A preview of SUN & SAIL CLUB's new album, "The Great White Dope", is available below. The CD will be released on May 12.

SUN & SAIL CLUB is the band featuring Bob Balch (FU MANCHU) on guitar, Scott Reeder (FU MANCHU, SMILE) on drums and Scott Thomas Reeder (KYUSS, FIREBALL MINISTRY, THE OBSESSED) on bass, and vocalist and punk legend Tony Adolescent (THE ADOLESCENTS).

Asked how Tony became part of the equation, Balch said: "On the last record, 'Mannequin', I recorded all the vocals using my guitar and a vocoder. I'm a big fan on KRAFTWERK and BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW and that album reflects that 100%. On this record, I wanted to hear a singer. My first idea was Tony from THE ADOLESCENTS. I grew up listening to them. FU MANCHU covered their song 'Things Start Moving' and he came up and sang it with us in Orange County. I watched that footage and was way into his voice with our sound. Not to mention his lyrics too! He rules."

He continued: "I had a few riffs floating around, [but] nowhere near a full record. I contacted Tony and he agreed to sing on the record. He hadn't even heard one note! Once I read that response, I was super pumped and wrote almost the entire record in three hours with his vocals in mind. The end result is a record that is super inspired and aggressive with songs that get right to the point."

Regarding the recording process for SUN & SAIL CLUB's new CD, Balch reveals: "I always wanted to make a record that was punk influenced with big drums and fuzzy guitars. Like, what if the BAD BRAINS had to play a set on FU MANCHU's gear?

"I sent the tunes to Reeder [drummer] and then drove up to Orange County to demo them. We jammed once and then we were in the studio the following week to track drums and rhythm guitars. We went with our buddy Andrew Giacumakis' studio. He plays in a band named MOAB and we love the tones he gets. He recorded drums and bass on the last FU MANCHU record, 'Gigantoid', as well. From there, I went to 'The Racket Room' to get some vocals with Tony Adolescent and Jim Monroe at the board. Jim recorded guitars on the last FU MANCHU record and recorded THE ADOLESCENTS a bunch of times, so that decision made perfect sense. Then I headed out to the desert to record leads and bass at Scott Reeder's 'Sanctuary.' It was always my intention and always will be my intention to record there. Not only because Reeder gets the best guitar, bass and drum tones ever, but also that way he can watch me fumble through the tracks on bass then annihilate my tracks by recording some of his own."

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Krokodil Dental Plan02. Dresden Fireball Freakout Flight03. Baba Yaga Bastard Patrol04. Migraine With A Chainsaw Reduction05. Level Up & Shut It Down06. Fever Blister & The Great White Dope07. Full Tilt Panic08. Alien Rant Factory09. Inside Traitor Outside View10. Cypherpunk Roulette

US metal band Mind Assassin have singed a deal for the release of their debut EP, The Pay Off, with Alone Records, based out of Thessaloniki, Greece.

 

 

The Pay Off will be released in two different formats. The CD version will have a special bonus track and booklet. The vinyl version will be released as a 4-track EP in a double 7" vinyl (one track on each side). The vinyl version will be a run of 350 copies and it will be set to release in tow different editions.

- 250 copies double 7" in black (both 7" inch in black)
- 100 copies double 7" (one 7" in blue, the other 7" in red)

The vinyl version will also come with an official Mind Assassin logo patch.

The release date is set for September 2015. An official date will soon be announced. Alone Records have issued a promotional video for the upcoming release, which can be seen below.

 

Underground Symphony Records has announced that the heavy/power metal band King Wraith has entered its roster, for the release of their debut album Of Secrets and Lore, available in the next months.

Founded in 2014 by guitarist/singer Daniele Genugu, King Wraith is a pure and straight heavy/power metal band, in  the likes of early ‘90s Running Wild, Grave Digger and Blind Guardian, with heavy guitar riffing and an epic touch in vocals. The band is completed by Giorgio Novarino on bass guitar (formerly Bejelit) and Matteo Avanzo on drums (Egart).

Soon the artwork, tracklist and release date will be revealed.

Athens, Greece-based melodic power metal band, The Silent Rage, check in with the following update:

“Here’s some more news concerning our upcoming album. We’re officially done with the track recording, and right now we feel relieved that the album is half-way done. Next step is the editing, mixing and mastering, where Fotis Benardo is going to work his magic and deliver us a massive output!

 

 

“In other news, we are more than happy to announce that Kostas Krikos is joining the legion as the new lead guitarist of the band. We have already shared the stage with Kostas during our last show as the opening act to Grave Digger, on September 2014, here in Athens. The impact of Kostas joining the band has been of high importance, as he delivered great melodies, solos and his own personal character. Please feel free to welcome him.”

 

 

Stay tuned for more news.

Fan-filmed video footage of NIGHTWISH's April 10 performance at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Shudder Before The Beautiful 02. Yours Is An Empty Hope 03. Amaranth 04. She Is My Sin 05. Endless Forms Most Beautiful 06. My Walden 07. The Islander 08. Élan 09. Weak Fantasy 10. Storytime 11. Nemo 12. I Want My Tears Back 13. Stargazers 14. Sleeping Sun 15 The Greatest Show On Earth

Encore:

16. Ghost Love Score17. Last Ride Of The Day

NIGHTWISH's new album, "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", was made available on March 27 in Europe and March 31 in the U.S. via Nuclear Blast.

The "Élan" four-track single, which arrived on February 13, features the album version of the title cut, a radio edit and an alternate version of "Élan", as well as the non-album bonus track "Sagan".

The cover artwork for "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" was created by the band's longtime collaborator Toxic Angel. Famed evolutionary biologist and atheist writer/leader Richard Dawkins appears as a guest on the effort.

Longtime NIGHTWISH drummer Jukka Nevalainen sat out the recording sessions for "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" due to health issues. He has sicne been replaced by Kai Hahto (WINTERSUN, SWALLOW THE SUN, TREES OF ETERNITY).

The "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" title came from Charles Darwin's "The Origin Of Species" book, where he wrote: "There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, while this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved." Singer Floor Jansen, who officially joined the band in 2013, made her live debut as the frontwoman of NIGHTWISH on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington.

New Jersey's progressive metal masters SYMPHONY X have finished mixing and mastering their new album with Swedish producer Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with KREATOR, PARADISE LOST, OPETH and AMON AMARTH, among others. SYMPHONY X states: "[Jens also] did our last two CDs, and did an amazing job as always."

The cover artwork for SYMPHONY X's new album was created once again by Warren Flanagan. The band says: "Warren has worked on our last two cds as well, and can also be relied upon for amazing work."

Regarding the musical direction of the new SYMPHONY X material, the band's bassist, Michael LePond, told the "Talking Metal" podcast: "I think this album is not gonna be as heavy as our last one, 'Iconoclast'. If I had to compare this one, I would say it's a combination of [2002's] 'The Odyssey' meets [2007's] 'Paradise Lost'. It has a lot of classic SYMPHONY X elements in it, and I think our old fans are really gonna appreciate this one. So we're really excited about it."

According to LePond, "It wasn't a conscious decision to go back to the older sound; it just kind of happened. That's the way we write songs. We just start writing songs, and wherever it takes us, it takes us. But there's a lot of really cool, classic SYMPHONY X things in there. It's very, very musical. It concentrates just more on solid songs and great melodies."

The bassist also spoke about SYMPHONY X's continued success and seeming ability to gain new fans without compromising the musical ideals that form its core identity.

"One thing that's really amazing about SYMPHONY X and about our fans is, it seems like every record, we move up a little bit more, we get just a little bit more popular," he said. "We don't jump up into stardom; it's a slow climb. I mean, the band's been together just about 20 years now, and it just seems like with every album, our fan base grows just a little bit more, and we've been able to hold the old fans too. So, thankfully, we're still growing."

He continued: "It's always an amazing thing to see someone really young discovering SYMPHONY X. It just gives you the gas to keep going and just keep working hard."

SYMPHONY X's ninth studio album, "Iconoclast", sold more than 7,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 76 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's previous CD, "Paradise Lost", opened with around 6,500 copies back in July 2007.

"Iconoclast" was released in June 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Portuguese metallers Moonspell recently wrapped up the first European leg of their Road To Extinction Tour 2015. Footage from their March 30th show in Toulouse, France can be viewed below:

Moonspell's new album, Extinct, is available on Mediabook, Jewelcase, special limited deluxe edition wooden box and various LP. According to the label the album "is all but a musical and emotional manifesto. It puts the D of darkness back into dark metal. It's a true lesson for the new generations of goth metal about how it's played and felt with body and soul; a lesson taught by no others than our Portuguese gentlemen wolves."

Extinct is exemplary and it will leave a profound mark on the scene and on the fans, once it sees the light of day in March. It was produced by Jens Bogren (Katatonia, Amon Amarth, Opeth and Paradise Lost) in Sweden's renowned Fascination Street studio.

Tracklisting:

"Breathe (Until We Are No More)"
"Medusalem"
"Funeral Bloom"
"Domina"
"La Baphomette"
"The Last Of Us"
"A Dying Breed"
"Malignia"
"Extinct"
"The Future Is Dark"

Unboxing video:

Preview:

"Extinct" video:

Breathe (Until We Are No More)” lyric video:

Bonus DVD teaser:

"The Last Of Us":

French metal act Supuration has released their brand new video for the song “Suffocate Through Asphyxia”, taken from their upcoming album Reveries.

 

Supuration, will release their new album, Reveries on May 29th via Listenable Records.

Reveries contains brand new recordings of old tracks initially written in 1990 and freshly mastered by Dan Swanö.

Ludovic Loez (guitars, vocals) elaborates: "We really wanted to record these songs again as they're the testimony of our musical roots, we listened to a lot of Entombed, Carcass, Pestilence at the time and that obviously gets noticed when listening to these tracks. We never intended to make drastic musical changes and keep the original old school death metal style and organic flavour which pleases us the most."

Added bonus tracks are covers of Anthrax’s “Among The Living”, Twisted Sister’s “The Beast”, and Paradise Lost’s “Shattered”.

Tracklisting:

“Avoid The Contamination”
“Tales From The Crematory”
“Suffocate Through Asphyxia”
“Suppurated”
“Hypertrophy - Sordid And Outrageous Emanations”
“Sultry Obsession”
“Reveries Of A Bloated Cadaver”
“Ephemeral Paradise”
“Shattered” (Paradise Lost cover)
“The Beast” (Twisted Sister cover)
“Among The Living” (Anthrax cover)

 

 

Xtreem Music will release the debut album of Finnish death metal band Amputory. The album is titled Ode To Gore and follows in the tradition of countrymen like Funebre, Adramelech, Demigod, and Depravity with a slight Swedish touch to the riffs.

Ode To Gore tracklisting:

“Enslaved In The Basement”
“Ode To Gore”
“Cleansing By The Blade”
“Aghori”
“Unclean”
“Bludgeoned”
“Unaccountable”
“Illusion Of Sanity”

Amputory will also participate at this year’s edition of the already cult festival Finnish Death Metal Maniacs that will take place in Pori from September 10th-12th.

Ode To Gore is due to come out through Xtreem Music on May 10th.

“Enslaved In The Basement”:

Tribulation are streaming the new track “The Motherhood Of God”, from the upcoming album, The Children Of The Night. Listen below:

Tribulation will present the new album on a handful of selected shows in Germany, The Netherlands and Sweden, before they go on tour across Europe in May with Melechesh and Keep Of Kalessin.

The Children Of The Night was recorded, mixed and produced by Ola Ersfjord in several different Swedish studio locations (Studio Gröndahl, Honk Palace, Studio Cobra, Necromantic Studios and The Resting Stone) December 2014 - January 2015 and mastered by Chris Common at Twin Hills Mastering in El Paso, Texas.

The hauntingly beautiful artwork was painted by guitarist Jonathan Hultén, who has already been responsible for the artworks of the previous albums.

 

 

The Children Of The Night will be released in Europe on April 20th, and in North America on April 21st. The album will be released in the following formats:

1. Standard CD Jewelcase
2. Limited CD Mediabook (with 32-page booklet and two exclusive bonus tracks)
3. 2LP (with LP-booklet, 180 g vinyl and engraving on Side 4)
4. Limited box with the following content:
· 2LP
· CD with two bonus tracks (in paper wallet)
· 7" with two exclusive songs
· pendant with cord
· numbered and signed art print of album artwork
5. Digital download

“In The Dreams Of The Dead”:

In North America, a limited Digipak CD-version of the album (containing the two previously mentioned bonus tracks) will be offered instead of the Mediabook CD.

For the vinyl collectors, here is an overview on what’s available, where and when:

Black vinyl: unlimited
Gold vinyl: limited to 100 copies, exclusively available through CM Distro Europe
Clear vinyl: limited to 200 copies, exclusively available through High Roller Records
White vinyl: limited to 200 copies, exclusively available through CM Distro US
Red vinyl: limited to 500 copies, offered in North American record stores by Century Media’s distribution partner RED

The European album pre-order will start on March 23rd. The North American pre-order has started already.

Release shows:

April
17 - Tilburg, The Netherlands - Neurotic Deathfest
18 - Aurich, Germany - Schlachtfest XV
23 - Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser Strand
24 - Goteborg, Sweden - Truckstop Alaska

More tour dates:

May
1 - Örebro, Sweden - Ritz + At The Gates
2 - Sundsvall, Sweden - Pipeline + At The Gates
30 - Alvesta, Sweden - Muskelrock
31 - Bristol, UK - Temples Festival

June
18-20 - Halden, Norway - Tons Of Rock
20-22 - Clisson, France - Hellfest Open Air

(Photo - Linda Åkerberg)

 

UK prog-metal band, TesseracT, are set to release their first live audio/video concert. Titled Odyssey/Scala, the CD/DVD and LP/DVD package welcomes back One vocalist, Daniel Tompkins. Odyssey, the audio portion, was recorded live during various stops in the autumn of 2014 throughout Europe and Russia on the Altered State World Tour. Scala, the video portion, was filmed live on November 6th, 2014 at Scala, London, UK.

The band has just premiered a sneak peak via a live video for the song "Concealing Fate Part 2 & 3”:

TesseracT officially burst on the scene in 2011 with their debut album, One. Touring with the likes of Devin Townsend, Protest The Hero and Between The Buried and Me helped make them one of the most successful break through acts in the progressive metal genre. 2013's Altered State, featured vocalist Ashe O'Hara and was nominated for the Progressive Music Award's Album of the Year. They toured the US with Cloudkicker and Intronaut, playing to sold out venues across the country. Altered State went on to outsell One and appeared on many Year End "Best Of" lists.

Odyssey/Scala, available in CD/DVD, LP/DVD and in digital formats on May 18th in Europe and May 19th in North America on Century Media Records.

 

 

Odyssey (audio) tracklisting:

“Singularity” (recorded in Moscow, Russia)
“Deception - Concealing Fate Part Two” (recorded in Birmingham, UK)
“The Impossible - Concealing Fate Part Three” (recorded in Nottingham, UK)
“Perfection/Epiphany - Concealing Fate Parts Four/Five” (recorded in Rome, Italy)
“Origin - Concealing Fate Part Six” (recorded in Strasbourg, France)
“Of Matter - Proxy” (recorded in Koln, Germany)
“Of Matter - Retrospect” (recorded in Nijmegen, Netherlands)
“Of Matter - Resist” (recorded in Budapest, Hungary)
“April” (recorded in Paris, France)
“Nocturne” (recorded in Manchester, UK)
“Acceptance - Concealing Fate Part One” (recorded in Moscow, Russia)

Scala (video) tracklisting:

“Singularity”
“Deception - Concealing Fate Part Two”
“The Impossible - Concealing Fate Part Three”
“Perfection/Epiphany - Concealing Fate Parts Four/Five”
“Origin - Concealing Fate Part Six”
“Of Matter - Proxy”
“Of Matter - Retrospect”
“Of Matter - Resist”
“April”
“Nocturne”
“Acceptance - Concealing Fate Part One”

Trailer:

TesseracT have achieved a new standard for outlandish gig locations by playing the first ever set on an igloo, thought to be the world’s biggest. The immense snow structure, spanning the equivalent of 3.5 double decker buses near Yllas village, Finland, was part of the Jägermeister Ice Cold Gig series, which puts artists to the test as they perform in unconventional, ice cold conditions.

 

 

The stunning location played host to the hour-long show which included fan favourite track “Nocturne”. The gig was performed to a unique crowd, pulling in reindeer, skiers, and Sami tribesmen from some 20-50 kilometres away.
 
In the words of guitarist James Monteith: “We’re great mates first and foremost, so we’ve shared some amazing moments. But even after playing the main stage at Sonisphere last year, the Jägermeister Ice Cold Gig was definitely TessaracT’s most challenging performance to date, and what an amazing experience it was. Something we’ll remember forever!
 
“The final stage build was tougher going than we expected - we were shifting one-tonne blocks of ice to create the steps leading up to the stage. Fortunately, we had a team of locals to help us and the effort was well worth it. It was absolutely freezing, but as soon as we saw the crowd of people adrenalin took over, the hard work was forgotten and we battled through the gig.”

 

Bitterpill Music recently announce the signing of Monza, Italy-based progressive metal act, 039. The label released the band’s new album, Amalgama, on March 26th. Check out the band’s new video below for the track “Mother”, shot by Fabio Martinelli, in collaboration with Emilio Canu, Director of Photography.

 

 

Amalgama tracklisting:

“The Dark Passenger”
“Dexter”
“What’s Left”
“Out Of Time”
“Away From The Sun”
“Mother”
“Blood”
“Coma”
“Amalgama”
“Flowing Away”
“Disclosure”

“Mother” video:

Album trailer:

039 lineup:

Ruggero Ascione (Guitars)
Daniele Carozzi (Bass Guitar)
Bruno D'Aleo (Vocals)
Emanuele Rossi (Drums)
Marco Zanibelli (Keyboards)

 

 

More on the band at Facebook.

 

Fan-filmed video footage of SATYRICON's April 10 performance at the Durbuy Rock Festival in Durbuy, Belgium can be seen below.

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.

Commented SATYRICON frontman Sigurd "Satyr" Wongraven about the story behind "Live At The Opera": "The whole thing started with us doing one song, 'To The Mountains', a year and a half before the actual show. We performed at a closed event in the main hall of the opera with the Royal Norwegian Opera Chorus. It was very inspirational. I then said to the conductor that I would love to do a whole show like this. He loved the idea, I was serious about it, and he was serious about it.

"We spent approximately one and a half year working with composer and arranger Kjetil Bjerkestrand on the choral arrangements.

"When I picked songs, I was not necessarily looking at only songs suitable for choral arrangements or typical in the SATYRICON live set. For me, it had to be a combination.

"If you look at songs like 'Die By My Hand', it's pretty obvious we'll want to use a choir for that because it has a choir on the record too. On the other hand, there were other things I had to consider. For example, 'K.I.N.G.' is probably the most famous SATYRICON song ever — and not necessarily a song I can imagine with choral arrangements. But just because people hear it more or less the same way always, I thought it would be interesting to take that song and give it a totally different vibe for this one time. And it's also interesting to see if we can work it around the structure of a song that is more or less straightforward.

"For something that we planned for so long, put so much work into, and something this unique — of course it would be nice to film it and record it. But I made it very clear to the people around SATYRICON that I'm not going to turn this into a recording session where you can buy tickets.

"When you hear or or watch this recording, you should feel like you're there.

"This is not SATYRICON - 'Best Of From The Opera', this is a show! The perfect parts need to go in there, but also the parts that are not so perfect. That's the nature of it, that's the real deal.

"It's not a live album. It's a celebration of what SATYRICON stands for as a band."

"Live At The Opera" will contain the full performance DVD and double CD of this exclusive and very special concert.

SATYRICON self-titled studio album was released in September 2013 in Norway via Indie Recordings, and in the rest of Europe through Roadrunner Records. The CD, which was made available in North America via Nuclear Blast Entertainment, was produced by Sigurd "Satyr" Wongraven and was recorded in Norway, and mixed by Adam Kasper. The effort features a guest appearance by Sivert Høyem, the Norwegian singer best known as the vocalist of the rock band MADRUGADA.

German rockers, SpitFire, have released the first video from their brand new album, Welcome To Bone City. The album will be released in Europe on April 20th. Be prepared for a good dose of honest and dirty rock n’ roll.

 

 

Watch the video for “Fall From Grace” below:

SpitFire burst out of the starting blocks with their visceral debut, Devil’s Dance, in 2013, and are now set to unleash the even more impressive follow up, Welcome To Bone City, on SPV’s Rookies And Kings label.

Welcome To Bone City is packed with 15 new groove-laden, dirty, hard driving kick-ass rockers, and effortlessly picks up from where Devil’s Dance left off, leaping and bounding even higher, both musically and lyrically, than its predecessor.

Once again melding punk rock, metal, rockabilly and southern rock into their own unique, irresistible musical concoction, SpitFire take their listeners on an eventful journey through the sinister streets and dirty alleys of Bone City, a once thriving metropolis. Long gone are the times of blooming casinos and glittering high class hotels, and wealth, glory and glamour have been replaced by the search for a better home amidst the chaos of tough guys, easy girls, unarmored heroes and the queen of the night.

SpitFire instinctively invoked the loud, wild, primal spirit of rock n’ roll, channeling it straight from their hearts, when they created Welcome To Bone City, an irresistible collection of full throttle, asphalt kicking, utterly uplifting anthems.

 

 

​left to right: Johnny Jailbreak (bass), Dick Dropkick (lead vocals, guitar), Nikk Nitro (drums, background vocals)

 

 

 

Saigon Kick guitarist Jason Bieler has checked in with the following update to go with the new music he just released:

"I get so confused about what day the labels want me to release music. Here is a new tune, 'Space Debris'; kind of quirky, '70s game show meets the 5th Dimension...kinda. All wrapped up in a new EP package for easy digestion." 

The complete Space Debris tracklist is as follows:

"Space Debris"
"Evolution"
"Obliterate"
"Perfect Drone"
"Suspended"

Space Debris by Owl Stretching

Go to this location for the Owl Stretching EP doscography, now totalling seven.

Contrary to rumours circulating at the end of 2014 that Saigon Kick's reunion had fizzled, the band has announced two shows for their native Florida with more gigs in planning for 2015

On May 29th the band will play The Funky Biscuit in Boca Raton, FL. may 30th will see Saigon Kick land at The Social on Orlando, FL. Click the links below for event information.

- Saigon Kick - Boca Raton, FL
- Saigon Kick - Orlando, FL

Saigon Kick performed in St. Petersburg, FL on December 27th, 2014 at The State Theater.  Fan-filmed video is available below:

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman has admitted that was offered a position in the band following the departure of guitarist Chris Broderick, but says that he would be taking "a huge step backwards" by returning to the Dave Mustaine-led group.

During a brand new interview with Argentina's Vorterix radio station, Friedman was asked to comment on ex-MEGADETH drummer Nick Menza's recent claim that Marty was involved in talks of a reunion of MEGADETH's classic "Rust In Peace" lineup in the months after Broderick and drummer Shawn Drover exited the band.

"I don't know anything about Nick's story, I don't know what he said, I don't know anything about that, but I will tell you that, of course, I was offered to join MEGADETH — not only now, but in other times [in the past]," Marty said. "[But] there's just no reason for me to join MEGADETH right now."

He continued: "Just because there's a vacancy in the band doesn't mean that, 'Oh, now is my chance to join MEGADETH.' There's absolutely no reason for me to do that. However, I'm very, very close friends with Mustaine and [David] Ellefson, and the band in general, and I love them like brothers. So if they talk to me, I listen. We're very close. So I support them, and I wish them nothing but success and power and everything great. But just because there's a vacancy in the band is not enough of a reason for me to, all of a sudden, put aside all the things I'm doing and then just join their band. It's just not."

Asked if rejoining MEGADETH would be taking "a step backwards" for him, Marty said: "A huge step backwards. Huge.'

He continued: "I'm really not into nostalgia at all. Like, we were just talking [earlier in the interview] about these great times [MEGADETH] had in Argentina [while I was in the band]. That's a wonderful piece of history; that's what it is. So it's time to move on and do new things and not chase the past. So I think that they're better off doing new things, and I'm certainly better off doing new things and being able to be the artist that I am, and that I wanna become. And there's no reason to go chasing the past."

Friedman was also asked if he ever got "bored of playing heavy metal music." He responded: "Absolutely. I get bored very fast anyway, but I think that, as a genre, right now heavy metal is becoming a lot better than it was ten years ago, because there's so much more experimentation and so many more collaborations and strange ways that heavy metal is changing that it's becoming very, very healthy."

He continued: "If you listen to [my latest solo album] 'Inferno', I'm doing a collaboration with the [Norwegian] group SHINING, with a saxophone, and it's very fresh and new, in my opinion, and there's just a lot of new elements to the heavy sound that maybe weren't there ten years ago, or five years ago, so there's a lot more experimentation going on right now, myself included."

Friedman added: "I don't wanna ever get bored with heavy music, so I have to keep trying to do something new with it."

According to Marty, while his solo albums provide a certain amount of continuity, he keeps growing and evolving as an artist through constant experimentation.

"I've done twelve solo albums, and those are constantly growing and changing a little bit, but I'm still the same artist doing that," he said. "But I like to do a lot of interesting things. I like a big challenge. I like something that I can be proud of. I've done a lot of things in Japan that I'm really glad that I had a chance to do, and I'm very proud of my time in MEGADETH as well. It's fantastic history we have, and there's no other band like it in the world; it's a great thing. So I'm constantly trying to do newer, more exciting and fresh things."

MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson last month shut down the possibility of a reunion of the band's "Rust In Peace" lineup, telling Australia's "Blood, Sweat And Metal": "Here's the thing about reunions... Everybody wants to try to relive this glory day, because of what that period represented to them through that music. But you have to realize that it's greater than the sum of its parts; it isn't just the four people that recorded those songs. It is the darkness we were in, and then the clarity that we had getting sober and the people who were around us.

"That 'Rust In Peace' record is a story of a journey; it's really what you're hearing. That's why every record that we did with that lineup in particular told a different story, because we were in a different phase of our lives, [both] as individuals and together. And then came this point where that lineup just stopped making music together. There was no more harmony, there was no more melody, there was no more music together. And that's why that lineup split up. So to think that somehow that's just gonna all come back together… If it stopped working once, why would it ever work again? You know what I mean?!"

"MEGADETH in 2015, we can either go back and just recreate past glory days, which would probably sell a lot of tickets and we would probably make a lot of money. But MEGADETH has never been about just going out and making a bunch of money; it has never been about that — ever. So, to us, it's about creatively the next chapter of our story, and that's what you get when you go in the studio together — you get to write and create your next chapter. That is where MEGADETH is right now. That really is the page turner right now."

MEGADETH has just finished writing 15 songs for its next album, tentatively due before the end of the year. The CD will be the band's first to feature Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, best known for his work with ANGRA, and LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler.

In a new interview with The Washington Times, VAN HALEN guitarist Eddie Van Halen revealed that the band came up with the idea of issuing a new live album after his first two ideas for a release didn't come to fruition.

"We were trying to figure out what to do since we didn't have time to put a studio record together," Eddie said.

"What I originally wanted to do was remix the original 25 song demos. That would have been really cool. But the tapes are lost. They are gone. So that was out the window.

"Then we started digging through bootlegs from the club days. We tried our best to make those sound good, but ultimately it wasn't good enough to put out. The quality of the recording was so bad that we tried to enhance them and make them better. Once we made them better, you lost that fly-on-the-wall aspect of it. It just didn't jibe. So we decided, 'How about a live record?'"

According to Eddie, singer David Lee Roth chose a June 2013 Tokyo concert from "a couple of hundred" archived shows that were captured using a Pro Tools rig.

"None of us wanted to sit there and listen to 200 shows, so we left it up to Dave," he said.

"[Drummer] Alex [Van Halen], [bassist] Wolfgang [Van Halen] and I were pretty consistent every night. For a singer, it's more difficult. Dave said, 'How about Tokyo Dome?' We said, 'Fine!'"

Released on Tuesday (March 31), "Tokyo Dome Live In Concert" features 23 songs taken from all seven albums the band has recorded with Roth on the mic, including 2012's reunion effort, "A Different Kind Of Truth". The new live set is available in double-CD, four-LP and digital formats. A deluxe edition includes remastered versions of the band's 1978 self-titled debut album and 1984's "1984" — both of which are also available separately.

VAN HALEN recently announced the dates and cities for a summer/fall North American tour that will kick off on July 5 in Seattle, winding down on October 2 in Los Angeles. Tickets for the trek go on sale this Saturday (April 4) at Ticketmaster.com and LiveNation.com.

Newly remastered versions of VAN HALEN's other classic Roth-era albums "Diver Down", "Women And Children First", "Van Halen II" and "Fair Warning" are being prepared for release in the spring.

VAN HALEN's only previous live offering, "Live: Right Here, Right Now", was released in 1993 and featured vocalist Sammy Hagar, who replaced Roth in the band after the latter first left in 1985.

BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi has shot down rumors that his health is the reason for the cancelation of the band's appearance at this year's edition of Ozzfest Japan.

It was announced yesterday that BLACK SABBATH will no longer be appearing at the Japanese festival, scheduled for November 21-22 at a venue outside Tokyo. Although it was announced last month that SABBATH would give its final Japanese performance at the event, the band has now dropped out. SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne will now perform solo instead, accompanied by yet-to-be-disclosed "friends."

No reason was given for SABBATH's withdrawal from the event, but Iommi took to his Facebook page to refute reports that his continuing battle with cancer was partly to blame.

"Thank you for all the enquiries about my health; [it's] very kind," he wrote.

"I'm not sure how the rumour of my being unwell started as I was away on holiday!"

He continued: "Once you've had something like lymphoma, the fear that it will return never leaves.

"All I can say is that right now I'm fine and have regular blood tests."

Ozzy has said previously that BLACK SABBATH planned to record one final studio album in 2015, to be followed by a farewell world tour.

Three original members of SABBATH — Ozzy, Iommi and bassistGeezer Butler — reunited in late 2011 to record their first album together in 35 years.

The project was hampered by drama over founding drummer Bill Ward's last-minute decision not to participate, as well as Iommi's battle with cancer.

The album, titled "13", came out in June 2013 and was SABBATH's first No. 1 record in the U.S. ever. It was followed by a lengthy and wildly successful world tour.

Iommi said in an interview earlier this year that touring had been "tough" on him while he underwent treatment for cancer at the same time.

Although he completed his treatment last summer, he admitted, "The surgeon told me he doesn't expect the cancer to go away. There's a 30 percent chance that it could, but more than likely, it will come back and it could be any time. I look at life differently now. I could be here another 10 years or just one year — I don't know."

Seven Witches is nearing the finish line on the follow-up to 2013’s Rebirth.

Jack Frost (Savatage, Metallium, Bronx Casket Co.) says, “I pushed myself harder than ever as a player/producer. I owe that to the amazing job that Johnny Kelly did during drum tracking. Johnny's playing is the stuff of legends. Everything you hear is the man himself. Reminiscent of Cozy Powell, John Bonham, and Bill Ward. I'm so honoured to call him my drummer and Brother! His playing made me push myself to a new level!"

Johnny Kelly is also currently recording with Danzig and Kill Devil Hill.

This CD will surprise a lot of people, not a typical Witches CD, it has a very bluesy feel. It's still heavy but there's a groove element. Take Led Zeppelin, Bad Co. and Whitesnake and smash in a little NWOBHM and there you have it.

“Ronnie Parkes tone and monster riffing have given the songs final life”, continues Frost. “As I sit and listen I can't believe these are the same tracks from the original demos. It's like watching a child grow. Sorry, I've never been so happy with songs that I created. Maybe it's just that I didn't push, I just put my heart into it.”

“I also had the opportunity to hear some of the tracks from the upcoming Bonfire CD that Ronnie and David Reece recorded. This is some killer shit. Fans of old and new will love this! David killed on it. I wish the stars for Ronnie, He deserves it! Look for Bonfire on tour all over the globe this year!”

Anthony Cross says: “Writing with Jack is a fun roller coaster. Jack and I try to do what’s best for the song. I call Jack the mad scientist his ideas are all over the place. And I think it’s great! This CD will have something for everyone. It’s not cookie cutter or intended to sound like previous releases. It’s new music. I have a lot of respect for all the vocalists that came before me. But it is not my intention to try and be one of them I just try to do the songs that they recorded justice when I get onstage.”

Jack Frost: “The new record is being mixed by Joey Vera (Fates Warning, Armored Saint, Motor Sister) and we couldn’t be happier with the result. We also have a couple of dates with Armored Saint and Saxon in May.

Our new CD, tentatively titled The Way Of The Wicked, will be distributed by ILS/Caroline/Universal Group in the US. We can’t wait to get out there and show you what we’ve got!”

Seven Witches lineup:

Jack Frost - Guitars
Anthony Cross - Vocals
Johnny Kelly - Drums
Ronnie Parkes - Bass

UK symphonic power metal act Gloryhammer is recording a new album titled Space 1992: Rise Of The Chaos Wizards.

Dark Lord Zargothrax (aka Christopher Bowes) has posted the following:

“Greetings, mighty warriors! It is time to begin the next chapter in the epic saga of Gloryhammer. Today we have entered the studio to record our second album, entitled Space 1992: Rise Of The Chaos Wizards.

“As you read this message, the mysterious hermit Ralathor (aka Ben Turk) is laying down the drum tracks at LSD Studios in Germany, with producer Lasse Lammert taking the helm at the mixing desk. We will have more updates for you in the coming weeks, as we reveal further details about the album. Prepare yourselves for a thunderous assault of heroic fantasy power metal which will tear apart the very fabric of the universe!”

Gloryhammer released their debut album Tales From The Kingdom Of Fife in 2013 via Napalm Records.

Japanese pop-metal group BABYMETAL has signed with RAL/Sony Music Entertainment for the U.S. release of the band's 2014 critically acclaimed self-titled debut album. The CD will feature two bonus tracks and be available digitally on Tuesday, May 12 and physically on Tuesday, June 16.

"Babymetal" will be released via earMUSIC in Germany, Sweden, Finland and Spain on May 29, in the United Kingdom, Belgium, Holland, Poland, Switzerland, Norway and Denmark on June 1, and in Italy on June 2

The European release will be available as the standard edition as well as a deluxe edition that includes a bonus DVD compiling six music videos from BABYMETAL.

Says Bill Richards, VP of Marketing at RAL/Sony Music Entertainment: "After witnessing the band's sold-out New York show, we knew we wanted to be involved. The core metal fans and metal press seem to get BABYMETAL, which shows how the language of music transcends boundaries. They hit all the entertainment buttons and are really fun to watch."

Since forming in 2010, BABYMETAL — the young trio of 17-year-old Su-Metal (vocal, dance) and 15-year-olds Yuimetal (scream, dance)and Moametal (scream, dance), backed by a four-piece band packing a heavy metal arsenal — has already achieved two major debut singles — "Ijime, Dame, Zetta!" and "Megistune", both of which ranked in the Top 10 Oricon Chart in Japan. Their first studio album, "Babymetal", also earned the #1 spot on Japan's album chart and Billboard's World Album Chart. The official live music video for their debut album's lead single, "Gimme Chocolate!!", has garnered over 24.5 million views on YouTube.

2014 saw BABYMETAL headline numerous sold-out shows from New York to London, including the 20,000-capacity Saitama Super Arena in Japan. They performed at major festivals in multiple countries such as the U.K.'s massive Sonisphere in front of 65,000 festival goers and supported Lady Gaga on her "Artrave: The Artpop Ball" tour.

The band will gear up for an equally busy 2015 when they kick off their "The Dark Knights Begin" world tour on May 9 in Mexico City. U.S. tour dates included a special one-off headlining show on May 14 at House Of Blues in Chicago, Illinois, followed by a festival appearance on May 16 at Rock On The Range in Columbus, Ohio.

"Babymetal" European release track listing:

CD

01. Babymetal Death02. Megitsune03. Gimme Chocolate!! 04. Line!05. Akatsuki06. Doki Doki * Morning07. Onedari Daisakusen08. Song 409. Uki Uki * Midnight10. Catch Me If You Can11. Rondo Of Nightmare12. Head Bangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!13. Ijime, Dame, Zettai

Bonus

14. Road Of Resistance (feat. Herman Li & Sam Totman of Dragonforce)15. Gimme Chocolate!! (Live at O2 Academy Brixton, London)

DVD - official video clips

- Doki Doki * Morning- Iine!- Headbangeeeeerrrrr!!!!!- Ijime, Dame, Zettai- Megitsune- Gimme Chocolate!!

LIQUID GRAVEYARD, the death metal band featuring CANCER frontman John Walker and female growler Raquel Walker, has inked a deal with Sleaszy Rider Records. The band's third album, which was recorded with the help of bassist Shane Embury (NAPALM DEATH, LOCK UP) and drummer Nick Barker (LOCK UP, DIMMU BORGIR, CRADLE OF FILTH) and mixed by Simon Efemey (PARADISE LOST, CANCER, NAPALM DEATH), will be released later in the year.

The first sample of the forthcoming LIQUID GRAVEYARD album in the form of the song "Red Eyed Angel", recorded and mixed at Sadman Studios in Madrid, can be streamed below.

Asked why LIQUID GRAVEYARD hasn't released a new CD since 2011, John Walker told Busuk: "Well, we released our second album in 2011 and then promoted it throughout 2012 and 2013. LIQUID GRAVEYARD was a different band then — more experimental, avant-garde metal. It was in 2013, at the Stonehenge metal fest in Holland, that we played with LOCK UP and the idea of working together was born."

Regarding the meaning of the LIQUID GRAVEYARD band name, John Walker said: "We came up with that name after some horrible events that happened some years ago, and, unfortunately, keep happening every year. People from Africa trying to get into Europe in those crappy boats that end up sinking in the middle of the sea, which becomes then a LIQUID GRAVEYARD."

LIQUID GRAVEYARD's debut album, "On Evil Days", was released in 2009 via My Kingdom Music.

Acclaimed rockers STONE SOUR will release "Meanwhile In Burbank…", a five-song "Record Store Day" exclusive EP featuring covers of legendary artists BLACK SABBATH, METALLICA, KISS, JUDAS PRIEST and ALICE IN CHAINS, next month. Recorded live at Room 237 in Burbank, California, "Meanwhile In Burbank…" will be available on vinyl exclusively at select record stores on April 18.

"Meanwhile In Burbank…" track listing: 01. We Die Young (ALICE IN CHAINS cover)02. Heading Out To The Highway (JUDAS PRIEST cover)03. Love Gun (KISS cover)04. Creeping Death (METALLICA cover)05. Children Of The Grave (BLACK SABBATH cover)

An audio snippet of STONE SOUR's cover version of METALLICA's "Creeping Death" can be streamed below. STONE SOUR guitarist Josh Rand commented on the EP: "Back in February of 2014 while STONE SOUR was touring, Corey [Taylor, vocals] approached me about STONE SOUR doing a cover of the METAL CHURCH song 'The Dark' for the movie 'Fear Clinic'. I thought it would be cool not only to record 'The Dark', but the five cover songs that we had played on that tour." Rand added: "The idea was not to shy away from a song because it was popular or pick a band that most people might not have heard, but to pick ones that truly meant something to one of us at some point in our life." Last month, STONE SOUR released their new digital single "The Dark", which was recorded for the film "Fear Clinic", the latest excursion into unrelenting terror by Anchor Bay Entertainment starring horror icon Robert "Freddy Krueger" Englund alongside STONE SOUR and SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor in his acting debut. Originally performed by METAL CHURCH, "The Dark" is currently available via iTunes with a companion video piece streaming on "Fear Clinic"'s official YouTube channel. "Fear Clinic" is available now on Blu-ray and DVD.

Corey Taylor said on "The Jasta Show" podcast about the record, "This is something that we've been talking about since the first album came out, with STONE SOUR. We've always wanted to do this. Even as people have come, people have gone, this is still something we've always come back to, and we just never had the opportunity to do it. And we just kind of said, 'Well, screw it.'"

Taylor added, "You're going back to these songs that you just love to listen to, not only just sing. And that's why it's called 'Meanwhile In Burbank', because, without giving too much away, that's where Roy lives — he lives in the Valley — so that's why we call it that. Because it's, like, that's what we're doing right now."

On its last North American tour, STONE SOUR played a different cover every night, including METALLICA's "Creeping Death", KISS' "Love Gun", JUDAS PRIEST's "Heading Out To The Highway" and PETER GABRIEL's "In Your Eyes".

Guitarist Christian Martucci joined STONE SOUR in late 2013 as the replacement for Jim Root, who was fired from the group after deciding he wanted to sit out the band's last tour in order to start work on the next album from SLIPKNOT, of which he is also a member.



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Listen to a preview of our cover of "Creeping Death" by Metallica, off of "Meanwhile in Burbank", available in record stores on April 18th!Limited to 3000 copies worldwide, find a record store near you at www.recordstoreday.com or www.recordstoreday.co.uk #StoneSour #recordstoreday

Posted by Stone Sour on Friday, April 10, 2015



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Listen to a preview of "We Die Young" off of "Meanwhile in Burbank", available in record stores on April 18th!Limited to 3000 copies worldwide, find a record store near you at www.recordstoreday.com or www.recordstoreday.co.uk

Posted by Stone Sour on Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Italian "cinematic" metallers LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY will release a new album, "Prometheus, Symphonia Ignis Divinus", on June 19 in Europe and June 30 in the U.S. via Nuclear Blast. The CD was composed and produced once again by Luca Turilli, responsible as always of all the orchestral and choral arrangements. It was recorded and mixed at the Backyard Studios of Sebastian Roeder (BONFIRE) and mastered by Christoph Stickel (MICHAEL SCHENKER'S TEMPLE OF ROCK) at MSM studios.

The first trailer for "Prometheus, Symphonia Ignis Divinus" is available below. The creation of "Prometheus, Symphonia Ignis Divinus" involved seven months of composition, three months of production, over 50 days of mixing, working with two choirs, several special guests, including Ralf Scheepers (PRIMAL FEAR), Dan Lucas (KARO) and David Readman (PINK CREAM 69).

Containing 70 minutes of epic music, sounding cinematic, bombastic and dramatic as never before, the new RHAPSODY masterwork will lead the listener to an emotional and memorable journey between quantum gates, parallel dimensions, myths and legends hiding cosmic truths, ancestral secrets and spiritual revelations. And this time it was not enough for the band to simply sound cinematic — RHAPSODY needed to finally "look" cinematic as well. Therefore, the new cover artwork and the album booklet, introducing the new cinematic graphic style of the band, were created by the well-known artist Stefan "Heile" Heilemann (EPICA, LINDEMANN).

The first single, "Rosenkreuz (The Rose And The Cross)", will be released on April 24. The digipak version of the album will include a cinematic version of the RIOT classic "Thundersteel", performed by RHAPSODY singer Alessandro Conti as a duet with Ralf Scheepers. "Prometheus, Symphonia Ignis Divinus" track listing: 01. Nova Genesis (Ad Splendorem Angeli Triumphantis)02. Il Cigno Nero03. Rosenkreuz (The Rose And The Cross)04. Anahata05. Il Tempo Degli Dei06. One Ring To Rule Them All07. Notturno08. Prometheus09. King Solomon And The 72 Names Of God10. Yggdrasil11. Of Michael The Archangel And Lucifer's Fall Part II: Codex NemesisI. Codex Nemesis Alpha OmegaII. Symphonia Ignis Divinus (The Quantum Gate Revealed)III. The Astral Convergence IV. The Divine Fire Of The ArchangelV. Of Psyche And Archetypes (System Overloaded)

Digipak Bonus:

12. Thundersteel (cinematic version) In August 2011, RHAPSODY OF FIRE guitarist Luca Turilli and keyboardist Alex Staropoli announced their decision to go their separate ways.

Due to legal reasons, Staropoli is continuing under the RHAPSODY OF FIRE name. Turilli, on the other hand, is making his efforts available under the RHAPSODY moniker (RHAPSODY OF FIRE's original name), in which he is joined by guitarist Dominique Leurquin, bassist Patrice Guers, singer Alessandro Conti (TRICK OR TREAT) and drummer Alex Landenburg (AT VANCE, ANNIHILATOR, MEKONG DELTA, STRATOVARIUS).

LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY's last album, "Ascending To Infinity", entered the German Media Control chart at the position No. 32.

MEGADETH has entered the studio to begin recording its fifteenth album and the band wants to bring its fans along for the ride.

For the first time, MEGADETH is going to bring its fans into the process and give them a window into the world of Dave Mustaine, Kiko Loureiro, David Ellefson and Chris Adler.

Pre-order the album digitally, on CD or on vinyl plus tons of other unique offerings like signed CDs, signed vinyl, gear from the studio and much more.

No matter what you order, you will get access to a variety of behind-the-scenes content such as photos and videos from the writing and recording sessions. You'll get full access to the process in real time.

Please note: The physical album products will not be fulfilled until on or around street date. Estimated fulfillment date of non-album items/experiences: July 2015.

As previously reported, MEGADETH has finished writing 15 songs for its next album, tentatively due before the end of the year. The CD will be the band's first to feature Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, best known for his work with ANGRA, and LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler.

In a recent tweet, MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine wrote: " I'm stoked so many people have reacted so positively about Kiko and Chris playing on this next record! Falling Upward again!"

He added in a separate tweet: "15 songs finished being written. Just waiting for Jr. [MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson] to arrive. He is gonna freak over Chris and Kiko."

In a statement, Mustaine called Chris "a tremendous talent" and "an amazing person" who is "going to bring a new level of excitement and energy to MEGADETH that the fans are going to lose their minds over."

Adler was equally excited about playing with MEGADETH, saying: "I'm coming into this on fire. There is an incredible amount of respect, but the goal here is to make the very best thrash album we can — not just throw names in the CD booklet or be a 'yes' man. Together, I believe we can do something very special."

Regarding Kiko's addition to MEGADETH, Mustaine previously said: "I first met Kiko around eight years ago for a cover shoot for Burrn! magazine. I had no idea who he was, other than the fact he was tremendously talented and that the staff from Burrn! held him in high regard. Since then, I've come to see what a guitar virtuoso he is, and I'm deeply encouraged by his depth and talent."

He added: "Very few MEGADETH alumni have had the same feel and ability as Kiko."

Finnish / Dutch / British symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH kicked off their North American tour last night (Thursday, April 9) at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York City.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Shudder Before The Beautiful 02. Yours Is An Empty Hope 03. Amaranth 04. She Is My Sin 05. Endless Forms Most Beautiful 06. My Walden 07. The Islander 08. Élan 09. Weak Fantasy 10. Storytime 11. Nemo 12. I Want My Tears Back 13. Stargazers 14. Sleeping Sun 15 The Greatest Show On Earth

Encore:

16. Ghost Love Score17. Last Ride Of The Day

Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

NIGHTWISH's new album, "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", was made available on March 27 in Europe and March 31 in the U.S. via Nuclear Blast.

The "Élan" four-track single, which arrived on February 13, features the album version of the title cut, a radio edit and an alternate version of "Élan", as well as the non-album bonus track "Sagan".

The cover artwork for "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" was created by the band's longtime collaborator Toxic Angel. Famed evolutionary biologist and atheist writer/leader Richard Dawkins appears as a guest on the effort.

Longtime NIGHTWISH drummer Jukka Nevalainen sat out the recording sessions for "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" due to health issues. He has sicne been replaced by Kai Hahto (WINTERSUN, SWALLOW THE SUN, TREES OF ETERNITY).

The "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" title came from Charles Darwin's "The Origin Of Species" book, where he wrote: "There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, while this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved." Singer Floor Jansen, who officially joined the band in 2013, made her live debut as the frontwoman of NIGHTWISH on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington.

SIXX: A.M., the band featuring MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx alongside guitarist DJ Ashba and vocalist James Michael, kicked off its first-ever headline tour with a sold-out show at San Francisco's Regency Ballroom Wednesday night (April 8).

Says Michael: "We have been looking forward to play a headlining tour as SIXX: A.M. for years, so it's been tremendously exciting to even just start the tour, but to kick it off with a sold-out show and to such an extraordinary audience last night really made it a truly fantastic and memorable tour start and we can’t wait to see everybody out there at the upcoming shows over the next few weeks."

Fan-filmed video footage of the San Francisco concert can be seen below. SIXX: A.M. will continue its "Modern Vintage" tour, playing a limited number of dates all across North America throughout the end of April, several nights of which are already sold out. While on the road, the prolific band is also already in the process of writing music for its upcoming fourth full-length album, which is tentatively due in 2016. Known as strong advocates of new music, the members of SIXX: A.M. consciously curated a global lineup for the current tour by bringing along special guests APOCALYPTICA from Finland and VAMPS from Japan to introduce their fans to some of the most exciting new rock music from around the world. Sixx notes: "SIXX: A.M. has always been about new music and unique creative concepts ever since our first album and the book. We think globally as a band and can't wait to play our music live all over the world next year so it only made sense to invite some of the best international rock bands out there to join us on our first headline tour and share the excitement we feel about new rock music with our audience." To round out its live lineup, SIXX: A.M. has added drummer Dustin Steinke of BLEEKER RIDGE into the mix for the tour, as well as backup singers Melissa Harding and Amber VanBuskirk. Ashba says: "We really wanted to create a great, over-the-top live experience on this tour like all the artists of the late '60s and early '70s did who influenced our music.

"Dustin is an amazing drummer who fits in perfectly with James, Nikki and myself. Adding him, as well as singers Melissa and Amber, to our touring lineup really allows us to create the big-sounding show we had always envisioned for SIXX: A.M. live."

Video footage of MICHAEL SCHENKER'S TEMPLE OF ROCK — featuring Schenker alongside ex-SCORPIONS drummer Herman Rarebell and bassist Francis Buchholz, ex-RAINBOW singer Doogie White and Wayne Findlay (guitar, keyboards) — performing the UFO classic "Doctor Doctor" on April 3 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywoood, California can be seen below.

MICHAEL SCHENKER'S TEMPLE OF ROCK's latest album, "Spirit On A Mission", features twelve 12 classic rock guitar-driven songs that highlight Schenker's distinctive and dynamic guitar playing, valiantly underpinned by the ferocious rhythm section of Rarebell and Buchholz, the same rhythm section that originally performed together on the SCORPIONS' 1979 album "Lovedrive".

The new album was recorded at Kidroom Studios in Münster, Germany; the same studio where 2013's "Bridge The Gap" album was laid down. The CD was produced by Michael Voss and Michael Schenker, and engineered by Voss.

"After the 'Bridge The Gap' Japan tour in March 2014, I started to put new material together for what was to become the 'Spirit On A Mission' album," says Schenker. I went to the recording studio in June 2014 to put down the song arrangements and we finished recording in November."

During the recording of the new album, the original recordings and guitars were stolen from the recording studio. Did this impact on the recording process of the new album?

"Yes, we got robbed [some guitars and some music] and got very upset about it," recalls Schenker. "Fortunately, it was just performances and not compositions. We caught up and performed the music better than before. It forced us to work extra hard and longer but it made it stronger."

Former RAINBOW singer Doogie White is described by Schenker as an "extremely creative individual with a fantastic range and a voice that never stops". "How many people do you know that can sing nine shows in a row, without a day off and still have a voice with a range like his?" says Schenker. "He's a real trooper."