On March 13, former IRON MAIDEN singer Paul Di'Anno performed at a special NWOBHM symposium in Tokai, Japan. Video footage of his performance — during which he was backed by members of the classic Japanese metal bands OUTRAGE and UNITED — can be seen below.

Di'Anno told Argentina's CM TV last August that "injuries" to his knee have forced him to sit down while performing. He added: "But it's worked in Wacken [at the Wacken Open Air festival], and everywhere in Brazil. I think the fans don't give a shit to see me; they just wanna hear me sing. So maybe six months I have to do this before the [knee] operation. I still wanna play, so I sit down and sing."

A year ago, Di'Anno spoke in more detail about the condition of his knee which is making it impossible for him to stand up and perform. He said: "I don't wanna swear… [Laughs] but it's fucked. It's actually fucked. Because this has been [going on for] seven years. I should have done this seven years ago. And now all the ligament is gone and all it basically is is bone rubbing against bone. And, oh my God, it's so painful some days, it's unbelievable. And through my mother, I caught osteoporosis [a progressive bone disease in which the bone density reduces over years] as well. When you get to a certain age. And [I can't be] buggered with that. [I'm like], sod this; I can't be dealing with it. So [fixing] the knee will make it a lot better."

Di'Anno added: "I can't take it anymore. And it will be so nice to be pain-free [after] seven years."

Di'Anno recorded two classic albums with IRON MAIDEN before being replaced by Bruce Dickinson. He went on to front a number of other bands, including KILLERS and BATTLEZONE, and released several solo records.

ARCHITECTS OF CHAOZ, the new band featuring Di'Anno alongside members of Paul's longtime German touring backing group THE PHANTOMZ, released its debut album, "The League Of Shadows", in North America last July via Metalville Records.

Video footage of OPERATION: MINDCRIME, the new band led by former QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate, performing on February 28 at Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, Pennsylvania can be seen below.

Joining Tate in OPERATION: MINDCRIME's current touring lineup are guitarists Kelly Gray (QUEENSRŸCHE) and Scott Moughton, drummer Scott Mercado (CANDLEBOX), bassist Tim Fernley (THE VOODOOS) and keyboardist Randy Gane (MYTH).

"I love touring and I love playing live, performing with like-minded people in front of like-minded audiences and being there in the moment together when all of our passions collide," Tate told Digital First Media. "Typically I play a few songs off the new album, but really I focus on playing songs from my catalog of albums. I typically try to pull out different things that people haven't heard before or that I haven’t played in years or ever. I like doing that surprise thing during the show."

Asked if touring is something that he will be doing indefinitely or if he has a timetable as to when he will cease touring altogether, Tate told Oregon Music News: "I will always tour. I can't see myself stopping. I love performing live and I'm a believer that music is always best when experienced live. You're seeing it, you're experiencing it and you're witnessing the moment. It's incredibly special. I think a lot of us lose track of that in the 20th century digital age. There's nothing that compares to a live performance. I don't think there ever will be anything that will come close to it."

He continued: "I'm still relatively old school in the sense that I buy music on release date and whether you buy it online and have it shipped and it arrives on release date or if you go out and track down a hard copy. Nothing compares to tearing off the cellophane, popping the CD in and looking through the liners. It's sad that those rituals are essential a thing of the past, don't you think?"

Tate added: "In the United States, music has become a disposable commodity for people. It's not part of their lives like it once was. That's due to our cultural shift. I saw something similar happen in Japan in the early '90s; people grew out of music that was dear to their hearts. That's how the music industry treated music as if it were a passing thing. It was like this is what you liked in your youth and then you grew up to be an adult and then you didn't have anything or want anything to do with that music anymore. [Laughs] Music is art and music is essential to the human environment and essential to the human story. We need art. It's one of the most essential things to human existence."

"The Key", the first album of an ambitious trilogy from OPERATION: MINDCRIME, sold around 2,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD was made available on September 18, 2015 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Former SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo is sitting behind the kit for SUICIDAL TENDENCIES during the band's North American tour as the support act for MEGADETH.

Fan-filmed video footage of SUICIDAL TENDENCIES' March 19 performance at the Sands Bethlehem Event Center in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania can be seen below.

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES frontman Mike Muir told The Bulletin about Lombardo's addition to the band: "Dave's a legend, you know. It's a little bit different than other things — people call him the godfather of the double-kick and bass and stuff. He just has an amazing intensity, but besides intensity, he just has a musical mindset that — he totally understands what we're doing and where we came from when we started, different, but at the same time and stuff. We've always kind of done shows together, this and that, been kind of close. He knows where he's coming from is the right place."

Lombardo made his live debut with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on February 26 at Pearl Concert Theater at Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Muir recently hinted at not one, but two follow-ups to the group's 2013 album "13" — an EP and a full-length — inspired by the current political climate and upcoming election. He did not reveal any information about these new releases, but implied that these may be the band's final recordings. However, he pointed out: "I thought the first one would probably be the last we would do, too."

"13" sold around 3,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 187 on The Billboard 200 chart. The first studio album in 13 years from SUICIDAL TENDENCIES was produced by vocalist Mike Muir and Grammy-nominated engineer/mixer Paul Northfield (DREAM THEATER, HOLE, RUSH).

Swedish metallers AVATAR will release their new concept album, "Feathers & Flesh", on Friday, May 13 via Another Century in Europe and Entertainment One (eOne) in North America and Canada.

The first official radio single from the CD, "The Eagle Has Landed", can be streamed below.

"You've heard Owl's hunting hymn. Now it's time for Eagle's mission statement," says AVATAR lead vocalist Johannes Eckerström. "Just as he crashes into the world of his adversary, we will come crashing into your lives, screaming at the top of our lungs.

"We're still very early in the story and without giving away too much, I can say that things are about to change rapidly.

"The riff is a towel, the melody is water and y'all are about to get boarded. Have fun!"

The aim is set higher, further and deeper than ever before for AVATAR. Not only is this concept album their most extensive work to date, showing the widest range of any of their albums, it also contains a story too extensive for any booklet, so they made a book. A fully illustrated 60-page, 109-verse poem hardcover book. The physical album pre order, book, and exclusive merchandise is available now. AVATAR's music video for the new song "For The Swarm" can be seen below. Directed by longtime collaborator Johan Carlén, the clip pegs itself firmly into the upper echelon of stunning visual masterpieces the band has grown accustomed to producing. "For The Swarm" is also available as an iTunes instant gratification track, meaning fans who pre order the album will get the track as an instant download. "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).

"AVATAR is an amazing band," said Massy, adding, "The singer has the wild energy and charisma I love, and the players are relentless. The album we're making is an epic. Each song powerfully stands on its own, but is only a piece of a larger story. This album is the project I've been dreaming about for years!" The music is as always, rooted in the extreme, with plenty of melodic sensibility and a lust for experimentation. There is a love for intense double bass drumming, riffing and shredding of timeless dimensions alongside rough edges, slow grooves and epic storytelling for the ages. The idea is that as the band digs deeper, the fists will be held up higher. The end result is a modern metal album with all the ruthlessness and power one could ask for handled with a loving songwriter’s hand, inspired by THE BEATLES and QUEEN. "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

British heavy metal vocalist Blaze Bayley (IRON MAIDEN, WOLFSBANE) took part in an interview and acoustic performance on the February 22 edition of the Kate Justice show on BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester. You can now watch it below.

Blaze Bayley's eighth solo album, "Infinite Entanglement", was released on March 1. The official video for the album's first single, a song called "Human", is also available.

In a recent interview with Jimmy Kay and Alan Dixon from Canada's The Metal Voice, Blaze stated about his new album: "I had this idea to write my own book. I had a story that… kind of coming from the character from 'Tenth Dimension' [Blaze's 2002 album] that I really wanted to do. And we started work on it, and we had too many songs for one album. And I thought, you know what? When I did 'Tenth Dimension', I had to keep that down to a certain amount of time because I was working with a record company; I had deadlines to meet. I thought this time… I think this is a really big story. And so, I started thinking about it like 'Dune' and 'The Lord Of The Rings' and something like that. I thought if I was gonna do exactly what I wanted to do, then I would do it in three albums. Well, I am my record company, so I can do what I want to do. So I'm doing it in three albums. And this is my first studio album — full metal studio album — for four years, and it's part one of a trilogy. And the story is told across the three albums. And so far, it's turned out really, really well. And the first few people now have got their pre-orders delivered, and they're really enjoying it. The feedback I've had is great."

Blaze also spoke in more detail about the story that is covered on the trilogy. He said: "It's about a man who does not know if he is human. It's his personal journey, and he is on a mission to discover one of the new Kepler planets. You know, Kepler discovered all these new planets. It's set a hundred years in the future, and he's on a spaceship and it's how he deals with the fact that he will be one of the first people ever to live for a thousand years because of advances in technology, and how he deals with that. And the question is: is he human or not? And that's it in a nutshell. And the story expands from there. And we discover a lot of different things — first, his emotions and how he feels, but also why he's there and how he is reacting to the circumstances. And everything is not what it seems. He's been chosen for the mission, and we find out why. And that's part of the overall story. So it's a kind of mystery horror, in a way, set in space, and this is part one of it. So I'm hoping that you'll like the rest as well."

According to Blaze, he intentionally made "Infinite Entanglement" so that fans of his music can listen to the album and enjoy it without having to be familiar with the entire story. He said: "That is how I started with the whole idea. I had to do something that I would enjoy. So I really wanted to do something more in the 'War Of The Worlds' style and in the 'Operation: Mindcrime'. I wanted it so, as a listener, you can enjoy each song without knowing the story. But if you want to look at the sleeve notes, if you want to get deeper in it, then you'll see the connections. You don't have to listen to all the songs to know the connections. And the order of the songs isn't in a way that you have to play it from start to finish either. And you won't really know where all of the songs fit until that third album comes out and it explains to you the whole story and all of the details."

Asked if he already has a timetable in mind for the release of the second and third albums in the trilogy, Blaze said: "We have half of album two, we have half of the songs ready for that, and we have some of the music and one of the songs for album three. So we kind of have the ending and a bit of the middle. So, as we're going along on tour, and I'm writing the rest of the story, then we'll come up with the rest of the songs."

He continued: "What I've enjoyed with this one is having the liberation of not having to connect everything to reality or directly to me, to be able to use somebody else's emotions and somebody else's thoughts, and have more than one set of eyes to look at the world through. That's been really liberating, and I've enjoyed it very much."

The 52-year-old Bayley, who was born in Birmingham, was the original frontman in WOLFSBANE, but left in 1994 to join MAIDEN, with whom he recorded two studio albums — 1995's "The X Factor" 1998's and "Virtual XI" — before Bruce Dickinson returned to the group.

Bayley released a career-spanning double-disc collection, "Soundtracks Of My Life", on October 31, 2013.

"World Of Confusion", the new video from Swedish sleaze rockers TOXICROSE, can be seen below. The clip was directed by Owe Lingvall of Village Road Film. The song is taken from the band's debut album, "Total Tranquility", which will be released on May 16 via City Of Lights/Rock It Up. The cover artwork for the CD was created by Juanjo Castellano and can be seen below.

"Total Tranquility" track listing:

01. World Of Confusion02. Silent End Of Me03. Killing The Romance04. Sinner05. We Own The Night06. Reckless Society07. Clarity08. Because Of You09. We All Fall Down10. Total Tranquility

Formed in 2010 in Stockholm, Sweden, TOXICROSE consists of Tom Wouda (GEMINI FIVE), Andy and Michael Sweet (both ex-LIPSTIXX 'N' BULLETZ) and Goran Imperator (ex-SEXYDEATH). The band's debut five-track EP was released in late 2012. The CD was co-produced by Michael's brother, Martin Sweet of CRASHDÏËT.

Says a press release: "There is no compromising or limits in the world of TOXICROSE. Powerful vocals combined with aggressive guitars , grand melodic synthesizers and dark, emotional lyrics. With their catchy, melodic, epic metal anthems and shocking look, they are unstoppable!"

Fan-filmed video footage of vocalist Noora Louhimo of Finnish metallers BATTLE BEAST performing AC/DC and BON JOVI covers as part of her NOORA LOUHIMO EXPERIENCE solo concert at the Aulanko Punk 'N Heavy festival in January can be seen below.

BATTLE BEAST in February 2015 parted ways with lead guitarist and main songwriter Anton Kabanen due to "insurmountable disagreements" with the other members of the band. A substitute guitarist was enlisted for BATTLE BEAST's recent shows.

BATTLE BEAST's third studio album, "Unholy Savior", entered the Finnish chart at position No. 1. The CD was released in January 2015 via Nuclear Blast.

Louhimo joined BATTLE BEAST in 2012 as the replacement for Nitte Vänskä.

In an interview with RockRevoltMagazine.com, Noora stated about "Unholy Savior": "'Unholy Savior' includes various kind of songs: the BATTLE BEAST kind of hard, balls-to-the-wall power metal, soft and sexy pop-ish song, and a couple ballads. And, of course, a couple of bonus tracks that are influenced by '80s music. I think this album is showing different aspects of BATTLE BEAST and give more versatility in heavy metal genre."

Asked how she has been received by the old BATTLE BEAST fans, Noora said: "At first, I was crucified, so to speak. On the other hand, some fans thought I was improvement for the band, but some didn't believe in me at all. It's been very growing experience and made me believe more in myself as a singer than ever before. If you can take bad comments as your fuel to practice more and develop yourself into better, then you are on the right path. Of course, you have to know when take the critic seriously and when it is just someone trying to hurt you. But I really want to thank people who've been supporting me since the beginning but also the people who didn't. What doesn't kill makes stronger and better."

GUNS N' ROSES will embark on a 21-city North American tour to follow the previously announced run of six comeback shows, the band has confirmed.

Shows will take place this summer in the following cities:

* Atlanta* Boston* Chicago* Cincinnati* Dallas* Detroit* Houston* Kansas City* Nashville* New Orleans* New York* Orlando* Philadelphia* Phoenix* Pittsburgh* San Diego* San Francisco* Seattle* St. Louis* Toronto* Washington, D.C.

Exact dates and venue details have not yet been announced.

The confirmation of a full tour follows reports that GUNS N' ROSES billboards spring up around the country earlier today, fueling speculation that an announcement was imminent.

GUNS N' ROSES has six concerts scheduled so far, all in April: two at the Coachella Music And Arts Festival, two in Las Vegas and two in Mexico City.

The exact band lineup has yet to be confirmed beyond singer Axl Rose, guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan, although it is almost certain that keyboardist Dizzy Reed, guitarist Richard Fortus and drummer Frank Ferrer are on board as well.

Original members Izzy Stradlin and Steven Adler don't appear to be involved in the gigs, but Adler's solo band abruptly canceled a show at the Whiskey A Go Go in Los Angeles on April 1, with the venue tweeting, "Stay tuned for a big announcement! #GunsNRoses." There is now speculation about a guest appearance by Adler with GUNS.

The last show Axl and Slash played together was on July 17, 1993 at River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires. The latest incarnation of GUNS N' ROSES, which only included Axl from the original lineup, played a residency in Las Vegas in 2014 but has remained silent since.

According to Billboard, the GUNS reunion — which sources say has been in the works for two years — is asking for anywhere from $3 million to $5 million a show.

Cult New York thrash metal act DEMOLITION HAMMER has reformed and is scheduled to perform on Friday, June 17 at St. Vitus Bar in Brooklyn, New York.

The band's 2016 lineup consists of original members Steve Reynolds (vocals, bass) and James Reilly (guitar) alongside longtime guitarist Derek Sykes and the group's latest addition, drummer Angel Cotte (EYES LIKE CYANIDE).

Sykes told BLABBERMOUTH.NET about DEMOLITION HAMMER's future plans: "We'll do some limited touring and festivals. We haven't discussed new music yet, but we'll see where all this goes."

DEMOLITION HAMMER was active between 1986 and 1994 and released three full-length albums — "Tortured Existence" (1990), "Epidemic Of Violence" (1992) and "Time Bomb" (1994) — all through Century Media.

A DEMOLITION HAMMER compilation, "Necrology: A Complete Anthology", was issued in 2008, also through Century Media. The set contained the band's entire three-album discography across two discs.

Shortly before the compilation's release, Sykes released a statement taking issue with "the allegations" included in the liner notes which suggested that the band "didn't have time to contribute" to the anthology. He explained: "In fact, DEMOLITION HAMMER was quite involved in the initial realization of the project. But ultimately, due to qualitative differences, we decided to let our past work with Century Media speak for itself."

In March 2015, Century Media reissued "Tortured Existence" and "Epidemic Of Violence" on vinyl.

Trailight bassist and mastermind Omer Cordell has checked in with the following:

"This song has been on my favourite list since the release of Persistence of Time by Anthrax in 1990. I was and still am blown away by their bassist Frank Bello. This is my tribute to him and to this great album and band."

To which Bello responded via Twitter:

Cordell: "Well, holy shit! I've always wondered if any of the covers I do are seen / heard by the ones who write them. This is nice indeed! Thanks Frank!"

Trailight, featuring vocalist Dave Padden (ex-Annihilator), has completed work on a single release cover of the Nick Cave And The Bad Seeds classic "The Weeping Song". It features Padden and Fear Factory frontman Burton C. Bell on vocals. It was released on February 22nd. Check it out below.

Cordell: "I can only think of a handful of people alive today who I consider to be the most prolific and inspiring artists who have influenced and inspired countless of people all over the world yet, in some way are considered to be unpopular. Who instead of following trends, the trends seem to follow them. Who continue to create their art without having to compromise their artistic vision and by doing so, they are able to create their own fusion and magic in music, words and visuals.And so, I wish to pay tribute to one of those people; one who I consider to be the most important artists of our time; the great Nick Cave. This is our version of 'The Weeping Song'

My endless gratitude to Dave Padden, Burton C. Bell, Cory McBain and Adrian Windsor for their great talent and hard work!"

Cordell recently spoke with BraveWords scribe Carl Begai about Trailight. Following is an excerpt from the interview.

“When I was first starting to think about doing this project, considering the vibe and riffs I was coming up with – ‘A Thousand Years’ was the first song I wrote – I knew who I wanted to play drums on it. Ryan has known me as a photographer for years, so when I called him up it was like ‘This may come as a surprise, but I’m making music now…’ (laughs). I asked if he’d be interested in playing on it and he wanted to hear the demos, but he had a bunch of touring to finish with Devin and then record the DVP double album. After that he had time to do my stuff.”

“Ryan came back from Devin’s album recording, learned my songs in about a week or 10 days, we had one day of pre-production where I had a chance to hear what he would be doing in the studio. Three days later we were in the studio and 10 hours later he was done recording. When we were finished I knew why I’d gotten Ryan to do it. He not only fits stylistically, he was also such an immense help with the whole process. I was basically flying blind. I’d been to the studios lots of times back when Strapping was around to take photos, but I’d never actually recorded in one before, so Ryan was helpful in guiding me.”

Cordell also took on outside help to produce The Primitive Mountain, a long and drawn out process that slowly deteriorated as the songs were being mixed. He eventually opted to take on the task of mixing and mastering himself; a daunting task on one hand, but the only option left if the album was going to live up to his expectations. Rather than a play-by-play of events, Cordell channels Metallica to sum up the situation.

“As far as the mix of the album, the first batch of songs that I sent you sound like St. Anger, and the final mixes sound like the Black album.”

Go to this location for the complete story.



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Austria's Mastic Scum will release their new DVD entitled Rage [Live & Rare] on May 13th. It will also be available as an MP3 album for download.

"We are finalizing work on it right now and are ready to share some details of the cover art that is still in progress," says the band. "The artwork is designed by Lukas Lancko, with mixing and mastering done by Mike Kronstorfer.

The DVD will include a full live show, a band interview, all our official videoclips, extra live footage from five festivals, the full discography, a photo gallery 1993-2005 and lot of bonus footage. More than 160 minutes of the last 20 years history of the band! More details on the DVD and final artwork soon."

In live news, Mastic Scum will play The Weekender Club in Innsbruck, Austria on April 9th.

 



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"Finally we have a release date - September 16th," proclaims director Rob Zombie when talking about his anxiously awaited new horror movie, 31.

In celebration of his upcoming horror flick, 31, receiving an ‘R’ rating, Rob Zombie is offering a preview of the official movie poster artwork, which can be seen below.

According to Bloody Disgusting, after previously receiving an ’NC-17’ rating, it seems that enough alterations were made for the rating board to issue a more theater-safe ‘R’, although it’s still going to feature, “strong bloody horror violence, pervasive language, sexual content and drug use.”

On January 23rd, Rob Zombie's new movie 31 - which he wrote and directed - made its world premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The clip below features Rob's introductory remarks and the complete Q & A session after the showing. Note that it contains spoilers:

“Five friends are kidnapped on the day before Halloween and are held hostage in a terrifying place named Murder World. While trapped, they must play a violent game called 31, in which the mission is to survive 12 hours against a gang of evil clowns.”

31 stars Sheri Moon Zombie, Malcolm McDowell, Richard Brake, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, Jeff Daniel Phillips, and Meg Foster.



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Doom-tinged metal unit Castle will release their fourth full-length album this Summer via Ván Records worldwide.

Titled Welcome To The Graveyard, the follow up to 2014's Under Siege was captured by Billy Anderson (Sleep, Neurosis, Eyehategod) at Type Foundry Studios in Portland, Oregon this past Winter. Welcome To The Graveyard is set for official unveiling July 12th.

Leading up to the release of Welcome To The Graveyard, Castle will embark on an 18-date headlining tour from June 15th through July 2nd with an included stop at this year's edition of the Maryland Doom Fest where the band will be performing alongside The Obsessed, Mos Generator and others. Expect more North American dates in support of Welcome To The Graveyard to be announced in the coming weeks.

Castle live:

June
15 - Yucca Tap - Phoenix, AZ
16 - The Sandbox - El Paso, TX
17 - Paper Tiger - San Antonio, TX
18 - Rudyards - Houston, TX
19 - Siberia - New Orleans, LA
20 - New World Brewery - Tampa, FL
21 - Burro Bar - Jacksonville, FL
22 - The Jinx - Savannah, GA
23 - Reggies - Wilmington, NC
24 - Maryland Doom Fest - Frederick, MD
25 - Ace Of Cups - Columbus, OH
26 - 5th Quarter - Indianapolis, IN
27 - Skeletunes - Ft. Wayne, IN
28 - Vaudeville - Des Moines, IA
29 - O'Leaver's - Omaha, NE
30 - Flux Capacitor - Colorado Springs, CO

July
1 - Metro Bar - Salt Lake City, UT
2 - Chateau Le Punk - Las Vegas, NV

 

 



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Former DREAM THEATER and current THE WINERY DOGS drummer Mike Portnoy has told Classic Rock magazine that the best lesson he learned from another musician was something he observed from METALLICA's Lars Ulrich. He said: "Lars and I were doing an autograph session together for Tama drums, as we both had signature snare drums coming out at the same time, and he's in one of the biggest bands of all time, so I figured he'd be the type that wouldn't even look up and push the line along as quickly as possible, but he was actually the total opposite. He was so completely gracious with each and every person, and he'd look every single one of them in the eye and spend a few minutes asking them questions. That was a tremendous lesson for me. I've done signings with guys that are in one-hundredth of the band that METALLICA is, and they’ve had attitudes and wouldn't give fans the time of day. But watching one of the most famous drummers in the world have that kind of attitude, even after all these years, was really inspiring to me."

Portnoy told Sticks For Stones last year that had "a tremendous amount of respect for Lars" as a drummer "even though [Ulrich] takes a beating in the drum community." He explained: "To me, his value is not necessarily in drumming, but it has to do with him being a part of a musical revolution that he was a huge, huge part of starting. He's been a tremendous asset to METALLICA, not only as a writer, but as a businessman and his abilities to market things and his ability to arrange music and his performance on stage — he's a very animated player on stage. And to me, I would rather watch somebody like Lars Ulrich on stage than one of these technical drummers that can do quadruple paradiddles at 240bpm. To me, that's boring. Who cares about that?"

He continued: "I'd rather be entertained and go to a show and watch a drummer and have somebody that makes me actually smile. So I don't judge drummers based on their technical ability; I judge them based on the overall package and what they bring to the music they're part of. And what Lars brings to the music of METALLICA is absolutely invaluable. So I could care less if his meter might be slightly up and down, or if his fills are slightly sloppy; I don't care about that. To me, there's way more to being a good drummer than precision and technique."

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine was recently interviewed by Fox News entertainment producer Ashley Dvorkin. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow.

On the lyrical themes covered on MEGADETH's latest album, "Dystopia":

Mustaine: "If you're a musician who writes happy love songs and stuff like that, if that makes your boat float, that's great. I like talking about things that affect me. I came from a broken family, broken home, latchkey kid, I was on food stamps, that whole thing, so I know what it's like to have the odds stacked against you. But I'm also a great American success story of perseverance and that you can overcome stuff. And I think a lot of that is what I share in the songs — like, [no matter] how bad it gets, you can always change things if you're willing to apply yourself to it."

On how MEGADETH managed to survive in the music business for more than three decades:

Mustaine: "There's a lot of real cheeky sayings, like 'It's a lot easier to turn a no into a yes,' which helped a lot. Also, don't ever sign anything unless you have an attorney look at it, which is another simple thing to do. But I think the most important thing is going back to 'The Sermon On The Mount' [collection of sayings and teachings of Jesus], with the golden rule: treat people the way you wanna be treated. I see a lot of people that are musicians that just act like idiots and treat people really awful, and I see that and I think, 'God, you didn't have to do that. You didn't have to treat people like that.' And I think a lot of that comes with new people in the music business. They think they have that self-righteous entitlement where they walk above everybody else. And, you know, 35 years later, I think I'm pretty grounded."

On April 8, Universal Music / Tradecraft / T-Boy Records will issue "Dystopia" as a limited-edition vinyl picture disc featuring the album's vivid dark and chilling artwork which takes the bands long-time mascot Vic Rattlehead to a whole new level and drops him into a bleak, futuristic dystopian universe. The "Dystopia" picture disc can be ordered individually at all participating retail and online outlets or at UMv as part of a specially priced pack with other picture disc titles including "Peace Sells…But Who's Buying?", "So Far, So Good…So What!", "Rust In Peace", "Countdown To Extinction" and "Youthanasia". Featuring eleven tracks, "Dystopia" was released on January 22 on CD, LP, and digitally, as well as a special Deluxe Virtual Reality CD package.


Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

On March 17, Metal Mark of SkullsNBones.com conducted an interview with MEGADETH and LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On what it has been like touring with MEGADETH the last few months:

Adler: "When I first got the call, you expect to go in as a session guy. Then [MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine] asked me to tour, and I expected to be kind of weekly employee. But we really are having a great time. And we're friends, and we're joking around, and we're going on NASCAR rides, and tank rides, and going curling with David Ellefson [MEGADETH bassist] up in Canada. It's just like ridiculous stuff, and it's so stupid, but we're really having a good time."

On the response to "Dystopia", his recording debut with MEGADETH:

Adler: "I certainly can't take any responsibility for it, but it's great to a part of kind of my favorite band coming back to life a little bit. Not that they ever went away, but you can see the difference with this record and the numbers and the response to it… It's different. Again, I'm not taking credit, but it's nice to be a part of."

On the differences between playing with MEGADETH and LAMB OF GOD:

Adler: "I've just gotten to the point now… We did a world tour with MEGADETH, and now we're doing the U.S. tour, and I'm really just now, after months and months of touring with them, getting to the point where I'm comfortable, so I can really knd of rock out to these tunes. And I've never really learned any cover songs before this, so it took me a long time to get comfortable, because, even though these are songs that I listened to since I was a kid… Of course, they're fresh; I've never really tried to play 'em, except for the new stuff. So I'm just getting to the point where I'm comfortable doing it. But, stylistically, it's much less… It's more physical in a way, because I'm really laying into the parts, but it's less challenging, I guess, on a physical level, because most of the LAMB stuff — looking back on it, in comparison anyway — it seems like it's all just one big drum solo. So now, again, I'm trying to be the backbone for these amazing guitar players, so they can do their own thing and stay out of the spotlight. But at the same time, I'm here for a reason. Dave's a smart guy, and so I'm trying to add in my little things here and there. But I wanna be true to the songs. I'm a fan of the band. If we're playing 'Wake Up Dead', 'Wake Up Dead' should sound like 'Wake Up Dead'. It's not the Chris Adler show back there; I'm not gonna be doing anything crazy. Some of these songs aren't that easy, so it still requires a lot of attention and me really kind of focusing in on stuff, but it's a lot of fun. Like playing 'Tornado Of Souls' or something like that, that's just so ingrained in my mind. When we first got the… Dave sent the setlist for the world tour that we started in China, and when I first saw that setlist and I saw that it was on there, I was just, like, 'Yes!' I mean, that was such an athem for me in high school, and now playing it, I'm just going nuts back there. I don't even know what I'm playing. But it's such a great song; I love it."

On April 8, Universal Music / Tradecraft / T-Boy Records will issue "Dystopia" as a limited-edition vinyl picture disc featuring the album's vivid dark and chilling artwork which takes the bands long-time mascot Vic Rattlehead to a whole new level and drops him into a bleak, futuristic dystopian universe. The "Dystopia" picture disc can be ordered individually at all participating retail and online outlets or at UMv as part of a specially priced pack with other picture disc titles including "Peace Sells…But Who's Buying?", "So Far, So Good…So What!", "Rust In Peace", "Countdown To Extinction" and "Youthanasia". Featuring eleven tracks, "Dystopia" was released on January 22 on CD, LP, and digitally, as well as a special Deluxe Virtual Reality CD package.

Quality fan-filmed video footage of MEGADETH's March 23 performance at the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Hangar 1802. The Threat Is Real03. Wake Up Dead04. In My Darkest Hour05. Post American World06. Dawn Patrol07. Poison Was The Cure08. Poisonous Shadows09. She-Wolf10. Sweating Bullets11. Trust12. Fatal Illusion13. Tornado Of Souls14. Dystopia15. Symphony Of Destruction16. Peace Sells

Encore:

17. Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

On April 8, Universal Music / Tradecraft / T-Boy Records will issue MEGADETH's latest album, "Dystopia", as a limited-edition vinyl picture disc featuring the album's vivid dark and chilling artwork which takes the bands long-time mascot Vic Rattlehead to a whole new level and drops him into a bleak, futuristic dystopian universe. The "Dystopia" picture disc can be ordered individually at all participating retail and online outlets or at UMv as part of a specially priced pack with other picture disc titles including "Peace Sells…But Who's Buying?", "So Far, So Good…So What!", "Rust In Peace", "Countdown To Extinction" and "Youthanasia". Featuring eleven tracks, "Dystopia" was released on January 22 on CD, LP, and digitally, as well as a special Deluxe Virtual Reality CD package. "Dystopia" debuted at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 chart, No. 1 album on the Hard Music and Top Rock charts. and No. 2 on the Top Album Sales chart. Globally, "Dystopia" also achieved Top 10 debuts in Canada (No. 2), Japan (No. 2 international chart), Finland (No. 3), Mexico (No. 4), Czech Republic (No. 5), Australia (No. 6), New Zealand (No. 6), Switzerland (No. 7), Poland (No. 8) and Germany (No. 10), which along with Belgium, Ireland and Spain contributed to achieve MEGADETH's highest ever chart positions in their thirty-year history in a total of ten countries around the world. Other countries with significant sales or chart debuts included U.K., Norway, Sweden, Italy, Netherlands, and France.

"Dystopia" shifted 49,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in the week ending January 28.

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. "Dystopia" weaves together Dave Mustaine's intricate and unique songwriting style, trademark leads and lightning riffs with harmonious precision, paying homage to MEGADETH's influential roots while continuing to break new and heavy ground. In addition to Mustaine, MEGADETH's current lineup includes longtime bassist David Ellefson, LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler and Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, best known for his work with ANGRA.

The official lyric video for "Soul Machine", a brand new song from Kentucky rockers BLACK STONE CHERRY, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's fifth studio album, "Kentucky", which will be released on April 1 via Mascot Label Group. The CD was recorded at Barrick Recording in Glasgow, Kentucky. Taking a "back-to-the-roots" approach, the effort was produced in the same way and same place as BLACK STONE CHERRY's eponymous debut album, which broke the band out of the small southern backwater and onto the world stage.

"Kentucky" track listing:

01. The Way Of The Future02. In Our Dreams03. Shakin' My Cage04. Soul Machine05. Long Ride06. War07. Hangman08. Cheaper To Drink Alone09. Rescue Me10. Feelin' Fuzzy11. Darkest Secret12. Born To Die13. The Rambler

BLACK STONE CHERRY guitarist Ben Wells recently told Metal Hammer magazine about "Kentucky": "This is the first time we get to self-produce. And most of the songs, with the exception of maybe two or three out of fifteen, are all written by us, the four of us. Which all of our songs always are — we might co-write with somebody — but this time, the majority of the songs are all written by us. So it feels really good to kind of have that creative freedom. Even though we're still learning things as we get along, we've kind of picked up over the years touring internationally what our fans have come to expect and what we expect from ourselves and what we know people are gonna enjoy from us. So it's definitely… it's raw, it's heavy. We're going back to our hometown to record it, where we did our debut album. So we're kind of revisiting some of that old mojo that we had, and I think our fans have been wanting that from us for a long time now. So we want, and I know they want it, and we're just excited about it. I mean, the songs… These are probably some of the coolest songs we've written as far as the music and the melodies."

Added BLACK STONE CHERRY drummer John Fred Young: "We're not doing a prog record — it's not that different — but I think it does have parts where I don't think records before have had these parts. And I think people are gonna go, 'Wow! I've never heard 'em do that, or that transition there.' And I think, too, with us, we're… In America, like I've said before, and we've all said, you are only as good as your last American rock single, and for us, we just don't play that ballgame, because our fans, they're here for the live show, they're here to hear the songs and have a great time. And I think that in some previous records, we were in positions with the label where we had to write songs formatted [for radio]."

Continued Wells: "But this time, we weren't focusing on that. We said, 'Look, if they pick it up and they like it, awesome. But our fans are the ones who gave us a career. So we wrote it with them in mind and [the songs were assembled for] the live setting."

Video footage of former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach performing the TWISTED SISTER classic "I Wanna Rock" with Finnish rockers SANTA CRUZ can be seen below. The clip is taken from AXS TV's original music series "Breaking Band", which premiered in January. The documentary-style series was hosted by ROYAL MACHINES vocalist Donovan Leitch and featured six 30-minute episodes packed with powerhouse performances and appearances from some of the industry's biggest names.

"Breaking Band" gave some of the country's most talented emerging musicians the chance to achieve their dreams of rock stardom. Throughout the season, the artists were guided by an eclectic array of famous faces, serving as mentors and collaborators for the young musicians. This season's mentors were Bach, rocker and TV personality Mark McGrath (SUGAR RAY); chart-topping music artist Belinda Carlisle (THE GO-GO'S); rock legend Robin Zander (CHEAP TRICK); award-winning producer and techno star Moby; and beloved guitar guru Dave Navarro (JANE'S ADDICTION). As mentors, they shared their invaluable advice from their decades of experience while supporting the emerging artists in their debut live broadcast performance.

"Breaking Band" was filmed at YouTube Space LA, and concert highlights are available on youtube.com/axstvconcerts.

SANTA CRUZ will return to American soil this April and May, partying hard, and rocking the hell out as the main support act on Bach's upcoming tour. The trek kicks off on April 27 in Jacksonville, Florida and runs through June. SANTA CRUZ released its latest album, a self-titled affair, last year on Spinefarm.

DEVIL YOU KNOW, the band fronted by former KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Howard Jones, will kick off its first-ever North American headlining tour on April 15 in Fresno, California. Dubbed "Make America Metal Again", the trek will also feature the band ONI as direct support.

Unfortunately, DEVIL YOU KNOW drummer John Sankey will not be able to join his bandmates on this tour as he has to attend to a personal matter back in Australia, but he will rejoin the group for the start of the HATEBREED and DEVILDRIVER trek on May 12. In the interim, John Boecklin (ex-DEVILDRIVER) will step in and sit behind the kit for DEVIL YOU KNOW during the band's headlining run.

Sankey states: "I will be sitting out our upcoming U.S. headline tour due to commitments I have in Australia as ambassador and co-founder of the Legion Music Festival taking place in January 2017. It sucks to miss playing these shows but being part of planning and overseeing the launch of a national music festival is an enormous task which requires all of my time and dedication right now.

"Unfortunately, Dave Grohl isn't available to fill in, but don't fear, my good buddy and drummer extraordinaire John Boecklin will be hitting the road with Hojo, Fran and Womby to rock the kit for you all each night... F#%k yea! I'll be back from the land down under to rejoin my metal brothers for our tour with the mighty HATEBREED and DEVILDRIVER in May/June. See ya all on the road then."

Boecklin (pictured) says: "Being a fan of DEVIL YOU KNOW and its members individually, I'm beyond honored to fill in for John Sankey. Having been working on my management career and new musical project, this will be great opportunity for me to take a break and have some fun playing on stage again. I look forward to seeing friends and representing DEVIL YOU KNOW behind the kit, so come on out these shows and support this heavy-ass band."

DEVIL YOU KNOW recently launched a live performance music video for the song "Consume The Damned", which features all footage from the band's 2015 European fall tour with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and PAPA ROACH. The track is taken from DEVIL YOU KNOW's sophomore album, "They Bleed Red", which was released on November 6, 2015 via Nuclear Blast.

Produced by Josh Wilbur (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, LAMB OF GOD, KILLER BE KILLED), "They Bleed Red" is a breakneck paced trip through DEVIL YOU KNOW's broken psyche, struggles with anxiety, and ultimate triumph against adversity, all laid upon a foundation of high-level artistic achievement and vitriolic full throttle heavy metal fury.

In a recent interview with Australian Musicians Network, Jones stated about "They Bleed Red": "With the first album… We wrote and recorded that album without ever having played in the same room together, so it's kind of unique. But yeah, we've been spending a lot of time together on the road, planes and just doing our thing… getting to know each other well. And I remember [saying on] the first tour, 'We've gotta make a heavier album this time,' That was definitely the plan. Just also make songs that are fun to play live and that we are really happy with, that are a challenge to write and craft — whether they are heavy or not as heavy, even though, most of the album is pretty heavy. We wanted songs that would be easy to listen to, easy to enjoy, and fun to play."

He added: "Spending time on the road together, sitting on a plane, and sitting inside a smelly van, watching TV on a bus together, hanging out in each other’s houses and things like that, you get to know each other and you get this bond. And it definitely made things easier. One difference is that I was so much more prepared before I went into the studio for this one. And getting to know each other, and knowing exactly what direction we want to take with the album."

A woman was called out publicly by DISTURBED frontman David Draiman when she decided to text rather continuously during the band's March 23 concert in Dallas, Texas.

The scolding was captured on video shot at DISTURBED's performance at House Of Blues, and the clip is now beginning to make the rounds.

In the video, which can be seen below, Draiman can be heard addressing a specific segment of the audience. He said: "Oh, up in the balcony, what am I gonna do with you? Especially this one. Yeah, you, the brunette. Yeah. Hi, how are you? So what is so important going on in the world that you need to be texting the entire fucking show? The whole show! You're right up front; I can see you clear as day. You've had your face in your fucking phone the whole goddamn show. Are we that boring?"

After pausing for a second, he continued: "Don't tell me to go fuck myself; you already did by looking in your phone instead of paying attention.

"I'm not wrong. Am I wrong? If you were up here and I did that to you, how would you feel? Seriously! It's fucking rude. It is!

"If you don't wanna watch, don't watch, but don't stand there in front of the fucking stage in the front row of the balcony where everybody can see you texting the whole fucking time on your phone."

The singer then added: "I'll tell you what. Can I at least have your word that I will have your attention for the rest of whatever's left of the set?

"Now she's all pissed off. She thinks that I did something wrong to her. I love it.

"Welcome to the age of the Internet, ladies and fucking gentlemen."

"Immortalized", DISTURBED's sixth studio album, 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.

DISTURBED kicked off a North American tour — its first in more than four years — on February 10 in Fargo.

British heavy metal legends SAXON will headline the Swedish racing series V8 Thunder Cars final, dubbed the "Lemmy 500", on September 24 in Ljungbyhed. The band's concert will include a musical tribute to iconic MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy Kilmister, featuring a guest appearance by MOTÖRHEAD members Mikkey Dee (drums) and Phil Campbell (guitar).

"It's going to be great to come back and see all our Swedish fans," said SAXON frontman Biff Byford in a statement. "This event is something special and unique. We have never before played a concert at a racetrack on a raceday and it will also be a chance to pay tribute to our longtime friend and rock icon Lemmy along with Mikkey Dee and Phil Campbell."

Added Dee: "This is going to be a night to remember! Playing some of MOTÖRHEAD's greatest hits together with our friends SAXON is going to be a great tribute to our former friend and bandmember. The Lemmy 500 will go down in history as the rockiest race championship final ever!"

The Swedish national championship racing series V8 Thunder Cars renamed its final race in honor of Lemmy. The winner of the Lemmy 500 and the championship will be crowned on stage before the concert starts.

"There will be no other race more prestigious to win than the Lemmy 500 in Sweden," said Alexander Graff, runner-up in the championship last year and one of the favorites for the title this year. "It will be one hell of a final, a true party of rock 'n' roll and racing mixed together. Both SAXON and MOTÖRHEAD are huge here in Sweden and we will make sure the spectators will feel right at home in our paddock. We are quite a rowdy but friendly bunch and definitely more rock 'n' roll than the glamour that is so often associated with motorsports."

Tickets will go on sale in May via Ticketmaster.se.

QUEENSRŸCHE hired Todd La Torre to replace Geoff Tate in 2012 and has released two albums with the ex-CRIMSON GLORY frontman: 2013's "Queensrÿche" and 2015's "Condition Hüman".

QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton recently told Kitsap Sun that the band's songwriting approach is more collaborative after parting ways with Tate and adding La Torre.

"It's [now] a democracy in the writing," Wilton said. "Everybody has the ability to write songs now and they all get worked on. They're not cherry picked. They all get worked on, to the point where everybody says, 'Okay, this one's good. This one, I don't know.' It's just a whole different scenario now."

Wilton also said that the renewed creative passion within the band is translating into QUEENSRŸCHE's live shows.

"It's just a whole different scenario now. Now, when we're playing live, the fans know we're giving it," he said. "We're out there performing, and it's a shame we have to prove ourselves every night. But you know what, if we prove ourselves one show at a time, so be it. We'll just keep doing it. And we've been doing that for the last two years and winning fans over."

"Condition Hüman" debuted at No. 27 on The Billboard 200 chart, having shifted 14,000 equivalent album units in the week ending October 8, 2015.

The Billboard 200 ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

"Condition Hüman" was released on October 2, 2015 via Century Media.

Former SEPULTURA manager Gloria Cavalera (pictured) has apparently accused the band's current lineup of being "obsessed" with her and her husband, ex-SEPULTURA frontman Max Cavalera.

Gloria's comments come a day after it was announced that Max — who has been fronting SOULFLY for the past twenty years — and fellow ex-SEPULTURA member Igor Cavalera will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of SEPULTURA's classic album, "Roots", by performing the LP in its entirety at this year's edition of the Amnesia Rockfest. Also booked to appear at the same event is the current lineup of SEPULTURA, which includes the other two members of the band that played on "Roots", guitarist Andreas Kisser and bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr..

In a public post on her personal Facebook page, apparently directed at the members of SEPULTURA but without mentioning them by name, Gloria wrote: "How sad to be obsessed with Max and me for 20 years.... You have not one memorable achievement in all these years. You desperately book a FREE show the same day as SOULFLY, whose show has been booked for much longer? You wasted your life watching Max... Pretty jealous in your camp, eh? Have fun being envious till your last breath... We stand with our Tribe!"

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

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

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

In a 2015 interview with Metal Wani, Kisser stated about the persistent talk of a possible reunion of SEPULTURA's classic lineup: "I think it's gonna go on forever. Unfortunately, people are really… They're stuck in a date, in a year, in an era of their life. They didn't develop something of their own. They didn't move on, it seems like."

He continued: "We had to rebuild SEPULTURA from scratch, because when Max left, he took the management, he took the label, he took, basically, [producer] Ross [Robinson] and [producer/mixer] Andy Wallace. It took everything that we built… It took ten years to build that, [and] Max took it for him. And it was very difficult for us, of course — to lose the lead singer, a charismatic guy… Max was really one of a kind of a lead singer, you know, so it was very difficult on that respect, but the most difficult part was really to rebuild the whole structure — the confidence from the label and the fans. The campaign that [Max] Cavalera did was really… He tried to separate the axis of evil: 'Either you're with me or with them.' It was something very stupid in the end. I mean, this is not a political party; this is music. If you choose to follow a different path, so be it — just go for it. Don't keep looking back and talking shit — which he still does. But that's his problem, and that's something that he has to deal with."

FeMetal TV last year conducted an interview with Gloria Cavalera. You can watch the chat below.

Photo courtesy of FeMetal TV

"Swarm", a brand new song from the Massachusetts-based extreme metal outfit ABNORMALITY, can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below. The track is taken from the band's sophomore album, "Mechanisms Of Omniscience", which will be released on April 29 via Metal Blade.

Formed in 2005, ABNORMALITY drew its members from the ranks of units such as TERATISM, FORCED ASPHYXIATION, GORATORY and SEXCREMENT, and they have worked patiently and persistently to build up a grassroots following, maintaining their integrity while steadily expanding beyond their local scene. In 2010, they dropped their debut EP, "The Collective Calm In Mortal Oblivion", which immediately drew attention in the underground, followed by the crushing and critically acclaimed full-length, "Contaminating The Hive Mind" (2012), cementing their status as one of the heaviest and most dynamic bands in the genre. Now, with their upcoming sophomore effort, "Mechanisms Of Omniscience" — produced once again by Peter Rutcho, and featuring artwork by vocalist Mallika Sundaramurthy — the quintet have never been more serious about getting their message out there, as well as ensuring legions of the moshing masses incur whiplash.

"Mechanisms Of Omniscience" track listing:

01. Swarm02. Synthetic Pathogenesis03. Mechanisms Of Omniscience04. Catalyst of Metamorphosis05. Vigilant Ignorance06. Irreversible07. Hopeless Masses08. Assimilation09. Cymatic Hallucinations10. Consuming Infinity

ABNORMALITY will join SOULFLY, SUFFOCATION, BATTLECROSS and LODY KONG on a USA trek that kicks off April 22 in San Antonio, Texas.

Dutch female-fronted band NEMESEA, famous for combining rock with electronica to stir up a dark and strangely addictive brew, will release its fourth album, "Uprise", on April 29 via Napalm Records.

According to a press release, "Uprise" "offers intense and soulful alternative rock complete with a subtle breath of goth and loudly demands the attention the band undoubtedly deserves. 'Uprise' is a gem that reveals its many-splendored colors more and more each time you press play!

"The guitars and Manda Ophuis's outstanding vocals continue to be the driving force behind NEMESEA. "The alternative rock trio has several surefire hits up its sleeve, and it's impossible to not be enthralled by the all-encompassing balance between driving rock and soothing ballads."

"Uprise" track listing: 01. Hear Me02. Twilight03. Forever04. Let It Burn05. Time To Make It06. Can't Believe It07. Light Up The Sky08. Get Out09. Bones10. Hold On11. The Way I Feel (bonus track)12. Broken (bonus track)13. If You Could (bonus track)14. No More (bonus track)

The official lyric video for the song "Twilight" can be seen below.

PIERCE THE VEIL, one of the fastest-rising, most electrifying artists on the music scene today, will release its hotly anticipated new album, "Misadventures", on May 13 via Fearless Records. "Misadventures" is the follow up to the band's 2012 breakthrough release, "Collide With The Sky", that debuted at No. 12 on The Billboard 200 albums chart, held the No. 1 spot on the Rock, Hard Rock, and Modern Rock/Alternative Albums charts, has sold nearly 350,000 copies, and earned the band a gold single for the track "King For A Day".

The first single from "Misadventures", a song called "Texas Is Forever", is a punk-flavored track that goes back to the band's roots, and, according to the band, begs to be played live.

"'Texas is Forever' is a fast song, the fastest song we've ever done," said PIERCE THE VEIL bass player Jaime Preciado. "It goes back to our roots and is going to be a fun song to play live." Added vocalist Vic Fuentes: "It's purely a self-indulgent song for us because it's really fast and that's what we grew up listening to. Lyrically, it closes the book on a relationship that I've been singing about over the last three albums."

For "Misadventures", the band — Vic Fuentes (vocals, guitar), Tony Perry (guitar), Jaime Preciado (bass) and Mike Fuentes (drums) — worked again with Dan Korneff who co-produced "Collide" and recorded at his Long Island studio Sonic Debris on and off between summer 2014 and summer 2015. "It was exciting to do another record with Dan," said Vic. "We had gotten to know him really well on 'Collide', so there wasn't that initial period where you're trying to get to know each other. We just dove in and started to make music right away."

Initial plans were for "Misadventures" to be released earlier, but touring commitments and the band's conscious decision to take their time to make the album the very best it could be, both musically and lyrically, set a different course. Explained Vic, "We went into this record wanting to top the last one, which we try to do with every record, and we kept setting the bar higher and higher."

Vic's search for inspiration took him to a number of places to write the lyrics — New York, San Diego, Los Angeles, the Southern California mountain resort of Big Bear, Santa Barbara and Seattle. "I wanted every song to have real meaning, and thought that in spending time in different places, I'd find new inspirations — that's exactly what happened," he said.

The eleven songs on "Misadventures" find the band dealing with a variety of topics including self-worth and an individual's ability to shine, the dream of leaving everything behind while you run away with the one you truly love, the challenge of outrunning betrayal, an undefined relationship, and the horror of the 2015 Paris attacks told from a hypothesized point of view.

The track listing for "Misadventures" is as follows:

01. Dive In02. Texas Is Forever03. The Divine Zero04. Floral & Fading05. Phantom Power And Ludicrous Speed06. Circles07. Today I Saw The Whole World08. Gold Medal Ribbon09. Bedless10. Sambuka11. Song For Isabelle

Photo credit: Jonathan Weiner

German technical/progressive death metal masters, Obscura, have just shared a stream of "The Origin Of Primal Expression”, the deluxe CD-only bonus track from their brand-new record Akroasis.

Steffen Kummerer commented on the track: "“The Origin Of Primal Expression" shows the title track of our new album stripped down to only one acoustic guitar and is meant to give a slight insight behind the scenes of writing an Obscura song. The two main themes show that certain Death vibes are still present and audible within the multilayered song structures we work with. The bonus tracks on Akroasis are a gesture of gratitude to everyone who purchases physical copies of the record. Music, lyrics and artworks together build an album and create a certain vibe and flair within the songs that is barely comprehensible with a few files stored on a hard disc."

Obscura will provide direct support in Europe for Death DTA on the European Thought Patterns tour this March and April. The tour kicks off in just one week in Rome, Italy, and runs through April 13th in Tallinn, Estonia.

March
30 - Rome, Italy - Traffic

April
1 - Athens, Greece - Fuzz Live Music Club
2 - Thessaloniki, Greece - Principal Theater
3 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Mixtape 5
4 - Bucharest, Romania - Events Hall
5 - Belgrade, Russia - Dom Omladine
6 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra Music Club
7 - Brno, Czech Republic - Fleda
8 - Kosice, Slovakia - Colloseum    
9 - Katowice, Poland - Mega Club
10 - Wroclaw, Poland - Alibi
12 - Riga, Latvia - Melna Piektdiena
13 - Tallinn, Estonia - Club Tapper



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All Hail The Yeti will release their new full-length concept album, Screams From A Black Wilderness, on April 8th via Minus Head Records. The concept, based on classic campfire-circle horror stories, presents a different story with each track. Listen to the track "Mr. Murder", featuring Brock Lindow of 36 Crazyfists, below:

All Hail The Yeti recently released a music video (streaming below) for the track "After The Great Fire", cut from their previous self-titled album. Screams From A Black Wilderness features the prequel to that concept track, entitled "Before The Flames".

Both videos are directed byBrian Cox of Flarelight Films and depict an orphanage housing children being abused by possessed caretaker nuns. When the nuns try to hide the abuse, their plan backfires tragically and everyone meets their demise. "Before The Flames" conceptualizes how the evil corruption came to be, before the tragic flames were set.

"This portion of the story is told from one child's point of view - the little girl writing the letter to her parents begging them to come save her," states vocalist Connor Garritty. "The idea for the story was something I came up with and immediately wanted to convey visually in addition to musically. The director Brian and I worked pretty closely together on the concept and treatment. From the initial idea I knew that I wanted it to be something that would make people feel uncomfortable but not be too gory. It's more of a "suggested" horror, to think of what these nuns are doing to these little children."

“Before The Flames” video:

“After The Great Fire” video:

Screams From A Black Wilderness, is produced by Matt Hyde, known for his prior work with renowned groups such as Deftones, Slayer, and Soulfly, and features a guest vocal appearance from Brock Lindow of 36 Crazyfists.

Vocalist Connor Garrity clarifies that the Screams From A Black Wilderness writing process, both sonically and conceptually, came easily once the new line-up for the band had been solidified. "When our guitarist Alan Stokes joined the band, the writing process finally felt natural. While we knew we wanted to connect it to the self-titled album, Screams From A Black Wilderness was truly conceptualized as it came together in the studio. We knew we wanted to do something different while still keeping our integral sound - this album, to us, is a more developed version of the style you hear on the self-titled release. Working with Matt Hyde was instrumental; he understood what we were doing musically and used that to pull the best out of us."

Screams From A Black Wilderness will feature a heavier, grimier and considerably more advanced version of the All Hail The Yeti fans have come to know since their inception. Stay tuned for the release of new tracks, music videos and other details coming soon.

Tracklisting:

“Before The Flames”
“Plague Dance”
“Let The Night Roar”
“Mr. Murder” (feat. Brock Lindow)
“Lady Of The Night”
“Witch Is Dead”
“Daughter Of The Morning”
“Sun Will Never Set”
“Fall Of Core”
“Breaking On The Wheel”
“Nemesis Queen”
“Angels Envy”



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