The official music video for the song "Hold On To Love" from Jason Becker can be seen below. The track is taken from the guitarist's new album, "Triumphant Hearts", which will be released on December 7 via Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group.

Becker's story is one of brilliance, talent, determination, adversity, and, ultimately, triumph. A child prodigy on guitar, Jason rose to prominence as a teenager when he was one half of the technical guitar duo CACOPHONY, with his great friend Marty Friedman. In 1989, at only 19 years old and after wowing audiences all over the world, the young virtuoso became the guitarist for David Lee Roth, following in the huge footsteps of Eddie Van Halen and Steve Vai. He wrote and recorded on Roth's third solo album, "A Little Ain't Enough", and was poised for superstardom when a nagging pain in his leg was diagnosed as Motor Neurone Disease (MND), also known as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig's Disease, the same condition Stephen Hawking lived with for over five decades. It is a fatal condition with a life expectancy of maybe five years. Maybe.


That was 29 years ago. He lost the ability to play guitar, walk, talk, and breathe on his own. But never lost his will to live or his desire to create music. Communicating through a series of eye movements with a system developed by his father, Jason spells out words as well as musical notes and chords. He imparts his musical vision to his team who then can input the notes into a computer, edit the parts to his exacting standards, and then generate charts for session musicians. His inspiring music and life story have been the subject of countless news articles, magazine cover stories, and an award-winning documentary, "Jason Becker: Not Dead Yet".


The album's 14 tracks showcase Jason's gift for melody and his deep knowledge of classical composition and orchestral arrangement. Many of the guitar parts are performed by a who's who of six-string gods, including Joe Satriani, Steve Vai, Neal Schon, Steve Morse, Paul Gilbert, Joe Bonamassa, and many others. And, in what will absolutely delight his fans, Jason's amazing guitar playing — recorded in the '80s and '90s — features throughout.


he first song to be released from the album is the beautifully mesmerizing nine-minute-and-five-second instrumental "Valley Of Fire" that features The Magnificent 13 — Steve Vai, Joe Bonamassa, Paul Gilbert, Neal Schon, Marty Friedman, Michael Lee Firkins, Mattias IA Eklundh, Greg Howe, Jeff Loomis, Richie Kotzen, Gus G., Steve Hunter and Ben Woods. A phenomenal cast to feature on a single song.


The album opens with the title track, featuring Jason's old bandmate Marty Friedman and an astounding violin performance. "I wrote 'Triumphant Heart' and it made me feel triumphant," says Becker. "When Marty found out I was making this album, he told me he would play anything I needed. I sent him this, and his wife, Hiyori Okuda, who is a cellist, also offered to play on it. The great violinist Glauco Bertagnin recorded my violin parts in Italy. That fast solo section I wrote is way too hard; I don't know how Glauco pulled it off. He put so much soul in the whole song."


"Hold On To Love" is the first vocal song on the record, although it didn't start out that way. "It was going to be an instrumental," explains Jason, "but after I wrote the chorus with lyrics, I knew I had to tell my story, to explain how I can continue living without feeling hate. I hadn't written many lyrics before." In addition to its beautiful, gospel-tinged choir, the heartfelt song features Bay Area singer Codany Holiday on lead vocals.


"Fantasy Weaver" displays the four-string magic of world-renown ukulele master Jake Shimabukuro and harp arpeggios that were written back in Jason's CACOPHONY days. "Once Upon A Melody" not only features two Jason Becker guitar solos from his CACOPHONY era, but also audio of him as a three-year-old. The full-circle nature of having little boy Jason, guitar virtuoso Jason, and modern-day composer Jason all on the same song is a breathtaking accomplishment while "We Are One" features soulful FLIPSYDE vocalist Steve Knight, and more Becker guitar delights.


Uli Jon Roth appears on "Magic Woman", along with ex-MEGADETH guitarist Chris Broderick who counts both Uli and Jason as big influences. Fans of Jason's work with David Lee Roth will be thrilled by the inclusion of two previously unreleased outtakes from the "A Little Ain't Enough" sessions, the hard-rocking "Taking Me Back" and the blues-infused "Tell Me No Lies". There are also performances by Joe Satriani, Guthrie Govan, Steve Morse, Trevor Rabin, and many others.


"Some people feel sorry for me," he concedes, "and I understand that. I really feel lucky though. I don't miss playing guitar anymore. I'm sure that's out of necessity, but I am grateful for so much more. I am surrounded by loving people, and I can still make music."


"Triumphant Hearts" track listing:

01. Triumphant Heart (ft. Marty Friedman, Gluaco Bertagnin, Hiyori Okuda)

02. Hold On To Love (ft. Codany Holiday)

03. Fantasy Weaver (ft. Jake Shimabukuro)

04. Once Upon A Melody

05. We Are One (ft. Steve Knight)

06. Magic Woman (ft. Uli Jon Roth, Chris Broderick)

07. Blowin' In The Wind

08. River Of Longing (ft. Jon Satiriani, Aleks Sever, Guthrie Govan, Steve Morse)

09. Valley Of Fire (ft. The Magnificent 13)

10. River Of Longing (ft. Trevor Rabin)

11. Taking Me Back

12. Tell Me No Lies

13. Hold On To Love (ft. Codany Holiday) [Chuck Zwicky Remix]

14. You Do It

Former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes is putting the finishing touches on a new EP, "Under The Influence", to be released in December. A new full-length album will follow a year later.

"If you like the first W.A.S.P. album, you'll like this record, kind of, 'cause it's raw," Holmes told Duke TV in a new interview (see video below). "It's just mainly guitar stuff. It's not over-produced. I didn't add anything in it; I just did some good rock and roll music."

Asked how his new music is a progression from his last album, "Shitting Bricks", which was released in 2015 via M & O Music, Chris said: "I'm three, four years older. [Laughs] I've learned a lot about singing lately and putting words together and stuff like that; I've got more experience now."

According to Holmes, the lyrics to his songs are "just things that I've done in the past." He singled out one track, "The Devil Made Me Do It", saying that "it's about drinking and driving. It's saying 'the devil made me do it.' It's about reality. It's not about the cosmos."

b>"Under The Influence" was recorded in Cannes, France, where Holmes has lived since 2014.

"I just got tired of all the crap in America," Chris told Duke TV. "I like playing here [in Europe]. One thing is, in four years I haven't been arrested by a cop; I haven't been bothered by a cop. It's beautiful here. I hear people telling me the cops are bad here. I haven't been bothered once. In L.A., I've got [cops] looking up my ass every time. I hated it; I got tired of it. I'd probably be in jail now in L.A. for some stupid thing that they're always doing. But anyway, I don't think rock music does that good there anymore — except for the big groups like IRON MAIDEN and stuff. For somebody like me, starting out, it'd probably be really hard. Half the clubs are closed down in L.A.; there's not that many places to play there anymore."

Holmes joined W.A.S.P. in 1982 and remained with the group until 1990. In 1996, Holmes rejoined W.A.S.P. and stayed with the band until 2001. Holmes has not played with W.A.S.P. since.

Holmes in 2013 released a solo album called "Nothing To Lose". Chris composed, performed, and produced the music and vocals, and teamed up with former MOTÖRHEAD drummer Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor to perform on and engineer the effort.

Frontiers Music Srl is known for building new bands/projects featuring musicians of outstanding quality and who come from unique backgrounds. After an intense brainstorming session, a dream team of renowned metal musicians including Tim "Ripper" Owens (ex-JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH), Chris Caffery (SAVATAGE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA), Steve DiGiorgio (TESTAMENT, DEATH) and Mark Zonder (ex-FATES WARNING, WARLORD) was born and put together under the direction of renowned Los Angeles-based producer Roy Z. (BRUCE DICKINSON, HALFORD, TRIBE OF GYPSIES).

Called SPIRITS OF FIRE (after the title of one of their songs), the band has completed work on their debut album which is set for release on February 22 via Frontiers Music Srl. The music can best be described as "classic JUDAS PRIEST meets SAVATAGE."

Today, SPIRITS OF FIRE has released its first video and single, "Light Speed Marching". Check it out below.

Caffery said: "My influences for writing on this record were the bands that we were and are still in! I wanted to write songs that PRIEST, SAVATAGE, TESTAMENT and FATES WARNING fans would like. But I wanted them to have a personality of their own as well. To give it a vibe that was SPIRITS OF FIRE! I grew up listening to JUDAS PRIEST and spent 30-plus years working with Jon Oliva and Paul O'Neill with SAVATAGE and TSO. Many years playing Criss's music. These influences for me came naturally! Especially because I'm a fan of all of our bands!


This was the first time that I ever worked with Roy and it was so much fun. I have been a huge fan of his work for a long time. He's written music, played on, and produced some of my favorite metal albums ever. He had a difficult job bringing this all together and I can't think of anyone that would have been a better producer and co-worker for this album!"


Added Owens: "I always just sing to the song, whatever I feel it should be. It's like a character thing! I like layers! This music is really perfect for me and in my natural wheel house. I like to sing all over the place and change it up and this all happens on this album. This is just the start of an amazing band, I mean sky is the limit and I actually can't wait to record the next album, because this one is so great and perfect."


Zonder stated: "I am the kind of player that plays what I think fits best with the music. With SPIRITS OF FIRE, the music was more aggressive and hard hitting which I really liked. Again, I tried to be very mindful of the song and the vocals, but tried to add parts that were interesting and creative for the listener."

"Spirits Of Fire" track listing:

01. Light Speed Marching

02. Temple Of The Soul

03. All Comes Together

04. Spirits Of Fire

05. It's Everywhere

06. A Game

07. Dispensable

08. Meet Your End

09. Never To Return

10. The Path

11. Alone In The Darkness

Dutch symphonic heavyweights EPICA have announced a select number of exclusive shows in support of the 10th anniversary of their album "Design Your Universe". The disc holds a special place in the hearts of EPICA's fans and includes such fan favorites as "Kingdom Of Heaven" and "Design Your Universe".


To celebrate the 10th anniversary of "Design Your Universe", the band will return to a number of venues they played while touring on the album back in 2009-2010.


Singer Simone Simons comments: "After all those years, 'Design Your Universe' remains one of my all-time favorite EPICA albums. I know that the message behind the title song also resonates with a lot our fans because there are so many 'Design Your Universe'-related tattoos. The title track and 'Unleashed' are songs that I hold very dear and the memories we made in that time of our career. I am looking forward to go back in time with you all while we play more songs from our 'Design Your Universe' album."


Guitarist Mark Jansen adds: "'Design Your Universe' is very dear to me. It's an album that was written during a very inspiring time. The title track shows us that we can we all create our destiny and it's still one of my favorite tracks to play live. Also, quite a few other songs of the album deserve to be played again, and we will! Our set is gonna be filled with 'Design Your Universe' songs, so don't miss one of these opportunities."


b>"Design Your Universe" 10th-anniversary shows:

Oct. 04 - D - Oberhausen - Turbinenhalle

Oct. 05 - NL - Utrecht - Tivoli Vredenburg

Oct. 06 - F - Paris - Elysée Montmartre

Oct. 10 - ISR - Tel Aviv - Barby Club

Oct. 12 - RU - Moscow - Glavclub


Tickets and VIP upgrades go on sale on Saturday, November 17 at 10:00 a.m.

The official video for the song "One With The Sun" from Boston's UNEARTH can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "Extinction(s)", which will be released on November 23. For its seventh release and Century Media debut, the band worked with Will Putney (EVERY TIME I DIE, BODY COUNT, GOJIRA, THY ART IS MURDER, SILENT PLANET) at Graphic Nature Studios. Additionally, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's Adam Dutkiewicz recorded drums for the effort.

Frontman Trevor Phipps states: "We chose 'One With The Sun' as the first video off 'Extinction(s)' because we feel it's one of the hardest-hitting tracks in our entire catalog. Musically, it's everything UNEARTH is about, and lyrically, it deals with the effects of climate change we are feeling today as well as the bleakness of our future unless we make drastic changes now. Tim Dennesen and the guys at Punchdance, Inc. did a great job capturing the imagery needed to get the message across. You'll be sure to hear this one at our live shows as it's already become a staple in our set. See you out there."

According to a press release, "Extinction(s)" "is full of venom toward the wrongs of the world, fighting back against the precarious position civilization is in, determined to effect some kind of change. The inevitability of death, loss, and tragedy is a persistent theme throughout 'Extinction(s)', deep within the band’s most profound and hard-hitting lyrics thus far."

"Extinction(s)" track listing:

1. Incinerate

02. Dust

03. Survivalist

04. Cultivation Of Infection

05. The Hunt Begins

06. Hard Lines Downfall

07. King Of The Arctic

08. Sidewinder

09. No Reprisal

10. One With The Sun

After an awe-inspiring 20 years of blazing trails and dominating stages, UNEARTH is now institutionalized as a relentless force in heavy metal, standing the test of time with consistently triumphant creative output, tireless road warrior resilience, blue collar-style workmanship and a resolute determination to deliver the goods.

With over 500,000 in worldwide album sales, UNEARTH's continued staying power has also hinged on its highly interactive and toweringly heavy live performances.

UNEARTH etched its name into the annals of hard rock history through unrelenting determination, tireless energy and a catalog of stone-cold classics. Two decades into a triumphant career, the Massachusetts-bred New Wave Of American Heavy Metal trailblazers are both elder statesmen and newly relevant all over again.

CKY has released a cover of the GG Allin classic "Bite It You Scum". The song is taken from the band's vinyl-only EP "Too Precious To Kill", which will be released in stores on Black Friday, November 23 (Record Store Day).


"Nobody knows fucking GG Allin!" says CKY frontman and guitarist Chad I Ginsburg. "CKY will kill you!!!…with this relentless and quite vicious studio version of this classic punk rock song. It has been a longtime staple in the CKY live show and highly requested for over a decade! Here it is in studio quality, only available as part of our Record Store Day exclusive. Crank it up and take a shit on someone!"


CKY will make a hometown in-store appearance at Creep Records in West Chester, Pennsylvania at 2 p.m. EST on November 23, with none other than Phil Margera participating as Santa Claus.


The band is currently wrapping up its North American run of dates with NEKROGOBLIKON.

b>CKY released "The Phoenix" last year via Entertainment One (eOne). The all-new LP is the first release since the band put out "Carver City" in 2009. The disc was engineered and mixed at Rancho De La Luna, the highly regarded recording studio in Joshua Tree, California.

Chad I Ginsburg, the band's guitarist and singer, steps into the frontman role with charisma, charm, and bravado, confidently delivering a diverse performance as he claims a position that was clearly rightfully his to own. He's joined in enduring partnership and musical and personal chemistry by fellow CKY cofounder Jess Margera, the drummer whose extracurricular work in projects like THE COMPANY BAND (with guys from CLUTCH and FIREBALL MINISTRY) expanded CKY's horizons as much as Ginsburg's solo work has as well. The duo returned to their primary project refreshed and reenergized, with bassist Matt Deis (ex-ALL THAT REMAINS), who first joined CKY in 2005.

Rising stars of Japan's metal scene LOVEBITES will release their sophomore full-length album, "Clockwork Immortality", on December 7 via Arising Empire. The official music video for the disc's first single, "Rising", can be seen below.

"Rising" is available as an instant gratification track on iTunes ahead of the album's physical release. The track was written by the band's guitarist and pianist Miyako, who was also the main composer for half of the album.

Miyako comments: "One of the key sections to 'Rising' is a piano and vocal part in the middle, I used this piece to pay my respects to Chopin. If you listen carefully, you may be able to notice it. I believe this song will be one of LOVEBITES' defining tracks."

LOVEBITES leader and bassist Miho adds: "'Clockwork Immortality' features the strongest, most powerful elements of our second EP, 'Battle Against Damnation', with the speedy and melodic elements of our debut album, 'Awakening From Abyss'. This is the evolution of LOVEBITES so far. I would be happy if you can feel the power overflowing from each song."

b>"Clockwork Immortality" includes ten new recordings and sees Finnish engineer supremoes Mikko Karmila and Mika Jussila return to mixing and mastering duties, respectively. It is the same team responsible for working on releases from CHILDREN OF BODOM, NIGHTWISH and STRATOVARIUS, among many others.

The album's spectacular artwork, featuring a wolf smashing through an hourglass, also sees the return of Spanish creative forces David López Gómez and Carlos Vincente León. The pair had worked on the cover art of LOVEBITES' previous two releases, as well as HELLOWEEN's 30th anniversary book "Hellbook" and single "Pumpkins United".

LOVEBITES consists of Asami (vocals), Miho (bass), Haruna (drums), Midori (guitars) and Miyako (guitars/keyboard). The LOVEBITES sound owes a debt to the many great overseas heavy metal bands that have directly influenced their writing. Coupled with their own unique take on music, taking a piece from each member's eclectic background and experiences, everything has culminated into forging a truly formidable group.

Last fall, Asami, Haruna, Midori, Miho and Miyako performed their first overseas live show in London. On the heels of this success, the all-female band won the "Best New Band" award at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in June 2018. LOVEBITES released its second mini album, "Battle Against Damnation", that same month, and followed it up with appearances at Wacken Open Air in Germany and Bloodstock Open Air in the U.K.

LOVEBITES' first European tour kicked off on November 13 and will include stops in the Netherlands, Germany, France and the U.K.

ABBATH, the solo project of former IMMORTAL frontman Abbath (real name Olve Eikemo), will enter Dub Studios in Kristiansand, Norway on December 3 to begin recording its second album. Helming the effort will be producer Endre Kirkesola, who has previously worked with BLOOD RED THRONE, GREEN CARNATION, SIRENIA and IN VAIN, among others.

ABBATH's sophomore album will not feature the contributions of bassist King Ov Hell, who left the Norwegian black metal band in June. The musician, whose real name is Tom Cato Visnes, announced at the time that he was exiting the group "due to conflicting views on lyrical concepts of the upcoming disc." Claiming that the lyrics to ABBATH's new LP were inspired by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Gustav Jung, King said that he found "Jung's connection to Christian mysticism… incompatible with the image of the band."

King said in the statement: "I wish members of the actual band, label, and crew all the best for the upcoming shows and album. The music itself is nothing short of brilliant. However, I must maintain artistic integrity and respectfully step aside."

King Ov Hell appeared on ABBATH's self-titled debut, which came out in 2016. He has also played with GORGOROTH, GOD SEED and AUDREY HORNE.

The second trailer for SOILWORK's 11th studio album, "Verkligheten", can be seen below. The disc is SOILWORK's first to feature drummer Bastian Thusgaard, who replaced Dirk Verbeuren in 2016. In the trailer, Thusgaard and singer Björn "Speed" Strid talk about choosing a Swedish album title and the artwork of "Verkligheten".

"Verkligheten" will be released on January 11, 2019 via Nuclear Blast. The first-edition digipack, as well as the vinyl versions, will also contain the exclusive "Underworld" EP, containing four more songs. The digipack version will also feature special artwork with lavish foil print.

The album as well as accompanying merchandise is now available for pre-order in various formats (digipack + t-shirt, digipack, black/orange/purple vinyl as well as digital download/stream).

"Verkligheten" track listing:

1. Verkligheten

02. Arrival

03. Bleeder Despoiler

04. Full Moon Shoals

05. The Nurturing Glance

06. When The Universe Spoke

07. Stålfågel (feat. Alissa White-Gluz)

08. The Wolves Are Back In Town

09. Witan

10. The Ageless Whisper

11. Needles And Kin (feat. Tomi Joutsen)

12. You Aquiver (feat. Dave Sheldon)


"Underworld" bonus EP track listing:

13. Summerburned And Winterblown

14. In This Master's Tale

15. The Undying Eye

16. Needles And Kin (original version)

Strid told United Rock Nations about the disc. "I'm really, really pleased with it — it's really, really cool. [It's] possibly the most epic and darkest album we've done. And it's also very melancholic, but it's also very sort of uplifting. It's huge. I'm really happy with it."

Asked if the musical direction of the new SOILWORK material is similar to that on the last album, Strid said: "I would say a mixture between 'The Ride Majestic' and [2013's] 'The Living Infinite'."

SOILWORK will embark on an extensive European co-headlining run with labelmates AMORPHIS in January. Support on the trek will come from NAILED TO OBSCURITY and JINJER.

SOILWORK is now a quintet, following the departure of bassist Markus Wibom in late 2016 due to "other commitments." He has since been replaced by touring bassist Taylor Nordberg (THE ABSENCE).

In 2016, SOILWORK released a special collection of rarities titled "Death Resonance" via Nuclear Blast.

SOILWORK is:

Björn "Speed" Strid - Vocals

Sven Karlsson - Keyboards

David Andersson - Guitars

Sylvain Coudret - Guitars

Bastian Thusgaard - Drums

Photo credit: Stephansdotter Photography

STATUS QUO's Francis Rossi is gearing up for a busy 2019. He has confirmed the release of a collaborative album with vocalist Hannah Rickard, a brand-new autobiography written with Mick Wall, and a spoken-word U.K. tour that will see him and Wall tour the country discussing the guitarist's illustrious career and taking questions from fans.

"We Talk Too Much" is the title of the album by ROSSI/RICKARD. The pair met when Hannah Rickard worked with STATUS QUO on the hugely successful "Aquostic" projects.

Reconnecting with one of Rossi's true loves, this is a collection of country-flavored duets and is due for release on March 15, 2019 via earMUSIC.

Featuring all brand-new material, and boasting writing credits for Rossi and Rickard as well as QUO stalwart Bob Young, this album has been a true labor of love.

b>"We Talk Too Much" track listing:

01. I'll Take You Home (Rossi/Rickard)

02. I've Tried Letting It Go (Rossi/Rickard)

03. Oughta Know By Now (Rossi/Rickard)

04. But I Just Said Goodbye (Rossi/Young)

05. Waiting For Jesus (Hannah Rickard/Howard Rickard)

06. I'm Only Happy (Rossi/Rickard)

07. Rearrange (Rossi/Frost)

08. I Talk Too Much (Rossi/Young)

09. Heartbreaker (Hannah Rickard/Howard Rickard)

10. Good Times Bad Times (Rossi/Rickard/Young)

11. Sinking In Blue (Rossi/Young)

12. Maybe Tomorrow (Rossi/Rickard)

Rossi's autobiography, "I Talk Too Much", will be published on March 14, 2019 by Little, Brown. This gripping brand-new book has been created in conjunction with award-winning writer and broadcaster Mick Wall, who has sold more than 1 million books.

In this explosive new memoir, the famously indiscreet Rossi reveals the true-life stories behind his unbelievable career. Painfully honest at times, the book covers the glory years, the dark days, the ups and downs of his relationship with the late Rick Parfitt and the real stories behind the creation of some of the greatest rock music of all time.

Francis will share the extraordinary secrets of his 50-plus years in rock and roll when he takes to the stage for an intimate evening at 36 theatres across the U.K.

Kicking off on March 20, 2019 in Whitley Bay and culminating on May 20, 2019 in King's Lynn, the "I Talk Too Much" tour will feature Francis — joined by Mick Wall — sharing some of the best rock and roll stories ever, accrued during an extraordinary life on the road. Expect laughter, revelations, tales involving some of the giants of music, exclusive video clips, snatches of classic tunes and a great night out.

Rossi said: "This show is something new for me. It will be live and unscripted, so god knows what could happen! One thing's for sure though, it'll be a white-knuckle ride for me, but fans will get a real unvarnished insight into what’s happened over the years. I'll be taking a guitar along to demonstrate how some of those QUO classics came into being, and hopefully we'll take a few questions from the audience too. It's been quite a journey, there's a lot to share."

Tickets are available, priced £25 and £32.50 for VIPs, who get seats in the front rows, a 10x8 photograph and an exclusive VIP lanyard.

DISTURBED singer David Draiman says that he is "never returning to Twitter," three years after deleting his account on the social media platform.

Draiman, who once said that he spent more time on the Internet communicating with his fanbase than any other musician, told Loudwire that he is not longer able to keep in contact with his fans as much as he used to. "No, I can't on the same level, by any means, and it's unfortunate," he said (see video below). "It's also a matter of just pure numbers. Once it got to a point where I could no longer handle it in terms of sheer volume and size, it became a daunting thing — it became something that actually came between me and my wife; I spent so much time on it."

He continued: "The water has been poisoned for quite some time as far as interaction is concerned. Social media has become a high school playground where the challenge is what idiot can come up with the best insult, and do you end up congratulating 'em for it. It's really sad. Either that or people just pushing their own respective ideas on everyone, trying to shove everything down everybody else's throats, and so much elitism and so much lack of camaraderie and lack of unity. It's become a very, very ugly thing."

Pressed about whether he has plans to one day reopen an official Twitter account, Draiman said: "No, never. I'm never returning to Twitter."

his past August, Draiman admitted to SiriusXM Octane that while he does not have an official presence on Twitter, he still uses the platform "as a news tool. I still have a 'shadow' Twitter account," he explained. "But I don't tweet, I don't spew anything. It's just there for me to be able to get my news."

Draiman has in the past battled with Twitter trolls who have harassed him about his sometimes-controversial views regarding Israel and its ongoing conflict with the Palestinians. Draiman has had frequent heated exchanges with followers on Twitter, some of whom believe that Israel is not blameless in the ongoing conflict with Palestinians.

Draiman, the son of Israelis and the grandson of Holocaust survivors, spent much of 2014 and early 2015 linking to articles by conservative and pro-Israel blogs and has often used his fame to speak out against anti-Semitism.

Fifth Angel recently released their first new album in almost 30 years, The Third Secret, via Nuclear Blast. Order the album in various formats here.

The Third Secret has entered charts in Germany at #48 and in Switzerland at #51 - which marks the first chart entries for the band ever.

"Fifth Angel are very honored that after many years in between albums, our fans in Germany and Switzerland have seen fit to put us back onto the charts with The Third Secret. Special thanks as well to all of the amazing press that have supported us in the past and on this album, and our incredible friends at Nuclear Blast!", comments drummer Ken Mary.

Tracklisting:

"Stars Are Falling"
"We Will Rise"
"Queen Of Thieves"
"Dust To Dust"
"Can You Hear Me"
"This Is War"
"Fatima"
"Third Secret"
"Shame On You"
"Hearts Of Stone"

"The Third Secret" video:

"Can You Hear Me" lyric video:

Lineup:

Ken Mary - drums
John Macko - bass
Kendall Bechtel - vocals, guitars
Ed Archer - guitars

(Photo - Laura Siivola)

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions have signed Florida's corpse thrashing death punks, Fleshreaper, and are set to release their new album, Blue Skies Laced With Pesticide, on December 7th on CD and digital formats. Below is the official description:

Fleshreaper return to Horror Pain Gore Death Productions with the full length album Blue Skies Laced With Pesticide. Hailing from Tampa Bay Florida, Fleshreaper perform corpse thrashing, raw death punk from the grave. Following up on 2016's album Casketastrophe, Blue Skies... features fourteen tracks of intense, catchy and vile, horrific madness. Fleshreaper consists of Tony Anderson from Generichrist and Doomsilla, as well as current/former members of Massacre, The Crucifucks, Human Sufferage and Bandwhore. A must have release for fans of Abscess, The Accused, Dwarves, The Lurking Corpses, Violation Wound and Zeke.

Pre-order the CD for only $10 with free shipping here. Pre-order the digital download for only $6.66 here. Pre-order the album art t-shirt for only $15 here. Pre-order the Dance With The Reaper t-shirt for only $15 here.

Listen to the track "Of Rotten Mind" below.

Tracklisting:

"Of Rotten Mind"
"Face In The Window"
"Mental Waste"
"Ghosts Of Highway Dead (Thrill Ride)"
"Lunatics Eye"
"Soul Divided"
"The Magicians Grudge"
"She Worships Death"
"King Of The Whores"
"Blue Skies Laced With Pesticide"
"Armies Of The Dead"
"Rotting In The Corner Of Hell"
"Abducted By Shadows"
"Graveyard Graffiti"

"Of Rotten Mind":

Ted Nugent says that "Canada is absolutely crazy" for its decision to legalize marijuana, explaining that he has "never seen one moment of positive outcome from someone getting high."

Starting in October, Canada became the highest-profile country to not only decriminalize cannabis possession and use, but to tax, regulate and monitor its growth, distribution and sale.

Though a majority of the states of the United States of America have adopted some form of legal weed, marijuana remains illegal at the federal level in the USA.

Asked if he would welcome American cannabis legalization or if "Canada is crazy" to sanction a fully legal recreational marijuana marketplace, Nugent told "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" (hear audio below): "Canada is absolutely crazy. I love my Canadian friends, but [Canadian Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau is comfortably numb, and when you're comfortably numb, you make stupid decisions. And I would just propose to you that after 70 years of an American Dream, of being the best that I can be and forced by disciplining parents that loved me to be the best that I can be, I have never seen one moment of positive outcome from someone getting high."

e continued: "Who do you want high? Your babysitter? How about your kids' school bus driver? How about your pilot? How about your dentist comfortably numb? How about the cops high?

"It's unbelievable that you could possibly witness the heartbreak and destroyed lives from people being comfortably numb and high, and the loss of life and the loss of dignity in the tragic vapor trail of substance abuse, and then actually pursue it," he said.

"I'm all for medical marijuana, I'm all for medical anything, as long as it's really beneficial to people suffering from health issues, but to legalize recreational comfortably numb is a guaranteed script for ruined lives," Nugent argued.

"The recreational drug legalization in Colorado has created a near-two-hundred-percent increase in highway fatalities and injuries and just all kinds of tragedy and heartbreak and ruined lives and destruction. I'm not for any of that. I'm for being the best that you can be, which can only be accomplished when you call upon all your gifts from God to maximize your awareness, your conscientious behavior and accountable conduct, so that you can be an asset to your family, neighbors, fellow man and the good earth, instead of a comfortably numb liability.

"Now, people will squawk and piss and moan that I'm a nasty guy and I'm against freedom and against individual choice," Nugent added. "Well, I'm all for freedom, but if that includes shitting in the water upstream from my pursuit of happiness, you're gonna have to relocate your shitting procedures. You can't poop upstream from my American Dream, or my Canadian Dream. You have to poop somewhere where it doesn't flow downstream to other people's lives. And in the use and the abuse of substances, I'm sorry — there are no winners. Period."

Although Canada became the second country to make it legal for adults to buy, grow and consume small amounts of marijuana, it also made it a crime to give it to anyone younger than 19 or 18, depending on the province, and set a penalty of up to 14 years in prison for doing so, according to The New York Times.

Nugent is promoting his latest album, "The Music Made Me Do It", which was released on November 9 via Round Hill Records. Ted's first studio album in four years features Greg Smith (BILLY JOEL, ALICE COOPER, RITCHIE BLACKMORE'S RAINBOW) on bass, Jason Hartless (JOE LYNN TURNER, MITCH RYDER) on drums, and the Motor City Madman himself on lead guitar and vocals.

He’s back again! But was he ever truly gone? Rock’N’Roll with a capital ‘N’ - showing that anything goes in this profession - is experiencing what feels like its seventh or eighth spring. And in the middle of it all: John Diva & The Rockets Of Love.

The flashy band in the style of the eighties has been blessed with the talent of bringing a breath of fresh air to classic rock music. They are the rightful heirs of an era in which Van Halen, Aerosmith, Bon Jovi, Whitesnake, Scorpions, Guns N' Roses or Mötley Crüe roved around all over the planet and took apart anything they could get their hands on. John Diva is charged US entertainment at its very best.

At John Diva’s side are the guitarists Snake Rocket and J.J. Love, bassist Remmie Martin and drummer Lee Stingray Jr. who, in previous years, have pulled off their spectacular performances in front of thousands of fans, three times at the Wacken Open Air alone, amongst others. Once you have witnessed this band on stage, you know how exciting and stimulating strenuous rock’n’roll can be.

All twelve songs were produced by Michael Voss (Mad Max, Michael Schenker, Tony Carey etc..) in the Gizmo 7 Studios in Malaga, Spain, the Principal Studios and the Kidroom Studio in Münster, with Chris von Rohr (Krokus, Gotthard) as creative supervisor. A dream team of international renown with the experience of real rock’n’rollers.

Hence: Welcome to an album that will revive your rock’n’roll life as well!

Mama Said Rock Is Dead will be released through SPV/Steamhammer on February 8th on CD DigiPak, 2LP Gatefold, download and stream. The first single and video, for the song "Lolita", will be available on November 23rd.

Mama Said Rock Is Dead tracklisting:

"Whiplash"
"Lolita"
"Rock N' Roll Heaven"
"Wild Life"
"Blinded"
"Dance Dirty"
"Just A Night Away"
"Fire Eyes"
"Get It On"
"Long Legs"
"Toxic"
"Rocket Of Love"

Find the band's tour schedule here.

Progessive metal giants DREAM THEATER recently announced the first dates for the "Distance Over Time" world tour, which is also being billed as a 20th-anniversary celebration of the band's fifth album, 1999's "Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes From A Memory". Asked by Rolling Stone if DREAM THEATER will play the whole record at each show, guitarist John Petrucci said: "We are. The tour is going to be 'An Evening With,' and part of the evening will be playing some of the new record and some older songs in our catalog, and then also playing 'Scenes From A Memory' in its entirety. So it going to be a lot of fun. And that was a really important record for us, speaking of storytelling and all that. Because it was our first concept record."

Petrucci said that "Metropolis Pt. 2" was significant for him because "it was our first album with [keyboardist] Jordan [Rudess], so that was important. And it was the first album where we didn't use an outside producer. I remember back then having a conversation with Mike [original DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy] where we said, 'Let's not do that anymore. Let's produce ourselves.' And we basically have ever since. So in that respect, 'Scenes From A Memory' might have actually been a record that was a reaction to the previous one. And then we also figured that we hadn't done a concept album yet, and we decided that it was time. It was like, let's make our 'Operation: Mindcrime', our 'Tommy', our 'The Wall'. It was definitely a conscious decision to do something bold and new and different."

DREAM THEATER will release its 14th studio album, "Distance Over Time", on February 22, 2019. The artwork was created by long-time cover collaborator Hugh Syme (RUSH, IRON MAIDEN, STONE SOUR). The disc was produced by Petrucci, mixed by Ben Grosse and mastered by Tom Baker.

"Distance Over Time" will mark DREAM THEATER's first album for Sony Music's progressive imprint InsideOut Music. The group spent the past 25 years recording under various labels in the Warner Music Group system, most recently Roadrunner Records, which released five albums by the band between 2007 and 2016.

he "Distance Over Time" tour of North America kicks off on March 20, 2019 in San Diego, California. The tour will run for seven weeks before wrapping up in Mexico City on May 4, 2019. Information on tickets for all upcoming shows as well as VIP packages can be found at DreamTheater.net.

Italy’s Shadygrove, featuring members of Elvenking, Evenoire, and Sound Storm, have released a live video for "The Port Of Lisbon", a song from the band's debut album, In The Heart Of Scarlet Wood, released earlier this year via Rockshots Records.

In The Heart Of Scarlet Wood can be ordered here.

Tracklisting:

"Scarlet Wood"
"My Silver Seal"
"The Port Of Lisbon"
"Eve Of Love"
"This Is The Night"
"Cydonia"
"Northern Lights"
"Let The Candle Burn"
"Queen Of Amber"

"Scarlet Wood" video:

Shadygrove is:

Lisy Stefanoni - Vocals, Flute
Fabio “Lethien” Polo - Violin
Matteo Comar - Guitar
Elena Crolle - Keyboards
Davide Papa - Bass
Simone Morettin - Drums, Ethnic Percussions

THE QUIREBOYS have vowed to carry on with their U.K. tour after some of their equipment was stolen.

The band's storage unit in Bedford was broken into and various pieces of music equipment and personal belongings were swiped.

According to BBC News, some of the equipment, including pedal boards and amplifiers worth "thousands", was later found dumped in a car park. But two vintage guitars are still still missing.

The theft was discovered on Thursday after THE QUIREBOYS returned from Norway following a run of European shows.

At one point we thought we wouldn't be able to go ahead with our U.K. tour," guitarist Paul Guerin told BBC News. "But thankfully, most of the stuff has been found now and we've been overwhelmed by the support of people who offered to help us with replacements.

"A Facebook post about what happened has had more than 3,000 shares and it's been really humbling to have had such an unbelievable response from companies and people we don't even know who wanted to help."

Items stolen included merchandise, a pedal board, tuners, digital delay and a suitcase containing Guerin's clothes for the tour, which starts in Leeds on Thursday.

THE QUIREBOYS will release their new album, "Amazing Disgrace", on February 8, 2019.

Quireboys Equipment Stolen
As you may have heard, The Quireboys storage unit has been broken into and many of the bands music equipment and personal belongings have been stolen. This happened in Tavistock Street, Bedford. All the info about this can be heard on the live interview on BBC3 with Guy. Please keep your eyes open and hopefully between us all, we can recover these items.Posted by The Quireboys - This Is Rock And Roll on Tuesday, November 13, 2018

Joey Jordison says that his band VIMIC is still "one hundred percent active" despite the fact that the group's Facebook page hasn't been updated in a year.

Jordison formed VIMIC in May 2016 after the breakup of his previous band SCAR THE MARTYR. The former SLIPKNOT drummer later said that he wanted to change the name of the project to "wipe the slate clean" and start afresh.

Joey is joined in VIMIC by vocalist Kalen Chase, guitarists Jed Simon and Steve Marshall, bassist Kyle Konkiel and keyboardist Matt Tarach.

In October 2017, it was announced that VIMIC had signed a global deal with Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) and T-Boy Records, UMe's label partnership with rock manager Andy Gould. The band's debut album, "Open Your Omen", was set to be produced by Jordison and Kato Khandwala (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, THE PRETTY RECKLESS), with mixing and mastering assistance from MEGADETH's Dave Mustaine, who guested on "Open Your Omen"'s first single, "Fail Me (My Temple)".

b>Jordison, who recently completed a European tour with the international death metal supergroup SINSAENUM, was asked about VIMIC's status in a brand new interview with Australia's "Wall of Sound: Up Against The Wall" podcast. He said (hear audio below): "Oh, VIMIC still exists — one hundred percent. It hasn't gone anywhere. That band's not broken up; it's one hundred percent still in existence. We're just… Right now, you've gotta go where the opportunity is available. And VIMIC is still one hundred percent active."

VIMIC supported MEGADETH on several South American tour dates in October 2017.

Jordison recently confirmed that he is working on his first-ever book. The 43-year-old musician's memoir will arrive several years after he overcome the neurological condition acute transverse myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord which damages nerve fibers, which ultimately led to the drummer temporarily losing the use of his legs.

Jordison, SLIPKNOT's drummer from 1995 to 2013, revealed his fight with the seldom-seen neuro-immune disorder more than two years ago while appearing at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in London, England. He later claimed that he was visited by only one member of SLIPKNOT while he was in the hospital battling the disease. He also said that SLIPKNOT fired him because "they thought I was fucked up on drugs."

Danish composer, vocalist and classically trained multi-instrumentalist, Myrkur, has unveiled her powerful new ballad and video, "Juniper". Director Philippe de Grenade, gorgeously captures her ethereal performance on 16mm film as she stuns listeners with an infectious chorus and lush string arrangements.

Myrkur is Amalie Bruun. For her forthcoming Juniper EP, she's joined forces with Jaime Gomez Arellano (Ghost, Paradise Lost, Solstafir, Cathedral) at Orgone Studios in Bedfordshire, England. The album's B-Side, "Bonden og Kragen", is a solo reinterpretation of a traditional Danish folk song from the 1600s. Together, both tracks exquisitely display Myrkur's eclectic sound and captivating personality.

A limited edition of the 7" will coincide with the digital release, December 7th on Relapse Records. Pre-order via Relapse.com here and on all streaming services here.

Los Angeles' purveyors of thrash metal violence, Anger As Art, are releasing their first live album (and sixth release overall) on November 23rd via Malevolence Records. The appropriately titled Fast As Fuck! includes a total of 16 incendiary tracks, including 13 career-spanning songs recorded live on February 3rd, 2018 at ChiCali Lounge in Monterey Park, CA, and three new studio cuts as a bonus (one of which is a cover of Montrose's "Matriarch").

The band have released a video for "Matriarch". The photos in the video depict ruthless and powerful queens throughout history, as well as various female murderers. Check it out below:

Fast As Fuck! was was produced and engineered by Ronald Sandoval whose work is also credited on the band's previous release Ad Mortem Festinamus. The bonus songs were recorded at Rev Studios in Chino, CA during summer 2018. Pre-order the album here, or here.

Tracklisting:

"Gods Of Hate"
"Aim For The Heart"
"I Create Your God"
"Tombward"
"Unknowing Undead"
"Race For The War"
"Time Devours Life"
"The Crush"
"Hammer, Blade And Twisting Fire"
"Two Minutes Hate"
"Dim Carcosa"
"Never Forgive, Never Forget"
"Head Of The Snake"
"Everybody Dies" (Bonus Studio Track)
"Vicious Intent" (Bonus Studio Track)
"Matriarch" (Bonus Studio Track)*

* Montrose cover

"Everybody Dies" lyric video:

"Hammer, Blade And Twisting Fire" lyric video:

"Vicious Intent" lyric video:

In-studio interview:

Napalm Records will release Warkings' debut album, Reborn, on November 16th. Pre-order the album here.

Today, it is not only Warkings Wednesday, it's Warkings week! Starting last Friday with unveiling the third single "The Last Battle", today The Spartan raises his voice to spread the stories of the most heroic battles of his time, before the whole story will be Reborn this Friday.

300 Spartans against the Empire - this heroic fight can't be forgotten and so Odin sent The Spartan as one of the four Kings Of War back to planet earth. This brave king was one of the few who stood side by side to hold the place of doom when the superiority of the Empire tried to fight them back, armed by not much more than their iron will.

Spartans are men of few words. They prefer to go straight to action. So The Spartan summoned two attendants: From the seventh circle of hell, the Queen Of The Damned arises to lend her voice to the Warkings! Hear (and watch) her in the video below. For the album Reborn that appears next Friday, Odin sent another of his disciples for the song. Stay tuned!

Queen Of The Damned:  "I've come a long way to meet the kings again. Now listen to the sound of our voices dancing with the screams of our weapons."

Reborn album details below.

Tracklisting:

"Give Em War"
"Never Surrender"
"Hephaistos"
"Gladiator"
"Holy Storm"
"Battle Cry"
"Fire Falling Down"
"Sparta"
"The Last Battle"
"Die Flut" (Bonus Track)

"The Last Battle":

"Hephaistos" lyric video:

"Gladiator" video:

    
Tour dates:

December (with Dragony, Illuminata, Titan Killer)
8 - Vienna, Austria - Szene

January (with Amaranthe, Follow The Cipher)
31 - Nijmegen, Netherlands Doornroosje

February (with Amaranthe, Follow The Cipher)
1 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
2 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
3 - Luxembourg, Luxembourg - Den  Atelier
4 - Hamburg, Germany - Grünspan
6 - Malmö, Sweden - KB
7 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Pustervik
8 - Helsingborg, Sweden - Tivoli
9 - Örebro, Sweden - Frimis
11 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpehuset
12 - Uppsala, Sweden - Katalin
13 - Stockholm, Sweden - Klubben

July
3-6 - Ballenstedt, Germany - Rockharz Festival

Melodic hard rock band, Ten, have released a video for "The Esoteric Ocean", featured on the band's new album, Illuminati, out now on CD/LP/Digital via Frontiers Music Srl. Order the album here, and watch the video below.

Illuminatii was produced by Gary Hughes and mixed and mastered by Dennis Ward. Ten's longstanding professional association with Dennis has been ongoing since he mixed their 2011 album, Stormwarning and has always guaranteed albums with stunning sound and production.

Tracklisting:

"Be As You Are Forever"
"Shield Wall"
"The Esoteric Ocean"
"Jericho"
"Rosetta Stone"
"Illuminati"
"Heaven And The Holier-Than-Thou"
"Exile"
"Mephistopheles"
"Of Battles Lost And Won"

"The Esoteric Ocean" video:

"Jericho":

The Finnish power metal outfit Frozen Land have been forced to postpone the release of their new self-titled album. The new release date is now December 7th, pushed back from November 23rd.

On the bright side, Frozen Land have released their second digital single, "Delusions Of Grandeur", which available below and on all streaming platforms.

The band was originally formed as a solo project by Tuomas Hirvonen (guitar), but quickly became a full-fledged band with the addition of Aki Kuokkanen (drums), Lauri Muttilainen (keys), Juhana Heinonen (bass) and Tony Meloni (vox).

The upcoming debut album was mixed by Matias Kupiainen (Stratovarius) and mastered by Mika Jussila (Stratovarius, Sonata Arctica, Children Of Bodom). Andrey Vasilchenko has created the album artwork, that is available below.

Fans of Sonata Arctica and Stratovarius should definitely keep an eye on Frozen Land.

Louder has drawn attention to UK metalcore crew I Fight Bears, who have covered the Spandau Classic from 1983, "Gold". 

Vocalist / bassist Drew Hamley spoke with Louder about the cover: "There's this awesome party that happens at the end of every year with Bridgend Tattoo Studio where musicians from all levels (previously including members of Bullet From My Valentine, Phil Campbell and The Bastard Sons, Those Damn Crows) get up and play an interesting cover song at the party. I Fight Bears were asked to perform two songs at the party in 2017. We nailed down one of the songs but were struggling for a second until Chris our guitarist suggested doing a cover of Spandau Ballet's classic song, 'Gold'. We all loved the idea. He came back with an amazing metal rendition of the song in our style. We developed it further, reworking the vocals to have singing and screaming and played the song at the party. 

Everybody loved it, so we played it again at some other shows. We went into the recording room to get the song produced properly and then approached Gary Kemp and Spandau Ballet to see if they would give us permission to release it. They loved it and agreed to allow us to release it with their backing, which is incredible."

The cover will be available to stream and download from all major digital services as of November 16th. Check it out below.

Decrepit Birth drummer Samus Paulicelli, who runs a YouTube channel under the name 66Samus, has posted a cover of Children Of Bodom's "In Your Face". Check it out below.

Paulicelli recently posted a behind-the-scenes clip from the recordings of Devin Townsend's new Empath album.

"Tracking for Devin's upcoming album, Empath. It was such a huge honor to be a part of this project!"

Check out Paulicelli's official website here.

French instrumental post-metal outfit The Lumberjack Feedback have signed to record label Deadlight Entertainment (home of Ataraxie, Primal Age, Fiend).

This new opus is a follow up to Blackened Visions (2016 - Kaotoxin Records) and is scheduled for a release during the spring of 2019.

Born in 2008, The Lumberjack Feedback have released several EPs and splits and have shared the stage with acts like Gojira, Kylesa, Crowbar and played in famous festivals like Hellfest, Motocultor Festivl and Tyrant Fest.