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.

GUNS N' ROSES will release "Appetite For Democracy 3D: Live From The Hard Rock Casino - Las Vegas" on July 1 via Universal Music Enterprises. The show was filmed on November 21, 2012 during the "Appetite For Democracy" tour in celebration of twenty-five years of "Appetite For Destruction" and four years of "Chinese Democracy".

A performance clip of the song "Sweet Child O' Mine" from "Appetite For Democracy 3D: Live From The Hard Rock Casino - Las Vegas" can be seen at Billboard.com.

"Appetite For Democracy 3D: Live From The Hard Rock Casino - Las Vegas" will be available in North America on Blu-ray, featuring the complete concert film in both 3D and 2D plus an interactive 3D photo gallery, and standard DVD featuring the 2D version of the film. Both releases are mixed in 5.1 Surround Sound and feature bonus interviews with the band. The GN'R Appetite For Democracy Official App (iOS/Android) brings the concert experience to a new level by connecting GN'R directly with their fans, allowing fans to connect with each other via social media, buy exclusive merchandise, check tour/cinema dates for the movie, preview digital tracks of the film; and purchase or stream via VOD the digital long form concert.

Produced by Rock Fuel Media's Barry Summers, "Appetite For Democracy 3D: Live From The Hard Rock Casino - Las Vegas" is the first official GUNS N' ROSES live concert film since 1992's "Use Your Illusion" concert video.

"Appetite For Democracy 3D: Live From The Hard Rock Casino - Las Vegas" track listing:

01. Chinese Democracy02. Welcome To The Jungle 03. It's So Easy 04. Mr. Brownstone 05. Estranged06. Rocket Queen07. Live and Let Die08. This I Love09. Better10. Motivation (Tommy Stinson song) 11. Catcher In The Rye 12. Street Of Dreams13. You Could Be Mine14. Sweet Child O' Mine15. Another Brick In The Wall Part 2 (PINK FLOYD cover) 16. November Rain17. Objectify (Bumblefoot song) 18. Don't Cry19. Civil War 20. The Seeker (THE WHO cover) 21. Knockin' On Heaven's Door (BOB DYLAN cover) 22. Nightrain 23. Don't Let It Bring You Down (NEIL YOUNG cover) 24. Used To Love Her 25. Patience 26. Paradise City

GUNS N' ROSES lineup:

* W. Axl Rose - lead vocals, piano * Dizzy Reed - keyboards, piano * Chris Pitman - keyboards, backing vocals, tambourine * Tommy Stinson - bass, backing vocals, lead vocals on 'Motivation' * Richard Fortus - rhythm guitar, lead guitar, acoustic guitar * Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal - lead guitar, lead vocals on 'Objectify' * Frank Ferrer - drums, tambourine * DJ Ashba - lead guitar, rhythm guitar, backing vocals

GUNS N' ROSES lead singer Axl Rose hinted in a rare new interview with Revolver magazine that a follow-up to the 2008 album "Chinese Democracy" could be in the works. Rose explained, "We recorded a lot of things before 'Chinese' was out. We've worked more on some of those things and we've written a few new things. But basically, we have what I call kind of the second half of 'Chinese'. That's already recorded. And then we have a remix album made of the songs from 'Chinese'. That's been done for a while, too."

After taking a creative break last year, Swedish metallers HAMMERFALL are fully recharged and back with a vengeance. The band's new album, "(r)Evolution", will be released on August 29 in Europe and September 2 in North America via Nuclear Blast.

The first trailer for "(r)Evolution", recorded during the band's album presentation in Gothenburg on May 24, can be seen below. It was edited by David Havlena at the Pax studio. The first single from "(r)Evolution", "Bushido", will be released on July 18 digitally as well as on vinyl. The song sums up the band and its history perfectly, seeing as "bushido" means "the way of the warrior" in Japanese.

"Bushido" single track listing: A: BushidoB: The Way Of The Warrior (remixed by Fredrik Nordström) Comments HAMMERFALL guitarist Oscar Dronjak: "This album has more single quality songs than anyone we've ever done before, as evidenced by the fact that pretty much the only single choice we all could agree on was 'Bushido'. It captures the essence HAMMERFALL as much as any other song we have ever written, and it is one of the absolute strongest efforts from our camp, ever. It's filled with energy, hunger and pure adrenaline, and if you don't like this one, you have no love for HAMMERFALL heavy metal!"

The artwork for "Bushido" was created by Samwise Didier and can be seen below. With "(r)Evolution", HAMMERFALL takes things back to the roots in many ways, as the band once again worked with producer Fredrik Nordström, who helmed HAMMERFALL's two milestone releases "Glory To The Brave" and "Legacy Of Kings" during the group's early years and thus played a major part in the development of HAMMERFALL.

The music for "(r)Evolution" was recorded in March and April at guitarist Oscar Dronjak's Castle Black Studios. Singer Joacim Cans then went to the United States for vocal recordings, once again working with James Michael (SCORPIONS, MÖTLEY CRÜE), who previously collaborated with HAMMERFALL on "Infected". The album was mixed and mastered by Fredrik Nordström and Henrik Udd at Studio Fredman.

"(r)Evolution" represents yet another reunion of sorts for HAMMERFALL, who hired cover artist Andreas Marschall, the "father" of HAMMERFALL's mascot Hector, to design the artwork for the new CD.

"(r)Evolution" track listing: 01. Hector's Hymn02. (r)Evolution03. Bushido04. Live Life Loud05. Ex Inferis06. We Won't Back Down07. Winter Is Coming08. Origins09. Tainted Metal10. Evil Incarnate11. Wildfire

HAMMERFALL's "Gates Of Dalhalla" DVD entered the Swedish Music DVD chart at position No. 4. The set also landed on the German Music DVD chart at No. 6.

"Gates Of Dalhalla" was released as a DVD+2CD and Blu-ray+2CD on November 30, 2012 via Nuclear Blast. The set features the band's extraordinary 135-minute 15th-anniversary show that took place on July 28, 2012 on the historic open-air stage Dalhalla, built in an old quarry near the small Swedish village Rättvik. The footage was captured by Swedish director Patric Ullaeus of the Revolver Film Company AB, who has previously worked with IN FLAMES, DIMMU BORGIR, EUROPE and LACUNA COIL, among many others. Special guests during the concert included original HAMMERFALL members Jesper Strömblad (IN FLAMES) and Mikael Stanne (DARK TRANQUILLITY), as well as ex-HAMMERFALL guitarist Stefan Elmgren.

HAMMERFALL's last album, "Infected", sold around 1,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD debuted at 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.

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

The 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

Regarding CANNIBAL CORPSE's decision to record "A Skeletal Domain" with producer Mark Lewis (ARSIS, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, DEICIDE, SIX FEET UNDER) at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida, CANNIBAL CORPSE bassist Alex Webster recently told Metal Wani: "We've done three records [2006's 'Kill', 2009's 'Evisceration Plague' and 2012's 'Torture'] with Erik [Rutan, HATE ETERNAL] and all three of them turned out incredible; we're so happy with the production. But at the same time, we haven't worked with a different producer since 2003, when we worked with Neil [Kernon] on 'The Wretched Spawn'. So, really, when you're in a career for a long time, like we are, occasionally changing the people you work with, or changing the location of where you're working, can just help you feel more motivated to work, really. And we thought, 'OK, we've done these three records with Erik that were so successful, he did such a great job, but let's leave it at that for now, and maybe try working with Mark.' Since their studio is also very close to us. Both Erik and Mark's studios are down here in central Florida. So we figured, why not give it a try? Just to do something a little different; we'll see. But we would not rule out working with Erik again. He's awesome and we consider him a brother of the band, so working with Erik Rutan could certainly happen again in the future."

On the topc of how the new CANNIBAL CORPSE material is sounding, Webster said: "I think it's turning out to be kind of 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.

Due to a production error, the release date of the reissue of MOTÖRHEAD's 21st studio album, "Aftershock", originally scheduled for July 29 via UDR/Motörhead Music, has been pushed back to August 26. The CD was helmed by longtime producer Cameron Webb (MEGADETH, DISTURBED). The expanded edition will contain a bonus live CD — also recorded by Webb — consisting of live material comprised from the band's historic appearances in early 2014.

In further celebration of the reissue, UDR/Motörhead Music will release a video for the song "Lost Woman Blues", filmed live at The Warfield in San Francisco on April 18, 2014. The show was part of the band's warm-up mini tour for the upcoming European festivals. The song's performance, verve, swagger and attitude show MOTÖRHEAD have maintained their rich ripeness and added another layer of grit and polish. The video is set to premier on VH1 Classic in July.

"Aftershock – Tour Edition" track listing:

01. Heartbreaker02. Coup De Grace03. Lost Woman Blues04. End Of Time05. Do You Believe06. Death Machine07. Dust And Glass08. Going To Mexico09. Silence When You Speak To Me10. Crying Shame11. Queen Of The Damned12. Knife13. Keep Your Powder Dry14. Paralyzed

Bonus Live CD Track Listing

01. Damage Case02. Stay Clean03. I Know How To Die04. Metropolis05. Over The Top06. The Chase Is Better Than The Catch07. Rock It08. Lost Woman Blues09. Doctor Rock10. Just 'Cos You Got The Power11. Going To Brazil12. Killed By Death13. Ace Of Spades14. Overkill

"Aftershock" sold 11,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 22 on The Billboard 200 chart.

MOTÖRHEAD's previous CD, 2011's "The Wörld Is Yours", opened with 7,000 units to enter the chart at No. 94. The band's 2008 effort, "Motörizer", premiered with 6,400 copies to debut at No. 82, while 2006's "Kiss Of Death" registered a first-week tally of 3,500.

MOTÖRHEAD canceled a handful of shows on its European festival tour in August 2013 after the band's frontman, Lemmy, suffered a haematoma (where blood collects outside of a blood vessel). The news of Lemmy's latest medical issue followed reports that he was also fitted with a defibrillator because of heart problems. The band also postponed a European headlining tour which was scheduled to kick off in November 2013.

Asked how Lemmy is doing now, MOTÖRHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee told Finland's Kaaos TV in May: "It's much, much better. He's been good for awhile. He's working hard on his health. We just did three weeks in the U.S. He's up and about. It's more to get going again. It's for the whole band. We've never been off eight months. But Lemmy's much better, and he played great when we did this U.S. leg, so I really hope that he can stay healthy. And he looks good, so that's all I can say. And he's working very, very hard on it, too, so all the best."

ILL NIÑO will release its new album, "Till Death, La Familia", on July 22 via Victory Records. The official lyric video for the song "Not Alive In My Nightmares", can be seen at RevolverMag.com.

ILL NIÑO lead singer, Cristian Machado, told Arena.com that "Till Death, La Familia" "will absolutely surprise a lot of people." He continued: "I don't think we're the kind of band that releases the same album over and over. We always attempt to challenge ourselves musically in order to grow as artists and friends.

"The new album will have its surprises and all I will say is that it is very catchy and very groove-oriented. The lyrics, I feel, are by far the best lyrics I've ever written, and I really do give the guys in the band so much credit for writing such amazing songs for this new album."

Speaking to 100% Rock Magazine, ILL NIÑO bassist Lazaro Pina stated about "Till Death, La Familia": "We try to do something different every record. I can tell you for sure that this one is going to demonstrate a whole new ILL NIÑO style. At first, it took a lot of courage, but I'm feeling so much better about it now that the vocal tracks are beginning to come in. It's turning out to be everything I think most of us envisioned it and kind of wanted in a new record. We're definitely taking ILL NIÑO to a new… an additional style. We're definitely bringing it up to 2014 and kind of creating our own thing. Hearing Cristian singing like he's never sung before and even innovating a new heavy style of singing and a new melodic style of singing. It's going to be interesting. I think that the fans'll appreciate it and hopefully some new ones will come on board and say, 'Hey. I really dig this band; I like what they've been doing throughout the years.' It is… I think it's a courageous record. It definitely does not sound like any other previous record. It's definitely ILL NIÑO demonstrating an additional style.

"You've got to keep innovating yourself, and if you don't innovate yourself, you're playing the same thing. We've been doing this for a long time, we're entitled to get a little crazy and experiment with different ideas."

Speaking about the difficulties of getting anything done while the members of ILL NIÑO are spread out in different parts of the country, Machado said: "Logistics are pure hell to work out. Every rehearsal, every album, every tour — flights have to be booked, cars have to be rented. It certainly is not cheap to keep this band active. Many times I wonder what it would be like if we all still lived in the same city. Luckily, at the moment three of us are in Southern California, another in Denver, another in New York, another in Dallas.

"I remember the days when it was as easy as calling everyone up and driving 15 minutes to rehearsal. This is no longer the case, but we keep going. Sometimes we may feel defeated, but that's when we thrive to become unstoppable.

Asked how some of the personal life changes have affected the band, with members having children, Cristian said: "I would say it definitely changes the perspective. We can no longer simply be on the road for the hell of it. All of us have family, some of us have children, so it is not easy doing what we do at the level we are at.

"There was a time in the music industry when money was abundant and the possibilities were endless. But those early days are slowly coming to a close. I do, however, feel very lucky and am very grateful to still have a career and most importantly to have so many loving fans. I can surely say without them, we wouldn't be here, still going strong." ILL NIÑO's last album, "Epidemia", was released on October 22, 2012 via Victory Records.

The fourth and final RIGOR MORTIS album, "Slaves To The Grave", will be released on October 7. The first 5,000 copies will include a "making-of" DVD. The effort will also be available on iTunes, Amazon, and limited-edition vinyl LP.

Recorded in February 2012 at MINISTRY's 13th Planet Studios in El Paso, Texas, "Slaves To The Grave" returns to the 1988 original first record lineup of Mike Scaccia on guitar, Bruce Corbitt on vocals, Harden Harrison on drums, and Casey Orr on bass.

Fans in Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texaswill be able to get the CD/DVD 10 days before the rest of the world at the "Slaves To The Grave" CD-release show on September 27 at the Curtain Club in Dallas. Texas metal legends and pioneers DEADHORSE will headline the event and the surviving members of RIGOR MORTIS will perform a set of RIGOR MORTIS songs under the name WIZARDS OF GORE. Opening the show will be Austin's premier metal band DEAD EARTH POLITICS.

WIZARDS OF GORE will also play at this year's Housecore Horror Film Festival at Emo's in Austin, Texas at the end of October.

Scaccia, who is best known for his work with MINISTRY, RIGOR MORTIS and the REVOLTING COCKS, died on December 23, 2012 of a sudden heart attack brought on by a heart disease (official cause of death: atherosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease), according to the Tarrant County medical examiner's office. Officials ruled it a natural death. He was 47 years old.

Scaccia was performing with RIGOR MORTIS at The Rail Club in Fort Worth, Texas at the 50th-birthday celebration for RIGOR MORTIS singer Bruce Corbitt when the frontman reportedly asked for strobe lights to be turned off moments before the guitarist collapsed onstage and could not be revived. He was taken to the emergency room at Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth, where he was pronounced dead at 12:26 a.m., according to the medical examiner.

Mike is survived by his wife Jenny Rowen Scaccia, with whom he had two toddlers, and daughters Sarah Scaccia and Taarna Scaccia Hopkins.

During a recent interview with HuffPost Canada Music, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford spoke about one of his current favorite artists, pop superstar Lady Gaga.

"I've been a huge fan of Gaga since she first burst on the scene," Halford said. "I just love everything that lady represents. First and foremost, her voice is extraordinary. I love her voice. She's an accomplished musician, she plays piano really well, she's just a great songwriter. And she's a beacon of hope for a lot of people in the world."

According to Halford, he finally had the chance to meet Lady Gaga after her show in San Diego earlier this month (see photo below, as posted on JUDAS PRIEST's official Facebook page). He attended the concert with Lady Starlight, Gaga's longtime friend and collaborator who supported JUDAS PRIEST on tour in 2011. During their short meeting backstage, Halford and Lady Gaga even discussed the possibility of a collaboration in the future.

"It was a real moment come true," he said. "We didn't really have much time to talk. She's busy. I'm busy, but we've agreed to get together at some point and just hang out and maybe do something. I don't know if that will ever happen, but I love her to death."

Last month, Halford revealed to Yahoo! Music that during one of the London gigs on JUDAS PRIEST's "Epitaph" tour, Gaga was planning to appear as a special guest. "Gaga called and said, 'Can I get on the back of Rob's bike when he comes out and we'll do 'Hell Bent For Leather'?" he said. "I was like, 'Oh my God! Diva moment. Please let this happen!' But she couldn't do it. She ended up doing a shoot in Omaha, Nebraska, that took a week." He added: "If that isn't a nice affirmation that someone with extraordinary talent that isn't metal can still gravitate to the metal experience, I don't know what is."

Halford also reiterated his interest in collaborating with Gaga, saying: "I just love her. She has an open invite to anything we do. She's a total metalhead. She's really hardcore and her voice — oh my God. She has the most beautiful voice. Out of all the recent people in that genre, she is the most extraordinary, and she's carrying it all on her back. That's an incredible feat of success in today's world… Everything she does when she puts on her shows is a real work of art. She pushes boundaries and expresses a lot of love and a massive investment in everything she believes. I just think that's wonderful."

Lady Gaga previously spoke about her love for IRON MAIDEN and BLACK SABBATH, calling the experience of seeing MAIDEN for the first time a "life-changing" event. The singer also appeared in photos with Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Alice Cooper and ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante.



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Post by Judas Priest.

Fan-filmed video footage of THE WINERY DOGS' entire June 27 performance at the Saban Theatre in Beverly Hills, California can be seen below.

THE WINERY DOGS is the power trio featuring drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB), legendary bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, TALAS, DAVID LEE ROTH) and guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen (MR. BIG, POISON).

The band's self-titled debut album sold around 10,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 27 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released in North America on July 23, 2013 via Loud & Proud Records and in Japan on May 15, 2013 via Victor Entertainment, the CD was mixed by Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX, ADRENALINE MOB, STONE SOUR and STEEL PANTHER.

THE WINERY DOGS released two new special versions of its self-titled debut album on April 15. "The Winery Dogs Special Edition" consists of two-CDs. Disc 1 is the standard album and Disc 2 is entitled "Unleashed In Japan 2013", featuring 10 songs recorded live in Japan during the band's July 2013 tour, including "Criminal", a track previously unavailable in the U.S., along with a 16-page booklet of live photos and lyrics. A deluxe package for die-hard fans was released simultaneously. "Dog Treats: The Winery Dogs Deluxe Special Edition" is sold in a box resembling a box of dog treats, and includes the "Special Edition" collection of music, a DVD featuring four music videos and interview footage, demos from the original recording sessions, a "studio diary" written by Mike Portnoy, as well as some unique merchandise unavailable elsewhere. "Bands like [LED] ZEPPELIN and THE WHO, THE [ROLLING] STONES, and THE BEATLES, CREAM, and [Jimi] Hendrix. I mean, I grew up with that stuff," Portnoy told Voice Of America. "And, although I've been able to pay tribute to it throughout my career with tribute bands and things like that, I've never been in an all-original band that was kind of playing classic rock power trio stuff. That's how I describe this band: just a straight-up rock band."

Regarding the songwriting process for THE WINERY DOGS' album, Portnoy said: "In all cases, the music was the very first element and from there, Richie would start melodies on top of it. Sometimes the final lyrics were there, coming up on the spot, and other times he would take the melodies and write lyrics later. There were a couple of examples of Richie having something and bringing it in. In those cases, like 'Damaged' and 'Regret', we just left them. Because in those two particular cases, the songs were great as they were."

Portnoy was full of praise for his THE WINERY DOGS bandmates, telling Voice Of America: "Billy Sheehan is my favorite bass player on earth and he has been for almost 30 years now. So to work with him and make music with him for me is an honor. And Richie is someone I have the utmost respect for as an artist. I mean, he is just so underappreciated, not only as a guitarist, but as a singer and a writer as well. I think for me, the most exciting aspect of this band is for people to discover Richie that aren't aware of what a musical genius he is."

Professionally filmed video footage of legendary LED ZEPPELIN singer Robert Plant performing the song "Little Maggie" from his forthcoming album, "Lullaby And… The Ceaseless Roar", Saturday night (June 28) at the U.K.'s Glastonbury festival can be seen below.

"Lullaby And… The Ceaseless Roar" will be released September 9 on Nonesuch/Warner Bros. Records. Produced by Plant, the album is his label debut and features 11 new recordings, nine of which are original songs written by Plant with his band, THE SENSATIONAL SPACE SHIFTERS — Justin Adams: bendirs, djembe, guitars, tehardant, background vocals; John Baggott: keyboards, loops, moog bass, piano, tabal, background vocals; Juldeh Camara: kologo, ritti, Fulani vocals; Billy Fuller: bass, drum programming, omnichord, upright bass; Dave Smith: drum set; and Liam "Skin" Tyson: banjo, guitar, background vocals. Pre-orders are available now at RobertPlant.com and include a limited-edition print and an instant download of an album track.

Plant and the band will tour the U.K. in November and the U.S. this fall, including two nights at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, September 27 and 28, as part of Nonesuch Records at BAM: Celebrating 50 Years of the Label without Labels.

"Lullaby And… The Ceaseless Roar" is Plant's first record since 2010's "Band Of Joy", which followed 2007's six-time Grammy Award–winning collaboration with Alison Krauss, "Raising Sand". Justin Adams and John Baggott of THE SENSATIONAL SPACE SHIFTERS appeared on Plant's 2002 release "Dreamland", while all but Camara and Smith appeared on 2005's "Mighty Rearranger". The new-album lineup recently toured the world before recording "Lullaby And… The Ceaseless Roar" at Helium Studios in Wiltshire and Real World Studios in Bath, U.K. The track "Rainbow" was recorded in Contino Rooms in London. Tchad Blake mixed all but three tracks on the album.

"It's really a celebratory record, powerful, gritty, African, trance meets ZEP," Plant says.

"The whole impetus of my life as a singer has to be driven by a good brotherhood.

"I am very lucky to work with THE SENSATIONAL SPACE SHIFTERS. They come from exciting areas of contemporary music…

"I have been around awhile and I ask myself, do I have anything to say? Is there a song still inside me? In my heart?

"I see life and what's happening to me. Along the trail, there are expectations, disappointments, happiness, questions and strong relationships, and now I'm able to express my feelings through melody, power and trance; together in a kaleidescope of sound, colour, and friendship."

"Punched In The Gutz", the new video from U.K. glam metal legends TIGERTAILZ, can be seen below. The song is taken from TIGERTAILZ's new EP, "Knives", which was released on October 15, 2013 via Scarlet Records. The CD was recorded at Red Rock Studios in South Wales.

"Knives" track listing:

01. The Shoe Collector 02. One Life 03. Don't Bite The Hand That Feeds You 04. Spit It Out 05. Punched In The Gutz

Featuring footage of the band on the road during their extensive U.K. "Knives" tour last November, the "One Life" video sends out a strong anti-war message, and pays poignant homage to the men and women who serve their countries, as well as the thousands of civilians who have been lost to war. With 2014 also marking the centenary of the outbreak of World War One and the 70th anniversary of D-Day, that message seems both relevant to today and steeped in history.

Guitarist Jay Pepper had this to say about "One Life": "'One Life' is dedicated to the allied servicemen and women currently fighting overseas in Afghanistan and Iraq — and also the thousands of civilian lives that have been lost in the recent wars within the region. But it's also a reminder of the tragic loss of life in any war. Syria being the latest debacle.

"It seems we just never learn...

"Most of us can only imagine what it feels like to endure death and destruction on a daily basis. But hopefully the lyrics in some way capture what goes through someone's mind when their caught up in these devastating situations.

"If the song brings some small comfort to one person, then it was worth writing..."

TIGERTAILZ' current incanration is working on its second EP, "Daggers", tentatively due later in the year.

Drummer Matt Blakout last year rejoined the 'TAILZ lineup after a three-year absence and teamed up with Jules Millis (vocals), Rob Wylde (bass) and Jay Pepper (guitar).

"Punched In The Gutz" video:


"One Life" video:

"Regenerator", the new Mark Hylands-directed video from reactivated NWOBHM legends SWEET SAVAGE (based in Belfast, Northern Ireland), can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's latest album, "Regeneration", which was released in 2011 via Rock Candy Records.

According to SWEET SAVAGE, the group has "now written and recorded a new record full of the most fresh and modern material, we as a band, believe SWEET SAVAGE has ever produced." The follow-up to "Regeneration" is tentatively due before the end of the year.

SWEET SAVAGE is among the acts that will perform at the U.K edition of this year's Sonisphere festival at Knebworth House. The guys will play on Sunday, July 6 on the Jägermeister Stage, where they will debut a collection of tracks off their next release as well a number of classic songs. Other bands set to perform on the day include DREAM THEATER, ALICE IN CHAINS and headliners METALLICA.

Current DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell was a member of SWEET SAVAGE from 1979 until 1982, when he joined DIO.

Campbell joined SWEET SAVAGE on stage for the first time in 30 years when the band supported THIN LIZZY in February 2011 in Belfast and Dublin to perform the classic track "Killing Time".

METALLICA's cover of "Killing Time" (co-written by Campbell) was included as the B-side to METALLICA's "The Unforgiven" single.

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield joined SWEET SAVAGE on stage at an August 20, 2008 concert at Marlay Park in Dublin, Ireland (where SWEET SAVAGE supported METALLICA) to perform "Killing Time".

Legendary rocker Alice Cooper kicked off his summer run with three shows in Michigan this weekend before joining MÖTLEY CRÜE's final tour as a very special guest on July 2, running through late November. The trek marks the debut of Alice's new guitarist Nita Strauss, who was recently ranked #1 on Guitar World's list of "10 Female Guitar Players You Should Know." She takes the place of Orianthi, who has toured with Alice for the past few years.

Strauss, a longtime Ibanez signature series endorsee who made her name with THE IRON MAIDENS, FEMME FATALE and LA Kiss, joins the rest of Cooper's band — guitarists Ryan Roxie and Tommy Henriksen, plus bassist Chuck Garric and drummer Glen Sobel.

Fan-filmed video footage of Cooper's June 27 performance in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan can be seen below.

Asked how she got involved with Cooper, Strauss told GuitarWorld.com: "Kip Winger was the one who actually connected the dots. We met each other on the Monsters Of Rock cruise, where he saw me play. He later heard through the grapevine that Alice was looking for someone, so he sent them a few links and videos of me performing. I was then introduced to Shep Gordon [Cooper's manager] and Bob Ezrin [Cooper's producer] who sent me over a few tracks to learn and from there. Everything just seemed to fall into place. I'm so honored and excited to be a part of this project. It's hard to put into words."

Regarding what it was like when she first met Alice, Nita said: "I first met Alice in L.A. when he was recording some material for his new album. Ezrin called and asked me if I'd like to come down to the studio and meet him. So I went down and got to sit in the studio for Alice's recording session. He's such a cool guy. The whole experience was pretty incredible."

Asked if she feels added pressure being in a three-guitar band situation, Strauss said: "I come from a band that played IRON MAIDEN songs, so the multi-guitar-player thing isn't something that's really new to me. By the same token, these are iconic songs and I really want to make sure that I do them justice."

Video footage of VAN HALEN singer David Lee Roth and the Kabuki Orchestra performing "The Oo-oka River Blues" at Onkio Haus in Tokyo, Japan can be seen below.

Roth has been living part-time in Tokyo since 2012. He's been renting recording studio space in Japan and having fun learning Japanese. In addition, he put on his own radio show, "Tokyo Hi-Power Style".

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Roth said in a recent installment of "The Roth Show" that VAN HALEN is working on some kind of "secret' project. Roth said on the show, "Doing some catching up here, a little bit of a scrapbook. We've been doing a lot of traveling. [I've been] working on a great VAN HALEN project — can't announce anything or I'd have to come find you and swear you to secrecy."

VAN HALEN has been mostly silent since coming off the road in summer 2012 and canceling a large portion of its touring plans behind that year's album, "A Different Kind Of Truth".

The band — which reunited with Roth in 2007 after 23 years apart — has reportedly been working on its 13th studio album.

Roth said in an interview late last year that VAN HALEN had started work on a new record, revealing, "I write lyrics routinely and the band plays together routinely, at least three times a week up at Ed's [Van Halen] place."

"A Different Kind Of Truth" sold 187,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The CD was is the band's first full-length offering with David Lee Roth since "1984" was released in January 1984.

Roth exited the group in 1985, a year after its "1984" album was released.

METALLICA has found a way to poke fun of the controversy surrounding its headlining appearance at this weekend's Glastonbury festival by selling a special t-shirt at the U.K. event featuring negative quotes about the band emblazoned across it. (See image below.) The front of the shirt features the word "GLASTALLICA" at the top written in the classic METALLICA logo font along with the message "Peace, Love & Metal" at the bottom. Quotes on the back of the shirt range from Alex Turner of the ARCTIC MONKEYS saying "I'm not sure it adds up… Could you have METALLICA in the hippy nucleus?" to British web site The Guardian's headline of "METALLICA at Glastonbury. Whoopee-fucking-doo." Also included is a seemingly out-of-place quote from JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford, who said, "I had a diva moment when I heard about METALLICA at Glastonbury. Next time, Michael [Eavis, Glastonbury organizer], when you want to bring metal to Glastonbury, can you make sure it's British?"

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich recently spoke out about the negative feedback to the band's appearance at Glastonbury, 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.

METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett addressed the petition during an interview with Kerrang! magazine, saying: "I mean, this whole animal activist thing? Really? It's ridiculous. They fucking sell hamburgers at Glastonbury, alright? Tell these people that they're looking under the wrong fucking rock."

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."

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Glastonbury is a very laid-back type of festival, with more of a hippie/indie vibe than most, which is why there has been so much controversy over METALLICA playing the show in the first place.

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




Like the Metallica shirt for their Glastonbury show - front / back designs pic.twitter.com/J5chUiaHU3

— Paul (@windowhanger) June 28, 2014

LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia joined ROB ZOMBIE on stage last night (Friday, June 27) at Alcatraz in Milan, Italy to perform a cover version of the DIAMOND HEAD classic "Am I Evil?" Fan-filmed video footage of her appearance can be seen below. Photos of the concert are available at Soundsblog.it.

LACUNA COIL supported ROB ZOMBIE on a six-week U.S. tour in 2006. Scabbia stated at the time: "We all know how much Rob influenced the scene and how great his live shows are."

Zombie's first-ever concert film, "The Zombie Horror Picture Show", came out on May 20. The set features Zombie leading his band through longtime favorites like "Living Dead Girl", "More Human Than Human" and "Dragula". The movie was filmed during stops on last year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour in Houston on August 3, 2013 and Dallas on August 4.

A photo book by photographer Rob Fenn is being published as a companion to the Blu-ray and DVD.

Zombie has also been working on a new studio album, telling Billboard, "It sounds fuckin' weird man. That's a really good thing… It's going good. I'll work on that for about a month and get as far as I can get. Then in July we have a little bit of a break where I'll probably finish the record, and then we have some more touring."

Zombie's fifth solo album, "Venomous Rat Regeneration Vendor", came out in April 2013

Video footage of former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach and the Swedish DJ/producer duo DADA LIFE — Olle Cornéer and Stefan Engblom — performing the song "Born To Rage" on June 22 at the Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, Nevada can be seen below. Also available is footage of Bach and DADA LIFE playing an acoustic version of the song on June 21.

Bach's vocals appear on the reworked edition of DADA LIFE's banger "Born To Rage", which was released in May. The track was previously described as "a kinetic peak-hour EDM jam with the crowd-pleasing obligatory buildup, breakdown and drop."

Asked how the Bach collaboration came about, DADA LIFE said during a recent Reddit AMA session: "We needed someone who really was born to rage and he seemed a good fit. And then he was open-minded enough to try the song and it sounded amazing."

The official video for "Born To Rage" featuring Bach was produced by Erin Gray, and directed by Chris O'Konski and Gabriel Stanley.

Released in an incredible 39 different, country-specific versions and immediately charting in the Top 5 at both the Beatport and Hype Machine charts worldwide, "Born To Rage" already carries significant pedigree. A track built around the duo's trademark exuberance and packed full of euphoric crescendos and an infectious punk rock style hook, the addition of Bach's remarkably distinctive vocal now gives "Born To Rage" a bold and exciting new dimension. Uniting the worlds of both electro house and rock, its broad-ranging appeal should make a significant impression on a more diverse, expansive audience and cement DADA LIFE's reputation for consistently pushing boundaries with their music. The track also retains its anthemic and full-bodied club worthiness and is sure to make a significant impression on dance floors the world over.

Heavy progressive rock band THE CONTORTIONIST will release an all new LP titled "Language" on September 16 via eOne Music/Good Fight Music. The band spent time with producer Jamie King (BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME) at The Basement Recording studio in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. "Making this record from start to finish was quite an experience," says guitarist Robby Baca. "From the initial attempts at song writing to the tracking sessions with Jamie, it's an experience that I cant wait to share with everyone."

"Language" will be the third LP installment from the band and first with new vocalist Michael Lessard, who offers, "I'm beyond happy to share this album with people! The experience and result are something I'm very proud to have been a part of. I think this album will show how we've all progressed as writers and players."

The new effort will be the follow-up to the "Intrinsic", which came out in 2012 and featured the singles "Holomovement" and "Causality".

Over the last few years THE CONTORTIONIST has accumulated quite a touring resume. The band was able to share the stage with acts like THE FACELESS, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, PROTEST THE HERO and DEFTONES. THE CONTORTIONIST is: Michael Lessard (vocals), Joey Baca (drums, percussion), Robby Baca (guitar), Cameron Maynard (guitar) and Jordan Eberhardt (bass).

"Inner Enemy", the new video from the Stockholm, Sweden-based progressive metal band SEVENTH WONDER, which features in its ranks current KAMELOT singer Tommy Karevik, can be seen below.

SEVENTH WONDER's fourth CD, "The Great Escape", was released in December 2010 via Lion Music.

After he was officially announced as the new KAMELOT singer in June 2012, Karevik stated about his position in SEVENTH WONDER: "I will not leave SEVENTH WONDER! The SEVENTH WONDER guys and all of you fantastic and supportive fans out there will not get rid of me so easily! I love you all and you are the reason I got to where I am today! We are already working on some stuff for the next SEVENTH WONDER album and really can't wait to show it to you all!"

SEVENTH WONDER is:

Andreas Blomqvist - BassJohan Liefvendahl - GuitarTommy Karevik - VocalsAndreas Söderin - KeyboardsStefan Norgren - Drums

LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe joined HELLYEAH on stage on Friday, June 27 at Ziggy's By The Sea in Wilmington, North Carolina to perform the song "Hellyeah". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

June 27 marked the second anniversary of Blythe's arrest on manslaughter charges in the Czech Republic. The singer was detained at the Prague airport on June 27, 2012 and was accused of shoving a local fan off the stage during LAMB OF GOD's May 2010 concert in the city. The man, who is said to have stormed the stage three times during the show, reportedly suffered a brain hemorrhage that resulted in his death nearly a month later. Blythe was eventually acquitted of all charges after a panel of Czech judges ruled that concert promoters — and not Blythe — were largely to blame for the fan's death.

A number of rockers came to Randy's defense, with many of them citing the 2004 shooting death onstage of PANTERA guitarist — and brother of HELLYEAH drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott — "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott as the reason why musicians are so defensive nowadays about fans invading the stage.

HELLYEAH's fourth studio album, "Blood For Blood", sold around 17,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 18 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on June 10 via Eleven Seven.

"Blood For Blood" was helmed by producer Kevin Churko at his The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada. Churko is the Canadian musician, sound engineer, songwriter and record producer who has previously worked with OZZY OSBOURNE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and IN THIS MOMENT, among other acts.