Montreal's Hasta La Muerte, described by BraveWords staffer Carl Begai as "Van Halen getting Ugly Kid Stuck Mojo-ed" have released their official video for "Pour Anotha Shot". The single is still available for free download for a limited time via Bandcamp. 

Pour Anotha Shot by Hasta La Muerte

For information and updates on Hasta La Muerte go to this location.

Texas crossover thrash unit Birth A.D. is looking for a permanent guitarist in the Austin/Central Texas area. They are currently signed to Unspeakable Axe Records and distributed by Dark Descent Records in the Americas, along with European label
support through Metal Age Productions. Vocalist/guitarist Jeff Tandy released the following statement about the search:

"All viable players will be considered. If you can play anything and everything on Speak English Or Die, you are welcome! Classic-era Slayer worship is also a plus. Contact the band at birthad@gmail.com. Join us in the war on morons!"

Birth A.D. released I Blame You in 2013 on Unspeakable Axe Records. Purchase and/or stream the album here.

 

 

 

Former STONE TEMPLE PILOTS singer Scott Weiland was harshly criticized following several performances on his current tour with his new band THE WILDABOUTS, with one review calling his performance "sluggish" and another stating flat-out that the vocalist "appears to have crashed and burned. Badly."

Not helping matters was a fan-filmed video of THE WILDABOUTS performing the STP classic "Vasoline" in Corpus Christi, Texas on April 28, with Weiland introducing it as a "new song" before launching into a painfully out of tune and apathetic vocal performance as the band plays quite solidly behind him.

Prior to his May 3 appearance at the Beale Street Music Festival in Memphis, Weiland was asked by the WXMX-FM 98.1 The Max radio station if there was anything he wanted to say regarding the Corpus Christi concert.

"Well, basically, I guess the only thing I want people to know is that that show in Corpus Christi that got put up on TMZ, I didn't have in-ears that were working, so my in-ear monitors were completely out, so I had no way of hearing himself," he responded (hear audio below). "So that was the reason why it wasn't a good show for me; my equipment wasn't working."

Weiland added: "The crew is very important, and there's a lot of pieces of equipment that can have problems from time to time, and it was my turn to experience that at that show."

A Houston Press review of the band's April 29 gig there stated, "Trouble has definitely become a vortex for Weiland, and he appears to have crashed and burned. Badly. To be fair, as sluggish as Weiland appears now onstage, he does appear to be trying, at least in part."

Asked recently about whether a reunion with Weiland was ever possible, STP guitarist Dean DeLeo said, "Why the fuck would we want that? That fucking mess?" The band's current singer is LINKIN PARK's Chester Bennington.

STP dismissed Weiland in February 2013, claiming that his erratic behavior held back the band's career. The two parties exchanged lawsuits which have since been settled.

STP recruited Bennington that spring and have so far cut one EP, "High Rise", with him. A new album is due out later this year.

Weiland and THE WILDABOUTS are on the road promoting his new album, "Blaster", which came out on March 31.

GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal believes that the record industry made a great mistake by forcing Napster, a peer-to-peer music sharing application and network, to shut down in the early 2000s.

"It is not that Napster changed anything, it is that the stupid music industry did not see this amazing technology and say, 'My God, we could do so much with this,' and instead they tried to destroy it and they tried to treat people as criminals," he said during his recent clinic in Jakarta, Indonesia.

"I mean, the people were making it very obvious what they wanted and you are in the business of giving people what they want. So, why would you try to take that away from them?"

Thal added that the music industry could have used the popularity of Napster to its advantage, thereby making it much easier for today's musicians and songwriters to earn a living.

"What you can do, money-wise, if a billion people download your songs for free? It could have been the tiniest little subscription, it could have been ads or it could have been sponsors. There are a million ways it could have been done and they [the music industry] had a lot of time to figure it out. Instead, through their lawyers, they said, 'Go sue that 12-year-old kid,' and they screwed up everything," he said.

"That is the biggest change in the music industry. The music industry started to see their customers as their enemies and everybody suffered for it.

"Congratulations, record industry, you have made a mess and you still don't know how to clean it up."

Napster was launched in 1999 as a pioneering, easy-to-use peer-to-peer file sharing service that was used mainly by music fans trading songs and albums in the MP3 format.

At its peak, the service had 80 million users and provided the template for later services like Limewire, Grokster, Gnutella and many others. Its success arguably began the end of the "album era" in popular music and sent the music industry into a tailspin from which it has never fully recovered.

METALLICA sued Napster after the band discovered that a leaked demo version of its song "I Disappear" was circulating on the service before it was released.

Asked whether he regretted the legal battle with the company, which effectively drove Napster out of business, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich said last year that he did not, adding, "I do find it odd how big of a part of our legacy it has become to so many people, because, to me, it's more like a footnote." At the time 14 years ago, Ulrich told The Pulse Of Radio that the Napster battle was not about getting money for the band's music, but about having control over how it was shared. "All we want as an artist is a choice," he said. "There's nothing to argue about that. Nobody has the right to do with our music whatever they want. We do. We're saying as much as the next band want to work with Napster, we have the right not to."

His views on the subject today have not changed, with the drummer saying last year: "The whole thing was about one thing and one thing only — control. Not about the Internet, not about money, not about file sharing, not about giving shit away for free or not, but about whose choice it was. If I wanna give my shit away for free, I'll give it away for free. That choice was taken away from me."

Bumblefoot joined GUNS N' ROSES in early 2006 as the replacement for Buckethead. He made his live debut with the band at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City on May 12, 2006.

Bumblefoot released a new solo album, "Little Brother Is Watching", on February 24. The disc was composed, produced, recorded, mixed and mastered by Bumblefoot at his studio in New Jersey, and also features drummer Dennis Leeflang and a crowd of 100 fans stomping, chanting and singing backing vocals recorded at a listening party in New York.

Cult Canadian thrash metal legends Razor are streaming the deluxe reissues of three of their classic late ‘80s and early ‘90s albums. The records Violent Restitution (1988), Shotgun Justice (1990), and Open Hostility (1991) were released today as deluxe CD/digital reissues via Relapse Records and can be streamed via their official Bandcamp page.

Long out-of-print, each reissue has been completely remastered and features expanded packaging plus previously unreleased bonus material including live songs, demos, rehearsals and never-before-heard songs. The records will be reissued on May 5th in North America, May 4th in the UK/World and May 1st in Benelux/Germany/Finland. Orders are available via this location, while a remastered version of the song "Violent Restitution" can be streamed below.

A Canadian thrash institution for over three decades, Razor have toured the world with the likes of Slayer, Venom and Motörhead and will be a headliner at this year's Maryland Deathfest.

Razor tour dates:

May
23 - Baltimore, MD - Maryland Deathfest

More dates to follow.

 

Speaking with Spin’s Dan Weiss, members of Aerosmith reflect on their classic album, Toys In The Attic, on it’s 40th anniversary. The album spawned major hit singles in “Walk This Way” and “Sweet Emotion”.

 

 

Tom Hamilton, bassist: “We wanted to do something that we felt could hold up. Toys In The Attic was the first record where we felt like, this record is truly amazing. It’s the album where the band first felt like stars and learned how to make a record, how to use the studio. The relationship between the band and Jack as a producer… back in those days you couldn’t go to university and learn how to be a band and write rock songs and stuff. So anything we did was just from whatever knowledge we could scrape together from the bands that we loved as teenagers: Zeppelin, the Stones, the Beatles, the Byrds, Jefferson Airplane.”

Joe Perry, lead guitarist / singer: “We were having fun in the studio, coming up with different songs that got us off. We changed things up a little bit to keep us from getting bored, at least that’s how we felt then. We couldn’t really be pigeonholed as playing a certain kind of rock ’n’ roll.”

Joey Kramer, drummer: “We always listened to Deep Purple and Jeff Beck and Led Zeppelin… to be classified in the same category as them today is super-flattering. I’ve never considered us a band on that kind of level, but evidently we are. I still listen to them.”

Brad Whitford, rhythm guitarist: “We were getting into a little bit of a groove that we hadn’t experienced before. Jack Douglas was pretty instrumental in that and came up with our own formula for putting the stuff together, and it felt like we were hitting a good, positive stride. The juices were flowing and stuff was happening the way you wanted it to – on the fly. Put it up and if it works, great, and if it doesn’t, just move on.”

Read more at Spin.com.

 

Vancouver, BC tech-metallers Witch Of The Waste recently released new EP Made Of Teeth. The EP is streaming below and a blue 7” is available for purchase at Bandcamp.

Made Of Teeth by Witch of the Waste

Made Of Teeth follows 2013 release All Other Voices, but this time offers an even more intense dose of scathing, extreme metal acrobatics. Witch Of The Waste considers only their musical vision with no regard for scene expectations or flavor-of the-month trend hopping. The band's influence is diverse, ranging from Converge to Ulcerate to Russian Circles, and many points in between.

Made Of Teeth tracklisting:

“That Door Cannot Be Opened”
“They Haunt Minds”
“She Burst Into Snakes”
“It Was Always 3:00 A.M.”
“Let’s Say You Have An Ax…”
“I Bet You’re Wondering What I’m Doing With This Here Gas Can”

Video “It Was Always 3 A.M.”:

Art Gates Records has announced the signing of Gislaved, Sweden-based metallers, Stormhold, to their growing roster of artists.

Stormhold was born in 2008 and their sound is based in power metal, with a touch of Swedish folk music and influences from classic hard rock from the 80's. With joy and high energy the band have convinced press and fans with their heavy power metal.

Before 2015 the band released two demos and two very professional videos,  "Stormhold" and "Fear Your Death" (watch below). The band shared stage with well known groups from Sweden such as Electric Boys, Hammerfall, Crash Diet, Raubtier and Bullet.

Words from the band:  "We are really looking forward to work with Art Gates, hope you guys will enjoy our music!"

Stormhold are now ready to release their new album through Art Gates Records worldwide. More news coming soon.

As he gears up for the May 12 release of his much-buzzed-about new book, "How To Be A Man (And Other Illusions)" (Da Capo Press), former GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan will issue a three-song companion EP, "How To Be A Man". Due on the same day as the book, the disc features former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Izzy Stradlin, ALICE IN CHAINS vocalist/guitarist Jerry Cantrell, STONE SOUR drummer Roy Mayorga and drummer Taz Bentley.

The "How To Be A Man" title track, which features Stradlin, Cantrell and Mayorga, can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below (courtesy of RollingStone.com).

"How To Be A Man (And Other Illusions)" is the follow-up to Duff's critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling memoir, "It's So Easy (And Other Lies)".

In "How To Be A Man", McKagan shares the wisdom he gained on the path to superstardom — from his time with GUNS N' ROSES and VELVET REVOLVER to getting sober after a life of hard living to achieving his personal American Dream of marrying a supermodel, raising a family and experiencing what it's like to be winked at by Prince. Among the book's many highlights: * McKagan discusses the need for communication in your relationships, especially when you want to see the BUZZCOCKS in Manchester and your lady has her sights set on DURAN DURAN in the tropics. * Together with DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE's Ben Gibbard, he solves one of life's most staggering math problems: if you've seen a million faces, is it truly possible to rock them ALL? * He spills the beans on some of his fellow rock stars ("Gene Simmons is a kick-ass dancer," "Perry Farrell is an NFL historian and aficionado"). * Travelers will benefit from his plethora of globe-trotting tips, including what shots to get for malaria, how to pack lightly ("hair conditioner makes for good shaving cream, so no need to bring both") and, of course, "don't smoke crack on a leased private jet — the smell gets into everything." * McKagan, who still uses a Blackberry ("because loyalty is important"), stresses the importance of not being a dick (and don't be a pussy, either). Oh, and get a dog. * He recalls the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony and reuniting with GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose for a handful of South American dates. * He runs down the list of albums that every man should listen to (from ABBA's "Gold" to ZZ TOP's "Tres Hombres"), the books they should read (Stephen Ambrose's "Undaunted Courage" and Dexter Filkins' "The Forever War" are particular favorites) and what they should tell the first dude who shows up at the door to date daddy's little girl ("you pull him aside and tell him, 'everything that you do or try with my daughter tonight, I will do to you when you get back to my home'"). * Of course, no advice book would be complete without tackling the age-old question: when given the choice of taking a private jet to a yacht to hang out with Steven Tyler for a trip to San Juan Islands or going home to stain your deck, what do you do? (Remember, "those boards in the backyard are not going to stain themselves").

Speaking to TotalRock Radio last year about the upcoming book, McKagan said: "I had a column for the Seattle Weekly for five years, and there was one column that was called 'How To Be A Man', and it was kind of tongue in cheek; it was really tongue in cheek. And I got a book deal from that column. It's a how-to guide of things I've learned about life — being a dad, being a husband and being in a rock band. And it's, like, a city guide in it, but a very tongue-in-cheek city guide; like, how I see cities. It's got all kinds of stuff. And other stories. And hopefully it's gonna be a funny book." McKagan's wisdom has been sought out on everything from financial planning and relationships to surviving the summer festival circuit and escaping a military coup. Expanding on his popular weekly columns in Seattle Weekly, Playboy.com and ESPN.com, McKagan equips readers with the knowledge they need to rock fatherhood, manage their money, and remain a good dude in spite of it all.

Fans can meet Duff during the following book-signing events:

May 11 - Ridgewood, NJ - BookendsMay 12 - New York City - The Strand BookstoreMay 13 - Long Island - Book RevueMay 15 - Hollywood, FL - Hard Rock CasinoMay 16 - Ledyard, CT - FoxwoodsMay 17 - Seattle - NeptuneMay 22 - Los Angeles - Book Soup

From their first days in 1987 until their break in 1999, Heavens Gate were among the top representatives of German heavy metal. They had a large fan base, especially in Japan, and their albums such as In Control, Livin' In Hysteria or Hell For Sale!, are respected as some of the best German metal albums.

Back in the day band played regular tours with acts such as W.A.S.P., Dream Theater, as well as own headlining ones. Heavens Gate featured in its ranks legendary producer Sascha Paeth (Edguy, Epica, Kamelot), and vocalist Thomas Rettke (Avantasia, Aina).
 
Best For Sale! will be released via Limb Music on June 19 and will be available as CD (with 17 tracks) and digital download (with 20 tracks).

Sweden has been a fertile ground for metal of all varieties for multiple decades, and there appears to be no sign that this will change anytime soon. The variety and quality of bands is staggering, and Metal Blade Records is prepared to help add The Great Discord to the list of one of Sweden's finest new groups. The band's cornerstone is with the enigmatic vocals of Fia Kempe. Her tone and delivery is immensely emotive and is augmented by a band whose sound is impossible to describe. It's technical, heavy, and yet not so much to overwhelm those not anointed in metal. What's important is that The Great Discord offer a truly unique twist on both metal and what is to be expected from a female-fronted band.

The uniqueness The Great Discord encapsulates is put on display in a series of video teasers from Duende. Today the third video teaser "Sorrow (Woes)" has been posted.

Duende will be available worldwide via Metal Blade Records on June 2nd in North America, June 1st in the UK / Europe, and May 29th in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.

 

Part 3 teaser:

“L'homme Mauves”:

Listen to the first single, "Eigengrau”, below:

The uniqueness The Great Discord encapsulates is put on display today with the release of the second teaser from Duende. Part 2, “Sacrosanct (Deus Ex Homine)”, can be viewed below:  

Part 1, entitled "Sanguine", gives a brief glimpse into the enigma that is The Great Discord.  It features a brief sample of new music with eerie yet perfectly entwined visuals.

The relationship between Kempe and drummer Aksel Holmgren has stood for many years, connecting on a deep personal level when it comes to music, though it was only when they came together to form The Great Discord in 2013 that their collaboration began. Sharing an interest in progressive music, they count the likes of Genesis and King Crimson as well as contemporary acts such as Meshuggah and The Dillinger Escape Plan among those who have inspired them.

While music pundits and critics will fall over themselves trying to label the unique and intriguing sounds contained within Duende the band are more interested in presenting their music to the world, with the hope of making a profound musical connection with the likeminded. Having been working toward the completion of the record for nearly two years the band have perhaps only just arrived at the beginning, and the ambitiousness of their music is further reflected in their goals. "We obviously want to take over the world," Kempe smiles. "We really believe in our vision, we really believe in the concept behind everything that we do. We want to entertain people. We want them to come to our shows and experience everything that we have visualized for this band, and we want them to relate to the emotion that we're putting into our songs, to be able to find something in The Great Discord that they cannot find anywhere else."

 

Brazilian heavy metal band Hevilan has released a video for the track “Shades Of War”. The track features guest appearances from Warrel Dane (Sanctuary, Nevermore) and Vitor Rodrigues (Voodoo Priest).

“Shades Of War” is taken from Hevilan’s 2013 full-length debut The End Of Time, released independently.  Hevilan signed with Massacre Records last spring who re-released the album digitally and on CD.

Lineup:

Alex Pasqualle – vocals
Johnny Moraes – guitars
Biek Yohaitus - bass
 

Southern California’s Cerebellion have officially announced that June 2 will be the release date of their sophomore album Regeneration. In addition the band is streaming the heavy hitting song “Thin Ice”, which can also be downloaded for free when signing up on their mailing list. Preorders are currently taking place at Bandcamp and include immediate download of the tracks “Thin Ice” and “Cold”.

Regeneration tracklisting:

“All Came To Light”
“Cold”
“Savior”
“Nothing Left”
“Thin Ice”
“Forsaken”

“Thin Ice”:

The “Brother” that Nevermore/Sanctuary singer Warrel Dane wrote about on his 2008 solo effort, Praises To The War Machine, has passed away.

Dane wrote in Facebook: “My brother passed away today (May 4th), my sense of mortality has never seemed so strong. I had time to accept that my parents were close because we all knew but this was so sudden and I never got the chance to tell him I loved him but I'm trying to be strong.”

In BW&BK #110, Warrel Dane spoke about Praises To The War Machine and the song “Brother”. 

"Yeah, the song you are referring to is incredibly personal. It was kind of a catharsis for me to get over some childhood issues. Something I wasn't able  to do with that subject in Nevermore for some reason. But the music just struck me when I first heard it. It's so brooding and depressing - but I live in Seattle, so I'm used to brooding and depressing as far as weather. And that's always channelled into lyrics and music for me. My real life brother is fucked up and he's dying of Stage IV Leukemia right now and he's disowned our family. He won't talk to any of us which is really sad. I feel sorry for my sisters because they had a really close relationship with him, but I never did. When I was a kid I didn't really understand why. He's got issues. At this point I've given up. I wrote a song and now I'm done with it."

“Brother” lyrics:

Brother you were never there for me
When the children needed peace you disgraced both families

Brother you were never there for me
When my father died I thought that you would take my hand
You said I was just too young

Sister I can tell you all the love I have for you
Our mother sleeps in silent peace because your love was pure

But brother you were never there for me
When my father died I thought that you would take my hand
You said I was just too young

If I could erase one moment of pain
I'd throw away everything, even fame
If I could play god do you know what I'd do?
I'd swim through your blood and kill the cancer in you

Brother you were never there for me
I was just too young, now I've grown and I can see

That brother you were never there for me
When my father died I thought that you would take my hand
You said I was just too young

If I could play god
I'd swim through your blood and kill the cancer in you
My brother

Bassist Craig Gruber, who was an original member of Ronnie James Dio’s Elf and also recorded with Rainbow, Gary Moore, The Rods and Ozz, has died after a lengthy battle with cancer on May 5th. He was 63.

Craig Gruber’s classic resume includes:

Elf - Carolina County Ball (1974) and Trying to Burn the Sun (1975)
 
Rainbow - Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow (1975)

Ozz - No Prisoners (1980)

Gary Moore - We Want Moore (1984)

The Rods - Heavier Than Thou (1986)

In 2013, Gruber joined multi-national heavy metal act Raven Lord.

 

Midnight Eternal is a female fronted symphonic metal band based out of New York City/New Jersey. It was created in March 2014 when two members of Operatika (Richard Fischer and Boris Zaks) invited Daniel Prestup (Rivera Bomma, Spider Rockets) and Mike LePond (Symphony X) to join them to record a two-song single. During the recording the band acquired the talents of vocalist Raine Hilai based on her previous work in theatre and her solo endeavour. The planned two-song single quickly evolved into the formation of a full-time band when it became apparent the group had something special on their hands. Shortly thereafter, Greg Manning (of Spider Rockets, Zamora) joined the band as permanent member taking over bass duties, with Mike LePond taking a featured role.

 

 

Recently the band completed work on a new music video for the song "When Love And Faith Collide".  The song is taken from their forthcoming debut, which is set for release later this year. Featuring dark, futuristic themes that explore modern society, the current state of the music industry, and the struggle between art and fame, this compelling and thought-provoking video was directed by award-winning filmmaker Rodrigo A. Orozco and produced by Mind-Bending Pictures.

Vocalist Raine Hilai states: "It was important to us that our first video would convey a strong message, and we are extremely pleased with the result. Our director, Rodrigo, delivered a visually striking, high-concept performance video (with a twist!) and we hope that audiences will enjoy watching it as much as we enjoyed making it."

Midnight Eternal made their live debut in April of 2014 supporting Adrenaline Mob.  Later that year the band performed at the Women of Metal Fest I in Pittsburgh, PA. They continued their upward trajectory by being featured on the 2014 ProgPower USA compilation as well as numerous radio stations and publications. Since then the band has also shared the stage with influential and established acts including Sonata Arctica, Doro, Delain, Xandria, The Agonist and Quiet Riot.

It was recently announced that Midnight Eternal will be performing alongside Kamelot and Dragonforce at NJ's Starland Ballroom on November 21st. Tickets for this highly anticipated show can be purchased directly from the band here.

 

 

The current lineup of Midnight Eternal includes Raine Hilai (lead vocals), Richard Fischer (guitars, backing vocals), Daniel Prestup (drums), Greg Manning (bass, backing vocals), and Boris Zaks (keyboards). The band is currently busy recording their self-titled, full-length debut album, which will be released in 2015.

Oakland-based atmospheric doom quintet and recent Metal Blade signees, Secrets Of The Sky, will release their sophomore full-length this month. Titled Pathway, the mammoth thirteen-track follow-up to 2013's To Sail Black Waters full-length was engineered, mixed, mastered and co-produced by Juan Urteaga of Trident Studios with Secrets Of The Sky and finds the band at their most poignant.

 

 

The band has released a new visual accompaniment to fourth track "Angel In Vines”. Directed and edited by Andrew Nethery (Melvins, Kyuss Lives, Dead Meadow), creator of the band's 2014 "Decline" clip, and starring Melissa May and Zack Warren, the video, much like the song itself, is at once stark and alluring.

Elaborates guitarist Clayton Bartholomew, "For this video, we went back to director Andrew Nethery, who also did the video for the song “Decline” from our first record, To Sail Black Waters. He did a great job for that video and was an easy guy to work with. For the “Angel In Vines” video, we let him run with his own vision. The song itself relates to the loss of innocence, and he found an interesting analogy to express this same sentiment, while keeping the video abstract and not just giving away the premise of the song. We like that he was able to avoid cliché and the imagery he was able to capture is a definite work of art on its own."

Dark, brooding, pure, eclectic, Pathway features Garett Gazay fluctuating between monstrous growls and clean, soothing vocal cascades, all the while complimenting the twisted compositions of guitarists Andrew Green and Clayton Bartholomew. Bassist Ryan Healy and drummer Lance Lea round out the lineup, their rhythms and distinctive voices adding further depth to the collective's meticulous, blackened soundscapes. Sonically, Secrets Of The Sky aimed for a massive, clean, and organic sounding production. Much time was invested in obtaining huge drum sounds and the focus was on single performance takes throughout the process. The result is an ambitious foray into conceptual storytelling, coupled with emotional music full of peaks and valleys.

Comments Bartholomew of first single, "Three Swords": "'Three Swords' was the first song we put together for the new album when we started writing it back a year or so ago. In fact, the songs on the album were written in the order they appear on the record. The first album, To Sail Black Waters, ends with a single guitar part fading out, and the same riff fades in to the Pathway album via 'Three Swords'. The song is just a piece of the overall puzzle that constitutes Pathway, which I believe as an album is more well-rounded and dynamic as a whole than any of our previous work."

 

 

Pathway tracklisting:

“I”
“Three Swords”
“II”
“Angel In Vines”
“Another Light”
“III”
“IV”
“Garden Of Prayers”
“V”
“Fosforos”
“VI”
“Eternal Wolves”
“VII”

“Three Swords”:

Pathway will be released on May 15th via Metal Blade Records. Preorder bundles can be purchased at MetalBlade.com.

Los Angeles theatrical rockers BLACK VEIL BRIDES will release their first-ever concert DVD, "Alive And Burning", on July 10. The cover artwork for the set was designed by the band's longtime friend and previous album cover illustrator, Richard Villa, and can be seen below.

"Alive And Burning" will feature footage of BLACK VEIL BRIDES' sold-out hometown show in Los Angeles at the Wiltern Theater on November 1, 2014. The concert was part of the group's inaugural Halloweekend event as part of "The Black Mass" tour. The DVD was directed by Casey Tebo, known for his work on the acclaimed AEROSMITH documentary "Rock For The Rising Sun". BLACK VEIL BRIDES' latest, self-titled album skyrocketed to No. 1 on the iTunes Rock Chart, No. 4 on the iTunes overall album chart, and to Top 10 on iTunes in over 20 countries when it was released. It debuted at No. 10 on The Billboard 200 album chart, giving BLACK VEIL BRIDES their second consecutive Top 10 album.

"Black Veil Brides" was helmed by producer Bob Rock, whose resume includes albums by METALLICA, MÖTLEY CRÜE, THE CULT and many others.

Torino, Italy-based rock/stoner/metal act, The Cyon Project, have released a live video for “Mr. Creosote”, recorded at Boom! 360° Art Fest. The track is featured on the band’s debut album, Tales Of Pain, out now via Pavement Entertainment. The album is distribuited by Sony-RED and PHD.

The cover for Tales Of Pain was designed by the Italian artist Masss Petrone: the cover album shows the representation of each song on the disc. Tales Of Pain was produced, recorded and mixed by the italian producer Salvatore Addeo, at the Aemme Recording Studios.

 

 

Tales Of Pain tracklisting:

"Joe"
"Cheesy Song"
"Mr. Creosote"
"Riot"
"Rulemaker"
"Phantom Limb"
"Isaac Foretold It"
"Average People"
"Rise Your Head"
"Sandglass"
"John Ryder"
"Englewood's Hotel"

"Mr. Creosote" video:

 

Finish rockers, Santa Cruz, have issued the video for the song "My Remedy”, from their second studio album, entitled Santa Cruz, out now via via Spinefarm Records. Check out the new clip below:

Amaranthe will make their triumphant return to North America this spring for a headline tour. Joining Amaranthe on this spring trek will be their labelmates, Santa Cruz.

 

 

Tour dates:

May
13 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre
14 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
15 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
16 - Philadelphia, PA - The Trocadero Theatre
17 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
20 - Joliet, IL - Mojoes
23 - Calgary, AB - Republik
24 - Edmonton, AB - Starlite Room
26 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theatre
27 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
29 - Denver, CO - Bluebird Theater

June
2 - San Francisco, CA - The Regency Ballroom
3 - Los Angeles, CA - Club Nokia

 

A short teaser for the forthcoming fifth album from Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE can be seen below. Tentatively due this summer, the CD was helmed by producer Colin Richardson (CARCASS, FEAR FACTORY, MACHINE HEAD) and producer/engineer Carl Bown.

Speaking about the band's mindset going into the songwriting process for the new CD, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE guitarist/vocalist Matt Tuck told U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine: "What we really wanted to capture was the feeling of that excitement, that angst and that anger, that you finally get in that moment to let the world know who you are and what you want to say. Then, as the albums go on, and you get a bit older, that goes away. So we're like, 'Let's recapture that angst of that younger, feisty BULLET that we used to be,' and fucking reignite that fire. And we totally have. We've just been writing stuff, and if it's not cool, we've been filtering it out. We've cut, like, 10 songs. That's a lot of effort and time and shit put into those songs, but it didn't feel right, so we put them in the bin."

Asked about the slightly less aggressive musical direction of BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's fourth album, "Temper Temper", compared to some of the group's earlier efforts, Tuck said: "I think, for me, it was just about letting your fucking hair down a bit. It always felt like we were being channelled towards something like radio and massive shows, and stuff like that — which is great, because that's obviously what we want, but it was like a diluted version of what we were. I don't think it's a bad album at all. I just think our fanbase wanted something a bit more feisty. It basically comes down to that. So this time around, we're fucking giving it to them, tenfold."

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE recently parted ways with bassist Jason James. The band said in a statement, "It is with regret that BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE has to announce that Jay James is no longer a member of the band. Jay has been a part of this band for well over 12 years and part of our lives forever, and we're gonna miss him as much as we know you guys are too. We wanna wish him all the best and success with whatever he chooses to do next and will always be grateful for his contribution and sacrifices he made for this band." The group will announce a replacement for James "when we feel the time is right," adding, "Until then we're gonna be busy and focused recording our next record and making sure its the best album we've ever made."

Tuck told The Pulse Of Radio what is important to BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE when they're making a new record. "The big thing that we've learned is, like, you're not gonna please everyone all the time," he said. "As long as you do what you want to do and the band is happy and you feel you haven't given away your integrity, you know, I don't really care if people go, 'Oh, it's not metal enough, it's not heavy enough.' It's like, that's not what we are."

The band also wrote online that 2015 is "shaping up to be a massive year for us, with lots of exciting things going on behind the scenes which we'll be announcing as soon as we can."

"Temper Temper" came out in March of 2013. The band issued a brand new song called "Raising Hell" in November of that year, although it's not clear if that track will show up on the new album.

Jimmy Fallon was joined by TENACIOUS D frontman Jack Black on Monday's (May 4) "The Tonight Show" for an impressively accurate shot-for-shot recreation of EXTREME's "More Than Words" music video.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Black donned a wig that matched Gary Cherone's long, wavy locks — done up in a half-ponytail, just like in the original — and unbuttoned white pirate shirt, while Fallon brought Nuno Bettencourt's early-nineties look back to life with his smooth, stick-straight hair and buttoned-up-to-the-collar patterned shirt.

The original black-and-white video for "More Than Words" became an MTV staple and received one of pop's highest honors — being parodied by "Weird Al" Yankovic. In June 1991, it hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100.

"We were trying to push ['More Than Words'] to the record company," Bettencourt told RollingStone.com. "We were on tour trying to call them and tell them, 'Listen, whenever we go to sing this song, we get drowned out by the audience. We're not telling you it's something special; they're telling us.' This was pre-'Unplugged'. And they were like, 'Where are we going to put this? Rock stations aren't going to play it, and it's too adult-contemporary. You guys aren't that.' And we just said, 'You've got to do it.' And we pushed and we went to the president of the label, and basically — I think I was in his office one day and I threatened to quit the band if he didn't at least give it a shot as a single. Later we got a call saying, 'All right, we're going in. We'll test it in a market.' They tested it in Denver, I believe. We're like, 'Great, it's never going to happen. They're just doing this to appease us so I don't quit the band.' Because I had a bit of a fit. So then our manager calls and goes, 'What the fuck you doing reaching out to the president of the label? You crazy?' And we got into a fight with him, so they at least did what they said what they were going to do. They tested it. And we're like, 'All right, we're going back to the studio.' It ends up being like No. 8 [on the station's call-in show] the first day. On a rock station, getting phones. So then the next day it's climbing; by the end of the week, it was No. 1 by Saturday. So they call us — the manager calls us — 'Don't get your hopes up. They still want to test it in one more place.' They still wouldn't believe it. So we were excited because I remember we went to MTV and we performed. They wanted us to perform on MTV with an audience, just about 30 or 40 people. And because of 'More Than Words', we said, 'We're a rock band. We don't want to just sit there and play the ballad,' because we asked them, 'Can we play some of the rock stuff acoustically?' Coincidentally. Not to say that we invented 'Unplugged', the show, but something happened format-wise because months later, almost a year later, the show popped up. Ironically enough, we were never asked back to play the actual show. Which was bizarre for us, because we actually had some unplugged stuff, purposely."

Regarding the original video, Cherone said: "We shot the video in the middle of a tour, I think. What we did musically, [directors Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris] got visually — black and white, no bells and whistles. The other guys were basically just hanging — we shut off the amps. So they got it. That was all them, to their credit. Turn off the noise. And the lighter was cute, and the dog. But I thought the visual did not take away from the music, and I think that's one of the reasons the video does not get old."

L.A. GUNS singer Phil Lewis joined GUNZO — the new band featuring guitarist Tracii Guns (ex-L.A. GUNS) and legendary bassist Rudy Sarzo (ex-QUIET RIOT, OZZY OSBOURNE, WHITESNAKE) — on stage on April 29 at Counts Vamp'd Rock Bar & Grill in Las Vegas, Nevada to perform the L.A. GUNS song "The Ballad Of Jayne". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

GUNZO's lineup is completed by singer Keith St. John (X-DRIVE, BURNING RAIN, MONTROSE, QUIET RIOT) and drummer Shane Fitzgibbon.

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).

San Francisco Bay Area metallers DEATH ANGEL will enter the studio on October 1 to begin recording their new album for an April 2016 release via Nuclear Blast.

Asked by Groovey of Groovey.TV what fans can expect from the follow-up to 2013's "The Dream Calls For Blood", DEATH ANGEL guitarist Ted Aguilar said (see video below): "It's gonna be DEATH ANGEL. In my personal opinion, I don't think we're gonna try to top ['The Dream Calls For Blood']. You can't recreate that moment in time. 'The Dream Calls For Blood' is 'The Dream Calls For Blood'. This next album we're writing… I mean, we've got some songs; [we're] four songs in. No lyrics yet, but… It's always gonna be heavy. The foundation of DEATH ANGEL is still there, but it's kind of hard to describe what direction we're going in until it's recorded, mixed and mastered. 'Cause the way DEATH ANGEL writes, we write a song, but it's always evolving — up until the point of recording. Even when it comes down to the mixing. It's just, like, 'Ah, let's change that up.'"

He continued: "'The Dream Calls For Blood', it's a great record. We're proud of it. And the next album, it's just gonna be DEATH ANGEL in our mindset today. I'm not gonna say, 'It's gonna be this,' and it ends up being a little different. Who knows what this album is gonna sound like? [But] it's gonna be good."

Asked if DEATH ANGEL has been writing any new material on the road, Ted said: "We've written some stuff on the road, and when we get back [home from the current tour], we're gonna write some more. Then we've got Europe in July and August, and we're gonna continue writing in Europe, on downtime and whatnot. 'Cause there's a lot of time on the road; plenty of hours go by, like right now. And then when we get home after Europe, in August, we're gonna spend a couple of weeks off, then all of September is honing in and doing pre-production, writing a little more and just fixing the loose ends."

Aguilar also revealed that DEATH ANGEL's long-awaited "Thrashumentary" DVD has finally been completed and will be made available at the end of the summer. He said: "We're just waiting on a release date from Nuclear Blast. Everything's handed in — the masters and the artwork. We're just waiting on Nuclear Blast to go, 'All right, here's the release date, so we can announce it to the whole world.' And accompanying that DVD is a live audio that was recorded [in] San Francisco. So it's a live audio CD, which sounds really cool. So that's gonna get released. We're shooting around July or August."

According to a press release, "Thrashumentary" is a combination live video and documentary, all wrapped up in one thrashing DVD. The footage was directed by Tommy Jones (SOILWORK, KATAKLYSM) and mixed by Chris Clancy of The Studio. The film gives the viewer an in-depth look into one of the longest-running thrash acts out of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region known for turning out historic thrash bands such as METALLICA, TESTAMENT and EXODUS.

With the band surviving a span of more than 30 years of activity, and nearly three decades since the release of the classic album "The Ultra-Violence", now was the time to tell the story. Filmed on the "Relentless Retribution" world tour, the film shows the bands energetic live performance, cut with documentary-style interview footage. "Fly-on-the-wall" filming of the band talking about their career and footage of the band on the road, give the viewer a personal connection to what is known as the mighty DEATH ANGEL.

DEATH ANGEL's seventh album, "The Dream Calls For Blood", sold 5,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 72 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was recorded at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, AUGUST BURNS RED, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, ALL THAT REMAINS, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER), and once again features cover art by Brent Elliot White (JOB FOR A COWBOY, CARNIFEX, WHITECHAPEL).

With the release of Reflection just yesterday, Cave Of Swimmers have released a brand new music video for lead single, “The Prince Of The Power Of The Air”. The clip was shot and directed by Orlando based artist Maz Armageddon.

With a sound that seamlessly weaves through multiple genres including heavy metal, 70's hard rock, doom, stoner, sludge, Cave Of Swimmers are a band on the rise and a band to watch. The Miami duo have also caught the attention of a certain ex-member of Metallica, Jason Newsted, who said, "As musicians, COS are top-notch, naturally gifted players... As a band, they could go toe to toe with any of the decent up and coming bands that are currently performing live at popular European festivals. As a collection of sounds and songs in the heavy vein, orchestrated & performed by two people (live or in studio); Cave Of Swimmers are truly unique in their creativity & execution, and... Their name can now be shouted and screamed in the same breath as Royal Blood & Deap Vally!!! Cave Of Swimmers warrant a new sound classification... if there is to be one; PROAGGRESSIVE MUSIC!!!"

Vocalist & Guitarist G.E. Perez commented on the band's influences, "As individuals, it may sound clichéd, but our influences are certainly very eclectic. Toro plays in jazz groups, I play Flamenco guitar... I also have a whole new appreciation for the piano. I love Jaco and Wes too. Having said that, when we come together in a room, what comes out is what we listened to when we were in school, which is rock n’ roll. We also love 80’s and early 90’s merengue. As far as bands; everything... all the usual suspects, from AC/DC to ZZ Top."

Drummer Toro adds, "We obviously listen to a lot of different types of music. The fact we grew up in South America sets us apart in a good way because we were exposed to Latin music. Right about when G and I started playing rock and metal we also played salsa in a school ensemble. We were only 16 and we got to play all over town. As we grew musically we started exploring other instruments and jazz, classical, American folk music... You name it. When we get together in a room our most primal instinct is to play heavy music, however, we can't deny our mixed background of eclectic influences."
Recorded at Weeks Recording Studio in Coral Gables and Crossbridge Studio in Pinecrest, Florida, all the music for Reflection was tracked in a mere four days!

Artwork was completed by Bryan Olson.

 

 

Reflection tracklisting:

“The Prince Of The Power Of The Air”
“The Skull”
“Still Running”
“Reflection” (Instrumental)

The American Civil Liberties Union of Kentucky has filed a federal lawsuit (PDF file) on behalf of James Evans, the Muhlenberg County man previously arrested and charged with making threats online for posting song lyrics from the heavy metal band EXODUS.

In 2014, Evans posted on his Facebook page lyrics from an EXODUS song ("Class Dismissed [A Hate Primer]") written about the Virginia Tech school shooting. Because of the school-related content, local law enforcement officials launched an investigation. In doing so, law enforcement officials learned the post consisted of song lyrics and that Evans had, in the past, posted lyrics from other songs online. And they questioned Evans, who fully cooperated with their investigation.

Nevertheless, a Muhlenberg County Police officer sought and obtained a warrant for Evans' arrest. But the affidavit submitted for the warrant mentioned nothing about the investigation or the facts that were uncovered. The ACLU represented Evans in the criminal case which was ultimately dismissed, but not before Evans spent several days in custody for simply posting the lyrics online.

In explaining the ACLU's decision to file suit on Evans's behalf, ACLU of Kentucky cooperating attorney Brenda Popplewell stated: "This case is not only about Mr. Evans' right to engage in non-threatening speech online, but also his right to be free from unlawful police tactics in securing his arrest and prosecution for a crime he did not commit." She added, "We look forward to representing Mr. Evans in this case, and we hope that by doing so we will not only vindicate his rights but help ensure that others' rights are protected in the future."

In an interview with Full Metal Jackie, EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt stated about Evans's arrest: "It goes to show you that we live in a very paranoid society, and in a lot of ways rightly so, because of so many tragedies — non-stop shootings and such. But my problem with James Evans being arrested primarily lies in the fact that it would've taken, like, 20 minutes of research to realize that this guy was not a threat. He wasn't a depressed 17-year-old posting diatribe after diatribe on Facebook about how bad he hates his school and hates his classmates and then the posted lyrics, and I'd see it. He's a 30-year-old man, and I bet if you searched his Facebook page, you'd find nothing but other metal references and typical Facebook stuff. It does show you that the written word can be frightening to some."

Evans posted the following on Facebook on August 24, 2014: "Student bodies lying dead in the halls, a blood splattered treatise of hate. Class dismissed is my hypothesis, gun fire ends in debate."

According to 14News.com, multiple agencies received calls concerned about the post, resulting in Evans' arrest.

The warrant said Evans was arrested because, "he threatened to kill students and or staff at school."

Evans was placed in the Muhlenberg County Detention Center for eight days before being released on September 3, 2014.

According to Billboard.com, local police officers showed up the day of Evans' original Facebook posting at his house in Central City, where they asked him if he planned on harming anyone. "I assumed the conversation got resolved," said Evans. The next day, the officers returned to his house while Evans was at work, asking his wife what kind of car he drove and if he was in possession of any weapons.

"They informed her that I may or not be charged," he said. "They said they were going to talk to me at work, but they never showed up. I didn't think it was that big of a deal." The following morning, officers showed up at his workplace and issued Evans a warrant for his arrest.

"They never even cuffed me, just put me in the back of the car," he said. "They knew I wasn't dangerous. They were kind of shocked, too, because they thought it had been resolved. They just had to serve it because it was in their jurisdiction."

EXODUS subsequently issued a statement, saying, "EXODUS does not promote or condone terrorists, threats or bullying." Holt continued, "James Evans was simply posting lyrics to a band he likes on Facebook, and he was locked up for it. The song 'Class Dismissed (A Hate Primer)' was written as a view through the eyes of a madman and in no way endorses that kind of fucked up behavior.

"It was the Virginia Tech massacre perpetrated by Seung-Hui Cho that was the subject and inspiration to write the song, one in which we put the brakes on playing it live after the Sandy Hook shooting, as we did not want to seem insensitive... When we start to overreact to things like lyrics by any band, including EXODUS, and start arresting people, we are caving in to paranoia and are well on our way to becoming an Orwellian society."

All charges against James Evans were dismissed after the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Kentucky took his defense, presenting the case as a First Amendment issue.

"The First Amendment exists to protect people from government censorship of unpopular, but otherwise lawful, speech. And there is no greater threat to our ability to exercise that right than to be thrown in jail for doing so," said ACLU's executive director Michael Aldridge in a statement.

Swedish singer Mats Levén (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, CANDLEMASS, TREAT, THERION, KRUX) is collaborating with the Slovakian alternative metal band TRISTANA. The new project, calling itself TRISTANA FEAT. MATS LEVÉN, will make festival appearances this summer.

Levén began his career in 1986 in the bands SWEDISH EROTICA and TREAT. In 1997 came his first worldwide success as Mats teamed up with guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen, recording the album "Facing The Animal" and doing a promotional tour. In 2002, he joined the doom metal project KRUX and German power metallers AT VANCE. Around the end of 2003, symphonic metal band THERION asked Levén to join them for the recording of their albums "Lemuria" and "Sirius B". In 2007, THERION released "Gothic Kabbalah" and recorded backing vocals for APOCALYPTICA's album "Worlds Collide". Currently, Mats is the lead singer of CANDLEMASS and collaborates with OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Gus G. Mats sang most of the songs on Gus's "I Am The Fire" album and has toured with Gus in Europe.

TRISTANA's third album, "Virtual Crime", is described in a press release as a mixture of "modern alternative metal," "atmospheric hard 'n' heavy' passages" and "groovy death metal growls and electronic keyboards. Their debut CD, "Back To The Future", was released in 2003.

Said TRISTANA vocalist Peter Wilsen: "Mats is a great singer. I saw him first time on Malmsteen's live DVD 'Double Live!' from 1998. I was a teenager and I started to sing in the first band. I cant believed how powerful he sang high tones and how easy managed it. His voice is very characteristic and this is very important for good singers."

TRISTANA FEAT. MATS LEVÉN will play songs from "Virtual Crime". Mats will take over clean singing parts and Peter Wilsen will do the growls.

Later this year, TRISTANA will record a new song and music video with Mats.

Guitarist Jim Root, who was dismissed from STONE SOUR in late 2013 after he decided to sit out the group's last tour in order to begin working on the new SLIPKNOT album, told The Des Moines Register that the firing made things awkward for him and singer Corey Taylor, who's also a member of both bands.

"When you're sort of blindsided by something like that, it kind of makes you wonder what the motivations or intentions are, or why it has to be like that, when really all that needs to happen is a SLIPKNOT record, then we could go back to business as usual later," Root said.

"For whatever reason, it happened and it sort of lit a fire under my ass to realize that it doesn't really matter who you are or what your role is in any particular thing that you do. You always have to be on top of your game, because you never know what is going to happen. It definitely made me want to put my nose to the grindstone and hone my skills a little more. When something like that happens, it's like getting dumped."

STONE SOUR recently named guitarist Christian Martucci as the permanent replacement for Root. Martucci was recruited to play on the band's early 2014 tour tour and was confirmed as a permanent member this past March in a Facebook post. Root did not speak kindly of STONE SOUR in interviews after he was fired, saying, "Some of the guys in STONE SOUR, I think they just want to be a radio band and write strictly for radio and try to be more of a poppy rock band. And that's not really what I'm into. There's at least one guy in the band that's only concerned about money. I really have no desire to associate with people like that anymore."

Root played on all five STONE SOUR studio records to date, including 2010's "Audio Secrecy" and the double concept album "House Of Gold & Bones".

SLIPKNOT is on tour now in support of its fifth album, ".5: The Gray Chapter", which came out last October.

On April 18, STONE SOUR released "Meanwhile In Burbank…", a five-song "Record Store Day" exclusive EP featuring covers of songs by BLACK SABBATH, METALLICA, KISS, ALICE IN CHAINS and JUDAS PRIEST.