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.

'80s glam rockers BRITNY FOX, featuring bassist Billy Childs, vocalist/rhythm guitarist Tommy Paris and drummer Johnny Dee, alongside new lead guitarist Chris Sanders, have returned from a long hiatus fully charged and ready to rock. The band is currently writing material for a new album, with plans to book and perform select dates. In late 2014, Childs re-established contact with his former manager Wayne "Doobie" Dubay. Childs and Doobie then reconnected with Paris and Dee. Due to commitments, original BRITNY FOX lead guitarist Michael Kelly Smith is unable to take part in the reunion and has been replaced by Sanders.

"How can I tell you how great it is to be back with these guys, and working on a new album? It is fantastic," says Childs.

"Johnny and I basically grew up in this business together and the tightness we have had over the years as a rhythm section is still there.

"Tommy Paris hasn't lost a step, lyrically or vocally.

"Chris is a breath of fresh air for the band, and adds elements that were never there before, but very much in line with us as we prepare to bite down even harder this time around.

"Doobie is the guy that pulled us all together and said, 'Get your heads out of your asses and make another 'Bite Down Hard'.' He's pretty big, so best just to agree with him! For other reasons as well, though, we all agreed it was time." BRITNY FOX is currently in studio writing and recording the follow-up to 1991's "Bite Down Hard" album, which is described in a press release as "a musical jewel [that] is a definite game changer on the classic BRITNY FOX sound that originally exploded in 1988."

"It's awesome playing with Billy and Johnny again, [and] Chris fits right in perfectly with us freaks," exclaims Paris.

"The new songs are ass-kicking, fun heavy rock!

"It's a great time hanging out with Doobie, writing new tunes and putting a new show together! [I] can't wait to get back out on stage!" BRITNY FOX 2015 is:

Tommy Paris: Vocals/Rhythm GuitarChris Sanders: Lead GuitarBilly Childs: BassJohnny Dee: Drums

Guitarist/vocalist "Dizzy" Dean Davidson left BRITNY FOX after the release of the band's second album, 1989's "Boys in Heat".

After Davidson exited BRITNY FOX, he was replaced by Las Vegas native Tommy Paris, who sang on the band's last two studio albums, "Bite Down Hard" and 2003's "Springhead Motorshark".

Fan-filmed video footage of QUEENSRŸCHE's April 20 performance on the Monsters Of Rock cruise can be seen below.

QUEENSRŸCHE recently entered Uberbeatz Studio in Washington with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris (ROB ZOMBIE, HATEBREED, SOULFLY, SHADOWS FALL) to begin recording new album, due later in the year via Century Media.

In an interview with Metal Nation Radio, QUEENSRŸCHE singer Todd La Torre spoke about what fans can expect to hear on the band's follow-up to 2013's self-titled album. He said: "The songs that we have right now are, I would say, melodic. There are some heavy tunes on there that are just, like, really rocking. I mean, some of the songs remind me, again, of 'Rage For Order', '[Operation:] Mindcrime'… We'll probably slip in something that's got a commercial… Not that we're trying to… Something with a more commercial appeal, like the song 'In This Light' did on the record that I did before. But, overall, I'm hopeful that, when it's all said and done, this record will have a really good drive, great, melodic choruses, great guitar parts, very dynamic... A little more prog… There's a little more proggy elements…

"When you've got two years [between albums], you don't want [people] to say, 'Wow, that's the best they could come up with?' You never want that. You always want, 'Hell yeah! This is another great QUEENSRŸCHE record.' And that's all that you can really hope for. But it's definitely going to have, again, what I consider all of the elements that the true QUEENSRŸCHE fans will enjoy: great drumming, solid foundation, bass driven, great guitar work and harmony things… Vocally, there's some things where I get into the upper register pretty good."

QUEENSRŸCHE's latest, self-titled album sold around 13,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 23 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on June 25, 2013 via Century Media Records.

BENEDICTUM frontwoman Veronica Freeman joined THE RODS on stage Friday night (April 24) at Suzy's Tavern in Auburn, New York to perform three classics that were originally sung by Ronnie James Dio — "The Mob Rules" (BLACK SABBATH), "Heaven And Hell" (BLACK SABBATH) and "Stand Up And Shout" (DIO). Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below (courtesy of Randy "MetalWulf" Smith from The Metallic Onslaught).

David "Rock" Feinstein of THE RODS is the cousin of Ronnie James Dio (both played together in ELF) and THE RODS drummer Carl Canedy is an acclaimed metal producer who has worked on classic early releases by MEGADETH, ANTHRAX and OVERKILL.

THE RODS' seventh release overall (and sixth release overall for Niji Entertainment Group, a label that was created by Ronnie and Wendy Dio) was titled "Vengeance" and was made available in May 2011. The album arrived on the heels of Feinstein's solo album, "Bitten By The Beast".

The first single off "Vengeance" was "The Code", which featured vocals from none other than Ronnie James Dio (one of the very last songs that Ronnie ever recorded, before his untimely death in May of 2010). Ronnie also appeared on the headbanging anthem "Metal Will Never Die", which was included on Feinstein's solo effort, "Bitten By The Beast".

In a 2010 interview with Artisan News, Feinstein stated about "Metal Will Never Die": "About two years ago, Ronnie was coming back home [to upstate New York] more frequently because his mother had gotten ill, so he was making frequent trips back to Cortland. And one of the times he had called me and said, 'I'm gonna be up, I'm gonna be there for a few extra days. It'll be a good time. I can sing a couple of songs.' And I said, 'That'd be great.' And when I got my solo record done, Wendy [Dio's wife/manager] and both decided, 'Hey, let's put one song on your solo album and the other song could go on the new THE RODS record.' The horrific turn of events, with Ronnie passing away, the fact that I wrote that song, the fact that he chose that week to come up and sing it, it's just kind of an eerie thing, because it was kind of meant for him to write it, meant for him to sing it. And now this song is part of his legacy; it's a tribute to him, really, in a way. And now it becomes, like, the most important song I've ever written."

Fan-filmed video footage of ACCEPT's April 23 performance at Vivo Rio in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil can be seen below.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Iron Savior frontman/founder Piet Sielck recently checked in with the following announcement regarding the band's 2007 album, Megatropolis:

"Big news! According to AFM all Megatropolis CDs are sold out. Therefore the album will be re-released with a new mix and a lot of re-recordings! Being unhappy with the album for a long time, I am absolutely happy to get a chance to correct my errors. The new mix will carry all Iron Savior trademarks such as big choir backings and lots of multi timbral vocals. I left all these goodies out at the time to make the album more distinguishable from my former second band Savage Circus... a fatal error which I finally can correct now. 'Omega Man' and 'Megatropolis' are done already sounding... fat! Folks, you have no idea how happy I am about this!"

Megatropolis was released in 2007 via Dockyard 1, a now defunct label co-owned by Sielck. Megatropolis 2.0 is partly re-recorded, completely remixed, with different track order and has two bonus tracks. It was released via AFM records on April 24th.

The new tracklist is as follows:

"The Omega Man"
"Megatropolis"
"Flesh"
"Cybernetic Queen"
"Running Riot"
"A Tale From Down Below"
"Cyber Hero"
"Still I Believe"
"Hammerdown" (bonus track)
"Farewell And Goodbye"
"Iron Watcher" (bonus track)

Check out the audio samples below:

Primal Fear guitarist Magnus Karlsson, who is currently working his Free Fall II album, has checked in with the following update:

"There’s a new amazing singer in the metal world! Her name is Rebecca De La Motte (pictured below) and you can listen to her fantastic voice on Free Fall II.

So far the guest list look like this: Tony Martin (ex-Black Sabbath), Joe Lynn Turner (ex-Rainbow, ex-Deep Purple), Jorn Lande (Allen/Lande, ex-Masterplan), Jakob Samuel (The Poodles), Harry Hess (Harem Scarem), Rebecca De La Motte, and Jaime Salazar (Allen/Lande, Last Tribe)."

Stay tuned for more updates on the album in the coming weeks.

Karlsson co-wrote the new Kiske / Somerville's album, City Of Heroes, released last week worldwide. Fans can now listen to the second track to debut from the album, “Walk On Water”. The song is available now along with the title track as an Instant Gratification Track beginning today on iTunes worldwide when you pre-order. Watch the “Walk Of Water” video below:

Kiske / Somerville is the musical collaboration between vocalists Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween, Unisonic, Place Vendome) and Amanda Somerville (Trillium, Avantasia) and this new recording is certainly going to be one of the highlights of the season in rock music. Kiske’s soaring overtones seem to blend perfectly with the ethereal quality and diverse range of Amanda's voice and this time the results are truly over the top.

City Of Heroes sees Mat Sinner (Primal Fear, Sinner) and Magnus Karlsson (Starbreaker, Primal Fear) handling most of the songwriting (with a song contribution “Breaking Neptune” from Sander Gommans formerly of After Forever and Amanda Somerville herself) and with Sinner overseeing the production in various recording studios in Europe. Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Amaranthe, Primal Fear, Pretty Maids, Doro etc.) then took care of the mix of the album ensuring a sonic quality second to none.

The first Kiske / Somerville self-titled album instantly aroused enthusiasm in the rock and metal community. The two videos off the album -“If I Had a Wish” and “Silence” – amassed a total of approximately 3,000,000 plays to date, which means that these songs can legitimately be considered as nowadays rock classics!

Considered a Metal Diva in the European symphonic metal scene, Amanda Somerville is an American singer-songwriter from Flint, Michigan whose catalogue of projects, guest appearances and live shows garnered to date is an impressive body of work. Since 1999, she has divided her time between the US and Europe, primarily Germany and the Netherlands. She co-wrote the metal opera Aina, and has also been a vocalist, songwriter, producer and / or vocal coach for many bands like Avantasia, Epica and Kamelot, giving her more credibility in metal circles than she ever bargained for. Some of her most recent endeavors include working with renowned artists Alice Cooper, Bonnie Tyler, Ian Gillan (Deep Purple) and many others.

Hamburg-born singer Michael Kiske is best known as the former lead vocalist for the German metal gods Helloween. After his departure from the band, Kiske recorded four solo albums, participated on various metal and rock related projects, such as Place Vendome and he also performed with numerous bands as a guest vocalist. In late 2009, he formed the hard rock/heavy metal band Unisonic, together with his former Helloween bandmate Kai Hansen and began touring again after 17 years.

Tracklisting:

City Of Heroes"
"Walk On Water"
"Rising Up"
"Salvation"
"Lights Out"
"Breaking Neptune"
"Ocean Of Tears"
"Open Your Eyes"
"Last Goodbye"
"After The Night Is Over"
"Run With A Dream"
"Right Now"

DVD includes:
City Of Heroes (video)
"Walk On Water" (video)
“Making of” documentary

“City Of Heroes” video:

Album trailer:

Musicians:
Lead & Backing Vocals: Michael Kiske & Amanda Somerville
Guitars & Keyboards: Magnus Karlsson
Bass & Backing Vocals: Mat Sinner
Drums: Veronika Lukesova

Rebecca De La Motte photo by Niclas Bågenheim

Australia power metallers Black Majesty have returned with their sixth studio album Cross Of Thorns.

The record was mixed by Roland Grapow (Masterplan) and will be scheduled for a late July release via Pride & Joy Music distributed via Edel.

In February, Black Majesty announced Evan Harris as the band’s official bassist after being a session bassist for many years.

"Evan has always been part of the family but due to legal contractual reasons the band weren't able to offer him the gig as a permanent member until now", says vocalist John Cavaliere. “Let's all get around Evan and welcome him as the 'official' full time member of Black Majesty!”

Red Deer, AB groove metal five piece Leave The Living bring forth a blue-collar work ethic when it comes to making the ground shake before them. Gearing up for their 2015 debut album Pacifist due out May 1 to follow up their 2012 self-titled EP, LTL is looking forward to breaking necks with their punishing riffs and incredible breakdowns backed by wrenching screams and a heavier more brutal groove assault.

The band as unveiled their second single from Pacifist with “Sink Or Swim”.

Pacifist tracklisting:

“Let Go”
“Pacifist”
“Manifesto”
“Word Of A Whore”
“Open Sea”
“Undone”
“Poison Pen”
“Sink Or Swim”
“Farewell”

“Sink Or Swim”:

“Pacifist”:

Pacifist by Leave the Living

Underground Symphony Records has announced the latest details of the third album of Ultimatium, the Finnish melodic power metal band.

Vis Vires Infinitus will be available on June 15 and will be released in a limited edition in digipak packaging. The artwork was designed by Kaisa Tuulenkari.

Vis Vires Infinitus tracklisting:

“Vis Vires Infinitus”
“C’est La Vie”
“I Remember”
“Departure”
“Victory Calls”
“Who Stole My Winter?”
“New Horizon”
“Never Tell”
“Curtain Of Darkness”
“Shine On”
“The Landing”

Lyric video “Never Tell”:

 

It has been nearly three years since the release of North Carolina’s traditional metallers Dogbane’s debut Residual Alcatraz through Heaven And Hell Records. Since the band has ushered on through a series of misfortune starting with the passing of guitarist and founding member David Ellenburg back in July of 2012. A short hiatus would follow until finding replacement in 2013, new guitarist Jeff Rinehart.

The band's long awaited sophomoric effort When Karma Comes Calling is about to be released through Heaven And Hell Records and is set for a June release. Recorded and produced by the band’s bassist Kevin Davis at Studio 5, mixed and mastered by Gary Hawkins Artwork again provided by Wayne Miller.

When Karma Comes Calling tracklisting:

“Warlord”
“Dogbane”
“Karma”
“Deceiver”
“Calm Before The Storm”
“Devil By The Horns”
“Apocynaceae”
“Free Soirit”
“Sands Of Time”

The new album is available for streaming and digital download at Bandcamp.

Underground thrashers from Chile, Nuclear have premiered the first video from their upcoming album to be released through Candlelight Records this year.

The song entitled “Self-Righteous Hypocrites” is the one chosen for this video and shows the band’s new proposal in almost three minutes of non-stop music violence. The video was produced by Carlos Barrios and directed by Punto Sudy / Adrian Pérez of Yield Producciones in Chile.

The band comments: “It is definitely the fastest and most enraged material we have ever written. We are really happy this album will see the light through Candlelight.”

More information about the new album will be revealed within the next weeks.
Underground thrashers from Chile, Nuclear have premiered the first video from their upcoming album to be released through Candlelight Records this year.

The song entitled “Self-Righteous Hypocrites” is the one chosen for this video and shows the band’s new proposal in almost three minutes of non-stop music violence. The video was produced by Carlos Barrios and directed by Punto Sudy / Adrian Pérez of Yield Producciones in Chile.

The band comments: “It is definitely the fastest and most enraged material we have ever written. We are really happy this album will see the light through Candlelight.”

More information about the new album will be revealed within the next weeks.

French heavy psychedelic rock band, Sunder, has signed to Tee Pee Records. Formerly known as The Socks, the group is known for its edgy, electric sound that draws from the heavier side of 1960's / 70's rock and swings with acid grooves. The group's as-yet untitled debut will see a fall, 2015 release in North / South America and Australia via Tee Pee and in Europe and Japan via Crusher Records.

 

 
"It's with great pleasure and pride to be part of two of the most amazing heavy/psych labels in the world," said the band in a statement. "The Socks were of Lyon, France. Sunder is of the world and it is with the sounds of Sunder that the shores of the world will be plundered."

 

The band has released a tripped visual video for its new track, "Deadly Flower”:

Sunder lineup:

Julien Méret (guitar / vocals)
Jessy Ensenat (drums)
Vincent Melay (bass)
Nicolas Baud (Farfisa, Mellotron, backing vocals)

Doomy heavy metallers, Exorcism, will release their World In Sin EP on June 1st via Dream Records on CD and digital formats. The limited edition EP of 666 copies will be made exclusively available through the band’s website. The album artwork made by Gragoth can be viewed below.

The EP was produced, mixed and mastered by Zvekan with the help of Dominus at Total Master Sound in Spain. All lyrics melodies and music by Csaba Zvekan for Corvus Publishing.

 

 

Tracklisting:

“World In Sin”
“Black Day In Paradise”
“Virtual Freedom”
“Sahara”
“Black Star”

 

 

Exorcism continuing the path and legacy of bands like Black Sabbath and Dio, while Exorcism is taking a more modern approach. With a groovy rhythm and bass section added with spherical pads and the signature vertigo guitar riffs down we go the underworld. On top of it hovering is always Csaba Zvekan’s phenomenal work on vocals that have been nominated numerous time with the debut album I Am God for “the best record” last year.

 

MOTÖRHEAD was forced to cancel its performance at the Monsters Of Rock festival in Brazil earlier today (Saturday, April 25) after the band's frontman, Lemmy Kilmister, was taken ill.

According to local media reports and festival organizers, MOTÖRHEAD's appearance was called off a few hours before the band was scheduled to take the stage at Arena Anhembi, São Paulo because Lemmy was suffering from gastric distress and dehydration.

Kilmister is reportedly undergoing tests at a local hospital and is unable to perform at this weekend's event.

As a last-minute replacement for MOTÖRHEAD, the other two members of the band — guitarist Phil Campbell and drummer Mikkey Dee — will take part in a jam session with Andreas Kisser and Derrick Green of SEPULTURA, along with other guests.

British metal legends JUDAS PRIEST, who were scheduled to play right after MOTÖRHEAD, will add 30 more minutes to their set as a result of MOTÖRHEAD's cancelation.

OZZY OSBOURNE will close the first day of the festival, which concludes tomorrow with performances by KISS, MANOWAR, ACCEPT, UNISONIC, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN and STEEL PANTHER.

Lemmy in 2013 suffered a haematoma (where blood collects outside of a blood vessel), causing the cancelation of a number of the band's European festival shows.

The rocker, who turned 69 years old in December, told Classic Rock he didn't expect to still be here at 30,

"I don't do regrets," he said. "Regrets are pointless. It's too late for regrets. You've already done it, haven't you? You've lived your life. No point wishing you could change it.

"There are a couple of things I might have done differently, but nothing major; nothing that would have made that much of a difference.

"I'm pretty happy with the way things have turned out. I like to think I've brought a lot of joy to a lot of people all over the world. I'm true to myself and I'm straight with people."

Asked if his illness in 2013 has made him more aware of his own mortality, Lemmy said: "Death is an inevitability, isn't it? You become more aware of that when you get to my age. I don't worry about it. I'm ready for it. When I go, I want to go doing what I do best. If I died tomorrow, I couldn't complain. It's been good."

Fan-filmed video footage of KROKUS's April 20 performance during the Monsters Of Rock cruise can be seen below.

KROKUS's U.S. tour kicked off on Monsters Of Rock cruise and will continue through a series of cities, leading to the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California on May 6.

KROKUS celebrated its 40th anniversary with a homecoming show where they began in Solothurn, Switzerland, culminating in their sweaty new live album, "Long Stick Goes Boom: Live From Da House of Rust".

"Dirty Dynamite", the 17th studio album from KROKUS, entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 17. This marked the first time in KROKUS' history that the band landed in the Top 20 of the German chart.

"Dirty Dynamite" was released on February 22, 2013 in Europe via Sony Music and in North America on March 5, 2013 via The End Records. The CD marked the return of KROKUS guitarist Mandy Meyer after 30 years. Sound engineer for the recording sessions was again Dennis Ward, who also recorded the band's previous album, "Hoodoo".

Drummer Freddy Steady left KROKUS in May 2011 because he "concluded that he really wanted to play music just for fun in small clubs rather than conquering the world, playing arenas on huge stages with pyro props, etc.," according to guitarist Fernando Von Arb.

KROKUS has since recruited Flavio Mezzodi as the band's new drummer.

KROKUS is:

Marc Storace - Lead VocalsChris Von Rohr - Bass, VocalsFernando Von Arb - Guitar, VocalsMark Kohler - Guitar Mandy Meyer - GuitarFlavio Mezzodi - Drums