Slovakian death / black metal duo Ceremony Of Silence will unleash its debut album, Outis, on April 5th via Willowtip Records.

Drummer Svjatogor comments on the album's lyrical themes: “The main lyrical concept behind Outis deals with a mystical path of a man - a confrontation with his innermost self and his direct experience of the ultimate perennial wisdom, while releasing all his attachments to the mundane world. Various stages of this path are concealed in a series of metaphorical visions that add another layer to the music itself.”

The first track from Outis to be released is "Ceremony Of A Thousand Stars":

The music itself can be described as death metal with a dissonant, yet atmospheric feel, powered by rapid-fire blast beasts and dizzying tremolo riffs. The lyrics deal with mysticism and death, concepts that carry over into the album’s cover art - a traditional woodblock print designed by Svjatogor.

Outis tracklisting:

"Invocation Of The Silent Eye"
"Ceremony Of A Thousand Stars"
"Trance Of Void"
"Upon The Shores Of Death"
"Black Sea Of Drought"
"Arising Of No Man"
"Into The Obscure Light"
 




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Wolfheart took a short break from their extensive touring in 2018, just to put the recorded live video material together to a nine-minute-long live video for their epic album opener, “Everlasting Fall”. Taken from their last release, Constellation Of The Black Light, the video leads you right into the grim coldness of Finland, performed in hot concert halls.

Wolves don't rest and so Wolfheart are already prepared to cover the world in ice and snow again. The Constellation Of The Black Light Above The World Tour kicks off in Japan, leads them over Russia to North America, before they return to Europe.

Find the band's live itinerary here.




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The official lyric video for the song "This Road" from Finnish melodic metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM can be seen below. The track is the second single from the band's tenth album, "Hexed", which will be released on March 8 via Nuclear Blast Records.

CHILDREN OF BODOM frontman, guitarist and mastermind Alexi Laiho comments: "'This Road' was actually the last song I wrote, but it ended up being the opening track and also one of the singles, which makes me happy 'cause it's one of my faves. It's different from anything we've done since 'Follow The Reaper' but it's still new. Check it out and you'll know what I mean."

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

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

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

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

Formed in Kuopio, Finland by brothers Aarni & Jaakko Metsäpelto while they were still in junior high, Block Buster spent their teenage years honing their sound and identity. While still in the midst of not being of legal age to play clubs and instead tearing it up at local backyard and basement parties to their sixteen - seventeen year old friends, the band suddenly found themselves being chosen to open for Bon Jovi at Helsinki Olympic Stadium.

Since then, Block Buster have been honing their craft playing gigs at festivals and those clubs they are now legally allowed to enter, while also releasing an EP and two singles which have created a nice buzz in the Finnish rock scene and drew the interest of Frontiers.

"All of us in Block Buster feel totally energized to have signed a worldwide deal with one of the truest ROCK labels on the planet, Frontiers Music. It's taken years of hard work to have built up a great team around the band and now we have all the right machinery behind us to push us to the next level. Our first album, Losing Gravity, will be released on Frontiers worldwide in 2019 and it is going to be a great year for Block Buster. Please join us on the next stage of our rock 'n roll journey!"

Inspired by the sounds of classic hard rock pioneers while adding a modern “retro” approach, Block Buster are ready to break out from their Nordic homeland on to the world stage.

Lineup:

Aarni Metsäpelto - Lead vocals & Guitar
Jaakko Metsäpelto - Drums & Vocals
Joonas Arppe - Bass & Vocals
Elias Salo - Lead Guitar & Vocals




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Dave Grohl joined the ZAC BROWN BAND on stage last night (Thursday, January 31) in Atlanta, Georgia to perform a cover of "Enter Sandman".

The American country band was performing at the Bud Light Dive Bar when the FOO FIGHTERS frontman stepped up to play the METALLICA classic his longtime friends to close out their 75-minute set.

In a 2015 interview with Creative Loafing, Grohl said that he bought the first METALLICA album, "Kill 'Em All", on cassette from a mail-order catalog in 1983. "I had never heard of them," he said. "I didn't know anything about them other than they had a cool name, and the description said 'thrash metal.' I didn't even know what that meant."

He continued: "I had listened to tons of punk rock music, and I loved MOTÖRHEAD, but thrash metal? That sounded scary and cool. So I sent them my $6 or $7 and a couple weeks later I get this tape in the mail. It was 'Kill 'Em All' and it blew my fucking mind. I will be a diehard METALLICA fan until the day I die because of that experience. It was like someone had sent me the Holy Grail. I was like, 'Ahhh! This is so killer!'"

FOO FIGHTERS and METALLICA are among the artists that performed on January 16 at the Chris Cornell tribute concert at the Forum in Los Angeles, California. A number of other rock and pop stars also appeared at the event, billed as "I Am The Highway: A Tribute To Chris Cornell", which was presented by Cornell's family and closest friends, with Jimmy Kimmel hosting.

Mastodon have released Part 4 of a video series recapping their Emperor Of The Sand tour, stating, "Billy Butterslax keeps busy on the road! We had a blast having our buddy, Danger Ehren on the road for a few days last summer. UK and Europe, has been a great tour so far!"

Watch previous recap videos below:

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3:

Mastodon tour dates can be found here.




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KISS kicked off its "End Of The Road" farewell tour Thursday night (January 31) at the Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The band played a 20-song set consisting of four tracks from KISS's self-titled debut album (1974), one from "Hotter Than Hell" (1974), one from "Dressed To Kill" (1975), five from "Destroyer" (1976), one from "Love Gun" (1976), one from "Dynasty" (1979), two from "Creatures Of The Night" (1982), one from "Lick It Up" (1983), one from "Animalize" (1984), one from "Hot In The Shade" (1989), one from "Psycho Circus" (1998) and one from "Sonic Boom" (2009).

The setlist was as follows:

01. Detroit Rock City

02. Shout It Out Loud

03. Deuce

04. Say Yeah

05. Heaven's On Fire

06. War Machine

07. Lick It Up

08. 100,000 Years

09. God Of Thunder

10. Cold Gin

11. Psycho Circus

12. I Love It Loud

13. Hide Your Heart

14. Let Me Go, Rock 'N' Roll

15. Love Gun

16. I Was Made For Lovin' You

17. Black Diamond

Encore:

18. Beth

19. Do You Love Me

20. Rock And Roll All Nite

Fan-filmed video footage can be seen below.

Check out photos from the Vancouver Sun.

KISS frontman Paul Stanley recently said about the "End Of The Road" tour and stage production: "People say is this bittersweet? No. If the tour is anything like this stage, it's totally sweet. We always try to raise the bar — that's just for us — but when other bands would see us, they would feel they had to up their game. Let me tell you something: everybody better start working out, because we're upping the game that much more. This is absolutely mind-bogglingly good. It's totally KISS. And I'll be looking for you on the 'End Of The Road' tour."

KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer told Australia's Hysteria Magazine that the group's farewell tour will be "the biggest" one the band has ever done "in terms of production." It will be "a whole new thing for KISS," the guitarist said. "It's just gonna be the bombastic show KISS has always been famed for."

In September, KISS announced its "End Of The Road" farewell tour on NBC's "America's Got Talent", and a month later, the band revealed the first set of dates and cities in North America, produced by Live Nation. International markets were announced simultaneously.

The first North American leg of "End Of The Road" will hit an additional 42 cities.

"One thing for sure is that this is the last tour," Stanley told Billboard. "What goes beyond that is really hard to say. The tour may go three years, but once we play your city, it is done. That is our big thank you."

The lineup features the current version of the band — Stanley, Thayer, Gene Simmons and Eric Singer. But Stanley has hinted that former members like Ace Frehley and Peter Criss could make appearances.

Norwegian black metallers SATYRICON will perform their landmark 1999 album, "Rebel Extravaganza", in its entirety at the Tons Of Rock festival in Oslo, Norway to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its release. The June 27 set will be an exclusive event and therefore, the only show where they will perform the record in full this year.

Meanwhile, SATYRICON is currently working on a major project that they expect to unveil in 2021. Details will follow in the spring.

The band's summer festival run begins in Mexico City on May 4.

In a 2017 interview with Poland's Inertia.pl, SATYRICON frontman Sigurd "Satyr" Wongraven stated about "Rebel Extravaganza": "'Rebel' was not only a game changer for SATYRICON, but for the genre, I think. It was a time where everything [referring to black metal] was turning gothic. For us, it was very important to do something more contemporary, which didn't have anything to do with gothic. I think that was an influential album."

SATYRICON's latest album, "Deep Calleth Upon Deep", was released in September 2017 via Napalm Records. The disc was recorded in Oslo, Norway and Vancouver, Canada, during early 2017 and mixed together with revered studio guru Mike Fraser (who previously worked on "Now, Diabolical").

THE MIST, the Brazilian metal band featuring former SEPULTURA guitarist Jairo Guedz, will celebrate its 30th anniversary on a new tour. The group's lineup will consist of most of the members that recorded "The Hangman Tree" album, considered a classic in Brazilian thrash metal. Joining Jairo will be Vladimir Korg on vocals, Chris Salles on drums and Wesley Ribeiro (HELLS PUNCH, HAMMURABI, DROWNED) replacing Marcelo "Cello" Dias on bass.

THE MIST has been practicing for about a year to prepare for the "Scarecrow Tour XXI".

Said Korg: "We have been rather out of sight this year just to make sure we would have a constructive, positive and artistic energy among us. Once again, we've learned to listen and respect one another.

"We want to deliver the best of our experience together to our fans. We want to inspire and perhaps bring a new perspective to our own lives and to all the people who share their ride with us. We won't let you down. Let's get on the road!!!"

Formed in 1989 in Belo Horizonte, THE MIST's setlist for the upcoming tour will cover the band's first phase and the albums "Phantasmagoria" and "The Hangman Tree". The subsequent albums, "Ashes To Ashes, Dust To Dust" (1993) and "Gottverlassen" (1995), incorporated more of an industrial influence, and they will be performed on future tours.

Dias, who lives in Los Angeles, was one of the founders of THE MIST and was also the first bass player in Max Cavalera's SOUFLY.

THE MIST 2019 is:

Vladimir Korg - Vocals

Jairo Guedz - Guitar

Wesley Ribeiro - Bass

Chris Salles - Drums

SEPULTURA was formed in 1984 in Belo Horizonte, the capital city of Minas Gerais. Jairo joined the group the following year and played on the band's first two releases, 1985's "Bestial Devastation" EP and their 1986 full-length debut, "Morbid Visions".

In early 1987, Jairo quit SEPULTURA after losing interest in playing death metal and was replaced by São Paulo-based guitarist Andreas Kisser.

"Bitch In The Box", the new video from Canadian metal legends ANVIL, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's latest album, "Pounding The Pavement", which was released in January 2018 via SPV/Steamhammer as a digipak version (including one bonus track and poster), two-LP gatefold colored version, digital download and stream. The disc was produced at the Soundlodge studios in Rhauderfehn in the northwest of Germany, where ANVIL found not only the necessary peace and seclusion to concentrate on their recordings, but also met in studio owner Jörg Uken the ideal producer for their ambitioned work.

Why has "Pounding The Pavement" turned into such an awesome offering? Guitarist/vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow explains: "The songwriting process started immediately after the work on our previous album, 'Anvil Is Anvil', had been completed. So our thoughts instantly turned to the future again. After 'Anvil Is Anvil' had been cut, everybody knew what we had just delivered and what ANVIL's future should sound like."

Despite the diverse range of their ideas, Kudlow, drummer Robb Reiner and their bassist Chris Robertson have succeeded in filling the typical trademarks of this unusual band with life once again — which is an important aspect for every ANVIL release. After all, tradition and reliability play an essential role in this group. Kudlow says: "Of course we always allow inspirations from earlier recordings to seep in, but always with an emphasis on evolving the characteristic ANVIL sound.

"Lots of fans keep asking us to play the way we did in the so-called good old days. That's why I try from time to time to pick up on that exciting feel of our older material. Mind you, it's always exclusively about the basic atmosphere of that time, never about copying an older song."

The programmatic album title "Pounding The Pavement" is a synonym for the consistently serious challenge of ensuring ANVIL's financial survival. Kudlow says: "I feel nothing could describe the way we've been working for the past forty years better than 'Pounding The Pavement'. ANVIL have tried for four decades to earn enough money to survive and continue to make music."

Children Of Bodom will release their tenth album, Hexed, on March 8th via Nuclear Blast Records. In the clip below, frontman Alexi Laiho unboxes teh vinyl LP version of the album to do some quality control.

Hexed will be available in the following formats:

- CD Digipak
- Pink w/ Black splatter vinyl – Limited to 300
- CD Digipak + T-Shirt + Poster

Pre-order your copy here.

Hexed tracklisting:

"The Road"
"Under Grass and Clover"
"Glass Houses"
"Hecate’s Nightmare"
"Kick in the Spleen"
"Platitudes and Barren Words"
"Hexed"
"Relapse (The Nature of My Crime)"
"Say Never Look Back"
"Soon Departed"
"Knuckleduster"

Bonus tracks:
"I Worship Chaos" (live)
"Morrigan" (live)
"Knuckleduster" (remix)

"Under Grass And Clover" video:

Trailers:




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After recording more than 50 albums, Mats Levén is one of today's most-sought-after vocalists in the hard rock and metal world. Now he teamed up with Napalm Records to release his very first solo album under the name SKYBLOOD.

From a first small tour with SWEDISH EROTICA in 1989 to TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA's massive U.S. tour in 2018, Mats has been delivering the goods around the globe with acts such as YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, THERION, CANDLEMASS, GUS G., TREAT, ADAGIO, KRUX, FIREWIND, AT VANCE and many more.

2019 marks the 30th year for Mats as a recording artist and Napalm Records is proud to release the legend's very first solo album this year.

Levén comments on the signing: "A few days after the split with CANDLEMASS in September 2018, I was contacted by Napalm Records regarding my solo material. The timing was perfect, and today I'm thrilled to announce our partnership and the release of SKYBLOOD in the fall of 2019! SKYBLOOD is who I am and where I'm at after 30 years in this weird business. A special thanks to Sebastian Münch at Napalm. Let's do this!"

Sebastian Münch, A&R at Napalm Records, states: "With absolute pleasure and honor, Napalm Records would like to announce the signing of Mats Levén's SKYBLOOD. Over the years, Mats's distinguished vocal works have created various masterpieces; in particular for CANDLEMASS, KRUX and THERION! The new songs from the SKYBLOOD debut sound amazing and we are looking forward to a very successful album release. Mats, welcome to the Napalm family!"

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

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

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

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

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

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

Professionally filmed video footage of METALLICA performing the song "Dream No More" on January 22 at The BJCC in Birmingham, Alabama can be seen below. The band's set lasted more than two hours and included 18 tracks.

The second North American leg of METALLICA's "WorldWired" features in-the-round production and a few firsts, including a "Light It Up" pre-show party hosted by the band's friend, comedian Jim Breuer; and a "Wherever I May Roam Black Ticket" that gives a limited number of fans floor access to any show on the tour.

The "WorldWired" set and stage design, designed by the show's director, Dan Braun, features an immersive concert experience with a 44' x 44' square main-stage equipped with several prop lifts located in the center of the arena.

The "WorldWired" show features the touring industry's first autonomous indoor drone swarm, with 99 micro drones dancing like fireflies for the song "Moth Into Flame".

METALLICA kicked off the 2018/2019 U.S. leg of the "WorldWired" arena tour back in September in Madison, Wisconsin.

MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine has dropped another $325,000 from the asking price of his Fallbrook, California estate.

Mustaine put his house on the market in October 2015 for $5.375 million — more than five times what he paid for it three years earlier — but that price came down in June 2016 by almost a million and a half to $3.895 million, in January 2017 by another $700,000 to $3.195 million, in June 2017 by $20,000 to $3.175 million, in December 2017 by $375,000 to $2,800,000 and in July 2018 to $2,650,000. The home now sits at an even lower price of $2,325,000.

Mustaine and his family moved to Nashville in October 2014 after living in Fallbrook for a couple of years.

Speaking to MetalIreland.com, Mustaine stated about his California house: "Property like that, it's hidden, it's a bit off the beaten path, and we're not in a hurry to sell it. We want the right buyer too. We're obviously still quite attached to it. When we got it, it was abandoned, so we've completely restored it from the ground up. I mean, it has a vineyard on it, and that alone is worth the price of admission… It has a sort of 'Lord Of The Rings'… well, actually, no... more like 'The Hobbit' feel to it, with the thatched roof and everything."

On the topic of his move to Nashville, Mustaine said: "I've lived there four times before, because we did records there. So I've lived there for several months at a time… I want [my daughter] Electra to pursue her [country music] dreams. I can do my job anywhere, really… It's good for me, because my daughter is happy, and I think, if you love your children, you'll always want to protect and provide for them. And, like I said, I can pretty much do my job anywhere."

According to the Los Angeles Times, Mustaine's 9.5-acre country English-style home in the northern San Diego community was built in 1990 and includes vineyards, pastureland and a pond.

The 5,345 square feet of living space includes a paneled media room/den, a bar, an office, a gym, five bedrooms, five full bathrooms and two powder rooms. There is also a state-of-the-art sound and recording studio, a control room, a reception room and a producer's boarding room.

Public records published by Trulia.com indicate the home was last sold in December 2012 for $995,000.

In March 2017, Mustaine's Fallbrook house served as the "Megadeth Boot Camp" where diehard MEGADETH fans — who spent between $999 and $5,499 each — had the opportunity to take guitar, drum and bass lessons, witness an acoustic concert by the band, taste wine with Mustaine and jam in a studio on the group's 1992 classic "Symphony Of Destruction".

DEEP PURPLE guitarist Steve Morse says the band will work on its 21st studio album later this year. The effort will be the follow-up to 2017's "InFinite", which was recorded with legendary producer Bob Ezrin.

Speaking to Andertons Music Co. at last weekend's NAMM show about his plans for 2019, Morse said (see video below): "We're starting two albums — one with FLYING COLORS and one with DEEP PURPLE. And I know there's more DEEP PURPLE gigs that they haven't announced yet, so don't tell them that I told you so… This year, I think it might be U.S., but there's nothing booked for sure. I'm running on rumor power."

"InFinite" came out in April 2017 via earMUSIC. The disc's arrival was followed by "The Long Goodbye" tour, which started in May 2017 in Europe and included a North American leg with ALICE COOPER and EDGAR WINTER as well as another summer run with JUDAS PRIEST.

Last fall, DEEP PURPLE's Roger Glover said that he was not looking forward to the completion of "The Long Goodbye" tour. The bassist, who is 73 now, told Music Radar: "DEEP PURPLE has been such a presence in our lives for 50 years that none of us want it to end, but the realization is there that sooner or later we are going to have to stop. I'd love to go on and make another album. Emotionally, we're not ready to stop, so we could carry on for another four or five years."

DEEP PURPLE — which had been eligible for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame for two decades — finally entered the Rock Hall as part of the class of 2016. The band's first three lineups were inducted, including drummer Ian Paice, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore, late keyboardist Jon Lord, and various singers and bassists — Rod Evans; Ian Gillan and Roger Glover; and David Coverdale and Glenn Hughes.

FLYING COLORS is the "prog/pop" supergroup featuring Steve Morse (DEEP PURPLE), keyboardist Neal Morse (THE NEAL MORSE BAND, TRANSATLANTIC, ex-SPOCK'S BEARD), bassist Dave LaRue (DIXIE DREGS), drummer Mike Portnoy (SONS OF APOLLO, THE WINERY DOGS, ex-DREAM THEATER) and vocalist Casey McPherson (ALPHA REV).

Legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen 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.

"Blue Lightning" track listing:

01. Blue Lightning

02. Foxey Lady

03. Demon's Eye (DEEP PURPLE)

04. 1911 Strut

05. Blue Je.an Blues (ZZ TOP)

06. Purple Haze (Jimi Hendrix)

07. While My Guitar Gently Weeps (THE BEATLES)

08. Sun's Up Top's Down

09. Peace, Please

10. Paint It Black (THE ROLLING STONES)

11. Smoke On The Water (DEEP PURPLE)

12. Forever Man (Eric Clapton)

The official lyric video for "Sun's Up Top's Down" will be released on Friday, February 1.

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."

Fan-filmed video footage of LAST IN LINE's January 20 concert at Ace Of Spades in Sacramento, California can be seen below.

LAST IN LINE will release its sophomore album, "II", on February 22 via Frontiers Music Srl. As with 2016's "Heavy Crown", the new disc was produced by DOKKEN and FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson.

The official music video for the album first single, "Landslide", was released in November.

"'Landslide' was the first song we wrote for this record," vocalist Andrew Freeman says. "It was really easy to write as all of the parts fell into place quickly. The title 'Landslide' is a metaphor relating to the day-to-day struggles that we all go through as people. Trying to keep on course when dealing with adversity, manipulation through media and leadership. It's meant to inspire strength and resolve."

LAST IN LINE was formed in 2012, when Vinny Appice, Jimmy Bain and Vivian Campbell — Ronnie James Dio's co-conspirators and co-writers on the "Holy Diver", "Last In Line" and "Sacred Heart" albums — teamed up with esteemed vocalist Andrew Freeman. The debut album "Heavy Crown" was released in February 2016, landing at No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. Initially, the release had been preceded by tragedy when bassist Jimmy 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 renowned bassist Phil Soussan (ex-OZZY OSBOURNE) 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.


In late 2017, the band gathered in Los Angeles to start the recording of the second album, which was produced by the band members and Jeff Pilson (FOREIGNER, DOKKEN), who also helmed the debut album. Having really jelled as a band while touring in support of the first disc, the songwriting came readily to the members. They've created a record that shows a big progression in sound, while immediately being recognizable as LAST IN LINE thanks to Appice's rhythms, thunderous bass from Soussan, amazing vocals from Freeman, and the roaring guitars of Campbell.

"The musical style of 'II' is different from 'Heavy Crown', but it wasn't something that we planned to do," explains Campbell. "Phil is a more intricate player than Jimmy was and that, together with the natural growth and development of the band led us to the songs on the album. As always, we simply started to jam on ideas and see where they led us. But it's fair to say that the songs on this album sound more developed, with more parts and more experimentation than the songs on 'Heavy Crown'. The first album set a tone, but on 'II' we developed that idea and took it to the next logical stage."


Appice, on the sound of the new record and songwriting process, says: "I always sound like me. Viv and I have been playing together for years and have the same feel and pulse and attitude. Now with Phil on bass, he allows a more melodic approach on the bass parts making the songs even more interesting. He fits in perfectly being from the same musical family and time as me and Viv. Mr. Freeman sings from his soul and completes the band's sound with his melodies and amazing range."


He continues: "The songwriting process was the same as DIO's 'Holy Diver'. First, we have fun writing together. We get in a room and jam on riffs and chords until we hit on something good, then continue to build it into a song. Andy puts his magic on it and it all works out very well."


Soussan says about how it was joining LAST IN LINE and the development of the songs: "It was refreshing to be able to write songs in such an organic fashion — by jamming and developing ideas as a group, without bringing in preconceived songs — something I haven't done for ages. The result was a true collaboration, a concept that is so rare these days! Vinny has a unique style of drumming that, beyond keeping beats, inspires riffs and arrangements and Vivian has a way of playing that has a conviction to every note. He is able to turn every riff into a signature. Andrew was creative and unrestricted, focusing his contemporary influences into vocal stylings and hooks that are outside the classic rock clichés. He is very much a perfectionist. Beyond trying to remain true to Jimmy's playing and to the heritage of the relationship between Viv and Vinny, everyone was completely open to exploring any possible idea. I am honestly prouder of our efforts on this album than anything in which I have been involved in for a very long time. With 'II', I would like to think that we have stretched out from 'Heavy Crown' to test some uncharted waters.... the evolution of LAST IN LINE!"

Bain was reportedly suffering from lung cancer at the time of his death.

"Don't Tread On Me", the new video from Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G., well known in rock and metal circles for his work as Ozzy Osbourne's guitarist and as leader of his own band FIREWIND, can be seen below. The song is taken from Gus's latest solo album, "Fearless", which was released in April 2018 via AFM Records. The follow-up to 2015's "Brand New Revolution" marks his first release since exiting Osbourne's band in 2017.

On "Fearless", Gus joined forces with vocalist/bassist Dennis Ward (PINK CREAM 69, UNISONIC) and drummer Will Hunt (EVANESCENCE).

"Dennis and I have collaborated very closely for a number years; he produced the current FIREWIND album, 'Immortals', among other things," Gus described his relationship with the multitalented German-American. "We're on the same musical wavelength and simply continued our cooperation after the FIREWIND production. I sent him demos of and ideas for my new songs and once we had enough material and started to think about vocalists, Dennis suggested recording the album as a trio.

"A lot of people don't realize that Dennis is not only a brilliant songwriter, bassist and producer, but also an excellent singer. I immediately liked his suggestion because this would be very different from everything else I've done before."

It was only a short step from the enlistment of drummer Will Hunt. Gus said: "Will was at the very top of my wish list. Fate smiled on me because we played at the Frankfurt music fair 2017 during my tour with Steve Stevens, and Will stayed at the same hotel. So I approached him, we talked for a while and he agreed. He came to the studio and recorded the drum parts for the whole album within two and a half days. A real pro with a great groove and an awesome punch."

Which applies not only to Hunt and Ward, but of course also to Gus himself, who once again proves to be a phenomenal guitarist on "Fearless", presenting technical skills which exclude all possibility of doubt and a compositional talent that allows his fellow musicians to shine.

Hard-as-nails metal tracks such as the opener "Letting Go", "Mr. Manson", which is driven by a dark bass/guitar riff, and the subsequent melodic "Don't Tread On Me" immediately propel the new album into the desired direction. At the same time, the three instrumental songs give listeners an idea of the outstanding talent of the 38-year-old who is easily on a par with George Lynch ("Mr. Scary") and Michael Schenker ("Into The Arena").

"A lot of fans have asked me to record more instrumental tracks. Voilà, here they are," grins Gus. Last but not least, the successful cover versions of the DIRE STRAITS classic "Money For Nothing", which surprises with an unusual change of key after the noteworthy intro, deserves a mention.

POISON singer Bret Michaels will release a new song, "Unbroken", on March 15. The track was co-written by his 13-year-old daughter, Jorja Bleu, who did an "amazing job," he told Digital Journal. "She played piano on it and she sang the harmonies with me. It was a great bonding experience. The song is about overcoming adversity."

An audio sample of "Unbroken" is available at this location.

In other news, Bret's eldest daughter, 18-year-old Raine Michaels, was announced as one of six finalists in the 2019 Sports Illustrated model search competition. This means that she has a one-in-six chance of shooting a spread for this year's edition of the iconic magazine issue.

"This blonde beauty is so much more than the daughter of a rockstar," the site's description of Raine said. "Since graduating high school last summer, Raine has started classes at Belmont University, where she balances a busy schedule of music classes and modeling."

Her father expressed his joy on Instagram. "So incredibly proud of @rainee_m! She works hard while being the kind & humble soul she’s always been," the rocker wrote. "I know she's beyond excited to work with @si_swimsuit and is grateful to be a top 6 finalist! Congratulations to her and all the other finalists who worked so hard to get to this point!"

Raine and Jorja, along with their mom and Michaels's on-off love Kristi Gibson, appeared in the short-lived 2010 reality show "Bret Michaels: Life As I Know It".

In 2017 and 2018, POISON toured for the first time since 2012, a hiatus largely due to Michaels's frequent tours as a solo artist, during which he typically performs a setlist that differs little from what POISON plays.

Michaels said during POISON's "Nothin' But A Good Time" tour that while the band will take the year off in 2019, he'd like POISON to tour again and release something new in 2020. "I think one or two songs, singles route, 100,000 percent," he told Loudwire. "We've already written one song on the road that we've been jamming at soundcheck. It really sounds good — it's a very modern song with a great feel and great hook."

Photo credit: Mark Mazzanti

Burzum mastermind Varg Vikernes has once again released a video offering his thoughts on Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund's horror-movie biopic on Norway's notorious Mayhem, Lords Of Chaos.

According to Consequence Of Sound, Vikernes, who was found guilty of killing Mayhem guitarist Øystein “Euronymous” Aarseth, insists that the movie is “just a lot of made-up crap” while also offering some seemingly anti-semitic thoughts on the actor portraying him.

Vikernes, who was a member of Mayhem from 1992 through 1993, says in the video: “So, you just watched the Lords of Chaos, the film where they have a fat Jewish actor play the role of me. I’m Scandinavian, by the way. Do I have a few things to say about that? Let's find out. So, the fat Jewish actor said things in that film that I never said in real life; he did things that I never did. He did things for reasons that I never had, and well, by and large, the whole film is just made up."

He continues: "As you probably know, the whole film is just a character murder and they completely ignore the facts."

An official video trailer for Lords Of Chaos can be found below.

The film, being released by Gunpowder and Sky, is co-produced by VICE Studios, 20th Century Fox, Scott Free Productions and Insurgent Media, opens in theaters February 8th and On Demand February 22nd.

Drawing from personal experience - Åkerlund was for a drummer for the Swedish extreme metal band Bathory for a short time in the early 80s - his adaptation of Michael Moynihan and Didrik Søderlind's book Lords Of Chaos details of the group's rise and fall via Mayhem's co-founder/guitarist Øystein Aarseth, aka Euronymous (Rory Culkin) and his relationship with two volatile collaborators: Per Yngve Ohlin aka Pelle aka Dead (Jack Kilmer), the band's ultra-melancholic first singer who killed cats and then himself; and Varg Vikernes, aka the Count (Emory Cohen), a fellow outcast and Aarseth's eventual murderer.

Visit the official Lords Of Chaos website here.




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Hailing from the cold, unforgiving wastelands of Hollywood, California, Ashen Horde is a two-piece band that strives to embrace a multitude of extreme metal sub-genres, without being bound to any one of them. Drawing influence from metal’s crème de le extreme, from Enslaved and Devin Townsend to Ihsahn and Opeth, Ashen Horde (aka Trevor Portz and Stevie Boiser (Vale of Phath, Inferi)), may have a sound rooted in death and black metal, but can’t truly be called either.

Originally launched as a one-man project in 2013 by writer and multi-instrumentalist Trevor Portz, Ashen Horde has released two albums, as well as several EPs, over the past three years. Beginning with the ambitious Sanguinum Vindicta trilogy, Portz has worked tirelessly to develop a sound that is both challenging and unique.

The band has just completed its third album, Fallen Cathedrals and has signed with Extreme Metal Music/Rockshots Records for its release on CD and vinyl in Europe and North America on March 22nd.

The duo has unleashed the concept album's first single and video "Profound Darkness".

The band explains the track:

"We slow things down a bit for this one, it is a song that is much grimmer and dark. The power has gone out across the entire poor part of the city, and the inhabitants—wary and distrusting of their wealthy neighbors—have decided that it must surely be the fault of the rich. Thus, they determine that the peace between the two sides is over and that they must get revenge."

A concept album in the vein of J.G. Ballard’s dystopian novel High Rise, Fallen Cathedrals explores class warfare and a society’s descent into primitive, warring tribes. Musically, the album expands further on the complexities of the band’s earlier releases, but with even more emphasis on progressive and melodic elements, even incorporating clean vocals for the first time. It will appeal to fans of the more progressive side of extreme metal, from Ihsahn and Borknagar to Opeth and Enslaved.

Portz states: "The forthcoming album, Fallen Cathedrals, is the perfect illustration of what Ashen Horde is all about. Musically, it draws influence from across the metal spectrum. There is hyper speed, blast-beat-fueled black metal that runs alongside pummeling death metal riffs; clean-sung melodic passages juxtaposed against face-melting screams, and headbanging beats intermixed with progressive odd-time signatures."

Tracklisting:

"Parity Lost"
"Profound Darkness"
"Retaliation-Regret"
"The Vanishing"
"Atavism"
"Cages"
"Final Ascent"
"Face Of The Enmity"
"Primal" (bonus track on CD only)

"Profound Darkness" video:

- Music and lyrics by Trevor Portz, with additional lyrics by Stevie Boiser
- Recorded and mixed by Trevor Portz at La Maida Vale Studios, Hollywood, CA
- Mastered by Dan at Mammoth Sound Mastering




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Black Oak County will release its second album, Theatre Of The Mind, on April 26th via Mighty Music. The record was produced by Jacob Hansen (Amaranthe, Pretty Maids, Volbeat), with the mixing and mastering being handled by Jonas Haagensen. A new single of the track "Wasted Life", will be released in early March. It follows the first taste of the album, "Pretty Pistol", released last year, together with the video below.

The band comments: "We feel that the making of this album have made us the band we want to be: focusing on the songs, and always working harder to achieve new goals. This album is a milestone for us, after the band became a trio. We are so happy about it and can’t wait to let people hear it. We hope they love it as much as we do!"

Theatre Of The Mind will be released by Mighty Music and will be available in CD, vinyl and digital formats.




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British musician and progressive rock pioneer Steven Wilson says that Brexit will "make it very difficult" for bands to tour, explaining that paying additional taxes on merchandise he sells on the road will make him think twice about playing shows in Europe in the future.

A public vote — called a referendum — was held in June 2016 when voters were asked just one question: whether the U.K. should leave or remain in the EU, a group of 28 countries which trade with each other and allow anyone to easily move between the countries to live and work. The "Leave" side won (by nearly 52% to 48%) but the exit didn't happen straight away — it is slated to take place in March 2019.

The Brexit vote has thrown the U.K. into a period of uncertainty, with some economists warning that it may lead to a downturn in the British economy while other people have claimed that it will help the U.K. negotiate better terms with the EU. A poll showed that many voters opted for Brexit because they "wanted the U.K. to regain control over EU immigration."

Asked by GoetiaMedia.com's Jorge Fretes for his opinion of Brexit, Wilson said (hear audio below): "It's going to affect touring, if it happens. At the moment, honestly, I have no idea what's going on — I have no idea. I mean, I read the news every day and I don't understand what's going on. It may not even happen. It seems to me there's actually a strong possibility now that it may not even go ahead. So right now, I'm waiting. I'm not trying to pre-judge or make any decisions about the future, because it simply may not happen. And if it doesn't happen, I think that would be a wonderful thing for… Most artists certainly feel that way, I think. If it does go ahead… I haven't thought a lot about it, but I think it's going to make it very difficult. Just simple things, like selling merchandise and t-shirts… I mean, I survive on that. I spend all the money I make, I spend it on the show, so I have to rely on selling t-shirts. If suddenly I'm gonna be taxed heavily on that kind of stuff, just those little things… You start to think, 'Well, you know what? Is it even worth me going on tour in Europe?' And I think that's going to be a really big issue — if it happens. But let's wait and see."

Earlier this month, British Prime Minister Theresa May was defeated in a landslide vote in Parliament, where lawmakers rejected her Brexit deal by a vote of 432 to 202 — leaving Britain's future relationship with the European Union unclear.

Photo credit: Hajo Müller

Former FLYLEAF singer and current Christian rock solo artist Lacey Sturm will fill in for SKILLET drummer and female vocalist Jen Ledger on five dates during the latter band's upcoming tour with BREAKING BENJAMIN. Lacey will not play drums at these shows, but will lend her vocals to the group in Jen's absence.

Ledger is forced to miss the SKILLET concerts because they overlap with the "Winter Jam Tour Spectacular", on which Ledger is a featured artist this year.

This isn't the first time Sturm has collaborated with SKILLET. She sang on the group's recent single "Breaking Free", which appeared on the deluxe version of SKILLET's latest album, "Unleashed Beyond".

Ledger released her first solo EP, titled "Ledger", in April 2018 through Hear It Loud, a label imprint launched by SKILLET frontman John Cooper and his wife, SKILLET keyboardist Korey Cooper.

Jen told Audio Ink Radio about her debut solo EP: "It was six years ago when I felt drawn to write my own songs and start expressing myself that way, and I've kind of been under an apprenticeship with the Coopers. They've really taken me under their wings and have been training me and teaching me how to write, so it's been a six-year journey now. It's been such a journey, because to start, I can't believe I've gotten to play drums in a band for 10 years."

Sturm will appear with SKILLET on the following dates:

March 15 - Saginaw, MI @ Dow Event Center

March 21 - Milwaukee, WI. @ Eagles Ballroom

March 23 - La Crosse, WI. @ La Crosse Center Arena

March 29 - Mankato, MN @ Verizon Center

March 31 - Bismarck, ND @ Bismarck Event Center

Veteran all-girl British hard rockers GIRLSCHOOL have parted ways with bassist Enid Williams.

Tracey Lamb, formerly of ROCK GODDESS and GIRLSCHOOL (1987-1991 and 1993-2000), will help GIRLSCHOOL out on upcoming dates until a permanent replacement is secured.

Says the band: "GIRLSCHOOL would like to wish Enid all the best in all her future ventures.

"Thank you for standing by us all these years and we will see you at all the shows. We're also looking forward to recording new material soon."

A founding member of GIRLSCHOOL, Williams left the band in 1982, at the height of the group's success. She rejoined GIRLSCHOOL in 2000 after the departure of Kelly Johnson and Tracey Lamb, taking back her backing vocalist slot and introducing lyrics about social and political matters.

GIRLSCHOOL's 13th studio album, "Guilty As Sin", was released in November 2015 in North America via UDR Music. The disc was produced by Chris Tsangarides (JUDAS PRIEST, THIN LIZZY) at the Ecology Room Studios in Kent, England.

In a 2018 interview with YesterdazeNews, Williams spoke about how the music business has changed in the 40 years since GIRLSCHOOL was formed: "Everything changes, and you can't avoid that," she said. "And some things are better and some things aren't. So, for example, certainly 40 years ago, 30 years ago, maybe 20, you had to kind of move to London or New York or L.A. and you had to wait for an A&R guy — and it would be a guy, generally — to sign you up. And, to some extent, people were treated like kids in the '60s and '70s… But if you look at the bands that were coming through before, you'd have loads of bands but only a few would get signed up, and if somebody didn't get signed up after a few years, then maybe they'd go and get steady jobs or whatever, whereas now anybody can play music anywhere in the world. So you do get… For example, you've got a couple of Scandinavian singers breaking through and… it's more egalitarian; it's that DIY attitude going back to punk, to a certain degree, so that's a really great thing…. But some of it's become more corporate as well. Some of the bigger tours, it's much more run like a business. And sometimes one misses the sex, drugs and rock and roll kind of… Not that those things don't exist, but it's not quite the same."

Image courtesy of Decibel Geek

On January 18th, Last Union performed at Florentia Rock Live in Porto D'Ascoli, Marche, Italy. They have posted a full multi-angle live clip of the song "Ghostwriter", taken from their full length debut, Twelve. Previously released footage of "Back In The Shadow" and "Purple Angels" from the same gig is also available.

Last Union recently released a new music video and single for "President Evil". The track is taken from their debut album, Twelve, released on December 21st, 2018 via ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records. Watch the clip below.

The album was mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren, best known for his work with Arch Enemy, Symphony X, Devin Townsend, Angra, and Opeth, to name a few. The album artwork was created by Thomas Ewerhard (Avantasia, Rage, Threshold).

The quiet city of Tolentino in the Marche region of Central Italy not only boasts a rich historical background, it is also the place progressive metal band Last Union calls home. Founded by vocalist Elisa Scarpeccio, guitarist Cristiano Tiberi and keyboardist Claudio Feliziani in 2007, the band - originally known as Blazing Ice - embarked on their journey in the pursuit of sharing their thoughts and feelings about life, and ultimately their art, with the world. With the assistance of professional session bassists and drummers, the trio established themselves on the Italian scene with a string of shows that helped them evolve and refine their craft. Over the course of 20 shows, Last Union presented songs that would eventually make the final cut for their debut album.

Strong and positive reactions to their music spurred Scarpeccio and Tiberi on to take the first of many bold steps. The first was to invite drummer Uli Kusch to join the fold, who expressed interest in joining the band as a full member rather than just a touring drummer after hearing the music. A similar scenario played out with Symphony X bassist Mike LePond and Last Union was officially born. The icing on the cake, however, was getting Dream Theater vocalist James LaBrie to sing on three tracks.

Tracklisting:

"Most Beautiful Day"
"President Evil" (Feat. James LaBrie)
"Hardest Way"
"Purple Angels"
"The Best Of Magic"
"Taken" (Feat. James LaBrie) - Radio Edit
"18 Euphoria"
"A Place In Heaven" (Feat. James LaBrie)
"Ghostwriter"
"Limousine"
"Back In The Shadow"
"Taken" (Feat. James LaBrie)
"President Evil" (Feat. James LaBrie) - Video Version

"President Evil" video:




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The masked mutants of Creepsylvania, Ghoul, are pleased to undrape their hilarious, animated visual accompaniment to "Shred The Dead". The track comes by way of the band's Dungeon Bastards full-length, released in 2016 via Tankcrimes.

Director Zak Kirwin comments, "When I talked to whoever runs Ghoul's social media, I was itching to animate a Ghoul song. The music and aesthetic are right up my alley. When they came back with the idea of doing 'Shred The Dead', things really kicked off. Skateboarding, zombies, riffs, and grievous injury... what more could you want? After that, I was chained to a desk in a Creepsylvanian 'animation' studio, drawing till my fingernails cracked and bled, subsisting on nothing but corpse juice and old hot fries. I lost two fingers and partial vision in my right eye. Do I regret it? Of course not! Do I wake up screaming every night? Yes, but I always did that; it's just louder now."

Ghoul's Dungeon Bastards is out now on CD and digital formats. Tankcrimes recently repressed the LP edition (now available limited-edition splatter or blue vinyl) which includes a gatefold jacket that opens into the Dungeon Bastards board game. Players take turns advancing through a Creepsylvanian map; the first one to get to end of the map and jump the Wall Of Death wins. CD orders are available here, with vinyl at this location.

 




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Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based technical/progressive death metal project Equipoise recently announced the upcoming release of their debut full-length, Demiurgus. The album is set for release on March 8th through The Artisan Era. It is the follow up to the group's 2016 heavily praised EP, Birthing Homunculi, whose material makes its way onto Demiurgus in a re-worked fashion far beyond their initial form. New lyric video, "Alchemic Web Of Deceit", is streaming below.

Equipoise features an amalgamation of well-respected musicians within the technical death metal community from Pennsylvania, Illinois, Missouri, Denver, and Quebec. The band's members play in established well-known acts including Beyond Creation, First Fragment, ex-The Faceless, Inferi, Wormhole, NYN, and more.

Having banded together as a multi-national collective of renowned death metal musicians, Equipoise then undertook the task of furthering their initial vision on 2016's Birthing Homunculi into the standout new heights reached throughout their upcoming full-length, Demiurgus. The end product, while exploding with endless guitar solos and incredibly complex songwriting throughout, remains the same as when the project began, to offer a death metal experience that's both fun to listen to and memorable. Bandleader Nick Padovani comments on Equipoise as "Playing a melodic brand of technical/progressive death metal, we like to make frequent use of orchestral elements and flamenco guitar, as we feel good music shouldn’t be pigeonholed by any one sound."

Tracklisting:

“Illborn Augury”
“Sovereign Sacrifices”
“Alchemic Web Of Deceit”
“A Suit Of My Flesh”
“Shrouded”
“Sigil Insidious”
“Reincarnated”
“Dualis Flamel”
“Eve Of The Promised Day”
“Waking Divinity”
“Ecliptic”
“Squall Of Souls”
“Cast Into Exile”
“Ouroboric”

"Alchemic Web Of Deceit" lyric video:

“Waking Divinity” lyric video:

Equipoise - Demiurgus Lineup: 
Stevie Boiser (Inferi, Tethys, Ashen Horde, Ex-Vale of Pnath) - Vocals/Lyrics
Phil Tougas (First Fragment, Chthe'ilist, Zealotry, Serocs) - Guitar, Nylon Guitar
Nick Padovani - Guitar, Nylon Guitar
Sanjay Kumar (Wormhole, Perihelion) - Guitar
Hugo Doyon-Karout (Beyond Creation, Brought by Pain) - Fretless Bass
Jimmy Pitts (Eternity's End, NYN, The Fractured Dimension) - Piano
Chason Westmoreland (Ex-The Faceless, Ex-Hate Eternal) - Drums




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Legendary drummer Carmine Appice has re-released his Guitar Zeus project, a compilation album featuring a who’s who list of the best and world-renowned guitarists on the planet backed by his core band featuring Tony Franklin (The Firm, Blue Murder) on bass, Kelly Keeling (T.S.O., M.S.G) on vocals / keys / rhythm guitar, and Appice on drums.

Originally released as two separate albums in 1995 & 1997, this new re-mastered album (by Stephen DeAcutis - Vanilla Fudge, Corey Glover, Overkill, Cyndi Lauper) combines both releases as one complete version for the first time ever, and feature five brand new songs with Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Pat Travers, John Norum, and top Japanese guitarists RaiZi and Char. Select songs are also be available on a special limited-edition vinyl and CD. Order here.

A lyric video for the album opener “Mothers Space” can be seen below. Carmine loved working with current Sons Of Apollo/ former Guns N’ Roses’ guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal. Carmine praises Bumblefoot for his mastery of the fretless guitar, and how easy he is to work with, “He is one of the nicest people I know. Talented singer player writer. Love to create good music. Always helpful to others, and he gets the job done quick. And does it great."

Bumblefoot has mutual respect: “Carmine and Tony (Franklin, bassist) are such a killer team. They take the song from trippy vibes to solid, heavy grooves. Love playing this song!”

The video features visual affects such as distortion and cuts between a recording studio and our polluted planet. It asks the question, “What are we doing to our planet? What does it take to communicate with what’s we’re doing to our planet?”

In addition to smoke stacks and trash in our water, the video includes lyrics to make sure the message comes through. “We’re counting on you, Don’t look away,” and “Are we too late?”

Carmine Appice’s Guitar Zeus showcases the complete and prolific talents of many world-renown rock guitarists including Brian May, Slash, Neil Schon, Yngwie Malmsteen, Bruce Kulick, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Paul Gilbert, Mick Mars, Richie Sambora, Zakk Wylde, Bob Daisley, Dweezil Zappa, Vivian Campbell, Leslie West, Warren DeMartini, Steve Morse, Ty Tabor (Kings X), Ted Nugent, Dug Pinnick, John Norum and others.

“The Guitar Zeus project, for me, was an amazing experience that has never been done before by a drummer ,especially with so much talent on one album! You get your money’s worth! Writing all the songs with my band (Tony & Kelly) and then picking out songs for each guitarist was a fun and time-consuming process, especially coordinating everybody’s schedules and recording sessions.

"From the opening note, one can tell this is going to be something special. I consider these drum tracks to be some of the best performances in my career, topped off with working with so many great guitarists and singers.  The combination of players and song selection is something special with some of the tunes is out of the ordinary and ahead of their time!” - Carmine Appice

“As soon as I heard the track, I thought it had a very haunting quality, evoking the ‘60s, but with a very modern slant. I also found the backing track very powerful and appealing, driven by Carmine’s very recognizable style; so I was keen to play on the track straight away” - Brian May

Tracklisting:

“Mothers Space” (feat. Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal) + **
“Gonna Rain” (feat. Richie Sambora) + **
“4 Miles High” (feat. Steve Morse) +
“Nobody Knew” (feat. Brian May) + **
“Where You Belong (feat. Slash) +
“Out of Mind” (feat. Neal Schon) + **
“This Time Around (feat. Yngwie Malmsteen & Dug Pinnick) + **
“Nothing” (feat. John Norum) +
“Doin’ Fine” (feat Vivian Campbell) +
“Under the Moon and Sun” (feat. Mick Mars / Edgar Winter) + **
“Code 19” (feat. Zakk Wylde) + **
“Days Are Nights” (feat. Ted Nugent) + **
“Do Ya think I'm Sexy” (Sung by Carmine, feat. Pat Travers)
“Angels” (feat. Char)
“Guitar Zeus, Pt. 1” (feat Jennifer Batten)
“Safe” (feat. Neal Schon)
“Dead Wrong” (feat. Dweezil Zappa)
“Trippin’ Again” (feat. Ty Tabor)
“Even Up the Score” (feat. Ted Nugent)
“Dislocated” (feat. Paul Gilbert)
“Stash” (feat. Stevie Salas / John McEnroe)
“Perfect Day” (feat. Warren DeMartini)
“Killing Time” (feat. Ty Tabor)
“So Long” (feat. Doug Aldrich)
“My Own Advice” (feat  Kenji Kitajima)
“Time to Set Alarms” (feat Elliot Easton / Bob Daisley)
“GZ Blues” (feat. Seymour Duncan / Steven Seagal)
“Guitar Zeus, Pt. 2” (feat. Leslie West / Jennifer Batten)
“Where you Belong” (feat Paul Gilbert)
“Cruzin” (feat. Denny Laine)
“Couldn’t Be Better” (Feat. RaiZi)
“Score” (Feat. Ted Nugent)
“Snake” (feat. Bruce Kulick)

+ CD Release
** Vinyl Release




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