According to HMV and FYE, GHOST will release a two-song seven-inch single, "Kiss The Go-Goat / Mary On A Cross", on September 13. Also apparently scheduled on the same day is the arrival of the deluxe version of the band's latest album, 2018's "Prequelle", possibly including the same two tracks.

GHOST has not yet confirmed the release of any new material, but frontman Tobias Forge said in a November 2018 interview that fans could be hearing fresh music from the band before the end of this year. "My intention is not to release just another EP of covers," he said. "There might be something else coming out next year, maybe, that might have been recorded already, that won't be covers."

GHOST recently scored the third consecutive Top 10 single from its Grammy-nominated album "Prequelle", with "Faith" claiming the Number 10 spot this week at Active Rock radio. "Faith" joined the album's first two singles, "Rats" and "Dance Macabre", both of which went to No. 1, the former for eight consecutive weeks.

GHOST's "Ultimate Tour Named Death" North American headline arena tour starts on September 13 in Bakersfield, California and will see an expanded theatrical production, a striking stage set resembling a medieval cathedral with a backdrop of illuminated stained-glass windows. In addition to rich costumes, special effects, and a spectacular light show tailor-made for arenas, the Cardinal, the Ghouls and the Ghoulettes will take advantage of series of multi-level platforms and walkways to prowl around on while performing some of GHOST's fan-favorite songs from the band's albums and EPs catalogs.

Forge confirmed to Ireland's Overdrive that he is planning on entering the studio in early 2020 to begin work on the follow-up to "Prequelle".

"Prequelle" debuted in June 2018 at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart.

"On The Floor", the first song from Philip H. Anselmo's EN MINOR project, can be streamed below. The track will appear on EN MINOR's debut seven-inch, which will be released on August 2 via Housecore Records. A project inadvertently in the making since Anselmo's earliest days as a child in the French Quarter, the band features Stephen Taylor (SUPERJOINT, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, WOVEN HAND, 16 HORSE POWER), Kevin Bond (SUPERJOINT, CHRIST INVERSION, ARTIMUS PYLEDRIVER), Jimmy Bower (EYEHATEGOD, DOWN, SUPERJOINT), Calvin and Joiner Dover (THE DOVER BROTHERS), and Steve Bernal (former first cellist in the TEMPLE SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA). An experimental and eclectic musical endeavor that finds Anselmo exploring a softer, graver vocal style, EN MINOR is an honest and deliberate change of pace delivering brooding tales of pain, regret, and sorrow.


EN MINOR's single will serve as the precursor to the band's full-length debut, set for release later this year.

"En Minor" track listing:

01. On The Floor

02. There's A Long Way To Go


EN MINOR will make its live debut at this year's edition of Psycho Las Vegas, set to take place August 16-18 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.


"The initial strains — in the most primitive sense — came about when I was given my first guitar at nine-years old," relays Anselmo of the EN MINOR project. "I didn't have the patience to learn other people's music, so I wrote my own. And some of those early parts are still prevalent in the songs we're working with now. Fast forward to 1988 when I bought my first four-track recorder; those old songs took on a new life and newer songs were written. Heavy metal was at the forefront of my performance-based output, but these little four-track songs were always there. I always had an apprehension about allowing them to be heard though, because they were so different; only a small circle of close friends got to hear them."


By 1993, Anselmo moved back to his hometown of New Orleans and his home became an instant magnet for local musicians and artists. "At ungodly hours, these old four-track songs took on an even newer life jamming with these cats," he says. "We learned a few of the songs and wrote several more, and soon we were recording under the moniker BODY & BLOOD. We wrote more songs, all recorded on a newer model four-track. It was fun. We did it for the vibe. And it was pleasing to break away from multi-tracking studios and heavy metal. Metal music consumed most of our time and lives. Those 'B&B' sessions were damned-near therapeutic."


Without a clear plan for the band, the project remained a periodic therapy session. "We kept things simple and just jammed when everyone was home and played our recordings for friends," he says. "Then I eventually moved again, Hurricane Katrina hit, and life sent all of us in different directions."


In 2012, Anselmo met Stephen "Schteve" Taylor and EN MINOR truly took shape. "He and I began experimenting with some vibey stuff, and soon after began recording the sessions," Anselmo says. "This led to the current incarnation of EN MINOR. Together, we re-worked a few of the old four-track songs and wrote several new ones in short order. These sessions are hypnotic and pulling. And we continue to write songs suitable for this project to this day. Ugly and beautiful, EN MINOR, isn't 'party music.' This is 'kill the party music.'"


EN MINOR is:

Philip H. Anselmo - Vocals, Guitars, Bass

Kevin Bond - Acoustic, Electric Guitar, Bass

Stephen Taylor - Guitar

Calvin Dover - Keys

Joiner Dover - Bass

Steve Bernal - Cello

Jimmy Bower - Drums

SLIPKNOT debuted a brand new look at its concert Tuesday night (July 30) at the Pain In The Grass festival in Auburn, Washington. Replacing the black jumpsuits SLIPKNOT wore at the start of the 2019 touring cycle are mostly white jumpsuits and slightly adjusted masks.

SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor worked on his new mask with special effects legend Tom Savini, whose extensive career in the film industry and especially the horror genre dates back to the late 1970s, including in such films as "Friday The 13th", "Dawn Of The Dead", "From Dusk 'Til Dawn" and many others.


SLIPKNOT's current lineup continues to include drummer Jay Weinberg and bassist Alessandro "Vman" Venturella, who previously played on 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter" album.

The identity of SLIPKNOT's new percussionist has not been revealed, but he appears in both the band's new videos for the songs "Unsainted" and "Solway Firth" and in the latest press shot.

SLIPKNOT's previous percussionst Chris Fehn sued the band in March, claiming he hasn't been properly compensated for his years of touring and recording with the group.

Fehn, known for wearing a Pinocchio-style mask, had performed with SLIPKNOT since 1998 and participated in all the band's previous albums.

Due on August 9, SLIPKNOT's sixth album, "We Are Not Your Kind", was once again recorded at a Los Angeles studio with producer Greg Fidelman, who engineered and mixed 2004's "Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)" and helmed ".5: The Gray Chapter".

SLIPKNOT's "Knotfest Roadshow" headline tour features support from VOLBEAT, GOJIRA and BEHEMOTH. Produced by Live Nation, the 29-city outing kicked off July 26 in Mountain View, California at Shoreline Amphitheater and will continue through September 8 where it will conclude with a performance at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands, Texas.





View this post on Instagram The soul is not so vibrant | Auburn, WA #knotfestroadshow A post shared by Slipknot (@slipknot) on Jul 31, 2019 at 5:22pm PDT

Long-running Dutch progressive death metallers PESTILENCE have signed a deal with Agonia Records, via the band's imprint Hadeon Records. A new album, titled "Exitivm", will be released in the coming months.


Guitarist Patrick Mameli said: "PESTILENCE and Hadeon Records are very excited to be joining forces with Agonia Records in an exclusive, worldwide agreement to explore new pathways in writing history together."

Mameli revived PESTILENCE for the first time in 2008, bringing bassist Tony Choy, drummer Peter Wildoer, and later also guitarist Patrick Uterwijk to the table. He began writing music for an early 2009 release for Mascot Records, perversely titled "Resurrection Macabre". Alongside a summer North American tour which followed, these were the band's first activities in fifteen years. Together with Candlelight-era releases "Doctrine" (2011) and "Obsideo" (2013), which both saw further lineup revisions, these "first reunion" albums differed in sound, boldly exploring and pushing the boundaries of death metal's brutality and technicality.

Always a restless soul, Mameli surprisingly put PESTILENCE on permanent hold in 2014, aiming to fully concentrate on his side project, NEUROMORPH, and willing to explore other forms of metal. Fortunately enough, in comparison with the first breakup, this one lasted only two years, and saw the band reunite under Mameli's lead in 2016. The re-established PESTILENCE (featuring, except Mameli, bassist Tilen Hudrap, guitarist Santiago Dobles and drummer Septimiu Harsan) pursued a contract with the band's native Hammerheart Records, after several constructive meetings (which also encompassed the re-release of PESTILENCE's early works). At the same time, Eternal Rock Music Agency became the band's booking agent.


PESTILENCE's last album, "Hadeon", was released to acclaim in 2018, taking everyone by surprise with a nod towards the band's early death metal years, yet still nourishing their experimental expression.

PESTILENCE is:

Patrick Mameli - lead guitar, vocals

Tilen Hudrap - bass

Calin Paraschiv - lead guitar

Septimiu Harsan - drums

Slovakian prog rock band Persona Grata have checked in with the following update:

"Live In Prague, audio recorded at the Prague Sounds Good festival 2015 where we had a privilege to share the stage with the legendary Dream Theater and Black Star Riders.

We wanted it to be limited and very minimalistic edition, therefore you will find it a little bit different than our first release. The physical album contains one audio CD in a simple digipack (follow the link to our store for more photos and info). It is 45 mins of material from our first album including additional song 'Forevermore' - all recorded live. We hope you enjoy this set as much as we enjoyed performing it. Don’t forget that we continuously work on new our new music and this live album is just a little side-work that we have done.

The Live in Prague album is available on all the online platforms for streaming/downloading as well as a physical CD. Please find the links below."

- CD - online store
- Spotify

Persona Grata is:

Martin Stavrovský - vocals, guitars 
Nina Sivošová - flutes, vocals
Jan Šteňo - drums 
Timotej Strieš - bass 
Peter Luha - solo guitar 
Matej Mikloš - keyboards




(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);
})();

Fan-filmed video footage of Vince Neil's July 27 performance at Sterlingfest 2019 in Sterling Heights, Michigan can be seen below.

Neil is continuing to tour the world with his backing group, which includes Dana Strum and Jeff Blando from SLAUGHTER, along with drummer Zoltan Chaney.

Speaking to "Trunk Nation", Vince acknowledged that he is currently the only member of MÖTLEY CRÜE who is waving the flag for the band's music by performing CRÜE songs as a solo artist.

"It's a cool thing, because I love MÖTLEY CRÜE, I love MÖTLEY CRÜE's music, and I love singing, and I love the fans' reactions when they hear the songs," he said. "Whether we're playing in front of a thousand people or twenty thousand people, I can only see the front row anyway. So I'm happy for me and for the fans to be able to still hear that music after MÖTLEY CRÜE is finished."

The film adaptation of MÖTLEY CRÜE's biography, "The Dirt", was released on March 22. The movie, which was helmed by "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa" director Jeff Tremaine, was picked up by Netflix after being previously developed at Focus Features and before that at Paramount.

Last year, MÖTLEY CRÜE recorded four new songs for "The Dirt" movie, including the single "The Dirt (Est. 1981) (Feat. Machine Gun Kelly)", "Ride With The Devil", "Crash And Burn" and the band's own spin on Madonna's "Like A Virgin".

MÖTLEY CRÜE's last studio album was 2008's "Saints Of Los Angeles", which was followed by a 2009 "Greatest Hits" compilation.

In 2015, MÖTLEY CRÜE completed "The Final Tour", closing the book on the band's iconic career after performing a total of 164 shows in 72 markets, grossing over $100 million.

To cement the sense of finality, the four members of MÖTLEY CRÜE in 2014 publicly signed a "cessation of touring" contract that prevents any of them from performing under the CRÜE name in the future.

A tour film about MÖTLEY CRÜE's final shows, "The End", came out in 2016.

JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES — comprised of world-renowned guitarist John 5 (ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON), bassist Ian Ross and drummer Logan Miles Nix — have released their latest music video, "I Want It All". The song is taken from JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES' new album, "Invasion", which is being released today (Wednesday, July 31).

Brought to life by the same team that created "Crank It - Living With Ghosts" — director Israel Perez, art director Cody Varona and producer Nicole Hatley, with wardrobe by Forgotten Saints LA — the "I Want It All" video is a zany romp featuring some bodacious babes quite literally sustaining life via their Instagram feeds.

"Invasion" was produced and mixed by Barry Pointer at Riot House Studio and is described in a press release as "a diverse progression of the sound that John 5 fans have grown to expect from the eclectic virtuoso."


John 5 says: "I'm super excited for this record to finally come out, for fans to see the new video, 'I Want It All', and to announce a new tour to follow in the fall very soon! I want to thank all of our fans for all of their support!"


"Invasion" track listing:

01. Invasion

02. I Am John 5

03. Midnight Mass

04. Zoinks!

05. Howdy

06. Crank It / Living With Ghosts

07. Cactus Flower

08. I Want It All

09. I Like The Funk

10. Constant Sorrow


John told "Wired In The Empire" about "Invasion": "It's something I've been working on for a long time and I'm releasing a new song and a new video every month. I think it's a really great way to do something like that. It keeps the record alive and keeps people interested in what's going on with everything so a record doesn't die in a month or something. It keeps the record alive for a little while and it's wonderful. It really has been working out well. The songs — we've been having a lot of fun playing them and we've really been having a great time."

JOHN 5 AND THE CREATURES will team up with THE ARISTOCRATS for a co-headlining show on Sunday, September 1 at 1720 in Los Angeles. The show will be the first John 5 performance following the release of "Invasion".

John 5 has worked with a varied range of artists, performing as guitarist for some of the biggest headlining rock bands in the world such as ROB ZOMBIE and MARILYN MANSON, as well as playing session with Paul Stanley, Rod Stewart, LYNYRD SKYNYRD and more. Slash has called John 5 "one of the most mind-blowing guitarists around," and Rob Zombie has dubbed him "a fucking shredder." John 5 has released seven solo albums to date, as well as a remix album, and has written music for the likes of Avril Lavigne, GARBAGE, Ricky Martin and others.

Photo credit: Neeko Lionheart

Northern Genocide is a mixture of aggressive guitar riffs and unequalled electronic elements. The industrial and modern metal tracks tell the story of our faulty society and the impending apocalypse. Genesis Vol. 666 is the debut album of this rising Finnish band, which will be released on August 30th via Inverse Records.

Second single "Neon Antichrist" from the upcoming album is available below.

Northern Genocide was formed in 2010 in Helsinki, Finland. It all started with a meeting of old highschool friends, guitar player Pyry and programmer Rainer, after Pyry had discovered Rainer's interest in programming and computer music. They both had a history of playing in various metal bands, but now they wanted to try something new by bringing electronic influences to metal. The very same year they started recording demos in their home studio in Helsinki. At first, Pyry did the guitars and vocals and Raikka programmed the rest.

In 2012 they both began studies in Lahti-Orimattila region and wanted to put together a crew for gigs and new demos. In december 2013 the band began the recording of new 3-track demo. After some changes to the initial line-up of the band, the demo was recorded with Markku Tuuri in drums, Toni Jokiranta in bass, Pyry in guitars and Tommi Salonen as vocalist. The demo "Atlantis" was finished in October 2014.

In 2014 the band started recording it's first EP, Planet Asylum, in Orimattila, Finland. The 5-track EP was released in November 2015 and was distributed to digital stores, also made availible for promotion use in CD-format.

The band released it's first music video featuring the track "Supernova" on November 20th, 2015. The video was shot in an abandoned locomotive repair hall in Lahti, Finland. The video was produced by Runoelma Works.

Now the band releases it's first full-lenght album with 11 tracks called Genesis Vol. 666. The album is a modern mixture of melodic and industrial metal with aggressive synths and epic orchestral compositions. The lyrics written by Tommi Salonen describe the faults in today's world and exposes our society's dark sides.

Tracklist:

"Intro"
"Genesis Vol. 666"
"Black Widow"
"Annihilation Of The World Of Spirits"
"Neon Antichrist"
"Ecplise"
"The Siren"
"Soul Dystopia"
"The Avalanche"
"Sintropolis"
"Ikiruoste"

For information on Northern Genocide go to their official Facebook page here.




(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);
})();

Dutch old school death metallers Bodyfarm are unleashing their brand-new album Dreadlord on September 27th via No Dust Records. The artwork has been crafted by Dan Seagrave and the record was mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö.

Album formats:
-Picture disc limited to 200 copies
-Green marbled vinyl limited to 200 copies
-Black vinyl limited to 300 copies
-HQ CD limited digipack on gold disc 

Tracklisting:

“Dreadlord”
“Rites Of Damnation”
“Manhunt”
“Woods Of Dismay”
“We Sailed To Death”
“The Horesman”
“Eternal”
“Unholy Resurrection”
“Angelreaper”
“Faces Of Death”
“Undead Warmachine” 

Album lineup:
Thomas Wouters - Vocals & Guitar 
Quint Meerbeek - Drums
Alex Seegers - Bass
Bram Hilhorst - Guitar




(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);
})();

Anime themed brutal deathcore act Brand Of Sacrifice have premiered a music video for their song "The Branded". The track is from the band's devastating new album God Hand which was released on July 5th through Unique Leader.

The crushing ten track album was recorded mixed and mastered by guitarist Michael Leo Valeri and features stunning artwork by Pedro "Lordigan" Sena (Ingested, Organectomy).




(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);
})();

Brutal death metal pioneers Devourment share the official video for “A Virulent Strain Of Retaliation”, the opening track off Obscene Majesty. Watch and stream the NSFW (violence, gore) video below.

Devourment comments:

“This is a vision inside a mind utterly consumed with bloody revenge. Where the only possible outcome is annihilation of the enemy and the terrible cost that demands.

“I will have such revenges…I will do such things…what they are, yet I know not: but they shall be the terrors of the earth.” - King Lear (Shakespeare)”

A Virulent Strain Of Retaliation was directed by Michael Panduro (Napalm Death, Nasum, Dead Cross, and more.)

Obscene Majesty will be released on CD, LP, and digital formats. Physical packages are available for preorder via Relapse.com here. Digital downloads/streaming services are available here.

Obscene Majesty tracklisting:

"A Virulent Strain Of Retaliation"
"Cognitive Sedation Butchery"
"Narcissistic Paraphilia"
"Arterial Spray Patterns"
"Profane Contagion"
"Dysmorphic Autophagia"
"Sculpted In Tyranny"
"Xenoglossia"
"Modum Sui Morte"
"Truculent Antipathy"

"A Virulent Strain Of Retaliation" video:

"Narcissistic Paraphilia":

"Cognitive Sedation Butchery" visualizer:

Live dates:

August
8-10 - Chicago Domination Festival - Chicago, IL

October
3 - Gas Monkey - Dallas, TX
4 - Warehouse Live - Houston, TX

Devourment lineup:

Brad Fincher - drums
Ruben Rosas - vocals
Dave Spencer - bass
Chris Andrews - guitar, vocals

(Photo - Paul Moseley)




(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);
})();

On September 20th, Cult Of Luna will release their new album, A Dawn To Fear - the band's first material under their sole name since 2013's Vertikal 1&2. For a preview of the record, a video for the single, "The Silent Man", can be viewed below. Preorders can be found at MetalBlade.com.

A Dawn To Fear can also be preordered in the following formats: 
- Limited edition digibook 2CD
- Deluxe edition artbook (2LP / 2CD 48-page hardcover artbook - beige / black marbled vinyl) 
- 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive) 
- Clear / black marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 400 copies) 
- Red / black marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 300 copies) 
- Clear / black circle vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies) 
- Clear / black splatter vinyl (EU webshop exclusive - limited to 100 copies) 
- Clear yellowness vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 400 copies) 
- Clear / brown marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 300 copies) 
- Clear / gray marbled vinyl (US exclusive - limited to 1000 copies) 
- Blue / white / black marbled vinyl (US exclusive - limited to 300 copies) 
* Exclusive bundles with shirts, plus digital options are also available!

Building on 20 years of creating some of the most epic, emotive and inventive heavy music unleashed on the world, there is no denying that Cult Of Luna's A Dawn To Fear is a monster of a record. An album comprised of eight tracks running 79 minutes, it embodies everything the band's faithful have come to expect from them while covering new ground. "Going into the process, we knew the album we wanted to make, an antithesis of what we've done before," says vocalist/guitarist and lead songwriter Johannes Persson. "For pretty much every album there's been a very concrete theme. We've known from the start the kind of story we wanted to tell, and I didn't want that to be the case. I've seen a lot of subtle changes and patterns in my own behavior and my own thinking the last couple of years, and I wanted this to be a completely spontaneous process. I just wanted to see what came out of me, and A Dawn To Fear is the result of that." 

Admitting he is perhaps still too close to the record to objectively describe the sound of A Dawn To Fear, Persson believes that it has a more organic feel to it, largely achieved through the use of organs and other acoustic instruments in place of electronic keyboards, and that it is perhaps a more melancholic collection. It is also arguably heavier than their last full-length, 2013's Vertikal and their 2016 collaboration with Julie Christmas, Mariner, both in terms of the sheer density of the music and its tone. When it came to tracking the album, the band opted to work at Ocean Sound Recordings in Norway, which, as the name suggests, is located right by the coast, far from the nearest town. For eleven days the band lived at the studio, and enjoyed the process of constructing the record. With the finished product running to the length of a double CD, there was some discussion of cutting a track, but this did not get far. "We sat down and looked at that song list and we couldn't. It would make it easier for us and everyone involved to cut one song, making it no problem when it comes to LPs and CDs, but we just couldn't see the album any other way. These songs are the songs that make sense. If we cut this song or that song, it would screw up the whole dynamic of the record."

Tracklisting:

“The Silent Man”
“Lay Your Head To Rest”
“A Dawn To Fear”
“Nightwalkers”
“Lights On The Hill”
“We Feel The End”
“Inland Rain”
“The Fall”

“The Silent Man” video:

(Photo - Silvia Grav)




(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);
})();

Swedish rockers, Creye, have released a brand new single and video for "Lost Without You”. This is an acoustic track they wrote while working on an acoustic cover of "Holding On" from their debut album.

Watch the video below, and download/stream the song here.

Creye recently released an acoustic version of "Holding On", a track from the band's 2018 self-titled debut album. Listen below.

Tracklisting:

"Holding On"
"Nothing To Lose"
"Different State Of Mind"
"Never Too Late"
"All We Need Is Faith"
"Miracle"
"Christina"
"Straight To The Top"
"Love Will Never Die"
"Still Believe In You"
"City Lights"
"Desperately Lovin’"
"A Better Way"

"Holding On" acoustic:

"Holding On":

(Photo - Mikael Roos)




(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);
})();

Professionally filmed video footage of METALLICA performing the song "The Four Horsemen" on July 18 at Raadi Airfield in Tartu, Estonia can be seen below.

METALLICA's "WorldWired" tour has played more than 130 shows across the world since its 2016 kick-off.

Last November, drummer Lars Ulrich told The Mercury News that the trek could last through early 2020.

The San Francisco Bay Area metal giants have been touring in support of their latest album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", which came out in November 2016.

With dates already locked in through the fall, Ulrich was asked if he is tired of touring yet. He replied: "We have the luxury, and we are very fortunate, to be able to set a touring schedule that works really well for us. We kind of set boundaries. We have a two-week rule, so that after two weeks we come home and see our families and kids and get a sense of San Francisco. So, for about a decade, we've had a really good setup in terms of how we balance all of it. It takes longer to play the same amount of dates. But the good news is that our chances for not losing our minds — or for playing all the shows, physically, mentally — are much higher, because we have a pace that we feel is at the right level for us. So, it's good. We still have to go to Australia. We still have to go to Japan. We have a couple of other things planned after Europe."

Halestorm have released a new VR live video for the track "Black Vultures", featured on the band's 2018 album, Vicious. Watch below:

Halestorm recently announced a month-long North American tour with Godsmack, following their summer run with rock icon Alice Cooper. The dates kick off September 20th in Green Bay, WI and run through October 18th in Tulsa, OK.

Halestorm tour dates:

July (with Alice Cooper)
31 - Irving, TX - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory

August  (with Alice Cooper)
1 - The Woodlands, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
3 - Knoxville, TN - Thompson-Boling Arena, University of Tennessee
4 - Nashville, TN - Grand Ole Opry House
7 - Canandaigua, NY - Constellation Brands-Marvin Sands PAC: CMAC
8 - Bethel, NY - Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
10 - Westbrook, ME - Maine Savings Pavilion at Rock Row
11 - Gilford, NH - Bank of New Hampshire Pavilion
13 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
15 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center
16 - Camden, NJ - BB&T Pavilion

August
30 - Pueblo, CO - Colorado State Fair Events Center

September (with Godsmack, except *)
20 - Green Bay, WI - Resch Center
21 - Madison, WI - Alliant Energy Center
22 - Moline, IL - TaxSlayer Center
24 - Sioux Falls, SD - Denny Sanford Premier Center
25 - Wichita, KS - In-Trust Arena
27 - Cape Girardeau, MO - Show Me Center
28 - Louisville, KY - Louder Than Life Festival 2019*
29 - Alpharetta, GA - Alpharetta Amphitheatre

October (with Godsmack, except *)
1 - West Palm Beach, FL - Coral Sky Amphitheatre at the South Florida Fairgrounds
2 - Estero, FL - Hertz Arena
4 - Pensacola, FL - Pensacola Civic Center
5 - Southaven, MS - Landers Center
6 - Rogers, AR - Walmart Arkansas Music Pavilion
8 - Loveland, CO - Budweiser Arena
9 - Salt Lake City, UT - Usana Pavilion
11 - Sacramento, CA - Discovery Park*
12 - Bakersfield, CA - Rabobank Arena
13 - Ontario, CA - Citizen’s Bank Arena
15 - San Diego, CA - Cal Coast Credit Union Open Air Theatre
16 - Phoenix, AZ - Comerica Pavilion
18 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center

November
13 - Paris, France - Salle Pleyel
14 - Cologne, Germany - Palladium
16 - Munich, Germany - Tonhalle – Kultfabrik
18 - Offenbach, Germany - Capitol Offenbach
19 - Hamburg, Germany - Grosse Freheit
20 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - AFAS Live
24 - Glasgow, UK - The SSE Hydro
25 - Nottingham, UK - Motorpoint Arena Nottingham
27 - Cardiff, UK - Motorpoint Arena Cardiff
28 - London, UK - Alexandra Palace

December
2 - Tokyo, Japan - Tsutaya O-East
3 - Osaka, Japan - Umeda Club Quattro
6 - Sydney, NSW, Australia - Enmore Theatre
7 - Brisbane, QLD, Australia - The Tivoli
9 - Adelaide, SA, Australia - The Gov
10 - Melbourne, VIC, Australia - Forum Melbourne




(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);
})();

Guitarist Thomas Zwijsen has released this new video, in which he performs Iron Maiden's "Run To The Hills", on solo guitar.

Watch Thomas perform Helloween's 1996 song, "Forever And One (Neverland)", below:

Both tracks are featured on the new Nylon Metal II CD, available here.




(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);
})();

Frontiers Music Srl has announced the release of The Ferrymen's sophomore album, A New Evil, on October 11. The album can be pre-ordered here.

The band, featuring Ronnie Romero (vocals), Magnus Karlsson (guitar) and Mike Terrana (drums), have also released a music video for the title track (see below).

The Ferrymen released their debut album in June 2017 and took fans of the European melodic metal sound by surprise as they seemingly came out of nowhere. With songwriting and fretwork handled by ace Swedish guitarist Magnus Karlsson (Primal Fear, Magnus Karlsson's Free Fall), the awesome vocals of singer Ronnie Romero (Rainbow, CoreLeoni), and drummer Mike Terrana (Axel Rudi Pell, Tarja, Rage) bringing the heavy metal thunder, the band quickly found their home in the hearts of fans of the classic DIO sound combined with heavier, updated songwriting textures and arrangements.

Musically, fans can expect in A New Evil a very heavy, melodic metal album fusing the songwriting and epic structures of the widely praised Allen/Lande records (guitarist Magnus Karlsson was the main architect of the first three critically acclaimed releases) with the powerful vocal approach of Romero (let's not forget that Romero was hand-picked by legendary Deep Purple and Rainbow guitarist Ritchie Blackmore to be the lead vocalist for Rainbow's recent reunion shows). True heavy metal fans are of course quite familiar with the well regarded Terrana and what his drumming skill set brings to the table on a heavy metal album of this nature. And what metal album would be complete without some stunning artwork? Renowned artist Stan W. Decker's album cover rounds out this colossal heavy metal offering.

"A New Evil is a bit heavier and more progressive,” says Magnus Karlsson. "I’m always learning and try to improve my songs and productions each time out. Working with Ronnie and Mike is a such a great experience. I can concentrate on the writing and whatever I will come up with I know they will nail it! This time Jacob Hansen (Pretty Maids, Volbeat, etc.) did the mix and it works really well with the heavy style.”

“I think it's a great album and people are gonna love it as they did with the first one,” adds Romero. “Everybody knows Magnus' skills to write great music, so it’s really easy to like every song on the album. This time was maybe even easier to work together because is the second album and we know each other better, he knew how to get my best performances, so I’m very proud about my work and grateful to have Magnus working side by side with me.”

"I have a few favourites like 'Don’t Stand In My Way', 'Bring Me Home', and 'A New Evil'. But a very special song for me is 'No Matter How Hard We Fall'. When you hear Ronnie in that chorus you will get goosebumps,” continues Magnus. Ronnie’s favourite is 'Bring Me Home', but I’m really looking forward to when people can hear the whole album because I'm sure they are gonna love every second of music on it!”

Tracklisting:

"Don’t Stand In My Way"
"Bring Me Home"
"A New Evil"
"The Night People Rise"
"Save Your Prayers"
"Heartbeat"
"Your Own Hero"
"No Matter How Hard We Fall"
"My Dearest Fear"
"You Against The World"
"All We Got"

"A New Evil" video:

Lineup:

Ronnie Romero - Vocals
Magnus Karlsson - Guitars, Bass & Keyboards
Mike Terrana - Drums




(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);
})();

Available for streaming below is over 80 minutes of footage from the recently released Live At Wacken 2018: 29 Years Louder Than Hell compilation, available on 2CD/2DVD digipack, digital download and to stream.

The greatest heavy metal festival in the world, Wacken Open Air, unleashed its latest collection on July 26 through Silver Linings Music/Wacken Records. The 16th release in the Live At Wacken series which dates back to 2002, is stuffed with pulverizing power and passion from metal stars such as Sepultura, Enslaved, Doro, Nightwish and Helloween, whose “Pumpkins United” is taken from their forthcoming DVD/Bluray release scheduled for this October, fans will be able to relive every last aural inch of some incredible sets on 2 DVDs and 2 CDs of digital audio.

Mixed by Cameron Webb (Motörhead, NoFX, Pennywise, Megadeth) and engineered by Sergio Chavez, Live at Wacken 29 Years Louder Than Hell brings fans right back to the hot, dusty, relentless metal muscle of this metal institution. With Andrew Alekel (Motörhead, Fu Manchu, Clutch) mastering affairs at Bolskine House in Los Angeles, CA, further tracks from the likes of Steel Panther, Soen, Helmet and Dirkschneider are sure to spark household scenes of riotous beer drinking and raucous head-banging.

Taking place in the municipality of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, Wacken Open Air is the largest, most established heavy metal festival in the world. Routinely selling out 75,000 tickets, and entertaining over 150 artists performing across 8 stages over 280 hectares of land, the festival continues to be an experience like no other. Live at Wacken 29 Years Louder Than Hell is the latest diary of events, a proper heavy metal party in a box, and another recorded chapter in the fabled history of this legendary global metal gathering.

Tracklisting:

DVD1:

Sepultura - "Kairos"
Sepultura - "Sworn Oath"
Stiff Little Fingers - "My Dark Places"
An Theos - "Alean" (2019 Single)
Dirkschneider - "Metal Heart"
Die From Sorrow - "Die From Sorrow"
Korpiklaani - "Henkselipoika"
Korpiklaani - "Metsämies"
Walking Dead On Broadway - "Song of Courage"
Schandmaul - "Bunt und nicht braun"
Schandmaul - "Pakt"
Doro - "I Rule The Ruins"
Nightwish - "Ghost Love Score"
Clawfinger - "The Price We Pay"
Blues Pills - "High Class Woman"
Running Wild - "Port Royal"
Mantar - "Cross The Cross "

DVD2:

Soen - "Opal"
Riot V - "Thundersteel"
Riot V - "Angel’s Thunder, Devil’s Reign"
Knorkator - "Der ultimative Mann"
Knorkator - "Buchstabe"
Night Demon - "Heavy Metal Heat"
Long Distance Calling - "Trauma"
Steel Panther - "Poontang Boomerang"
Ensiferum - "For Those About to Fight for Metal"
Helmet - "I Love My Guru"
Enslaved - "Sacred Horse"
Enslaved - "Allfadr Odinn"
Bonfire - "Ready 4 Reaction"
Zeal & Ardor - "We Can't Be Found"
In Extremo - "Sternhagelvoll"
Helloween - "Pumpkins United"

Sepultura - "Kairos" video:




(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);
})();

K.K. Downing has clarified his recent comments about JUDAS PRIEST, saying that he "still hopes" he can get in a room with his former bandmates and talk about the possibility of his return to the group.

Last week, the guitarist gave an interview to The Metal Voice in which he said about PRIEST: "I thought probably at some point, it would be inevitable that a time would come around that would be my time to potentially re-enter the band and carry on where we left off. But it's proved not to be the case, so, obviously, I have to accept that and just move forward."

Shortly after The Metal Voice chat was posted on YouTube, K.K.'s comments were published on BLABBERMOUTH.NET under the headline "K.K. DOWNING Says He Has To Accept The Fact That He Will Not Be Invited To Play With JUDAS PRIEST Again". The story was also included for a short time in the featured content slider on the main page along with the shortened blurb/headline "DOWNING Wants To 'Move Forward' After PRIEST Exit". (The blurb is no longer there as more recent content is featured in the slider.)

Earlier today, Downing released a statement via the Twitter account of the co-author of his autobiography, Mark Eglinton, in which he took issue with BLABBERMOUTH.NET's characterization of his comments about his former bandmates, explaining that he does not so much "want" to "move forward" from PRIEST as he has to.

Downing's full statement follows:

"Hi everyone, K.K. here…

"I feel the need to address some information that has gone out in recent news articles on the Blabbermouth site.


"In the build-up to my appearance at Bloodstock with Ross The Boss in August, a few news outlets have inevitably asked me for an interview. As has been the case with every interview I've done since my book came out last year, I've made every effort to answer questions honestly and in a manner that is respectful to my fans and peers. These aren't interviews that I've sought out to promote any ulterior agenda of mine; I've simply been promoting my book and my upcoming gig with Ross, and supporting the various media outlets that have been so kind to me throughout my career.

Inevitably — as interviews and the comments made within them get re-presented by news outlets — things can get changed and put out of context.


"Recently, I did an interview with The Metal Voice, the contents of which were published on Blabbermouth on July 25th. When asked about the future, I simply said as follows from the recording now on YouTube.

"'I thought at some point the time would come around when it would be my time to re-enter into the band and carry on where I left off, but its proved not to be the case Jimmy so I have to accept that and just move forward'

"However, in the tab in the news section of Blabbermouth that links to the Metal Voice interview, there is a different headline that reads: 'Downing wants to 'Move Forward' after Priest exit.'

"This headline, is not what I said, there is a huge difference between wanting to and having to. I have requested to the band members the opportunity for us all to get in a room and talk. I still hope that'll happen. But to date the band have refused me that opportunity. I wanted to release this statement for the purposes of honesty and clarity.

"All the best, K.K."

As previously reported, Downing will join ex-MANOWAR axeman Ross "The Boss" Friedman for several songs at this year's Bloodstock Open Air festival on August 11 at Catton Park, Derbyshire, United Kingdom. This will be K.K.'s first public performance since October 17, 2009 when JUDAS PRIEST played the final "British Steel 30th Anniversary" date on the "Nostradamus" world tour at Japan's Loud Park festival in Chiba City, Japan.

Downing left PRIEST in 2011 amid claims of band conflict, shoddy management and declining quality of performance. He was replaced by Richie Faulkner, nearly three decades his junior.

Last summer, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as "a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music," while the second was "angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties."

Downing later said that he believed the second letter was "a key reason" he wasn't invited to rejoin PRIEST after Glenn Tipton's decision to retire from touring.

Downing's autobiography, "Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest", was released in September via Da Capo Press.

A statement from K.K Downing... pic.twitter.com/JgcBWQZsxl— Mark Eglinton (@MarkEglinton) July 29, 2019

AFM Records will release the new album from CoreLeoni - featuring Gotthard guitarist Leo Leoni and singer Ronnie Romero (Rainbow, Lords Of Black) - on September 27. Entitled CoreLeoni II, the album can be pre-ordered here.

The album will include early Gotthard songs updated for 2019, two new tracks ("Queen Of Hearts" and "Don't Get Me Wrong"), and a cover of John Lee Hooker's "Boom Boom".

Tracklisting:

"Waltz No. 2"
"Standing In The Light"
"Love For Money"
"Open Fire"
"Angel"
"And Then Goodbye" (Bonus Digi/Vinyl)
"She Goes Down"
"No Tomorrow"
"I'm Your Travellin' Man"
"Cheat And Hide" (Bonus Digi/Vinyl)
"Make My Day"
"Mountain Mama"
"Queen Of Hearts"
"Don't Get Me Wrong"
"Boom Boom" (Bonus Digi/Vinyl)
"Il Padrino"

Lineup:

Leo Leoni (Guitar)
Ronnie Romero (Vocals)
Hena Habegger (Drums)
Jgor Gianola (Guitar)
Mila Merker (Bass)




(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);
})();

On September 6, Finnish melodic metal titans Sonata Arctica will release their tenth studio album, Talviyö (translated: Winter Night), including eleven new tracks.

The band has revealed the first album trailer, in which vocalist Tony Kakko and guitarist Elias Viljanen talk about the title and artwork. Watch below:

The album will be available in the following formats:

- CD/CD-Digipack
- 2LP (black, blue, clear) Vinyl
- Box set: CD-Digipack, 2LP Marbled Vinyl, puzzle, poster + photo card

You can pre-order Talviyö here.

Tracklisting:

"Message From The Sun"
"Whirlwind"
"Cold"
"Storm The Armada"
"The Last Of The Lambs"
"Who Failed The Most"
"Ismo’s Got Good Reactors"
"Demon’s Cage"
"A Little Less Understanding"
"The Raven Still Flies"
"The Garden"

"A Little Less Understanding" lyric video:

The Raven Still Flies Over Europe tour will kick off on November 11th in Stockholm. On the tour, Sonata Arctica will be accompanied by Edge Of Paradise and Temple Balls.

Tour dates are as follows:

November
11 - Stockholm, Sweden - Kraken
12 - Oslo, Norway - Parkteatret
13 - Trondheim, Norway - Byscenen
15 - Trollhättan, Norway - Folkets Park
16 - Aarhus, Denmark - Train
17 - Berlin, Germany - Bi Nuu
18 - Mannheim, Germany - MS Connexion Complex
19 - Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser
21 - Zvolen, Slovakia - Rates Arena
22 - Cluj Napoca, Romania - Form Space
23 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Music Jam Club
25 - Budapest, Hugary - Barba Negra
26 - Vienna, Austria - Szene
27 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
29 - Padova, Italy - Hall
30 - Milan, Italy - Live Club

December
1 - Lyon, France - Le Ninkasi Kao
2 - Paris, France - La machine du Moulin Rouge
4 - Madrid, Spain - La Riviera
5 - Barcelona, Spain - Salamandra
6 - Limoge, France - Cc John Lennon
7 - Izegem, Belgium -Cultuurhuis De Leest
8 - Pagney, France - Chez Paulette
11 - London, UK - The Electric Ballroom
12 - Tilburg, Netherlands - 013
13 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
14 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix




(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);
})();

Victorius, who recently inked a deal with Napalm Records, will release their new album, Space Ninjas From Hell, on January 17, 2020.

From deep in the age of prehistoric dinosaurs comes Victorius - saving the world from an alien invasion - and the battle continues, when evil Ninjas from outer space are on their way to invade the world! Alongside the holy dinoforce these five madmen play Jurassic power metal, using lots of high end technology and laser cannons and will not surrender until the last Ninja is beaten.

Says the band: "Finally a new chapter begins! After the holy war between aliens and dinosaurs a new intergalactic adventure awaits! Together with producer Lars Rettkowitz we forged a new masterpiece of German over the top power metal in the blazing fires of the sun, aka Emperial Sound Studio Cörmigk. Evil Ninjas From Outer Space are on their way to take the world by storm, and we made the soundtrack for this glorious happening. Be prepared for 13 anthems about ninjas and samurai - mixed with knowledge we have from silly kung-fu movies! Mastered by Henrik Udd (Powerwolf, Hammerfall) you can expect the next level of the typical Victorius sound as well as an amazing artwork by Stan W. Decker. January 17th! Napalm Records!! Mark the date, sharpen your laser katana and brace yourselves for the great cosmic NINJAWAR!!!”

It will be the ultimate battle, when Victorius are back to continue their Tour Of The Dinosaurs in autumn, together with labelmates Majesty and Warkings.

Victorius are:

David - Vocals
Dirk - Guitars
Andreas - Bass
Flo - Guitars
Frank - Drums




(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);
})();

Following on the heels of their successful album Little Army, Cabadian rockers Headstones have once again been busy recording new music in Kingston, with plans to release a new record later this year. They have released a new single and lyric video, "Leave It All Behind", which can be viewed below.

After working at The Bathouse Studio, the band was inspired to release their version of the Gordon Lightfoot classic “The Wreck Of The Edmund Fitzgerald.” Always a song on their radar, circumstances finally clicked into place to give them the right opportunity to share their take with their fans.

This impactful interpretation of the iconic track chronicling the sinking of the bulk carrier SS Edmund Fitzgerald on Lake Superior on November 10, 1975 was a #1 hit for Lightfoot and remains one of his best-loved songs. While showing respect for the past, Headstones have put their unique spin on the song to introduce it to a whole new rock audience. The accompanying video was shot on location in Kingston, Ontario.

About the track the band says, “We’ve always loved this song. It’s profoundly meaningful. We started to play it during our tour VIP soundchecks, and our fans really responded to it…. The feedback was exceptional."




(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);
})();

In a brand new interview with "The Robbcast Podcast", MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson was asked about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2016's "Dystopia" album. He responded (hear audio below): "We've been individually writing, submitting stuff. We've been working remotely on putting — [I've been home] here in Arizona putting bass parts down, working on things and kind of piecing things together. And there's probably eight good arrangements put together.

"Many of these records, you kind of come in and you sort of plug into the board, Pro Tools, a computer, whatever, and you put your parts down and you piece the record together," he continued. "And one of the things that we talked about is that it's nice to be able to play some things, sit back and listen to it. [But] what does it sound like as a band?

"I remember we made the 'Super Collider' record, and we'd never played those songs together. And we got out on stage and we went, 'Oh my God! These songs are not working live.' 'Kingmaker' has worked well — that was good — and also 'Dance In The Rain', especially on Gigantour, when David Draiman was out there with his band, DEVICE, 'cause then we'd have him come up and sing the song. 'Cause he sang on the record, and it was awesome to have him come up every night and sing live with us. But some of the other tunes, they didn't translate [live]. And they're great on the record — they sound fine — but there's just a thing…

"MEGADETH started of us being in a room, and you could just feel the freakin'… it was like this freakin' demonic possession of the music," Ellefson added. "It just drew you in — lip-curling… 'Fuck, this is heavy. This is fucking scary, this is so heavy. Oh my God. This feels so wrong, it's right. This is just shit from another dimension.' And that experience — we all have that in our bands. Whatever that is. Where we're connected; it moves the room.

"I'm glad that now with MEGADETH, we're getting in a room. We're the best acid test we could have. If it freakin' rocks our world and we're getting fucking boners over it, then it's probably gonna work pretty good out in the live audience with the stage. Because we're fans too, and I think that you yourself as a band are always the first acid test before it ever gets recorded or goes out on a stage."

A little over a month ago, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine publicly revealed that he is battling throat cancer.

The 57-year-old announced 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.

IRON MAIDEN guitarist Dave Murray spoke to Forbes about the band's current setlist, which includes two Blaze Bayley-era songs, "Sign Of The Cross" and "The Clansman". Asked why was it important to the band to still play those songs even though Bruce Dickinson has been back in the band for so many years, Dave responded: "Personally, I didn't have a lot to do with the songs being put together. But I think those songs are classic. They have everything MAIDEN is about: the quiet intros, lots of time changes, they’re very uptempo and quite lengthy. They're also really good to play live. Even though they were from the Blaze era — it doesn't matter because it's still IRON MAIDEN as a band. Bruce sings them absolutely amazing. We're still using everything that IRON MAIDEN has done. It's not like we're not going to do a song because it was that Blaze era. We wanted to incorporate every aspect of IRON MAIDEN's history, regardless of the year. And we like to give fans songs they can sing along to."

Dickinson told the "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" podcast that he never had any issues singing the Bayley-era MAIDEN material. "Life's too short to go around chucking your ego around like that — it's childish, it's stupid," he explained. "And, actually, some of those songs kind of worked [with my voice], some of them didn't, but you know what? They were all songs which a lot of IRON MAIDEN fans bought, and some of them, in particular 'The Clansman' and 'Sign Of The Cross', I think we really nailed those songs and I thought it was great material. Blaze's voice, obviously, was quite different than mine — it was a slightly lower register — and, actually, I wasn't complaining, 'cause I could use this kind of lower baritone tone and get quite kind of robust on it all. And I really enjoyed singing those songs."

Dickinson went on to say that he "had the utmost respect for Blaze, because he stepped into a situation that was extremely difficult for him. Because, manifestly, his voice was so different to mine and yet he had to try and sing some of those [older IRON MAIDEN] songs. He was in a difficult place. And he was a very, very nice guy, and still is a very nice guy, and I have a huge amount of respect for him."

Dickinson told the "Do You Know Jack?" radio show that he "was surprised" Blaze was chosen to replace him in IRON MAIDEN. "I was delighted for Blaze, but there was a whole bunch of other really good singers out there," he said. "I thought 'Wow, they could have picked somebody with a voice that could do what my voice did.' But they picked Blaze. Obviously, they picked somebody different, but that came with its own set of challenges. I just wondered whether anybody in the management was really giving anybody any serious words of truth on how hard this could be."

IRON MAIDEN kicked off the 33-city North American leg of its "Legacy Of The Beast" tour on July 18 at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida.

MAIDEN's current set includes a Spitfire buzzing the stage during the opening number, "Aces High". The plane is a 90-percent-sized replica of an actual Supermarine Spitfire Mk Vb registration number AA 853 from 302 Squadron that saw active duty in 1941.

Support on the North American leg of the "Legacy Of The Beast" tour comes from THE RAVEN AGE. Additionally, FOZZY will be guests for the Banc Of California Stadium show in Los Angeles.

MAIDEN's 2019 North, South and Central America trek comprises 44 shows in six countries, which, combined with the band's 2018 European dates, means that by the end of this tour, the group will have taken the "Legacy Of The Beast" show to over one and three quarter of a million fans around the globe.

On October 9, METALLICA will bring "S&M²", a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the original "S&M" concerts, album, and film that also commemorates the grand opening of the state-of-the-art Chase Center, a historic addition to San Francisco's waterfront. This one-night-only event will be shown in over 3,000 movie theaters around the world.

Recorded live on September 6 and September 8, "S&M²" will see METALLICA joining forces once again with the San Francisco Symphony, led in part by legendary conductor Michael Tilson Thomas as he kicks off his final season. The band will perform several tracks from the original 1999 "S&M" release as well as symphonic versions of new songs released since then.

Movie theaters are still being confirmed and tickets will go on sale August 7, so visit metallica.film to sign up for alerts, including more ticket on-sale details, and stay up to date on all the latest information about this one-night-only film event.

The classical musicians and classic rockers will be the first acts to perform at the new 18,064-seat arena that will serve as home to the NBA team Golden State Warriors in the fall.

Back in March, METALLICA fans took to Twitter to express their outrage after the pre-sale for the "S&M²" show ended within seconds due to bots grabbing all the available tickets.

Members of METALLICA's fan club were supposed to be given the opportunity to buy tickets a few days early, but it was reported that tickets began showing up instantly at StubHub before fans had a chance to view their pre-sale opportunity.

Fans reported signing in at exactly 9:00 a.m. PT and being unable to purchase a single ticket, while tickets went on sale at StubHub via resellers at prices ranging from $300 to $16,000 for one ticket.

The original "S&M" concerts were conducted by the late Michael Kamen in spring of 1999 at the Berkeley Community Theatre.

Jon Courtney and Chloë Alper have reunited the much-loved Pure Reason Revolution, playing their first show in close to 8 years at the recent Midsummer Prog Festival in the Netherlands, and performing their debut album, The Dark Third, in full.

They comment: “The festival and crowd reaction was incredible. We were touched that people had travelled from Canada, Russia, Italy, Spain, UK and many more countries. The tracks are exciting as ever to play and it's encouraging to see the material still has relevance and connects.”

The band have also revealed they are working on a brand new studio album, and have signed to InsideOutMusic for its release in 2020.

Jon Courtney comments: “We’re currently working on material for the new album which returns to a more progressive sound and it’s nice to remind ourselves of the genesis of PRR,” while Chloë adds, “it's sounding spectacular.”

Pure Reason Revolution originally parted ways in November 2011, following touring in support of their 2010 album Hammer & Anvil. Since then, Jon Courtney started Bullet Height and released their debut album, No Atonement, in 2017, while Chloë Alper began a new band called Tiny Giant as well as playing live with the likes of Charli XCX and James.

The band originally formed back in 2003, releasing their much-loved debut album, The Dark Third, in 2006 via Sony BMG. They went on to release the albums, Amor Vincit Omnia in 2009 and Hammer & Anvil in 2010.

Look out for more information on the bands forthcoming new album.
 




(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);
})();

Hellevate, the speed/thrash metal band from Kansas City, Missouri, are excited to announce the permanent return of original drummer, RJ "The Machine Gun" Whitmer, who will be featured on the band's upcoming new EP.

Hellevate have collectively checked in with the following comment: "Hellevate are pleased to announce the return of original drummer, RJ "The Machine Gun" Whitmer to the band! Edward "Shredward" Unfred had several changes in his personal life which meant he could no longer continue with the band. RJ was very excited to step back in for the first time since 2016."

RJ has this to say on the issue, “Well I said I wasn’t gonna go away forever! What, did you not believe me? Well regardless, I’m back baby! As you could imagine, I am BEYOND excited to return to the stage with my brothers of metal! I am in a much better place than I was three years ago and can’t wait to show you all what we’ve been working on! We still got some surprises up our sleeves, new material, and a lot more material yet to be written!”

In other news, Hellevate announce that they have begun recording a new EP. The 4-song EP will be produced by Hellevate’s own Danowar and Josh the Boss.

About the EP, Josh says, “We’ve been working on a ton of songs for a while now and super pumped to show some of them to everyone! We’re really eager to get back out with some new material that will pound your face in! The new songs are more melodic, more aggressive, and generally stronger as well as more confident than any of our previous stuff. We can’t for you guys to hear it.”

The EP is set to release before the end of the year. Expect more details in the future.

Band lineup:

Vocals: Erik “Jager” Schmutzler
Guitars: Dan "Danowar" Whitmer
Guitars: Josh "The Boss" Cole
Bass: Zack "The Ripper" Burke
Drums: RJ "The Machine Gun" Whitmer




(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);
})();

SLIPKNOT percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan has told Kerrang! magazine that the creative sessions for the band's new album, "We Are Not Your Kind", resulted in far more material than will make the final product when it is finally released next month.

"Did we know that this was going to be the album? No. No one knows," he said. "There's another 15 songs that didn't make the cut — there's at least seven or eight songs that are recorded, with vocals, that did not make this album. There's so much material, but all that material whittled this down to its anomaly, and to its presentation."

When asked what's going to happen to these other songs, and why they didn't make the cut, Clown responded: "Usually you take your collection of records, and you make an album. So we have a bunch of records, and we have to basically decide which ones of those records can make up a thought process known as 'We Are Not Your Kind'."

"We Are Not Your Kind" will be released on August 9 via Roadrunner. The disc was once again recorded at a Los Angeles studio with producer Greg Fidelman, who engineered and mixed SLIPKNOT's 2004 album "Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)" and helmed 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter".

Guitarist Jim Root stated about "We Are Not Your Kind": "This is most time we've had to write a record, and work stuff out together. One of my inspirations this time around was those artists that recorded full length albums — not just songs. While the industry is moving toward singles, SLIPKNOT wanted to make an album experience, front to back."

SLIPKNOT's "Knotfest Roadshow" North American headline tour with VOLBEAT, GOJIRA and BEHEMOTH launched earlier this month. Produced by Live Nation, the 29-city outing kicked off July 26 in Mountain View, California at Shoreline Amphitheater and will continue through September 8 where it will conclude with a performance at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands, Texas.

Legendary Dutch screen actor Rutger Hauer, who appeared as a narrator on Ayreon mastermind Arjen Lucassen's 2012 solo album, Lost In The New Real, passed away on July 19 at his home in the Netherlands after a short illness. He was 75.

According to Variety, Hauer’s agent, Steve Kenis, confirmed the news and said that Hauer’s funeral was held last Wednesday.

Lucassen has posted the following statement regarding Hauer's passing:

"Sad news... Dutch actor Rutger Hauer has passed away. Ayreonauts may know him from his unforgettable narration as Dr. Voight Kampff on my solo album, Lost In The New Real. Rutger has been my actor-idol ever since I saw him in the Dutch series Floris, back in the sixties. And I still think he should have gotten an award for his amazing performance in Blade Runner, truly timeless stuff.

They say ‘never meet your idols’, but Rutger has never disappointed me. While we were working on the album, I Skyped with him for a few weeks and we had a lot of fun. He insisted on writing his own narration, and he really immersed himself into the story. Lori (Linstruth) recorded him in a studio in LA, and found him to be a perfect gentleman. I’m truly honored to have had the privilege to work with Rutger, a true icon. What I liked most about him is that he always stayed true to himself. I never had the feeling that he ‘faked it.’ I think I’ll watch Blade Runner now for the umpteenth time, tears in rain!"

Hauer's most cherished performance came in a film that was a resounding flop on its original release. In 1982, he portrayed the murderous yet soulful Roy Batty, leader of a gang of outlaw replicants, opposite Harrison Ford in Ridley Scott’s sci-fi noir opus Blade Runner. The picture became a widely influential cult favorite, and Batty proved to be Hauer’s most indelible role.

In addition to his prolific acting career, Rutger Hauer was a lifelong environmental advocate. Read more about Hauer's life and career at Variety.com.

When Arjen Lucassen announced back in 2012 that he was able to enlist the talents of Rutger Hauer as the narrator for Lost In The New Real, he revealed: “This is a dream come true. Rutger is not only one of my favorite actors, he also starred in my all-time favourite sci-fi movie, Blade Runner.”

Rutger also enjoyed the collaboration with Arjen, stating, "It was marvellous work, very creative.”




(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);
})();