Eisenwald has announced the reissue of the classic Scandinavian black metal Mörk Gryning's debut, Tusen År Har Gått.

This re-release comes using the original artwork available, designed with the original No Fashion release in mind, taking elements from the original layout with attention to detail and adding new, optimized parts. An expanded 16 pages booklet includes the classic ‘90s band photos, unpublished images, and material from the album area. Instead of usual liner notes, a newly conducted interview around the album and early time of the band by Thomas Vänäänen will be included.

Mörk Gryning (Swedish for "dark dawn") arose during the year 1993 and both founding members Draakh Kimera and Goth Gorgon started out to create their mystical brand of black metal. After two demos in '93 and '94, they signed with the infamous Swedish extreme metal label No Fashion Records (Marduk, Dark Funeral, Dissection, Katatonia, Opthalamia).

During May 1995 the duo (both members beeing only 16 and 19 years) entered the Unisound studios together with Dan Swanö (Edge Of Sanity) to record their debut album Tusen År Har Gått; a nine track theme album about the story of Nidas, Eldon, Erin, and Cahn. It included lyrics in Swedish and English and managed to create a beautiful classic from the early days of the Scandinavian black metal.

Looking back today, Jonas Berndt (Goth Gorgon) adds: "I've listened through the album and I'm proud that it sounds so fresh and honest still today. It's great songs with nothing superfluous to it.”

Besides the nine album tracks, two previously unreleased tracks have been added to the tracklisting, one being the first track the band ever recorded. No modern re-mastering was done for the record, the album was mastered before the "loudness" war at cutting room and still sounds excellent today. Officially licensed from Universal Music Sweden and available as jewelcase CD and deluxe hot foil debossed Digipak CD edition limited to 500 copies worldwide! A vinyl edition is under preparation and will be issued at a later point in 2016.

Tusen År Har Gått tracklist:
“Dagon”
“Journey”
“Tusen år har gått”
“Omringningen”
“Armageddon Has Come to Pass...“
“Unleash the Beast”
“The Final Battle”
“Mörkrets gryning”
“Min sista färd (En visa om döden)”
Bonustracks:
“Tusen år har gått”(demo version)
“When Moonshine is the Only Light” (rehearsal/demo 93)



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Formed in March 2014, Germany-based bashers Skythen have come tearing out of the gate with a 7-song debut EP, entitled Silverowls, guaranteed to garner attention as soon as unsuspecting metal community gets wind of it. Categories be damned, but if you have to stamp a label on the band's sound call Skythen a no bullshit metal band with Black Sabbath-flavoured stoner-rock tendencies.

Check out the band's new video for the EP's title track below.

Former Dad Maria members Benjamin Kapidzic (vocals, guitars) and Frederic Twisterling (bass) have teamed up with Jakob Ehmke (drums) to create a short but heavy rollercoaster built without brakes. Skythen is heavily reminiscent of Norwegian crushers Susperia, as Kapidzic is a dead ringer for former singer Athera when he doesn't sound like Faith No More's Mike Patton in a shouting match.

Musically, the trio channel everything from the aformentioned Sabbath to Susperia, Down, classic Metallica, and Turbonegro over the course of Silverowls, capping things off with a stoner-tweaked cover of Metallica's "Motorbreath".

For information on Skythen go to this location.

Photo by Gerhard Kühne



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Italian heavy metallers Circle Of Witches, who recently signed with Alpha Omega Management, have released an official live video for "Going To Church", shot during their show in Moscow supporting U.D.O. during their Decadent Russian Tour 2015. Check it out below.

 

Circle Of Witches are working on their new album, entitled True Born Sinner. The album will be produced by Alex Azzali (Ancient, Behemoth, Grave) and recorded at Alpha Omega Studio in Como, in early 2016.

The band has issued the following statement:

"It has been an amazing 2015 for Circle of Witches. We just started to work on the new album which will be entitled True Born Sinner. We cannot wait to work with Alex Azzali who will produce it at Alpha Omega Studio in Como. In this album, will feature, for the first time our new line-up with two guitars. We already have few songs ready and the result seems to be something heavier than previous“Rock the Evil, although more melodic, massive and compact. For the next two months the rehearsal room will be our home and we will be restless until completion of our work. Hopefully we will enter the studio between January and March 2016."

Watch the official Circle Of Witches Facebook page here for updates.



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HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale joined TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA on stage on December 30 at the Quicken Loans Arena in Cleveland, Ohio to perform the song "Forget About The Blame (Moon Version)", the first radio single from TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA's newest release, "Letters From The Labyrinth". Hale joined TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA for both performances that day (3:30 and 8 p.m.).

Photos and fan-filmed video footage of Lzzy's final December 30 appearance with TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA can be seen below (courtesy of The 2 Z Girlz).

Regarding how her collaboration with TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA came about, Lzzy told Billboard.com: "In all honesty, it was a complete honor and surprise to me. It kind of came through the pipeline that they were looking for my contact, so of course I'm like, 'Hey, what's up?' 'Well, we have this great song and it's a love song' and, as [TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA mastermind Paul O'Neill] put it, they wanted somebody who had 'the whiskey dust' in their voice. They ended up coming to me in Nashville during our last little stint of time off and cutting it, and it was awesome, just an amazing group to work with."

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA's Robin Borneman sings on both versions of the song. O'Neill explained to Billboard.com: "I needed someone to bring out the female side of it, so we decided we would have two singers sing that song for a different perspective. Lzzy Hale has a great voice. She's a great rocker, a lot of emotion. Robin and Lzzy, in my opinion, knocked it out of the ballpark."

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, the collaboration between longtime SAVATAGE singer/songwriter Jon Oliva and producer Paul O'Neill, has become one of the most successful stories in rock 'n' roll history. Defying the odds with each project, they continue to search for new and original ideas to bring to reality no matter how difficult the challenge.

The TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA saga continues this year with a new album, "Letters From The Labyrinth" — yet another endeavor in creating something different. TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA founder Paul O'Neill's inspiration for this album came out of his love for history. As collector of antiquities and historical artifacts, he explained, "Over the years I have been able to read and hold in my hands letters from people that have inspired me and left a mark on civilization. People like Mark Twain, Ben Franklin, Thomas Edison, Orville Wright — when I actually held a letter in my hand that President Lincoln wrote, it brought me into his world in a way I could never have imagined."

Released on November 13 via Universal Music, "Letters From The Labyrinth" finds a conceptually provocative song cycle pushing the proverbial envelope yet again — this time with what O'Neill calls TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA's "first hybrid album." The overall concept is based on TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA's "Night Castle" (2009) and a dialogue between the wisdom of the past and the hopes for the future, via a correspondence between a child and an old friend of the child's grandfather.

On "Letters From The Labyrinth", TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA deals with subjects as broad as humanity's journey through the ages ("Time & Distance"), and as specific as bullying ("Not The Same"), the fall of the Berlin Wall ("Prometheus") and the world banking controversies ("Not Dead Yet").

"I love making music and I love making it relevant," O'Neill said. "I always believed the arts have a way of inspiring and uniting people. We try to maintain that tradition on the albums and all the other projects we do. I think that when everything else is falling apart, people look to the arts to help make sense of things and put the events they are experiencing into some kind of context."

"Letters From The Labyrinth" track listing:

01. Time And Distance (The Dash) (O'Neill, Oliva)02. Madness Of Men (Beethoven/O'Neill/Oliva)03. Prometheus (Beethoven/O'Neill/Oliva)04. Mountain Labyrinth (Borodin/O'Neill)05. King Rurik (O'Neill/Kuprij)06. Prince Igor (Rimsky Korsakov/Borodin/Glazunov/O'Neill/Oliva )07. The Night Conceives (O'Neill/Oliva)08. Forget About The Blame (J Green)09. Not Dead Yet (O'Neill/Oliva)10. Past Tomorrow (O'Neill/Oliva)11. Stay (O'Neill)12. Not The Same (O'Neill/O'Neill)13. Who I Am (O'Neill)14. Lullaby Night (Bach/O'Neill)

Bonus track:

15. Forget About The Blame (featuring Lzzy Hale) (J Green)

All photos and videos courtesy of The 2 Z Girlz

Fan-filmed video footage of Lita Ford's December 12 performance at Ralston Arena in Omaha, Nebraska can be seen below.

Ford recently told PopCultureMadness.com about her long-awaited autobiography, "Lita Ford - Living Like A Runaway: A Memoir", which is now set to arrive in the spring of 2016 via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books), an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers: "It's an autobiographical memoir of Lita Ford and growing up in the music industry. It's really great. I'm very, very proud of it."

Asked how writing a book is different from composing music, she said: "It's completely two different animals. Just trying to come up with something that captures the reader and keeps the interest flowing. You don't wanna lose the reader's interest. So I think I did that; I think I was able to do that on this book. It starts off in a time in a period and you have to get into it a little bit, and once you do, you can't put it down — you can't put it down. What happens next? You can't wait for the next chapter. It's really cool."

Regarding whether it was hard to revisit certain episodes in her life while writing the book, Ford said: "Well, things are emotional. There's deaths, there's divorce, there's things that are so goddamn funny that you can't help it but cry laughing. It's just a very emotional book. And you have to really go there mentally — you have to go there in order to be able to put it down on paper and in a book for people to read. So it was a challenge. And you really don't have a choice as to when… 'I don't feel like doing it right now.' Fuck that! Go there. You have to go there [and] get it done. So it was tough."

On the topic of the progress of the songwriting sessions for the follow-up to her "Living Like A Runaway" album, which was released in June 2012, Ford said: "I've got about half the album written right now, and then we're gonna start working on the other half. We haven't started recording yet — [we're] just writing. So we wanna have a good handful of songs that are amazing and we know that we've got a good base to go in and start recording. And once we get that, we can start recording them and say, 'You know what? This song is fucking incredible. This one's definitely going on the album. This one is going on the backburner for now.' And you kind of pick and choose and see what we've got and what we're missing."

At least a good portion of "Living Like A Runaway: A Memoir" will focus on Lita's years with the all-teenage-girl rock band THE RUNAWAYS, whose members also included fellow future rock star Joan Jett.

ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian was recently interviewed on the SiriusXM show "Sway's Universe", hosted by MTV personality Sway Calloway. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the origins of heavy metal:

Scott: "People can argue this, and I do get into this nerd arguments with my friends sometimes when we're drinking, but, for me, it's BLACK SABBATH. It all started with them. You had these guys who lived in Birmingham, England, in a really depressed , post-World War II manufacturing town, and it just made sense that the music they started making just had this really dark, heavy sound. And for me, the first three or four BLACK SABBATH records are kind of the blueprint for heavy metal. Tony Iommi wrote every riff there was to write, and everything that came after was just a derivative of it in some way, shape or form. But, for me, it all started with BLACK SABBATH."

On whether the rise of the grunge movement in the early '90s crippled the heavy metal scene:

Scott: "Not real metal. But what it did was the stuff in the '80s that got really, really big on MTV — what we used to call the 'hair' bands; bands like POISON and RATT and WARRANT and that kind of stuff, which we had nothing to do with… But in the public eye and in the media, they would lump those bands together with bands like ANTHRAX and METALLICA. And we're, like, 'We have nothing to do with that scene. We don't look like those people. We're not writing pop songs. We're not on the radio.' We weren't dressed like my aunt. We had nothing to do with that. So when grunge came around, and NIRVANA blew up, and then bands like PEARL JAM and SOUNDGARDEN and whatnot, and they're just wearing their dirty t-shirts and jeans and sneakers, so that kind of blew out that whole scene, that 'hair band' scene — it killed that. But it did become a little bit more difficult, certainly in the '90s, for bands like us, but we were able to weather that. We just put our heads down and [went] to work, basically, and just kept doing what we were doing."

ANTHRAX's new album, "For All Kings", will be released on February 26, 2016 via Nuclear Blast in Europe and Megaforce in the U.S.

BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi spoke to BBC Midlands Today about the pasing of iconic MOTÖRHEAD frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, who died on Monday (December 28) at the age of 70 after a brief struggle with cancer. You can watch the chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On how he will remember Lemmy:

Tony: "I think Lemmy is the epitome of rock and roll. He's always lived a wild lifestyle. It's the whole thing: sex, drugs and rock and roll. And he really lived that life, and he loved it."

On whether it's true Lemmy drank a bottle of Jack Daniel's whiskey a day:

Tony: "He did. He drank a bottle of Jack Daniel's. On tour… They [MOTÖRHEAD] toured with us many, many times — probably thirty times — over the [years]. And we used to have to do his rider, 'cause they'd have to present their rider to us of what they're gonna eat and drink. And there was never any food; it was always two bottles of Jack Daniel's, two bottles of vodka, a couple of cases of beer. And that was them; that's the way they were. And they didn't pull any punches; people knew how they lived. And they really did live that lifestyle."

On how long he's known Lemmy:

Tony: "Since the early '70s. Maybe even before that. I mean, we met up in a studio in Wales, and he was with HAWKWIND then, I think. And then I hadn't seen him for a while after that. And then we started doing tours together — you know, MOTÖRHEAD and SABBATH — and it happened that every tour we seemed to be doing, MOTÖRHEAD was on it. [Laughs] In all the different incarnations of SABBATH — from the Ozzy [Osbourne] period, Ronnie James Dio, Ian Gillan — it was always MOTÖRHEAD with us. Which was great. I mean, they were really a fun bunch and a really nice gang of… really nice band, you know."

On the possibility of next year's Download festival in the U.K. featuring a tribute to Lemmy:

Tony: "I would certainly hope so. Absolutely. I mean, that guy has done so much for music. He's offered a style that nobody was doing, and he loved every minute… He loved his fans, he loved what he did, and he's always been true to… There was no airs and graces about Lemmy. He lived very modestly. He lived in Los Angeles, off Sunset Strip, in a little flat. He loved it. He wasn't there that often anyway. He was always down a club in Los Angeles called the Rainbow, and he absolutely loved playing on machines, one-arm bandits. And that's what he did. If he was off [the road], most time you'd find Lemmy down at the Rainbow on the machine, absorbed with it. He loved it."

On the sad parallel between Lemmy and Iommi in that Tony is also battling cancer:

Tony: "Yeah, it really is. Every time one of my friends go, and it's that. It's, 'Oh, God!' You don't know how far away you are from it. But you just plod on. And I'm still here. And, unfortunately, he was saying that not long back — that he's still here and all ready to go out and tour. And that's the thing with him. He'll tour even when… When we were on tour, I never saw Lemmy ever cancel a show — except once, when we were in Los Angeles and they were on tour with us. He was that ill that they had to cancel the show. Otherwise, never. And just recently, because he's had to cancel shows, that's unlike him. He would go on when he was, like, really ill, and he has done. And, you know, you've gotta take your hat off to him. He was a real trooper. Absolutely."

Greek thrashers Memorain recently signed an exclusive deal with ROAR – Rock Of Angels and will release a new album titled Duality Of Man on January 16th. It also features special guest appearances by David Ellefson (Megadeth), Blaze Bayley (ex-Iron Maiden), Michael Gilbert (Flotsam And Jetsam) and Steve Conley (Flotsam And Jetsam). Listen to the new track "The Last Of Light" featuring Ellefson and Bayley below.

The album was produced by Ilias Papadakis, recorded and mastered at White Planet Studios in Athens, under the supervision of Vagelis Ziakas.

The marvelous artwork was designed by Caio Caldas / Cadiesart – Digital Artwork (Dragonforce, Doro):

Tracklisting:

“Demon’s Hunt”
“Guardian Knight”
“The Giant”
“Last Of Light”
“Inside My Eyes”
“The End Of Hope”
“Lost In Vain”
“The Crescent”
“Broken Dreams”
“Since I Remember”
“The Final Message”

"The Last Of Light":



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Rising Anger have revealed the cover artwork and tracklistiing for their new EP, Of Fights And Lights.

The artwork for the upcoming release apears very oppressive and confining at first. The colours are chosen to be very dull and grey and consequential spreads an autumn like feeling. There is a branch with thorns growing out of a bole to be seen in the artwork. The thorns, which are highlighted through extreme depth of focus in the central point of the image are drawing the viewers attention. However the blurred areas behind are shining bright. It is not to be seen what lies behind this obstacle, solely the bright light is visible. As an observer, you absolutely want to leave the thorns behind and get to know what is waiting behind. The back and forth, the overcoming of obstacles, the contrast among the ups and downs in life is a very big topic on Of Fights And Lights.

As already chosen on the debut album Mindfinder, the cover is mirroring the main message of all lyrics on this record. The picture stems from David Marx and the artwork has been, as already for Mindfinder, created by Nina Gänsler.

Of Fights And Lights will be released on February 12th via Bastardized Recordings.

Tracklisting:

“Golden Watch”
“The Great White Wall”
“Most Demanded Dream”
“Interlude”
“Washed Out”

(Photo - Nina Gänsler)



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Kelowna, BC-based death metal architects, Gomorrah, are streaming the new track, “Nine Kings Of Sulphur”, off their upcoming album The Haruspex, due out on January 15th via Test Your Metal Records. The album is available for pre-order here.

The Haruspex tracklisting:

“Imperial”
“Nine Kings Of Sulphur”
“Carcosa”
“Dismantling The Throne”
“Sitra Achra”
“Crowns Of Flesh”
“Cerulean”
“Venom And Rapture”
“Architects”
“The Mark Of Veritas”

“Nine Kings Of Sulphur”:

“Dismantling The Throne”:



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Memorial services for iconic MOTÖRHEAD frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister will be held on Saturday, January 9 from 2:00 p.m. to 2:00 a.m. at the Rainbow Bar & Grill in West Hollywood, California.

Lemmy, who celebrated his 70th birthday on Christmas Eve (December 24), learned two days later, on December 26, that he was afflicted with an aggressive form of cancer. He died two days later, on Monday (December 28) at his home in Los Angeles.

Lemmy had been dealing with serious health issues for the past two years, including getting a pacemaker in 2013 and suffering from a hematoma last year. But despite 40 years of hard living and drinking, he continued to tour and record at a feverish pace.

The band was forced to cancel or postpone a number of shows last year due to Lemmy's poor health, which also forced him to cut back on his drinking and give up smoking.

While MOTÖRHEAD itself was revered by metal and punk fans, Lemmy himself became a rock and roll icon and elder statesman, the embodiment of a musician who lived the rock lifestyle to the fullest and never stopped.

To the surprise of no one, MOTÖRHEAD will not continue without Lemmy. Drummer Mikkey Dee confirmed the decision in an interview with the Swedish paper Expressen, saying, "MOTÖRHEAD is over, of course. Lemmy was MOTÖRHEAD. But the band will live on in the memories of many."

Dee, who'd been in the band since 1992, said that the band's last tour was very difficult for Lemmy. Dee said, "He was terribly gaunt. He spent all his energy on stage and afterwards he was very, very tired. It's incredible that he could even play, that he could finish the Europe tour. It was only 20 days ago. Unbelievable."

With their raw, uncompromising sound, MOTÖRHEAD never became a major commercial success, but Lemmy and his cohorts remained a popular live attraction for the next several decades while winning a Grammy in 2005 and recording a total of 22 studio albums. The most edition of the band, featuring guitarist Phil Campbell and Dee, spent 22 years together, releasing its now-final album, "Bad Magic", this year.

Pure Grain Audio ran through some of its "Most Extreme" questions with MISS MAY I vocalist Levi Benton and bassist Ryan Neff when the band was in New York this past fall. You can now watch the chat below.

MISS MAY I's latest album, "Deathless", was released on August 7 via Rise Records. The CD was produced by Joey Sturgis (OF MICE & MEN) and Nick Sampson (ASKING ALEXANDRIA) and was recorded at The Foundation Recording Studio in Connersville, Indiana. The band's fifth record follows their 2014 breakout, "Rise Of The Lion", which debuted at No. 21 on The Billboard 200 chart. MISS MAY I's new record is not only a turning point for the band's career, it's also a return to form. Since their inception in 2007, they've steadily amassed a worldwide army of fans with four records, the last three of which have charted higher with each consecutive release. With "Deathless", the band has never sounded more aggressive while remaining as accessible as always.

Powerhouse vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) joined fellow Ohio native Neil Zaza on stage on December 11 at Hard Rock Rocksino in Northfield, Ohio to perform the well-known Christmas carol "O Holy Night" as part of Zaza's "One Silent Night" concert series. Fan-filmed video footage can be seen below.

Owens recorded two studio albums with JUDAS PRIEST — 1997's "Jugulator" and 2001's "Demolition" — before the band reunited with Rob Halford. Owens told Dubai's Mainstage Events that parting ways with JUDAS PRIEST in 2003 after a seven-year stint with the band "was all right. We knew if was gonna happen — I did, at least. And you know what? It wasn't upsetting. I had just recorded an ICED EARTH record, and it kind of felt like my time in JUDAS PRIEST was probably over. And [I was] kind of wishing it was over, in a way, to move on to ICED EARTH and do other things. And it was definitely best for JUDAS PRIEST, it was definitely best for Rob Halford, and it was definitely best for me. I would have never quit JUDAS PRIEST; I would have stayed in it forever, because I love the guys and I love what I was doing with 'em. But, as a career, to do things for my career, I had to move on. So it was okay. It was something that… It didn't offend me when JUDAS PRIEST let me go. I think it offended some family and friends and stuff at the time, but it didn't change my relationship with JUDAS PRIEST either, not has it changed with Rob Halford; we're all still good friends."

Zaza's touring has cemented him as a true guitar phenomenon. He's played alongside and shared the stage with such guitar luminaries as Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen and Nuno Bettencourt. His recordings feature collaborations with VAN HALEN's Michael Anthony, DREAM THEATER's Jordan Rudess, drumming legend Steve Smith and Peter Frampton, among others.

German rockers The New Black have posted snippets of the new songs "With A Grin" and "The Beer Of No Return", taken from their forthcoming album A Monster's Life, "filmed with secret agent techniques at Hansen Studios."

The New Black entered the studio freshly energized from a stint on the road with Zakk Wylde‘s Black Label Society where they premiered new tracks "Send In The Clowns" and "With A Grin". Pics from the studio can be found on the bands homepage, Facebook presence and other social media outlets. The album was produced by Jacob Hansen.

A Monster's Life will be released on February 26th, 2016 via AFM Records. 


STUDIO SNIPPET!HAPPY BLACK YEAR und Guten Morgen! Zum Aufwachen haben wir hier einen Ausschnitt aus "The Beer Of No Return", mit versteckter Agentenkamera in den Hansen Studios aufgenommen. Passender Titel nach der Silvesternacht, haha. HAPPY BLACK YEAR and Good Morning! To help you wake up here's a snippet of "The Beer Of No Return", filmed with secret agent techniques at Hansen Studios. Fitting title after last night, eh? :) ++"The Beer Of No Return", taken off "A Monster's Life", to be released on Feb 26th via AFM Records. Pre-order links at PledgeMusic in the commentaries.
Posted by THE NEW BLACK on Friday, January 1, 2016



The official cover art and tracklist for A Monster's Life are available below.

Tracklist:

"Long Time Coming"
"Blockbuster Life"
"With A Grin"
"Send In The Clowns"
"Dead In The Water"
"Buddha Belly"
"The Beer Of No Return"
"A Pill Named Ting"
"Better"
"That’s Your Poison, Not Mine"

For information and updates on The New Black go to this location.



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Amy Bailey, the half-sister of GUNS N' ROSES lead singer Axl Rose, has urged fans via Facebook to watch ABC-TV's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" show this coming Tuesday night (January 5).

Axl is expected to make the GUNS N' ROSES reunion official with a "Kimmel" appearance on Tuesday. It's believed that GUNS N' ROSES will be revealed as one of the headliners for this year's Coachella Music And Arts Festival, of which the lineup will be announced earlier that day.

Billboard.com reported on December 29 that GUNS has been confirmed to headline Coachella, which is scheduled to take place in mid-April in Indio, California.

That show will reportedly be followed by a 25-date football stadium tour in North America next summer.

Axl Rose, guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan are all said to be involved, although it's not clear who else will be part of the band's lineup.

On December 16, Geeks Life Luxembourg conducted an interview with keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen of Finnish-based symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH. You can now watch the chat below.

Speaking about NIGHTWISH's collaboration with evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins on the band's latest album, "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", Tuomas said: "Well, I had one of those huge 'fanboy' moments, which I very rarely get anymore, when I met him for the first time a little over a year ago, when we recorded his part for the album in a studio in Oxford. I've been a fan of his works, his books for years and years. And [he was] a major inspiration for the new album as well. [He is] one of my true heroes, and meeting him was quite something. And he's a true English gentleman. He has the mind the size of the whole cosmos, and it was just such a great honor that he actually agreed to come. And we're gonna meet him in three days in Wembley as well; he's gonna come and see the show. I'm very excited. The whole band is very excited. I mean, we all are more or less fans of his works."

Holopainen also talked about the subject of human rights and the significance it holds for NIGHTWISH. He said: "There is a sort of connection with human rights, and, actually, the rights of all living things on our new album. We had a lot of long and very fruitful dicsussions with the band on our little NIGHTWISH summer camp two summers ago, and it opened a lot of our eyes. We wanted to make a slight statement on the new album, but we wanted to also do it in a very subtle way, because too much… how would you say? Like, preaching or going too aggressively towards things is never a good thing. So this album was our little effort of maybe making people think and giving some food for thought."

NIGHTWISH's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" world tour kicked off in April this year in North America and the band has played sold-out shows in the U.S., Canada, South America and throughout Europe. The 2016 leg of the tour sees the band head to Australia, Asia and North America once again with a main-stage slot also announced for Donington's Download festival in June.

NIGHTWISH recently released a strictly limited (no reprints!) special tour edition of its current album, "Endless Forms Most Beautiful". The tour edition comes with a bonus DVD of live performances, documentary footage and promo videos as well as a huge photo gallery.

NIGHTWISH has announced a 26-date headlining tour of North America for 2016, launching in Sayreville, New Jersey on February 19, hitting six Canadian cities plus Pittsburgh, Anaheim, and New Orleans, then closing out in Tampa, Florida on March 23. Support on the tour will come from Dutch symphonic metallers DELAIN.

Alpha Omega Management announce the signing of Italian female fronted visual death metal act Elarmir, with influences of progressive black metal, jazz, groove and classic music.

Elarmir was born in 2010 as a project of metal and classical music for films. The purpose was to join visual and musical art without following any business wire but just the band's own idea and musical flavour. The band's latest album, Human Wisdom, was released in September 2015. In July Elarmir supported Arch Enemy in Rome. Furthermore the band shared the stage with Epica and Sirenia at Maximum Rock Festival on October 16th in Bucharest.

Comments the band: "We are proud to be part of Alpha Omega Management. We want to show that quality always wins. In our songs we experience with the combination of different items together, such as the contrast of the voice with instruments. We are sure that our followers like the way we compose. Music is our job and we like to work with professionals like Alpha Omega Management!"

Alpha Omega Management adds: "We are truly glad to welcome Elarmir to our roster! To see these young and talented musicians on stage is a spectacular experience, mixed by visual acts and well composed music, which we are looking forward to bring widely on international stages! So stay tuned for next announcements!"

Elarmir are:

Alessandro Trotto - guitarist, composer
Dysdemona (Eleonora Buono) - singer, choirs-designer
Daniele Amador - guitarist
Luca Zamberti - drummer



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Better late than never, BraveWords has received the following update from The Gathering:

"Merry Christmas to all of you. As a little present we present you the free download/stream of our fourth digital single from the live album, TG25: Live At Doornroosje. 'Travel' is a TG classic song originally from our How To Measure A Planet album. Sung by Anneke and with Hugo on guitars and bass, this song is played with the original line-up. Beautiful backing vocals are done by Marike, Bart, Silje, Jelmer and Marjolein! One of the many highlights that day!

Recorded during our 25th anniversary concert in Doornroosje - Nijmegen, The Netherlands, November 9th, 2014. You can order the live CD now, vinyl version will ship in March 2016 and various packages with new items via our webshop; 15% off on all Full Packs and 10% off for all other Packs! 

Order quickly, as the discount will end on January 1st, 2016!"

Go to The Gathering's webshop here.

Travel - Live at Doornroosje by The Gathering

TG25: Live At Doornroosje is a double album and comes in a digifile with a full colour 52 pages booklet. Recorded live at Doornroosje, Nijmegen, the Netherlands on November 9th, 2014 celebrating the 25th anniversary of The Gathering. The band played two sets during that day. This recording is a mix of those two concerts. Almost all past and present band members were present this special day and helping each other on various songs. 

The tracklist is as follows:

CD 1
"Saturnine"               
"Strange Machines"
"Meltdown"
"Nighttime Birds" 
"The Mirror Waters"
"King For A Day"
"Even The Spirits Are Afraid"
"Broken Glass"
"Heroes For Ghosts"

CD 2
"Afterwords"
"Amity"
"On Most Surfaces (Inuit)" 
"Paper Waves"
"Leaves"
"In Motion I"
"Travel"
"Waking Hour"
"I Can See Four Miles"

TG25 line-up: 
Anneke van Giersbergen
Silje Wergeland
René Rutten
Hans Rutten
Frank Boeijen
Hugo Prinsen Geerligs
Marjolein Kooijman
Jelmer Wiersma
Bart Smits
Marike Groot
Noël Hofman



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According to Daily Star, some MOTÖRHEAD fans are outraged over the fact that Ticketmaster sent out an e-mail on New Year's Day offering them a chance to see the band perform live in June at a festival in the United Kingdom.

MOTÖRHEAD frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister died on December 28, two days after he found out he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

The e-mail advertising this year's edition of the annual Download festival said: "Make sure you don't miss Ozzy, Lemmy, Dave Mustaine and Bruce Dickinson when they return to the home of rock this June."

A Ticketmaster spokesman later apologized for the e-mail, telling the Daily Star: "We sincerely apologize for our e-mail advertising Lemmy at Download. It was sent in error. We can only say sorry for any upset we caused fans."

In one of this final interviews, Kilmister vowed to come back as a ghost after his death. The MOTÖRHEAD legend spoke about how he felt lucky to have lived as long as he had. Asked if he was going to continue performing, he told German TV: "What, after death? No! I'll have to stop then — I think. But you never know, I could haunt somewhere."

Lemmy had been dealing with serious health issues for the past two years, including getting a pacemaker in 2013 and suffering from a hematoma last year. But despite 40 years of hard living and drinking, he continued to tour and record at a feverish pace.

He previously said: "I don't really recommend the lifestyle because most people die of it.

"A lot of my friends are dead who shouldn't be. But if it's the luck of the draw. It's random. You can't plan your life — it doesn't work."

Had email from @Ticketmaster saying "make sure you don't miss ozzy, lemmy..." @DownloadFest a bit insensitive I think #LemmyKilmister

— Charlie Kitson (@charliestheref) January 2, 2016

Ticketmaster sending out emails promoting Motorhead gig tickets for sale...for shame! #Lemmy

— minko fortuna (@minkofortuna) January 2, 2016

Just received a Ticketmaster ad saying that Lemmy will be playing Download in 2016. That sure is some Spinal Tap Lazarus-like resurrection.

— jason papworth (@lakesidephyserg) January 2, 2016

Ticketmaster sending out emails telling punters not to miss upcoming Motorhead gigs. Proof that Lemmy really is immortal

— Abhijeet Ahluwalia (@Abhi_Times) January 1, 2016

AEROSMITH frontman Steven Tyler joined members of Alice Cooper's band on stage this past Thursday night (December 31) at Alice manager Shep Gordon's star-studded New Year's Eve benefit bash in Maui, Hawaii to perform the AEROSMITH classic "Jaded". Also appearing with them was "Jaded" co-writer and acclaimed producer Marti Fredriksen. Check out fan-filmed video footage below.

Every New Year's Eve in Maui, Gordon sponsors a star-studded New Year's benefit bash. And every year, an eclectic array of artists take the stage to raise money for the Maui Food Bank. Last year's show included Alice Cooper (whom Shep has managed for more than forty-five years), Steven Tyler of AEROSMITH, balladeer Sarah McLachlan, a couple of DOOBIE BROTHERS, local hero Willie K, and clown prince Weird Al Yankovic, among others.

Shep's ability to garner such star power for his New Year's dinner and show is testament to his altruistic character and spirit of generosity. He has long enjoyed a reputation as one of the best connected and best-liked figures in showbiz.

For thirty years the New Year's eve event was held at Shep's oceanfront home. But when he realized that more people meant more money to help the hungry, he moved the event to his ever-popular restaurant Mala located at Wailea Beach Marriott, where larger audiences could be accommodated. Over the last seven years the event has grown exponentially; in fact, since 2008, Shep has provided 450,000 meals for those in need of hunger relief.

Shep notes: "Having a successful restaurant business puts food at the forefront. How can we sit down at the dinner table to eat and not share with those who are in need? We're all on the same planet, and we all have the ability to give something. If we all work together, we can stop hunger on Maui."

According to Metal Grenade Magazine, HELLYEAH paid tribute to iconic MOTÖRHEAD frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister this past Thrusday night (December 31) by performing the MOTÖRHEAD classic "Ace Of Spades" during their concert at the Bomb Factory in Dallas, Texas. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

Lemmy, who just celebrated his 70th birthday on Christmas Eve (December 24), learned two days later, on December 26, that he was afflicted with an aggressive form of cancer. He died two days later, on Monday (December 28) at his home in Los Angeles.

Lemmy had been dealing with serious health issues for the past two years, including getting a pacemaker in 2013 and suffering from a hematoma last year. But despite 40 years of hard living and drinking, he continued to tour and record at a feverish pace.

The band was forced to cancel or postpone a number of shows last year due to Lemmy's poor health, which also forced him to cut back on his drinking and give up smoking.

While MOTÖRHEAD itself was revered by metal and punk fans, Lemmy himself became a rock and roll icon and elder statesman, the embodiment of a musician who lived the rock lifestyle to the fullest and never stopped.

New video footage of former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing playing the solo in the band's classic song "Before The Dawn" and improvising can be seen below.

Downing, who is a founding member of the British heavy metal legends and was part of the group since 1969, announced his retirement from PRIEST in April 2011.

K.K. in 2011 shot down as "inaccurate" reports that he left JUDAS PRIEST because he chose to concentrate on running the 18- and nine-hole golf courses on his property.

In a recent interview with the "Rockin' Metal Revival" Internet radio show, Downing stated about his decision to leave JUDAS PRIEST: "I thought I couldn't remember the last time I saw the seasons change in England… you know, spring, summer, autumn and winter. [That was] one thing. But when I actually added everyting up, there was so many reasons, really, why I decided to not continue. Another reason is time does get shorter as you get older. I feel a lot of the listeners out there won't be the age that I am, but I can promise you when you get to a certain age, you start to think that things are zipping by, so it's time to take a bit of a step back and think about spending a little bit of time with the family and stuff like that. Not exactly living a normal life, but just getting in tune with reality again. Because, as I say, it's almost like an amazing fantasy world to live in the world that I had been living in. But it was time not to continue to be selfish and just put a bit of time into other people that have supported you over the years."

Asked if he has ever regretted his decision to leave, Downing told DigitalJournal.com: "I don't regret leaving, because, to me, I thought that it had run its course. I miss what we had, but I don't particularly miss what we had become when I left… You can look at YouTube and see JUDAS PRIEST playing at the US Festival, or at Live Aid, and I miss being at the pinnacle of the band. I miss that energy and youthfulness and just delivering all of that up."

He continued: "You become a certain age and I think that I would have been happy if, as I said, I was enjoying the shows. There's disagreements with how things should be done and I thought if I'm outnumbered, then it's time to go... But I suppose we did fantastically well. I mean, 40 years is great."

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN have paid tribute to iconic MOTÖRHEAD frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, who died on Monday (December 28) at the age of 70 after a brief struggle with cancer.

In a message credited to all six band members and manager Rod Smallwood, MAIDEN said: "Lemmy, rest in peace… loudly!

"The world has lost a unique character. They don't build them like you anymore. But you played a great set.

"Our condolences to your family and friends and Motorheads everywhere.

"With much affection and respect."

Lemmy, who just celebrated his 70th birthday on Christmas Eve (December 24), learned two days later, on December 26, that he was afflicted with an aggressive form of cancer. He died two days later, on Monday (December 28) at his home in Los Angeles.

Lemmy had been dealing with serious health issues for the past two years, including getting a pacemaker in 2013 and suffering from a hematoma last year. But despite 40 years of hard living and drinking, he continued to tour and record at a feverish pace.

The band was forced to cancel or postpone a number of shows this year due to Lemmy's poor health, which also forced him to cut back on his drinking and give up smoking.

While MOTÖRHEAD itself was revered by metal and punk fans, Lemmy himself became a rock and roll icon and elder statesman, the embodiment of a musician who lived the rock lifestyle to the fullest and never stopped.

ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian has paid tribute to iconic MOTÖRHEAD frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, who died on Monday (December 28) at the age of 70 after a brief struggle with cancer.

In a letter posted at RollingStone.com, Ian wrote, in part: "MOTÖRHEAD were arguably one of the most important bands in the history of rock music. They were an amazingly hard-working band. They were out there touring every single year. There's nobody else like that out there.

"It's hard to think about a world without Lemmy. It's been a constant in my life since 1980. It leaves a giant hole that will never be filled.

"Even with Lemmy and his lifestyle — and he was 70 years old — there was an air of invincibility about the guy. He truly was a modern-day pirate. As much of a bummer as it is, I'm celebrating his life and the fact that he really did go out on top. He finished a tour two weeks ago playing headline shows at venues in Europe that were some of the biggest shows MOTÖRHEAD had ever done."

Read Ian's entire tribute to Lemmy at RollingStone.com.

Former BLACK FLAG vocalist and punk rock legend Henry Rollins has paid tribute to iconic MOTÖRHEAD frontman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, who died on Monday (December 28) at the age of 70 after a brief struggle with cancer.

Writing in his weekly column for LA Weekly, Rollins said: "I became a Lemmy fan when I heard MOTÖRHEAD's album 'Ace Of Spades'. In the small punk-rock scene I was in, they were a true crossover band. It wasn't uncommon then or now to see a punk rocker in a MOTÖRHEAD T-shirt.

"I would like to think that this was due to at least two reasons. First, the music was badass and uncompromising. It packed as much or more wallop than anything your punk heroes could ever come up with. Second, and more importantly, you knew that Lemmy was the 100 percent genuine article. I think this was the biggest selling point of the band. The man was so straight-shooting, you could either handle it, or you couldn't.

"MOTÖRHEAD were well known in the rock world not only for playing hard as hell but for being loud to the point of giving their audiences brain damage. Even from the side of the stage, from where I last witnessed them, it was a battering experience. Lemmy's lyrics, often witty, packed with sarcasm and scorn, told a lot of unflinching truth. With Lem, it wasn’t always what he saw but how he saw it that made the lyrics bite."

Read Rollins's entire Lemmy tribute at LAWeekly.com.