. I don't even think it's lame that they're reforming. I think it's… you know, the world needs a GUNS N' ROSES and it's, like, well, about time."

He continued: "I thought it was lame that they broke up when I think they could have enjoyed a little bit… I know they were having all sorts of problems, so it's easy for me to say. But we had worse problems. You know, we had someone die, someone lose an arm, Vivian [Campbell, guitar] got cancer, and we just soldiered on."

Collen added: "I think that there's something about traveling and there's something about wisdom and getting more experience — not necessarily being older — but with all that stuff… Later on, you intellectualize stuff, and you can do stuff that you couldn't have done when you [were] a little more emotional or hard-headed. And I think that's really what it comes down to."

DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott recently said that he would love to see a full reunion of GUNS N' ROSES' classic lineup, with both Steven Adler and Matt Sorum sitting behind the drum kit during the band's live shows. He said: "I think the only way it would really work [is] they'd have to go with two drummers; they would have to take Steven and Matt. Obviously, Steven, having never played on the '[Use Your] Illusion' stuff, they would trade drummers out. I mean, it may be a little cabaret."

He added: "I'd love to see all seven of them involved, if you know what I mean — which would be Axl, Slash, Duff McKagan, Izzy Stradlin, Gilby Clarke, Matt Sorum and Steven Adler. I would like to see that lineup. None of this Bumble thing, Buckethead, none of that crowd. Even [Richard] Fortus, who's a very good friend of mine; I love him to death. But if the original seven, if you like — the five plus their, kind of… the early replacements, which would be Matt Sorum and Gilby. If they were the guys that played on those records and they weren't gonna be playing anything off 'Chinese Democracy', that would be the thing for me — to bring them in and out as needed. For me, I would buy that ticket; I would love to buy that ticket."

Only Rose, guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan from GN'R's "Appetite For Destruction"-era lineup took part in the band's April 1 gig at the Troubadour in West Hollywood, California. They were joined by keyboardist Dizzy Reed, guitarist Richard Fortus and drummer Frank Ferrer. Also appearing with them was second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

GUNS N' ROSES' reunion tour will officially kick off on Friday, April 8 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The band is also scheduled to headline the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival later this month.

For Canada's The Metal Voice former Anthrax, current Deathrider singer Neil Turbin spoke to Grim Reaper singer Steve Grimmett in Los Angeles prior to hitting the stage at the Whiskey A Go-Go.

On the release date of the new Grim Reaper album: “Before we came to the States we were doing work on the album and I still got work to do when I get home and the record company has been pushing us for a May 2016 release but I think it's going to be more like June 2016.”

When asked about the new Grim Reaper sauces and beverage line: “I am talking to a Beer company in England called Wychwood Breweries, they already do a beer called The Grim Reaper, so I am talking to them. We also got a company called Grim Reaper Foods, we have been contacting one another, they are Chili specialists. They are going to do a special Grim Reaper Hot Sauce, BBQ sauce, and Chili dark chocolate.”

About the difficulty in memorizing the lyrics of Onslaught's songs during the In Search of Sanity period: “It’s difficult, because I didn’t write the songs and you really have to get into to a writer's mind to understand what the story he (Nige Rockett) is trying to tell . That’s how I deal with my stuff. Again with the band (Onslaught) there wasn’t much time between going into the studio and re-recording the vocals to then doing the tour in the UK. So there wasn’t a huge amount a time to get to learn it properly. I was putting poster, pieces of papers up with key lines, so I could remember the lyrics. I’m diabetic so my mind isn’t that great to start off with.”

When asked about why he left Onslaught during the In Search Of Sanity Period: “One of the reasons I left because I had another band together called Lionsheart and I really wanted to do that cause it was more up my street more about what I wanted to do as a vocalist. I was on a wage with Onslaught and I was promised a certain amount after a certain time and a certain amount after that and it just never happened and it was so little money that I thought well I might as well just get behind Lionsheart. It was by management which was run by the band. It was decision time and I made the right decision for me. “

Watch the video interview below:

Guitarist Rob Caggiano of Danish/American rock 'n' rollers VOLBEAT recently spoke to HardDrive Radio about the band's forthcoming sixth full-length album, "Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie". You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On how the recording process for "Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie" was different to that on 2013's "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies":

Rob: "Well, obviously, we know each other better, having been in the band for a few years now. There's a certain instinct thing that happens, I guess, when you're making music when everyone's familiar with each other. And I definitely felt that in the rehearsal room as we were going over ideas and hashing out these songs."

On what makes a VOLBEAT song sound like VOLBEAT:

Rob: "It's one of the coolest things about this band for me. There's no real musical boundaries, so to speak. It just makes it really fresh and interesting. So, yeah, if you're asking if there's some kind of VOLBEAT formula, I don't think that exists. [Laughs]"

On the first single from "Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie", a song called "The Devil's Bleeding Crown":

Rob: "First off, that was definitely the first song that we hashed out. We actually started playing… We were playing half of that song on the last tour we did, just to kind of try it out and see how it worked, and the fans seem to really dig it. We played it once in its entirety in Denmark, the last show we did, and it went over great. But lyrically, I'm not totally sure how it fits in with the [album concept]. It's something about the son of Satan. [Laughs]"

"Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie" will be released on June 3 via Republic Records.

Produced by longtime collaborator Jacob Hansen and co-produced by frontman Michael Poulsen and Caggiano, "Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie" includes a total of 13 new tracks, reflecting their signature hybrid of rock prowess, metal power, blues soul, and rockabilly swing.

Like the band's last effort, 2013's "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies", there's a loose concept to the new disc, as Caggiano explained. "There's definitely some stuff that kind of weaves in and out of the record," he told The Pulse Of Radio. "You know, the last album was leaning heavily towards like the Western stuff and, you know, outlaws and cowboys and that kind of thing, and this is a whole different thing. There's definitely some cool characters and some voodoo stuff on this record, which I always found fascinating."

In addition, VOLBEAT has announced that longtime friend Kaspar Boye Larsen will be assisting as bass player for these upcoming U.S. shows. He actually stepped in before to help the band out on bass during their very first European tour in 2006. Recognizable to the fan family, he's supported VOLBEAT as an opening act in previous bands such as THE HITCHCOCKS and THE KANDIDATE.

VOLBEAT last year signed a North American management agreement with Q Prime, the New York-based music management firm founded and run by Cliff Burnstein and Peter Mensch.

Monkeygoose Magazine recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Kirk Windstein of New Orleans sludge metal veterans CROWBAR. You can now watch the chat in three parts below.

Speaking about the progress of the recording sessions for CROWBAR's follow-up to 2014's "Symmetry In Black" album, Kirk said: "This tour is kind of a… We literally — honest-to-God truth — loaded the gear from the studio into the trailer. All the music's completely done. So we have two weeks off when we get home — which we'll be home on April 11 — and we leave April 26. So when we get home, I've gotta sing the record. But all the music's done. It's ten tracks, forty-seven minutes, and it'll probably be a little shorter with some fadeouts or whatever. But roughly ten tracks, forty-five minutes."

Regarding the musical direction of the new CROWBAR material, Kirk said: "It's more of meat and potatoes. On the last few records, we brought a lot of new elements into the band a little bit without deviating too far from what CROWBAR's about. But this is more like… I went back and started listening to early CROWBAR, and it's more of that attitude, but more mature — every bit as angry, every bit as heavy, every bit as depressed… doomy, whatever you wanna call it. But doing it this many years later, I really like what we've got going on."

CROWBAR's new album is being recorded at OCD Recording And Production in Metairie, Louisiana with engineer/producer Duane Simoneaux.

"Symmetry In Black" sold around 3,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 68 on The Billboard 200 chart.

CROWBAR photo credit: Robin Windstein

In a brand new interview with SkullsNBones, vocalist Dez Fafara of California metallers DEVILDRIVER spoke about the lyrical inspiration for the band's new album, "Trust No One". He said: "I think people need to live and breathe life more than ever right now, but you also have to take a look at what that means for yourself personally. Life involves your surroundings, and you really need to be aware of what's going on and not keep a blind eye. Your actions affect others, whether negatively or positively, and I've learned to be more aware of that fact, and that's what this album is about.

"'Trust No One' is one of the most poignant records I've ever written lyrically," he continued. "It's not like 'Clouds Over California', where people have to ask what the song is about. You read and hear these lyrics, and you'll get it right away, and that's what I wanted. Whether it's about trust issues, vengeance, positivity, letting go, or whatever the case may be, these lyrics are as honest as they can be, and fans will hear it. Aggressive music has gotten me through the hardest times in life, so if DEVILDRIVER can be that band for someone else, I'm all for it."

Dez added: "These are the most honest lyrics I've ever shared with people, and it needed to happen. I'm a very private person in real life, but if these words can help someone open their eyes or heal in any way, I've done my job.

"I don't really know why, but in the last year or so I've really taken a look at the people in my life, and decided whether or not they need to be in my life. I've been through it all, man, and I'm by no means perfect, but at this point in my life, I know what type of people I want around me and my family. I've cut a ton of friends out of my life in the past year, and it's all for the greater good. Whether it was because of their negative energy, or something else, I pushed a lot of people away, and my circle of friends has never been smaller than it is right now. At the same time, I've never been happier. Personally, musically, spiritually, I've never been as happy and stoked as I am right now, man."

Dez also talked about DEVILDRIVER's latest additions, guitarist Neal Tiemann and former CHIMAIRA drummer Austin D'Amond. He said: "I've known Neal for years now, thanks to my wife, and he's just an incredible shredder. We would hang out and jam some nights until two or three in the morning, and I've always had it in my mind that I wanted to play with him, so when the opportunity came up, there was no other option. He's been playing since he was a kid. He can build guitars from scratch. The dude can do it all, and once he joined us, his contributions have been amazing. Sometimes new members are skeptical about putting in their input, but he had a ton of stuff for us to listen to, and it was all killer.

"When it comes to Austin, I'll never forget meeting him for the first time. He came to my house, and I pretty much knew instantly that he was the guy for the band. He's a monster behind the kit, and one of the coolest cats you'll ever meet off the stage. He replaced one of my favorite drummers ever, and he's upped the game more than I ever thought he could. You can easily hear his influence on the material, because the drums sound so sick on the album."

Due on May 13 via Napalm Records, the follow-up to 2013's "Winter Kills" was once again produced by Mark Lewis (ARSIS, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, DEICIDE, SIX FEET UNDER) with assistance from Jason Suecof (AUGUST BURNS RED, DEICIDE, DEATH ANGEL). "Trust No One" marks DEVILDRIVER's first release since the departures of guitarist Jeff Kendrick and drummer John Boecklin.

Aristides Instruments has announced their collaboration with Ihsahn, founder of the legendary Norwegian black metal band EMPEROR. Ihsahn has released six solo albums, with his latest effort, titled "Arktis", available April 8. This signing bolsters Aristides Instruments' already robust roster and expands the number of notable users performing with Aristides's innovative arium-constructed guitars. As to why he decided to move to Aristides Instruments at this point in his career, Ihsahn commented: "For me, the Aristides experience came in several stages. First, I was struck by the flawless craftsmanship and quality of every component. Secondly, by the pristine playability, resonance and stability. Then I realized this applied to all of their instruments, but with a seemingly endless range of tonal variety. Aristides Instruments are no doubt dedicated to innovation, but at the same time so passionate about bringing everything I love about guitars into the future. I'm just thrilled to be part of it!" Since 2007, Aristides Instruments has been engineering guitars made of arium, a tone material specifically developed for guitar manufacture. Arium's superior acoustic properties were achieved by studying the behaviors of sound in a microscopic cellular level. Elevating over traditional tone woods and materials, arium possesses one of the most ideal tone structures conceived, and is the heart and soul of Aristides expanding line of guitars and basses. To read a full interview with Ihsahn on the Aristides web site, click here.

The Norwegian melodic metal project Nergard has launched a crowdfunding campaign for their third album and lasts for a month. In this campaign the fans get the chance to follow the composer during the writing and recording through weekly video update and a lot more. Check out the campaign on Indiegogo.

"I wanted to create this campaign to interact on a different level with the people that follows this project," band chief Andreas Nergard explains. “They get to be a part of the new album since they are funding parts of it. The most exciting part about this is the video blog where I will post one 5 minute video every week from 1st of June until 20th of December. In this blog I will show songs I'm working on, lyrical ideas, cover art, guest artists and so on. After the writing sessions the blog will take place in the studio as we record it all. This will only be available for those that joins the campaign. I also created a very special mp3 package consisting of my two EPs The Beginning (2011) and Intermission (2014) and demos for songs from my first album and live recordings." 

Nergard have previously worked with great artists from the metal scene such as Elize Ryd (Amaranthe) Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear) Nils K. Rue (Pagan's Mind) Göran Edman (ex Yngwie Malmsteen) Tony Mills (ex TNT) Michael Eriksen (Circus Maximus) and many more. For the new album a lot more well-known guests from the scene will appear. The ones joining the campaign gets to know the names of the guests and hear their parts weeks before the rest of the world through the video blog. 

"The goal is to reach 2,300 USD in one month. It's hard to say if it is possible or not but it doesn't matter if we reach the exact amount of money. Everyone contributing will get what they signed up for, it's not just about the money. I wanted to create something special for my fans this time," says Andreas. 

The new Nergard album is expected to be finished during 2016 and are aiming for a 2017 release.

Fan-filmed video footage of BLACK SABBATH's April 15 performance at the Perth Arena in Perth, Australia can be seen in the YouTube playlist below.

The band's setlist was as follows:01. Black Sabbath02. Fairies Wear Boots03. After Forever04. Snowblind05. Into The Void06. War Pigs07. Behind The Wall Of Sleep08. N.I.B.09. Hand Of Doom10. Rat Salad11. Iron Man12. Dirty Women13. Children Of The Grave

Encore:

14. Paranoid

SABBATH is playing dates in Australia and New Zealand this month, with European festival shows taking place during the summer. The band will then return to North America for its final stint.

BLACK SABBATH recently revealed that it is selling a new limited-edition CD titled "The End" at the shows on its farewell tour. The disc features four previously unheard studio tracks left off the band's 2013 reunion album, "13", as well as live versions of four songs from the world tour the band did in support of that disc.

The four studio cuts are "Season Of The Dead", "Cry All Night", "Take Me Home" and "Isolated Man". They feature drums by Brad Wilk.

The live tracks, with drumming from Tommy Clufetos, are "God Is Dead?", "Under The Sun", "End Of The Beginning" and "Age Of Reason". The live cuts were recorded in Sydney, Australia, Auckland, New Zealand and Hamilton, Ontario.

Wilk and Clufetos had to get involved after founding SABBATH drummer Bill Ward withdrew from the reunion after initially agreeing to participate in it.

"13", the first SABBATH full-length studio album in 35 years to feature original members Geezer Butler (bass), Tony Iommi (guitar) and Osbourne, also became SABBATH's first No. 1 album in the U.S. when it was released in June 2013. The band abandoned plans for a follow-up after deciding that the current trek would be its last.

This spring, Alarion - the solo project of Dutch guitarist Bas Willemsen formerly known as Alerion - will release their debut album Waves Of Destruction through Freia Music. The album contains an hour of melodic, symphonic and intense music featuring appearances by many great musicians, whose identities will gradually be revealed in time.

Tineke Roseboom recorded lead and backing vocals on Waves of Destruction, to be released in June. She is best known in the rock scene for her work with Blaze Bayley (Iron Maiden) and nylon guitarist Thomas Zwijsen. A graduate of the ArtEZ conservatory, she is very active in the classical circuit, for example with Hollywood Scoring.

Tineke recorded angelic sounding vocals for the track "Clash With Eternity". Her classical singing abilities and pleasant sound made her voice a great addition to that of Damian Wilson on several tracks where she recorded backing vocals. Moreover, Tineke provided soprano and alto choir vocals on several tracks, with the bass parts being recorded by Marinus van Grootheest. 

Musicians also confirmed to appear on Waves Of Destruction include.

Bas Willemsen - guitars, keyboards, orchestration, bass
Tom Gorissen (Hymir) - keyboards
Nico Lammers - acoustic guitars
Ronald van Schaik - bass
Jeroen Nagel (Blind Justice) - drums
Irene Jansen – vocals
Damian Wilson - vocals

Check out the cover art for Waves Of Destruction below.

For more information go to the official Alarion website.

Godfathers of Finnish metal, Sarcofagus, are just about to release their final album with the original line-up entitled Back From The Valley Of The Kings. The record is now available for streaming in full here. A few tracks can be heard below.

Sarcofagus were founded an eye-rotatingly 38 years ago, way back in 1978. The band originally broke up in 1980 after three albums (Cycle Of Life - 1980, Envoy Of Death - also 1980, and Moottorilinnut - 1981). In 2010, the original line-up reconvened for a reunion tour of Finland and this unique album was the result.

The tracklist for Back From The Valley Of The Kings is as follows:

"Subconsious Penetrating"
"Astral Flyer"
"Here I Am"
"Eternal Silence"
"Stolen Salvation"
"Insane Rebels"
"Wheels Of Destruction"
"Back To Black"
"2nd Coming"
"Talo"
"Metallinen Sateenkaari"
"1000 Megawatin Totuus"
"Go To Hell"
"Envoy Of Death"
"Deadly Game"
"Die To Win"

Go to the official sarcofagus Facebook page here for updates.

AC/DC guitarist Angus Young joined GUNS N' ROSES on stage earlier tonight (Saturday, April 16) at the Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival to perform the AC/DC classics "Riff Raff" and "Whole Lotta Rosie". Video footage and photos of his appearance can be seen below.

Young is no stranger to Coachella, having headlined last year's event with AC/DC.

As previously reported, GUNS N' ROSES singer Axl Rose will front AC/DC when the legendary rockers resume their "Rock Or Bust" world tour next month. The European stadium tour dates begin on May 7 in Lisbon, Portugal and run through June 12 in Aarhus, Denmark. Following this European run of dates with AC/DC, Rose will rejoin GUNS N' ROSES for the "Not In This Lifetime" summer stadium tour. The ten postponed AC/DC U.S shows will be rescheduled and announced imminently, also with Rose handling the vocals.

AC/DC was forced to cut its North American tour short after doctors told singer Brian Johnson he faced "total hearing loss."

WHITFORD/ST. HOLMES, the collaboration between AEROSMITH guitarist Brad Whitford and Derek St. Holmes, the voice of such early TED NUGENT songs as "Stranglehold" and "Dog Eat Dog", will release its new studio album, "Reunion", this June, with a nationwide tour immediately following. It was 1981 when Whitford, who had left AEROSMITH, first teamed up with St. Holmes to release their self-titled debut. Tracks like "Sharpshooter" and "Whisky Woman" carried on the stadium rock and roll style that made them famous. The album received critical acclaim and they did a successful round of tour dates before returning to their respective bands and shelving the duo. Until now!

Recently, the two friends found themselves living in the same town on the outskirts of Nashville. While working on some catch up time, they decided to revamp their collaboration. After writing a number of songs, the duo recruited bassist Chopper Anderson, keyboardist Buck Johnson and TESLA drummer Troy Luccketta to record the album. Produced by Whitford and St. Holmes, the album was recorded at The Castle Studios in Franklin, Tennessee.

Whitford and St. Holmes, who have collectively been part of tens of millions of record sales as part of AEROSMITH and TED NUGENT, know the true purpose of their art. "It's hard to believe we first jammed over thirty years ago," states Whitford. St. Holmes adds: "We are excited for this record to get out there, we want to share it with our friends, all those hardcore rock 'n' roll fans… Like our fans and good whiskey, we all seem to get better with age. These new cuts are bold, brassy and ballsy. We can't wait to play them live." WHITFORD/ST. HOLMES will head out on tour this June with WHITESNAKE. The trek launches on June 3 in Dallas and continues on through Texas, Indianapolis, Ohio, Detroit, Boston and more. This leg of the tour will conclude on July 1 with a headline show. More WHITFORD/ST. HOLMES headline shows are expected to be announced shortly.

Italy's SpazioRock recently conducted an interview with Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G. — well known in rock and metal circles for his work as Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist and as leader of his own band FIREWIND — and the vocalist for Gus's solo band, Swedish singer Mats Levén (also of CANDLEMASS). You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On working with Mats:

Gus: "It's great. He's the easiest-going guy I've ever worked with. We've been friends for so long — more than ten years — and we've always talked about doing something together, and it finally happened when I started working on my solo record. My first two solo records, I wrote a lot with Mats when I wrote with other people, but for the future, I wanna make a record with Mats as part of… from start to finish, 'cause we play a lot of shows together and we are really good friends, and we have a really good working chemistry together. Yeah, he's one of my best buddies and one of the best people in this industry to work with."

On how joining Ozzy Osbourne's band has affected his life:

Gus: "It was a big change for me, for my life and my career, and it was a wonderful thing, what happened. And I learned a lot from that. It made me want to become so much better and practice more and just get better of how I present myself, how I play, how I approach music. Yeah, it was just an experience of a lifetime. I only have great memories, and I can't wait to do some more stuff with him in the future."

On whether he finds playing smaller, more intimate shows more rewarding than taking part in huge concerts:

Gus: "I'm the kind of guy who just likes to play. I always give it my best; it doesn't matter if it's a hudred people in the audience or a thousand or ten thousand or a hundred thousand. I like to do intimate gigs, and I like to play big shows, of course — all musicians do. It's all rewarding, you know. As long as there is interest there and people show up to see you play, it's fine with me."

Gus G. will embark on a mini North American headlining tour from April 15 to April 24. He will be joined by Jeramie Klinger (drums) and Taylor Nordberg (bass), both from THE ABSENCE, and Rob Rock of IMPELLITERI on vocals.

Gus's latest solo album, "Brand New Revolution", was released in Europe in July 2015 via Century Media. The CD was made available through Century Media in Australia and South America, Dismanic/eOne in North America and King Records in Japan. The cover artwork was once again created by Gustavo Sazes, who previously worked with Gus on the guitarist's debut album, "I Am The Fire", and also took care of artwork duties by such bands as ARCH ENEMY, KAMELOT and FIREWIND.

"Brand New Revolution" features guest vocal appearances by Jeff Scott Soto (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, JOURNEY, TALISMAN), Elize Ryd (AMARANTHE), Jacob Bunton (ADLER, LYNAM) and Levén.

GUNS N' ROSES singer Axl Rose will officially front AC/DC when the legendary rockers resume their "Rock Or Bust" world tour in May. The European stadium tour dates begin on May 7 in Lisbon, Portugal and run through June 12 in Aarhus, Denmark, as previously announced. Following this European run of dates with AC/DC, Axl Rose will head out on his GUNS N' ROSES "Not In This Lifetime" summer stadium tour. The ten postponed AC/DC U.S shows will be rescheduled and announced imminently, also with Axl Rose.

Guitarist Angus Young and his AC/DC bandmates scrapped some of their recent North American dates after doctors told singer Brian Johnson he faced "total hearing loss."

Commented AC/DC in a statement: "AC/DC band members would like to thank Brian Johnson for his contributions and dedication to the band throughout the years. We wish him all the best with his hearing issues and future ventures.

"As much as we want this tour to end as it started, we understand, respect and support Brian's decision to stop touring and save his hearing. We are dedicated to fulfilling the remainder of our touring commitments to everyone that has supported us over the years, and are fortunate that Axl Rose has kindly offered his support to help us fulfill this commitment."

A rumor started last month suggesting Axl would perform as a guest vocalist with AC/DC gained traction after Atlanta Rock 100.5 host Jason Bailey claimed that a "very, very good source" confirmed to him that the collaboration was happening.

The rumor began after AC/DC postponed the North American shows. The band promised to make up the gigs, possibly with "guest vocalists." Rose was spotted and photographed in Atlanta, where AC/DC was reportedly meeting with potential singers.

AC/DC European tour dates featuring Axl Rose:

May 07 - Lisbon, Portugal - Passeio Maritimo De AlgesMay 10 - Seville, Spain - Estadio De La CartujaMay 13 - Marseille, France - Stade VelodromeMay 16 - Werchter, Belgium - Werchter SiteMay 19 - Vienna, Austria - Erns-Happel StadiumMay 22 - Prague, Czech Republic - Letnany AirportMay 26 - Hamburg, Germany - VolksparkstadionMay 29 - Berne, Switzerland - Stade De SuisseJun. 01 - Leipzig, Germany - Red Bull ArenaJun. 04 - London, UK - The Stadium, Queen Elizabeth Olympic ParkJun. 09 - Manchester, UK - Etihad StadiumJun. 12 - Aarhus, Denmark - Ceres Park

Brian Johnson's close friend, comedian Jim Breuer, recently said there he saw the singer in Sarasota, Florida on March 11, where Johnson told him that his doctor had confirmed some hearing loss during the first, mostly outdoor, leg of AC/DC's world tour. According to Breuer, Johnson said, "[The doctor said], 'Now you're gonna go out and do indoor [shows]? I do not put my name on this. You're a grown man. You make a decision, but I would not mess around with this at all.'"

Johnson then went to guitarist Angus Young and AC/DC management to explain the situation, according to Breuer, who said: "[Brian] said that he called and let [AC/DC and Young] know, 'Hey, this is what the doctor said, but let's try to figure this out. I don't think it's as bad as he said it is.' Literally the next day in the press, it was 'Brian Johnson, tour canceled, he's losing his hearing.'"

Breuer continued: "[Johnson] said he just called and gave that information. He didn't say he wanted to quit. He didn't say he was done. He called with that information, and two days later, he read in the papers and heard on Twitter and everywhere else, 'Brian Johnson going deaf canceling tour.' A day later, and it was, 'Oh, we're gonna have guest singers.'"

Breuer said that Johnson still felt like a "hired gun" after 36 years, and that Angus Young as the band's youngest member wants to keep going for another decade and at least one more album and tour.

Johnson was AC/DC's singer since 1980, when he replaced the late Bon Scott. He made his recording debut with the group on the classic "Back In Black".

AC/DC has been on the road since last year in support of its 16th studio album, "Rock Or Bust".

Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley was admitted to Wilkes-Barre General Hospital in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania following his show last night (Friday, April 15) at the F.M. Kirby Center in the city. After extensive testing, it was determined that Ace's symptoms were due to exhaustion and dehydration.

In consultation with his doctors, Ace, who aside from the exhaustion and dehydration has been given a clean bill of health, has reluctantly agreed to cancel tonight's sold-out show at the Chance in Poughkeepsie, New York. The venue is working to reschedule the date in late September and expects to announce an exact date later this week.

In the meantime, ticket buyers for tonight's show can use their tickets for the rescheduled date in September or return them at the point of purchase for a full refund. AceFrehley.com VIP Experience and Guitar Signature packages purchasers will be contacted by AceFrehley.com and can either obtain a full refund or use their packages on the rescheduled date.

Once released from the hospital, Ace will be heading home to Southern California to recuperate.

Fan-filmed video footage of the Wilkes-Barre concert can be seen below.

Ace has just released "Origins Vol. 1", a collection of twelve newly recorded classics from his formative years featuring some of the biggest names in rock and roll. Most notably, KISS frontman Paul Stanley joins Ace on FREE's hit "Fire And Water". This collaboration marks the first time that Ace and Paul appear on the same studio recording since KISS's 1998 reunion album "Psycho Circus".

According to ESPN, on his final NBA game, Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant broke Led Zeppelin’s merchandise record for single-day sales for any arena in the world.

The Staples Center sold $1.2 million worth of Kobe merchandise, Sean Ryan, AEG vice president of merchandise told ESPN.

The previous record, Ryan said, was set by Led Zeppelin, who sold $1 million worth of merchandise in London at the O2 Arena on December 10, 2007, the group's first full-length concert in three decades.

The average fan inside the arena spent $61 on merchandise alone, with the average bill being $230, Ryan said.

Grammy Award-winning Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees and 2016 Record Store Day Ambassadors METALLICA performed live earlier today (Saturday, April 16) at Berkeley, California's legendary record store Rasputin Music in celebration of Record Store Day 2016. While a few lucky Met Club members and Rasputin customers won tickets to see the rare in-store performance in person, fans from around the world were also able to join from the comfort of their own living room via a live stream. You can now see video footage of the performance below.

METALLICA ended the show by taking a bow and pointing out some of the special people in attendance, singling out family members, as well as Ray Burton, the father of late METALLICA bassist Cliff Burton; FAITH NO MORE drummer Mike Bordin; and Jonny and Marsha Zazula, who signed METALLICA to the Megaforce label in 1983.

The setlist was as follows:

01. Helpless (DIAMOND HEAD cover)02. Hit The Lights03. The Four Horsemen04. Ride The Lightning05. Fade To Black06. Jump In The Fire07. For Whom The Bell Tolls08. Creeping Death09. Metal Militia

This is the third special show METALLICA has put out for free streaming in the past year, following a headlining set at last year's Rock In Rio USA and the concert they played in February at AT&T Park in San Francisco on Super Bowl weekend.

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield said: "METALLICA has been lifelong supporters of record stores and indie retail, because… well, because we grew up with it and no one would play our stuff, so that's where would meet friends, meet fans, hang out at the record stores and get to find out what cool new music is out there."

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich added: "Independent record stores are part of METALLICA's DNA. They have been pivotal in shaping each one of us into the music fanatics we've all become. We could not be any prouder to be Record Store Day Ambassadors for 2016 and are looking forward to screaming from every rooftop the next few months about everything independent record store and beyond."

Previous ambassadors have included FOO FIGHTERS frontman Dave Grohl and Jack White.

Throughout the nine years that Record Store Day has been in existence, METALLICA has participated with events and special releases.

The band did a meet-and-greet with fans at Rasputin Records in Mountain View, California back in 2008 to help kick off the very first Record Store Day.

Last year the group issued a cassette version of its original 1982 demo, "No Life 'Til Leather", which ended up being Record Store Day 2015's biggest seller.

Following the tragic terrorist attacks in Paris in November 2015, METALLICA's release for this year's Record Store Day is "Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité, Metallica! - Live At Le Bataclan. Paris, France - June 11th, 2003", a CD featuring a live recording of METALLICA performing at the same venue that was the site of the deadliest of the November attacks.

Proceeds from sales of the CD will benefit Fondation de France's Give For France charity.

METALLICA has also released deluxe reissues of its first two albums, 1983's "Kill 'Em All" and 1984's "Ride The Lightning", on Record Store Day.

Cradle Of Filth have announced the release of a never-before-heard version of their 1996 release Dusk… And Her Embrace.

Says the band: “Cradle Of Filth begin writing for their next album (due in fall 2017) over the next few months, and the band are intrigued as to what fans are expecting/keen on, both in direction, theme and sound.

“Obviously we're going to partially ignore the naysayers who want everything to sound exactly like Cradle 1996 - the never-before-released version of Dusk.. And Her Embrace subtitled The Original Sin (1995) is out in July via Cacophonous Records, by the way - but everything will be taken onboard, baring in mind that people understand that the band is Cradle Of Filth 2016, and one that will be expanding on the continued success of last year's Hammer Of The Witches.

“And we are definitely curious, so please fire away…”

Cradle Of Filth will be returning to Belarus and Russia in May with support from Xandria. Dates are listed on the poster below.

The band’s video for the track "Blackest Magick In Practice" (streaming below) was directed by Sam Scott-Hunter. The track is taken from the groups latest tome of horror and romance, Hammer Of The Witches.

Comments the director: "There’s dark madness in this video. “Blackest Magick In Practice” is a deeply tragic tale of lost love. It’s the grief stricken insanity of trying to bring back that loved one from the dead; desperately trying to hold onto that person who’s gone, even if that leads down a dark and gruesome path. I don’t want to give it all away, but I will say that the hardest part of the production was getting hold of a human ear.

"I wanted to convey the power of the band too, in amongst the romance, madness and magick. Behind the imagery of the lyrics is a great and powerful metal band of amazing musicians, and I hope people can feel the intensity of the band when they watch this. It is intense viewing. There should be a bit of madness in the video, because there’s madness in this song."

John Blake Publishing has announced the publication of "Bring Me The Horizon: Heavy Sounds From The Steel City" by Ben Welch. For the first time, this book details BRING ME THE HORIZON's rise from hardcore shows in their native Sheffield, to sellout arena tours across the globe.

Taking to the main stage of the iconic Reading festival in August 2015, the sun set over an army of 50,000 fans, gathered to catch a glimpse of Britain's finest metalcore band, BRING ME THE HORIZON. Every lyric was sung back at such a deafening volume that lead singer Oli Sykes was all but drowned out.

Poster-boy Sykes is not one to bite his tongue, and when it comes to music, BRING ME THE HORIZON take no prisoners. One of the most polarising and eclectic bands to emerge from the U.K. rock scene, BRING ME THE HORIZON have refused to sit still. Taking their sound from its brutal roots and bone crunching riffs to ever more unexpected places, they have expanded the horizons of their own music, believing every album should sound different, while fighting their way from niche scene clubs to main stages worldwide. However, the band has also been the source of much controversy on its journey for international acclaim.

With notoriously fractious, rowdy live shows driven by the effervescent energy of frontman Oli Sykes, the band have overcome drug addiction, onstage assaults, clashes with critics and the departure of founding member and guitarist Curtis Ward. Despite the controversy of their image, the band has been credited by various journalists as being one of the most forward thinking heavy bands in the U.K. Behind the noise, there is a restless, pulsing creative spirit which, coupled with a brilliant business acumen; saw the band break out of the underground to become a sensation.

With all the pressures of being figureheads of a new musical movement, they've succeeded in becoming Britain's best metalcore band. Together, they have been through hell, and have come out the other side swinging. For BRING ME THE HORIZON, the sky is the limit.

Fan-filmed video footage of IRON MAIDEN's April 15 concert at the Forum in Inglewood, California can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. If Eternity Should Fail02. Speed Of Light03. Children Of The Damned04. Tears Of A Clown05. The Red And The Black06. The Trooper07. Powerslave08. Death Or Glory09. The Book Of Souls10. Hallowed Be Thy Name11. Fear Of The Dark12. Iron Maiden

Encore:

13. The Number Of The Beast14. Blood Brothers15. Wasted Years

A review of last night's show can be found at The Orange County Register.

IRON MAIDEN's world tour, in support of the band's latest album, "The Book Of Souls", kicked off on February 24 in Sunrise, Florida (a suburb of Fort Lauderdale).

Support on the trek is coming from THE RAVEN AGE, the band led by IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris's son George Harris.

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

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

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

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

LAST IN LINE — the band featuring DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell alongside fellow founding DIO member Vinny Appice, plus singer Andrew Freeman, who has previously fronted HURRICANE and LYNCH MOB — has recruited Phil Soussan (OZZY OSBOURNE, BEGGARS & THIEVES, Steve Lukather) to play bass for the group for its shows in April and May. Also joining them at the dates is virtuoso keyboardist Erik Norlander (Lana Lane).

Soussan made his live debut with LAST IN LINE this past Thursday night (April 14) at Count's Vamp'd Rock Bar & Grill in Las Vegas, Nevada. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

Freeman previously played with Soussan in the acclaimed Las Vegas rock and roll production "Raiding The Rock Vault".

Appice and Soussan had done a number of shows together as members of the all-star jam band BIG NOIZE.

Original LAST IN LINE bassist Jimmy Bain passed away in late January at the age of 68. He was reportedly suffering from lung cancer at the time of his death.

LAST IN LINE's debut album, "Heavy Crown", was released on February 19, 2016 via Frontiers Music Srl. The CD was recorded at a Santa Clarita, California studio with producer Jeff Pilson, a veteran bassist who has played with DIO, FOREIGNER, DOKKEN and T&N, among others.

Remaining LAST IN LINE tour dates:

Apr. 23 - Frontiers Rock Festival III - Milan, ItalyMay 24 - Ramona Mainstage - Ramona, CAMay 25 - Whisky A Go Go - West Hollywood, CAMay 27 - Rocklahoma - Pryor, OK

In a recent interview with Glide Magazine, Vivian stated about LAST IN LINE's future: "I honestly don't know. We're not in a position where we have to make that decision yet, fortunately, because we only have this opportunity to do these handful of shows. It would have been wrong to just go out on tour a month after Jimmy died with some guy playing bass. That would have been very disrespectful. So we're just trying to find the right balance now between doing nothing and giving up and doing something to help this record and consequently further Jimmy's memory, 'cause Jimmy really believed in this record and this band. In fact, so much so, last year Jimmy got a LAST IN LINE tattoo on his arm. When he died, it was the only tattoo on his body, the LAST IN LINE logo. He believed in this project so much and he was so involved creatively in this record, and it is a great record and a great bookend to his career.

"Like I said, we're fortunate we don't have to make that decision yet. We're just going to do these handful of shows and then I'm on tour with LEPPARD until mid-October. So if anything does happen further with LAST IN LINE, it wouldn't happen before the end of the year. So we have a lot of time to think about it and I guess, more than anything else, our decision on our future would be determined by what happens with the record. And so far it's very encouraging, the reviews and the responses have been tremendous. With that in mind, and if it continues that way, if there's enough of a desire for people to hear us play, then we probably would."

Video footage of DOKKEN performing the song "Alone Again" on April 15 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California can be seen below (clip filmed by Jake Perry).

Former DOKKEN and current FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson recently told rock journalist Mitch Lafon about the possibility of a reunion of DOKKEN's classic lineup, featuring Pilson, vocalist Don Dokken, guitarist George Lynch and drummer Mick Brown: "We're actually working really hard to try and pull something together right now. It has to fall in spaces where there is time off [from my gig with FOREIGNER], so I don't know for sure whether it's gonna happen. So let's just say we're all friendly now, we're all past all the decades-old crap, and we all talk and everything's great. Now it really is just down to scheduling and trying to figure it out. Because, you know, you've gotta do it right, if you're gonna do it. We all feel that way."

He continued: "I think we've all come to a place where we're very appreciative of the legacy that DOKKEN has, and we would never wanna just do something for the money and take advantage… 'Cause we get offered a lot of things quite often, and if we wanted to do it that way, we could. But the fact that we don't, I think, is a great sign. I think when we do finally do something, we're gonna try and do it right. Although I don't know if we're gonna ever get to do the big sweeping tour that we've talked about — mostly because of the FOREIGNER commitment — but we're gonna try and do something. So hopefully I'll have something to report sometime soon."

Asked what would be the "right way" for a DOKKEN reunion to happen, Pilson said: "I think, really, to do it right means that when we go out there, we sound good — no matter how many or few shows we do, no matter… new music or old music. I would love to record some new music with DOKKEN; I would love that. I just don't know if we can or will. I have a sense that sometime we will, somehow, but we'll see. Again, it's just down to quality. Doing it right means doing it with quality. 'Cause we were always very quality conscious back in the day, and I don't think any of us wanna let that go now."

Regarding the current relationship between the members of the DOKKEN classic lineup, Pilson said: "No matter how argumentative a band is, no matter how much… I mean, think of all the time we spent together, think of what we accomplished together… I don't care what anybody says; we all love each other — we really do. There is a love in there that's… I mean, sometimes it's two siblings that love and hate at the same time, but there is a lot of love there. So I'm very glad that when I get an e-mail from Don, I'm not [going], 'Oh, God.' I'm excited to read it. George and I have been close for a long time, so that hasn't been an issue for a while. But, yeah, it feels really good."

He added: "We shared something very special together. I think we're all at the point in life where we kind of appreciate it now. And if we ever get a chance to do some more with it, I think… It would be very interesting, because we've never been in a situation where there wasn't animosity, so I don't know. [Laughs] Maybe it won't work. I don't know. [Laughs]"

Don and Lynch appeared on VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show" together back in May of 2010 in hopes that a reunion of DOKKEN's classic linep would follow. Despite their efforts, the reunion never happened and Don went forward with DOKKEN's current lineup.

All the members of DOKKEN's classic 1980s lineup reunited on stage for the first time in more than a decade on November 29, 2009 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California. Don Dokken appeared on stage and said he had some friends he wanted to introduce. Pilson and Lynch joined Mick Brown for a two-song encore of "When Heaven Comes Down" and "In My Dreams".

SALIVA will release its ninth studio album, "Love, Lies & Therapy", on June 10 via Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). The band's second with lead vocalist Bobby Amaru joining co-founding member, lead guitarist Wayne Swinny, drummer Paul Crosby and newest member bassist Brad Stewart was produced by Amaru (with co-producers Nolan Neal and Damien Starkey) and sees the band finding a new energy and expanding their signature anthemic choruses and crunching riffs into different directions. The follow-up to 2014's "Rise Up" features power ballads ("Tragic Kind Of Love", "Break Down", "The Loneliest Know" and "Hand In Hand") alongside typical scorchers like "Trust", "Bitch Like You", "Unshatter Me", "Rx" and the rap-rock-flavored "Go Big Or Go Home". Adding to the eclectic approach is an unlikely, but powerful cover of Michael Jackson's "They Don't Care About Us", a single from his 1996 album "HIStory, Past Present And Future, Book 1". "It's time to ignite/I refuse to lose/Cause I've come alive," insists Amaru in "Refuse To Lose", as he sets the template for "Love, Lies & Therapy", which lives up to its name as a penetrating glimpse into the horrors of addiction — to either another person or drugs. "I'm addicted to the pain/It was all for you," he sings in "Tragic Kind Of Love", while in "Bitch Like You", he confronts the issue straight-on. "Starving your addiction leave you/Leaves you wanting more." In "Unshatter Me", Amaru cries out, "Kneel down and put me back together fix me like before/You crush me when you touch me then I spill out on the floor" and in the explicit "Rx", he leaves no doubt what he's singing about: "I've got a loaded gun but can't pull the trigger/You're the poison in my veins you're the cancer/I can't fight it off/I can't fight this disease." SALIVA does intend to overcome, though, as in "Go Big Or Go Home", where Amaru insists "It's my time to rise so let's go," or the closing "Hand In Hand", an elegiac, LED ZEPPELIN-esque number that seems to put his troubles behind him: "So I'll see you soon old friend/And we'll burn hand in hand," with a chilling Wayne Swinny guitar solo doing the honors in burying the past and facing the future. "Love, Lies & Therapy" track listing: 01. Trust02. Tragic Kind Of Love03. Bitch Like You04. Unshatter Me05. Broken Wings06. Rx07. Break Down08. Go Big or Go Home09. The Loneliest Know10. Refuse To Lose11. They Don't Care About Us*12. Hand In Hand

* Written by Michael Jackson

In a brand new interview with The Irish Sun, ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian spoke about how his band was affected by the terrosit attacks of last November when an EAGLES OF DEATH METAL concert in Paris was targeted, killing 89 people.

"Anytime a terrorist action happens like that, in any context, because we're all human, we all have to share this planet, so I get it," he said. "They crossed the line into the world of rock.

"When people say it hits closer to home, or does it hit closer to home, I understand that. But it hits close enough to home because we're all people that have to live on the same planet. That's close enough for me, and the fact that I have to live on the same planet as people with these ideals, that's too close.

"I don't want to live on the same planet, but I don't have a choice. I also don't have the solution, so all I can do is, once in a while, spew and vent a bunch of lyrics about it."

ANTHRAX was on tour in Europe with SLAYER at the time of the French attacks, but refused to cancel the rest of the dates, unlike bands like LAMB OF GOD and DEFTONES, who returned home to America almost immediately.

"We didn't go home, ANTHRAX and SLAYER," Ian said. "We didn't leave, and we finished our tour. Unless somebody was going to tell us 'You can't play the rest of your shows,' that was the only way we weren't going to finish.

"There have been times in the past when we were going to go to Israel and we were told it wasn't a good time to come, and it got postponed and we went months later. And I believe there might have been a time we were scheduled to go to Indonesia and the same thing happened. They said the climate just wasn't right. If somebody's telling you that, you listen to them. A year later, we went and played Jakarta, so it's not something we're actively thinking about."

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

"For All Kings" is ANTHRAX's first studio album since 2011's "Worship Music" (No. 12 peak with 28,000 sold in its first week) and follows the 2013 covers set "Anthems" (No. 52; 8,000 sold in its debut frame).

BraveWords is on the scene in Oberhausen, Germany, where Overkill is scheduled to record a live Blu-Ray/DVD, commemorating 30 years since the debut and the 25th anniversary of Horrorscope. However, Pissing Razors drummer Eddy Garcia was drafted into the current live tour, and will appear on said recording. Friday, the band ran through almost 10 hours of rehearsals. Expect a full report tomorrow.

Overkill recently launched a new tour trailer video, featuring the track “Down To The Bone”, featured on their White Devil Armoury album. Watch below.

Upcoming Overkill dates include:

April
16 - Turbinenhalle 2 - Oberhausen, Germany

June
17 - Rue du Champ Louet - Clisson, France

July
14 - Bang Your Head Open Air - Balingen, Germany
15 - Gefle Metal Festival - Gavle, Sweden
      
November
11 - Ferienpark Weissenhäuser Strand - Bad Staffelstein, Germany

During a BraveWords interview for Dream Theater's current North American tour in support of their new album, The Astonishing, frontman James LaBrie discussed the possibiluty of recording a new solo album. His previous solo effort, Impermanent Resonance, was released in 2013:

“I think it’s just a matter of Matt Guillory (keyboards), myself, and all the other guys making time to get together,” says LaBrie. “It really is a band and me and Matt are really passionate about keeping the same players of the last 10 years. Matt and I have talked and we agree that we definitely have to do another one, we have to follow up Impermanent Resonance with an album that is just as killer. I think it’ll be better. It really is a matter of being able to sit down and put the time and focus into it that it deserves. But yeah, I do believe there will be another one. I really want to do another solo album before I say ‘I’m done, I don’t want to do this anymore…’ or ‘I don’t want to perform live anymore.'”

Go to this location for the complete story.

Dream Theater's new album, The Astonishing, a character-based two-act double album that tells the story of dystopian future in which only machines can create music, was released on January 29th. An official trailer, as well as a full album stream, can be found below:

Tour dates:

April
16 - Toronto, ON - Sony Centre
18 - Albany, NY - Palace Theatre
19 - Boston, MA - Orpheum Theatre
20 - Hartford, CT - Oakdale Theatre
23 - New York, NY - Radio City Music Hall
24 - Baltimore, MD - Hippodrome Theatre
26 - Greensburg, PA - Palace Theater
27 - Cincinnati, OH - Taft Theatre
30 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Theater

May
1 - Minneapolis, MN - State Theater
3 - Denver, CO - Paramount Theatre
7 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern
10 - Portland, OR - Schnitzer
11 - Seattle, WA - Paramount Theater

For up-to-the-minute news and ticket information visit this location.

KISS performed as a trio at the Race To Erase MS fundraising gala last night (Friday, April 15) at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California. Absent from the event was KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley, who was forced to sit out the show due to a shoulder injury.

KISS was introduced at the event by former "American Idol" judge Randy Jackson, who explained Stanley's absence and added that the KISS frontman would be well enough to tour with the band this summer. Special hosts for the evening included Ozzy Osbourne's wife and son, Sharon Osbourne and Jack Osbourne, the latter of whom was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2012.

KISS played four songs at the at the fundraiser that supports Nancy Davis's Center Without Walls program. The event, which also featured appearances by Eric Benet, David Foster and Jordan Smith, the winner of "The Voice", included a one-of-a-kind live auction featuring fabulous vacation getaways and experiential packages.

Stanley broke the news of his injury yesterday on Twitter. "Tore my bicep tendon," he wrote. "Surgery reattached it with a screw and stitches to anchor in place. Not much I can do now!" Several hours later, he added in a separate tweet: "Thanks to my AMAZING doctor I WILL be great & ready to rock WAAAAYYYY before the tour! CAN’T WAIT! #‎FreedomToRock‬" Video of KISS performing the songs "Cold Gin" and "Rock And Roll All Nite" at Race To Erase MS can be seen below.

Race To Erase MS has been instrumental in funding many pilot studies that have contributed to drugs now on the market and other very important therapies that are improving the lives of people suffering from MS.

The Center Without Walls program is a unique collaboration of the world's leading MS research scientists currently representing Harvard, Yale, Cedars Sinai, University of Southern California, Oregon Health Science University, UC San Francisco and Johns Hopkins.

KISS previously performed as a three-piece in 2007, when a heart issue forced Stanley to sit out the band's concert at the Soboba Casino in San Jacinto, California.

KISS's "Freedom To Rock Tour" is scheduled to begin July 7 at the Taco Bell Arena in Boise, Idaho. The two-month run will see the band playing cities that they haven't visited in more than ten years.