The 61st Grammy Awards were handed out in Los Angeles, California earlier this evening, Sunday, February 10th.

High On Fire won the Grammy for "Best Metal Performance." Artists nominated in the "Best Metal Performance" category (for new vocal or instrumental solo, duo/group or collaborative metal recordings) included:

Between The Buried And Me - Condemned To The Gallows
Deafheaven - Honeycomb
High On Fire - Electric Messiah - Winner
Trivium - Betrayer
Underoath - On My Teeth

Chris Cornell won the Grammy for "Best Rock Performance." Nominees for "Best Rock Performance" (for new vocal or instrumental solo, duo/group or collaborative rock recordings) included:

Arctic Monkeys - "Four Out Of Five"
Chris Cornell - "When Bad Does Good" - Winner
The Fever 333 - "Made An America"
Greta Van Fleet - "Highway Tune"
Halestorm - "Uncomfortable"

Greta Van Fleet won the Grammy for "Best Rock Album." Nominees for "Best Rock Album" (for albums containing at least 51% playing time of new rock, hard rock or metal recordings) included:

Alice In Chains - Rainier Fog
Fall Out Boy - Mania
Ghost - Prequelle
Greta Van Fleet - From The Fires - Winner
Weezer - Pacific Daydream

Guns N' Roses were nominated in the "Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package," but lost to "Weird Al" Yankovic. Nominees for "Best Boxed Or Special Limited Edition Package" included:

Guns N' Roses - Appetite For Destruction (Locked N' Loaded) Box Set
The Decemberists - I'll Be Your Girl
Grateful Dead - Pacific Northwest '73-74': The Complete Recordings
"Weird Al" Yankovic - Squeeze Box: The Complete Works Of "Weird Al" Yankovic - Winner
Johnny Nicholas - Too Many Bad Habits

 




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German/American heavy metal legends ACCEPT performed with a stand-in bass player, Danny Silvestri, aboard this year's 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise, which ran from January 31 to February 4. It sailed from Fort Lauderdale in Florida and headed to Labadee, Haiti, where it stayed docked for an entire day, before heading back to Fort Lauderdale.

Silvestri stepped into ACCEPT following the recent departure of ACCEPT's founding bassist Peter Baltes.

ACCEPT wrote on Facebook: "A huge Thank You to Danny Silvestri -(you all know him from our WACKEN SHOW 2017 and LIVE DVD 'Symphonic Terror') for helping us out for the 70000 TONS OF METAL Cruise performances! Danny is a mean Bass Player - always a pleasure to rock with him and a true friend who made our day!"

Baltes announced his exit from ACCEPT in November. He said in a statement: "To all ACCEPT fans: I hereby like to announce my departure as bass player from ACCEPT. I have been with the band from the very beginning. Many of you have been there as well. I like to thank you all for the great years we shared together. Keep it metal."

ACCEPT's founding guitarist Wolf Hoffmann commented: "We spent four decades together and went through thick and thin, ups and downs and I remember some incredible moments on stage. There was a blind understanding between us, personally and musically, that is very rare in this business!

"Looking back, I will forever cherish the carefree early years, the countless hours we spent writing songs, goofing around or roaming the cities together on tour — just having a good ol’time!

"Especially these last 10 years, after the revival of ACCEPT being so much fun and so successful that I thought we would continue forever and sail into the proverbial sunset together — maybe until one of us would drop dead on stage. But I guess I was wrong; it wasn’t meant to be.

"To see Peter leave ACCEPT now saddens me immensely, but there's nothing I can do but to wish him well — hoping that this is the right decision for him and that he will find whatever he is looking for ...

"I will certainly miss my musical brother! One thing is certain, however: ACCEPT will continue full steam ahead!"

The group added in a separate statement: "We are all heartbroken! Peter needed a change in his life and we wish him all the best. He will always be part of the ACCEPT family and to honor his tribute to music history, we should all wish him well... Indeed, ACCEPT WILL KEEP IT METAL!"

In a 2016 interview with Antihero Magazine, Hoffmann stated about his relationship with Baltes: "We've been working together for 40 years and hanging together and we haven't killed each other yet. It's quite amazing. We get along really well for the most part, even on tour, personally. We hang all the time. We go wander the streets when we're on tour. We have breakfast together and all that kind stuff. We meet for dinners even if we don't have to."

He added: "Peter and I really have something like a bond, or whatever you want to call it, that's lasted all these years. That doesn't mean we always get along on every level. There's days when we don't see each other and keep the distance for a little while, but for the most part, it's been working really, really well and we write together really well. That's a rare thing, I know."

ACCEPT recently released a live set, "Symphonic Terror - Live At Wacken 2017", via Nuclear Blast. It features a unique ACCEPT show, shot on August 3, 2017 at the legendary Wacken Open Air festival, where the band played the biggest and most extraordinary show of its career in front of 80,000, on top of thousands more fans watching via a live stream.

FEAR FACTORY has set "Monolith" as the title of its long-awaited new album, tentatively due later this year.

The effort, which will once again be made available via Nuclear Blast, will mark the Californian band's first collection of new music since 2015's "Genexus" LP.

The news of the new FEAR FACTORY's new album title was broken by singer Burton C. Bell during an interview with SiriusXM's Jose Mangin at this past November's inaugural Headbangers Con in Portland, Oregon. (Note: Video of the interview has just been uploaded to YouTube.)

"FEAR FACTORY, we have a new record," Bell said (see video below). "It's done. It's delivered to the label. And we've got some technical difficulties, and once that's finished, the record's gonna come out. It's gonna be called 'Monolith'. It's a great record."

Burton also revealed the tentative "Monolith" album cover via his smartphone. You can check it out below. (Note: The title and artwork may change before the album's release.)

Back in May 2017, Bell told the Kilpop web site that the positive reaction to "Genexus" has "absolutely" inspired him and his bandmates to try to top it with their upcoming effort. "It was such a great response," he said. "Putting out that record was just positive all the way around, which just makes us drive even further and drive even harder. Now we've been working on a new album. All the new songs, I say, in my opinion, are even stronger than 'Genexus', 'cause it just seems even more tight. We're on a groove, and it's kicking ass."

In 2016, FEAR FACTORY completed a U.S. headlining tour on which it performed its classic second album, "Demanufacture", in its entirety. Asked if playing such an iconic record from beginning to end every night influences the songwriting process for new material, Bell told Kilpop: "Sometimes. It takes you back to your roots, that's for sure… Recapturing your identity — identity within your band is very important. If you have your sound, that's great. But the motivation to move forward and try different things, that is also part of your identity, and you can make it yours as long as it doesn't lose your identity. We can do like some bands have done… Not to name anybody, but metal bands that moved forward and [done] a [very different-sounding] record… Well, FEAR FACTORY has done it once. We have a record called 'Transgression'; it was our rock record. And we totally just, like, alienated [much of our fanbase]. People were, like, 'That was you? That doesn't sound like FEAR FACTORY.' And I'm, like, 'Well, that's what the title 'Transgression' means.' [Laughs]"

FEAR FACTORY was the subject of breakup rumors in May 2017 when the band's former bassist-turned-guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers posted a since-deleted eulogy for FF on his Instagram. He wrote "RIP Fear Factory" and appended that post with the hashtag #GrownAssMenThatCantWorkOutShit.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce has announced that a star will be given to AEROSMITH when the band is honored with the 2,657th star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame on Thursday, February 14, at 11:30 a.m. PST. The star will be dedicated in the category of Recording at 6752 Hollywood Boulevard in front of the Musician's Institute.

The event will be live-streamed exclusively on www.walkoffame.com.

"Finally!" said Ana Martinez, producer of the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. "We have been waiting a long time to honor AEROSMITH with their star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame. AEROSMITH is one of the greatest rock bands in the world and we expect many fans will be 'Crazy' excited to see them honored!"

Emcee Rana Ghadban, president and CEO of the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, will be unveiling the star.

The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which administers the popular star ceremonies, encourages people who are unable to attend and fans around the world to tune in to the exclusive livestream, courtesy of our media partner Variety, on www.walkoffame.com.

AEROSMITH — Steven Tyler (vocals), Joe Perry (lead guitar), Brad Whitford (guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass) and Joey Kramer (drums) — is a living piece of American music history, having sold more than 150 million albums worldwide and been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. They are the recipients of countless awards including four Grammys, eight American Music Awards, six Billboard Awards and 12 MTV Video Music Awards, among many other honors. Proving that they can cross genre-boundaries with ease, these rock legends have even taken home a Soul Train Award for "Best Rap Single" for their remix of RUN DMC's "Walk This Way". This year, the legacy continues with the band launching their Las Vegas residency, "Aerosmith: Deuces Are Wild", beginning Saturday, April 6 at the Park Theater at the new Park MGM resort. And in 2020, they will celebrate a milestone, their 50th anniversary as a band.

In addition to their musical legacy, band members have also used their platform to give back. For instance, in November 2015, Tyler founded his philanthropic initiative Janie's Fund, in partnership with Youth Villages, to bring hope and healing to girls who have suffered the trauma of abuse and neglect. He was honored for this work in 2016 when the United Nations named him the recipient of Humanitarian Award. He is also deeply involved in the fight to protect the rights of established and emerging songwriters as a member of the Grammy Creators' Alliance, and a tireless advocate for raising awareness of addiction issues and recovery solutions. This Sunday, February 10, the members of AEROSMITH will perform together at the Janie's Fund Grammy viewing party in support of the organization.

Photo credit: Zack Whitford

Founded in Ottawa in 2010 with a singular purpose to transform raw aggression into music, Accursed Spawn mixes influences from old and new forms of extreme metal, resulting to date in a renowned energetic live show, and a handful of recorded songs. 

Signed to PRC Music, Accursed Spawn will be unleashing their debut full length The Virulent Host on March 22nd, 2019. With a unique sound and style that stands apart from the crowd, the full length is the next step in the band's evolution of musical expression to follow a mix of demos and EPs since 2010. 

"'he Virulent Host represents a huge step up in all ways for Accursed Spawn: the production is exceptional (thanks to Christian Donaldson and The Grid), the hooks are quite memorable, the string work is phenomenal (between the blistering solos and fretless bass, there’s quite a lot in there for string players), and the delivery is both consistent but also fresh. It’s our first ever “full length” record and fans that have been with the band since our inception should be quite pleased with the delivery. We’ve road-tested most of the songs at this point, and the mosh pits speak for themselves.” says drummer Jay Cross.

The Virulent Host is a fiery and passionate take on modern death metal, influenced by thrash and brutal death that stands head and shoulders above many of their contemporaries. The production quality truly stands among the titans of death metal, thanks to Chris Donaldson, guitarist for legendary death metal unit Cryptopsy applying his talents and experience to mix and master the album at The Grid Studios in Montreal, QC. Donaldson has previously worked on records for high profile names such as Cryptopsy, Beyond Creation, Despised Icon, The Agonist, Beneath The Massacre, and Neuraxis. The artwork was done by highly esteemed artist Remy Cooper of Headsplit Design (Origin, Beyond Creation, Psycroptic, Pig Destroyer, Whitechapel, Thy Art Is Murder, Cryptopsy, Suicide Silence, Arch Enemy).

First single “Bhopal ‘84” can be heard below.

Guitarist Adam Pell adds.

"We want to offer an intense, yet rewarding listening experience for both musicians and non-musicians alike. Fast, dextrous playing coupled with subtly melodic compositions that can be enjoyed by both the trained and untrained ear. Out first single ‘Bhopal '84’ will give a good deal of insight into what people can expect from this record: it kicks off with blistering guitar and drum work, jumps into a catchy verse, and presents a very slamming bridge near the end of the song, followed by tasty solo work. It has a nice ‘Suffocation meets Cryptopsy’ feel but is still uniquely Accursed Spawn."

Tracklisting:

“Bhopal ‘84”
“Bloodforged”
“Interrogated Bludgeonment”
“The Virulent Host”
“Cesium 137”
“The Ageless Curse”
“Shotgun Facelift”
“Mass Glossectomy”
“Dogmatic Affliction”

“Bhopal ‘84” lyric video:




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BLACK SABBATH was honored with a "heavy metal" bench earlier today (Saturday, February 9) in Birmingham, England.

SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi attended the commemorative event organized by Westside Business Improvement District.

The handmade, stainless steel bench was forged in the city by Gateway Steel Fabrications and features images of Ozzy Osbourne, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler and Bill Ward with the words "Geezer. Ozzy. Tony. Bill. Made in Birmingham 1968" etched on it.

According to BBC News, the bench, the idea of "super-fan" and architect Mohammed Osam, was put on the renamed Black Sabbath Bridge over the canal on Broad Street.

Iommi said: "I think it's absolutely great. I was wondering what it was going to look like but it is really fantastic. I really love it."

The presentation took place at St Luke's Church on Gas Street.

The event also saw BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward awarded with his own star on the city's Walk Of Stars, which honors famous people from Birmingham.

This star, along with others already awarded to the other three band members and a fifth star to the band itself, will later be realigned in front of the heavy metal bench on Black Sabbath Bridge in the shape of a cross.

The bench's artwork was created by Egyptian artist Tarek Abdelkawi.

Legendary San Francisco thrash metal act Trauma will issue their new album, As The World Dies, on CD through Pure Steel Records on February 15th. The album was originally issued May 2018 independently.  Find preorders at this location.

Trauma formed in 1981 in the San Francisco Bay Area. It currently consists of members Donny Hillier (vocals), longtime drummer Kris Gustofson, guitarist Joe Fraulob (former member of Danzig), guitarist Steve Robello (former member of Dublin Death Patrol) and bassist Greg Christian, founding member of Testament. The band is known for its association with Cliff Burton, the original bassist of Metallica, who founded Trauma before joining Metallica in 1982.

With an eye on the past but focused on the future, As The World Dies, produced by guitarist Joe Fraulob, is certain to be a landmark third album, staying true to their signature sound that came before but with a very modern edge.

Tracklisting:

“The Rage”
“From Here To Hell”
“As The World Dies”
“Gun To Your Head”
“Last Rites”
“Run For Cover”
“Asylum”
“Entropy”
“Cool Aid”
“Savage”

“The Rage” lyric video:




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Norway's finest rock outfit, Pristine, has released the brand-new track, "Sinnerman", as well as the accompanying music video. The track comes off the band's highly anticipated new album, Road Back To Ruin.

Commented singer and main songwriter Heidi Solheim: “We are very excited about releasing the first single from our upcoming album Road Back To Ruin! The song 'Sinnerman' is the first track on the album and we wanted to have a different approach on this video than on our previous releases. Our video producer from Amodei Visual came up with a story filmed in a POV (point of view) perspective and we absolutely loved it! A fun idea and an unusual video for a rock band. The count down to the release date on April the 19th has begun!” 

Road Back To Ruin is slated for release on April 19th, 2019 via Nuclear Blast. Preorders available at this location.

The fifth album by Norwegian rock band Pristine marks a point of evolution as well as diversification in their sound. Heidi Solheim, Tromsö native and driving force behind the band, fuses musical as well as lyrical variety on the eleven songs that are Road Back To Ruin - despite the newly introduced variety this record is still unmistakably Pristine.

The album title, Road Back To Ruin, according to the singer, came out of frustration. It's about social circumstances, in which opinions and values are shifting towards a certain direction. The separation from or the fear of "the others", being used by influential people to gain even more power. Distrust being spread and walls being built - things that have been done over and over in history and still society seems to be walking right into the same trap once again. People lacking nobleness and empathy, but are gaining hatred - something that Heidihas feared. Hence the last line in the album's credits is: “Take care of each other. Be generous, including and kind.”

Road Back To Ruin was recorded at Paradiso Studio in Oslo, together with producer Øyvind Gundersen and technician Christian Engfelt. The song "Sinnerman" was written during last year's tour - a real banger and the perfect opening track. The title track sounds massive and heavy, and the same can be said for "Blind Spot" which features an intro sung in Arabian by Syrian artist Racha Rizk, followed by an almighty riff by Espen Elverum Jacobsen, the band's secret weapon.

At the end of this broad musical spectrum there's "Cause & Effect," which features the The Arctic Philharmonic string orchestra and bears a certain James Bond feeling. The not so typical but amazing "Your Song," was inspired by Neil Young's acoustic recordings. 

Heidi Solheim, Espen Elverum Jacobsen (guitar), Gustav Eidsvik (bass) and Ottar Tøllefsen (drums), as the core of the band, incorporate a wide variety of styles and influences with a great mutual musical understanding. Studio guests Anders Oskal and Hansi Enzesperger add a unique flourish in the form of a Hammond Organ.

2019 will see the band bring back rock to the clubs. After Detoxing (2012) and No Regret (2013) had only been released in Norway, Reboot was the first album to also see a release outside the band's home country. 2017, Ninja marked the debut for Nuclear Blast which is now followed by Road Back To Ruin.




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"Crucified", the new video from former SICK PUPPIES singer Shimon "Shim" Moore, can be seen below. The song is taken from his latest solo album, "Shim", which was released last September via BFD, distributed worldwide by The Orchard.

Moore said: "The video portrays the dilemma that when faced with a life-changing decision, it won't just change your life, it will change the person you become within it. Over the course of the last couple of years of rebuilding and reinventing myself, I had a lot of people try and dissuade me, or attempt to stop me, or attempt to crucify me. How you handle yourself under those circumstances dictates the person you will become.

"This is who I am. I am Shim."

Shim will hit the road on a headline tour with MADAME MAYHEM. The trek begins on March 2 in Colorado Springs, Colorado at The Black Sheep and concludes March 27 in Nashville, Tennessee at The End.

When Moore first began writing solo music, a piece of early career advice stuck with him.

He recalls: "Somebody once told me, 'When you're making music, the difference between good and great is blood. If you bleed on a record, people are going to hear it. If you don't, people are going to hear it too.'"

Truth is, Shim's blood courses through every song he's ever written and recorded. Millions of fans worldwide connected to his songwriting, spirit, and soul across four full-length albums from the RIAA platinum-certified SICK PUPPIES — which he founded in 1997. Following his split from the group during 2015, the Australia-born and Los Angeles-based singer, songwriter, and producer did what he does best: write.

New Orleans-based thrash metal pioneers EXHORDER have entered OCD Studios in Metairie, Louisiana with producer Duane Simoneaux to begin recording their first album in nearly three decades. The as-yet-untitled disc will be released later in the year via Nuclear Blast Records.

EXHORDER now features founding members Vinnie LaBella (guitar) and Kyle Thomas (vocals) along with Jason Viebrooks (HEATHEN) on bass, Marzi Montazeri (ex-SUPERJOINT RITUAL, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS) on guitar and Sasha Horn (FORBIDDEN) on drums.

Comments LaBella: 'We could have done this record almost anywhere we wanted to. We chose to do it — the main tracking — in New Orleans with Duane Simoneaux. You've heard Duane's work on a lot of CROWBAR stuff. He did a little work with DOWN, I think, and a lot of local stuff. He's an extreme fucking talent. He's helping me produce. He's a brilliant mind, man. I couldn't think of a better place or a better person to capture these tracks right here in our own hometown. So we're trying to keep it as local as we can."

EXHORDER relased two albums in the early 1990s through the Roadrunner label — 1990's "Slaughter in the Vatican" and 1992's "The Law" — before breaking up, with Kyle going on to form FLOODGATE and also briefly appearing live as the vocalist for TROUBLE, which he later joined on a full-time basis (and is still a member of).

EXHORDER is cited by many as the originator of the riff-heavy power-groove approach popularized by PANTERA.

Posted by Exhorder on Thursday, February 7, 2019

At last month's NAMM show in Anaheim, California, CYHRA vocalist Jake E (ex-AMARANTHE) spoke to Heavy New York about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's sophomore album. "It's almost done," he said. "We have recorded it. We have mixed it once. We're remixing it right now, actually, because we wanted to tweak it a little bit more. We're a little bit delayed, but we're really, really happy with it."

Saying that CYHRA's new songs are "amazing," Jake described the band's new disc as "more of a follow-up" to 2017's "Letters To Myself". "It continues where the last album [left] off," he said. "So we haven't invented any new fantastic patterns or whatever when it comes to music. The music is what it is. It's CYHRA — you can hear that it's CYHRA directly."

Asked if he and guitarist Jesper Strömblad (ex-IN FLAMES) took elements from their previous bands while composing the first material for CYHRA, Jake said: "That was a funny thing. We never really thought about what we wanted to do. We more or less just took the guitars and started to play. And obviously, Jesper, he's Jesper Strömblad — he has those melodies in his fucking hands. Give him a guitar and there's a hit coming out of his fingers. And I have my way of writing music. So I guess there were some similarities from our former bands, but, to be honest, what is similar is just our way of writing music, I guess. But we were never really discussing what we wanted to do — we just sat down and we did it."

Back in December, drummer Alex Landenburg told Finland's Tuonela magazine that CYHRA's next disc would stay true to the group's sound. "It's clearly the same band," he said. "It changed and evolved, but I think it's mostly Euge [Valovirta, guitar] having a bigger part in the writing and the playing of the album and having the mindset of having two guitars on the album. So, naturally, it's more riff-oriented, more guitar-oriented than the first one. That is probably the biggest difference."

Jake added that CYHRA's second album would contain "a little bit more live-oriented songs. We figured out that not a lot of the songs, but some of the songs on the first album didn't end up being that 'party' — if we can call them a little bit party poopers live, because they're great to listen to in general, but when you have a live set, it's hard. Usually when you release one album, you just get a couple of shows, and then you release a couple of more albums and your career takes off. We were fortunate enough to have our career take off pretty fast, and then we have to play the whole album, all the songs, because we don't have any other songs. But now with the new album, there's some songs that are faster and harder."

CYHRA's new LP is due in later in the year via Spinefarm Records.

The band made its live debut in October 2017 at Nosturi in Helsinki, Finland.

Last spring, CYHRA completed a successful North American tour opening for SABATON and KREATOR.

TRIBULATION was honored in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal" category at the Swedish Grammis awards (Swedish Grammy equivalent), which was held Thursday night (February 7) at Annexet in Stockholm.

The bands were nominated for their most recent releases, all of which came out during 2018.

"Best Hard Rock/Metal" nominees were as follows:

* AT THE GATES - "To Drink From The Night Itself"

* GHOST - "Prequelle"

* HARDCORE SUPERSTAR - "You Can't Kill My Rock 'N Roll"

* THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA - "Sometimes The World Ain't Enough"

* TRIBULATION - "Down Below"

"Down Below" was released in January 2018 via Century Media Records. The follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2015 release "The Children Of The Night" features artwork crafted by TRIBULATION guitarist Jonathan Hultén.

Guitarist Adam Zaars told Distorted Sound about the making of "Down Below": "In TRIBULATION, the writing of the songs has primarily been done by me and Jonathan, and that was the case this time as well. I think we both 'always' write music in a way; it doesn't really stop at any time even though it fluctuates. What I mean by this is that the seeds of the songs, be it riffs or melodies or just ideas of some kind or another, are being collected by us at any time. The seeds for these songs mostly come from this past touring cycle, and a couple of Jonathan's songs already had a lot of meat on their bones over a year ago. The intense part of the composing, the puzzling together of the bits and pieces, started in the early months of [2017], specifically in April for me. Jonathan worked mostly on his own, making demos at home and sending them to us for feedback, and then he would change something or other because of that and we would get to hear it again, and so on. I have mostly written the music on my own in the past as well, but because of various things, I wanted the help of Johannes [Andersson, vocals/bass] and Oscar [Leander, drums] this time. I personally suck when it comes to musical software of any kind and Oscar could help me with that, and the fact that they are both drummers really helped that part as well. It was also nice to get their personal input right away! We actually intentionally left a lot of the songs unfinished in order to have Martin Ehrencrona's, our producer, take on it as well, which proved to be very valuable. We started the recording of the album in the beginning of August in Soundtrade Studios for the drums and went from there to Martin's Studio Cobra and stayed there till October. We wanted to go there because we had been there for a few days for the recording of all the 'additional instruments' on 'The Children Of The Night' and really liked it there. It's kind of being like a kid in a toy store because of all the cool instruments that currently call that studio their home."

TRIBULATION will team up with GAAHLS WYRD for a European tour later this month.

Swedish metallers GRAND MAGUS will release their new album, "Wolf God", on April 19 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2016's "Sword Songs" was recorded at Sweetspot Studio in Sweden with producer Staffan Karlsson (ARCH ENEMY, FIREWIND, SPIRITUAL BEGGARS).

According to a press release, "Wolf God" "rises over the heavy metal scene majestically and lets the guitar riffs speak for themselves.

"The groove and heaviness that were featured on the successful predecessor can also be found on the new, ninth studio album which once again holds a number of future classics.

"As the majority of the songs were recorded on the first take, they have an honest, diverse and yet down-to-earth sound that envelops the trio's true power."

This cover artwork was created by acclaimed artist Anthony Roberts.

The band comments: "For the third time, the magic skill and imagination of Anthony Roberts has given birth to the cover artwork for a GRAND MAGUS album. This time the forest, the moon and obviously the wolf take center stage. Not just any wolf though… beware his fury. This is the 'Wolf God'!"

Alan Parsons will release his new studio album, "The Secret", on April 26 via Frontiers Music Srl.

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.

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!"

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.

"Stopped by guitarshop Akustikken in Copenhagen," says former White Lion frontman Mike Tramp. "Being around lots of acoustic guitars is like walking through the forest. This is "Homesick", one of my songs from the soon to be released album, Stray From The Flock."

Target Records will release, Stray From The Flock, the new studio album from Mike Tramp - the legendary voice of White Lion and Freak Of Nature - on March 1st.

Check out the video for the new single, "Dead End Ride", a highway song for classic FM radio and a first taste of the album. The song is a fine example of the solid, honest composition and performance that the album showcases.

Stadium concerts. Number one top charts with solo releases. History of rock'n'roll written all over him. Mike Tramp has had it all. Right now, however, after spending the last two decades studiously carving out a solid solo career for himself, Mike Tramp is happy being Mike Tramp.

“Many years ago I realized that going back to basics, demanding nothing and being surprised if there was a tray of sandwiches in the dressing room was the way forward,” he smiles.

Stray From The Flock is the latest in a stellar collection of records written and released by Tramp since 1997. From the excellence of his solo debut Capricorn, to the #1 charts catapulted Maybe Tomorrow, the Danish singer has been on a distinctive, solo journey that have seen him reinventing himself and reach a consistency in look, feel and a sound that although centres on some of the finest, acoustic based yet hauntingly melodic songs you’ll ever hear also - refreshingly so - make the odd diversion into previously unexplored territory.

Recorded at Ark Studio in Denmark and mixed in Sweden by Peter Masson, Stray From The Flock, essentially takes the 2013 release Cobblestone Street template one step further. It’s also an album that pretty much wrote itself.

“I picked up the guitar and the songs just started flying out of me. I thought ‘fuck! There’s an album that wants to come out of here!’”, Tramp laughs.

Mike will, of course, be touring in support of Stray From The Flock, but as with his previous solo excursions, there won’t be any explosions, moving drum risers or confetti bombs on stage. There will just be a guy standing in the middle being the real deal. That guy is Mike Tramp.

"Stray From The Flock will be available on CD, double gatefold LP on black 140g vinyl, Ltd. double gatefold LP on orange colour LP 180g (500 copies only) digital and cassette by Target Records. All formats can be pre-ordered here.

Trailer:

Tramp's US tour kicks off on February 14th at Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, California. The schedule can be found below.

Tour dates:

February
14 - Whisky A Go Go - Hollywood, CA
15 - TBA - Las Vegas, NV
16 - TBA - Salt Lake City, UT
17 - The Venue - Denver, CO
20 - TBA - Texas
21 - Bonny Blair's - Brandon, MS
23 - Five O'Clock Club - Sarasota, FL (with John Corabi)
24-28 - Monsters Of Rock Cruise - Miami, FL

March
2 - Mike’s Lounge - Melbourne, FL
4 - 37 Main - Buford, GA (with John Corabi)
5 - The Square Room - Knoxville, TN
7 - Hot Spot - High Ridge, MO
8 - The Rockhaus- West Dundee, IL
9 - The Firehouse - Richmond, IN (with John Corabi)
10 - The Machine Shop - Flint, MI
12 - Coda - Cleveland, OH
13 - Three Flags Ballroom - Warren, PA
14 - Hopewell Theatre - Hopewell, NJ (with John Corabi)
15 - River Rock Tavern - Derby, CT (with John Corabi)
16 - The Chance - Poughkeepsie, NY (with John Corabi)
17 - Debonair Music Hall - Teaneck, NJ (with John Corabi)
19 - The Vault - New Bedford, MA
20 - Sharkey’s - Liverpool, NY
21 - CH Stage & Grill - Pittsburgh, PA (with John Corabi)
23 - Penn’s Peak - Jim Thorpe, PA(with KIX)




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In the new video below, Bon Jovi performs the Crush album track, "Captain Crash & The Beauty Queen From Mars", during their 2018 This House Is Not For Sale tour in Sydney, Australia.

"Have A Nice Day" from the same show can be seen below:

Watch Bon Jovi perform "When We Were Us" in Tokyo, Japan:

Bon Jovi performs next on May 31st at Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, Russia. Find the band's live itinerary here.




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Last week, Ozzy Osbourne was admitted to Keck Hospital of University of Southern California as he recovers from the flu. His son, and reality tv co-star Jack Osbourne, took to social media saying: "Sunny day. All is well. Now I’m off to see dad. He’s doing much better. Thanks for all your messages."

The UK-based Mirror is now reporting that Osbourne, 70, was "rushed to intensive care as health concerns worsen." He was reportedly sent to the critical facility in a private hospital after his bronchitis worsened, amid fears he could develop pneumonia, which is potentially fatal for someone his age.

An inside source claimed "doctors reassured everyone he was in the best possible hands. Ozzy’s a fighter, and is getting better day by day . The worst is over, he’s smiling again, and he can’t wait to get up on stage."

Previously, Osbourne's Black Sabbath bandmate, guitarist Tony Iommi, offered the following: "I’m wishing Ozzy a speedy recovery and I know he’ll be gutted that he’s had to cancel part of his tour but I’m sure he’ll be back on stage as soon as he’s able. Get better soon my friend. Lots of love Oz, Tony."

Also, Ozzy's wife and manager Sharon Osbourne stated: "As some of you may have heard, Ozzy was admitted to hospital following some complications from the flu. His doctors feel this is the best way to get him on a quicker road to recovery. Thanks to everyone for their concern and love."

Ozzy's No More Tours 2 trek is expected to resume on Sunday, March 9th in Australia. Shows will follow in New Zealand and Japan before a two-month North American leg.




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"Let There Be More Light" is the opening track of Pink Floyd's second album, A Saucerful of Secrets. This performance took place on Samedi et Compagnie in Paris, France on September 6th, 1968.

"Astronomy Domine" is the first song on Pink Floyd's first album, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, released in 1967. This performance is from Tienerklanken - Kastival in Kasterlee, Belgium on August 31st, 1968.

Pink Floyd's "Interstellar Overdrive" was written in 1966, and appears on The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn. This performance is from Pop 68 in Rome, Italy on May 6th, 1968.




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Double Crush Syndrome frontman / ex-Sodom guitarist Andy Brings has checked in with the following update:

"Dear friends, here's the brand new trailer to our movie Full Circle: Last Exit Rock N Roll - Der Film. On 26.4.2019, Full Circle: Last Exit Rock N Roll - a film about the search for its own truth, by and with Andy Brings featuring Skid Row, Doro Pesch, Tom Angelripper (Sodom) will be available on Blu-Ray via Rising Empire / Distribution Warner and digitally via Universe Film."

The film premiered in September 2018 in the sold out Lichtburg in Essen, Germany before 1200 enthusiastic viewers. Nationwide, it had successful screenings in Cinestar cinemas. On February 28th, Double Crush Syndrome featuring Scotti Hill will officially release their cover of Skid Row's "Riot Act" as a push for the Blu-Ray.

Double Crush Syndrome recently released their new Flash & Blood EP, which features a cover of Skid Row's "Riot Act" featuring guitarist Scotti Hill on a guest solo. Check out the track below.

The tracklist is as follows:

"Rebel Yell" (Billy Idol cover)
"I Don't Like You"
"Riot Act" (Skid Row cover featuring Scotti Hill)
"Breakin' The Law" (Judas Priest cover)
DCS Live In Madrid - May 27th, 2018
- "She's A Pistol"
- "Yeah! Pain!"
- "Blood On My Shirt"
- "Die For Rock N' Roll"
- "Gimme Everything"




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New York hard rock band Year Of The Locust has released the lyric video for their single "Stay Alive." The song features guest appearances from Tesla drummer Troy Luccketta and Florida Georgia Lind guitarist Brian Bonds.

"'Stay Alive' is a redemption song; when you think it's time to give up is just the best time to turn it up." says Year Of The Locust vocalist Scot McGiveron. "Troy is so creative and brought so much energy to the drum track, while Brian's energy and guitar-play is just always so powerful."

Year Of The Locust is currently on the road with Tesla on their Shock USA tour; dates are as listed in the official poster:

For further details, visit Year Of The Locust on Facebook.

 

 




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TOOL singer Maynard James Keenan says that the band's long-awaited new album will arrive in late spring or early summer.

Earlier today, Keenan offered an update on the disc, tweeting that he and his bandmates were "midway through mixing" the effort. He added: "[There will] most likely be a few recalls. Then some arguing. Then mastering, artwork, video, special packaging, etc. Best ballpark guess — release date somewhere between mid-May and mid-July. More focused updates to follow as we progress."

Keenan's latest comments come a month after TOOL drummer Danny Carey told a fan at the NAMM show in Anaheim, California that "the plan" was for the group's new LP to come out "mid-April."

Carey has made other predictions before about TOOL's fifth full-length album, including saying at one point in late 2017 that the record would be out in 2018. TOOL officially entered the studio in March 2018 to begin recording its first full-length album since 2006's "10,000 Days", with Keenan tweeting last month that he had finished laying down his vocals "months ago." The band has a number of festival appearances already booked in May and June.

Maynard attempted to explain the long gap between TOOL albums in a 2017 interview with "The Joe Rogan Experience". Speaking about his bandmates, the singer said: "Their writing process is so drawn out. And I'm sure there's a lot of reasons why the delay has been long. Their process is very analytical, and I think, at some point, maybe because so much time has gone by from the last album, there has to be a little bit of fear in here. [You think to yourself] 'Is this record gonna be as good as the last one?' The anticipation now is… Now the pressure is huge, so I'm sure there's some of that [that] goes into play."

Keenan spent part of 2018 touring with A PERFECT CIRCLE, whose first album in 14 years, "Eat The Elephant", came out last April.

Fifth Angel recently released their first new album in almost 30 years, The Third Secret, via Nuclear Blast. Order the album in various formats here, and watch a lyric video for the album opener, "Stars Are Falling", below.

'Stars Are Falling' is a song that will probably have different meanings for different people," states Ken Mary. "Lyrically I don't want to get too specific as again, I believe different meanings will be found by different people and I don't want to ruin that for them. But the overall idea is that there is this race of life that we're all in... where we strive, we fight, we struggle, and we depend on the fact that the sun will rise and that tomorrow is going to be here one way or another. There's a time where that may not be the case; whether that's on a global level or on a personal level. So really it's a song to ponder some of the deeper meanings of life, actually. And with that I believe I've said enough, lol!"

Additionally, there's news from the band's camp as guitarist Kendall Bechtel has left the band.

In an official statement from Fifth Angle, this change was clarified: "Kendall is a brother and will always be a part of the Fifth Angel legacy. However, if we are going to be honest, he has chosen a path that has left the band, the fans, our label Nuclear Blast, and our promoters in a very difficult situation. He decided that rather than fulfill the commitments that were already in place, he would leave the band with short notice, making it very difficult for the band to find a suitable replacement."

Further the band says, "After the success of The Third Secret the timing is again difficult to understand. In an email to the band, Kendall Bechtel stated that the paths of Fifth Angel and he were "incongruent" and that he wished the band well. We feel that Kendall's actions speak for themselves, but nonetheless the band will be fulfilling its commitments. As a band we feel we had success and made great albums before Kendall, and we hope to have the opportunity to continue doing so in the future as well."

"In regards to the business at hand, filling in on guitar will be the incredible Ethan Brosh from Angels Of Babylon. Also, we always intended on having an additional singer handle all of the material from the first two albums, and a singer that sounds more like original vocalist Ted Pilot. The singer for Metal Assault will be Steven Carlson, another Seattle native now based in Phoenix, who will now cover vocal duties on the three new songs in the set from The Third Secret album as well as the first two albums. It is our sincere desire to play the music of Fifth Angel with as high a level of excellence as possible, as it is our goal to leave the fans with an amazing live experience. We will do our very best to make that a reality, and we look forward to seeing you all very soon!"

Tracklisting:

"Stars Are Falling"
"We Will Rise"
"Queen Of Thieves"
"Dust To Dust"
"Can You Hear Me"
"This Is War"
"Fatima"
"Third Secret"
"Shame On You"
"Hearts Of Stone"

"The Third Secret" video:

"Can You Hear Me" lyric video:

Lineup:

Ken Mary - drums
John Macko - bass
Kendall Bechtel - vocals, guitars
Ed Archer - guitars

(Photo - Laura Siivola)

Apocalyptica Plays Metallica by Four Cellos - A Live Performance, was released as a 2CD+1DVD digipak as well as a digital album version on December 7th. Order here, and watch a video for "The Unforgiven" from the release below:

Two decades ago, Apocalyptica’s first and most important album, Plays Metallica By Four Cellos, was released, selling over 1.5 million copies to date and leading to a carefully remastered, critically acclaimed new album version with three bonus tracks in 2016. In celebration of the trailblazing album’s 20th anniversary, the avowed live band is honouring their career-defining release with the extensive Plays Metallica By Four Cellos world tour since early 2017.

The highly emotional, all instrumental shows across the continents feature four cellos and a drum set and Metallica covers only, taking audiences back to the sound and track listing of the original album as well as thrilling them with more Metallica songs Apocalyptica covered over the years.

Show stopping highlights are cello versions of hits such as "Enter Sandman", "Master Of Puppets" and "Seek And Destroy", as well as incredibly dense encores like "Nothing Else Matters" and "One".

The new DVD delivers the band’s full two-hour concert at the renowned Finnish Savonlinna Opera Festival in the breathtaking scenery of Olavinlinna Castle, featuring previously unreleased Metallica covers. The accompanying CD/digital (and later vinyl) formats present the band’s slightly heavier rock flavor, displayed at one of the band’s three sold-out shows at the iconic Tavastia Club in Helsinki in September.

A lavish 3LP+1DVD+download code package will be dropping in 2019.




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German power metal band, Iron Savior, will release their new album, Kill Or Get Killed, On March 8th via AFM Records. You can pre-order the album here, and watch a lyric video for the song "Roaring Thunder" below.

Mastermind Piet Sielck recently posted the following update: "Hey folks, just a quick info that we have a super limited vinyl version Kill Or Get Killed available for pre-order! 100 units only, so better be quick! Where to get it? In AFM's shop here."

That Hamburg isn’t only the most beautiful city in the world but also a big stronghold when it comes to power metal should be well know ever since the nineteen eighties. Also every fan of hard, melodic music should be familiar with the band of guitarist and singer Piet Sielck, Iron Savior, who are a known quantity in the metal game.

The band has been continuously releasing albums since its founding in 1996. With twelve albums, several chart entries for example with Titancraft (2016) and nearly 4 million streams for their hymn “Heavy Metal Never Dies”, it is clear that Iron Savior are on the right track with their classic and thrilling metal sound.

Piet and his fellow bandmates are unleashing album number 13, Kill Or Get Killed. Though the artwork and title seem to be unusually grim, the band stay true to their straight to the point guitar solos, perfect hooks, catchy choirs and the characteristic voice of front man Piet himself. This mix makes Kill Or Get Killed an excellent power metal album.

Certainly those ten new songs plus one bonus track are again well produced by band boss Piet, as he is not only guitarist and singer but also owner of the Powerhouse Studios.

Tracklisting:

"Kill Or Get Killed"
"Roaring Thunder"
"Eternal Quest"
"From Dust And Ruble"
"Sinner Or Saint"
"Stand Up And Fight"
"Heroes Ascending"
"Never Stop Believing"
"Until We Meet Again"
"Legends Of Glory"
"Sin City" (AC/DC cover, bonus track)

"Roaring Thunder" lyric video:

"Eternal Quest":




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Switzerland's Rage Of Light are about to unleash a musical monster. Their mix of sharp riffs, electronic beats, melody and screaming violence breaks down to the long awaited debut album, Imploder, out on March 29th via Napalm Records. Pre-order here.

Today, the band unleashes the official video for their first single, “Fallen”, filmed by Roger Simon and Sylvain Pellet. Check it out below.

Says Rage Of Light: "We are thrilled to share the first single of our album Imploder. This song reflects the evolution of the band and its music, and gives a first taste of the universe in which the album will guide the listeners."

After the success of their EP, Chasing A Reflection, time has come to take the next step for Rage Of Light around the charismatic Melissa Bonny and founder Jonathan Pellet.

The band on the new album: "Imploder opens a window on a hypothetical future where the detention of power and the technological evolution have been led by people acting without measuring the consequences. Each song reflects this unique Rage Of Light signature: our own combination of powerful riffs and harsh vocals contrasted by mesmerizing trance touches and clean vocals."

Tracklisting:

"Light"
"Enraged"
"Fallen"
"I Can, I Will"
"Away With You"
"In The Shadow"
"Battlefront"
"Imploder"
"Mechanicals"
"Nothingness"

Teaser:

Rage Of Light are:

Melissa Bonny - Main vocals
Jonathan Pellet - Vocals, keyboards, synth & drums programming
Noé Schüpbach - Guitars, bass

(Photo - Pascal Knecht)




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In November 2018, US dark melodic metal act Witherfall released their second studio album, A Prelude To Sorrow. Never resting on its laurels, the group led by the creative duo comprised of vocalist Joseph Michael (Sanctuary) and Jake Dreyer (Iced Earth) now announces the Vintage EP, with the CD, LP, and digital release to be available during the upcoming acoustic tour with Sonata Arctica and released via Century Media Records on March 22nd.

Witherfall reveals: “During the sessions for A Prelude To Sorrow, two cover songs were recorded that showed a different side of Witherfall, originally intended to be bonus tracks. A dark and somber version of Tom Petty’s 'I Won’t Back Down' with vocals recorded with Michael Wagener (Metallica, Skid Row) and an epic version of the Helloween classic 'A Tale That Wasn’t Right'. With the announcement of the Sonata Arctica Acoustic Adventures tour, it was decided to release these covers along with a few acoustic renditions of favorite Witherfall tracks.

"Along with new keyboardist Alex Nasla and session percussionist James “Timbali” Cornwell (Smokey Robinson, Earth Wind & Fire ), Joseph Michael, Jake Dreyer and Anthony Crawford retreated to Harmony Recording Studios in Hollywood, CA (Adele, Miley Cyrus) armed with acoustic guitars and bottles of wine to start working on acoustic arrangements for the tour. The sessions were fruitful and two acoustic versions of past Witherfall songs were recorded: a medley of 'Vintage' and 'Nobody Sleeps Here...' (originally on “Nocturnes and Requiems”) and an alternate arrangement of 'Ode to Despair'. Instead of keeping these as secrets and finally making the rare 'The Long Walk Home (December)' also available to an audience outside of Japan, the Vintage EP offers a collection of music that shows another dimension of the Witherfall sound.”

Check out the official video for the cover of "I Won't Back Down" below.

Mixed and mastered by Christopher “Zeuss” Harris and again featuring artwork by Kristian Wåhlin, Vintage will be released as strictly limited, hand-numbered CD digipak, on black and limited coloured vinyl as well as on all digital platforms.

Tracklisting:

Vintage Medley: "Vintage I", "Nobody Sleeps Here…", "Vintage II"
"A Tale That Wasn't Right" (Helloween cover)
"Ode To Despair" (acoustic)
"The Long Walk Home" (December)
"I Won't Back Down" (Tom Petty cover)
"Vintage" (album version)

Witherfall have kicked off the pre-sale for Vintage at www.witherfall.com/merch whereas the worldwide digital and physical pre-order via Century Media Records starts January 25th.

Furthermore, the Vintage EP also features new keyboardist Alex Nasla who will join Witherfall on the group's upcoming European tour kicking off March 13th in Oslo, Norway. An introductory clip can be viewed below:




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Gatineau, Quebec's Insurrection is an aural onslaught assaulting witnesses in both languages of French and English. Known for blending calculated technicality with a signature mixture of merciless death metal, the band has annihilated the masses with four full-lengths, their most recent 2017's Extraction unleashed on Galy Records to follow Prototype (2013), Fracture (2010) and Prologue (2009). 

Emerging as one of the most prominent metal bands to come out of Eastern Canada, the brutal quintet have premiered their new music video "System Failure". The video was shot during the band's performance at La Grande Guignolee Underground in December 2018 to raise money and food for local Montreal charity SunYouth. 

Vocalist Stef Jomphe comments: "We're thrilled to be sharing this video with you all! We shot this during La Grande Guignolée Underground and it reflects the symbiosis between our crowd and us, and 'System Failure' is the perfect mix of catchy and technical! Next time we're on the road, come sing with us: Failure! Failure!"

Upcoming Insurrection shows:

April
27 - Montreal, QC - Piranha Bar

June
7 - Vankleek Hill, ON - Farmfest




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Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing told Landy.Audio in a recent interview that he is not sad or resentful over the fact that the band has carried on recording and touring after his exit nearly eight years ago. "It was bound to happen," he said. "It's just the way it has happened. I think it should have been different, really. I think Richie [Faulkner, Downing's replacement] should have been allowed to be his own person. And if he likes to play Gibson Les Pauls, then he should go on stage and play those and not be encouraged to play Flying Vs and wear clothes like me and look like me and do all of that.

"When Ripper [vocalist Tim Owens] joined [JUDAS PRIEST as the replacement for Rob Halford], we gave him license to be himself — we didn't say, 'You've gotta do this like Rob or that like Rob,'" Downing continued. "So, essentially, my initial reaction was that the guys have cloned me. I thought, well, maybe they think it's a good move because the fans won't miss me and they'll kind of, in a way, from 10 rows back, think I'm still there. And the fact that my image was used in so much of the publicity for the upcoming tour. Maybe that's what went on. I think that Richie is such a good player in his own right that he should have been allowed to be himself. And, of course, when Glenn [Tipton] stepped down [last year after revealing that he has Parkinson's disease], I didn't see the same thing happening on that side of the stage."

Asked if he thinks Faulkner is an "adequate successor" to his lineage within JUDAS PRIEST, Downing said: "Well, it's absolutely seriously, seriously difficult to replace anybody that's been there for such a long time, and I understand that. It's so difficult, because it's not the same person. It doesn't matter, even if some people — and some people do think Ripper has got the edge over Rob. And I can see why — his vocals are young, they are strong. When he came into the band, he was tremendous. But the tonality and the texture, there's always gonna be little things here and there that are not gonna be the same. And people prefer to have the same. But I think that Richie is doing lots of things at the moment, really. He's not just filling in for me now — he's also playing Glenn's solos — and it all seems a bit strange to me. I don't really quite understand it."

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

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

"I'm sure that myself and Richie would have made a pretty good upfront guitar duo," Downing told Landry.Audio. "But time is moving on. Opportunities will get fewer and further between with age things."

In a 2011 interview with the Finnish newspaper Ilta-Sanomat, Halford stated about Faulkner's physical resemblance to a younger Downing: "People are saying, 'It's a clone. You've got some of K.K.'s DNA.' It's just the way it turned out. We made, like, a secret search. When we knew K.K. was not gonna be making the tour, we did a lot of secret, kind of, searching for another player. And Richie just happened to be the guy. And he just happens to look a little bit of the K.K. image, you know?! I think it would be silly to say, 'We looked for a guitar player that looks like Ken.' What we want is a very good metal guitar player, and that's what Richie Faulkner is."

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

In a new interview with Greece’s Rock Overdose, King Diamond guitarist Andy LaRocque talked about the whereabouts of a new album.

LaRocque said, “I’m actually composing songs for the next King Diamond album. That, I think, would be interesting for the fans to know, and I know that King is on the same line. He’s got some ideas in his head so I’m sure he’s gonna start recording some ideas very soon even though he has a lot of ideas already when it comes to lyrics, the story and all that… Actually, this morning, before talking to you, I sat down and did some stuff, one of my contributions for the album. Except for that, I’ve got a lot of clients in the studio from all over the world. Just a few days ago.”

About being ready for release for 2019, LaRocque revealed, “Well, this year, 2019. I really hope so! I think… I’m not gonna say anything because you don’t know what’s happening. But, right now, we’re working on writing songs and, as soon as that’s finished, we’re gonna start recording some of the songs. We’ll see, but we’re definitely working on it. It’s about time! It’s been 11 years since we released the last album and it’s definitely about time we released something new. The material so far is a little bit back to what people expect from us. I’m not gonna say it’s gonna be, like, a new Abigail album with that sound, but the style is classical King Diamond. I can say that much.”

On January 25th, King Diamond released a new DVD/Blu-ray, Songs For The Dead Live, via Metal Blade Records.

There is only one King Diamond, and for more than thirty years the great Dane has been dropping classic albums and putting on shows fans remember for the rest of their lives. Perhaps the only downside to having such a formidable catalogue is that there are just too many great songs to fit into a single set. However, you would be hard-pressed to find a fan who wouldn't want to hear 1987's seminal Abigail in its entirety, and Songs For The Dead Live captures this, twice, and in very different locales.

Boasting eighteen songs per set, each of the two shows - Belgium's Graspop Metal Meeting in June 2016 and Philadelphia's Fillmore in November 2015 - feature a brace of classic King Diamond and Mercyful Fate tracks including "Welcome Home," "Halloween," and "Eye Of The Witch" before launching into Abigail. The performances of the all-star lineup of musicians, comprising of guitarists Andy LaRocque and Mike Wead, bassist Pontus Egberg and drummer Matt Thompson, are absolutely ferocious, hammering home every single moment.

For a new preview of Songs For The Dead Live, a video for "Arrival" (Live At Graspop) can be found below.

Order the release in the following formats here:

- 2DVD/CD 6-Panel Digipak
- Blu-ray (includes audio digital download of Philadelphia Show)
- special edition box set with 5 discs (2DVD, 2CD, 1 Blu-ray) plus poster, flier, laminate, setlist, ticket, sticker, and guitar pick (limited to 3000 copies)
- opaque blue with white splatter vinyl (US retail exclusive - limited to 600 copies)
- opaque red with black splatter vinyl (US webstore exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- opaque white with black splatter vinyl (US webstore exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- 180g black vinyl (EU exclusive)
- transparent amber marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 700 copies)
- clear ghost white vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 500 copies)
- orange-brown/black marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
- black/purple melt vinyl (Nuclear Blast exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- orange/red marbled vinyl (Napalm exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
- clear lavender marbled vinyl (EMP exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- clear ash grey marbled vinyl (Bengan exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- pink blue marbled vinyl (Ebay exclusive - limited to 200 copies)

Captured on film by director Denise Korycki for Wild Wind Studios, she worked closely with King on every aspect of filming, and throughout the viewer finds themselves front and center as the shows unfold. This includes some inventive camera placement, such as riding in on the back of the wheelchair as it is wheeled out to "Out From The Asylum" at the start of the show, or looking up from the coffin at the commencement of Abigail opener "Funeral", which adds an extra dimension to proceedings. Naturally, the theatricality that has become synonymous with King Diamond is there in full force, making for an even more immersive experience. The gothic stage set and the participation of actors playing out certain scenes tying into the songs definitely increases the drama and the sense of complete disconnect from the trappings of reality, ensuring that the shows remain riveting from start to finish.

While the setlists are virtually identical, the drastic difference in the two venues make for distinctly different atmospheres. The sweeping, epic scale of Graspop and the virtual sea of baying metalheads makes for a particularly thrilling spectacle, King holding them all in the palm of his hand. The Fillmore show is immediately more intimate, and rather than a mixed bag of metal lovers drunk on a weekend of the heavy stuff, the audience is comprised entirely of the King Diamond devout, screaming back every word, their love for their hero bleeding from every frame. Songs For The Dead Live gives those who missed out on seeing these shows in the flesh a chance to vividly experience them, offering so much deeper an experience than your run of the mill live DVD.

Graspop Metal Meeting tracklisting:

"Out From The Asylum"
"Welcome Home"
"Sleepless Nights"
"Halloween"
"Eye Of The Witch"
"Melissa"
"Come To The Sabbath"
"Them"
"Funeral"
"Arrival"
"A Mansion In Darkness"
"The Family Ghost"
"The 7th Day Of July 1777"
"Omens"
"The Possession"
"Abigail"
"Black Horsemen"
"Insanity"

"Arrival" (Live At Graspop):

"Welcome Home" (Live At Graspop):

"Come To The Sabbath" (Live At Graspop):

The Fillmore tracklisting:

"Out From The Asylum"
"Welcome Home"
"Sleepless Nights"
"Eye Of The Witch"
"Halloween"
"Melissa"
"Come To The Sabbath"
"Them"
"Funeral"
"Arrival"
"A Mansion In Darkness"
"The Family Ghost"
"The 7th Day Of July 1777"
"Omens"
"The Possession"
"Abigail"
"Black Horsemen"
"Insanity"

"A Mansion In Darkness" (Live At The Fillmore) video:

"Sleepless Nights" (Live At The Fillmore) video:




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FOREIGNER and Eagle Vision have announced the release of the concert film, "Foreigner Live At The Rainbow '78", which is available on DVD, Blu-ray, and digital video from March 15.

A performance clip of the song "Hot Blooded", taken from "Foreigner Live At The Rainbow '78", can be seen below.

After the band's self-titled debut album had spent a year in the U.S. Top 20, rock's conquering heroes played a sold-out show at London's celebrated Rainbow Theatre on April 27, 1978. Opening with "Long, Long Way From Home", fans were treated to a magnificent display of musicianship and performance, including hit singles "Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold As Ice", as well an exclusive preview of two tracks from the upcoming "Double Vision" album, "Hot Blooded" and "Double Vision".

Featuring the classic FOREIGNER lineup of Mick Jones (lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals), Lou Gramm (lead vocals, percussion), Ian McDonald (guitars, keyboards, sax, flute, backing vocals), Al Greenwood (keyboards, synthesizer), Ed Gagliardi (bass, backing vocals) and Dennis Elliott (drums, backing vocals), this show captures the essence of a group who would go on to become one of the world's best-selling bands of all time.

Forty years later, this definitive performance by the original band has been restored from the original film reels, remixed and remastered for this release.

"1978 was an absolutely magical time for the band," remembers Mick Jones, "and to come back over to the U.K. to play a headline show at the legendary Rainbow really was a dream come true. The audience was amazing that night. We couldn't have wished for a better show."

As FOREIGNER's music continues to resonate with fans old and new, the band celebrated their 40th anniversary playing amphitheaters and arenas throughout 2018.

Track listing:

01. Long, Long Way From Home

02. I Need You

03. Woman Oh Woman

04. Hot Blooded

05. The Damage Is Done

06. Cold As Ice

07. Starrider

08. Double Vision

09. Feels Like The First Time

10. Fool For You Anyway

11. At War With The World

12. Headknocker