This year marks the 40th anniversary of rock and roll giants KISS and in true KISS fashion, the band is making 2014 the biggest and loudest, non-stop rock and roll party of the century.

Rock legends KISS were the first signing to Neil Bogart's newly formed Casablanca Records label after he saw and recognized their talent and showmanship during their spectacular performance at a showcase concert at New York City's Le Tang's Ballet Studio in 1973, offering them a contract on the spot. Four decades after releasing their self-titled, major label debut, KISS was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on April 10, proof of the unparalleled devotion and loyalty of the KISS Army to the "Hottest Band in the World" as they rallied together to have the band included in this year's induction ceremony.

Having earned 28 U.S. gold albums along with 40 million U.S. and 100 million in world sales, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, with longtime members guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer, are stronger than ever with a legacy that continues to grow, generation after generation. Their last album, "Monster", proved that they are still at the top of their game with impressive sales and topping the charts worldwide debuting at No. 3 in the U.S. on the Billboard 200 best-selling albums chart and Top 10 in twenty other countries.

For the ultimate KISS collector, with only 1000 copies being produced worldwide, "Kissteria - The Ultimate Vinyl Road Case" is a highly-collectible vinyl road case box set featuring 34 KISS LPs including nineteen studio albums, all five of the "Alive" releases, the four original KISS solo albums, each with exact replicas of the original inserts, plus six exclusive vinyl titles that will not be made available individually. All albums are pressed onto audiophile 180-gram vinyl and are newly remastered from the ultra-high definition Direct Stream Digital transfers from original analog tapes to bring out maximum fidelity of these iconic albums.

Exclusive "Kissteria" extras include eleven 11"x17" archival posters, including the band's very first promo poster; a KISS vinyl cleaning cloth; a KISS turntable mat; a set of KISS dominoes; four band lithographs highlighting four decades of the band; and a certificate of authenticity displaying the limited edition number for each of the individual box sets.

Forty years ago KISS released their eponymous debut album, which would propel the band to the top of the rock and roll hierarchy where they have reigned for the past four decades making the KISS legacy a global brand with more than 3,000 licensed merchandise products, including a recent partnership with the Arena Football League as owners of the Anaheim-based expansion team LA KISS.

"Kissteria - The Vinyl Road Case"

Custom ANVIL Road Case to house 34 KISS LPs and a plethora of extras.

* KISS* Hotter Than Hell* Dressed To Kill - Includes Embossed Front & Back Jacket Covers* Alive! - Includes 8 Page Color Booklet* Destroyer* Rock And Roll Over - Includes Sticker Sheet* Love Gun - Includes Paper Gun with "Bang" Sheet* Alive II - Includes Tattoo Sheet & 8 Page Color Booklet* Ace Frehley (Solo Album) - Includes "Ace" Interlocking Poster* Gene Simmons (Solo Album) - Includes "Gene" Interlocking Poster* Peter Criss (Solo Album) - Includes "Peter" Interlocking Poster* Paul Stanley (Solo Album) - Includes "Paul" Interlocking Poster* Dynasty - 22" x 33" Poster* Unmasked - 22" x 33" Poster* Music From The Elder - First Vinyl Release in Concept Album Sequence* Creatures Of The Night* Lick It Up* Animalize* Asylum* Crazy Nights* Hot In The Shade* Revenge* Alive III* MTV Unplugged - Includes 24" x 24" Poster* Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions - First Vinyl Pressing Ever * Psycho Circus - First Vinyl Pressing Ever will include a 12"x12" Lenticular Cover* Alive: The Millennium Collection - First Vinyl Pressing Ever* Monster

Exclusive vinyl titles for the Road Case:

* Double Platinum - Includes Embossed front & back jacket covers + Embossed platinum award insert* Greatest Kiss - Includes First Vinyl Pressing Ever. Will combine all exclusive tracks used worldwide into one package* Killers - Includes First U.S. Release Ever. Will combine both Japan and Australia track lists into one package* You Wanted The Best, You Got The Best* Smashes, Thrashes & Hits* Kiss Symphony: Alive IV

Exclusive Bonus Items for Vinyl Box:

* Eleven 11"x17" Archival Posters in a poster tube:* First Band Promo Poster* Hotel Diplomat Concert Poster* "Asylum" Promo Poster* "Lick It Up" Promo Poster* KISS 1984 Promo Poster* "Alive III" Promo Poster* "You Wanted The Best, You Got The Best" Promo Poster* "Smashes, Thrashes & Hits" Promo Poster* "MTV Unplugged" Promo Poster* Live 1996 Tour Poster* "Psycho Circus" Promo Poster* KISS Vinyl Cleaning Cloth* KISS Turntable Mat* KISS Dominoes* Four Band Photo Lithographs* Certificate of Authenticity with Exclusive Box Number

A behind-the-scenes look at the making of "Kissteria - The Vinyl Road Case" can be seen below.



(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));

Post by KISS.

"Into The Storm", the latest album from German guitarist Axel Rudi Pell, will be reissued as a deluxe edition with a bonus CD consisting of brand new live recordings and the video for the song "Long Way To Go". The deluxe edition will feature a new cover and will come with a 16-page booklet containing new photos and new liner notes by Axel Rudi Pell.

"Into The Storm – Deluxe Edition" release dates:

Scandinavia: August 20Germany: August 22Rest of Europe: August 25USA: September 2

"Into The Storm – Deluxe Edition" track listing:

CD 1 01. The Inquisitorial Procedure02. Tower Of Lies03. Long Way To Go04. Burning Chains05. When Truth Hurts06. Changing Times07. Touching Heaven08. High Above09. Hey Hey My My10. Into The Storm11. White Cats (Opus #6 Scivolare) (bonus track)12. Way To Mandalay (bonus track)

CD 2 01. Nasty Reputation – live 201402. Strong As A Rock – live 201403. Medley: Too Late / Call Her Princess / Eternal Prisoner / Too Late – live 201404. Long Way To Go (enhanced video)

AXEL RUDI PELL's video for the song "Long Way To Go" was directed by Tim Assmann (KINGDOM COME) and can be seen below.

Axel Rudi Pell will celebrate his 25th anniversary as a solo artist by performing a very special show on July 11 at the Bang Your Head!!! festival in Balingen, Germany. He says: "We will play a lot of songs with the recent AXEL RUDI PELL lineup featuring Johnny Gioeli, Bobby Rondinelli, Ferdy Doernberg, Volker Krawczak and myself, but this will only be 1/3 of the complete show approximately. As this year also sees the 30th recording anniversary of my former band STEELER (the first record was released in 1984), we will reunite in the original lineups (Peter Burtz, Tom Eder, Jan Yildiral and both bass players Roland Hag and Volker Krawczak) to perform a couple of songs for you. The reunion will only happen on that day and it will be an exclusive one-off! Furthermore, we will have a few AXEL RUDI PELL vintage members there and we're proud to announce that both vocalists Rob Rock and Jeff Scott Soto among original drummer Jörg Michael will enter the stage too to play a few older AXEL RUDI PELL tracks. As this ain't enough, I invited some other musical guests and friends to play a few cover tracks together and I'm really proud to announce the following guests in no particular order:

* Graham Bonnet (RAINBOW, MSG, ALCATRAZZ) * Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW, DEEP PURPLE, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) * Doogie White (RAINBOW, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, MICHAEL SCHENKER'S TEMPLE OF ROCK) * John Lawton (URIAH HEEP, LUCIFERS FRIEND) * Tony Carey (RAINBOW) * Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL, DIO)

"Be there at very very special show, which will be a lifetime event and will last for more than three hours."

Pell last year parted ways with drummer Mike Terrana (TARJA, RAGE) "due to scheduling conflicts with [Mike's] other commitments." Terrana has since been replaced by Bobby Rondinelli (RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT).

"Into The Storm" registered the following first-week chart positions:

Germany: #5 Switzerland: #9 Austria: #40 Finland: #44

In Germany and Switzerland, these represent the highest chart entries ever in Axel's solo career.

"Into The Storm" was recorded with engineer and co-producer Charlie Bauerfeind and features Pell alongside singer Johnny Gioeli, drummer Bobby Rondinelli, keyboard player Ferdy Doernberg and bassist Volker Krawczak.

Fan-filmed video footage of SODOM's June 7 performance at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden can be seen below.

SODOM's latest album, "Epitome Of Torture", sold around 800 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 25 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.

"Epitome Of Torture" was made available on April 29, 2013 in Europe and May 7, 2013 in North America via SPV/Steamhammer. Bassist/vocalist Thomas "Angelripper" Such, guitarist Bernd "Bernemann" Kost and new drummer Markus "Makka" Freiwald recorded a total of twelve new tracks (plus a MOTÖRHEAD cover) which "present SODOM as more diverse and multi-faceted than ever," according to a press release.

"'Epitome Of Torture' features not only your typical SODOM fare, but also two or three numbers which are slightly more moderate and melodic than what people have come to expect from us," said Angelripper. It's obvious that SODOM hasn't changed its scornful view of the world, presenting an album in "Epitome Of Torture" that is as uncompromising as ever in musical as well as lyrical terms.

"Unfortunately, there's still plenty of inspiration for angry lyrics around," said Angelripper. The bitter thrash metal attack "Waterboarding", which deals with torture methods, fits perfectly into this context.

"It always surprises me how inventive — in the most negative sense of the word — people can be when it comes to torturing others," stated the vocalist. "At the same time, 'Epitome Of Torture' features not only typical SODOM numbers, like the title track, our new hit 'S.O.D.O.M.' and 'Stigmatized', the toughest SODOM number in ages, but also two or three recordings which are slightly more moderate and melodic than what people have come to expect from us."

Angelripper is referring to songs such as "Cannibal" and "Tracing The Victim", which allow Bernemann to present his impressive musical skills, as well as "Into The Skies Of War", on which Angelripper allowed himself to be inspired by icons such as MOTÖRHEAD and TANK. "Luckily, it's impossible to hide my influences," he said. "Epitome Of Torture" was produced by Waldemar Sorychta (GRIP INC., ENEMY OF THE SUN), whose expertise as a sound engineer and audio magician thoroughly enhanced SODOM's previous CD, 2010's "In War And Pieces". Angelripper said: "Waldemar is a true authority. He doesn't let you get away with anything, he knows all our weak spots. Which occasionally makes working at the studio a little demanding, but at the end of the day, it's all worthwhile, as the result shows." The SODOM frontman describes the sound on "Epitome Of Torture" as "hard as nails and contemporary, without ignoring our tried-and-tested old-school attitude." "Epitome Of Torture" was made available in four different formats: a limited-edition digipak, including two bonus tracks and a poster; regular jewel case; as a double gatefold vinyl, including three bonus tracks; and as a digital download. The cover artwork featuring SODOM's popular "Knarrenheinz" logo was developed by graphic designer Meran Karanitant, who has previously worked with SIX FEET UNDER, HATEBREED and DIMMU BORGIR, among others.

Capital Chaos TV has uploaded video footage of DEVIL YOU KNOW, the creative union of Howard Jones (ex-KILLSWITCH ENGAGE), Francesco Artusato (ALL SHALL PERISH) and John Sankey (DEVOLVED), performing on June 3 at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, California. Check it out below.

DEVIL YOU KNOW's debut album, "The Beauty Of Destruction", sold around 6,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 45 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"The Beauty Of Destruction" was released on both physical and digital formats on April 25 in Europe and April 29 in North America via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The CD was produced by Logan Mader (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, GOJIRA, DEVILDRIVER, SOULFLY) and mixed by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (HATEBREED, SOULFLY). Artwork for the album was created by noted painter and illustrator Travis Smith (OPETH, DEVIN TOWNSEND).

DEVIL YOU KNOW supported BLACK LABEL SOCIETY on this year's Revolver Golden Gods Tour, which kicked off on April 16 in Portland and wrapped on June 7 in Los Angeles. Also appearing on the bill was DOWN.

DEVIL YOU KNOW's touring lineup is completed by guitarist Roy Lev-Ari and BLEEDING THROUGH bassist Ryan Wombacher.

DEVIL YOU KNOW made its live debut on February 15 at Chain Reaction in Anaheim, California. The group also took part in the 2014 edition of Australia's Soundwave Festival.

The writing and recording process for DEVIL YOU KNOW's debut album "was surprisingly easy," stated Artusato. "When we get together, it just works." The band is also quick to sum up the studio vibe with producer Mader as "intensely creative," said Sankey. "Logan definitely helped us realize and define the DEVIL YOU KNOW sound." Jones agreed: "He went from producer, to unsung member, to friend."

"It's a different style of music for me," said Jones of DEVIL YOU KNOW's unique sound. "It's heavy as anything any of us are known for but I get to do some different things people won't expect. I've been singing almost all my life. Being around good songwriters and musicians in my former bands really helped mold me into who I am now."

Video footage of THE PRETTY RECKLESS performing a cover version of OASIS' "Champagne Supernova" during a "Live Lounge" session on BBC Radio 1 can be seen below.

THE PRETTY RECKLESS has unveiled a racy new video for the song "Messed Up World (F'd Up World)", the next single from the band's second album, "Going To Hell". Singer Taylor Momsen co-directed the steamy clip with Jon J. and told The Pulse Of Radio all about it. "The video's something different," she said. "It's something that people haven't seen before from this band. I wrote the treatment for it. We played with sarcasm a lot in this video, which is something new. I'm wearing pink. Who knew? You know it's sarcastic when I've got pink on."

Momsen, previously an actress, also co-directed the video for the band's last single, the chart-topping "Heaven Knows".

"Going To Hell" was released in March and debuted at NO. 5 on the Billboard album chart.

THE PRETTY RECKLESS just finished a run of festivals in the U.K. and will now play scattered events back home in the U.S. throughout the summer.

The band begins a lengthy North American headlining trek on September 5 in Lake Buena Vista.

JUDAS PRIEST members Rob Halford, Richie Faulkner and Ian Hill were interviewed on the May 20 edition of BBC's television show "Later... With Jools Holland". You can watch the segment below.

"Later…" began in October 1992 and is series produced by Alison Howe, executive-produced by Mark Cooper and directed by Janet Fraser Crook. It is now the longest-running music show in British TV history aside from "Top Of The Pops".

As previously reported, JUDAS PRIEST members Glenn Tipton, Rob Halford and Richie Faulkner will guest on the nationally syndicated radio show "Rockline" with host Bob Coburn on Monday, July 7 at 8:30 p.m. PT / 11:30 p.m. ET. Fans are encouraged to speak with JUDAS PRIEST by calling 1-800-344-ROCK (7625). The show will be streamed on the "Rockline" web site for two weeks beginning the afternoon after the live broadcast.

For more information, visit RocklineRadio.com.

On July 8, Halford, Tipton and Faulkner will appear on SiriusXM's "Town Hall" program. Fans are being asked to submit questions that winners will be able to ask the band in person.

JUDAS PRIEST's new studio album, "Redeemer Of Souls", will be released 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.

BUTCHER BABIES have entered the studio with producer Logan Mader (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, DEVILDRIVER, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY) to begin recording some of their brand new material. No further details are currently available.

BUTCHER BABIES' debut album, "Goliath", sold around 3,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 107 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD came out on July 9, 2013 via Century Media Records.

"We were pretty pumped about [the chart numbers], because, you know, there was some hype, whatever, before the band before, but no one really knew what we sounded like before — obviously, before the album came out," BUTCHER BABIES' Heidi Shepherd said. "So as soon as we saw those numbers come in — 107 on the Billboard and No. 1 on Heatseekers — [we said to ourselves], 'We're doing something right. We're doing something right.'"

She added: "[When we first formed], we played a bunch of crappy shows in small bars, and we didn't know where we were gonna take this. We thought that at the very least we'd have some fun with our best friends."

In an interview with Maine Music News, BUTCHER BABIES' Carla Harvey said: "We spent six weeks in pre-production and recording to make an album that gives us goose bumps every time we hear it.

"We all come from different musical backgrounds. I love old-school stuff like SLAYER, old METALLICA, I love PANTERA. [Our drummer] Chris [Warner], loves MARILYN MANSON. Heidi, my co-vocalist loves nu-metal. Henry [Flury], our guitar player, loves MESHUGGAH, and Jason [Klein], our bass player, loves death metal. So we managed to put all the different kinds of metal that we love into this album. It is so organic, and it sounds so good. We are getting tweets and Facebook messages all day long from our fans telling us how great it is. So besides what the critics say, what matters most is that we are proud of it and our fans are loving it."




In the studio all month with @LoganDarthMader making @ButcherBabies MAGIC.

— Carla Harvey Coates (@carlaharvey) June 18, 2014

Swedish metallers EVERGREY will release their new album, "Hymns For The Broken", on September 26 via AFM Records. The CD was recorded at a few different studios and mixed at Hansen studios in Ribe, Denmark by Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, AMARANTHE, EPYSODE, PRETTY MAIDS, DORO).

"Hymns For The Broken" track listing:

01. The Awakening02. King Of Errors03. A New Dawn04. Wake A Change 05. Archaic Rage06. Barricades07. Black Undertow08. The Fire09. Hymns For The Broken 10. Missing You 11. A Grand Collapse 12. The Aftermath

The first single and video, "King Of Errors", will be released on August 15.

EVERGREY frontman Tom S. Englund earlier in the year stated about the band's decision to sign with AFM: "While the music might be the most contemplated and dark pieces we have written — and while the sheer amount of music we have the pleasure to choose from is more than ever — we are super psyched and pleased to have chosen a label that believes in EVERGREY!"

The second trailer for the album can be seen below.

EVERGREY released "A Decade And A Half", a two-disc greatest-hits collection, in North America in November 2011 via SPV/Steamhammer. This deluxe package contained previously unreleased songs, live tracks and an extensive booklet. EVERGREY's latest album, "Glorious Collision", sold around 900 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 49 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.

EVERGREY's most recent lineup included Englund and keyboardist Rikard Zander alongside new members Marcus Jidell (guitar), Hannes Van Dahl (drums) and Johan Niemann (bass).

San Francisco-based death metal outfit FALLUJAH will release its new album, "The Flesh Prevails", on July 22 via Unique Leader Records. The follow-up to 2011's "The Harvest Wombs" was mixed, mastered and engineered by Zach Ohren (ANIMOSITY, SUFFOCATION, ALL SHALL PERISH) at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California over the course of a few months and features guest appearances by Christian Muenzner (OBSCURA, NECROPHAGIST) and the voice of Roniit Alkayam. The cover artwork was a collaborative effort between Poland's Tomasz Alen Kopera and the band's vocalist, Alex Hofmann.

The song "Carved From Stone" from "The Flesh Prevails" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

Comments vocalist Alex Hoffmann: "'Carved From Stone' is our most aggressive track; a subtle departure from the ethereal tracks that characterize the rest of the album. The song has a relentless momentum, paired with energetic and suggestive lyrical content; you will surely be hearing this track live this summer." "The Flesh Prevails" will be made available during FALLUJAH's participation in this year's Summer Slaughter Tour alongside MORBID ANGEL, DYING FETUS, THE FACELESS, GOATWHORE and more. Formed in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2007, FALLUJAH has displayed a rugged work ethic, investing countless weeks on the road in North America and internationally. The band's commitment to crafting forward thinking music has helped them build their own diehard fanbase from the ground-up through several releases, including 2009's "Leper Colony" EP, 2011's "The Harvest Wombs" debut LP, and most recently, their 2013 "Nomadic" EP. FALLUJAH is:

Alex Hofmann - VocalsRob Morey - BassAndrew Baird - DrumsScott Carstairs - GuitarBrian James - Guitar

QUEEN members Brian May and Roger Taylor have admitted that their current collaboration with "American Idol" season eight finalist Adam Lambert is a better fit than their previous involvement with legendary rock singer Paul Rodgers.

In 2008, May and Taylor, who had been touring with Rodgers as QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS, released the chart bomb, "The Cosmos Rocks", before calling it a day as a trio and a recording entity — despite a string of globally sold-out concerts.

"Paul has one of the greatest rock voices but it's more blues- and soul-orientated I would have thought," Taylor told the Toronto Sun. "I would say, with all due respect to Paul, that Adam is more suited to a lot of our material and whereas we had great tours with Paul, I think Adam is more naturally at home with us." May concurred and added that Lambert's remarkable range and flamboyant stage presence are much more in line with those of QUEEN's original singer, Freddie Mercury. "Yeah, I think the styles match more closely in a sense," May said. "But we had a great time with Paul, no doubt about it, and it kind of stretched it to a new place and, I think, a thoroughly good experience. But Adam is really… Like us, he has many, many colors, so we can explore some of those strange excursions that QUEEN likes to."

QUEEN's 24-date North American tour with Lambert kicks off on June 19 at Chicago's United Center and winds down on July 28 at Toronto, Ontario's Air Canada Centre.

"It's surreal," Lambert told the Toronto Sun about performing with QUEEN. "Having auditioned with 'Bohemian Rhapsody' on 'American Idol', and this weird full-circle gorgeous dream come true. When we did our first [tour] run, like giving a full set, it was definitely was intimidating. The idea that I would be in front of QUEEN die-hard fans and I was taking on a large chunk of the catalogue and it was a short time to put it together. And we did it and I think it turned out really, really beautifully, and then when the Vegas thing happened [September 2013 appearance at the iHeartRadio Festival], I feel like it really grounded itself a little bit more."

The threesome first shared the stage during "American Idol" in May 2009 for a performance of "We Are The Champions". They teamed up again in 2011 at the MTV European Music Awards in Belfast, Ireland for an electrifying eight-minute finale of "The Show Must Go On", "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" and in the summer of 2012, Lambert performed a series of shows with QUEEN across Europe as well as dates in Russia, Ukraine and Poland. They also performed three sold-out gigs at London’s Hammersmith Apollo.

On episode 475 of the "Talking Metal" podcast, Mark Strigl conducted an interview with guitarist John Ricci of Canadian thrash metal pioneers EXCITER. You can now listen to the chat using the Spreaker widget below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On whether he had anything to do with the announcement that was made in February 2014 that he was "retiring" from the music business:

Ricci: "No, never, I never did. The former members [drummer Rik Charron, bassist Rob 'Clammy' Cohen and vocalist Kenny Winter] just decided they were gonna word it that way. When I had a falling out with the other members, I was so stressed out — I don't wanna get into the details about the whole thing — I did say to them, 'I need a break from music.' But, to me, that's not saying I'm retiring. So they interpreted that as, 'Oh, John doesn't wanna play music anymore.' So I never even hinted at that. They were just covering up what the real story behind the whole uprising was, in my opinion. So when they made that announcement, I got flooded with more e-mails from all over the world, saying, 'John, we don't believe this. We know you'll never retire. You are the band. What's the real story?' So that's one issue I had to deal with."

On how the other members of the last EXCITER lineup could think that they could continue as EXCITER without any of the group's original members:

Ricci: "It's a very complicated story. I've been doing this for many, many, many years. But I can't tolerate stress. Some situations I can't handle because I'm just gonna lose it, and I'm trying to be sane in this business. So, technically, I removed myself from the band, because I was so fed up with their behavior, and I just couldn't take it. So they thought, 'OK, if John's removed himself from EXCITER, we can continue as EXCITER.' Now, it's a very complicated story. I don't wanna… It would get into legal stuff, and I just don't wanna get into it right now. So, skipping all the details, yes, they were gonna try to continue as EXCITER without me. [But] how could you get bookings calling yourself EXCITER without at least one original guy in the band. So, what happened was the three of them ended up, as far as I hear through the grapevine — I mean, I don't know; I haven't really spoken to any of them since all of this has happened — they had a falling out among each other, so now there's no band. And the name was surrendered back to me, which I am the lawful owner of the name. I'm skipping a lot of details here; there's probably a lot of blank things that [I have not talked about]… The three of them kind of had disagreements among each other, and I wasn't involved in any of it. And they basically dissolved… We could have fixed what was happening at the time. But as far as I'm concerned — it's just my personal opinion — what was happening, we could have fixed it and continued, after I made the changes in the band. But it didn't happen that way. So any kind of apology, and they're making apologies on the Internet for the whole world to see, well, it doesn't matter anymore, 'cause the damage is done. I mean, they've toured with me, they've toured with the world, people want their autograph, people want their picture taken with them, you'd think… I'm not criticizing those guys — they played a great role in the band's music and everything — you'd think they'd sort of see clear my position in the band. I'm the guy who started the band in the '70s, I continued the band, I did most of the songwriting. In the recent version of EXCITER, I did all the lyrics, I did the melodies. You'd think if you're playing with someone like that, you'd have a little more devotion. Things could have turned out better for everybody, but it didn't happen that way. And they can make all the apologies they want, it doesn't matter anymore. The damage is done."

On how he mended fences with the other original members of EXCITER, drummer/vocalist Dan Beehler and bassist Allan Johnson:

Ricci: "Well, we haven't even spoken about [the issues that caused to have a falling out back in the day]. [laughs] We've had two meetings. We're only gonna start rehearsing this coming week. And when we had our meetings, those topics never even came up. We basically said, 'What happened in the past happened. It's water under the bridge.' But back then when I did that last interview with you, I very rarely spoke to Allan. I mean, we had no reason to speak to each other for anything, really. But things happened through word of mouth and the media, and 'He said this' and 'He said that.' You don't know what to believe. I mean, are they actually saying things, or is it just fabricated? So at the time, that's the way I felt. I had no idea in 2014 we'd get back together. I'm completely surprised myself. But I think Dan and Allan — and I can't speak for them — they might have a certain level of frustration as well that they really wanted to get back with me and continue the music that we made. 'Cause the three of us have incredible chemistry when we play our instruments. A lot of great bands — I'm not saying we're a great, fantastic band — but a lot of classic rock and metal bands, they have incredible chemistry when you put certain individuals together. So I think Dan and Allan, over the years, realized that, and they probably thought, 'Let's get back together with John and just keep going, having fun and playing our music.'"

On whether there is still a friendship between the original members of EXCITER or if they are working together purely as business partners:

Ricci: "Our first meeting, when we sat down, we did not discuss business, we just reminisced and talked about the old days and all the fun times that we had. 'Cause, I mean, we toured quite a bit. In 1985, we did a MOTÖRHEAD tour across the U.S., coast to coast, we also did a MEGADETH tour, coast to coast, we played shows with MERCYFUL FATE, we did a couple of shows in upstate New York with ANTHRAX when we were signed with Megaforce. We had a really good time and everything. So our first meeting was just four hours of… You know, we were sitting at a bar, just drinking beer and talking about the old times. So yeah, we're still friends. Our level of dedication to EXCITER, no one has ever questioned it. Yes, we have a difference of opinion on certain business issues, but when it comes to music, we're exactly on the same wavelength — like, our headspace is exactly the same, musically speaking. And it makes it so much easier when you're writing songs, that everyone recognizes everyone else's vision; you don't have to shove down their throat. But, I mean, on the other hand, for the past 20 years I've been continuing EXCITER, in most cases I handle all the band's business dealings. So the same thing will stay — I will be handling a lot of the business stuff. But because we're the original three guys, everyone's opinion counts when it's time to make decisions; I'm not just gonna be railroading those decisions — I'll ask Dan and I'll ask Al their opinion — and we'll move forward with whatever opinion we take."

On EXCITER's setlist for the upcoming shows:

Ricci: "We've discussed it. I think, initially, our live shows will be just the old classics. We're not trying to be a nostalgia band, but it's timeless music as far as I'm concerned. With the former EXCITER, when we played all the old songs anyway, all the younger fans, they know all the songs, they know all the lyrics. If a 15-year-old fan knows the first three albums, obviously that music's timeless because something has brought that music to their attention. But, initially, it will be just the classics — just one after another, just rip-your-face-off classics — and then we're gonna phase in some new material and do a new record."

On how Beehler's voice has held up over the years:

Ricci: "We haven't actually rehearsed yet. I haven't heard Dan's voice in a live situation since 1993 — only on YouTube or the record that he put out. But when we had our meeting, Allan told me that Dan's voice is better than ever, as far as the octaves that he can hit and the aggression that he has in his voice. So I'm sure Dan's voice is still there."

On when the reunited original lineup of EXCITER will make its live debut:

Ricci: "We're working with a South American promoter. He has booked two shows in South America the first week of October. And it's a triple bill — there's two other bands, and I don't recall their names right now. But right now I think the first live shows will be these two South American one-off shows. I mean, it's not the official announcement — it's not out yet — but it will come soon."

The original EXCITER lineup recorded three classic albums in the 1980s — "Heavy Metal Maniac" (1983), "Violence & Force" (1984) and "Long Live the Loud" (1985) — before Ricci left he group and was replaced by Brian McPhee.

EXCITER's latest album, "Death Machine", which featured Ricci as the sole remaining original member, was released on October 29, 2010 via Massacre Records.

The City Drive Entertainment Group has announced it has made a deal to film Atlanta-based hard rock icons SEVENDUST for a landmark multi-show live DVD and documentary. Production on the feature-length documentary is set to begin immediately and take six months, and will include historical footage; footage from the band's current "An Evening With Sevendust" acoustic tour; interviews; and cameos from Tommy Lee (MÖTLEY CRÜE), Mark Tremonti (ALTER BRIDGE), Scott Phillips (ALTER BRIDGE and also a member of SEVENDUST guitarist John Connolly and bassist Vince Hornsby's band, PROJECTED), Wolfgang Van Halen and many others. City Drive/DC3 will film the concert portion of the project in New York City. They expect to film two full-length shows back-to-back: an acoustic show followed by a plugged-in show — the band's last plugged-in show of 2014. The band will offer tickets for both shows to fans at one price and they're expecting a very quick sell out. Tickets will go on sale sometime in late June. On sale info will be announced soon. The plugged-in show will showcase more firepower than SEVENDUST has ever deployed, with pyrotechnics, spectacular lighting, video projection and screens, and special effects. Drummer/vocalist Morgan Rose promises: "We're going to bring on so much production, it will amaze people. We're going to blow shit up, we're going to have fire, we're going to have dragons, we're going to have fire-breathing dragons. It may be the only time fans will ever get to see us this way!" Guitarist Clint Lowery explains: "The essence of this band is playing live and that's what we're finally documenting for this project. What's unique about it is that it will share both sides of this band — the melodic and the aggressive — with our most die-hard fans. This film is a heartfelt way to show them, our children and the whole world who we were, who we became, where we are and where we're going." "We're already on the road to make this project happen," says award-winning film director Daniel Catullo III, CEO of The City Drive Entertainment Group and DC3 Music Group, the director and producer of the project. He started shooting Sunday, June 8 at the band's show in at the Starland Theatre in Sayreville, New Jersey, just across the river from New York City. "We aim to capture the band's live essence — acoustic and plugged-in — as well as to document their long history of genre-bending innovation in the hard rock arena." "Fans will be part of the films, and how could they not be?" Catullo adds. "They are the heart of SEVENDUST's success and literally made the band's current album possible." The film will feature interviews with up to 100 fans. Catullo urges fans that want to be interviewed for the film to put in their requests at [email protected]
/* */
City Drive/DC3 expects to release the DVD/CD project in early 2015.

SEVENDUST's new acoustic album, "Time Travelers & Bonfires", sold around 15,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 19 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was made available on April 15 via 7Bros. Records, in conjunction with ADA Label Services.

Seminal progressive rock heroes YES will release their 21st studio album, "Heaven & Earth", on July 22 via Frontiers Records.

Having sold nearly 40 million albums in a career that has so far spanned more than four decades, YES continues with its tradition of symphonic progressive rock that remains timelessly fresh and innovative.

"Heaven & Earth" contains eight new tracks, each of which boasts the unique musicianship and craftsmanship that have come to be known as "the YES sound." YES' distinctive layered music, swirling arrangements, brilliant vocals and harmonies are all in abundance.

For "Heaven & Earth", YES teamed up with legendary Grammy Award winner Roy Thomas Baker (QUEEN, THE CARS, GUNS N’ ROSES, FOREIGNER, SMASHING PUMPKINS, ALICE COOPER), who handled the production and Billy Sherwood (TOTO, PAUL RODGERS, AIR SUPPLY) who mixed the album. Also onboard is longtime YES artist, the world-renowned Roger Dean, who again brings his masterful artistic creativity to the album's cover art and packaging.

"Heaven & Earth" track listing:

01. Believe Again02. The Game03. Step Beyond04. To Ascend05. In A World Of Our Own06. Light Of The Ages07. It Was All We Knew08. Subway Walls

An audio sample of the song "The Game" is available in the YouTube clip below.

To coincide with the release of "Heaven & Earth", YES wil launch a 35-date summer tour featuring the band performing 1971's groundbreaking album "Fragile" in its entirety for the first time ever and a repeat performance from last year's tour of 1972's "Close To The Edge", followed by an encore of the band's greatest hits.

YES is: Steve Howe - Electric, Acoustic, & Steel Guitars. Backing VocalsChris Squire - Bass Guitar. Backing VocalsAlan White - Drums. PercussionGeoff Downes - Keyboards. Computer ProgrammingJon Davison - Lead & Backing Vocals. Acoustic Guitar

For KIX, not recording any new music for two decades has been far too long. Fans have made it known for years that they want new music. And now, the time has finally come. The Maryland band is primed and ready to "Rock Your Face Off" with their seventh new album, set for release August 5 on Loud & Proud Records. It's everything fans know and love them for: a raucous, roaring and real display of rock 'n' roll. The first single, "Love Me With Your Top Down", will be released to radio and online retail outlets later this month. Eddie Trunk will exclusively world premiere the song during his "Friday Night Rocks" radio show originating from Q104.3 (heard in New York City, Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut) this Friday, June 20 from 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. ET. It will then air via his numerous North American syndicated affiliates on Saturday, June 20 and he'll play it on Monday, June 23 during his "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk" show that airs on SiriusXM's "Hair Nation" channel (39) at 3 p.m. PT/6 p.m. ET. As guitarist Brian "Damage" Forsythe explains: "When we first played 'Love Me With Your Top Down' live just a few months ago, it went over like gangbusters with the fans. It's a catchy little tune with classic KIX flavor, a perfect choice for the first taste of the record." What makes the new album even more exciting and anticipated is that it features most of the band's original lineup: Steve Whiteman (vocals), Brian "Damage" Forsythe (guitar), Ronnie "10/10" Younkins (guitar), Jimmy "Chocolate" Chalfant (drums), with the exception of Mark Schenker (bass). With "Rock Your Face Off", KIX stirs up their truest statement to date in 2014. "It's still hot women, fast cars, and great moments," concludes Whiteman. "I want everybody to end up on their feet, whether they're working out or stuck in rush hour traffic. This is a release, something to lift your spirits when you need it. You can party to this one." KIX gracefully eased back into the public consciousness in 2008. After sold-out hometown gigs, the quintet hit the stage at Rocklahoma in front of over 20,000 people, venturing out of the Mid-Atlantic for the first time in 13 years. The band was hailed by many music web sites and attendees as "Best Performance" at the festival, where they played alongside SAMMY HAGAR, ALICE COOPER, TESLA, QUEENSRŸCHE, RATT, and more. After capturing their fiery reunion on 2012's "Live In Baltimore" CD and DVD, the band agreed to enter the studio once again. "In many ways, this is for the KIX diehards as much as it is for us," guitarist Brian Forsythe explains. "When we started doing this again, tons of fans came out of the woodwork. They'd show up with their kids, and it was just incredible to see. We had to deliver for them." In order to deliver, the band enlisted the talents of producer Taylor Rhodes (AEROSMITH, OZZY OSBOURNE), with whom they had last collaborated on 1991's "Hot Wire". Also, for the first time in the group's history, each member contributed to the writing process, fostering an extremely creative and free environment in the studio. A new dawn commenced as they simultaneously harnessed their classic spirit. "It was more free-flowing because everybody got to write and come up with ideas," says singer Steve Whiteman. "We encouraged this new freedom within the creative process." "Rock Your Face Off" track listing: 01. Wheels In Motion02. You're Gone03. Can't Stop The Show04. Rollin' In Honey05. Rock Your Face Off06. All The Right Things07. Dirty Girls08. Inside Outside Inn09. Mean Miss Adventure10. Love Me With Your Top Down11. Tail On The Wag12. Rock & Roll Showdown

Fan-filmed video footage of RED DRAGON CARTEL's June 5 performance at the Sweden Rock Festival in Sölvesborg, Sweden can be seen below.

RED DRAGON CARTEL is the band led by former OZZY OSBOURNE and BADLANDS guitarist Jake E. Lee.

RED DRAGON CARTEL's self-titled debut album sold around 5,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 69 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released on January 28 via Frontiers Records, the CD was recorded at Las Vegas' The Hideout Recording Studio — owned and operated by Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, IN THIS MOMENT) — and was produced by R. Bernard Mann (a.k.a. Ronnie Mancuso) and Jake E. Lee, and executive-produced, mixed and mastered by Churko.

RED DRAGON CARTEL, which references the axeman's Japanese roots, also features Darren James "D.J." Smith of Canadian metallers WARMACHINE, on vocals, Ronnie Mancuso (BEGGARS & THIEVES) on bass and Jonas Fairley (BLACK BETTY) on drums.

Jake E. Lee is best known for his work in BADLANDS and as guitarist for OZZY OSBOURNE on "Bark At The Moon" and "The Ultimate Sin" albums.

"Red Dragon Cartel" also features various guest appearances from some of rock's most notable faces, including legendary CHEAP TRICK vocalist Robin Zander, former IRON MAIDEN singer Paul Di'Anno, KILL DEVIL HILL/ex-PANTERA bassist Rex Brown, Sass Jordan, Todd Kerns and Brent Fitz (SLASH) and IN THIS MOMENT frontwoman Maria Brink.

JAKE E. LEE'S RED DRAGON CARTEL's setlist includes new material like the singles "Feeder" and "Deceived", as well as major hits from Jake E. Lee's glorious past: "Bark At The Moon", "The Ultimate Sin" and "Rock 'N' Roll Rebel" (all originally recorded by OZZY OSBOURNE), as well as "Shine On" and "High Wire" (BADLANDS).

WOVENWAR, the new band featuring the talents of Jordan Mancino (drums), Nick Hipa (guitar), Phil Sgrosso (guitar) and Josh Gilbert (bass) of San Diego, California based metal act AS I LAY DYING, and Shane Blay (vocals) of OH, SLEEPER, will release its self-titled debut album on August 5 via Metal Blade. The CD was produced by Bill Stevenson (DESCENDENTS, BLACK FLAG) and mixed by Colin Richardson (SLIPKNOT, MACHINE HEAD, TRIVIUM).

A song from the album titled "The Mason" can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

In a recent interview with The Weeklings, Hipa stated about tnew name of the new band: "The name is just something that we collectively settled on based on the idea that at our core, we're all the same.

"As human beings, there's a common thread that runs through us, and we have the spectrum of love and hate and everything in between; we're born exactly the same but as we age and go through life, certain parts of our character are cultivated, whether it's a belief system or whether it's a religious belief or a political belief, or prejudices or anything. Those are influenced by the people who are raising you or the environment you're reared in.

"You see so much bigotry, hatred violence and war, but they're all fabricated — they're not necessary, but they're just created.

"I think people lose sight of the fact that the human heart is the same in all of us and that's where the name comes from.

"We chose 'WOVENWAR' instead of 'WOVENHEARTS' or something like that because we had to go with the heavier-sounding one and that might sound superficial, but the idea is there.

"If you recognize that those things are all created, then you can choose to live a life in opposition to that."

Hipa also spoke about WOVENWAR's much more melodic vocal approach compared to that of AS I LAY DYING. He said: "It happened in a pretty natural way.

"When we were thinking of singers, we thought about who met our criteria who we'd want to be in a band with, almost immediately when Shane's name came up, that was it. There was no tryouts with other guys, or there was no, 'OK, he's an option, let's see who else is out there.' This is somebody that's been my friend that half of my life, and somebody that the guys knew and that they respected as a musician and who we were all comfortable with. It was like he was already one of us, and he's such a talented guy, so let's see what we can do with Shane.

"When you're in a band, you want to draw from everyone's strengths. In AS I LAY DYING, I think we made the made the best music we could with what everyone was awesome at and we're proud of that. With WOVENWAR, Shane's strength, apart from his guitar playing, which he doesn't do enough of on this record, is his voice. He's just got a great voice and what he does best is sing, and we love that about him and we wanted to explore that, so that's what we did. It worked out extremely naturally because we didn't ask him to do anything that he didn't feel comfortable doing. We'd say, 'Here's some music, what would you do with this?' and he'd come back with all these vocal melodies. Immediately Josh hears those and has all these harmony ideas, so you've got two singers making the vocal presentation something that, if you take away all of our past musical endeavors, on its own, we felt it was awesome and that's what we wanted to develop. The sound of the band, while extremely different, came about in a very natural sort of way in the sense of, this is what everyone does well."

Fan-filmed video footage of legendary guitarist Uli Jon Roth (SCORPIONS) performing live at Muskelrock festival at Tyrolen in Blädinge, Sweden on May 30 can be seen below.

Roth was forced to pull out of the previously announced "Guitar Gods" tour alongside Yngwie Malmsteen, Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (GUNS N' ROSES) and Gary Hoey due to visa issues.

Asked in a May 2013 interview with The Vinyl District if he had any regrets about his split with the SCORPIONS, Uli said: "I should have probably carried on doing the first American tour. I missed out on that, because my mind was on other things. I'm glad I did the Japanese tour, but I didn't want to do the American tour back then because I felt I really wanted to my own thing. Other than that, you know, they did their thing, I do my thing, it's very, very different, and it's a step I have never regretted, because it wasn't for me. I was in it for different reasons, and I got out of it for different reasons."

He added: "You see, for me, life is not just driven by material success. There was, of course, that with the SCORPIONS. I'm more interested in artistic success, and I had that with the SCORPIONS in the first few years, but then I felt that I wanted to go into a different direction, artistically. That was not possible because nobody would have understood that direction. It would not have fit."

Asked for his take on the way music technology has progressed, Uli said: "I have mixed feelings. I embrace the digital technology, but I do see its weaknesses. In the beginning, compact discs were a huge novelty but they were 12-bit. Then they make them 16-bit. They are still 16-bit. So the stuff that we are producing in the studio sounds a lot better than what people are actually hearing. In fact, in recent years, thanks to Steve Jobs, and people like that, we've regressed to MP3s, which sound pretty horrible most of the time, compared to what we are hearing in the studio. Vinyl, of course, was a different animal altogether. There are certain sounds on vinyl that you just don’t get from any other medium, and I kind of do miss that sometimes. However, even vinyl had its shortcomings. I remember we were pressing these albums, and when you came to the center of the album you had to be careful with the levels, it started to distort. There were problems with phases, you had to be careful with the phases otherwise the needle would jump up. Then you had the half-hour scenario on each side, which we got kind of used to. We worked around that, that was kind of the format."

On the topic of iTunes, Uli said: "Oh, forget iTunes! To me, iTunes is a great idea to make money for the big corporations. It is not good for the musicians at all, it's the kiss of death for art as we know it. What it does, it turns music into something… it completely devalues music in the sense that it is just too easy to get, and it turns people into music junkies. There's just nothing special about it anymore, because nothing is being celebrated. You know? When you actually put on the cassette tape, or when you put on the needle, it's almost like some celebration. OK, now we are making a dedicated effort and it's like we are entering that room that only that album can present. With iTunes, most of the kids have no relationship with any of the artists, it's just, 'I like that song, I like that song.' It’s like going into a McDonald's shop. Basically, what it is, it's inflation galore. Less is sometimes more. I've seen people in love and in tune with iTunes. Some people seem to know how to work it and they are really good with it. Some people are music junkies anyway. They listen to music all day long. For these people, it's great. However, I'm not one of them. I listen to music rather rarely. When I do, it's always something special. I never have it going on in the background. It drives me nuts. I give it my full attention. Otherwise, it just drives me nuts. It asks for my full attention."

At the end of last week, vocalist Randy Blythe of Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD posted the following message on his Instagram:

"WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST IS OF A GRAPHIC PERSONAL NATURE AND CONTAINS A TALE OF ABJECT MISERY. I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY I'M POSTING THIS. I MUST BE HIGH FROM PAIN STILL.

"There are moments of extreme physical pain in some of our lives that we will never, ever, forget. Tonight I had one of those moments.

"The sun was setting and it was beautiful evening as I road along the coast to the grocery store, still in my surf trunks and sipping on a fresh mug of boiling hot black coffee. I was listening to some mellow piano music and making a right turn when I made the tragic mistake placing the mug between my barely covered legs. As I turned my truck, happily humming along to the mellow piano music on my stereo, suddenly there was a searing white hot explosion of agony in my crotch. The lid of my mug had come loose, and liquid caffeinated FIRE had covered my, well… it had covered my penis. I briefly lost control of my truck, swerving into the lane of oncoming traffic, barely missing another truck, before quickly pulling into a nearby parking lot to try and make some sense of this atrocity I had committed against myself. I felt like I was going to throw up for a good minute or two, then I regained control and started returning home to do what I knew what I had to do. I had to put him on ice.

"I do not normally talk to my penis, he does not have a nickname or anything like that, but if there ever was a time for encouraging words to my lifelong companion, it was now. The words I said out loud to him as I painfully drove us slowly home went along these lines: OH, GOD, DUDE. OH MY GOD, THAT HURT LIKE HOLY F—. HANG IN THERE, DUDE. OH GOD, HANG IN THERE. WE'RE GONNA MAKE IT. DON'T GIVE UP HOPE. OH MY GOD, DUDE. OH GOD, HANG IN THERE, BRO. I must have looked like a crazy man.

"When I hit home, he went in a glass of ice water for a bit.

"He will recover, I have faith.

"Go ahead and laugh — everyone else I've told did, including my wife.

"This day is now a wash. Good night."

Former SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo spent yesterday (Tuesday, Jun 17) at Scott Frankfurt's studio in Woodland Hills, California recording five songs and one improvised piece for a new EP from PHILM. He says: "We plan on releasing this in aproximately nine months."

In addition to Lombardo, PHILM features in its ranks guitarist/vocalist Gerry Nestler (CIVIL DEFIANCE), and bassist Pancho Tomaselli (WAR).

PHILM is currently seeking a suitable label to release the band's recently completed sophomore album, titled "Fire From The Evening Sun".

In an interview with Cyclic Defrost, Lombardo stated about PHILM's upcoming CD: "PHILM's first album, 'Harmonic', was a musical expression unlike any other album I've worked on. Blending structured songs and improvisations was the direction I intended to take the band. PHILM's ability to improvise and create music unlike the typical sounds that have emerged within the past 20 years is refreshing to me as an artist and drummer. As the producer of the band, I suggested for this album that we leave out the improvisations and focus on structured, concise movements. I always want to change it up and keep it fresh. As we write the third album, I'm reintroducing the double-bass drums which will take the songs to a different level."

"Harmonic" came out on May 15, 2012 via Ipecac Recordings.

"When people hear about my involvement in PHILM, they automatically assume that it will compare to SLAYER's sound," explained Lombardo. "They couldn't be more different. I have scaled down my drum set to a four-piece, reminiscent of the drummers from the late '60s that influenced me. Each song is unique in itself, I like to refer to it as 'rhythmic emotion.' It's almost like taking all the heavy songs of the '60s and bringing that era to a modern plateau, then blending them with the modern trance and psychedelic sounds of today."

Lombardo recently joined AMEN, the band led by frontman Casey Chaos, for the recording sessions of a new studio album and a U.K. tour. The refreshed AMEN lineup — completed by John Fahnestock on bass, Duke Decter and John King on guitars — is recording the new CD with longtime producer Ross Robinson (KORN, LIMP BIZKIT, SEPULTURA).

Lombardo sat out SLAYER's Australian tour in February/March 2013 due to a contract dispute with the other members of the group. Filling in for him was Jon Dette (TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX). Dave has since been replaced in the band by Paul Bostaph, who was SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001 and recorded four albums with the group.



(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));

Post by Dave Lombardo.

"The Game", the new video from British epic power metallers DRAGONFORCE, can be seen below. The song features a guest appearance by TRIVIUM's Matt Heafy.

"The Game" is taken from DRAGONFORCE's new album, "Maximum Overload", which will be released on August 19 in North America via Metal Blade and August 18 in Europe through earMUSIC, the Hamburg, Germany-based international rock label which is part of Edel Group. The CD was recorded at Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden with Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with OPETH, THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT, AMON AMARTH, KATATONIA, SOILWORK and SYMPHONY X, to name a few. It marks the band's first-ever album involving an outside producer, having historically opted to record themselves in association with Karl Groom.

"Maximum Overload" will be released on standard CD, standard digital version, special edition CD with five bonus tracks and a bonus DVD, special edition digital version (same bonus material as special edition CD), and vinyl. The effort features a couple of surprises, notably a guest appearance on some of the songs from TRIVIUM's Matt Heafy.

"Maximum Overload" also features an all time first for DRAGONFORCE... a cover version! Guitarist Sam Totman explained: "Just before the last Australian tour, our manager suggested it might be interesting to do a cover for the next album, something we've always refused even to consider. Because we had all had a couple beers, every bandmember wrote down three songs each and we compared them all, just for a laugh. I wrote down 'Ring Of Fire' by Johnny Cash, an idea which the rest of the band loved, so we've DRAGONFORCE-ized it."

"Maximum Overload" is the follow-up to 2012's "The Power Within", which was the band's first with vocalist Marc Hudson. Since his live debut with the group in July 2011, Marc has gone on to front over 100 shows with DRAGONFORCE in 32 countries across the globe, including arenas with IRON MAIDEN as well as a mammoth headlining world tour to support the CD.

DRAGONFORCE recently parted ways with drummer Dave Mackintosh and replaced him with former BRAINDAMAGE and KILL RITUAL member Gee Anzalone. A native of Turin, Italy, Gee is a drum teacher who graduated from the NAMM Academy of Milan and carries on the well established multi-national mix of musicians that make up DRAGONFORCE. Gee will make his live debut with DRAGONFORCE on the forthcoming "Maximum Overload" U.K. tour, which commences on September 17 in Edinburgh. Dave is moving on to pastures new to focus on his first musical love, which is progressive rock. He said in a statement: "After much thought, I have parted ways with the boys in DRAGONFORCE to pursue my first love of progressive rock. I wish the lads all the luck in the world and look forward to the release of 'Maximum Overload' as I truly believe this is the most fantastic DRAGONFORCE album that I and the boys have recorded to date!

"Many thanks to all the fans who have supported me in this last decade of massive tours, countless shows and all the albums. I couldn't have done it without you.

"I will continue to tour and play with some of the greatest names in prog rock, and hope to see some familiar faces on the road!

"In the meantime, stay metal, watch out for the new Dave Mackintosh web site which will be launched within the next four weeks as well as some great new videos I will be producing with my gear sponsors." Added DRAGONFORCE guitarist Herman Li: "We have been through a lot with Dave and want to thank him for everything he has contributed to DRAGONFORCE, both as a friend and musician, and we would all like to wish him well with his new project."

BABYMETAL — the heavy metal offshoot of the Japanese pop idol group SAKURA GAKUIN that performs a distinctly Japanese mix of schoolgirl J-pop and death metal — will support pop superstar Lady Gaga on five shows in July and August:

Jul. 30 - Phoenix, AZ @ US Airways ArenaAug. 01 - Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden ArenaAug. 02 - Stateline, NV @ Harveys Lake Tahoe Aug. 04 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Energy Solutions ArenaAug. 06 - Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center

BABYMETAL will also play a headlining show at the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles on July 27.

BABYMETAL became the youngest artists to ever appear at Tokyo Nippon Budokan when they took the stage at the famed venue on March 1 and March 2.

Sayuri Iwai, previous holder of the title, made her Budokan debut at 15 years old and one month. She was usurped by Suzuka Nakamoto (16), Moa Kikuchi (14) and Yui Mizono (14), who hold a mean age of 14.6 years.

BABYMETAL released its debut album on February 26 via Toy's Factory. The effort was made available in regular and limited editions. The CD includes five of BABYMETAL's singles that were released in 2011 - 2013, from "Doki Doki Morning" (digital single) to "Megitsune", their B-sides and three new songs.

"Babymetal" made it to No 3 on iTunes' U.S. rock chart and was in the Top 10 in six other countries, including the U.K. The band's video for the song "Gimme Chocolate" has received nearly 10 million views on YouTube, and BABYMETAL was featured on the cover of the U.K. weekly rock magazine Kerrang!

The band's first major single, "Ijime, Dame, Zettai", sold 19,000 copies in its first week and debuted at No. 6 in the Japanese Orion weekly singles chart.

BABYMETAL released its first-ever concert Blu-ray, "Live ～Legend I, D, Z Apocalypse～", on November 20, 2013 (the limited-edition DVD box was issued on October 19). The set contains footage of the band's performances at Shibuya O-East (October 2012), Akasaka Blitz (December 2012) and Zepp Tokyo (February 2013).

BABYMETAL last year embarked on the "Death Match Tour 2013" and was accompanied by a "full metal band."

In the spring of 2013, Suzuka Nakamoto graduated from junior high school and therefore had to "graduate" from the group SAKURA GAKUIN (which consists of girls of up to junior high). However, it was decided by the management that BABYMETAL would not dissolve and would continue their activities as a band.

BABYMETAL is:

Su-Metal - Vocals and DanceMoametal - Screamer and DanceYuimetal - Screamer and Dance

"Gimme Chocolate" video:

According to Billboard.com, KORN will release an expanded edition of the band's latest album, "The Paradigm Shift", this summer. The set will include new tracks songs the group worked on during the sessions for the CD but that didn't make the final cut, including new single, "Hater", and a song called "Hercules" that was intended for a movie. Also featured on the effort will be live tracks "from all over the world" and new artwork.

"Hater", which will go for radio adds on June 19 and will be made available for purchase digitally on June 23, was recorded in part in Bakersfield, California with "The Paradigm Shift" producer Don Gilmore.

"In the world, everyone has haters," KORN frontman Jonathan Davis told Billboard.com about the lyrical inspiration for the song. "Everyone has someone who hates on you 'cause you have something they want. It's really, like, the first empowering song I've ever written. The lyrics are: 'You can't bring me down/I've already had my life turned upside down/I ride a downward spiral round and round/But I keep flying, I keep fighting/Don't ever bring me down.' That's like the most positive shit I've ever written. And everyone who's heard it loves it, and I think it's going to give people who get down on people picking on them and hating them, like, 'Fuck this! I don't give a fuck what you think. I don't give a fuck what you say. You just fuckin' are a hater.' I think people will relate with that."

KORN's eleventh studio album, "The Paradigm Shift" (Prospect Park), sold 46,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 8 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on October 8, 2013 via Prospect Park.

"The Paradigm Shift" was the first KORN disc to feature guitarist Brian "Head" Welch since 2003's "Take A Look In The Mirror" and followed up 2011's dubstep experiment, "The Path Of Totality".

Welch told Rolling Stone that the new album had "the old KORN vibe, but with a new twist . . . The end product is a really good mix of old KORN mixed with some new elements. It's got a fresh new KORN 2013 sound."

Welch left KORN in 2005 after he converted to Christianity and got off drugs. He rejoined them for a handful of live performances in 2012 before officially becoming part of the lineup again in early 2013.

MEGADETH is continuing work on material for the band's next album, tentatively due in 2015. MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson posted a couple of photos from the studio last Friday (June 13) and wrote in an accompanying message (see below): "Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH mainman] and I are in the studio this week in California working up some of the new riffs. We're having fun, just throwing it down and keeping it chill. These are essentially writing demos at this point, so just grinding out the tunes like a metal band should."

MEGADETH will perform at the Amnesia Rockfest in Montebello, Canada on Friday, June 20 after recently canceling several dates following the death of Ellefson's brother, who passed away in May after battling cancer.

MEGADETH drummer Shawn Drover last month spent a week in the studio with Mustaine "tracking demo 'ideas'" for the band's next studio record. He said at the time: "[There are] some really heavy riffs going on here, and if I say it, you know it's true."

Speaking to National Rock Review this past March, Drover was asked if MEGADETH will venture into new musical territories on its next studio album. "I don't think so," Drover replied. "We definitely branch out to a couple of different areas, stylistically speaking."

He continued: "For me, I'm always an advocate for the heavy stuff, so that's usually what I present to the band — something a little more violent, a little more heavy and oftentimes fast stuff. Because that's how I write. Of course, MEGADETH has done so many different kinds of metal over the years, but for me, I'll always try to represent the more furious side of it, because that's just part of who I am, it's part of my creative DNA to try to write heavy riffs. Whether it gets accepted not, it obviously just depends on how it's going [with the writing process for] the record. We all have so many ideas, not everything is gonna make it. Case in point, on the 'Endgame' record, I had a song called 'Head Crusher', which was a pretty fast, heavy song. It was the first single, the first video and it was nominated for a Grammy Award. So you always try, but you just never know what you're gonna end up with. It just depends on how the recording process goes. But I'll always have ideas to submit, certainly."

In a December 2013 interview with MetalTitans.com, Ellefson commented on the criticism that was levelled against the band's last studio effort, 2013's "Super Collider". "We're aware of the comments, for sure, because they're on our own web site or our MEGADETH Facebook page!" he laughed. He then added: "My personal thought is that the next record will be much different.

"We go through these phases. Dave made three records when I wasn't in the band, and a couple of them quite good, I might add. They were good records because they were really good 'metal' records. That's what fans want to hear; because MEGADETH has this 30-year career, we have more than just one style in our cache.

"Fans have discovered us at various times throughout our journey; there are fans became fans when they heard 'Risk', that's when they go into rock 'n' roll and they bought their record, and to them, that is their debut MEGADETH record.

"I have learned not to criticize our own work, simply because there are naysayers out there and the fact that every record has significance to different people. Having said that, the first thing that people heard from the record was track 'Super Collider', which is a very mainstream, commercial song. I think had they heard 'Kingmaker' first, for instance, the reaction would have been much different.

"The first impression is more often than not the most lasting impression. When you hear a song that sounds like MEGADETH right out the gate, you say, 'Awesome, man!' When you hear a song that you have to listen to several times, analyze it and get your mind around it, the first impression may not make you want to dig right into out of the gate. I get that.

"I'm a fan. I used to buy KISS records as a kid and CHEAP TRICK records. I remember some records, I got it right out the gate, and there were records where I'd say, 'What the heck is this?' It wasn't what I was expecting. Some records take one listen, other take three or four listens other more. I think, for me, 'Super Collider' is one of those records."

"Super Collider" sold 29,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart.



(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1"; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));

Post by Megadeth.

Finnish folk metallers FINNTROLL have just released a live album, "Natten Med De Levande Finntroll" (Night With The Living Finntroll), as a digital download.

To give the fans a taste of what they can expect from this unforgettable live show, the band has released a video from this event, for the song "Trollhammaren". Check it out below.

Since its inception in 1997, Helsinki's FINNTROLL has been one of the strangest and most original entities on the international folk/heathen metal scene. Drawing its subject matter from the Olden Days when the Southern plague called Christianity hadn't yet swept over every forest, nook and cranny of Scandinavia's troll-laden woodlands and telling tales about eradicating mankind (starting with the men of cloth), FINNTROLL's "trollish hoedown metal", a sort of — for lack of a better expression — death metal polka, has been a genre unto itself.

A tireless touring act, the unquenchably thirsty trolls have wreaked damage on stages big and small in all the corners of the Earth. Yet until now there has never been an official FINNTROLL live recording available anywhere. Tuesday, June 17 will mark the uncaging of the live album "Natten Med De Levande Finntroll", the exhibit of what a cadre of alcohol-fueled trolls can do when leashed upon a live audience. This is FINNTROLL in full flight as witnessed onstage Amsterdam’s prestigious Melkweg concert hall on September 20, 2008.

FINNTROLL's sixth album, "Blodsvept", was released in April 2013 via Century Media Records. The follow-up to 2010's "Nifelvind" was recorded at Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki and was mastered by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios. FINNTROLL's Henri "Trollhorn" Sorvali and his bandmates produced the album themselves, while the CD cover artwork was handled by FINNTROLL guitar player Samuli "Skyrmer" Ponsimaa.

Fan-filmed video footage of CONQUERING DYSTOPIA, the new project featuring former NEVERMORE guitarist Jeff Loomis and Portland, Oregon studio musician Keith Merrow, performing on June 7 at Culture Room in Fort Lauderdale, Florida can be seen below.

CONQUERING DYSTOPIA's self-titled debut album was mixed at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida with Mark Lewis (ARSIS, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, DEICIDE, SIX FEET UNDER).

The recording lineup for "Conquering Dystopia" is completed by Alex Webster (CANNIBAL CORPSE) on bass and Alex Rüdinger (THE FACELESS) on drums.

Loomis previously contributed a guest guitar solo to Keith's second full-length instrumental album, "Awaken The Stone King", which came out in January 2011.

According to his official bio, Merrow's extreme style of guitar playing is a unique blend of traditional metal with a dash of obscurity. In May 2009, he released a self-produced EP titled "Lonestar Transcend". The six-song instrumental effort was a compilation of songs that were first heard on Merrow's YouTube page, where he posted play-through videos of the songs. Just six months later, in November 2009 came "The Arrival", which marked Merrow's first album that he wrote from start to finish.

Loomis and drummer Van Williams announced their departure from NEVERMORE in April 2011 due to personal differences with singer Warrel Dane and bassist Jim Sheppard. Their replacements have not yet been announced.

Former SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo is at Scott Frankfurt's studio in Woodland Hills, California laying down tracks for a new four-song EP from PHILM.

In addition to Lombardo, PHILM features in its ranks guitarist/vocalist Gerry Nestler (CIVIL DEFIANCE), and bassist Pancho Tomaselli (WAR).

PHILM is currently seeking a suitable label to release the band's recently completed sophomore album, titled "Fire From The Evening Sun".

In an interview with Cyclic Defrost, Lombardo stated about PHILM's upcoming CD: "PHILM's first album, 'Harmonic', was a musical expression unlike any other album I've worked on. Blending structured songs and improvisations was the direction I intended to take the band. PHILM's ability to improvise and create music unlike the typical sounds that have emerged within the past 20 years is refreshing to me as an artist and drummer. As the producer of the band, I suggested for this album that we leave out the improvisations and focus on structured, concise movements. I always want to change it up and keep it fresh. As we write the third album, I'm reintroducing the double-bass drums which will take the songs to a different level."

"Harmonic" came out on May 15, 2012 via Ipecac Recordings.

"When people hear about my involvement in PHILM, they automatically assume that it will compare to SLAYER's sound," explained Lombardo. "They couldn't be more different. I have scaled down my drum set to a four-piece, reminiscent of the drummers from the late '60s that influenced me. Each song is unique in itself, I like to refer to it as 'rhythmic emotion.' It's almost like taking all the heavy songs of the '60s and bringing that era to a modern plateau, then blending them with the modern trance and psychedelic sounds of today."

Lombardo recently joined AMEN, the band led by frontman Casey Chaos, for the recording sessions of a new studio album and a U.K. tour. The refreshed AMEN lineup — completed by John Fahnestock on bass, Duke Decter and John King on guitars — is recording the new CD with longtime producer Ross Robinson (KORN, LIMP BIZKIT, SEPULTURA).

Lombardo sat out SLAYER's Australian tour in February/March due to a contract dispute with the other members of the group. Filling in for him was Jon Dette (TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX). Dave has since been replaced in the band by Paul Bostaph, who was SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001 and recorded four albums with the group.




Recording some double bass drums @scottfrankfurt studio for the new @PhilmOfficial 4 song EP. pic.twitter.com/gJCpJP7A20

— Dave Lombardo (@TheDaveLombardo) June 17, 2014