Jason Bonham says that he "would love to" pay tribute to his late father by performing with a hologram of the iconic LED ZEPPELIN drummer.

White the recent Tupac Shakur, Roy Orbison and Ronnie James Dio holograms have been criticized by music fans for being a "cash grab," there are some who look at it as something fun as well as a way to pay tribute to a great artist who is no longer with us.

Asked by "The Eddie Trunk Podcast" if he would be open to the idea of sharing the stage with a holographic version of John Bonham, Jason said: "I'd love to be able to try and do something in that way. I think that would be an amazing way to honor him."

Jason has been performing a virtual drum duet with his father as part of the show he first took on the road nearly a decade ago — initially as JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE, now JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EVENING. During "Moby Dick", which contained his father's most famous drum solo, Bonham plays with footage of Bonzo on a video screen behind him.

Jason launched JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EXPERIENCE two years after taking part in LED ZEPPELIN's one-off performance at London's O2 Arena tribute concert for friend and Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun. The rare live set, which saw Jason behind the drums in place of his late father, was released in 2012 as "Celebration Day".

Jason told "The Eddie Trunk Podcast": "At the O2, it was my idea, at the end of 'Rock And Roll', for the lights to go out and it would go to one, if not six or whatever, of the best endings of 'Rock And Roll' from Dad. I said, "Can we end the O2 show, the 'Celebration Day' show…?' where [Robert Plant sings], 'Loney, loney, lonely, lonely, lonely time,' and it goes to different versions from all the different tours, and, say, pick six or four of the best ones that we have in good-quality film, I guess. And you know what the guys said to me was? 'You worked so hard all night to stop people comparing you. Why do you wanna give it back to him at the end?' And that was a really weird, touching moment for me. But at the same time, I wanted to go, 'But it's my dad.' And he goes, 'They'll never forget him. Don't worry.' But, he goes, 'What you need to do is you go out there and you remind them that you're his son and this is what he gave you.' So it was very special. But I really wanted to give it to him again. So, in the end, what I did was I kept the sticks that I had on me as I walked off stage. I drove home, and the next morning I went to his grave and I buried them with him. I said, 'Have them back. They're yours again.'"

Joining Jason in JASON BONHAM'S LED ZEPPELIN EVENING are singer James Dylan, bassist Dorian Heartsong and guitarist Jimmy Sakurai, who recently replaced Tommy Catania. The concerts sometimes run close to three hours and include an extended acoustic portion and a long jamming-out version of "Dazed And Confused".

Paul Stanley has revealed why he still loves being in KISS. In a recent interview with the "Ultimate Classic Rock Nights" radio show, he said: "I love KISS. Not only because I'm in the band, but I love KISS as a fan. When I'm onstage, does it look like I'm having the time of my life? I am! I get so off on entertaining myself, seeing what I can do to get a rise out of myself, looking across and seeing the other guys. It's great."

He continued: "What I also love about KISS is that we don't portray ourselves to be what we're not. We are entertainers. It doesn't negate being in a rock band. And we wear outfits, uniforms, costumes — call it what you will — but is that any different than the guy who goes on stage with a pair of $300 ripped jeans? That's a costume, too. The only difference is we're copping to it."

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 launch January 31 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada at Rogers Arena and will hit an additional 43 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, Tommy Thayer, Gene Simmons and Eric Singer. But Stanley has hinted that former members like Ace Frehley and Peter Criss could make appearances.

QUEEN guitarist Brian May has admitted to Newsweek that he was surprised by the success of the band's biopic, "Bohemian Rhapsody", which smashed box office records to become the highest-grossing music biopic of all time.

"Nobody expected it to be that huge," May said. "We thought it would do quite well. We didn't expect it to be a record-breaking blockbuster. The guitarist went on to say that he was "delighted" with the film, and praised actor Rami Malek, who plays Freddie Mercury, as "colossal." He added: "What an incredible performance he gives. He just became Freddie."

May also expressed his warm approval of Welsh actor Gwilym Lee, who played him in the movie and practised guitar with QUEEN legend to prepare for the role. "All the time we were together he was clocking me," May said. "He was absorbing what I was doing unconsciously. He's absorbing my mannerisms, my body movements, the tone of my voice. He just became me."

According to Deadline, "Bohemian Rhapsody" has broken music biopic records domestically ($175.7 million) and at the international box office ($433 million) for a global take of $608.7 million. The film has also garnered two Golden Globes and two SAG Award nominations.

While many reviews have slammed "Bohemian Rhapsody" for its uninspired storytelling, some people have also taken issue with the movie's depiction of Mercury's sexuality — or rather, its lack thereof. The biopic focuses heavily on the relationship between him and the rock star's former fiancée Mary Austin, who discovers midway through the film that he's cheating on her with other men.

May told Classic Rock magazine that the biopic was really all about Mercury.

"It's very emotional. It's all about Freddie," he said. 'Yes, we are in there, but the story is about Freddie and that was always the aim. Obviously, Freddie is so precious to us. One of the great breakthroughs early on was [screenwriter] Peter Morgan saying: 'This is a film about family.' It's about all the stuff that happens in a family — some good, some bad, the going away, the searching for independence and then the nurture of the family. It's a film about that stuff, on one level, and then it's about Freddie's emerging talent, his amazing resilience and sense of humor."

According to Screen Rant, Sacha Baron Cohen and Ben Whishaw were set to play Freddie Mercury at different stages in the movie's development, prior to Malek's casting. Cohen's vision for the film was reportedly very "adult" in tone and clashed with what the surviving members of QUEEN had in mind, leading to the actor's departure.

"Bohemian Rhapsody" began production with "X-Men" director Bryan Singer behind the camera, but the filmmaker was fired from the movie after he disappeared from set and caused production delays. Dexter Fletcher, best known for making "Eddie the Eagle", stepped in to replace Singer in the director's chair.

Swedish metallers SABATON have entered the studio to begin recording their new album. The follow-up to 2016's "The Last Stand" will be released next year via Nuclear Blast Records.

SABATON singer Joakim Brodén and bassist Pär Sundström released a short video message earlier today letting their fans know what they can expect from the group in 2019.

"We've got some exciting news to tell you guys," Joakim said. "We're making a new album. I'm not saying we're gonna start making a new album — we're actually recording now."

Earlier this year, Brodén told Greece's "TV War" that there was a perfectly good explanation for the longer-than-usual wait for a new SABATON record. "The thing is, ['The Last Stand'] tour has taken us almost everywhere," he said. "Before, we didn't play so much in South America and in North America and also Asia, so back in those days, we were done with the touring in time to do an album every two years. Now, since we are playing in Australia, North and South America and Asia as well, it, unfortunately, delays it a bit. But, yeah, we're not gonna be a band who releases an album every eight years."

Asked if SABATON already had some ideas for a possible concept for the next studio album, Brodén told "TV War": "We have a lot of concept ideas, actually. The trick is we never know what we're gonna use. I mean, we've done that in the past and we said what we were planning to do, and then we changed our minds at the last minute and people were disappointed. So, I'm not trying to be secretive — we have probably 20 or 30 ideas that we're always working with, but at the end, we don't really decide until we have half of the songs written. We see what language, what kind of message is the music bringing. And you can't really sing about futuristic warfare if the songs sound old. It's kind of important to us that the music and lyrics fit well together."

SABATON's next disc will be the group's first with guitarist Tommy Johansson (GOLDEN RESURRECTION, REINXEED), who replaced Thobbe Englund in 2016.

SABATON's 2012 album, "Carolus Rex", was recently certified quadruple platinum in the band's home country of Sweden. The concept effort — which is the group's biggest success to date — charts the rise and fall of the Swedish Empire, in particular the life of Charles XII ("Carolus Rex") who ruled it for 21 years. In an amazing coincidence, the album's quadruple platinum certification came exactly 300 years after the king's death in 1718.

To celebrate the album's success, and to commemorate the Swedish king who inspired it, SABATON released a special 300th-anniversary edition of "Carolus Rex" on November 30, which is the date Carolus Rex was killed in Norway.

Saarbrücken, Germany-based metallers, Powerwolf, have released the video below with the following message:

"We'd like to say 'Thank you all!' for an amazing year 2018! 'Where The Wild Wolves Have Gone' is a very special song for us. Check out the new music video that comes along with it."

No rest for the wicked, as Powerwolf will hit the road again in January 2019 for their The Sacrament Of Sin Tour 2019. Selected cities in France, Spain and the UK are among the party as well as an exclusive additional show in Germany on January 25th in Dusseldorf - Mitsubishi Electric Hall.

January
10 - Toulouse, France - Bikini
11 - Bordeaux, France - Le Rocher De Palmer
12 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 1
13 - Madrid, Spain - La Riviera
15 - Lille, France - L'Aeronef
16 - Nantes, France - Le Stereolux
17 - Rouen, France - Le 106
19 - Manchester, UK - Academy 2
20 - Glasgow, UK - Swg 3
21 - Bristol, UK - Swx
22 - Birmingham, UK - Digbeth Mill
24 - Reims, France - La Cartonnerie
25 - Düsseldorf, Germany - Mitsubishi Electric Hall
26 - Nancy, France - L'Autre Canal
27 - Marseille, France - Espace Julien
28 - Lyon, France - Transbordeur
29 - Strasbourg, France - La Laiterie

March
22 - Kiev, Ukraine - Pochayna Event Hall
23 - Minsk, Belarus - Re:Public
24 - St. Petersburg, Russia - A2 Club
26 - Novosibirsk, Russia - Podzemka
28 - Yekaterinburg, Russia - Tele Club
29 - Moscow, Russia - Stadium

In a recent interview with the "Nothing Shocking" podcast, DEATH ANGEL singer Mark Osegueda was asked if he feels slighted by the fact that his band rarely gets mentioned alongside the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX.

"I don't know necessarily if we were slighted, 'cause the 'Big Four' is the 'Big Four' for an absolute reason — plain and simple," Mark responded (hear audio below). "But now I think at least there is a metal scene again. [Laughs] There was a while when there was no metal scene, and we were broken up anyway. But it's now that there is a metal scene and younger kids are getting into it."

He continued: "I don't feel slighted — I don't. The 'Big Four' will always be the 'Big Four,' but I do think that we definitely still have to fight extra hard for respect. We've earned a lot of respect from journalists and fans that, at one point, kind of overlooked us. And I think 'cause of our persistence, and, I guess, the aggressiveness of our material that has grown a great deal that I think we won a lot of people over that used to kind of scoff at us."

A few years ago, TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy told Metal Insider that METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX were rightfully called the "Big Four" because "those four bands had great success selling millions of records. But the rest of us — EXODUS, DEATH ANGEL [and] TESTAMENT — we didn't sell out those festivals or that amount of records. So I don't see us being compared to that. I'd say if metal was still going as strong as it was, yeah, we all stood a chance to sell a lot of records. That's just my take on it. When people talk about that, to me, those four bands are justifiable, and that's it. I don't see any other bands that were the 'Big' whatever."

Last year, OVERKILL vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth said that "when it comes to being selected and not selected" for inclusion in the "Big Four", "that's a simple accounting issue. When you talk numbers, numbers make the world go around, numbers put food on your table, and numbers put the 'Big Four' in arenas. And they sell enough records to do that… He who sells the most gets the pole positions."

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine said in a 2013 interview that EXODUS "probably" should have been included if the "Big Four" were expanded and considered the "Big Five" "because there was nobody else at the time that had that kind of pull or that kind of importance in the metal community. Granted, it was with [late EXODUS singer Paul] Baloff, and Baloff had a voice that you had to have an acquired taste for, but you know, I liked him."

METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett concurred, telling U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine in a 2014 interview that "EXODUS in the '80s had some bona-fide problems, but I think their first album [1985's 'Bonded By Blood'] is just as good as [METALLICA's debut] 'Kill 'Em All'. We were just playing the music we wanted to hear because no one else was playing it and it wasn't being played on the radio. It was only a small group of people who knew about it and it was almost elitist in that 'No posers allowed!' thing."

Original FOREIGNER singer Lou Gramm has announced his retirement from performing as a solo artist.

Gramm broke the news of his decision to stop touring at the conclusion of his concert Saturday night (December 29) in Schenectady, New York.

He told the audience (see video below): "Just talking with my wife and some people in the business… You get real excited when you start out in this business, but you've gotta be smart enough to know when to walk away from it too. And I just feel it's that time for me."

Gramm still reportedly has a few things planned for 2019, including several shows with John Payne (ASIA) under THE ROCK PACK banner, but he will apparently no longer tour with his solo band.

The 68-year-old Gramm left FOREIGNER for good in 2002 and has battled health issues in recent years, including the removal of a non-cancerous tumor. He told the Democrat & Chronicle last year that he was planning to retire, but still reunited with FOREIGNER for several shows in 2018 to celebrate the band's 40th anniversary.

"I'm tired of the business," Gramm said in 2017. "It's time to hang up the mic."

Gramm was the voice on FOREIGNER's biggest hits, including "Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold as Ice" from the band's eponymous debut in 1977, and later songs like "Hot Blooded" and "I Want to Know What Love Is".

FOREIGNER replaced Gramm with Kelly Hansen in 2005. Guitarist Mick Jones, the only remaining original member, suffered from some health issues beginning in 2011, eventually resulting in heart surgery in 2012.

Unholy Swedish deathrace kings The Crown wishes you all a Happy New Year with greetings and a photo recap of 2018.

On the live front, The Crown currently has four shows booked for 2019:

April
27 - Nöjesfabriken - Karlstad, Sweden

May
11 - Graveland Open Air - Hoogeveen, Netherlands
31 - Bavarian Battle Open Air - Kirchdorf, Germany

August
1 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, Germany

In other news, brand new vinyl editions of Crowned In Terror, Crowned Unholy and Possessed 13 will be available January 11th. Preorders - eBay, EMP.

Here's the available versions:

Crowned In Terror
-180 g black vinyl
-Amber marbled vinyl (ltd. 200) EU
-Clear teal marbled vinyl (ltd. 200) EU
-Bone white marbled vinyl (ltd. 100) EU
-Orange-brown marbled vinyl (ltd. 300) US

Crowned Unholy
-180 g black vinyl
-Dead gold marbled vinyl (ltd. 200) EU
-Opaque golden yellow marbled vinyl (ltd. 200) EU
-Clear/black marbled vinyl (ltd. 100) EU
-Clear old gold marbled vinyl (ltd. 300) US

Possessed 13
-180 g black vinyl
-Cool grey marbled vinyl (ltd. 200) EU
-Red/black marbled vinyl (ltd. 200) EU
-Smoke clear vinyl (ltd. 100) EU
-White/red marbled vinyl (ltd. 300) US

Chapter II: Days Of Solitude, the second album from New York's Brave The Waters is set for release on February 1st.  You can listen to the first single, "Written In Stone & Locked Away", below. Pre-order the album here.

Brave The Waters consists of New York metal scene veterans Tom Anderer and Rick Habeeb, who've spent years building up musical chemistry together in groups such as doom metal outfit Grey Skies Fallen and experimental deathgrind outfit Buckshot Facelift, which is fronted by Artificial Brain vocalist Will Smith.

At its core, Chapter II: Days Of Solitude is a musical journey informed by post-rock, improvised musicianship, ambient music, rock, and metal combined in a mercurial way. In order to create a melancholic world that speaks volumes without words. Brave The Waters consists of New York metal scene veterans Tom Anderer (2018 live bass for Artificial Brain at times) and Rick Habeeb who've spent years building up musical chemistry together in groups such as doom metal outfit Grey Skies Fallen and experimental deathgrind outfit Buckshot Facelift which is fronted by Artificial Brain vocalist Will Smith.

After playing in multiple projects together for years, the duo decided to embark on a new project in 2014 informed by their mutual love of ambient music, post-rock, and rock under the name of Brave The Waters. Like their prior works, the new album is built upon a hybrid improvised and carefully written approach that layers the duo's talents into lush soundscapes which mirror the feeling of winter upon us and tap into feelings of solitude, mourning, self-reflection, hope, and solace. All electric guitar was improvised by Rick Habeeb and supported by written acoustic guitar and bass from Tom Anderer with a more structured approach to the compositions this time on Chapter II: Days Of Solitude.

Brave The Waters band statement regarding Chapter II: Days Of Solitude: "These songs are sad and somber but reveal hope in the darkest places of self-consciousness and are very thoughtful. The album tells a detailed story without words, allowing the listener to evoke the settings and characters their imagination creates from the ambient soundtrack. Artwork again is amazingly-handled by Travis Smith (Amorphis, Opeth, Strapping Young Lad, Megadeth, etc.), and we hope to release this both in digital and physical formats."

Tracklisting:

"Endless Pursuit"
"Above The Broken Clouds"
"Written In Stone & Locked Away"
"To Be Alone"
"Transcending Horizons"
"Vague Shadows"
"Trials Of The Sunken Swamp"
"Out Of Nowhere"
"Maze Of Winding Roads"
"Arrival At The Gates Of Torment"

"Written In Stone & Locked Away":

Brave The Waters lineup:

Rick Habeeb - Improvised Electric Guitar (Buckshot Facelift, Grey Skies Fallen)
Tom Anderer - Acoustic Guitar and Bass (Buckshot Facelift, Grey Skies Fallen)

Finland's Hexvessel will release their new album, All Tree, on February 22nd via their own imprint Secret Trees, in an exclusive partnership with Century Media and Prophecy Productions for North America. The record will be available as Digipak CD and Gatefold LP with an exclusive bonus track.

Founded in the magical forests of Finland, via the green and pleasant lands of England and Ireland, Hexvessel are wyrd folk. Formed in 2009 by Mat "Kvohst" McNerney, who having already made a name for himself in extreme metal bands in the UK where he was born and raised, and again in the Norwegian black metal scene, finally found his home in the land of the midnight sun. Settling in a country where mythology, tradition and pre-Christian heritage is still alive, McNerney, (who also fronts 1980s-excess-tinged gothic pop band Grave Pleasures), found solace in the constant reflection of Finland's pagan past, awakening secret knowledge that led to the formation of Hexvessel.

Since acclaimed debut album Dawnbearer (2011), Hexvessel have released two further albums of forest folk and bewitching psychedelia. They have played sold out headline tours in their homeland, been nominated for two Finnish Grammy awards, toured Europe together with bands like Sabbath Assembly and Alcest, graced the main stage at Roadburn in Holland and performed at SXSW in Texas, seeing their music on the charts and on many critics lists. They embellished their sonic rituals with mushroom-induced psychedelia on third and most recent best-selling album When We Are Death to widespread critical acclaim and continue to develop their sound.

Their new album All Tree sees the band expand upon McNerney's personal spiritual journey. Reunited with his co-songwriter from Dawnbearer, Andrew McIvor, they unfurl their primordial storytelling with a contemporary command of song-craft. During the writing of All Tree, as he sat by the fire in his summerhouse in the Finnish wilderness, McNerney recalled the summers of his youth, spent listening to Celtic ghost stories on his father’s family farm in Galway, Ireland. He began to write music that grew out of that connection between myth and nature and wanted the album to symbolize a pathway toward a spiritual revival of the old fables. From a youth spent in pastoral England to the boggy marsh woods of Ireland, to his homeland forests of Finland, McNerney’s Hexvessel reveals nature’s universal tales of hidden spirits.

The pagan wilds are portals to reality. You go through them and you enter the universe. Hexvessel write songs in the oral tradition of the old balladeers. They weave everyman stories that create a bond between the teller and the audience, bringing alive a sense of shared purpose and spiritual history. With wife and collaborator Marja Konttinen, like-minded troubadour and co-writer Kimmo Helén, guitarist Jesse Heikkinen, the primal rhythms of Jukka Rämänen (Dark Buddha Rising), and the occult found-sounds of Antti Haapapuro (Aural Hypnox/Arktau Eos), Hexvessel has truly become a melting cauldron or “vessel,” a potent “hex” of spellwork.

By drawing on older folk acts like Shirley Collins, Vashti Bunyan, later folk rock bands such as Steeleye Span, Fairport Convention and King Crimson, to more recent artists such as Nick Cave and Coil, imbued with Karelian and Nordic folklore rhythms, Hexvessel have created a sound that is both ancient and modern. All Tree is about connection and roots, bringing the spirits of the past that we all share to a more mystical and fulfilling vision of the future.

Tracklisting:

"Blessing"
"Son Of The Sky"
"Old Tree"
"Changeling"
"Ancient Astronaut"
"Visions Of A.O.S."
"A Sylvan Sign"
"Wilderness Spirit"
"Otherworld Envoy"
"Birthmark"
"Journey To Carnac"
"Liminal Night"
"Closing Circles"
"Summer Fires" (bonus track)

“Old Tree”:

“Closing Circles” live:

Tony Iommi says that he has begun remixing BLACK SABBATH's 1995 album "Forbidden", which features singer Tony Martin, drummer Cozy Powell and bassist Neil Murray, and is often regarded as the band's worst LP.

"Next year will be the 'Forbidden' album coming out, which we're remixing at the moment — [engineer] Mike Exeter an myself," Tony said in a video message posted to his Facebook page on Saturday (December 29). "And it's been interesting to pull that apart and at least try and get some bigger sounds on it, as it should be. I know Cozy was never happy with his drum sound, and none of us were really happy with the sound of that album. So hopefully now it will be sounding better."

In a 2011 interviw with Gibson.com, Martin stated about "Forbidden": "Well, 'Forbidden' is I want to say 'crap,' but it's actually not. The songs worked really well in rehearsals, and then things started to get political, and I got wind of an Ozzy [Osbourne] reunion [with SABBATH] — not from SABBATH directly, of course. But before that came, there was a meeting at the SABBATH offices in London to which we were summoned to discuss the possibility of doing a RUN-D.M.C. type of album. I thought it wouldn't work, and voiced that. Cozy Powell thought it wouldn't work. I was never sure that most of the others were convinced, but we were kinda steered into a 'rap SABBATH' album. Then I was told that [rapper] Ice-T was gonna be doing it and they couldn't or wouldn't tell me if he was doing the whole thing or just one track... and I still didn't know the answer to that when I was in the studio singing the tracks. They said they were gonna take it and see what Ice-T wanted to do. So it has a distinct ill feeling about it. The album eventually didn't really work, although some fans love it. And it was the penultimate album to my being removed from the band, the last album to be released being 'Sabbath Stones', a compilation album, which kept my name in the band to span 10 years and six albums."

BLACK SABBATH released six albums with Tony Martin on vocals: "The Eternal Idol" (1987), "Headless Cross" (1989), "Tyr" (1990), "Cross Purposes" (1994), "Cross Purposes Live" (1995) and "Forbidden" (1995).

SABBATH completed its last major tour in February 2017 with two shows in Birmingham, closing out the quartet's groundbreaking 49-year career.

The trek was the band's last because Iommi, who was diagnosed with cancer in late 2011 and is currently in remission, can no longer travel for extended amounts of time. But he has said he would not rule out special events or one-off shows.


Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

-- TonyPosted by Tony Iommi on Saturday, December 29, 2018

Ex-SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach has once again accused his former bandmates of not acknowledging their legacy.

"My band are too self-absorbed to even think about our 30th anniversary or re-releasing the old records on vinyl or putting out [SKID ROW's 1990 home video] 'Oh Say Can You Scream' on Blu-ray, like, obvious shit just doesn't fuckin' happen for SKID ROW fans," he told Ultimate Classic Rock in a new interview.

Bach fronted SKID ROW until 1996, when he was fired. Instead of throwing in the towel, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band called OZONE MONDAY.

In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a bit of shuffling over the years, featured a lineup consisting of original bassist Rachel Bolan and guitarists Dave "Snake" Sabo and Scotti Hill, alongside drummer Rob Hammersmith and singer Johnny Solinger.

SKID ROW fired Solinger over the phone in April 2015, a few hours before announcing ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell as his replacement. Eight months later, Harnell exited the band and was replaced by South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart, who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I.

"God bless 'em, starting your 'new' band in your fuckin' late 50s — way to go," Sebastian told Ultimate Classic Rock. "You're starting your new band in your late 50s. Most musicians, in their late 50s, are fucking playing to the fans that put them there, giving the people what they want. I didn't invent that phrase.

"The reason I get pissed off is because we still get the royalty checks and I get a tremendous sense of guilt when I get these checks because I know the fans want a fuckin' deluxe edition, just like GUNS N' ROSES," Bach said. "I can't even complete a group text with these guys. I don't understand it, because we don't even have to like each other to put out an old record. I don't get it. It's like banging your head against the wall."

Bach went on to say that he was once "very, very close" with his SKID ROW bandmates and he took issue with the widespread belief that he is hard to work with. "You've had seven fucking singers — maybe you're hard to work with," the singer said. "My [solo] band's been the same for 10 years or 15 years; same band. No problem in four Broadway shows and a cast of 70 people, 'Gilmore Girls'… they don't think I'm hard to work with. Netflix loves working with me. 'Trailer Park Boys', fucking eight seasons — they don't think I'm hard to work with. Maybe those guys are fucking hard to work with."

Bach added: "It's just a shame because our fans would like it, and there's no reason why not to."

Bach joined SKID ROW in 1988 as the replacement for the band's original lead singer Matt Fallon, who sang on demo versions of songs that were eventually re-recorded for SKID ROW's first LP.

SKID ROW's 1989 multi-platinum, self-titled effort featured the Top 10 hits "18 And Life" and "I Remember You" and was supported by a six-month tour with BON JOVI.

Following his departure from SKID ROW, Bach started performing in Broadway shows like "Jekyll & Hyde" and "The Rocky Horror Show", and appeared on television shows, including "Gilmore Girls" and VH1 reality show "SuperGroup". He also pursued a solo musical career, most recently releasing the 2014 album "Give 'Em Hell".

In an interview with Tigman of the Albany, New York radio station Q103, Sabo said that it was "frustrating" to be constantly asked about a reunion with Bach when it's been "over 20 years already" since the singer was dismissed from SKID ROW.

"People get married and people get divorced," he said. "Some people — very few — but some people end up going back with their ex-wives. I've got no desire to go back with my ex-wife. I'm very happy with my current relationship.

"Look, I understand it — I do," he continued. "And from a fan perspective, I get it. For me personally, for a myriad of reasons that are private, this is where I wanna be… this is where we all wanna be right here, right now.

"I don't do this for money; money was never the issue with us. And so, yeah, if it was for a moneygrab, whatever — someone else could do it. Not that I'm allergic to money, I'm really, really happy where I'm at. And it's no disrespect to anybody — I wish everybody all the best. But for right now in my life, this works best for all of us.

"People are wanting what once was — I do understand it; of course I do. But it's not going to happen. And we've been saying that for a pretty long time."

Photo credit: Lizzy Gonzalez

Legendary rocker Alice Cooper has told The Guardian in a new interview that he keeps his political opinions to himself. "I don't like to mix politics and rock 'n' roll," he said. "I don't look at Bono, Sting and Bruce Springsteen as political. I look at them as being humanitarian. I'll contribute to anything humanitarian. Helping people who can't help themselves. But when musicians are telling people who to vote for, I think that's an abuse of power. You're telling your fans not to think for themselves, just to think like you. Rock 'n' roll is about freedom — and that's not freedom."

Two years ago, Cooper said that rock stars offering their political opinions is "the worst idea ever." "First of all, why do people think rock stars know more than they do?" he said. "That is the biggest fallacy in the world — if anything, we're dumber. We're not smarter than anybody else. I mean, why do you think we're rock stars?

"Trust me, we don't read magazines you don't read. Nobody calls us up and gives us as inside information on politics. We know less than you do. If I watch TV, it's 'Family Guy'.

"Rock 'n' roll was built to go as far away from politics as you could get. When my mom and dad talked about who to vote for, I'd go in the other room and put on THE BEATLES or ROLLING STONES — and I'm still like that."

Cooper, who considers himself a humanitarian, said that he had no problem with artists using their platform to highlight global issues if it benefited others.

He said: "I think what Bono does and what [Bruce] Springsteen does, Sting and all the people that raise money for others — that's humanitarian, and I'm all for that. But I don't think that's political."

In a 2016 interview with Rolling Stone, Cooper stated about then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump: "He's an interesting character. It seems like he shoots himself in the foot every single day and gets more popular by doing it. It's the weirdest. It's like [Kurt] Vonnegut: Everything that shouldn't happen is happening."

Cooper previously said that he would even go so far as to do the opposite of what everyone else is doing just to make a point. During the 2004 election season, he said: "When I read the list of people who are supporting Kerry, if I wasn't already a Bush supporter, I would have immediately switched. Linda Ronstadt? Don Henley? Geez, that's a good reason right there to vote for Bush."

He also mused about sitting between such political rocker icons as John Lennon and Harry Nilsson while they argued politics and thinking, "I don't care."

German heavy metal band Bloody Times have released a new lyric video for "Fort Sumter", taken from their new album, On A Mission, due out on January 11th. The album features guests Ross The Boss (ex-Manowar), and former Iced Earth members John Greely and Raphael Saini. Check out the video below.

The album was mixed and mastered by OGrego (Winter’s Dawn, Necrorgasm, Emerald). Album artwork by Stan-W Decker (Ross The Boss, Primal Fear, Masterplan). Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Alliance"
"Fort Sumter"
"Die In A Hole"
"Curse Of Genevieve" (reworked)
"Future Secret"
"Operation Focus"
"The Warning (Until Blood Boils Pt.1)"
"The Revenge (Until Blood Boils Pt.2)"
"Day Of Collapse"

"Alliance" trailer:

Lineup:

Ross Friedman - Rhythm and solo guitar (Ex-Manowar, Ross The Boss Band)
John Greely - Lead and backing Vocals (Ex-Iced Earth, Seventh Servant)
Raphael Saini - Drums (Ex-Iced Earth)
Marco Cossu - Rhythm and solo guitar (Inexhibit)
Rainer Pfundstein - Rhythm and solo guitar (Big Mama)
Balasz Fleischhauer - Rhythm and solo guitar
Simon Pfundstein - Bass and backing vocals

In 2014 the name “Bloody Times” was first used for a collection of recorded riffs and demos by bassist Simon Pfundstein, who is therefore known as the founder of Bloody Times. Unlike a classic band formation, Bloody Times slowly evolved out of a solo project. What was created as a hobby led to the production of the first album two years later. The Fire Of Immortality was released as debut album in November 2016. On this album, Simon was supported by former Iced Earth drummer Raphael Saini. All other instruments were recorded by Simon.

In the following year, two of the existing songs were re-recorded with John Greely (Seventh Servant). Since the release he has been the main singer of Bloody Times. John is known for his performance on the album Night Of The Stormrider, which he recorded together with Iced Earth.

Work on a second album began in late 2017 with John on vocals and Simon on bass. While Raphael is also on drums in this production, different guests were on guitar. Five different guitarists contributed their skills and were also partly involved in the songwriting process, which was otherwise mainly done by bassist Simon. The passion for music and metal unites all the members and guests of the project.

A special guest and supporter of the resulting album On A Mission is Ross Friedman (Ross The Boss), who founded the heavy metal band Manowar together with Joey DeMaio in 1980. Since his retirement from Manowar, Ross has been working on his own albums and projects, but his fans adore him most of all for his contribution to the “immortal” albums from Battle Hymns to Kings Of Metal.

Inspired by the mentioned metal giants and other heavy metal classics, a fantastic album has been created. It strongly reminds of “old school metal” and makes you want to hear more impressive songs, which Bloody Times will surely also release in the future.

The Neal Morse Band - Neal Morse (lead vocals, guitars, keyboards), Mike Portnoy (drums, vocals), Randy George (bass), Bill Hubauer (keyboards, vocals), Eric Gillette (guitars, vocals) - will take fans on The Great Adventure with their latest double concept album due out January 25th on Radiant Records via Metal Blade Worldwide.

Below is a video clip of Portnoy laying down drums for "The Great Adventure".

The Great Adventure will be available in three formats: a two CD package, two CD/DVD Special Edition featuring behind-the-scenes video clips of the making of the album, and three vinyl LPs. Pre-orders are available now at Radiant Records’ website. Watch a lyric video for the song "Welcome To The World" below.

The follow-up to 2016’s The Similitude Of A Dream will be the ninth studio album with Morse, Portnoy and George, and the third as a true collaboration with this current lineup. Together, Morse and Portnoy have launched four bands, but the one that has endured the longest and thus with the most musical output has been The Neal Morse Band.

"Let the great adventure now begin…” The closing line of The Similitude Of A Dream, has proved to be strangely prophetic. The new album is exactly that: a perfect companion piece to TSOAD’s partial retelling of John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress. It has everything that fans would expect from an album by The Neal Morse Band, and more: rock, metal, classical and jazz elements appear throughout, as well as some killer melodies, all played faultlessly by some of the greatest rock musicians on the planet.

As Neal Morse explains, “This band continues to amaze me! I have to say it was a little daunting to follow up The Similitude Of A Dream as it was such a special album and it delivered every night at our concerts, but I believe that The Great Adventure will have a tremendous impact as well. This new double album is everything that I hoped it would be! I listened through last night and I was in tears at the end!"

Mike Portnoy emphatically agrees. He says, “How do you follow an epic double concept album??? Well, create another epic double concept album!! Hahaha. I always knew topping The Similitude Of A Dream was going to be difficult, if not impossible, as I held it in such high regard, but alas, I am absolutely blown away with what we achieved here! We’ve created what is the ultimate companion to TSOAD.”

“Sometimes there are things that you just can’t mess with,” Randy George continues. “On The Similitude Of A Dream we tapped into something special. I was sure that the follow up should be something quite different, but you have to follow your heart and follow the music where it wants to go. The Great Adventure is nothing short of a miracle. It’s similar to Similitude in concept and form, but yet it’s tougher and deeper in its tone! This is a powerful work and I look forward to playing it live!

True to the album’s title, the creative process was indeed a “great adventure.” Unlike many previous Morse albums, which have often been written and arranged within weeks, this time around these prolific and world-class musicians spent almost a year working on the end result, producing an abundance of top quality material. This meant some ruthless decision-making: some already completed songs and characters had to go, and-–with studio time running out–new links and ideas were being composed and recorded up to the eleventh hour. “A lot of work and re-work has gone into this,” says Morse, “but I know that some of the most successful and far-reaching albums I’ve been involved with have been just like that. Sola Scriptura and Spock’s Beard’s Snow album come to mind.”

Another key question that had to be addressed in the studio was how to pull all the ideas together into a coherent whole. In the end, what unlocked this “adventure” for Morse was the realization that The Great Adventure needed a new voice and perspective. This time, it is that of the Pilgrim’s abandoned son, a younger, perhaps angrier, voice than was heard on The Similitude Of A Dream.

In a brand new interview with Maxim magazine, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich was asked if he is listening to any new music that is really inspiring him. He responded: "When I'm working out or driving from point A to point B, I listen more to the ARCTIC MONKEYS than anything else. Their new album that came out in May is just an incredible record. It just makes you want to go back and revisit their whole catalog because each record is so different. You'd go back and revisit things from previous records and fall in love with them for different reasons than you did five years ago or eight years ago. I would say when I think of 2018, the main musical mainstay is definitely the ARCTIC MONKEYS for me. But lately I've spent a lot of my free time seeing films."

This is not the first time Ulrich has praised the ARCTIC MONKEYS. Back in 2012, when METALLICA booked the Sheffield rockers to play the heavy metal legends' Orion Music + More in New Jersey, Lars said that ARCTIC MONKEYS' hidden heavier side made them the perfect openers for METALLICA's very first festival. "For me, having the ARCTIC MONKEYS on there is big," he said. "I think they're a heavy metal band disguised as an indie band… If you listen to a song like 'Perhaps Vampires Is a Bit Strong But…' there's almost a RUSH element in there."

Three years ago, Ulrich named ARCTIC MONKEYS' "R U Mine?" as a song that he couldn't get out of his head. "I must have listened to this maybe nine million times since it came out, 'cause my kids are fucking crazy for it," he said. "I started all my kids listening to rock music really early on. The eldest started listening to it first, then the other two picked up on it and they argue between themselves, like, 'Get your own band!' I'm, like, 'Hey, motherfuckers! I introduced them to all of you, so fucking cut it out.'"

METALLICA kicked off the 2018/2019 U.S. leg of the "WorldWired" arena tour on September 2 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. The trek will resume on January 18 in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine has offered an update on the songwriting sessions for the band's 16th studio album, tentatively due in early 2019.

He tweeted on Tuesday (December 25): "Droogs, I'm pulling back on Social Media as things rev up re: LP 16. Not enough time to do my job(s).

"Progress is good. Music is fast and strong. All four [members of MEGADETH are] contributing. Things are good. Get updates via Megadeth.com until we finish LP 16. I'm hurryin'. Really!"

MEGADETH's sessions for the new disc are being co-produced by Chris Rakestraw, who previously worked on 2016's "Dystopia" album.

This past August, Mustaine confirmed to Guitar World magazine that MEGADETH was working on material for the follow-up to "Dystopia". "We have been for a few weeks now," he said. "All the bandmembers are at home writing stuff and putting it in the same spot, keeping all the riffs centralized in one place. And anybody can access anybody's stuff. And then once we're done, I'll start assembling everything."

Asked if that means we will see new MEGADETH music in 2019, Mustaine responded: "Absolutely. For sure. A whole new record, I would say the chances are probably 95 percent. And at least one new song, I'd say it's 100 percent. No question."

MEGADETH's upcoming effort will mark the group's first release to feature drummer Dirk Verbeuren, who officially joined the band more than two years ago.

Dave told "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" back in June that some of the new MEGADETH music is turning out to be more extreme than anything the band has done in the past. "The stuff that Dirk's been playing along to it is scary," he said. "We've never had any of those blast-beat kind of things on our music before, and some of the drumming on this is so mind-blowing. It's making me a better guitar player again, which I love. But I never thought we were gonna be playing this fast or this aggressive again."

"Dystopia" was MEGADETH's first album with guitarist Kiko Loureiro, who was previously best known for his work with ANGRA.

MEGADETH's first-ever Megacruise is scheduled to take place next fall. The boat will depart from Los Angeles on October 13, 2019 and visit San Diego and Ensenada, Mexico before returning to L.A. on October 18, 2019.

Greek occult heavy metallers, Serpent Lord (GR), have released a video for the song “Seed of Divine”, featured on the band’s debut album, released back in September via Alcyone Records. Once again, the band worked with director Bob Katsionis (Firewind, Outloud, solo) and they created a ritualistic music video with a lot of fire, torture and evil.

The band’s announcement: "Epistle Towards the Damned, Our unholy legion, this is a day of celebration as we raise our glasses and Hail the Cold Moon, as it is celebrated today. Also, we greet the release of our new music video, for the song 'Seed Of Divine'. This is the time, the orders from the church are clear. Bow before the Serpent, you unholy spirits. Join our clergy. Through the Torture you will purified and you will be ready to be baptized to the eerie sound of the Serpent. Do not resist to its sound. Do not resist to its power:

“Embrace with light
Their body and mind
Through torture we will
Plant the seed of the divine”

"Do not forget! Serpent Lord (GR) is not just a band. It’s the path to meet, greet and embrace your occult side, your evil thoughts. The path to please your lust, your thirst for triumph, glory and power through The Ritual. Serpent Lord (GR) is your worst dream, your best nightmare. Or your desired reality.

"He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned". Mark 16:16

"Prepare your souls. Are you ready to be damned? All Hail the Serpent!"

The nominations for the 25th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards have been announced and the Queen film Bohemian Rhapsody was nominated in the Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture, and Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role categories.The Male Actor nomination went to Rami Malek who plays the iconic Freddie Mercury.

The 25th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards ceremony will be held January 27th in Los Angeles, CA at The Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall, and simulcast live on TNT and TBS at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.

Bohemian Rhapsody is a foot-stomping celebration of Queen, their music and their extraordinary lead singer Freddie Mercury. Freddie defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound.

The soaring success of Bohemian Rhapsody - the Freddie Mercury/Queen movie that is set to become the biggest grossing music biopic of all time - has proven that the public’s love for Queen remains as strong as ever. Longtime fans and recent converts will be thrilled to discover then, that Queen - original band members Brian May and Roger Taylor, teaming up once more with longtime frontman Adam Lambert on lead vocals - will return to North America next year. Produced by Live Nation, the epic 23-date arena and stadium Rhapsody tour is set to run from mid-July through late August with an all new concert experience.

Going under the Rhapsody header, the six-week tour will debut a brand new larger-than-life production. Stufish Entertainment Architects’ set designer Ric Lipson says: “Queen + Adam Lambert’s Rhapsody tour will, once again for them, expand the parameters of what a live music experience can be. This new show promises to be their most spectacular yet, an innovative and interactive celebration of the continued power of Queen’s music.”

The tour follows an acclaimed run of 10 sold-out shows at the MGM Park Theater, Las Vegas in September 2018 and will kick off July 10th at Vancouver Rogers Arena. Stop-offs include some of the most history-packed venues in the US and Canada, including The Forum in Los Angeles (the last venue the original line-up played in North America on September 15, 1982) and New York City’s Madison Square Garden (the site of past Queen glories, including a memorable performance from Queen + Adam Lambert on July 17, 2014). It will wrap August 23rd at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, NC.

Announcing their Rhapsody tour Roger Taylor said: "We are ready for America and raring to get back in the saddle.”

Adam Lambert said: “We have been designing a brand new visual spectacle that will reframe these iconic songs and we are excited to unveil it!”

With Brian May adding:“ This is a great opportunity. Our last tour featured our most ambitious production ever, and got us our best notices ever. So we decided to rip it apart and get even more ambitious! Watch out, America!"

Since Adam Lambert first shared the stage with Queen for the 2009 American Idol final, his dynamic performances have reinvigorated the band and delighted fans worldwide. Their first full show together - starting as they meant to go on - thrilled a half-a-million-strong crowd in the Ukraine capital city of Kiev in June 2012. Since then May and Taylor’s musical fireworks have been matched by Lambert’s vocal prowess and stage presence, making for an explosive combination. Over 180 gigs later, the partnership has proven a commercial and critical triumph, playing to enraptured full houses in every corner of the world.

Completing the tour line-up are long-term collaborator Spike Edney on keyboards, Neil Fairclough on bass, and Tyler Warren on percussion.

Never known to rest on their laurels, Queen on this Rhapsody tour will unveil a stage show as experimental and rule-defying as the hit-packed Queen back catalogue. The band have worked with the creative partners behind the eye-popping News Of The World 2017 tour - Ric Lipson of Stufish Entertainment Architects handling set design; Rob Sinclair on lighting design; and Sam Pattinson of Treatment Studio behind the video content - to develop an unmissable show.

The tour follows a hugely successful time for Queen + Adam Lambert. 2014 saw them complete their first, rapturously-received North American tour together, as well as massive festival headline slots in Asia and a sold-out arena tour of Australia and New Zealand, leading to them being crowned Band Of The Year at the 10th annual Classic Rock Roll Of Honor awards and Best Live Band Of The Year in Ultimate Classic Rock’s Reader’s Poll.

And they kept up the momentum - in early 2015 they embarked upon their first full European tour together, including two nights at London’s O2 Arena and in September of that year they hit South America, with a headline appearance at Brazil’s Rock In Rio festival seeing them rock a crowd of more than 80,000 people. 2016 saw yet more enormous headline slots, with a celebratory set at the legendary Isle Of Wight Festival one of many highlights. They continued in 2017/2018 with full-blown tours of North America, Australia and New Zealand, and Europe. Their run of UK dates earlier this year sold out in less than half-an-hour, their reputation obviously preceding them.

Then along came 20th Century Fox’s Bohemian Rhapsody. The movie has topped the cinema box office in more than 35 countries around the world since its late October release, drawing worldwide box office receipts in excess of $500 million. The excitement the film inspired also saw Queen propelled back on to the music charts, where they hit No. 1 on Billboard’s Artist 100 Chart, reminding fans why they loved them and dazzling the previously-uninitiated. In the US, the band scored its highest-charting album in 38 years with the Bohemian Rhapsody soundtrack (Hollywood Records), which surged from #25 to #3 on the Billboard 200 chart on November 17th, reached the top of the Billboard Rock Albums chart and were Spotify’s most streamed artist in the world for the week ending November 22nd. In the same week, Queen’s Greatest Hits Vol I, II & III: The Platinum Collection rocketed from #194 to #9 on the Billboard 200 and they had a jaw-dropping 22 songs charting on the Digital Rock Tracks chart including seven of the Top 10.

In the UK the release of Bohemian Rhapsody has also given a healthy boost to Queen's music on streaming services. Rhapsody remains their most popular, with 50.4 million streams, followed by Don’t Stop Me Now on 46.1 million plays.

When Freddie sang The Show Must Go On all those years back, even he couldn’t have guessed that Queen music would still be storming the charts in 2018. Next summer, the stages of North America will be well and truly rocked again. You can’t help thinking Freddie would be overjoyed.

Dates:

July
10 Vancouver, BC - Rogers Arena
12 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Dome
14 - San Jose, CA - SAP Center
16 - Phoenix, AZ - Talking Stick Resort Arena
19 - Los Angeles, CA - The Forum
23 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
24 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center
27 - Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena
28 - Toronto, ON - Scotiabank Arena
30 - Washington, DC - Capital One Arena
31 - Pittsburgh, PA - PPG Paints Arena

August
3 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
4 - Boston, MA - Xfinity Center
6 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
9 - Chicago, IL - United Center
10 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
13 - Columbus, OH - Nationwide Arena
15 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
17 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - BB&T Center
18 - Tampa, FL - Amalie Arena
20 - New Orleans, LA - Smoothie King Center
22 - Atlanta, GA - State Farm Arena
23 - Charlotte, NC - Spectrum Center

 

"We can't believe this year has flown by so fast," says Armored Saint. "We wanted to extend our gratitude to everyone who came out and supported us this year (and every year). What an amazing year we had. Travelling far, beyond places we ever imagined, meeting so many new fans and old for the first time, performing Symbol for you, has all been such an amazing experience." 

"We are constantly reminding ourselves on how very lucky we are to have supporters like you for so many years. We never imagined we'd be still doing this 37 years later, but it's what we hoped for. Thank you for being there. In return, we hope to leave it all out there, on stage, for you every night. Blood, sweat, tears, bruises and all."

"Thank you to all our crew that work their asses off! We want to sincerely wish you all a Happy Holiday Season, and a Very Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year. We are working on new music and we look forward to seeing you all in 2019! Peace!
John, Joey, Jeff, Phil and Gonzo"

In live news, Armored Saint has been confirmed to perform aboard Megadeth's first-ever Megacruise. It sets sail on October 13th, 2019 from Los Angeles, and will hit ports of San Diego, California and Ensenada, Mexico on the NCL Jewel. The ship returns on October 18th. Further details can be found here.

Swedish black metal trio Astrophobos have shared the second single from their new studio full-length album Malice Of Antiquity, which is set for release on January 18th through Triumvirate Records with worldwide distribution via Sound Pollution.

Titled “Begotten In Black”, this new track can be heard now:

The album’s first audio offering “Fire Of Catharsis” is still streaming:

Featuring nine new songs, the follow-up album to the band’s second EP Enthroned In Flesh, was mixed and mastered by Marco Mastrobueno (Fleshgod Apocalypse, Hour Of Penance) at Kick Recording Studios and features Giuseppe Orlando (The Foreshadowing, ex-Novembre) as session drummer and Elisabetta Marchetti (Inno, ex-Riti Occulti) as guest vocalist on the final track “Imperator Noctis”.

Displaying the stunning artwork cover created by American artist Scott Buoncristiano (Mastodon, Swans, Melvins), Malice Of Antiquity is now available for pre-order at this location.

 Tracklisting:

"Fire Of Catharsis"
"Begotten In Black"
"Descending Shadows"
"Abattoir For Flesh And Faith"
"The Summoning Call"
"The Wolves Between The Stars"
"Until The Red Of Dawn"
"The Nourishing Hate"
"Imperator Noctis"

For further details, visit Astrophobos on Facebook.

 

 

Hellevate, the speed/thrash metal band from Kansas City, Missouri, have announced the release of their new single, "Last Of Tthe Fell", as a free mp3 digital download. Get the single here, and listen below.

Hellevate have collectively checked in with the following comment: "We are pleased to announce the release of our new single, 'Last Of The Fell'. This is the first song with the band's new lineup announced earlier in the year, which includes our newest band members, vocalist Erik "Jager" Schmutzler and drummer Edward "Shredward" Unfred. The song was recorded and mixed by guitarists Dan "Danowar" Whitmer and Josh "The Boss" Cole. While remaining true to Hellevate's mix of thrash metal aggression and power metal melodicism, the song explores new sounds and introduces the new band members to our fans ahead of upcoming releases in 2019 and beyond.

Hellevate lineup:

Vocals: Erik “Jager” Schmutzler
Guitars: Dan (Danowar) Whitmer
Guitars: Josh (The Boss) Cole
Bass: Zack (The Ripper) Burke
Drums: Ed "Shredward" Unfred

Austrian metallers, Boundary, have released a music video for the new single, "City Of Madness". The song is taken from the band's upcoming album, Overdose Of Sin, which will be released on January 18th. Watch the clip below.

Overdose Of Sin tracklisting:

"First Line"
"Better Off Dead"
"City Of Madness"
"The Curse"
"Overdose Of Sin"
"War"
"Break The Wall"
"Quit The Torment"
"Resurrection"
"L.N.D.A."
"Wasting Time"

"City Of Madness" video:

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based technical/progressive death metal project, Equipoise, officially announce 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.

Equipoise was founded in August of 2015 by Nick Padovani as a result of he and Zach Hohn writing riffs in the summer. Nick began transcribing these riffs into Guitar Pro soon after, which is where he began to start adding instruments and ultimately complete songs. After a few months of playing around with ideas, Nick had written up a full album's worth of material. Nick presented this material to Inferi vocalist Stevie Boiser and Beyond Creation bassist Hugo Karout, who agreed to join, and Equipoise soon became a reality. Keyboardist/Pianist Jimmy Pitts (Eternity's End, NYN)  joined the ranks of Equipoise in late June of 2016 to complete the line up present on Birthing Homunculi.

After its release in August of 2016, the band signed to The Artisan Era. In the time since, Equipoise has added more high-profile members to the group including Chthe'ilist, Serocs, Zealotry and First Fragment guitarist Phil Tougas, ex-The Faceless, and Ex-Hate Eternal powerhouse drummer Chason Westmoreland, as well as adding Wormhole and ex-live for Vale of Pnath guitarist Sanjay Kumar.

Having banded together as a multi-national collective of renowned death metal musicians, Equipoise then undertook the task of furthering their initial vision into the standout new heights reached throughout 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."

Equipoise features an amalgamation of well-respected musicians within the technical death metal community from Pennsylvania, Illinois, Missouri, Denver, and Quebec. Fans of Gorod, Inferi, Necrophagist, Vale of Pnath, and Death will appreciate all Equipoise - Demiurgus has to offer.

You can check out an early album teaser video for Equipoise - Demiurgus, below.

Nick Padovani's statement regarding the release of Demiurgus: "Demiurgus is the culmination of 3 years of refinement packaged into 63 minutes of thoughtful compositions. The 14 tracks found within will take you through a journey inspired by the anime series, Full Metal Alchemist: Brotherhood, with lyrics, masterfully crafted and executed by Stevie Boiser. The material on this album is a logical progression from the band's debut release, "Birthing Homunculi", further exploring the use of nylon guitars, fretless bass, and symphonic elements. Every track was carefully crafted to maintain a cohesiveness that complements the sinister subject matter. Fans of such bands as Obscura, Necrophagist, Gorod, and Beyond Creation should find themselves captivated by this effort, while fans of unconventional elements in metal will be just as pleased.”

Stay tuned for more Equipoise news, early singles, and pre-orders to launch in the coming weeks.

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"

Teaser:

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 (Burning the Masses, ex-The Faceless, ex-Hate Eternal) - Drums

Space Vacation, the San Francisco, California (Bay area) true metal champions featuring ex- Vicious Rumors guitarist Kiyoshi Morganare, have released a new animated video for the song "The Black Divide".

Space Vacation lead singer/guitarist Scott Shapiro checked in with the following comment: "This video was the brain child of Brooklyn's own, Ryan Weibust. Ryan is an old friend of the band and also fronts the band Natur who we've toured with several times. I was so hyped when he agreed to do this one for us. My biggest issue with music videos is that I don't really want to watch a band lip sync while trying to act cool in a performance based video. I want to be entertained. Most band videos are pretty boring and I hate the production process and the results are less than re-watchable no matter how well the videos are put together. It's absolute torture for me and I don't want to make a video for the sake of having just something to go with the record. Plus I'm not exactly 22 anymore so who wants to see some aging dudes in HD?

"So this time I really wanted to do something outside the box and something we wouldn't have to actually "act" in! Boom! enter Ryan! Ryan has been animating with his company Unproduction and he agreed to do an animated video that really gets what we're about as a band. We don't really take ourselves too seriously and we wanted to make something that was funny and Ryan really came though! So if you like Outer Space, Star Wars, alien demons and Zelda, you should watch and then share this video! And if you dig the music, buy a copy of our latest release "Lost in the Black Divide"on cd/vinyl and help us to pay for more Marshall stacks!"

Space Vacation lineup:

Scott Shapiro - Lead Singer / Guitars
Kiyo Morgan - Shredding Guitars
Kai Sun - Lead Bass
Cubby Baumann - Thunder

German heavy/power metal machine, Steel Engraved, have released a new single and music video for "Where Shadows Remain", the opening song of their new self-titled album, out on January 25th via ROAR Rock Of Angels Records. Watch the clip below.

Steel Engraved's third studio outing will comprise 13 tracks guaranteed to please the fans of majestic, melodic, modern yet old-school metal. Find pre-orders here.

The album was produced by Mario Lochert (Serious Black) and Jan Vacik (Serious Black) at Dreamsound Studios. All vocals produced by Ralf Scheepers at RS Vocal Works. Mixed and mastered by Jan Vacik at Dreamsound Studios. Guest Vocals on “Searching For Regret” by Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear). Artwork & illustration by Dušan Marković (Dragony, Thor, Jag Panzer).

After the release of their two previous full-length albums State Of Siege (debut in 2009) and On High Wings We Fly (2012) it was about time for Steel Engraved to record their third album. Within those six years, many things happened; the band was very busy touring across Europe as well as playing a couple of one-off shows on different festivals and concerts. So it was never seriously discussed when to start recordings the predecessor of On High Wings We Fly. After a change in the line-up in 2016, the band felt that the time was right to get the spirit alive again.

Tracklisting:

“Where Shadows Remain”
“Generation Headless”
“The Oppressed Will Fly”
“Slave To Yourself”
“Nightwarriors”
“Rebellion”
“Searching For Regret”
“One By One”
“Heat”
“Your Inner Self”
“Close Your Eyes”
“We Will Follow” (bonus track)
“All That Lies Below” (bonus track)

“Where Shadows Remain” video:

Hungarian progressive metal band, Dreamgrave, have released a video for the song "Drop The Curtain", taken from their recent album, Monuments. This time a deeper topic is being explored by the band.

Says the band: "'Drop The Curtain' is a song for people, who have hard time fighting dementia, and also for those, who are dedicating their lives taking care after their loved ones for the very last moments. Caregivers of people with dementia often called the invisible second patients. The effects of being a family caregiver are generally negative, with high rates of burden and psychological morbidity as well as social isolation, physical ill-health, and financial hardship. Help caregivers caring for someone living with dementia. If you're a caregiver yourself It is essential that you ask for and accept help."

Monuments can be found on Spotify, iTunes/Apple Music, Bandcamp and on YouTube.