FATES WARNING vocalist Ray Alder has inked a solo deal with InsideOut Music. His first solo album, "What The Water Wants", includes 10 melodic and versatile songs created with assistance from guitarists Mike Abdow (FATES WARNING touring member) and Tony Hernando (LORDS OF BLACK) as well as drummer Craig Anderson (IGNITE, CRESCENT SHIELD). The LP was mixed by Simone Mularoni (RHAPSODY, MICHAEL ROMEO, DGM) and will be released worldwide on October 18.


The first single from the record, "What The Water Wanted", can be heared below (lyric video by Cloud Music Typography).

Alder commented: "I am so happy to announce that I have signed a deal with InsideOut Music for my solo project and the debut album, 'What The Water Wants'.

"I want to thank InsideOut Music for giving me the opportunity to record and share this album with the world.

"For the last year, I have been writing with Mike Abdow, guitarist/bassist Tony Hernando and my longtime friend Craig Anderson on drums. The album was mixed by Simone Mularoni, who worked tirelessly with me to give this project the great sound we felt it deserved. I have had the ideas for a while but never had the time to actually sit down and write. But since FATES WARNING had taken a break from writing and touring, I finally had the chance to assemble the album. I hope you all enjoy it as much as we did writing and recording it."


"What The Water Wants" track listing:

01. Lost

02. Crown Of Thorns

03. Some Days

04. Shine

05. Under Dark Skies

06. A Beautiful Lie

07. The Road

08. Wait

09. What The Water Wanted

10. The Killing Floor

11. The Road (acoustic version) (bonus track)


"What The Water Wants" will be made available as limited first-pressing digipak CD with a bonus track (an acoustic version of "The Road") and as an LP on 180-fram vinyl with the full album on CD as bonus.

Following the release of their 2017 album Monumentum, Swedish rockers Eclipse return with the band's seventh studio album, Paradigm, out on October 11 via Frontiers Music Srl.

The album will be released on CD, vinyl, limited edition color vinyl/t-shirt bundles and digitally. Pre-order here. There is also a limited picture vinyl available for the single "Viva La Victoria". Order here, and watch a video for the song below.

The new album title Paradigm is no coincidence. Eclipse’s new album stands as a paradigm for the sound they’ve developed over their last albums: massive arena choruses over heavy guitars coupled with frontman Erik Martensson's stellar vocals.

Over the last few years they have per-formed to audiences around the globe including the US, Japan, Australia and Europe and have opened for giants like Aerosmith and Scorpions. Their albums have amassed millions of streams and charted in several European countries including a top 20 spot on the official Swedish album chart for their previous record.

Describing the new record Paradigm, Erik Martensson says: “I once saw someone describing our previous record as an accelerating motion, picking up more and more speed as the record progressed. Well, I think it is safe to say that Para-digm picks up where the previous record left off. We have a whistle blowing a few seconds in on the opening track and from there it’s just full speed ahead! We’ve written some of the best songs of our career and we can’t wait for people to hear them!”

The album’s opening track "Viva La Victoria" is the first video off the record and sees the band cooperating with renowned video director Patric Ullaeus who has previously made videos for bands like In Flames, Arch Enemy and Europe to name a few.

Magnus Henriksson, the band’s lead guitarist: “'Viva La Victoria' was the obvious choice for the first video and Patric was fantastic to work with. We had a bunch of fans show up on the set and made the video together with them which fits the theme of the song perfectly.”

Paradigm is Eclipse tour de force: the crafting of the tracks on this album is su-perb and overall this is a killer hard rock album with many highlights. If you like modern, well-played well-produced hard rock, don't miss it.

 

Tracklisting:

“Viva La Victoria“
“Mary Leigh“
“Blood Wants Blood“
“Shelter Me“
“United“
“Delirious“
“When The Winter Ends“
“.38 Or .44“
“Never Gonna Be Like You“
“The Masquerade“
“Take Me Home“

“Viva La Victoria” video:

"United":




(function() {
var zergnet = document.createElement('script');
zergnet.type = 'text/javascript'; zergnet.async = true;
zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https:" : "http:") + '//www.zergnet.com/zerg.js?id=70729';
var znscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr);
})();

"These Chains" is the second single release from AnoxiA, prior to the word wide release of the full-length album To The Lions out on Mighty Music October the 4th. The song operates somewhere between melodic hard rock and metal blended with thrashy elements. Check out the new video, premiered by BraveWords, below:

Lars Frederiksen (vocal/guitar) explains:

"Here we are dealing with both a classic AnoxiA recipe music wise but also a clash of metal meeting hard rock. The fundament of the song is a melodic and powerful riff and the song opens up with several changes in speed and intensity. I am tempted to call it the ballade of the album due to the high melodic chorus, but I won't - everyone knows that ballades are not to be found on true metal records.”

To The Lions is in the natural vein of AnoxiA’s previous works, not deviating too much from the recognizable AnoxiA-formula of heavy metal. However, this time AnoxiA decided on a more direct and clear edge to the sound, allowing the songs to speak more for themselves. The musical direction bears references to the likes of Iron Maiden, Slayer, In Flames, and a lot of classic hard rock and ‘80s thrash.

Guitarist Claus S. Nielsen states: “This time our approach to the writing process was to create aggressive and raw, yet melodic and memorable heavy metal songs that first hit you between the eyes and then stick in your ears! That has indeed been a pleasant journey, however with many a fun detour along the way. ”

Vocalist and guitarist Lars Frederiksen elaborate: “We wanted to keep intact the AnoxiA trademark, but at the same time also to renew or refine our sound. By teaming up with our longtime friends, Ole W. Bertelsen (producing, recording, mixing)) and Simon Joergensen (drum recording) we gained a more direct and dynamic sound than the previous album. Adding Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios, who in fact did some of our first demos in 2000, for mastering the album, gave the new album the last boost and we’re very satisfied with the sound.”

AnoxiA is a well-established act on the Danish underground live metal scene, their longevity dating back 20+ years. Hell bent on having fun during performance, AnoxiA approaches any gig fully charged, sincerely convinced that in order for the audience to enjoy, the band must enjoy.




(function() {
var zergnet = document.createElement('script');
zergnet.type = 'text/javascript'; zergnet.async = true;
zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https:" : "http:") + '//www.zergnet.com/zerg.js?id=70729';
var znscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr);
})();

Australian hard rockers AIRBOURNE will release their fifth studio album, "Boneshaker", on October 25 via Spinefarm Records. The cover artwork for the disc is a collaboration between Matt Read of Combustion Ltd., and Sean Tidy of Design House Studio Ltd.

On the topic of the artwork, guitarist Matthew Harrison states: "The whole sentiment we were after was about rock 'n' roll for life. We wanted to create something tattoo worthy, and that the artwork was classic and stood the test of time."

With the creation of "Boneshaker", AIRBOURNE decided to take the bolder path; to align with Nashville's number one producer Dave Cobb, whose credits include both Chris Stapleton and "A Star Is Born" soundtrack, as a way of staking out new turf away from comfort zones and safe havens…

"It's a live gig in the studio. This is always something we wanted to do — find a way to bring the soul and power of an AIRBOURNE live show into an album. Cobb caught our lightning and put it in a bottle," states bandleader Joel O'Keeffe.

Relocating to historic Studio A on Nashville's Music Row, six-time Grammy Award-winning producer Cobb's natural home and one of Music City's most prized creative hubs, the four musicians set themselves a challenge: to make a record cut from the same frayed cloth as those classic late-'70s recordings from Australia's legendary Albert's house of "Oz Rock" that inspired the band so much.

There are no weird tangents here, no un-called for asides, no messin' about. This is straight-down-the-line pure rock ‘n' roll drama smelling of burnt rubber, spilt gasoline and valves glowing red hot. No ballads, no acoustic guitars, no keyboards. 10 tracks, 30 minutes of music. Everything lean an' lethal, stripped to the bone, to those essential elements that rock 'n' roll requires to properly do its work: raging guitars, pounding bass 'n' bass, vocals packed full of real personality — the kind of passion that only comes from willfully pursuing a life on the line.

"Boneshaker" track listing

01. Boneshaker

02. Burnout The Nitro

03. This Is Our City

04. Sex To Go

05. Backseat Boogie

06. Blood In The Water

07. She Gives Me Hell

08. Switchblade Angel

09. Weapon Of War

10. Rock 'N' Roll For Life


Pre-orders for AIRBOURNE's fifth studio album are now live, with an instant download of the first single and album title track and special bundle options including t-shirts, hoodies, enamel badge and poster.

"Boneshaker" was premiered live at Wacken Open Air in front of 80,000 people, AIRBOURNE's fourth time at the legendary festival, which felt like a homecoming for the band.

Nate Winger, brother of WINGER frontman Kip Winger, died earlier today. An official cause of death has not yet been revealed.

Kip announced his brother's passing in a social media post. He wrote: "It is with profound sadness that we say goodbye to my beautiful brother Nate.

"Nate, I learned so much from you in this life. You were a warrior's warrior. Your big heart was so beautiful. You will be missed and honored by so many. I love you. R.I.P."

Most recently based in Denver, Nate Winger has played drums in several projects, including LORDS OF DISTORTION and BLACKWOOD CREEK, which featured Kip on bass and vocals.

In his official bio on the LORDS OF DISTORTION web site, Nate wrote: "I grew up in a musical family. Mom and dad had a jazz trio with a piano player and my brothers and I would go on the road with them. Since there were tree of us, we started a band when we were really young. My older brother Paul played guitar and Kip, my younger brother who has had a bit of success in his time, played bass while I started my career on drums. We enlisted a neighborhood kid to be the second guitar and then we went and played gigs for keggers, parties, dances and everything in high school. I moved to L.A. in 1985 and found myself recording with major-label records, primarily doing background vocals. I had the opportunity to work with producers Beau Hill, Bob Ezrin and numerous others. I sang on records from KISS, Dweezil Zappa, EUROPE and RATT to many newly signed bands in L.A."

It is with profound sadness that we say goodbye to my beautiful brother Nate.

Nate, I learned so much from you in this life. You were a warrior’s warrior. Your big heart was so beautiful. You will be missed and honored by so many. I love you. R.I.P. pic.twitter.com/8QrDRYW8xK— kipwinger (@kipwinger) August 22, 2019

A live version of "Interstate Love Song", taken from the 25th-anniversary edition of STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' "Purple" album can be streamed below.

When STONE TEMPLE PILOTS returned to the studio in 1994 to record the band's second album, the quartet was facing the high expectations set by its debut "Core" (1992), which sold more than eight million copies and earned a Grammy Award. The release of "Purple" on June 7, 1994 would cement their place as one of the definitive bands of their generation as the album debuted at #1 on the Billboard album chart on its way to selling more than six million copies.

"Purple: Super Deluxe Edition" will be available on September 13 for $64.98 via Rhino. The 3-CD/1-LP set includes a newly remastered version of the original studio album on both CD and vinyl, plus unreleased versions of album tracks and rarities, along with an unreleased full concert recording from 1994. On the same day, the music will be made available both digitally and as a 2-CD Deluxe Edition.

A limited-edition bundle of the "Purple: Super Deluxe Edition" is available to pre-order at stonetemplepilots.com which includes a bonus replica seven-inch vinyl single of "Interstate Love Song" that was originally released in the U.K. in 1994. This exclusive bundle is limited to 1,000 copies.

Scott Weiland, Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo and Eric Kretz recorded most of "Purple" in Atlanta with producer Brendan O'Brien. The album features some of the group's most iconic tracks, including "Interstate Love Song" and "Vasoline" — which both topped the Mainstream Rock chart in 1994.

"Purple: Super Deluxe Edition" explores the making of the album with a mix of unreleased music that includes demos ("Unglued" and "Army Ants") and early versions of album tracks ("Meat Plow" and "Interstate Love Song"), plus acoustic recordings ("Big Empty"). The collection also features three unreleased live performances from the 1994 KROQ Acoustic Christmas show, including a version of "Christmastime Is Here" from "A Charlie Brown Christmas". Perhaps the biggest surprise of the new collection, however, is STP's previously unreleased demo of "She Knows Me Too Well", a song the BEACH BOYS originally recorded in 1965.

"Purple: Super Deluxe Edition" closes with a previously unreleased recording of the band's August 23, 1994 concert in New Haven, Connecticut. The electrifying 17-song performance captures the band in top form with both electric and acoustic sets, featuring 10 songs from "Purple" along with hits from "Core" ("Plush" and "Sex Type Thing") and covers (David Bowie's "Andy Warhol" and Woody Guthrie's "Gypsy Davy").

"Purple: Super Deluxe Edition"

3CD/1LP track listing

Disc One: Purple 2019 Remaster

01. Meat Plow

02. Vasoline

03. Lounge Fly

04. Interstate Love Song

05. Still Remains

06. Pretty Penny

07. Silvergun Superman

08. Big Empty

09. Unglued

10. Army Ants

11. Kitchenware & Candybars

Disc Two: Early Versions, Demos & Acoustic

01. Meat Plow – Early Version *

02. Interstate Love Song – Early Version *

03. Big Empty – Acoustic Version *

04. Unglued – Demo *

05. Army Ants – Demo *

06. Kitchenware & Candybars – Demo *

07. Dancing Days

08. She Knows Me Too Well – Demo *

09. Interstate Love Song – Acoustic Version * (Live At KROQ Acoustic Christmas 1994)

10. Pretty Penny – Acoustic Version *

11. Kitchenware & Candybars – Acoustic Version *

12. Christmastime Is Here – Acoustic Version *

Disc Three: Live at New Haven Vererans Memorial Coliseum, New Haven, CT, August 23, 1994

01. Vasoline *

02. Silvergun Superman *

03. Crackerman *

04. Lounge Fly *

05. Meat Plow *

06. Still Remains *

07. Gypsy Davy *

08. Pretty Penny *

09. Creep *

10. Andy Warhol *

11. Army Ants *

12. Big Empty *

13. Interstate Love Song *

14. Plush *

15. Unglued *

16. Dead & Bloated *

17. Sex Type Thing *

* previously unreleased

Bonus "Interstate Love Song 7-inch

Side 1

01. Interstate Love Song

Side 2

01. Lounge Fly

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and RIVAL SONS will embark on their first ever co-headlining U.S. tour this fall. Produced by Live Nation, the exclusive 12-city outing will begin September 13 in Baltimore and see the two bands performing on intimate stages across the states including The Met Philadelphia, Ford Amphitheater in New York City, The Fillmore New Orleans and more, before wrapping October 9 in San Diego.

Corey Glover (vocalist of LIVING COLOUR and BOWIE EXPERIENCE), George Pond (former bassist of NEGATIVE SKY), Corey Pierce (former drummer of GOD FORBID), Mark Monjoy (rhythm guitarist, SEKOND SKYN) and Danny Puma (lead guitarist, NEGATIVE SKY) have joined forces in a new metal band called DISCIPLES OF VERITY.

The official lyric video for DISCIPLES OF VERITY's new single, "Worthy", can be seen below. The song features Jeff Loomis (NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY) on guitar and is the first track from the band's upcoming full-length album, "Pragmatic Sanction", due later in the year via The Label Group / Ingrooves.

Says Glover about "Worthy": ""No matter what you go through, as long as you're breathing and still here to see another day, it is another chance. Being worthy though, that is the rub you are always trying to figure out. The heart and mind play against each other. Your mind may say you aren't good enough, but your heart knows you are worthy. That said, I am here for a reason. I am 'worthy.'"

During a recent interview with the "Digital Killed The Radio Star" podcast, MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson addressed the fact that it is very tough for artists to gain widespread exposure when there is relatively little money being generated through music sales and streaming. As a result, younger artists are finding it more and more difficult to be able to afford to make music and are having to procure alternative revenue streams to survive.

"To be honest with you, the best way to stay in the music business now is to get into real estate," Ellefson quipped (hear audio below). "Because there's not a lot of money in this anymore. And that's the reality. And I saw that coming years ago.

"Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH leader] and I were to lucky to get in under the wire with MEGADETH where there was still a bright future ahead of you. Getting signed to a major label; our days [on] Combat Records — not so glorious, but there was a bright light up ahead. We actually outlived our seven-album Capitol deal. And by the time that was done, we transitioned over to Rod Smallwood, IRON MAIDEN's manager, he put together the Sanctuary Music Group, and we transitioned over to that. And that was — essentially it was a very large independent label, so in one way, Dave and I, we kind of felt like we were — while there was a lot of money in it — I remember feeling like we were kind of going back into the independent world, which was a little daunting. And then Dave did three records for Roadrunner… And [we're] now back on Universal Records with MEGADETH."

According to Ellefson, most rock bands still have to rely on relentless touring, grassroots marketing and low budgets to have a career.

"Heavy metal and punk rock, it's always built from the ground up," he explained. "And if you're lucky enough, like we were with MEGADETH, to get MTV success and have some of the shiny celebrity moments, but those often will go away. We're still left standing, because we've built a real fanbase. And with MEGADETH being back on Universal, which is where we are now… The reason Universal signed MEGADETH was because we pretty much brought the full cache to the table already. I can imagine many record labels today that have built bands like MÖTLEY CRÜE and MEGADETH and GUNS N' ROSES, I bet they're kicking themselves that they didn't somehow write some sort of a '360 deal' back in the day," referring to legal language that lets music companies take cuts of different artist revenue streams, including merch, touring, fan clubs, sponsorships, endorsements, etc. "'Cause imagine if [labels like] Geffen, Capitol, Warner Brothers, imagine if they also owned part of the MEGADETH brand; imagine if they owned some of our merchandising; imagine if they owned some of our touring. I often think about that with Capitol Records — they signed us to a seven-album deal. They didn't have any merchandising; they had no attachment to our brand. So they basically, for seven albums, built our name, and then when it was all done, we walked out the door. Now, of course, they still have 'Rust In Peace' and 'Peace Sells' and they've got a huge catalog that makes all this money.

"So we were very lucky that we were in the period of the music business where we didn't have to give away the rights to many of those assets," he added. "Because most bands today, when you sign a deal, you are essentially having to give up some of your merchandising, possibly some of your touring. And quite honestly, as now a label guy [owner of EMP Label Group], I get it. I mean, who in their right mind would put a bunch of money out to build some artist's career, because there's such risk in it these days and not a lot of payoff."

Ellefson is continuing to play shows as part of his "Basstory - More Life With Deth" tour. The concerts feature a question-and-answer session/discussion with co-author and partner Thom Hazaert about Ellefson's memoir, "More Life With Deth", and a full live-band set including songs from the companion album "Sleeping Giants".

Performing with Ellefson is Hazaert, who handles vocals on the newly recorded tracks from "Sleeping Giants", along with "Basstory" vets, DEAD BY WEDNESDAY guitarist Dave Sharpe and drummer Opus Lawrence, and HATCHET guitarist Clayton Cagle.

"Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" recently conducted an interview with DEF LEPPARD and LAST IN LINE guitarist Vivian Campbell. You can listen to the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On what the focus will be for DEF LEPPARD's forthcoming Las Vegas residency:

Vivian: "There is no specific focus, unlike the [2013] 'Viva! Hysteria' [residency]. That was the first time we'd done an album in sequence, and we had to build a show around that. We broke that show up into parts. This show's going to be a bit more of a career retrospective. There's going to be some very new material that we've never played before as well as some very old material. There's a song we're working on today that I think I played with the band once in a club in Dublin, which was my very, very first time on stage with DEF LEPPARD, and it was a couple of days before the [1992] Freddie Mercury AIDS awareness [tribute concert], which was the big reveal. I think that was the only time we played this particular song, so, you know, it is more of a career-retrospective show. We are going to try to have a part of the show that will be more intimate. Not quite acoustic, but we're going to strip it down and focus on the vocal aspect of the band. It's something that we're pretty well-known for — being a hard rock band with really strong vocals, but to put it in a more intimate setting so we can make that be a focal point of the show as well. Like you said, it's still being decided, literally, and it will be right up until the last minute. We're going to Vegas a few days early to rehearse and work on the stage show and how we're going to present it. It's exciting. It's a different thing for us. It's very different to do a Vegas show than to do a normal touring show."

On whether he would like to play early DEF LEPPARD songs like "Rock Brigade" during the Vegas residency:

Vivian: "Those songs are very interesting to me. They are the first LEPPARD songs I ever heard. I was still back in Belfast [Ireland] at the time when I heard 'Wasted' and 'Rock Brigade'. We did actually play 'Rock Brigade' as part of the opening set on the 'Viva! Hysteria' residency. I'm not so sure how it went down; it's not terribly well known, but it certainly was fun to play. 'Wasted' is a song that we put into the encore slot on occasion, usually in Europe, usually in festival situations. I don't think it's really well known in the U.S. at all or North America. For me as a guitar player, it's always more interesting to play a rock-focused song as opposed to a pop song. There are certainly more of those in the early LEPPARD albums, when you take it back to the 'High And Dry' and 'Pyromania' albums, I get to stretch out a bit more when we do that. Yeah, I'm nudging them there and we're going to be playing some of them in Vegas, for sure."

On the status of DEF LEPPARD's next studio album and whether they will use their Vegas residency to try out new ideas:

Vivian: "There's always songs on the go. Everyone in the band is a songwriter. We all have these little ideas in our back pocket. It's all a question of making the collective effort and actually start recording something. There's been rumors of maybe addressing that sometime in 2020. I don't know if it will be an album; I doubt it. I think what will probably will happen is we'll go into the studio and just try and focus on two or three or four ideas and see what comes out of it. The last time we did that, it ended up being an album, which was the eponymous DEF LEPPARD album in 2015. It's about time. We gotta keep exercising that muscle, as creative beings and as a creative unit, we have to keep doing that, even if it's an excuse to go on tour, because, hey, we got a new album. It's important for us as musicians that we keep doing that. There's a certain percentage of LEPPARD's fanbase that really are hungry for new music. Then there's a whole other generation who is just discovering DEF LEPPARD for the first time and coming to our shows, and they want to hear the hits. I don't think we'll be focusing on writing in Vegas. I'd say the first week is going to be pretty hectic, trying to finalize some of the songs. Like I said, we want to make it a little bit different every single show we're doing out there. We're constantly going to be rehearsing, even on the days off, and finessing the show, right up until the last week. Funny enough, Andy Freeman, the lead singer in LAST IN LINE, lives in Las Vegas. On some of the days off, I'm going to be writing with LAST IN LINE for the next album for that project, but that's a whole different thing."

DEF LEPPARD recently completed an 11-date Canadian tour with TESLA.

The band will take over Zappos Theater at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for 12 nights between August 14 and September 7.

IRON MAIDEN and Robinsons Brewery have announced a new limited-edition label for their award-winning Trooper beer, which will be arriving on shelves from October and will be available until the end of November.

The beer, which scooped a silver medal at the recent International Beer Challenge has been a smash hit for Robinsons and IRON MAIDEN since launching in 2013. The beer has, to date, sold over 25 million pints in over 50 countries around the world.

Mexico's Dia De Los Muertos (Day Of The Dead) is celebrated annually. The holiday celebrates the dead and is a time for people to honor their ancestors and loved ones who have passed away and invite those spirits back into their homes to be part of the family once more. The practice goes back thousands of years in Latin American cultures.

One of the most popular parts of the holiday is people turning themselves into skeletons adorning their appearance with flowers and bright colors. As a result, the sugar skull has become an icon of the Day Of The Dead and one that Trooper has now paid homage with a new look for IRON MAIDEN's legendary mascot Eddie in full Day Of The Dead costume.

Trooper brand manager Sam Kennerley said: "We are delighted to be bringing our loyal drinkers a new, limited-edition look for our award-winning Trooper. The timing couldn't be more ideal with Day Of The Dead just around the corner and IRON MAIDEN continuing on their sell-out 'Legacy Of The Beast' world tour with stadium and arena shows, fittingly, in Mexico and also Brazil (including 100,000 people at Rock In Rio), Chile and Argentina in September and October. We hope that our drinkers will enjoy the tribute we have paid to Mexico's time-honored tradition and will pick up a bottle whilst it is available between October and November."

Trooper limited-edition Day Of The Dead will be available from October to November 2019 in cask, bottle and through export listings.

For more information on Trooper, visit ironmaidenbeer.com.

Guitar legend Steve Vai has posted the following message to the fans:

"November 18th, 2019 marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Whitesnake’s Slip of the Tongue CD, and to commemorate this, Rhino Records is releasing this 30th anniversary remaster package on October 4th.

This was a special record and time for me. My co-creating with Whitesnake / David Coverdale came at the perfect time and allowed me to live one of the dreams I always desired; to tour the world with a group of fantastic guys, with the world's greatest rock singer at the helm (David Coverdale who is still going strong) and play guitar for thousands of people a night. It was sublime. I have a deep appreciation for Rudy Sarzo, Adrian Vandenberg, Tommy Aldridge, and David Coverdale. They were not only my friends but my teachers as well. I didn’t discover this until much later, though. We all came together with many other great talented people to make this epic record and tour.
 
A big time congratulations to all the Snakes.

A little guitar trivia: this is the first recording I made with the first prototype 7-string Universe guitar I was working on with Ibanez at that time. I used this guitar on virtually this whole record. It offers quite a nice low end dimension that was unique at the time.

I would also like to give a shout out to the late and very great Howard Kaufman. Howard was Whitesnake's manager and managed some of the biggest acts of the '80s. He was supreme and so very deeply loved by his clients and the entire music community. He’s one of those guys that if you were to ask about him to anybody that knew or worked with him, you would first see them light up, smile, and gush fond rememberings of his warm and positive energy. 

Congrats to you too, Howard, on this 30th anniversary of Slip."

Whitesnake's Slip Of The Tongue album, originally released in November 1989, will be re-released as a 30th Anniversary Edition on October 4th as a 6 CD / DVD collection via Rhino.

The package includes a newly remastered version of the album, plus unreleased studio recordings, audio and video of the band's performance aMonsters Of Rock 1990, and a new interview with Whietsnake founder / frontman David Coverdale. It comes in a 60-page hardbound book filled with rare memorabilia from the era. For a limited time, Rhino will offer the Super Deluxe edition paired with a lithograph signed by Coverdale.

The tracklist is as follows:

Disc One: Original 1989 Album (Remastered)

"Slip Of The Tongue"
"Kittens Got Claws" 
"Cheap An' Nasty"
"Now You're Gone" 
"The Deeper The Love" 
"Judgment Day"
"Sailing Ships"
"Wings Of The Storm" 
"Slow Poke Music" 
"Fool For Your Loving"

Bonus Tracks: B-Sides and Alternate Mixes:

"Sweet Lady Luck" (Single B-Side) 
"Now You're Gone" (Chris Lord-Alge Single Remix) 
"Fool For Your Loving" (Vai Voltage Mix) 
"Slip Of The Tongue" (Alternate Intro & Breakdown) 
"Cheap An' Nasty" (Alternate Solo & End) 
"Judgment Day" (Alternate & Extended Solos) 
"Fool For Your Loving" (Alternate AOR mix with CHR intro)

Disc Two: The Wagging Tongue Edition (CD Debut)

Interviewer: Phil Eastman 
Spoken Word: "Slip Of The Tongue" Interview 
"Slip Of The Tongue" 
Spoken Word: "Cheap An' Nasty" Interview 
"Cheap An' Nasty" 
Spoken Word: "Fool For Your Loving" Interview 
"Fool For Your Loving" 
Spoken Word: "Now You're Gone" Interview 
"Now You're Gone" 
Spoken Word: "Kittens Got Claws" Interview 
"Kittens Got Claws" 
Spoken Word: "Wings Of The Storm" Interview 
"Wings Of The Storm" 
Spoken Word: The Deeper The Love Interview 
"The Deeper The Love" 
Spoken Word: "Judgment Day" Interview 
"Judgment Day" 
Spoken Word: "Slow Poke Music" Interview 
"Slow Poke Music" 
Spoken Word: "Sailing Ships" Interview 
"Sailing Ships" 
Spoken Word: Closing Interview

Disc Three: Evolutions: Demos/Remixes/Re-records

"Slip Of The Tongue" * 
"Cheap An' Nasty" * 
"Now You're Gone" * 
"Judgment Day" * 
"Sailing Ships" * 
"Kittens Got Claws" * 
"The Deeper The Love" * 
"Wings Of The Storm" * 
"Slow Poke Music" * 
"Fool For Your Loving" * 
"Kill For The Cut" * 
"Parking Ticket" * 
"Sweet Lady Luck" (Instrumental) *

Disc Four: Monitor Mixes, April 1989

"Kittens Got Claws" * 
"Cheap An' Nasty" * 
"The Deeper The Love" * 
"Judgment Day" * 
"Slow Poke Music" * 
"Now You're Gone" * 
"Slip Of The Tongue" * 
"Fool For Your Loving" * 
"Wings Of The Storm" * 
"Sailing Ships" * 
"Sweet Lady Luck" * 
"Parking Ticket" * 
"Kill For The Cut (In Desperate Search Of A Melody)" * 
"Burning Heart" * 
"Ain't Gonna Cry No More" (Instrumental) * 
"We Wish You Well" *

Disc Five: A Trip To Granny's House: Session Tapes, Wheezy Interludes & Jams

"Slow Poke Music" * 
"Slip of The Tongue" * 
"Judgment Day" * 
"Now You're Gone" * 
"Wings Of The Storm" * 
"Sailing Ships" * 
"Liquor And Poker" * 
"Parking Ticket" * 
"Kill For The Cut" * 
"Ain't Gonna Cry No More" * 
"We Wish You Well" * 
"We Wish You Well" (Instrumental) * 
"Wheezy & Sometimes Very Naughty Interludes (Be Warned!)" * 
"Now You're Gone" (Revisited) * 
"Death Disco" * 
"Whitesnake Boogie" * 
"Mike Clink's Shoes Blues" * 
"Snake Shuffle" (Instrumental) * 
"Doodles" * 
"Dementia Polka" * 
"Kill For The Cut Blues" * 
"Cuban Heel Blues" * 
"Adje's Blues" *

Disc Six: Live at Donington 1990

"Slip Of The Tongue" 
"Slide It In" 
"Judgment Day" 
"Slow An' Easy" 
"Kittens Got Claws" 
"Is This Love" 
"Cheap An' Nasty" 
"Crying In The Rain" 
"Fool For Your Loving" 
"Here I Go Again" 
"Bad Boys" 
"Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City" 
"Still Of The Night"

Disc Seven: DVD-Video: Live at Donington 1990

"Slip Of The Tongue" 
"Slide It In" 
"Judgment Day" 
"Slow An' Easy" 
"Kittens Got Claws" 
"Adagio For Strato"
"Flying Dutchman Boogie" 
"Is This Love"
"Cheap An' Nasty" 
"Crying In The Rain" (featuring Tommy Aldridge drum solo) 
"Fool For Your Loving" 
"For The Love Of God" 
"The Audience Is Listening" 
"Here I Go Again" 
"Bad Boys"
"Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City" 
"Still Of The Night" 
End Credits: We Wish You Well

Promo Videos:

"Fool For Your Loving" - Music Video 
"Now You're Gone" - Music Video 
"The Deeper The Love" - Music Video

Bonus Features:

"Sweet Lady Luck" - Purplesnake Video 
Behind the Scenes: The Making of Slip Of The Tongue 
A Look Back: Whitesnake Chronicles with DC & Adrian Vandenberg




(function() {
var zergnet = document.createElement('script');
zergnet.type = 'text/javascript'; zergnet.async = true;
zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https:" : "http:") + '//www.zergnet.com/zerg.js?id=70729';
var znscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr);
})();

Dave Grohl has denied reports that he will appear on the next QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE album.

This past June, ZZ TOP's Billy Gibbons implied that Grohl would be featured on the new QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE record, telling Eonmusic: "Just one month ago, I was making a record with QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE. Dave Grohl was also taking part."

Now, however, Grohl has dismissed the rumor, saying that he and QUEENS frontman Josh Homme have just been hanging out.

"I'm not on the new QUEENS record," Dave told NME. "You know what Josh and I have been doing together? Riding motorcycles and eating waffles. That's it. Let me tell you, it's a fun morning. We've done it more than a few times and it's pretty fucking great.

"I wish I was on the new QUEENS album," he added. "I fucking love playing with Josh. He's one of my best friends, but at the moment, it's just motorcycles and waffles."

Grohl previously played drums on five tracks on QUEENS' 2013 album "...Like Clockwork" and contributed drums, percussion and backing vocals to 2002's "Songs For The Deaf".

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE's seventh album, "Villains", was released in August 2017 via Matador Records.

From the brain trust of revered desert rock veterans Gary Arce (YAWNING MAN) and Bob Balch (FU MANCHU) comes the new psychedelic-stoner rock outfit BIG SCENIC NOWHERE. The band will release its debut EP, "Dying On The Mountain", on September 13 via Blues Funeral Recordings.

As friends and pioneering legends in the Palm Desert rock scene of the early '90s, Arce and Balch have performed in the same circles for decades, and now have teamed up with a few friends for a project that gives new life to the experimental and collaborative spirit of the early "generator parties" that gave birth to the scene nearly 30 years ago.


Built upon the riffs and writings of Arce and Balch with help from co-conspirators Tony Reed (MOS GENERATOR), Mario Lalli (FATSO JETSON, YAWNING MAN), Per Wiberg (SPIRITUAL BEGGARS, ex-OPETH), Bill Stinson (YAWNING MAN), Nick Oliveri (MONDO GENERATOR, ex-KYUSS), Lisa Alley and Ian Graham (both of THE WELL) and Thomas V. Jäger (MONOLORD), BIG SCENIC NOWHERE brings together an abundance of variation and showcases the raw songwriting born out of jam sessions where impromptu ideas were tossed back and forth, developed and laid to track.


"Dying On The Mountain" features two songs. The first, titled "Dying On The Mountain (Pt. 1) / Altered Ages / Dying On The Mountain (Pt. 2)", is a mammoth 20-plus-minute stoner jam with a series of distinguishable movements all brought to life with each of the performers' unique styles. The second track is the anthemic and equally dynamic, but compact "Towards The Sun", which can be streamed below.


Said Balch: "'Towards The Sun' is a result of Gary Arce and myself jamming riffs. We jammed for, like, five hours and then I went back in and grabbed sections and pieced them together. We started talking about guest musicians for this project and Tony Reed from MOS GENERATOR came up. Thomas Jäger from MONOLORD was mentioned too. Stoked we got them both to contribute. Mario Lalli on bass and Bill Stinson on drums rounded out the rhythm section. I think you can hear all of the bands represented in this track, if you listen closely. This is also one of the many times I've laid down a solo with the intention of constructing one later and recording over the first one. Almost every time that happens, I end up keeping the first one. This is no exception. First-take keeper!"


Recording credits:

"Dying On The Mountain (Pt. 1) / Altered Ages / Dying On The Mountain (Pt. 2)"

Bob Balch - Guitar

Gary Arce - Guitar

Nick Oliveri - Bass

Bill Stinson - Drums

Per Wiberg - Keys

Tony Reed - Vocals, Keys

Ian Graham - Vocals

Lisa Alley - Vocals

Jim Monroe - Percussion

"Towards The Sun"

Bob Balch - Guitar

Gary Arce - Guitar

Mario Lalli - Bass

Bill Stinson - Drums

Tony Reed - Vocals, Keys

Thomas Jäger - Vocals

KORN drummer Ray Luzier spoke to Sonic Perspectives about the band's forthcoming album, "The Nothing". Due on September 13 via Roadrunner/Elektra, the follow-up to 2016's "The Serenity Of Suffering" was once again produced by Nick Raskulinecz.

"The new KORN is just so powerful and emotional, I think fans are gonna freak the hell out," Ray said (hear audio below). "It's got elements of the past KORN. It's got a modern sound. I've never heard [singer] Jonathan Davis sound better than this. It's really mindblowing to me, so I can't wait for everyone to hear it."

According to Luzier, "The Nothing" sees KORN experimenting with its sound, yet staying true to it as well.

"That's what I love about Jonathan — he's not afraid to take chances on stuff," Ray said. "When we did the 'Korn III: Remember Who You Are' record [2010], that was my first full studio record [with KORN], and we went back in with producer Ross Robinson, which was a crazy thing to do. It was a very [unorthodox] record as far as how we did it and put it all together, but I'm proud of that record 'cause of how we did it. Then to take a left turn on the dubstep trip and bring DJs in… So he's just not afraid to take chances, and I love that. Sometimes you piss fans off by doing that.

"I think if you're a die-hard KORN fan, you're gonna freak out [when you hear] this new record, because it sounds like KORN 2019, but it's got elements of the past in there," Luzier added. "If you listen to this record from start to finish, it's a mentally exhausting thing in a good way."

Davis, whose estranged wife Deven died in August 2018, told Kerrang! magazine that "The Nothing" reflected events in his life, explaining: "It's basically me dealing with all the stuff that happened to me last year. Very emotional for me, but it is what it is. I can't wait for people to hear it. I really spent a long time on doing what I wanted to do this time."

KORN has teamed up with ALICE IN CHAINS for a co-headlining amphitheater tour across North America. The trek kicked off on July 18 in Del Valle, Texas and is hitting nearly 30 cities before wrapping on September 4 in Mountain View, California.

Guitar legend Steve Vai has checked in with the following update:

"On September 13th, I'm proud to be releasing Stillness In Motion on Blu-Ray for the first time! It originally came out on DVD because Sony decided not to release a Blu-Ray, but I always felt it should be released on Blu-Ray so I got the rights back and am now releasing this concert and amazing bonus footage on Blu-Ray. 

The package consists of 2 Blu-Ray discs, one is the full concert performance from Club Nokia and the other is The Space Between The Notes, which is one my favorite projects that I've ever completed. The Space Between The Notes has over 3.5 hours of off-stage video footage and photo montages. If you are interested in behind-the-scenes type footage, this is the mother load!

This package will also include 2 audio CDs with all of the audio from the Club Nokia show.

At this time, I’m working on composing new and tweaking existing symphony scores that will all be recorded in the studio in June 2020 with various orchestras in Europe. I’m enjoying doing this a lot… like a lot a lot. And I’m happy to announce that the entire concept for my next studio record was downloaded to me from the abyss as a mental image about 2 weeks ago, so after I finish the orchestra music, I will be starting on that. Thanks so much for following all this."

 

 




(function() {
var zergnet = document.createElement('script');
zergnet.type = 'text/javascript'; zergnet.async = true;
zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https:" : "http:") + '//www.zergnet.com/zerg.js?id=70729';
var znscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr);
})();

When PARADISE LOST guitarist Greg Mackintosh put to rest his VALLENFYRE side project in 2018, he closed a difficult but an ultimately cathartic period in his life. Created as a tribute to his father John, who passed away in 2009, VALLENFYRE originally served as a sounding board for Greg's grief, but then delved into his nihilistic take on the world. VALLENFYRE's brief existence was intentional — the band always knew they could go no further than the three studio albums that bore their name. A mere few days after VALLENFYRE played its last live show in September 2018, Mackintosh announced the formation of a brand-new band, STRIGOI. Freshly signed to Nuclear Blast, the English twosome will release its debut album, "Abandon All Faith", on November 22 and the first single will soon see the light of day.


Named after the troubled spirits in Romanian mythology who could rise from the grave and assume an entirely different form, STRIGOI's lineup is rounded out by former EXTREME NOISE TERROR and VALLENFYRE bass player Chris Casket. (PARADISE LOST drummer Waltteri Väyrynen provided studio drums but will not be a full-time member.) Recorded at Mackintosh's Black Planet studio between January and March 2019, the resultant 12-song LP finds Greg culling from his love of old-school death metal, grindcore and punk for a visceral, but cinematic offering of extreme metal. Whereas VALLENFYRE was down-and-dirty, crusty and often "in the gutter," STRIGOI conjures feelings of both dread and hostility, laced with Mackintosh's trademark lead guitar lines and biting death metal roar.

"With VALLENFYRE, we went down this path where it got more and more crusty," Mackintosh explains. "I thought we couldn't take it any further, so I needed to put in some new elements. With STRIGOI, there's a bit of spookiness, even some subtle elements of industrial and even black metal. The goal was to switch it up a bit. I was perfectly content with what I was doing in VALLENFYRE, but for STRIGOI to stand on its own, I wanted to try new things to separate ourselves from the pack."

STRIGOI is:

Greg Mackintosh - Vocals, Guitars

Chris Casket - Bass

Waltteri Väyrynen - Drums (studio only)

Some fans believe that they have finally figured out the identity of SLIPKNOT's newest member — the percussionist nicknamed "Tortilla Man."

Tortilla Man joined SLIPKNOT three months ago, when he was first featured in the video for comeback single "Unsainted". Since then, there has been much speculation about his name, with some SLIPKNOT fans getting quite obsessed with trying to work out the real identity of the band's latest recruit.

After SLIPKNOT guitarist Jim Root gave a recent interview to "The Art And Span Show" in which he described the mystery man as "a world-class pianist" and "a great percussionist" who is "schooled in music," Reddit user Les Connelly did some digging and has now gone public with his findings.

According to Connelly, Tortilla Man is none other than the multi-instrumentalist Michael Pfaff, who played keyboards with SLIPKNOT's Shawn "Clown" Crahan in the band DIRTY LITTLE RABBITS. Pfaff is also a member of the Iowa-based duo THE SNACKS, although he has reportedly been replaced by another keyboardist since February of this year.

Pfaff was apparently introduced to Crahan years ago by SLIPKNOT's resident DJ Sid Wilson, which may explain why Tortilla Man has such good onstage chemistry with Sid and Clown. In addition, Pfaff has a similar build and height as Tortilla Man, and Redditors have found that Pfaff's family members are following "#tortillaman" and other hashtags on social media related to the newest member of SLIPKNOT.

Crahan recently refused to reveal the identity of the band's mysterious new ninth member in an interview with Kerrang! magazine, saying it was "nobody's fucking business."

SLIPKNOT's previous percussionist, Chris Fehn, sued the band in March, claiming he hadn't been properly compensated for his years of touring and recording with the group. Fehn, a member since 1998, was officially dismissed from the band earlier this year.

In an interview with Zane Lowe on Beats 1, SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor said Tortilla Man had won the respect of bands and fans. "He's doing great and is a great dude," he said. "He's killing it, man."

Asked how anyone becomes an official member of SLIPKNOT, Taylor said: "First of all, you've got to wear the tortilla on your face. And the audience has to figure out who you are. With Tortilla Man, it's kinda cool. It's brought this whole new energy to everybody as well, so it's a lot of fun to watch him as well."

SLIPKNOT's sixth studio album, "We Are Not Your Kind", arrived on August 9. The band kicked off its North American headlining tour on July 26 in Mountain View, California.

SLIPKNOT guitarist Jim Root says that people will eventually figure out the identity of the band's newest member — the percussionist nicknamed "Tortilla Man."

Tortilla Man joined SLIPKNOT three months ago, when he was first featured in the video for comeback single "Unsainted". Since then, there has been much speculation about his name, with some SLIPKNOT fans getting quite obsessed with trying to work out the real identity of the band's latest recruit.

In a recent interview with "The Art And Span Show", Root said that he is surprised that SLIPKNOT's newest member has managed to remain anonymous for this long.

"I think we're just gonna let it ride," he said (hear audio below). "Eventually people will find out who he is; it's just inevitable in this day and age."

Offering a few hints about Tortilla Man's identity, Root went on to say: "He's a character, man. I didn't really know him very well before he started playing with us. But he's a hell of a musician, man. The guy is a world-class pianist; he's a great percussionist; he is schooled in music. He's not just a garage musician who came up and learned on his own. He obviously had natural ability, but he took it to another level and actually got a degree in music. So the guy is next level. Plus he's just out of his mind. I didn't think it was possible for anybody to match us. And I'll be standing there playing and all of a sudden I'll hear this thump next to me, and he'll have jumped down from his drum set. He's, like, next to me. And I'm, like, 'You're insane, dude. Your knees are gonna fucking just be done.' [Laughs]"

SLIPKNOT's other percussionist, founding member Shawn "Clown" Crahan, refused to reveal the identity of the band's mysterious new ninth member in an interview with Kerrang! magazine, saying it was "nobody's fucking business."

SLIPKNOT's previous percussionist, Chris Fehn, sued the band in March, claiming he hadn't been properly compensated for his years of touring and recording with the group. Fehn, a member since 1998, was officially dismissed from the band earlier this year.

In an interview with Zane Lowe on Beats 1, SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor said Tortilla Man had won the respect of bands and fans. "He's doing great and is a great dude," he said. "He's killing it, man."

Asked how anyone becomes an official member of SLIPKNOT, Taylor said: "First of all, you've got to wear the tortilla on your face. And the audience has to figure out who you are. With Tortilla Man, it's kinda cool. It's brought this whole new energy to everybody as well, so it's a lot of fun to watch him as well."

SLIPKNOT's sixth studio album, "We Are Not Your Kind", arrived on August 9. The band kicked off its North American headlining tour on July 26 in Mountain View, California.

SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor says that it is "really fun" keeping secret the identity of the band's newest member — the percussionist nicknamed "Tortilla Man."

Tortilla Man joined SLIPKNOT three months ago, when he was first featured in the video for comeback single "Unsainted". He came into the group following the acrimonious departure of Chris Fehn. Since then, there has been much speculation about his name, with some SLIPKNOT fans getting quite obsessed with trying to work out the real identity of the band's latest recruit.

Taylor told Australia's The Music that wanting to retain a semblance of mystery wasn't necessarily SLIPKNOT's intention, but is ultimately "kind of a cool byproduct" of the whole scenario. "We didn't want the emphasis to be on the new guy, we wanted the emphasis to be on the music," he said. "That was what it was always about for us. We didn't want the drama, we didn't want the bullshit, we wanted the attention to be on the fact that we had new music coming out. And as we pushed it even further, it's driven people so fucking crazy... Now, we're, like, 'We're never gonna tell now.' It's really fun."

SLIPKNOT's other percussionist, founding member Shawn "Clown" Crahan, also refused to reveal the identity of the band's mysterious new ninth member in an interview with Kerrang! magazine, saying it was "nobody's fucking business."

Fehn sued the band in March, claiming he hadn't been properly compensated for his years of touring and recording with the group. Fehn, a member since 1998, was officially dismissed from the band earlier this year.

In an interview with Zane Lowe on Beats 1, Taylor said Tortilla Man had won the respect of bands and fans. "He's doing great and is a great dude," he said. "He's killing it, man."

Asked how anyone becomes an official member of SLIPKNOT, Taylor said: "First of all, you've got to wear the tortilla on your face. And the audience has to figure out who you are. With Tortilla Man, it's kinda cool. It's brought this whole new energy to everybody as well, so it's a lot of fun to watch him as well."

SLIPKNOT's sixth studio album, "We Are Not Your Kind", arrived on August 9. The band kicked off its North American headlining tour on July 26 in Mountain View, California.

SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan says that he is "ecstatic" about the band's newest member — the percussionist nicknamed "Tortilla Man."

Tortilla Man joined SLIPKNOT three months ago, when he was first featured in the video for comeback single "Unsainted". He came into the group following the acrimonious departure of Chris Fehn. The masked metallers have seen a number of other lineup changes during their 20 years together, including the death of bassist Paul Gray and the exit of drummer Joey Jordison.

Speaking to Spotify's "Metal Talks" about SLIPKNOT's personnel shuffles, Crahan said: "We just had a lot of things happen. We've been doing it so long. I just put my foot down. We changed all of our crew. We're just a whole new family. We really wanted to bring it in. It's got nothing to do with everybody that was with us; it has to do with us trying to find each other and literally being happy with the nine of us being out here. 'Cause there's things happening all the time. We're older. I'm gonna be 50 in September.

"Recently, we just had to get a new member," he continued. "Things happen. It's nobody's fault. These things happen. Humans are humans. Things happen. I always hate it when things change, and I always feel bad, but people have to be responsible for their own lives. I can't tell people what to do or what I think — they have to make their own decisions. And like I said, we've been doing this a long time now. We're not just a baby band anymore. And we're all getting older. We were old to begin with. I started the band when I was 26, got signed when I was 29, and was 30 years old when I was on the road. I'm gonna be 50 in September. So, you know, things are tough.

"I think the world has an expectation that a band can stay together. Health — mental, spiritual — these are all things that get alleviated as you go on. Things change. And we're not really good with change, but we're really good with picking up the pieces and getting to work.

"I'm really ecstatic with the new member," Crahan added. "It's a lot of fun. And it's just nice that, at this stage of the game, when something like this happens, we can actually get someone who appreciates it and will bring 190 percent. Because we could easily get down, and I can easily let the press get to me, and fans and things, but they don't know all the circumstances, do they? And they're never gonna, because they shouldn't anyway. It's our family business, and there's much love for all the guys who are no longer in SLIPKNOT. Paul Gray has passed away, and he's missed every single day. Not our choice, but if SLIPKNOT's gonna continue, we've gotta pick up the pieces and we've gotta do the best we can for the culture. So that's what we do. So we just picked up the pieces recently, and we've done what we've done, and we're moving on and everyone's really happy, and we're very happy. Sorry things had to change.

"There's no such thing as control for all of us," Crahan concluded. "All of us have to let that go. I can't control people. I can't control their outcomes. I can only get up and do the best I can every day, so that's what I'm doing."

Crahan previously refused to reveal the identity of the band's mysterious new ninth member in an interview with Kerrang! magazine, saying it was "nobody's fucking business."

Fehn, sued the band in March, claiming he hadn't been properly compensated for his years of touring and recording with the group. Fehn, a member since 1998, was officially dismissed from the band earlier this year.

In an interview with Zane Lowe on Beats 1, SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor said Tortilla Man had won the respect of bands and fans. "He's doing great and is a great dude," he said. "He's killing it, man."

Asked how anyone becomes an official member of SLIPKNOT, Taylor said: "First of all, you've got to wear the tortilla on your face. And the audience has to figure out who you are. With Tortilla Man, it's kinda cool. It's brought this whole new energy to everybody as well, so it's a lot of fun to watch him as well."

SLIPKNOT's sixth studio album, "We Are Not Your Kind", was released on August 9. The band kicked off its North American headlining tour on July 26 in Mountain View, California.

Fan-filmed video footage of KISS's August 21 concert at Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pennsylvania can be seen below.

KISS frontman Paul Stanley recently spoke to The Sydney Morning Herald about the band's "End Of The Road" farewell tour, which kicked off in January and is expected to last at least through the end of 2020.

"This is our victory lap," he said. "It's us celebrating everything we created with our audience and with our fans. It's that time for people who've been with us over the years to come and celebrate all that we've had together. There's people who've never seen us before and they're leaving the show and thinking, 'Why didn't I come to this earlier?' It's terrific.”

Asked why he thinks KISS has endured this long, while other bands have fallen by the wayside, Stanley said: "People who experience KISS really are affected by it in a way that goes beyond it being a rock band. It's fascinating and amazing to be at these shows nightly and see parents and grandparents who want their offspring to experience what they experienced. It's far beyond typical rock bands, where you hate the idea of your little brother being there, or your neighbor. KISS is an amazing tribe and it's incredibly gratifying."

The rest of 2019 will see KISS playing an additional 16 concerts in North America, nine final shows in Australia and New Zealand, and five more in Japan.

KISS's current lineup consists of Stanley and fellow original member Gene Simmons, alongide later band additions, guitarist Tommy Thayer (since 2002) and drummer Eric Singer (on and off since 1991).

Formed in 1973 by Stanley, Simmons, drummer Peter Criss and lead guitarist Ace Frehley, KISS staged its first "farewell" tour in 2000, the last to feature the group's original lineup.

Every now and again, an artist that is already vital in its genre will take a complete 180-degree turn with its music and flex new creative muscles. That's exactly what Ohio-based rock band BEARTOOTH delivered with the folk- and country music-inspired "The Blackbird Session" EP.

"The Blackbird Session" reveals a fresh sound from the band — never seen and/or heard by fans — featuring twangy, stripped-down, and acoustic renderings of songs from BEARTOOTH's latest album, "Disease", out now via Red Bull Records.

"The Blackbird Session" is an ambitious and artistic left turn for BEARTOOTH, exploring lead singer Caleb Shomo's musical roots. While not an indicator of what fans should expect on future releases, it does show the depth and breadth of the band's songwriting and mastery in instrumentation.

"The Blackbird Session" arrives on September 13 on Red Bull Records.

Presented in video format, BEARTOOTH recorded "The Blackbird Session" at the famed Blackbird Studio in Nashville, Tennessee. Blackbird is owned by John McBride, an iconic producer and engineer in country music who has worked with artists such as Garth Brooks and Martina McBride, as well as pop titans TRAIN.

The idea of metal band BEARTOOTH recording a stripped-down, folk-inspired album at Blackbird was a project welcomed by McBride, who encouraged the band to record and served as guest engineer for the EP.

"When the idea came up to do acoustic sessions, immediately my mind went to family holidays — constantly surrounded by singing old hymns and harmonies on harmonies. The idea of taking BEARTOOTH in a direction of my first musical moments in life felt right," said Shomo. "The songs came out better than I could have ever imagined. A massive, MASSIVE part of that was Blackbird. The love I have for that place goes beyond any studio in existence. The rooms are the best in the world, the gear is the best in the world, the consoles... etc. All of this would be enough to make it feel like home, but the icing on the cake is the people who work there. Every time I walk in, it's nothing but good vibes and hard workers."

He continued: "We had the honor of the studio owner and mastermind John McBride (look him up — it's insane) requesting to engineer our session. This led to an environment that was amazing and free. No limits, no worries, just playing and singing. He handled the rest. Being able to mix tracks engineered by such a legend/tracked on his home turf was an honor."

Shomo finished: "This is 100% live. No metronome, minimal rehearsal, just a bunch of musicians who love what they do getting in a room and going for it. If you want to see and hear BEARTOOTH stripped down to one of its rawest and most emotional forms, please enjoy."

In one full day, BEARTOOTH reimagined four, full-band acoustic live recordings of "Disease", "You Never Know", "Afterall" and "Clever". The songs are arranged and enhanced with lap steel, violins, and female vocals.

In other BEARTOOTH news, the band will be going back on tour later this fall with A DAY TO REMEMBER and I PREVAIL on one of the most-anticipated treks of the entire fall season. All dates, including the band's upcoming festival appearances, are below.

"The Blackbird Session" EP track listing:

01. Disease

02. You Never Know

03. Afterall

04. Clever

Fan-filmed video footage of Ace Frehley's August 16 concert at Variety Playhouse in Atlanta, Georgia can be seen below.

Last fall, Frehley parted ways with the solo band that backed him on some of his most recent tours — Richie Scarlet on guitar, Chris Wyse on bass and Scot Coogan on drums/vocals — and replaced them with the musicians that played with KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons on his solo dates: Philip Shouse on bass, Ryan Cook on guitar/vocals and Jeremy Asbrock on guitar/vocals. Rounding out Ace's current band is drummer Matt Starr (MR. BIG).

Asbrock and Shouse are the founders of THEE ROCK N' ROLL RESIDENCY, a popular Nashville tribute band that routinely hosts surprise appearances by such rocks stars as Alice Cooper, Robin Zander (CHEAP TRICK) and Roger Glover (DEEP PURPLE).

Frehley first left KISS in 1982. He rejoined in 1996 and parted ways with the band once again in 2002 after the conclusion of their first "farewell tour." Since his departure, guitarist Tommy Thayer has assumed the role of the Spaceman.

Frehley's latest album, "Spaceman", was released last October via eOne. Gene co-wrote two tracks on the disc, "Without You I'm Nothing" and "Your Wish Is My Command", the latter of which also features Simmons's bass playing.

Frehley recently completed work on "Origins Vol. 2", the sequel to his 2016 collection of cover songs that inspired the former KISS guitarist. The LP, which is tentatively due in October, will feature guest appearances by Lita Ford (singing "Jumping Jack Flash") and CHEAP TRICK's Robin Zander (singing HUMBLE PIE's "30 Days In The Hole").

"I'll Be There", the new Bryan Ramirez-directed video from BAD WOLVES, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's upcoming sophomore album, "N.A.T.I.O.N.", which will be released in the fall via Eleven Seven Music.

BAD WOLVES singer Tommy Vext recently told HardDrive Radio about the making of the band's new disc: "Gutars and bass were tracked in [Las] Vegas with Max Karon, who is one of John's [Boecklin, drums] oldest friends, who also works for GHOST. And then we did production and vocals in L.A., at Sparrow Sound studio, with Joseph McQueen, who, his partner is Josh Gilbert from AS I LAY DYING. He did all the vocals on the first BAD WOLVES record. And then John flew to Nashville and did drums with Mark Lewis. So we went to all our favorite places to deal with each instrument accordingly."

He continued: "You go where the magic is. Everybody has their way. It's like outsourcing expertise. I've never recorded with anybody, over my 20-year career, that does my vocals better than Joseph. And he's gonna mix the record. And Mark Lewis is a monster at capturing drums. Him and John are really good friends. And Max is so proficient. It just makes everybody's life easier, the tonality that we were able to get. Just like the band's music is a concatenation of all these different influences of different genres, the recordings are as well."

Vext also revealed that BAD WOLVES have recorded another cover, following the band's massive breakout success last year with its rendition of the 1993 CRANBERRIES classic "Zombie".

Originally scheduled to feature a guest appearance from late CRANBERRIES frontwoman Dolores O'Riordan, "Zombie" launched shortly after her death in January of 2018 and went on to top the rock radio chart and sell a million copies.

"Zombie" surfaced on BAD WOLVES' debut LP, "Disobey", which came out in May 2018 and has also yielded the follow-up single "Hear Me Now", featuring Diamante, which reached No. 2 on the rock chart.

Guitarist Doc Coyle spoke to Australia's Loud about the musical direction of the band's second album. He explained: "It's diverse. There's stuff that's probably heavier, as or more heavy than the last record... And then there's some really catchy, kind of more mainstream stuff to cover that end of it, and a lot of stuff in the middle."

BAD WOLVES was formed in 2017, comprised of former members of DEVILDRIVER, GOD FORBID, DIVINE HERESY and IN THIS MOMENT.

Progressive music titans DREAM THEATER have released an animated video for the song "Barstool Warrior". The track comes off the band's recently released album, "Distance Over Time", which was met with critical and fan acclaim worldwide. The song has become a live show favorite and tells the fictional story of a man and a woman reflecting on their life decisions.

Comments guitarist John Petrucci: "'Barstool Warrior' is a fictional tale about two characters, unrelated but connected in their lament over being stuck in dead end situations.
The first is a local townie, alcoholic who never escaped the humdrum of his sleepy, maritime village. The second, a woman trapped in an abusive relationship trying to survive from day to day while questioning what makes her stay.
Both are able to reimagine their lives and find the courage to embrace a better future by embodying the person they dream of being."

DREAM THEATER will embark on the next North American leg of the "The Distance Over Time Tour – Celebrating 20 Years of Scenes From A Memory" next month. The trek will kick off at the end of September and run through mid-November. The 27-date tour will see the band making stops in Louisville, Kentucky; Cleveland, Ohio; Baltimore, Maryland; Long Island, New York; and San Jose, California, to name a few.

The first leg of tour gathered plenty of critical acclaim and fan praise due in large part to the diverse setlist the band created. DREAM THEATER featured tracks from its latest release, "Distance Over Time" and selections from their 30-year career along with a nightly celebration of the 20th anniversary of their seminal concept album "Metropolis Part 2: Scenes From A Memory" that the band performed in its entirety. The band will continue that trend on the fall tour to create an evening of over two hours and 45 minutes of DREAM THEATER at their masterful best making this a concert event to not be missed.

"Distance Over Time" was released on February 22. The artwork was created by long-time cover collaborator Hugh Syme (RUSH, IRON MAIDEN, STONE SOUR). The disc was produced by Petrucci, mixed by Ben Grosse and mastered by Tom Baker.

"Distance Over Time" marks DREAM THEATER's first album for Sony Music's progressive imprint InsideOut Music. The group spent the past 25 years recording under various labels in the Warner Music Group system, most recently Roadrunner Records, which released five albums by the band between 2007 and 2016.

Photo credit: Mark Maryanovich

Fan-filmed video footage of Alice Cooper's entire August 16 concert at BB&T Pavilion in Camden, New Jersey can be seen below.

As previously reported, Cooper will release a six-song EP, "Breadcrumbs", on September 13 via earMUSIC.

Described as a "tribute to the garage rock heroes from his hometown Detroit city," the EP includes covers of MC5's "Sister Anne", Suzi Quatro's "Your Mamma Won't Like Me" and MITCH RYDER AND THE DETROIT WHEELS' "Devil With A Blue Dress".

Joining Cooper on the recordings are MC5's Wayne Kramer, jazz singer Paul Randolph, former GRAND FUNK RAILROAD member Mark Farner, ex-DETROIT WHEELS drummer Johnny "Bee" Badanjek and Mick Collins.

"Breadcrumbs" will be made available digitally as well as on 20,000 numbered 10-inch vinyl copies.

Cooper spoke about the release earlier in the year, telling The Oakland Press: "There's a certain Detroit sound we're looking for. It's indefinable. There's a certain amount of R&B in it. There's a certain amount of Motown in it. But then you add the guitars and you add the attitude and it turns into Detroit rock. I feel like if we mine around with all Detroit players, we're gonna find that sound."

Cooper's next full-length album is due in 2020.

LIMP BIZKIT frontman Fred Durst directed the new film "The Fanatic", starring John Travolta as an obsessive fan who stalks an action movie star. Due out August 30, it is said to feel like an independent thriller film, with Travolta's unassuming-turned-dangerous stalker reminiscent of Robin Williams's transformative performance in "One Hour Photo".

During the press junket for "The Fanatic", Consequence Of Sound sat down with Travolta and quizzed him on his LIMP BIZKIT knowledge. The results of that can be seen in the video below.

Travolta recently said that Durst approached him with the idea of being in the film.

"I didn't know Fred could write this well, I didn't know he could direct as well, and he blew my mind," he told 11 Alive. "He knew this guy Moose that's actually loosely based on a real guy and he wrote it with me in mind. He just knew I could portray this guy."

Travolta said that Durst would ask him questions about his character to prep him for his role behind the scenes.

"He would ask me questions about Moose," Travolta said. "'How are you doing today, Moose? Did you run into anybody? What do you think of so-and-so?' And he would ask me two or three minutes of improvisation and I feel it and, bam, we start filming."

Durst's feature debut, 2007's "The Education Of Charlie Banks", was produced for $5 million but earned only $15,000 at the box office, although Durst won the Made In NY Narrative Award at the Tribeca Film Festival. For his second feature, "The Longshots", Durst teamed up with Ice Cube and Keke Palmer.

"The Fanatic" is set for a limited release in theaters before becoming available to stream on Amazon.

SLIPKNOT has announced the full details of its early 2020 European tour.

The 28-date trek will kick off in Dublin on January 14, and will include eight dates in the U.K. before playing 19 shows across continental Europe, with the final show taking place in Helsinki on February 24.

Support on the tour will come from Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH.

Tickets go on sale on Friday, August 30 from 9 a.m.

Tour dates:

Jan. 14 - Dublin, 3Arena, Ireland

Jan. 16 - Manchester, Arena, UK

Jan. 17 - Newcastle, Utilita Arena, UK

Jan. 18 - Glasgow, SSE Hydro, UK

Jan. 20 - Sheffield, Flydsa Arena, UK

Jan. 21 - Nottingham, Motorpoint Arena, UK

Jan. 22 - Cardiff, Motorpoint Arena, UK

Jan. 24 - Birmingham, Arena, UK

Jan. 25 - London, The O2, UK

Jan. 28 - Amsterdam, Ziggo Dome, Netherlands

Jan. 29 - Frankfurt, Festhalle, Germany

Jan. 30 - Paris, AccorHotels Arena, France

Feb. 01 - Luxembourg, Rockhal, Luxembourg

Feb. 02 - Lyon, Halle Tony Garnier, France

Feb. 04 - Budapest, Sportarena, Hungary

Feb. 06 - Lodz, Atlas Arena, Poland

Feb. 08 - Stuttgart, Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle, Germany

Feb. 09 - Munich, Olympiahalle, Germany

Feb. 11 - Milan, Mediolanum Forum, Italy

Feb. 12 - Zurich, Hallenstadion, Switzerland

Feb. 14 - Vienna, Stadthalle, Austria

Feb. 16 - Hamburg, Barclaycard Arena, Germany

Feb. 17 - Berlin, Mercedes-Benz Arena, Germany

Feb. 18 - Dortmund, Westfalenhalle, Germany

Feb. 20 - Copenhagen, Royal Arena, Denmark

Feb. 21 - Stockholm, Ericsson Globe, Sweden

Feb. 22 - Oslo, Telenor Arena, Norway

Feb. 24 - Helsinki, Hartwall Arena, Finland

SLIPKNOT is touring in support of its latest album, "We Are Not Your Kind", which sold 118,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. in its first week of release to land at position No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart. Of that sum, 102,000 were in album sales.

"We Are Not Your Kind"'s sales were boosted by a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer with SLIPKNOT's U.S. tour, which kicked off late last month.

The LP is SLIPKNOT's fifth top 10 effort on the Billboard 200. The Iowa-bases masked metallers previously landed in the top 10 with 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter" (No. 1), 2008's "All Hope Is Gone" (No. 1), 2004's "Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)" (No. 2) and 2001's "Iowa" (No. 3).

"We Are Not Your Kind" was once again recorded at a Los Angeles studio with producer Greg Fidelman, who engineered and mixed "Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)" and helmed ".5: The Gray Chapter".

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH will join forces with MEGADETH and BAD WOLVES for a European tour in 2020. Exact cities and dates will be announced on September 9.

More information will be made available at Megadeathpunch.com.

Earlier this year, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH spent time recording its eighth album with its regular producer, Kevin Churko, in FIVE FINGER's hometown of Las Vegas.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Zoltan Bathory recently said that the band's new LP could be its best yet. He said: "We have a little pie that we belong to in the musical spectrum, and within that, the grooves — there are these big, nasty grooves that feel just heavier and grimier, and that's kind of what's happening. The energy of what's in the band now is affecting this process."

He said the band is taking their time making the album and stated: "It will be what it will be. At the end of the day, we are in a fortunate situation where we can take as long as we want to. We can be in the studio forever if we wanted to."

According to Bathory, the recording process is going "way smoother and faster" than usual.

The drums on the disc were laid down by Charlie "The Engine" Engen, who made his live debut with the group during its fall 2018 tour with BREAKING BENJAMIN. He stepped in for original drummer Jeremy Spencer, who left the band in December due to a back injury.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH will embark on a U.S. headlining tour in the fall. The trek will start on November 1 with two special kick-off shows in the band's hometown of Las Vegas on November 1 and 2 at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Support on the tour will come from THREE DAYS GRACE, BAD WOLVES and FIRE FROM THE GODS.

MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine was diagnosed with throat cancer about three months ago.

The 57-year-old MEGADETH leader revealed his cancer diagnosis on June 17 on social media. He said that he has already begun treatment as part of a plan that his doctors feel has a "90% success rate."

Although most of MEGADETH's previously announced 2019 tour dates have been canceled as Mustaine undergoes treatment, the MEGADETH-curated Megacruise — which is set to take place October 13-19 — will still depart as scheduled, and the band will be a part of it in some form.

Mustaine and bassist David Ellefson are the two remaining original members of MEGADETH, which was formed in 1983, following Mustaine's dismissal from METALLICA.

BAD WOLVES was formed in 2017, comprised of former members of DEVILDRIVER, GOD FORBID, DIVINE HERESY and IN THIS MOMENT.

BAD WOLVES recently released a new song called "I'll Be There", to be included on the band's upcoming sophomore album, which will be made avaialble in the fall via Eleven Seven Music.

Singer Tommy Vext recently revealed that BAD WOLVES have recorded another cover, following the band's massive breakout success last year with its rendition of the 1993 CRANBERRIES classic "Zombie".

Originally scheduled to feature a guest appearance from late CRANBERRIES frontwoman Dolores O'Riordan, "Zombie" launched shortly after her death in January of 2018 and went on to top the rock radio chart and sell a million copies.

"Zombie" surfaced on BAD WOLVES' debut LP, "Disobey", which came out in May 2018 and has also yielded the follow-up single "Hear Me Now", featuring Diamante, which reached No. 2 on the rock chart.

Opeth will release their 13th album, In Cauda Venenum, on September 27 via Moderbolaget / Nuclear Blast Entertainment. Recorded last year at Stockholm's Park Studios, In Cauda Venenum will be released in two versions, in both Swedish and English languages. An official visualizer for the song "Dignity" can be found below.

Various physical and digital formats will be available. Head here for pre-order options.

In Cauda Venenum tracklist;

"Livet’s Trädgård" / "Garden Of Earthly Delights" (Intro)
"Svekets Prins" / "Dignity"
"Hjärtat Vet Vad Handen Gör" / "Heart In Hand"
"De Närmast Sörjande" / "Next Of Kin"
"Minnets Yta" / "Lovelorn Crime"
"Charlatan"
"Ingen Sanning Är Allas" / "Universal Truth"
"Banemannen" / "The Garroter"
"Kontinuerlig Drift" / "Continuum"
"Allting Tar Slut" / "All Things Will Pass"

"Dignity" visualizer:

"Svekets Prins" visualizer:

"Hjärtat Vet Vad Handen Gör" / "Heart In Hand":

Watch for an exclusive BraveWords listening session report on the album, coming soon.




(function() {
var zergnet = document.createElement('script');
zergnet.type = 'text/javascript'; zergnet.async = true;
zergnet.src = (document.location.protocol == "https:" ? "https:" : "http:") + '//www.zergnet.com/zerg.js?id=70729';
var znscr = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0];
znscr.parentNode.insertBefore(zergnet, znscr);
})();