L.A. GUNS singer Phil Lewis was joined on stage by the band's former guitarist Tracii Guns (now of GUNZO and DEVIL CITY ANGELS) this past Friday, May 22 at The Canyon in Agoura Hills, California. Fan-filmed video footage of the joint performance can be seen below.

In a recent interview with the "Another FN Podcast With Izzy Presley", Tracii stated about playing with Phil Lewis again: "Phil and I really never lost… we never really had any real bad blood. I mean, we had some cat fights and stuff like that… [But playing together is] so familiar to both of us that it's very comfortable and there's no hesitation or wondering what the other guy is gonna do, or anything like that, because we've done it so much. [When we first shared the stage again] It had literally been eleven years since we had been on stage together. It just felt normal. It felt like, 'Hey, we're doing L.A. GUNS music, shit we wrote together, and we're really good at L.A. GUNS music.' [Laughs]"

He continued: "There's kind of a little plan right now that him and I… actually, him and GUNZO… we may actually do something out of the country for a minute together. So there's all kinds of possibilities. But the reality of any type of what Phil and I would call an L.A. GUNS 'reunion,' that probably won't ever happen. But there's a good chance that you'll see even possibly new music from Phil and I. Certainly, at some point, as long as we're living, we'll definitely be on stage again at some point together."

Tracii Guns in 2013 ruled out the possibility of a reunion with Phil Lewis and L.A. GUNS drummer Steve Riley. He said: "My heart's just not into it, man, you know. I was so young when we did that. Your tastes just change. And I played those songs for so many years. I just don't really see it happening. I don't know, really, why I would do it, you know what I mean? It's not like the band is big enough to have, like, a comeback where it would make some crazy financial sense or something like that. But musically, I think I've played those songs enough in my life."

Tracii started L.A. GUNS while still in high school in 1982. The original singer, Michael Jagosz, was replaced by Axl Rose. Signed to PolyGram in '87, the band's self-titled debut, with Phil Lewis replacing Rose, sold over a million copies, as did "Cocked and Loaded" (1989) and "Hollywood Vampires" (1991).

When people think of Logan Mader, they remember the flying dreads, a flying V, and deadly volume, performing with the likes of MACHINE HEAD and SOULFLY. It's hard to believe, but it's been 12 years since Mader set foot onstage. Now an in-demand music producer/mixer who has worked with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, GOJIRA and PERIPHERY, he had written off the performing part of his life and settled behind the scenes.

Still, something within him stirred. Former Roadrunner A&R chief and current Nuclear Blast Entertainment head Monte Conner sent newcomer and multi-instrumentalist Lauren Hart to Logan Mader for a production deal. A creative spark between the two forged the nexus of ONCE HUMAN, as Hart moved from guitars to vocals, unsheathing a throat-scarring level of vocal brutality that completely contradicts her soft appearance. Unexpectedly, the result brought Mader back to creative life as both artist and performer.

"The creative chemistry was so on fire and the music really spoke to me. In all of my years producing, I've never been so attached and excited about a developing project," Mader said.

He continued, "It's a mix of brutal metal and melodic epic, with cinematic textures. It's unique and really has its own identity."

Mader is not closing his studio doors for producing, however. "I can do it all," he said. The rhythm section of ONCE HUMAN consists of Damian Rainauld on bass and Ralph Alexander on drums; both are newcomers, yet are insanely talented. ONCE HUMAN has inked a worldwide deal with earMUSIC, which will be unveiling the band's debut album, "The Life I Remember", on September 4.

The lyric video for the "The Life I Remember" title track is available below.

MEAN MAN, the new band fronted by former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes, celebrated the release of Chris's new album, "Shitting Bricks", with a special show on May 2 at at Le Ferrailleur in Nantes, France.

Video footage of MEAN MAN performing the song "Let It Roar" at the Nantes concert can be seen below.

MEAN MAN is:

Chris Holmes: Lead Guitar, VocalsThomas Cesario: GuitarPascal Bei: BassGabriel Candela: Drums

In a recent interview with Noisey, Holmes was asked he was surprised by the attention he got with the video for his song "Let It Roar". "No," he responded. "I think it's just because people are talking trash about me. You know, once it gets on Blabbermouth, they start talking about how crappy it is. They're always gonna compare everything I do to W.A.S.P., no matter what. So they start bad-mouthing it. That's probably why it's gotten so viral. But you know, [the video] is just what I do in [my new hometown of] Cannes [France]. It’s a beautiful city. You see me fishing and stuff. I think one part of the video shows a wave hit the rocks and almost knock me off. [Laughs] It's a neat town. You can't do the same things in L.A."

Holmes also talked about his decision to move to France last year. He said: "My wife is from France. But since I left W.A.S.P. I dangled around in L.A., trying to find musicians to play with, but it just didn't work out. The change of culture in the last ten years… My kind of music isn't played that much — not like it was in the '80s."

He continued: "About two years ago, I pulled into a 7-11, and this kid got out of his car. He wasn't listening to rock. When I was his age, that's all I listened to. That made me realize the kind of music I do here anymore… [He was listening to] hip-hop. And I just don't play that kind of music."

Holmes added: "I was talking to one of my friend's kids — he's in high school — and I asked him, 'Why don't you listen to rock, like DEEP PURPLE or something?' And he said, 'Man, that's pussy music.' This is a white kid. So I thought, if people don't listen to this kind of music anymore, why should I even be here? I'm in my 50s, but I want to still keep on going, kind of. So I talked to my wife and we decided to move. They listen to rock more over here. There's lots more concerts and stuff."

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.

America’s newest neo-classic riff masters, Black Fast, will release their all new LP, Terms Of Surrender, on August 7th via eOne Music. Ripping pages from Death's technical death metal guidebook, the St. Louis foursome conjures the spirit of the late, great Chuck Schuldiner while channeling the viciousness of Megadeth's young-and-hungry Dave Mustaine and blistering aggression of Kreator’s Mille Petrozza.

The band tapped veteran producer Erik Rutan for the effort on their debut LP for eOne Music. Known for his work with Hate Eternal, Six Feet Under, Goatwhore and Cannibal Corpse, Rutan was an easy choice.

"We can't wait to work with Erik Rutan! Erik is a legend”, says front man Aaron Akin. "Excited doesn't even do justice to the mind frame we are in. I've followed his work for over a decade, and he's been at it for way longer than that. I mean, it's f***ing Erik Rutan!"

 
"Black Fast has an amazing blend of heaviness and melody," says Rutan. "Their aggressive and raw style has a very unique approach and an immense energy to it. Black Fast has an interesting range of influences in their music, making it impossible to stereotype or pigeon hole. I think the recording process went fantastic and feel this is an album metal fans will truly appreciate."

Terms of Surrender will be the band's followup to their highly buzzed about self-released Starving Out The Light. Black Fast has a short but concentrated history. Started in 2010 by fellow music students Aaron Akin, Trevor Johanson, Ryan Thompson and Ross Burnett, the band has bulldozed on an upward trajectory ever since. Their soundtrack to society’s collapse is relentless. Possessed by unbridled energy and a palpable desperation, the band has a fierce vitality that will not go unnoticed.

Creating a modern twist on the energetic riffs of metal’s glory days, Black Fast harness the spirit of their metal forefathers, whether exploring hand-cramp-inducing riffs or blazing through straightforward thrash. Black Fast songs have a hungry ferocity reminiscent of the Bay Area thrash scene, the likes of which haven’t been this raw or hyper-charged in decades.

 

Poland-based twisted black metallers, Outre, have a new music video, built around their show with Svartidauði, Antediluvian and Emptiness earlier this month. The black-and-white video, edited by the extremely talented Kuba Leszko, conveys the tortured mania of the band’s performance, surrounded in fog and bright lights.

The band also have cryptically revealed that this is the start of their presentation of latest album Ghost Chants onstage. The first appearance will be at Germany’s In Flammen Open Air on July 2nd - 4th, joining great names such as Dark Funeral, Entombed A.D., Eyehategod and Vader to name just a few. For more details about the fest, visit the official here.

 

There's a new sci-fi death metal band in town and they're called Coraxo. The Finnish band was formed in fall of 2013 and has already released two EPs - Starlit Flame (2014) and Starlit Flame II (2014) - containing an exciting new hybrid of death metal and soundscapes from sci-fi movies and TV shows.

Coraxo now aims to move melodic death metal towards a new genre, by fusing it with the ambient electro music of the 70's and taking influences from prog rock and post black metal. Lyrically, the themes vary from dystopian societies, oppression and brainwashing to fanaticism, philosophy and ontology. All told through their own sci-fi story universe.
 
Coraxo's debut album, Neptune, mastered by Dan Swanö, is expected to be released later this year via Massacre Records.

Band lineup:
 
Tomi  Toivonen - Vocals, Guitars, Programming
Ville Kokko - Bass
Ville Vistbacka - Drums

 

Surprising news from Damnation Angels. The band, who has recently released its second album The Valiant Fire, has parted ways with its vocalist Per Fredrik "PelleK" Åsly.  

They released the following statement:

"We're sorry to say that after 5 years together, we're parting ways with PelleK. It's a mutual decision that has been on the horizon for quite some time.

Per Fredrik has a lot going on in his life and simply can't commit the amount of time that we require from him. As things with the band get busier and busier, we need someone who can commit a serious amount of time to the band, and Per Fredrik simply can't fulfill this duty. We remain friends out of the band and wish him all the best for the future.
 
Although lineup changes are difficult and can be frustrating, the future of Damnation Angels was never in doubt. We are very excited about the next chapter for the band and glad you will all be there to share it with us."
 
The band is now looking for a new vocalist and stated that anyone from anywhere can apply.
 
Instrumental versions and lyrics for 2 Damnation Angels songs are available here.

Everyone who's interested, should record a video of him-/herself singing a song and send the YouTube link to the band - either via message on the band's Facebook page, via email (damnation_angels@hotmail.com) or you can tag the band on Facebook if you post the video to your profile (make sure the posting’s privacy is set to public).

Damnation Angels released their new album, The Valiant Fire, on March 27th via Massacre Records. The Valiant Fire was mixed and mastered by Scott Atkins at Grindstone Studio. The stunning artwork's created by Rola Chang, aka JungShan Ink.

 

 

The Valiant Fire tracklisting:

“Finding Requiem”
“Icarus Syndrome”
“This Is Who We Are”
“The Frontiersman”
“Closure”
“The Passing”
“Everlasting”
“The Fire Inside”
“Under An Ancient Sun”

“This Is Who We Are” lyric video:

“Finding Requiem”:

Fan-filmed video footage of ACCEPT's May 24 performance at Principal Club in Thessaloniki, Greece can be seen below.

ACCEPT earlier last month announced the addition of guitarist Uwe Lulis (GRAVE DIGGER, REBELLION) and drummer Christopher Williams to the group's ranks.

ACCEPT parted ways with guitarist Herman Frank and drummer Stefan Schwarzmann last December. The band explained in a statement at the time: "We and the fans all knew that [Herman and Stefan] had their own careers and that eventually we would run into scheduling and other conflicts beyond our control."

Herman joined ACCEPT in 1982 shortly before the release of the band's "Restless And Wild" album and exited the group for the first time after the arrival of 1983's "Balls To The Wall" LP.

When ACCEPT reunited for festival appearances in 2005, Herman handled second-guitar duties alongside founding axeman Wolf Hoffmann, with Schwarzmann sitting behind the kit.

Frank and Schwarzmann were involved in ACCEPT's comeback with new singer Mark Tornillo and have appeared on their last three studio albums: 2010's "Blood of the Nations", 2012's "Stalingrad" and 2014's "Blind Rage".

Frank and Schwarzmann are playing in PANZER, a new project also featuring vocalist and bassist Schmier, best known as frontman of DESTRUCTION.

The 2015 edition of SLIPKNOT's Knotfest festival will take place on October 23-25 at San Manuel Amphitheater in Devore, California.

The full lineup for the event will be announced on Monday, June 29.

A three-minute video wrap-up of last year's Knotfest, which was held on October 25-26, 2014 in Devore, can be seen below.

The Vixlet-sponsored GTV Knotfest simulcast included SLIPKNOT's two full performances, as well as select songs from most of the bands performing at the festival. Saturday and Sunday were each highlighted by SLIPKNOT's unique closing sets on Stage 001, featuring brand new music from their latest album, ".5: The Gray Chapter" and an entirely new stage set and experience. More than 20,000 people reportedly packed the San Manuel Amphitheater for Knotfest U.S. — powered by Rockstar Energy Drink — which featured a massive lineup of over 50 bands playing on five stages on Saturday and Sunday. SLIPKNOT was joined by some of the biggest names in metal, including DANZIG, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, VOLBEAT, ANTHRAX, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, IN THIS MOMENT, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, OF MICE & MEN, TESTAMENT, FEAR FACTORY, HATEBREED, NAPALM DEATH, ATREYU, HELLYEAH, and dozens more. The festival was an epic experience for Maggots and metalheads even apart from the five stages of earsplitting music, with the SLIPKNOT-curated Slipknot Museum, the Fire Zone, Ring Of Fire carnival ride, Thunderdome, Fitz Army Freestyle Motocross Show, Junk Car Drum Circle, and more. In addition, Friday night's VIP Pre-Party Bash featured exclusive performances from SUICIDE SILENCE, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, BUTCHER BABIES and more for those that purchased VIP or Camping Packages.

FeMetal TV's fiery redhead Mercedes recently conducted an interview with bassist Pär Sundström of Swedish metallers SABATON. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked if SABATON has begun working on material for its eight album and when fans can expect the follow-up to 2014's "Heroes", Sundström said: "The next album's gonna come out at the end of next summer, if everything goes well. We have topics for it, we have plans for it, but we can't tell it yet, because it's still a secret, and also, we don't wanna tell things which might change. Because until it's recorded, you never know if it's gonna change."

He continued: "We have some good topics [for the lyrics]. We haven't really written any songs yet. We've got ideas for some songs, some good ideas. Because we are touring so much, and it's really complicated to write music on tour; for us, it's really complicated. And so, we're gonna start in the autumn writing songs. We still have some few ideas. But, really, in the autumn, we're gonna start writing [properly for the next album]."

SABATON released a special, three-disc limited-edition deluxe version of its 2014 album, "Heroes", in the U.S. and Canada on April 7 via Nuclear Blast. Limited to 5,000 copies, this deluxe edition includes two discs of live audio recorded on the 2014 Sabaton Cruise in addition to the original ten "Heroes" album tracks. "Heroes" was certified gold in the group's home country for sales in excess of 20,000 copies.

Note: The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) in Sweden has revised the sales requirements for albums to reach gold status in the country twice in the last seven years — from the pre-2002 level of 40,000 to the current 20,000.

"Heroes" sold around 3,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 99 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Released on May 16, 2014 via Nuclear Blast Records, the "Heroes" cover artwork was created by Péter Sallai. A number of bonus tracks were made available, including cover versions of songs originally written and recorded by METALLICA, BATTLE BEAST and RAUBTIER.

"Heroes" was tracked at The Abyss, the recording studio in Pärlby outside Ludvika, Sweden owned and operated by record producer and musician Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY, PAIN).

Sweden-based melodic death metal experts SOILWORK will releas their tenth studio album, "The Ride Majestic", on August 28 via Nuclear Blast. The CD was recorded by David Castillo (OPETH, KATATONIA) at Studio Gröndal and was produced and mixed by Jens Bogren (KREATOR, AMON AMARTH) at Fascination Street. The cover artwork was created by Róbert Borbás (Grinddesign) and can be seen below.

"The Ride Majestic" will be made available in various formats (CD, vinyl, t-shirt/CD bundle). Pre-order your copy here.

Comments SOILWORK vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid: "We just put the final touches on our new album, 'The Ride Majestic', and all we can say is that it's going to be massive. It definitely picks up where we left off with 'The Living Infinite', but slightly darker, atmospheric and almost anthemic, with some really interesting twists and turns. Can't wait to play this epic beast live! Await the ride majestic ladies n gents!"

In celebration of "The Ride Majestic"'s impending release, SOILWORK has released a live video of the band's "hit" song "Let This River Flow", featuring a guest appearance by NIGHTWISH/REVAMP singer Floor Jansen, which comes off SOILWORK's most recent DVD/Blu-ray, "Live In The Heart Of Helsinki".

Adds Strid: "I was really excited to work with Floor Jansen, especially since we haven't had any female guest artists featured on anything SOILWORK-related before.

"I first got to know Floor via e-mail some years ago, when she asked me to do some guest vocals for her other amazing band REVAMP. I was absolutely thrilled, since I really respect her as a singer — she can do it all: amazing clean vocals, powerful high and low screams and can shape her voice into just about anything. I thought I'd 'return the favor' and ask her to do 'Let This River Flow' with me for our live DVD in Helsinki and, boy, did it turn out amazing! It was really cool to meet her in person as well; her presence is majestic and she has a great sense of humor. I think our voices match perfectly in this almost anthemic song, which showcases a lot of different types of vocals."

The official "The Tour Majestic" European run will kick off in late November. The band will share the stage with Danish thrash/death metal group HATESPHERE and another special guest. SOILWORK is also slated to perform at the seventh annual Metal Hammer Awards in Berlin on September 18.

Last Of Our Kind, the new album from The Darkness, is now streaming in it’s entirety at this location.
 
Last Of Our Kind is the first album to feature new drummer Emily Dolan Davies. She replaces original drummer Ed Graham who departed in mysterious circumstances. Having been drumming since 1999, Emily has played with everybody from the likes of Bono, Bryan Ferry and Tricky. Now she has shown herself to be equal to the ultimate music challenge.
 
Emily's ability is face-shatteringly evident in “Barbarian” – described by vocalist Justin Hawkins as having “not one but two dramatic monologues, a guitar solo that has been declared 'irresponsible', a riff that weakens lady-knees and a chorus that makes grown men shit directly into their pants." Justin goes on to point out that "The lyrics describe the Viking invasion of East Anglia which culminated in the decapitation of Edmund the Martyr. So yeah, classic Darkness.”
 
Last Of Our Kind is the meaty and impassioned follow-up to 2012’s Hot Cakes, which saw the band reunited having enjoyed a well-publicized and well-deserved hiatus. As distinguished guests of Def Leppard, The Darkness destroyed Download Festival in 2011, then waved goodbye to their loved ones and toured planet Earth for over 18 months. They rounded off 2013 with a celebratory tour marking the 10th Anniversary of their legendary number one debut album. Permission To Land featured the classics “I Believe In A Thing Called Love”, “Love Is Only A Feeling”, “Love On The Rocks With No Ice” and “Love Is A Many Splendored Thing”; it was the fastest selling debut album by a British band in America since that of The Spice Girls.
 
Last Of Our Kind is available on limited edition colour vinyl, CD and downloadable computer files.

 

 

Last Of Our Kind tracklisting:
 
“Barbarian”
“Open Fire”
“Last Of Our Kind”
“Roaring Waters”
“Wheels Of The Machine”
“Mighty Wings”
“Mudslide”
“Sarah O’Sarah”
“Hammer & Tongs”
“Conquerors”

“Open Fire” video:

“Barbarian” video:

The Darkness have announced the Blast Of Our Kind UK tour, to commence on November 30th in Norwich and culminate in a triumphant show at London's Roundhouse on December 20th. It is the first, and a golden, opportunity for enthusiasts to see The Darkness on their own stage in support of the new, fourth album Last Of Our Kind.
 
Blast Of Our Kind will be The Darkness' first UK tour since 2013. The Darkness will spend the summer months honing their craft with a sold-out launch show at Dingwalls and choice slots at the various festivals listed below.

Summer dates:
 
June
3 - London, England - Dingwalls (album launch)

July
4 - Wicklow, Ireland - Groove Festival
5 - Waterford, Ireland - Daytripper Festival
12 - Chelmsford, England - Brownstock Festival

August
9 - Newquay, England - Boardmasters Festival
30 - Portsmouth, England - Victorious Festival
 
Blast Of Our Kind UK tour:
 
November
30 - Norwich, England - Open

December
1 - Cambridge, England - Corn Exchange
2 - Nottingham, England - Rock City
4 - Newcastle, England - O2 Academy
5 - Glasgow, Scotland - O2 Academy
9 - Leeds, England - O2 Academy
10 - Manchester, England - Academy
11 - Birmingham, England - O2 Academy
13 - Bristol, England - O2 Academy
14 - Southampton, England - O2 Guildhall
15 - Bexhill, England - De La Warr Pavillion
17 - Bournemouth, England - O2 Academy
19 - Oxford, England - O2 Academy
20 - London, England - Roundhouse

Dear fans and friends of Kingdom Come, and whoever this may concern!

Now that we have learned that the Russian promoter is spreading false information over the www, we felt it would be good to at least give you a short statement from us.
Please understand that we can not give out contractual details, but here is the bottom line:

It is a usual custom to make a contract between two business partners, reminding each other to stick to an agreement just in case someone „might forget“.
The Russian promoter has breached the contract on 3 different occasions, with no attempt to fix them.

We tried hard for weeks and weeks to make this work and were hoping for a solution. But after countless emails with senseless excuses and accusations, we have simply lost all basis for a trustworthy partnership.

That the Russian promoter is trying to ruin KC's reputation is no surprize, but will not force us to join this kindergarten.
We only feel sorry for our fans.
We toured in Russia many times and always had a fantastic time. Meeting great people leaving friends behind.
So why would we not wanna do that again???

Which real business man would post something so ridiculous?
Calling us a non existing band? He must be on some strange pills at the time he wrote that. Where can I get them;-)
How desperate and frustrated (or drunk) must one be to take on such action?
Danny, Johnny, Hendrik, Marko, our Tour agent from Belgium and myself feel very much alive.
Who is Denise from Germany?
Yes, Johnny had issues with his teeth, so what, don’t we all at times?
Pictures could not be taken because Hendrik and myself are residing in Germany, and the US boys are in the US. Hard to take a band-picture across the ocean.
James was never in the picture because the Scorpions back then did not allow him to join other bands. All good on that front.
Misjudging the consequences caused by his stalling strategies simply backfired.
He probably hates himself and the world! Now he needs a ventil. Too bad it hit us again.
As Bon Scott was saying: „Looking for trouble, I’m the man to see“ Смайлик «wink» Yes, Lenny was the one pulling the plug to avoid any more trouble. As simple as that.
Why is he sending emails to his business partners across the globe, informing everybody that his company is shot down and will re open under a different name on Mai 27th ??
Some people can’t cope with reality even if the lights are flashing red for a long time.
It takes a real and honorable man to admit he fucked up. He still can’t.

We hope this will help you coming to your own conclusions.
To sum it up, shit happens, next!

My God bless our fans and soldiers around the globe!
Lenny

Maiden United, the acoustic Iron Maiden tribute project featuring Damian Wilson (Threshold, Headspace) and Ruud Jolie (Within Temptation), are streaming their cover of the classic "Aces High", which can be found on their new album, Remembrance, out now on CD, red 12” vinyl and as digital download.

 

 

Tracklisting:

"Strange World"
"Charlotte The Harlot"
"Killers"
"Remember Tomorrow"
"Burning Ambition" (featuring Bob Verschoyle)
"Futureal" (featuring Blaze Bayley)
"Aces High"
"Prowler" (featuring Paul Di’Anno)
"Still Life'15"

Contributing musicians:

Damian Wilson (Threshold, Headspace) - vocals
Ruud Jolie (Within Temptation) - guitar
Joey Bruers (Up The Irons) - bass
Stef Broks (Textures) - drums
Huub van Loon (Dearworld, Barry Hay) - piano
Marcela Bovio (Stream Of Passion) - vocals
Thunderstick (Samson) - drummer
Wudstik (Ayreon, For All We Know) - guitar
Thijs Schrijnemakers (Orgel Vreten) - Hammond
Perttu Kivilaakso (Apocalyptica) - cello on "Still Life"
Mike Coolen (Within Temptation) - drums on "Prowler"
Marco Kuypers (Cloudmachine) - piano on "Prowler"
Bob Verschoyle (Gypsy’s Kiss) - vocals on "Burning Ambition"
Paul Di’Anno - vocals on "Prowler"
Blaze Bayley - vocals on "Futureal"

Trailer:

"Strange World":

Maiden United's debut album, Mind The Acoustic Pieces (2010), was an acoustic re-imagining of the entire classic Iron Maiden album Piece Of Mind with new arrangements. The second album Across The Seventh Sea (2012) contained tracks from different Maiden albums.

For more details visit MaidenuniteD.com.

 

Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal has commented on Scott Weiland's recent claim that the ART OF ANARCHY project "was a scam from the beginning."

In addition to the GUNS N' ROSES guitarist and the ex-STONE TEMPLE PILOTS singer, the recording lineup for ART OF ANARCHY's first CD included DISTURBED bassist John Moyer. The rest of the lineup is filled out by Jon Votta on guitar and Vince Votta on drums. The group's debut disc will arrive on June 2 via Century Media imprint Another Century.

Weiland recently denied that he was ever a member of ART OF ANARCHY, explaining that he was paid to contribute to the group's CD as a session musician and a songwriter.

"It was a project I did where I was just supposed to have written the lyrics and melodies for this band that I'd never heard of, and I was paid to do it," Weiland told The Daily Beast. "And so I did it, and did some production work on it, and the next thing I knew there were press releases that I was in the band. I mean, I did one photo shoot with them, 'cause it was part of the deal, but I'm not in the band."

He told Rock.About.com in a separate interview that he "wasn't surprised" ART OF ANARCHY put out a press release saying it was a new supergroup that he was a member of. He said: "It was a scam from the beginning."

He continued: "I had them send me the files and I worked in my studio with my engineer and I wrote the lyrics and the melodies and I sent them back. I didn't even know what their names were… I had no idea who they were."

Weiland added: "I was paid to do it. But they were an unsigned band and they're still an unsigned band. Hey. They're gonna put it out on the Internet, and as fate will have it, they don't even have a lead singer. I'm not worried about it taking away any thunder from [my solo band] THE WILDABOUTS."

Asked by Revolver magazine to comment on Weiland's "scam" claim, Thal said: "First, I gotta say Scott did an amazing job on the record; we all feel the vocals he laid down are some of the best he's ever done. We're thrilled and proud of the collaborative effort that went into the making of this record. The public response has been great. We're very happy with the whole album. As for Scott's statement, we need to address if, or why, he made it. It was just a quote from a recent interview and we're trying to verify that he actually did make that statement. Scott deserves the respect to publicly clarify whether he actually said that. All the members of ART OF ANARCHY feel he should have that opportunity."

Regarding whether ART OF ANARCHY is planning on getting a new singer and touring to support this album following Weiland's departure, Thal said: "[I] wouldn't call it a departure as of yet. ART OF ANARCHY hasn't received any official written communication that Weiland is no longer the lead singer of ART OF ANARCHY. There are certain legal steps you'd need to take in order to officially leave a band. We've been offered great touring opportunities with Scott on board even before the record's been released. Aside from Scott, all the band members are on board for getting on stage with this. As for with who? Stay tuned…"

Asked if ART OF ANARCHY would let Weiland back in the band if he ever came back and apologized asking to rejoin the group, Thal said: "He's still technically in the band, and that all needs to be addressed. We're keeping every option and door open."

ART OF ANARCHY is the brainchild of Thal and the Votta brothers, who have been friends for 18 years dating back to their days on the New York music scene.

Thal also serves as producer and engineer on the album.

Weiland is no stranger to supergroups, having formed VELVET REVOLVER with several former members of GUNS N' ROSES more than a decade ago.

He was dismissed from that band in 2008, rejoining STP until they also fired him in early 2013. He and THE WILDABOUTS put out a new album in March.

Thal has been with GUNS N' ROSES since 2006, playing on the 2008 album "Chinese Democracy". He has also released a number of solo CDs.

Moyer has been DISTURBED's bassist since 2004. The band has been on an extended hiatus since late 2011.

Footage of Halestorm's complete set Rock On The Range 2015, which they played on May 17th, can be viewed below. It also includes some pre-show interview footage with Lzzy Hale (vocals, guitars) and Joe Hottinger (guitars).

The setlist was as follows:

"Love Bites (So Do I)"
"Freak Like Me"
"Amen"
"Scream
"Apocalyptic"
"I Miss The Misery"

Check out BraveWords' new Halestorm feature with Lzzy Hale here.

Halestorm made a stunning top 5 chart debut in the US with their new album, Into The Wild Life. The Grammy Award-winning band’s long awaited third studio album arrived at #5 on Billboard 200, and #3 on SoundScan’s Top Current Albums chart while also entering their Top Current Rock Albums chart and Top Current Hard Music Albums chart at #1 – marking Halestorm’s highest chart placement to date on all charts. In Canada, the album made its debut in the Top 10 on the Soundscan chart, entering at #7.  This marks the highest one week sales for the group in North America.

Into The Wild Life marks the band’s third studio album and follow-up to 2012’s The Strange Case Of... Recorded last year in Nashville with Grammy-nominated producer Jay Joyce (Cage The Elephant, Eric Church) at the helm.

“Into The Wild Life is not a departure,” says Halestorm frontwoman Lzzy Hale. “It’s an invitation to all things Halestorm.  Lyrically and musically, we explored everything that makes us tick. We set a new standard for this record and gave ourselves no choice other than to be unapologetically ourselves in every way. Peel away at the onion that is our third record if you dare and let us drag you deeper into our world.”

Tracklisting:

"Scream"
"I Am The Fire"
"Sick Individual"
"Amen"
"Dear Daughter"
"New Modern Love"
"Mayhem"
"Bad Girls World"
"Gonna Get Mine"
"The Reckoning"
"Apocalyptic"
"What Sober Couldn't Say"
"I Like It Heavy"

Bonus tracks:
"Jump The Gun"
"Unapologetic"

 

 

Montreal musical anarchists Funeste have recently surrendered their debut release, entitled MMXV. The duo features Y. Pannos (guitarist, vocalist) and L. Fradet (guitarist, programmation). The EP features four tracks of uncompromising doom-laden black metal in the vein of early Leviathan and Xasthur. It's available for streamin via the audio player below.

DEMO MMXV by Funeste

 

 

 

 

In a recent interview with the "White Line Fever" podcast (hear audio below), MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson spoke about the status of ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE, his project with ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello which released its self-titled EP back in January 2014.

"Actually, Frank and I have been in the studio a lot these past six months working on finishing a full-length for the next release, which we have… I mean, we are literally finalizing, probably, in the next two weeks — getting the final vocals and final bits done on it," he said. "So I'm excited about it. There are some great tunes."

He continued: "It's just this thing that… Me and Frank have this whole other side of us and this other spirit soars when the two of us get together and get in a room and start writing songs together. It's, like, we write 'em right there in the studio; they just fall off our guitar necks. And it's a beautiful thing. And what's cool about it, we haven't left our bands; it's kind of a side, vanity thing that we do… a vanity project, if you will. And that's the beauty of it — because we get to… We do what we do in ANTHRAX and MEGADETH, and then when we get together, we have this whole other side of us that gets to be exposed. So it's very genuine, very pure, and I think that really comes through with the music. So hopefully we'll have the full-length out sometime… We're just getting busy finishing it, and then hopefully we can get busy working toward the release of that."

Asked for his opinion about the recent influx of "supergroups" — new bands consisting of members from two or more already accomplished bands — David said: "It's interesting. Me and Frank was not intended as a supergroup. That was literally born out of me and Frank doing some bass clinics together, and we were in London, and I looked over at him. I said, 'You know, dude. You and me should really write some of our own songs so we can do these clinics and have something different to play at 'em rather than just MEGADETH and ANTHRAX songs. So that's how ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE started — it was for us to create some of our own original content for clinics, and then it spun off into Frank and I going out and hiring a guitar player and a drummer and actually going out and doing our own shows together — as a legitimate act, not as a clinic."

He continued: "I've done… I have another all-star collective I do called METAL ALLEGIANCE that we've done some shows up here in the United States with, and some cruises and things like that. And the thing with that that is different is that formed as a collective of guys getting on stage and, basically, playing the songs out of our record collections when we were teenagers. We started another one many years ago — back in, like, 2007, I think — we started one called HAIL! And same thing — it was always born out of getting together and playing songs together live. And those are definitely all-star collectives."

Ellefson went on to say: "To put together an original group of famous guys… You know, me and Frank are lucky, because we really enjoy hanging out together, and we have a very common thing between us that we both like different music outside of thrash metal, and that is really the basis of the ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE material. Lots of times, when these supergroups get together, it's based on, 'How is this gonna sell? Wouldn't it be great if we could get that guy? And if we could get this guy? That would sell even more.' And sometimes it's done with, like… Rather than really making legitimate music you really like, you're really just kind of going, 'I wanna make some new songs in a new setting,' or, 'I hate my band. I wanna leave my band. Or, 'They kicked me out of my band, and I still enjoy being famous. How can I still stay famous?' To me, it's the cart before the horse."

He added: "When MEGADETH had disbanded back in 2002, a little group formed around me, quite honestly, called F5. And we never made, really, big money doing it. In fact, I told the guys… I said, 'Dude, we're having so much fun doing this, let's never lose just the joy we have making music together. Just getting together, writing tunes, making records, having fun doing that. And if we get to go tour, and if we get to go play… And we had shot some videos and stuff, and we had some fun with it. But then it came to a certain point where it was, like, it wasn't enjoyable and we had to stop and step back away from it. And since then, we have actually been writing some songs together and putting a few tunes up on the Internet and stuff, and we're back to the joy and the fun of it again."

Ellefson concluded: "To me, anytime the joy comes out of music, you'd better just stop, man, because it really kills… it kills the whole thing."


"Here Again" performance clip:


"Tell The World" performance clip:


"Tell The World" video:

OTEP, the band led by singer, poet, illustrator, author and activist Otep Shamaya, will enter the studio in the coming months to begin recording its seventh album. Speaking to the 107.5 The Rock radio station, Otep said (hear audio below): "We've been doing a lot of writing, and there are plans [to make] a new OTEP album this year. And you're actually kind of getting the breaking news here; we haven't announced it yet. But, yeah, we're gonna be recording a new album this year. We're real excited, and it's gonna be… I don't know… The songs we've been writing, they're just pouring out of us and they just feel amazing. And it's everything that we are. It's grown from our roots where we started and then it's blossomed into where are are now as artists and musicians."

OTEP last year signed an artist management deal with Mach 2.8 Entertainment Group, a company consisting of founder-CEO Sid Wilson and his partner Symon Mead. Wilson is otherwise known as #O (Number Zero), the Grammy Award-winning "turntablist" (DJ) for the band SLIPKNOT.

OTEP's sixth full-length studio album, "Hydra", sold around 2,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 155 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was issued in January 2013 via Victory Records.

OTEP was formed in Los Angeles in 2000 and immediately signed to Capitol Records, an achievement based solely on the strength of its live performance. They were selected to appear at Ozzfest after Sharon Osbourne witnessed one of these incendiary performances. Their debut at Ozzfest was only their ninth live show, a major achievement for any band. It would be the kick-off for a career spanning 15 years.

Crazy G of NewEnglandConcertReviews.com conducted an interview with former PANTERA and current HELLYEAH drummer Vinnie Paul (pictured) when HELLYEAH played at DCU Center in Worcester, Massachusetts on May 8. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below. A couple of excerpts follow below (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the making of HELLYEAH's fourth album, 2014's "Blood For Blood":

"It was a really trying CD at first. We knew we had a couple of bandmembers that really had lost their focus and were becoming a detriment to the band, so we parted company with [bassist] Bob ['Zilla' Kahaha] and [guitarist] Greg [Tribbett]. And myself, Tom [Maxwell, guitar] and Chad [Gray, vocals] wrote the record. I think we made the most intense HELLYEAH record ever. I think we made the ultimate HELLYEAH sound — what we had been looking for from the start. And we brought Kyle [Sanders, bass] and Christian [Brady, guitar] in to complete the band, and it's never felt better; it's truly a brotherhood. And we've been out slamming it on the road, man. So sometimes it takes a little bit of time for certain things to fall into place, and everything kind of fell into place with this record."

On HELLYEAH's continued success:

"We've worked very hard from Day One, [since] this band started, and we haven't slowed down, we haven't stopped, and we don't intend on it. We're not 25 years old anymore, so we don't have any time to waste. We really enjoy what we're doing, and luckily, all of us are in great health right now, happy and loving what we're doing. And the stage is what we live for, man."

On HELLYEAH's upcoming activities:

"We really, from the start of this record ['Blood For Blood'], wanted to do a complete two-year touring cylcle, which we really haven't had the opportunity to do with any of the previous HELLYEAH records. We would put a record out, tour for a year and go right back and start working on another one. And so we're finally getting into the second year of touring for this record, and it's just starting. After this tour, we go straight to Europe, where [we'll be] for a month, and as soon as we get back from there, we do [Rockstar Energy Drink] Mayhem [Festival] all summer with SLAYER and the mighty KING DIAMOND, which is gonna be an absolutely amazing tour; I'm really looking forward to that. And as soon as that's done, we go to Australia and New Zealand, Japan and Indonesia, and then we come back and we do another run here early next year, which will be our final run, and then we start working on a new record."

"Blood For Blood" sold around 17,000 copies in its first week of release to land at No. 18 on the Billboard chart. The band's previous effort, "Band Of Brothers", opened with 19,000 copies back in July 2012 to debut at No. 19.

Fan-filmed video footage of Danish/American metal rock 'n' rollers VOLBEAT performing one half of a brand new song on May 24 at the River City Rockfest in San Antonio, Texas can be seen below.

Speaking about the progress of the songwriting sessions for VOLBEAT's follow-up to 2013's "Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies" album, guitarist/vocalist Michael Poulsen told the Columbus, Ohio radio station 99.7 The Blitz at this year's Rock On The Range: "Right now I'm writing on the road. We have rehearsed around five new songs in soundcheck. So, hopefully, before we go home in a couple of weeks, we will have six new songs and then I have to finish the second half [of the album] when I come home. And then we'll be ready for the studio around November."

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

Since forming in Copenhagen in 2000, VOLBEAT has released five studio albums and two live offerings.

"Outlaw Gentlemen & Shady Ladies" has sold almost 300,000 copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan. The title has been certified platinum in their home country of Denmark, alongside Germany and Austria, with gold sales in Finland and Sweden. The album has also been certified gold in Canada.

VOLBEAT's spring 2015 tour with ANTHRAX serving as direct support and CROBOT opening the show kicked off on April 24 in Denver, Colorado.

Fan-filmed video footage of SCOTT WEILAND AND THE WILDABOUTS performing on May 24 at the River City Rockfest in San Antonio, Texas can be seen below.

Former QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE drummer Joey Castillo recently left THE WILDABOUTS in the middle of the group's tour. But Weiland quickly posted a statement confirming that Castillo was only off the tour for a week, saying, "Just to clear up the confusion — Joey has NOT left the band. He is recording for a week with BL'AST and will meet back up with us on the 27th. I've known about this for months, hence lining up our friend Mike Avaneim to fill in."

Castillo was announced as THE WILDABOUTS' new drummer in February and appeared in band photos.

THE WILDABOUTS have had several lineup changes since last year. Weiland fired his longtime guitarist and business partner Doug Grean in early 2014, while drummer Danny Thompson quit because of "the darkness," as he put it on Facebook.

Thompson eventually returned, but was eventually replaced by Castillo. Meanwhile, guitarist Jeremy Brown stepped up to take a bigger role following Grean's dismissal, but Brown's sudden death in March forced the band to hire Nick Maybury.

THE WILDABOUTS' debut album, "Blaster", arrived on March 31, one day after Brown's death on March 30, and followed up Weiland's 2008 solo effort, "'Happy' In Galoshes".

U.K. metal titans BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE will release their fifth studio album, "Venom", on August 14 via RCA. The CD marks the band's first release since the departure of longtime bassist Jason James and addition of Jamie Mathias. Jamie, who has been playing and touring in bands for the last ten years, fronted the band REVOKER, which released an album, "Revenge For The Ruthless", in 2011 on the Roadrunner label.

Speaking to Kerrang! magazine, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE guitarist/vocalist Matt Tuck stated about Mathias: "He's a Welsh lad. He sent in an audition tape and his was really good. We held auditions for a few guys, and when he came, he just smashed it. He fitted in instantly, especially with the Welsh connection. He plays like a beast and he sings like an angel."

Produced by Carl Bown and Colin Richardson (SLIPKNOT, MACHINE HEAD, TRIVIUM) at Metropolis Studio in London, "Venom" is described in a press release as "an unrelenting, fierce step forward for BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE" and the band's "heaviest record to date."

"We've got massive hopes for this album," Tuck told Kerrang! "We truly believe it's going to be the biggest metal record of the year. We've had these feelings in the past and we've always been spot on, but this one feels way more special than anything else we've ever done, so, fingers crossed, it's going to do what we want it to do."

A new BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE song, "No Way Out", is available for instant download now with all pre-orders at BulletForMyValentine.com. A limited-edition "Venom" package is available exclusively through BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's webstore. This bundle includes CD, vinyl and cassette versions of "Venom", as well as custom t-shirt, bracelet and necklace. All purchases will include a pre-sale code for early access to tickets for their 2016 headlining tour. BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE will head to South America in July for a headlining tour with support from MOTIONLESS IN WHITE before joining up with SLIPKNOT and LAMB OF GOD for this summer's North American tour.

According to Boston.com, surviving Led Zeppelin stars Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones have filed a response to the lawsuit claiming that “Stairway To Heaven” was stolen from an obscure song by the band Spirit. In the paperwork, Page, Plant and Jones admit to having played a concert with Spirit, and to using part of the Spirit song “Fresh Garbage” in a medley they performed during some concerts in 1968 and 1969. Led Zeppelin “deny each and every allegation" in the lawsuit. The band is being sued by Michael Skidmore, the trustee for trust of Spirit frontman Randy Craig Wolfe, who performed under the name Randy California and died in 1997.

Read more at Boston.com.

According to the Chicago Tribune, a 24-year-old man fell to his death from a catwalk at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago on Friday during a CHEVELLE concert.

Kyle Kirchhoff was killed around 10:20 p.m. when he and two friends made their way through a door on the Aragon's second-floor balcony and came across a catwalk from which they were able to watch the show. A short time later, Kirchhoff's friends noticed he wasn't with them and went to look for him. They found his body after he apparently fell about 6 to 8 feet onto two metal rods. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead at 10:54 p.m.

CHEVELLE addressed the tragedy via a post on the band's Facebook page. The group wrote: "To our fans, as you may or may not have heard, an extremely unfortunate event occurred at our show in Chicago Friday night.

"We were asked by police to stop our set so that the authorities could tend to an injured fan. Once the severity of the accident was determined, the authorities cleared out the venue to give them time to investigate.

"We want to thank our Chicago fans for their respect of the authorities and for understanding that these decisions made by the authorities were out of our control.

"We love our fans in Chicago, and while there was no question that the show would be cut short in light of this tragic event, we will be sure to play for you all again as soon as possible.

"We are deeply saddened by the passing of CHEVELLE fan Kyle Kirchhoff and at this time we ask that you all keep Kyle and his family in your thoughts and prayers."

Children Of Bodom frontman Alexi Laiho recently spoke with Lords Of Metal about a number of topics including the band's forthcoming album, due in September, mellowing out of party mode on the road, and cover songs. An excerpt is available below.

Q: Who inspired you to move to guitar? 

Laiho: "Well, I was four years old when my dad had a record of Dire Straits, ‘Money For Nothing’, which I thought sounded amazing. That is pretty heavy when you are four Fuck yeah, dude, it still sounds heavy when I hear it." 

Q: Shouldn’t you do a cover version of the Dire Straits, then? 

Laiho: "Noooooo, I can’t even touch Dire Straits." 

Q: You didn’t mind touching Britney Spears. 

Laiho: "I kinda loved touching Britney Spears; Mark Knopfler on the other hand... now you see what the main difference is (laughs with the biggest smile of today). Seriously though, Mark Knopfler is fucking bad-ass, he’s fucking awesome, nothing but respect for him. I suppose I could cover them, but I won’t. At least not for the sake of doing something funny." 

Q: Do you keep on doing that, the funnier cover songs, for the coming record? 

Laiho: "Maybe we do covers, we love doing covers, but we are not going to do anything like Britney Spears again, we did it once and it was fucking hilarious, but we just leave it alone and do something else now. Cause right now, it wouldn’t make sense to try and top that. But we had fun with it."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Children Of Bodom are currently busy recording ten new tracks for the band's forthcoming, ninth album release in their own studio in Helsinki. The band took some time out to report from the recording desk and give fans an update on the sessions.

The band's summer tour schedule is as follows:

 

June
4 - Sweden Rock Festival - Solvesborg, Sweden
6 - Laulurinne - Joensuu, Finland (with Nightwish)
11 - Club A2 - St. Petersburg, Russia
12 - Ray Just Arena - Moscow, Russia
13 - Premio - Nizhny Novgorod, Russia
15 -  Tele Club - Ekaterinburg, Russia
19 - Hellfest - Clisson, France
20 - Den Atelier, Luxembourg
21 - Graspop Metal Meeting - Dessel, Belgium
26 - Rock am Härtsfeldsee - Dischingen, Germany

 

 

July
17 - Resurrection Fest - Viveiro, Spain
31 - Ratinan Stadion - Tampere, Finland (with Nightwish)

 

On May 15, Sofa King Cool conducted an interview with with vocalist Anders Fridén of Swedish metallers IN FLAMES. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked if IN FLAMES' ever-evolving sound is the result of the changes in the musical climate around the band, Anders said: "Honestly, I don't give a flying fuck what's happening around, really. 'Cause we do this, truly, for ourselves. And then, obviously, it's great that people like what we do and we can travel the world and play. Otherwise, we'd be stuck in a cellar back home in Gothenburg. But, for us, it's just… IN FLAMES has always been about creating good melodies, and that's what we still try to do. But we don't wanna do the same thing again and again and again. I want to challenge our listeners a little bit. I want them to be a little bit unsure of what they're gonna get. But it's, style-wise… I mean ,we play metal. It's our way of heavy metal. It's not the right [way] or the wrong [way] — it's the IN FLAMES way — and that's how we feel and think about music. And there's no conscious decision going in this direction… We don't really care what's happening around us. Trends come and go. And if you're trying to chase what's happening right now, you'll be very late on the ball, because the trend passed already when you're in the middle of it. So, fuck that. We just do what we do, and hopefully people like it. If you don't, then…"

IN FLAMES' latest album, "Siren Charms", sold around 9,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 26 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"Siren Charms" was released in the U.S. on September 9, 2014 via Sony/RED. The CD was recorded at Hansa Tonstudios (DAVID BOWIE, DEPECHE MODE, U2) in Berlin, Germany. The cover artwork was created by Blake Armstrong of Space Boy Comics.

IN FLAMES filmed a new concert DVD/Blu-ray on November 6, 2014 at Hovet in Stockholm and November 7, 2014 at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden.