Cape Cora, Florida-based hard rockers MODERN SUPERSTAR have announced that original member and vocalist Jamie Fletcher will be stepping down from the band for personal reasons.

The band enlisted Mike Hatfield (SCRAP YARD) to fulfill their December 8th gig at the Twisted Spoke Saloon in Tremont, IL and he will be fronting Modern Superstar for the interim. "Several vocalists have auditioned or will audition but no decisions have been made as of yet. Mike Hatfield is the guy for now," says Ryche Green.

The band continue to move forward and are recording their new material with Chip Z' Nuff (ENUFF Z’NUFF, ADLER’S APPETITE) at Chip Z' Nuff Studios in Blue Island, IL.

"The Watcher", the first song from DEEP ARCHITECTURE, the new "musical collaboration" between former THE HAUNTED drummer Per Møller Jensen has joined forces with Danish musician Carsten Lender, can be streamed at this location.

Per Møller Jensen quit THE HAUNTED in October. He said in a statement released to BLABBERMOUTH.NET, "This decision has been underway for a long time and cannot be attributed to [former THE HAUNTED frontman Peter] Dolving's departure earlier this year.

"My penchant for music, creating — as in digging deep — and practicing has never been at a higher peak than now. When you throw musical differences between members in with that, I started feeling unfulfilled. This is not pointing fingers at anybody, but rather just seeing, accepting and acting on that fact."

THE HAUNTED's seventh studio CD, "Unseen", landed at position No. 33 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.

Calgary-based KOBRA AND THE LOTUS recently wrapped up European and UK tours with STEEL PANTHER and BUCKCHERRY respectively, and on December 11th they kicked off a support tour with SONATA ARCTICA in Toronto, Ontario at the Opera House. Fan filmed live video is available below:
Their schedule is as follows:

December
14 - Harpo's - Detroit, MI
15 - Mojoes - Joliet, IL
17 - Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO
20 - Whisky A Go Go - West Hollywood, CA

Guitarist Jasio Kulakowski recently spoke with Infernal Rock Radio at Hard Rock Hell, which took place in Pwllheli, North Wales from November 29th - December 3rd. Check it out via the player below:

HAWKWIND guitarist HUW LLOYD-LANGTON passed away December 6th at the age of 61. Huw had been battling cancer for the past several years and died peacefully at home in England with his devoted wife Marion by his side.

Before Huw Lloyd-Langton passed away, he had put the finishing touches on a very personal, very unique collection of tracks from his private vault. On January 29, 2013, Cleopatra Records will proudly release Huw Lloyd-Langton: Rare & Unreleased Anthology 1971-2012. This 2CD set includes seldom or never-heard gems that highlight Huw’s legacy of dynamic and melodic guitarwork.

Rare & Unreleased Anthology features unheard solo acoustic recordings of 'Rocky Paths' and 'Damn Shame' (later recorded by Hawkwind and THE LLOYD LANGTON GROUP), full-band recordings from side projects MAGILL and JAWA, and brand new acoustic recordings from 2012 being released for the first time here.
Self-taught guitarist with mind-bending scope and range, Lloyd-Langton joined Hawkwind as a teen in 1970 and immediately made his mark by contributing his unique guitar stylings on the band’s groundbreaking self-titled debut album, considered one the first space-rock albums to be released. While maintaining an important albeit inconsistent role in Hawkwind for many years, Lloyd-Langton expanded his personal creativity with heavy focus on songwriting and via bands he formed, like Magill.

Comfortable and exceptional playing all styles of music – from hard rock to classical to blues – Lloyd-Langton toured with LEO SAYER before co-founding acclaimed UK hard rock band WIDOWMAKER. He taught himself classical music composition, and always stayed aware of newer music climates. As a much-loved member of the Cleopatra Records family, Lloyd-Langton had been a significant part of projects, like working with THE KINKS legend Dave Davies on a track for THE BLACK KEYS tribute album Black On Blues, and with Joe Elliott, Rick Wakeman and Carmine Appice on Who Are You, an all-star tribute to THE WHO. His innovative guitar work was featured on the Space Rock Invasion DVD taken from the 2011 Space Rock Invasion tour.

Rare & Unreleased Anthology, curated by Lloyd-Langton himself, is now, sadly but beautifully, a remarkable tribute to the life’s work of a musical genius whose broad-minded explorations offered so much to so many.



Tracklisting:

Disc 1: Rare & Unreleased 1971-2012

Solo Acoustic Recordings 1971:
'Got A Love (Blues)'
'I Can See It All Again'
'Things Just Ain’t The Same'
'Sleep'
'The Morning Dove’s Song'
'Damn Shame' *
'Seasons'
'Love You Wear A Pretty Face'
'Painted Evergreen' (a/k/a 'Night Air')
'Little Girl' *
'Battle Of Battles'

Magill with Pete Scott, John Clark & Rob Rawlinson (1973):
'Rag Man'
'Feed Your Friends With A Long Handled Spoon'
'I Can’t Be Satisfied'
'Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood'

Jawa with Simon King & Nic Potter (1979):
'Rocky Paths' ** (listen below) https://soundcloud.com/brosseaupr/rocky-paths-huw-lloyd-langton
'Jealousy' *
'Heart Of Stone'
'Damn Shame' *
'Dark, Dark Night'

Lloyd-Langton Group:
'Hurry On Sundown' (Unreleased Hawkwind tribute track)

* Later recorded by LLG
** Later recorded by Hawkwind

Disc 2: Instrumentals 1985-2012

From Night Air (1985):
'Für Kristy'
'Alien Jiggers'

From Like An Arrow...(Through The Heart) (1987):
'On The Move'
'Can You Feel'

From Elegy (1991):
'Farewell'
'Elegy'

From River Run (1994):
'All Jigged Up'
'Louise'

From Chain Reaction (1999):
'Dedications'
'5 To 4'
'Who Went Before'

From Hard Graft (2010):
'So Long Baby'
'Cowboy Blues'

New Acoustic Tracks:
'12 String Shuffle'
'Fragile Journey'
'Into The Storm'
'Out Of The Storm'
'Fast Lane To McFaden'
'She Moves Through The Fair'

Über Röck recently conducted an interview with QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Über Röck: If QUEENSRŸCHE with your three former bandmates were playing somewhere that you happened to be, would you go check them out?

Tate: Would I go watch my former bandmates play?

Über Röck: Yeah.

Tate: No. I'm not interested in that at all.

Über Röck: Hypothetically, if you were stuck in [an elevator] with them, who do you think would speak first?

Tate: If we were in a situation where we were put together who would speak first? Oh, it would be me.

Über Röck: And who do you think would throw the first punch?

Tate: Throw the first punch? Well, probably me. Those guys can't fight their way out of a paper bag. I've never seen such a bunch of... How can you be a man and not, like, defend yourself? How can you do that? I don't understand it. I probably shouldn't talk about that… I could get in trouble. [laughs] You know, Americans are really touchy about that stuff. I spit in Scott's [Rockenfield, QUEENSRŸCHE drummer] face and that is an ancient act of defiance and contempt: it's a symbolic gesture. It's ancient, people have been doing that for centuries and Americans can't wrap their head around that. They think it's juvenile, like it's something a kid does. They can't understand guys getting in a punch-up. They fear that, they're appalled by it. In other countries, Ireland for example, the Irish don't see anything wrong with it at all.

Über Röck: If it all ended now and QUEENSRŸCHE, in whatever form stopped right now, how would you like the band to be remembered?

Tate: I had a different idea of how I wanted things to end than the way they have. I've always tried very hard to take care of the name and present the band in an elegant way — since I'm the one that does all the interviews and TV appearances and radio appearances and all that, and I've always tried to communicate to the world that we are a bunch of friends who make music together and that we care about each other and always stand by each other’s side, and that we were out to, ultimately, make music for as long as we possibly could. The whole way the other guys have handled the breakup thing really saddens me because it's in direct opposition to what my belief system is. I think that we could easily have sat in a room and talked about our problems, we could have addressed things in a real civil manner, we could have come to conclusions easily without dragging our laundry through the public, so to speak. The way that they've gone about firing everybody in our organization is just cold-hearted, you know, very cold and ruthless, and honestly it's not the way I envisioned the band ending its days, to be honest... I'm really humiliated by their actions, actually…

Read the entire interview from Über Röck.

Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

Back in July, Japan's BLOOD STAIN CHILD parted ways with Greek female vocalist Sophia after only one album. The band has checked in with the following update:

"With careful and thorough screening, Kiki has been selected to be the lead singer of Blood Stain Child. She has been performing as a singer/songwriter and actively involved with studio works and live scenes in various fields. What makes her so unique and talented is to be able to handle both clean voice and scream voice.

Some demos will be out soon hopefully soon for you to check out. We already can see your face going 'damn!'"
The band's latest album, Epsilon, featuring Sophia is out now via Coroner Records. The tracklist is as follows:

'Sirius VI'
'Forever Free'
'Stargazer'
'S.O.P.H.I.A.'
'Unlimited Alchemist'
'Electricity'
'Eternal'
'Moon Light Wave'
'Dedicated To Violator'
'Merry-Go-Round'
'LA+'
'Sai-Ka-No'

Check out BW&BK's review of the album here.

The American Country Awards aired live on FOX, on Monday, December 10th. Legendary US southern rock band LYNYRD SKYNYRD teamed up with country star TRACE ADKINS for a performance of 'What's Your Name'. Video of the performance can be seen below:
Lynyrd Skynyrd have released the lyric video for the track ‘Good Teacher’, from their latest album, Last Of A Dyin' Breed'. Check it out below:
The band recently released the music video for the track 'Homegrown'. Check it out below:
Last Of A Dyin' Breed debuted at #14 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart upon it's release, the highest charting for a Skynyrd album since 1977.

During a recent interview with Rafabasa.com, IRON SAVIOR frontman Piet Sielck commented on former bandmate Kai Hansen (GAMMA RAY, ex-HELLOWEEN) joining UNISONIC:
Q: Do you like the fact Unisonic sees Michael Kiske and Kai Hansen together again? Do you think it will be possible to have a complete Helloween meeting (of the original line-up) in the future?

Piet: Piet: "I think it's good for Kai to have something that allows him to get some distance from Gamma Ray. About Michi, I do not see too much him singing metal again, and I think Unisonic will be as heavy as he wants, no more, but that would not be enough for Helloween and Gamma Ray. We'll see; for now they are really enjoying the whole Unisonic experience, that's for sure. Moreover, for Kai it's good because it will allow him to free his mind and then work better again with Gamma Ray. (That sort of thing) allows you to return to your band with new energy and new ideas."

Go to this location for the complete interview (in Spanish)

Bushido Brazil and Bamberg recently released the SEPULTURA Weizen beer to celebrate the 25 years of the legendary Brazilian/American thrash metal band. The drink is said to have "a turbidity caused by natural yeast in suspension" and "aroma and flavors of banana and clove from a special strain of yeast that produces the chemicals that lead to these perceptions."

Video footage of the SEPULTURA Weizen beer launch, which was held this past October in Bamberg, Germany, can be seen below.

SEPULTURA's 12th studio album, and Nuclear Blast Records debut, "Kairos", hit stores in July 2011.

21-year-old drummer Eloy Casagrande joined SEPULTURA last year as the replacement for Jean Dolabella, who left the band because he could no longer handle being away from home for long periods of time.

Mysterious Swedish buzz band GHOST played a special concert last night (Saturday, December 15) in its hometown of Linköping at Cupolen during which it premiered a brand new song, "Secular Haze", as well as its cover version of ABBA's "I'm A Marionette". In addition, a switch was made during the show where the band's lead vocalist, Papa Emeritus I, was apparently "replaced" by Papa Emeritus II, with both characters played by GHOST's real-life frontman, Tobias Forge of REPUGNANT and SUBVISION fame. Professionally filmed video footage of the "Secular Haze" track (featuring the singer "switch"), as well as fan-filmed video clips of the rest of the concert, can be seen below.

GHOST is putting the finishing touches its next studio album, due out in 2013 on Loma Vista Recordings, the new record label founded by Tom Whalley in partnership with Republic Records, a division of Universal Music Group. Papa Emeritus and his Nameless Ghouls have summoned Nashville-based Grammy Award-winning Nick Raskulinecz (DEATH ANGEL, DEFTONES, FOO FIGHTERS, RUSH) to produce this offering.

The band's debut album, "Opus Eponymous", was released in late 2010 in Europe and in early 2011 in North America via Rise Above Records.

In an early 2012 interview with Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, one of the "Nameless Ghouls" from GHOST was asked why he thinks his band has garnered support from such high-profile musicians as James Hetfield (METALLICA) and Phil Anselmo (DOWN, PANTERA). "We like to think [it's because of] our playfulness in terms of not — I almost said think[ing] too much — obviously, we think, but we feel a lot and we try not to limit ourselves to genre," he said. "Even though we're a hard-rocking band, we try to mix everything from death metal elements to new-wave choruses. And I think that sort of resonates to… I wouldn't say only an older generation [because] we have a lot of new, younger fans, but I think that anybody who is older than 35 might have a stroke of nostalgia or whatever."

On the topic of whether he can foresee a day when the members of GHOST won't be anonymous anymore, he said, "I think there is a difference between being anonymous and unmasked. Where SLIPKNOT actually wear masks still, while KISS during their unmasked days didn't. Obviously, it's a thing of the times. What we're trying to do, it's very hard to maintain. If the actual goal was to not be known, we try to maintain that, but in the long run we can't really expect that to be something everlasting. Most of our fans are actually quite keen on not knowing, which works to our favor, but I think there is a difference between people knowing who is behind the mask or being unmasked. We can't really see ourselves going up on stage and afterwards just dropping the masks saying, 'Oh, it's me, it's me, actually. Can you see?' No, no, no… We don't want that. We don't want to spoil it. That's the whole reason why we are anonymous and we try not to show ourselves. We try to eliminate, not the human aspects, but the humane aspects, if you want. We want to put Papa Emeritus in the limelight. He's supposed to be the living character, even though rigor mortis has basically set in in his poor old body. But that's the face of the band. He's the person, everybody else are just puppets."

Metal Mark of SkullsNBones.com has posted a video recap of Barge To Hell — the world's most extreme metal cruise, which sailed Monday, December 3, 2012 from Miami, Florida to Nassau, Bahamas and returned to the real world on Friday, December 7. Check out the footage below.

Make no mistake, this is not one of the cruises where you share the ship with regular cruise guests... It's like everyone has a backstage pass and you can mingle side-by-side with the artists in this incredibly fan-friendly scenario that has no comparison.

See every band play two live shows on three stages, each with its own unique atmosphere: The luxurious "A Chorus Line" theater, the cozy "Spectrum" club and the jewel: the open-air stage on the pool deck. Get all your memorabilia signed at the meet-and-greet sessions. Be part of the infamous "metal karaoke" and many other very special activities with the artists on board. Last but not least: Don't forget that there are bars on board that never close!

For more information, visit www.bargetohell.com.

LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe says that he has "never been more disgusted with an audience" in his life more than he was this past Friday, December when his band performed in Medford, Oregon.

After Randy apparently called for 60 seconds of silence during LAMB OF GOD's set to honor the victims of the recent Connecticut school shooting, several people reportedly failed to comply, causing Blythe to take to his Instagram account and voice his displeasure.

"I have never been more disgusted with an audience in my life. I wish we hadn't played," he wrote.

"We, LAMB OF GOD, asked for sixty seconds of silence during our first set break to honor the dead children and teachers in Connecticut. It seemed appropriate — it's a goddamned national TRAGEDY.

"Most of the crowd complied, but several didn't, some cursing and even laughing.

"I wanted to walk off stage.

"I am so disgusted right now.

"If you were one of those who wouldn't shut up for SIXTY LOUSY SECONDS to honor twenty MURDERED CHILDREN, go look in the mirror. You are looking at a piece of shit. Your parents are obviously pieces of shit too, because they raised you to behave with no dignity.

"To the fans who were respectful, I thank you. I am also sorry you have so many goddamned assholes in your community. You should do something about that.

"This shit would not have happened at a LAMB OF GOD show where I live, and that is a FACT. We have more manners.

"I am just disgusted. Thoroughly DIGUSTED. You yelling people give metal a band name. Screw that, you give humanity a bad name. Grow up. Your parents should have beaten some manners into you, you savage little beasts.

"With that I will go to bed, say a prayer for those suffering, and hope for a better day tomorrow, because tonight SUCKED."

The mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school on Friday resulted in the deaths of twenty-eight people, including 20 schoolchildren. It was the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, behind the 2007 Virginia Tech mass shooting that left 32 dead.

Colombian death/black metal assassins NEPENTE have released a video for the title track to their forthcoming album, Suffering Is The Seed. The album is due out soon on MetalHit.com. In the meantime, soak in the visual sickness below:
Savage and unforgiving, yet smartly composed for maximum memory retention, Suffering Is The Seed is not only Nepente's finest offering to date; it further solidifies a proud tradition of South American extreme metal. Mixed and mastered at Poland's legendary Hertz Recording Studio (VADER, HATE, BEHEMOTH, DECAPITATED, etc.), Suffering Is The Seed seeks only to do harm.

Tracklisting:

‘Suffering Is The Seed’
‘Hell Is The Name Of This Land’
‘Merciful Death’
‘Hear Me Howl’
‘Slaves Will Always Be Slaves’
‘Die For Me’
‘This Shroud Is Yours’
‘The Swamp’
Nepente is:

José F. Ospina (vocals)
Mauricio Aristizábal (drums)
Esteban Daza (guitar)
Wilmar Correa (bass)
Pablo Vaquez (guitar)

Greek black metallers ENSHADOWED will release their new album Magic Chaos Psychedelia on January 28th in Europe and on February 19th in North America via Pulverized Records.

The album was recorded, mixed and mastered at Devasoundz Studio by Septicflesh skinsman Fotis Bernado and Enshadowed.

Album cover artwork was created by Greek artist Rea Pediaditaki, including additional hand-made paintings by Miguel Angel Castro Salinas. Check it out below:
The tracklisting:

'Stary Throne Of It'
'Is Venit Ex Abyssus'
'Black Holes, Death Planets'
'The Scenario'
'Surrealistic Shade Of Color Black'
'Dethroned'
'Inner Psy-Trip'
'The Dual Hypostasis Of Nihil'
'Magic Chaos Psychedelia'

The track 'Inner Psy-Trip' can be heard below:

MICHAEL KISKE (UNISONIC, ex-HELLOWEEN) recently answered a few questions regarding his solo work and Unisonic activities for the Michael Kiske Fanclub. See below.
Q: Can you please give us an update about your upcoming solo album? Did you already start working with (guitarist) Sandro (Giampietro) on it? When do you plan to start the recordings?

A: "I will start vocals for it this week; so the album will be finished soon. It’s not so much a solo record, it’s a new thing with Sandro and me, we do all together. I was surprised how good it works to have Sandro producing it."

Q: Please give us a little tour summary (South America, Festivals, Asia and Spain-Germany). What were your best/worst moments? Maybe you experienced also some funny things? How did you feel when you lost your voice in Hamburg?

A: "We can not complain about the reactions all over the world; even in places where GOTTHARD was headlining, the whole venue was singing our songs. Actually Germany was sort of the more ”silent-gourmets”… Not bad, but not at all as much of a party as everywhere else. Most people came for Gotthard, while in other countries we had many fans showing up for us. Over hear in my own country we still have a lot of work to do, I guess. It was generally a good year especially for me. I finally got fully back into the whole thing again and I am now ready for more. The band got a good feel about itself and we can move on from here with hopefully better records.

When I lost my voice in Hamburg, I wasn’t in a good mood before the show already, because I knew I was getting very sick. I just knew it was not just a little cold. While I was warming up the voice before the show with some ELVIS tunes, I realized: it’s not going to work this time, because the voice died on me already then… On stage I took it pretty good, because... what can you do? A caught a real infection, there is really nothing you can do, so I tried to make the best out the situation. When the voice died in the third song, I left the stage and joined the crowd to take photos with them and sign autographs, while Kai was doing some singing. The next days I had 40 fever and even NOW, after 6 weeks, I’m still having it a bit in my bronchium. Sucks especially when this happens in your hometown, but sometimes life is just a bitch. It’s a situation I had to re-learn to live with too.

Q: Do you think Unisonic will play some festivals in the summer, or you will be very busy with other activities?

A: "Both. I am sure we will do at least a little bit, but we will also be busy with the next album."

GAMMA RAY's Skeletons & Majesties Live was relesaed on 2CD, DVD and Blu-Ray on November 30th in Europe and in North America on December 4th via Ear Music. The clip 'Time To Break Free' (with Michael Kiske) from the release can be viewed below:

Canadian folk/prog metallers SCYTHIA have announced the release of a remixed and remastered version of their holiday track '...Of Santa'.
The track is now available for download at the band’s Bandcamp page.

Listen to the track below:
The band previously released the music video for the track 'Video Game Medley'. The song is an adaptation of excerpts from video game theme songs Wizards and Warriors, Castlevania, Skyrim, Zelda: Ocarina of Time, Final Fantasy VI and Tetris and is off the band's new EP, For The Bear, that also features two new originals - 'Sailor's Accolade' and the title track 'For The Bear' - along with three remixes of 'Fierce Riders Of Scythia', 'Black Death' and 'Dies Irae Pt. 1', from the band's 2010 debut ...Of War, plus a Scythian adapted song of Quebecois folk song 'Mattawa Reel' by ROBERT FOREST.

Filmed in Vancouver, BC by James Weekes and Rosie Anson of Hammer Records, the video can be seen below:

UNISONIC / PINK CREAM 69 drummer Kosta Zafiriou is featured in a new interview with Pink Cream 69 Fanclub Brasil. An excerpt is available below:
Q: Unisonic just finished the first world tour. What moments were most remarkable to you? Did you expect the band would be such a great success, with a good audience return?

Kosta: "There is many remarkable moment I love to think about – the first show in Buenos Aires, the show in Sao Paulo was great, but also the performance at the Masters of Rock Festival in Czech Republic was magic. Also the shows in Japan were great…the more I think about it, the more shows I remember we really had a good time with the audience. I did not expect, but I was hoping that Unisonic would be accepted in the scene that fast, and we all were very happy it came as it came."

Q: Unisonic already have plans for the next record? Could you tell us something?

Kosta: "Yes. We plan to release the record in 2014 and tour afterwards."

Go to this location for the complete interview.

Unisonic - also featuring Michael Kiske (vocals, ex-HELLOWEEN), Kai Hansen (guitars, GAMMA RAY, ex Helloween), Mandy Meyer (guitars, ex-GOTTHARD, ex-KROKUS), Dennis Ward (bass, PINK CREAM 69) - performed at the Hellfest in Clisson, France on June 15th. Quality fan-filmed video from the show is available below:
The band's complete setlist was as follows:

'Unisonic'
'Never Too Late'
'King For A Day'
'My Sanctuary'
'March Of Time'
'Over The Rainbow'
'Star Rider'
'We Rise'
'I Want Out'

Northern Ireland-based rockers THE ANSWER have finished recording their new album with British producer Toby Jepson, main writer and vocalist with LITTLE ANGELS, who had twelve U.K. Top 40 hits throughout the 90s. Recorded at Vale Studios in the U.K., on one of the oldest 1970s Neve desks, the CD takes the band into a much more contemporary direction with great new songs and production.

Due in early 2013 via Napalm Records, THE ANSWER's new album is presently being mixed by Mike Fraser (AC/DC, METALLICA, AEROSMITH) at Warehouse Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Fraser heard some of the new songs and was so excited he cleared his diary to make sure he could mix the LP.

THE ANSWER's latest release, the "Rise" EP, named after the band's previously unreleased track, came out on July 2 via the group's own The Answer Productions label. The EP consists of a new 2012 radio edit mix of "Rise", an extended full-length version, a very special acoustic/orchestral version and a brand new mix of another rockin' gem called "Lost".

THE ANSWER's third album, "Revival", entered the official chart in the U.K. at position No. 39.

"Revival" was released on October 3, 2011 via Spinefarm Records. The initial run of the album was a limited-edition deluxe format with 24-page booklet and band sleeve notes, plus an 11-track second disc containing previously unreleased studio, acoustic, demo and cover material.

"Revival" was produced by Chris "Frenchie" Smith and mixed by Chris Sheldon.

MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil engaged in a war of words with some of his followers on Twitter after his call for new gun-control measures was met with resistance.

Following the mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school on Friday which resulted in the deaths of twenty-eight people, including 20 schoolchildren, Vince tweeted, "Sad day today. Prayers to all the families. Gun Control!!!"

A number of people responded unfavorably to Vince's comment, causing the singer to lash out: "Why is everyone so concerned with guns? What about the CHILDREN that were MURDERED today! Get your priorities straight!! Come on people!!"

He continued: "I did say gun control but I didn't think 90% of you would care more about your gun than dead children!!!

"FUCK YOU to EVERYONE who puts guns in front of kids!! Do not come to ANY shows! You are sick!!"

Friday's massacre in Newtown is the second-deadliest school shooting in U.S. history, behind the 2007 Virginia Tech mass shooting that left 32 dead.

Vince has two children, Elizabeth Ashley, 29, and Neil Wharton, 34. He has also a grandfather to Neil Wharton's son Trace, 1.

Vince's daughter Skylar Neil tragically died of cancer at the age of 4 in 1995.

Charlotte, NC progressive metal act THE RETICENT has released a video for the track 'With Folded Arms', taken from Le Temps Detruit Tout, which was released in May of this year on Heaven And Hell Records.
The song and video both serve as a tribute to the life and work of noted contrarian and self-described antitheist Christopher Hitchens, whose career of critique, debate, and authorship spanned four decades. The Reticent mastermind Chris Hathcock had the following to say about Hitchens and the video made in his honor:

"I found in Christopher Hitchens much the same inspiration I have found in many of my favorite musicians and composers. Hearing him speak or reading his work always stirred me and captivated me. And it is not necessarily the case that he informed my worldview as much as he lead me to my deep love of debate and open discourse of ideas. With my last album, and particularly with the song specifically dedicated to him ('With Folded Arms'), I wanted to pay tribute and give my honorarium. While most tribute songs are about the person or their life or the impact that person had on their life, I didn't want to go down that road. I'm just a nobody, who cares how Hitch affected me? I wanted my song to be perhaps an interpretation of him via ideas. Arguments and critique. Which does not rob the song of emotion in my opinion. To the contrary, I feel it is infused with even more because I am discussing ideas that are bigger than me rather than my own experiences as I have done in the past. Though I know it falls short by a mile of Christopher Hitchens' genius, I still wanted to say goodbye in my own way."

The video for 'With Folded Arms' can be seen below:
Le Temps Detruit Tout is a follow-up to the band’s 2008 album, Amor Mortem Mei Erit.



Tracklisting is as follows:

‘Nihil’
‘In Pursuit Of Redemption’
‘Mutually Assured Destruction’
‘Enemy’
‘Lie To Me’
‘Silence’
‘Le Tenia’
‘Patience’
‘Nihil Ex Nihilo’

Bonus tracks:
‘With Folded Arms’
‘Losing My Religion’

More on The Reticent at this location.

After the entire back catalogue of British progressive metal legends THRESHOLD (apart from the band’s 2007 Nuclear Blast debut Dead Reckoning) has been re-released over the past four months under the banner of the Definitive Editions - including extensive bonus material. The Definitive Editions of both the debut record Wounded Land (1993) and the follow-up Psychedelicatessen (1994) will now be released in vinyl format on January 25th.

Each album will be mastered especially for vinyl and packaged as a double album with gatefold sleeve including posters. Wounded Land will come in a choice of black or yellow vinyl, Psychedelicatessen will be available on black or red vinyl. The respective tracklists look as follows:
The tracklists look as follows:

Wounded Land:
'Consume To Live'
'Days Of Dearth'
'Paradox'
'Sanity’s End'
'Surface To Air'
'Mother Earth'
'Siege Of Baghdad'
'Keep It With Mine'
Bonus tracks:
'Intervention'
'Conceal The Face'
'Shifting Sands'
Psychedelicatessen:
'Sunseeker
'A Tension Of Souls'
'Into The Light'
'Will To Give'
'Under The Sun'
'Babylon Rising'
'He Is I Am'
'Innocent'
'Devoted'
'Lost'
'Intervention'
Bonus CD:
'Fist Of Tongues'
'Half Way Home'
'A Tension Of Souls' (live)
'Sanity’s End' (live)
'Innocent' (live)
'Surface To Air' (live)
'Paradox' (live)

Geneva, Switzerland's THE BLACK WIDOW'S PROJECT - formed in 2010 by singer/guitarist Al Castro and drummer Math Sink - have released their debut full-length album, Heavy Heart, digitally through main platforms including iTunes, Deezer, and Spotify. A physical CD release will come in January.
Tracklisting:

'Ha Ha Ha Uh'
'Devil's Waiting For Us To Fail'
'Love's A Weapon'
'Cold Snakes'
'The 5th'
'Ain't Gonna Tell You Lies'
'We Have To Be Free'
'These Little Pricks'
'Interlude'
'Got The Devil'
'Dead Man Walking'
'Spirits'
'Night's Damp'
'Innerwar'

The full album can be streamed at this location.
More on The Black Widow's Project at this location.

Pittsburgh-based GENE THE WEREWOLF have released the video for 'Superhero', taken from their international debut album aptly entitled Rock N' Roll Animal, out now via Frontiers Records. The official EPK (electronic press kit) for the album can be found on YouTube below:
Guitar player Drew Donegan describes Gene The Werewolf’s sound as “classic rock with a modern vibe”, similar to what bands like KISS, DEF LEPPARD, AC/DC and MÖTLEY CRÜE would sound like if they released their music today... a far cry from the pop-punk bands the band members had been in previously. “We also like the term diamond-core, because diamond is the hardest rock known to man,” Donegan adds.
When referring to Rock N' Roll Animal, the band's newest album, Gene exclaims: "It's the perfect soundtrack to a beer-infused Saturday night!"

Plenty of bands aren’t shy about flaunting cocky bios and making no secret of their self-perceived talent, but few take it as far as Gene the Werewolf. “We used to say we were the best rock band, but by now I’d say we’re just the best band ever,” Donegan said. “We play absurdly loud, sweat our asses off, and then sleep on filthy apartment floors together because we love doing it."

Ultimately, the band's intentions are as pure as they've ever been. "We formed this band to play loud, rowdy, and crude Rock N' Roll," says Gene. "I think with this record we've accomplished everything we've ever wanted out of being in a band together."

Gene The Werewolf's first video clip from Rock N' Roll Animal was for the song 'I Only Wanna Rock N Roll' and can be viewed below:
Gene The Werewolf is:
Jon Belan a/k/a Gene the Werewolf – vocals, guitar
Drew Donegan – guitar
Aaron Mediate – keyboards
Nick Revak – drums
Tim Schulz – bass and vocals

To celebrate the success of Carolus Rex and the Swedish Empire Tour, SABATON are releasing a special limited edition of Carolus Rex on 180g gatefold LP, for the first time in Swedish. The LP comes on unique blue and yellow vinyl and includes a DIN A2 poster and lyric sheet.

Place your orders at this location.
Sabaton recently posted a series of clips from one of the cameras filming for their upcoming Blu-ray / DVD:

"Big sorry for the terrible sound and a huge thanks to the fantastic crowd! This was an amazing night that we never will forget!"

The show was filmed on November 16th in Gothenburg, Sweden at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden. The band hopes to release the DVD in 2013. Stay tuned for updates.

BLACKMORE’S NIGHT - The Beginning is a documentation about the early period of a musical legend. In the lavish velvet-box you will find the first two Blackmore‘s Night albums, Shadow Of The Moon and Under A Violet Moon, as well as rare video footage of their early tours, Live In Germany 1997-1998, and Under A Violet Moon - Castle Tour 2000. Available for the first time on DVD and only in the The Beginning box. Check out a new EPK for the release at this location.
The footage from various concerts from the Shadow Of The Moon and Under A Violet Moon tours is enriched by interviews with Ritchie Blackmore and Candice Night, as well as backstage footage, rehearsal footage and medieval fight shows.

"We live the music“, says Ritchie Blackmore, confirming the impression that this documentation gives every second - Blackmore‘s Night is authentic. The enthusiasm of the musicians captivates the audience and takes them along on a journey through the past. Some of the DVD tracks go from the living room rehearsals to the stage and are impressive proof that the compositions function wonderfully as intimate acoustic versions, as well as with the full band on the big stage.

Blackmore‘s Night - The Beginning is a very special release, not only for fans and collectors, for nostalgic or the medieval curious, but for any lover of beautiful timeless music. This extraordinary box provides the owner not only two DVDs with a delightful, interesting and entertaining performances plus two original studio albums of fantastic music, but rather with it is a ticket out of the dreary day to day life, a way to leave everything behind, to relax the soul for a few hours.

"Music that moves the soul and takes people into a majestic world." - Blackmore

Blackmore‘s Night - The Beginning will be available in North America on January 22nd, 2013.
Tracklisting:

DVD 1:
'Shadow Of The Moon'
'The Clock Ticks On'
'Play Minstrel Play'
'Minstrel Hall'
'St. Theresa'
'Under A Violet Moon'
'Magical World'
'No Second Chance'
'16th Century Greensleeves'
'Renaissance Faire'
'Writing On The Wall'
'Mond Tanz'
'Be Mine Tonight'
'Memmingen'
'Black Night'
'Man On The Silver Mountain'
'Still I'm Sad'
'Maybe Next Time'

DVD 2:
'Written In The Stars'
'Morning Star'
'Renaissance Faire'
'Fires At Midnight' (Midnight Acoustic Performance)
'Possum Goes To Prague'
'Under A Violet Moon'
'Spanish Nights'
'Past Time With Good Company'
'Wind In The Willows'
'March The Heroes Home'
'Gone With The Wind'
'Fires At Midnight' (Midnight Acoustic Performance)
'Now & Then'
'Durch Den Wald Zum Bachhaus'

CD 1:
'Shadow Of The Moon'
'The Clock Ticks On'
'Be Mine Tonight'
'Play Minstrel Play'
'Ocean Gypsy'
'Minstrel Hall'
'Magical World'
'Writing On The Wall'
'Renaissance Faire'
'Memmingen'
'No Second Chance'
'Mond Tanz'
'Spirit Of The Sea'
'Greensleeves'
'Wish You Were Here'
'Possum's Last Dance'

CD 2:
'Under A Violet Moon'
'Castles And Dreams'
'Past Time With Good Company'
'Morning Star'
'Avalon'
'Possum Goes To Prague'
'Wind In The Willows'
'Gone With The Wind'
'Beyond The Sunset'
'March The Heroes Home'
'Spanish Nights ( I Remember It Well)'
'Catherine Howard's Fate'
'Fool's Gold'
'Durch den Wald Zum Bach Haus'
'Now And Then'
'Self Portrait'