Texas death metal troupe MORGENGRAU will release their debut album, Extrinsic Pathway, on April 2nd via Blind God Records.

Extrinsic Pathway features eight tracks of classic death metal in the vein of PESTILENCE, ASPHYX, and IMMOLATION. In other words, death metal in the early '90s style. Extrinsic Pathway explores the left hand path, atrocities and suffering. No politicizing, proselytizing or preaching - just head banging, double bass and catchy riffs. In the words of the band: "We play, you fuck yourself up in the pit. Simple."
The album was recorded at Amplitude Media in Austin, TX and mixed/mastered at Endarker Studio in Sweden by Magnus (Devo) Andersson of MARDUK. The tracklisting is as follows:

'Extrinsic Pathway'
'Antithetical'
'The White Death'
'Inner Self'
'Choking Grove'
'Grave Of Lies'
'Chemosh Enlighten'
'Polymorphic Communion'

Since their inception in 2010, Morgengrau have established themselves as a formidable live act, garnering particular attention due to being fronted by former IGNITOR front woman, Erika (Tandy) Morgengrau, and ex-MANIFESTATION drummer, Reba Carls. Both women are well known in the Texas scene for their fierce performances, with Erika having fronted several other well-known bands of various genres, including AUTUMN TEARS. The band focuses conceptually on death worship in all its forms: war, occultism, and horror.

IRON MAIDEN's Maiden England ‘88 will be released next week as a CD, DVD and Picture LP. A new preview clip, for their legendary track 'Can I Play With Madness', can now be seen at this location (restricted to certain territories).

Now available for the very first time on DVD, this live show was filmed across two sold-out nights at Birmingham N.E.C Arena, UK in November 1988 during the band’s Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son World Tour. Disc one contains the concert which has been specially upgraded and extended from the existing 1989 longform VHS release and now includes three previously unreleased encores: 'Running Free', 'Run To The Hills' and 'Sanctuary' thereby completing the full concert with a total running time of 110 minutes.

Maiden’s own Film Producer and Director Andy Matthews went back to the 1988 edit and painstakingly remastered each shot digitally; colour correcting and grading to give the image the best possible look from that time. As well as the VHS stereo sound track by Martin Birch, the band’s producer between 1981 and 1993, the DVD also includes a brand new 5.1 audio surround mix by Maiden’s current producer Kevin Shirley. The concert was meticulously directed and edited by bass player and founder member Steve Harris, so as to capture the performance from a fans-eye view of the stage, focusing fully on the music, the elaborate stage production and the lighting. Add into the mix an electrifying set list and of course Eddie, and Maiden England now offers a snapshot of a bygone era in which the band, as they continue to do today, devote their all in delivering the ultimate live experience for their fans.
Disc two is an extensive bonus disc featuring an exclusive documentary charting Part 3 in the History of Iron Maiden. This 40-minute film comprises recent interviews with the five band members and manager, Rod Smallwood. Picking up the story in the aftermath of the ‘84/85 World Slavery tour, this interesting and insightful documentary sees the band speak candidly about their memories of an exciting and occasionally turbulent period from which would emerge the albums Somewhere In Time and Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son. As the eighties began to draw to a close, so did another chapter in Maiden’s compelling history.

Other special extras on the bonus disc include Twelve Wasted Years. First released as a longform VHS in 1987 and available for the first time on DVD, this documentary runs for 90 minutes and includes archive interviews and dynamic live footage from the band’s beginnings in the now legendary Ruskin Arms pub, via London’s Marquee club and three World Tours. Five promo videos for the singles from the aforementioned albums are also featured and have been carefully restored and improved upon from the original films using the very latest software with the audio remastered in digital stereo.

Manager Rod Smallwood comments “We've been busy upgrading this concert footage for a long time, with our in-house Film Producer and Director Andy Matthews working tirelessly to weave his magic yet again!. The 1989 VHS video has been largely unavailable for many years and we know how eagerly our fans have been awaiting the new version so we wanted to give it the best possible treatment. The current Maiden England World Tour which continues later this year revisits much of the set list and production from the initial 1989 VHS release so it will be interesting to compare just how much has changed in terms of our 2013 live show production, especially with all the advances in modern technology and the improvements we've been able to make to the set.”
The Maiden England ‘88 concert soundtrack will also be made available on 2CD album, Limited Edition double vinyl picture disc and Digital Download formats. The audio had previously only ever been available before on CD as part of EMI’s 1994 Sound And Vision Series packaged alongside the VHS, but with two tracks fewer than the video contained. Can I Play With Madness and Hallowed Be Thy Name were not featured as there was no space on the 1CD disc. Now with the three encores also included the double disc offers a total of five tracks previously unavailable on CD making this the first full and complete audio recording release of this historic tour.

Check out the Maiden England '88 trailer below:
Maiden England Disc One:

'Moonchild'
'The Evil That Men Do'
'The Prisoner'
'Still Life'
'Die with Your Boots On'
'Infinite Dreams'
'Killers'
'Can I Play with Madness'
'Heaven Can Wait'
'Wasted Years'
'The Clairvoyant'
'Seventh Son of a Seventh Son'
'The Number of the Beast'
'Hallowed Be Thy Name'
'Iron Maiden'
'Run To The Hills'*
'Running Free'*
'Sanctuary'*

* Previously unreleased

Disc Two: The History Of Iron Maiden Part 3:

The History Of Iron Maiden - Part 3
12 Wasted Years
'Wasted Years' Promo Video
'Stranger In A Strange Land' Promo Video
'Can I Play With Madness' Promo Video
'The Evil That Men Do' Promo Video
'The Clairvoyant' Promo Video

Iron Maiden have uploaded an exclusive Maiden England '88 playlist to Spotify, featuring the following tracks recorded live at Birmingham NEC on November 27th and 28th, 1988:

'Moonchild'
'Infinite Dreams'
'Can I Play With Madness'
'The Clairvoyant'
'Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son'
Check it out at this location.

German thrash combo DUST BOLT have released a new video, for the track 'Toxic Attack', featured on their debut album, Violent Demolition (Napalm Records). Watch below:
Violent Demolition tracklisting:

'Opulence Contaminated'
'Violent Abolition'
'March Thru Pain'
'Shattered By Reality'
'Toxic Attack'
'Into Madness'
'When Thy Shall Come - Oblivion'
'Pleasure On Illusion'
'Deviance' (featuring Derrick Green)
BraveWords' review of Violent Demolition can be found here.

Check out an album preview below:
More on Dust Bolt on Facebook.

North Dakota's black/thrash demons FROSTHELM will release their full length debut, The Endless Winter, this August, with Matt Hyde (SLAYER, KREATOR) handling all mixing and mastering duties. The new album will include a guest appearance by OBITUARY's Ralph Santolla.
The black/thrash outfit released their EP, The Northwinds Rend Flesh, in 2012 to critical acclaim, and fans can expect the full length to continue down the same left hand path. The Northwinds Rend Flesh can be picked up at iTunes, Amazon mp3, CD Baby, and directly through the band.

For information and updates on Frosthelm go to the band's offcial website and check out their Facebook page.

SPOCK'S BEARD will release their brand new and 11th studio album, Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep, on April 2nd via InsideOut Music.

The new studio album also marks the recording debut of long-time drummer Jimmy Keegan, and vocalist / guitarist Ted Leonard (ENCHANT, THOUGHT CHAMBER). It also sees the return of one familiar name to the song-writing credits, that of Neal Morse who has co-written two tracks after having left the band in 2002. Of the collaboration, bass-player Dave Meros says: "Al and Neal are brothers, of course, and keep in regular contact with each other. What happened was that Al spoke to Neal and told him he was working on some ideas. Neal said he'd love to help, so Al went down to Nashville, where his brother's now living, and they collaborated on the songs."

Co-produced by Al Morse, Rich Mouser and John Boegehold, Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep is described by Meros as, "quirky, edgy, and reminding us a little bit of older times in the band, but also taking us further forward."
The tracklisting for Brief Nocturnes And Dreamless Sleep is as follows:

Disc One:
'Hiding Out'
'I Know Your Secret'
'A Treasure Abandoned'
'Submerged'
'Afterthoughts'
'Something Very Strange'
'Waiting For Me'

Disc Two (special edition only):
'The Man You’re Afraid You Are'
'Down A Burning Road'
'Wish I Were Here'
'Something Very Strange (Sanctified Remix)'

Limited edition bonus track:
'Postcards From Perdition'

A lyric video for 'Afterthoughts' can be seen below:
Excerpts of five songs from the new album can be heard below:
In May, Spock's Beard will embark on a European tour with support from BEARDFISH and SOUND OF CONTACT. Spock’s Beard had this to say about the tour package:

"We are really looking forward to coming back to Europe and playing our new music. The combination of Spock's Beard, Sound Of Contact and Beardfish promises to be really strong and entertaining for our fans.”
The tour dates can be found below:

May
2 - Spirit Of 66 – Verviers, Belgium
3 - Corporation – Sheffield, UK
4 - The Arches – Glasgow, UK
5 - Academy 2 – Newcastle, UK
6 - Robin 2 – Bilston, UK
7 - The Garage – London, UK
8 - La Scene Bastille – Paris, France
9 - Z7 – Pratteln, Switzerland
10 - Hirsch – Nürnberg, Germany
11 - Majestic – Bratislava, Slovakia
12 - A38 – Budapest, Hungary
14 - Szene – Vienna, Austria
15 - Colos-Saal – Aschaffenburg, Germany
16 - Das Rind – Rüsselsheim, Germany
17 - Zeche – Bochum, Germany
18 - De Boerderij – Zoetermeer, Netherlands
19 - Markthalle – Hamburg, Germany

Italian death metal act EYECONOCLAST has debuted a lyric video for the track ‘Rise Of The Orgamechanism’, taken from their second full-length album and Prosthetic Records debut Drones Of The Awakening.

Check out the track below:
The album was recorded at guitarist Stefano Morabito's 16th Cellar Studio (HOUR OF PENANCE, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, INHERIT DISEASE) in Rome and features vocals by the band's newest addition, Giuseppe Di Giorgio(BLACK THERAPY). Eyeconoclast will support the album's release by embarking on a European tour alongside the likes of CRYTOPSY, CATTLE DECAPTIATION, and DECREPIT BIRTH.
Drones Of The Awakening tracklisting:

‘Proclaiming From Dead Dimension’
‘Rise Of The Orgame Chanism’
‘Dawn Of The Promethean Artilect’
‘Anoxic Waters’
‘Sharpening Our Blades On The Mainstream’
‘Obsolesced’
‘Hallucinating In Genetic Disarray’
‘XXX – Manifest Of Involution’
‘Mother Genocidal Machine’
‘Invoking Carnage (Racing Blind)’
‘Executioner (Slayer Of The Light)’
Eyeconoclast dates:

April
12 – Oberhausen, Germany – Helvete Metal Club
13 – Aarhus, Denmark – Metal Royal Fest
14 – Rostock, Germany – Alte Zuckerfabrik
15 – Berlin, Germany – K17
16 – Darmstadt, Germany – Steinbruch Theater
17 – Vienna, Austria – Escape Metalcorner
18 – Zurich, Czech Republic – Dynamo
19 – Pistola, Italy – Pianeta Melos
20 – Romagnano Sesia No, Italy – Rock & Roll Arena

Pre-order the album with a shirt here.

A BLABBERMOUTH.NET user who goes by the handle "TheSorceressKnight" has unveiled the "secret" behind the cover artwork of the much-anticipated new ALICE IN CHAINS album, "The Devil Put The Dinosaurs Here". After loading the picture into Photoshop, TheSorceressKnight uncovered what appears to be a hidden image inside the cover. Check it out below.

"The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" will be released on May 14 via Virgin/EMI. The group's fifth studio effort is its second with William DuVall on vocals and follows up 2009's "Black Gives Way To Blue", the group's first all-new collection of material in 14 years and first since the 2002 death of original singer Layne Staley.

The "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" album title refers to a belief held by some religious individuals that to confuse the masses of humanity, Satan himself planted dinosaur bones deep into the Earth to dissuade the faithful.

In a new interview with Revolver magazine, ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist Jerry Cantrell was asked about the lyrics, "The devil put dinosaurs here / Jesus don't like a queer / No problem with faith / Just fear," which appear in the new CD's title track. "What's the old joke?" Cantrell said. "There are two things you never want to get into a conversation or argument about: politics and religion. But fuck, I guess we're going to be talking about this for awhile. [laughs]"

He added: "Read a fucking paper. What I've seen is the most basic message to most faith systems is in contradiction with how it gets applied. The human element seems to fuck it up. It seems to fuck up the basic truths of acceptance, loving your brother, helping each other out, not trying to kill each other or steal each other's shit. Those are all pretty good ideas. And most of your major religions have those things as basic tenets of the belief system. It always amazes me that some of the most hateful and hurtful things are done in the name of some sort of belief system."

Songtitles set to appear on the CD:

* Voices
* Low Ceiling
* Stone
* The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here
* Hollow
* Lab Monkey
* Hung On A Hook
* Pretty Done
* Breath On A Window
* Choke
* Phantom Limb

"We made a unique record that's completely different from anything we ever did," Cantrell told RollingStone.com. "It encapsulates a period of time, like all records do. You see growth and that the band is moving ahead in new territory that we haven't been to before, but we haven't lost our identity."

He added: "There's some real filth in there. That's intentional, and that's also just how we sound together. We're trying to make a record that we dig and we're trying to keep the bar high for ourselves and see if we can get past it, and I think that we did again. And of course you want people to dig it too and to respond to it, and to have that start happening is satisfying."

ALICE IN CHAINS released a first single called "Hollow" earlier this year from the new disc, along with an accompanying video.

"The initial response to 'Hollow' has been fucking incredible, totally not what we intended, and that's fucking awesome," Cantrell told RollingStone.com. "We just put that song out there for the fans and then it ended up turning into a number one single, a six-minute sludgy metal tune. That's always fun, to see something like that happen."

ALICE IN CHAINS began working on new material in 2011, but the sessions for the album were delayed when Cantrell had to undergo shoulder surgery.

The band has announced a spring trek that starts on April 25 in Miami Beach and will include headlining slots at the Rocklahoma, Carolina Rebellion, Welcome To Rockville and Rock On The Range festivals.

On March 22nd, the reunited SAIGON KICK performed together live for the first time in 20 years in St. Petersburg, FL at State Theater. Fan-filmed video of the band performing 'The Lizard', the title track from their second album, can be viewed below:
The band's live schedule is now as follows:

March
23 - Fort Lauderdale, FL - The Green Room
29 - Las Vegas, NV - Vampd
30 - West Hollywood, CA - The Viper Room (SOLD OUT)

April
11 - New York, NY - Webster Hall

More on Saigon Kick at this location.

Members of THE QUIREBOYS, FASTER PUSSYCAT, DANGEROUS TOYS and ADLER contributed guest vocals joined CINDERELLA on stage during the Monsters Of Rock cruise, which embarked on its second voyage March 16 and returned four days later. Departing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this cruise visited the private island of CocoCay, plus Nassau, Bahamas with a rockin' bonus day at sea.

CINDERELLA frontman Tom Keifer was unable to make the trip after catching the flu which, left untreated, turned into pneumonia.

Fan-filmed video footage of CINDERELLA's performance during the Monsters Of Rock cruise can be seen below.

Keifer's debut solo album, "The Way Life Goes", will be released on April 30 via Merovee Records (through Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group). The collection of 14 new songs ranges from intimate, organic, acoustic tracks to driving hard rock. It embraces the blues, rock and country roots that have always been present in his unique sound that has generated the sale of over 15 million records worldwide for CINDERELLA.

Jeb Wright of Classic Rock Revisited recently conducted an interview with DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Classic Rock Revisited: The big news is that DEF LEPPARD is going to do a residency in Las Vegas at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino.

Phil: We are going to do "Hysteria" from start to finish. We are actually doing two sets; we are going to open up for ourselves. We are going to do 45 minutes, take a break and then do "Hysteria". We are learning hundreds of songs and we are going to be doing songs that we've not played in years, or that we've never done. It is going to be really great. The first set will never be the same; we will change it every night. They will all be DEF LEPPARD songs. We may play songs that we've covered of other people. It is going to be very fun for us. We are not sure what we are going to play. We are digging stuff up from the first album and the second album and we are just going to really do a lot of stuff that the fans will love.

Classic Rock Revisited: How did the whole residency at the Hard Rock even come up?

Phil: Joe [Elliott, DEF LEPPARD singer] and I have wanted to do this for probably ten, or fifteen, years. CHEAP TRICK used to do this sort of thing in theaters. They would do the entire "Dream Police" album, or something like that, and we thought that was cool. We wanted to do something like that. The Hard Rock people came to us and asked if we wanted to do the residency and if we would play an entire album. We said we wanted to do "Hysteria" in its entirety because we've never done that before.

Classic Rock Revisited: You do play a lot of those songs in your main set, but you've never done the whole thing.

Phil: We've never played it all the way through. And, we've never done it like this, with no gaps and no talking in-between songs. It is going to be really tricky to do it. When I've seen bands before, there are times where I really want them to play the next song that is on the album that they are playing right then. Now, we are going to do just that. It is going to be great.

Classic Rock Revisited: What will the stage show be like?

Phil: We are going to do something really special. We want the production to be really cool.

Classic Rock Revisited: Are you going to record any of the Vegas shows?

Phil: Absolutely. We are going to do "Hysteria" live.

Read the entire interview from Classic Rock Revisited.

THE WINERY DOGS, the new project featuring Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB), Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG) and Richie Kotzen (MR. BIG, POISON), will release its debut album in May in Japan via Victor Entertainment. Release dates for other territories have not yet been announced.

THE WINERY DOGS' CD was mixed by Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX, ADRENALINE MOB, STONE SOUR and STEEL PANTHER. Sheehan previously stated about the effort: "I'm really pleased with it. Richie sang his ass off and played amazingly unique stuff, and, of course Mike annihilated on drums. [It's a] really cool, unique record."

At the end of 2011, Portnoy and Sheehan tapped Kotzen to be the guitarist/vocalist of their new project following the departure of John Sykes (WHITESNAKE, BLUE MURDER, THIN LIZZY).

Although Portnoy and Sykes demoed a dozen or so songs at a Los Angeles studio in 2011, their vastly different work ethics and conflicting schedules were solely to blame for the dissolution of their collaboration.

During an interview that aired on the July 13, 2012 edition of Eddie Trunk's "Friday Night Rocks" radio show on New York's Q104.3 FM, Portnoy said, "I love John personally, and we get along great — he's a sweetheart of a guy — but I need to keep moving. I can't sit still and kind of wait to make an album over the next three years, I need to put things on the calendar and move forward and get them done, and John's kind of just a 'wait, wait, wait' guy. Sadly, it kind of just stopped in its tracks, and Billy and I said, 'Look, let's do something.' And you [Eddie] were the one, actually, that suggested Richie Kotzen and I thought it was a brilliant suggestion, because he's an unbelievably underrated talent, not only [as] a guitar player but a phemonal singer, and just an amazing songwriter and artist. I think people just kind of lump him, or write him off as the guy that was with POISON and MR. BIG. I think they have no idea what he's really capable of."

When asked to describe the musical direction of the project, Portnoy said, "It's a classic-rock kind of power-trio sound. If you picture the classic-rock bands of… the classic ones — [LED] ZEPPELIN, CREAM, [JIMI] HENDRIX, GRAND FUNK [RAILROAD] — if you take that classic-rock power-trio sound of the early '70s, and then you sprinkle it on top with some of the modern kind of sounds of SOUNDGARDEN and ALICE IN CHAINS or BLACK CROWES or LENNY KRAVITZ… It's in that vein; it's kind of a [mixture] of all of those bands. But on top of it all you've got the phenomenal playing that Richie and Billy do, and I could play a couple of things on the drums as well [chuckles], so... And all three of us are singing — Richie is the lead vocalist, obviously, but me and Billy are also singing."

Eddie Van Halen is featured on two songs on hip hop legend LL Cool J's upcoming album, "Authentic", due out on April 30.

The guitarist can be heard on the tracks "We're The Greatest" and "Not Leaving You Tonight".

A 90-second audio sample of "We're The Greatest" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

"Authentic" is LL's 13th studio album and first in five years.

Among other guests appearing on the CD is RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello, who can be heard on the song "Whaddup".

Eddie Van Halen famously made a guest appeance on Michael Jackson's masterpiece album, "Thriller". He was a surprise guest on "Beat It", the LP's third single. According to CNN, his blazing guitar solo lasted all of 20 seconds and took half an hour to record. He did it for free, as a favor to producer Quincy Jones, while the rest of his VAN HALEN bandmates were out of town.

"I said to myself, 'Who is going to know that I played on this kid's record, right? Nobody's going to find out.' Wrong!" Eddie recalled in a 2012 interview with CNN. "Big-time wrong. It ended up being Record Of The Year."

VAN HALEN will close out the annual Rock USA festival, scheduled for July 17 through July 20 in Oshkosh, Wisconsin.

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE has set "...Like Clockwork" as the title of its long-awaited sixth album, due in June via the band's new label home, Matador Records. The group was previously signed to Interscope.

The official QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE web site has been updated to include the new artwork below and a series of sound snippets that are presumably taken from the forthcoming CD.

To hear the audio samples, visit the QOTSA site, click the image, hit refresh and repeat.

"...Like Clockwork" is expected to include guest appearances by Dave Grohl (FOO FIGHTERS, NIRVANA); Elton John; Trent Reznor (NINE INCH NAILS); Mark Lanegan (SCREAMING TREES); ex-QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE bassist/vocalist Nick Oliveri and Jake Shears (THE SCISSOR SISTERS).

Grohl, who plays drums on the entitre new QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE studio set, recently confirmed that he will not be part of the QUEENS touring lineup. Grohl played drums on the QUEENS' 2002 album, "Songs For The Deaf", and did go on a short club tour with the group before returning to active duty with the FOOS — who took QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE out as support.

Grohl stepped in for the recording sessions after the group parted ways with longtime drummer Joey Castillo.

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's fifth album, "Era Vulgaris", came out in June 2007 and entered the Billboard chart at No. 14.

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE commemorated the reissue of its classic 1998 debut with a limited series of intimate shows at which the band played the record in its entirety, plus B-sides and other rarities and hits from the early QUEENS catalog up to the present.

The official lyric video for the song "Hell To Pay" from British hard rock legends DEEP PURPLE can be seen below. The track comes off the band's 19th studio album, "Now What?!", which will be released via earMUSIC, the Hamburg, Germany-based international rock label which is part of Edel Group, on the following dates:

* Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Finland, Spain: April 26
* UK, France, Benelux, Poland, Czech Republic, Norway, Denmark: April 29
* North America, Italy: April 30
* Sweden: May 1

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. A Simple Song
02. Weirdistan
03. Out Of Hand
04. Hell To Pay
05. Body Line
06. Above And Beyond
07. Blood From A Stone
08. Uncommon Man
09. Après Vous
10. All The Time In The World
11. Vincent Price

"Now What?!" will also be released in a limited quantity with a bonus track and a bonus DVD featuring DEEP PURPLE in conversation plus additional audio material. This edition will be available in a digipak with a cut out front cover. "Now What?!" will also be released as double vinyl LP containing a bonus track, as in the limited-edition CD.

After various songwriting sessions in Europe, the band recorded and mixed the album in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Bob Ezrin (KISS, PINK FLOYD, PETER GABRIEL, ALICE COOPER, KANSAS). The CD contain 11 tracks, including "Out Of Hand", "Weirdistan", "Uncommon Man" and "Above And Beyond". The latter song references the band's late keyboard player, Jon Lord, in the lyric "Souls having touched are forever entwined."

According to a press release, "Now What?!" was recorded with no musical rules… and it shows a modern and fresh production… to the point that DEEP PURPLE have never sounded so close to the spirit of the '70s in the last 20 years as they do now. The CD has the excellence and elegance of "Perfect Strangers" and the wild freedom of "Made In Japan".

The first taste of "Now What?!" will be the release of a double A-side single on March 29 (as a limited and numbered vinyl seven-inch, CD single and digital download).

Seven-inch vinyl (limited to 1000 numbered copies)

Side A:

01. Hell To Pay (radio edit)

Side B:

01. All The Time In The World (radio mix; edit)

CD Single

01. All The Time In The World (radio mix; edit)
02. Hell To Pay (radio edit)
03. Perfect Strangers (bonus track live)
04. Rapture Of The Deep (bonus track live)

One of the premier bands of the American progressive metal movement is back! FATES WARNING will enter the studio in April to begin recording its new studio album — its first collection of new material in nine years, and its debut release for InsideOut Music. The band's 11th studio CD is set for a fall release and will feature founding guitarist Jim Matheos alongside classic lineup members Ray Alder (vocals) and Frank Aresti (guitar), longtime bassist Joey Vera and drummer Bobby Jarzombek.

FATES WARNING will embark on a U.S. tour in November. The trek will launch November 15 in Joliet, Illinois and wrap December 14 in Seattle, Washington. Tickets will be available for purchase starting March 27.

FATES WARNING tour dates

Nov. 15 - Joliet, IL - Mojoe's
Nov. 16 - Detroit, MI - Harpos
Nov. 17 - Louisville, KY - Diamond Pub & Billiards
Nov. 18 - Cleveland, OH - Peabody's
Nov. 20 - Toronto, ONT - Mod Club
Nov. 21 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance
Nov. 22 - Hartford, CT - Webster Theater
Nov. 23 - New York, NY - The Studio @ Webster Hall
Nov. 24 - Clifton, NJ - Dingbatz
Nov. 26 - Amityville, NY - Revolution
Nov. 27 - Lancaster, PA - Chameleon Club
Nov. 30 - Spartanburg, SC - Ground Zero
Dec. 01 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
Dec. 03 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
Dec. 04 - San Antonio, TX - Backstage Live
Dec. 05 - Dallas, TX - Trees
Dec. 07 - Phoenix, AZ - Rocky Point Cantina
Dec. 08 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
Dec. 10 – West Hollywood, CA - Whisky A Go Go
Dec. 11 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
Dec. 13 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater
Dec. 14 - Seatlle, WA - Studio Seven

FATES WARNING tapped Mike Portnoy (ADRENALINE MOB, TRANSATLANTIC, DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD) to sit behind the kit for their first-ever visit to South America as special guests for QUEENSRŸCHE on April 14, 2012 at HSBC Brasil in São Paulo, Brazil. Multi-camera fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

The "Parallels" lineup of FATES WARNING played a number of shows in 2010 in support of the released special edition of the album, which was made available through Metal Blade Records. In addition to remastered audio, there is a second audio disc of live and demo material. The package also includes a DVD with nearly three hours of material, including a complete live show from the 1992 "Parallels" tour and a documentary on the making of "Parallels" which includes live, studio, and current day interview footage with all the band members, Terry Brown (producer) and Brian Slagel (CEO of Metal Blade Records).

FATES WARNING's latest CD, "X", was released in 2004 on Metal Blade Records. The follow-up to 2000's "Disconnected" was recorded at Carriage House studios in Stamford, Connecticut and features cover artwork by renowned record-cover artist Ioannis (DREAM THEATER, SEPULTURA, DEEP PURPLE, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, KING CRIMSON, BIOHAZARD, VOIVOD, UFO, OVERKILL).

If 2012 was a year to remember for ASIA, with the release of the acclaimed studio album, "XXX", marking the band's 30th anniversary, then 2013 is set to be another. John Wetton, Geoff Downes and Carl Palmer are delighted to announce that not only do they have an incredible talent in place to step into guitarist Steve Howe's shoes, but also that their first international show with newcomer Sam Coulson will be a high-profile performance at Sweden Rock Festival. Sam is a wonderful player, world renowned among guitar virtuosos. Additionally, a new studio album, to be entitled "Valkyrie", will be recorded for Frontiers Records during 2013 continuing the band's relationship with the label.

A new EPK (Electronic Press Kit) introducing Sam Coulson can be seen below.

John Wetton said: "ASIA is ready to take its next steps along this remarkable road. We cannot wait to perform again for the fans and also to unveil some of the new material, of which we are very proud."

Geoff Downes said,: "We look forward to writing another chapter in ASIA's history."

Carl Palmer commented: "We're all looking forward to the next decade of great ASIA music."

ASIA formed as a supergroup of stunning pedigrees, bringing together songwriter, lead vocalist and bassist John Wetton (KING CRIMSON), keyboardist Geoff Downes (YES, THE BUGGLES), drummer extraordinaire Carl Palmer (ELP) and Steve Howe (YES) Their self-titled debut album was the biggest-selling album in the world in 1982 and monopolized the #1 slot in the Billboard chart for nine weeks. The album is still in the top three Geffen sales of all time, with GUNS N' ROSES and WHITESNAKE! With tracks like mega-hit "Heat Of The Moment", ASIA helped to create the MTV phenomenon. The band's work perfected the use of videos that encompassed stories and messages, examples being the work for "Wildest Dreams", "Only Time Will Tell", "The Smile Has Left Your Eyes" and "Don't Cry". "Heat Of The Moment" is still a radio fixture and has been in top TV and films including "40 Year Old Virgin", "South Park", "Cold Case", "The Matador" and countless others.

In 2006 the original band reunited for a tour of the U.S., which was followed by four world tours and several continental tours. The reunited band has played over 300 shows and released three new studio albums, three DVDs and a number of live albums. The track "An Extraordinary Life", from 2008's album "Phoenix", was chosen as the theme music for "America's Got Talent". This is a band with plenty more to say.

With a new guitarist in place, Sweden Rock confirmed and more high-profile live dates to come, plus a new album slated for release, the ASIA trajectory continues: onward and upwards!

To mark its 30th anniversary, long-running Venice Beach, California thrash/punk band SUICIDAL TENDENCIES will release its first studio album in 13 years, aptly titled "13", on March 26. The CD was produced by SUICIDAL TENDENCIES frontman Mike Muir and Grammy-nominated engineer/mixer Paul Northfield (DREAM THEATER, HOLE, RUSH).

Ahead of the album's release, Grammy.com has your exclusive first listen to the track "This World". Check it out below.

"Thank you [to] all the people [who] have patiently waited for this record," said Muir. "Now I will shut up and let the music do the talking."

"13" track listing:

01. Shake It Out
02. Smash It!
03. This Ain't A Celebration
04. God Only Knows Who I Am
05. Make Your Stand
06. Who's Afraid?
07. Show Some Love...Tear It Down (feat. pro skaters Danny Way, Tony Trujillo, Steve and Alex Olson, Vincent Alvarez, Elijah Berle and Jim "Red Dog" Muir)
08. Cyco Style
09. Slam City
10. Till My Last Breath
11. Living The Fight
12. Life... (Can't Live With It, Can't Live Without It)
13. This World

The "Cyco Style" video was filmed by Pep Williams last May while the band was on tour in Brazil and can be seen below.

The first leg of SUICIDAL TENDENCIES' "Slam City" tour starts April 11 at the Regency Ballroom in San Franscisco and ends May 12 in San Diego at House Of Blues. All dates will see WAKE THE DEAD open. D.R.I. will support from Minneapolis to Charleston and SICK OF IT ALL will be join SUICIDAL TENDENCIES in Philadelphia, New York, Worchester, Baltimore, and from St. Petersburg until the end of the tour.

When asked why he thinks the sound of SUICIDAL TENDENCIES has stood the test of time, the band's frontman, Mike Muir, told Loudwire in a 2012 interview, "I think for us, when we started we didn't really know what we were doing. We didn't really set out and try to do something for other people. We stood there and did what we liked. We didn't care what other people thought. After we did our first record, one of my good friends came up to me and said, 'Yo, Mike, I got to talk to you. People aren't going to like the album. It's not music. You have an opportunity to make music that people can listen to on the radio.' But I didn't think that was an opportunity because I didn't like what I was hearing on the radio. Our barometer is not what people are going to think or how many records we can sell. We just want to be proud of what we make. That's why it stands the test of time. We did records that we thought were really good."

Regarding what fans can expect from the upcoming CD, Muir said, "The way we look at it is that next year will be the 30th anniversary of our first record. When we look at a record, we don't want to have it sound like 2012. We want it to sound awesome 25 years from now, so when a kid who wasn't even born when we made it listens to it, he's like, 'Damn, that's a cool record!' I just had a guy from a radio station tell me that some listeners have been requesting the new song 'Institutionalized'. The young listeners don't realize that's an old song! Something like [METALLICA's recent Orion Music + More festival] is good for us, too, because a lot of people who wouldn't have listened to us will check us out because they know Robert [Trujillo, METALLICA bassist] was in the band."

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES is:

Mike Muir - Lead Vocals
Dean Pleasants - Lead Guitar
Nico Santora - Rhythm Guitar
Steve Bruner - Bass
Eric Moore – Drums

BROKEN TEETH, the Austin-based hard rock quintet featuring DANGEROUS TOYS/WATCHTOWER vocalist Jason McMaster, has released a new single, "Flamethrower", via CDBaby.

A for the song can be seen below.

BROKEN TEETH performed on March 13 at the Heart Of Texas Rockfest in Austin during the South By Southwest festival and is scheduled to play on May 3 in Indianapolis, May 4 in Oklahoma City, and a June 15 in Austin with TWISTED SISTER. In between live appearances, the band continues to work on material for an as-yet-untitled new album.

BROKEN TEETH has been cranking out heavy-duty rock 'n' roll for nearly 15 years. The band exploded out of Austin in 1999 and has been a global powerhouse over the course of five albums – 1999's self-titled debut, 2002's "Guilty Pleasure", 2004's "Blood On The Radio", 2007's "Electric" and 2010's "Viva La Rock Fantastico" (featuring Danko Jones) – and a non-stop touring schedule. A series of new singles to tide over longtime fans and newcomers alike will fill the void until the next full-length album, starting with "Devil On The Road", which was released at the tail end of 2012.

BROKEN TEETH is:

Jason McMaster - Vocals
Bruce Rivers - Drums
Jared Tuten - Guitar
David Beeson - Guitar
Robb Lampman - Bass

Tony Harnell (TNT, STARBREAKER, WESTWORLD) and Michael Sweet (STRYPER, BOSTON) joined forces for a special performance at the Monsters Of Rock Cruise, which embarked on its second voyage from March 16 to March 20.

Departing from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this cruise visited the private island of CocoCay, plus Nassau, Bahamas with a rockin' bonus day at sea, sailing the emerald waters in this unprecedented floating heavy metal festival.

Fan-filmed video footage of Harnell and Sweet's performance can be seen below.

As previously reported, Harnell will guest on the new solo album from Michael Sweet, due later this year on Big3 Records. Harnell will be a special guest vocalist on the song "Taking On The World Tonight".

Commented Sweet: "I think Tony is truly one of the most underrated singers of all time. He's always been one of my favorites and is an incredibly nice, humble guy to boot. I've always wanted to work with Tony and I knew this would be the perfect song and opportunity to do so. 'Taking On The World Tonight' is very heavy with a combination of old-school riffs and solos yet it's got a very modern, relevant sound as well. It's the best of both worlds! You won't be disappointed."

"Mordminnen", a brand new song from Finnish metal marauders FINNTROLL, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track comes off the band's sixth album, "Blodsvept", which will be released via Century Media Records on the following dates:

* Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Norway: Friday, March 22
* Spain, Italy: Tuesday, March 26
* Sweden, Hungary: Wednesday, March 27
* Rest Of Europe: Monday, March 25
* Australia, New Zealand: Friday, March 29
* USA, Canada: Tuesday, April 2

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.

"Blodsvept" track listing:

01. Blodsvept
02. Ett Folk Förbannat
03. När Jättar Marschera
04. Mordminnen
05. Rösets Kung
06. Skövlarens Död
07. Skogsdotter
08. Häxbrygd
09. Tva Ormar
10. Fanskapsfylld
11. Midvinterdraken

Check out the cover artwork below.

FINNTROLL filmed a video for the song "Häxbrygd" on March 8-9. Photos from the video shoot can be found on the Facebook page of Soundi magazine (courtesy of Timo Isoaho).

In regards to the new album, FINNTROLL commented on their studio blog: "Combining our trademark sound with even more influences from non- traditional genres in metal music, we have created 11 songs which show you everything we want to offer. And boy, wasn't that one of the hardest tasks for some time. After all, how do you keep your sound fresh, yet familiar, after 6 albums and 15 years?

"At some point, we were afraid that the songs are not melodic enough. Then we started to fear they became too melodic. Then we let the songs rest for a while and molded them more in a way that the non-melodic stuff got something to hum with, and the cheesy pop songs were arranged more stripped and aggressive. We were confident, yet sometimes scared what will people think of the stuff we've been doing so hard. What if they hate it? That would be fine, but if they would hate it because the material was uninspiring, boring and done-to-death, that would be a huge disappointment. So, we kept pushing and tried to keep it fresh all the time, while still having the 'this has to be FINNTROLL because no other band sounds this insane' — grinning going on."

Former members of THURSDAY, FROM AUTUMUN TO ASHES, GLASSJAW, JUDGE and DEATH IN THE PARK have joined forces in a new New York City-based hard rock band called GET INVOLVED!

The idea for a new musical project has been in the works since all members played in their respective groups. Once Todd Weinstock (GLASSJAW) realized that schedules had opened up in these prolific musician's lives, it was time to get the ball rolling. Weinstock then reached out to Brian Deneeve (FROM AUTUMN TO ASHES) along with Tucker Rule (THURSDAY) who had been touring tirelessly as hired musicians to start on a heavy rock-influenced band. Together they recruited Lars Weiss (JUDGE) and Derrick Karg (DEATH IN THE PARK) and GET INVOLVED! was formed.

All members of the new group have been long standing friends, all having been raised in the tri-state area. The friends have all toured with one another, collaborated on music together and have braved the changing music industry but never have all five guys been able to all come together and create an entirely new group. GET INVOLVED! share a love of punk rock, hardcore, new wave and metal. They all have their own unique take on these various musical styles and together combine their various aesthetics to create a modern and forceful take on heavy music.

"We all talked about working together for a while, but all of us have been so busy touring and recording seperately that it was only a pipe dream," said Weinstock. "We finally found ourselves living close by and having regained the passion to play heavy music decided to make this a reality. We even enlisted producer Ross Robinson (AT THE DRIVE IN, GLASSJAW, THE CURE, SEPULTURA) to bring this project full circle."

GET INVOLVED! has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to record and release an EP slated for summer/fall 2013.

Helmed to record and mix the CD is Ross Robinson. Some of the rare opportunities for pledging include an internship at Robinson's studio while the record is being recorded, music lessons and signed albums.

"Kickstarter allows a band to create and produce music together through generous help from their audience and therefore allows us as a band to do what we do.. and that's make music," said Rule.

Video footage of Jens Johansson and Timo Kotipelto of Finnish/Swedish melodic metallers STRATOVARIUS offering their first impressions of "Now What?!", the long-awaited new album from British hard rock legends DEEP PURPLE, can be seen below.

DEEP PURPLE's 19th studio album, "Now What?!", will be released via earMUSIC, the Hamburg, Germany-based international rock label which is part of Edel Group, on the following dates:

* Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Finland, Spain: April 26
* UK, France, Benelux, Poland, Czech Republic, Norway, Denmark: April 29
* North America, Italy: April 30
* Sweden: May 1

After various songwriting sessions in Europe, the band recorded and mixed the album in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Bob Ezrin (KISS, PINK FLOYD, PETER GABRIEL, ALICE COOPER, KANSAS). The CD contain 11 tracks, including "Out Of Hand", "Weirdistan", "Uncommon Man" and "Above And Beyond". The latter song references the band's late keyboard player, Jon Lord, in the lyric "Souls having touched are forever entwined."

"Now What?!" track listing:

01. A Simple Song
02. Weirdistan
03. Out Of Hand
04. Hell To Pay
05. Body Line
06. Above And Beyond
07. Blood From A Stone
08. Uncommon Man
09. Après Vous
10. All The Time In The World
11. Vincent Price

"Now What?!" will also be released in a limited quantity with a bonus track and a bonus DVD featuring DEEP PURPLE in conversation plus additional audio material. This edition will be available in a digipak with a cut out front cover. "Now What?!" will also be released as double vinyl LP containing a bonus track, as in the limited-edition CD.

The official lyric video for the song "All The Time In The World" can be seen below.

According to a press release, "Now What?!" was recorded with no musical rules… and it shows a modern and fresh production… to the point that DEEP PURPLE have never sounded so close to the spirit of the '70s in the last 20 years as they do now. The CD has the excellence and elegance of "Perfect Strangers" and the wild freedom of "Made In Japan".

orwegian symphonic black metallers DIMMU BORGIR have announced the following spring / summer shows, as well as European festival appearances:

May
25 - Bodo, Norway - Rock Café
26 - Trondheim, Norway - Byscenen
28 - Bergen, Norway - Ole Bull Scene
30 - Stavanger, Norway - Folken
31 - Kristiansand, Norway - Kick

June
2 - St. Petersburg, Russia- Arena Club
3 - Moscow, Russia - Aurora Club
7 - Solvesborg, Sweden - Sweden Rock Festival
9 - Nickelsdorf, Austria - Nova Rock
10 - Treviso, Italy - New Age
11 - Rome, Italy - Orion
12 - Bologna, Italy - Estragon
13 - Lausanne, Switzerland - Les Docks
15 - Bucharest, Romania - Ost Fest
17 - Clisson, France - Hellfest
19 - Gaulle, Luxemborg - Rockhal
20 - Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp
21 - Dornbirn, Austria - Conrad Sohm
23 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop

August
3 - Wacken, Germany - Wacken Open Air
9 - Prague, Czech Republic - Brutal Assault
11 - Derbyshire, UK - Bloodstock

David "Gus" Griesinger of BackstageAxxess.com conducted an interview with AC/DC bassist Cliff Williams at this year's NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, a massive music-products convention that took place January 24-27 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. You can now watch the chat below.

On when fans can expect a follow-up to 2008's "Black Ice":

Cliff: "[There is] nothing in the works right now. We're still getting over the last tour, so we're just hanging out and doing stuff. The guys [guitarists Angus and Malcolm Young] are writing material and when they've got some stuff together, they'll give us a holler."

On the AC/DC songwriting process:

Cliff: "[Angus and Malcolm] get a bunch of ideas together — some are more together than others — and then we'll all hit the studio or a little rehearsal room and we'll kick it around with a producer. And then we get in a studio and record, and that's kind of how it runs. The guys, I'm sure, are putting their time in [writing material for the new album] — Malcolm and Angus — but they're not ready for [the rest of the band to get involved] yet."

AC/DC guitarist Malcolm Young last year confirmed to Classic Rock magazine that the band is working on the follow-up to 2008's "Black Ice". But he said fans may have to wait longer than expected.

"I've been doing some jamming on some song ideas but I do that all the time, as do the rest of the band," he said. "We are still working. But we had a long rest between 'Stiff Upper Lip' and 'Black Ice', so I think we need a couple of years to recuperate and work on it a bit more."

AC/DC's 25 albums became available digitally for the first time on November 19, 2012. All tracks were mastered for iTunes, and fans have the ability to download full albums or simply purchase their favorite individual songs. Fans can also choose from two specially packaged digital compilations: "The Complete Collection", the complete iTunes-exclusive AC/DC catalog; and "The Collection", which includes all 16 studio albums.

Fan-filmed video footage of Colorado Satanic metal masters SATAN'S HOST performing a brand new song, "Cor Malifecus - Heart of Evil", from their forthcoming album, "Virgin Sails", on March 16 at La Respuesta in San Juan, Puerto Rico can be seen below.

"Virgin Sails" is tentatively due this summer via Moribund Cult Records. Producer Dave Otero of Flatline Audio (CEPHALIC CARNAGE, DEMONICA, NIGHTBRINGER) in Denver, Colorado once again helmed the effort, which will feature artwork by Joe Petagno (MOTÖRHEAD, MARDUK).

SATAN'S HOST's "Celebration For The Love Of Satan" was released on November 22, 2011 via Moribund Records. The disc was a collection of re-recorded versions of songs spanning the band's entire career, excluding the material that was released on the "By The Hands Of The Devil" album, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the release of SATAN'S HOST's classic debut LP, "Metal From Hell". The disc, which also included two new songs, was recorded with Otero at Flatline Audio and had exclusive artwork by world-renowned artists Chris Moyen and Joe Petagno, with photography by Brent Boutte of Mirrorlife Productions.

According to THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA drummer Daniel Williams, the Dayton, Ohio Christian metalcore band will enter the studio on April 22 with with producer/engineer Matt Goldman to begin recording its new album for a late 2013 release via Roadrunner Records. KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, who handled production duties on THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA's "Dead Throne" CD, will serve as executive producer on the upcoming effort.

Back in January, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA frontman Mike Hranica told Loudwire about the songwriting process for the new album: "For me, I definitely feel a little bit of a carry-over from 'Dead Throne', particularly because it was a very cool record for me learning, for me learning to write better and that was working with a new [producer] … working with Adam for the first time and having [A DAY TO REMEMBER's] Jeremy McKinnon working on some of the songs with us, and I feel I took a lot from that. On 'Dead Throne', there were better vocal parts and everything was more cohesive and understandable and made for better song structure and everything and that had had a big impact on me creatively and so it's definitely carried over into this."

He added: "Conceptually, the concepts of 'Dead Throne' didn't carry over. I feel like that would be repetitive and monotonous to keep going at the same subject matter, but obviously, it all comes from the same place and I can say that nothing got more happy or uplifting, really. So I think it's very much THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, but also it's got a bit of freshness and originality to it and I think that even musically we started approaching the songs differently. Like, this song could be more like this and working off of a base we never really worked off of before."

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA's nationwide co-headlining trek with AS I LAY DYING got underway February 22 at Ventura, California's Majestic Ventura Theater Half House and continues through early April. THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA and AS I LAY DYING are accompanied on the road by FOR TODAY and THE CHARIOT.

"Dead Throne" sold 32,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 10 on The Billboard 200 chart.

LED ZEPPELIN received the inaugural International Lifetime Achievement Award last night (Thursday, March 21) at the ECHO awards in Berlin, Germany.

Guitarist Jimmy Page and bassist John Paul Jones accepted the award on behalf of the band. Singer Robert Plant was unable to attend the event since he had a concert scheduled the same night in Singapore.

"As long as we can be an inspiration, either as a group or individually or whatever… I mean, as far as I'm concerned, that's my lifetime achievement: that people will be inspired by the music," said Page.

The New York Times reported earlier in the month that LED ZEPPELIN is in negotiations with a number of subscription music services — including Spotify, Rdio and Rhapsody — for the exclusive right to stream the band's catalog.

ZEPPELIN has sold more than 111 million albums in the United States, including 840,000 in 2012.

The band waited until 2007 to make its albums available through iTunes.

LED ZEPPELIN's concert film, "Celebration Day", which is available on CD, DVD, and Blu-ray disc, sold 101,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 9 on The Billboard 200 chart. The package arrived in stores on November 19, 2012 via Swan Song/Atlantic Records.