Australian metal legend and thrash pioneer Peter Hobbs of HOBBS ANGEL OF DEATH has passed away. He died this morning at his home in Queensland, where he lived after moving north from Melbourne not long ago. He was 58 years old.

Hobbs was a much-loved icon of the Australian metal community and groundbreaker, being one of the first Australian metal artists to record and play outside of the country.

Peter made his mark with thrash metal pioneers TYRUS before moving on to ANGEL OF DEATH.

According to the Metal Archives, ANGEL OF DEATH started out in 1987 as Peter's solo project. The band played thrash metal in the SLAYER vein but Hobbs himself referred to their style as "virgin metal" as he saw it as an untainted and pure form of metal.

ANGEL OF DEATH's self-titled debut album was released in 1988 through Steamhammer. The band dissolved soon after the release, but seven years later, it reformed to release its second album called "Inheritance", which was only distributed in Australia.

A long period of silence followed until the band reformed once again in 2002. In July 2003, they signed a four-album deal with Modern Invasion Music.

HOBBS ANGEL OF DEATH's last studio album, "Heaven Bled", came out in 2016.

In recent years, ANGEL OF DEATH was active again, with tours overseas and plans to play more gigs in the future.

Image and video courtesy of YouTube user Keith S

Former SCORPIONS and current KINGDOM COME drummer James Kottak says that he is "sick" of seeing commercials featuring "interracial couples," insisting that "this is not reality."

Earlier today, Kottak tweeted: "You know I am sick of every other commercial having inter racial couples...this is not reality. It is Hollywood shoving it down our throat. I don't have one friend or friends who live in this category...just saying" He added several emojis, including those of various animals, the U.S. flag and a thumbs-up gesture.

According to The New York Times, a number of companies and brands like JPMorgan Chase, Humira, State Farm, Smile Direct Club, Coors Light, Macy's, Tide and Cadillac have recently featured multiracial couples or families in their advertising.

Sarah Block, the executive vice president and creative director of Leo Burnett USA, who has worked on several ads depicting multiracial families, including commercials for Kraft, told the paper that the prevalence of these commercials "is a reflection of modern society. It's portraying the situation that is out in the world," she said.

This is not the first time Kottak has used Twitter as a way to voice his controversial views. Last month, he raised eyebrows when he questioned whether climate change is real, writing in a series of since-deleted tweets: "Tell me when one time you have seen 'killed from climate change' or 'death from second hand smoke' appeared on a gravestone....and I am a total anti smoker... it's all b s"

Back in July, he angered some people on the social media platform when he wrote that "anyone against America is a socialist communist asshole."

The unusual Independence Day greetings came after the musician wished his 18 thousand followers a happy holiday on Twitter.

"Happy Fourth.... Trump rules!" the 56-year-old musician wrote, adding in a separate tweet: "Any one against America is a socialist communist a hole . Happy fourth"

In June, Kottak, who calls himself a "news political junkie" on Twitter, made BLABBERMOUTH.NET headlines when he said that America should take care of its "homeless problem" before accepting any more "outsiders."

Kottak has spent much of the last year touring with the reunited KINGDOM COME, also featuring guitarists Danny Stag and Rick Steier, bassist Johnny B. Frank and singer Keith St. John (formerly of MONTROSE and LYNCH MOB).

In September 2016, Kottak was dismissed from SCORPIONS during his well-publicized battle with alcoholism and was replaced by former MOTÖRHEAD member Mikkey Dee.

SCORPIONS guitarist Matthias Jabs later said that he and his bandmates "had to make" the decision to fire Kottak, explaining that they gave the drummer "all the chances" to get better. "We reached the point — or he reached the point — where it was just not worth it," Jabs said.

Last fall, Kottak told Detroit's 101 WRIF radio station that his recovery was "a work in progress." He explained: "Over the last 10 years, I would say I was 90 percent sober, and then I'd have these struggles and I'd go through a bad two- or three-week period. So right now it's, like I said, to use a cliché, it's one day at a time and I work the program. I still go out, and if you wanna drink a bottle of Jack in front of me, go for it — [it's] no big deal — but it is, like I said, a work in progress."

Guitarist Jesper Strömblad (ex-IN FLAMES) is once again sitting out live appearances by his current project, CYHRA. Continuing to fill in for him is Marcus Sunesson, who has previously played with ENGEL.

CYHRA announced Jesper's continued absence from the road in a social media post earlier today. The band wrote: "Now that we're starting a new album + touring cycle for our brand new album 'No Halos In Hell' (which comes out on Nov. 15, on Nuclear Blast) — we thought that it would be a good idea to give you all a quick update on what's happening with the live band for our upcoming shows.

"As many of you already know, Jesper is taking some time away from touring, and our good friend Marcus Sunesson has been joining us on guitar. Some of you have seen Marcus perform with us, and you already know what an absolutely incredible player, and performer he is.

"We don't want anyone to feel caught off guard about not seeing Jesper at the shows. Please know that he is still a member of CYHRA, and is with us in spirit at every show.

"We look forward to seeing you all out there on the road very soon!"

In addition to Strömblad, CYHRA features in its ranks vocalist Jake E (ex-AMARANTHE), guitarist Euge Valovirta (ex-SHINING) and drummer Alex Landenburg (LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY).

CYHRA's second album, "No Halos In Hell", will be released on November 15 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Strömblad quit IN FLAMES in February 2010 in order to continue receiving treatment for his alcohol addiction. He later formed THE RESISTANCE with Marco Aro (vocals, THE HAUNTED) and Glenn Ljungström (guitar, ex-IN FLAMES), only to exit that band in March 2016. THE RESISTANCE bassist Rob Hakemo later slammed Jesper in an interview, calling the guitarist "an alcoholic" and "drug addict" who "doesn't want to [get] sober."

CYHRA's European tour with new labelmates BATTLE BEAST will kick off in Sweden on November 15.

Finnish/Dutch/British symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH are filming the first music video for their forthcoming studio album.

Singer Floor Jansen posted a selfie earlier today (Tuesday, October 1) on her Twitter, along with the following message: "I'm in Helsinki with @NightwishBand to make a music video for our upcoming new album! It's unlike anything we have ever done before and I am enjoying the process of making this very much! It's really something else! And I really can't say anything more...I know...I'm sorry!"

NIGHTWISH's next album will mark the band's second full-length release with Jansen, who has been touring with the group since 2012.

Keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen said last year that the arranging and recording process for NIGHTWISH's follow-up to 2015's "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" album would take most of 2019.

"It's gonna be 10, 11 songs, most likely," he said. "And we're gonna start recording [in the] summer [of 2019], in July, so if everything goes as planned, we're looking at a spring 2020 release."

Tuomas also said that there is a lyrical theme tying together all the songs he has written for NIGHTWISH's next record, but he declined to elaborate, saying: "No other bandmembers have heard anything. We've had some discussions over the things and some of the songs, but it's in such an early stage, and I'm still working at home on my own, so… let's keep it a mystery a while longer."

NIGHTWISH spent much of 2018 on the road in support of its "Decades" compilation.




I’m in Helsinki with @NightwishBand to make a music video for our upcoming new album!

It’s unlike anything we have ever done before and I am enjoying the process of making this very much! It’s really something else! And I really can’t say anything more...I know...I’m sorry! ? pic.twitter.com/ZIpH7vTGwc

— Floor Jansen (@FloorJansen_) October 1, 2019

British rock legends MAGNUM will release their new album, "The Serpent Rings", on January 17, 2020 through Steamhammer/SPV as a CD digipak, 2LP gatefold version, limited box set, download and stream.

MAGNUM guitarist Tony Clarkin is a man who seems to never stop working. He is responsible for writing all the material released by the band, and on top of that he produces their albums from the very first demo to the final mix. "As soon as the album is finished, I start to collect new ideas," he explains. "That's how I've worked since the early seventies, for me that's the ideal method." On their latest album, "The Serpent Rings", Clarkin and MAGNUM's other original member, vocalist Bob Catley, prove all over again just how perfectly this established system works.

MAGNUM has recorded eleven new songs which feature all the traditional strengths of the British act and also live up to the band's ambition to explore a more rock-oriented direction. "The Serpent Rings" presents MAGNUM the way the musicians themselves like it: rocking and at the same time melodic, straightforward but also a little playful, powerful as well as sensitive with enchanted lyrics but also with a socio-critical approach.

"The Serpent Rings" was recorded by the MAGNUM lineup consisting of Clarkin, Catley, keyboardist Rick Benton and drummer Lee Morris, plus their latest addition, bassist Dennis Ward (PINK CREAM 69, PLACE VENDOME, UNISONIC, among others), who joined the fold to replace Al Barrow.

MAGNUM's major European tour has been scheduled to start in March 2020, initially with a number of headlining shows, to be continued by a first-rate package together with GOTTHARD from Switzerland. This extremely successful collaboration first passed the litmus test a few years ago, and Clarkin, Catley & Co. are very enthusiastic.

"Along with some classic numbers, we will also present four or five songs from 'The Serpent Rings'," the band promises, providing even more reasons for their fans to mark the dates in their calendars.

A teaser for "The Serpent Rings" is available below.

Track listing:

01. Where Are You Eden?

02. You Can't Run Faster Than Bullets

03. Madman Or Messiah

04. The Archway Of Tears

05. Not Forgiven

06. The Serpent Rings

07. House Of Kings

08. The Great Unknown

09. Man

10. The Last One On Earth

11. Crimson On The White Sand

Fan-filmed video footage of LACUNA COIL's October 19 performance at Rams Head Live in Baltimore, Maryland can be seen below (courtesy of Anthony Serafino III).

LACUNA COIL's latest album, "Black Anima", was released on October 11. Singer Cristina Scabbia described the LP's musical direction as "heavier and darker" than the band's past efforts. "I don't think that LACUNA COIL has ever been so heavy," she told HardDrive Radio. "And it will be surprising a lot of people, because we experimented a lot of things differently — vocally and musically."

Co-vocalist Andrea Ferro said that "there's quite a variety of songs" on "Black Anima". "There's heaviness, but there's also some more melodic tracks that can be more catchy," he explained. "But it's a very complex record with a lot of different flavors. And we experiment a lot on the lyrics about our lives growing up, experiencing loss or other things that you get more of in the mature age. So we felt the connection with these people that [are] not with us anymore, so we decided to talk about this connection that we feel beyond life."

LACUNA COIL and ALL THAT REMAINS have joined forces for the "Disease Of The Anima" North American co-headlining tour. The trek includes special guests BAD OMENS, EXIMIOUS and UNCURED.

AFM Records will release the new album from power metal band Human Fortress, entitled Reign Of Gold, on December 6.

Due to the melodic hooks, the heroic hymns and powerful vocals, spiced up with royal-medieval melodies, the sound stays unique and self-reliant. After three years of creative work, the epic metal band is up to release their sixth album, Reign Of Gold, with Tommy Newton in control of production.

Tracklisting:

"Imminence"
"Thunder"
"Reign Of Gold"
"Lucifer´S Waltz"
"Bullet Of Betrayal"
"Shining Light"
"Surrender"
"The Blacksmith"
"Martial Valor"
"Legion Of The Damned"
"Victory"




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Unleash The Archers released their Explorers EP earlier this month via Napalm Records.

In “Heartless World”, the band show the world what they are made of. The band manages to give the original glam metal track by Teaze an unexpected, modern power metal twist. Combining that with an astonishingly wide range of vocal melodies, Unleash The Archers surprise and bewitch the listener yet again. A clean guitar intro makes you feel almost melancholic, but when the second chorus hits, at the very least, you’ll be tapping your foot. “Heartless World” describes how everything can become too much from time to time, and that sometimes all you need is to unplug and recharge your energy.

Says the band: "The second single is a cover of a song by a Canadian hair metal band from the 80's called Teaze. They are not super well known, but that's why we gravitated towards them. The song 'Heartless World' has a really interesting arrangement and can't seem to decide if it's a ballad or a rock opera. Unlike 'Northwest Passage', where we played around with it quite a bit, we left 'Heartless World' almost completely as is, and only changed a few small things like solos and vocal melodies. We thought it would be a great companion piece to 'Northwest Passage' and really round out the moody Explorers vibe.”

Watch the lyric video accompanying the single below and lose yourself in an FM headphone high:

The artwork for Explorers was created by Dusty Peterson and Unleash The Archers are very happy with it: “We feel it captures the essence of seeking the ‘Northwest Passage’ perfectly. If you have ever read 'The Terror' by Dan Simmons or watched the show you'll know exactly what we were going for. This EP has darkness written all over it, but the songs themselves have a slightly uplifting undertone as well. One can only imagine how exciting it must have been to explore this unknown continent back in the day, but also, how terrifying.”

Explorers can be ordered here.

“Northwest Passage” video:

Teaser:

(Photo - Shimon Karmel)




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JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford spoke to Rolling Stone about the band's plans for a 50th-anniversary tour, which is expected to launch next spring/summer.

"I've been feverishly working over the last few weeks and months with our stage designers to make something very, very special," he said. "We're gonna go deep, deep, deep into the catalogue and try to find songs that we've never played before and wrap it up into the history of PRIEST and the 50th anniversary. The official PRIEST 50th spectacular starts next year. So it's gonna be a great show. We've got some really big surprises and it's gonna be a wonderful celebration of PRIEST and British heavy metal."

Bassist Ian Hill recently told Austin Chronicle about JUDAS PRIEST's plans to mark the half-century milestone: "Technically, the 50th anniversary is this year, but we weren't called JUDAS PRIEST until 1970, so we thought we'd leave it till next year. There's a few ideas in the pipeline, but nothing solid yet, apart from the fact that we will tour."

Hill, who is the sole remaining original member of JUDAS PRIEST, was asked whether he feels like the last man standing in the band. "Em, not really, only when people mention it," he laughed. "I mean Rob, obviously, and Glenn [Tipton, guitar] still counts as well, although he's not doing a great deal of live work. He's always there, and of course Scott [Travis, drums] has been with us since 1989. And even Richie Faulker [guitar], this is his ninth year. So, it's a fluid current, if you know what I mean. So, no, I don't feel like the last man standing, or anything like that."

Halford said last fall that PRIEST was having discussions with the group's management and label about how to commemorate the band's 50th anniversary, which he called an "incredible milestone." A short time later, Faulkner told Metal Kaos that the 50th-anniversary tour will be "an event that the fans will really remember. It is in progress, and we are talking about what we want to do, but in true JUDAS PRIEST fashion, it is going to be something everyone will remember. We want to give back to the fans because, as I said, they have put the band there for nearly 50 years and they are still coming to the shows, they still love the band, so, yeah, it will be something special."

Halford joined JUDAS PRIEST in 1973 and Tipton signed on in 1974. Rob left PRIEST in the early 1990s to form his own band, then returned to PRIEST in 2003. Founding guitarist K.K. Downing parted ways with the band in 2011, and was replaced by Faulkner.

A month before the start of PRIEST's "Firepower" tour, Tipton bowed out due to the worsening of his Parkinson's disease, first diagnosed five years ago (after being stricken by the degenerative condition at least half a decade earlier). His spot in the band is being filled by "Firepower" album producer Andy Sneap.

Downing said in October 2018 that all of PRIEST's living former and current members should be involved in the group's upcoming 50th-anniversary celebration.

Grammy-nominated, RIAA-gold-selling rock band RED will release "The Evening Hate" EP on November 1 via Red Entertainment/The Fuel Music to digital outlets worldwide. The five-track EP features the lead single and title song, as well as follow-up single "From The Ashes", headed to radio October 25. The EP also includes the band's latest cover song, its take on FUEL's No. 1 hit song "Hemorrhage (In My Hands)".

"We all love music and are old enough to have some pretty big favorites over the years, but when Anthony [Armstrong, RED guitarist] suggested 'Hemorrhage', we all agreed and loved the song," shares RED vocalist Michael Barnes. "It actually came together rather quickly and as an added bonus we were able to work with the original producer of the song on our version."

Produced by Ben Grosse, known for mixing RED's albums as well as working with FUEL, BREAKING BENJAMIN, DISTURBED, ALTER BRIDGE and many others, "Hemorrhage" is available today on all digital and streaming outlets around the world. The new track joins the eclectic collection of songs RED has covered both live and in the studio from as far back as DURAN DURAN's "Ordinary World", featured on the 10th anniversary of the Grammy-nominated album "Innocence & Instinct", out last month, to "Unstoppable" (originally by Sia) on RED's previous album, "Gone".

RED, comprised of Barnes, identical twin brothers Anthony and Randy Armstrong (bass), and longtime live drummer Dan Johnson, will join IN FLAMES for a 34-city major market tour across the U.S. and Canada this fall.

Decibel Books has announced the publication of "No Celebration: The Official Story Of Paradise Lost". Due in November, this brand new hardcover chronicles the British doom metal progenitors' groundbreaking three decades-plus career with in-depth interviews, first-hand accounts and never-before-seen photos.

From their beginnings in the dreary north of England, to their development as the forerunners of gothic doom metal with their legendary 1991 album "Gothic" through their dalliance with the fringes of the European rock mainstream, PARADISE LOST had the metal world at its fingertips. Their need to experiment, however, took them down paths few bands dared to travel.

PARADISE LOST vocalist and co-founder Nick Holmes calls "No Celebration" "a very in-depth, informative and — from my point of view — nostalgic look at the last 30 years of the band. Many of the stories feel like they were yesterday, and although it serves as a reminder that life is short, I also wouldn't change a thing. Well, not much anyhow."

Author David E. Gehlke ("Damn The Machine: The Story Of Noise Records") takes readers into the depths of one of metal's most enduring and rewarding bands. Including a foreword from BOLT THROWER/MEMORIAM frontman Karl Willetts, this hardcover edition is over 300 pages and strictly limited to 1,000 copies worldwide. Pre-orders are available now and copies are expected to ship in late November.

METALLICA has announced three additions to the Nixon x Metallica watch collection, including one very limited-run collectible, the 51-30 LTD "Enter Sandman" Nixon watch.

Announced in 2018, Nixon's collaboration with METALLICA originally included eight watches plus one limited edition.

"The fact that each and every one of the band members wanted to participate and did participate in the project was special," said Joe Babcock, Nixon's director of product, in a video detailing the collaboration. "Bringing that band's energy to life through our product and with our product was awesome."

Founded in 1998 in Encinitas, California, Nixon is the premium watch and accessories brand for the youth lifestyle market. Focused on making the little stuff better, Nixon began with a small line of team-designed, custom-built watches sold exclusively in specialty boardsport and fashion retailers. Currently distributed in over 90 countries, Nixon's product range has grown to include select softgoods, leather goods, custom audio products and more.

METALLICA said about Nixon: "They are the perfect partner for us… independent and unique, with a focus on creativity and quality, and we've been looking forward to working with them again since our first experience back in 2010 when we teamed up for a series of limited-edition rocker watches using old guitar straps and leather jackets from various 'TALLICA members to create watch bands."

DOPE frontman Edsel Dope has released a statement addressing speculation about his involvement in STATIC-X's current tour.

Ever since STATIC-X's comeback was first announced last year, there were strong rumors that Dope was singing for STATIC-X under the name Xer0 while wearing a mask in the likeness of late frontman Wayne Static and performing alongside original bassist Tony Campos, drummer Ken Jay and guitarist Koichi Fukuda.

STATIC-X has consistently brushed off speculation about Xer0's identity, explaining that his anonymity "keeps the focus on remembering" Wayne. But earlier this week, Danish magazine Metal A Day posted side-by-side pictures of Dope and Zer0 from the two bands' joint October 7 concert in Hamburg, Germany, with photographer Anders Groos Mikkelsen noticing a "specific similarity" between the neck tattoos sported by the frontmen of the two acts.

After the tattoo resemblance was covered by most of the metal media, including BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Edsel broke his silence on the matter, saying that it's "easy" to "slap a little tribal neck tattoo on to someone in Photoshop" and slamming "trolls, masquerading as journalists," for "spew[ing] their ignorant, hateful words towards something that is so incredibly personal."

Edsel's statement in in its entirety:

"Hello world.

"I have quietly sat through all of this speculation and have thoroughly enjoyed the ride.

"Yesterday's internet eruption reminded me of an episode of Scooby-Doo.

It's incredible how far some people will go to get attention or clicks, so let me remind you how easy it is to slap a little tribal neck tattoo onto someone in photoshop.

"I'm honored for myself and for my band DOPE to be part of this 20th anniversary celebration, along with this unbelievable, traveling memorial to our old friend Wayne Static.

"Wayne is currently on the minds and in the hearts of the metal community in a very unique and special way. His memory / legacy is more celebrated than it has ever been before.

"I personally get to see the joy, the tears, and the incredible sense of healing that is occurring on the faces and in the hearts of STATIC-X fans, each and every night, around the world.

"I'm not attempting to be a spokesperson for STATIC-X, but I will share that I have personally met Wayne's parents and siblings, as they have attended a number of these shows.

"I have personally seen their tears of joy and their expressions of gratitude and approval for the way that Tony, Ken, Koichi, & Xer0 are celebrating the music and memorializing the life and legacy of their son and sibling, Wayne Wells Static.

"I'm including a candid photo that I snapped of STATIC-X drummer Ken Jay embracing Wayne's father, while Tony Campos, Wayne's mother, Wayne's siblings and friends share some personal time together. Words cannot express the love and respect that I've experienced out here.

"It's one thing to go on a Scooby-Doo scavenger hunt, or to use photoshop to attempt to prove whatever you are trying to spin, but it's entirely different when trolls, masquerading as journalists, spew their ignorant, hateful words towards something that is so incredibly personal.

"Anyone with the nerve to throw virtual tomatoes at a traveling memorial, that has been orchestrated and supported by the family, loved ones, and long-time friends of the deceased should be absolutely ashamed of themselves.

"In the end, I'm not the type of person to allow others to dictate the narrative of my life or my art, so I've decided to also include a picture of me chatting it up, while watching another SOLD OUT STATIC-X show from the side of the stage the other night."

In a rare interview with Kerrang! magazine, Xer0 said that he needed to reproduce Wayne's vocals and stage presence as faithfully as possible. "Wayne was a very unique singer," he explained. "I can't just be myself with this. That wouldn't be doing the material justice. Therefore, I really have to be prepared. I have to learn lots of parts…find the right places in my own voice to deliver my best version of these songs…I'm never gonna sound as good as Wayne did, doing Wayne's thing. That's just common sense. But I feel really good about it. I believe that I will represent the vibe of the band very well and that we will give the fans a really fun 'Wisconsin Death Trip' experience each night."

Xer0 confirmed that he was the one who came up with the idea of playing masked.

"I've spent the last 20 years building my own identity and touring the world with my own band," he said. "It didn't feel right for my image or identity to be placed in the center of something that I wasn't part of creating… It just felt like a perfect way to keep the focus on the four guys that made this great album and started this really cool band. After a few days of living with it, I decided to spike my hair up, just to see what it would look like with the mask on, and I was like, Oh, FUCK. Let's be honest: Wayne's hair kind of became the visual identity of STATIC-X."

He added: "We didn't set out to create a 'character,' it just evolved naturally. We went to our friend Laney, who also makes the masks for many of the SLIPKNOT guys, as well as Manson's band, and Rob Zombie's band, et cetera. Wayne liked heavy metal, monster movies, and monster trucks. He would be honored by the celebration and he would dig the shit out of this."

As previously reported, STATIC-X will release a new album titled "Project Regeneration", featuring the last recordings of Wayne Static, on May 29, 2020. The rest of the group's original lineup will also be featured on the album and in the music videos, including the promotional clip for the single "Hollow". The teaser, which was directed by Xer0 and co-directed by Matt Zane, also features a snippet of the band's hit song "Push It", re-recorded in 2019 with Xer0.

Originally scheduled for release in spring of 2019, the new STATIC-X album was first intended to feature several guest vocalists, along with the original "Wisconsin Death Trip" band lineup of Campos, Jay and Fukuda.

During the recording sessions for "Project Regeneration", one of STATIC-X's producers uncovered several additional unreleased and unfinished tracks, many of which contained isolated vocal performances by Wayne Static. Because of this incredible find, the new STATIC-X album will now feature lead vocals by Wayne on virtually every song.


EDSEL DOPE Confronts Static-X Rumors: Calls Photo of Neck Tattoo “Click Bait and Hilarious”, While reminding us that...

Posted by + DOPE + on Friday, October 11, 2019

Ex-STATIC-X guitarist Tripp Eisen has accused his former bandmates of "violating the memory" of the group's late frontman, Wayne Static, by altering some of the previously unreleased songs he wrote with Static.

Last year, STATIC-X announced plans to release "Project Regeneration", its first new album in a decade, featuring the last recordings of Wayne, who passed away nearly five years ago. The rest of the band's original lineup — bassist Tony Campos, drummer Ken Jay and guitarist Koichi Fukuda — will also be featured on the album and in the music videos.

Originally scheduled for release in spring of 2019, the new STATIC-X album was first intended to feature several guest vocalists, along with the original "Wisconsin Death Trip" band lineup of Campos, Jay and Fukuda.

During the recording sessions for "Project Regeneration", STATIC-X claimed in a press release that one of its producers uncovered several additional unreleased and unfinished tracks, many of which contained isolated vocal performances by Wayne Static. Because of this supposed find, the new STATIC-X album will now feature lead vocals by Wayne on virtually every song.

Earlier today, Eisen — whose real name is Tod Rex Salvador — released a statement disputing STATIC-X's explanation for where some of the previously unreleased tracks came from and claiming that his legal dispute with the STATIC-X members has led to the "Project Regeneration" album being delayed. He also took credit for initiating the STATIC-X reunion and connecting Campos with DOPE frontman Edsel Dope, who, Eisen says, is singing for STATIC-X under the name Xer0 while wearing a mask in the likeness of Wayne Static.

Eisen's statement reads as follows:

"My former band STATIC-X have delayed the release of their first new album in 10 years due, in large part, to my involvement with and legal claim to 12 songs that feature Wayne Static's isolated vocals. They are all from my era of STATIC-X.

"I have reached out to Tony Campos on many occasions to help the upcoming album 'Project Regeneration' reach the fans but he has been inconsistent and has shown arrogance to any successful resolution of my concern that fans won't get to hear the fantastic work Wayne and I put into our mutual compositions.

"I have been patient and am willing to compromise with the band and work with Tony to make things mutually acceptable.

"The 12 songs with Wayne's vocals have no songwriting from any of the other members of STATIC-X. I am the only person that collaborated with Wayne on these songs.

"Tony told me they were altering the songs Wayne and I wrote together and I've actually heard the full altered songs, because I was in the loop until March of this year. This doesn't amount to minor tweaks like bands do in the studio, which would not compromise the final product and harm a songwriters' claim to their own music: It violates the intellectual property of a 'joint work', or collaboration. It amounts to band members, who had nothing to do with the songwriting, altering its composition without consent. They've changed not only my riffs, but also Wayne's!

"I believe this is unfair to the fans and lacks integrity. But it also violates Wayne's memory.

"My heart is heavy, since I was given hope and was excited when Tony accepted my offer to reunite in 2016. This reunion didn't happen the way it's been reported. I initiated this reunion. I brought the singer Xer0 to him, a.k.a. my old buddy Edsel Dope. I was involved in the writing of every one of the 15 or more songs that began this project, which includes the song 'Road To Hell'. I also played all the guitars on the 'Wisconsin Death Trip' remake songs. I worked with Tony for a year until the project evolved into the 'Wisconsin Death Trip' anniversary tour and the 'Project Regeneration' album. Then I continued to work behind the scenes and on the songwriting. I was the one that made Tony aware of the three leftover songs from the 'Start A War' album, ….and they were finished mastered songs, not unfinished demos.

"There is a lot more to the story about 'newly discovered' Wayne vocals from 'damaged tapes' with 'little or no music' on them.

"It's a lot to take in, right? It's all true and I have it documented.

"In March of this year I was invited to play on the new album, but turned it down due to this controversy. Tony even told me to my face earlier this year: 'you're part of the family' and I was happy to hear that and things were moving in a positive direction. They had my back and believed in me. But now they are attempting to minimize my part and contributions. But worst of all they are altering songs that Wayne and I wrote.

"I told Tony when I was in California earlier this year that I am not interested in money/fame as much as the integrity of this project. I don't care about cashing in on anything, I want it done right. Please make no mistake of my motives here. STATIC-X and the memory of Wayne are sacred to me.

"I am happy to see the 'Wisconsin Death Trip' album and Wayne's life celebrated, and do not want to take anything away from that at all. But I got this project going, and now I'm being diminished and these Wayne/Tripp songs are being bastardized.

"I considered Tony, Ken and Edsel/Xer0 as friends. But now it feels like a bunch of guys riding on the back of Wayne's memory and his music, as well as mine. Plus they are revising history in an attempt to market the band and maintain control of this false narrative. Most of what they state in their press releases are out-and-out lies or distortions. It's really unnecessary.

"Is it that hard to be fair and honest?

"The fact that I have to come out with a statement like this is sad and a result of bad choices by Mr. Campos.

"Wayne once said in an interview: 'Tripp's the first person I've ever met in my life who's very similar to the way I am.' I knew him better than most people; we were tight and everyone on the inside knows it. My five years in the band are not just anecdotal. I was there... and I know everyone involved now. I wonder what Wayne would think of this incarnation of his band and all that is going on. 'Proud and honored' don't come to mind…. Anyone can watch the singing skull in the 'Hollow' video and see how inappropriate and insensitive it is.

"I miss Wayne and I truly wish he was here."

For a more complete/detailed version of Tripp's account, go to this location.

This past June, BLABBERMOUTH.NET published an interview Eisen gave to "Totally Driven Radio" in which he revealed that he was involved in the making of "Project Regeneration". The news of Eisen's association with the LP did not sit well with many of STATIC-X's fans who objected to the fact that a convicted sex offender was collaborating with the group on new music. (More than a decade ago, Eisen served time for meeting and sexually assaulting two underage females in January and February 2005.)

Asked by a fan on Instagram if it's true that "a known sex offender" was working with STATIC-X on the band's new album, the group responded: "Listen! Let me make this very clear. Wayne, Tony, Ken and Koichi are the ORIGINAL line up of the band and we are celebrating our 20th anniversary & memorializing our friend Wayne!!! The 3 of us and Wayne are the TOTAL focus of this album and this tour. That guy was in static x for a couple years prior to HIS OWN personal troubles. His issues have NOTHING TO DO WITH US!!! ... He was a co-writer on songs with Wayne & the band in the past. Some of those old songs ended up being tracks that Tony and the producers recovered some of Wayne's unreleased, isolated vocals on. Those isolated vocals have never been heard and they are very special and some of the final pieces of art that Wayne left behind. Clearly, the guy you mentioned is promoting his new band by mentioning his PAST involvement with Static-X and he is attempting to gain credibility through his PAST association. Tony, Koichi and ken entered the studio together, along with their touring vocalist 'xer0' and they have been working diligently to craft some amazing music underneath Wayne's unreleased vocal tracks. Tony, Koichi, Kenny, and xer0 are the only people participating In the recording of this new album. Aside from Wayne's vocals and a couple guest vocalists, NOBODY ELSE is involved in the recording and production of his album. Tony, Ken, Koichi and touring vocalist 'Xer0' are the only people that have been in the studio recording and working with the bands original producer Ulrich Wild on this incredibly special new album. End of story."

Tripp joined STATIC-X in 1999 and recorded three albums with the platinum-selling band.

Two years ago, Eisen told "Totally Driven Radio" that his arrest and prison sentence was "a difficult time of my life" and insisted that he has "learned from it" and "grown. What happened to me was really bad judgment, terrible mistakes that I made, and I paid a price for 'em," he said.

Wayne Static died after mixing Xanax and other powerful prescription drugs with alcohol, according to the coroner's report. The 48-year-old Static, whose real name was Wayne Richard Wells, was found dead in his Landers, California home on November 1, 2014.

Static founded STATIC-X in 1994 and achieved commercial success with "Wisconsin Death Trip", which included the rock radio hit "Push It".

The group issued five more studio albums before disbanding permanently in June 2013. Static had been pursuing a solo career at the time of his death.

DAY OF ERRORS, the three-piece band led by original BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward, has released a new song called "Dark". Check it out below.

In November 2017, DAY OF ERRORS released its first two songs, "Day Of Errors" and "Blaspheming At Creation" via iTunes, Spotify, Amazon MP3 and Google Play.

The band made its live debut in June 2016 at Gaslamp in Long Beach, California.

The group, which was formed by Ward "in the desire to have my drumming spirit continue to live," also features Joe Amodea on guitar/vocals and KILL DEVIL HILL singer Jason "Dewey" Bragg on vocals.

Bragg joined DAY OF ERRORS in early 2017 following the departure of bassist/vocalist Nick Diltz (ALL HAIL THE YETI).

Earlier this year, Bragg spoke to "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show" about what he gleaned from playing with Ward for the past two years. "Honestly, Bill is a phenomenal songwriter — singer and songwriter," he said. "He's written all the lyrics, all the melodies, all the music, all the guitar parts, obviously, the drum parts… It's an inspiration to see someone that you've listened to your whole life, and then you get to actually stand in a room with the guy and watch him perform and write and produce. It's amazing. I'm very blessed and happy to have that opportunity to do that with him. Especially one of the members of BLACK SABBATH. I mean, that's like hanging out with one of the dudes from LED ZEPPELIN, man. Give me a break. It's awesome."

Ward was on board for the SABBATH reunion when it was first announced in November 2011, but backed out soon after. He later claimed that he sat out the recording and touring sessions because of unfair contractual terms, although the members of SABBATH have hinted in other interviews that he wasn't physically up to the task.

It was rumored that SABBATH wanted to bring a second drummer on the road to share duties with Ward, which he allegedly balked at.

Ward in 2015 released his first solo album in 18 years. Titled "Accountable Beasts", the record can be purchased on iTunes.

The official lyric video for the song "The Pallbearer Walks Alone" from THE DARK ELEMENT, the project featuring former NIGHTWISH vocalist Anette Olzon and Finnish guitarist and songwriter Jani Liimatainen, can be seen below. The track is taken from THE DARK ELEMENT's second album, "Songs The Night Sings", which will be released on November 8 via Frontiers Music Srl. The follow-up to 2017's "The Dark Element" was mixed by Jacob Hansen, who has previously worked with VOLBEAT and AMARANTHE, among others.

Joining Olzon and Liimatainen in THE DARK ELEMENT's current recording lineup are Jonas Kuhlberg on bass and Rolf Pilve on drums.

"Songs The Night Sings" picks up where the self-titled debut left off, with immaculate vocals from Anette and fabulous anthems written by Jani.

Anette says: "It's a thrill that we're releasing yet another album and for me it's been even easier to record this one since me and Jani now know each other really well. For me, this album is bigger and better and I believe the ones who liked the first one will really like this one too. All I can say is that I already long to do another album. Hep hep!"

Jani adds: "I think the album is very heavy, but still hyper melodic, and this time we are even exploring new musical territories we didn't on the previous album. Now that me and Anette have one album together under our belts, we have found the style we want to pursue and also the ideal way of working together. Given all this, I think it's safe to say that with this album you'll get even more of what made the first album so good, only it's gonna be bigger, better and bolder!"

"Songs The Night Sings" track listing:

01. Not Your Monster

02. Songs The Night Sings

03. When It All Comes Down

04. Silence Between The Words

05. Pills On My Pillow

06. To Whatever End

07. The Pallbearer Walks Alone

08. Get Out Of My Head

09. If I Had A Heart

10. You Will Learn

11. I Have To Go

The title track of TAYLOR HAWKINS AND THE COATTAIL RIDERS' forthcoming album, "Get The Money", can be streamed below. The song features Taylor's vocals accompanied by none other than Chrissie Hynde, a sick Joe Walsh lead, and the inimitable Duff McKagan on bass.

"Get The Money" will be released on November 8 via Shanabelle/RCA Records.

Produced by John Lousteau and Taylor himself, and mixed by Sylvia Massy, "Get The Money" follows Taylor's 2016 six-song mini-LP "KOTA" by three years almost to the day, and features a scope far wider than "KOTA"'s takes on suburbia's bizarro underbelly. The new album finds Taylor and Coattail Riders Chris Chaney, Brent Woods and John Lousteau accompanied by an all-star supporting cast including Taylor's fellow FOO FIGHTERS Dave Grohl and Pat Smear, Roger Taylor, Walsh, McKagan, Nancy Wilson, Hynde, Perry Farrell, LeAnn Rimes and more, collectively creating a staggering, epic sprawl that swerves from classic rock to prog and glam and all points between.

"Get The Money" track listing:

01. Crossed The Line (featuring Dave Grohl, Jon Davison)

02. Don't Look At Me That Way (featuring Duff McKagan, Nancy Wilson)

03. You're No Good At Life No More (featuring Dave Grohl)

04. I Really Blew It (featuring Dave Grohl, Perry Farrell)

05. Queen Of The Clowns (featuring Mark King)

06. Get the Money (featuring Joe Walsh, Chrissie Hynde, Duff McKagan)

07. C U In Hell (featuring LeAnn Rimes)

08. Middle Child (featuring Dave Grohl)

09. Kiss The Ring

10. Shapes Of Things (featuring Roger Taylor, Pat Smear)

Since the Texas-born Laguna-bred force of nature made his Foo Fighting debut on the tour supporting 1997's sophomore opus "The Colour And The Shape", he has been an essential element of the sound and personality of the last great American arena/stadium rock band. He's played on Grammy-winning FF albums, including "There Is Nothing Left To Lose", "One by One" and "Wasting Light", and contributed lead vocals to "Concrete And Gold"'s "Sunday Rain", as well as "Cold Day In The Sun" from 2005's "In Your Honor". Taylor's previous extracurricular output includes two albums from TAYLOR HAWKINS AND THE COATTAIL RIDERS, one with THE BIRDS OF SATAN, the above-mentioned "KOTA" mini-LP that featured Hawkins on lead vocals and nearly every instrument.

Photo credit: Andreas Neumann

Fan-filmed video footage of QUEENSRŸCHE's performance aboard the inaugural Megacruise can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube user "alexvigil29").

Megacruise, hosted by metal veterans MEGADETH, departed from Los Angeles on October 13 on a round-trip voyage to San Diego and Ensenada, Mexico and returned on October 18. The at-sea music experience featured additional performances from ANTHRAX, LAMB OF GOD, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, DEATH ANGEL, TESTAMENT, DRAGONFORCE, OVERKILL and CORROSION OF CONFORMITY, among others.

Official cruise hosts Eddie Trunk (VH1, SiriusXM, AXS), Jose Mangin (SiriusXM) and Lüc Carl (SiriusXM, Ozzy's Boneyard) moderated question-and-answer sessions and activities specially crafted for this voyage.

Megacruise offered fans a variety of events and activities that put cruisers up front and center with metal icons from fan and artist photo experiences to intimate morning coffee jams, music clinics to fan and artist sporting competitions and more ways to interact with the lineup.

QUEENSRŸCHE is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "The Verdict", which was released in March via Century Media Records. The disc was produced, mixed, and mastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (ROB ZOMBIE, ICED EARTH, HATEBREED) at Uberbeatz in Lynwood, Washington; Planet-Z in Wilbraham, Massachusetts; and Watershed Studio in Seattle, Washington.

The current QUEENSRŸCHE lineup features two original members, bassist Eddie Jackson and guitarist Michael Wilton, along with singer Todd La Torre and guitarist Parker Lundgren.

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

Black Tusk have shared their new single, "Gallows" (listen below). The track is from Graveface Records' Savannah True Crime Compilation, which is out in November.

About the song, Black Tusk's Andrew Fidler says: "In Colonial America in from 1692-1693, our country underwent an actual witch hunt that has repeated itself, in various forms, over and over again up to the present day. Gallows Hill is inspired by the history of the Salem Witch trials, in which innocents were persecuted by those who were afraid of anything different. When we were asked by Graveface to contribute a song to a comp dealing we the subject matter of cults and serial killers and fear of the unknown, we felt it fitting to write about an event that truly cemented the rule of mass hysteria into our cultural and political systems while highlighting a segment of our societies penchant for persecuting a set of ideals or belief system or even just the way a person identifies themselves or how they choose to live outside a set of norms established by religion. Inspirations for the song aside, this is also the first song we've written with longtime collaborator and new guitar player Chris "Scary" Adams. He recorded TCBT for us and did this song as well. We've just built a new studio, so be on the lookout for more from us very soon! But in the meantime, we hope you enjoy Gallows Hill and a huge thank you to Ryan from Graveface for making this a possibility."  

The compilation is being released in November to help fund the Graveface Museum in Savannah. There is an Indiegogo running now to help fund the project and here's a statement from Ryan Graveface about the Musuem:

"The Graveface Museum is a labor of love and an ode to all things odd. I (Ryan Graveface) moved to Savannah in 2010 and opened Graveface Records & Curiosities in the Starland District in 2011. I also moved my independent record label operation and have started two more labels since being here. I've been collecting morbid historical artifacts, horror sci-fi pinballs, death row artwork from infamous criminals and more basically all of my life. It's always been a dream of mine to have a means of sharing my collection publicly and I couldn't imagine a more perfect city to do this in.

"When I first moved to Savannah the city was genuinely weird. It felt like one of the last remaining authentically strange places in the country which is part of what drew me in. One of the main reasons I left Chicago was to escape the rampant gentrification of unique neighborhoods that I cherished; unfortunately, Savannah is heading down a similar road. The city I adore is losing its character and charming grit to craft cocktails and overpriced food popping up on every corner. My goal with the museum is larger than putting interesting oddities on display; it's to offer something deeper and more impactful than what's currently being offered in the city. My hope with the museum is to get people talking or at least thinking about larger topics like morality, life, death, problems we still face with the criminal justice system, experiencing things of the past, and appreciating history to help reflect on today's culture. Or you can just go look at cool stuff and play spooky pinball."

Savannah True Crime Compilation tracklisting:

Casket Girls - "Let Me Bleed"
smalltalk - "jimjones"
Basically Nancy - "Sorry Charlie"
The Discussion - "Deathtripper"
Skippy Spiral - "Ham & Eggs"
Dame Darcy - "Turpentine"
Rude Dude and the Creek Freaks - "Aum Shinrikyo"
Nancy Druid - "Last Chance To Advance Beyond Human"
Prime Canidae - "An Easy Resolution"
Black Tusk - "Gallows Hill"
Valley Gals - "Mizz Castore"
Sins of Godless Men - "Son Of Sam"
Hot Plate (ft. Brooke Schwartz) - "King Of Peach Street"
Bands w/ Melody - "Keeping Up With The Joneses"
Jeff Zagers - "Village Vanguard"

Black Tusk - "Gallows Hill":

(Photo - Emily Boutwell)




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Warrant have released the video below, stating: “Another compilation cut together by our own Steven “Spielberg“ Sweet, chronicling our Daytona Biketoberfest gig at the Main St Station! We love a huge crowd of any type, and motorcycle riders and fans are no exception - what an audience and vibe! Huge thanks to all!"

Warrant performs next on October 26 at  Glass Cactus in Grapevine, TX. Find the band's tour itinerary here.




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Grim Reaper performed in Sacramento, California on Sep 12th and Capital Chaos TV was in attendance to capture the action. Check out the complete show below.

The long awaited fifth opus from Grim Reaper hit the shelves on October 11th. At The Gates contains 11 tracks of pure British heavy metal. CD version of the album will be available via Dissonance Productions, while the vinyl will be released via Back On Black.

Pre-order the new album here.

Tracklisting:

"At The Gates"
"Venom"
"What Lies Beneath"
"The Hand That Rocks"
"Knock At The Door"
"Rush"
"Only When I Sleep"
"Line Them Up"
"Break Neck Speed"
"Under The Hammer"
"Shadow In The Dark"

"Venom":




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Oddko has revealed a new visualizer video for their new single, "The Strangers", from the upcoming full-length album, Escape The Maze. Watch the clip below.

"The Strangers" is a dark and brooding track with roots in metal and electronica and hints of classical music that illustrates the discomfort of being a perpetual outsider, of living in a world where we never quite belong. In a world where many of us move across countries and continents, it is a familiar feeling to be uprooted and always being the stranger. We often mitigate this feeling by joining a community or tribe, but some of us are simply not joiners or are not let in and always stay on the outside.

Oddko founder, director/musician Giovanni Bucci says, "'The Strangers' is a song about how being different can be both difficult and enriching, I grew up in quite a different way than my peers, with an Italian father and a Dutch mother, who were considered "hippies", and I lived between Italy and The Netherlands. As an adult I moved to London, and later to LA. This probably led me to having very eclectic tastes and never fully belonging to a subculture or music genre. I developed a perspective and a range that is quite uncommon, which is reflected in my creative work."




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Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation has had a change of heart and has added longtime MOTÖRHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee and guitarist Phil Campbell to the ballot for the band's nomination for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

MOTÖRHEAD welcomed the good news, tweeting: "Thanks to everyone who spoke up loudly. Thanks to the #ROCKHALL2020 for listening and adding Phil & Mikkey. All for one and one for all!"

This past week, Dee said that it was "pure wrong" that he and Campbell weren't initially listed on MOTÖRHEAD's Rock Hall ballot.

Campbell joined MOTÖRHEAD in 1984 and has appeared on 16 of the band's studio albums, beginning with 1986's "Orgasmatron" and ending with MOTÖRHEAD's final release, "Bad Magic". Dee joined MOTÖRHEAD in 1992 as the replacement for original drummer Phil "Philthy Animal" Taylor. He made his MOTÖRHEAD full-album recording debut on 1993's "Bastards" and stayed in the group until mainman Lemmy's untimely death in 2015.

When the Rock Hall class of 2020 nominees were first announced, only Lemmy, Taylor and guitarist "Fast" Eddie Clarke were on the ballot for MOTÖRHEAD's Rock Hall nomination.

"That is pure wrong, I would say, and I know Phil will be very disappointed, too," Dee told Billboard about the duo's exclusion on Tuesday (October 15). "We've been carrying the flag for 25 years together, and actually brought MOTÖRHEAD to what it was. We did 25 years out of the 40. The original band lasted just a few years. They started it off, but as Lemmy said himself they wouldn't have lasted another six months doing that lineup. I don't think we would've been where we are today without the 25 years we spent touring."

Campbell hadn't commented on his brief Hall Of Fame snub, but he recently told the "Scars And Guitars" podcast that many fans are unaware of his contributions to MOTÖRHEAD. "Some people, they don't even bother to read the writing credits of the MOTÖRHEAD stuff," he said. "They just think it's Lemmy's thing. That kind of pisses me off. A lot of people seem to think that way. A few times I've said to people, 'Read the writing credits.' ... It was a proper band effort, we all worked hard with that band."

Dee told Billboard that he and Campbell will attend the induction ceremony to represent if MOTÖRHEAD makes it through. "Absolutely," he declared. "I think that's a must. Phil and me have to attend — and play there, of course. It would be a real honor."

Back in 2014, Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation president and CEO Joel Peresman defended the selection process for which band lineups actually get inducted, telling Billboard that the decision about who to induct from any band is made by the Rock Hall's nominating committee as well as an adjunct group of "scholars and historians" familiar with specific inductees and genres. "This isn't chemistry or physics; it's not an exact science," Peresman acknowledged. "Sometimes there's an entire body of work up until (the artists) are inducted, other times it's a specific period of time that established the band as who they are."

The top Rock Hall vote-getters will be announced in January and inducted May 2, 2020 at a ceremony at Cleveland's Public Hall.

To be eligible for this year's ballot, each nominee's first single or album had to be released in 1994 or earlier.

A voter pool of more than 1,000 artists, historians, journalists and members of the music industry will select the new class. Fans will also have a chance to take part in the process by voting at RockHall.com or an interactive kiosk at the museum in Cleveland.




Thanks to everyone who spoke up loudly.

Thanks to the #ROCKHALL2020 for listening and adding Phil & Mikkey.

All for one and one for all! #motörhead

vote here, everyday: https://t.co/LADluKBFch pic.twitter.com/TENlq2wPlF

— Official Motörhead (@myMotorhead) October 20, 2019

QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT was among the headliners of the 2019 Global Citizen Festival, which took place on September 28 in New York City's Central Park.

Professionally filmed video footage of the "We Are The Champions" performance from the concert can be seen below.

The festival happened at the end of the United Nations General Assembly week in New York City and is designed to call on world leaders to make real, impactful commitments toward achieving the UN's Global Goals for Sustainable Development.

An estimated 60,000 Global Citizens in attendance — and millions more watching the broadcast and livestreams on Twitter and YouTube — joined the artist lineup to put pressure on governments, businesses, and philanthropists to uphold their responsibilities toward empowering women and girls around the world, combating plastic pollution to protect the poorest parts of the planet, improving the quality of health care and nutrition, and unlocking human potential through quality education, skills, and health.

The commitments made this year will help to set the agenda for the final 10-year push to achieve the Global Goals by 2030.

Global Citizen is calling on world leaders to make commitments across four policy areas at this year's festival — women's rights, plastic pollution, health care, and human capital.

The organization is calling on governments to raise $250 million for the Education Cannot Wait fund's 2019 replenishment, to ensure children can access education even in times of crisis; make commitments to the Global Fund's $14 billion fundraising drive to save 16 million lives and cut mortality rates from AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria in half by 2023; and allocate $350 million to the UN Population Fund to provide family planning and critical health services to the world's poorest women.

Global Citizen is also asking multinational companies to commit to procuring $100 million of their products and services from women-owned businesses — primarily located in developing countries — and for governments to fund the final push to eradicate polio once and for all.

Over the past eight years, Global Citizen has secured nearly $38 billion in commitments toward the UN's Global Goals from governments, companies, and foundations, set to affect the lives of more than 2.25 billion people. This year will add to the momentum in the fight to end extreme poverty by 2030.

Since the first Global Citizen Festival in New York in 2012, Global Citizen has grown into one of the largest, most visible platforms for people around the world calling on world leaders to honor their responsibilities in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and ending extreme poverty by 2030. Global Citizens have generated commitments and policy announcements from leaders valued at over $37.9 billion that are set to affect the lives of more than 2.25 billion people.

"Like Live Aid in 1985, we believe this concert will be a milestone," QUEEN's Brian May said. "It will generate practical solutions to address the world's glaring anomalies. Global Citizen is an organization which has already moved mountains. We hope this concert will be the beginning of a new era in which all creatures on Earth will eventually benefit."

Italy's Frozen Crown have released an official lyric video for their new single, "Forever", taken from their latest album, Crowned In Frost. Check it out below.

Crowned In Frost is the latest album from Frozen Crown, coming a year after the debut The Fallen King, which gave the band huge media exposure and brought a deal with international booking agency Nine Lives Entertainment, amongst many other accomplishments.

This time, mastermind and songwriter Federico Mondelli amplified the classic/heavy and power metal components of the band, making Crowned In Frost an aggressive and monolithic album from the very beginning, still keeping the listener engaged with its rich sound and wide variety of songs, including instrumental interludes and outstanding female vocals, brought to life by talented Giada "Jade" Etro.

As with the first album, Federico wrote the music and recorded all guitars and keyboards (being an all-round artist he designed the beautiful artwork as well) for Crowwned In Frost, whilst the drum parts were arranged by drummer Alberto Mezzanotte. Lyrics are once again the result of the joint efforts of Giada and Federico. Production duties have been handled by Andrea Fusini.

Crowned In Frost broadens Frozen Crown’s musical landscape still keeping intact an uncommon taste for melody and catchy refrains. The album was released on March 22nd via Scarlet Records.

Tracklisting:

"Arctic Gales"
"Neverending"
"In The Dark"
"Battles In The Night"
"Winterfall"
"Unspoken"
"Lost In Time"
"The Wolf And The Maiden"
"Forever"
"Enthroned"
"Crowned In Frost"

"Neverending"




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Karkaos has taken their mastery of the Quebec metal scene to the next level with the addition of new vocalist, Morgan Lander of Kittie. The band is coming back more fierce and focused than ever, ushering in a devastating new era of power, presence and brutality. On September 21st they hit the stage at Théatre Fairmont in Montréal, Quebec with Lander leading the charge. Fan-filmed video is available below.

Lander is thrilled to be brought into the fold. "Joining Karkaos has been a true honour for me. It feels so incredibly good to be back in the metal game after a number of years away, and I cannot wait to step on the stage once again with these amazing musicians."

The rest of the band feels the same. “We already knew how talented Morgan was when we began talking to her about joining the band,” says band founder, Vincent Harnois. “When she sent us her first demos, we realized that this was going to be something extremely special. She is an absolute pleasure to work with and she brings a whole new dimension to our songs. It is an honor to have her with us and we are thrilled to start the next chapter or our band together.”

Forged out of the ashes of a much earlier band incarnation by Harnois in 2003, Karkaos has quickly evolved into one of the most respected and celebrated metal acts from Montreal, Canada. Mixing elements of death metal, power metal and hard rock, this female-fronted band succeeds in bridging the gap between extreme darkness and light, beauty and terror. Karkaos has performed alongside international acts such as Into Eternity, Enslaved, The Agonist, UneXpect, Unleash the Archers, Delain and Leaves Eyes. The band is brutally punishing audiences with an incredible live show, enabling them to establish a strong following both locally and abroad within a few short years.

The band released their first EP, entitled In Burning Skies, in 2010, closely followed by a professionally shot music video and a live appearance on Montreal’s prestigious music television station Musique Plus. Striking while the iron was hot, the band returned to the studio to record their critically acclaimed debut full-length album Empire, in 2013, led by the single and subsequent music video for “Depths Of Madness”. After years of crafting their live show and refining their sound, once again Karkaos managed to come back stronger and more accomplished than ever with the release of their second full length album, Children Of The Void, in 2017, a testament to their work ethic and strength as a band, diversifying their sound with the addition of the immensely talented and seasoned drummer Justine Ethier (Blackguard, Sykode).

Karkaos is ready to push the boundaries of extreme melodic metal with their upcoming follow up to Children Of The Void. The band entered Silverwings studio in September to demo and work on pre-production on eight new songs, looking to record the full length this fall/winter.




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Pat Benatar, THE DOOBIE BROTHERS and SOUNDGARDEN are leading the fan vote for this year's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction class.

Nearly 1.4 million votes have already been cast since voting began. Fans can cast their vote at the museum in Cleveland and on its web site. They can also vote on Google by searching "Rock Hall Fan Vote" or any nominee name plus "vote" through January 10.

Fans can vote for up to five nominees every day.

As of around 10:00 p.m. ET Saturday night, Pat Benatar received 149,831 votes; THE DOOBIE BROTHERS 134,982; SOUNDGARDEN 127,652; DEPECHE MODE 114,444; and JUDAS PRIEST 108,286.

The top five artists selected by the public will comprise a "fan ballot" that will be tallied and factored in, along with the other ballots sent to approximately 1,000 artists, historians and members of the music industry.

The top Rock Hall vote-getters will be announced in January and inducted on May 2, 2020 at Cleveland's Public Hall, with the event airing live.

To be eligible for this year's ballot, each nominee's first single or album had to be released in 1994 or earlier.

Sweden's Bombus will release their new album, Vulture Culture, on November 15 via Century Media Records. Pre-order here.

The band have released a video for the song "(You Are All Just) Human Beings", which can be found below.

As civilisation crumbles, everyone needs to find a good party at the end of the world. Loud, proud, bombastic and belligerent, Swedish metal crew Bombus have been raging against the dying of mankind’s light for the last decade, a consistent and reliable force for massive riffs and even bigger choruses, wielding enough fire and fury to power a fleet of Death Stars.

The album was recorded with producer Daniel Johansson and mixed and mastered by revered studio guru Jens Bogren (Opeth, Katatonia, Dimmu Borgir).

“I think there is really no other band that sounds like us,” says Fredrik “Feffe” Berglund. “But still we sound like a hundred other bands! If you listen to Vulture Culture you can spot the obvious connection to Black Sabbath and Motörhead but if you listen again you’ll hear traces of Queen, The Prodigy, Tragedy, Pink Floyd, The Partisans, Pantera, ABBA... and it all fits in there! We have never fitted into any particular genre or box and maybe that has made us fall between chairs at times, but if you ask me, that’s what makes us special.”

Vulture Culture track listing:

"A Ladder - Not A Shovel"
"(You Are All Just) Human Beings"
"Mama"
"It's All Over"
"In the Shadows"
"We Lost A Lot Of Blood Today"
"Vulture Culture"
"Two Wolves and One Sheep"
"Feeling Is Believing"

"(You Are All Just) Human Beings" video:

Bombus are:

Feffe (Guitar, Vocals)
Matte (Guitar, Vocals)
Simon (Guitar)
Peter (Drums)
Ola (Bass)

(Photo - Anders Bergstedt)




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Berlin, Germany-based rock overlords Kadavar's new album, For The Dead Travel Fast, has entered the official German Album Charts at #8. This marks the highest chart entry for the band to date. 

Kadavar have released a video for "Demons On My Mind", which can be viewed below.

Tracklisting:

"The End"
"The Devil's Master"
"Evil Forces"
"Children Of The Night"
"Dancing With The Dead"
"Poison"
"Demons In My Mind"
"Saturnales"
"Long Forgotten Song"

"Demons On My Mind" video:

"Children Of The Night" video:

"The Devil's Master" video:

The band's European tour dates in support of For The Dead Travel Fast are listed below.

November
6 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpehuset
7 - Oslo, Norway - Bla
8 - Göteborg, Sweden - Brewhouse
9 - Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser
10 - Hannover, Germany - Capitol
12 - Lyon, France - Le CCO
13 - Nantes, France - Le Stéréolux
14 - Paris, France - L'Alhambra
15 - Bordeaux, France - BT 59
16 - Madrid, Spain - Mon
17 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 2
19 - Strasbourg, France - La Laiterie
20 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
21 - Nürnberg, Germany - Hirsch
22 - München, Germany - Backstage Werk
23. - Wien, Austria - Arena
24 - Dresden, Germany - Beatpol
25 - Brussels, Belgium - Orangiere at Botanique
27 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn
28 - Köln, Germany - Essigfabrik
29 - Hamburg, Germany - Große Freiheit
30 - Berlin, Germany - Columbiahalle




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Ancient Roman metal pioneers, ADE, have just unleashed "Imperator", the new single from the new album, Rise Of The Empire.

With Rise Of The Empire, ADE aims to educate listeners more on ancient history of Rome, specifically the age of Caesar. Still entrenched in traditional old-school death metal, Rise Of The Empire delivers a more mature yet aggressive album suitable for old and new generations of fans interested in the Ancient Rome and epic death metal at its purest.

Digipack deluxe dditions of Rise Of The Empire pre-orders are available at the official record label store here.

Rise Of The Empire is due out for a worldwide release on November 8 via Extreme Metal Music/Rockshots Records. The album's artwork was created by Fabio Timpanaro. Album production was handled by Stefano Morabito at 16th Cellar Studios (Fleshgod Apocalypse, Hour of Penance).

Rise Of The Empire tracklisting:

"Forge The Myth"
"Empire"
"The Gallic Hourglass"
"Chains Of Alesia"
"Once The Die Is Cast"
"Gold Roots Of War"
"Ptolemy Has To Fall"
"Suppress The Riot"
"Veni Vidi Vici"
"The Blithe Ignorance"
"Imperator"

"Imperator":

"Empire" lyric video:




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