Long-running American metallers VIRGIN STEELE have changed the title of their new album from "Hymns To Damnation" to "Nocturnes of Hellfire & Damnation". The CD will be released on June 17 in Scandinavia, June 19 in Germany, June 22 in the rest of Europe and June 23 in the USA via SPV/Steamhammer. It will be made available in physical format with three different covers — as a standard 1CD version (the gargoyle cover), 2CD digipak version (the angel cover), 2LP gatefold version (the flute playing skeleton cover) — and as a digital download.

Comments VIRGIN STEELE singer David DeFeis: "Our new album, which is called 'Nocturnes Of Hellfire & Damnation', is not a concept album per se, but there is a through line that connects the tracks. The lyrics essentially deal with relationship issues, and by that I mean the connections between entities, as in all sorts of beings, not only human being, but also gods and goddesses, spirits, elements, or whatever, plus various creatures, animal, vegetable and or mineral, but largely the album is about connections between people. People and their belief systems, people and their gods or goddesses, people and their life philosophies and also the various substances we invest or inject into our daily or nightly rituals and our worldview, and all the complexities of what drives us, makes us who we are and takes us where we may or may not be going.

"To sum it up, this album is about all the various ways in which humans can entangle themselves, or destroy themselves, so the album's title essentially encompasses what the vibe of the whole work is about.

"The title relates to the album in the way that the title 'Noble Savage' or 'Age Of Consent' expressed each of those particular works. The title provides a framework and connective tissue, but each song is really its own thing.

"Musically, the album is pretty heavy, high energy, often dark, at turns melancholy, and at turns aggressive or angry sounding. It does have that over-the-top bombastic heaviness that we are about, and the whole barbaric-romantic thing that we are known for.

"The overarching theme that comes to mind when I think about the album or listen to it is passion… raw passion. There are big monolithic riffs, moody chord changes, 'classical' type bits, sort of bluesy moments.... It retains the VIRGIN STEELE signature, but it adds new dimensions to it. In a strange way, it 'feels' to me like it could have been the album we might have made to follow up 'Noble Savage' had I been able to devote all my energies into the more bombastic or progressive side of my musical nature at that time, rather than trying to appease some of the other 'factions' around me who wanted some kind of a 'hit'...whatever that meant at the time.

"So, to conclude, we have infused the recordings with all that we have gone through over these past months, every fiber of our being, and I think this album will be something our fans will really enjoy."

RockShowTrader.com has uploaded video footage of SLAYER's April 26 performance at the Civic Theatre in New Orleans, Lousiana. Check it out below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. World Painted Blood02. Postmortem03. Hate Worldwide04. Die By The Sword05. Chemical Warfare06. War Ensemble07. Mandatory Suicide08. Necrophiliac09. Spill The Blood10. Hell Awaits11. At Dawn They Sleep12. Altar Of Sacrifice13. Jesus Saves14. Disciple15. Seasons In The Abyss16. Snuff17. Dead Skin Mask18. Raining Blood19. Psychopathy Red20. South Of Heaven21. Angel Of Death

SLAYER — bassist/vocalist Tom Araya, guitarist Kerry King, and returning drummer Paul Bostaph, along with touring guitarist Gary Holt and producer Terry Date — has completed recording its eleventh studio album and the band's first new effort since 2009's Grammy-nominated "World Painted Blood". The CD is expected out later this year, and will be released on SLAYER's own as-yet-unnamed label through Nuclear Blast.

SLAYER will tour extensively to support the new album, headlining this summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival as well as playing other major outdoor festivals and several "An Evening With..." SLAYER-only concerts.

Following SLAYER's studio sessions in March 2014 that yielded the track "Implode", offered by the band as a free download, SLAYER recorded on and off between September and mid-January at L.A.'s Henson Studios, and has just finished mixing the album. Eleven songs have been recorded, but what will end up on the final track listing is yet to be determined.

The new album marks the first time SLAYER has worked with producer Terry Date (PANTERA, SOUNDGARDEN, DEFTONES). It is also SLAYER's first CD since Bostaph's return to the band in 2013 and Holt's addition to the SLAYER touring lineup in 2011. It's also the firstSLAYER album without the presence of founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman, athough a Hanneman-penned song is on the final track listing.

According to Araya, "Jeff had always been writing and demoing songs, even up until shortly before he passed. You can tell by the quality of his songwriting that this was his passion. There will be a song written by Jeff on the new album. Everything but the vocals had been completed, so we did the vocals and it's done. And there are a few more of Jeff's songs that we might record and release in the future."

"With this new album," added King, "Tom, Paul and I put all of our ideas out on to the table, working in a more collaborative way toward the ultimate heavy outcome. And I've got to give big props to Gary, who played lead on several of the new songs. I think he got all of his leads done in one day — he's a maniac!"

Fan-filmed video footage of UNISONIC — the band featuring former HELLOWEEN vocalist Michael Kiske and guitarist/vocalist Kai Hansen alongside guitarist Mandy Meyer (ASIA, GOTTHARD and KROKUS), bassist Dennis Ward and drummer Kosta Zafiriou (both of Germany's PINK CREAM 69) — performing the HELLOWEEN classic "I Want Out" on April 26 at the Monsters Of Rock festival in São Paulo, Brazil can be seen below.

Tobias "Eggi" Exel, bass player of the German metal band EDGUY, replaced Meyer during UNISONIC's performance at Monsters Of Rock. Meyer was unable to make the gig because he is taking part in a U.S. tour with Swiss rockers KROKUS.

Said UNISONIC drummer and manager Kosta Zafiriou: "Eggi is not only a great guy, he's also an excellent guitar player. We were not aware of this fact until he joined our soundcheck several times during the collective tour of UNISONIC and EDGUY in Japan and Europe 2014. The first day he jammed with us, the second he had perfectly performed two of our songs with us."

He continued: "If a band consists of members with such wide activities as UNISONIC does, of course we'll run into scheduling problems sooner or later. We know this and we've already had to decline interesting offers in the past. But receiving an offer to play the Monsters Of Rock festival in São Paulo in front of 50,000 crazy Brazilian fans, sharing the stage with bands like OZZY OSBOURNE, JUDAS PRIEST and KISS, is something you can't turn down as a musician.

"When we were considering who could replace Mandy for this show, Eggi's name came up instantly. We're happy to fill this gap with a friend!"

UNISONIC's second album, "Light Of Dawn", was released in August 2014 via earMUSIC.

Video footage of the reunited original lineup of Canadian thrash metal pioneers EXCITER — guitarist John Ricci, drummer/vocalist Dan Beehler and bassist Allan Johnson — performing on April 24 at the Keep It True festival in Lauda-Königshofen, Germany can be seen below.

Speaking to the "Talking Metal" podcast last year, Ricci stated about how he mended fences with the other original members of EXCITER: "Well, we haven't even spoken about [the issues that caused to have a falling out back in the day]. [laughs] When we had our [initial] meetings, those topics never even came up. We basically said, 'What happened in the past happened. It's water under the bridge.' But [before we had our initial meeting to discuss the reunion], I very rarely spoke to Allan. I mean, we had no reason to speak to each other for anything, really. But things happened through word of mouth and the media, and 'He said this' and 'He said that.' You don't know what to believe. I mean, are they actually saying things, or is it just fabricated? So at the time, that's the way I felt."

He continued: "I had no idea in 2014 we'd get back together. I'm completely surprised myself. But I think Dan and Allan — and I can't speak for them — they might have a certain level of frustration as well that they really wanted to get back with me and continue the music that we made. 'Cause the three of us have incredible chemistry when we play our instruments. A lot of great bands — I'm not saying we're a great, fantastic band — but a lot of classic rock and metal bands, they have incredible chemistry when you put certain individuals together. So I think Dan and Allan, over the years, realized that, and they probably thought, 'Let's get back together with John and just keep going, having fun and playing our music.'"

Asked if there is still a friendship between the original members of EXCITER or if they are working together purely as business partners, Ricci said: "Our first meeting, when we sat down, we did not discuss business, we just reminisced and talked about the old days and all the fun times that we had. 'Cause, I mean, we toured quite a bit. In 1985, we did a MOTÖRHEAD tour across the U.S., coast to coast, we also did a MEGADETH tour, coast to coast, we played shows with MERCYFUL FATE, we did a couple of shows in upstate New York with ANTHRAX when we were signed with Megaforce. We had a really good time and everything. So our first meeting was just four hours of… You know, we were sitting at a bar, just drinking beer and talking about the old times. So yeah, we're still friends."

He continued: "Our level of dedication to EXCITER, no one has ever questioned it. Yes, we have a difference of opinion on certain business issues, but when it comes to music, we're exactly on the same wavelength — like, our headspace is exactly the same, musically speaking. And it makes it so much easier when you're writing songs, that everyone recognizes everyone else's vision; you don't have to shove down their throat. But, I mean, on the other hand, for the past 20 years I've been continuing EXCITER, in most cases I handle all the band's business dealings. So the same thing will stay — I will be handling a lot of the business stuff. But because we're the original three guys, everyone's opinion counts when it's time to make decisions; I'm not just gonna be railroading those decisions — I'll ask Dan and I'll ask Al their opinion — and we'll move forward with whatever opinion we take."

The original EXCITER lineup recorded three classic albums in the 1980s — "Heavy Metal Maniac" (1983), "Violence & Force" (1984) and "Long Live the Loud" (1985) — before Ricci left he group and was replaced by Brian McPhee.

EXCITER's latest album, "Death Machine", which featured Ricci as the sole remaining original member, was released on October 29, 2010 via Massacre Records.

If Midnight Odyssey's 2011 masterpiece, "Funerals From The Astral Sphere" has become a cult release and is today cherished as one of the finest examples of atmospheric black metal, "Shards Of Silver Fade" is certainly going to break new grounds and to impose the Australian act on a wider audience, independently from metal sub-genres and styles.

The funeral doom grandeur of Tempestuous Fall and the dark-wave vibe of The Crevices Below - sole member Dis Pater's past projects - have been successfully injected into Midnight Odyssey's cosmic black metal body, redoubling the emotional intensity and dark majesty of its melodies. The result is nothing short of an epic masterpiece, a visionary night voyage of over 140 minutes connecting our ancient pagan past with the apocalyptic feelings of a cosmic death.

But as much as death chants, these are also songs of rebirth, hymns to a new life and awareness for Humanity, under brighter stellar lights. "It is exactly like finding a place in the universe, being given a spiritual connection with everything around you, making you feel alive and very much part of the existence around you," Dis Pater explains. "But making you feel somewhat important too, and not just another speck of dust."

The Australian musician thinks of "Shards Of Silver Fade" as the crowning achievement of Midnight Odyssey's brilliant career. "I can say that each song has taken an immense amount of time and energy, so much that I have been left with little to no desire to even listen to music over the last 12 months or so. It combines elements of all my previous releases, from all my previous projects, a true convergence of styles and musicality. If this was the last Midnight Odyssey release, I would be very proud for it to be so."

Cover painting by Dis Pater. Art direction and layout by Francesco Gemelli.

"Shards Of Silver Fade" will be available first as a Double CD with a luxurious 28-page full color booklet, and later as a vinyl box-set to be released in co-production with the Swedish record label Nordvis!

Tracklist:

Disc 1
1. From A Frozen Wasteland (21:54)
2. Hunter Of The Celestial Sea (14:20)
3. Son Of Phoebus (18:03)
4. A Ghost In Gleaming Stars (13:59)

Disc 2
5. Asleep Is The Fire (20:26)
6. Starlight Oblivion (18:06)
7. Darker Skies Once Radiant (15:21)
8. Shards Of Silver Fade (20:29)

Total running time 142:40

New preview song coming...

Parlophone Records (BMG/INgrooves Music Group for the USA) have released nineteen IRON MAIDEN catalog albums which have been Mastered For iTunes, encoded from 24-bit / 96 khz high resolution masters and now remastered with iTunes in mind, delivering the music to listeners exactly the way the artist and recording engineer intended. These are brand new remasters from their original analog sources, exclusively produced for iTunes.

A behind-the-scenes look at the latest IRON MAIDEN remastering process can be seen below. All 15 studio albums, two best-of compilations and two live albums were personally selected by MAIDEN's founder member Steve Harris for this superior mastering technique:

* "Iron Maiden"* "Killers"* "The Number Of The Beast"* "Piece Of Mind"* "Powerslave"* "Somewhere In Time"* "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son"* "No Prayer For The Dying"* "Fear Of The Dark"* "The X Factor"* "Virtual XI"* "Brave New World"* "Dance Of Death"* "A Matter Of Life And Death"* "The Final Frontier"* "Somewhere Back In Time"* "From Fear To Eternity" (2CD)* "Live After Death" (2CD)* "Rock In Rio" ( 2CD) Steve comments: "The Mastering For iTunes procedure allows the listener to experience the music as close as possible to the way the artist intended it to be heard. So, of course, I was very keen for the MAIDEN albums to be mastered in this way. The records have been available digitally before, when this medium first became a platform for music distribution, but that was mastered with CDs in mind. The iTunes process involves a different approach and it's great to finally deliver the music to our fans in as close to a pure and accurate sound as we could possibly achieve. For example, as most people know, I was never really happy with the sound on the first MAIDEN album, but listening to it now, the guitars are louder, the drums more substantial and the overall tone is so very much improved, in my opinion. Tony Newton and Ade Emsley, who worked closely with me on the project, did a terrific job recapturing everything from the original masters, and together we've re- mastered them all digitally and I'm really happy with the results." Tony Newton adds: "The process started with locating all of the original album mix tapes (or whichever format they were mixed to). Then the choice of analogue to digital convertor was chosen for the most accurate capture to make it as close as possible to the sound of the mix as it was intended by the band.

"When a lot of these tapes were last captured it was in the 1980s, early days of digital and only 44.1khz/16bit files were possible. On top of this, the new A/D convertors are far superior now, and, of course, it is possible to produce files of far higher resolution. The result of this is that the songs now sound more defined with added depth and warmth.

"I was very excited to be asked to be part of this project. I honestly feel that there is a massive improvement in the quality of these classic albums.” Fans can download the Mastered For iTunes versions of the albums now from iTunes and learn more about Mastered For iTunes at this location.

VENOM INC., the new band featuring original VENOM members Jeff "Mantas" Dunn (guitar) and Anthony "Abaddon" Bray (drums) alongside ex-VENOM bassist/vocalist Tony "Demolition Man" Dolan, made its live debut this past Saturday, April 25 at the Keep It True festival in Lauda-Königshofen, Germany. Video footage of the performance can be seen below (courtesy of Nalle Österman).

VENOM INC., which plays a full set of VENOM classics, will continue with shows in China, Japan and Taiwan in July, followed by a full European tour with Polish death metallers VADER in September. There are also plans to record a brand new album in the coming months.

Dunn, Bray and Dolan released three albums as VENOM between 1989 and 1992 — "Prime Evil" (1989), "Temples Of Ice" (1991) and "The Waste Lands" (1992).

Dolan and Dunn have spent the last few years collaborating in a new band called M-PIRE OF EVIL, which released its full-length debut, "Hell To The Holy", in March 2012 via Scarlet Records. A follow-up effort, "Crucified", came out in May 2013 via Deadline Music (a subsidiary of Cleopatra Records).

In a March 2015 interview with PowerOfMetal.dk, Dunn revealed that he was writing a book about his life, focusing heavily on VENOM's early years. "I've been asked for a long time to write a book, but I've always avoided it," he said. "But a couple of years ago, I was in Japan and I was speaking to some people who told me I should really write a book to, you know, tell the truth about what happened. What's being said in the press today and what I read on the Internet is complete horseshit."

He continued: "I'm talking to an Italian publisher and there a couple of other publishers who are interested [in releasing the book]. I don't yet know whether it's going to be released by one publisher or whether it's going to be licensed in different countries. Currently I'm roughly halfway through writing the book.

"For me, it's more complicated than putting an album together, because, besides writing it, you've got to check dates and lots of other stuff. There's so much writing involved, one thing leads to another, and your memory gets jogged about certain incidents.

"You know, there's a lot to go into there, and it doesn't just concentrate on the VENOM thing. I'm taking it from Day One, from when I was born, and all the way through my early childhood, influences… It's basically my life story, with the VENOM thing in it as well. It's from the beginning to where we are today."

In an April 2014 statement on his Facebook page, Dunn shot down the possibility of a reunion of VENOM's classic lineup, featuring Conrad "Cronos" Lant on bass/vocals. He explained: "I received a call almost one year ago regarding this matter from the original management who had an enquiry regarding the possibility of a reunion of the original lineup. My response to this was that I was willing to talk, but I did not believe for one minute that there would be any realistic chance of this happening given the past history between the members, I was, however, open to discussion and would await further information.

"In 2005, I had a lengthy telephone conversation with Conrad ['Cronos' Lant; VENOM bassist/vocalist] initially regarding the return of a product licence. It was during this conversation that he asked if I was OK with him continuing as VENOM. I said yes and wished him well with it. At this point in my life, VENOM was of no concern to me as my mother had suffered a serious stroke, and later in that year, after a long battle, she passed away, so my focus had obviously been on her.

"As you are all aware, Conrad has since been actively gigging and recording as VENOM, and as you know, I am continually busy with M-PIRE OF EVIL.

"As time went by and rumours and discussions of a reunion increased, but without any input from Conrad or myself, it became obvious to me that the two people who had to communicate in some way were the two of us, as we both have active and ongoing careers, so I made the decision to contact him to get an answer which would basically come down to a simple 'yes or no.' In my heart of hearts, I already knew and was prepared for the answer, and quite honestly I also had my reservations about the validity and practicality of such a venture.

"As you may have already guessed, the answer came back as 'no,' so I can hereby officially say that there will be no reunion of the original lineup.

"I will include only one line from Conrad's response as these were personal and private communications between him and myself. In his response he stated: 'I've personally got no interest whatsoever in trying to work with the original lineup ever again.'

"This was something that I fully expected and understand."

The classic lineup of VENOM — Lant, Dunn and Bray — is often credited with kickstarting the whole black metal movement, but is more accurately seen an early example of extreme metal.

VENOM's second album, 1982's "Black Metal", was a major influence on on the early Norwegian black metal scene.

Novembre, Italy’s newly rejuvenated masters of atmospheric metal are about to commence work on a new studio album, to be released on Peaceville Records in late 2015. The as yet untitled album will be their first since 2007’s acclaimed ‘The Blue’, and will be mixed by the legendary Dan Swano at Unisound Studios.



With a large number of tracks written over the past 8 years in the classic & beloved Novembre style of emotional and soaring metal, ten songs have been selected for recording for the release.

Says guitarist/vocalist Carmelo Orlando:
"Seems like our ‘little’ break lasted a tiny bit too long, but as I’ve often stated when asked, our comeback was just a matter of time. What matters now is that a new album is about to be recorded. Once again we’ll join forces with Dan Swano, the man that gave shape to our first two albums, and to the whole Death Metal scene. It’s gonna be the result of a long and relaxed period of time, in which I could write a ton of new tracks, ten of which will go into this new act, to be released through our prestigious and faithful ally Peaceville Records. I wanna thank all the fans and friends that have constantly written to me during these years, giving me the energy and motivation to make this happen”

It can also be announced that the band’s longtime drummer & co-founder Giuseppe Orlando has left the band.

"It's with great sadness that I have to announce that I'm not part of Novembre anymore. This long period of silence was really needed to understand who we are and I've personally realized that this is the right thing to do for the band's good and mine. I really would like to thank Carmelo and Massimiliano & a big thanks goes also to all the people that followed and supported me and Novembre during the years!! This is not the end but a new season of life, stay tuned!!!”

The seeds of Novembre were originally planted in September 1990 in Rome, Italy by the brothers Carmelo Orlando (guitars and vocals) and Giuseppe Orlando (drums). Then known as Catacomb, their early recordings of unusual gothic doom metal were to quickly gain the band interest. It was around 1993 that the brothers decided that a name change was in order, and Novembre was born.

Swedish Rock’n’Rollers HONEYMOON DISEASE have announced their worldwide signing with Napalm Records! Their upcoming debut album is scheduled for a fall 2015 and will be one of the finest groovy and speedy rock masterpieces yet. Be prepared for HONEYMOON DISEASE!

Sebastian Muench, A&R Napalm Records:
“We are absolutely excited to announce the Signing of Gothenburg´s Rock Band Honeymoon Disease! Jimmy and I have been friends for a couple years and in 2014 we released the album MAMONT “The Valleys Below” (Jimmy´s previous band) on Vinyl. Honeymoon Disease is a musical revelation for fans from Deep Purple, Thin Lizzy, Rainbow or Rush with a very similar charm and uniqueness to create timeless albums in the future. This summer we kick things of with a collectors edition webstore 7” Single release to give you a first taste of the debut album!”

HONEYMOON DISEASE on the signing with Napalm Records:

“Watch out! This is Honeymoon Disease! A speedy rock quartet from Gothenburg, Sweden, that will blow your pants off with heavy trimmed guitar-riffs and 70's rock'n'roll grooves. The band is stoked to announce the launch of their debut album that will be released through Napalm Records this fall. So buckle up, this will be a hell of a ride!”
More info & news coming soon!

Video footage of LYNCH MOB's April 12 performance at the Frontiers Rock Festival in Milan, Italy can be seen below.

Asked about singer Oni Logan's latest return to LYNCH MOB in time for the recording sessions for the band's new EP, "Sun Red Sun", Lynch told "The Classic Metal Show": "We've had a history of that happening. [Laughs]"

He continued: "Lead singers… go figure. I don't know. I'm kind of done trying to figure it out, psychoanalyze the LSD [Lead Singer's Disease] syndrome."

Lynch added: "I've loved Oni's voice and I've loved his lyrics and I love things about him, things that he does, but again, I've been frustrated my whole life with singers in general. And I just got to the point now where I just kind of let it go. I'm not trying to control the universe. I just do what I do. If people wanna work with me, they work with me. If not… I try to do the right thing. I treat everybody fairly. So Oni's back. Things are going well right now. We're actually working on another record for next year, for Frontiers Records, a spring release. The album is coming out fantastic. Right now everything is wonderful. We're in our honeymoon period. It's kind of like Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton; we just keep getting married over and over again. We get divorced so we can get married again."

"Sun Red Sun" once again highlights the unique pairing of Logan and Lynch, showcasing their ever-evolving songwriting abilities. Mixed and mastered by Chris "The Wizard" Collier (LITA FORD), it offers up straight-forward rockers like "Believers Of The Day" and "Play The Game", as well as more groove-oriented cuts like "Erotika" and "Subliminal Dream". The CD also features a dynamic Lynch guitar solo track called "Black Waters" as well as an acoustic ballad called "Sun Red Sun", which is a tribute to late BADLANDS and BLACK SABBATH singer Ray Gillen, who died on December 3, 1993 of AIDS-related complications. The release also features a cover of BAD COMPANY's "Burnin' Sky", and includes four remastered bonus tracks from the original "Sound Mountain Sessions" EP: "Slow Drag", "World Of Chance", "City Of Freedom" and "Sucka".

Arjen Lucassen (Ayreon, Star One, Guilt Machine) and Anneke van Giersbergen (The Gathering, Devin Townsend Project) released their debut album, The Diary, from their new band The Gentle Storm, on March 24th, and following a fantastic launch show in Amsterdam, Anneke is now on the road with a specially selected band to present the songs live.

On March 26th, The Gentle Storm performed at Melkweg in Amsterdam, Holland. Their show featured a guest appearance by Lucassen, who performed during the acoustic portion of the band's set. Single cam fan-filmed video of the entire gig is available below.

The setlist on the night was as follows:

"Endless Sea"
"Heart of Amsterdam" 
"Brightest Light" 
"The Storm" 
"Eyes of Michiel" 
"Eléanor" (The Gathering cover)
"New Horizons" 
"Wish You Were Here" (Pink Floyd cover - Anneke Van Giersbergen solo)
"The Moment"  (with Arjen Anthony Lucassen)
"Comatose" (Ayreon cover - with Arjen Anthony Lucassen)
"Valley of the Queens" (Ayreon cover - with Arjen Anthony Lucassen)
"Day Seven: Hope" (Ayreon cover with Arjen Anthony Lucassen)
"Cape of Storms" 
"The Greatest Love" 
"Waking Dreams" (Ayreon cover)
"Witnesses" (Agua de Annique cover)
"Strange Machines" (The Gathering cover)
"Isis and Osiris" (Ayreon cover)

Encore: 
"Fallout" (Devin Townsend Project cover)
"Shores of India"

To celebrate the tour, which began April 22nd, The Gentle Storm released a live video for the track “The Storm” which was filmed at the band's Hedon Zwolle show on the April 3rd. Captured by the band themselves on GoPro cameras, and featuring sound taken directly from the mixing desk, you can view the video below.

Arjen had this to say about the video: "Wow... what a live band The Gentle Storm has become! Since I'm not playing in the band I can safely brag about them without sounding arrogant :-) Really impressive, so tight and such great stage presence... I'm proud of each and every one of them. I could only dream of our songs being represented live like this. Well done!"

The tour dates and live band line-up are as follows:

June
19 - Dokk'em Open Air - Dokkum, Netherlands
20 - Steengoed Festival - Willemsoord, Netherlands
21 - Plaatpop -  Bergen op Zoom, Netherlands

July
9 - Masters of Rock - Vizovice, Czech Republic
10 - Rockharz Open Air - Ballenstedt, Germany
12 - Bospop - Weert, Netherlands
17 - Night of the Prog Festival - Loreley, Germany
30-Aug 1 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, Germany

October
17 - Femme Festival 2015 - Eindhoven, Netherlands

The Gentle Storm live:

Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-The Gathering) - vocals
Merel Bechtold (Purest of Pain, MaYaN) - guitars
Ferry Duijsens (Anneke van Giersbergen, ex-Dreadlock Pussy) - guitars
Ed Warby (Hail of Bullets, Ayreon, ex-Gorefest) - drums
Johan van Stratum (Stream of Passion) - bass
Joost van den Broek (producer, ex-After Forever) - keyboards
Marcela Bovio (Stream of Passion) - background vocals

The debut self-titled album from Polish thrash metallers Raging Death will be released tomorrow on April 27 by Italian label Punihsment 18 Records. A new album teaser is streaming below.

The artwork was created by Mario Lopez (Game Over, Sabbat, Warstorm, Sofisticator, Repulsor, Axe Battler and many more). Raging Death play an old school thrash metal influenced by ‘80s Teutonic thrash scene. New details will be announced shortly.

Raging Death tracklisting:

“Space Invaders”
“Raging Death”
“Back To The Past”
“Warrior Of Revenge”
“Evil Command”
“Race Of Races”
“Cry For Time”
“Changelled By The Unknown”

Teaser:

“Evil Command”:

 

Raging Death is:

Piotr Ciepły - lead guitar
Igor Faliński - guitar/vocals
Michał Kotwicki - bass
Dawid Sówka - drums

During an appearance on the latest installment of the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast, producer Bob Rock (pictured) defended his work on METALLICA's controversial 2003 LP "St. Anger" by saying that both LED ZEPPELIN legend Jimmy Page and former THE WHITE STRIPES frontman Jack White "took the time to say how much they like that album."

According to Rock, Page expressed his appreciation for the CD when the produced ran into the guitarist while they were both eating breakfast at hotel. "I know Jimmy," Bob said. "He got up and walked over to me, gave me a big hug, and said, 'It's great to see you,' blah blah, 'I love the 'St. Anger' album.'"

White's praise came at a screening of the documentary "It Might Get Loud", which co-starred Page. "I was at the premiere, and Jack White came over," Bob recalled. "He says, 'I'm Jack White.' I said, 'I know.' He says, 'That's my favorite METALLICA album.' So," laughed Rock, "I'm okay with those two."

Rock did acknowledge that "St. Anger" wasn't embraced by many METALLICA fans, who criticized it for its lack of guitar solos, extended riffs, its raw production and the thin drum sound.

"It's a very odd record," he conceded. "But it is… It's the truth. It's the raw truth about them at that time."

Rock also addressed the drum-sound controversy, explaining: "People comment about the sound, but when we went in, I said to them, 'I can't set up the drums exactly the same way. I can't do that.' It's like, why does metal music have to have this certain sound before it's metal? So I kicked the can a bit in that way."

He continued: "We could talk about this for a long time, but, really, the sound of the drums on that, I got the first set that [Lars Ulrich] ever used when they rehearsed in the house in Oakland, when they first got together. I set it up and Lars stared at it, right? For, like, months. And then one day he sat down and played, and it was ringing and it was raw, and he said, 'This is it.'"

Rock also discussed the lack of solos on the album. According to the producer, "Lars said, 'No guitar solos.' And [James Hetfield] and I are going, 'But … that's what [Kirk Hammett] does.' So every song, Kirk comes in and plays a solo, and if it doesn't make the song better, we're not using it — and we went through the whole album like that."

Ulrich admitted to The Pulse Of Radio a while back that the band was surprised by the hostile reaction to "St. Anger" by many fans. "It threw us a little bit, sure, 'cause the whole thing was to just keep it as raw as possible," he said. "And I'd like to think that we accomplished that [laughs], to the point of obviously a little too raw for some people, and that's okay. I mean, it is what it is. I have not one regret about it. I'm proud of it, proud that we had the balls to see it through."

Speaking to Classic Rock magazine, Ulrich defended the drum sound on "St. Anger". He said: "That was on purpose. It wasn't like we put it out and somebody went, "Whoa! Whoops!" I view 'St. Anger' as an isolated experiment. I'm the biggest METALLICA fan, you've got to remember that. Once again, as we've been known to do, once in a while these boundaries have to be fucked with. We'd already done 'Ride The Lightning', which I believe is a fine record. It didn't need to be re-done."

He continued: "When we heard the record from beginning to end, I felt — and it was mostly me — that the experience was so pummeling, it became almost about hurting the listener, about challenging the listener, so we left the songs unedited. I can understand that people felt it was too long."

"St. Anger" was released in June 2003 at the end of a turbulent two-year period in which bassist Jason Newsted left the group, James Hetfield went for a lengthy stay in rehab, and the entire band threatened to break apart. The album's raw, lo-fi production, lack of guitar solos and unorthodox sound were not well-received by many of the group's fans, who still often cite it as METALLICA's worst record. "St. Anger" has nevertheless sold more than six million copies worldwide, although fans have generally not warmed up to it in the 12 years since its release.

In an extensive new interview with music writer Joel Gausten, original BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward offers details on his two upcoming solo albums, "Accountable Beasts" and "Beyond Aston".

Those familiar with Ward's 1990 solo debut, "Ward One: Along The Way", and 1997's "When The Bough Breaks" know that the music released under his own steam (and often featuring his lead vocals) is usually a reflection of his softer, more soulful side. How does "Accountable Beasts" compare to these two previous releases?

"It's much tougher; it kicks harder," he reveals. "Most of the stuff is pretty heavy on it. It's very current lyrically."

He continues: "I don't intend to be current with anything; I just write the music and allow it to just be whatever it is. But when I listened to it in hindsight — we did the final mastering on January 6 of this year — I thought, 'Oh my God! A lot of the stuff we're writing about is on TV every day.

"Most of [the album] is about religion; most of it's about war. It's the stuff that makes the world turn 'round every day. It's about people's souls being ripped to pieces. I guess it could be called morbid, but at the same time I'm also hoping it can be called energizing and respectful lyrically. I've worked really hard on trying to produce something that would mean something to the listener who's drawn in by the music."

Ward adds: "We got pretty crazy on this one. We just played; it was like, 'Fuck everything.' I wanted to go back to a place that I really know well, and that's playing hard."

"Accountable Beasts" is expected to arrive on iTunes (complete with an extensive digital booklet) within the next couple of months. Physical copies will also be made available.

Once "Accountable Beasts" is in the world, Ward will devote time to concluding "Beyond Aston", the solo album he has worked on in bits and pieces since the late '90s. He plans to be in final mixing mode by this September to finish things off. (One confirmed track, "Poppies", is an emotional anti-war number inspired by the tradition of wearing a poppy on November 11 in honor of those who perished in battle.) Not surprisingly, Ward couldn't be more excited to reach this point with "Beyond Aston" after so many years.

"It's fucking great; it's beautiful, man," he says of the album. "I hope other people will like it. I think it's one of the best things I've participated in since 'Master Of Reality'."

The complete interview with Ward is available at JoelGausten.com.

Earlier this week, Ned of the WGRD 97.9 FM radio station in Grand Rapids, Michigan conducted an interview with MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee and legendary rocker Alice Cooper. You can now listen to the chat below.

Asked if he thinks any of the current crop of rock bands have the potential to leave a legacy that is comparable to those of MÖTLEY CRÜE and ALICE COOPER, Alice responded: "It's a different world [right now]. We were in a golden age of… where records… You'd go to a record store and buy records. And when you bought the records, you owned a piece of MÖTLEY CRÜE, you'd own a piece of ALICE COOPER. And you'd stand in line to buy that record. I think now, it's so disposable. Bands stay around for a year and a half, and you can't really dedicate your life to them, because you know they're not gonna be around next year. Whereas with MÖTLEY and ALICE, there's a security in that; there's a security that those bands are gonna be there for a long time."

Cooper also spoke about the sudden resurgence of records over the past few years, which has resulted in a more-than-50-percent increase in sales over the between 2013 and 2014 alone.

"Last year, vinyl went up 85 percent," Alice said. "And the kids, I think they're tired of buying air. They don't get anything with it. I think this generation is rebelling against the technology thing. I sign more records than I do CDs anymore."

According to Nielsen Soundscan, more than 9.2 million vinyl records were sold in the U.S. last year, a 52 percent increase over 2013 figures. In the first quarter of this year, vinyl album sales were 53 percent higher than Q1 2014, driven by a 66 percent increase in catalog album sales (albums that have been released for at least 18 months) during the same period.

Vinyl album sales have grown 260 percent since 2009.

MÖTLEY CRÜE has announced 21 more North American dates. The new shows will take place in October and December as part of the band's two-year "The Final Tour" cycle. MÖTLEY CRÜE's touring career will conclude on New Year's Eve, December 31 at Staples Center in their hometown of Los Angeles where the band began 34 years ago. Audiences can also expect a high-energy performance from very special guest Alice Cooper, who joined the band for "The Final Tour" in 2014. He will be tearing up the stage for crowds in Australia/New Zealand and across North America once again on most 2015 dates. The pairing has been roundly praised as a must-see by fans and media alike.