Berzerker Legion have announced the details of their first album, Obliterate The Weak, which will be released January 31, 2020.

Vocalist Jonny Pettersson explains the lyrical theme of Obliterate The Weak: "The lyrical concept is based around how religion is poisoning the world, and even after so many years of evolution, development, we still have huge parts of the world that believes in a fairytale, people who believe that this fairytale is worth going to war over, worth killing for and uses as an excuse for truly malevolent acts. These are weak minded sheep that will do anything in the name of whatever god they believe in. Obliterate The Weak draws from the will to eradicate all forms of religion and tells a story of atrocities made in the name of a fiction."

Obliterate The Weak artwork (by Adi Dechristianize) and tracklisting:

"Rise Of The Berzerkers"
"A World In Despair"
"I Am The Legion"
"Of Blood And Ash"
"Obliterate The Weak"
"The Falling Dawn"
"The King Of All Masters"
"Upon The Throne Of Mortem"
"A Lurking Evil"
"In The Name Of The Father"
"Death Euphoria" (CD exclusive bonus track)

Berzerker Legion was founded in 2016 by guitarists Tomas Elofsson (Hypocrisy) and Alwin Zuur (Asphyx) with a vision to create death metal of the most belligerent quality, they recruited a lineup of solid well-known musicians consisting of James Stewart (Vader) on drums, Jonny Pettersson (Wombbath) on vocals and Fredrik Isaksson (Dark Funeral) on bass to complete the Legion. 

"Of Blood And Ash" and "I Am The Legion" are both streaming now.

"This was the first lyrical video we uploaded on YouTube. Starting off with a massive pounding brutal old school riff, short break, and back again to that pounding groove with vocals. This song has a lot of old Gothenburg melody style. A harmonic break int the middle with the refrain makes this a very strong diverse song."

"In this song we slow down just a little bit. Catchy massive easy riffing with a lot of double bass drum, slow harmonic melodies and now and then we added some symphonies in this song. This was our second video we shared on the worldwide web."

(Band photo: Christel Janssen)

 




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Whitesnake's Joel Hoekstra stopped by Guitar World recently to give an exclusive lesson of the band's fist-pumping anthem, "Hey You (You Make Me Rock)" off of their new album, Flesh & Blood.

"David Coverdale's a huge Jimi Hendrix fan, so I gave him a little 'Foxey Lady' at the top," says Hoekstra.

Check out Whitesnake performing "Hey You (You Make Me Rock)" live at the 2019 Download Festival this past June.

Whitesnake have released the new video below, along with the short message: "A gift for you all... slideshow from the Flesh & Blood World Tour, which continues in 2020."

Whitesnake and Scorpions are coming for their first ever double headline tour of Australia and New Zealand in February. Dates below.

February
19 - Rod Laver Arena - Melbourne, Australia
22 - Qudos Bank Arena - Sydney, Australia
24 - Entertainment Centre - Brisbane, Australia
27 - Spark Arena - Auckland, New Zealand

Whitesnake and Foreigner have announced that they will be hitting the road across the UK in 2020, alongside very special guests Europe. Tour dates below.

May
31 May - London, England - The O2 Arena

June
1 - Cardiff, Wales - Motorpoint Arena
3 - Birmingham, England - Arena Birmingham
4 - Glasgow, Scotland - SSE Hydro
6 - Newcastle, England - Utilita Arena
8 - Manchester, England - Manchester Arena




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REVOLUTION SAINTS, the band featuring Deen Castronovo (JOURNEY, BAD ENGLISH), Doug Aldrich (THE DEAD DAISIES, WHITESNAKE, DIO), and Jack Blades (NIGHT RANGER, DAMN YANKEES), will release its third full-length studio album, "Rise", on January 24, 2020 via Frontiers Music Srl.

As with the first two well-received albums, REVOLUTION SAINTS are bringing back the classic melodic rock style that thrilled and delighted legions of fans in the '80s and '90s and still does today. Inspiring, uplifting vocals, soaring melodies, and musicianship to die for is what you get in spades here.

Superbly handling drums and lead vocals is the one and only Castronovo. Already renowned for his drum talents and backing vocals in JOURNEY, BAD ENGLISH, and more, Deen's excellent vocal talents are once again receiving a well-deserved spotlight on this release. On bass, and co-lead vocals on a few tracks, Blades is well known for his melodic, yet hard-rocking approach to songwriting and playing via multiple classic albums by his main band NIGHT RANGER, as well as with the DAMN YANKEES and the SHAW/BLADES releases. On guitar, Aldrich lends his fiery guitar attack to round out this dream-come-true melodic rock band. Doug, who left WHITESNAKE after a fruitful 12-year run (including co-writing 2010's critically acclaimed "Forevermore" release) and also of BURNING RAIN and formerly of DIO, has a deep pedigree and is one of today’s most respected rock guitarists.

You can tell by the name — and the names involved — that REVOLUTION SAINTS is not going to be your average rock 'n roll band. The project is the vision of Frontiers' president Serafino Perugino, who for years had hoped to work on a project where Deen would be the lead vocalist. Having previously worked with all three artists on different projects on Frontiers, having Deen, Jack and Doug on board together was a dream come true for Perugino

With production overseen by more and more in demand in-house Frontiers man Alessandro Del Vecchio, the recording process took place in Milan and in Doug and Jack's own studios in California and Seattle. Songwriting was handled by Del Vecchio, Aldrich, and Blades, with contributions from fellow Frontiers recording artist Dan Rossall (of U.K. newcomers PASSION). Of special note, the poignant ballad "Eyes Of A Child" was penned by Jack Blades and Tommy Shaw.

"Rise" track listing:

01. When The Heartache Has Gone

02. Price To Pay

03. Rise

04. Coming Home

05. Closer

06. Higher

07. Talk To Me

08. It's Not The End (It's Just The Beginning)

09. Million Miles

10. Win Or Lose

11. Eyes Of A Child

Lineup:

Deen Castronovo: lead vocals, drums

Jack Blades: bass, vocals

Doug Aldrich: guitars

Featuring:

Alessandro Del Vecchio: keyboards, backing vocals,

Lunakaire: guest vocals on "Talk To Me"

Produced by Alessandro Del Vecchio

JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Richie Faulkner joined rising guitar hero Jared James Nichols on stage this past Sunday (November 17) at the The Basement East in Nashville, Tennessee for a short jam.

The next day, Faulkner tweeted a photo of the performance and included the following message: "Had a blast last Night in #Nashville, laying down some fury with my brother @jaredjamesnichols. Les Paul's held high and the energy was electric. Thanks to Jared and his band for having me and to @john5official for a master class in shred guitar RHRF DOTF #firepower #bluespower"

Jared's recent single "Nails In The Coffin" was a popular A-listed radio hit on Planet Rock radio. Recorded in Los Angeles, the single was produced and co-written by Mark Jackson and Ian Scott; best known for being the team behind the artist Dorothy and the hit single "The River" by Bishop Briggs.

2019 was a ground-breaking year for Jared as Gibson/Epiphone released his Signature Model Les Paul Custom Guitar along with the release of the Blackstar Amps JJN-20R MKII.

Hailed as one of the most exciting new blues rock guitarists around, Jared has toured Europe with LYNYRD SKYNYRD, followed by an extensive U.K. tour supporting the legendary Glenn Hughes, where he won over critics with across-the-board rave reviews. He also toured with STONE BROKEN and opened the Planet Rock Main Stage at Ramblin' Man Fair in 2017.




Had a blast last Night in #Nashville, laying down some fury with my brother @jaredjamesnichols.

Les Paul’s held high and the energy was electric. Thanks to Jared and his band for having me and to @john5official for a master class in shred guitar RHRF DOTF #firepower #bluespower pic.twitter.com/U4jvUl67PE

— Richie Faulkner (@RichieFaulkner) November 19, 2019








Jared Nichols rocked! And Richie Faulkner came out to join him!

Posted by Jacob Stone on Sunday, November 17, 2019

Scott Ian is selling handwritten lyrics from both ANTHRAX and STORMTROOPERS OF DEATH via his official web site.

Says Ian: "Choose any ANTHRAX or S.O.D. song and I will personalize or dedicate them to anyone you want. The lyrics will come with a signed certificate of authenticity and a stage-played guitar pick."

Each set of lyrics can be yours for $95.00.

In a 2016 interview with Full Metal Jackie, Ian said that he loved writing lyrics. "Don't get me wrong — it's still such a challenge for me," he said. "I just find the mechanics of it so odd and challenging, and I think that's something that I love so much about it.

Elaborating on his lyric-writing process, Ian said: "I'm always thinking. I'm always making notes. It's one of the good things about technology. With my iPhone, I can always just — any idea I have, I just write it in my phone. Then when it comes time to actually start writing lyrics, that usually, for me, doesn't come until we've got pretty solid song arrangement and I can sit and listen to the instrumental versions of the songs and that really is what gets my brain into gear as far as what a song is going to be about. The feeling of the riffs, whether if I feel a riff is angry or the riffs will tell me, 'Okay, this is going to be this kind of song.' 'I need lyrics like this. 'Or sometimes I'll just start singing words to a part that are complete nonsense and then from those nonsense words start figuring out what I'm going to write about."

He continued: "I know it sounds weird and spacey, but it really is the music that tells me. A song knows what it's going to be about and it lets me in on the secret, and then I'm, like, 'Oh, that's who you are.' Then I'll go through my notes and see if there's anything in there that makes that song happy. Like, 'All right, these lyrics fit with these riffs really well. They should get married.' I literally think about all that kind of crap when I'm writing. But really, it's just a case of coming up with ideas that I feel passionate about. Most of the time it's stuff that makes me angry about the world. Hate and love, both very strong emotions. I just tend to write more hateful songs about things on the planet than I do love songs."

ANTHRAX is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "For All Kings", which was released in February 2016.

Death / thrash metal quintet Crusadist have released a lyric video for their song "For Blood And Conquest", which appears on the band's debut album The Unholy Grail, due November 29. 

In March of 2019 Crusadist entered Belle City Sound in Racine, Wisconsin to begin recording The Unholy Grail with producer/engineer Chris Djuricic (Origin, Jungle Rot, November's Doom, Gorgasm, Against The Plagues). Mixing and Mastering duties were then handled by Jeramie Kling ( The Absence, Venom Inc.) and Taylor Nordberg (The Absence, Soilwork) of Smoke and Mirrors Productions in Spring Hills Florida. The cover art was created by Swedish Artist Par Olofsson (Immolation, Exodus, Unleashed, Aborted, Braindrill, Against The Plagues).

The Unholy Grail will be available on all major digital distributors, as well as on physical format in digipaks. The digipak layout was designed by Ryan Kasparian of Burial Clothing in Eerie, Colorado.

In support of the release, Crusadist has a string of shows booked in the surrounding states in the Midwest region and have teamed up with Mikael Parks of World Forge Booking & Touring to work on tour dates beginning March 20 - April 6, 2020.

Tracklisting:

“For Blood And Conquest”
“The Unholy Grail”
“Tempered In Black Flame”
“A Moonlit Brigade”
“The Hammer At Dawn”
“Triumphant Through Torture”
“Beyond The Count Of Grief”
“The Noble Savage”
“Only The Fearless Ride”

“The Unholy Grail” lyric video:




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Journalist / author Martin Popoff has released his new book, Holy Smoke: Iron Maiden In The ‘90s.

Says Popoff: "It’s the follow-up to Where Eagles Dare: Iron Maiden in the ‘80s, with matching design and style, same tipped-in sections of colour photography, every song examined deeply and all that. You’ve all been very kind in making my recent books like this on Sabbath and Priest sell pretty damn good, so this one is very much a style match to those too."

Finally I get to do the Maiden story… relaxed, fully involved, include all the detail, lots of facts and trivia but no holding back on opinion as well. There will likely be a third one to bring us up to present day, but I haven’t even started."

As the back cover sez… Heavy metal in the 1990s was a forbidden art, relegated to the sidelines to watch grunge and alternative, ridiculed and denigrated and nearly drummed out of existence. But grinding through the decade, both Iron Maiden and Bruce Dickinson as a solo artist clenched their collective British dentistry and persevered, not that commercial and critical accolades were forthcoming on all fronts.

Holy Smoke: Iron Maiden In The ‘90s is the story of both those solitudes, to be specific, the typical Popoff deep dish analysis of the complete catalogues, namely No Prayer For The Dying, Fear Of The Dark, The X Factor and Virtual XI, but also Tattooed Millionaire, Balls To Picasso, Skunkworks, Accident Of Birth and The Chemical Wedding.

The live albums get a look-in as well, as does, right at the end, the inspiring return of Bruce Dickinson to the band. Along the way there’s lots of Blaze Bayley and cursory glances into what Paul Di’Anno and Adrian Smith are up to during this accursed decade.

All told, the hope is that the reader will come away with a new appreciation of these records. And even if impressions of the Maiden side of the equation aren’t particularly improved, surely large swaths of the Bruce catalogue will please anew—seriously, revisit this material and you will very likely come away impressed. Here’s the most detailed and respectful analysis of those records ever put to print to help you on your way.

To order your copy, email Martin directly at martinp@inforamp.net

 




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Former MORBID ANGEL frontman David Vincent will release his autobiography, "I Am Morbid: Ten Lessons Learned From Extreme Metal, Outlaw Country, And The Power Of Self-Determination", on paperback on February 11, 2020 via Jawbone Press.

"I Am Morbid" tells the astounding story of Vincent, former bassist and singer with MORBID ANGEL and now outlaw-country performer and leader of the I AM MORBID supergroup. Written with the bestselling author Joel McIver, it's an autobiography that transcends the heavy metal category by its very nature. Much more than a mere memoir, "I Am Morbid" is an instruction manual for life at the sharp end — a gathering of wisdom distilled into ten acute lessons for anyone interested in furthering their fortunes in life.

MORBID ANGEL redefined the term pioneers. A band of heavy-metal-loving kids from all over America who broke through a host of music industry prejudices and went on to scale huge commercial heights, they introduced a whole new form of extreme music to the world. Formed in 1984, and breaking into the limelight in 1989 with their devastating first album, "Altars Of Madness", the Florida death-metal legends became the first band of their genre to sign to a major label, from which point they came to dominate the worldwide metal scene for two decades and beyond.

David left MORBID ANGEL in 1996, and again, following a reunion, in 2015. For the first time, "I Am Morbid" explores the reasons behind his departure, and the transformation of his life, career, and music in the years since. This is a classic but never predictable tale of a man who has fought convention every step of the way — and won.

Vincent recently released "Something Wicked Marches In", the debut album from his supergroup VLTIMAS, also featuring guitarist Rune Eriksen (formerly of MAYHEM) and CRYPTOPSY drummer Flo Mounier.

In 2017, Vincent released his debut country single, "Drinkin' With The Devil", with tentative plans to complete a follow-up record.

After Vincent's last exit from MORBID ANGEL, he was replaced by a returning Steve Tucker, who previously handled bass and vocals on MORBID ANGEL's "Formulas Fatal To The Flesh", "Gateways To Annihilation" and "Heretic" LPs.

Vincent recently defended his right to perform MORBID ANGEL's classic songs with his I AM MORBID project, telling Portugal's "Metal Global" radio show: "Times come and life works the way that it does. And there are times when… It's like a marriage — sometimes they don't always work forever. But that doesn't mean that the children that we've had together, that I don't still love my children. Although Trey [Azagthoth, MORBID ANGEL guitarist and sole remaining original member] and I have some irreconcilable differences, that doesn't in any way preclude me from still having the love and the passion for all of my children."

Oceanhoarse, the Helsinki-based heavy metal quartet has released it's debut EP, Voluntary Bends, consisting of the group's two latest singles, two brand new tracks, and also includes a cover version of Slipknot's "Duality".

Guitarist Ben Varon: "We've been putting out singles for the past couple of years, and even thought this has proven to be a smart move, we wanted to release something with a bit more material to dive into at once, as well as a physical release for the collectors. We don't want to rush it with the debut album, so an EP felt like the way to go. 'Voluntary Bends' is the perfect introduction into the Oceanhoarse universe."

The two previously released singles, "Death Row Center" and "Feed The Sirens" are joined by two new tracks, the thrashy "Stitches" and the fast and furious "Maze of Death". The aggression of the new songs was not a coincidence.

Varon: "We have a ton of material written and ready, a lot of which will be on the debut album, and even some songs we're planning on putting on the second one. We're not releasing songs in the order they're written, but instead think carefully about what side of the band we want to present to the world and when, and what kind of a bigger picture we want to paint. We consciously brought the average tempo of the EP up by adding a couple fast, nasty tracks to it. Let's see about them ballads further down the line, now it's time to bang those heads!”

The idea for the Slipknot cover came about after Oceanhoarse played a full set of covers at a party celebrating their local metal bar.

Varon: "It was a blast playing that show, choosing a bunch of our favourite tunes from the likes of Ozzy, Alice in Chains and Metallica. We also played 'Duality', which worked out particularly well between the four of us. I think we have enough of our own twist in our version, while still remaining true to the original."

Oceanhoarse will celebrate the release of the EP at Hoarsefest, their very own indoor festival held at On The Rocks, Helsinki on December 28th. Also on the bill are I Revolt, DIRT, Wake up Frankie and Thy Row. Come February, it's time for Oceanhoarse to head out to Europe for their first proper tour. The band will be the special guest of Marko Hietala (Nightwish), and the tour will take them to the following cities:

Tour dates are as follows:

Febriary
2 - Markthalle - Hamburg, Germany
4 - Batschkapp - Frankfurt, Germany
6 - Backstage - Munich, Germany
7 - Anker - Leipzig, Germany
8 - A2 - Wroclaw, Poland
9 - Roxy - Prague, Czech Republic
11 - Barba Negra - Budapest, HUngary
13 - Im Wizemann - Stuttgart, Germany
14 - Z7 - Pratteln, Switzerland
16 - Turbinenhalle - Oberhausen, Germany
17 - Melkweg - Amsterdam, Netherlands
18 - La Machine - Paris, France




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Famous Underground / Slik Toxik / Classic Albums Live frontman Nick Walsh has checked in with the following update:

"Hey There! I have had lots of folks asking me what I have been doing musically for the last little while as they have not heard any new material from me in some time. Well, as most of you know I have been performing rather regularly with Classic Albums Live which has kept me quite busy on the road. However, creativity never sleeps.

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to work with the label HardMD/APM to co-write and record 2 albums worth of material with composer / producer Ross Hardy. The main purpose for these recordings are for licensing to film, television, games and other forms of media entertainment. With this release the main theme throughout is motivation, inspiration and achieving ones goal, hence why it is pretty much sports-oriented.

The record is called Victory Vox, and can be heard on most of the various platforms in which we now consume our music i.e. Spotify, Google Play, Apple Music, YouTube, etc.

All the while doing this, I have almost completed all of the song writing and pre-production for the next Famous Underground album which we are gunning for a 2020 release."

Check out Victory Vox via Spotify here.

The clip below features Walsh with Classic Albums Live performing the Led Zeppelin classic "Dazed And Confused". The footage was shot at the Q107 studios in Toronto.




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Hot on the heels of their just-released self-titled EP, Chase Engel And The Night Shift have issued a new video for one of their top tracks, “Lost”.

Produced by Tesla’s Brian Wheat and released via his label, J Street Entertainment, the band (which is comprised of singer Engel, lead guitarist Conner Schrems, rhythm guitarist/saxophonist Noah Schieber, bassist Jason King, and drummer Matt Gottlieb) proves that fun can still exist within rock - and the “Lost” clip further confirms this claim. The video can be viewed below.

And as it turns out, the video was the first that they sent to Brian, who in turn began working with the band shortly thereafter. “This was the first music video we shot for the EP,” explains Chase. "It was also the first time we really tried to showcase what we look like at a live show. For us we felt like everything was riding on this video. Brian knew a little bit about what we were doing with our show but not a lot. So with this being the first official thing we sent him it had to be awesome. It wasn’t until after he seen this video that he said OK I think we’ve got something here. We actually shut the entire video three separate times over the course of about a year until we got the video to where we wanted it and in the end it was worth it!” And Conner is equally pleased with the finished product. “It’s not easy keeping people attention anymore for a full 3 minutes, especially with a performance video, but I think we pulled it off with ‘Lost’.”

Additionally, Chase Engel And The Night Shift will be playing a show with Buckcherry and have issued an earlier video, for the lead-off single, “Sorry”, which can be viewed below.

“‘Sorry’ was a song I wrote quite a while ago,” explains Engel. “We had played it live for many years and then wound up taking it out to play newer stuff. It wasn’t until Brian asked me to send him demos that I revisited the track and thought, ‘This one was pretty cool!.’ After we recorded it with Brian it really brought the song to life. Shooting the video was a lot of fun. It was the first video that we shoot that included more than just performance which was nice as it gave me the chance to expand my creativity beyond music and the show. Luckily, we had a great videographer, an experienced lighting crew, and the help of some talented actresses to pull it off.”

The singer also discussed the story behind their debut release. “The EP has been journey. There is a real learning curve when coming into the industry. Working with Brian Wheat was a surreal experience. Brian, working as producer later taking on the role as manager, really helped shape the EP into something bigger. Brian challenged us in ways we hadn’t anticipated, helping us grow as artists and songwriters. Picking favorites when it comes to your own songs is hard. Each one is special in its own right. The song ‘What to Do’ yields a bit of hip-hop, whereas ‘Lost’ leans more on our heavier influences. ‘Sorry’ shows our modern pop-rock side, while ‘Nighttime’ and ‘Let’s Get It On’ show our old-school roots. While each song is unique, we seem to have a way of bring them together.”

Tracklisting:

"Don't Know What To Do"
"Lost"
"Sorry"
"Let's Get It On"
"Nitetime"




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Devastation Ahead, the first full-length album from Dutch melodic thrashers, Degenerate, is out now. The album contains 10 songs and is mixed and mastered by Mendel Bij De Leij (ex-Aborted).  

Degenerate is a collaboration between Dutch musicians Rens H., Dani R.C., Bas B., and Filip A.F., who all share a big history in the Dutch metal scene. The partnership was put together in early 2016 by Rens H. with a vision to unleash a modern thrash/death metal hybrid. After the release of the bands first Demo EP in 2016 the name Degenerate has grown fast in the dutch metal scene and became known for their energetic live performances and great songwriting. After a period of playing a lot of shows on a large variety of stages throughout the country, the band decided that the time had come to record a full-length album. Loaded with a bunch of songs the band hit the studio in early 2019.

Devastation Ahead Is an album that takes the listener on a trip down memory lane. The unique combination of challenging guitar riffs, technical drumming, melancholic guitar leads and solos creates a sound of yesteryear and will bring back memories of 80’s style thrash metal, without excluding modern metal heads. Degenerate’s music will appeal to fans of Max Cavalera-era Sepultura, Children Of Bodom, Death and Testament. The album contains 10 varying songs that are mixed and mastered by the legendary Mendel Bij De Leij, who can be known as the former guitarist of the Belgian extreme death metal band, Aborted.

“Because of my years of experience in the Dutch metal scene, I met a lot of good and competent musicians. Unfortunately, I never felt that they were suitable for the project that I had in mind. After I met these guys, I immediately knew that I found the right line-up for the job. The technical  and ferocious skills of these guys do raise the songs and writing to a level that I did not even dare to dream of. Loaded with a bunch of songs we hit the studio in early 2019. And during the same period while looking for the right mix engineer we found Mendel Bij De Leij. The man did a absolutely magnificent job on mixing the album. We came to a record we didn’t dare to dream of”, said Rens H.

The album is available via all online streaming services. Physical copies can be ordered for €15 (International shipping included) by sending an e-mail to the band at band.degenerate@gmail.com.

Devastation Ahead tracklisting:

"X-Ray Annihilation"
"Incarnated"
"Recondite Radiation"
"Afterglow"
"Here To Root Them Out"
"Waves"
"The Hunted Herd"
"Eternal Return"
"Eudaimonia"
"Devastation Ahead"

"Recondite Radiation" video:

Degenerate lineup:

Rens Hilgers: Guitars and Vocals
Dani Ruiz Cardo: Guitars
Bas Bloos: Drums
Filip A. Filipczuk: Bass Guitar




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Tribulation have released their new live album, Alive & Dead At Södra Teatern, Get a glimpse of the impressive show that was filmed in one of Stockholm’s oldest theatres below, with the newly launched video for “Here Be Dragons”.

Says the band: "As the title suggests, we left shore and headed into uncharted waters with this one, and it ended up being one of the most romantic and gothic songs to-date. We actually almost scratched it completely before we got through the recording! Luckily the stars aligned, we mustered through it and made it work! As if heading into uncharted territory wasn't enough, it was also the first - and so far only - time we've played the song live. We're all glad we did since it's a song that we've had requested countless times since the release of Down Below, and now everyone who so wishes can partake in that very performance - and who knows, we might play it again. Don't you hear the distant howling of the wolf?"

Tribulation's first live album, it was an event to behold, for the monsters were let out of their cages to run wild as the Swedes imparted death metal of distinction across two fearsome sets. Invited by ex-Nirvana 2002 vocalist and curator Orvar Säfström, who also bedeviled the audience as master of ceremonies, Tribulation treated their besuited Swedish legions to unrivaled dark magic at their first-ever Södra Teatern (Southern Theatre) main hall gig.

Alive & Dead At Södra Teatern can be ordered here in the following formats:

- Ltd. 2CD+DVD Digipak in Slipcase
- Gatefold black 2LP+DVD
- Digital album
- Gatefold transp. Yellow 2LP + DVD - limited to 200 copies – only available at Sound Pollution
- Gatefold lilac 2LP+DVD - limited to 100 copies – only available at CMDistro
- Gatefold golden 2LP+DVD - limited to 200 copies
- Gatefold mint colored 2LP+DVD - limited to 200 copies – only available at Nuclear Blast
- Gatefold transp. red 2LP+DVD  - limited to 100 copies – only available at Tribulation live shows
- Gatefold dark green 2LP+DVD - limited to 100 copies – only available at Kingsroad
- Gatefold silver 2LP+DVD - limited to 200 copies – Metal Blade USA exclusive

Alive & Dead At Södra Teatern track listing:

Akt I:
"The Lament"
"Nightbound"
"Lady Death"
"Subterranea"
"Purgatorio"
"Cries From The Underworld"
"Lacrimosa"
"The World"
"Here Be Dragons"

Akt II:
"Trollens Brudmarsch"
"Melancholia"
"The Motherhood Of God"
"Rånda"
"Ultra Silvam"
Guitar Solo
"Strange Gateways Beckon"
"Strains Of Horror"

"Strains Of Horror" video:

"Strange Gateways Beckon" video:

Find the band's complete live itinerary here.

Lineup:

Johannes Andersson - Bass/Vocals
Adam Zaars - Guitars
Jonathan Hultén - Guitars
Oscar Leander - Drums




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Acclaimed guitar virtuosos RODRIGO Y GABRIELA have unveiled a spectacular new version of the METALLICA classic "Battery". The track will be featured on the duo's upcoming "Mettal" EP, due from ATO Records on Black Friday, November 29, as a one-sided 12-inch vinyl Record Store Day First release, limited to 2,500 and available only at independent record stores. Side 2 will have an art etching. This companion EP to RODRIGO Y GABRIELA's latest full-length, "Mettalvolution", sees Rodrigo Sánchez and Gabriela Quintero paying tribute to the icons of thrash metal with three previously unreleased covers, shedding light on some of their favorite foundational songs. Along with "Battery", the "Mettal" EP includes stunning new versions of MEGADETH's "Holy Wars" and SLAYER's epic "Seasons In The Abyss". All three tracks were produced and recorded by Sanchez in Oslo, Norway and finished at the duo's own Lumbini Studio in Ixtapa, Zihuatenejo, Mexico. "Mettal" was mixed by Jim Monti (SLIPKNOT, METALLICA, KORN) and then mastered by Grammy Award winner Ted Jensen (BRING ME THE HORIZON, DISTURBED, HALESTORM) at Sterling Sound in Nashville.

Commented Rodrigo: "It's no secret that we love METALLICA. 'Master Of Puppets' changed everything for us when we first heard it all those years ago."

Added Gabriela: "We've played parts of 'Battery' in our live set for many years. We're so happy to release our studio version in full for our fans. Thank you to the fans for coming with us on this trip, and eternal gratitude to METALLICA for the incredible music."

Natives of Mexico City, Sánchez and Quintero began their careers as members of TIERRA ACIDA, a heavy metal band which played on the city's underground gig circuit for seven years.

"Like a lot of Mexican youth, we were heavily influenced by American metal bands — METALLICA, MEGADETH, PANTERA, and also SEPULTURA," Gabriela explained. "It was a full band, very loud, and for vocals, Rodrigo would just scream. We played this way for seven years."

Asked in an interview if RODRIGO Y GABRIELA's metal connections were fading, Rodrigo said: "No, it's growing, actually. You go to our shows and you see a lot of metalheads. It was great to have the recognition from the kings, from METALLICA themselves, to be in touch with them and having the opportunity to jam with Robert pretty often. It's great, because that opened the door for a lot of metalheads to understand that we come from there. It's clear for the people that we love metal."

The official lyric video for the song "Out Of The Hollow" from SKYBLOOD, the solo project of acclaimed Swedish hard rock singer Mats Levén, can be seen below.

Levén says about the track: "It's about someone realizing it's time to move on. Even if it means having to face the dark unknown."

His name belongs to the most influential and illustrious ones in Swedish metal. Levén's distinctive and colorful voice has graced albums by CANDLEMASS, THERION, KRUX, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN and AT VANCE. Now, after lending his voice to others for decades, fans can finally witness the charismatic singer's solo album. Under the new flag of SKYBLOOD, it will see the light of day on November 22 via Napalm Records.

Dark and hypnotic anthems meet exotic trips into emotional soundspheres on tracks such as "The Voice", which triumphs in musical finesse and timeless elegance.

This debut is an unchained and exciting affair feeding off of epic and classic metal influences, doom and melodic hard rock — an unpredictable mixture soaring to glorious height.

Mats has been working on his solo project for several years. Most instruments were recorded by Mats himself at his own studio, the Uzi G Studio in Stockholm. According to Mats, SKYBLOOD is "who I am. This is SKYBLOOD. SKYBLOOD equals pride, empathy and rage. 'The Voice' carries that flag. A fight for the cause of truth."

Among the guest musicians who are expected to appear on SKYBLOOD's debut album are Martin "Axe" Axenrot (BLOODBATH, OPETH, WITCHERY), Nalley Påhlsson (TREAT, THERION), Snowy Shaw (ex-KING DIAMOND) and Petter Karlsson (ex-THERION, DIABLO SWING ORCHESTRA).

Track listing:

01. Skyblood Manifesto

02. The Voice

03. The Not Forgotten

04. Wake Up To The Truth

05. Once Invisible

06. One Eye For An Eye

07. Out Of The Hollow

08. For Or Against

09. Le Venimeux

"Skyblood" will be coming on vinyl, CD and in digital formats.

Mats, who was in CANDLEMASS for six years, began his professional musical life with SWEDISH EROTICA from Gothenburg, Sweden in 1989. In 1990, Mats got an offer from TREAT and moved to Stockholm where he still lives with his wife and two kids.

After recording albums with ABSTRAKT ALGEBRA and AB/CD, Mats as approached by Yngwie Malmsteen to join the guitarist's band in 1997-98 and to lay down his vocal tracks on the "Facing The Animal" LP.

Over the past couple of decades, Levén has been involved with a number of different bands and projects, including SOUTHPAW, DOGFACE, ESSENCE OF SORROW, AT VANCE and KRUX.

In 2004, Mats supplied lead vocals for THERION's two albums "Sirius B" and "Lemuria". This led to some 150 shows with the band over the course of the next four years. THERION's 2007 album "Gothic Kabbalah" saw Mats co-writing six of the tracks, including the epic "Son Of The Staves Of Time". In 2010-2011, Mats toured with ADAGIO and FIREWIND before joining CANDLEMASS as the replacement for Robert Lowe.

Between 2016 and 2018, Mats toured with rock theater sensation TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, whose 20th-anniversary trek visited 65 cities across North America, for 100-plus performances, before concluding on December 30.

Punching in at 95 seconds, shorter, faster, hard-hitting songs never go out of style and the Cro-Mags prove that with “No One’s Victim”, their first video in 27 years. The song comes from the Don’t Give In EP, released in August 2019 via Victory Records.

Filmed on location throughout 2019 during their headlining European tour and their support slot with The Misfits, “No One’s Victim” is the Cro-Mags first music video since the 1992 clip, “The Paths Of Perfection”. It was the bands previous video, 1987’s “We Gotta Know”, that gave MTV audiences a view into the crossover world of metal, thrash and punk that defined the Cro-Mags as a pioneer of a still boot-stomping scene that refuses to die. The proof is evidenced in the new video.

Cro-Mags founder Harley Flanagan adds, “This is our first ‘real’ video since 'We Gotta Know' because it's a real look at the live energy of Cro-Mags, it's not some staged video, its real, raw footage shot at our shows.”

The Cro-Mags first full-length album since the album Revenge (2000) will be coming in early 2020 on Victory Records.

Cro-Mags feature the legendary Flanagan pulling double duty with bass and lead vocals, guitarists Gabby Abularach, Rocky George (Suicidal Tendencies, Fishbone), and drummer Garry "G-Man" Sullivan.

Earlier this year the band released their first new music in nearly twenty years, with the 3-song Don’t Give In EP. On December 6, the NYC crew’s second 3-song EP will be available, titled From The Grave.




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2019 marks a new chapter for Eduardo Parrillo (vocals), Fernando Parrillo (guitar), Fabio Ressio (bass) and Paulo Ressio (drums) - who help comprise Doctor Pheabes - as their recently-released third album, Army Of The Sun, brings a melting pot of feelings. On one hand, the joy of the greatest challenge and the best production they’ve ever gone through with Bruno Agra and Kato Khandwala, but yet, on the other hand the death of the latter (Kato died in a motorcycle accident in 2018).

Hailing from São Paulo, Brazil, the band’s latest offering offers up plenty of melodic rock that appears custom-made for US radio, complete with hooks and big choruses - including such standout tracks as “Here To Stay” and the title track. Additionally, “Better Off Alone” - the first single and certainly the most iconic composition of the record - brought new horizons to the group and opened doors for new fans. “Your Love Is Mine,” the second single, brings a dynamic outfit to the quartet and also a video clip starring strong women and successful sportswomen. And it just so happens that another one of the album’s top tracks, “Rebel Riders,” also has a music video (filmed in Los Angeles), which can be viewed below.

And the group praises Kato’s contribution to the Army Of The Sun album. “From this friendship it came up a fantastic album,” says Fernando. “We have improved a lot as musicians and songwriters, having a guy who is in Los Angeles making rock and roll his whole life ... the apprenticeship was gigantic, every musician should get through it.” Eduardo also regrets the passing of Kato. "He was a very nice guy, patient, intelligent, we spent months getting along, it was real friendship, there were incredible moments with him."

Having already released previous albums in their homeland, Doctor Pheabes has also shared the concert stage with some of the biggest bands and as part of the best-known festivals, including Monsters of Rock in 2013, opening act for Guns N 'Roses (2014), Black Sabbath (2016) and The Rolling Stones (2016); coming back to the Monsters of Rock in 2015, and performing at Lollapalooza in 2015 and 2017 and Rock in Rio in 2017.

"It was always a desire, but also a great responsibility, even more so with authorial music,” Fernando recalls. “And we had contact with some bands, we met all The Rolling Stones, for example.” Eduardo adds: "It was magical times, we never imagined we could go through it. There, on stage, you get that euphoria back when you were a teenager. Knowing Mick Jagger is a magical thing, seeing the idols we've listened to for a lifetime something unique."

The members of Doctor Pheabes show energy for more work, although they keep their feet on the ground. "It will be worth it; we just want to perform good gigs and people to enjoy it - anything else, is welcome," concludes Eduardo. The band is planning to expand its activities to the international market with this release.

Purchase or stream the new music here.

Tracklisting:

"Army Of The Sun"
"Better Off Alone"
"Rebel Riders"
"Here To Stay"
"Your Love Is Mine"
"Ask Of You"
"Find A Way"
"Back In Town"
"Stranded In Love"
"Let’s Go"
"Live Forever"

"Rebel Riders" video:

(Photo - Silmara Cuiffa)




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Y&T's long-awaited documentary, "Y&T: On With The Show - The Documentary", will be released on DVD on November 26 and on Blu-ray on December 31.

This documentary, narrated by Eddie Trunk and told by frontman Dave Meniketti, along with interviews of past and present bandmembers, will tell the great story that is Y&T by the guys who lived it. From the days of rehearsing in the front room at drummer Leonard Haze's grandmother's house in Oakland, California, to the present day celebrating over 40 years, you'll hear about: the early days touring with their Volkswagen van and a pickup truck, the crazy stories of recording the first two YESTERDAY & TODAY albums, meeting Bill Graham and opening for JOURNEY, BOSTON and QUEEN, the band's big breaks recording and touring overseas, being on the road with AC/DC, OZZY OSBOURNE and DIO, the short-lived breakup in the early '90s, the reformation three years later, a tribute to bassist Phil Kennemore, and much more.

The band has hundreds of hours of never-before-seen personal footage, concert clips, interviews, and thousands of personal pictures to sift through that will visually take you through the journey that they traveled. There will be rare footage and audio clips of performances old and new, from the band's first shows to the legendary concerts and festivals. Also interviews with rock star celebrities from the many bands who have worked with and were influenced by Y&T, including Don Dokken (DOKKEN), Dee Snider (TWISTED SISTER), Sammy Hagar (VAN HALEN, MONTROSE), Eric Martin (MR. BIG) and the members of ANVIL, plus great stories from the band's producers, engineers and roadies over the years.

The two-disc set includes the actual documentary (143 minutes) with eight deleted scenes, plus an "Encore" disc (137 minutes) with nine special featurettes — for a total of nearly five hours of material.

Disc 1: Documentary + Bonus Material

Disc 2: Encore: Nine Special Featurettes

Please note: The DVD was manufactured as "All Regions" so it should play in your DVD player; if you encounter any issues in your country or with your player (older DVD players may pose problems), then you can watch it on a computer, which is not region-specific.

A trailer for "On With The Show" is available below.

Meniketti is the only surviving member of the Y&T lineup — then known as YESTERDAY AND TODAY — that recorded the band's self-titled debut album.

Original Y&T rhythm guitarist Joey Alves died in March 2017 at the age of 63. Two founding Y&T musicians — Haze, 61, and Kennemore, 57, who both had left the lineup — died from complications of lung cancer: Kennemore on January 7, 2011, and Haze on September 11, 2016.

Y&T's current lineup is rounded out by guitarist John Nymann, drummer Mike Vanderhule and bassist Aaron Leigh.

The band's latest studio album, "Facemelter", came out in May 2010 via Frontiers.

Frontiers Music Srl will release of A New Tomorrow's label debut, Universe, on December 6. Watch a video for the song "A Million Stars" below, and pre-order the album here.

Formed in London by vocalist/guitarist Alessio Garavello (ex-Powerquest/Arthemis) and bassist Andrea Lonardi, the two were later joined by drummer Tim Hall and guitarist Michael Kew. A New Tomorrow have spent the past few years honing their sound into the potent mix of uplifting, hard-hitting, melodic hard rock that you now hear today.

Harnessing influences from the likes of musical heroes such as Alter Bridge, Foo Fighters, Metallica, and Green Day, the band have been defining their sound during years of shows across the UK, Italy, and elsewhere in Europe. Offering fast and furious riffing coupled with super melodic hook lines, they have an original and cool take on the hard rock style. A New Tomorrow are indeed a sorely needed breath of fresh air in the current scene.

Drummer Tim Hall says, "Several years of amazing times, full of both ups and downs, not just as a band but as great friends, gave us the foundation to write something special for this record. "Universe" became the only title to encompass all our experiences as individuals and as a band, with themes - from fear and doubt to taking back the pursuit of our hopes and dreams - that I think all of us can identify with. The time we took gaining experience as a band, before writing "Universe", has really allowed us to find our own space within the music allowing our own individual influences to come across a lot more than in our previous releases. Expect our heaviest, yet most dynamic range of songs to date! With intricate, interwoven grooves, alongside blankets of melodic guitars and powerful vocals. We feel invigorated playing this music and can't wait to unleash that energy with you live in 2020!"

A New Tomorrow's love for life and go-getter attitude, both on and off stage, complete the picture of one of the hottest bands to come out of the British underground in recent times.

Now, the band gets to share the next chapter in their evolution worldwide through their debut full-length album "Universe". Buckle up and enjoy the ride!

Tracklisting:

"I Wanna Live"
"A Million Stars"
"Golden Sands"
"Ignition"
"Mother Earth Is Calling"
"Mountains"
"Step Into The Wild..."
"...Home"
"Multitude Of Nothing"
"Universe"
"Abrasive" (Bonus Track, CD only)

"A Million Stars" video:

"I Wanna Live" video:

Lineup:

Alessio Garavello - Lead vocals, backing vocals, electric and acoustic guitars
Michael Kew - Electric guitars
Andrea Lonardi - Bass guitar
Tim Hall - Drums & Percussion




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Hudson Music has unearthed a clip from the Modern Drummer Festival 2008, featuring Carmine Appice's Slamm!! Watch below.

The festival features performances and interviews by Todd Sucherman, Simon Phillips, Thomas Pridgen, Bill Stewart, Dafnis Prieto, Ndugu Chancler, Will Calhoun, Billy Ward and Derek Roddy. Included are inspiring conversations with each drummer as well as unprecedented drummer-to-drummer interviews, such as Simon Phillips with Gavin Harrison, Ndugu Chancler with Will Calhoun, and Todd Sucherman with Derek Roddy.

The full Festival is available on DVD and Digital Download and includes a 28-page printable eBook. Get it here.




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Royal Hunt is in a process of recording a new concept album, scheduled for release in 2020 (Japan / SE Asia - King Records, rest of the world - TBA). As usual, most of the production activities were moved into NorthPoint Studio while mix/mastering facilities will be appointed later.

The band hints at a monumental conceptual offering, which is supposed to expand their familiar yet constantly evolving soundscape into previously uncharted territories. With their 15th studio release, Royal Hunt is dead-set to deliver a masterpiece, which should once again rise the bar for modern progressive hard rock genre.

André Andersen: “The next Royal Hunt album is in the works and - while most of it is still in a state of a “sort-of-controlled- chaos” - I'd say it's probably our biggest production to date… the amount of tracks is simply staggering. Yes, it's a concept album and yes, there're some special guests on it and yes - already on this demo stage - this thing sounds huge (even by our standards). So fear not: we're still around and we're rocking just as hard - if not harder - as we usually do.”

Stay tuned for updates.

 




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Def Leppard have released a new video, recapping the band's 2019. "From our Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction to Europe, Canada, Vegas and everywhere in between, thank you all for yet another fantastic year on the road," says the band.

The video, by Ryan Sebastyan, can be seen below:

Rolling Stone reported earlier today that Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard and Poison will be hitting the road next year for a US stadium tour. Stay tuned for complete details, expected soon.




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Canadian deathcore pioneers, Despised Icon, have released their sixth full length album, Purgatory, via Nuclear Blast. The band have issued this new video trailer:

Purgatory was produced by Yannick St-Amand, Eric Jarrin and Alex Erian. The music was recorded by Despised Icon's former guitar player, now current front of house engineer Yannick St-Amand while the vocals were recorded by close friend Antoine Lussier of Ion Dissonance. Mixing and mastering were completed by Cryptopsy's very own Christian Donaldson at The Grid in Montreal.

Without a doubt their most dynamic venture to date, Despised Icon have a fresh and energy filled arrangement just waiting to see the light of day in the form of Purgatory. For many years, they have laid the foundation of Deathcore and spearheaded different sounds and movements within the genre.

Purgatory is available in the following formats:

- CD Jewel
- Vinyl
- Grey with Black Splatter Vinyl

Order Purgatory in the format of your choice here.

Purgatory tracklisting:

"Dernier Souffle"
"Purgatory"
"Light Speed"
"Slow Burning"
"Snake In The Grass"
"Vies D'Anges"
"Moving On"
"Unbreakable"
"Apex Predator"
"Legacy"
"Dead Weight"

"Light Speed" lyric video:

"Snake In The Grass" video:

"Purgatory" video:

(Photo - Eric Sanchez)




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Next week, the iconic MTV Headbangers Ball Tour kicks off at Felsenkeller in Leipzig, Germany. Headlined by Canadian melodic death metal heavyweights Kataklysm, the lineup will be completed by Whitechapel, Fleshgod Apocalypse, and Dyscarnate.

In anticipation of the run, Kataklysm have launched a lyric video for the track, "The Last Breath I'll Take Is Yours", taken from their studio album, Meditations (2018).

Frontman Maurizio Iacono states, "'The Last Breath I’ll Take Is Yours' is a song that deals with having to prove yourself over and over again to society. The world keeps consuming everything and keeps throwing challenges at you. It's about navigating life through struggle and in the end...having the last word over it on your own terms. We release this song as the final chapter of the successful campaign for our latest album Meditations."

After delivering all out thrash metal 2018, the fourth edition of the MTV Headbangers Ball Tour is nothing short of a breath-taking death metal package.

Dates:

November
28 - Leipzig, Germany - Felsenkeller
29 - Bohinjska Bistrica, Slovenia - Winter Days Of Metal
30 - Zlín, Czech Republic - Hala Euronics

December
1 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
2 - Stuttgart , Germany- LKA Longhorn
3 - Solothurn, Switzerland - Kulturfabrik Kofmehl
4 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
5 - London, England - Electric Ballroom
6 - Oberhausen, Germany - Ruhrpott Metal Meeting
7 - Geiselwind, Germany - Christmas Bash
8 - Haarlem, Netherlands - Patronaat
9 - Hamburg, Germany - Große Freiheit 36
10 - Aarhus, Denmark - VoxHall
11 - Berlin, Germany - Huxleys Neue Welt
12 - Vienna, Austria - Arena
13 - Ravensburg, Germany - OberschwabenKlub
14 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof




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Tortured blackened death metal outfit, Withered, have released a lyric video for "Somnium Decay". The song was previously only available via a very limited edition flexi disc via Decibel Magazine, but is now digitally available via all streaming services.

Withered will be embarking on a European tour in January 2020 in support of label mates, Cannabis Corpse. A full list of confirmed shows can be found below.

Withered comment: “It’s been nearly a decade and a half since we’ve left the shores of North America. Withered has decided it is time again to get face to face with our fans & friends in the old countries of Europe. We are excited to share this massive effort with our friends in Cannabis Corpse and help celebrate the release of their new album. We have a very special set list planned that will undoubtedly dose our audiences with surrealism and a true darkened longing with music that spans our entire catalog to date. I’m excitedly nervous to reconnect so intimately with my roots and with friends we haven’t seen in nearly 15 years. It promises to be an awakening we cannot wait to share with everyone.”

Dates:

January
3 - Aalst, Belgium - Cinema*
4 - Utrecht, Netherlands - DB's
5 - Bochum, Germany - Die Trompete
6 - Hamburg, Germany - Monkey's
7 - Aalborg, Denmark - 1000Fryd
8 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Vega
9 - Stockholm, Sweden - Hus7
10 - Oslo, Norway - Vaterland
11 - Malmo, Sweden - Plan B
12 - Dresden, Germany - Chemiefabrik
13 - Prague, Czech Republic - Underdogs
14 - Bratilava, Slovakia - Kulturak Klub
15 - Munchen, Germany - Backstage
16 - Innsbruck, Austria - P.M.K.
17 - Bologna, Italy - Freakout Club
18 - Bolzano, Italy - Pippo Stage (no pre-sale tickets / walk up only)
19 - Zurich, Switzerland - Werk21
20 - Aachen, Germany @Musikbunker
21 - London, England - Boston Music Room
22 - Birmingham, England - Asylum2
23 - Edinburgh, Scotland - Bannerman's
24 - Bridgewater, England - The Cobblestones
25 - Leeds, England - Temple of Boom

* with Carnation




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Metallica have released video from their show in Bucharest, Romania on August 14, 2019. Watch professionally-filmed footage of the band performing "One" below:

Metallica's next schedule live performance is on March 28, 2020 for the All Within My Hands Helping Hands Concert & Auction at The Masonic in San Francisco, CA. Find the band's live itinerary here.

Pollstar, the leading trade publication for the live entertainment industry, has announced the nominees for the 31st annual Pollstar Awards.

Presented by Live Nation on February 6, the Pollstar Awards concludes the Pollstar Live! conference and honors and recognizes the most successful artists, executives, venues, events, and companies in the thriving global live entertainment business. To be held at The Beverly Hilton February 4-6, 2020, Pollstar Live! is the world’s largest gathering of live entertainment professionals and Pollstar magazine’s flagship event.

The 2020 Pollstar Award nominations were selected by the largest, most diverse, and most international nominating committee in the history of the awards. This is a direct result of Pollstar's outreach efforts to more than 2500 agents, promoters, managers, venues, production companies, and many others across the live industry worldwide. As a result, this year secured 29% more nomination submissions.

Pollstar Awards’ nominees for the “Major Tour Of The Year” award, which recognizes the most commercially and artistically successful tour of the year, are Ed Sheeran, Elton John, Eric Church, Garth Brooks, P!NK and The Rolling Stones.

Also nominated for awards in categories including “Best Rock Tour”, “Best Hip-Hop/R&B Tour”, “Best Pop Tour”, “Best Country Tour”, “Best Latin Tour” and “Best Residency” are such artists as Ariana Grande, Bad Bunny, Billie Eilish, Billy Joel, Carrie Underwood, Drake, Garth Brooks, Jennifer Lopez, Jonas Brothers, Lady Gaga, Lizzo, Maná, Metallica, and Travis Scott, among many others.

Nominees for “Best New Headliner,” those that achieved a significant breakthrough in 2019 through memorable performances, fan engagement, and box office success are Billie Eilish, Greta Van Fleet, Kacey Musgraves, Lizzo, Luke Combs, and Maggie Rogers.

A selection of Nominees/Categories follows:

Major Tour of the Year - Recognizing the most commercially and artistically successful tour of the year. (Box Office Weighted)
Ed Sheeran, ÷ (Divide) Tour
Elton John, Farewell Yellow Brick Road
Eric Church, Double Down Tour
Garth Brooks, Garth Brooks Stadium Tour, Summer Of Dive Bars Tour
Pink, Beautiful Trauma World Tour
The Rolling Stones, No Filter Tour

Best Rock Tour - Recognizing professionalism and dedication to the art and craft of live performance in the previous year by a touring rock artist or band. (Box Office Weighted)
KISS, End Of The Road World Tour
Metallica, WorldWired Tour
Queen + Adam Lambert, The Rhapsody Tour
The Rolling Stones, No Filter Tour
Tool, [“Fear Inoculum” Tour]
Twenty One Pilots, The Bandito Tour

Best Residency - Recognizing the most commercially and artistically successful run of 10 or more shows at a single venue. (Box Office Weighted)
Aerosmith (Deuces Are Wild), Park Theater at Park MGM Las Vegas
Billy Joel, Madison Square Garden
Celine Dion (Celine), The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
David Byrne (American Utopia), Hudson Theatre
Janet Jackson (Metamorphosis), Park Theater at Park MGM Las Vegas
Lady Gaga (Enigma), Park Theater at Park MGM Las Vegas

The slate of awards is geared toward presenting a compelling ceremony that salutes the touring industry’s illustrious past while celebrating its current vitality and promising future.

“The nominees for the 31st Pollstar Awards represent the pinnacle of achievement in live entertainment this year and reflect our ongoing efforts to present the most relevant recognition for the highest achieving artists and professionals that make up this great business,” said Ray Waddell, president of OVG Media & Conferences. "For more than 30 years, the Pollstar Awards have been the gold standard for recognizing success in the live business, and we are honored and privileged to again salute the elite artists, venues, and executives that make live the ultimate barometer of fan passion.”

While the Pollstar Awards remain predominantly an industry peer-voted honor, Pollstar factors in box office performance (gross revenue and ticket sales) using its industry-leading touring data in determining winners for many awards.

A full list of nominees can be found here.




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"The Church Of What's Happening Now With Joey CoCo Diaz" recently conducted an interview with Wendy Dio, the widow and manager of legendary RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH and DIO vocalist Ronnie James Dio. You can watch the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On whether Ronnie James Dio had an acrimonious relationship with Ozzy Osbourne, whom he replaced in BLACK SABBATH in 1980:

Wendy: "Not at all, no. Not at all. We saw him quite often at the Rainbow or different places, just, 'Hi, how are you doing? What's going on?' They weren't great friends, but they were always very polite, very nice to each other. Always."

On BLACK SABBATH's 1992 album "Dehumanizer", the first SABBATH studio album to feature Dio since 1981's "Mob Rules":

Wendy: "It's a very underrated album. And it's a great album. It came out in the '90s right when grunge hit, so everybody was now listening to grunge. Actually, we are re-releasing that very soon — next year."

On original BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward's involvement with HEAVEN & HELL, the band comprising of Dio, along with SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler:

Wendy: "They wanted to go back this last time with Bill, but Bill had some health problems so he couldn't do it, so we got Vinny [Appice] back again. He's doing great. Bill's doing great.

On the last time she's seen RAINBOW guitarist Ritchie Blackmore:

Wendy: "Oh my goodness. Twenty years, maybe."

On Ronnie James Dio's "happiest times":

Wendy: "SABBATH. A lot of different times, but his favorite band was SABBATH. I was really glad that he got to reunite with the band and do that last album, and the tour because they all loved each other and they were playing amazing. You'd never know that Ronnie was sick. He was amazing until the last note and I think Ronnie could never have lost his voice or grown old. That's the only thing I say about him dying when he did — he died on a high note."

Back in 2011, Universal/Sanctuary released a deluxe edition of "Dehumanizer". With a lineup completed by founding members Iommi and Butler, and drumming duties carried out by Appice, "Dehumanizer" is arguably one of SABBATH's heaviest albums. This edition was expanded with the single edit of "Master Of Insanity", an alternate version of "Letters From Earth" that originally appeared as the B-side to the "TV Crimes" single, and a version of "Time Machine" originally recorded for the soundtrack to the movie "Wayne's World". In addition, the set contained five rare live tracks from Florida's Sundome recorded at the beginning of the "Dehumanizer" tour in July 1992, including a previously unreleased live version of "Master Of Insanity". There were also liner notes from Metal Hammer's Dom Lawson, based on interviews with Iommi.

Wendy Dio recently announced a gala to be held on February 20, 2020, that will commemorate the tenth anniversary of Ronnie James Dio's passing.

Ronnie James Dio passed away from stomach cancer on May 16, 2010 at the age of 67. A few months after his death, MTV Books announced plans to release his memoir, which at the time was going to be called "Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography Of Ronnie James Dio".

Wendy is currently working with legendary rock journalist Mick Wall on the long-awaited autobiography of the heavy metal master, which was three-quarters written before the singer's death.

Dio was renowned throughout the world as one of the greatest and most influential vocalists in heavy metal history. The singer, who was recording and touring with BLACK SABBATH offshoot HEAVEN & HELL prior to his illness, was diagnosed with stomach cancer in late 2009. He underwent chemotherapy and made what is now his final public appearance in April 2010 at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards in Los Angeles.

Robert Plant says that he is certain he will make another album with Alison Krauss. Released in 2007, their "Raising Sand" collaboration won Grammy Awards for "Album Of The Year", "Best Contemporary Folk/Americana Album", "Record Of The Year" for "Please Read The Letter", "Best Pop Collaboration With Vocals" for "Rich Woman", and "Best Country Collaboration With Vocals" for "Killing The Blues".

When asked if there will be a follow-up to "Raising Sand", Plant told Classic Rock magazine: "Oh, I'm sure, yeah. I see Alison a lot and talk to her a lot, and [producer] T Bone [Burnett] too. The reality is that I ran back once before, and [BAND OF JOY bandmate] Patty [Griffin] had made her 'American Kid' record and was touring with that. And I think once you start splintering off and going different ways, and you're a stranger in a place where people still think there’s a mirror ball rotating around your head, it's really good to dig in with the reality of the [SENSATIONAL] SPACE SHIFTERS. There's no greater thing than being on stage when these guys are in full flight."

Back in 2015, Republic Records released the "Love The Coopers" official soundtrack album, featuring the studio reunion of Plant and Krauss on their Christmas original "The Light Of Christmas Day".

In a 2014 interview with Rolling Stone, Plant revealed that he had been talking with Krauss about recording a follow-up to "Raising Sand". "Alison called me six weeks ago," he says. "She said, 'Should we make a new record?'"

Plant previously tried to make a "Raising Sand" follow-up when he and Krauss finished their tour in 2009. The LED ZEPPELIN frontman entered a California studio with producer Daniel Lanois and attempted to write material he could sing with Krauss. "We walked away from that and took our toys back," said Plant. "Dan and I wrote about five songs in two or three days up in Silver Lake. They were pretty good, but they didn't really lend themselves to a vocal collaboration, so I took them away. And then Alison went back to the fat guys with beards [her longtime band UNION STATION] and she made a pretty good record within that genre."

HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES have released the official music video for the song "I Want My Now", taken from the band's second album, "Rise". Check it out below.

HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES are built around the undeniable chemistry between rock and roll royalty Joe Perry, Hollywood superstar Johnny Depp and shock rock icon Alice Cooper.

"Rise" was released on June 21 on earMUSIC as a CD digipak, 2LP+download and digital. The disc was produced by Tommy Henriksen and the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES.

In other news, HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES will tour Europe next summer in support of "Rise". The trek will take them throughout Germany, Austria, Poland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Italy, Switzerland and more.

VIP packages and presales begin this Tuesday, November 19, with the general public on sale starting this Friday, November 22. VIP Packages can include meet-and-grret with Johnny, Joe and Alice, exclusive merch, reserved tickets, and more.

Confirmed dates:

Aug. 15 - Summer In the City - Citadel Mainz, Germany

Aug. 16 - Stadtpark - Hamburg, Germany

Aug. 18 - Legends Of Rock - Charlotta Valley, Poland

Aug. 20 - Citadel Music Festival - Berlin, Germany

Aug. 23 - Emsland Open Air - Lingen, Germany

Aug. 25 - Konig-Pilsener Arena - Oberhausen, Germany

Aug. 27 - Clam Castle - Klam, Austria

Aug. 28 - Olympiahalle - Munich, Germany

Aug. 29 - Riverside - Aarburg, Switzerland

Sep. 08 - Rockhal - Luxembourg, Luxembourg

Sep. 10 - Mediolanum Forum - Milan, Italy

Unlike HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES' 2015 debut record, "Rise" consists mainly of original material, written by the band. There are however, in the spirit of the VAMPIRES' original mission, three covers of songs originally written and recorded by some fellow rockers who died far too young: an intimate and intense version of "Heroes"; the JIM CARROLL BAND's "People Who Died" and Johnny Thunders's "You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory", sung by Perry.

Completing the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES live lineup are rock star musician friends Glen Sobel (ALICE COOPER) on drums, Chris Wyse (THE CULT) on bass, and Buck Johnson (AEROSMITH) on keyboard and vocals.

According to Billboard, Ozzy Osbourne will join rapper Post Malone, Travis Scott and Andrew Watt for an appearance at the 2019 American Music Awards. They will perform Post Malone's song "Take What You Want", which debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at No. 8. The track marked Osbourne's first Hot 100 top 10 in over 30 years, as the BLACK SABBATH singer broke the record for the most time between top 10s in the chart's 61-year history. The song appears on Post Malone's new LP "Hollywood's Bleeding", which landed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.

The 2019 American Music Awards, hosted by Ciara, will air live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on November 24 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

Watt, who produced Ozzy's new studio album, connected with Osbourne after meeting Ozzy's daughter Kelly at a friend's party and pitching her on the idea of Post and Ozzy collaborating together.

In an interview with The Sun, Ozzy credited the Post Malone collaboration with getting him "off his arse." The singer, who was left in intensive care earlier this year after a fight with pneumonia, explained: "I'd never even heard of this kid. He wanted me to sing on his song 'Take What You Want', so I did and then one thing led to another. I started recording a new album with Post Malone's producer Andrew Watt. It's only nine tracks but it was a catalyst to get me to where I am today.

"If it wasn't for making this record, I would still be on traction, thinking, 'I'm going to be lying here forever.' I've missed music so badly. My fans are so loyal and so good. Up until making the album, I thought I was dying. But that got me off my arse."

"Hollywood's Bleeding" is the follow-up to Post Malone's 2018 album "Beerbongs & Bentleys". That record topped the Billboard 200 albums chart in May of last year. The same month, streaming service Spotify said the LP had broken the first-week streaming record, with more than 236 million streams in the United States and more than 411 million worldwide.

Earlier this year, Malone (whose real name is Austin Post) earned four Grammy nominations, including album of the year for "Beerbongs & Bentleys".

He took home the top rap song trophy at the 2018 Billboard Music Awards for "Rockstar" alongside collaborator 21 Savage, as well as song of the year at the 2018 MTV Video Music Awards for the same track.