Video footage of KINGDOM COME performing at the Monsters Of Rock cruise pre-party on February 23 at Magic City Casino in Miami, Florida can be seen below.

Singer Lenny Wolf is not involved in KINGDOM COME's current reunion tour, which kicked off last September in Seattle, Washington. The trek — which is celebrating the 30th anniversary of the release of the band's self-titled debut album — features drummer James Kottak alongside guitarists Danny Stag and Rick Steier, bassist Johnny B. Frank and vocalist Keith St. John (formerly of MONTROSE and LYNCH MOB). The tour marks Kottak's first run of shows since embracing recovery after a longtime battle with alcoholism got him kicked out of the SCORPIONS.

Asked if it was difficult to assemble four of the five original KINGDOM COME members for the tour, Kottak told Eonmusic: "No, actually. I originally started talking to Lenny in 2008. I knew the SCORPIONS farewell tour was coming, and we got everything together in about 2012, 2013. We had all five here in L.A., went to rehearsals, had conversations, we had shows, offers on the table, things were good, and then I got a call from the SCORPIONS camp saying, You know what? We decided not to say farewell. We're going to do the album, another world tour, and can you not play with KINGDOM COME and your other projects?' And I was, like, 'Well, okay,' because my allegiance was always with SCORPIONS. I love those guys, I love the band, so I pulled the plug. I had to put everything on the back burner. And here we are now; I had this opportunity, and everything kind of fell into place, so it's wonderful to be where we are now."

Kottak went on to say that he had been talking to Wolf about taking part in the tour "off and on, since about [2017]." He explained: "Things move really slow sometimes. Then suddenly, in January [2018] he just called and said, 'You know what?' — because he announced his retirement [in 2017] and didn't want anything to do with KINGDOM COME — but he said, 'I just really don't want to deal with all the chaos and the manic, crazy rock and roll.' He just wants to quietly retire and live in Hamburg, and I respect him, and he can do that. However, he has given us his blessing. I wish he was here, but it is what it is."

The drummer admitted that he and his bandmates were initially concerned about whether people would accept KINGDOM COME without Wolf. "Absolutely," he said. "And when we first put the word out to promoters and buyers, at first they were going, 'Oh yeah! KINGDOM COME!' Then we had to go back a few weeks later and say, 'Sorry. Unfortunately, there will be no Lenny Wolf.' So, out of the 20 or so offers we had from different buyers, only three actually pulled out. I was surprised; I thought we'd get a little more backlash. But so many bands, especially bands with longevity, they change members; look at THIN LIZZY, how they changed, or name any band that's been around for 25, 30 years, and there's very few that have all the original members."

After its early run of success in the '80s, KINGDOM COME released several albums, with Wolf remaining the only constant member of the band. The group's most recent effort was 2013's "Outlier".

DISTURBED singer David Draiman has dismissed the notion that rock is dead, saying that bands from the genre are "a dominant force on a global level."

While rock 'n' roll has been king of the music world for decades, in the past few years, it's been unseated by the growing popularity of hip-hop. This has caused many pundits to proclaim the genre "dead" from an industry perspective, noting that it has been eclipsed in all measures by pop, hip-hop, and EDM.

Draiman, whose band launched a U.S. arena-headlining tour in January, spoke about rock's supposed diminishing status during a brand new interview with SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation".

Addressing the whole "rock is dead" debate, Draiman said: "They're gonna keep on singing that song and dance because it's a headline that, for whatever reason, every once in a while sells. And people click on it and they wanna read about it, and they're always so quick to proclaim rock dead. Even some of the gentlemen and ladies within our own genre are very quick to proclaim rock dead, and it's absolutely the opposite. The rock acts that are doing what they're doing well are continuing to grow and are continuing to develop, and the fanbase has always been there."

He continued: "The irony is that if you look at touring exclusively within the rock world, we're a dominant force on a global level. And in many territories — in fact, in most territories — we eclipse the other genres. But it's just not one of those soundbites that seem to sell very well these days."

The "rock is dead" argument has popped up again and again throughout the years, most recently after MAROON 5 lead singer Adam Levine told Variety magazine that "rock music is nowhere, really. I don't know where it is," he said. "If it's around, no one's invited me to the party. All of the innovation and the incredible things happening in music are in hip-hop. It's better than everything else. Hip-hop is weird and avant-garde and flawed and real, and that's why people love it."

A few years ago, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons told Esquire magazine that "rock did not die of old age. It was murdered. Some brilliance, somewhere, was going to be expressed and now it won't because it's that much harder to earn a living playing and writing songs. No one will pay you to do it."

A number of hard rock and heavy metal musicians have weighed in on the topic in a variety of interviews over the last couple of years, with some digging a little deeper into Simmons's full remarks and others just glossing over the headline.

LAST IN LINE vocalist Andrew Freeman has weighed in on the ongoing gun control debate with the new song "Year Of The Gun". Freeman says the track is neither for nor against gun control, but wishes both sides of the argument would come together to find common ground since he feels "the government tries to pit us against each other."

"Year Of The Gun" appears on LAST IN LINE's new studio album, "II", which is the second release from the band featuring original DIO members Vivian Campbell (guitar) and Vinny Appice (drums). The group is rounded out by former OZZY OSBOURNE bassist Phil Soussan, who stepped in following the passing of Jimmy Bain.

In a recent interview with Lisa from the "Soundchecked" podcast, Freeman was asked about the album's first single, "Landslide", which represents a lyrical shift from the oftentimes fantasy-based lyrics the original DIO band focused on for the "Holy Diver" and "Last In Line" albums.

"A lot of it is kind of abstract," he said (hear audio below). "I guess it has a little bit of an undercurrent of what's going on today.

"The 'Landslide' video is just about government manipulation and just about different trials of life and getting through your day when you have all these things in the media bombarding you with all the terrible things that are going on in the world, which comes across a lot of times these days in the media is manipulation and trying to sway your opinion one way or the other and you're just trying to make a living and trying to raise your kids and trying to pay your mortgage when you're being bombarded with all this stuff, and trying to make ends meet," he said. "And we are actually the decision makers, and [we] get bombarded with all these different messages. It's just kind of a way of dealing with that — reporting on how you deal with that; how the normal person deals with that."

According to Freeman, the lyrics for "Year Of The Gun" were written about the fact that America is a big outlier among developed countries when it comes to gun deaths, apparently in large part because it has so many guns, making it easy to carry out an act of violence. "It's about the gun problem in the U.S., but it's not for or against," he said. "It's just basically saying that there's a problem and we need to address it. There's no major solution that a songwriter standing on a stage shaking his ass and dancing around is gonna bring. It's just saying, 'Hey, again, it's self-empowerment. We have a problem.' Basically, the government tries to pit us against each other, and the only way it's gonna get solved is if everybody works together instead of being divided,' which is what it seems what the government and the powers that be seem to want. They want everybody divided because it's easier to rule when you are dividing and conquering."

"II" was released on February 22 via Frontiers Music Srl.

LAST IN LINE was formed in 2012, when Appice, Bain and Campbell — Ronnie James Dio's co-conspirators and co-writers on the "Holy Diver", "Last In Line" and "Sacred Heart" albums — teamed up with Freeman. The debut album "Heavy Crown" was released in February 2016, landing at No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. The release had been preceded by tragedy when Bain unexpectedly passed away at the age of 68 on January 23, 2016. LAST IN LINE, honoring what they knew would be Bain's wish to keep the band moving, brought in Soussan and committed to sustained touring in support of the album, hitting festivals, headlining clubs, and sharing the stage with metal luminaries such as SAXON and MEGADETH.

"Bullets For The Damned", the new video from THE THREE TREMORS, the project featuring acclaimed heavy metal singers Tim "The Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN), Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin (JAG PANZER) and Sean "The Hell Destroyer" Peck (CAGE, DEATH DEALER, DENNER/SHERMANN), can be seen below.

"It was all green screen stuff. I felt like Arnold Schwarzenegger for a second," Owens told Billboard. "It's kind of a throwback, like the whole CD is — it comes straight at ya, a lot of stuff going on and really a power punch of everything. That's what this [group] is — the video's over the top, the music is over the top, everything. That's something that's been gone for a while, so we're trying to bring it back."

THE THREE TREMORS' self-titled debut LP was released on January 18. The band nourishes in heavy metal anthems, and features the illustrious chops of guitarist Dave Garcia, whose tenacity fuels the fire, allowing the music to naturally flow in complimentary tone. Second guitarist Casey Trask picks up the pace and pushes the boundaries alongside bassist Alex Pickard, who highlights a melodic sensibility giving character to the overall tonality. On drums, the thrash machine Sean Elg adds in his perfectly placed fills and signature double bass patterns.

"Sean's band, CAGE, opened for JUDAS PRIEST on the 'Jugulator' tour in San Diego — that is where I first met him," recalls Ripper. "He hit me up about resurrecting the idea and actually doing a record, and then a band, to put this out in the live setting also, and I thought it sounded really cool. The record came out really strong and I think the fans deserved to have a thing like this actually exist. We performed two of the songs live already when I was out in San Diego shooting the video for the first single, and it was a blast."

"It was about five years ago, I was camping and thinking about the whole THREE TREMORS urban legend from long ago and what a shame it was that it never happened," says Sean. "Then I started thinking about if there was a resurrected 2018 version of it, who would I get, and Tim and Harry were at the top of my list. I immediately reached out to Tim, who agreed to embark on this adventure and Harry quickly joined next. It took a long time to put it together, create the right songs, and get it properly arranged, but the results are beyond my wildest expectations. I think the fans are really going to freak out on what we have done with this record, and live it's going to be almighty I assure you!"

"Sean and I ended up at a party together in Germany, where we were both playing the same festival, and he told me about the THREE TREMORS album he was putting together and asked if I would be into it," adds Harry. "He described the concept and how he wanted to bring this old idea to actual life and I said I was in. Once I started hearing the songs that were being sent over for me to record, I knew this thing was going to be really powerful. Then when I got sent the final mixes with all three of us on it, my jaw hit the floor on how well it all came together. For heavy metal fans, this is the ultimate."

THE THREE TREMORS' self-titled debut highlights artwork ingeniously created by renowned artist Marc Sasso (DIO, HALFORD, ADRENALINE MOB, DEATH DEALER), to showcase an apocalyptic battle between demonic hyper-wolves and the Three Tremors, who marched into an underworld overshadowed by evil forces only armed with bullets powered by heavy metal sorcery to reclaim the dystopian lands.

THE THREE TREMORS will kick off their first-ever U.S. tour on February 14 at El Corazon in Seattle. The trek will wrap up on March 11 at The Crafthouse Stage & Grill in Pittsburgh.

ALICE IN CHAINS has released the official lyric video for the title track of its latest album, 2018's "Rainier Fog".

Guitarist/singer Jerry Cantrell told Rolling Stone that the tune is a tribute to the Seattle music scene that launched his band, SOUNDGARDEN, NIRVANA, PEARL JAM and others. He explained: "This song is a little homage to all of that: where we come from, who we are, all of the triumphs, all of the tragedies, lives lived."

Speaking about the deaths of Seattle musicians like Kurt Cobain, ALICE IN CHAINS singer Layne Staley and, more recently, Chris Cornell, Cantrell said: "It's a small town and we all knew each other... It gets really difficult to be the guy that has to talk about your dead friends all the time." He added: "After 15 years of talking about my friends dying, you just really want to focus on life and moving forward because that's really all I can control. I miss the hell out of all of them."

"Rainier Fog" is named after Seattle's Mount Rainer and is the first album the band has recorded in its hometown in more than 20 years.

Cantrell recorded the demo for the title track with the help of Seattle native Duff McKagan. "He loved that riff," Cantrell said of the GUNS N' ROSES bassist.

ALICE IN CHAINS and KORN will embark on an epic co-headline amphitheater tour across North America this summer. UNDEROATH will join as special guest on all dates, with HO99O9 and FEVER 333 opening on select dates. Produced by Live Nation, the 30-city outing will kick off July 18 in Del Valle, Texas at Austin360 Amphitheatre and make stops in Dallas, Nashville, Toronto, Denver and more before wrapping September 4 in Mountain View, California at Shoreline Amphitheatre.

Los Angeles-based metal trio ATHANASIA — featuring former members of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, SEBASTIAN BACH and MURDERDOLLS — will release a full-length album, "The Order Of The Silver Compass", on March 15 via Seeing Red Records and Rock of Angels Records.

The official Matt Zane-directed music video for the song "Nightmare Sound" can be seen below.

One might not expect the former members of such bands to be playing extreme metal, but ATHANASIA is more than your average power trio. Questioning the moral fabric of man amidst complex narratives tackling power, corruption and greed, the band's unique amalgamation of melodic metal is enough to satisfy the desires of casual listeners and extreme metal fans alike.

Recorded and produced by Bingham at Nightmare Sound, "The Order Of The Silver Compass" embodies all things heavy, dark and stylish. The album's eight tracks were mixed by Chris Collier (PRONG, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, METAL CHURCH) at Mission:Black Studios and mastered by Joe Bozzi (MASTODON, L.A. GUNS) at Bernie Grundman Mastering, while Jorden Haley (DÅÅTH, DEICIDE, MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE) handled the cover art and design.

ATHANASIA was founded in California by guitarist Caleb Bingham under the band's original name ASCENSION. As a result of passing the band's early demos around L.A.'s Sunset Strip, the young guitarist landed a gig with newly formed FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH in 2005. Upon being released from the group in 2007, Bingham continued to write under the name ASCENSION, recording several more unreleased demos (and one EP) at the behest of veteran Roadrunner Records A&R Monte Conner. Largely due to the label's merger with WMG, negotiations broke down and the band was once again shelved while Bingham played with Swedish death metal act ZONARIA from 2010 to 2014. After parting ways with ZONARIA due to a leg injury sustained while playing with the group, Bingham decided to put all his efforts back into what he worked so hard to create.

Joined by bassist Brandon Miller and veteran drummer Jason West (MURDERDOLLS, WEDNESDAY 13, SEBASTIAN BACH), Bingham resurrected the project under a new moniker, ATHANASIA, diligently recording its first full-length release over the span of several years.

"I'm very proud to announce that after years of literal blood, sweat, tears and countless hours of hard work, ATHANASIA's debut LP, 'The Order Of The Silver Compass', is finally about to see the light of day," says Bingham. "Blast it in the car and you’ll notice your gas pedal hitting the floor in a matter of seconds!"


ATHANASIA is:

Caleb Bingham - guitar, vocals

Brandon Miller - bass, vocals

Jason West - drums

"The Order Of The Silver Compass" track listing:


01. Read Between The Lines

02. Spoils Of War

03. The Order Of The Silver Compass

04. Cyclops Lord (My Will Is Done)

05. The Bohemian

06. Mechanized Assault

07. Nightmare Sound

08. White Horse

Lehighton, PA hard rock band Another Day Dawns has released the official music video for "Psycho", off of their new EP, A Different Life, set for release on February 26th.

"As an unsigned band with this being our first video, we are glad we waited till now and did it right. It's our hope this video, coupled with our songwriting, will put us up top with the higher end bands that we all aspire to be like," says vocalist Dakota Sean.

Check out the cover art and tracklisting for A Different Life:

"Rage"
"Psycho"
"All Of Me"
"The Broken"

In live news, catch Another Day Dawns in concert at the following venues:

March
2 - Stage West - Scranton, PA
8 - Hot Shots Bar & Grill - Westville, NJ
9 - Levels Bar & Grill - Scranton, PA
16 - Hammerhead Lounge - Northampton, PA
30 - Chameleon Club - Lancaster, PA
 
April
5 - Scott Church Studios - Lebanon, PA
19 - 1st Street Sports Bar - Lehighton, PA
27 - Midtown Arts Center - Harrisburg, PA
 
May
2 - Penn's Peak - Jim Thorpe, PA (opening for The Winery Dogs)

For further details, visit Another Day Dawns on Facebook.




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Disturbed performed for the first time last night (February 25th) at New York City's Madison Square Garden to a sold out audience. Footage of the band performing "Down With The Sickness", courtesy of Jessica Chase Social Media & Promotions, can be seen below:

Disturbed's worldwide Evolution Tour runs through May in Europe. Information for all tickets and VIP Experience Packages here.

Tour dates:

February
27 - Worcester, MA - DCU Center *

March
1 - Montreal, QC - Place Bell *
2 - Buffalo, NY - KeyBank Center *
4 - Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena *
5 - Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena *
7 - Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena *
8 - Rosemont, IL - Allstate Arena *

April
18 - Madrid, Spain - La Riviera
19 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz
21 - Zurich, Switzerland - Halle 622
22 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
24 - Vienna, Austria - Wiener Stadthalle
25 - Munich, Germany - Zenith
27 - Luxembourg, Luxembourg - Rockhal
28 - Hamburg, Germany - Sporthalle Hamburg
30 - Stockholm, Sweden - Annexet

May
1 - Oslo, Norway - Sentrum Scene
3 - Copenhagen, Denmark - K.B. Hallen
4 - Berlin, Germany - Verti Music Hall
6 - Cologne, Germany - Palladium
7 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - AFAS Live
9 - Paris, France - Elysée Montmartre
11 - London, United Kingdom - Alexandra Palace
13 - Glasgow, United Kingdom - O2 Academy Glasgow
14 - Manchester, United Kingdom - O2 Apollo Manchester

* special guests Three Days Grace




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Italian progressive band Kingcrow have released the official video for the song “Drenched” from their last record The Persistence (Sensory Records).

The video was filmed during their show at Traffic Live Club in Rome on November 24th, 2018 and edited by Devilnax.

"Night's Descending":

"The Persistence":

(Photo by: Devilnax)




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Spokane, WA-based metal band, Enterprise Earth, have released a video for “Sleep Is For The Dead” in continued support of their new LP due out later this year.

“‘Sleep Is For The Dead’ is about digging deep inside myself when the world turns it’s back on me,” says vocalist Dan Watson. “It’s about peeling off the exterior shell that our society plastered on the outside and awakening the true inner version of myself rather than suppress it to fit into the cookie cutter mold that society tries to pressure us to fit into. I would rather be awake and face the pain than be asleep and suppress it.”

Enterprise Earth will release Luciferous, their third LP, on April 5th via Entertainment One (eOne) / Good Fight Music. The band completed work on Luciferous this summer with producer Jason Suecof (The Black Dahlia Murder, White Chapel, Job For A Cowboy, Carnifex) and are eager to get music into the hands of their fans.

Watson continues, "After following our natural progressions as musicians and as people 'Luciferous' came to life. It’s our strongest, most mature release to date and signifies a rebirth while retaining all of the elements of our past. We’re extremely proud of this release and can’t wait to unleash it upon the world."

Pre-order the new album here.

Tracklisting:

"Behold, Malevolence"
"Sleep Is For The Dead"
"He Exists"
"Scars Of The Past"
"Ashamed To Be Human"
"Requiem"
"The Failsafe Fallacy"
"Infernal Suffering"
"Luciferous"
"Nightfallen"
"We Are Immortal"
"There Is No Tomorrow"

“He Exists” video:

Last month the band announced a series of 2019 tour dates. The first stint will be a headline run with Aethere supporting. Those dates kick off in Victoria, BC on March 12th. The second leg will be alongside Lorna Shore starting in Providence, RI on March 29th
 
“We are very excited to embark on our first headlining and co-headlining tours in support of our new album," says Watson. “This marks the start of a new era for the band and we cannot wait to unleash our best work to our fans. See you soon in the USA and Canada.”

Find all dates here.

Enterprise Earth was founded in 2014 by ex-Infant Annihilator vocalist Dan Watson and ex-Takeover guitarist BJ Sampson. Taking their name from a confluence of Illuminati and other conspiracy theories, the band released their a debut EP titled XXIII and a full length, Patient Ø, in 2015. Patient Ø featured Oceano vocalist Adam Warren and debuted at number five on Billboard's Heatseekers/Top New Artist Chart. Last year the band released Embodiment, their second LP and have since shared the stage with Chelsea Grin, Whitechapel, and Winds of Plague with a highlighted appearance on the 2016 Summer Slaughter Tour.

(Photo - Dana Willax)




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German streetcore legends, Toxpack from Berlin, return with their ninth full-length album, Kämpfer, on May 31st via Napalm Records. After entering the Top 20 of the German Charts with their last two releases (Schall & Rausch #20 and Friss! #16), Toxpack continues their journey to the top with the impressive, honest and strong new album Kämpfer.

Toxpack on the new album: “On May 31st 2019 our ninth studio album Kämpfer will be released via Napalm Records! With 16 songs + Bonus Track at about 54 minutes play time it is the longest album in our 18 year history. We are proud that Kämpfer is produced by Florian Nowak and Marc Wüstenhagen (Dailyhero Recordings) again, who also recorded our last full length Schall & Rausch. Our main focus is once again on catchy harmonies and melodies, which will stick in your head. The songs are about freedom, courage, daily fights, hope, love, anger, sorrow, desire and our strong friendship. We are sure that you will regain yourself in our lyrics! Kämpfer is an album for everyone that is living in daily fights. For everyone that stays strong and never bends down, never surrenders and always keeps on fighting for their dreams and to reach their goals in life!”

Today, Toxpack unveils the new album cover:

When Toxpack releases a new album, it has to be celebrated with their fans. Which venue could fit better for this occasion than the legendary SO36 in their hometown Berlin?

Do you want to be part of this legendary party? Get one of the limited 250 hard tickets directly through the Toxpack shop, here. Buy a regular ticket at your local dealer Koka36, here.

Toxpack are:

Schulle - Vocals
Tommi - Lead Guitar
Erik - Guitar
Stephan - Bass Guitar
Zoppel - Drums

(Photo - Stefan Milde)




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Italian death metal masters Mechanical God Creation have revealed the first single from their upcoming album, The New Chapter. Listen to the song "Warface" below.

Says the band: “We can finally share a track called 'Warface' from the new album that will be out in March. This is an epic song of extreme violence, we hope your ears will appreciate it.”

The New Chapter is set to be released via The Goatmancer Records on March 29th. The cover art and tracklisting are as follows:

"The New Chapter"
"I Am The Godless Man"
"Till The Sun Is No Longer Black"
"Walking Dead"
"Before The Dawn"
"Overlord"
"What Remains"
"Black Faith"
"Dark Echoes"
"Bow To Death"
"Warface"
"Red Blood On White Snow"

For further details, visit the official Mechanical God Creation Facebook page.

 




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KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons believes that the band's "End Of The Road" tour will gross nearly $200 million.

The trek launched January 31 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is expected to last two to three years and extend around the world.

Asked by The Wall Street Journal in a new interview how much money he will personally make from the tour, Gene said: "Let's just say Paul [Stanley, KISS co-founder] and I are partners, and everybody else works for the organization. Everybody gets paid very well. I don't want to quote figures, but this will be $150- or $200-million gross tour, not counting ancillaries, licensing, merchandise and stuff like that. It goes without saying that we also, in our restaurants and other places, hire vets, give to philanthropy and stuff like that. But how embarrassing is it before each show if I held up a check and said, 'Look what a nice guy I am'?"

Simmons, who will turn 70 in August, went on to say that the reason he is still touring after all this time is "to make more money. And we're making bucket-loads, and I'm happy to say that," he said. "The guy that wins the lottery jumps up and down and runs to everybody and says, 'Oh my God. I just made $100 million,' and everybody applauds. But the guy that works for it and makes $100 million, oh, he's just boasting. Bitch, I worked for that money, I deserve the accolades more than the guy that walks in and did nothing to win the lottery. So I tour, and I work hard. We have a restaurant chain, and I have a cannabis company, and soft drinks — Moneybag Sodas — and there's all kinds of stuff coming that people can't wrap their heads around. You're alive, you're supposed to pump your heart, keep making more money."

The Vancouver concert was attended by a sold-out crowd of 13,373 with a gross revenue of $1,551,414, according to Billboard's Boxscore.

According to Pollstar, KISS reported 1,292,121 tickets and a total gross of more than $61.6 million in 2000, when the band's first farewell tour was in full swing. Pollstar has record of 127 shows that year, and for most of that run, KISS kept prices between $35 and $85.

KISS came in at No. 79 on the 2016 Year End Top 200 North American Tours chart, with a $15.4 million gross and 233,262 tickets on the year.

Although Simmons recently admitted that he has "made millions every year for more than 40 years," he told the BBC News in a 2015 interview that he won't stop looking for ways to make himself ever richer.

"Life is business, and I approach life the way sharks approach life — they must keep moving or else they will drown," he said.

"I'll never stop hunting more money, I'll never have enough."

The KISS lineup on the "End Of The Road" tour features the current version of the band — Simmons, Stanley, guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer.

Mortiis has released a gore-splattered video for the song Visions Of An Ancient Future ahead of his forthcoming album Spirit Of Rebellion. The former Emperor bassist originally recorded the song on his long out-of-print 1994 solo album Ånden som Gjorde Opprør, from his so-called ‘Era 1’ period. This brand new version sees Mortiis completely reinterpreting the song for the 21st century. “I had all these artistic aversions to everything I'd done in the 90s for different reasons,” Mortiis tells Metal Hammer. “But when [Swedish record label] Cold Meat Industry asked me to play their 30th anniversary show, I decided that it was time to go back to it and re-interpret some of it.

“I started again from scratch. I re-recorded everything, digging up new things and replacing old sounds. And I always felt the old Mortiis stuff could have had more percussion. That was one of the things I went crazy on – I added some really heavy percussion in places. It's epic-sounding now in parts.”
Visions Of An Ancient Future is taken from Spirit Of Rebellion, which is a modern reimagining of Ånden som Gjorde Opprør.

“This is just a snippet of the song - a section I thought was effective for a video. The whole song in itself is 25 minutes – that’s longer than the original song. The whole of Spirit Of Rebellion now is 50 minutes. The original was 38 minutes.” Mortiis has also announced a US tour which begins on March 28 and ends on April 7.

Nikki Sixx says that there are no plans for MÖTLEY CRÜE to perform live ever again.

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

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

After the four members of MÖTLEY CRÜE reunited last year to record four new songs for the film adaptation of their 2001 autobiography "The Dirt", some fans assumed that the group would be open to the idea of playing together again at a special event to promote the movie. But Nikki says that is not the case.

"Sometimes I look out at my friends, like the guys in AEROSMITH and METALLICA, and I'm, like, 'God damn it, did we retire too soon?'" the bassist told Rolling Stone in a new interview. "But there will be no one-offs in our future. Maybe we'll just get together and jam in [guitarist] Mick Mars's front room."

After MÖTLEY CRÜE played its last-ever concert on New Year's Eve 2015, Nikki reportedly unfollowed drummer Tommy Lee on Twitter and they didn't see each other for a couple of years.

"Everything's cool now," Lee told Rolling Stone. "That tour was almost two years straight, and by the end of it, I don't think anybody wanted to fucking see anybody maybe ever again. It was like a marriage that just got fucking tired. I was the only one there having a big after party with everybody on New Year's Eve. I was just like, 'You know what? Fuck you guys.' After about a year, everybody started to either miss each other or just wonder what happened, and we were in a much different place, so we regrouped and rekindled friendship and the whole thing you do with people you love."

"Me and Tommy hadn't really talked or seen each other since the final show, and we went to New Orleans to visit the movie set," Sixx said. "We'd just needed a breather from each other from over 30 year of being in each other's faces. It was so nice when me and Tommy started hanging out again."

"I looked at him and said, 'Do you realize that I've known you longer than I've known anyone in my life?'" Lee recalled. "Wives and both of my parents are gone. I said, 'It's really cool that we're able to realize and appreciate how long we've known each other and remain the best of friends from here on out, because it's something extraordinary and truly special that we've done together and shared.' There's no room for stupid animosity or things that wear on you after touring together for so long. So everybody's in good spirits now, which is fucking awesome. It wasn't like that a couple years ago; it was just actually ugly."

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

Due on March 22, The Dirt" movie, which was helmed by "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa" director Jeff Tremaine, was picked up by Netflix after being previously developed at Focus Features and before that at Paramount.

FATES WARNING bassist Joey Vera will be unable to join his bandmates at their upcoming shows in Detroit, Chicago and Milwaukee due to his commitments with ARMORED SAINT. He will be temporarily replaced by original FATES WARNING bassist Joe DiBiase.

Vera broke the news of his absence from next month's gigs in a Facebook post on Friday (February 22). He wrote: "Dear friends, Just a quick heads up with something regarding the upcoming FATES WARNING tour. Over a year ago I had committed to playing a gig with ARMORED SAINT in Athens, Greece this March 15. I wish to honor that commitment but that means that I'll sadly have to miss a couple of gigs with FATES in order to do it. So i will be not playing on the Detroit, Chicago and Milwaukee shows. (Some of my favorite cities by the way!).

"Luckily for us, and YOU, my brother and OG FATES WARNING bassist Joe DiBiase will be stepping up once again for these three gigs. So this will be amazing!

"I will resume in Minneapolis with FATES.

"I am currently practicing over 37 songs for the upcoming gigs with MOTOR SISTER, ARMORED SAINT and FATES WARNING. My head is spinning out. But, not to pity me. This is the bed I've made for myself this time.

"I'm very sorry I'll be missing these three gigs but I know you'll be in good hands. i look forward to seeing all of you out there very soon!"

DiBiase will play the following shows with FATES WARNING:

March 13- Diesel - Detroit, MI

March 14 - Concord - Chicago, IL

March 15 - The Rave - Milwaukee, WI

A founding member of FATES WARNING, DiBiase left the group in 1996.

In a 2001 interview, Joe stated about his reasons for exiting the band: "Well, we just finished the 'Inside Out' tour which was especially long and grueling and it seemed to take its toll on our relationships within the band. So we decided to take a bit of a break before the next recording or tour. In the meantime, my wife got pregnant with our son and I had walked into a decent-paying job. By the time we were ready to do something, I had the decision to make. Lose a chance of a decent job with a kid on the way for a month-long tour or not. Plus, I really didn't want to miss my kid growing up. It was a tough decision but one I thought I had to make."

FATES WARNING began in the early 1980s, playing a traditional style of heavy metal. However, they quickly began to adopt a more technically proficient style and are considered by many to be the first true prog-metal band. While the band has subsequently moved in more melodic and ambient directions, they have remained a vibrant and well-respected cornerstone for the prog camp within the heavy metal strata.

FATES WARNING released its latest album, "Live Over Europe", last year to critical acclaim. The first live release featuring the current lineup, it contains 23 songs and was recorded at various European locations during the band's January 2018 headlining tour for "Theories Of Flight" (2016).

Next month, FATES WARNING will head back out on the road with QUEENSRŸCHE, touring the USA in support of "Live Over Europe". After the conclusion of this trek, FATES WARNING will begin work on its 13th studio album, set for a 2020 release.


Dear friends, Just a quick heads up with something regarding the upcoming Fates Warning tour. Over a year ago I had...Posted by Joey Vera on Friday, February 22, 2019

Rikki Rockett says that he is "hopeful" that POISON will return to Europe and that the band will record new music in 2020. The drummer made the comments while chatting to Eonmusic and the "Neil Jones Rock Show" at "Ultimate NAMM Night", which took place on January 26 in Anaheim, California.

POISON last toured in Europe in 1993 on the "Native Tongue" album, and has only made fleeting appearances since. When asked about the band's absence, Rikki said: "[It's been] fucking ridiculously, way, way too long" since the last European shows. He added: "What's going on is we need to get our asses back to Europe; that's what the hell's going on."

The "Native Tongue" era saw a change in the band's sound, look and lineup, with guitarist C.C. DeVille ousted from the band. Acknowledging the changes during that period, Rockett said; "It was quite a bit different. I mean, the essence was there, but yeah, Richie Kotzen was in the band."

Despite having not toured in Europe since, the drummer went on to reveal that it almost happened in 2018. "At one point, there was talk of DEF LEPPARD and POISON coming to Europe", Rikki said, adding: "I don't know what the hell happened, but I was really looking forward to it."

Clarifying when he and his bandmates might return to live performances, the drummer said: "It's not going to be 2019; it's possibly going to be 2020. We're not going to work this year".

Although he still enjoys playing POISON's catalog, Rikki enthused that 2020 might see new music from the glam rock icons. "I still love doing it, absolutely," he said. "[But] I'd like to do new stuff, because I like that challenge. I like trying to convert people. I like making new music and trying to get people to like it over again. I like that challenge. I don't like to just sit and relax — that's not me — so hopefully we'll do some new stuff, come over, play for some new audiences, older audiences too. That's my goal."

This past December, POISON singer Bret Michaels also said that the band "is looking forward to returning in 2020 with some new songs."

POISON's last album of new material was 2002's "Hollyweird". An album of covers, "Poison'd", followed in 2007.

Last year, POISON's last completed the "Nothin' But A Good Time 2018" tour with CHEAP TRICK and POP EVIL.

In a 2017 interview, Rockett acknowledged that part of the reason POISON hasn't been motivated to work on new music has been the fact that fans rarely show interest in hearing fresh material performed live when classic rock groups go on tour. "We could write the second coming of 'Talk Dirty To Me', and I don't know if people wanna hear it or not, and that's a frustrating thing; it really is," he said. "AEROSMITH was able to do it, but not everybody is. I mean, even THE ROLLING STONES have had problems with that in the last few years. So… I don't know. But I do think it's important to stay viable. For the 'über fans,' it's always a really, really good thing. And that's what you do it for — you do it for you, you do it for the real fans, the real true fans."

Rockett also admitted that he and other members of POISON harbor some resentment toward Michaels, whose frequent tours as a solo artist caused the band to take a five-year break from the road.

"I think we need to get away from each other and do other things, but at the same time, I think he spent a little too much time away," Rockett said. "There's definitely some resentment, but not resentment like I want him to fail. I want him to do good. I just want POISON to be important too, and I would like [him] to put a little more energy into POISON."

Video footage of Yngwie Malmsteen performing at the Monsters Of Rock cruise pre-party on February 22 at Magic City Casino in Miami, Florida can be seen below.

Yngwie will release a new album, "Blue Lightning", on March 29 via Mascot Label Group. On the disc, Yngwie pays homage to those from the blues world who have fuelled his artistic spirit for so long.

Yngwie took part in the 2018 edition of the "Generation Axe" tour alongside Steve Vai, Zakk Wylde, Nuno Bettencourt and Tosin Abasi.

Yngwie's last album, "World On Fire", came out in June 2016 via King Records.

Last fall, Yngwie said that he chose to handle lead vocals himself on "World On Fire" because he "always thought that singers have the Elvis Presley syndrome — they think they're Elvis Presley. They're not Elvis Presley," he said. "Because I write the music, I write the lyrics, I write the vocal melody lines — I write everything. Just because I let somebody sing something doesn't mean they're more important than the bass player or the keyboard player or the drummer. Because I write all the parts — I write the drum parts, the bass parts, the keyboard parts, the guitar parts and the vocal parts — like a classical composer. And I really kind of got tired of dealing with their bullshit, really. So I decided to sing myself."

German nautical doom monsters have checked in with the following:

"Chris – our lyricist, guitar player and co-founder of Ahab – is looking for a singer (female or male) with interesting voice and much musical creativity for demos of his newborn side project, Silurian. It's not doom, but gloomy music. Chris is exploring his childhood, when he used to listen to mid '70s electronic music pioneers such as Jean Michel Jarre or Tangerine Dream and early '80s artists who combined reverberant guitars and synthesizers in interesting compositions. That said: if you're looking for some new band / side project and some new musical challenge... well, just drop him an e-mail at chris@ahab-doom.de or message and send him some demos – no matter what music it may be. Good luck!"

Ahab have confirmed an appearance at the 2019 installment of the Summer Breeze festival on August 14th.

The band returned to Wacken Open Air 2017 and served some heavy riffs and dark moods. In the video below, the band performs "The Hunt" from their 2006 album The Call Of The Wretched Sea.




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"Miracle", a new song from Alan Parsons, can be streamed below. The track is taken from Alan's upcoming studio album, "The Secret", on April 26 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Alan and Frontiers' relationship began in 2010 when the label released "Eye 2 Eye - Live in Madrid". They have kept in close contact since, with the ultimate goal to release another album together. Alan wanted it to be a really special album and only recently have the right plans and ideas fallen into place where Alan felt ready to enter the studio to record what he had in mind.

"The writing and recording sessions are going incredibly well," says Alan. "The album already has a working title, which is 'The Secret', and it will include musical and lyrical themes that are very close to my heart and my own interests and passions. I do not really want to reveal a lot about it, except that for the moment everything that surrounds 'The Secret' is going to be just that… a secret!"

The overall musical approach of the album is expected to be in keeping with the symphonic rock that Alan explored on his earlier solo records and the "Project" albums. But, of course, there will be new twists and turns and robust new creative inspiration behind the album. Some special guests will be on the album, but those will be revealed later... again, in keeping with the working title of the album, "The Secret".

Frontiers president Serafino Perugino commented: "This is pretty much a dream come true for me. For Frontiers being able to represent the artistry and the talent of such a huge artist is a magnificent opportunity. We look forward to this release as much as Alan's fans and it will see the light of day in multiple exciting formats. Stay tuned!".

Parsons said: "I wish to thank Serafino and the team for the commitment and the patience to make this happen. To the fans… we'll see you soon on a world tour!"

The track listing for the disc is as follows:


01. The Sorcerer's Apprentice (instrumental)

02. Miracle (lead vocal: Jason Mraz)

03. As Lights Fall (lead vocal: Alan Parsons)

04. One Note Symphony (lead vocal: Todd Cooper)

05. Sometimes (lead vocal: Lou Gramm)

06. Soirée Fantastique (lead vocal: Todd Cooper, Alan Parsons)

07. Fly To Me (lead vocal: Mark Mikel)

08. Requiem (lead vocal: Todd Cooper)

09. Years Of Glory (lead vocal: PJ Olsson)

10. The Limelight Fades Away (lead vocal: Jordan Huffman)

11. I Can't Get There From Here (lead vocal: Jared Mahone)

Check out the cover artwork below.

Parsons's music career started at 19 when he earned one of his his first credits as assistant engineer on THE BEATLES' "Abbey Road", an album recorded in the legendary London studios of the same name. He soon become a well-respected studio engineer, working for Paul McCartney, THE HOLLIES, and many others. He is particularly renowned for his work as recording engineer on the PINK FLOYD masterpiece "The Dark Side of The Moon". This classic album was recorded in 1972 and Parsons experimented with many of the most advanced recording techniques of the time. As a producer, he enjoyed many successes with PILOT, STEVE HARLEY AND COCKNEY REBEL, John Miles, and Al Stewart, including the masterwork "Year Of The Cat".

In 1975, Alan Parsons formed THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT along with principal songwriter (and occasional singer) Eric Woolfson. The PROJECT consisted of a group of studio musicians and vocalists, often involving the members of three bands Alan produced: PILOT (Ian Bairnson, Stuart Tosh and David Paton), COCKNEY REBEL's Stuart Elliott on drums, and (on the first album) American progressive pop/rock band AMBROSIA.

THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT released ten acclaimed studio albums, but never performed live during the heyday of the albums, even after several U.S. and European Top 20 hits. The PROJECT made its final album at the end of the '80s with the album "Gaudi". Since then, Alan has released a number of recordings under his own name using several musicians that also appeared on the "Project" releases.

As well as receiving gold and platinum awards from countless countries, Parsons has received eleven Grammy Award nominations for his engineering and production work. In 2007, he was nominated for "Best Surround Sound Album" for his studio album "A Valid Path".

In 1994, Alan Parsons started touring regularly as THE ALAN PARSONS LIVE PROJECT and has released a number of live releases in audio and video. His live concerts continue to this day.

Former LIFE OF AGONY drummer Sal Abruscato has slammed the band's transgender lead singer, Mina Caputo, as "a really nasty person" who "is not who she says she is."

Asked in a new interview with Big Music Geek about the reasons for his December 2017 departure from LIFE OF AGONY, Sal said: "We had nothing in common anymore. I was 'ying' and they were 'yang'.

"I had written the music for and had arranged nine out of the ten songs on that last record [2017's 'A Place Where There's No More Pain'] hence why I got distracted from putting out another A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH record... I was riding in a van and people had nothing in common anymore.

"I'm into hot rods, I work on my cars and I do electrical and plumbing work in my house. I work with my hands," he continued. "I'm basically a man's man. But I'm also an artist and a renaissance man, so I can do a lot of things. Basically, I was sitting by myself in the van in my own world. I also felt that the band was becoming something else and I wasn't really happy. I wasn't really happy with all the shenanigans going on around me. I felt like I was in a three-ring circus all of a sudden.

"I had a lot of bad things happen during the year where I was diagnosed officially with depression. They tried putting me on medication, but that medication was making me nuts, so I stopped taking that crap. At the same time, my youngest daughter is disabled. She went through 20 procedures that year alone and I had to leave on tour two different times. So I'm at the airport with my wife who was pregnant at the time and with my daughter at the hospital while she was getting surgery, so I was getting very depressed. In the end, they became very shallow as bandmates because they did not understand my situation and did not understand what it meant to be a father of a special-needs family. It's been going on since 2013 yet all they cared about was their superficial, shallow Twitter posts. I felt like it was becoming two different things. They weren't happy with me and I wasn't happy with them. Then they started getting really nasty with me towards the end via e-mail."

He added: "Mina Caputo is not who she says she is. She's actually a really nasty, nasty person. This preaching crap that she does is all a fake show, so in December [2017], I said, 'I had it. I'm out. I quit.' They already had their mind set on somebody else and I was, like, 'That's the thanks I get for literally writing ninety percent of your freaking record that made you have a successful comeback?' You can literally hear the A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH-style guitar playing and writing that was in various songs on that record. Nonetheless, I was already talking to the other guys in the band and wanted to make another record. I think they had their hopes set on the fact that I was going to again be a fantastic ghostwriter on the next record for them, so it's two different worlds, dude. I like playing really heavy, dark and doomy stuff. ...I'm really not too fond of talking about them, to be honest, so I will just leave it at that."

Last October, Abruscato called Caputo a "piece of shit" on Facebook after the singer claimed in a Twitter exchange with a fan that the Sal was a "bigot" and a "homophobe." Mina also said that Abruscato was "kicked out" of LIFE OF AGONY twice and described him as an "envious," "spiteful" and "combative" person who "hates his own pathetic life."

"She went on social media and tried to destroy my career," Sal told Big Music Geek. "She made an unprovoked tweet to her thirty thousand followers calling me anti-transgender, a bigot and a homophobe, all of which is all bullshit. I've never said anything about her online. She totally tried to have the mob show up at my house with torches and chant, 'Burn the witch,' right? It was like the Salem witch trial.

"To be honest, I'm all for people doing whatever the fuck they want. I don't give a shit," he continued. "But people need to have the mutual respect to not shove their shit in other people's faces. Things were supposed to stay somewhat respectable and be a little conservative. What you do in the privacy of your own home is your own thing, but I don't need to have it force-fed down my throat every day.

"Basically, the band turned into a joke," Sal added. "It turned into a back-up band for this whole crazy movement she's been trying to do. And honestly, I think it's all fake. I think it's just like the people that get desperate to make it and get on the Ellen DeGeneres show and try to re-invent themselves. ...They're, like, 'Well, if I go this one way, I might get famous,' or something. After a while, I was, like, 'I'm not believing in any of this at all,' because I saw this really nasty person come out every now and then and it totally contradicted the preaching this person does."

Mina Caputo, formerly known as Keith Caputo, came out publicly as transgender in 2011. A few months later, she told Noisecreep: "I got a lot of grief for it, but it was nothing compared to the years of pain I went through not being open about the way I felt inside."

Abruscato told the press in 2012 that LIFE OF AGONY could no longer play live because "Keith wants to pursue his life and his lifestyle," but the band was eventually convinced by its agent to reunite again in 2014. Caputo told Rolling Stone in a 2017 interview that she felt hurt by Abruscato's comments and approached him about them. She claimed at the time time of the interview that there had been a misunderstanding. "Now he's, like, 'My fuckin' girlfriend's here!' when he sees me," she said. "All of the members of the band are so wonderful, holding doors open for me, carrying my bags, making sure I'm safe. They treat me like they treat their wives."

Abruscato was replaced in LIFE OF AGONY by Veronica Bellino, a New York native who has previously worked with DMC, LL Cool J, Carmine Appice and Jeff Beck.

Sal's long-running band A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH released its third album, "When The World Becomes Undone", in January via Long Branch Records/SPV.

Bloodbound are back with their new album, Rise Of The Dragon Empire, out on March 22nd via AFM Records. A music video for the album's title track can be found below. Pre-order the new album here.

One has to make a compliment towards the six swedes as Rise Of The Dragon Empire is full of hits, hits and again hits. The band further refined their formula and now comes up with the best material in their entire career. Even if Bloodbound add their own taste, Rise Of The Dragon Empire will not only thrill their numerous fans, but also fans of Sabaton, Powerwolf and even Nightwish.

Tracklisting:

“Rise Of The Dragon Empire”
“Slayer Of Kings”
“Skyriders And Stormbringers”
“Magical Eye”
“Blackwater Bay”
“Giants Of Heaven”
“The Warlock’s Trail”
“A Blessing In Sorcery”
“Breaking The Beast”
“Balerion”
“Reign Of Fire”

“Rise Of The Dragon Empire” video:

“Slayer Of Kings”:




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KISS have posted pro-shot footage of their show last night at the FedExForum in downtown Memphis, Tennessee. Check it out below:

KISS launched the first leg of the End Of The Road World Tour on January 31st at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, BC. More pro-shot footage from the tour can be seen below:

A once in a lifetime concert experience like no band has offered before; the KISS ultimate VIPs are rock and roll royalty at their shows on the End Of The Road World Tour.

Ultimate VIP Package Includes:

- Private backstage Meet & Greet with KISS
- Personal Photo Opportunity with KISS
- Watch the whole show from the Pit (no fans have ever had access to the Pit)
- Backstage Tour with your personal KISS Concierge including;
- Your tour will take you to areas that only the band and limited members of the crew can visit!
- Start out by stepping foot on the holy ground that is the KISS stage
- Sit on Eric Singer’s drum stool at his drum kit
- Stand at Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Tommy Thayer’s Microphones
- Hold Paul's legendary Cracked mirror guitar. Gene's classic Axe bass and Tommy's signature Epiphone guitar
- Visit KISS wardrobe where you can see the bands outfits up close and try on the REAL KISS boots
- Along the way we'll visit all areas of the KISS production and you'll meet many members of the crew that keeps the KISS machine going strong

- Autographed "End of the Road" Limited Edition Framed Lithograph, specific to your show. -Hand numbered, 1 of 15, and shipped directly to your home
- Lifetime Membership for the Official KISS ARMY Fan Club
- Exclusive Access to the KISS Army Captain’s Hospitality Lounge including;
- VIP Bar with wine, beer and the KISS "End of the Road" Signature Cocktail
- Hot and cold hors d’oeuvres and a dessert bar
- Dedicated VIP entrance
- Commemorative KISS Meet & Greet laminate
- Access to crowd free merchandise shopping
- On Site VIP Host




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Due to personal reasons, Andreas "Vintersorg" Hedlund has decided to exit the Norwegian epic black metal band BORKNAGAR. As a result, I.C.S Vortex will take over as the group's lead vocalist, and will, together with Lars Nedland, carry on BORKNAGAR's legacy of vocal brilliance.

According to BORKNAGAR, Hedlund's decision to leave "is based on mutual understanding, respect and in a friendly manner with the rest of the band.

"BORKNAGAR would like to express their sincere gratitude for the musical brotherhood we have shared throughout the years and wish Andreas the very best in his future endeavors," the group says.

"There is no drama to this situation, and our friendship will remain. No one should be too surprised if Vintersorg reappears as a guest vocalist on a future record."

BORKNAGAR founder and guitarist Øystein G. Brun comments: "It is with a lot of respect, gratitude and good memories I see one of my brothers in music set sails for new shores. Times are changing, and we both saw this coming for a while. Even though we are splitting as partners in BORKNAGAR, I am happy to say that we have decided to carry on our musical brotherhood in CRONIAN. A new album will be released whenever time allows for that."

Hedlund states: "Time has come to make some tough decisions and let reality set the rules.

"It is with both a light and heavy heart I leave BORKNAGAR as the lead vocalist. The light part is that it's done in an amicable way and that this is the right thing to do for me, in respect for the fans and BORKNAGAR. The heavy part is that it’s hard to leave something this meaningful and beautiful.

"My situation after the accident makes it hard to tour, and my job situation complicates things further. So in a way I'm not 'leaving' as such, it's more like I'm putting some oil into the BORKNAGAR machinery so the band can keep their busy schedule, get out on the road and meet you guys.

"BORKNAGAR will always have a special place in my heart and mind, and I hope that I can do some guest performances further down the road. The guys in the band are fantastic musicians and persons and I wish them the best of luck. However, CRONIAN is not dead and may shake its head before you know it."

BORKNAGAR is currently in the final stages of recording its eleventh album. It will be mixed and mastered this spring by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studio.

Back in November 2014, Hedlund was seriously injured when he fell head first on a concrete floor while moving some furniture. This resulted in multiple fractures to the skull, brain hemorrhage and momentary dysfunctional hearing in one ear.

DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie says that he and his bandmates were "shocked" when they saw the similarities between their "Distance Over Time" album artwork and the cover of an issue of The New York Times magazine.

Last November 6, DREAM THEATER revealed the "Distance Over Time" artwork via social media. Just 12 days later, The New York Times magazine published a cover story titled "What Will Become of Us?" as part of its "Text And Design" issue, featuring remarkably similar artwork. While The Times cover does feature some minor aesthetic differences, the design concept is virtually identical. The band briefly chimed in on Twitter, saying, "Imitation is the highest form of flattery, NY Times." Gail Bichler, The New York Times magazine's design director, then tweeted her response to the band's observation, writing: "Yes, these things look remarkably similar but we had never seen the album. As far as I can tell the album and our cover were released within days of each other. Sometimes people independently come up with the same idea at the same time."

A DREAM THEATER representative later said that the robotic arm seen on the album artwork was taken from a licensed stock imagery. This caused one DREAM THEATER fan to blast the band's longtime cover collaborator Hugh Syme as "a con artist" who created the artwork by "literally" putting "two stock pictures together." The fan added: "I hope you didn't pay him."

In a brand new interview with Italy's Linea Rock, LaBrie and guitarist John Petrucci weighed in on the controversy, with the singer saying: "We were all flabbergasted. We were shocked. John sent it out to the bandmembers, and, of course, we were all, like, 'What? What is going on? Is this for real?'

"We had released what the album cover would be two weeks before that was the cover of The New York Times," he continued. "So we were, like, 'Is this a coincidence?'

"It's anyone's guess at this point," James added. "Was it somebody who was a fan that worked at The New York Times? That's my theory. They saw it [and went], 'Hey, this is really cool. I'll just suggest it.' But who really knows? Is it coincidental? I've got a hard time believing it. That's me personally."

Petrucci said: "That freaked us out… We were, like, 'What the hell is going on?' And there was a tweet that went out where fans were kind of talking about it. And I think the art director for The Times chimed in and said, 'Oh, sometimes that happens. There's similarities.' So I don't know. It's just bizarre. It could be some bizarre cosmic coincidence. Who knows?"

James went on to say: "The art director from The Times will get fired, and then he'll reveal the truth. No. Who knows?"

"Distance Over Time" was released on February 22. The disc marks the first for the band's new label InsideOut Music.

DREAM THEATER is planning to hit the road in support of the new album. The "Distance Over Time" tour of North America will kick off on March 20 in San Diego, California. The tour will run for seven weeks before wrapping up in Mexico City on May 4.

STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet has set "Ten" as the title of his next solo album, due later in the year via Rat Pak Records.

In a brand new interview with Daily Boom, Sweet stated about the upcoming follow-up to 2016's "One Sided War": "It's really great. I always go into a project with expectations and sometimes I meet or surpass them, but sometimes I don't. Sometimes a song might be a little bit of a letdown and not what I had hoped for, but with this album so far, everything is as I've expected and then some. Now granted, I don't have the lead vocals done yet, so the pressure is on me. [Laughs] I hope the lead vocals turn out how I hear them in my head and how I would like them to be, but you never know. You just don't know until you get in there and you start singing and you get it done."

He continued: "So far though, the songs all have incredible energy. I've got Will Hunt playing drums on it and John O'Boyle is playing bass. The rhythm section is phenomenal and the guitar tones are great. I'm going to have a different guest guitar player on every song, with a solo, of course. I've got Todd La Torre of QUEENSRŸCHE joining me on a song and it's just turning out to be a really cool album. I think that it's going to surpass my last solo album and that did really well, but I think this one is going to be even better."

As for a possible release date for "Ten", Sweet said: "I'm still not sure. It's definitely going to be this year. We're talking about a summer release, and I'm turning it all in by the end of April, and so we're probably looking at a July or August release. It depends on how much setup we need with licensing deals worldwide and those kinds of things. But I would say hopefully July-August."

Other guest musicians who will appear on Sweet's new disc include guitarists Joel Hoekstra (WHITESNAKE, NIGHT RANGER), Jeff Loomis (ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE), Marzi Montazeri (EXHORDER, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS), Gus G. (FIREWIND, OZZY OSBOURNE) and Andy James.

Sweet previously stated about his new solo album: "There are old-school, straight-ahead metal ideas à la [JUDAS] PRIEST and DIO, as well as a few uptempo riffs à la [IRON] MAIDEN. There's also a few ballads with a bit of a [LED] ZEPPELIN vibe.

"I'm really excited about the musical direction. I'm bringing back a few of those classic hooks and melodies that some of you have asked for. Ask and you shall receive."

Regarding Hoekstra, Sweet said: "[He] blew my mind the first time I saw him perform with NIGHT RANGER. I've seen him continue to shred with Cher and WHITESNAKE/David Coverdale and I really admire Joel as a player and as a person. One of the best, and I'm blessed to have him on two songs (co-writes and guitars)."

Michael called Todd "the best metal singer going today" and a "dear friend." "Todd is not only an amazing singer but an amazing drummer as well," Sweet said. "And an incredible human being. He will be joining me on vocals for a song (a duet if you will) and it may very well blow minds."

As for Loomis, Sweet said: "Jeff is a monster player who has an incredible sense of melody and technique. He is one of my favorite players today."

Michael said that he first encountered Montazeri a few years ago at NAMM and described him as "one of the nicest and most humble guys that I've ever met. Then I saw him play and I was blown away. He's one of the best. Can't wait to hear what Marzi does."

According to Sweet, Andy James is an "outstanding" guitarist whom he had "always wanted to do something with. If you haven't heard him play, you should," Michael said.

Michael and Gus G. first met a few years ago in Anaheim, California and Sweet was "an instant fan. Feel, tone, style, speed — you name it, he has it," Michael said. "I'm honored to have him as a guest on a song from the new solo album."

"One Sided War" was released in August 2016 via Rat Pak Records. Backing Michael on the record were Hoekstra, Hunt, O'Boyle and East Coast shred-master Ethan Brosh.

In a 2016 interview with The Aquarian Weekly, Sweet said that he enjoyed making solo albums "because it's an opportunity to free myself up a little bit more, experiment a little bit more, and try some things that STRYPER may not be able to try."

STRYPER's latest album, "God Damn Evil", was released in April 2018 via Frontiers Music Srl.

California rockers THE OFFSPRING have completed work on their long-awaited tenth album.

Guitarist Kevin "Noodles" Wasserman confirmed that the follow-up to 2012's "Days Go By" was finished in an Instagram comment over the weekend.

"The album is done," he wrote. "Working on getting it to the fans now. Stay tuned!"

Last fall, Noodles told Junkee that THE OFFSPRING has been "spending a bit of time in the studio" with producer Bob Rock, who also worked on the band's last two albums. "He's great, man — we get along with him really well," the guitarist said.

At the time of the Junkee interview, Noodles said that THE OFFSPRING had been contemplating releasing all of its new music on two separate albums. "I think there's a record's worth in there, but we're thinking that maybe the songs are just a little too different," he said. "We know there's a song or two on every record that comes out of left field for us, but it's more than just a couple this time. Right now, we're entertaining the idea of doing two records — one where we can put all of these, and another of straight-up OFFSPRING songs."

Last summer, Noodles told Australia's Music Feeds that THE OFFSPRING had been working with Rock "on and off on this record for five years, really. But we had a real productive string this year, in the earlier part of the year. We had probably five or six songs that we did just right then and it started to feel like maybe this is the direction we should be going with this record. A little bit more straight-forward OFFSPRING stuff.

"I think we're looking at making two records out of it — you know, like, splitting 'em up and coming out with a pretty straightforward punk and rock record that sounds like us, and then maybe saving some of the crazier stuff for another record."

As for what THE OFFSPRING's "crazier stuff" sounds like, Noodles told Music Feeds: "Well there's always a song that we do [on each album] — because it's just fun for us to experiment in the studio where we take different sounds — so sometimes we'll try some piano or keyboard kind of sound… We have a song that has a lot of horns in it, like a full-on horn section in it, and we've been working on that song for a long time. I think that one might be the the one kind of wacky one that we keep on this record; well, at least I hope it is. We love this song; it's such a fun song. It's a risk to put it out there, but at some point you've just gotta say, 'Screw it, man,' and just go with what you're feeling and let the chips fall where they may. So I think we're gonna do that."

Noodles also confirmed that THE OFFSPRING was without a record label and was looking into various options about how to make its new music available to the masses. "We've been talking with a bunch of different labels and distributors, but so far nothing's really stuck," he told Music Feeds. "So we're not sure how we're gonna do this. I mean at this point, the way things are distributed, we're thinking we could even maybe do it ourselves."

THE OFFSPRING debuted a new song called "It Won't Get Better" live in concert last June and has been performing it ever since. Noodles described the track as "kind of like a straight-forward OFFSPRING song."

THE OFFSPRING's last single, "Coming For You", dropped in 2015.

Photo credit: Sam Jones / MSO PR

Thanks: Dying Scene

SYMPHONY X guitarist Michael Romeo was asked in a new interview with "The Metal Command" if he has begun writing material for the follow-up to the band's 2015 album "Underworld". "There's always little bits and pieces I'm writing, and there's always things I'm tucking away," he responded (hear audio below). "And it feels like this summer, this record [Romeo's 'War Of The Worlds / Pt. 1' solo album] had just come out, and now it's New Year and it's, like, 'Okay, man…' I've been talking to the guys in the band a little bit lately, and we're gonna do a run, a couple of months in the spring — get back on tour. And, yeah, when I talk about what we're gonna do, we'll maybe do some more touring after that, or maybe a record. So, yeah, that whole thing, we're kind of getting back on track."

Romeo went on to say that there are no "total finished songs" ready for a new SYMPHONY X album. "But I'm not worried about it," he explained. "It wouldn't take really that long. I think all of us, just by doing some solo records and different things and just kind of taking a little hiatus from the band, you just try some other things. But then when you come back to it, it's, like, 'Oh, yeah, man. All right. Cool. This is what we're gonna do.' So sometimes those breaks are actually good. I'm not worried about it. I'm sure at some point we'll figure out exactly what we're gonna do. But, like I said, we're definitely gonna do this tour, get back together and start talking about our plans for more touring and a record. But I'm always writing — I am always writing. So it's just a matter of saying, 'This is what we're gonna do with this record,' and then you start putting those songs together, whatever the theme is or whatever the idea behind the record is. That's when it goes pretty quick — when you kind of have a goal, you kind of know what you want it to be. And I don't know what we want it to be yet. So, [we'll have] to wait and see."

SYMPHONY X will embark on a European tour in May. The run will see the five-piece hit eleven countries in one month — with the trek kicking off on May 7 in Lyon, France, culminating in Gelsenkirchen, Germany at the Rock Hard Festival.

"Underworld" was released via Nuclear Blast. Heavily inspired by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri, the disc drew on the themes from the "Divine Comedy", most notably the part on "Inferno". As homage to Dante's use of the number 3 and its multiples, the band utilized the motif in both lyrical and melodic context.

In July 2017, SYMPHONY X vocalist Russell Allen and his ADRENALINE MOB bandmates were involved in a crash that killed the latter group's bassist, David Zablidowsky.

SYMPHONY X completed an extensive tour behind "Underworld" in 2016, including a U.S. run of shows with OVERKILL and a pair of headlining performances in Australia.

Vocalist Clémentine Delauney of Austrian symphonic metallers VISIONS OF ATLANTIS has provided an update on the songwriting process for the follow-up to their most recent studio album, 2018's "The Deep & The Dark".

Currently promoting the band's first live set, "The Deep & The Dark Live @ Symphonic Metal Nights", Delauney was asked in an interview with Sonja of Napalm Records during this year's 70000 Tons Of Metal Cruise whether VISIONS OF ATLANTIS will continue in the direction of "The Deep & The Dark" for its next studio album. "I think it's going to be done pretty much in the same with 'The Deep & The Dark', except we have a new singer now, Michele [Guaitoli]," she said (see video below). "The vocal division and harmonies will be different with him, but we're looking forward to it. He's an amazing vocalist. The songs, we trying to keep track with 'The Deep & The Dark'. It's going to be a continuation of the symphonic metal, but it could be a couple of songs will show us under a different light. We need to evolve as a band. There's no point in doing 'The Deep & The Dark' Part II. The band needs to grow up and evolve. Those who really like that album will definitely not be disappointed."

Regarding whether VISIONS OF ATLANTIS has anything special planned for the band's upcoming 20th anniversary, which will take place in 2020, Delauney said: "I think it's a topic we have to start up in the band. I got exactly the same reaction, like, 'Soon it's going to be our 20th anniversary.' But so far, there are no special plans to reveal, but I guess there will be something. We celebrated the 15th anniversary in our hometown, playing a special show with two or three of the former singers. That was really special. For the 20th, we'll definitely have to do something."

VISIONS OF ATLANTIS released "The Deep & The Dark Live @ Symphonic Metal Nights", on February 22 via Napalm Records.

The official music video for the new QUEENSRŸCHE song "Blood Of The Levant" can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "The Verdict", which will be released on March 1 via Century Media Records. The disc was produced, mixed, and mastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (ROB ZOMBIE, ICED EARTH, HATEBREED) at Uberbeatz in Lynwood, Washington; Planet-Z in Wilbraham, Massachusetts; and Watershed Studio in Seattle, Washington.

Says QUEENSRŸCHE singer Todd La Torre: "We are very excited to unveil our new video 'Blood Of The Levant' from our upcoming album 'The Verdict'. This song and video is based on real events that sparked the onset of the Syrian war.

"We would like to thank David Brodsky and Allison Woest from MyGoodEye Music Visuals for bringing our vision and concept to life on screen! A very special thanks as well to the additional cast and crew for their valued dedication to this effort."

"The Verdict" track listing:

01. Blood Of The Levant

02. Man The Machine

03. Light-Years

04. Inside Out

05. Propaganda Fashion

06. Dark Reverie

07. Bent

08. Inner Unrest

09. Launder The Conscience

10. Portrait

Todd spoke about "The Verdict"'s musical direction with Eclectic Arts, saying: "It's got more driving songs on this record than the last one… I think there's elements that are more progressive — some different time signatures. It's a good-flowing album. There's some slow, kind of haunting, creepy, cool stuff on this record," he continued. "Like I say, there's more progressive elements on this one, I think — certainly more, I think, than the last one. The song 'Condition Hüman' was kind of progressive in QUEENSRŸCHE's standards, so there's kind of some of those elements going on. Really good lyrical content — thought-provoking stuff. Certainly never trying to tell anyone what to think, but to think. Again, a lot of it deals with things that are happening in the world that everyone can identify with and relate to. I tried to have some really good vocal acrobatics on this [album]. There's not a ton of high singing, but there's some high stuff on there vocally. I mean, it just sounds like a great QUEENSRŸCHE album to me. But you never know until you put it out to everyone, and then it's not yours anymore."

"The Verdict" will mark QUEENSRŸCHE's third full-length release with La Torre, following the departure of Geoff Tate in 2012.

For the past two years, drummer Scott Rockenfield has been taking time off from QUEENSRŸCHE's touring activities to spend time with his young son, who was born in early 2017. Filling in for him is former KAMELOT drummer Casey Grillo.

La Torre, who has played drums since the age of 13, laid down the drum tracks on "The Verdict".

QUEENSRŸCHE's spring U.S. headline tour with special guests FATES WARNING will kick off on March 2 in Orlando, making stops in major markets such as New York, Atlanta, Chicago, and Los Angeles, and will wrap on April 3 in Seattle. THE CRINGE will be joining both bands on select dates.