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 new 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."

Legendary death metal unit, Six Feet Under, will release their eleventh studio recording this spring via Metal Blade Records. Titled Crypt Of The Devil, the ten track slab of audio violence was composed by vocalist Chris Barnes and Cannabis Corpse bassist/vocalist Phil "Landphil" Hall. Listen to the track “Stab” from the upcoming release, streaming below

While on tour with Cannabis Corpse in 2013, Barnes and Hall met and kept in touch. Barnes would later lend his vocals to a track on Cannabis Corpse’s From Wisdom To Baked. That same year, Hall and Barnes joined forces to pen brand new Six Feet Under tracks. Barnes lauds Hall's take on the Six Feet Under style of death metal and stated that this material was, "where my wheelhouse is - it's where I thrive vocally and lyrically."

With Crypt Of The Devil, Barnes has worked to continue the overall story from the previous works, wherein he is penning lyrics from the perspective of a serial killer. Or as Barnes describes, it's a "winding journey through his mind. The songs paint a picture that's not necessarily linear, rather a meandering back and forth through a dark soul."

Soon-to-be-classic cuts such as "Open Coffin Orgy" serve as exemplary examples of the fruits of Barnes' macabre muse.

Recording for the album took place at Hall's studio in Virginia. Hall tracked rhythm and bass guitar, while his brother, Josh Hall, tracked drums, and guitarist Brandon Ellis tracked the majority of the album's leads. Barnes took to London Bridge Studio (Pearl Jam, Alice In Chains) in his new base of operations in Seattle, Washington to record vocals and in fact holed himself up in the very same booth where Layne Staley tracked his words. The mix was completed by Rob Caldwell (Cannabis Corpse, Iron Reagan) in Sarasota, Florida and mastering was done by Alan Douches (Cannibal Corpse, Revocation, Torche, Skeletonwitch) at West West Side in New Windsor, New York. Crypt Of The Devil stands as a truly collaborative and cross-country effort from a selection of today's finest metal minds, and the result is a refreshing Six Feet Under experience. Or as refreshing as brutal, visceral death metal can be, anyway.

 

 

Crypt Of The Devil tracklisting:

“Gruesome”
“Open Coffin Orgy”
“Broken Bottle Rape”
“Break The Cross In Half”
“Lost Remains”
“Slit Wrists”
“Stab”
“The Night Bleeds”
“Compulsion To Brutalize”
“Eternal In Darkness”

“Stab”:

 

 

“Open Coffin Orgy”:

Six Feet Under began as a side project while Barnes -- owner of what would become one of the most dominating, groundbreaking and instantly distinguishable voices of the death metal genre -- was fronting Cannibal Corpse. Six Feet Under eventually became a full-fledged and unstoppable entity in 1995, and over the course of their career, have consistently helped shape the face of death metal through their uncompromising approach to their craft. Six Feet Under is one of the longest standing and successful acts in death metal history, with all but their debut album appearing on a Billboard chart. The band’s current live lineup will include longtime guitarist Steve Swanson, flanked by Jeff Hughell on bass, and Marco Pitruzella on drums.

 

 

Crypt Of The Devil will see release via Metal Blade Records on May 5th, 2015 and includes the outstanding cover art of Mike Hrubovcak (Aurora Borealis, Sinister, Rumplestiltskin Grinder). For a selection of pre-order bundles, go to this location.

 

 

This moth sees the return of the Hatefest Tour. The unholy billing is headlined by Six Feet Under and includes also Marduk, Vader and Hate. Special guests on all weekend-dates will be Eisregen and Debauchery.

 

 

Six Feet Under have announced Victor Brandt (pictured above) will be stepping in for this run of dates on bass. Comments singer Chris Barnes: "Thanks to all the fans for the great response to the upcoming new SFU release Crypt Of The Devil and the first track "Open Coffin Orgy" thank you so much! We are currently getting ready for our upcoming tour with Vader and Marduk on the HateFest tour of Europe. It will be a cataclysmic event. Do not miss it. Also for this run of dates we want to let you know that stepping in for our bass player, Jeff Hughell, will be Victor Brandt from Entombed. Steve Marco and myself are very much looking forward to sharing the stage with Victor while Jeff and his wife Fazi welcome the birth of their first child! It's gonna be a great year for SFU! Can't wait to see you all soon!"

Comments Victor Brandt: "I am very proud and happy to step in for my good friend and Warwick brother Jeff Hughell to play bass with the mighty Six Feet Under for their upcoming tour in Europe. We're gonna have a blast! Be sure to check out this killer tour that also features Marduk, Vader and Hate! See you in the pit and/or the bar."

 

 

Hatefest dates with Six Feet Under, Marduk, Vader, Hate plus extended guests Eisregen and Debauchery:

April
7 - Lindau, Germany - Club Vaudeville
8 - Ludwigsburg, Germany - Rockfabrik
9 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
10 - Geiselwind, Germany - Musichall (Extended Show)
11 - Munchen, Germany - Backstage (Extended Show)
12 - Berlin, Germany - Postbahnhof (Extended Show)

 

Greek/Swedish melodic death metal band, Nightrage, will release their sixth studio album, The Puritan, on April 24th via Despotz Records. Check out the new music video for the album track, “Stare Into Infinity”:

The Puritan - an uncompromising, eerie, dramatic and melodic death metal journey in its purest essence - welcomes new Nightrage vocalist, Ronnie Nyman, to the mix. Nyman joins founding member, guitarist Marios Iliopoulos, and bassist, Anders Hammer, after performing with the band last year on its Japanese and Russian tours.

 

 

Album number six was produced by Daniel Bergstrand (Meshuggah, Devin Townsend, Soilwork) and George Nerantzis at Dugout Productions in Uppsala, Sweden.

 

 

The Puritan tracklisting:

“The Puritan”
“With A Blade Of A Knife”
“Endless Vows”
“Foul Vile Life”
“Stare Into Infinity”
“Lone Lake”
“Son Of Sorrow”
“When Gold Turns To Rust”
“Fathomless”
“Kiss Of A Sycophant”

“Desperate Vows”:

“Kiss Of A Sycophant” video:

The album is available for pre-order at this location.

 

Agnostic Front have released a music video for the title track of their new album, The American Dream Died, out now via Nuclear Blast.

The American Dream Died was produced by Madball singer Freddy Cricien and engineered, mixed and mastered by Paul Miner (H2O, Terro). The record features guest appearances by Cricien, Toby Morse (H2O) and Lou Koller (Sick Of It All).

 

 

The album is available as digital download, on vinyl as well as on CD. An limited bundle with an exclusive T-Shirt is available, too - surf to this location to secure your copy.

 

 

The American Dream Died tracklisting:

"Intro"
"The American Died"
"Police Violence"
"Only In America"
"Test Of Time"
"We Walk The Line"
"Never Walk Alone" feat. Freddy Cricien, Toby Morse & Lou Koller
"Enough Is Enough"
"I Can't Relate"
"Old New York"
"Social Justice"
"Reasonable Doubt"
"No War Fuck You"
"Attack!"
"A Wise Man"
"Just Like Yesterday"

“Police Violence” video and making-of footage:

The American Dream Died webisodes:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Part 4:

Part 5:

Part 6:

AC/DC's "Rock Or Bust" has been nominated in the "Top Rock Album" category at this year's Billboard Music Awards.

Produced by Dick Clark Productions, the Billboard Music Awards will air live from the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, May 17 from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET on ABC.

Other "Top Rock Album" nominees are THE BLACK KEYS' "Turn Blue", COLDPLAY's "Ghost Stories", HOZIER's "Hozier" and LORDE's "Pure Heroine".

AC/DC's 16th studio album, "Rock Or Bust" sold around 172,000 copies in its first week of release to debut at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 album chart. This marked a huge drop from the opening number of 2008's "Black Ice", which topped sales charts in 29 countries, including the U.S. for the first time ever. It sold an incredible 784,288 copies in its first week in this country alone.

"Black Ice" was sold exclusively through Walmart, Sam's Club and ACDC.com in the U.S., hitting over one million copies by its second week. The band and its record label, Columbia, did not have the same exclusive deal this time.

"Rock Or Bust" was released on December 2, 2014 and is AC/DC's first album without guitarist Malcolm Young, who is suffering from dementia. He has been replaced by nephew Stevie Young.

As previously reported, AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd will now stand trial beginning on April 21 in New Zealand's Tauranga District Court, according to the AFP. Rudd was originally scheduled to go to trial on February 10 but the date was moved after his lawyer unexpectedly quit the case by what was said to be mutual agreement.

Rudd will face a "judge-alone" trial, meaning that he will go before just a single judge with no jury present.

Rudd was arrested last November at his home in Tauranga on charges of threatening to kill and possession of methamphetamine and cannabis.

A "not guilty" plea to the charges was entered by his lawyer in December. Rudd faces several years in prison if convicted of the charges.

Although Rudd played on "Rock Or Bust", he did not appear in photos or videos for the disc.

One-time AC/DC drummer Chris Slade officially joined the band's lineup for its performance on the February 8 Grammy Awards telecast. Slade will also be behind the kit for the group's upcoming world tour.

According to FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Zoltan Bathory, "all the music is done" for the band's next album, with singer Ivan Moody currently in the studio "recording the remaining vocals" for the CD, which is expected before the end of the year.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Jason Hook recently told "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show" that the group already has a title for the album picked out, explaining, "We do. But you're not gonna get it." He added, "I have all these funny things I'm dying to say right now, but I'm not gonna say anything. 'Cause we've always thought about good joke titles, like… 'Keep Your Receipt'… or 'Not Our Best Work'. No, I can't tell you the title." Hook added that there were no official song titles to divulge yet, saying, "Ivan's sketching lyrics, but until they come together, we name them… anything, just so I can refer to it. So there's one that I just finished called 'Pulled Pork'. It won't be 'Pulled Pork' by the time it gets on there."

Hook admitted that the band was on a tight deadline to get the new disc finished, saying, "Deadlines make for a focused work."

Bathory told The Pulse Of Radio recently that FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is always tweaking its songs right to the very end. "Up until the last moment, up until the moment the record has to be wrapped and sent to the label, we change things," he said. "Because you recorded a song, let's say, in October and maybe by February, March, you heard it enough and you can go back and say, like, you know what? I want a different guitar solo on it, you know."

Drummer Jeremy Spencer was recently asked about the band's new material, saying, "I'm digging it, man. It's actually more brutal, with more extreme dynamics. There are some really mellow parts and then some really brutal parts. So we're running the whole gamut of sounds."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH released its last effort, "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell", in two parts, with the first arriving in July 2013 and the second following in November 2013.

French progressive metallers GOJIRA have entered Silver Cord, the new New York-based recording studio designed and owned by the band's guitarist/vocalist, Joseph Duplantier, to begin tracking their sixth album for a late 2015 release via Roadrunner.

During a June 2014 interview with Sweden's Rocksverige.se, Duplantier stated about the progress of the songwriting sessions for GOJIRA's follow-up to 2012's "L'Enfant Sauvage": "We record demos, we jam, we work really hard… super hard on the songs. We wanna put out our greatest album."

He continued: "We do things a little differently. We dump songs, we dump riffs, which we never did before.

"[In the past] we would prepare 12 songs, get in the studio and record them just exactly as they are on the demos."

Joseph added: "We decided to do it differently this time. So [on previous albums] we would push each song to its maximum until it becomes really good. But this time we wanna select them right away. [If we come up a riff that sounds slightly] boring [from the start], we [get rid of it] instead of [spending time] trying to make it more interesting.

"So we have at least 20 songs — like, the main ideas, the core of each one. But we still need, now, to work on putting all the stuff together, but we have a lot of material that we really love this time. It's kind of challenging for us, also, 'cause the style is changing a little bit. We have some PANTERA-ish kind of riffs, which is kind of new for us. But we wanna… Because we want to… We want [the riffs] to be a little punchier sometimes."

Asked if GOJIRA will cut down those 20 song ideas to 12 or 13 complete tracks to record for the next album, Duplantier said: "Even to less than that. I want a short, very dynamic kind of album. But we have so much material; we could release three records or something.

"We believe in simplicity. When we release a record, we do it the old-school way. We could release a song once in a while and that's it. It would be better for these days to do it this way. I think that's what bands will do in the future. I think albums are dying. I think bands are going to work for a week at the end of a tour, release a song and go back on tour. And here you go — the fans are excited… But we're so old school. We still wanna have that big chapter in our career that we call albums that are so important. It's like a personal Bible that we're writing; it's very intense."

Joseph also confirmed that he will be in charge of the production of the next GOJIRA album. He said: "I wanna produce it. I have to do it myself somehow. It makes me feel great. I love it. That's what I do. It's what I like. I wanna do it. So everybody's, like, 'Oh, you should work with a big producer.' I don't think so. It could be a very personal sound, it could be a very direct dialog with the fans, without the interaction of anyone. Even if it's a great person, this person is still between us and the fans."

GOJIRA's fifth album, "L'Enfant Sauvage", sold almost 11,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 34 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"L'Enfant Sauvage" (which translates to "The Wild Child") was recorded at Spin Recording Studios in Long Island City, New York with co-producer Josh Wilbur (LAMB OF GOD).

Norwegian progressive metallers LEPROUS will release their new studio album, "The Congregation", on May 25 in Europe and June 2 in North America via InsideOut Music. The drums, guitars and bass for the follow-up to 2013's "Coal" were recorded at Sweden's Fascination Street and Ghostward Studios with David Castillo (KATATONIA, OPETH) and the vocals with Heidi Solberg Tveitan and Vegard Tveitan at Mnemosyne Studios in Norway. Just like the preceding albums, "Bilateral" and "Coal", "The Congregation" was mixed by Jens Bogren (OPETH, SYMPHONY X, KREATOR) at Fascination Street. The CD's cover artwork, which was created by artist Nihil, can be seen below.

The track listing for the 65-minute effort is as follows: 01. The Price02. Third Law03. Rewind04. The Flood05. Triumphant06. Within My Fence07. Red08. Slave09. Moon10. Down11. Lower

The video for the opening track, "The Price", can be seen below. The clip was directed by David Solbjørg and Kjetil Kolbjørnsrud of Twitchy Films.

Commented LEPROUS: "'The Price' was the obvious choice for us to make a video of. It's straight to the point, technical, focused, catchy and shows a new side of LEPROUS.

"We're very happy to be working with Twitchy Films also this time, and they've done a impeccable job creating an atmospheric and artistic video clip."

"The Congregation" will be available as standard jewelcase CD, digital download as well as limited import mediabook CD and 2LP editions. Physical versions feature bonus track "Pixel". LEPROUS vocalist and keyboard player Einar Solberg commented: "This has without doubt been the most challenging album to write so far, if you count the amount of hours, blood, sweat and tears behind it. Which makes me extra proud to just have delivered the master of what I consider to be the most daring, technical, fresh and mature album we've ever done.

"The music of 'The Congregation' is mostly written by me on my computer, so that this time around I could use my ears instead of my knowledge as the main writing tool. If you use your knowledge and your usual methods to write every album, you will eventually find yourself stuck in a quagmire of old habits. Lyrically, 'The Congregation' covers the dangers and consequences of blindly following the flow, thus the album title will speak for itself."

LEPROUS is:

Einar Solberg - Lead Vocal, KeysTor Oddmund Suhrke - GuitarØystein Landsverk - GuitarBaard Kolstad - Drums

Michele Agnello, the longtime girlfriend of TWISTED SISTER drummer A.J. Pero, has launched a crowdfunding campaign via the GoFundMe web site.

She writes on the site: "Hi my name is Michele Agnello. I was AJ Pero's longtime girlfriend of 19 years, his companion, best friend and the mother of his youngest daughter Brianna, age 14.

"Brianna was his sunshine. When he was not traveling and working as a world-renowned rock star in TWISTED SISTER and ADRENALINE MOB, he was just her dad. When he was home, they did everything together. She was his shadow; he was her whole world.

"He was and always will be the love of our lives.

"As most of you know, AJ recently passed away from a massive heart attack while on tour. Due to his unexpected and untimely passing, we now need a little help getting on our feet, to keep our home, basically start over without him.

"AJ truly loved and appreciated his worldwide fans so now we are reaching out to you all.

"For almost 20 years, AJ has been the sole provider for our family as the drummer in the legendary rock band TWISTED SISTER and had recently joined the band ADRENALINE MOB.

"This is very hard for me to ask for help, but at the moment, we have nowhere else to turn.

"Since we weren't legally married and he had no will, we are left with nothing and the bills are starting to pour in already this month.

"I have been unemployed for several years now due to an accident that left me disabled with 2 broken elbows and subsequently rods had to be implanted.

"I am asking for your assistance in helping us so I can get my daughter through this incredibly heartbreaking and difficult time in our lives.

"With my head held low and my heart completely shattered, I ask for your help so we can keep our home, I can feed my daughter and buy her clothes until I find a job to support us. Anything you can spare would be greatly apprciated.

"Thank you and God bless you all!"

Pero died at the age of 55 while on tour with the band ADRENALINE MOB. After members of that group failed to rouse him on their tour bus on March 20, he was taken to a Poughkeepsie, New York hospital and pronounced dead of an apparent heart attack.

A couple of days after Pero's death, TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider told a TMZ cameraman that the group would "probably" would keep playing, "for [A.J.'s] family, because his family will benefit from us playing, financially."

TWISTED SISTER guitarist Jay Jay French sounded less certain about the band's future when he told radio host Eddie Trunk on March 23 that "it may be time" for TWISTED SISTER to call its quits in 2016 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of French, Snider and Ojeda first playing together. He said: "We need to look at this and say to ourselves, as a live, breathing entity, on which our reputation totally rests on — being a great live act — how do we honor that history? And how do we honor A.J.? And how do we honor the fans' loyalty? And I think you know me and Dee and the band enough to know that we are totally realistic and genuine when it comes to our relationship with our fans."

TWISTED SISTER rose to prominence from the New York club scene in the early 1980s. Their biggest album, 1984's "Stay Hungry", contained the hits "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock".

In addition to touring with TWISTED SISTER and ADRENALINE MOB, Pero also recently played with former and current members of IRON MAIDEN and DISTURBED in a band called THE FOUNDRY. He also hosted drum clinics and seminars.

Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM have entered an as-yet-undisclosed studio to begin recording their ninth album, due later in the year. A picture of drummer Jaska Raatikainen laying down his tracks can be seen below.

CHILDREN OF BODOM's last CD, "Halo Of Blood", was certified gold in Finland for sales in excess of 10,000 copies. The effort, which sold 8,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release, was made available in June 2013 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The cover art was created by Sami Saramäki, who was responsible for the artwork on previous CHILDREN OF BODOM albums "Follow The Reaper", "Are You Dead Yet?" and "Hate Crew Deathroll".

"Halo Of Blood" was recorded at Danger Johnny Studios in Helsinki. For the recording of the LP, CHILDREN OF BODOM teamed up with recording engineer Mikko Karmila, who worked with the band on their fan-favorite albums "Hatebreeder", "Follow The Reaper" and "Hate Crew Deathroll", as well as Swedish producer Peter Tägtgren (MARDUK, AMON AMARTH), who oversaw production of both vocals and keyboards on the record. The album was mixed at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki.

Fan-filmed video footage of EXODUS's April 1 performance at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, California can be seen below.

EXODUS and TESTAMENT have joined forces for the "Dark Roots Of Thrash II" tour. The trek is conquering North America for five weeks, beginning April 1 in San Francisco, and includes select TESTAMENT and EXODUS festival performances. Support on the tour is coming from Texas melodic metal assailants SHATTERED SUN.

EXODUS's latest album, "Blood In Blood Out", sold around 8,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 38 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released in North America on October 14, 2014 via Nuclear Blast, the CD art was illustrated by Swedish artist Pär Olofsson, known worldwide for his incredible renderings that have graced the covers of countless heavy metal albums, including EXODUS' "Let There Be Blood".

"Blood In Blood Out" is EXODUS' first album since the departure of the band's lead singer of the past nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of his predecessor, Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

TWISTED SISTER will headline "A Concert To Honor AJ Pero" on June 13 at Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey. Tickets, priced at $45 each, go on sale April 8.

Pero died at the age of 55 while on tour with the band ADRENALINE MOB. After members of that group failed to rouse him on their tour bus on March 20, he was taken to a Poughkeepsie, New York hospital and pronounced dead of an apparent heart attack.

TWISTED SISTER guitarist Jay Jay French revealed last week that the band will "honor" Pero by fulfilling its touring obligations this year with the help of "a professional drummer who is a friend."

Writing on his blog at his blog at Preview.inc.com, Jay Jay said: "I realize that our collective history is so long, so deep, so intertwined that A.J.'s death has shaken us to the core. It made me realize the fundamental connection that we as a band and as a company share as friends with a nearly 40-year history."

He continued: "This company employs a lot of people and has created a business model that is the envy of many of our fellow bands.

"We will honor A.J. during our shows this year. A professional drummer who is a friend will be filling in shortly. This will allow us to fulfill our touring obligations and, most importantly, give us some space to make some very hard decisions about our future."

Jay Jay added: "We are surely not the same kids who had a dream 40 years ago to become 'rock stars.'

"We carry the scars to prove it.

"We are adults who run a business, and businesses must go on, even through a curtain of tears."

A couple of days after Pero's death, TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider told a TMZ cameraman that the group would "probably" would keep playing, "for [A.J.'s] family, because his family will benefit from us playing, financially."

French sounded less certain about the band's future when he told radio host Eddie Trunk on March 23 that "it may be time" for TWISTED SISTER to call its quits in 2016 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of French, Snider and Ojeda first playing together. He said: "We need to look at this and say to ourselves, as a live, breathing entity, on which our reputation totally rests on — being a great live act — how do we honor that history? And how do we honor A.J.? And how do we honor the fans' loyalty? And I think you know me and Dee and the band enough to know that we are totally realistic and genuine when it comes to our relationship with our fans."

TWISTED SISTER rose to prominence from the New York club scene in the early 1980s. Their biggest album, 1984's "Stay Hungry", contained the hits "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock".

In addition to touring with TWISTED SISTER and ADRENALINE MOB, Pero also recently played with former and current members of IRON MAIDEN and DISTURBED in a band called THE FOUNDRY. He also hosted drum clinics and seminars.

Metal Thunder Radio recently conducted an interview with former IRON MAIDEN singer Paul Di'Anno. You can now listen to the 45-minute chat in the YouTube clip below.

Speaking about his time with IRON MAIDEN, Di'Anno said: "[IRON MAIDEN bassist and main songwriter] Steve [Harris] had most of the words and the lyrics [to the band's first album] all written. That was some of the bones of contention that we had in the band — that I didn't get to write as much as I wanted to. 'Cause I am actually quite a prolific writer, but a lot of my songs were not accepted. 'Cause it's Steve's band, obviously."

He continued: "That first album was a revelation, I've gotta tell you. It was amazing. And the second album, for me, not so much. That's when I started to lose interest a little bit. But [we] still [had] great times — really great times."

Di'Anno added: "I could have died twenty years ago and said I've had the greatest life ever. But it's just getting better and better."

Di'Anno is scheduled to undergo knee surgery in June. He said in a recent interview: "I should have done this seven years ago. And now all the ligament is gone and all it basically is is bone rubbing against bone. And, oh my God, it's so painful some days, it's unbelievable. And through my mother, I caught osteoporosis [a progressive bone disease in which the bone density reduces over years] as well. When you get to a certain age. And [I can't be] buggered with that. [I'm like], sod this; I can't be dealing with it. So [fixing] the knee will make it a lot better."

In addition to Paul, ARCHITECTS OF CHAOZ features members of Di'Anno's longtime German touring backing group THE PHANTOMZ. The band's debut album, " The League Of Shadows", is tentatively due at the end of May. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Apache Falls", "When Murder Comes To Town", "Je Suis Charlie", "AOC" and "Switched Off".

Paul Di'Anno's April 9, 2014 performance at Lizard Club in Krakow, Poland as part of the Doładowanie festival was professionally filmed for a DVD, "The Beast Arises", which was released on October 6, 2014 in Europe through Metal Mind Productions and October 7, 2014 in North America via MVD. "The Beast Arises" was also made available on CD, digital and vinyl.

Di'Anno recorded two classic albums with IRON MAIDEN before being fired and replaced by Bruce Dickinson. He went on to front a number of other bands, including KILLERS and BATTLEZONE, and released several solo records.

In a brand new interview with Rolling Stone, METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the follow-up to 2008's "Death Magnetic". He said: "We're working on these songs and we're having a blast. We are being productive and having fun.

Asked if the new material feels like an extension of "Death Magnetic", Trujillo said: "I can't say that yet. I really can't relate it to any album; I think every METALLICA album is unique in its own way. What we're doing is special and unique in its own way, but still keeping it heavy."

He continued: "For me as a listener, part of the journey I'm on with METALLICA, there's just a certain edge that needs to be there.

"Before I even joined METALLICA, I used to train for tours, when I was in SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, to 'Ride The Lightning'. There's nothing like jogging the trails to, like, 'Fight Fire With Fire'."

Trujillo added: "I can tell you that what we're doing sounds heavy, but again each album is its own little experience. So we'll just have to wait and see."

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich recently told Rolling Stone that the band has written close to 20 new songs for its long-awaited tenth studio album, and will get closer to entering the studio in the near future. Ulrich said, "We've got lots of songs, and we're honing them and tweaking them. It's pretty close." He continued, "In our world, there's been a distinct difference between the creative phase and the recording phase. With this project, we're trying to bridge the two a little more organically and not have there be such a great divide between the processes. We want to see if we can bring some of the creative curiosity, the impulsive stuff that happens when you're first playing a song into the studio."

Ulrich added that the band doesn't want to record in a way that feels "labored over and overthought."

Trujillo told The Pulse Of Radio that there's always a surplus of new song ideas coming out of frontman James Hetfield. "James usually comes up with a lot of stuff," he said. "He's the kind of guy where he plugs in his guitar, turns a volume knob or a, you know, a tone knob, and he comes up with, you know, the greatest riff that you can imagine. So in that case, there's no shortage of riffs and ideas."

Even though Ulrich warned that "life continues with family and personal events," he added that the band is "certainly down there [writing] pretty much every day."

METALLICA spent a lot of time outside the studio in 2014, with activities that included a string of European all-request shows last summer, being guests of honor at a film festival, and playing a week-long residency on "The Late Show With Craig Ferguson".

A behind-the-scenes interview with Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, SEPULTURA, KILLER BE KILLED, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY) shot during his recent appearance on VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show" can be seen below.

On SOULFLY's upcoming studio album:

Max: "There's a lot of biblical lyrics. [There are] some classic songs, I think, that people are gonna like. I think the first song is called 'We Sold Our Souls To Metal'; that's kind of a metal anthem. I already played it for some people, and everybody that hears it loves it, falls in love with it. It's gonna be great for circle pits and mosh pits and things like that. [Producer] Matt's [Hyde] gonna mix it and master it and the whole thing, and it comes out August 14, I believe, on Nuclear Blast."

On the pros and cons of having family members in his band:

Max: "I think the pros, in my case… Like, my son Zyon plays drums [for SOULFLY], and if he doesn't wanna play a song, I'll just send him to his room. 'Do a timeout in the corner.' [Laughs] Be a parent, which is good — I can actually tell him… Sometimes he doesn't wanna play some songs, and I have to fight him. 'You've gotta play this song, man. People wanna hear [it].' The bad thing is kind of similar. 'Cause they're so comfortable with you, because you're their dad, or brother, that sometimes they don't do what you ask. [Laughs] And it becomes a little bit of a problem. But all in all, it's been pretty fun. I'm proud of my family, being all metal. I think it's such a cool family to have. And [my wife] Gloria working with us all the time [as our manager] and having the kids, all of them, into metal now, in metal bands, it's a dream come true for me, as a dad, to be a dad of sons that are playing metal. For me, it's what I always dreamed, since they were born. There was a phase [when] they liked hip-hop a little bit for a while, and I was hoping they would get out of it. And they found metal, and it's with them now. Zyon still has a hip-hop side, but we forgive him for that. Most of it is metal, so… We're very much a metal family, which I'm very proud of it."

Regarding the musical direction of the new SOULFLY material, Max told The Front Row Report: "Some of the stuff is really fast, actually; like the first couple of songs on the album are all fast. And then it eventually slows down and there's some kind of really heavy stuff. But I think it's a really strong album that I'm very proud of, and I think a lot of people are gonna like it."

SOULFY's ninth CD, "Savages", was released on October 1, 2013. The CD was produced by Terry Date, who is known for his work with such acts as PANTERA, DEFTONES and SOUNDGARDEN, among many others.

Hot on the heels of his acclaimed 2014 solo album, "Silent Assassins", SYMPHONY X bassist Mike LePond will rejoin his first professional band HEATHEN'S RAGE for three "reunion" shows in April.

Joining LePond will be original RAGE members Rob Warner (guitar) and Chris Teresyn (drums). Vocalist for the shows will be Alan Tecchio (HADES, NON-FICTION, WATCHTOWER), who appeared on "Silent Assassins".

Formed in 1983, HEATHEN'S RAGE was a staple on the New Jersey and new York club scene. They released two EPs — "Heathen's Rage" in 1986 and "Fight Til The End" in 1988.

The band's catalog, including a number of demo tracks recorded between 1984 and 1988, was recently re-released via Greece's No Remorse Records. "Knights Of Steel: The Anthology" is available as a 2-CD set as well as on vinyl.

HEATHEN'S RAGE 2015 reunion shows:

April 19 - Trenton, NJ - Rho Waterfront (with MIDNITE HELLION)April 25 - Lauda-Königshofen, Germany - Keep It True festivalApril 26 - Athens, Greece - An Club

HEATHEN'S RAGE 2015 lineup:

Rob Warner - guitarsAlan Tecchio - vocalsChris Tereszcyn - drumsMike LePond - bass

"We Shall Rise", the new video from THE SOUTHERN BLACKLIST, the Belo Horizonte, Brazil-based "death/groovy" metal band featuring former SEPULTURA guitarist Jairo Guedz, can be seen below.

In addition to Guedz, THE SOUTHERN BLACKLIST features singer Wallace Parreiras (EMINENCE), bassist Guilherme Henrique (CYHAD), drummer Alexandre Oliveira (DILÚVIO) and guitarist Caio Ribeiro (DILÚVIO).

Regarding THE SOUTHERN BLACKLIST's musical direction, Guedz tells BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "It is hard, metal, punch, groovy and death/thrash kind of music... the way we like it!"

SEPULTURA was formed in 1984 in Belo Horizonte, the capital city of Minas Gerais. Jairo joined the group the following year and played on the band's first two releases, 1985's "Beastial Devastation" EP and their 1986 full-length debut, "Morbid Visions".

In early 1987, Jairo quit SEPULTURA after losing interest in playing death metal and was replaced by São Paulo-based guitarist Andreas Kisser.

Guedz joined CAVALERA CONSPIRACY — the band led by brothers and founding SEPULTURA members Max (also of SOULFLY) and Igor Cavalera — on stage on September 13, 2014 at Music Hall in Belo Horizonte, Brazil to perform the early SEPULTURA classic "Necromancer", a song that he co-wrote.

After 14 years of touring and four releases, Skid Row and singer Johnny Solinger have parted ways.

Founding member Snake Sabo said, “We had a lot of great times together and created a lot of great music. We wish him nothing but the best.”

“Sometimes things just end. People go in different directions and grow apart and you have to make a decision. He will always be our brother,” adds co-founder Rachel Bolan.

The vacancy for a new frontman has been filled by powerhouse vocalist Tony Harnell. This news comes hot on the heels of his departure from Norway based band, TNT. “Tony’s experience, power and undeniable range made our decision an easy one,” commented guitarist Scotti Hill. Drummer Rob Hammersmith added, “I believe this will be a great year for Skid Row. I’m looking forward for things to come.”

When asked about joining forces with Skid Row, Harnell said, "I'm so excited and honored to be a part of such a great band with an amazing legacy and legions of faithful fans! The guys and I have known each other for many years and this is such a natural fit. I look forward to getting out there and playing live together and being a part of making new music and creating our future together. It's time to rock!"

The band will head into the studio to record the third chapter of the United World Rebellion trilogy this summer. They will also hit the road for another world tour in support.

 

Rock legends Lucifer’s Friend have reformed in 2015, some 20+ years after they last played together. The band formed in 1970 with their influential and groundbreaking self-titled album, famous album among connoisseurs of ‘70s hard rock. Its heavy and majestic overtones made it a pioneer release of progressive rock genre.

The group went on to release six albums in that decade. In 1976 Lucifer's Friend suffered a hard blow when British vocalist John Lawton jumped ship for none other than Uriah Heep. The band broke up in 1982 and briefly reformed in 1994 for their ninth album Sumo Grip. Now they're back, after 20 years, literally by the fans' request.

Lucifer's Friend released a ten track best of compilation titled Awakening, which also includes a bonus disc with four new songs, via Cherry Red Records today.

Lucifer's Friend will be playing Sweden Rock Festival and the reformation is expected to be one of the most extraordinary highlights of 2015! The band is receiving a variety of offers from around the world and look forward to playing their classic tracks and new material to fans!

Peter Hesslein said: “Over the years I have been asked many times, by all sorts of people, regarding a re-union / re-formation of Lucifer's Friend. As there are currently several international bands releasing cover versions of our old songs and in particular creating a ‘hype’ about Lucifer's Friend amongst the skateboarder's world-wide, we thought that before it really is too late, to give our fans, especially the younger ones, a chance to experience a part of the founder members of hard rock...“

Dieter Horns added: “When I received the first call regarding a re-union of Lucifer's Friend, on the spot I was wide awake and electrified. In recent decades we often discussed the possibility of a restart, made contact with studios and record companies, but now it should finally come true.”

John Lawton then added: “The reformation of Lucifer's Friend has been a long time coming, but we all feel that the time is right…To get back together with the guys with whom I had worked together for so many years and recorded albums that have in many respects stood the test of time, is for me, an upcoming highlight. We’re joined by Yogi Wichman on keyboards, who played on our last album Sumo Grip, but unfortunately the original drummer Addi Rietenbach died many years ago, so we will be introducing drummer Stephan Eggert into the band line-up.”

Awakening tracklisting:

CD1
“Ride The Sky”
“In The Time Of Job”
“Keep Going”
“Toxic Shadows”
“Burning Ships”
“Fugitive”
“Moonshine Rider”
“Dirty Old Town”
“Fire And Rain”
“Hey Driver”

CD2 (New Studio Recordings)
“Pray”
“Riding High”
“Did You Ever”
“This Road”

Art Gates Records has announced the signing of The A.X.E. Project.

This unique six-pieced metal combo from Bulgaria was formed in 2001; their sound is based in a combination of medieval harmonies and 3/4 by 4/4 and 7/8 and 11/8 measure schemes. They are a unique combination of male and female vocals both as duet or opera-like dialog parts.

In words of the band:

"We are happy to be a part of ever-growing Art Gates Records family. This is a big next logical step for our band and we are more than excited looking forward for what we can achieve together!"

After the release of a first LP entitled Stories From A Lost Realm - Part One (2010) and performing live several shows in Eastern Europe, sharing stage with artists such as Evergrey, Stoneguard and Blind Guardian; the band is ready to release their second album of studio this year through Art Gates Records worldwide.

Human Decay, Italian death/thrash combo on the lines of Pestilence, Death and early Sepultura has signed with Sliptrick Records and will release by the end of this month/early May their latest album titled Cleptocrazia (Kleptocracy). Human Decay is definitely the band capturing the grittiness and social awareness of the early ‘90s death and thrash heydays

Human Decay features founding member Francesco Belloni, skilled songwriter following the path of Chuck Schuldiner, talented axeman Jean Edifizi (formerly of Silent Agony), pounding drummer Mattia Mornelli and raging Michele Giromini on bass.
 

Divine Ascension is embarking on a national headlining tour throughout Australia. Totalling seven epic shows across the country, the Liberating Australia Tour will kick off on April 11 and feature many of Australia's premiere metal acts.

Divine Ascension played alongside symphonic metal masters Kamelot during their first Australian tour in 2013 and will be the main support for German power metal legends, Blind Guardian, for their entire Beyond The Red Mirror Australian Tour in 2015. DA has also shared the stage with countless other local metal heavyweights over the past eight years.

To launch their first national tour, Divine Ascension have now released their “Liberator” film clip. Filmed over three days with director Michael Pace of Pace Audio at the helm, the band decided to push music video medium introducing special effects, actors and an ominous undercurrent that permeates through the central story line.

All of these elements work to further amplify the music which can only be described as exhilarating and captivating.

Tour dates:

April
11 – Melbourne – The Espy
18 – Adelaide – The Cavern

May
2 – Brisbane – The New Globe Theatre
15 – Bendigo – MusicMan Megastore
22 – Sydney – Valve Bar & Venue
23 – Canberra – The Basement
30 – Geelong – The Barwon Club

Brazilian political groove metal band Black Oil recently signed with Sliptrick Records for the release of their new album, Resist To Exist, sometime later this year. A video for “Callate” is streaming below:

Resist To Exist features an array of special guests including Raymond Herrera (Fear Factory, Archaea) drumming on the track “Revolution”, as well as special guest Tony Campos (Soulfly, Asesino, Static X) on bass, Aaron Rossi (Ministry, Ankla, Prong), Hector Guerra, Zero Elvuh , Ricardo Vignini (Stand Against Everything) and Silverio Pessoa (Combustion).

The Resist To Exist album cover, and a video showcasing the making of that image, can be seen below.

Black Oil is:

Addasi Addasi - guitar
Mike Black - vocals
Drew Petropoulos - bass, vocals

French newcomers Tentation have joined Infernö Records. Tentation formed in 2012 and deliver old-school heavy metal in the perfect ‘80s French heavy metal tradition especially due to the fact they sing in French.

The band is currently finishing working on their new and first release, a mini-album made of six songs that will include a cover of French heroes H-Bomb ("Double-Bang"). CD and cassette version will be released thru Inferno Records. A vinyl version will be also available thru french label Impious Desecration Records.

“L’Epreuve Du Sang”:

Lineup:

Patrice - (vocals)
Guix - (bass),
Guillaume - (guitars)
Laurent - (drums)

Helevorn has released their first official live video for the track “Els Dies Tranquils”.

 

The videoclip was recorded in the band's show at Sala Es Gremi of Mallorca on December 13th, 2014 with the collaboration of Lisa Cuthbert on vocals and Pedro Zubiri on guitar.

The video was produced by Noventa Segundos and Tuco Martin "Shoot&Roll".

Indian metal veterans Demonic Resurrection complete 15 years as band today. On this very day they played their very first show at local club Razzberry Rhino in Mumbai.

The band posted the following on their Facebook page:

“On April 6th, 2000, a group of 17 year old's (Sahil Makhija, Aditya Mehta, Prashant Shah, Yash Pathak and Farhad Arora) played their first show as Demonic Resurrection at Razz Rhino. The set was 'My World Of Sadness', 'Darkened Moon', 'Creatures Of Ancient Blood' and a medley of Slayer's 'Seasons In The Abyss' and Sepultura's 'Slave New World'.

“Today DR celebrates 15 years as a band. It's been quite a struggle for us, we've had the highest of highs and the lowest of lows and while we still do struggle even today, what keeps us going is YOU! Our fans, ‪#‎thedemonicarmy‬ - The messages you send us, the comments you leave, starting the mosh at a gig, standing in the front row singing along or banging your head and all the things you do for us. It fuels the fire that keeps us going.

“Here is to another 15 years of being Demonic!”

An exclusive full performance of guitar legend Steve Vai's "Weeping China Doll" from the upcoming 2DVD release, Stillness In Motion: Vai Live In L.A. can be viewed below:

The double album and DVD, which will be released April 7 through Sony Music Entertainment and Legacy Recordings, were recorded October 12, 2012, at L.A.’s Club Nokia. It was the 49th show from Vai’s Story of Light World Tour.

“To say this tour was a powerful life experience would be like saying the sun is hot,” Vai writes in the Stillness in Motion liner notes. The power and  heat show in this new video, which you can check out below.

The 2DVD configuration of Stillness in Motion includes a bonus disc featuring “The Space Between the Notes (Tour Mischief),” a video diary featuring more than three and a half hours of footage filmed onstage, offstage and behind-the-scenes during the Story of Light World world tour.

Vai recently checked in with the following update:

"Today I received the first pressing of Stillness In Motion that’s coming out on April 7. Steve Vai is one wildly happy guy!

The bonus footage is called The Space Between The Notes and is over 3 and a half hours. It’s sort of tour diary that has some footage from every city we visited.

I’m very excited for you to enjoy this. The viewer gets to be with us in our trek around this amazing blue globe, and you can get a good snippet of what life on the road, or at least our road, is about. It was a monumental task that took 5-6 months of 10-15 hour days to edit together, but when I finished it and watched it I felt as though it was perhaps the best work I have done to date.

Enjoy!"

An iTunes pre-order in now up and running at this location. A snippet of the track "Velorum" is available on the page.

Vai's first release under the new Sony/Legacy agreement will be Stillness In Motion - Vai Live in L.A., a spectacular performance recorded October 12th, 2012 at Club Nokia in Los Angeles. Available in 2CD and 2DVD configurations, Stillness In Motion revisits the 49th concert from Vai's monumental Story of Light World Tour.

Running from 2012 through 2014, The Story of Light World Tour totaled out at 253 engagements (including shows, master classes and concerts with various orchestras) in 52 countries.In addition to the full Club Nokia performance, the 2DVD configuration of Stillness In Motion includes a bonus disc premiering The Space Between the Notes (Tour Mischief), a revelatory video diary comprised of more than three and a half hours of footage, lensed around the world on-stage, off-stage and behind-the-scenes during Vai's epic Story Of Light World Tour.

"To say that this tour was a powerful life experience would be like saying the sun is hot," writes Steve Vai in his personal liner notes penned for Stillness In Motion.

Following Stillness In Motion, Sony/Legacy will release an album of new Steve Vai material, marking a significant next chapter in the musician's growing canon.

The new multi-album deal marks an SME homecoming for Vai, who set the gold and platinum standard for rock instrumental music across a series of albums released through Relativity and Epic Records from 1990's game-changing Passion and Warfare (his 2nd album and 1st major label release) through 2007's orchestral Sound Theories, Vol. I & II.

Tracklistings:

2CD Edition

Disc 1
“Intro/Racing The World”
“Velorum”
Band Intros
“Building The Church”
“Tender Surrender”
“Gravity Storm”
“Weeping China Doll”
“John The Revelator”
“The Moon And I”
“The Animal”
“Whispering A Prayer”

Disc 2
“The Audience Is Listening”
“Rescue Me Or Bury Me”
“Sisters”
“Treasure Island”
“Salamanders In The Sun”
“Pusa Road”
“Frank”
“The Ultra Zone” (CD Version)
“Build Me A Song L.A.”
“For The Love Of God”
“Taurus Bulba”

2DVD Edition

Disc 1
“Intro/Racing The World”
“Velorum”
Band Intros
“Building The Church”
“Tender Surrender”
“Gravity Storm”
“The Trillium’s Launch”
“Weeping China Doll”
“John The Revelator”
“The Moon And I”
“The Animal”
“Whispering a Prayer”
“The Audience Is Listening”
“Where Are We”
“Rescue Me Or Bury Me”
“Sisters”
“Treasure Island”
“Beastly Rap”
“Salamanders In The Sun”
“Pusa Road”
“Earthquake Sky”, Drum Solo
“I’m Tired”
“The Ultra Zone”
“Frank”

Disc 2
“Build Me A Song L.A.”
“For the Love Of God”
“Taurus Bulba”

Story of Light Tour: The Space Between the Notes (Tour Mischief)
Leg 1 (Rehearsals/USA)
Leg 2 (Europe/Eastern Europe)
Leg 3 (Vegas/Netherlands/Russia/Ukraine/Europe)
Leg 4 (Australia/NZ/Indonesia/China/S. Korea/Japan/Taiwan/Thailand)
Leg 5 (Europe...again)
Leg 6 (USA...again)
Leg 7 (Mexico/South America/China)
Leg 8 (Vegas/Singapore/Malaysia/Israel/Europe/Russia/Ukraine)
Leg 9 (USA/St. Barths/Japan/France/Poland)

Joe Lynn Turner claims that his long-awaited reunion with RAINBOW leader Ritchie Blackmore will finally take place this year — even though previous attempts to bring the two back together were unsuccessful.

Joe was the singer of RAINBOW between 1980 and 1984 and he sang on the album "Difficult To Cure", which featured the band's most successful U.K. single, "I Surrender".

During Turner's time with RAINBOW, the band had its first USA chart success and recorded songs that helped define the melodic rock genre.

Speaking after his solo show in London last night, the singer told Classic Rock magazine: "[Ritchie is] itching to do some rocking, and we're going to get together in the fall.

"Ritchie is really, really ready to rock. He still has the chops, too."

He continued: "I'm not sure if it's going to be a RAINBOW reunion, or a bunch of remakes — which I detest, because you can't improve on perfection. But that's what's happening."

As confident as Joe is that Ritchie will finally agree to return to his rock roots, Turner acknowledged that Blackmore, who is known for being moody and unpredictable, could back out at any time.

"It's Ritchie, man," he said. Turner also expressed concern that Blackmore's "wife or mother-in-law" could "get in the way," adding, "She drives me fucking crazy."

According to Turner, previous attempts to put RAINBOW back together fell apart because Blackmore wanted to focus on his band BLACKMORE'S NIGHT, which is fronted by the guitarist's wife, Candice Night.

"We had multi-million dollar deals set up with Live Nation," Joe recalled. "A 60-day tour to start with, HD 3D movie, everything — and then he had to finish [a BLACKMORE'S NIGHT] album."

Despite this, Turner seems convinced that things will turn out differently this time on the RAINBOW reunion front. "It could happen," he said. "It's probable."

After Blackmore's final departure from DEEP PURPLE in 1993, he resurrected RAINBOW before focusing exclusively on BLACKMORE'S NIGHT.

Asked in a 2005 interview if he could ever see himself returning to the hard rock world, either with a RAINBOW lineup, or with a new project, Ritchie said: "I'm enjoying myself so much with this band [BLACKMORE'S NIGHT] that it's hard to see that happening. I might think about doing one or two shows with DEEP PURPLE, but their management couldn't be involved. It wouldn't be for recording — just for the fans for nostalgia. But we do play some rock in this band so it's not like I've abandoned that genre completely. It's just that it's not all we play."