Vocalist Chuck Billy of San Francisco Bay Area metal veterans TESTAMENT was interviewed on the March 27-29 edition of Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show. You can now listen to the chat using the Podbean widget below. A couple of excerpts follow.

Full Metal Jackie: Chuck, how are you progressing with the new album and how much do TESTAMENT songs generally change over the course of the creative process?

Chuck: They are constantly changing. They all just start with parts and ideas and hooks, and they keep developing. I think right now we are at a stage where me and Eric [Peterson, guitar] have done a lot of demoing, just us two, and when we get out on the road for the next two or three months together, we'll have a lot of time just to kind of work out what we've done on demoing, and hopefully by the time we get back in June or July, we'll hopefully be ready to get into the studio. So this is nice [that] we get to go out and go on tour, but we are actually looking forward to getting together and working on some new material together.

Full Metal Jackie: The last two TESTAMENT albums have been exceptional. What keeps your band at that level of quality and consistency?

Chuck: I don't know. I think we definitely just kind of write by what's inspiring us at the time. I think a lot of it… Eric pretty much leads the charge with anything that we write. So, depending on what Eric is kind of feeling… I think definitely the new record is definitely gonna be stepping back at some more of the thrash-style roots, and there is definitely a lot more blast beats in here, and it is definitely a thrash record. So it's good that we are taking it back to that. I think it's kind of leaning maybe toward that "The Gathering" kind of vibe.

Full Metal Jackie: You and Eric Peterson have been the nucleus of TESTAMENT for a long time. Musically and personally, how do you complement each other?

Chuck: Well, at this point, when we write, we kind of know our limits with each other. You know, vocally, with me, and we kind of just know… It's a natural feeling. It's so weird, 'cause when I write with other people, it's definitely not the same. So there is something special when I write with Eric, 'cause it just… I don't know… It fits like a glove, I guess, [if] I can use that phrase, but we have always had that chemistry.

To see a full list of stations carrying the program and when it airs, go to FullMetalJackieRadio.com.

Fan-filmed video footage of Sebastian Bach's April 25 performance at Strummer's in Fresno, California can be seen below.

SKID ROW fired singer Johnny Solinger over the phone on April 6, a few hours before announcing ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell as his replacement.

Solinger, who joined SKID ROW in 1999, released a statement that same day claiming that he had "decided to leave SKID ROW to pursue [his] solo career."

Bach in July 2012 posted a letter on his Facebook page in which he said he was willing to reunite with SKID ROW. "For the fans, I would be willing to put my ego aside and do something that would be special for the people who put us where we are today," he wrote. "I do not personally want it myself. But it's not always about 'what I want.' If the fans really want to see us together, I would do it for the fans. Sometimes you can do things for people other than yourself."

Bach said he wanted to write the letter in response to Solinger's interview in which Johnny said a tweet by Bach about a possible SKID ROW reunion was an attempt to "get attention."

Pressed by Revolver magazine on why a SKID ROW reunion hasn't happened yet after he spent the past few years "teasing" it, Bach said: "I wasn't teasing. I go onstage every night and I sing my songs. Those are my songs. That's my voice. I'm part owner of the band, but it's not my call."

Asked what caused such bad blood between him and the rest of SKID ROW, Bach said: "I don't even remember. If you put a gun to my head, I couldn't tell you. They're happy doing what they're doing. I think it's an insult to everybody who ever bought a record. But they do the opposite of what the audience wants and they don't care."

Bach fronted SKID ROW until 1996, when he was fired. Instead of throwing in the towel, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band called OZONE MONDAY.

In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a bit of shuffling over the years, most recently featured a lineup consisting of original bassist Rachel Bolan and guitarists Dave "Snake" Sabo and Scotti Hill, alongside drummer Rob Hammersmith and Solinger.

Alexander Pallis and Micheal J. Coyle of Metal Temple conducted an interview with drummer Kjetil-Vidar "Frost" Haraldstad of Norwegian black metallers SATYRICON when the band played at Sound Control in Manchester, England on April 7. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked where he finds the inspiration to continue playing music more than twenty years since SATYRICON's inception, Frost responded: "Most of all, playing in a band that is creative and dynamic is a huge inspiration in itself, because it offers a channel to not only try to do what others have already done, but to try to find something of your own. So I search for doing what suits the band the most, and I try to grow with the band and change with the band and try to feel what the band is doing and add something to it or be part of it. Sometimes I watch those old clips of hard rock drummers of the early '70s, for instance; that has been the thing I've done for quite a few years now. I like the music a lot, but most of all I connect so much with that physical energy and spirit and pioneering way of doing things that the drummers of that era had. Like when you watch Bill Ward [BLACK SABBATH] or Ian Paice [DEEP PURPLE] and John Bonham [LED ZEPPELIN]… And most of the drummers, like Mitch Mitchell of Jimi Hendrix's band, for instance, that energy is something that is mesmerizing to hear and to watch. There is so much spirit. That's the kind of thing that I'd like to have in my own playing. And I think some of it has been there all the time — it's part of my nature, so that's probably one of the reasons I connect so much with it. But then there are other things that, you think, 'Wow! That was fantastic, what he did there.' And I don't want to copy [that]. I would like to have something that is similar, energy wise, or creatively, in a way. So there's a certain inspiration in that, but I never try to copy anyone or think that I [must] study how something sounds and then try to make the same thing, because that's not what I'm after. But I try to understand the mentality of it and I try to understand the state of mind that is needed to do something like it. That is what I would like to achieve too."

He continued: "I am inspired by that more than trying to copy or adapt a certain style that has been had by others. I mean, if it's done already, why try to do it again? A copy will never beat the original. And SATYRICON is about originality. But I think that you can learn a lot by trying to understand the thought process behind something — trying to understand the principles."

As previously reported, SATYRICON has signed a worldwide deal with Austrian label Napalm Records for release of its upcoming DVD, "Live At The Opera".

To coincide with the release of its self-titled, eighth studio album, SATYRICON played a very special, exclusive show on September 8, 2013 at at Den Norske Opera & Ballett in Oslo, Norway, where they were joined by the 55-strong Norwegian National Opera Chorus as part of the Ultima Oslo Contemporary Music Festival.

The performance was professionally filmed and recorded and will be released as the "Live At The Opera" CD/DVD on May 1 in Europe and May 5 in North America.

Following on from their triumphant return to the metal scene in 2014, London's SIKTH has decided to answer the calls from its fans and record new music in 2015. "We've always maintained that more music would emerge one day and for the first time in years it feels like now is the time," says guitarist Dan Weller.

"We had an amazing time travelling round the world last year. Having a chance to reconnect with our fans was very special for us." The as-yet-untitled EP will be the follow-up to the 2006 critically acclaimed album "Death Of A Dead Day" and will see the band enter the studio for the first time in 10 years. Vocalist Mikee Goodman adds: "We did not realize our music had spread so far! I believe we have amongst the most passionate and energetic fans in the world. I am honored to play to them. But what we have been asked most is about new music.

"My desire to make new SIKTH music is as strong as it's ever been. I can't wait to get started!" Recording starts this summer with a November release date penned. It will also be the first time SIKTH will make a record without the assistance of a record label. "Since we have such a good relationship with our fans, we decided that funding the EP via a link textPledgeMusic campaign was the best option for us and them," says Weller. "We could have signed a deal but it just adds so many complications for a band like us." In support of the new EP, SIKTH will return to the stage in December with a string of headline dates in the U.K. The first tickets for the tour will be made available via the band's PledgeMusic page.

In a brand new interview with The Washington Times, Don Dokken was asked what happened to the rumored reunion of DOKKEN's classic lineup.

"We've been talking for years now," he said. "The fans have been begging us to get back together. A while back, we all met. What a meeting!"

He continued: "[We] went to Jeff's [Pilson, bass] studio and banged out three brand-new songs [and] met with a promoter.

"Jeff can't do it [because of] too many commitments with FOREIGNER. And George [Lynch, guitar] has a new thing with Michael Sweet from STRYPER. So…"

Asked what he and George fight about, Don said: "I finally realized what it was all about when we played a reunion tour of Japan in 1995. It all started again: him playing with his back to the audience. Every time I talked to the audience, he would make these little noises with [his] guitar like a child. I said, 'What is the problem? What can I do to make this work?' He pointed at the 20-foot backdrop hanging behind that read 'Dokken' and said, 'That's the problem. The name."

He continued: "It's my name, but it's also the band’s name. Nothing you can do about it."

All the members of DOKKEN's classic 1980s lineup reunited on stage for the first time in more than a decade on November 29, 2009 at the House of Blues in Anaheim, California. According to OC Weekly, Don Dokken appeared on stage and said he had some friends he wanted to introduce. Pilson and Lynch joined Mick Brown (drums) for a two-song encore of "When Heaven Comes Down" and "In My Dreams".

Don Dokken and Lynch appeared on VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show" together back in May of 2010 in hopes that a reunion of DOKKEN's classic linep would follow. Despite their efforts, the reunion never happened and Don went forward with DOKKEN's current lineup.

SLIPKNOT guitarist Jim Root told The News-Press in a new interview that he didn't think it was likely that the band would ever go on tour without the members wearing masks. Root said: "Well, for one thing, KISS has already done that. And two, that's something you do when maybe the career's in the pot."

He continued: "The masks, for us, are more of a way to present ourselves live, you know? It's always been about the live show for us… We're having Halloween onstage every night."

Speaking about his latex-mask-and-goatee look, Root said: "I'm definitely a lot more reserved without the mask on. And with the mask on, all those inhibitions kinda go out the window. I can act like Keith Richards, I guess!"

Root also revealed that the band's masks and signature jumpsuits aren't as uncomfortable to wear as one would think, even during the sweltering summer heat.

"It's probably a lot cooler than wearing jeans and a T-shirt," Root said. "Once I put on the mask, I don't even realize that it's there. They're molded off of our faces, so they fit really well."

He added: "It's really not that bad. Or maybe I'm just used to it."

SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor echoed Root's sentiments about the possibility of the band ever going on the road without the members wearing masks. He told Milan, Italy's Linea Rock: "I don't think you'll ever see a SLIPKNOT 'unmasked' tour. Everybody asks me that, and it's such a part of what we do, and it helps us really embrace the music that we make. I couldn't see that happening. And to everyone who thinks that [the masks are] just a gimmick, live in it and you tell me it's a gimmick, you shitheads." SLIPKNOT's "Summer's Last Stand" tour kicks off on July 24 in West Palm Beach, Florida, wrapping up six weeks later on September 5 in Dallas. Joining SLIPKNOT on the road trip will be LAMB OF GOD, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE and MOTIONLESS IN WHITE. The summer jaunt follows a brief spring run that SLIPKNOT launched on April 25 at the Fort Rock festival in Fort Myers, Florida, ending on May 16 in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The last single released from SLIPKNOT's new album, "The Gray Chapter", which came out in October, was called "Custer".

"Valley Of Tears", the new album from British power metal mercenaries TANK, has had its release date pushed back to September 18 from the previously announced June 8.

Joining guitarists Mick Tucker and Cliff Evans on the group's's new CD are former DRAGONFORCE frontman ZP Theart, who has been a member of TANK's touring lineup for the past two years. Also featured are new recruits Bobby Schottkowski, formerly of SODOM, on drums, and current BLIND GUARDIAN member Barend Courbois on bass.

Comments TANK guitarist Cliff Evans: "We've decided, along with our label Metal Mind, to put the release date for our tenth album, 'Valley Of Tears', back until September 2015.

"Originally planned for release in June, we now feel that the album really deserves more time and attention during the mixing stage to get it exactly how we want it.

"Having ZP Theart on vocals has upped our game once again and the attention to detail in the albums production requires more time to get it exactly how we want it.

"'Valley Of Tears' will definitely be worth the wait!" Regarding the recording process, Evans stated: "Bobby recorded the drum tracks in Germany with his producer, Waldemar Sorychta, whose previous work includes albums for LACUNA COIL, TIAMAT and SODOM, to name but a few. The drums are the backbone of the album and they seriously kick ass! Barend laid down the bass guitar in Holland a couple of days before heading out on a sold-out world tour with German metal legends BLIND GUARDIAN. He'll be back with us for our festival shows later this summer. The guitars were recorded in London under the guidance of producer Phil Kinman who is the master at capturing the sound of a Les Paul through a Marshall amp. No frills. Just awesome power! The album will be mastered by Ade Emsley, who recently undertook the task of remastering the entire IRON MAIDEN catalogue for 24-bit iTunes release. There'll be some teasers coming up over the summer, including a video for the title track, 'Valley Of Tears', and more tour dates will be announced soon."

"Valley Of Tears" track listing: 01. War Dance02. Valley03. Of Tears04. Eye Of A Hurricane05. Hold On06. Make A Little Time07. Heading For08. Eternity09. Living A Fantasy10. World On Fire11. Hold Your Fire

The "Valley Of Tears" artwork can be seen below.

Comments Evans: "The title comes from the famous tank battle during the 1973 Yom Kippur War where one side was massively outnumbered but fought on regardless and against all odds secured a heroic victory.

"We feel that our style of metal is slowly disappearing and now we must also fight against the odds to keep it alive.

"We hope 'Valley Of Tears' will inspire other bands and fans alike to never forget what real metal is all about."

Former TNT and current SKID ROW singer Tony Harnell was interviewed on a recent edition of "The Classic Metal Show", which is heard live on Saturdays from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. EST at TheClassicMetalShow.com. You can now listen to the chat using the Spreaker widget below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On how he landed the gig in SKID ROW:

"It was an unexpected turn of events, certainly for me. There's a lot of things that led to this decision, separate from the TNT scenario. The [SKID ROW] guys and I go way back — we've known each other for years, and I think that out of… No disrespect to any of the other bands from that era — TNT was one of 'em — I think that SKID ROW then and have managed to remain, for lack of a better word, cool. And one thing that I had in my mind was that if I wasn't gonna be in TNT, if I was gonna be in a rock band, one of the things I wanted was a heavier band. And this is certainly a heavier band — other than the hit songs that were on the radio, especially the ballads. Which, really… I mean, '18 And Life' isn't even really a ballad; it's sort of almost a midtempo rocker, [but] it's just on the lighter side of what they do. I'm thrilled. They're great guys. They really have it together. They're very professional.

"They did not just call me up. I was the first guy they thought of, as far as I know, and they went on YouTube to check, to make sure that I still could sing and still looked okay, and apparently were pleased with both of those things. But by no means did they call me and say, 'Are you free? And if so, would you like to do this?' and it was a done deal. I went through a semi-traditional auditioning process. I mean, it was pretty loose, and I wasn't sitting there in a room with five other guys that were competing with me, but it was daunting for me. It was definitely a little tough on my ego, being in this business as long as I have and selling some records myself and having the little bit of 'legacy' that I do have. And I don't mean that in an egotistical way whatsoever; I mean that in the humblest way possible. But I've been in the business for a long time. So would I have preferred a phone call that said, 'If you want it, you've got it?' Of course. But I do understand their concern based on the difference in sound between TNT and SKID ROW, for them to make sure that I can handle the material in my own way. Am I gonna sound like [former SKID ROW singer] Sebastian [Bach] on the Sebastian songs? Probably not. Am I gonna sound like [ex-SKID ROW singer] Johnny [Solinger]? Probably not. So I'm gonna have my own spin on it, but I'm gonna try to be as true to the original songs as possible. So they just wanted to make sure I was gonna fit in — both as a person too, by the way. They wanted to make sure that we were gonna get along and be buddies and all that stuff is gonna be there as well."

On what the reaction has been like to the news that he has joined SKID ROW:

"I sort of have these nightmare visions of getting on stage and seeing people holding up signs in the audience that say, 'Bring back Bach,' or people throwing beer at me, or, you know, any number of things. But what am I gonna do? I mean, I really, honestly have to say… just like Rachel [Bolan, SKID ROW bassist] said, he wasn't really a TNT fan, he was more of a Tony Harnell fan. I respect that. I always liked SKID ROW. Honestly, I did not dig into all their material. I was not a hardcore SKID ROW fan that sat and listened to their music. I knew the hits, and I saw the videos, and that was pretty much the extent of it. I would rather be in my shoes right now — I can tell you that — I'd rather be the guy replacing Johnny than to have been him replacing Sebastian. I mean, I can only imagine what he went through the first six months, a year, two years that he was doing that. So at least there's been a fifteen-year buffer between the two things. But I'm sure I'm still gonna get it. And I've already seen it. I try to avoid it; I try not to look at bad stuff. It seems to me that — and maybe I'm just fooling myself, but I'm getting the same thing from the guys in the band — it appears that the majority of people are behind this and seem to be embracing it, and that's encouraging. And I'm seeing what's being said. Again, I'm trying to stay away from the real nasty stuff. There's been some pretty funny things. I think one guy posted just… The best post I got so far was just simply a picture of a big pile of shit. That was the best one. There were no words at all — just a picture of a big pile of shit. Otherwise, like I said, it appears to be positive. So I'm just gonna go with that. Because, again, I'm doing my job. I don't wanna be involved in the soap opera. I want the fans to be happy. I want them to embrace me. My job is to win them over and make them feel happy about SKID ROW. It's about SKID ROW; it's not about Tony Harnell in this situation."

On how he plans to approach SKID ROW-frontman gig:

"With all due respect, in all my years that I've been doing this, this is the first time in thirty years or so that I have stepped into a situation where I am kind of center stage singing somebody else's material. Not that I don't do cover songs when I do acoustic shows, but they're cover songs of my choosing. It's a little different, 'cause I can put my own spin on them. With this, I'm gonna attempt to, but I also wanna stay true to what the SKID ROW fans are expecting. And not all the SKID ROW fans know Tony Harnell, don't care about Tony Harnell or his past. So I think that for a lot of the fans that know the band, they won't have any clue about my past and my history, and that's fine. My job, for everybody, is just to go try to do my best. And I don't wanna compete with Sebastian or Johnny or anybody. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Sebastian and what he created with the band and the legacy that he helped create with these guys. Rachel and Snake are phenomenal songwriters, and that helps a little bit for me to feel as though I'm singing songs that the guys that are standing next to me wrote. That makes the job a little bit easier to swallow, I guess you could say, rather than, say, the guy who replaced me in TNT [Tony Mills], who, I know, had to go out every night and sing my lyrics and my stuff. Look… Again, Sebastian is a hell of a talent, both as a performer and a singer, and he and I also go way back. And this is a very interesting situation for me to be in, but I'm not part of the soap opera, or part of the drama in any way, shape or form. I'm just a singer who's really happy to be — finally — in an American band, being that I am American, and be able to come back and play for all the American fans that TNT did build up in the '80s. Because, honestly, we had a bigger fan base here than we had anywhere else in the world. Even though we had gold and platinum records in other countries, America has more people. So, if TNT sold however many hundreds of thousands of records that we sold, we have a huge fan base. We have a big fan base in the U.S., and now they're gonna get to see me. I'm sure some of them would rather see me with TNT, but I tried real hard and I couldn't make that happen. So I'm gonna be doing it with SKID ROW, which is freakin' awesome, if you ask me."

On whether he has talked to Sebastian Bach since he was announced as the new lead singer of SKID ROW:

"Sebastian and I had a pretty close relationship when SKID ROW first came on the scene. We met before their first album came out and we became friends. And through the years, it's been off and on, and that's the honest truth. I saw him on Broadway, and I thought he was phenomenal; he blew me away. And then it's just been off and on. No animosity, no bad things — nothing like that at all. It's just an off-and-on thing. That's what kind of happens in this business. You have periods of time when you're really in touch with people and times when you're not, and this is one of the times that we're not. So that nay actually not be a bad thing for the time being; I don't know. I have no clue what he's thinking or feeling about it. I wish him all the best. He's got a great solo career going. Again, like I said, I don't wanna be a part of any of that stuff, because it has nothing to do with me. I'm joining a band I'm thrilled about joining, and, like I said, I've got a tremendous amount of respect for him and what he created with the band, and I know that the fan base… Those records are very sacred to them, just like the early TNT records are sacred to TNT fans. So I understand it and I get it. But to answer to your question straight up, I have not spoken to him, and I don't know at what point… It's not something that is at the forefront of my mind right now. What is at the forefront of my mind is getting these songs together and getting ready for these shows that are coming up."

On the decision to re-record the SKID ROW classic "18 And Life" with his vocals:

"The re-record was not to try to outdo the original, it wasn't to try to in any way replace the original version, at least from my standpoint. I don't know what their idea was. From my standpoint, it was… They asked me to do it, and I thought it was an interesting idea as a way to introduce me to the fan base. And I did my best to stay true to the original, which is what they wanted. I probably would have strayed more, if I could have, and done more Tony Harnell doing the song. But, you know, I tried to stay as true as I could to the original version.

"This was recorded from scratch. This is a complete re-record. And, in fact, they purposely used the same exact gear, so all the amps, all the guitars, as far as I know, were exactly the same. The only difference is Rob Hammersmith is the new drummer… is the current drummer, I should say; he's not new anymore. So other than the drums, the guitars and the bass are all original, same exact gear — same amps and guitars, as far as I know, is what I was told. They did a great job duplicating, and they wanted to duplicate as closely as possible to that original version."

On how it feels to be replacing a hugely popular singer like Sebastian Bach:

"I will say this, and I'm gonna try to say it as tenderly and in as humble a way as possible. I've said it, and I'll say it forever… I have a tremendous amount of respect for Sebastian. When he first came out, like everybody else, I was blown away. The first time I heard the [first SKID ROW] record was on a cassette tape, with him sitting next to me in a taxi before the record came out. And he sat there pointing out notes and phrases that he was singing that he literally said were taken from my style. So, in this weird sort of way, I kind of… maybe not from a stage performance standpoint, but from a vocal standpoint, there are elements of this that are very different than what — and no disrespect to Tim ['Ripper' Owens, who replaced Rob Halford in JUDAS PRIEST] — but very different from what Tim did with JUDAS PRIEST. I sort of see this in a weird way as almost 'Rock Star' [the 2001 Warner Bros. movie starring Mark Wahlberg as a salesman-turned-rock star, was styled after Owens, who fronted a JUDAS PRIEST cover band before being tapped to become the new lead singer of the actual group] in reverse — meaning that when Sebastian met me, I was his idol, or one of heroes, and here I am, 25-some-odd years later going into this band. So I think that, if anything, maybe I'm doing him doing me. [Laughs] That sounds a bit incestuous and odd to say in that way, but I think that there are gonna be elements to… Obviously, look, he's got different qualities to his voice. I think he's got a little bit more of a punk and edgier kind of… I don't know… I really don't know how to describe it. I guess I'm more… There are differences; there obviously are differences between our voices, and that's totally fine. I will, as I go forward with the band live… They heard me in rehearsal get pretty damn rapsy, and there's gonna be nights where I'm gonna pour that on real thick, and I'm able to do that. I see this as kind of almost, I guess… and really, again, I wanna be careful about how I say this… I don't wanna say that I see it as a supergroup, because a lot of people don't know my past and my history, but I do think that of all the replacement singers I can think of, I do think that TNT had a stronger past, both with record sales and accomplishments, even if a lot of it was overseas. We did do huge tours in America, and we accomplished a lot here, and we accomplished things overseas and in Japan that a lot of America bands never came close to: gold, platinum albums; we won a Grammy [-equivalent] award over there; we were one of the biggest bands in Japan. When everybody was big [in Japan], we were one of the biggest. So we accomplished a lot. So I kind of feel like I'm not sort of just some guy that they grabbed off a YouTube clip and stuck up there on stage. But I do see this as a bit of a coming together of two forces. And I'm hoping to be accepted by the SKID ROW fans as time goes by, and that's gonna be my goal — to just try to be accepted and do my best, and give a lot of respect to the past. I don't expect that they're all gonna accept me immediately, but that is my goal as time goes by."

On his latest departure from TNT:

"I really wanna make it clear that I was leaving TNT for totally unrelated reasons, and that I was not leaving TNT for any other situation that was ahead of me. Because, honestly, in January, when I made my announcement, I was not in SKID ROW. We hadn't even really met for the first time yet. So I did not have the job. It was just… I was done. And I wanted it to be clear that it was an unrelated situation, and so that's what I did."

"If you want me to be honest about it, I think the thing that's bugging me the most right now is the lying again. And it's not even lying… It's passive-aggressive posting, which is almost worse than kying. Well, they're both about the same, actually. You know, when it first happened and I made my announcement, there was no 'thank you.' There's never, ever, from the band, been, 'Thank you for thirty years of, basically, almost killing yourself flying all over the world so that we can be famous in Norway and Japan.' And that's fine. I have my own life. I don't need the approval or the recognition of the guys in TNT. I think they're all… I wish them all really well. But some of the posts that have come lately… purposely posting videos of my songs being sung by my predecessor, who is not coming back to the band, is weird. It's an odd way of handling your brand, and it makes no sense. So this last post wishing me well… Believe me, they don't wish me well. I got no private e-mails from the band saying, 'Good luck and have a great run with SKID ROW and we wish you well,' and all that; there was none of that. So anything that you saw online was just very bad P.R. What happened, basically, was that I never actually got grooved back in with the band. What happened was I had about three months' worth of conversations with Diesel [TNT drummer Morten Dahl]. We finally came to an agreement where I said I'll do two shows. And those two shows were about three months apart, maybe four months apart. And he said, 'Fine.' I said, 'Let's see how the first show goes. If it goes okay, then we'll talk about business and we'll figure out a way to, basically, operate as a band. Because we had no plan in place. It was just… Was I gonna be a hired gun in my own band? Was I gonna come back into the company? I mean, there were a lot of questions to be answered. In this particular situation, the drummer is the booking agent. And that was always a problem for me, because I think it's a conflict of interest. I don't think it's a problem for a bandmember to manage the band, which is the case with SKID ROW, but I do think it's a problem for a bandmember to book the band, which is what TNT does. So I was trying from the very beginning to change that. And when I said 'yes' the first two gigs, suddenly up on his web site for his booking agency, there was a photograph and, basically, saying that TNT was available for dates. So before I could even get grooved in and make any sort of agreement, there were ten dates booked, and then there were fifteen dates booked, and then twenty and so on and so on. You have to understand that in the business that we're in, he knew that he kind of had me by the balls, because once you book a show, and then you say 'no,' well, who's gonna get blamed? So to save face and to not… I was put in a very awkward situation, on purpose, and I was put on a spot. So being that I love the fans, and being that I love to perform live, I said, 'You know what?! Fine. We will work out the kinks as we go along. Let's do these shows, and as we go, we will have days off, and we will have meetings and we will work out the kinks. Well, try as I did, those meetings, which went on for hours, many of them, unfortunately, turned out to be completely a total waste of time. And there are many reasons why, and, again, I'm not gonna throw people under the bus and get into the details of why, but that's basically all I that I have to say about it. I did my very best to keep it together and to keep it professional. I wanted to stay in the band for the rest of my music career; that was my goal. I said, 'Okay, this is it. We can make this work.' People wanted the band. There were people all over the world that wanted to book the band and that were excited we were back together. The shows went phenomenally well. We were very well received at Sweden Rock, which is a wonderful festival, in front of 25,000 people on the night BLACK SABBATH played, and we did very, very well, and had a lot of shows like that. A lot of sold-out shows. So it was a very successful run. And the band went from being, basically, a struggling club band to getting back up to the stature where… close to the stature I had left it in 2006. But I couldn't get anywhere."

"I guess the realization of it was, because we couldn't work the business out, I was back as far as the fans were concerned, and even as far as I was concerned, and probably as far as the band was concerned, I was back. The band was back together, and we fully intended on going forward for as many years as possible. It is being portrayed now as though the plan was that I was only coming back for 2014 to do an 'Intuition' reunion tour, and that is absolutely, completely one hundred percent false. We were all in it for the long haul, and I tried to make it work for that. But when September came and the touring ended, nobody wanted to talk to me anymore, and my calls were not being returned, and my e-mails were not being returned by the most important people in the band that had the most influence. And the manager that came in to quote 'save the day' actually sunk the ship."




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Mascot Label Group's Music Theories Recordings and Neal Schon have announced the release of "Vortex" on June 23. The 2-CD all-instrumental album utilizes rock as its foundation, while also embracing elements of jazz, classical and world music in an 18-track stunning, sonically explosive collection of original compositions. The release is dedicated to Schon's best friend and wife, who serves as his true inspiration every day (Both "Lady M" and "Triumph Of Love" were written for her, the latter of which he performed at their wedding on December 15, 2013.)

Says Schon: "This is an evolutionary album for me. I've always aspired to be a better player and push musical boundaries. And sure, I've sold 80 million records with JOURNEY, and I'm proud of that, but this album is really me — all based on my guitar, which is my 'voice.' It's bold. There's love, and there's definitely fire and an element of danger. And the energy level is off the hook."

That's evident from the first, mysterious-sounding measures of "Miles Beyond", the scalding tribute to jazz genius Miles Davis' pioneering fusion recordings that opens the album. The tune blends Schon's soaring leads, tectonic plates of grinding rhythm and brilliantly layered melodies within an arrangement that embraces Middle Eastern flourishes plus flashes of African drumming by Steve Smith. "Schon & Hammer Now" is a furious jam between the guitarist and his longtime friend and creative foil, Grammy-winning keyboardist Jan Hammer, whose many accomplishments include charter membership in the groundbreaking MAHAVISHNU ORCHESTRA. And the two match their brilliant technique and relentless invention throughout, sparring with the grace and speed of a young Mohammad Ali. Schon reveals, "Jan is all over this album. I wrote the material to give Jan room to stretch. There are not many three-minute ditties. It's all huge, epic, bombastic…futuristic." After hearing the completed album for the first time, Hammer made a succinct observation, "This is fucking amazing."

"Airliner NS910" is further proof. It's all speed and swagger, with Schon skywriting the song's sweetly singing theme in the indelible vapor trail of the instantly recognizable operatic tones of his signature model Paul Reed Smith guitars. He reflects, "Since 'Vortex' is a two-record set, it's both my ninth and tenth solo albums. That's where the 'NS910' comes from."

The music of "Vortex" originated in the hard drives that Schon is constantly filling with ideas for riffs, melodies and chord progressions at home. But they came to life at Berkeley's Fantasy Studios, his preferred spot for recording since JOURNEY cut the 10-times-platinum number-one album "Escape" there in 1981. Schon states, "It's my home away from home. I spend so much time there that they've given me my own locker."

Schon produced and played bass on "Vortex", too, and was joined in the studio by Smith and keyboardist Igor Len. Hammer and Len also appeared on Schon's seventh solo album, "The Calling", which was followed by the blues-inspired hard rock album "So U". He offers, "Igor and Jan complement each other, and me, beautifully." And "Vortex"'s "Eternal Love" is a testament to Len's creativity. The song, a richly emotional ballad, features Len alone on piano. The guitarist observes, "He sat down and played the tune spontaneously, and it was so gorgeous and deep that I had to have it on my album." Schon offers his own reflective solo performance on "Vortex" with the sparsely arranged acoustic guitar meditation "Mom", dedicated to his mother, Barbara Schon. He reveals, "Like most of the performances on this album, it wasn't premeditated. I'd just pick up a guitar and tell my engineer Jesse Nichols to hit Pro Tools."

The intensely creative guitar giant has always had a seemingly innate ability to make glorious music. He began playing at age five and was inspired by soul vocalists like Aretha Franklin and Gladys Knight, and blues and jazz guitarists ranging from B.B. King, Albert King and Eric Clapton to Wes Montgomery. When Schon was just 15 years old, Carlos Santana invited him to join his band. Schon's recording debut was on the classic 1971 album "Santana III". He played the solo on the LP's hit single "Everybody's Everything". Recently Schon has been working with Carlos Santana on a new album, co-writing songs and playing key performances including homecoming SANTANA concerts in Guadalajara and Mexico City that included JOURNEY as the opening band.

Schon formed JOURNEY in 1973 and has led the band through its astonishing 42-year history. Along the way, JOURNEY has sold well over 80 million albums, amongst which the band's "Greatest Hits" release was certified Diamond by the RIAA for sales in excess of 10 million copies. To date sales now exceed 15 million copies. Eight other JOURNEY album releases have been certified multi-platinum. Neal Schon co-wrote the timeless hit "Don't Stop Believin'", which now holds the title as the most digitally downloaded song in history. Seventeen additional JOURNEY singles were Top 40 hits. Schon has received multiple Grammy Award nominations for both his work with JOURNEY and his solo recordings, and JOURNEY has been nominated for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Besides solo albums and tours and his historic work with JOURNEY, Schon has an extensive history of blue-ribbon collaborations. These include co-founding the supergroup BAD ENGLISH and forming bands with vocalists Paul Rodgers and Sammy Hagar. He released two collaboration albums with Jan Hammer, "Untold Passion" and "Here To Stay", while also performing on releases from Michael Bolton, RETURN TO FOREVER's Lenny White and many others.

One thing he's never done is considered resting on his laurels. Schon reflects, "I feel more aware and alive now than I've ever been. Part of that is the sobriety I've had for the last seven years. I've also evolved as a person and a player though understanding the value of being in the moment — letting things happen and not thinking too much. There's an old blues saying: 'If you're thinkin', you're stinkin'. When you stop thinking and just play from the heart, you discover your own voice. That's the real thing, and that's what 'Vortex' is about for me."

"Vortex" track listing:

CD1

01. Miles Beyond02. Awakening03. Cuban Fly Zone04. El Matador05. Eternal Love06. In a Cloud07. Irish Cream08. Lady M (Our love Remains)09. NS Vortex

CD2

01. Tortured Souls02. Schon & Hammer Now03. Airliner NS91004. Unspoken Faith05. Twilight - Spellbound 06. Triumph of Love07. Mom08. Talk to Me09. White Light

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. It will be available for pre-order beginning May 5. "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

SUPREMACY, the new band featuring singers Claus Lessmann (BONFIRE) and Michael Voss (CASANOVA, MAD MAX), guitarist Robby Boebel (FRONTLINE, EVIDENCE ONE), drummer Axel Kruse (JADED HEART) and bassist Francis Buchholz (SCORPIONS, MICHAEL SCHENKER'S TEMPLE OF ROCK), is working on material for its debut album, due in late 2015 or early 2016 via Frontiers.

Says Voss: "It's a honor to work with all these gifted musicians on a full-length album!

"After 25 years, to join forces with the fantastic Claus Lessmann takes me back into the '80s heyday times playing in BONFIRE. We'll keep that spirit alive and moreover revive it.

"Thanks to Serafino and Frontiers for believing!"

Adds Lessmann: "I am really looking forward to writing, recording and rocking with all the guys of SUPREMACY. We all have so much to give and it really means a lot to me to work together with those talented musicians. It will also bring back the good old days of rock 'n' roll when my good old friend Michael Voss was on my side all across Europe back at the 'Point Blank' days.

"A big Grazie to Serafino, Mario and all at Frontiers for their belief and for givin’ us one more reason to rock! Every little note of our songs will be a piece of our heart."

GUNS N' ROSES singer Axl Rose has taken to social media to react to the executions of the two Australians who were sentenced to death in 2006 for trying to smuggle heroin out of Indonesia.

Rose posted a series of tweets after it was announced that Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran, the ringleaders of the so-called Bali Nine group, were executed early Wednesday morning at a jail on the Indonesian island of Nusakambangan.

The 53-year-old rocker was directing his comments at Indonesian president Joko Widodo — who well known for his love of hard rock and heavy metal — only hours after Rose asked the president to intervene as a way of showing forgiveness and clemency in the face of international calls to halt the executions, while also requesting the same for convicted drug trafficker Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso. Veloso was also sentenced to death, but spared at the eleventh hour after new information emerged about her case.

Rose wrote: "It's deeply troubling President Widodo ignoring International outcry went thru w/8 of the executions (sic)

"Let's pray Miss Veloso's reprieve is permanent."

The singer continued: "Widodo's refusal 2 postpone the executions until all legal challenges n' investigations of corruption r resolved is inexcusable.

"4 Widodo 2 b out of the country during his big statement refusing 2 take calls or read any last minute pleas 4 the condemned is cowardice.

"The People of Indonesia deserve better," Rose concluded.

BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi and NAPALM DEATH frontman Mark "Barney" Greenway also recently wrote separate letters to Widodo, asking the president to spare the lives of Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran.

Original BORKNAGAR vocalist Kristoffer Rygg (pictured; a.k.a. Garm, Fiery G. Maelstrom, Trixter G.) has recorded vocals for two songs on the upcoming BORKNAGAR album. Due in the fall via Century Media, the CD will be mixed in June by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studio.

Commented BORKNAGAR mainman Øystein G. Brun: "These days, 20 years ago, Kristoffer and I hooked up for the very first time in Bergen to record vocals for the BORKNAGAR debut album. Glorious days, indeed.

"Last night I was barely asleep as I got the first vocal samples from Kristoffer late yesterday evening and have been listening to the songs repeatedly since then.

"Being a former bandmate and a huge fan of his work ever since we parted ways back in the days, I certainly did expect a lot, but what he sent over this time around surpasses every expectations. Really!

"Still trying to get my jaw back in position and the goosebumps seem to have turned chronic on me.

"Kristoffer performs the lead vocals for one full song called 'Winter Thrice' and does additional vocals for another opus called 'Terminus'.

"Being a profoundly nostalgic person, this makes me reflect about how damn lucky I am to have been able to work with some of the finest vocalists in the world throughout the years. Musically, the upcoming album will be a celebration of just that.

"Along with the vocals of Vintersorg, ICS Vortex and Lazare, it should be needless to argue that this will be a very special album! Massively so!"

Austrian label Cursed Records will release the new Groteskh album, Code: End, on May 15. The band recorded the album during this past winter.

Groteskh was founded by guitarist Malthus Holytoxicomaniac (Hellsaw) and guitarist Goreman (Obscure) in the year of 2010. Necrosodomizer (Vomition) joined the band in 2011 and the perfect match for the drums was found in T. Martyr (Irdorath) in 2012.

Together the band created their first album Unconsciousness in cooperation with the German Dreamsound Studios Munich together with Mario Lochert (Emergency Gate). The album was released via Noisehead Records.

In 2013 almighty Isiul (Hellsaw) joined the band to strangle guitar strings instead of Malthus, who would only concentrate on the vocals of Groteskh.

2014 marked an eventful year for the band. Necrosodomizer left the band and replacement was found in Mike Hell (Sakrileg / Disastrous Murmur).

Code: End tracklisting:

“Mystery Orbs”
“Delusions Of Immortality”
“Displaced Axis”
“Posthuman”
“Doomdevil”
“Nothing Exists”
“Oblivion Of Being”
“CODE: END”
“Illumination”
“Moral Pessimism”
“Abandoned Mines”

“Delusions Of Immortality”:

Relapse Records has announced Goblin Rebirth's new self-titled album, which will see a release on June 30. The group (which features members of Italian film score figureheads Goblin) has revealed an album trailer to give fans a taste of what to expect of the record. Goblin Rebirth will be available on CD/LP/Digital, and is available for physical preorder at Relapse.com.

Inspired by the legendary Goblin, the 1970's horror-synth / film score icons responsible for such soundtracks as Suspiria, Zombi and Tenebre, Goblin Rebirth came together after a temporary reformation of the original group in 2009.  The new incarnation of the group contains the famed rhythm section of the original Goblin (drummer Agostino Marangolo and bassist Fabio Pignatelli, who both played on the classic soundtracks to Zombi/Dawn of the Dead, Suspria, Profondo Rosso/Deep Red and more), with the addition of Aidan Zammit and Danilo Cherni on keyboards and Giacomo Anselmi on guitar.

The band formed in 2010 and started with a live repertoire of Goblin hits and some unusual songs from more obscure Goblin soundtracks. The band members soon began creating new material and decided to look to the future, creating songs that grew out of an organic process, through a combination of individual compositions and jam sessions.

Now the first new recordings from Goblin Rebirth will see the light of day via Relapse this summer.  The group's debut album was mixed and produced by bassist Fabio Pignatelli. Tracks were recorded at the various members' personal studios, while the drums were recorded in Trani, at Scuola Sul Mare Studios.  The album was mastered by Bob Fix at BobFixMastering. Guest musicians on the album include Arnaldo Vacca on percussion and Roberta Lombardini on vocals.

The music from this new album is to be performed at festivals in Italy starting in May, and there are plans for live performances in other countries in the following months.

Tracklisting:

“Requiem For X”
“Back In 74”
“Book Of Skulls”
“Mysterium”
“Evil In The Machine”
“Forest”
“Bolero”
“Rebirth”

Album trailer:

Despite being released by a major label in the late ‘80s, original Slave Raider compact discs have been extremely difficult to come by unless you’ve been willing to pay a hefty sale price. Well, fret no more, because Divebomb Records is bringing the world deluxe reissues of 1986’s Take the World By Storm and 1988’s What Do You Know About Rock ’N Roll?

Each disc has been brought back to life via brand new mastering, essays detailing Slave Raider’s history, original Jive Records artist bios, vintage features from Kerrang! magazine, as well as additional photos and articles from the late ‘80s. It took decades, but the underground metal legends from the Twin Cities are finally getting their due.

Take The World By Storm tracklisting:

“Take The World By Storm”
“Backstabbin’”
“Make Some Noise”
“Burnin’ Too Hot”
“Long Way From Home”
“Survival Of The Fittest”
“The Devil Comes Out In Me”
“The Black Hole”

What Do You Know About Rock ‘N’ Roll? tracklisting:

“Is There Rock ‘N’ Roll Heaven?”
“Youngblood”
“Bye Bye Baby”
“Keep On Pushin’”
“Sin City Social”
“Roller Coaster”
“The High Priest Of Good Times”
“The Magistrate”
“What Do You Know About Rock ‘N’ Roll?”
“Guilty”
“Iron Bar Motel”
“Wreckin’ Machine”
“Jailbreak”

Cirith Ungol are legendary, their logo patches decorate even 20 years after the band broke up countless Kutten worldwide, even of heavy metal fans who were not even born at that time. This is due to the unique, inimitable sound of the Californian quartet which is timeless, yet classic and can be summarized in one word - magical!

Cirith Ungol stand for heavy metal with soul and depth, its class is unique and they are considered as pioneers of the scene and inspiration for armies of bands.

Metal Blade will now reissue the long out of print classics Frost And Fire, King Of The Dead and One Foot In Hell on vinyl, on June 12th.

 

 

Frost And Fire:
500 copies black 180 g
300 copies green/yellow splattered
200 copies clear/green splattered (High Roller exclusive)

King Of The Dead:
500 copies black 180 g
300 copies violet marbled
200 copies clear/blue splattered (High Roller exclusive)

One Foot In Hell:
500 copies black 180 g
300 copies dark purple marbled
200 copies clear/red splattered (High Roller exclusive)

All vinyl come with a free poster.

Pre-order your copies now at hereEMP or the Metal Blade eBay store.

 

Fans of hard rock know the name Shotgun Messiah well. The Swedish combo delivered two albums of hook-filled sleaze ’n’ roll with 1989’s Shotgun Messiah and 1991’s Second Coming.

Divebomb Records is presenting deluxe reissues of both albums. Remastered by Jamie King at The Basement Studios, and featuring expanded liner notes, including essays on Shotgun Messiah’s journey from Scandinavian rising stars to Sunset Strip heroes. If that weren’t already enough, the reissues also include newly unearthed photos, plus archival features from Kerrang! and Metal Forces magazines.

These reissues mark the first time both Shotgun Messiah and Second Coming have been available at music retailers since the ‘90s.

Shotgun Messiah tracklisting:

“Bop City”
“Don’t Care ‘Bout Nothin’”
“Shout It Out”
“Squeezin’ Teazin’”
“The Explorer”
“Nowhere Fast”
“Dirt Talk”
“I’m Your Love”
“Nervous”

Second Coming tracklisting:

“Sex Drugs Rock ‘N’ Roll”
“Red Hot”
“Nobody’s Home”
“Living Without You”
“Heartbreak Blvd”
“I Want More”
“Trouble”
“Ride The Storm”
“I Wanna Know”
“Babylon”
“Free”
“You & Me”
“Can’t Fool Me”

Japanese extreme metal/noise icons, Sigh, will unveil their crushing tenth studio opus next month. Titled Graveward, the eclectic, ten-track offering took over two-and-a-half years to complete with each song comprising over one-hundred recording tracks exceeding 100GB of audio to select from in the final mixes. A full album stream can be found below.

 

 

Inspired by musician/composer Fabio Frizzi, Graveward pays homage to Italian zombie and Hammer Horror classics. Graveward features guest performances from Trivium's Matthew Heafy, DragonForce's Fred Leclercq, Shining's Niklas Kvarforth, Rotting Christ's Sakis Tolis, The Meads Of Asphodel's Metatron and others with fittingly twisted, grave-robbing cover art by Costin Chioreanu (Ihsahn, At the Gates, Deicide, Ulver, etc.).

Already devouring the hordes in Europe, Graveward will be released in North America via Candlelight Records on May 4th.

 

 

Graveward tracklisting:

“Kaedit Nos Pestis”
“Graveward”
“The Tombfiller”
“The Forlorn”
“The Molesters Of My Soul”
“Out Of the Grave”
“The Trial By The Dead”
“The Casketburner”
“A Messenger From Tomorrow”
“Dwellers In Dream”

Album stream:

“Out Of The Grave” video:

For over two decades, Sigh has been transcending the confines of extreme metal. Forged in 1989 in Tokyo, Japan, the band was initially signed by Euronymous' infamous Deathlike Silence Records on which they released their debut full-length, Scorn Defeat, in 1993. Sigh would go on to release records via various imprints including Cacophonous, Century Media, Baphomet and The End before making Candlelight Records their label home with the release of 2012's crushing, critically-adored In Somniphobia and this year's Graveward.

Sigh:

Mirai Kawashima - vocals, keyboards, orchestrations etc.
Dr. Mikannibal - alto, tenor, baritone saxophones, vocals
Satoshi Fujinami - bass, drums
You Oshima - guitar
Junichi Harashima - drums

 

Brazilian black/death metal band, Espera XIII, who recently released their debut album, Unexpected Austral Lights, have issued a lyric video for the song “Black Moon Rising”.

The release date in Brazil, April 22nd, was not chosen at random, is also part of this whole universe that the group set out to create, after all this day celebrated the discovery of Brazil and Earth Day, key terms within Espera XIII’s lyrical content.

 

 

Unexpected Austral Lights Lights was produced by guitarist Renan Brito and had the mixing and mastering made in Germany by the renowned producer Andy Classen at his studio Stage One.

Listen to the album track “Alliance”:

London, UK-based rock/metal band, Reverted, have released their new video for the Monster Magnet classic, “Bummer”.

The band had this to say on the cover: “Covering music from the bands you like is always fun and exciting, but trying to do justice to it is another matter completely. We wanted a song that felt right; that was executed to the level it deserved, something we could turn into a high energy beast onstage, and most importantly a song that we all liked playing. Monster Magnet has always been that unique band as far as influence goes with Reverted. I guess it was just a matter of time before we did something like this. “Bummer” was just the right track; slow, sleazy with brilliant lyrical hooks and ballsy hard rock guitars. It’s become an essential part of our live sets and, we love the energy and emotion it commands from both band and fans. It’s by far one of the best “F*** you” songs out there, and we are proud and f***ing thrilled to be covering this bad ass tune. Listen loud and mercilessly!”

 
The track will be available from May 18th.
 
Since forming in 2010, Reverted have wasted no time making friends in all the right places. Their first two singles “Tolerance” and “Die My Saint”, followed by the success of their debut album Sputter The Worms, lead to them pick up support slots with American Head Charge, Kill Devil Hill and countless others.
 
With a new album in the works, Reverted remain a band to keep your eye on.

 

Swiss/European heavy metal act, Headless Crown, have signed with Massacre Records. The label will release the band’s debut album, Time For Revolution, on September 25th.

Headless Crown was formed as a duo in 2011. After a few lineup changes, the band are now destroying your ears and live stages as a quintet. Headless Crown plays powerful classic heavy metal with melodic vocals, but with a modern approach and sound.

 

 
Says the band: ”Headless Crown is proud to have signed with the legendary label Massacre Records, and to be part of it's long history. We're looking forward to do some good work together and bring HC to the metal crowds of the world!"

 

 

 
Lineup:
 
Steff Perrone - Lead Vocals
Ced Legger - Lead Guitar
Manu Froelicher - Rhythm Guitar
Mack Machet - Bass
Carlos Bensabat - Drums

 

 

The first full length from Italian thrashers, Final Fright, will be released in May via Nightbreaker Productions. Check out the album’s lead track, “Cane Arrabbiato (Rabid Dog)”, streaming below.

The album artwork was created by Jon Whiplashh (Skelethal, Infinite Translation).

 

 

Artificial Perfection tracklisting:

“Cane Arrabbiato (Rabid Dog)”
“Blind”
“Human”
“The Springwood Slasher”
“You Deserve To Die”
“My Day”
“Serial Victim”
“Parasite”
“La Polizia Non Può Sparare”

“Cane Arrabbiato (Rabid Dog)”:

More on Final Fright at Facebook.

(Photo - Luca Bortolotti)

Punishment 18 Records will re-release technical thrash metal classic album Decay Of Humanity from German metal band Despair. Originally, the album was released in 1990 via Century Media Records.

The band formed in 1986 with vocalist Robert Kampf, although the group swapped Kampf shortly after the release of the their first full-length History Of Hate (1988) for new vocalist Andreas Henschel as the former became head of record label Century Media Records. Afterwards, guitarist Waldemar Sorychta, for Century Media Records, produced band such Sentenced, Tiamat, Asphyx, Exumer, Grip Inc., Moonspell, Samael, Unleashed, Borknagar and many more.

Decay Of Humanity tracklisting:

“Decay Of Humanity”
“Cry For Liberty”
“Delusion”
“Victims Of Vanity”
“A Distant Territory”
“Silent Screaming”
“Radiated”
“Satanic Verses”

Independent hip-hop powerhouse Tech N9ne will drop his new album, Special Effects, on May 4th via Strange Music. Today, Tech N9ne unleashes the metallic side of his persona with the brand new anthem, entitled “Wither”, featuring none other than Corey Taylor, powerhouse vocalist of Platinum and Gold chart-topping heavy metal groups Slipknot and Stone Sour.

Corey Taylor has often publicly praised Tech and his approach to both hip-hop and heavy music. “Working with Tech was a no-brainer,” states Taylor. “When I heard the music for ‘Wither’, I knew the two of us would make something dark and crazy. The slow burn in the music is awesome- his band is great and the performance is incredible. People are gonna shit!”

 

 

Tech N9ne is no stranger to the music of Slipknot, having been a dedicated fan for over a decade. “This collaboration is a total dream come true, because I’ve been a Maggot (what Slipknot affectionately calls their fans) since ’99. This song we did together is such a dynamic rollercoaster ride! It starts off calm and cool and then fuckin’ gets loud and extremely mean and crazy! It’s perfect!”

The release of this track not only anticipates the release of Special Effects, but Tech’s upcoming performance at heavy rock and metal festival Rock On The Range on Sunday, May 17th in Columbus, OH at MAPFRE Stadium. This follows Tech’s other recent rock festival performances at Slipknot’s very own Knottiest and Monster Energy’s Aftershock Festival, solidifying Tech as a crossover artist to contend with.

“Wither”:

Slovakia-based melodic metal band, Signum Regis, will release a new EP entitled Through The Storm on May 8th in Europe and on May 12th in North America, through Ulterium Records. Check out a new music video for “Living Well”, below.

 

 

There are four new tracks on the EP, as well as a re-recorded version of “All Over The World” from their debut album and a cover medley of the Yngwie Malmsteen classics “Vengeance/Liar”. Through The Storm shows that Signum Regis is a band that is constantly developing and improving everything from song-writing and musicianship to production and the visual part of the band. With this EP and the full-length album that will be released later this year, Signum Regis will surely win over many new fans in the melodic metal scene.

The mastering of Through The Storm was handled by Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Amaranthe, Evergrey) and the artwork was created by Jan Yrlund (Delain, Apocalyptica, Korpiklaani). Listen to an audio teaser below.

 

 

Through The Storm EP tracklisting:

“Living Well”
“Through The Desert, Through The Storm”
“My Guide In The Night”
“Come And Take It”
“All Over The World”
“Vengeance/Liar”

“Living Well” video:

“My Guide In The Night” lyric video:

Audio teaser:

Through The Storm can be pre-ordered at signum-regis.com or ulteriumstore.bigcartel.com.

 

Chicago's favorite blackened death grind miscreants, Immortal Bird, kicked off their long-awaited Western Migration Tour 2015 on April 27th. The band will flap through eleven states in over a dozen cities, with the migration coming to a halt on May 14th in Madison, Wisconsin. The tour finds the band antagonizing cities they've yet to crush and includes a special performance supporting Inter Arma and Yautja in Lincoln, Nebraska on May 12th. 

The band's tour schedule is as follows:

April
29 - Vino's - Little Rock, AR
30 - Ozzie Rabbit Lodge - Fort Worth, TX

May
2 - Lost Well - Austin, TX
3 - Nesta - San Antonio, TX
4 - Sandbox - El Paso, TX
5 - Flagstaff Brewing Company - Flagstaff, AZ
6 - Yucca Tap Room - Tempe, AZ
7 - The Hub - Colton, CA
9 - All Star Lanes - Los Angeles, CA
10 - Moonlight Lounge - Albuquerque, NM
11 - Flux Capacitor - Colorado Springs, CO
12 - The Bourbon - Lincoln, NE 
13 - Hexagon - Minneapolis, MN
14 - The Wisco - Madison, WI

Immortal Bird will be teasing tracks from their forthcoming new dose of deviance entitled, Empress/Abscess. The follow-up to 2013's Akrasia EP, was tracked by Pete Grossmann (Weekend Nachos, Harm's Way, Dead In The Dirt) at Bricktop Recording in Chicago, Illinois earlier this year and mixed and mastered by Colin Marston (Gorguts, Krallice, Nader Sadek, Atheist, Origin etc.) at Menegroth, The Thousand Caves in Queens, NY. Empress/Abscess includes a guest appearance by John Hoffman of Weekend Nachos and finds former drummer/vocalist, Rae Amitay (Thrawsunblat), trading in her drum stool for a full-time position at the mic with longtime live drummer, Garry Naples (Novembers Doom) taking her place.
 
Empress/Abscess tracklisting

"Neoplastic"
"Saprophyte"
"The Sycophant"
"To A Watery Grave"
"And Send Fire"
 
An official release date for Empress/Abscess is still being finalized, but expected to drop in late June. 

Toronto-based symphonic metal band Ascendia has premiered a new video by indie film director Garret Henry for title track “The Lion And The Jester” off their debut album. The premiere is part of a band-driven campaign in support of the Red Cross, where Ascendia has committed to donate 50% of all profits from sales of albums and merchandise over the next three months. Head to RedCross.com for more information.

Says drummer Billy Lov regarding the campaign to help support the Red Cross, “We made the video to express our feelings about the state of current events happening globally.  The Red Cross has always done incredible work assisting those impacted by conflicts and disasters around the world. We wanted to become involved and do anything we could to help shine a spotlight on their efforts.”

Ascendia’s mammoth sound spans the Atlantic, uniting elements of North American metal with a foundation rooted in the symphonic tradition of European metal, and is poised to appeal to even the most discerning genre purists.  Currently comprised of vocalist Nick Sakal, guitarist/vocalist John Lov, drummer Billy Lov, keyboardist Maestro and bassist John Abanador, the band has been amassing serious attention and accolades from Canada’s heavy music community over the past couple of years. They earned a slot on the bill for the Toronto stop of the 2013 Rockstar Mayhem Festival alongside heavyweight headliners like Mastodon, Amon Amarth, Children of Bodom, and Five Finger Death Punch. They’ve been tapped to support the likes of Into Eternity and Single Bullet Theory, and now, they’re set to capitalize on the buzz from their first studio album. That sound, virtually unparalleled in Canada at this point, is showcased in spades on the band’s first collection, bringing the urgency of their live shows to your speakers.

Montreal-based death metal powerhouse, Kataklysm, will release their new album, Of Ghosts And Gods, on July 31st worldwide via Nuclear Blast. Of Ghosts And Gods will be the first death metal album to release a concept video for each song. The band will premier a new video every day, from July 22nd to July 31st. Stay tuned for further details.

 

 

Today, the band has released a short video previewing music from the album and detailing their plan to release a video clip for every track on Of Ghosts And Gods:

Guitarist J- F Dagenais tracked drums, guitars and bass for the album, while vocals were recorded by producer Mark Lewis (Whitechapel, DevilDriver, Cannibal Corpse). The entire process was mixed and mastered in the UK by legendary producer Andy Sneap (Megadeth, Testament, Exodus, Amon Amarth).

The new album artwork was done by up and coming dark and macabre artist Art by Surtsey. The new Kataklysm cover art echoes a sinister artwork depicting the reality of humanity’s beautifully disturbing existence and its impending death through the Mortal and the Everlasting, the background shows an ancient Incantation written in Aramaic.

 

 

Of Ghosts And Gods track listing:

“Breaching The Asylum”
“The Black Sheep”
“Thy Serpents Tongue”
“Soul Destroyer”
“Vindication”
“Marching Through Graveyards”
“Shattered”
“Hate Spirit”
“Carrying Crosses”
“The World Is A Dying Insect”

About the album, the band previously stated: “It has all the elements that make Kataklysm the force that it is with unrelenting power, melodic hooks, extreme passages and the head stomping grooves Kataklysm is well known for, plus it jumps into new territory in the true nature of the band’s adventurous exploits to push the limit. The end result will be our fans head banging with their horns in the air and shouting the hymns - and that’s our satisfaction right there. We will be hitting the road this summer with a string of festivals in support of the album. This is a determined Kataklysm like you’ve never seen before. Be ready."

 

 

 

Armed and dangerous and with feet planted firmly in the soil on extreme metal’s war-torn frontline, Germany's Dew-Scented have spent the last 23 years building a formidable reputation as diehard standard-bearers in thrash metal’s ongoing evolution. The band will continue the battle on their 10th studio album, Intermination, scheduled for release on June 30th in North America.

The band states, “Our 10th (!) studio album is completed! The record is entitled Intermination and sounds more focused and determined than ever before. This time around, we worked with our old friend Dan Swanö (Unisound Studio) for the mix as well as with Gustavo Sazes (Abstrata.net) for the artwork and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results we achieved. We can’t wait share the new music with all of you!"

Listen to the new song "On A Collision Course” below.

All formats of Intermination include a cover of Repulsion's "Radiation Sickness," while the digital edition and the limited-edition gatefold vinyl (dark green and 180-gram black variants) will include two bonus tracks, “Those Who Will Not See” and “Survival Reaction” (Solstice cover). Pre-order information, including exclusive t-shirt bundles, can be found at this location.

 

 

Intermination tracklisting:

“Declaration Of Intent”
“On A Collision Course”
“Scars Of Creation”
“Affect Gravity”
“Means To An End”
“Ode To Extinction”
“Demon Seed”
“Power Surge”
“Ruptured Perpetually”
“Living Lies”
“Atavistic”
“Reborn”
“Radiation Sickness” (Repulsion cover)

Bonus tracks (vinyl and digital versions):

“Those Who Will Not See”
“Survival Reaction” (Solstice cover)

“On A Collision Course”:

Dew Scented will headline the Thrash Mercenaries Tour 2015 with Angelus Apatrida, No Return, and Heboïdophrenie.

 

 

Tour dates:

October
15 - Paris, France - Glazart
16 - Selestat, France - Rock Your Brain Festival
17 - Munster, Germany - Sputnikhalle
18 - Almelo, Netherlands - Naxt Stage
19 - Roeselare, Belgium - De Verlichte Geest
20 - Siegen, Germany - Vortex Club
21 - Hamburg, Germany - Bambi Galore
22 - Berlin, Germany - K17
23 - Erfurt, Germany - From Hell Club
24 - Nurnberg, Germany - Hirsch
25 - Innsbruck, Austria - PMK
26 - Budapest, Hungary - Durer Kert
27 - Praha, Czech Republic - Noca Chmelnice
28 - Graz, Austria - Explosiv
29 - Zurich, Switzerland - Komplex Club
30 - Lyon, France - CCO
31 - Saintes, France - Hell’ Oween Festival