Jaded Star, the dynamic Greece-based outfit featuring former members of Visions Of Atlantis, Iced Earth and many others, has released a lyric video for the track “Stars”, featured on their impending debut album, Memories From The Future, which is nearing April release via Sensory Records.

With over forty-five minutes of Jaded Star's energetic forward-thinking melodic heavy metal, Memories From The Future was produced by vocalist Maxi Nil (ex-Visions Of Atlantis), mixed and mastered by Fredrik Nordstrom at the legendary Fredman Studios in Sweden (Arch Enemy, At the Gates, Dimmu Borgir, In Flames, Opeth, etc.), and features ten brand new epic anthems. The album showcases Maxi's electrifying vocals and the masterful drum work Saini is known for. Guitar hero Kosta Vreto, with his unique finger strumming style, eschews the plectrum in favor of a raw, organic sound that literally comes straight through his hands. Babis Nikou on the bass brings a solid foundation and the chemistry between he and Maxi as the songwriting team provides emotion to match the power of the sound.

The cover artwork for Memories From The Future, created by Lila Belivanaki, and the album's tracklisting have been revealed ahead of its spring release date - April 14th in North America and April 24th in Europe - through Sensory Records, a division of The Laser's Edge. The record will be delivered in a digipak CD format with a whopping 24-page booklet, and on all prime digital services.

 

 

Memories From The Future tracklisting:

“The Mask”
“Wake Up”
“Keep On Fighting”
“Stars”
“Into The End Of Time”
“Healing The Inner Child”
“You'll See”
“In Memory”
“Raining In Sao Paolo”
“Innocence”

Check out tracks from the album below:

Memories From The Future by Jaded Star

Jaded Star has also officially announced that they are to support Dutch symphonic metal outfit, Epica, on two special shows in Greece, as part of the band's The Greek Enigma Tour on March 27th and 28th.

Issued the band on the special live performances, "We are very happy to announce that we will support Epica at their shows in Athens and Thessaloniki! This is the first time we play in Greece and we really can't wait to present our new album to our Greek brothers and sisters!"

Additional tour dates including a full Fall European tour and more are in the works.

Jaded Star tour dates:

March
27 - Fuzz - Athens, Greece (with Epica)
28 - Fix Factory Of Sound - Thessaloniki, Greece (with Epica)

 

 

Formed in 2013, Jaded Star was founded by vocalist Maxi Nil (ex-Visions of Atlantis) and drummer Raphael Saini (ex-Iced Earth), who recruited guitarist Kosta Vreto (Horizon's End, Wardrum) and bassist Babis Nikou (Astral DNA, Opened Paradise, Dia Mageias) to complete the lineup. The quartet instantly amassed a vast array of new material and began touring across Europe.

Upon signing with Sensory, Maxi Nil issued, "We can't put down in words how excited and happy we are for signing with Sensory records, since it's very hard to find these days labels who truly help, support and believe in their bands. Memories From The Future is an album full of energy and emotions and personally, it's the best thing I've done so far. We're all very proud of it and we can't wait to share it with the world. Make sure to listen to it as loud as you can!"

Added Sensory/The Laser's Edge owner, Ken Golden, "Recently I was approached a new band called Jaded Star. As soon as I learned that Maxi Nil was the band's vocalist I was immediately intrigued. I was quite familiar with her work with Visions Of Atlantis so I knew this would be quality metal. When I heard the album I was totally blown away."

 

French metal innovators, Supuration, will release their new album, Reveries, on May 29th via Listenable Records. The album track “Suffocate Through Asphyxia” is streaming below.

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)

“Suffocate Through Asphyxia”:

Suffocate through asphyxia by SUPURATION

 

Due for release on May 12th is Long Beach 1971, the latest album in earMUSIC’s Deep Purple reissue series that, over the last two years, has seen the release of rare live material from the band, including Paris 1975, Copenhagen 1972, Stockholm 1970 and Graz 1975. Spanning over 70 minutes of music, Long Beach 1971 was remastered in 2014.

Recorded at Long Beach Arena in Long Beach, California, on July 30th, 1971, it was broadcast on radio (KUSC 91.5 FM), a showcase for a support performance to Rod Stewart and The Faces.

An official release for a concert that has long been considered a landmark for the band, the set featured tracks (“Speed King” and “Child In Time”) from their fourth studio album, June 1970’s In Rock. This was a transitional release for the Mk II version of the band - guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, frontman Ian Gillan, bassist Roger Glover, organ/keyboard player Jon Lord and drummer Ian Paice -, being their first hard rock affair as well as their commercial breakthrough as the third leading über-rock band of the day along with Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin. Completing the set that day were a considerably extended version of “Mandrake Root” from their July 1968 debut album Shades Of Deep Purple, and “Strange Kind Of Woman”.

Opening with an 11-minute long “Speed King”, the show actually starts off like a climax, with a frenzy of organ and batter of guitar and drums, before segueing into a fast and furious riff and some classic caterwauls from Ian Gillan. Next up is “Strange Kind Of Woman”. The piledriving central motif is a classic combination of rhythm and riff, the band hitting a bluesy, even funky, groove. Following is an impressive version of the Deep Purple classic “Child in Time”: it is 20 minutes of heavy action from Blackmore. If you’re not too exhausted by that, there is time for one more, and it’s a good - not to mention long - one: “Mandrake Root”, a 27-minute extrapolation of the debut album track and concert standby.

All in all, the frenzy, powerful show is leaving the audience staggered, and not a little dazed, as they head towards the exit, into the warm California night, wondering what the hell just happened. Deep Purple live just happened.

 

 

Tracklisting:

“Speed King“
“Strange Kind Of Woman“
“Child In Time“
“Mandrake Root“

 

 

Deep Purple has announced their 2015 North America Summer tour. Tickets and VIP Packages are on sale now in select markets. More dates to go on sale in the coming days.

VIP Packages will be offered in select markets on the 2015 Deep Purple North America Tour. The packages offered will be the following:

Diamond: Meet & Greet Package (available in select markets)

Package includes:

- Premium Ticket (in first five rows in most markets) (or GA where applicable)
- Meet ‘n’ Greet with band member(s) (will not include Ian Gillan).
- Exclusive Autographed Litho
- 1 Personal Item autographed
- Exclusive VIP Merchandise- To Be Determined
- Commemorative laminate and lanyard

Gold: Merchandise Package (available in select markets)

Package includes:

- Premium Ticket (in first 15 rows in most markets) (or GA where applicable)
- Exclusive VIP Merchandise To Be Determined

 

 

Tour dates:

July
14 - Lewiston, NJ - Art Park Amphitheatre
22 - Englewood, NJ - Bergen Pac
24 - Lynn, MA - Lynn Auditoriu
25 - Port Chester, NY - Capitol Theater
30 - Mashantucket, CT - Foxwoods Resort & Casino

August
2 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium
4 - Sterling Heights, MI - Freedom Hill Amphitheatre
5 - Columbus, OH - Ohio State Fair
7 - Sioux City, IA - Hard Rock Casino
12 - Costa Mesa, CA - Orange County Fair
14 - Laughlin, NV - Edgewater Casino
15 - Indio, CA - Fantasy Springs Casino

More tour dates will be announced. For info on which shows are on sale visit DeepPurple.com.

 

On June 26th, Hammerheart Records will release the first of a set of three deluxe editions by black metal legend Mystifier, their debut Wicca, originally released in 1992 on Heavy Metal Maniac Records.

The deluxe digipack CD package contains two discs, with Disc 1 containing a fully remastered version of Wicca, and Disc 2 containing the original master from 1992 with their T.E.A.R. (The Evil Ascension Returns) 7” EP added as bonus tracks.

 

 

The vinyl edition (featuring the remastered album) will be available on transparent green vinyl, limited to 100 copies (exclusively in the Hammerheart Records webstore) and a regular black vinyl, with fully restored artwork, 180 gram Audiophile High Quality vinyl and a little surprise added.

In August, Goëtia will follow and in September, The World Is Good That Who Made It Doesn't Live Here with a similar treatment. A live album (with DVD) and a completely new record are in the works as well. Also a tour is planned for February 2016.

Mystifier was formed in 1989 in Brazil and fits in with Sarcofago, Holocausto, old Sepultura and Holocausto, as a founding stone of the extreme Brazilian scene. These days Mystifier is a cult act, playing their classics and appealing to the dark legions that still worship at the altar of Blasphemy, Sarcofago and Beherit.

 

A new 15-second video clip of an as-yet-unidentified drummer — believed to be Chris Adler (LAMB OF GOD) — laying down tracks for MEGADETH's new album can be seen below.

A photo that was taken on March 19 of MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine and Adler having a discussion at what appeared to be a fast-food restaurant or a coffee shop was posted on Twitter by former MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE drummer Bob Bryar.

As BLABBERMOUTH.NET exclusively reported on March 14, MEGADETH is rumored to have hired Adler and Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro (ANGRA) to play on the band's new CD.

If true, Adler's involvement with MEGADETH would apparently be limited to studio work only, and he would not be expected to join the band on the road to promote the effort, which is currently being recorded in Nashville, Tennessee.

MEGADETH was still finalizing the recording lineup for its new album earlier in the month, with Mustaine tweeting on March 10 that he was "excited to be auditioning one of my final picks for my new guitarist today."

The band has yet to officially announce replacements for drummer Shawn Drover and guitarist Chris Broderick, who quit the group last year.

Speculation has been rife over the last three months as to whether fans could expect a reunion of MEGADETH's classic late 1980s and early 1990s lineup featuring Nick Menza on drums and Marty Friedman on guitar.

Both Menza and Friedman indicated in recent interviews and online postings that they weren't opposed to rejoining MEGADETH, with Menza saying: "I'm open to whatever could possibly happen. That's up to Dave [Mustaine." Friedman, who was also part of the band's "Rust In Peace" lineup, said in January that he "would not be against considering" a possible return to the band as the replacement for Broderick, but cautioned that fans shouldn't "get [their] hopes up either."

TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider has apologized to former WHITESNAKE and DIO guitarist Doug Aldrich for "singling him out" by questioning the relevance of any of the WHITESNAKE releases Aldrich appeared on.

On February 9, Snider posed the following question for his 124,000 Twitter followers: "What WHITESNAKE album of importance did Douglas Aldrich play on? I'm just sayin'." He added in a separate tweet: "I'm tired of musicians who joined famous bands after their heyday claiming they are from those bands. They had NOTHING to do with success!"

A short time later, Aldrich responded with the following tweet: "Dee Snider, dude, I just did my best to keep the band moving forward. Was blessed to compose 30 tunes. You are a total jackass though. Haha!"

During an appearance on the March 9 edition of Eddie Trunk's SiriusXM satellite radio show, "Eddie Trunk Live", Snider explained in depth his reasons for calling out Aldrich. He said: "It's because I'm [living] in [Las] Vegas [right now] that this whole incident, for lack of a better word, was triggered.

"First and foremost, I did this already on Twitter, and I'm gonna do it again. First, I wanna say, I apologize to Doug Aldrich. I should not have singled him out in this issue that I'm gonna talk about. Singling him out was unfair and it was wrong. And I apologized on Twitter, and he acknowledged it. I'm apologizing nationally, internationally… whatever.

"But the reason… What happened was, I was in Vegas and I was driving down the Las Vegas Boulevard, and I saw a sign for [the 'Raiding The Rock Vault'] show… And what I'm gonna try to is not single out people individually. Okay? But I have to explain the Doug Aldrich tweet that got so much coverage in the rock press; I couldn't believe it. And I saw the sign, and it said that this show now had Doug Aldrich from WHITESNAKE. And I said… 'Doug Aldrich?' I've met Doug, I know he played with WHITESNAKE. I'm going, 'From WHITESNAKE?' This show proclaims they have all these great people from these great bands. And I said, 'Now I know [former WHITESNAKE members] Bernie Marsden, Micky Moody, John Sykes, Adrian Vandenberg, Steve Vai, Vivian Campbell…' I've toured with WHITESNAKE. I know these people. Doug Aldrich… That came in, like, 2008! And to claim that he was from WHITESNAKE, I felt, was… It really irked me. And that's why I did that. I tweeted, 'What important [WHITESNAKE] record did he play on?'"

He continued: "I just have this issue with respect for original members, respect for founding members, respect for the people that were in the van, that were on Sunset Strip selling tickets for pay-to-play shows, and that so many of these guys get forgotten.

"You know me, I firmly believe I could have gone out there without… as solo, as TWISTED SISTER… I believe that. [TWISTED SISTER guitarist] Jay Jay French does not believe that. But I believe that I could have done that. But I never did, because I felt that was disrespectful to the guys. And we are the original band, the original lineup.

"I know that Doug plays with WHITESNAKE. And that's the operative word.

"You know Al Pitrelli [MEGADETH, SAVATAGE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA]. And you know Joel Hoekstra [NIGHT RANGER, WHITESNAKE]. Al and Joel, like Doug, [are] great guitar players. When I say to Joel, 'What are you doing now?' Joel said… This was a few years ago when I first ran into him when we were doing 'Rock Of Ages' together. He said, 'I'm playing with NIGHT RANGER.' Operative word being 'I'm playing with.' I see Al Pitrelli and I say, 'What are you doing now, Al?' he goes, 'I'm playing with ASIA.' Or, 'I'm playing with MEGADETH.' He never said to me, 'I'm in MEGADETH,' or, 'I'm a member of MEGADETH.' He knows full well that Marty [Friedman] is the guitar player everybody knows from the heyday of MEGADETH. He's a paid… This is Al Pitrelli… A paid sideman. He's on salary. He's not a bandmember. None of these guys are bandmembers."

Snider added: "It's something I'm very passionate about, and that's why I got upset.

"[To claim that these musicians were members of those bands is] misleading to the public, and it's unfair to the public, it's unfair to the artist. I mean, to say they 'played with,' that's fine, but the illusion that, when people say, 'I'm in GUNS N' ROSES.' And there are guys today who are in GUNS N' ROSES? Dude, you're not in GUNS N' ROSES. You're playing with Axl Rose. The people who were GUNS N' ROSES, again, they stood on Sunset Boulevard, they sold tickets to pay-to-play shows. Those are the original members of GUNS N' ROSES. The guys we know, the guys the audience appreciates, the guys that made the music, wrote the music that people love. And it just… it irks me, because so many of these guys are just forgotten. The guys that were in the band, and they die or fade away with nothing left. Somebody else has stepped into their shoes and is playing their solos, singing their parts, and they're forgotten. And it breaks my heart."

Dee went on to admit that he made a mistake when he cited Aldrich as an example of a musician who was wrongfully claiming to have been a member of formerly mega-successful rock band. But he said: "Fair enough, there are guys out there like Doug, who have been in these bands for years. Fair enough… It's not black and white. And there are so many guys… But I'm sorry, man. I'm sorry. If you're hired [to play in] a band after their heyday, I don't care if you played with them for three decades…"

He continued: "I hope there are people listening to what I'm saying. 'Cause I'm not… I kind of pride myself on being fair and recognizing my own… I called myself an asshole on Twitter, recognizing that… Well, Doug called me an asshole, and I hashtagged 'asshole.' You know what I mean? And I'm fair and I'm honest. I'm gonna say it's not black and white.'"

Snider also weighed in on the current lineup of KISS, which features guitarist Tommy Thayer and longtime drummer Eric Singer dressing up as Peter Criss' and Ace Frehley's respective "Spaceman" and "Catman" personas. He said: "I don't understand how people could accept this. Tommy Thayer, I'm sorry, it's insulting. Not only did he play in a [KISS] tribute band, he's imitating Ace. His entire act is an Ace imitation."

He continued: "My theory is, [fans] forgave KISS for 'I Was Made For Loving You', and anything is acceptable after that. It was disco song, people. It's not okay. It was never okay, and they're playing it live now. Unbelievable! They play 'I Was Made For Loving You' — a freakin' disco song."

Snider added: "When KISS replaced Ace and Peter, and they brought in guys who had their own makeup and their own thing, that was acceptable. When they got rid of the makeup and they brought in Bruce Kulick… Now [if] Bruce says, 'I was in KISS…' A contributing member on platinum-selling albums, songs that define a band. He was in KISS? Yeah, damn right he was in KISS. [He helped write] songs that we know, songs that we connect to, songs that moved the band forward with their careers, or helped sustain their careers.

"I have a [radio] show called 'House Of Hair'. [In the] eighteen years [that I have hosted the show], we've never played a WHITESNAKE record with a Doug Aldrich song on it. I'm sorry, Doug. We've never played a KISS record with any of the guys after Bruce Kulick. [You wanna know] why? Because we're a hits show. We play hits. We plays songs people know, songs people wanna hear, songs people love. It may be wrong.

"I often tell the producer [of my radio show], 'Why can't we play something — even a taste of something — new?' 'Cause people are interested. But we don't. And there's a reason for it. Because these are the defining records, these are the defining musicians, this is the music of these people's lives, and that's what my show gives to them. Again, I'm not the producer, but this is what we give to them."

Aldrich left WHITESNAKE in May 2014, explaining in a statement that he "had several recording and live commitments, so [he] needed a more flexible schedule to conclude these before going full force as normal." He added: "Unfortunately, my schedule was not workable."

Aldrich played on the last two WHITESNAKE studio albums, 2008's "Good To Be Bad" and 2011's "Forevermore", and appeared on several live releases, including 2013's "Made In Japan" and "Made In Britain/The World Records".

According to DailyTelegraph.com.au, AC/DC founder and guitarist Malcolm Young and his wife Linda have spent AUD 10 million (approximately $7.9 million) on a waterfront property in Palm Beach, a northern beachside suburb of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. The sale is said to be "the biggest on the northern beaches this year. The five-bedroom home is on an absolute beachfront site of about 520sq m and is among many multimillion-dollar properties in the street."

Malcolm Young was forced to leave AC/DC last year because he is suffering from dementia. He has been replaced by Stevie Young, nephew of Malcolm and AC/DC guitarist Angus Young.

Dementia can be reversed when it's caused by dehydration or other treatable conditions. But most forms of dementia worsen gradually over time and can't be corrected.

According to WebMD, the average survival time for people diagnosed with dementia is about four and a half years. However, those diagnosed before age 70 typically live for a decade or longer.

"You just expect that they are going to get better," AC/DC singer Brian Johnson said. "You think there's going to be a pill that's going to fix them. I don't know... You think there's going to be a miracle, and, of course, one day you wake up and realize there isn't, and it hurts."

The Sydney Morning Herald reported in September 2014 that Malcolm was being treated in a nursing home in Sydney, Australia. The facility was believed to be Lulworth House in Elizabeth Bay. A Young family connection told the newspaper, "If you were in the room with [Malcolm] and walked out, then came back in one minute later, he wouldn't remember who you are. He has a complete loss of short-term memory. His wife, Linda, has put him in full-time care."

Malcolm did not participate in the recording sessions for AC/DC's new studio album, "Rock Or Bust", which arrived on December 2, 2014.

Stevie Young played with AC/DC once before during a 1988 tour, while Malcolm stepped out to deal with his dependency on alcohol.

TWISTED SISTER guitarist Jay Jay French says that the band will meet later this week to discuss its future plans following the tragic passing of the group's drummer, Anthony Jude "A.J." Pero.

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

During an appearance on yesterday's (March 23) edition of Eddie Trunk's SiriusXM satellite radio show, "Eddie Trunk Live", Jay Jay spoke about whether he was aware of Pero battling any health issues prior to his passing.

"You know, he would be in the dressing room… Drummers are like… They're the most… 'Oh, my arm. My shoulder.' That kind of a thing," French said. "Put the Bengay on and take the aspirin. But that's stuff that you just figured were like battle scars — that kind of a thing. I didn't know the extent… that he had heart problems; he never confided in me. In fact, here's the ironic thing… On Thursday [March 19], I had to call him, because I had to bring him up to date on what was going with the band, 'cause so much stuff is happening. We've got a documentary coming out this year on the beginning of the band [and our] history; we've got, like, three CDs coming out with live stuff from back in the day. A.J.'s on one of them. The Donington concert's coming out for the first time on CD. And I said to A.J., 'You know, we've got to really sit down and plan what we're gonna do, because we've got this DVD in Vegas that's supposed to be filmed at the end of May. And the band's thinking about, you know, maybe we should put a plan together to figure out… you know, maybe it's time to bow out. There's so many things in the works, there's so many plans and things to discuss. And he said, 'Listen, there's one thing you have to know.' He goes, 'My shoulder's been bothering me, and I'm leaving the ADRENALINE MOB tour, so when you hear through social media that I'm not on the tour, there's no problem. It's just my shoulder. I'll get into rehab for the summer.' This is what he says to me. Just like this. He goes, 'Don't worry about anything. All the dates are good. I'm good. Everything's good,' I said, 'Okay.' I said, 'When are you home?' He said, 'I'm playing The Chance [in Poughkeepsie], and then I'm home Sunday.' And I said, 'Let's get together Monday.' He says, 'You've got it, brother.' That was it."

Asked if Pero was the type of guy that had regular physical checkups, Jay Jay said: "I can anecdotally… and I can only say this anecdotally, because I never asked him. But anecdotally, I hear he didn't. Anecdotally, I think he thought he was indestructible. Which, by the way, we think we're all indestructible… I'm assuming everyone kind of takes care of themselves. So there was underlying heart disease. His father died of heart disease. His family told me that they would like money sent to the American Heart Association in lieu of flowers, donated in the name of A.J. Pero, because the family had a history of heart disease. So I think if you have a history of these things, if you don't take care of yourself, I guess this is what happens. But he never said to me… he never pulled me aside and said, 'Look, man, I'm having a hard time here.' It was never that. In fact, it was the exact opposite. 'A.J., can you do this?' 'No problem.' 'Can you do this?' 'No problem.' 'Can you do this?' 'No problem.' Well, if someone tells you there's no problem, there's no problem. I mean, I'm not his parent, right?! And he's like my brother. And plus, as you know the peculiar nature of TWISTED SISTER, how often are we together? We're together three months a year, and then we don't see each other."

In hindsight, French believes that early symptoms of Pero's coronary artery disease were misread.

"Here's what I think. That shoulder pain wasn't the muscle strain. It was indicative of something far worse," French said. "But, you know, the problem in metal and rock and roll in general is that we always tend to think it's the alcoholics who are gonna go. Those are the obvious ones. The stories you hear about John Bonham, Keith Moon… They tear up hotels, they're drunk, they make real spectacles of themselves, [and then] they die. Those are the guys [where] you just go, 'Okay, well, they lived that kind of life.' Like the fact that Keith Richards is alive, I think, is kind of mind-boggling to me. But having said that, A.J. wasn't one of those guys."

Jay Jay also talked about the positive words he has received from the rock community about Pero's contribution to the genre .

"[The fact that A.J. was a good guy] is reflected in the absolutely overwhelming social commetary about what A.J. meant to people," he said. "The saddest part is he's not alive to see the love. I mean, in this world of such negativity, of such… people, all they wanna do is just tear you down… I have to say that not one negative word has been said about this man. And, in fact, it's like the loss of a beautiful guy. And that's the part… He didn't know how many people loved him. And I'll tell you something else too. We take for granted his artistry. Do you know how many drummers loved him?"

Regarding TWISTED SISTER's plans for the future, Jay Jay said: "Dee [Snider, vocals] is flying in tomorrow, and we're having a meeting on Wednesday. And we're gonna discuss several things. We're gonna discuss the near term, which is the concert in Vegas, which is May 30th. And we're gonna discuss the middle term, which is getting through the shows in Europe this year. And then we're gonna [talk about] the long term, which is: Is 2016 gonna be a statement year for us? Is it gonna be…? Are we gonna say…? 'Cause 2016 is the 40th anniversary of me, Dee and Eddie [Ojeda, guitar] together. And it may be time. It may be."

He continued: "We are trying to confront the reality of it, because I don't wanna be in this forever… We could. I mean, some bands are forever in that ozone area and continue to play on.

"We had no idea the band had any following at all when 9/11 happened and we did the New York Steel benefit, and then, all of a sudden, we got calls from around the world and we had no idea whatsoever that the band meant anything to anybody anymore. And in the last thirteen years now, we've established [a following] all around the world and South America, and the band is wildly popular. And our music, as you know, is licensed everywhere. 'Cause we license our music, for the reason why, is we want the music played, and if you can only get it played in commercials and TV shows, then that's where you go. So it has given us an entire life. But 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."

Pero joined TWISTED SISTER in 1982, leaving the band in 1986 but returning in 1997. He remained a member of the group, which has toured on and off over the past 15 years, to this day. He played drums on six of the group's seven studio albums, except for 1987's "Love Is For Suckers".

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.

Canadian rock journalist Mitch Lafon of the "One On One With Mitch Lafon" podcast (Facebook page) recently conducted an interview with former KINGDOM COME and current SCORPIONS drummer James Kottak. You can now listen to the chat using the Spreaker widget below.

Asked why the original lineup of KINGDOM COME only managed to record two albums before falling apart in the late '80s, James said: "Well, I hate to say it, but there was somebody in the band who said the wrong thing to the press and created a lot of bad blood. And you can live and die by the press, especially back in the '80s. I mean, I hate to say it, but look what happened to QUIET RIOT. R.I.P. Kevin DuBrow, but, man, his mouth ruined that band; just too much talking and talking. And we had a similar situation where, instead of accepting the compliments — 'Hey, man, you guys sound like LED ZEPPELIN' — it was, like, 'Oh, no. We don't.' And I was the complete opposite. If I was ever asked, 'Who's your favorite drummer?' I'd say, 'John Bonham.' 'Who's your favorite band?' 'LED ZEPPELIN.'"

He continued: "If you're gonna be compared to somebody, be compared to the very best. And that was my whole attitude the whole time. And, unfortunately, the second album came and went, and things happen. It's not always about the music; [there's] a lot of politics involved. And that was it. The manager who got the whole thing together, about halfway through, he kind of lost it and wasn't around anymore, and he was really in charge of everything. So there was a lot of things involved."

Kottak also spoke about the possibility of a reunion of the original KINGDOM COME lineup. He said: "I've been talking to [KINGDOM COME singer] Lenny [Wolf] since 2009 — really talking serious trying to get this KINGDOM COME thing back together, and then it just fizzled. And even when I was, basically… I was asked by Klaus [Meine, SCORPIONS singer], 'Hey, you know, don't do any outside stuff.' Then I said [to the other members of the original KINGDOM COME lineup], 'Okay, guys. Go ahead and go on without me.' And nothing happened. They had gigs on the table. The four of them could have gone and done anything. Just get another drummer. And it just… Nothing happened. So… go figure."

He continued: "I would love to revisit [the early KINGDOM COME material], 'cause I love the first and second album — they're two of my all-time favorite albums. And the songs are incredible. And I think there's an audience out there for it, based on all the other stuff. Heck, if nothing else, we could do the Monsters Of Rock cruise. I mean, we could actually go out and really play a lot. But we'll see."

The original KINGDOM COME lineup recorded and released two albums — 1988's "Kingdom Come" and 1989's "In Your Face" — before all members other than Wolf quit the group.

With a new, mostly German lineup, KINGDOM COME remains active, with several subsequent releases and tours in Europe under their collective belts.

In a March 2011 interview with The Great Southern Brainfart. KINGDOM COME singer Lenny Wolf was asked if he was hurt by the criticism that his band received early on for sounding like LED ZEPPELIN. "I was a young man, a singer who hardly spoke English and our band just exploded," he said. "We were excited and at first the press celebrated us. I remember [U.K.'s] Kerrang! [magazine] said, 'Finally, there's a band like 'the big magic Z!'' and we were all very happy."

He continued: "I must admit that there were some similarities, but in no way did we even get close. Every band, especially young bands, are influenced by somebody and those influences will surface when you start writing your own stuff.

"In the beginning, we took it as a compliment then all of the sudden some press person overheard Danny [Stag, guitar] saying, 'Who's Jimmy Page?' He was saying it out of context like, 'Oh no, not this question again.' so [the magazine] printed that one line: 'KINGDOM COME guitarist announces he's never heard of Jimmy Page.'"

Lenny added: "This is so far out and ridiculous but the way the media works. The press loves victims. They love kicking you when you on the ground and they'll kick you even more. That's just the way it is. We also learned that bad press is better than no press and once I realized that, I just ignored it and I didn't care anymore. Fortunately, the music does all the talking and if the music gives you goosebumps and the music moves you than don't worry about it.

"We took it as a compliment and were excited. We were playing in London the night before Robert Plant was playing and we went down to see him. He was goofing with us, having fun and he was so relaxed. Robert Plant is like above all. He's really above everything. He was joking with us and it was really great. It really made me sad when I noticed Jimmy Page, who was one of my heroes, starting to whine about little KINGDOM COME who was never really a threat at all."

Helsinki, Finland-based metallers AMORAL are now a six-piece, having reunited with their original vocalist Niko Kalliojärvi. Kalliojärvi's return has been in the worls since last year, and he will be largely present on the band's seventh studio album, which is currently being written for a tentative early 2016 release.

”Damnation! The AMORAL gigs I've done cameos at during the last few years have been fun experiences, so when I was asked to come back to the group, I was both surprised and excited," Kalliojärvi says. "For musical reasons, but also since I've always been comfortable in said company."

Niko continues: "The new lineup lets us realize musical ideas in a whole new way.

"The more I've been thinking about it, the more it makes sense.

"AMORAL has been broadening its sound pallette throughout its history — [and] now, more than ever, we have a whole pack of aces up our sleeves!"

AMORAL guitarist and songwriter Ben Varon also sees the new possibilities that Kalliojärvi's return will bring to the band.

"Niko's company felt natural both onstage and backstage, and hearing his voice — which I've always said is one of my all-time favorite growls — on those songs after a long while felt good," Ben says. "And once I realized what a great guitarist Niko is these days, the vision started to get clearer: this would be just the thing to take our musical journey to the next level! Two singers, three guitar players, one of which is now a part-time keyboardist... Things just got interesting!"

AMORAL's new lineup will make its live debut at the Tuska festival afterparty at the end of June.

The band's sixth album, "Fallen Leaves & Dead Sparrows", was released in February 2014.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, FAITH NO MORE keyboardist Roddy Bottum was asked in a recent interview with Noisey if original guitarist Jim Martin, who left the band in 1993, was asked to participate in the current reunion which started in 2009. Bottum answered, "Oh, we totally reached out to him. I was of the mind that, of course, we would not do this without Jim. There's no way. I think we all felt pretty strongly about that initially — well, some of us maybe more strongly than others. Jim was a real contentious person in the band, but I loved him… I wanted him to do it, and I actually talked to him about it. I thought it was going that way, but it just didn't work out."

Bottum was also asked if Martin had interest in returning. He replied, "I think he had interest. But I think he also had really pent-up resentments about the way we broke up. I think it was difficult for him to come back into the fold, and he set it up in such a way that… I think, unconsciously, he was gonna cut off his nose to spite his face. Like he was so damaged from resentment that he dug a hole and didn't come out of it. Which is a shame. That's my take."

Martin departed after completing the touring cycle for the band's fourth album, "Angel Dust". He was followed by a short succession of guitarists, including Trey Spruance, Dean Menta and Jon Hudson, who was the band's last axeman when it broke up in 1998.

Hudson was also in the lineup for the current reunion and plays on the band's upcoming album, "Sol Invictus".

The disc, the group's first collection of new music in 18 years, is set to arrive on May 19 through the band's Reclamation Recordings.

FAITH NO MORE has also confirmed its first North American shows since 2010 with a spring outing kicking off April 15 in Vancouver.

2015 will bear witness to the return of Abbath.

IMMORTAL's frontman and founding member, whose real name is Olve Eikemo, has been writing and rehearsing fervently, with a deluge of new material ready to be recorded. Unable to come to an agreement in order move forward with the other members of the band, he has formed a new lineup. While grateful and respectful for the contributions of Demonaz, Horgh and Apollyon, Abbath felt the time was now right for him to present his art to the world and continue to evolve the legacy.

The next two years will see the release of a new album alongside select live performances. The first of these to be announced is The Forum in London on Friday, September 18. This will be Abbath's first time back on stage in the U.K. since triumphantly headlining Bloodstock festival in 2011 alongside W.A.S.P. and MOTÖRHEAD. Following this, February 2016 will see a return to playing on home soil as the headliner for the prestigious Blastfest in Bergen — on top of a 100 percent Norwegian lineup.

ABBATH is a continued weaving of this artist's creative thread: new songs have been honed, ready to sit alongside classic IMMORTAL material and rarely — if ever — played gems that will be unearthed from an epic catalogue spanning over two decades.

Using his own name is a natural step for Abbath, having become iconic and synonymous with the band that he co-founded in 1990. That's 25 years of powering face first into the northern wind; a milestone for any band, and rather than exploit it by dragging IMMORTAL's name through the mud, Abbath will instead carry his own on his back.

The name of IMMORTAL, for the time being, will rest; the essence, the power, the music — and Abbath — will not.

Abbath last year claimed that he rightfully attempted to secure exclusive rights to the IMMORTAL name and logo after lyricist/guitarist Demonaz (real name Harald Nævdal) and drummer Horgh (real name Reidar Horghagen) effectively quit the legendary Norwegian black metal group.

IMMORTAL's core trio consisting of Abbath, Demonaz and Horgh has been together since 1996 and has been responsible for crafting the band's last five albums: "Blizzard Beasts" (1997), "At The Heart Of Winter" (1999), "Damned In Black" (2000), "Sons Of Northern Darkness" (2002) and the 2009 reunion album "All Shall Fall".

Video footage ofENDANGERED SPECIES, the new band featuring former DIO guitarist Craig Goldy alongside ex-QUIET RIOT frontman Mark Huff, guitarist/keyboardist Wayne Findlay (MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP), drummer Chris Moore and bassist Dario Seixas (FIREHOUSE, STEPHEN PEARCY, JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE), performing on March 7 at RockBar Theater in San Jose, California can be seen below.

Speaking about ENDANGERED SPECIES, Goldy told Argentinean rock journalist Lucas H. Gordon: "For the longest time, I've been saying this, but now I have it… I've been wanting to put the 'holy shit' factor back into the hard rock and heavy metal genre. 'Cause I miss those bands like DEEP PURPLE and LED ZEPPELIN and VAN HALEN, a group of guys who were all virtuosos and motherfuckers and they all — each one — were motherfuckers, but they were able to agree, for the time they were together, and created some amazing music that we have never seen the likes of since."

He continued: "There's been a lot of great bands out there — I'm not saying that there's not a lot of great new bands — but nothing like DEEP PURPLE and LED ZEPPELIN and VAN HALEN. So I got a group of guys that are all motherfuckers and virtuosos in their own right. The singer that we got is really one of the best vocalists on the planet right now. His name is Mark Huff. He used to sing with QUIET RIOT between 2010 and 2012. But he's one of the most amazing singers I've ever worked with and ever heard. And I can say that now, because it's taken me a long time after Ronnie's [James Dio] passing for me to get excited about working with another singer. And then we have a bass player who can also sing lead. He looks great, he plays great, he's got great song ideas. The keyboard player also worked with Michael Schenker. He plays guitar and keyboards and sings background vocals. The drummer, Chris Moore, is just amazing. They're all fucking motherfuckers in their own right. And then they're good people. So that's two things that are hard to find. And then to agree on the type of music that we're going to create together. And then to be able to do it in a way that… There's twists and turns and unexpected moments in the music that makes it unique and fresh and new, but also familiar enough to get a very warm welcome on the first listen. That's hard to do. And they all live in Southern California. And that's hard to do. So just those six things alone are amazing. But these guys, I'm really, really, really fortunate to be doing this with."

Asked if ENDANGERED SPECIES is in the process of recording any original material, Goldy said: "The singer [Mark Huff], actually, him and I did two songs. I did my own personal tribute to Ronnie on May 16 of [2014]. It was two songs that I did as my own personal tribute. And the singer for this band sang on those two songs. And those are [available for download at] CraigGoldys13thFloor.com. And for every purchased download, a donation is made to Ronnie's cancer research fund or to whatever charity the individual downloader chooses. But there's two songs. One of 'em is about Ronnie's passing and the perspective of the fans, the band that was left behind and myself. And the other song is about Ronnie — how he seemed to just come out of nowhere."

He continued: "When Ritchie Blackmore left DEEP PURPLE, it was my favorite band in the world… [and they] just went upside down. And then there's disco. And I'm, like, 'What the hell is going on?' But all of a sudden I hear [RAINBOW's] 'Man On The Silver Mountain' on the radio, and I went, 'What the fuck is that?' It's like [Ronnie] just came out of nowhere. And how hard he worked on his lyrics and the… But little did we know what that treasure and that universe that he created hadn't even been… We hadn't even scratched the surface when 'Man On The Silver Mountain' came out. I mean, that was good enough. But then to find out who that man really was… So I wrote that about him and about that."

ENDANGERED SPECIES made its live debut in October 2014 at Ramona Mainstage in Ramona, California under the name CRAIG GOLDY'S 13TH FLOOR.

The band is currently working on material for its debut album, to be released later in the year.

Goldy is currently a member of DIO DISCIPLES, which pays tribute to Ronnie James Dio and is fully supported by Wendy Dio. He is joined in the group by Mark Boals (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) on vocals, Oni Logan (LYNCH MOB) on vocals, Bjorn Englen (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) on bass, Scott Warren (DIO, HEAVEN & HELL) on keyboards and Simon Wright (DIO, AC/DC, UFO) on drums.

The official lyric video for HELLYEAH's new single, "Hush", can be seen below. The single was released on March 13 as part of "No More Week." The song's lyrics, written by vocalist Chad Gray, discuss his personal experience growing up in a home with domestic violence, and aim to shed light on a hidden subject while letting other survivors know that they are not alone.

Created by No More (a unifying symbol and awareness movement focused on engaging bystanders to end domestic violence and sexual assault) along with its many partners, "No More Week" is designed to spark conversations around issues of domestic violence and sexual assault and galvanize more communities, organizations and corporations to make them a priority year-round. Across the nation, advocates equipped with free education and awareness tools, will host more than 50 "No More Week"events. They span a wide range of activities, including a cross-country skating event, fundraisers for local service providers, bystander education workshops, screenings of films that highlight these often hidden and stigmatized issues and the launch of state and local No More campaigns. No More was launched in 2013 with the support of nearly every domestic violence and sexual assault prevention organization in the country. They all agreed that increasing awareness for these issues with a unifying awareness symbol could have a tremendous positive impact. Representatives from these organizations serve as advisors on No More’s Steering Committee, and all individual donations and any profits generated from product sales in the No More store are donated to support their lifesaving work. For more information, visit NoMore.org.

"Hush" is taken from HELLYEAH's fourth album, "Blood For Blood", which sold around 17,000 copies in its first week of release to land at No. 18 on the Billboard chart. The band's previous effort, 2011's "Band Of Brothers", opened with 19,000 copies back in July 2012 to debut at No. 19.

"Blood For Blood" was HELLYEAH's first album since parting ways with guitarist Greg Tribbett and bassist Bob "Zilla" Kahaha in late 2013.

The new members of HELLYEAH are bassist Kyle Sanders and touring guitarist Christian Brady.

HELLYEAH filmed a video for "Hush" earlier this month with director Robert Sexton (SOULFLY, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, INCITE, DEATH ANGEL, THE DWARVES, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, AMEN, MONDO GENERATOR, GENÖCIDE) in Hollywood, California.

Sexton previously worked with HELLYEAH on the "Sangre Por Sangre (Blood For Blood)" and "Moth" clips.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, SMASHING PUMPKINS founder and frontman Billy Corgan said in a new interview with Peru's Radio Oasis that the future of the band is "murky" and that he only has plans for the group "through the end of this year." Corgan explained, "I feel like I really need to evaluate the musical purpose of the PUMPKINS, because more and more the audience is fixated on the past. I know a lot of the audience will say, 'Well, I like your music better from the '90s, more than the music you're making today.' But I know they're not listening to the music of today, as much as they were listening to that music."

Corgan continued, "I'm the type of artist that I don't want to sort of exist in something that is sort of fading like an iceberg into the past. So I'm happy to do what I'm doing, and I'm very pleased that people still enjoy it."

SMASHING PUMPKINS has been touring behind "Monuments To An Elegy", the band's ninth studio effort and the follow-up to 2012's "Oceania".

A second disc, titled "Day For Night", is scheduled to come out later this year.

In a brand new interview with Hot Metal, MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson would neither confirm nor deny rumors that the band has enlisted guitarist Kiko Loureiro of ANGRA and drummer Chris Adler of LAMB OF GOD to play on MEGADETH's next studio album.

“It's not quite there yet; it's not something I'm at liberty to talk about," he answered when asked about the rumors. "We're just returning to the studio. Rehearsals are continuing before the final stages of the pre-production before we get started writing."

Asked how the recording is going and what the music sounds like, Ellefson said: "The writing is pretty much done [but] that can always change in the studio. We'll go into the recording, probably, in early May."

He continued: "We had some tour dates in August. Those tour dates got moved, which, quite honestly, is a good thing because it frees us up and gives us time to make the record with a schedule that's a little more appropriate for how we want to make a great record. So sometime within the next year, we will get the MEGADETH record out."

Ellefson added: "I'd like to think it's not going to be a stinker! I'd like to think it's going to be a pretty kick-ass record. There're a couple of things on there that are very heavy, but they're very forward-thinking for MEGADETH… in a good way. Not some sort of pop right turn or anything like that.

"When the record says MEGADETH on it, you're going to get MEGADETH inside of it."

MEGADETH has yet to officially announce replacements for drummer Shawn Drover and guitarist Chris Broderick, who quit the group last year.

NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen says that the leak of the band's new single, "Élan", a week before its official release was a "criminal" act that came close to destroying the group's "very well thought-out campaign" for NIGHTWISH's new album, "Endless Forms Most Beautiful".

Asked by Metal Blast if she sees the issue of leaks as something that's pretty much inevitable nowadays, Floor said: "No, absolutely not. That would be like saying that this is just 'things that happen' in the modern world. I don't think it's normal or that it should be accepted at any level. It's a criminal activity and it destroys a very-well-thought-out campaign, the anticipation that a lot of fans are having, and then it just comes too early, in a bad quality, and with nothing but negative energy around it. There is nothing good about that, and it's not something that should be normal, or that should be considered normal at all."

Floor went on to say that she was extremely ticked off when she found out "Élan" was prematurely made available online for fans to listen to. She explained: "I was really, really furious, and even more so when people started asking me why I was so angry since it's something that usually happens, and that I should be happy that it 'only' happened a week before the planned release of the single, and that it wasn't the entire album. Happy? Really? I can't see it that way at all. [Laughs]"

She continued: "It's not just about our egos, or about our campaign getting destroyed, it's also about the fans that had been waiting for the release, and who didn't want any negative energy around it, and yet that was the first thing that came out. For a true fan, it isn't nice; the whole magic of it is taken away. That magic is something that we highly value with NIGHTWISH."

Jansen added: "We don't make all of those expensive trailers, and build up the expectations about the release, just so that some idiot can put it out online before we get to do it. That whole thing could just result in us saying that we're not even going to bother with it. Why should we bother making a super, high-quality, expensive album, if nobody is going to pay for it anyway, and will just download it for free as an MP3 that has no depth whatsoever because of the small file size.

"We really want to keep bringing high-quality, well thought-out stuff to the table, when we choose to release it, and anybody that tries to get in our way is a criminal. This is why we're not sending out the [new] album [to journalists], and we have listening sessions [for the press instead]. It's an unfortunate situation, because then you can listen to it only once; but we don't want to send it to anybody because the inevitable then happens."

"Endless Forms Most Beautiful", which will be made available on March 27 in Europe and March 31 in the U.S. via Nuclear Blast.

The "Élan" four-track single 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 since been replaced by Kai Hahto (WINTERSUN, SWALLOW THE SUN, TREES OF ETERNITY).

"Èlan" video:

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN remain "extremely optimistic" about the "full recovery" of their lead singer, Bruce Dickinson, who recently underwent a seven-week course of chemotherapy and radiology to treat a small cancerous tumor at the back of his tongue.

In a new post on MAIDEN's official web site, the band writes: "Over the last few days, Bruce has been to see his specialists and following examinations, including visual, we're delighted to update everyone that the situation remains extremely optimistic for a full recovery. We will still not have final confirmation that the cancer has been completely eradicated until Bruce can have an MRI scan in May, as previously advised in Rod's [Smallwood, IRON MAIDEN's manager] recent message to the fans on this site, and the period to full recovery will continue for a few months yet.

"Typically Bruce's immediate reaction to the specialists' good news was to be as active as feasibly possible, taking in a couple of visits to the MAIDEN office, one to the Hybrid Air Vehicle hangar to see latest progress, and a brief trip to his local pub, much to the surprise and delight of all his friends there!

"We just wanted to share this latest piece of good news with all MAIDEN's fans and, as usual, we'll continue to keep you all updated officially on Bruce's progress, on the IRON MAIDEN website."

IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain told the 98.7 The Gater radio station in West Palm Beach, Florida earlier in the month about Dickinson's cancer battle: "We were all blown away when we heard the news. But the great thing is [Bruce is] in great hands back home in England, not only with his family, but his oncologists and all the people that are working with him. They were all very positive, as Bruce has been, through the whole thing."

He continued: "Obviously, it's a blow for everybody to hear the news. Last [month], the official announcement was made, after he finished his treatment. And all of that treatment went exceedingly well. And from not having spoken to Bruce for a couple of weeks, but talking to our manager, he was in amazing spirits, considering the brutality of the radiology, and he had three chemo sessions. So it's been pretty hard, as you can imagine. And he's apparently doing very well. He was in the office Wednesday last week, and apparently he went out. He goes down the pub… although he can't taste his beer. He said, 'At least I know it's a Trooper [IRON MAIDEN's official beer]. I've got the bottle in my hand.' [Laughs] I said, 'Does it still work?' 'Oh yeah!' [Laughs]"

McBrain added: "So, just to let everybody know, from what we can gather, he's really in great hands, and he's doing extremely well. So we expect him to have a full recovery in the next couple of months. And then, watch this space, really. We have made an album. The album was ready to go this year… and it still is. When I say 'was,' we were planning on going out and doing some work around the album, which now, we're all just holding on, and once Bruce is up and running, hopefully in the next couple of months, we'll… You never know when this might happen. You just never know, do you? [Laughs]"

IRON MAIDEN has yet to make an official announcement about a new studio album, but the band's members have reportedly been spotted in Paris, France in recent months, along with their longtime producer, Kevin Shirley, who is said to have helmed the new effort.