MEAT PUPPETS' original lineup, Curt and Cris Kirkwood and returning drummer Derrick Bostrom, have a released a video for "Warranty" off their upcoming album, "Dusty Notes", due on March 8 via Megaforce.

The MEAT PUPPETS' story begins with three kids, enamored of music and immersed in the psychedelic drug culture of Arizona in the '70s, who find their way to punk rock and painstakingly become one of the most important bands of the American underground. "We began to make such a hellacious racket that we knew we were on to something," says returning drummer Derrick Bostrom. The PUPPETS went on to achieve mainstream rock stardom, with a hiatus and resurrection follow.


At their induction into the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall Of Fame in 2017, the original lineup of the MEAT PUPPETS — brothers Cris and Curt Kirkwood and Bostrom — joined together onstage for the first time in over two decades.


Throughout a set that included era-defining songs like "Lake Of Fire", "Plateau" and "Backwater", the chemistry was more than promising, as Bostrom isn't shy to point out. "It was so intense that even I couldn't deny it! I remember why we did this. It was magical." "It was the psychedelic fuckin' time machine," adds Chris. "Mind-blowing."


That rekindling has resulted in "Dusty Notes", the first MEAT PUPPETS studio album to feature the original trio since 1995's "No Joke!"


Since the band debuted in the early '80s, Curt Kirkwood has continually proven himself to be among the most brilliant songwriters of his generation. Time after time, album after album, he's demonstrated an extraordinary ability to draw upon various roots and rock styles en route to a unique new vision of what the MEAT PUPPETS can be. His latest contributions, especially songs such as "Warranty", "On", "Nine Pins", "Outflow" could be forgotten gems from Nashville, Bakersfield and Laurel Canyon.


"Dusty Notes" also features keyboardist Ron Stabinsky, a jazz-trained virtuoso adept at any style, and Curt's son Elmo, whose old-school rock-guitar grit ideally complements his father's spacier explorations. Intuitive, inspired and overflowing with genuine musicianship, it's the sort of band that can transform what Curt describes as "simple yet engaging" songs into maiden voyages each night on the road. "I can ignore my vocal and listen to the other four guys play," Kirkwood laughs. "They're all so good."


"The band has been a really, really deep font of creativity," Derrick said. "Love it or hate it, hit or miss, Curt is just prodigious. They are still living the rock lifestyle; they're not doing it by half measures. They stayed on the road. These guys are uncompromising. I consider the MEAT PUPPETS to be a national treasure."

The MEAT PUPPETS' U.S. tour begins April 4 in Mill Valley, California.


April 04 - Mill Valley, CA @ Sweetwater Music Hall +

April 05 - San Francisco, CA @ The Independent +

April 06 - Los Angeles, CA @ Troubadour ^

April 07 - San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar ^

May 08 - New York, NY @ Mercury Lounge #

May 09 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Bowl #

May 10 - Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts #

May 11 - Asbury Park, NJ @ Asbury Lanes #

May 13 - Woodstock, NY @ Colony #

May 14 - Hamden, CT @ Space Ballroom #

May 15 - Portland, ME @ Port City Music Hall #

May 16 - Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall #

May 17 - Portsmouth, NH @ 3S Artspace #

May 18 - Jersey City, NJ @ White Eagle Music Hall #

+ with NEIL HAMBURGER

^ with ALL SOULS

# with SUMO PRINCESS, STEPHEN MAGLIO

Photo courtesy of MEAT PUPPETS' Facebook page

Australian death thrashers, Truth Corroded, have unleashed their second song, "Victims Left Lepers" from the band's upcoming new album Bloodlands, which will be released worldwide on March 22nd. The track is accompanied by a confronting video clip that depicts the desperate plight of asylum seekers in offshore detention facilities and targets Australian political figures who engage in racism and fear baiting for political gain.

Bassist and lyricist Greg Shaw offers the following regarding the songs subject matter and video clip: “'Victims Left Lepers' is a protest against the treatment of asylum seekers in offshore detention and the fear baiting and racist policy pursued by certain politicians for political gain. The clip challenges and ridicules these politicians and provides a historical context and contrast for their deplorable actions to be considered.”

The video was produced by David Hall at Uneasy Sleeper who has worked with acts such as Misery Index, Today Is The Day, The Melvins and KEN Mode.

Bloodlands was mixed by Chris ‘Zeuss’ Harris (Hatebreed, Soulfly, Overkill) and features guest appearances by artists such as Stephen Carpenter of Deftones, Terrance Hobbs of Suffocation, Mark Kloeppel of Misery Index and Ryan Knight (ex-The Black Dahlia Murder).

Find pre-orders at this location.

Tracklisting:

“To The Carnal Earth”
“The Leeches Feed”
“Conquest Of Divide”
“Victims Left Lepers”
“Bloodlands”
“The Storm”
“Of Open Eyes And Willing Hands”
“The End Of He Who Reigns”
“I Once Breathed”

“To The Carnal Earth” lyric video:




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From Sorrow To Serenity has released a video for the title track of their upcoming album, Reclaim, which will be released on March 22nd via Long Branch Records. Watch the video below, and pre-order the album here.

Reclaim is the first album to feature new vocalist and frontman, Gaz King (ex-Nexilva). The album artwork was painted by James Banks at his studio, also in Glasgow, Scotland; with packaging and layout handled by Daniel Wagner in Los Angeles, California.

Reclaim tracklisting:

"Denounce"
"We Are Liberty"
"Reclaim"
"Alight"
"Perpetrator"
"Solitude"
"Unity Asunder"
"Inside A Soul"
"Supremacy"
"7"
"Resurgence"

"Reclaim" video:




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Last week, Swedish metallers Enforcer unleashed the first single, '"Die For The Devil", from their forthcoming studio album Zenith, which will be released on April 26 through Nuclear Blast.

Today, the band has revealed a big surprise for their Spanish speaking fans: although Zenith was originally written and recorded in English, the band has decided to record a version in Spanish too. Watch and listen to the official lyric video for the album opener, "Muere Por El Diablo", below.

Guitarist/vocalist Olof Wikstrand states, "Here’s something special for you! This is a tribute to our Latin American fans for being the best fans in the world!"

Purchase the song here.

Zenith (Spanish Version) tracklisting:

"Muere Por El Diablo"
"Zenith Del Sol Negro"
"Voy A Encontrarte"
"Ecos"
"El Fin De Un Universo"
"Navego"
"Mil Años En Las Sombras"
"Rendido Al Trueno Infernal"
"Por Siempre Seguimos La Oscuridad"
"Oda A La Muerte"

Zenith can be pre-ordered at this location. Pre-order the album digitally to receive "Die For The Devil"/"Muere Por El Diablo" instantly (Amazon and iTunes only)!

Tracklisting:

“Die For The Devil”
“Zenith Of The Black Sun”
“Searching For You”
“Regrets”
“The End Of A Universe”
“Sail On”
“One Thousand Years Of Darkness”
“Thunder And Hell”
“Forever We Worship The Dark”
“Ode To Death”
“To Another World” (Digipak bonus track)

"Die For The Devil" video:

Enforcer is:

Olof Wikstrand - vocals, guitars
Jonas Wikstrand - drums, piano & keyboards
Tobias Lindqvist - bass
Jonathan Nordwall - guitars

(Photo - Cintia Regueiro)




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We all wade through archetypes. We all ARE archetypes. Distant echoes of a life both primeval and noble. To embrace these archetypes, to accept them not only as a part of life but as life itself is what some may call enlightenment, some peace of mind. Eluveitie call it Ategnatos. And by using their longest gap between two metal albums to gather momentum, they just forged their strongest album around it. The new album, Ategnatos, will be released on April 5th via Nuclear Blast. Check out the first official video trailer below, and order the album here.

The band states: "Ategnatos probably became our most organic album by all accounts. It is the result of a thoroughly intuitive process, where we gave creativity full scope. And during this process quite some back-to-the-roots developments emerged in diverse aspects. Many riffs off Ategnatos reminds on the guitar work on Slania. Following our gut feeling we brought the mixing duties back to Jens Bogren's Fascination Street Studios, where our Nuclear Blast debut was produced. And regarding the album artwork it soon became very clear to us, that we'd love to work with the fabulous Travis Smith (www.seempieces.com) again, who already created the front covers of our albums Spirit (14 years ago!) and Everything Remains As It Never Was. And we're honestly excited with the result! The frontcover shows a spectacular scenery in central Switzerland, a so-called 'vulva cave', as it was sought to mark sacred rites of fertility and celebrations of life in ancient times! The artwork mystically and beautifully expresses the Ategnatos very core and essence! Once again it was a pleasure to work with Travis!"

Recordings of Ategnatos took place in their beloved New Sound Studio with their engineer of choice Tommy Vetterli. “Yet it was radically different as we only had four weeks to record this time around - as compared to the eight weeks we had for Origins.” By taking mixing duties to the skilled hand of renowned studio wizard Jens Bogren in his Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden, Eluveitie returned to the very spot where they mixed their now legendary Slania album more than ten years ago.
 
With Ategnatos, the dedicated nine-piece not only worked with a real string quartet (a premiere!) and granted Fabienne Erni’s sublime mastery of the harp the room it deserved; they also undertook a holistic upgrade resulting in some of the most catchy, most aggressive or most epic tunes the Swiss metal nobility has ever offered.

Tracklisting:

"Ategnatos"
"Ancus"
"Deathwalker"
"Black Water Dawn"
"A Cry in the Wilderness"
"The Raven Hill"
"The Silvern Glow"
"Ambiramus"
"Mine Is the Fury"
"The Slumber"
"Worship"
"Trinoxtion"
"Threefold Death"
"Breathe"
"Rebirth"
"Eclipse"

Trailer #1:

"Ategnatos" video:

The Swiss folk metal leaders also announceD their European tour in support of the new album.

Eluveitie will join forces with Lacuna Coil and Infected Rain. The band states: "Our last few months have been extremely intense, creating Ategnatos. Now we simply cannot wait to bring our new songs to the stages and to share our passion, pure fucking metal and heartfelt Celtic mysticism with you all! And all the more we're excited to bring such great bands with us! We feel honoured to team up with our fellows of the heavyweight institution called Lacuna Coil and also with the amazing wizkid that is Infected Rain, whom we've shared festival stages with a few times already!"

Lacuna Coil adds: "Transformation is a process and as life happens you need tons of new music! That’s why we are really excited to team up with Eluveitie and our buddies in Infected Rain for this fantastic tour package. The bill is pretty diverse and interesting and we can’t wait to bring it around Europe. We will play some of our classic songs and introduce some new tunes! We know this tour is going to be rocking, and we know the fans are going to enjoy this as much as we are!"

November
2 - Bari, Italy - Demode
3 - Rome, Italy - Orion
5 - Bologna, Italy - Estragon
6 - Milan, Italy - Live Club
8 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn
9 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle II
10 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
12 - Manchester, England - O2 Ritz
13 - Glasgow, Scotland - Garage
15 - Bristol, England - SWX
16 - London, England - O2 Forum Kentish Town
17 - Nottingham, England - Rock City
19 - Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp
20 - Hannover, Germany - Capitol
21 - Berlin, Germany - Huxleys
22 - Leipzig, Germany - Felsenkeller
23 - Munich, Germany - Tonhalle
24 - Dornbirn, Austria - Conrad Sohm
26 - Bordeaux, France - Le Rocher de Palmer
27 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz II
28 - Madrid, Spain - Mon Live
29 -Toulouse, France - Le Bikini
30 - Rennes, France - L'Etage

December
1 - Paris, France - Elysée-Montmartre
3 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
4 - Nürnberg, Germany - Hirsch
5 - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Kino Siska
8 - Vienna, Austria - Arena
12 - Riga, Latvia - Melna Piektdiena
13 - Helsinki, Finland - Tavastia
14 - Tampere, Finland - Pakkahuone
15 - Tallinn, Estonia - Rock Cafe
17 - Stockholm, Sweden - Klubben Fryshuset
18 - Oslo, Norway - Vulkan Arena
19 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Trädgarn
21 - Hamburg, Germany - Docks

Lineup:

Jonas Wolf - guitars
Matteo Sisti - whistles, bagpipes, mandola, bodhran
Nicole Ansperger - fiddle
Alain Ackermann - drums
Chrigel Glanzmann - vocals, whistles, mandola, bagpipes
Fabienne Erni - vocals, celtic harp
Kay Brem - bass
Michalina Malisz - hurdy gurdy
Rafael Salzmann - guitars




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Yngwie Malmsteen's cover version of THE BEATLES classic "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" can be streamed below. The song is taken from his upcoming album, "Blue Lightning", which will be released globally on March 29 via Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group.

Speaking about the choice to cover the classic BEATLES track, Malmsteen says: "There were songs that were immediately clear I wanted to do... But then I also went for something like 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps', which I wasn't sure I could do. In this case, it was about trial and error. I am delighted that I was able to do justice to the original."

To call Malmsteen a "maestro" or "virtuoso" is to state the obvious. But such terms don't do sufficient justice to either his talent or impact. There are innumerable guitarists who have copied a small part of the vast musical spectrum that defines him, but nobody comes close to achieving what he has over a period of nearly four decades.

This man is an undoubted pioneer, someone whose style and creativity has inspired so many others. While he first came to everybody's notice in Los Angeles with STEELER's self-titled album (1983), followed by ALCATRAZZ's "No Parole From Rock 'N' Roll" the same year and "Live Sentence" ('84), it's been what he's done since in a distinguished and far ranging career as a solo performer and band leader that has momentously shown Malmsteen's craft and worth as one of the elite guitarists on the planet. Combining skills that span a vast spectrum of inspirations, he stands as a giant, melding melody, technique and an epic scope in a unique and inclusive fashion.


Now, with "Blue Lightning", the man highlights not only his enduring dexterity and diversity, but also pays homage to those from the blues world who have fueled his artistic spirit for so long.

"I have always played around with old songs, both live and also in the studio," he said. "I did a similar album called 'Inspiration' a while ago (1996), and it was Mascot who came to me and suggested I do a blues record.


"Now, I grew up in a classically trained family, and people know me for playing in what is called a neo-classical style. But when I got a guitar for my fifth birthday, what I would try to emulate were JOHN MAYALL & THE BLUESBREAKERS — I would jam along to what they did on record with Eric Clapton ('Bluesbreakers With Eric Clapton' album). That's something people don't realize about me — I do have a strong interest in the blues. So, when Mascot came to me with the suggestion of doing an album of songs in this style, it didn't faze me at all. In fact, it seemed so natural."


What Malmsteen has done here is combine choices which might seem almost obvious with some that will turn heads. He shares: "There were songs that were immediately clear I wanted to do. These were the likes of 'Purple Haze' and 'Smoke On The Water' which I have been playing since I was a kid. But then I also went for something like 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' which I wasn't sure I could do. In this case, it was about trial and error. I am delighted that I was able to do justice to the original."


Anyone who is expecting Malmsteen to copy exactly the way the original versions sound is in for a shock. Because that is not what he has done. He reflects: "I have never been one of those people who wants to sit down and mimic the way in which a song sounds on record. I don't see the point in doing that. If all you want to hear is a song the way you remember it, then the originals are there for you. What I have done is add in my own vibe and personality, while paying tribute to what you already know. That way I feel I am being myself, yet also being respectful to those artists."


One thing this album has allowed Malmsteen to do is to challenge himself, which is certainly the case of Eric Clapton's "Forever Man". He offers: "I heard this on the radio, and honestly I didn't know whether I could do it for this album. But I sat down and tried things, and they worked out. I had to rise to the occasion and am delighted to have done exactly that." This track showcases not only Malmsteen's celebrated guitar qualities, but also his maturing individual vocal confidence. He reflects: "On the singing side with 'Forever Man', I did it all in one take. I got the lyrics through, went into the studio, and just got them done. I am not someone who likes to do take after take. I feel you should be able to get it right the first time around. That applies to the vocal parts and also my guitar playing. And for the most part, this is the way I did 'Blue Lightning'."


The man has also paid homage to a particular favorite. He shares: "When I was ten years old, I got DEEP PURPLE's 'Fireball' album, which I have always thought was very undervalued. And the song that really killed me was 'Demon's Eye'. And I was very keen to do it for the album. Thankfully, the key was just right for my voice, and I had so much fun doing it. In fact, I would say that I had a great time doing all the songs here."


Aside from the covers, there are also four original tracks included. And these clearly bring to the fore Malmsteen's abiding love for the blues, as well as his capacity for doing interpretations possessed of emotion and depth. He offers: "I have always featured songs with a blues groove on albums. So, having my own material in this vein was very natural for me."


The album is produced by Yngwie, and Malmsteen has followed a traditional manner in the way this was recorded. He shares: "In the old days, a band would go into the studio, do a couple of songs, then go out on tour, before returning to the studio to do a couple more new tracks. That's the way I did things this time. I have been so busy on the road in recent times that it was the most pragmatic way to do the album. In all, it took me about ten months to get it done, but by going in the studio in between touring commitments, I feel it kept everything fresh."

"Blue Lightning" track listing:

01. Blue Lightning

02. Foxy Lady

03. Demon's Eye

04. 1911 Strut

05. Blue Jeans Blues

06. Purple Haze

07. While My Guitar Gently Weeps

08. Sun's Up Top's Down

09. Peace, Please

10. Paint It Black

11. Smoke On The Water

12. Forever Man

Bonus tracks (vinyl and deluxe CD only)

13. Little Miss Lover

14. Jumping Jack Fish

The official music video for the song "Platitudes And Barren Words" from Finnish melodic metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM can be seen below. The track is the third single from the band's tenth album, "Hexed", which will be released on March 8 via Nuclear Blast Records.

CHILDREN OF BODOM frontman, guitarist and mastermind Alexi Laiho comments: "This one has been a lot of people's favorite song since day one and when you think about it, every single part of it is catchy as hell, so it makes sense. Can't wait to play it live."

"Hexed" saw the return to Finland's Danger Johnny Studios where COB was reunited with Mikko Karmila ("I Worship Chaos", "Halo Of Blood", "Hatebreeder", "Follow The Reaper" and "Hate Crew Deathroll") who recorded everything except keyboards and also produced the album with the band. Janne Wirman recorded keyboards at Beyond Abilities Studios. The album was mixed and mastered at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, Finland.

"Hexed" track listing:

01. The Road

02. Under Grass And Clover

03. Glass Houses

04. Hecate's Nightmare

05. Kick In The Spleen

06. Platitudes And Barren Words

07. Hexed

08. Relapse (The Nature Of My Crime)

09. Say Never Look Back

10. Soon Departed

11. Knuckleduster

12. I Worship Chaos (live)

13. Morrigan (live)

14. Knuckleduster (remix)

CHILDREN OF BODOM will embark on the "Hexed" 2019 North American tour this spring. The trek will kick off in Quebec City on March 13 and conclude in New York City on April 19. Support on the trek will come from Finnish death-doom melody makers SWALLOW THE SUN and Finnish epic melodic death metal quartet WOLFHEART as well as SUMMONER'S CIRCLE (March 13-16 and April 9-19), HOLLOW CRY (March 18-29) and FRAGMENTUM (March 30 April 7).

Bassist Henkka Seppälä (a.k.a. Henkka T. Blacksmith) stated about "Hexed": "For me, it has always been very hard to describe our new music. In a way, it always feels familiar, but the new stuff also always surprises me. Here we have something that's very BODOM, but somehow we haven't done this kind of stuff, possibly ever. Then again, someone said that there's a somewhat similar vibe to what 'Follow The Reaper' had. I don't know. Anyway, we had a really hard time choosing the songs for the videos. I guess that's a positive problem to have."

For this album, the band enlisted Deins Forkas to create the album artwork. Henkka commented on the cover: "For some years I've wanted to try a different approach with our cover art. We are so used to digital art, so it's really hard to do something else. Doing it completely with a computer is somewhat safe and convenient. This time we all agreed to try going old school. We found this cool dude and gave him simple instructions — the cover has to be purple and the reaper has to be central. Half a year later, we got his work, and with little tweaking, we now have the cover of 'Hexed'. It is very different from what we are used to, even the Reaper looks different, but at the same time very spooky."

NEW YEARS DAY will release its fourth studio album, "Unbreakable", on April 26 via RED Music. The follow-up to 2015's "Malevolence" was produced by Mitchell Marlow (ALL THAT REMAINS, IN THIS MOMENT, BUTCHER BABIES) and Scott Stevens (AMERICAN AUTHORS, HALESTORM, SHINEDOWN).

The latest single from "Unbreakable", a song called "Shut Up", can be streamed below.


"'Shut Up' was written in a day, which just doesn't happen," states frontwoman Ash Costello. "I was going through some heavy personal stuff, and I was just, 'Don't tell me what I want. Shut up and give it to me.'"

"Shut Up" is the second song released from "Unbreakable", following last year's "Skeletons".

Costello spoke about the inspiration for the "Unbreakable" album title last month during an interview with Kevan Kenney of the BUILD Series.

She said: "When I really thought about the year it took to write the record, everything that I've been through, I really felt like came out unbreakable on the other side. As opposed to our record before this one, where I felt almost like I was too breakable. But now with the fans behind us, and our team behind us, and this new music, I really feel like I'm unbreakable."

Costello said her favorite track from "Unbreakable" is "Come For Me", which she described as "a fight song. It's kind of my invitation to the world that if you've got something to say, come say it to my face, "she explained. "I think we can all use a song like that."

According to Costello, she was in a much different headspace while writing "Unbreakable" than she was a few years earlier during the making of "Malevolence".

"There was a breakup, and probably the worst breakup you could possibly imagine," Ash said. "I've never talked about who it was or what the exact circumstances are, and I never will. But when I wrote 'Malevolence' in about 2015, '16, it was the darkest time of my life on this planet. I really didn't think I was gonna make it out on the other side alive, and it shows in the songs, especially the title track, 'Malevolence'. It's not a happy record."

Ash recently told Heavy New York that NEW YEARS DAY's new album was "being described as either the poppiest metal album or the most metal poppy album. Both I'm so stoked on. It's more fun."

Costello went on to say that while it's "all good" to reach a wider audience with NEW YEARS DAY's new music, the change in the band's musical direction "was really more for me. I wanted to have fun with it. I wanted music that was fun for me. And I did that. And hopefully people love it too and it's fun for them."

This past December, Costello told Alternative Press that "Skeletons" was "one of the lightest-sounding" tracks on the upcoming NEW YEARS DAY disc. "The record, actually, is quite heavy. So we figured we'd start at the bottom of the hill and work our way up instead of at the top and work our way down. So, what you can take away from 'Skeletons', though, is that the newer songs are gonna be very catchy. Even though it's gonna be very heavy music, the melodies and the lyrics are still going to be very, very catchy and poppy."

In November, Costello said that NEW YEARS DAY's new LP will be "totally different" from "Malevolence". "'Malevolence' came out three years ago," she said. "Are you the same you were three years ago? I hope I'm not. I feel like I've improved in songwriting; I've improved in singing; I've improved in screaming. Every year that goes by, I learn more about want kind of artist I want to be and what kind of art I want to put out. It's changed quite a bit, so that's why we put out [the EP] 'Diary Of A Creep' to kind of be a little bit of a segue. We wanted to do a lot of what you can expect in the future. We covered everything from PANTERA to NEW ORDER. That's what you can expect. 'Skeletons' is the first taste – a heavy riff with a very catchy chorus... It's not completely left-field — it's still very NEW YEARS DAY — but it's growing up."

Asked how the new album will differ lyrically from "Malevolence", Ash told Heavy New York: "'Malevolence' was mainly very anti-love, spiteful, really-upset-about-relationships album, because when I did that record, I had just found out that I had been cheated on in a five-year relationship. All that anger came out, especially in the title song. That's not a nice song. Now, I don't have a shitty relationship to use as fuel for lyrics, but my whole outlook has changed. Now there's kind of, like, a light at the end of the tunnel, so a lot of songs are going to reflect that."


"Unbreakable" track listing:

01. Come For Me

02. MissUnderstood

03. Skeletons

04. Unbreakable

05. Shut Up

06. Done With You

07. Poltergeist

08. Break My Body

09. Sorry Not Sorry

10. My Monsters

11. Nocturnal

12. I Survived

Album art credit: Marc Liscio

NEW YEARS DAY will hit the road this spring with FALLING IN REVERSE. The U.S. tour will kick off in Las Vegas on April 20 and will wrap on May 24 in Los Angeles.

Photo credit: Hristo Shindov

Swedish melodic death/doom metallers OCTOBER TIDE, featuring ex-KATATONIA members Fredrik and Mattias Norrman, will release their sixth studio album, "In Splendor Below", on May 17 via Agonia Records. The follow-up to 2016's "Winged Waltz" was mixed and mastered by Karl Daniel Lidén at Tri-Lamd studios (BLOODBATH, KATATONIA, BREACH, CRAFT). It was produced by Alexander Backlund from Nailvillage Studio (THENIGHTTIMEPROJECT, LETTERS FROM COLONY) and OCTOBER TIDE. Tomarum av Christine Linde created the cover artwork.

With a history tracing back to the epicenter of melodic death metal in Sweden, OCTOBER TIDE has come a long way and has generated a spark that is strongly felt in the energy of the scene. "In Splendor Below" is the latest addition to the band's vibrant discography of guitar-driven, emotive death/doom metal art. It packs some of the most authentic and unique compositions from the capable hands of founding member and longtime KATATONIA guitarist Fredrik Norrman, his brother and guitarist Mattias Norrman (ex-KATATONIA), vocalist Alexander Högbom (DEMONICAL), bassist Johan Jönsegård (LETTERS FROM THE COLONY) and drummer Jonas Sköld (LETTERS FROM THE COLONY, THENIGHTTIMEPROJECT). While Fredrik prefers for the music to speak for itself, he finds the new album "a bit more aggressive, a bit more death metal, and with an overall colder feeling than previous records."

The band is planning a tour in support of the new album in November and December of 2019. In the meantime, they will perform at In The Grip Of Winter Festival (NL), Exit Festival (SRB) and MetalDays Festival (SI). More dates are on the way.

"In Splendor Below" track listing:

01. I, The Polluter

02. We Died In October

03. Ögoblick Av Nåd

04. Stars Starve Me

05. Our Famine

06. Guide My Pulse

07. Seconds

08. Envy Of The Moon

OCTOBER TIDE is:

Alexander Högbom - vocals

Fredrik Norrman - guitar

Jonas Sköld - drums

Johan Jönsegård - bass

Mattias Norrman - guitar

Composer, musician, futurist and innovator Frank Zappa is facing censorship yet again over so-called "questionable content" in the ad artwork for the upcoming "The Bizarre World Of Frank Zappa" hologram tour which will make its debut this April in the U.S.


The tour artwork was curiously censored by Ticketmaster, which cited the image for so-called "questionable content," according to their Content Governance team, and wouldn't post it online. The censored image pays homage to FRANK ZAPPA & THE MOTHERS' 1974 song "Penguin In Bondage".


Now, in a first look at the Zappa hologram, Frank addresses these claims, saying exactly what he said in 1984: "I'm a person who likes to do what he wants to do... whether people like it or not. And what I do is designed for people who like it, not for people who don't."


Zappa — who always fought against censorship and for all artists' rights — appeared before Congress on September 19, 1985. He later famously, voluntarily labeled his albums with his "Warning Guarantee" in the mid-'80s.


Beyond the images in question, artwork for the tour gives clues to the kinds of fantastical holograms fans who purchase tickets for the tour will experience. Ahmet Zappa says: "If you're someone that can't enjoy the absurdity and humor of bringing Frank's music and lyrics to life via holograms — such as penguins in bondage, talking hot dogs and super natural dental floss — this show might not be your cup of tea. In response to Ticketmaster, I re-submit the poster artwork with our newly updated Warning Guarantee hiding the buttocks of the cartoon penguin. I mean, seriously, Ticketmaster?"


"The Bizarre World Of Frank Zappa" will kick off with nine U.S. shows on Friday, April 19, with seven European performances in May to follow. Produced by Eyellusion, the "Bizarre World Of Frank Zappa" hologram tour band is comprised of former Zappa bandmates for this monumental series of shows. The touring unit boasts guitarists Ray White and Mike Keneally, bassist Scott Thunes, multi-instrumentalist Robert Martin, percussionist Ed Mann, and drummer and Zappa archivist Joe "Vaultmeister" Travers.


For more information, visit www.zappa.com.

"Monolilith", a new song from VLTIMAS, the three-piece extreme metal formation consisting of David Vincent (ex-MORBID ANGEL), Rune "Blasphemer" Eriksen (ex-MAYHEM, AURA NOIR) and Flo Monier (CRYPTOPSY), can be streamed below. The track is taken from the VLTIMAS's debut album, "Something Wicked Marches In", which will be released on March 29 via Season Of Mist.

The cover for "Something Wicked Marches In" was created by renowned Polish artist Zbigniew M. Bielak (GHOST, PARADISE LOST, BÖLZER, ZHRINE) and can be seen below.

The foundation for VLTIMAS was laid when Rune, after collecting a handful of riffs, presented Mounier with the idea of forming a band together. For the two musicians, having composed and recorded numerous songs together in the past, the musical chemistry was already tried and tested. However, one thing was still missing. This extraordinary musical project needed an extraordinary voice and Eriksen got in touch with Vincent, with whom he had been in contact for years, to finalize the lineup.


Vincent had just exited MORBID ANGEL and was ready for a new chapter in his long spanning career. Everything fell into place, and VLTIMAS came into being.


During the Noize Factory sessions (Georgetown, USA), the musicians started writing a substantial amount of music. The sessions proved to be a fruitful endeavor and the first ideas and song skeletons were later fleshed out by Rune at his home studio in Portugal, then finalized when Mounier and Eriksen returned to Texas, in order to put the final touches to the material at David's home studio. In a more controlled surrounding the songs started to unveil themselves and the studio was booked.


The band entered Orgone Studios in Woburn, England in May 2018 with producer Jaime Gomez Arellano. While there, the three-piece recorded nine crushing tracks that will appear on the full-length debut album.


The new record offers a vast array of influences, but most notably the distinguished symbioses of these three respected and talented musicians. A dark and sinister ambiance meets a majestic and a commanding death metal energy.

"Something Wicked Marches In" track listing:

01. Something Wicked Marches In (4:28)

02. Praevalidus (3:39)

03. Total Destroy! (2:57)

04. Monolilith (5:25)

05. Truth And Consequence (3:42)

06. Last Ones Alive Win Nothing (5:29)

07. Everlasting (3:40)

08. Diabolus Est Sanguis (3:27)

09. Marching On (5:34)


Vincent is also involved with I AM MORBID alongside fellow former MORBID ANGEL member Tim Yeung (drums), plus guitarists Bill Hudson (CIRCLE II CIRCLE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA) and Ira Black (METAL CHURCH, LIZZY BORDEN).

Formed in 2016, I AM MORBID plays material from MORBID ANGEL's "Altars Of Madness" (1989), "Blessed Are The Sick" (1991), "Covenant" (1993) and "Domination" (1995) albums.

Vincent left MORBID ANGEL in 2015.

BLACK STAR RIDERS will release their fourth studio album in September via Nuclear Blast. Titled "Another State Of Grace", the follow-up to 2017's "Heavy Fire" was produced and mixed by Jay Ruston (STONE SOUR, ANTHRAX, URIAH HEEP).

The band will support the record with a full U.K. and Ireland tour in October 2019, with additional dates in other territories to be announced in the near future.

BLACK STAR RIDERS, which consists of Ricky Warwick (lead vocals, guitar), Scott Gorham (lead guitar) and Robert Crane (bass) along with recent additions Chad Szeliga (drums) and Christian Martucci (lead guitar), recorded the album in February at Sphere Studios in Burbank, California.

Says Warwick: "I'm absolutely thrilled to be back with a brand new BLACK STAR RIDERS album. In my honest opinion, this is the best record the band has made. This is Christian and Chad's first album with the band and they have brought a fantastic energy and vibe."

Gorham adds: "It was great to be back in Los Angeles, and recording with Jay Ruston was an absolute pleasure. I am excited to see everyone's reactions to this amazing record… and I can't wait to get back on the road and play you these new songs."

Guitarist Damon Johnson announced his exit from BLACK STAR RIDERS in September, but continued performing with the band until the end of the group's U.K. tour on December 3.

"Heavy Fire" was a worldwide success, reaching position No. 6 on the U.K. chart, No. 11 on the German chart, and No. 91 on U.S. Current Top Albums chart.

Dates for BLACK STAR RIDERS' 2019 U.K. and Ireland tour:

Oct. 10 - O2 Academy, Bristol

Oct. 11 - Corn Exchange, Cambridge

Oct. 12 - O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire

Oct. 13 - William Aston Hall, Wrexham

Oct. 14 - Rock City, Nottingham

Oct. 16 - Academy, Dublin *

Oct. 17 - Limelight, Belfast *

Oct. 18 - Braehead Arena, Glasgow §

Oct. 19 - O2 Academy, Newcastle

Oct. 20 - O2 Ritz, Manchester

Oct. 22 - De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill

Oct. 23 - O2 Academy, Bournemouth

Oct. 24 - University Great Hall, Cardiff

Oct. 25 - Steel Mill, Wolverhampton

Oct. 26 - O2 Academy, Leeds

* BLACK STAR RIDERS and STONE BROKEN only

§ BLACK STAR RIDERS only as guests to SAXON

Tickets go on sale on Friday, March 8 at 10 a.m.

Photo credit: Robert John

Finnish metallers BATTLE BEAST will release their fifth studio album, "No More Hollywood Endings", in just three weeks, on March 22 via Nuclear Blast Records. Today the band has unleashed the second single from the disc in the form of the tenacious and uplifting track "Eden".

The official music video for the song was directed by Markus Nieminen and produced by Oy Routafilmi AB and Tuotantoyhtiö Legenda and can be seen below.

Guitarist Joona Björkroth states: "'Eden' was born about one year ago when I was going through an extremely bad period in my personal life. I wrote the song as a remembrance to myself that whatever life throws at you, there's light in the end. Many bad things people have in their lives are creations of their own mind and can be mended by letting go. The song is a sincere 'fuck you!' to fear, pain... whatever it is that is holding you down!"

"No More Hollywood Endings" was recorded by keyboardist Janne Björkroth, Viktor Gullichsen and Joona Björkroth at JKB Studio. The production and mixing duties were handled by Janne. The cover artwork was created by Jan Yrlund (KORPIKLAANI, MANOWAR), who previously worked with BATTLE BEAST on 2017's "Bringer Of Pain".

"No More Hollywood Endings" track listing:

01. Unbroken

02. No More Hollywood Endings

03. Eden

04. Unfairy Tales

05. Endless Summer

06. The Hero

07. Piece Of Me

08. I Wish

09. Raise Your Fists

10. The Golden Horde

11. World On Fire

Bonus tracks (digipak and 2LP only!)

12. Bent And Broken

13. My Last Dream

BATTLE BEAST singer Noora Louhimo told Metal Casino about the musical direction of "No More Hollywood Endings": "We're gonna keep the same spirit as on the previous album. With the previous album, we learned a lot what we wanna do with our music, so it's gonna be maybe even more epic [laughs] than the last time."

Noora also talked about how the songwriting process has evolved since the band's split with longtime guitarist and main songwriter Anton Kabanen and addition of Joona Björkroth. "It has changed a lot, or totally," she said. "Of course, different songwriters. The previous album, the whole band wanted to contribute, and now after we had Joona in the songwriting process and kind of changed the whole dynamics in the band, we contributed, the whole band, in the songwriting process. I think it was… Not just because of the songwriting, but also the atmosphere nowadays, I think, it's very healthy and we like each other and I love to work in this band. And I think it's great to have more than just one person doing the songwriting and giving the opinions. Of course, someone has to say, 'Okay, this is the decision,' and not everyone can just decide about everything. But we also have to do compromises, because we are six people, six different opinions. But I think we are already on the way to see everybody's… who can do what in the band. I feel like my priority is to do the good vocals and performance and visual things, and I can happily leave songwriting to our most productive guys, like Janne and Joona — they have been so productive. And also our bass player, Eero [Sipilä], has written a few songs. So we are in a good place."

"Bringer Of Pain" was BATTLE BEAST's first album to feature Björkroth, who joined the band in 2015.

BATTLE BEAST in February 2015 parted ways with Kabanen due to "insurmountable disagreements" with the other members of the band.

The official music video for the song "Call My Name" from Swedish melodic heavyweights IN FLAMES, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "I, The Mask", which is being released today (Friday, March 1) via Nuclear Blast (worldwide, excluding North America) and Eleven Seven Music (North America). The 12-track disc reunites IN FLAMES with Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson (MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE, MOTÖRHEAD) who also produced 2016's "Battles". Additionally, the album was mixed by Grammy Award winner Chris Lord-Alge (CHEAP TRICK, LINKIN PARK) and mastered by Grammy-winning mastering engeneer Ted Jensen (PANTERA, EAGLES, GUNS N' ROSES).

The album artwork was created by artist Blake Armstrong and depicts a unique interpretation of the band's mascot, The Jesterhead.

Guitarist Björn Gelotte told Overdrive about "I, The Mask": "With this album, it was me and Anders [Fridén, vocals] working super-close together in a little studio that we set up in L.A., working on every detail together, including the vocal lines and melodies to the guitar riffs, arrangements and everything in between. That's something that we hadn't done before. In the very beginning, it was more like, someone would have a riff and then we would all get together and jam it out in rehearsals and then we would start to build ideas on top of that and the very last thing we would ever do after we had recorded everything, is around four days of vocals. That system worked for us back then because we didn't know anything else, but we missed out on so much, so many good ideas that could have come from lyrical context, or a lyric vocal melody, so this time we approached things differently and when I look back, it's undeniable how much we've learned along the way. Finally, we've found other ways of working. [Laughs]."

Asked if this was the first time they had tried this writing method, Björn said: "We tried it a little with the last album, 'Battles'. We started working with Howard [Benson, producer], and he really helped us to open up with this approach to writing. We are very protective of what we do, so it was a little strange for us to begin with and we were very stuck in our ways thinking: 'The melodies should be this way, and the riffs should sound like this.' And it was the same with the vocals. Everything was really locked in tight and no room for change. The difference now is amazing. I get inspired by lyrics that Anders writes and we work off each other and this chemistry just happens. We've never done that in the past, and it's just so refreshing."

Björn went on to say that the recording process was much less hectic this time around. "We would work for about five, six hours a day in the studio and then another five to six hours at home to continue writing during the whole recording process, and that was just amazing," he said. "That's exactly why we feel really comfortable and confident about this record. We just had such a great experience doing this album and the transition from 'Battles' to 'I, The Mask' is so natural for us. I have to say the whole process really opened our eyes to many more possibilities going forward. Even though no management or labels have asked us to write another record, we feel that we just want to go back and work with these guys again as it was just such a positive experience where we really learned so much along the way. Normally for me, recording is a very tedious process that is time-consuming and at times very boring. For me, recording is just a means of getting on tour because it's all about touring and playing live. So, for me to want to go back to the studio was a really strange feeling. [Laughs]"

"I, The Mask" track listing:

01. Voices

02. I, The Mask

03. Call My Name

04. I Am Above

05. Follow Me

06. (This is Our) House

07. We Will Remember

08. In This Life

09. Burn

10. Deep Inside

11. All The Pain

12. Stay With Me

IN FLAMES recruited American drummer Tanner Wayne, best known for his work with UNDERMINDED, SCARY KIDS SCARING KIDS and CHIODOS, to sit behind the kit for the band for its 2018 and 2019 live appearances.

Wayne stepped into IN FLAMES following the departure of Joe Rickard, who played on the band's 2016 studio album, "Battles".


Tanner made his live debut with IN FLAMES in July 2018 in Brno, Czech Republic.

Longtime IN FLAMES drummer Daniel Svensson announced in 2015 that he was leaving the band to focus on his family life.

IN FLAMES' current lineup features American bassist Bryce Paul, who has been playing most of the shows with the group since longtime bassist Peter Iwers's November 2016 exit.

Dutch symphonic metal masters, Epica, performed on the main stage at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival in the summer of 2018.

Professionally filmed video footage of the band performing the songs "Storm The Sorrow", "Beyond The Matrix", and "Consign To Oblivion", can be seen below:

Find Epica's tour itinerary here.




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Danish melodic metal band Meridian are releasing the single “Second Best” from their upcoming new album Margin Of Error through BraveWords! Margin Of Error will be released March 22nd on CD, LP, and digital through Mighty Music.

“Second Best” is a upbeat hard-rocking song with a catchy chorus. It was the last song written for the album. 

Bassist Peter Bruun says: “We were finishing up the recording and we just had the feeling that we needed one more song. Something short and catchy. So Marco came up with the riffs, and we worked out the arrangement pretty quickly. And Lars came up with a killer melody.

“Lyrically it deals with selfishness and envy. With basically wanting the best for someone else. Or at least the seond best, because you’ll always keep the best for yourself. It applies for a lot of aspects of life.”

Margin Of Error is the bands third album. It’s recorded at Death Island Studio and is produced by guitarist Marco Angioni. It includes songs from the digital EP The Fate Of Atlantis released last year, including the single “Fragments Of A Life”.

Musically the album displays a varied landscape of melodic hard rock, hard hitting metal anthems and slow-paced heavy monsters. Songs with strong melodies and memorable choruses you can sing along to. It's the most coherent and well-crafted collection of songs from a band that's better than ever.

Meridian is heading out on the road in 2019 to support the album




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According to The Hollywood Reporter, "Bohemian Rhapsody" will be shown in China without any scenes of a homosexual nature.

The QUEEN biopic tells the story of the legendary British rock band and its frontman Freddie Mercury, who was a gay man.

Given China's strict policy on LGBTQ representation in entertainment, scenes featuring Mercury kissing other male characters — constituting at least one minute of the film's runtime — are expected to be censored.

The announcement of "Bohemian Rhapsody"'s theatrical release in China comes just a couple of days after the country's censorship of actor Rami Malek's Academy Awards speech.

Malek, who won the "Best Actor" Oscar for his portrayal of the late singer in the film, had a LGBT reference censored by Mango TV, one of China's most popular channels and one of only two networks that live-streamed the Academy Awards telecast in China.

While accepting the prize, Malek said: "Listen, we made a film about a gay man, an immigrant, who lived his life unapologetically himself, and the fact that I'm celebrating him and his story here tonight is proof that we're longing for stories like this." Mango TV's subtitles removed "gay man" and replaced it with "special group."

"Bohemian Rhapsody" will receive a limited released in China next month by the National Alliance of Arthouse Cinemas (NAAC), a public-private initiative run by the state-supported China Film Archive and a consortium of commercial theater chains.

The film, which has grossed over $860 million worldwide, picked up four Oscars over the weekend: "Best Actor", "Best Film Editing", "Best Sound Mixing" and "Best Sound Editing."

Vivian Campbell has hinted that Brian May will induct DEF LEPPARD into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame this spring.

Asked by Beth Simmons of the 96.1 KLPX radio station if he and his bandmates know yet who will induct them into the Rock Hall, Vivian said (hear audio below): "I've heard a rumor. I don't know if it's for public consumption yet. But it would be pretty easy to figure it out. It's a gentleman who's been a big fan of the band and a friend of the band for many, many decades."

When pressed for another hint as to the identity of the person that will do the honors, Campbell said: "He's really smart."

After Simmons named the QUEEN guitarist and Ph.D. astrophysicist as someone who fits the description of the person who will induct DEF LEPPARD, Vivian responded: "It may well be."

Campbell said that the members of DEF LEPPARD are "excited" about finally getting the Rock Hall nod. "In LEPPARD, we've never been the sort of band that's gotten many industry accolades, although we've got a tremendously faithful fanbase and we always have, for many, many years," he said. "And I think one of the most exciting aspects about getting into the Hall Of Fame is we actually got the biggest-ever fan vote. So I think that kind of means as much, if not more, to us."

This past December, Vivian's bandmate Phil Collen said that May was the "really obvious" choice to induct DEF LEPPARD into the Rock Hall.

"We just played [Las] Vegas just a few months ago, and QUEEN were playing just around the corner, and I bumped into Brian at the gym, actually," he recalled. "And he said, 'You're playing tonight?' I said, 'Yeah.' He said, 'Me too.' He goes, 'What time do you finish?' And I said, 'We finish about 11.' He said, 'We finish at 8. I'll be over later. I'll finish and I'll come straight over.' He turned up. He'd done a show with QUEEN, and he came over. And it was just, like, amazing. Brian is one of my biggest influences. I love him. I just can't get over how amazing he is. And we all do — we're huge QUEEN fans and Brian fans. And so, that would be lovely, if he'd be up for it. But, you know, we'll see."

Two years ago, Rock Hall's Todd Mesek explained how the committee chooses presenters for each act. "They look for those connections and a deep appreciation, so that the presenters can speak from the heart on the inductee's impact — both on themselves as well as the fans at large," he said.

The 34th annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony will be held March 29 at Brooklyn, New York's Barclays Center. HBO will broadcast a truncated version of the ceremony later in the year.

Ballots were sent to a voting group of more than 1,000 artists, historians and music-industry professionals.

The public was invited to participate again last year in the fan vote. The top five artists made up a fan's ballot, which counted as a single vote.

Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible 25 years after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other "criteria include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock 'n' roll," which is, of course, open to interpretation.

One of the top-selling rock acts of of all time, DEF LEPPARD has been eligible for the Rock Hall since 2004.

The 2019 nominees had to release their first recording no later than 1993.

BODY COUNT, the metal band fronted by hip-hop legend, actor and director Ice-T, will enter the studio in April to begin recording its new album, "Carnivore". A late 2019 release is expected.

Ice-T tweeted about the upcoming disc: "I don't even need to say it's gonna be Brutal... Stay tuned for 'CARNIVORE'"

Last June, Ice-T told Iain Chambers that BODY COUNT wanted to up the ante with its next album after setting a high standard with its last two studio releases.

"When we did [2014's] 'Manslaughter', it was 20 years [since the previous record], and I just wanted to see if we had a fanbase, and we did," he said. "We outdid 'Manslaughter' with 'Bloodlust', and the posse grew. So now we've gotta outdo 'Bloodlust'. That's our only goal — not to make the greatest rock album in history; it's just to outdo 'Bloodlust'."

According to Ice-T, he decided to call BODY COUNT's new album "Carnivore" because "people are getting so soft. It's okay for me to say, 'Oh, I'm a vegan,' or, 'I'm a vegetarian,'" he explained. "I say I'm carnivorous — I only eat meat. People go, 'What the fuck?' I think the person that's gonna come get you won't be a vegetarian; it will be [someone] carnivorous."

"Bloodlust" was released in March 2017. The disc included contributions from MEGADETH's Dave Mustaine, SOULFLY and CAVALERA CONSPIRACY's Max Cavalera and LAMB OF GOD's Randy Blythe.

"Bloodlust" was recorded with producer Will Putney (MISS MAY I, UPON A BURNING BODY), who also helmed "Manslaughter". The effort contained BODY COUNT's medley of the SLAYER songs "Postmortem" and "Raining Blood".

BodyCount News: We will Officially begin recording the new BC album this April... I don’t even need to say it’s gonna be Brutal... Stay tuned for ‘CARNIVORE’ @BodyCountBand pic.twitter.com/USO7bn5hlG— ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) February 27, 2019

For this year's Record Store Day, Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON will release cover of LED ZEPPELIN's "Stairway To Heaven" in honor of their late manager, Nick John. John, who also managed GOJIRA, passed away last September from pancreatic cancer. All proceeds from the single will be donated to pancreatic cancer research.

MASTODON said in a Facebook post: "In early September 2018, we lost one of our closest friends and our biggest fan, our manager Nick John. He was essentially the band's Dad. From our highest highs to our lowest lows, he was always there. Every single move we made went through him first as our trust in him was marrow deep. His favorite band besides us and GOJIRA, was LED ZEPPELIN. We were asked to perform 'Stairway To Heaven' at his funeral. Afterward, finding out that someone had recorded it, we figured we should record a studio version and release it on Record Store Day as a tribute to Nick with all the proceeds to be donated to pancreatic cancer research.

"We would not be the band we are today without the help of Nick John. We miss him dearly and think of him always. We love you, buddy.

“The limited-edition 10-inch vinyl features the Studio Version on Side A and a Live Version on Side B. It will be available in participating independent retailers on Saturday, April 13, 2019.

"All of the proceeds benefit the Hirshberg Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research."

MASTODON and COHEED AND CAMBRIA will team up for a major U.S. tour ths spring/summer. The 26-city "The Unheavenly Skye Tour" will see the bands performing across a range of venues from large theaters to outdoor amphitheaters this summer. MASTODON will perform its renowned "Crack The Skye" album in its entirety.

Produced by Live Nation, the rock outing will kick off May 28 in Louisville, Kentucky at the Iroquois Amphitheater and will make stops in Boston, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, and more before wrapping July 3 in Irving, Texas at The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory.

The official trailer for ALICE IN CHAINS's special movie project titled "Black Antenna", produced and directed by filmmaker Adam Mason, can be seen below. Inspired by the sound of the band's first album in five years, 2018's "Rainier Fog", Mason has created a stunning 90-minute sci-fi film which will be rolled out in ten episodic segments/videos beginning March 7, with each episode set to a different song from the album.

"I'm a longtime fan of the band," says Mason. "And this was an opportunity to do something fresh and inspiring from an indie filmmaking side. The sound and vision between album and film are closely intertwined — it was a brilliant synergy that led to a really unique project."

"We've always toyed with the idea of creating videos for every song on one of our albums," says drummer Sean Kinney. "Not only did we do that for 'Rainier Fog', it got totally out of hand and we made a whole goddamn movie. Everything that will be seen in the videos will be footage from 'Black Antenna' to preface the complete film's release."

The band's first new studio effort in five years, "Rainier Fog" marks a few firsts for ALICE IN CHAINS: it's their first album for BMG and their first time recording in their hometown of Seattle in more than 20 years (worth noting that the album title is a tribute to Seattle). The "Rainier Fog" recording process also saw the band spend time at Henson Recording Studios in Los Angeles and at the Nashville studio of producer Nick Raskulinecz. "Rainier Fog" is the third straight ALICE IN CHAINS album recorded with Raskulinecz and engineer Paul Figueroa. The album was mixed by Joe Barresi (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, TOOL).

Photo credit: Pamela Littky

Fan-filmed video footage of MANOWAR's February 25 concert at Hangar 11 in Tel Aviv, Israel can be seen below.

MANOWAR recently recruited guitarist E.V. Martel for its "Final Battle" world tour 2019.

A musician since the age of 8 and devoted MANOWAR fan, E.V. lives the life of true metal and the music of MANOWAR. He has performed for years in the only official MANOWAR tribute band in the world. E.V. is proud to know every MANOWAR song ever recorded, and his style is a mix of all previous MANOWAR guitarists combined with his own metallic burning.

"I can think of no one more deserving to play with MANOWAR than a fan themselves; one who has dedicated their entire life to our fans and our music and who he has proven to be a true Manowarrior!" said MANOWAR bassist Joey DeMaio.

"I am honored beyond words to play for the greatest fans in the world!" said E.V. "I live by MANOWAR's message every day of my life: Believe in yourself and even your wildest dreams can come true!"

MANOWAR's "Final Battle" world tour 2019 kicked off in Tel Aviv and will span over 28 cities; from Russia to Germany, Scandinavia and Birmingham, England to the far west of France.

MANOWAR announced in October that its longtime guitarist Karl Logan would not be touring with the group after being arrested on charges of possessing child pornography.

Karl joined MANOWAR in 1994 as the replacement for David Shankle.

"California Summer Song", the new single from Sacramento, California rockers TESLA, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's eighth studio album, "Shock", which will be released on March 8 via UMe. Produced and co-written by DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen, the follow-up to June 2014's "Simplicity" is available on CD, digital, black vinyl, and limited-edition translucent blue vinyl formats. Fans who pre-order the album will receive the album title track is an instant-grat free download.

TESLA guitarist Frank Hannon stated about "California Summer Song": "A song is a soundtrack of your life. A song can take you back in time. Like the song of your summer, and it's feelin’ good. Like a very first kiss."

"Shock" track listing:

01. You Won't Take Me Alive

02. Taste Like

03. We Can Rule The World

04. Shock

05. Love Is A Fire

06. California Summer Song

07. Forever Loving You

08. The Mission

09. Tied To The Tracks

10. Afterlife

11. I Want Everything

12. Comfort Zone

Collen previously co-wrote and produced the TESLA song "Save That Goodness", which was released in August 2016 and included on the "Mechanical Resonance Live!" album.

Hannon told The Metal Voice about "Shock": "It definitely has an '80s kind of polished production... but there is no real direction. I always quote '[This Is] Spinal Tap', when Nigel [Tufnel] says, 'Changing our style is our style.' We don't really pigeonhole ourselves into one sound. We've got elements of metal, country, Americana, a lot of these different directions... This new album, it has the big production, but every song sounds different. Each guy in the band has a different influence. I'm influenced by southern rock a lot, so you're going to hear some slide guitar riffs on there, but there's also, like, [bassist] Brian Wheat, who's influenced by QUEEN and THE BEATLES, so you're going to hear these big Beatle vocals. Phil Collen obviously, you're going to hear some DEF LEPPARD-style influence... It's a combo pizza, man. It's got everything on it."

Regarding Collen's involvement in "Shock", Frank said: "Phil came to us and wanted to produce an album for us... Phil really, really helped us. I'll be honest — we were at a low point after we did [2014's] 'Simplicity'. We were really frustrated, and we were probably not going to make another album. Phil had a bunch of song ideas, and a lot of the writing on the new album is co-written with Phil. He interjected a lot of positive energy for us and helped us get back on our feet. He's bringing production quality and details that we would have not done and haven't done in the past. Some fans may not like it; some fans are probably going love it. This is something that we wanted to try, we've never worked like this before. Mutt Lange is a producer that really has techniques that are very detailed in the studio, and Phil obviously has experienced all that, and he brought that type of approach into making a TESLA record, which we'd never done before. There's a lot of killer sonics. The sound of this new record is really... I don't know how to describe it. It's just awesome; it's produced; and, like, really powerful."

TESLA's current lineup includes four of the five original members: Jeff Keith (vocals), Frank Hannon (guitars), Brian Wheat (bass) and Troy Luccketta (drums). Guitarist Dave Rude joined in 2006 as the replacement for Tommy Skeoch.

"Ash", a new song from the Christian metal band DEMON HUNTER, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's upcoming album "War", which will be made available alongside a companion LP, "Peace", on March 1.

Frontman Ryan Clark said about "Ash": "'Ash' is a no-frills, anthemic onslaught, berating our infatuation with fleeting possessions. It's a reminder to myself as much as anyone else.

"I collect pretty much everything I couldn't afford as a kid: skateboards, shoes, artwork, antiques… you name it. And I love this stuff. Still, I know I can't 'take it with me' as they say."

He added: "In classic DEMON HUNTER fashion, we wanted to ensure that 'War' had at least one faster thrash number in the vein of 'Storm The Gates Of Hell', 'Crucifix' or 'The World Is A Thorn'. 'Ash' is the resident barn burner track for this album. This was the last song that we’d written for the heavier of these two records, and is the only song written by Patrick, Jeremiah and myself."

"War" track listing:

01. Cut To Live

02. On My Side

03. Close Enough

04. Unbound

05. Grey Matter

06. The Negative

07. Ash

08. No Place For You Here

09. Leave Me Alone

10. Lesser Gods

"Peace" track listing:

01. More Than Bones

02. I Don't Believe You

03. Loneliness

04. Peace

05. When The Devil Come

06. Time Only Takes

07. Two Ways

08. Rescue Myself

09. Bet My Life

10. Fear Is Not My Guide

Clark told Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show that releasing two separate albums "with the polarized styles" that DEMON HUNTER is known for — "heavy and the super-melodic 'ballad'-style songs" — is something he and his bandmates have "talked about doing for a long time." He explained: "We didn't want to do it too early in our career just because it felt like a lofty sort of endeavor. So we didn't want to get carried away too early. So now kind of rounding out our albums at No. 9 and No. 10, seems like a really good time to do it."

Ryan said that DEMON HUNTER decided not to package the two LPs together because "double albums are too hard to digest. Of the ones that have been released from bands that I really like, I never really found myself diving into them and fully really soaking them in just because it's quite an undertaking," he said. "So I wanted this to almost be two autonomous things that are meant to be listened to. And I know, coming out on the same day and everything, they might as well be packaged together, but the idea of them being separate is that they… it might not be so burdensome to consume."

DEMON HUNTER formed in Seattle in 2001. The lineup features Clark alongside co-founder Jonathan Dunn (bass), drummer Tim "Yogi" Watts (drums, since 2004), lead guitarist Patrick Judge (since 2008) and guitarist Jeremiah Scott (since 2011). Clark remains the primary songwriter, with increasing contributions from Judge.

On February 7, 2017, Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers JOURNEY proved their status as one of rock's best live bands when they brought their landmark albums "Escape" (just in time for its 35th anniversary) and "Frontiers" to the legendary Budokan stage in Japan. Eagle Rock Entertainment proudly presents this concert when "Journey – Live In Japan 2017: Escape + Frontiers" is released on DVD+2CD and Blu-ray+2CD on March 29.

A performance clip of the song "Who's Crying Now", taken from "Journey – Live In Japan 2017: Escape + Frontiers", can be seen below.

A triumphant evening of music, JOURNEY presented songs from 1981's "Escape" and 1983's "Frontiers". These albums, which produced eight Top 40 singles combined, have sold nearly 20 million copies worldwide, and cemented the San Francisco band's music in the cultural zeitgeist.

Kicking off the two-hour set with "Don't Stop Believin''', JOURNEY kicks into high gear, presenting a set not just of its hits, but deep album cuts like "Escape"'s "Lay It Down" and "Frontiers"' "Back Talk", which haven't been played live since the albums' original touring cycles. The concert, presented with a minimal stage set, without big extravagant light shows or monitors, lets the music do the talking. The spectacular musicianship of Neal Schon (founder / guitarist), Jonathan Cain (keyboardist), Ross Valory (bassist), Steve Smith (drummer) and Arnel Pineda (lead vocals) shines on famed hits like "Open Arms", "Who's Crying Now", "Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)" and "Faithfully".

A fantastic representation of the band's legacy, "Live In Japan 2017: Escape + Frontiers" showcases the enduring impact of JOURNEY and these songs.

Track listing:

DVD portion:

01. Don't Stop Believin' Intro

02. Don't Stop Believin'

03. Stone In Love

04. Who's Crying Now

05. Keep On Runnin'

06. Still They Ride

07. Escape

08. Lay It Down

09. Dead Or Alive

10. Neal Schon Guitar Solo

11. Mother, Father

12. Jonathan Cain Piano Solo

13. Open Arms

14. Separate Ways Intro

15. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)

16. Send Her My Love

17. Chain Reaction

18. After The Fall

19. Faithfully

20. Edge Of The Blade

21. Steve Smith Drum Solo

22. Back Talk

23. Frontiers

24. Rubicon

25. La Raza del Sol

26. Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

2CD:

CD1: Escape

01. Don't Stop Believin' Intro

02. Don't Stop Believin'

03. Stone In Love

04. Who's Crying Now

05. Keep On Runnin'

06. Still They Ride

07. Escape

08. Lay It Down

09. Dead Or Alive

10. Neal Schon Guitar Solo

11. Mother, Father

12. Jonathan Cain Piano Solo

13. Open Arms

CD2: Frontiers

14. Separate Ways Intro

15. Separate Ways (Worlds Apart)

16. Send Her My Love

17. Chain Reaction

18. After The Fall

19. Faithfully

20. Edge Of The Blade

21. Steve Smith Drum Solo

22. Back Talk

23. Frontiers

24. Rubicon

25. La Raza del Sol

26. Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'

WARRANT's longtime drummer Steven Sweet has announced that he is cancer-free.

The rocker made the announcement three months after it was revealed that he had been diagnosed with moderately aggressive prostate cancer.

Sweet's first concert with WARRANT after beating the disease will take place on March 15 at Gas Monkey Live! in Dallas, Texas.

Last fall, a GoFundMe campaign was started by Steven's friend Glenn Noyes to help the drummer raise $35,000 to cover the drummer's medical expenses while he was unable to perform live and support his family.

Although prostate cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer found in men and is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men, it can also be one of the most treatable forms of cancer.

On average, approximately one in seven men will be diagnosed with prostate cancer during his lifetime.

Three years ago, Sweet underwent emergency surgery after his appendix burst. Four years earlier, he had a cervical spinal fusion operation.

WARRANT's latest album, "Louder Harder Faster", was released in May 2017 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Legendary American grunge pioneers L7 have signed with Joan Jett's Blackheart Records for their first album in 20 years, "Scatter The Rats", due out May 3.

"I've been friends with L7 for years and am very excited and proud to have the opportunity to release their new album on Blackheart!" shares Jett.

Adds L7's Donita Sparks: "When we decided to make a new record, Joan was there for us as the good friend she has always been. So great to stomp into Blackheart Records with her at the helm. We're very excited to work with Joan and the entire Blackheart family. Just imagine the family dinners!"

Opening the album with a galvanizing reflection on letting go of old grudges for the sake of fighting a greater evil, the band has unleashed a blazing new video by Blue Hats Creative for lead single "Burn Baby" directed by Courtney and Hillary Andujar. The new track sees the band tight as ever, delivering their ferocious energy through a wall of rage. "Burn Baby" will be available on a special Record Store Day seven-inch single with b-side "Fighting The Crave".

Working with producers Norm Block (JENNY LEE, PAPER CRANES, PLEXI) and Nick Launay (NICK CAVE & THE BAD SEEDS, YEAH YEAH YEAHS), L7 recorded "Scatter The Rats" at Happy Ending Studios and Sunset Sound in Los Angeles, instilling each track with a kinetic vitality. The album's title track came to life in a moment of pure spontaneity. "There were a couple of rats in the basement of the studio, where all the amplifiers were, and at one point Norm said to us, 'Let's get rockin', we can scatter the rats,'" Sparks recalls.

"Scatter The Rats" embodies everything that made the band so iconic in the first place-the distortion-heavy riffs and headbanging rhythms, sludgy grooves and indelible melodies. Incendiary, cathartic, and down right fun it touches on issues of codependency, lonely hearts, internal conflict and setting aside old grievances for the greater good. Harnessing their revolutionary spirit and boundless energy, L7 achieve a direct transmission of raw feeling, often spiked with biting commentary on the chaos of the world today.

Having toured the world, delivering their take-no-prisoners spirit to massive sold-out crowds in recent years, L7 looks forward to introducing a certain elusive element back into the musical landscape. L7 will be joining "The Bash Music & Craft Beer Festival" tour across the U.S. with RANCID and more, with additional U.S. dates to be announced soon.

"I think it's good for people to enjoy a meat-and-potatoes rock band for a change," says Sparks. "We're not rocket science; we're rock and roll. And there's value to that, and we do it pretty well. So if you want to rock, come on back to L7."

"Scatter The Rats" track listing:

01. Burn Baby

02. Fighting The Crave

03. Proto Prototype

04. Stadium West

05. Murky Water Cafe

06. Ouija Board Lies

07. Garbage Truck

08. Holding Pattern

09. Uppin’ The Ice

10. Cool About Easy

11. Scatter The Rats

A new TNT live CD, DVD and Blu-ray, "Encore - Live In Milano", will be released on March 22 va Frontiers Music Srl. The set was professionally filmed and recorded in April 2017 at the Frontiers Rock Festival in Milan, Italy and features Tony Harnell on lead vocals.

A performance clip of the song "Invisible Noise", taken from "Encore - Live In Milano", can be seen below.

"Encore - Live In Milano" track listing:

01. Give Me A Sign

02. As Far As The Eye Can See

03. She Needs Me

04. Desperate Nights

05. Invisible Noise

06. Child's Play

07. Ironnic (Ronni solo)

08. Forever Shine On

09. Northern Lights

10. Tonight I'm Falling

11. Intuition

12. Seven Seas

13. Listen To Your Heart

14. 10000 Lovers

15. Everyone's A Star

In October 2017, Harnell once again split with TNT, less than a year and a half after he rejoined the group. The singer described his relationship with TNT in an "Unphiltered" interview as "a very long marriage. I'm here [in New York], they're there [in Norway] — they're across the pond really far away. It's a very difficult situation to be in without having a very unified business organization, and no matter what I did, I could not get the thing unified. We were just on two totally separate not only continents physically, but mentally, psychologically, we were on two different continents as well."

According to Harnell, he "really, really wanted" his latest collaboration with TNT to work out. "In my opinion, this was gonna be it — we were gonna stay together until I didn't feel like singing anymore," he said. 'I was gonna do other things and do other projects and so forth, but my goal was that TNT woud be my band for at least another five years, maybe 10 years or whatever, until it ran its course. So this was kind of an unexpected thing."

One thing that Harnell wants "to make clear" is that he "did not quit" TNT "this time. I really haven't quit the band as many times as other people in the band have said and also the press has said," he explained. "Most of the time, it's been either a mutual parting of ways or a break. We've taken several breaks that were just not even talked about — we just didn't record or work [together] for a couple of years and then just started working again. The only time I legitimately actually quit the band was 2006. And then this [latest split] was just sort of a, 'This isn't working.' It was kind of a mutual thing. It [was] working on stage really well — actually, some of the best shows we have ever done were this year. And I was actually really happy. In August [2017], I thought we did some of the best shows we've ever done, and then at the same time, we could not get the business stuff together. And at our age, the business really does have to be organized."

The singer went on to suggest that some of the individuals closely associated with TNT were to blame for his most recent exit from the group. "There are people that often are maybe well-meaning, but there, unfortunately, were people around the band that were, instead of trying to bring the main characters in the band together, they were more… maybe inadvertently — I don't think they were on purpose trying to do this — but they ultimately drove a wedge between the two most important members of the band, and that was ultimately the thing that I think caused this last thing to fall apart," he said.

At the end of the day, Harnell says that he feels "really, really bad" for the TNT fans who were hoping to catch the band live again. "I feel bad about it for myself, because I really wanted this to work so badly. I was having a great time. In fact, I posted three videos, I think, on my page after the last shows that we did because I was so proud of the band for how well I thought we were playing. So, ultimately, I feel very, very bad for all the fans that never got to see the band, 'cause I was really looking forward to coming to America. We were starting to get some really good offers for some really good festivals in the U.S., and I was excited about it. And a lot of other countries and a lot of other things were coming together, and then, all of a sudden, it was done."

Harnell added that was aware of the fact that he was being blamed by many of the TNT fans for his latest departure from the group. "I don't read Blabbermouth — I don't," he said. "I mean, I read the stories, but I don't read the comments under the stories, because those are dangerous to read. But I know just from peeking at my page and having to delete a few things here and there, and over at the TNT page, and then hearing from a few friends some things that the people were saying some not-such-nice things. But, honestly, at the end of the day, I don't really hold it against them, because they don't know. They weren't there, and anything they're hearing is either second-hand or third-hand [information]."

In November 2017, TNT recruited Baol Bardot Bulsara as the band's new singer. The Spanish vocalist made his live debut with TNT at the Oslo Spektrum on Oslo, Norway, where the group performed as the support act for the SCORPIONS.

TNT's first studio album with Baol Bardot Bulsara, "XIII", was released last June via Frontiers Music Srl.

German thrash metal veterans DESTRUCTION have recruited Damir Eskic as their second guitarist. Damir is a Swiss guitar player of Bosnian decent who works as a guitar teacher, himself being a former pupil of Tommy Vetterli (CORONER). He also plays in a heavy metal band called GOMORRA and previously contributed three solos to DESTRUCTION's 2016 album "Under Attack".

A short video in which the members of DESTRUCTION properly introduce their latest addition can be seen below.

Frontman Schmier comments: "Yes — we finally did it again!

"For many years we've been talking about this, but we needed the right guy! Damir Eskic is now that dude! He is a super-skilled player and also a good friend of the band. He will surely make some jaws drop and pay tribute to the history of DESTRUCTION, as he is also a fan of our music!

"To be a trio was a special thing for us that we did with pride for many years but also DESTRUCTION had a period where we were a four-piece with a second guitar. Now it was the right time to get that option back!

"We know there are many fans out there that have been waiting a long time for this.

"We have composed and recorded the whole new album with two guitars and, of course, this will make us an even more intense live act and give us the chance to play songs again that we've not been able to play for many years… Exciting times ahead!

"Let's call this a reinvention!

"With Randy Black on the drums and Damir Eskic on the lead guitar, we have the fresh blood in the band that is sometimes needed to reach new goals, it will keep the thrash machine strong and ready for new adventures!

"See you all on the road soon. The new record is coming on August 8th via Nuclear Blast!"

Damir adds: "I am, of course, very happy to be a part of this thrash metal family and to join one of the best bands of the genre.

"To record three guest solos on the 'Under Attack' album was already a big deal for me, now some years later, we've become close friends and I am really excited to be a part of this!

"I am looking forward to meeting the fans all over the globe and to thrash the stage with the boys!"

DESTRUCTION previously played with two guitarists in the late 1980s (with the addition of Harry Wilkens) and then again throughout much of the 1990s (Michael "Ano" Piranio).