TWISTED SISTER performed this morning (Friday, July 25) as part of the Fox News channel's Fox & Friends All-American Summer Concert Series at the Fox News Plaza in New York City. Video footage of the band's rendition of its classic song "We're Not Gonna Take It" can be seen below.

Earlier on "Fox & Friends", TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider talked to Brian Kilmeade about the original five members of the band getting back together after a 15-year hiatus.

TWISTED SISTER guitarist Jay Jay French also highlighted a great cause that he is promoting. French introduced an eye doctor who he said saved his daughter from blindness.

French's daughter Samantha suffers from a rare eye disease called Uveitis.

The band will perform at a benefit concert September 5 in an effort to raise awareness and help the work for a cure.


Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com
Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

Florida death metal veterans MALEVOLENT CREATION have a full lineup again with Jason Blachowicz (a.k.a. Jay Black) back in the fold on bass and Justin DiPinto (drummer on "The Will To Kill" album) on drums. The band is now also working with longtime friend, former OBITUARY and current GORGOROTH bassist Frank Watkins, as their business manager.

Drummer Gus Rios left MALEVOLENT CREATION in February due to "personal differences." Rios joined MALEVOLENT CREATION in 2008 as the replacement for Dave Culross. Rios recorded and co-mixed the band's tenth studio album, "Doomsday X", and laid down the drum tracks on MALEVOLENT CREATION's 2010 CD, "Invidious Dominion". MALEVOLENT CREATION recently finished recording its new album. The CD is expected to include the tracks "Corporate Weaponry" and "Face Your Fear", the latter of which can be streamed below. The song was recorded, produced and mixed at Rios' studio, Riversound Productions, except for the vocals, which were laid down with Jim Nickles at his Shredly Studios.

MALEVOLENT CREATION's latest album, "Invidious Dominion", was released in August 2010 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records (in Europe through Massacre). The effort was made available in various territories as a regular CD; digipack with bonus material; and vinyl LP.

PHILM — the Los Angeles-based experimental post-hardcore triumvirate featuring drummer Dave Lombardo (SLAYER, AMEN), guitarist/vocalist Gerry Paul Nestler (CIVIL DEFIANCE), and bassist Francisco "Pancho" Eduardo Tomaselli (WAR) — will release its sophomore album, "Fire From The Evening Sun", on September 16 (one day earlier internationally) via UDR.

Without a doubt, every fan of hard rock and extreme metal knows the name Dave Lombardo. For nearly two decades the drummer provided the impulsive, whipping rhythm for thrash metal pioneers SLAYER, which is why fans and critics crowned him as the "godfather of double bass." He also proved his talents outside of the strict thrash corset and cooperated with musicians like Mike Patton (FAITH NO MORE), GRIP INC., John Zorn, MELVINS and many more.

The newest outlet for his extraordinary creativity acts under the banner of PHILM: With his bandmates Gerry Nestler and Francisco "Pancho" Tomaselli, he has found two companions who also deny any genre restrictions.

On their new album, "Fire From The Evening Sun", the trio acts accordingly: free and unlimited. As Lombardo states: "We tend to live on the heavy side, but we also touch on haunting, desolate, ambient sounds."

The estimation of frontman Gerry Nestler also emphasizes the great variety of the band: "Heavy but sensitive, powerful and atmospheric. The music of PHILM is channeled through the many different influences of drum and bass, expressionism, and underground that is indigenous to the street. "

The result of this cooperation is a truly exceptional album that has its roots in the heavy music but stretches its branches into all possible genres. With his demanding and innovative drumming, Lombardo provides for the rhythmic base on which songs like the impulsive opener "Train", "Blue Dragon" with its detailed guitar and bass play or the drum-'n'-bass-influenced "Turn In The Sky" can unfold. Nestler adjusts his vocals to this varied music and masters imploring whispering or coaxing clean vocals as superior and emotional as aggressive shouting or nearly manic screaming.

PHILM pay special attention to the haunting atmosphere of their songs that evokes goose bumps over and over again. Be it the malign undertone in "Lady Of The Lake", the dark beginning und the nearly psychedelic guitar solo of "Silver Queen" or "Corner Girl", which closes the album in a laid-back but also sinister mood.

"Fire From The Evening Sun" track listing:

01. Train02. Fire From The Evening Sun03. Lady Of The Lake04. Lion's Pit05. Silver Queen06. We Sail At Dawn07. Omniscience08. Fanboy 09. Luxhaven10. Blue Dragon11. Turn In The Sky12. Corner Girl

"Cry Of Achilles", the new video from ALTER BRIDGE, can be seen below. The animated clip was directed by SiLee Films via Genero.

ALTER BRIDGE will hit the road for a U.S. headlining trek this fall, beginning on October 4 in Louisville, Kentucky and winding down on October 26 in Los Angeles. This is likely to be the band's final run in support of 2013's "Fortress" album. Tickets for the tour are available at AlterBridge.com. ALTER BRIDGE drummer Scott Phillips told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that playing live is what it's all about for the quartet. "That's the reason that all of us initially got in a band, was to play," he said. "It's not about the recording process, it's not about, you know, what we're doing now, interviews and all that kind of stuff, it's about jamming."

ALTER BRIDGE is offering VIP packages on the fall tour that include a meet-and-greet and photo opportunity with the band, an autograph session, the chance to check out an ALTER BRIDGE soundcheck, priority VIP check-in, crowd-free merchandise shopping, an on-site VIP host and exclusive VIP merchandise.

Singer Myles Kennedy is currently on the road as part of Slash's band, MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS.

AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry has revealed to the Chicago Sun-Times that he "did a [recording] session with Paul McCartney a month and a half ago for a private thing." Perry added: "I met him once or twice [over the years] to say hello. To spend 6 or 8 hours in studio with him recording! He makes you feel like [you're recording with just another guy]. He just happens to be a motherfucking huge talent! Everyone's in the room at once; you play until you get a good take."

Asked what it was like jamming with McCartney, Perry said: "It's the great ego leveler. I was in the studio with Alice Cooper and Johnny Depp, playing guitar, and the three of us are looking at each other like, hey, we're sitting here with Paul McCartney! And we're all looking at each other like open-mouthed kids. Paul was really nice. He's all about business [when he's recording]. At 72 he can still hit all those notes."

Perry declined to offer any more information about the session, explaining that "it's a project that were keeping under wraps for now. There will be [an announcement when the time is right]."

In a 2009 interview with Music Radar, Perry said about THE BEATLES: "Probably around the late '60s, when they were getting ready to break up, that's when I started to appreciate what geniuses THE BEATLES were, how they set trends and broke every rule in the book. How they went from being this live group to mastering the recording studio and showing everybody that nothing was impossible, as long as you had the imagination and the guts to go for it. Plus, they had gone from singing these simple love tunes to writing songs about any topic you could think of. I think that's what really impressed me the most — they taught me that music could liberate you, teach you, take you somewhere else, expand your consciousness, all of that."

He added: "THE BEATLES taught us all so much. They taught us to be brave, to follow our dreams and aim high. That's a wonderful legacy to leave."

During a recent interview with Music Radar, former AC/DC drummer Chris Slade spoke about his departure from the band before the recording sessions for 1995's "Ballbreaker".

"I'd been doing demos [for what was to become 'Ballbreaker'] with the guys in London for two months," Slade explained. "Mal [AC/DC co-founder and rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young] called me and said it was nothing to do with me and was nothing I was doing or not doing but they wanted to give [longtime AC/DC drummer] Phil [Rudd] a try. I said, 'That's me out then, I'm gone.' Mal said, 'No, no, no we want to keep you on, we don't even know if Phil can play,' and told him that was his problem now. If it ain't broke, don't fix it. I resigned the next day. They wanted to keep me on for months and months and that didn't feel right. It was probably my stupid pride."

He continued: "If that was my son, I would now say, 'No, just sit there, they'll come back to you.' To be honest, I think they would have. [laughs] But they're very proud themselves and they wouldn't come back now.

"We still get on and it was an honor and a privilege to play with those guys.

"People always ask me what I did when things went wrong on stage with AC/DC. Nothing ever went wrong. I might drop a drum stick, maybe, but that was about the only thing. They were like clockwork, like a machine. Just fantastic. What a wonderful experience."

Slade recently commented on the news that Malcolm Young was stepping away from AC/DC due to ill health. Slade told U.K.'s Rhythm magazine, "It's terrible to hear about Malcolm. I knew he was ill. He's been ill for a long time, but I think it's come to a head by the sounds of things."

Slade praised his former bandmate, adding, "I've spoken to other guitarists about this — he must be the greatest rhythm guitarist ever born. Even Angus [Young] says he's a better guitarist. He makes the drummer's job so easy; he's a metronome."

Slade played with AC/DC from 1989 until 1994, exiting when longtime drummer Phil Rudd returned to the lineup. He played on the 1990 album "The Razor's Edge" and the 1993 song "Big Gun".

Slade's other credits in his nearly 50-year career include Tom Jones, Gary Numan, MANFRED MANN, URIAH HEEP, David Gilmour, THE FIRM, ASIA and many others.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Courtney Love recently revealed that a biopic on her late husband, Kurt Cobain, will go into production next year. No one has landed the lead role but Love has a few ideas on who could capture the essence of the former NIRVANA frontman. She told Inquirer Entertainment, "The biopic should start within the next year or so… I won't name names because I don't want to jinx it for anyone but these are 25-year-olds who are blonde, gorgeous and the new Brad Pitts. There's a ton of those. Some are really good actors, not just pretty faces. I don't want to be the person who makes that decision."

Love also shared who would be involved with the film. She explained, "I do have a say in it. So do [Kurt and Courtney's daughter] Frances, and [former NIRVANA members] Krist Novoselic and Dave Grohl, for that matter, if it touches on NIRVANA… and it will. I am leading the charge because it's timely to do this."

Love is also interested in doing a documentary and a stage play on Cobain's life.

NIRVANA was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on April 10 — five days after the 20th anniversary of Cobain's death — alongside KISS and others.

According to BBC News, former LOSTPROPHETS frontman Ian Watkins' appeal to have his prison sentence reduced was denied.

Watkins was sentenced to 29 years in prison for child-abuse crimes, including the attempted rape of an 11-month-old baby.

The appeal judges in Cardiff stated that the offenses were "of such shocking depravity that they demanded a lengthy prison sentence."

Commenting on Watkins' case, the lord justice said: "It is not demonstrated that the total sentence of 29 years together with the extended licence period was arguably manifestly excessive. Accordingly, the application in his case is refused."

The 37-year-old musician was not in court, but his legal representative said that while his offenses were very serious, they were "not the worst that can happen." She also argued that the sentence was "too high in the circumstances" and added that his guilty plea, which kept disturbing evidence from being shown in court, deserved consideration for a greater reduction.

"This case causes a very disturbing reaction for anyone who has anything to do with it," Watkins' barrister, Sally O'Neill QC, told the court. "We accept these matters are very serious. But by pleading guilty my client averted the need for a most distressing and unpleasant trial for all those concerned, especially a jury.

"He did not have to plead guilty and if he had done so, the consequences would have been shocking.

"I am not trying to minimise the gravity of these offences, just simply make the observation that a sense of proportion needs to be maintained. These offenses, however bad, are not the worst."

Watkins denied all the charges against him when he was arrested in December 2012 but eventually admitted to more than a dozen offenses that occurred over a period of five years, including attempting to rape one of the children and conspiring to rape the other.

A police investigation uncovered a huge cache of child abuse photos and films stored on Watkins' computers and online — almost five times the storage size of the South Wales Police force's entire computer database.

Watkins must serve at least two-thirds of his jail time before being eligible for parole, followed by another six years of probation.

The judge in the case said it broke "new ground" and "plunged into new depths of depravity."

He added that Watkins showed a "complete lack of remorse" and that what the women did in handing over their children to Watkins was "both sickening and incomprehensible."

Watkins' defense attorney said that her client "belatedly realized the gravity of what happened" and was "deeply, deeply sorry." The singer has maintained that he did not remember many of the incidents due to drug abuse.

LOSTPROPHETS released five albums and scored a No. 1 hit in 2004 with "Last Train Home".

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine was interviewed on the July 18-20 edition of Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show. You can now listen to the chat using the Podbean widget below.

To see a full list of stations carrying the program and when it airs, go to FullMetalJackieRadio.com.

Full Metal Jackie: Dave, [MEGADETH bassist] David Ellefson recently posted on Facebook that the two of you had started kicking around ideas for the next album. What makes the embryonic part of songwriting enjoyable for you?

Mustaine: Knowing that there's going to be a finished product at some point. Making songs is always fun, but we didn't have a lot of time between the last couple of records. We were recording while we were touring and we would come home and go right into the studio. And having the luxury now to be able to sit with songs for a little while and digest them, that's really helpful. We had that kind of time when we did "Countdown To Extinction", when we did "Rust In Peace". When we did "Peace Sells, But Who's Buying?", we wrote that while we were on tour for 72 weeks. That was one of the longest tours of my life. And, of course, with "Killing Is My Business", I had my whole life to write it. So a lot of the successors to those super-popular records kind of came out with not a lot of time to develop the songs. And I feel really confident about that right now.

Full Metal Jackie: Dave, how have you changed most as a musician in terms of how your style has evolved and music you hear other than your own that inspires you?

Mustaine: Believe it or not, I've gotten very, very comfortable in my own skin. For the longest time, I really didn't believe in my guitar playing, and there's a lot of psychological damage that had taken place over the years after I left METALLICA because of all the negative stuff that was said about me. It really… I'm not gonna say it hurt, 'cause that makes me sound like a puss, but it was very discouraging. And at one point, I started to realize, "Wow, this is actually what I was meant to do. I've influenced a lot of people and I'm actually enjoying myself, so I've gotta get off of the pity pot." And then, seeing the success of the records, the attendance of the shows, the ranking in the charts where I stand as a guitar player and what I've, it really… at the end of the day, it makes you feel great. And still, I always go back to the same thing — Jackie, I've said this to you before — no matter what anybody says about me, I know that the fans' investment and belief in me, us getting that soup kitchen in Haiti and the one in Mexico, that's the greatest thing ever. Knowing that my playing guitar is helping feed widows and orphans. That is so awesome.

Full Metal Jackie: Dave, how reflective did you get about the significance of United States history when you recorded a version of the national anthem for the movie "America"?

Mustaine: That was really interesting, because they had asked me to do that, and it's no secret I'm not an Obama supporter, and I think everybody right now is getting to experience the "I told you so"s, but I'm not one of those guys to say that. When [filmmaker] Dinesh D'Souza had come out as a debate… he was doing a debate against somebody; I can't remember who it was, and I found him to be very educated and very interesting. And he wasn't trying to persuade me to be a conservative or be a Republican, he was just talking. 'Cause I'm an independent. I thought that he was really, really intelligent. And I saw the screening for "America" and I thought, "This is fantastic," because there's so much misinformation that's going around with this whole guilt trip they're laying down on people that are successful. And they asked, would I do the national anthem? And I said, "No, I don't think so. 'Cause, I mean, [Jimi] Hendrix already did that." And they said, "Well, do it your way!" And I said, "Well, if I did it my way, I would just like to really play it how it is, but very soulful." Because so many people play the anthem and they destroy it with all this ad-libbing and wanking and stuff like that. For me, it was really rewarding. It's pretty straightforward, but I like it. I've already got an offer to play for the Raiders in September, which is the 200th anniversary of the national anthem. So, hell, it paid off already.

Full Metal Jackie: Dave, is there anything you can tell us about the update and where things are at with new music?

Mustaine: Sure. I'm just kind of fiddling around with songs. I sent a song over to management. I'm working with Ron Laffitte again, and Ron and I were together during the heyday of MEGADETH's biggest records — "Rust", "Countdown" and "Youthanasia". He's a metal fan, and we've been friends for a real long time. And I was interested to see what his opinion was. 'Cause the last guy we had managing us was really a sweetheart of a guy, but he wasn't really born in the wool, if you know what I mean. So he didn't really understand metal that much, and if I would have sent him a song, he could have said it was great, but deep down inside, I believe I probably would have said, "Yeah, what do you know?" I sent a song over to Ron and he freaked out. Because he said it's like the old-school stuff and "I can't wait to see what happens." This is a guy that wouldn't say stuff like that unless he was serious. So, the band guys are all excited about it too. Now, as far as collaborating and stuff like that for new music, that's on these guys shoulders. I've got, in my Pro Tools rig I've been working on, I have over 130 songs that I've been working on — just pieces of stuff and saving them and fixing them and making them right and making more complex and more melodic and heavier and stuff. And I'm ready to go. [laughs] I'm just gonna see what these guys do — if they're gonna hang out and just rely on me, or if they've got some ideas up their sleeve. And the other thing, too, a song isn't just music — there's lyrics to it, too, and the melody. I can have a great-sounding song, but the vocal line can suck. [laughs] So, having someone come in and say, "Hey, try this," is always great.

Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt is on the cover of this month's Metal Hammer magazine, where he talks mainly about the band's ventures into a progressive rock sound and how he feels metal lacks rebellion anymore. It's an interesting read! That being said, the magazine took to their website to post up some quotes from Åkerfeldt about the things they learned in speaking to him, such as how Opeth would sound if they went back to being heavy as fuck!

“If we made another heavy record, it’d be pure death metal with blastbeats and shit.”

It's no secret I absolutely adore the band's new direction, but man… how cool would it be if we got an EP of straight up death metal Opeth? He also touches on the backlash from fans.

“I’m not stupid, I can hear people saying we’re not a heavy metal band anymore … Maybe what we are doing is rebelling against metal, but only ‘cause we love it so much.”

That being said, you damn well better get Pale Communion when it's out next month. It might not be metal, but it's the best record this year. Period.

SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan told LehighValleyLive.com in a new interview that his band enjoys playing more intimate venues instead of having time off while on tour.

"We choose to play small places," he said. "It beats a day off. It's memorable for us and memorable for the fans who come see us."

He added: "Bands should be kissing fans' asses. We play everywhere."

Bolan also spoke about SKID ROW's decision to release a trilogy of EPs. The first, "United World Rebellion: Chapter One", came out in 2013, while the second, "Rise Of The Damnation Army - United World Rebellion: Chapter Two", is due on August 5.

"In this day and age, it's not easy for some SKID ROW fans to go out and throw down 10 or 15 bucks for a new (full-length album)," Bolan said. "(Releasing the EPs) makes it easier on them. ... There's also a lot less pressure to write 10 songs and pick five."

According to Rachel, SKID ROW approached the songwriting process for its new material the same way that it did its classic albums — by doing what came naturally.

"For about a year, I only listened to the music that influenced me growing up," Bolan said. "Granted, there is a lot of great stuff out there but it's not us. ... At first it was kind of tough. We kept coming up with these riffs, great riffs, but they weren't our signature (sound). We could write songs all day but it's not a SKID ROW song until it gets to the band and gets their feeling and creativity. Then the floodgates just opened from a creative standpoint."

"Rise Of The Damnation Army - United World Rebellion: Chapter Two" will contain covers of QUEEN and AEROSMITH classics as bonus tracks.

In a recent interview with Icon Vs. Icon, SKID ROW guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo spoke about the band's mindset while writing the new material. "I think we have also gotten to the point that we are so appreciative of what we have and are so thankful," he said. "We are really humbled by it all. I think with that comes a respect for the audience and what the band has been able to do over the course of the past 28 years. There is a respect for the songwriting, along with a respect for each other.

"Rachel and I really became conscious of how fortunate we are. To still be songwriting partners, band members and best buds after all this time is really something. That doesn't get lost on us through this whole process. We are keenly aware of being present and in the moment. It sounds cliché, but when it really does happen, it is something truly incredible. I think we are just going to take that philosophy and presence of mind into the next release and create from there. It is a great sampling and a great place to be in when you are both on the same page with one and other. The results are something to behold."

MR. BIG drummer Pat Torpey has been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and will be unable to perform all of his normal drumming duties on the band's upcoming world tour in support of the group's new album, "...The Stories We Could Tell".

"I've been dealing with Parkinson’s symptoms for the past couple of years and only recently received a confirmed diagnosis as symptoms worsened," Torpey said. "I intend to fight the disease with same intensity and tenacity that I drum and live my life by and will continue recording and performing, as always, to the best of my ability."

MR. BIG will announce a replacement drummer who will sit behind the kit for the band's fall 2014 tour.

Torpey, 54, is expected to join his MR. BIG bandmates for select tracks as well as participate in the group's acoustic set.

Parkinson's disease is a degenerative disorder of the central nervous system.

There is no cure for Parkinson's disease, but medications, surgery and multidisciplinary management can provide relief from the symptoms.

Asked in a 2011 interview with OnlineDrummer.com what influenced him to pick up a pair of sticks and start drumming, Torpey said: "I was about 7 or 8 years old, and my family used to go to this local picnic event with a live polka band. I was able to sit behind them and look down on the drummer, right on the top of him, and so from that vantage point I could see what he was doing, and I thought, 'Wow, that looks like fun!' That was my first memory of when I can remember wanting to play the drums. I went to my mother and said, 'I wanna play the drums,' and she gave me that look that parents give you, you know the 'Oh, yeah, sure you do… you're 7 years old.' So from there I kind of held on to that dream. I'd fashioned some drum sticks from a couple of sticks out of the yard. I carved them and drew my name on them with a magic marker, you know, the kind of thing an aspiring kid would do."

"...The Stories We Could Tell" will be released in September via Frontiers Records. The CD's first single will be made available later this summer.

MR. BIG's last album, "What If…", was released in Europe in January 2011 via Frontiers Records. The North American release, also on Frontiers Records, followed in February 2011.

"What If…" was MR. BIG's first "all-original" album since the reunion of the four original members, Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan and Pat Torpey, back in early 2009. Sixteen years after the release of "Hey Man", the new recording was produced by Kevin Shirley (AEROSMITH, RUSH, IRON MAIDEN).

Formed in 1988, MR. BIG forged its place in hard rock history by combining trademark "shredding" musicianship with awesome vocal harmonies. The original lineup produced numerous hit songs that ranged across a wide array of rock genres, be it ballads, heavy metal, or blues rock. Their hits included "To Be With You" (Billboard Hot 100 number one single in 15 countries for weeks, in 1991, propelling the band the band to huge international success and record sales in the multi-millions), "Wild World", "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind", "Just Take My Heart", and a host of heavy metal songs that were played mostly during their live performances: "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy", "Addicted to that Rush", "Colorado Bulldog", and "Take Cover".

The official lyric video for the song "Watch You Bleed" from Las Vegas metallers FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's fourth studio album, "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell Volume 1", which sold around 112,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on July 30, 2013 via Prospect Park.

"The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell Volume 1" was the first half of a two-record set, with the second half arriving last November. Guitarist Zoltan Bathory told The Pulse Of Radio that the idea for a two-record set surfaced after the band finished its writing sessions for the project with around 25 songs. "Generally you pick your best 12 and the rest of them become bonus tracks and this and that, or you keep it for next record, whatever," he said. "But you know, when we tried to take away songs, we realized, no, no, no, we don't want to take this one or that one. And when we went to the label, they said the same thing: 'Well, keep 11.' And so we were like, 'OK, well, here's 25, you pick it,' and they couldn't pick it either. So we were like, 'OK, now this is gonna be a double record.' That's how pretty much that happened." The deluxe edition of "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell Volume 1" came with a bonus 15-track live CD titled "Purgatory (Tales From The Pit)", plus a redeemable limited-edition T-shirt.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and VOLBEAT will embark on a co-headlining tour, which kicks off on September 16 in Salt Lake City and runs through October 24 in Las Vegas. Support on the trek will come from HELLYEAH and NOTHING MORE.

Bathory told Billboard that FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH already has "five, six ideas" for songs for its next album, which he would like to see released by the summer of 2015. Bathory explained, "In this environment I don't think that bands can allow themselves to stay in a studio for two, three, four years and wait and try to write some masterpiece."

British/American grindcore pioneers NAPALM DEATH have begun tracking guitars for their follow-up to 2012's "Utilitarian" at Parlour Studios in Kettering, England with producer Russ Russell. An early 2015 release via Century Media Records is expected.

The band performed a brand new song, "Dear Slum Landlord", on April 10 at the Roadburn festival in Tilburg, The Netherlands.

"Utilitarian" sold around 2,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD debuted at No. 14 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

NAPALM DEATH's previous album, 2009's "Time Waits For No Slave", opened with around 1,800 units to land at No. 19 on the Heatseekers chart.

"Utilitarian" was released on February 27, 2012 in Europe and February 28, 2012 in North America via the band's longtime partner, Century Media Records.

Asked in a recent interview with MetalPR.com about what it's been like to work with various different record labels over the years, NAPALM DEATH vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway said: "You've gotta remember, with NAPALM, it was always on our own terms. Because the problem is, bands… Sometimes if you're a newer band, they go, perhaps, into an arrangement with a label thinking that, 'Oh, we can't upset things, because we're only a new band and they'll just disown us.' But if you can't be happy knowing that you're doing what was your creative plan to do, then there's surely something wrong with that; there has to be. So at any stage, NAPALM was always, like, with the labels, if we felt something was fundamentally wrong, we would say, 'No. It's not happening. We're not doing it. Forget it. It's not gonna happen.' So we always maintained that and we've always set that precedent. Every time we've walked into a record label, we've always said, 'Look, we know what we're doing, and we know how we need to do things. Sure, you've got your things that you need to do, but creatively and stuff, we know best. And that's what we're gonna do. And if there's anything that's ethically not right, or doesn't feel right, then we just won't do it.' And we don't do it in a threatening way; it just becomes a common understanding. And it works for us. But bands have gotta realize that… If I was in a new band, I would rather be in a band and be cut away from a record label than having to be in a situation where I wasn't happy with how they were putting the band forward, if they tried to interfere with the sound of the band. It's not worth it. It's not worth being unhappy in your situation. You may as well cut loose and start again."




@dbmagazine @Terrorizermag @BLABBERMOUTHNET guitar tracking on Napalm Death album number 15 commences #parlourstudios pic.twitter.com/Qlrn3vAO4g

— Napalm Death (@officialND) July 24, 2014

Former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen has released a video for her track "Neverlight", filmed earlier this year at Teleclub in Yekaterinburg, Russia. The clip, which was directed and edited by Ivan Batenyov, can be seen below.

Turunen followed her most recent rock album, "Colours In The Dark", with the exclusive tour CD "Left In The Dark", which was previously only available bundled with a ticket for the "Colours In The Road Tour 2014". "Left In The Dark" was released on July 4 via earMUSIC.

It all started with the success of the multi-platinum and gold awarded previous records "My Winterstorm" (2007) and "What Lies Beneath" (2010), followed up by the Top 5 live project "Act 1".

"Colours In The Dark" charted in 12 countries, with four Top 10 entries, and was praised by the media and, more importantly, by the fans. Precisely for those people, a very special fan item was created.

Following the original track listing of "Colours In The Dark", its counterpart, "Left In The Dark", contains rarities, B-Sides as well as demos, instrumental versions, including five previously unreleased versions, among them two live radio acoustic recordings of "500 Letters" and "Until Silence". Furthermore, the high-quality digipak includes exclusive liner notes written by Tarja herself, which give a personal insight behind the scenes of Tarja's work.

Not only is the track selection of "Left In The Dark" one of a kind, the story behind the creation of the album artwork is as well.

In February 2014, Tarja fans were called for creating the cover artwork for her exclusive tour item "Left In The Dark". With over 1,000 great and creative submissions, Tarja had a hard time choosing five winner artworks. In the end, this left her with no other choice than to decide on ten lucky winners.

Massachusetts metallers ALL THAT REMAINS entered the studio on July 12 to begin recording their new album. The as-yet-untitled follow-up to 2012's "A War You Cannot Win" is being helmed by producer Josh Wilbur, who has previously worked with LAMB OF GOD and GOJIRA. A late 2014/early 2015 release via Razor & Tie is expected.

A short clip of a new ALL THAT REMAINS song, as posted by the band's lead singer, Phil LaBonte, on his Instagram account, can be seen below.

LaBonte told The Pulse Of Radio a while back how the band approaches a new record. "There's a lot of bands out there that are like, 'Oh, we went and we took a bunch of time and we were thinking about this and we were thinking about that,' and blah blah blah," he said. "ALL THAT REMAINS has never been that band. We've always been the band that's like, 'You know what? We've got to write a record, why don't we all just get together and come up with some ideas, and the stuff we like, we'll use, and the stuff we don't like, we'll throw away.' There's so many bands out there that are like, 'Oh, we want to change the world and we want to…' And it's like, 'Okay.'"

ALL THAT REMAINS had a No. 2 single on the rock radio chart earlier this year with "What If I Was Nothing", which marked a stylistic departure for the band. The song's accompanying video was directed by Rasa Acharya and Dan Kennedy of Little Sky Film (SAY ANYTHING, WE CAME AS ROMANS).

A previous single from "A War You Cannot Win", "Stand Up", spent three weeks at No. 1, making it the band's first -ever chart-topper fifth consecutive Top 10 rock single.

"A War You Cannot Win" debuted at Number 13 on the Billboard album chart and has sold over 115,000 copies to date.

In celebration of their astounding thirty-year career, Brazilian/American metallers SEPULTURA will unleash a new live offering titled "Sepultura And Les Tambours du Bronx: Metal Veins - Alive At Rock In Rio" in North America on September 14 via Eagle Rock Entertainment. In a spectacular performance that finds SEPULTURA accompanied throughout by the French industrial percussion group LES TAMBOURS DU BRONX, notorious for beating 225-liter barrels with beech wood bats or even axe handles, the show was recorded from the band's main stage appearance at the legendary Rock In Rio festival in 2013. Featuring SEPULTURA's most revered tunes — including "Refuse/Resist", "Territory" and "Roots Bloody Roots", the latter of which sees the audience chanting the entire cut from beginning to end — the sheer volume of sound, percussive enormity and powerful presentation sets this release apart from any previous SEPULTURA concert offering to date. With a one-hour run time divided into thirteen cuts, the album also features a cover of THE PRODIGY's "Firestarter", the fan-chanted "Sepulnation" and music from the band's "Kairos" full-length.

"Metal Veins - Alive At Rock In Rio" will come available on CD, DVD and for the first time in the band's history, Blu-ray via a partnership with Rock In Rio, MZA Music and Eagle Rock Entertainment. In addition, the DVD includes an exclusive documentary of behind-the-scenes preparation with interviews, rehearsal and soundcheck footage and clips of the band just seconds before they hit the stage. "Metal Veins - Alive At Rock In Rio" track listing:

01. Kaiowas02. Spectrum03. Refuse/Resist04. Sepulnation05. Delirium06. Fever07. We've Lost You08. Firestarter (THE PRODIGY cover)09. Requiem10. Structure Violence11. Territory12. Big Hands13. Roots Bloody Roots

SEPULTURA's new album, "The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart", sold around 1,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD came out on October 29, 2013 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Although it was inspired by Fritz Lang's classic 1927 movie "Metropolis", "The Mediator Between Head And Hands Must Be The Heart" is not a concept album or a soundtrack like its precedessors "Dante XXI" (based on "The Divine Comedy") and "A-Lex" (based on "A Clockwork Orange").

"The Mediator Between The Head And Hands Must Be The Heart" was tracked over a 40-day period at producer Ross Robinson's (KORN, LIMP BIZKIT, SLIPKNOT) studio in Venice, California and was mixed and mastered by co-producer Steve Evetts, who previously worked with SEPULTURA on the "Nation" (2001), "Revolusongs" (2002) and "Roorback" (2003) albums, in addition to having collaborated with Ross on a number of other projects in the past.

Coastal.com, which is said to be "the largest online contact lenses and prescription glasses retailer," is now selling the official Steven Tyler (AEROSMITH) glasses.

Priced at $89, Steven Tyler 401 Gunmetal eyeglasses are boldly modest. This sophisticated semi-rimless style boasts a dark satin gunmetal metal construction, paired with distinguished rectangular shaped lenses. The temples are a rich tortoise acetate, embedded with a Steven Tyler logo by the hinges and at the tips.

Tyler is best known as the frontman of the iconic rock band AEROSMITH and for his distinctively outrageous sense of style. His look has inspired fashion trends and clothing lines, and gradually expanded into eyewear. Steven Tyler collaborated with Modo Eyewear to come out with a collection of eyeglasses featuring his eclectic personality that is both accessible and fearless.

The first of three trailers for "Blind Rage", the new album from German/American metallers ACCEPT, can be seen below. The CD will be released on August 15 (postponed from the previously announced July 18) via Nuclear Blast. Like its two predecessors, 2010's "Blood Of The Nations" and 2012's "Stalingrad", the new effort was helmed by British producer Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with MEGADETH, EXODUS, TESTAMENT, ARCH ENEMY and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE. The cover artwork was created by Daniel Goldsworthy.

"Blind Rage" standard version track listing:

01. Stampede02. Dying Breed03. Dark Side Of My Heart04. Fall Of The Empire05. Trail Of Tears06. Wanna Be Free07. 200 Years08. Bloodbath Mastermind09. From The Ashes We Rise10. The Curse11. Final Journey The limited-edition digipak will include either a bonus DVD or Blu-ray disc. It features ACCEPT's complete April 12, 2013 concert at Teatro Caupolicán in Santiago, Chile during the "Stalingrad" tour.

Bonus DVD / Blu-ray disc track listing: 01. Intro02. Hung, Drawn & Quartered03. Hellfire04. Restless & Wild05. Losers & Winners06. Stalingrad07. Breaker08. Bucket Full Of Hate09. Monsterman10. Shadow Soldier11. Amamos La Vida12. Guitar Solo Wolf13. Neon Nights14. Bulletproof15. Aiming High16. Princess Of The Dawn17. Up To The Limit18. No Shelter19. Pandemic20. Fast As A Shark21. Metal Heart22. Teutonic Terror23. Balls To The Wall A single, "Stampede", preceded the full-length album on July 11, available digitally and as a limited vinyl edition.

The "Stampede" video can be seen below. The clip was filmed on location in the high desert of California at the Devil's Punchbowl (a rock formation that looks like it's from another world) with director Greg Aronowitz ("Batman & Robin", "A.I. Artificial Intelligence", "The Lost World: Jurassic Park").

You can pre-order "Blind Rage" from the Nuclear Blast webshop.

ACCEPT will promote "Blind Rage" with a European headlining tour which will kick off on September 19 in Copenhagen, Denmark.

In a recent interview with Metal Assault, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann stated about the musical direction of "Blind Rage": "I think what we have here is really a collection of totally typical ACCEPT songs with the classic feel, and, of course, as always, there's an overriding theme of aggression and rage in all our music. I mean, otherwise it wouldn't be metal.

"People call our music at this point 'classic metal,' I believe, and we just fell in love with the title 'Blind Rage' and the artwork. Interestingly enough, we don't even have a song called 'Blind Rage'. We just have a collection of songs that to me all feel totally 100 percent classic ACCEPT."

Regarding the songwriting and recording process for "Blind Rage", Wolf said: "Andy is such a good partner now, we couldn't even imagine working without him on this album. He's such a natural fit and he did a great job on the last two albums. The only thing that we did way different this time from 'Stalingrad' is, we really took our time. 'Stalingrad' was really made almost in a rush, to be honest, because we had so many commitments right before we went to the studio to do the album and right after. Basically, by the time we started working on that album, we already knew when it had to be finished and what gigs we had booked. So that put us under enormous pressure, but this time, we really made sure it's right before it's ever released. We didn't work excessively long, we just took a little more time to make sure that we were in a little more comfortable place. These last few weeks we've just refined and tweaked little things that we normally wouldn't have the time to do."

Speaking to Metal Wani ACCEPT singer Mark Tornillo stated about what fans can expect to hear on "Blind Rage": "You can expect more of the same, but you can also expect, on this album, a little more diversity, I think. And the way I see it, some of the songs sound more classic than the stuff that we've done. I mean, there are songs, I think, when I hear the opening riff, I go, 'Wow! That could be on 'Balls To The Wall'.' So you're gonna get a few different… I mean, we're not searching for a direction at this point. We're writing to please ourselves and to please our fans… We're not changing horses in the middle of a stream. I mean, if something works for us, we're gonna stick with it. We're certainly not gonna change direction, but I think we're not afraid to step out a little bit. We're also not afraid to go back and be what the band was in the '80s, which is what we've really strived for."

On the topic of the vibe in ACCEPT during the songwriting process for "Blind Rage", compared to how it was for its two predecessors, 2010's "Blood Of The Nations" and 2012's "Stalingrad", Tornillo said: "The vibe is good. We're, I think, more relaxed at this point. 'Blood Of The Nations' was… We really had no idea where we were going at that point; we didn't even have a record deal when we wrote that record. We had no idea what was gonna happen and where it was gonna go, and we had a lot of time to do it. And then the response came, and we set the bar pretty darn high with that record. And then when we went back to do 'Stalingrad', we didn't have that luxury of time; they gave us a deadline, that they wanted the record by such and such a time, and it was a little more hectic. There was a lot more pressure than [there was on 'Blood Of The Nations']. Plus we had 'Blood Of The Nations' out there, and we had to try to top it, if possible, or at least try to get to where that record was. This one, we've had a little more time. This past year, all we did was festivals, which was nice, which gave us time to write on the road. And when we were done touring, we had a good three or four months to complete everything, which is a nice time frame."

METALLICA's official YouTube channel Metallica TV has been updated with fly-on-the-wall footage shot by a MetOnTour.com reporter on July 11 in Warsaw, Poland. The 26-minute clip includes footage of bassist Robert Trujillo, guitarist Kirk Hammett and drummer Lars Ulrich in the Met Club meet-and-greet, warming up in the Tuning Room and "For Whom The Bell Tolls" and "The Call Of Ktulu" from the show.

The band's setlist for the concert was as follows:

01. Battery02. Master Of Puppets03. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)04. Ride The Lightning05. The Unforgiven06. The Memory Remains07. Lords Of Summer08. Sad But True09. Fade To Black10. Orion11. One12. For Whom The Bell Tolls13. Whiskey In The Jar14. Nothing Else Matters15. Enter Sandman

Encore:

16. Creeping Death17. The Call Of Ktulu18. Seek & Destroy

As previously reported, METALLICA stars in the latest ESPN "This Is SportsCenter" ad. The clip, which debuted on July 14 during this year's All-Star Home Run Derby, plays off the idea that the band members don't know what to do with themselves since Yankees star reliever Mariano Rivera retired last season and took his "Enter Sandman" entrance music with him — so the band begins a desperate search for something else to do. Drummer Lars Ulrich said, "Sometimes it can be quite freeing to put yourself at the mercy of others. ESPN's commercials have a tendency to be hilarious. We were like, 'That sounds like a good time.' The whole thing had an overriding impulsivity to it."

The long-running series of comical "This Is SportsCenter" ads promote ESPN's "SportsCenter" sports news show.

The commercials, which debuted in 1994, are presented in a deadpan mockumentary style, lampooning various aspects of sports and sports broadcasting.

After completing a recent European festival run, METALLICA has just one show on its calendar for the rest of 2014, at the Heavy MTL festival in Montreal on August 9.

The band is slated to enter the studio and begin recording its 10th studio album this fall.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, the SMASHING PUMPKINS announced plans to record two new albums and it looks like they're moving right along with their plans as Billy Corgan recently revealed the first album, "Monuments For An Elegy" featuring MÖTLEY CRÜE's Tommy Lee on drums, is done. Corgan told Loudwire: "So it's done now, 'Monuments For An Elegy', that is; and what a relief." The album still has to be mixed.

Corgan also shared his thoughts on the recording process. He said, "I'd most hoped to convey the joy of creativity, and how with any artistic endeavor, when undertaken with friends, makes the journey worthwhile. So let me say for the record… that 'Monuments For An Elegy' was one of the easiest and most pleasurable albums I've ever made."

He added, "Having heard the album through for a first time in this, a finished form I was taken aback. 'It's indescribable, that,' I told Shredder [SMASHING PUMPKINS guitarist Jeff Schroeder], meaning that what I heard was unlike anything I could recognize. Yet none of it was unfamiliar, either… big choruses, probing lyrics, odd twists of melody and guitars, guitars for days. Strange indeed."

SMASHING PUMPKINS is hoping to release the project soon.

Songtitles set to appear on "Monuments To An Elegy" include "Tiberius", "Being Beige", "Anaise", "One And All" and "Stomper".

The group is also aiming to release a second album, "Day For Night", in 2015.

According to ACDCCollector.com, a rare copy of AC/DC's debut Australian single, "Can I Sit Next To You, Girl", backed with "Rockin' In The Parlour", just sold on eBay for a whopping $4,471! The New Zealand-only Polydor label pressing of the single fetched this new record price on the auction site today (Wednesday, July 23).

The original "Can I Sit Next To You, Girl" seven-inch vinyl came out in 1974 on Albert Productions (through EMI Australia) and is one of the most sought-after AC/DC singles ever. The track features lead vocals by AC/DC's original singer Dave Evans, who was subsequently replaced by Bon Scott.

"Can I Sit Next To You, Girl" was later re-recorded with Scott on vocals for the "TNT" album.

In a May 2013 interview with the "Flight 750" radio show on Sports 750 The Game, Evans stated about why he eventually left AC/DC: "When our single ('Can I Sit Next To You, Girl') was released, we had our third bass player, third drummer, and third manager. And I didn't get on with those guys. I didn't know them. They were from Melbourne, we were a Sydney band. And it was morphing into something I didn't like. The songs were fantastic. The hit record we had was fantastic. The shows were great and all that kind of stuff. But I wasn't getting on with any of them. And those times, Malcolm Young was getting very jealous all the time because I just happened to be popular with the girls and Malcolm didn't have a girlfriend. So he was very jealous. So Malcolm and I sort of fell out because of that. And then the manager, we all thought he was doing the wrong thing by us as far as money was concerned because we were doing a lot of shows — major shows in Australia; sometimes two or three shows an evening — and we were absolutely flat broke. We were pooling our money together to buy hamburgers and French fries… So I left the band."

Speaking to Classic Rock magazine in 2009, Evans said about AC/DC's early days: "We built up a great following in Sydney, Australia and had a hit record with our very first release. I also recorded 'Soul Stripper' and 'Rock 'N' Roll Singer' as well. We performed a lot of ROLLING STONES and Chuck Berry tunes, which is where the Angus Young duck-walk came from."

Evans also spoke about the occasional clash with Angus. "He has an explosive temper," Evans claimed. "I was backstage one time having a disagreement with Angus when he just came at me with both fists flying. He is only a bit over 5 foot tall, but that didn't deter him. I put one of my hands on top of his head to keep him from reaching me. I guess it would have looked pretty comical for anyone watching. Another time, we picked up Malcolm and Angus to go to a gig when they started arguing with each other. Angus just flew into Malcolm and the two of them were throwing punches right, left and center."

Evans was a member of AC/DC from the band's inception in 1973 until 1974. Following his departure from AC/DC, Dave Evans formed the wild hedonistic rock band RABBIT, Melbourne '80s rock outfit DAVE EVANS AND THUNDER DOWN UNDER, and lastly DAVE EVANS AND HOT COCKEREL. Dave Evans has spent the last few years touring as a solo act.

According to the New York Daily News, UNLOCKING THE TRUTH — the heavy metal band from Flatbush, Brooklyn made up of three African American boys, 13-year-old guitarist Malcolm Brickhouse, 13-year-old bassist Alec Atkins and 12-year-old drummer Jarad Dawkins — got permission from a New York judge on Tuesday (July 22) to sign a multi-album deal with Sony. The musicians needed the judge's approval because they are minors.

Supreme Court Justice Carol Edmead questioned the boys' parents to make sure that they understood the contract and had set up trust accounts for their children. She also told the boys to spend their money wisely. "No Porsches!" she said.

UNLOCKING THE TRUTH entered the studio on Wednesday to record its first single, "Monster", for The Cherry Group, a division of Sony.

As part of its guaranteed two-album deal with Sony, UNLOCKING THE TRUTH will receive $60,000 to record the first disc and possibly as much as $325,000 for the second CD. Sony has an option to release a total of five albums from UNLOCKING THE TRUTH that could push the label's financial investment to around $1.7 million ($325,000 for the second album, $400,000 for the third, $450,000 for the fourth and $550,000 for the fifth). It should be noted, however, that the band will only see the real money after an initial $60,000 advance if their debut album sells more than 250,000 copies, a prospect that seems highly unlikely in an age of diminishing record sales.

Commenting on news reports that UNLOCKING THE TRUTH landed a "$1.7 million-dollar deal with Sony," TRIVIUM bassist Paolo Gregoletto wrote on Facebook: "The young kids that were signed got a $60,000 recording budget for their first album and have to sell 250,000 copies to receive royalties. That isn't a 1.7 million-dollar recording deal. I hope that they got a good lawyer and someone looking out for them."

UNLOCKING THE TRUTH, which is now managed by "Welcome Back, Kotter" co-creator Alan Sacks, has already played the Coachella festival and has supported GUNS N' ROSES. In addition, the band has appeared in a national ad campaign for Verizon Wireless.

An UNLOCKING THE TRUTH book about the band's rise to success will be released by Penguin around Christmas, and a documentary about the group's experiences is also in the works.

UNLOCKING THE TRUTH credits bands such as METALLICA, SLIPKNOT, DISTURBED, CHELSEA GRIN, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE and ESCAPE THE FATE as its influences.

In a recent interview with U.K.'s Mirror, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich once again credited the group's healthy diet and lifestyle for its longevity, insisting all his bandmates eat well and try to live balanced lives when they’re not on the road.

Lars, who runs on the treadmill every morning for 30 minutes and claims to "live and breathe hummus," said: "We tend to eat a lot of chicken, turkey, fish and salad — I've some hereditary cholesterol issues, so I don't eat meat from four-legged animals.

"Alcohol is now something that is associated with the end of the day, once all the work is done. If I have anything to drink at home, it's maybe only once every week or two, and it's always after the kids have gone to sleep — I don't like to drink around them."

Ulrich also revealed that quit his cocaine habit ten years ago, thanks, in part, to his good friend Noel Gallagher (OASIS).

"In the early days, I'd always get drunk way faster than the other guys," Lars said. "I realized that if there was a little bit of cocaine involved I could stay up longer, instead of ending up face down in the corner passed out three hours before the party ended. I loved the social elements of cocaine. I loved the danger of it. Then about 10 years ago, I read an interview with Noel Gallagher, in which he said, 'I just stopped doing cocaine.' I thought that was really cool: it felt so fresh, so honest, so pure — I love that side of him. I've never had an addictive personality, so I woke up one day and said: 'enough.'"

In a 2008 interview with Blender magazine, Ulrich said that he missed one thing about doing cocaine. "The bonding," he said. "Two guys in a bathroom stall — it feels like the most important place in the whole world in that moment. I've actually gone into bathroom stalls with friends since I quit, just so I still have a little bit of that bonding."

As to whether he was out of control with the drinking, he said that he never felt the need to go to rehab.

"It was always social drinking," he said. "Honestly, I never drank nearly as much as [METALLICA frontman James] Hetfield. Look at me, I'm 138 pounds. If I had five beers, I'd fall over, and if James had five, he'd go, 'I need 15 more.' I was never one of these wake-up-and-reach-for-the-whiskey-bottle types. I would at least have the decency to eat breakfast first."

Hetfield got clean and sober in 2002, returning to the band to record the controversial "St. Anger" album and make the documentary "Some Kind Of Monster", which chronicled his struggle as well as the group's near-breakup.

Hetfield told The Pulse Of Radio at the time that he was okay with people seeing that side of his life. "Connecting with people has never been easy for me. I think the more that people know about me and my struggles, the easier it will be to connect with people. I've put myself out there, and if they choose to stomp on my heart, or to embrace it, that is up to them."

Hetfield said that entering rehab was one of the scariest times in his life. "I was just kind of really scared," he said. "I was dropped off into this place and at that point my family was in question. Basically the family had split up, or I was no longer in the house, and it was totally one of the most scary times in my life. It was really like the earth was shaking under me, there was no stability, it felt like a constant earthquake. I had no idea what I was doing, where I was going."

According to The Pulse Of Radio, SLIPKNOT has finished recording its fifth studio album and first since 2008's "All Hope Is Gone". The disc is also the band's first without late bassist Paul Gray, who died in 2010, and drummer Joey Jordison, who was dismissed in late 2013. Singer Corey Taylor told "HardDrive" host Lou Brutus about recording for the first time without two key members. "It was interesting," he said. "We knew it was gonna be heavy. We knew it was gonna be one of those things where it's like, 'Okay, we're in uncharted territory right now, so what do we do?' You know. And Jim [Root, guitarist] and Clown [Shawn Crahan, percussionist] really stepped up, you know. They kind of started leading the charge and really getting stuff together. So by the time we really got into the studio, we had a really great template of music to check out."

Corey recently described the musical direction of the new SLIPKNOT material as "a great mesh of [2001's] 'Iowa' and [2004's] 'Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)'." He explained: "You've got the gorgeous melodies and the artistic direction of 'Vol. 3' and then you've got the absolute brutality of 'Iowa'. And I think people are gonna lose their minds when they hear it."

There is no word yet on the album's title or release date, but a single is expected to arrive sometime soon.

Reports have suggested that SLIPKNOT has recruited drummer Jay Weinberg to play on the new album and tour. Weinberg is the son of Max Weinberg, longtime Bruce Springsteen and the E STREET BAND drummer. There are also rumors that SLIPKNOT is no longer working with Donnie Steele, the group's original guitar player who has been playing bass for SLIPKNOT since the band resumed touring in 2011.

SLIPKNOT has announced that the second edition of its Knotfest event will take place on October 24-26 in San Bernardino, California. The Iowa-based band will headline two of the three days, Friday and Saturday, playing a completely different set on each night. More than two dozen other acts are scheduled to appear, including FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, VOLBEAT, OF MICE & MEN, DANZIG, ANTHRAX, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, IN THIS MOMENT, HELLYEAH, ATREYU, SUICIDE SILENCE, MISS MAY I, TESTAMENT and many others. Friday night's show will be exclusively for fans who buy VIP or camping packages. Fans who purchase tickets to Knotfest will receive a digital copy of SLIPKNOT's new album when it's eventually released.

The band will also stage Knotfest Japan on November 15-16 in Tokyo.

Christian hard rockers STRYPER will release a concert CD/DVD combination called "Live At The Whisky" on September 23 via Frontiers. The live recording was captured at a sold-out show last November at the legendary Whisky a Go Go in West Hollywood, California. The 16-track collection documents the band's first show in support of its latest, critically acclaimed release, "No More Hell To Pay". From the show opener "Legacy" to the final notes of show finale "Soldiers Under Command", "Live At The Whisky" documents STRYPER's rich musical legacy that spans over 30 years. The original lineup comprised of Michael Sweet (vocals/guitars), Robert Sweet (drums), Oz Fox (guitars) and Tim Gaines (bass) showcase the musicianship and songs that garnered the band a huge fan base in the mainstream world and the Christian market.

"Live At The Whisky" was produced by Michael Sweet and is available for pre-order at Amazon. "We've always wanted to record a live album that captures the rawness of the band and this is it!" says the band. "We couldn't be more thrilled then to have captured this at the infamous Whisky, where it all began for us. After 30 years, we're still proud to do what we do and hopefully it shows. This is an intimate performance, the way it should be." The "Live At The Whisky" DVD contains the music videos for the songs "No More Hell To Pay" and "Sympathy", both of which are taken from "No More Hell To Pay". It also features an interview segment the band recorded for Nashville All Access.

The concert will be broadcast on AXS.TV on September 28. Check local listings and providers for more information on the television debut of "Live At The Whisky" this fall. The track listing for "Live At The Whisky" is: 01. Legacy02. Marching Into Battle03. You Know What To Do04. Loud And Clear05. Reach Out06. Calling On You07. Free 08. More Than A Man09. The Rock That Makes Me Roll10. No More Hell To Pay11. Jesus Is Just Alright12. Always There For You13. All For One14. The Way15. To Hell With The Devil16. Soldiers Under Command

A trailer for the DVD can be seen below.

"No More Hell To Pay" sold around 9,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 35 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"Second Coming", a collection of re-recorded versions of STRYPER's classic songs, opened with around 4,400 units back in April to land at No. 117.

STRYPER's covers album, 2011's "The Covering", registered a first-week tally of around 4,600 copies to enter the chart at No. 175.

The band's previous collection of new material, 2009's "Murder By Pride", premiered with 5,900 copies to debut at No. 73.

"No More Hell To Pay" was released on November 5, 2013 in North America via Frontiers Records. The effort was made available in two formats — standard CD and deluxe digipak featuring exclusive video content. Produced by STRYPER guitarist/vocalist Michael Sweet himself, the set features some of STRYPER's strongest and heaviest material ever.

Greek/Swedish melodic death metallers NIGHTRAGE have signed a record/publishing deal with Swedish music company Despotz. The band's sixth studio album will surface in February 2015, with a new video/single to be unleashed this fall. "Today we are proud to announce that we have signed an album deal with Despotz Records," commented Marios Iliopoulos of NIGHTRAGE. "We are super excited to work with such a dedicated bunch of people, and we are entering studio Dugout Productions with Daniel Bergstrand on September 15. We would like to take this opportunity to now officially introduce Ronnie Nyman [ENEMY IS US] as our 'new' vocalist." "Dreams can really come true, NIGHTRAGE is a living proof of that," added Ömer Akay, Despotz co-founder and partner. "I'm honored to be working with Marios and NIGHTRAGE; we truly have the same background and visions to take the band to the mainstream." NIGHTRAGE was founded in 2000 in Greece by Iliopoulos and his close friend Gus G. (FIREWIND, OZZY OSBOURNE, ARCH ENEMY). Heavily influenced by the Gothenburg metal scene, the band relocated to Sweden to accomplish its dreams.

During NIGHTRAGE's career, various musicians from AT THE GATES, EVERGREY, DARK TRANQUILITY, AMARANTHE and FIREWIND have lent their services. In its 14 years, NIGHTRAGE has released five studio albums and toured across Europe, the U.S., Canada and Asia.