"Back To The Front", the album that was recorded last year by four members of the most recent lineup of the legendary Swedish metal act ENTOMBED — Lars Göran Petrov (vocals), Olle Dahlstedt (drums), Nico Elgstrand (guitar) and Victor Brandt (bass) — will be released on August 5 via Century Media Records under the band name ENTOMBED A.D.

Petrov will only perform with ENTOMBED A.D. and will not take part in any upcoming shows announced under the name ENTOMBED. Says Petrov: "After a year of struggles, we are happy to finally get 'Back To The Front' out! There is no one stopping us this time from playing music, being on the road and headbang as metalheads do!" ENTOMBED A.D. is:

Lars Göran Petrov - VocalsNico Elgstrand - GuitarVictor Brandt - BassOlle Dahlstedt - Drums The first song from "Back To The Front" will make its online debut on May 20.

Original ENTOMBED members Alex Hellid (guitar) and Ulf "Uffe" Cederlund (guitar) joined forces with former ENTOMBED frontman Orvar Säfström to perform the band's classic second album, "Clandestine" (1991), on February 1 at Gävle Konserthus in Gävle, Sweden. They were backed by the 65-piece Gävle Symphonic Orchestra and a 40-piece choir.

Hellid did not participate in the writing and recording of "Back To The Front".

Century Media Records announced last fall that the release date of "Back To The Front" — which was originally supposed to be made available under the ENTOMBED moniker — was being pushed back to 2014 from the previously announced October 29, 2013 due to "unpredictable technical problems."

Asked in an interview with France's MetalChroniques.fr if the omission of Hellid's name from the ENTOMBED biography accompanying the original promotional copy of "Back To The Front" was a mistake on the record label's part, Petrov replied: "I do not want to speak publicly about this at the moment; this is something we want to keep internal and private for now. But this is not an error in the biography. Next question?"

Hellid did not accompany the Petrov-fronted lineup of ENTOMBED when the band performed at the Manizales Grita Rock festival in Colombia in August 2013 and threatened his former bandmates with legal action if they continued to record and perform under the ENTOMBED name.

"Back To The Front" was recorded at Studio Bohus (ABBA, EUROPE) in Kungälv, Sweden with producer Roberto Laghi (IN FLAMES, HARDCORE SUPERSTAR). The CD's original cover artwork was painted by Zbigniew Bielak (WATAIN, VADER) and can be seen below.

A press release states: "Don't be afraid that it will sound like ABBA — it's 666% true to the ENTOMBED everybody loves. While not falling for total regression back to the early classics 'Left Hand Path' or 'Clandestine', expect a total bone-crushing opus that will have fans of 'Wolverine Blues', 'To Ride…' or 'Morning Star' cry tears of joy. From the morbid, pissed-off lyrics over detuned, massive riffs to the inimitable brick-heavy groove and L.G. Petrov's titanic roar, 'Back To The Front' has it all, so get ready for a stone-cold stunner!"

"Back To The Front" original track listing (subject to change):

01. Kill To Live02. Bedlam Strike03. The Underminer04. Second To None05. Allegiance06. Waiting For Death07. Eternal Woe08. Digitus Medius09. Vulture And The Traitor10. Pandemic Rage11. Soldier Of No Fortune

JUDAS PRIEST's co-founding guitarist Ernie Chataway has died at the age of 62. He was reportedly battling lung cancer for quite some time before his death.

The original JUDAS PRIEST lineup, featuring Chataway, singer Al Atkins, bassist Bruno Stapenhill and drummer John Partridge, came together in 1969 but lasted only seven months. A new version of PRIEST was launched the following the year, with Atkins as the only original member remaining in the group.

According to Classic Rock, Chataway went on to play with EARTH and BULLION after his stint with PRIEST, and was a member of RICKY COOL AND THE ICEBERGS before being replaced by Robbie Blunt when Robert Plant joined the group and changed its name to THE HONEY DRIPPERS.

Atkins says via his Facebook page: "Just heard the very sad news that Ernie passed away last night. He was a lovely bloke and a great guitarist and will be sadly missed.

"I remember the first time we met at the auditions for a new guitarist for JUDAS PRIEST in 1969 — his looks reminded me of Marc Bolan. When he plugged in his guitar, he totally blew us away, and made [later JUDAS PRIEST guitarist] KK Downing look a complete amateur (who we'd auditioned earlier).

"I'm completely in shock and will sadly miss you, my old buddy."

Atkins is the co-writer of several PRIEST songs which are included on the band's first two albums, "Rocka Rolla" and "Sad Wings of Destiny", both of which eventually went gold. Atkins co-penned the heavy metal classic "Victim of Changes", which was a combination of Rob Halford's song "Red Light Lady" and Atkins' own "Whiskey Woman". He also co-wrote "Winter", "Never Satisfied", "Dreamer Deceiver" and "Caviar and Meths".

JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill penned the foreword to Al Atkins's autobiography, titled "Dawn of the Metal Gods: My Life in Judas Priest and Heavy Metal". The book, which was written with Neil Daniels — a freelance rock writer and heavy metal fan who befriended Atkins during the writing of Neil's book "The Story Of Judas Priest: Defenders Of The Faith" (Omnibus Press) — was released in 2009 via Iron Pages.




Just heard Ernie Chataway passed away last night.Guitarist in the first line up of JUDAS PRIEST will be sadly missed pic.twitter.com/4lcD79TghV

— Al Atkins (@Al_Atkins) May 13, 2014

BLACK SABBATH's Grammy-winning singer/songwriter Ozzy Osbourne was honored at last night's (Monday, May 12) 10th-anniversary MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. Osbourne was presented with the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award for his dedication and support of the MusiCares MAP Fund. He was recognized for his commitment to helping other addicts with the addiction recovery process.

"I know firsthand about the ravages of addiction and I also know that the MusiCares MAP Fund is a vital safety net for people in the music industry who need help with substance abuse," said Osbourne. "This organization literally saves lives."

"I could not be more proud of my father. Regardless of sobriety or not, I've always been proud of my father because I adore him," Ozzy's daughter Kelly Osbourne told Billboard.com on the red carpet at last night's event. "But seeing him today and everything that he's achieved, it blows my mind, and I'm so, so proud of him."

The Stevie Ray Vaughan Award was presented to Osbourne by EAGLES guitarist Joe Walsh, who referred to the BLACK SABBATH frontman as "the grandfather of heavy metal."

Ozzy went on to perform a five-song set of solo hits and SABBATH classics — "I Don't Know", "Suicide Solution", "Iron Man", "Crazy Train" and "Paranoid" — with a backing band that consisted of Slash (GUNS N' ROSES), Dave Navarro (JANE'S ADDICTION), Billy Morrison (CAMP FREDDY, THE CULT), Tommy Clufetos (OZZY OSBOURNE, ROB ZOMBIE, BLACK SABBATH) and Rob "Blasko" Nicholson (OZZY OSBOURNE, ROB ZOMBIE).

Helping honor Osbourne at the event was METALLICA, whose members said in a collective statement: "It’s no secret that Ozzy has been a major presence throughout our entire lives and we are so humbled and honored to be with Ozzy for this special evening."

Ozzy revealed in April 2013 that he had been abusing drugs and alcohol for 18 months, which led his wife and manager Sharon to move out of their home until he took steps to get sober again. He eventually did and the couple reconciled.

The BLACK SABBATH frontman revealed that when Sharon found out he was using drugs again, "She was very pissed off. I thought I was gonna lose my family at one point . . . She just said, 'Look, I've got my own thing going on, and I can't deal with you any more. Get the fuck out. Sort yourself out, then we'll talk.' I don't blame her in the slightest."

Asked what triggered his relapse, Ozzy said, "For no reason at all, you'll suddenly think, 'I fancy a drink,' and your head will say, 'Let yourself have one.' Next thing you know you're scraping yourself off the garage floor three days later . . . it's a disease of the mind and body, and you can't control it."

Ozzy was using drugs and alcohol during the recording sessions for BLACK SABBATH's reunion album, "13," although bandmates Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler revealed a few days ago that they were shocked at the time to find out from Sharon that Ozzy had fallen off the wagon.

"13" was the first SABBATH album since 1978 to feature Ozzy, Iommi and Butler recording together. The album came out in June 2013 and went No. 1 in several countries, including the U.S. where it became the group's first-ever chart-topper.

Photo credit: Matt Starr

Akihiro Yokoyama, the leader and bass player of veteran Japanese metallers UNITED, passed away last night (Tuesday, May 13) at the age of 49.

Since he joined UNITED in 1983, Yokoyama participated in the recording of nine full-length albums, two EPs and two singles, and appeared alongside his bandmates at the 2011 edition of Japan's biggest metal festival, Loud Park.

Commented UNITED in a statement: "[Akihiro's passing] happened totally out of the blue and it is very hard for his family, UNITED and the staff to accept it, but we wanted to share the news with everyone who has strongly supported both himself and UNITED over the years."

The details of Yokoyama's funeral will be announced as soon as they have been finalized.

UNITED celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2011 with the release of its ninth album, "Tear Of Illusions", on Spiritual Beast.

THE WINERY DOGS — the power trio featuring drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB), legendary bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, TALAS, DAVID LEE ROTH) and guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen (MR. BIG, POISON) — performed acoustically earlier this week at Studio 10 in Tampa, Florida. You can now watch video footage of the performance by following the links below.

* "I'm No Angel": Video* "One More Time": Video

THE WINERY DOGS' self-titled debut album sold around 10,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 27 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released in North America on July 23, 2013 via Loud & Proud Records and in Japan on May 15, 2013 via Victor Entertainment, the CD was mixed by Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX, ADRENALINE MOB, STONE SOUR and STEEL PANTHER.

THE WINERY DOGS released two new special versions of its self-titled debut album on April 15. "The Winery Dogs Special Edition" consists of two-CDs. Disc 1 is the standard album and Disc 2 is entitled "Unleashed In Japan 2013", featuring 10 songs recorded live in Japan during the band's July 2013 tour, including "Criminal", a track previously unavailable in the U.S., along with a 16-page booklet of live photos and lyrics. A deluxe package for die-hard fans was released simultaneously. "Dog Treats: The Winery Dogs Deluxe Special Edition" is sold in a box resembling a box of dog treats, and includes the "Special Edition" collection of music, a DVD featuring four music videos and interview footage, demos from the original recording sessions, a "studio diary" written by Mike Portnoy, as well as some unique merchandise unavailable elsewhere. "Bands like [LED] ZEPPELIN and THE WHO, THE [ROLLING] STONES, and THE BEATLES, CREAM, and [Jimi] Hendrix. I mean, I grew up with that stuff," Portnoy told Voice Of America. "And, although I've been able to pay tribute to it throughout my career with tribute bands and things like that, I've never been in an all-original band that was kind of playing classic rock power trio stuff. That's how I describe this band: just a straight-up rock band."

Regarding the songwriting process for THE WINERY DOGS' album, Portnoy said: "In all cases, the music was the very first element and from there, Richie would start melodies on top of it. Sometimes the final lyrics were there, coming up on the spot, and other times he would take the melodies and write lyrics later. There were a couple of examples of Richie having something and bringing it in. In those cases, like 'Damaged' and 'Regret', we just left them. Because in those two particular cases, the songs were great as they were."

Portnoy was full of praise for his THE WINERY DOGS bandmates, telling Voice Of America: "Billy Sheehan is my favorite bass player on earth and he has been for almost 30 years now. So to work with him and make music with him for me is an honor. And Richie is someone I have the utmost respect for as an artist. I mean, he is just so underappreciated, not only as a guitarist, but as a singer and a writer as well. I think for me, the most exciting aspect of this band is for people to discover Richie that aren't aware of what a musical genius he is."

"Reforging The Crown", the new video from Italian death metallers HOUR OF PENANCE, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's new album, "Regicide", which was released on May 13 via Prosthetic Records. The CD features cover artwork (seen below) by Gyula Havancsák (ANNIHILATOR, DESTRUCTION, GRAVE DIGGER) which, like the album, revolves around the themes of destruction, rebirth and the killing of the king. Recorded, mixed and mastered at Rome's 16th Cellar Studios (FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE), the effort is described by the band as "a bone-crushing feast for old and new fans...more varied and brutal than everything we've done so far."

Regarding the "Reforging The Crown" video, HOUR OF PENANCE drummer James Payne says: "Based on the concept of the album, the video describes the predominance of evil on the church with the priest's nightmare. After various scenes of obvious presence of malice in the house of the preacher of Christ, the nightmare materializes, crowning first and then killing the priest.

"End the millennial regime of those who have stifled freedom. Kill the kings!" HOUR OF PENANCE vocalist/guitarist Paolo Pieri adds: "We're glad to premiere our first official video for the opening track of 'Regicide', inspired by horror B-movies with a touch of anticlericalism. It has been a lot of fun for us to shoot this video, so I hope you will enjoy it as well."

The first CD pressing of "Regicide" is a limited-edition digipak that contains three bonus tracks. Those bonus tracks are also be available via download card to anyone who orders the album on vinyl or cassette, as well as anyone who orders the "deluxe edition" of the album on Bandcamp or other digital providers.

Says Pieri: "'Regicide' revolves around the themes of destruction and rebirth and the killing of the king — be he your own fears, prejudices or dogmas that you build inside yourself to cope with reality. Only by letting go of those illusions and tearing down the walls of ignorance and fear that society, religion and every form of dysfunctional authority you interjected during your life, can you start to rebuild your own path as a free man that has no need for a king."

"Regicide" track listing

01. Through The Triumphal Arch02. Reforging The Crowns03. Desecrated Souls04. Resurgence of The Empire05. Spears of Sacred Doom06. Sealed Into Ecstasy07. Redeemer Of Atrocity08. Regicide09. The Sun Worship10. The Seas of Light11. Theogony

Bonus tracks:

01. The Uncorrupted Ones02. Frail As The Flesh Of Christ03. Monarch of Heresy

Since releasing 2012's acclaimed "Sedition", which Decibel lauded as a "hyper-blasting, inhuman, machine-like attack," HOUR OF PENANCE has annihilated fans worldwide with its fiery exuberance, playing well over 200 gigs alongside such acts as BEHEMOTH, SKELETONWITCH, CANNIBAL CORPSE, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, DEVILDRIVER, PSYCROPTIC, MISERY INDEX, DEICIDE, BELPHEGOR and NILE.

Fan-filmed video footage of QUIET RIOT's May 9 performance at Pharr Events Center in Pharr, Texas can be seen below.

QUIET RIOT's new lineup — featuring vocalist Jizzy Pearl (LOVE/HATE, L.A. GUNS, ADLER'S APPETITE, RATT) — made its live debut on New Year's Eve (December 31, 2013) at Twin Arrows Navajo Casino Resort in Flagstaff, Arizona.

"I knew that resurrecting QUIET RIOT [after the 2007 death of QUIET RIOT singer Kevin DuBrow] was going to be a major challenge and undertaking," QUIET RIOT drummer Frankie Banali told the Cleveland Scene. "You simply don't replace a singer and personality like Kevin DuBrow because he was the complete package, the real deal and my best friend. I never set out to replace Kevin, I set out to continue the band in his memory. We tried to work with Mark Huff on vocals and he just wasn't right for the band. We tried it with Scott Vokoun on vocals and in the end he also just wasn't a fit, and we parted company amicably. It's not just about singing, performing, work ethic, priorities, perception and personality, it is about all of those things and so much more. If I am guilty of anything, I am guilty of trying to get it right for QUIET RIOT."

Regarding Pearl's addition to the band, Banali said: "We've all known Jizzy for many years and toured together but in separate bands. Kevin was quite fond of Jizzy and thought he was a good singer and very intelligent. Jizzy made sense because he has the range and timbre to handle the QUIET RIOT material while still bringing his own sound and style to QUIET RIOT, which I welcome with open arms. He's also a pro, which makes it easy to work with; he knows the drill of being in and working in a band."

Banali also spoke about QUIET RIOT's upcoming album, which will contain six new studio tracks with Jizzy Pearl on vocals and four live tracks from 2007 with Kevin DuBrow, which are from the last professionally recorded live shows DuBrow and QUIET RIOT played.

"One of the things that Kevin and I always strived for was to continue to create new QUIET RIOT music even when rock music had ceased to be popular because of the change in music and tastes in the '90s and then with the decline of the industry itself with all the piracy and illegal downloads," Banali said. "That is still my mindset."

He continued: "The new QUIET RIOT CD is made up of six new studio recorded compositions and four live tracks from the last recorded performance with the late great Kevin DuBrow. The studio tracks include new vocalist Jizzy Pearl, Alex Grossi on guitar and Chuck Wright, who plays bass on two of the six tracks. I invited my longtime friend and QUIET RIOT alumni Rudy Sarzo to play bass on two tracks and bassist and friend Tony Franklin who played bass on the 2006 QUIET RIOT release 'Rehab'."

METALLICA performed a four-song acoustic set last night (Monday, May 12) at the 10th anniversary MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. This year's honorees were BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne and Village Studios owner and CEO Jeff Greenberg. Also performing were Keb'Mo and Slash, the latter of whom joined Ozzy and his touring band onstage.

Fan-filmed video footage of METALLICA's performance can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. I Just Want To Celebrate (RARE EARTH cover)02. When A Blind Man Cries (DEEP PURPLE cover)03. In My Life (THE BEATLES cover)04. Diary Of A Madman (OZZY OSBOURNE cover)

METALLICA's James Hetfield got sober in 2001 and was honored by MusiCares himself in 2006. He told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that it wasn't until his wife literally threw him out of the house that he realized he needed to get help. "It started off for the kids, then it became more for me, and eventually, you know, the band came in and saw me there and it was for the band as well, but I knew that I had to get healthy or else everything would go away," he said. "And it did. But it took hitting a bottom to do that. So I'm extremely grateful for my wife for pushing hard like she did."

METALLICA said in a statement, "We are so proud to be a part of the tenth annual MusiCares MAP Fund benefit concert . . . It's no secret that Ozzy has been a major presence throughout our entire lives and we are so humbled and honored to be with Ozzy for this special evening."

Ozzy was honored with the Stevie Ray Vaughan Award for his dedication and support of the MusiCares MAP Fund and his commitment to helping other addicts with the addiction recovery process.

Greenberg received the From The Heart Award for his unconditional friendship and dedication to the mission and goals of the organization.

The awards was presented by talk show host Craig Ferguson and EAGLES guitarist Joe Walsh.

All proceeds benefit the MusiCares MAP Fund, which provides members of the music community access to addiction recovery treatment regardless of their financial situation.

With a string of ‘70s classic rock radio hits like “Isn’t It Time”, “Every Time I Think of You”, “Head First”, “Back on My Feet Again”, “Midnight Rendezvous” and “Turn and Walk Away”, The Babys created some of the most memorable arena anthems of the era. Now, after a three-decade absence, The Babys have reformed with original lead guitarist Wally Stocker and drummer Tony Brock to release a new album, I’ll Have Some Of That, on June 24th, and a brand-new single, “I See You There”, which is available now on iTunes. The Babys’ new album will be released on Skyrocket Ent./All In Time Records.

“The whole premise is to keep The Babys alive and have a good time doing it," said Stocker about the reformed group, which also includes new recruits, lead vocalist/ bassist John Bisaha and veteran rhythm guitarist Joey Sykes. The band is joined in concert by keyboardist Francesco Saglietti and the Babettes.

Brock raves about the new members of the group: "John Bisaha is an incredible singer. When we held auditions, we had singers lined up around the block to join the band and John was head and shoulders above the rest." Stocker is equally enthused about his new axe mate: "Joey Sykes adds a whole new dimension to the band and has a style that works well in tandem with me."

Formed in London in 1974, The Babys were signed to Chrysalis Records on the basis of a four-song video, which predated the MTV era by seven years. Combining the muscular rock ‘n’ roll grit of Free and Humble Pie with a winning commercial accessibility, The Babys released five albums between 1977-1980 (The Babys, Broken Heart, Head First, Union Jacks and On the Edge). During that time, the group toured with the likes of Journey, Alice Cooper and Cheap Trick and built a loyal following based on their spectacular songs and explosive live performances right up until disbanding in December of 1980.

Former members John Waite, Jonathan Cain and Ricky Phillips have all given their blessings to the newest incarnation of the band. Waite continues on as a solo act, while Cain is now a member of Journey, having penned a string of hit singles including “Don’t Stop Believing”, the most downloaded song in history. Phillips is a longtime bass player for Styx.

The first single from the album, the aptly titled "Not Ready to Say Goodbye”, was made available on iTunes last November, with a sound reminiscent of both “Isn’t It Time” and “Every Time I Think Of You.”

“In recording this new album, we discussed the fact that the songs had to have the flavor of what we were known for,” says Stocker. “It was just a magical process,” adds Brock. “By the time we finished, I knew we had the goods.”

After the break-up of The Babys, drummer Brock became a member of Rod Stewart’s band, and also played with Jeff Beck and Bernie Taupin, among others. He founded the Silver Dreams Studios near Los Angeles, where he produced hit records for Jimmy Barnes, among others.

London native Stocker left home at 15 in pursuit of his rock ‘n’ roll destiny and never looked back. After The Babys, he played with Rod Stewart, Air Supply and Humble Pie. New vocalist/bassist Bisaha evokes the memories of John Waite, but also brings a new touch, making the songs his own. He joined The Babys at their first comeback performance last July.

New York native Sykes, who has had stints in various bands, as well as a publishing association with Warner/Chappell, has penned the first single “I See You There".

The Babys embarked on a string of shows in Las Vegas, San Diego, Portland and Seattle last November and December, and plan on announcing an extensive slate of tour dates around the June 24th release of I’ll Have Some Of That.



Tracklisting:

"Every Side Of You"
"All I Wanna Do"
"Sunrise & Goodbyes"
"After Midnight"
"I See You There"
"Grass Is Greener"
"These Days"
"Uncivil War"
"You Saved My Live"
"It’s A Gas"
"Stay The Night"
"I’ll Have Some Of That!"
"When Life Goes Right"
"Not Ready To Say Goodbye"

U.K.'s Rhythm magazine has uploaded a playthrough video of drummer Ariën van Weesenbeek of Dutch symphonic metallers EPICA performing the band's new song The Essence Of Silence. Check it out below.

EPICA’s sixth studio album, "The Quantum Enigma", was released in North America on May 6 via Nuclear Blast. Where the 2013 "Retrospect" performance reflected on a decade as one of the leading bands in the symphonic metal scene, "The Quantum Enigma" marks the beginning of a new EPICA: modern, heavy, and without compromises.

Says the band: "More than any of our previous albums, this album is a group effort. The only goal we had in mind: creating the album that could lift EPICA up to the next level."

"The Quantum Enigma" was produced by Joost van den Broek at the Sandlane recording facility in the Netherlands. The album was mixed by Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, HATESPHERE).

"The Quantum Enigma" will be released in five different configurations:

01 - Regular jewel case02 - 2CD digipack03 - 3CD earbook04 - double vinyl05 - Digital download "The Quantum Enigma" track listing:

01. Originem02. The Second Stone03. The Essence Of Silence04. Victims Of Contingency05. Sense Without Sanity (The Impervious Code)06. Unchain Utopia07. The Fifth Guardian (Interlude)08. Chemical Insomnia09. Reverence (Living in the Heart) 10. Omen [The Ghoulish Malady] 11. Canvas of Life12. Natural Corruption13. The Quantum Enigma (Kingdom Of Heaven Part II) Digipack additional track: "In All Conscience"Earbook additional track: "Dreamscape"Vinyl additional track: "Memento"iTunes additional track: "Banish Your Illusion" Disc 2 (digipack and earbook only):

01. Canvas Of Life [acoustic version]02. In All Conscience [acoustic version]03. Dreamscape [acoustic version]04. Natural Corruption [acoustic version] Disc 3 (earbook Only):

01. Originem [instrumental]02. The Second Stone [instrumental]03. The Essence of Silence [instrumental]04. Victims Of Contingency [instrumental]05. Sense Without Sanity [instrumental]06. Unchain Utopia [instrumental]07. The Fifth Guardian [instrumental]08. Chemical Insomnia [instrumental]09. Reverence [instrumental]10. Omen [instrumental]11. Canvas Of Life [instrumental]12. Natural Corruption [instrumental]13. The Quantum Enigma [instrumental]

In a recent interview with LiveReviewer, EPICA guitarist Isaac Delahaye stated about the making of "The Quantum Enigma": "It was very much our intention to really make songs. It was because we started with putting a lot of effort into the basics and we gave a lot of attention to the band part, more so than before. And, of course, Jacob Hansen mixed it and he knows how to do these things. We tried out several people and had them do a test mix of certain songs and he came out on top. It's become a heavy album, yet all the details are there. Previously, we used to go to the studio, tune our stuff and then we recorded an album. This time we did a long pre-production in the studio and we got to check out a lot of different combinations of amps and then we could record it. Previously, we just did everything in our home studios and sent each other the parts. And after that we would go into the studio and that's it. But now we sat down together and discussed a lot more, it was more of a band effort. It was working together, rather than reacting. Everyone brought songs to the table, which was very cool. With the previous album, it was mostly Mark, Coen and me writing a lot. And now even Ariën joined in and that made it all feel refreshing. It's odd to say, but it's kind of a new beginning." Longtime EPICA collaborator Stephan Heilemann once again created the stunning artwork to accompany the ideas behind the lyrics. Once you lay your hands on the album artwork, you will see that the cover is part of a bigger picture.

The Facebook page of ADRENALINE MOB — the band featuring Russell Allen (vocals; also of SYMPHONY X), Mike Orlando (guitar), John Moyer (bass; also of DISTURBED), and A.J. Pero (drums; also of TWISTED SISTER) — has been updated with the following message:

"We are sad to announce that the band has been in a serious accident yesterday traveling to Canada on the current AVENGED SEVENFOLD/HELLYEAH tour. The band and crew are pretty beat up but by the grace of God, there's no serious injuries and everyone is OK. Unfortunately, the trailer flipped and equipment has been destroyed, but they are figuring out the next move in hopes to continue on. Thank you all so much for your kind thoughts and prayers!!!"

ADRENALINE MOB's second full-length album, "Men Of Honor", sold around 3,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 99 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's full-length debut, 2012's "Omertá", opened with around 6,600 units to enter the chart at No. 70.

"Men Of Honor" was released on February 18 in North America and February 24 internationally via Century Media Records. The CD features 11 new original songs produced by Allen and Orlando.

Drummer Mike Portnoy (FLYING COLORS, THE WINERY DOGS, DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD) quit ADRENALINE MOB in June 2013 due to "scheduling conflicts."

Alice Cooper is putting the finishing touches on a covers album featuring songs that were originally written and recorded by THE DOORS, Jimi Hendrix, John Lennon and THE WHO, members of the so-called "Hollywood vampires" of the early and mid-'70s. The disc, which is expected out this spring, will also include "four or five new songs," which the legendary rocker wrote specifically for the new CD. He tells VH1 Radio Network's Dave Basner: "We decided that in order to set up the 'Hollywood Vampires' thing, you had to kind of tell the story, and you had to write songs that were going to set up the story, and then get into the covers. So we had fun sitting there writing these new songs around it. So it's going to be quite a package, this thing is."

Regarding how the idea for the covers album came about, Cooper told Yahoo! Music: "Producer Bob Ezrin said to me, 'You know, you're a rock 'n' roll singer. It would be great to hear you doing someone else's material once in a while. And then we thought, 'Well, we can't just do a covers album where we bounce around from song to song.' So Bob came up with the idea, 'Let’s concentrate it on all the guys that you drank with in L.A., the Hollywood Vampires, the ones that are all dead.' It’s really an ode to all my dead, drunk friends: Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, some of the SMALL FACES, Harry Nilsson, T. REX. These were all of my drinking buddies. I like the title 'All My Dead Drunk Friends'. It’s just offensive enough to work, but all those guys would have totally got it. They had the same sense of humor. If you told them you were going to do an album after they were gone called 'All My Dead Drunk Friends,' they would have died laughing."

Last year, Cooper said about the upcoming CD: "We do a thing in our show, which is a tribute to Hollywood Vampires, my drinking club. And it was Keith Moon, John Lennon, Harry Nilsson, Micky Dolenz — a very eclectic bunch of drunks. Half of them are dead, so we do four songs in the show in tribute to them. We do 'Break On Through', 'Revolution', 'My Generation' and Jimi Hendrix's 'Foxey Lady'. I just kind of said, 'We've never done a covers album, let's think about that.'"

Asked what some of the wish-list songs were, Cooper said: "I would keep it right to about '73, '74. I don't want to just go anywhere. I want to keep it right in that sort of drunk era, so it's specific. I would say 'Break On Through', that's a really good rock track there. The other ones, think of it — Harry Nilsson, there's a lot of good stuff there that could be rocked out. I think of songs as being clay. Take a song like 'Jump Into the Fire' and take that to a harder level, and that'll work."

Former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen follows her most recent rock album, "Colours In The Dark", with the exclusive tour CD "Left In The Dark", which was previously only available bundled with a ticket for the "Colours In The Road Tour 2014". "Left In The Dark" will be released on July 4 via earMUSIC.

It all started with the success of the multi-platinum and gold awarded previous records "My Winterstorm" (2007) and "What Lies Beneath" (2010), followed up by the Top 5 live project "Act 1".

"Colours In The Dark" charted in 12 countries, with four Top 10 entries, and was praised by the media and, more importantly, by the fans. Precisely for those people, a very special fan item was created.

Following the original track listing of "Colours In The Dark", its counterpart, "Left In The Dark", contains rarities, B-Sides as well as demos, instrumental versions, including five previously unreleased versions, among them two live radio acoustic recordings of "500 Letters" and "Until Silence". Furthermore, the high-quality digipak includes exclusive liner notes written by Tarja herself, which give a personal insight behind the scenes of Tarja's work.

Not only is the track selection of "Left In The Dark" one of a kind, the story behind the creation of the album artwork is as well.

In February 2014, Tarja fans were called for creating the cover artwork for her exclusive tour item "Left In The Dark". With over 1,000 great and creative submissions, Tarja had a hard time choosing five winner artworks. In the end, this left her with no other choice than to decide on even ten lucky winners.

"Left In The Dark" track listing:

01. Victim Of Ritual (First Demo)
02. 500 Letters (Live At Vorterix Radio) *
03. Lucid Dreamer (Demo) *
04. Never Enough (Demo Progression) *
05. Mystique Voyage (Demo) *
06. Into The Sun (Studio Version)
07. Deliverance (Instrumental)
08. Neverlight (Full Orchestra Version)
09. Until Silence (Live At Vorterix Radio) *
10. Medusa (Tarja’s Solo Version)

* Previously unreleased

Click here for a preview of the booklet.>
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Big Machine Records, home to country superstars such as Taylor Swift and Tim McGraw has teamed up in a joint venture with Mötley Records and Eleven Seven Music for the July 9 release of a country music tribute to MÖTLEY CRÜE. "Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe" includes fresh country takes of 15 of MÖTLEY CRÜE's biggest hits. Artists on the album include Rascal Fatts, LeAnne Rimes, FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE, THE MAVERICKS, Darius Rucker, Gretchen Wilson and more.

"Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe" track listing:

01. RASCAL FLATTS - "Kickstart My Heart"
02. FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE - "If I Die Tomorrow"
03. LEANN RIMES - "Smokin' In The Boys Room"
04. JUSTIN MOORE - "Home Sweet Home"
05. CASSADDE POPE WITH ROBIN ZANDER - "The Animal In Me"
06. AARON LEWIS - "Afraid"
07. BIG & RICH - "SOS"
08. SAM PALLADIO AND CLARE BOWEN - "Without You"
09. ELI YOUNG BAND - "Don't Go Away Mad"
10. LAUREN JENKINS - "Looks That Kill"
11. THE CADILLAC THREE - "Live Wire"
12. THE MAVERICKS - "Dr. Feelgood"
13. BRANTLEY GILBERT - "Girls, Girls, Girls"
14. GRETCHEN WILSON - "Wild Side"
15. DARIUS RUCKER - "Time For Change"

Big Machine founder and CEO, Scott Borchetta, is among the legion of country music fans who love MÖTLEY CRÜE.

"I thought the idea for the tribute album was cool until I started talking to everybody," MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil told Billboard.com. "Then I thought it was cooler and cooler and cooler!"

Neil recently admitted to The Tennessean that when he was first approached by management about the country-music tribute, he wasn't immediately sure it was a good idea.

"I was like, 'Eh, I don't know. Let me think about this one for a minute,'" he told The Tennessean. "The more I thought about it, the cooler it got, especially after Carrie Underwood did 'Home Sweet Home', and that was so good. I'm thinking to myself, 'How cool would it be to hear these other acts' renditions of the songs?'"

Until the country-music-tribute idea first came up, Neil hadn't heard of many of the artists who will appear on the set. "It's fun, because my girlfriend is a country girl," Neil said. "She's a barrel rider in the rodeo. When I showed her the names, she was like, 'Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.' I'm like, 'Tell me, tell me. Fill me in.'"

He added: "I'm an old classic rock and roll guy. The really cool thing is I think a lot of people have heard of the name MÖTLEY CRÜE, but don't put the music to the face. I think it's going to bring a lot of fans that aren't MÖTLEY fans in. It will make them go, 'Oh yeah, I've heard that song before.'"

Chicago-based guitarist Rob Scallon has released a video for his ukulele cover version of the SLAYER classic "War Ensemble". Check it out below. >
Scallon — whose month-old guitar video containing only a few licks from 30 classic songs in the space of 60 seconds has already been viewed more than half a million times on YouTube — says that he took the original "War Ensemble" recordings and replaced the guitars with the ukulele. >
The ukulele originated in the 19th century as a Hawaiian interpretation of the machete, a small guitar-like instrument related to the cavaquinho, timple, braguinha and the rajão, taken to Hawaii by Portuguese immigrants, many from the Macaronesian Islands. It gained great popularity elsewhere in the United States during the early 20th century, and from there spread internationally.>
"War Ensemble" is the opening song on SLAYER's fifth studio album, "Seasons In The Abyss", which was released on October 9, 1990 through Def American Records.>

Technical death metallers ORIGIN will release their new album, "Omnipresent", on July 8 in North America via Nuclear Blast (July 4 in Europe through Agonia). The CD was recorded with longtime producer/engineer Robert Rebeck at Chapman Recording in Lenexa, Kansas and was mixed and mastered at Menegroth - The Thousand Caves with Colin Marston. The artwork was once again created by Colin Marks (NEVERMORE, KATAKLYSM, EXODUS).

The song "Manifest Desolate", taken from "Omnipresent", can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Comments ORIGIN vocalist Jason Keyser: "We were very happy to be able to work again with Colin Marks of Rain Song Design for the artwork of 'Omnipresent'. He designed the art for our previous album, 'Entity', which had a barren, stripped down minimalism, but for 'Omnipresent', we wanted bigger. We were looking for something that would represent the total insignificance and helplessness of humanity to the impending doom of the universe that surrounds us at all times. It's a strong running theme of the album, lyrically; how our pride and arrogance can advance us as a species in so many ways, eventually conquering the unknown reaches of space. But ultimately we continue to exist only at the whim of the cold, indiscriminate forces that could snuff our sentient spark at any moment. “The title of the album, 'Omnipresent', works perfectly with the artwork in the way that omnipresence does not come from expanding to new worlds and growing as a species, but only through being whittled down to a last living being alone in the universe. The final failed experiment of life has no comparison, it is the most powerful, only through our sentient extinction can we finally understand some sliver of godhood."

"Omnipresent" marks ORIGIN's first CD to feature Jason Keyser (ex-SKINLESS), who has being touring with the band as their vocalist since the release of "Entity".

"ORIGIN records albums in a somewhat masochistic, chaotic, and senseless fashion," comments drummer John Longstreth. "It's our best trick, and we need the best guy for our best trick, so that's why we have Jason. He's had two years of hard road work with the band and we know he's the guy.

"For those that weren't aware, ORIGIN recorded 'Entity' as a trio without a proper vocalist, so we are very excited to have Jason in to do what a proper vocalist is supposed to do."

"Omnipresent" track listing:

01. All Things Dead02. THRALL:FULCRUM:APEX03. Permanence04. Manifest Desolate05. Absurdity of What I Am06. Source of Icon O07. Continuum08. Unattainable Zero09. Redistribution of Filth10. Obsolescence11. Malthusian Collapse12. The Indiscriminate13. Kill Yourself (S.O.D. cover song)

"A culmination of 15 years of technical death metal brutality, 'Omnipresent' transcends definition,” states the band. “From light speed to absolute zero it is a journey to the farthest reaches of the universe to the darkest nether of the mind. We are everywhere and nowhere. We are omnipresent."

Formed in Kansas in 1997, ORIGIN is one of the most intense and most brutal technical death metal forces to be reckoned with. Since its inception, the group has charted twice on the Billboard Top Heatseekers (with "Antithesis" at #21 and "Entity" at #20) and emerged on countless highly energetic shows across the world. In 2007, ORIGIN reached Europe for the first time in career (on tour with MISERY INDEX and NECROPHAGIST) and five years later, in 2012, reclaimed The Old Continent together with SUFFOCATION. This coming May, ORIGIN will be heading out on a headlining run in Southeast Asia and Australia.

ORIGIN is:

Jason Keyser - VocalsPaul Ryan - Guitars/VocalsMike Flores - Bass/VocalsJohn Longstreth - Drums

Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based death metallers KATAKLYSM, have released the music video for their rendition of the SACRED REICH classic "The American Way". The clip was shot by director Tommy Jones (TESTAMENT, DEATH ANGEL, EX DEO) during the band's recent North American tour with Belgian gore-grinders ABORTED. >
"KATAKLYSM has never covered any band before on disc in its 20-year existence," stated KATAKLYSM singer Maurizio Iacono. "We decided to change that on the new record and wanted to do something people didn't expect, but also something that stood through time. >
"The message behind the song is still relevant now. The difference today is that it’s a global problem, not only in North America, but everywhere.>
"I personally grew up on early thrash metal and SACRED REICH was and is one of my all-time favorite bands. It was very important that we had the blessings from the band to do this video. The guys in SACRED REICH gave us the green light and are happy that we did this. >
"We chose to reconstruct the same type of video they did for it back in the day but in a modern-day setting.”>
KATAKLYSM's version of "The American Way" is taken from the band's new album, "Waiting For The End To Come", which was released on October 29, 2013 in North America via Nuclear Blast. The artwork by Eliran Kantor (TESTAMENT, HATEBREED) was featured on the deluxe digipak and LP versions of the effort. The cover by Peter Sallai (SABATON) was featured on the standard jewel case and limited edition cassette tape versions. >
The follow-up to 2010's "Heaven's Venom", "Waiting For The End To Come" was recorded by KATAKLYSM guitarist Jean-François Dagenais, who has previously worked with MALEVOLENT CREATION, MISERY INDEX and DESPISED ICON, among others, and mixed by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (SUFFOCATION, HATEBREED, ARSIS).>
KATAKLYSM recently announced that Oli Beaudoin will be the drummer for the band on the next album and future tours.>

DOWN's official video for the song "We Knew Him Well" can be seen below. The track comes off the band's new EP, "Down IV - Part Two", which is beng released today (Tuesday, May 13) via Down Records/ADA Music. Tracked at Nodferatu's Lair — iconic vocalist Philip H. Anselmo's home studio — and produced by Michael Thompson, Anselmo and DOWN, the new EP is the eagerly anticipated sequel to "Down IV - Part One". The new offering from DOWN is packed with the quintet's signature gargantuan riffs, swamp blues leads, crashing drums and hypnotic howls, upholding a certain tradition that countless fans celebrate, expanding their own musical mythos as they leave its pillars intact and untouched. In support of the upcoming record, DOWN is taking its renowned live show on the road this spring, joining BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and DEVIL YOU KNOW on a North American tour. The tour, which also includes DOWN headlining shows and festival appearances, began at Iron City in Birmingham, Alabama on May 2, and will end at Rocklahoma in Pryor, Oklahoma on May 25. The run also includes an appearance on May 24 at Emo's in Austin at the "Rock the Heart" concert, a benefit for the late Mike Scaccia's (RIGOR MORTIS, MINISTRY) "Heart Rock" foundation, with the goal of raising awareness about heart disease. When Anselmo, Pepper Keenan, Jimmy Bower, Pat Bruders, and Bobby Landgraf retreated to Nodferatu's Lair at Anselmo's Lousiana home in the fall of 2013, things had changed a bit. For the first time in the band's storied career, Kirk Windstein wouldn't be handling guitar duties alongside Keenan. Instead, longtime "family" member, stage manager, and HONKY guitarist Landgraf took the reins. "He was immediately at home," affirms Anselmo. "Bobby had always been that guy in case of anything. Knowing his personality, he really locked in with what we do and took it to heart. He made himself belong. Honestly, the first day he came down he contributed a very strong riff to a key song. There's that Southern element, which is imperative. I also catch a real old heavy metal vibe from this record. I can't stress this enough. He took it all on, and he did a fucking awesome job." Keenan adds, "Even with the lineup differences, it's interesting how the songs still sound very DOWN. Bobby and I have always locked in. It's not just physically either, but mentally as well. We see eye-to-eye, and he's been watching for a long time." "It was a big deal for me," beams Landgraf. "I drove ten hours up from Texas that first day, cracked a beer, and plugged in. We jumped right into the room, and I played this part. They all smiled. That was the moment for me. I'm a longtime fan, and I knew we were friends, but being a part of the writing and working towards something together was just incredible. As a guitar player, one of my goals was to be in a group like this. I want to make everyone proud." The fans will undoubtedly take pride in this collection as well. Making good on DOWN's promise of a series of EPs, the second installment sees a pronounced progression amongst the individuals themselves as well. "We wanted to back up our word as far as releasing these EPs," Anselmo goes on. "Everybody was fixated on that. This is the shortest period of time between our releases, and every one stepped it up and upped his game. Keenan, Bower, Bruders and Landgraf all contributed some excellent riffs. Having all of this fresh input makes for a different listen and a new perspective on what DOWN should and does sound like. All of that yields a unique record off the bat." For the future, DOWN's sights are set on endless touring. Landgraf made his formal stage debut when the band headlined Anselmo's first annual Housecore Horror Film Festival in front of a packed audience of the faithful in October 2013. Now, it's just about bringing that inimitable sound everywhere possible. "Down IV - Part Two" track listing:>
01. Steeple02. We Knew Him Well03. Hogshead/Dogshead04. Conjure05. Sufferer's Years06. Bacchanalia>


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Iconic rockers NIGHT RANGER will release their new studio album, "High Road", on June 10 in North America via Frontiers Records. Produced by the bandmembers themselves, the effort will be available in two formats — a standard CD version and a deluxe version which includes two bonus tracks and a DVD featuring a background look at the making of the album along with video clips. >
The song "I'm Coming Home" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.>
The cover art for "High Road" incorporates elements of the artwork from the band's previous releases and can be seen below. >
Of the new album, NIGHT RANGER bassist/songwriter Jack Blades commented: "It's almost summer and a great time to take a trip down the 'High Road'! >
"Our new record features classic NIGHT RANGER feel-good, high-energy kick-ass rock 'n' roll. We can't wait for our fans to hear." Drummer/singer Kelly Keagy added, "We're so proud of this new record and excited to get back on the road to bring the new music to our fans." NIGHT RANGER's legendary hits "Sister Christian", "(You Can Still) Rock In America" and "Don't Tell Me You Love Me" are songs that have each significantly impacted popular culture and expanded their ever-growing fanbase since the band's inception thirty years ago. Over the years, the band's music has made notable contributions to and been featured in many different areas of media and popular culture. >
NIGHT RANGER's songs can be heard in the Rock Band and Guitar Hero video games; "Rock Of Ages" hit Broadway musical and film; the Oscar-nominated film "Boogie Nights"; Fox's hit TV show "American Dad"; JBL's "Hear The Truth" campaign; and many more.>
To date, NIGHT RANGER has sold 17 million units worldwide and boasts several platinum- and gold-certified albums. >
NIGHT RANGER is Jack Blades (bass guitar, vocals), Kelly Keagy (drums, vocals), Brad Gillis (lead and rhythm guitars), Joel Hoekstra (lead and rhythm guitars) and Eric Levy (keyboards). "High Road" track listing:>
01. High Road02. Knock Knock Never Stop03. Rollin' On04. Don't Live Here Any More05. I'm Coming Home06. X Generation07. Only For You Only08. Hang On09. St. Bartholomew10. Brothers11. L.A. No Name12. The Mountain Song * * Only available on deluxe edition>
Photo credit: Grady Brannan>






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"The Killing Gods", the fifth studio album from American death metal extremists MISERY INDEX, can be streamed in its entirety using the widget below. The CD will be released on May 23 via Season Of Mist. >
"The Killing Gods" was recorded at Wright Way Studios in Baltimore, Maryland and was engineered by Steve Carr (DYING FETUS, SLIPKNOT, SOILWORK). The drum parts were tracked with Scott Hull (PIG DESTROYER, AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED, BLACK TUSK, BRUTAL TRUTH) at Visceral Sound in Bethesda, Maryland.>
Comments MISERY INDEX bassist/vocalist Jason Netherton: "After an extended writing and recording process we have finally completed 'The Killing Gods'. It is the longest, most diverse and most complete album we have ever created, and it represents the blood, sweat and beers of four dudes trying to make the best songs they can. We think we have succeeded and we hope you do as well.">
Having cemented a reputation as one of the most formidable live bands in the death metal scene, MISERY INDEX has toured the world over numerous times on the backs of four critically acclaimed albums. The Baltimore-based quartet has leveled venues in over 40 countries over 1000-plus live shows. With albums showcasing a disgust for everyday life and the ills of modern society, MISERY INDEX will continue to push its crushing take on pummeling death metal with the release of "The Killing Gods".>
"The Killing Gods" track listing:>
01. Urfaust02. The Calling03. The Oath04. Conjuring The Cull05. The Harrowing06. The Killing Gods07. Cross To Bear08. Gallows Humor09. The Weakener10. Sentinels11. Colony Collapse (feat. John Gallagher)12. Heretics13. Thieves Of The New World Order (MINISTRY cover; bonus track)>
MISERY INDEX recently announced a special live date as part of this year's Maryland Deathfest pre-show on May 21.>
MISERY INDEX is:>
Jason Netherton: Bass, VocalsMark Kloeppel: Guitar, VocalsAdam Jarvis: DrumsDarin Morris: Guitar>
Photo credit: Josh Sisk>


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OUTLOUD, the Greece-based melodic hard rock band featuring Bob Katsionis (FIREWIND) and American singer Chandler Mogel, will release of its long-awaited third album, "Let's Get Serious", on May 23 via AOR Heaven. Once again mixed and mastered by Tommy Hansen, the CD contains 11 brand new songs plus a cover of ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK's (OMD) "Enola Gay". Also featured is very special guest George Kollias (NILE) who played all the drums on the album, and guitar virtuoso Mike Orlando (ADRENALINE MOB) on probably what could be called the heaviest OUTLOUD track to date, "Toy Soldiers".>
The video for the song "I Was So Blind" was filmed at the historic Revenge Of Rock club in Athens, Greece, and features brand new members Kostas Milonas (drums) and Jim Scordilis (guitar). The clip, which stars gorgeous Greek model Angelina Stratigaki, was directed by the renowned Greek rock videographer Themis of RawRec Productions.>
"Let's Get Serious" track listing:>
01. Death Rock!02. I Was So Blind03. One More Time04. Bury The Knife05. Like A Dream06. It Really Doesn't Matter07. A While To Go08. All In Vain09. Another Kind of Angel10. Let's Get Serious11. Toy Soldiers (feat. Mike Orlando)12. Enola Gay (ORCHESTRAL MANOEUVRES IN THE DARK cover) Internationally, OUTLOUD has sold over 8,000 CDs since its acclaimed debut came out in 2009, and has become the most viewed Greek hard rock band on YouTube, with over 400,000+ views. Their song "We Run" appeared on a handful of reputable compilations and also was named "Track Of The Day" by Classic Rock magazine in June 2009. The band has toured its home country multiple times and has appeared on Greek national TV. It has also graced the cover for Greece's Metal Hammer magazine, the country's biggest rock publication.>
"Let's Get Serious" recording lineup: Chandler Mogel - VocalsBob Katsionis - Guitar, KeyboardsSverd - BassKostas Milonas - DrumsJim Scordilis - Guitar>
George Kollias (NILE) - all drums on albumMike Orlando (ADRENALINE MOB) - guitar solo on "Toy Soldiers">




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"Talk Shit, Get Shot", the new single from BODY COUNT, the metal band fronted by hip-hop legend, actor and director Ice-T, was premiered on the latest episode of the Ice-T's "Final Level" podcast (web site). You can now listen to the track in the YouTube clip below.

In a recent interview with Flama's D-Stroy of "Left Unattended", Ice-T stated about "Manslaughter": "People have been asking me to do some music, and I haven't really been inspired to do hip hop for a while, 'cause hip hop kind of got really pop to me. But my band always wants to play, so we decided to do an album. We got signed to Sumerian Records. We finished the album. It's called 'Manslaughter'. We shot the [first] video. We did the album cover. It'll be out June 10. And it's brutal. It's brutal."

BODY COUNT's current lineup includes guitarist Juan Garcia (a.k.a. Juan Of The Dead; AGENT STEEL, EVILDEAD), who made his live debut with the group in November 2013 at the Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, Texas. The band's set included first-time airings of new songs "Talk Shit, Get Shot" and the "Manslaughter" title track.

BODY COUNT 2014 is:

Ice-T - VocalsErnie C - Lead GuitarJuan Of The Dead - Rhythm GuitarVincent Price - BassIll Will - DrumsSean E Sean - Backup Vocals/Sampler

BODY COUNT will take part in this summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, which kicks off on July 5 in San Bernardino, California.

BODY COUNT's last album, "Murder 4 Hire", came out in 2006 via Escapi Music. Lyrically, the songs ranged from political ("The End Game"), personal ("You Don't Know Me [Pain]"), and religious ("The Passion Of The Christ"), to obsession ("In My Head"), armegeddon ("Dirty Bomb"), hate ("Lies") and relationships. A eulogy for fallen band member D-Roc was also included ("D Rocs [RIP]") as was a hilarious take on deep south rednecks ("Down In The Bayou"). The CD closed with "Mr. C's Theme", a show-stopping hard-rock instrumental.

Thrash metal outfit INDESTRUCTIBLE NOISE COMMAND (I.N.C.) has inked a deal with Ohio-based Ferocious Records. The band's new album, "Black Hearse Serenade", will be released this fall. Formed in 1985, Connecticut's I.N.C. began its recording career in 1987 with its debut album, "Razorback", on Giant Records. Critics and fans throughout the tri-state area were hammered over the head by what they heard. The band’s heavy, destructive style translated well to stage and to vinyl. I.N.C. released its third full-length album "Heaven Sent...Hellbound", through the U.K. record label Rising in Europe, and Candlelight in North America. Cclaimed producer Fredrik Nordström (AT THE GATES, IN FLAMES, OPETH) helmed the CD, which reached No. 6 on the CMJ Loud rock charts. The group's second video, for the song "Swallowed", was released and has had over 150,000 views to date. Following this release, I.N.C. signed with Extreme Management Group, whose roster includes SUFFOCATION, ORIGIN, DECREPIT BIRTH, CATTLE DECAPITATION, CRYPTOPSY, THREAT SIGNAL and DISGORGE. In 2013, I.N.C. began recording its fourth full-length album, which led to the deal with Ferocious, an affiliate of CDS Records, LLC, which has released over 100 titles the past seven years. "When we heard the new record, it was a no-brainer to sign this extremely talented band and release their new material," said Ferocious chief Dylann DeAnna. Earlier this year, I.N.C. signed a deal with TKO Booking as the band's exclusive North American booking agency. TKO represents some of the biggest names in rock, pop and metal, including ANTHRAX, P.O.D., MOTÖRHEAD and BUCKCHERRY.

Danish death metallers MERCENARY have released the epic, crowd-sourced music video for "Welcome The Sickness", a track from their critically acclaimed 2013 release "Through Our Darkest Days". The clip was shot in just one day with director/producer Mircea Gabriel Eftemie (MNEMIC), who was also responsible for the album's mystic cover artwork.

Comments the band: "We're immensely proud to be able to present our new video for 'Welcome The Sickness'. It's been a great and fun experience making this possible through a crowdfunding campaign and interacting with the fans in a whole new way. We are very grateful for the support, as we would never have been able to finance a visit in Denmark's biggest greenscreen studio with professional lights and makeup followed by two months of post production on our own. Moreover, we are really really happy with the striking, atmospheric, and visually dramatic way in which director Mircea Eftemie made our musical universe come to life. Without an incredible amount of hard work on his behalf, this video wouldn't have been possible either, so please send a lot of kudos his way."

MERCENARY — which has long been one of the most active and successful proponents of Denmark's rising metal scene — has spent the past year on tour throughout Europe supporting "Through Our Darkest Days". The CD, which combines the band's traditional melodic and melancholic elements with a darker, heavier mindset, was recorded and mixed with Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, HEAVEN SHALL BURN) at Hansen Studios in Denmark and features nine tracks that take listeners on a journey through existential darkness while inspiring them to break through it.

WOVENWAR, the new band featuring the talents of Jordan Mancino (drums), Nick Hipa (guitar), Phil Sgrosso (guitar) and Josh Gilbert (bass) of San Diego, California based metal act AS I LAY DYING, and Shane Blay (vocals) of OH, SLEEPER, documented the recording process of its self-titled debut album. Hipa applied his finely honed video skills to this series of videos, as well as the videos already available for streaming at Wovenwar.com. The first studio clip features a candid looking at Mancino tracking his parts for the record. The CD, which is due later summer via Metal Blade Records, was recorded with producer Bill Stevenson (DESCENDENTS, BLACK FLAG), with mixing duties currently being handled by Colin Richardson (SLIPKNOT, MACHINE HEAD, TRIVIUM).

Mancino reflects on the recording process for the new album: "It's weird to think that I finished tracking drums for this WOVENWAR record over five months ago.

"What an amazing and powerful experience it was being back in the studio creating and tracking with Nick, Phil, and Josh, and for the first time with Shane.

"Our past studio experiences together have always been done with the utmost efficiency and professionalism. With this WOVENWAR record, we carried that same dedication of efficiency, but with more room and purpose to create while in the studio.

"This being the first time in the studio with Shane, it was easy to tell that he shares the same dedication as the four us.

"Having Bill and Jason as producers, Daniel and Joseph as engineers, as well Colin and Carl for mixing, I couldn't have imagined a more epic team of dudes to be part of this record. The history we all have together set the tone and comfort for this recording process, but what was accomplished was much more than I ever imagined.

"I am honored to be part of this record and honored to stand alongside my fellow bandmates and production team as we begin this process of showing 'All Rise' to the world."

WOVENWAR has just released its first single, titled "All Rise", off the band's upcoming self-titled debut. Fans can now head over to the band's official web site, Wovenwar.com, to hear the very first material released by the band, which is the mastered version that will appear on the album — not the final mix as previously reported.

AS I LAY DYING singer Tim Lambesis in Febraury pleaded guilty to hiring a hit man to kill his estranged wife.

The singer remains free on $2 million bond until he is sentenced later this month.

AS I LAY DYING's sixth album, "Awakened", sold around 28,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 11 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released in September 2012 via Metal Blade Records, the CD was produced by Bill Stevenson and was mixed by Colin Richardson.

Former DEATH and current CYNIC members Paul Masvidal (guitar, vocals) and Sean Reinert (drums), who are both gay, have spoken out for the first time about their sexuality in the context of their music.

Masvidal, 43, who had come out to friends and family in 1991, and later began exploring drag bars and gay nightclubs while on tour, told the Los Angeles Times, "It's one thing to make out with your bandmates and just 'play gay' because it's edgy. It's another thing to actually live it."

Reinert, 42, who took a bit longer to come out, said: "I knew that, secretly, I wanted to go to those clubs too. But back then, my stereotype of how to be gay was wearing dresses and tank tops. I didn't have any masculine, metal role models who were gay."

He added: "I went on a date with this one awful guy who blogged about it on his web site. So for years, if you typed my name into Google, the second thing that came up, after 'Sean Reinert Drummer,' was 'Sean Reinert Gay.'"

Masvidal and Reinert admitted to the Los Angeles Times that they were nervous about coming out publicly. "There's definitely going to be a reaction, but it's important that we be truthful," Masvidal said.

"Gay people are everywhere, doing every job, playing every kind of music and we always have been," Reinert added. "It's taken me years to finally be brave enough to say, 'If you have a problem with that, then throw out our records. That's your problem, not mine.'"

JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford, who revealed he was homosexual during a 1998 appearance on MTV, stated at the time about his decision to publicly discuss his sexuality: "I think that most people know that I've been a gay man all of my life, and that it's only been in recent times that it's an issue that I feel comfortable to address, and an issue that has been with me ever since recognizing my own sexuality. It's something that I've been comfortable with forever, something that I feel has a moment, and this is the moment to discuss it and to go into the reasons, and the whys and the wherefores as to the statement, the so-called coming out phase."

He continued: "A lot of homophobia still exists in the music world, in all kinds of music. I wouldn't say it's any more phobic in metal or rap or whatever this music is that I'm doing now, but that's just something that I think we all have to address in our own lives. If we have a problem with it, I think we should seek help and find out why we do have a problem with it."

In openly discussing his sexuality, Halford said that he hoped he would be helping others to do the same.

"I think it's difficult for everybody, you know, in making the decision to come forward and be who you are, based on peer pressure, especially if you're a teenager," Halford said. "That's where a lot of the anxiety begins, and so maybe people like myself and others that do step in front of a camera and let the world know, maybe it's of some help, where there's an individual that's been successful, that's been able to achieve dreams and visions and goals in life and not let the issue of sexuality be something to hold them back, so I think it's an important thing."

CYNIC — consisting of Masvidal, Reinert and bassist Sean Malone — released its new album, "Kindly Bent To Free Us", on February 14 via Season Of Mist.

Masvidal and Reinert are continuing to tour with DEATH TO ALL , which features former members of DEATH celebrating the life and music of Chuck Schuldiner. The band's current touring lineup includes the three surviving members of DEATH's "Human" lineup (Masvidal, Reinert and bassist Steve DiGiorgio), along with with special guest vocalist/guitarist Max Phelps of CYNIC/EXIST, performing material from DEATH's first four albums.