MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy Kilmister has revealed to RollingStone.com that one of his most frequent visitors during his recent recovery from a number of health issues — which included heart trouble, diabetes and surgery — was former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash. "He was at my house more than he's ever been before, encouraging me. He's a really fucking good guy," Lemmy said of the top-hatted axeman.

The iconic 68-year-old rocker also told RollingStone.com that he can foresee the day when MOTÖRHEAD will spend less time touring and focus more on studio work. Still, he says that he will stay on the road "as long as I can," explaining, "You kind of owe it to the people that put you up here. You should deliver. But if I can't deliver, I'm never going to be a figurehead up there and just play for money. I could never do that. I've seen people do it, and it's just frightful.

"I'm old, you know," he admitted. "In two years I'm 70, which is ridiculous. How did that happen to me?"

Since being diagnosed with diabetes in 2000, Lemmy's had to have a defibrillator installed in his heart, and more recently suffered from an "unspecified hematoma," which led to the cancelation of several European shows last summer. Factor in a daily intake of smokes, speed and Jack and Coke for the last 40-plus years, and it's a wonder he's alive at all. After decades of invincibility, the cracks are finally showing. Lemmy has had to make some difficult adjustments. "I had to give up the Jack and Coke because of the sugar," he told Decibel magazine. "I miss it. I gave up smoking, too. I gave up bread. It's been a bit of a job, you know?"

Lemmy, who will turn 69 years old this coming December, told Classic Rock he didn't expect to still be here at 30,

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

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

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

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

Legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen has revealed to Highway 81 Revisited that he is currently mixing a live album and DVD recorded at back-to-back shows in Tampa and Orlando. According to Yngwie, it'll be released in August and will probably be called "Spellbound Live". He told CitizensVoice.com about the live album and DVD: "That's a perfect example of how when I play, it's always different. Because one's from Tampa and one's from Orlando, and it's completely different."

Regarding how the Guitar Gods tour, which kicked off June 12 in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania and also features Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal of GUNS N' ROSES and Gary Hoey, would be structured, Yngwie told Highway 81 Revisited: "A lot of people probably get the idea that I'm this extremely calculated kind of guy, and in a lot of ways I am. But when it comes to music or artistic expression, I'm very uncalculated and do things very spontaneous. If I didn't do that, I wouldn't want to do this anymore. I can't just play the same thing over and over, it would drive me crazy."

He continued: "So for instance, if I do a regular show, like 20 minutes before the show, I say to the tour manager, 'Here's the setlist,' and it's not the same setlist as the night before. And I say to the tour manager, 'Print them out and put them on the stage.' So now everybody has a setlist. And once I hit the stage, I'll play a different setlist anyway. If you go to two of the shows, they're very different. This is how I keep the thing alive, this is how I stay inspired."

On the topic of "Relentless", the memoir he published last year, Malmsteen said: "I felt that I had to put this on paper from the only perspective from which it could be told, which is my perspective. I'm talking about walking in the snow when I'm seven years old and wondering what the fuck am I doing here, why am I born in this fucking place? And now of course I'm looking at palm trees, so now I'm remedying that; I'm still thawing out. But the thing is, it has to be read to understand where I'm coming from."

He added: "It's not just all the chicks — it was that too, you know the rock 'n' roll thing? I did all that fucking shit. Trust me. I'm a very different person now. I don't touch alcohol, I don't touch cigarettes, I don't touch drugs. I'm a very clean-living person for the last 10 years, maybe more now. I just felt it had to be told. It's so different from where I started. When I looked back, I said, fuck, that was me? It's very therapeutic as well."

Yngwie's latest album, "Spellbound", was released in December 2012.

Roadrunner recording group HEARTIST has announced details of its eagerly awaited debut album. "Feeding Fiction" — the first full-length release from the Southern California group — arrives on August 12.

Produced by David Bendeth (PARAMORE, OF MICE & MEN, BRING ME THE HORIZON), "Feeding Fiction" is available now for pre-order on the iTunes Store, with all pre-orders receiving instant downloads of the powerful new tracks "Skeletons", "Pressure Point" and "Black Cloud". In addition, the band has also premiered a companion visualizer for their new track "Black Cloud".

Known for their energetic and engaging live performances, HEARTIST are currently prepping for a major North American tour in support of SET IT OFF and OUR LAST NIGHT's "Come Alive Tour". The multi-artist trek is set to get underway July 11 at Murray Hill Theater in Jacksonville, Florida, then continue through mid-August.

Equal parts anthemic grandeur, brawny metalcore-infused heaviness, and chorus-driven radio rock nirvana, "Feeding Fiction" is HEARTIST at their absolute best. With each song boasting a towering chorus that demands to be unleashed in arenas and stadiums, it is rich with hooks and chunky riffs, and vocalist Bryce Beckley's candid lyrics and soaring vocals aim to bring real, honest emotion back into heavy music.

"We started this band because we looked around and everything seemed stagnant, everyone just seemed to be doing the same thing, and I haven't heard a song on the radio that's really touched my soul in what seems like forever," states Beckley. "We want people to hear us and go wow, holy shit, that's what's been missing."

Formed in 2011, the members of HEARTIST walked away from college educations and secure employment to focus one hundred percent on music. They subsequently spent several months honing their sound, determined to create something that stood out on its own merits. In 2012 the band dropped their "Nothing You Didn't Deserve" EP via Roadrunner and subsequently toured with the likes of ARCHITECTS and ENTER SHIKARI, including a European run supporting labelmates KILLSWITCH ENGAGE. HEARTIST has also shared stages across the U.S. with BLESSTHEFALL, SILVERSTEIN, SECRETS and labelmates THE AMITY AFFLICTION.

"Feeding Fiction" track listing:

01. What Kind Of World02. Black Cloud03. Skeletons04. Pressure Point05. Ignite06. Unbreakable07. Legacy08. Manipulate09. Set Me Free10. Ready To Change11. Demons

Danish heavy metal singer King Diamond has revealed to RollingStone.com that he is working on a new album from his namesake band, tentatively due next year. "We've done a lot of stuff," he said. "We are going in some new ways that are going to be amazing."

He continued: "I've been building a studio so I can do my vocals at home. Once it's completed, we can start recording.

"I have a title for a new record, but I won't say it.

"[The record] will encompass the things I need to write about after what I went through. But I can't say much about it because I haven't talked to the rest of the band about it."

KING DIAMOND in December 2012 signed a new three-album worldwide deal with Metal Blade Records.

King, 58, whose real name is Kim Bendix Petersen, underwent open-heart triple-bypass surgery in November 2010. He has since completed his cardiac rehabilitation program and has stopped smoking entirely, changed his diet and is getting regular exercise.

Asked what the hardest part of his recovery process has been, King told RollingStone.com: "It's tough to learn to breathe again. The doctors collapsed my lungs to do the work. When I woke up, it felt like I was being choked to death. I tried to pull the tubes out of my throat. The doctors tied me down to the bed. In my head, I was thinking, 'Fucking kill me.' It was horrible. I'm going to have to describe that feeling on the next album."

KING DIAMOND's video for the song "Give Me Your Soul" can be viewed below. The band's first clip in 17 years was shot in September 2007 with director Bill Schacht from video company Aestheticom, which had previously worked with DIO, ALICE COOPER and DREAM THEATER, among other artists. Speaking to MTV.com, the group's frontman/namesake — who was suffering from a herniated disc at the time — said about the video shoot, "They limited what I had to do, of course, so I only did one day of shooting for 90 minutes, but just standing there moving a little bit in the full outfit was very difficult. And afterwards, I got one of those sharp attacks of pain that I hadn't had in a month and a half. The only thing I can compare it to is a really super-bad toothache or earache. And afterwards, I was like, 'OK, I'm not ready [to tour] yet.' "

KING DIAMOND received a Grammy nomination in the "Best Metal Performance" category for the track "Never Ending Hill" off the group's latest album, "Give Me Your Soul … Please".

"Give Me Your Soul ... Please" entered the Swedish national chart at position No. 28. The CD also landed at No. 58 on the Danish chart (the second highest new entry on the chart behind VELVET REVOLVER).

"Give Me Your Soul ... Please" sold 4,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 174 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The official lyric video for the song "Tarquinius Superbus" from CORROSION OF CONFORMITY can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "IX", which is being released on July 1 via Candlelight. The CD was produced by the band and longtime comrade John Custer.

Video footage filmed at the recording studio, including vocalist Mike Dean and drummer Reed Mullin laying down vocal tracks, plus guitarist Woodroe Weatherman tracking some of the albums killer riffs, has been seen by fans around the globe.

"The making of 'IX' was drawn out because of us having to step away to do other projects," comments Dean. "I think being forced to step away kept us hungry and then being back on the case with deadlines casting a shadow gave us a 'failure is no option' vibe and that really helped the final product." "This album is another step forward for us," adds Weatherman. "It seems like we keep heading more and more toward our rawer live sound with the studio recordings." "CORROSION OF CONFORMITY are very much firing on all cylinders," noted Terrorizer magazine preceding the trio of English dates that were part of the larger Euro tour that had the band visiting ten countries for the first time in more than a year.

"We had some good shows," shared Dean. "To go back to Paris for the first time in years, without a new album, and have the type of response we had just shows me that there is new interest in the more creative heavier rock. And that this younger group of people is actually checking us out is huge to me." The band surprised European audiences with some new material from "IX". "We had 'On Your Way' in the set and people were jamming along," notes Dean. "It's uptempo but syncopated. I thought it fit right in even though technically we were still working it out."

"We did sneak in some new material on the European tour," asserts Weatherman. "It's great to see folks digging on stuff they have never heard before." "IX" track listing:

01. Brand New Sleep02. Elphyn03. Denmark Vesey04. The Nectar05. Interlude06. On Your Way07. Trucker08. The Hanged Man09. Tarquinius Superbus10. Who You Need To Blame11. The Nectar Revised

Southern California's ATREYU has risen from the self-imposed hiatus it embarked upon in 2011. The reunited lineup, featuring vocalist Alex Varkatzas, drummer Brandon Saller, guitarists Dan Jacobs and Travis Miguel and bassist Marc McKnight, will return to the stage for the first time in three years for an exclusive mainstage performance at Aftershock festival on September 14 in Sacramento, California.

"The time has come," says Saller. "We have been spending the last few months planning this moment. Writing new music and thinking about the future while also reflecting on the past. We all came to the conclusion that it was the right time. Our history is too powerful to ignore forever. Our fans have given us too much. The void of ATREYU, in the world and within ourselves, had existed for long enough. We are happy to announce that after almost 4 years, the beast has risen!"

With over one million records sold in the U.S. alone, ATREYU made a dent on the metal scene over the last decade with fan-coveted releases like 2006's "A Death-Grip on Yesterday" (#9 Billboard Top 200), 2007's "Lead Sails Paper Anchor" (#8 Billboard Top 200) and 2009's "Congregation Of The Damned" (#18 Billboard Top 200), and then bowed out in 2011 to recharge and focus on their personal lives. The wait is over...

"To say we are looking forward to playing this year's Aftershock festival is an understatement," says Varkatzas. "It's been 3-plus years since we have rocked the stage as brothers, and to be playing with all these high-caliber bands, in the state that we call home, is truly awesome."

As many fans have already noticed, 2014 also marks the 10th anniversary of the band's critically heralded, breakthrough album "The Curse". The significant milestone of one of the last decade's most popular metal releases resonates intense nostalgia and celebration for fans of the band's early, heavy sound, and adds yet another reason for fans to get excited about ATREYU's monumental comeback.

Could there be more shows announced this year? Could there be new music to be released?

Stay tuned as the story of ATREYU is far from over….

Scion Audio Visual celebrates San Diego's enormous comic and entertainment convention with iconic METALLICA guitar player Kirk Hammett and his namesake toy company Kirk Von Hammet Toys with an exclusive, RSVP-only celebration dubbed the "Fear FestEvil After Party" that will showcase a performance by legendary Bay Area thrashers EXODUS on July 25 at F6IX located at 526 F Street in San Diego, California. This special EXODUS performance will be highlighted by Hammett joining the band on stage for a few songs.

Hammett was a member of EXODUS' original lineup before replacing Dave Mustaine in METALLICA in 1983. In fact, Hammett was not only the person who came up with the EXODUS name, but also the first from the band to meet original EXODUS singer Paul Baloff and brought him into the group. "Through Scion A/V, we are always looking for creative ways to merge the worlds of music and art that strike a chord with our customers," explained Jeri Yoshizu, manager of sales promotions at Scion. "In addition to sponsoring several tours and dozens of special events each year, we also have the Scion A/V Installation where we support independent visual artists. Partnering with Kirk Hammett and his toy company helps bring distinctive music and art forms to an enthusiastic audience, which is what Scion A/V is all about." Since he was a young boy in San Francisco's Mission District, Hammett has been fascinated by all things "monster" and "sci-fi." From early years spent watching Creature Features to his present status as one of the foremost collectors of horror memorabilia in the world, the METALLICA lead guitarist's passion for the macabre and mysterious has only grown deeper. In 2011, Kirk formed KVH Toys to enable him to create custom horror collectibles for like-minded fans, and in 2012 he published his critically-acclaimed first book, "Too Much Horror Business" (now in its third print run via Abrams Press) which documented the highlights of his famous collection. Hammett has also hosted special event screenings of his favorite classic horror movies at venues such as the Chinese Theatre in Hollywood and the Balboa Theatre in San Francisco. In February 2014, Hammett launched his inaugural horror convention, Kirk Von Hammett's Fear FestEvil, at the historic Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. Featuring a wide array of guests from the worlds of horror and music ("The Walking Dead"'s Greg Nicotero to British legends of extreme metal CARCASS and fellow Bay Area thrashers DEATH ANGEL) as well as some of the most creative vending yet seen (including a taxidermy class), Fear FestEvil was lauded by horror fans and critics alike as a unique entry into the world of horror conventions.

According to a posting on the Facebook page of the Flint, Michigan metal band KING 810, the case against the group's vocalist David Gunn (formerly known as David Swan) in the 2013 critical beating of a man outside of a bar in his hometown was just dismissed by the judge. The case against KING 810 bassist Eugene Gill in connection with the same incident was bound over to circuit court. Bond was amended for travel.

KING 810 is scheduled to traverse the U.S. this summer on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival beginning in early July. The band's debut album is tentatively due in August.

Gunn and Gill, both of whom are 28 years old, were picked up at the Detroit Metro Airport on June 12 as they were making their way to the United Kingdom to perform at this year's Download festival. They were charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder.

Gill is suspected of attacking a man last October and leaving him in critical condition outside The Loft in downtown Flint. A police investigation led to warrants being issued for the two musicians.

Assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder (also known as "assault GBH") is a felony criminal offense in Michigan, according to Michigan Compiled Law 750.84. Assault GBH carries a potential punishment of up to 10 years in prison, and a fine of not more than $5,000.

KING 810, which recently signed with Roadrunner Records, stirred up controversy at last month's Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, Ohio by bringing a number of masked men carrying (fake) assault rifles on stage (see video below).

In a recent interview with Metal Hammer magazine, David stated about his hometown: "You will never understand where we're coming from unless you've been here.

"Flint is not one of a kind — there are slums all over the world — but this kind of thing rarely gets expressed by a band that's so involved in a place like this. A lot of people just lie about it, but we're actually here.

"I've seen two people killed this week. I've seen two bodies this week and I'm not the only one.

"We're holding up a mirror. Your environment affects you, whether it's negative or positive.

"This city is wild. There are no police here. It's poverty-stricken, there's unemployment, we have serial killers you won't hear about on TV.

"I can't make anyone understand what I'm getting at. When I sing, 'While you were playing with friends, we were burying men…' do you get it?"

KING 810's "Proem" EP was made available on iTunes on May 13.

Police booking photos:

Swedish metallers THE HAUNTED will release their new album, "Exit Wounds", on August 25 in Europe and September 2 in North America via Century Media. The CD was once again recorded with the band's longtime producer Tue Madsen at Denmark's Antfarm Studio (DARK TRANQUILLITY, HEAVEN SHALL BURN, SICK OF IT ALL) and features THE HAUNTED's revamped lineup: founding members Jonas Björler (bass) and Patrik Jensen (guitar) along with with returning members Adrian Erlandsson (drums) and Marco Aro (vocals), and the band's latest addition, guitarist Ola Englund. TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy makes a guest appearance in the song "Trend Killer", which has been described by producer Juan Urteaga as "sick as heck!"

"Exit Wounds" track listing:

01. 317
02. Cutting Teeth
03. My Salvation
04. Psychonaut
05. Eye Of The Storm
06. Trend Killer (feat. Chuck Billy)
07. Time (Will Not Heal)
08. All I Have
09. Temptation
10. My Enemy
11. Kill The Light
12. This War
13. Infiltrator
14. Ghost In The Machine

Comments Aro: "This time around we've found our way back to where we once started! You could say that we've gathered the old crew, both in music and the artwork.

"Our old friend Andreas 'Diaz ' Pettersson is back, an amazing artist with a rap sheet which includes the artwork on no less than four THE HAUNTED albums. He always finds a way to put our thoughts into print where he sometimes even scares us a bit...and this release in no different.

"We decided on 'Exit Wounds' as being a good title for the album given the recent history of the band, but also a sort of a phoenix rising.

"We are so excited about this little thing we've created!

"Can't wait to get out there and start playing these songs and for me personally, I could not be more proud of what we have done. I really hope you're going to enjoy it!"

THE HAUNTED released a new three-song single, "Eye Of The Storm", on January 20 in Europe and January 21 in North America via Century Media Records.

"Eye Of The Storm" was made available as limited-edition seven-inch EP (1,000 copies split as follows: 500 on black vinyl, 300 on red vinyl and 200 on white vinyl) and as digital single, featuring the new songs "Eye Of The Storm", "Infiltrator" and "My Enemy".

"Eye Of The Storm" track listing:

01. Eye Of The Storm
02. Infiltrator
03. My Enemy

The single marked the recording debut of THE HAUNTED's new lineup, which was announced last summer, featuring founding members Patrik Jensen (guitar) and Jonas Björler (bass), returning members Marco Aro (vocals) and Adrian Erlandsson (drums), as well as new guitarist Ola Englund.

THE HAUNTED's 2014 lineup:

* Patrik Jensen - Guitar
* Ola Englund (SIX FEET UNDER, FEARED) - Guitar
* Marco Aro (THE RESISTANCE, FACE DOWN) - Vocals
* Jonas Björler - Bass
* Adrian Erlandsson (AT THE GATES, PARADISE LOST) - Drums

Vocalist Marco Aro (ex-FACE DOWN, also in THE RESISTANCE) was previously involved with THE HAUNTED for three acclaimed releases between 1999 and 2003 as well as for several worldwide touring campaigns. Drummer Adrian Erlandsson (also in AT THE GATES and PARADISE LOST) belonged to the original lineup of THE HAUNTED together the Björler twins after the demise of their previous legendary group, AT THE GATES. Together with Jensen, they launched THE HAUNTED's self-titled debut in 1998, an album which has been widely considered as the kick-start for a new era in the thrash metal movement and which, despite its initial underground status, climbed to be a massively inspirational record for a whole new generation of musicians and bands in the following decade. Guitarist Ola Englund is a highly talented young player from Sweden, who has recently been active as touring and recording member of U.S. death metal institution SIX FEET UNDER.

"Memoirs Of A Murderer", the full-length debut from the Flint, Michigan metal band KING 810, will be released on August 19 via Roadrunner Records. Told in three movements, the CD is the embodiment of vocalist David Gunn's (formerly known as David Swan) life within the pressure cooker of Flint, fired by Gunn's brutally honest narratives and starkly poetic lyricism. "Memoirs" sees Gunn confronting the violence that plagues the streets of Flint, perfectly capturing the despair that infects the lives of those who reside in the belly of the beast. "Memoirs Of A Murderer" is a remarkable journey through the post-millennial American wasteland, terrifying, tragic, and ultimately transcendent.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Kill 'Em All02. Best Nite Of My Life03. Murder Murder Murder04. Take It05. Fat Around The Heart06. Treading And Trodden07. Anatomy 1:208. Eyes09. Desperate Lovers10. Boogeymen11. Devil Don't Cry12. Anatomy 1:313. Carve My Name14. War Outside15. Write About Us16. State Of Nature

The "Fat Around The Heart" video can be seen at AltPress.com.

According to a posting on KING 810's Facebook page, the case against tGunn in the 2013 critical beating of a man outside of a bar in his hometown was dismissed by the judge. The case against KING 810 bassist Eugene Gill in connection with the same incident was bound over to circuit court. Bond was amended for travel.

KING 810 is scheduled to traverse the U.S. this summer on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival beginning in early July.

Gunn and Gill, both of whom are 28 years old, were picked up at the Detroit Metro Airport on June 12 as they were making their way to the United Kingdom to perform at this year's Download festival. They were charged with assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder.

Gill is suspected of attacking a man last October and leaving him in critical condition outside The Loft in downtown Flint. A police investigation led to warrants being issued for the two musicians.

KING 810 stirred up controversy at this year's Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, Ohio by bringing a number of masked men carrying (fake) assault rifles on stage (see video below).

In a recent interview with Metal Hammer magazine, David stated about his hometown: "You will never understand where we're coming from unless you've been here.

"Flint is not one of a kind — there are slums all over the world — but this kind of thing rarely gets expressed by a band that's so involved in a place like this. A lot of people just lie about it, but we're actually here.

"I've seen two people killed this week. I've seen two bodies this week and I'm not the only one.

"We're holding up a mirror. Your environment affects you, whether it's negative or positive.

"This city is wild. There are no police here. It's poverty-stricken, there's unemployment, we have serial killers you won't hear about on TV.

"I can't make anyone understand what I'm getting at. When I sing, 'While you were playing with friends, we were burying men…' do you get it?"

KING 810's "Proem" EP was made available on iTunes on May 13.

Former DEEP PURPLE and current WHITESNAKE frontman David Coverdale's home in Lake Tahoe, Nevada was once again invaded by a black bear this past weekend. "It must have weighed 450-500 pounds," Coverdale tells Classic Rock. "It took out two armed screens, opened the fridge, ate his fill, then took a HUGE poop. I came upstairs and interrupted him. I shouted like crazy as I couldn't find my air horns. Thank God, he remembered where he entered."

He continued: I quickly looked around as I saw the mess and couldn't see where he gained access, then he headed for some sliding doors that we leave open when it's hot. They're only open five or six inches, and we have ' bear poles' that prevent anyone or thing opening them. But I saw with my own eyes the creature rear up on its hind legs and squeeze out, taking an antique Tiffany lamp out as it escaped. Heartbreaking."

This is not the first time Coverdale has been confronted by a black bear at his home. His first face-to-face encounter with a bear came in July 2007, as he was "rinsing a cup or two at the kitchen sink." He stated at the time: "I don't mind telling you I almost succumbed to an involuntary bowel movement."

In 2007, The New York Times reported that the Lake Tahoe area was experiencing a rise in home invasions by bears. It was estimated at the time that there were five bear break-ins around Lake Tahoe every night, with some believing that the actual number was twice that.

There are 250 to 500 bears around Tahoe. The animals, which can weigh as much as 400 pounds, have become less wary of humans after years of being fed and access to unsecured garbage.




This is where he/she gained access. Poor ol' Tiffany lamp is a goner...:(
Interesting start to the week. Ha Ha!! pic.twitter.com/W4DZRMRV9J

— David Coverdale (@davidcoverdale) June 30, 2014

Fan-filmed video footage of W.A.S.P.'s June 28 performance at the Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium can be seen below.

At a June 6 press conference at this year's edition of the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden, W.A.S.P. mainman Blackie Lawless revealed that the band was "about three weeks away from finishing" its new studio album, titled "Golgotha", for an early 2015 release. He stated about the lyrical inspiration for the upcoming CD: "'Golgotha' is Hebrew for place of the skull, and it's the hill where Christ was crucified. And it's interesting, when you see a lot of bands going around using Satanic images or images of death and things like that, and I'm thinking, all they need to do is look at the source, 'cause it's right there. I mean, if you want death, there's enough to go around there."

Regarding the musical direction of W.A.S.P.'s new material, Lawless said: "It sounds probably more similar to the last two that we've done [2007's 'Dominator' and 2009's 'Babylon']. And we've been working on this thing for four years now."

He continued: "I don't know if you guys heard, I had a little hiccup last year, and that delayed recording for almost a year. I broke my leg. And that, too, was an interesting trip.

"But there's one thing that I learned when I was doing [1992's] 'The Crimson Idol': if you make a record over too long of a period of time, you have to be very, very careful, because the record you start out making is not the record you end up finishing, because you've changed so much as a person over a three- or four-year period, you've gotta be very, very careful to hold on to that vision. But from what I'm hearing so far — and it's not completely mixed yet — it has definite overtones of the last two records."

British vocalist Tony Mills (TNT, SHY) is preparing to undergo more cardiac surgery. He writes on his Facebook page: "I can't just carry on as I have been, so I'm signing off until further notice.

"If there is more to say in the near future, I'm sure it will be posted by my family."

Mills suffered a heart attack at Oslo airport in August 2010 on his way to a gig with the rest of TNT, but a quick response from the airport's paramedics saved the singer's life.

The 51-year-old vocalist is putting the finishing touches on a new solo album, "Over My Dead Body", to be released next year. The follow-up to 2008's "Vital Designs" will feature guest appearances by a number of "well-known names in the rock business" and a will include the song "Northern Star", which was recently released as a digital single via iTunes.

In a September 2013 interview with Full Throttle Rock, Mills stated about his August 2013 departure from TNT: "Maybe we did 500 shows or something like that, but not many out of Norway. It has been the most prolific live period in my career, and when I felt the stagnancy and the lack of desire to grow and develop any further, I knew my time was done with the band.

"I don't think it's sensible to expect new art from the band after thirty years, just a lot of re-living the past and reconstructions of old albums and performances.

"None of us are getting any younger, but I have a great desire to not stop creativity in my life.

"I hate wasting days and singing songs from the past to satisfy old fans. Nostalgia wasn't doing it for me.

"We were never close as friends or anything like that, so there is no great loss." Mills appeared on three studio albums with TNT: "The New Territory" (2007), "Atlantis" (2008) and "A Farewell To Arms" (2010).

Death metal veterans CANNIBAL CORPSE will release their new album, "A Skeletal Domain", on September 16 via Metal Blade Records.

The CANNIBAL CORPSE collective — vocalist George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher, bassist Alex Webster, guitarists Pat O'Brien and Rob Barrett and drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz — approaches each recording session with a honed and precise vision of a band in their third decade of existence. With this new entry to their extensive catalog, they've switched gears, opting to work with producer Mark Lewis (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, DEVILDRIVER) at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida, after having tracked their previous three outings ("Kill", "Evisceration Plague", "Torture") with Erik Rutan. Boasting twelve-ominous tracks in forty-four spine-fraying minutes, the result is a massive, belligerent, and deliberate aural attack that finds the band at their peak of their notoriously hyper-kinetic, meticulously executed brutality. Preparation for "A Skeletal Domain" did not vary significantly from previous efforts. "At the end of the day, we're still making a death metal record, no matter where it's being recorded," relays Webster. Mark Lewis offered a slightly different, modern recording approach, but the band stressed that they could not be more pleased with their previous albums with Rutan, and the door is most definitely open to work with him again in the future. Changing producers is something the band has historically done after every few albums, if only to not get too comfortable. CANNIBAL CORPSE also tried to step outside of their comfort zone when it came to songwriting and their musical performances.

"Consistency is often confused with repetition. We are established with what we do as a band, and we could relax and not push ourselves, but we try to push the envelope. That's what makes this exciting," Webster adds. "Anyone who really listens to this album with an open mind will hear that it's not same-old same-old." Mark Lewis would concur with Webster's analysis and even goes a step further by claiming that "there are moments on this record that have never happened in musical history."

"A Skeletal Domain" track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. High Velocity Impact Spatter02. Sadistic Embodiment03. Kill Or Become04. A Skeletal Domain05. Headlong Into Carnage06. The Murderer's Pact07. Funeral Cremation08. Icepick Lobotomy09. Vector Of Cruelty10. Bloodstained Cement11. Asphyxiate To Resuscitate12. Hollowed Bodies

The song "Sadistic Embodiment" can be streamed below.

Regarding how the new CANNIBAL CORPSE material is sounding, Webster told Metal Wani: "I think it's… a dark-sounding album. Which, you know, it's a death metal album, so, of course, it should be kind of dark and eerie sounding anyway, but I think this one a little more than normal. That was kind of the direction the songwriting went in. Pat [O'Brien, guitar] actually wrote a lot on this album. This will be the first album where Pat wrote more songs than anyone else. He's really been super motivated, and he's been writing some great, great material that we're all really excited about. And some of it, it's very evil-sounding stuff. So I think our fans will be very happy. There's nothing on here that's even a million miles close to being a sellout, you know what I mean?! It's definitely full-on evil death metal. I think everyone will enjoy it."

CANNIBAL CORPSE's twelfth studio album, "Torture", sold 9,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 38 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Evisceration Plague", also opened with 9,600 units to land at No. 66. That was more than 50 percent higher than the opening tally of CANNIBAL CORPSE's 2006 CD, "Kill", which entered the chart at No. 170 after shifting more than 6,000 copies.

Metal Blade Records last year released picture discs from the band's expansive catalog of releases ("Eaten Back To Life", "Butchered At Birth", "Tomb Of The Mutilated", "The Bleeding", "Vile", "Gallery Of Suicide", "Bloodthirst", "Gore Obsessed", "The Wretched Spawn", "Kill", "Evisceration Plague", "Torture"). A total of 12 pictures discs were released, covering all of the band's full-length studio albums, some of which had never been released on picture disc.

CANNIBAL CORPSE was selected for induction in the Buffalo Music Hall Of Fame as a member of the Class of 2013. CANNIBAL CORPSE was the latest addition to the Hall Of Fame, which also includes Buffalo natives the GOO GOO DOLLS, Billy Sheehan, 10,000 MANIACS, and many more. The Class Of 2013 was inducted into the Buffalo Music Hall Of Fame at its 30th-anniversary induction gala, which was held October 3, 2013 at the Tralf Music Hall in Buffalo.

Visually intoxicating, uncompromisingly heavy and revered for making music and lifestyle one, ELECTRIC WIZARD will release its eighth full-length album, "Time To Die", later in the year via Spinefarm Records. Says ELECTRIC WIZARD founding member Jus Oborn: "All of our albums in the past have had a theme — revenge, drugs, black magick — and the theme of this one is death. Of course, death to us really means rebirth, so this album is a manifestation of a very primal occult belief in the final sacrifice.

"We have gone full circle — it was inevitable, but we had to do it. We had to kill the band so we could be reborn. It was the only way to ensure we could come back even stronger."

The artwork, once again created by Oborn, is an extension of that theme; this is further solidified by the LP gatefold image, which will be revealed soon.

Formed by vocalist/guitarist Jus Oborn in 1993, ELECTRIC WIZARD — based in the U.K.'s South-West — has thus far released seven studio albums — an increasingly influential body of work recorded on vintage analogue gear with as little technology as possible intruding on the signal ("Pro Tools is for pussies!"). Result: some of the heaviest, dirtiest, most evil-sounding audio ever put to tape, and more importantly to vinyl, with both "Come My Fanatics" (1997) and "Dopethrone" (2000) being lauded as landmark releases. A cultural as well as a musical force, ELECTRIC WIZARD has left an indelible mark on a host of different genres, the likes of doom, stoner and sludge; at heart, however, they stand as an iconic British metal band, cast in the great tradition, with lyrics and artwork reflecting the hypnotic weight of the music, and subject to the same intelligence and detail. Wreathed in occult ritual and drug-culture references, with classic '70s horror an inspirational seam, ELECTRIC WIZARD is poised to turn a page; there's the new deal with Spinefarm Records, plus — after a nine-year hiatus — the return of Mark Greening (the drummer on "Dopethrone"), who completes the lineup of Oborn, American guitarist Liz Buckingham, a key member since 2003, and new bassist Clayton Burgess (SATAN'S SATYRS). Fueled by strong emotion and the harder sounds of late-'60s Detroit, the remodeled lineup — isolated by choice, giant stacks glowing red — set about crafting an eighth studio album to both rival and exceed the milestone recordings of the past, with Buckingham keeping things suitably monolithic and the band generally looking back to some of their earliest influences. Toerag Studios in London was once again charged with capturing "The Sound," and (encouragingly) words like "raw", "hateful" and "sickeningly heavy" are being traded. ELECTRIC WIZARD is:

Jus Oborn - Lead Vocals, GuitarLiz Buckingham - GuitarMark Greening - Drums, PercussionClayton Burgess - Bass

Fan-filmed video footage of ARCH ENEMY's entire June 14 performance at the Kultursommer festival at Conrad Sohm, Dornbirn, Austria can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Tempore Nihil Sanat (Prelude in F Minor) (0:00)02. Enemy Within (0:37)03. War Eternal (4:57)04. Ravenous (9:15)05. Revolution Begins (13:43)06. My Apocalypse (18:09)07. You Will Know My Name (24:29)08. Bloodstained Cross (29:17)09. Under Black Flags We March (34:21)10. The Day You Died (39:07)11. Dead Eyes See No Future (44:01)12. As The Pages Burn (48:53)13. No Gods, No Masters (53:31)14. Khaos Overture (Instrumental) (58:17)15. Yesterday Is Dead And Gone (59:47)16. We Will Rise (1:04:21)17. Snow Bound (1:10:17)18. Nemesis (1:13:31)19. Fields Of Desolation / Outro (1:17:49)

ARCH ENEMY played its first show with Alissa White-Gluz, former singer of THE AGONIST, on May 23 at Turbohalle in Bucharest, Romania. Angela Gossow, who joined ARCH ENEMY in 2000 and made her debut on the now-classic "Wages Of Sin" (2001), has stepped down as frontwoman and will focus on management, while Alissa takes her place.

Asked if ARCH ENEMY considered both male and female singers to replace Angela, or if the band wanted to get another female lead vocalist, guitarist Michael Amott told Loudwire: "I get asked that question a lot. I didn't even think about that. Alissa's name came up so quickly, literally in the same meeting when Angela told us. When Angela gave us her final notice, she urged us to continue. She knows how much we love the band, how much it means to us, how much we musically had, and that there's so much life left in this band. She knew all that. She just knew that it wasn't for her anymore. She urged us to continue. She herself suggested Alissa. Alissa's name was just thrown in the mix right from the beginning. We said, yeah, that could possibly work. We knew her as a great singer and a great performer, and really didn't consider anybody else. It all happened very quickly. Alissa, I contacted her, and she was into the idea of coming over to Sweden, just trying it. She liked the idea. We both agreed that she just try this as soon as possible and get in the rehearsal room and jam on the old stuff, see what it sounds like with her voice on ARCH ENEMY's catalog stuff. Also, we wrote some new music together. We jammed on stuff in the studio together when she was over in Sweden. It just all worked out very, very well. We thought Alissa makes a lot of sense on paper, let's try it. It worked out."

ARCH ENEMY's new album, "War Eternal", sold around 8,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 44.

The band's previous CD, "Khaos Legions", opened with around 6,000 units back in June 2011 to land at No. 78.

ARCH ENEMY's 2007 effort, "Rise Of The Tyrant", debuted at No. 84 with first-week U.S. sales of around 8,900 approximately 25 percent less than the opening number (12,000) of its predecessor, 2005's "Doomsday Machine" (which landed at No. 87).

"War Eternal" was released on June 10 in North America via Century Media Records. The cover artwork was created by Costin Chioreanu.

The country tribute album "Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe" will be released on August 19 via Big Machine Records, Mötley Records and Eleven Seven Music. The project will feature fresh takes on 15 of MÖTLEY CRÜE's biggest hits covered by some of country music's biggest names, including FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE, Justin Moore, BIG & RICH, LeAnn Rimes, Gretchen Wilson, Darius Rucker, Rascal Flatts and more.

"Nashville Outlaws: A Tribute To Mötley Crüe" track listing:

01. RASCAL FLATTS - "Kickstart My Heart" 02. FLORIDA GEORGIA LINE - "If I Die Tomorrow" 03. LEANN RIMES - "Smokin' In The Boys Room" 04. JUSTIN MOORE - "Home Sweet Home" 05. CASSADDE POPE WITH ROBIN ZANDER - "The Animal In Me" 06. AARON LEWIS - "Afraid" 07. BIG & RICH - "SOS" 08. SAM PALLADIO AND CLARE BOWEN - "Without You" 09. ELI YOUNG BAND - "Don't Go Away Mad" 10. LAUREN JENKINS - "Looks That Kill" 11. THE CADILLAC THREE - "Live Wire" 12. THE MAVERICKS - "Dr. Feelgood" 13. BRANTLEY GILBERT - "Girls, Girls, Girls" 14. GRETCHEN WILSON - "Wild Side" 15. DARIUS RUCKER - "Time For Change"

The video for Justin Moore's version of "Home Sweet Home", featuring a guest appearance by MÖTLEY CRÜE's Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee, can be seen at RollingStone.com.

"We did not make this record for MÖTLEY CRÜE fans, but for country fans who are also rock fans," says MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx. "I believe that there's going to be a lot of synergy and excitement for MÖTLEY CRÜE fans hearing different artists covering their favorite songs. People will be surprised how these artists made the songs their own and we couldn't be happier with how the album turned out. It's been an amazing, positive experience and, as a lot of things we've done, a first in our career."

"It has been a blast becoming friends with the MÖTLEY guys and learning how much they appreciate the history of country music," says Justin Moore. "They are truly one of the most disruptive bands of their generation and I am honored to be able to cover one of my favorite CRÜE songs of all time, 'Home Sweet Home'. It has been pretty unreal singing with Vince Neil."

The record is a joint venture between Big Machine Records — home to country superstars such as Taylor Swift and Tim McGraw — and Mötley Records and Eleven Seven Music. Big Machine label group president and CEO, Scott Borchetta, is among the legion of country music fans who love MÖTLEY CRÜE. Borchetta says of the collaboration, "I have been a not-so-secret CRÜE fan from the beginning. When manager Chris Nilsson called with the idea for a tribute album on Big Machine Records, it was an immediate 'yes' from me! Our album will highlight just how great the MÖTLEY CRÜE song catalog is. At the end of the day, that's what will stand the test of time."

"I thought the idea for the tribute album was cool until I started talking to everybody," MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil told Billboard.com. "Then I thought it was cooler and cooler and cooler!"

Neil recently admitted to The Tennessean that when he was first approached by management about the country-music tribute, he wasn't immediately sure it was a good idea.

"I was like, 'Eh, I don't know. Let me think about this one for a minute,'" he told The Tennessean. "The more I thought about it, the cooler it got, especially after Carrie Underwood did 'Home Sweet Home', and that was so good. I'm thinking to myself, 'How cool would it be to hear these other acts' renditions of the songs?'"

Until the country-music-tribute idea first came up, Neil hadn't heard of many of the artists who will appear on the set. "It's fun, because my girlfriend is a country girl," Neil said. "She's a barrel rider in the rodeo. When I showed her the names, she was like, 'Oh my God. Oh my God. Oh my God.' I'm like, 'Tell me, tell me. Fill me in.'"

He added: "I'm an old classic rock and roll guy. The really cool thing is I think a lot of people have heard of the name MÖTLEY CRÜE, but don't put the music to the face. I think it's going to bring a lot of fans that aren't MÖTLEY fans in. It will make them go, 'Oh yeah, I've heard that song before.'"

Making of "Home Sweet Home" video:

Scottish folk/power metallers ALESTORM will release their new album, "Sunset On The Golden Age", on August 5 in North America (one day earlier internationally) via Napalm Records. The CD was recorded at Lasse Lammert's LSD Studio in Lübeck, Germany.

"Sunset On The Golden Age" will contain the following tracks:

* Walk The Plank* Drink* Magnetic North* 1741 (The Battle Of Cartagena)* Mead From Hell* Surf Squid Warfare* Quest For Ships* Wooden Leg!* Hangover* Sunset On The Golden Age

A five-minute collection of audio samples of all the songs that will appear on "Sunset On The Golden Age" can eb found below. Also available is the video for the song "Drink".

"This is gonna blow all your expectations as to what an ALESTORM album is all about," commented ALESTORM's Christopher Bowes (vocals/keytar).

"Over the past couple of years we've been writing non-stop, and we've come up with a ton of badass material.

"Some of this stuff is catchiest pirate party anthems you've ever heard, with choruses that'll make you want to raise a pint of rum up high and sing your guts out. And for the fans of the epic stuff, we've got some songs that hit the 10-minute mark, with lyrical themes about historical events and crazy mythological madness. It's gonna rule!"

ALESTORM's "Shipwrecked" video was filmed in Belgrade, Serbia with director Ivan Colic, who has previously worked with EPICA, KAMELOT and KATAKLYSM. The song comes off the band's third album, "Back Through Time", which was released in June 2011 via Napalm Records.

"Back Through Time" was produced by Lasse Lammert at LSD Studio. The effort was made available as a jewelcase, mediabook, LP, and special-edition boxset "featuring bonus tracks and other mad shite!"

The cover artwork for GODSMACK's new album, "1000hp" (One Thousand Horsepower), can be seen below. The CD will be released on August 5 via Republic Records.

The "1000hp" title track and GODSMACK's first all-new single since 2011 arrived at rock radio stations on June 9 and can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. Singer Sully Erna told The Pulse Of Radio that his original title for the song took things to the next level. "Actually, the original title I wanted to put on the song was '100,000 Horsepower'," he said. "But unfortunately, rhythmically, it was too many syllables and I couldn't make it fit the way I wanted to creatively, so I trimmed it back to '1000 Horsepower', which is still pretty fuckin' powerful, by the way."

The band's sixth studio effort will follow up 2010's "The Oracle" and follows a two-year hiatus.

The "1000hp" digital single was made available on June 10. Erna told The Pulse Of Radio how the track came together: "It's one of those songs that surprisingly came out and was written from back to front in, like, an hour. I started putting one thing together with the next, and then Shannon [Larkin, drummer] started jumping in and then we arranged the whole song, and literally within an hour, maybe 90 minutes, this whole song was written and it was one of the last songs that we wrote, and it ended up becoming the first single."

Erna described the sound of the "1000hp" album to The Pulse Of Radio as "a little bit more raw, a little bit more open. The writing was a little freer. The production is really kind of raw and in your face, and the songs, man — I'm really, really excited about these songs. And I have to tell you honestly, I wasn't that excited about writing this record at first."

Following the tour cycle for 2010's "The Oracle", Erna told The Pulse Of Radio that years of working together almost non-stop were taking their toll on the group. "You know, it was getting rough," he said. "You know, I'm not gonna lie — the band was getting into a funky place and there was talks about breaking up and, you know, not really staying a band anymore. But you know, I think it was just some time we needed, some time to really reassess the thing and really appreciate what we have as a band. We've always been kind of level-headed about things and eventually we just needed to let a little time pass and let the dust settle."

Erna added that bad blood over the GODSMACK offshoot ANOTHER ANIMAL, as well as his satisfaction with his own solo album "Avalon", led GODSMACK to the brink before they reconsidered.

GODSMACK is among the confirmed bands for the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Uproar Festival, set to kick off on August 15 in Clarkston, Michigan and run through September 21.

"Set Me On Fire", a brand new song from the alternative, hard rock band FLYLEAF, can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below. The explosive track marks the first single off the group's fourth studio album, "Between The Stars", which is now set for release September 16 on Loud & Proud Records. "Set Me On Fire" hits rock and alternative radio formats July 7.

"We're excited to release our first single, 'Set Me on Fire' today and we can't wait for people to hear it," explains FLYLEAF lead vocalist Kristen May. "It's about the passion we feel when we first fall in love and our emotions are running high, along with our thirst for this great life and all it has to offer. There is so much beauty, excitement and hope in this world and when we collide with one another and fall in love, magic happens. I hope everyone turns this song up to eleven, and sings at the top of their lungs."

Last week, the group — Kristen May (vocals), Sameer Bhatacharya (guitars), Jared Hartmann (guitars), Pat Seals (bass), James Culpepper (drums) — shot a video for the song with director Noel Maitland (SPEECHLESS, KINGS OF SUMMER) in an abandoned warehouse in downtown Los Angeles. Expect the video to debut at the end of July.

Other songtitles set to appear on the new FLYLEAF album include "Magnetic", "City Kids", "Marionette", "Thread" and "Well Of Lies".

Kristen May replaced original vocalist Lacey Sturm after the latter abruptly departed the group in October 2012.

Sturm left the band on the eve of the release of its third album, "New Horizons", which came out on October 30, 2012 and sold 20,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 16 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Official Metallica.com footage METALLICA's June 8 performance at the Rock Am Ring festival in Nürburg, Germany can be seen below. The 21-minute clip includes footage of METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett in the pre-show meet-and-greet, the band warming up in the tuning room, and "Master Of Puppets" and "Lords Of Summer" from the show.

The group's setlist was as follows:

01. Battery02. Master Of Puppets03. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)04. Ride The Lightning05. The Unforgiven06. Creeping Death07. Lords Of Summer08. Sad But True09. Fade To Black10. Fuel11. One12. For Whom The Bell Tolls13. Whiskey In The Jar14. Nothing Else Matters15. Enter Sandman

Encore:

16. St. Anger17. ...And Justice For All18. Seek & Destroy

As previously reported, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich has spoken out about the negative feedback to the band's upcoming headlining appearance at the U.K.'s Glastonbury festival, which will be the first time in the event's 44-year history that a metal act has topped the bill. Asked about the response, Ulrich told Metal Hammer, "Glastonbury is like the Holy Grail in England, and we're respectful to that. But if somebody sits there and talks about petitions or what some other guy says, there's a point that it just becomes ridiculous."

Ulrich continued, "We're fairly thick-skinned. Obviously if Mick Jagger has something to say, or Alex Turner [of ARCTIC MONKEYS], or the nice guys in KASABIAN, it's cool. But if some guy in some other band — it's like, 'Huh? What? Who are you?'"

Ulrich may have been referring to comments made by drummer Martin Bulloch of Scottish indie band MOGWAI, who called METALLICA "shite," while multi-instrumentalist Barry Burns added, "I can't wait to hear [Ulrich] play the drums again — unbelievably bad."

Ulrich's mention of a petition may have been an indirect reference to a petition launched last month calling for METALLICA's removal from the festival, due to frontman James Hetfield hosting a new series about bear hunting on the History channel.

Speaking about the Glastonbury criticism with the BBC, Ulrich said, "The fact that everyone's got an opinion I'll take as a good thing because it means that people still care and are still interested and we still have one foot in relevance of some sort. It's comforting that 33 years into a career you can still manage to stir up a little bit."

METALLICA will close the show at Glastonbury on Saturday, June 28. Other headliners include ARCADE FIRE and KASABIAN.

Professionally filmed video footage of Brazilian/Italian metallers ANGRA peforming at this year's Hellfest, which was held June 20-22 in Clisson, France, can be seen below.

ANGRA's current lineup includes acclaimed Italian vocalist Fabio Lione (VISION DIVINE, RHAPSODY OF FIRE, KAMELOT).

The band celebrated the 20th anniversary of the release of its 1993 debut album, "Angels Cry", with a special concert on August 25, 2013 at HSBC Brasil in São Paulo, Brazil.

As a means of celebrating its successful trajectory, the band took the opportunity to schedule a small tour through Brazil and Latin America, which culminated with the show in São Paulo, after 11 dates. If there was any aura of uncertainty towards the future, ANGRA shook it off for good with a very special concert, truly a night to remember. As guitar player Rafael Bittencourt put it, "For those who think we should quit, I tell you: we're just getting started". That pretty much summons up the very apparent joy that the band showed onstage, not only that night, but on the whole tour.

A stellar team of guests made everything even more special. Tarja Turunen, formerly of NIGHTWISH, lends her talent and angelic voice on two songs: "Stand Away" and Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights". On the latter, the legendary Uli Jon Roth (SCORPIONS) is also featured, and shows why he is such a reference for the majority of guitar players around the world. The Brazilian string quartet FAMILIA LIMA appears in three songs, and drummer Amilcar Christopharo, from the band TORTURE SQUAD, grabs the sticks on "Evil Warning", representing the metal bands from Brazil.

"Angels Cry 20th Anniversary Tour" was released as a separate DVD and a double CD, containing over 20 tracks in total and extra behind-the-scenes footage captured during the latest tour.

Singer Eduardo "Edu" Falaschi quit ANGRA in May 2012. He explained in a statement, "There comes a moment in a man's life when it is necessary to make a radical decision in order to move forward with dignity and renewed energy."

Falaschi joined ANGRA in 2000 and appeared on the band's last four studio albums — 2001's "Rebirth", 2004's "Temple Of Shadows", 2006's "Aurora Consurgens" and 2010's "Aqua".

"Armorist", the new video from New Jersey thrash metal veterans OVERKILL, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "White Devil Armory", which will be released on July 22 in North America via eOne Music and on July 18 in Europe through Nuclear Blast Records. The effort was tracked at Gear Recording and was mixed by Greg Reely, who also worked on 2012's "The Electric Age".

The limited-edition box-set version of "White Devil Armory" includes a digipack CD, a leather belt and buckle plus a certificate of authenticity. It is available for pre-order from Nuclear Blast.

OVERKILL recently filmed videos for the songs "Bitter Pill" and "Armorist" with veteran director Kevin J. Custer (HATEBREED, TESTAMENT, SUFFOCATION). Custer previously worked with OVERKILL on the "Electric Rattlesnake" and "Bring Me The Night" clips.

Said OVERKILL frontman Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth: "[It's] fantastic to have Kevin on board again. When he's directing, the direction is intense!"

He added: "Each time, the prior results have been spot-on, so our confidence is high for this shoot. From the director's eye to yours/ours, should be a killer!"

"White Devil Armory" track listing:

01. Freedom Rings 02. Where There's Smoke...03. Pig04. Armorist05. Down To The Bone06. Bitter Pill07. King Of The Rat Bastards 08. Another Day To Die09. It's All Yours10. In The Name

The cover artwork for "White Devil Armory" can be seen below.

Speaking to Steppin' Out magazine, OVERKILL vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth stated about "White Devil Armory": "The new record has a blend of what we've done over the past half decade. I'm noticing it's a more punchy heavy metal record with more dimension than the last record had. Where is it going to end up on the food chain? I really don't know. But my feeling is it's an eclectic collection of moments from us. 'The Electric Age' came across, to me, as kind of a two-dimensional thrash record. This one is punchy but has a whole different bunch of ways to go and things to hear on it."

OVERKILL released a very special limited tour edition of "The Electric Age" in Europe on April 19, 2013 via Nuclear Blast Records. The limited 2CD tour edition included the regular album as well as a four additional live tracks on a bonus CD, recorded at The Metro in Sidney, Australia on September 25, 2010.

"The Electric Age" sold 6,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 77 on The Billboard 200 chart.







(Thanks: NJthrasher)

"Redeemer Of Souls", the new studio album from British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST, is available for streaming in its entirety at iTunes Radio. Due in North America on July 8 (pushed up a week from the originally announced July 15) via Epic Records, the CD's title track was made available for purchase via iTunes and other digital service providers on April 29.

Speaking to the "Trunk Nation" show, which airs on SiriusXM's Hair Nation, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford stated about "Redeemer Of Souls": "When we finished [the] 'Epitaph' [tour], we just got so buzzed from the fans and the reaction wherever we went. Just to put the 'Epitaph' tour together, which was we tried to put a song from every record into the show, and we were living in the life of JUDAS PRIEST, all those decades, in one show, night after night on the world trek, and I think that really did something to us eternally; as musicians, it should do when you tour. So we realized that this next record really had to be really strong, full of energy, because it's relentless, the tracks are relentless. The energy that you feel off 'Redeemer Of Souls' is replicated in that direction time and time and time again."

Asked whether the members of JUDAS PRIEST still feel good about "Nostradamus" six years after the album's release, Halford said: "If you look at bands of longevity, like PRIEST, you see the trail of music that we've left, I don't think we could have probably made as great a record as we have with 'Redeemer Of Souls' if we didn't have 'Nostradamus' as a reference point. It's a stepping stone to the next place.

"Every record that we've made, we've tried to give it some distinction, some separate identity. 'British Steel' doesn't sound like 'Stained Class', 'Stained Class' doesn't sound like 'Painkiller', 'Painkiller' doesn't sound like 'Defenders Of The Faith'… So I think everything has its place and has its moments, and we've always fed off these different areas that we've gone into with our metal. So thanks to 'Nostradamus', we've got 'Redeemer Of Souls'."

Regarding why there are five "bonus" tracks that are included on the deluxe version of "Redeemer Of Souls" and do not appear on the CD's regular version, guitarist Glenn Tipton said: "They are all great songs. The reason they are not on the album is because the 13 that we chose are very consistent with what we wanted to do, which was release an undisputable heavy metal album. The others, they are not lightweight by any chance, but they've got a different feel, a different texture. So it's not a case of trying to rip the kids off and trying to get more money for an extra album, it's just a case of, these five tracks seem to deserve to go on their own CD, and that's what we did."

Added Halford: "We didn't want to drop the energy. From the opening thunder-and-lightning on 'Dragonaut' right up 'till the end of 'Battle Cry', it's just full-on, it's relentless. It's great."

"Redeemer Of Souls" CD track listing:

01. Dragonaut02. Redeemer Of Souls03. Halls Of Valhalla04. Sword Of Damocles05. March Of The Damned06. Down In Flames07. Hell & Back08. Cold Blooded09. Metalizer10. Crossfire11. Secrets Of The Dead12. Battle Cry13. Beginning Of The End

Bonus tracks:

14. Snakebite15. Tears Of Blood16. Creatures17. Bring It On18. Never Forget

"Metalizer" preview:


"Battle Cry" preview:


"Dragonaut" full song:


"March Of The Damned" full song:


"Redeemer Of Souls" full song:


"Redeemer Of Souls" album artwork:



"Redeemer Of Souls" single artwork:

Fan-filmed video footage of former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach's June 28 performance at Le Forum in Vauréal, France can be seen below.

Bach's new solo album, "Give 'Em Hell", sold around 4,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 72 on The Billboard 200 chart.

His previous CD, "Kicking & Screaming", opened with 6,600 units back in October 2011 to land at No. 73.

The singer's 2007 effort, "Angel Down", registered a first-week tally of 6,400 back to enter the chart at No. 190.

"Give 'Em Hell" was released on April 22 via Frontiers Records. The follow-up to 2011's "Kicking & Screaming" was once again produced by Bob Marlette, who has previously worked with ROB ZOMBIE, BLACK SABBATH and SHINEDOWN, among others.

"Give 'Em Hell" was mastered at Precision Mastering in Los Angeles with Tom Baker.

Sebastian managed to involve in the writing and recording some very special friends and guest stars, including none other than Duff McKagan (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES), and not one but two top-class guitar players: John 5 (MARILYN MANSON, ROB ZOMBIE) and Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL). Rounding out the lineup on the CD are Devin Bronson (AVRIL LAVIGNE, PINK) on guitar and Bobby Jarzombek (HALFORD, RIOT, FATES WARNING) on drums. Duff and Sebastian previously collaborated on Duff's solo album "Believe In Me".

The cover for "Give 'Em Hell" was once again handled by Richard Villa, who worked on "Kicking & Screaming". Incorporated into the album design is one of the paintings by Sebastian's late father David Bierk, who painted the artwork for SKID ROW's "Slave To The Grind", inside artwork for SKID ROW's "Subhuman Race", and Bach's solo albums "Angel Down" and "Bring 'Em Bach Alive!".

The video for the CD's first single, "Temptation", was directed by Patrick Fogarty, who has previously worked with BLACK VEIL BRIDES, PICTURE ME BROKEN and THE BURNING OF ROME.

Fan-Filmed video footage of PRIMAL FEAR's June 27 performance at the Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium can be seen below.

PRIMAL FEAR's North American headlining run launched April 29 in Baltimore, Maryland and wrapped on May 24 in Rochester, New York.

The band's tenth studio album, "Delivering The Black", sold around 1,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It landed at position No. 16 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.

PRIMAL FEAR's previous effort, 2012's "Unbreakable", opened with around 600 units in the United States. It entered the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart at No. 44.

"Delivering The Black" was released on January 24 in Europe and January 28 in North America via Frontiers Records.

After some very intense songwriting sessions and pre-production schedule, the band started to record the new CD in summer 2013 at the House Of Music studios in Germany, with bassist/producer Mat Sinner and engineer Achim Köhler (EDGUY, MASTERPLAN). The band then moved to Denmark in September to finish the album, with acclaimed producer/engineer Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, PRETTY MAIDS, AMARANTHE) handling the mix at his Hansen studio in Ribe.

"Delivering The Black" was made available in a regular CD edition, deluxe edition with two bonus tracks and — in cooperation with Soulfood Music — vinyl edition and DVD and limited edition (666 copies only!) of a super-deluxe version, including a metallic eagle.

PRIMAL FEAR guitarist Magnus Karlsson is sitting out the band's touring activites during 2014 so that he can spend more time with his "little kids." Filling in for him is PRIMAL FEAR's founding member Tom Naumann.

Los Angeles-based, occult-themed traditional heavy metal band HUNTRESS will enter the studio later this summer with the production duo of Andrew Alekel (FOO FIGHTERS, NO DOUBT, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, CLUTCH) and James A. Rota ("Sound City" movie, FIREBALL MINISTRY) to record its third album for an early 2015 release via Napalm Records.

HUNTRESS will tour North America in October/November with ARCH ENEMY and KREATOR.

HUNTRESS' sophomore album, "Starbound Beast", was released on June 28, 2013 in Europe and on July 2, 2013 in North America via Napalm Records. The CD was recorded at Hobby Shop Studios in Los Angeles with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris (SHADOWS FALL, HATEBREED, MUNICIPAL WASTE). The cover artwork for the effort was once again created by Vance Kelly (THE SWORD, GRAVEYARD, HIGH ON FIRE, PENTAGRAM, ALICE IN CHAINS, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, DEATH ANGEL), who previously worked on the group's debut album, 2012's "Spell Eater".

"Starbound Beast" included the track "I Want to Fuck You to Death", which was co-written for HUNTRESS singer Jill Janus by legendary MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy Kilmister.

In an interview with Examiner.com, Janus stated about HUNTRESS' musical evolution from "Spell Eater" to "Starbound Beast": "When we recorded 'Spell Eater' in 2012, we were still such a new band, we were still developing our sound and we were still trying things out. And we put it out with a fury and we love that record. This time around with 'Starbound Beast', we were a little more thoughtful with it, my lyrical content is a little bit more advanced, as well as an overall new confidence in the band. The musicianship is better, the songwriting is better, and it's the evolution of HUNTRESS. That's what's going on here, it's naturally evolving and that's really cool to see."

PEARL JAM singer Eddie Vedder surprised the nearly 24,000 people attending the band's concert in Sweden by drinking wine from a fan's shoe.

While PEARL JAM was performing a three-hour set Saturday night (June 28) at Friends Arena in Stockholm, a girl held up a sign saying "Please sign my shoe." Vedder told the crowd about the sign and said, "You picked the wrong guy." After the audience started chanting, "Sign the shoe! Sign the shoe!" Vedder had the fan throw her shoes up on stage and he then tossed them towards the back of the stage and joked that she shouldn't have trusted him. He ended by telling her to "just breathe" as he started playing the acoustic song of the same title. When the track ended, he signed the shoe and the security gave it to the girl in the audience along with a bottle of wine that she finished as the crowd cheered her on. Vedder opened another bottle of wine and said, "Okay, I'm gonna do you one better. I trust you." He then filled the other Converse shoe with wine and drank all of it before throwing the shoe back to her. The crowd was ecstatic.

Fan-filmed video footage of Vedder's wine-drinking stunt can be seen below.

Vedder and the rest of PEARL JAM are touring Europe until July and will be back on the road in the U.S. this October to promote their new album, "Lightning Bolt".

PEARL JAM turned some heads earlier this month in Milan, Italy when the band performed a snippet from "Let It Go", the smash hit from the animated Disney movie "Frozen". The track was reportedly a request from Vedder's five-year-old daughter.

PEARL JAM's European tour includes two festival appearances: Poland's Open'er festival on July 3 and Belgium's Rock Werchter on July 5. The month-long trek will wrap on July 11 at Milton Keynes, U.K.

Dani Filth (CRADLE OF FILTH), Alissa White-Gluz (ARCH ENEMY), Marc Hudson (DRAGONFORCE) and Simone Simons (EPICA) are among the heavy metal singers who will appear in "Karmaflow", which is said to be "the world's first rock opera videogame."

What began as a graduation assignment for students of the University of Arts Utrecht, The Netherlands in September 2013, has become an ambitious, full-fledged and multidisciplinary art project.

In "Karmaflow: The Rock Opera Videogame" — a "puzzle platformer" or "adventure game" — music plays an important role. That is because the story is brought to you in the form of a rock opera. An all-star cast steps into the shoes of the game's characters and brings the story singing.

The cast includes (among others):

* Simone Simons (EPICA)* Dani Filth (CRADLE OF FILTH)* Marc Hudson (DRAGONFORCE)* Tony Kakko (SONATA ARCTICA)* Alissa White-Gluz (ARCH ENEMY)

The musical score is performed by the Metropole Orkest (the world's biggest professional pop and jazz orchestra) and band members of EPICA, TEXTURES and WITHIN TEMPTATION.

"Karmaflow: The Rock Opera Videogame" has several storylines, but what makes this game unique is the fact that the player determines the course of the game as well as the rock opera by the choices he makes. The music of the rock opera can be heard throughout the whole game — even while playing it. The music reacts to the playing style of the gamer. Making choices is thus very important for the course of the game and the music, which — just like in the real world — revolves around opposites (men versus nature, opposite religions, rich versus poor, et cetera) and balance. The developers and the composer are looking for a good balance as well, namely between the various fusing elements in "Karmaflow: The Rock Opera Videogame" (videogame, music, performances, live shows, interactivity).

The rock opera will be released as an album in October, and the concert series "Karmaflow In Concert" will be launched at the end the year. In early 2015, there will be a big finale in the form of two shows in the Dutch city 's-Hertogenbosch, featuring Alissa White-Gluz, Mariangela Demurtas (TRISTANIA) and more joining the "Karmaflow" band and the Metropole Orkest on stage.

The game will be released in early 2015, for PC and Mac.

For more information, visit www.karmaflowgame.com.