The official lyric video for the song "Heaven And Hell And Fire" from Greek extreme metal veterans ROTTING CHRIST can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "The Heretics", which will be released on February 15, 2019 via Season Of Mist. The artwork for the disc was created by Greek artist Maximos Manolis.

"The Heretics" track listing:

01. In The Name of God (04:14)

02. Vetry Zlye (03:13)

03. Heaven And Hell And Fire (04:52)

04. Hallowed Be Thy Name (05:06)

05. Dies Irae (03:46)

06. I Believe (03:42)

07. Fire God And Fear (04:50)

08. The Voice of the Universe (05:23)

09. The New Messiah (03:07)

10. The Raven (05:23)

With "The Heretics", ROTTING CHRIST is opening a brand new chapter. Sakis, in collaboration with his brother Themis on drums, achieves a perfect balance of amalgamating the band's classic and unique style of riffing and rhythm with exciting new elements sprinkled in to keep its material exciting and fresh. The experience is enhanced by Jens Bogren's equally clear and transparent yet also massive as well as sombre mix and mastering at his widely renowned Fascination Street Studios (AMORPHIS, BORKNAGAR, MOONSPELL, DEVIN TOWNSEND).


ith more than 30 years, 13 studio albums, a dozen EPs, singles and split releases, as well as more than 1,250 shows under their belt, 2018 marked the year of ROTTING CHRIST's "Their Greatest Spells", where the band musically revisited its exciting legacy to connect its past with the present.

Asked in an interview with Pavillon 666 if he thought ROTTING CHRIST would last 30 years upon the band's 1988 formation, Sakis said: "It's a full life. No, of course [not]…you don't start the band to exist for 30 years or to be famous or rich or whatever the fuck. We just started the band because I wanted to sound like my idols back then. I wanted to play only one show and now I'm in a position where I've played 1,500 shows. And, no, I didn't expect something like this, but the spirit remains the same, even if I'm not that young. I still have the spirit and the hope that if we are in good health to keep playing with the band until our death. If health permits, of course. It's not up to me. If health does not permit, then I will not serve."

ROTTING CHRIST is:

Sakis Tolis: vocals, guitar, keys

Themis Tolis: drums

George Emmanouil: lead guitar

Van Ace: bass

On January 25, 2019, UMe will release "Kissworld - The Best Of Kiss" on CD and digitally, with the standard black vinyl and limited-edition color vinyl being released on March 29. The collection was previously made available in the United Kingdom in 2017.


KISS, America's #1 gold-record-award-winning group of all time in every category, has a stunning catalog of rock 'n' roll classics. The release of "Kissworld - The Best Of Kiss" comes in time to mark the anniversary of the band's first show ever performing on January 30, 1973 to no more than 10 people in attendance at Popcorns, a small club in New York, as well as celebrating the global superstar band as they launch their 2019 "End Of The Road" final tour at an 18,000-seat major arena on January 31 in Vancouver. "Kissworld" brings together 20 of KISS's best-loved tracks together on one album. Iconic fan favorites such as "I Was Made For Lovin' You", "Rock And Roll All Nite" and "God Gave Rock 'N' Roll To You II" alongside top 10 U.S. chart hits "Beth" and "Detroit Rock City" on one huge collection.


KISS is one of the most iconic and influential rock acts of all time. The band have released 44 albums and sold over 100 million records worldwide. Consummate live performers, the band's illustrious career is marked by record breaking global tours.


Now, after an epic and storied 45-year career that launched an era of rock 'n' roll legends, KISS announced that they will embark on their final tour ever in 2019, appropriately named "End Of The Road". Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer announced their plans on NBC's "America's Got Talent", which sent the Internet into overdrive with fans hoping their city would get one final KISS show.

b>"Kissworld - The Best Of Kiss" track listing:


01. Crazy Crazy Nights

02. Rock And Roll All Nite

03. I Was Made For Lovin' You

04. God Gave Rock 'N' Roll To You II

05. Detroit Rock City

06. Beth

07. Lick It Up

08. Heaven's On Fire

09. Tears Are Falling

10. Unholy

11. Hard Luck Woman

12. Psycho Circus

13. Shout It Out Loud

14. Calling Dr. Love

15. Christine Sixteen

16. Love Gun

17. Shandi

18. I'm A Legend Tonight

19. Modern Day Delilah

20. Hell Or Hallelujah

"Freeze", the new video from the Los Angeles based post-metal group DAWN FADES, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's self-titled debut album, which will be released on February 8, 2019 via Metal Assault Records.

Metal Assault has worked with DAWN FADES for a couple of its events in the L.A. area this year, and the band's live performance was mesmerizing and magnetic every single time, striking an unimaginable and often unattainable balance between ferocity and finesse, and always exhibiting a wide spectrum of musical expressions within the finite 30-minute duration typically allotted to it as a support act.

"Dawn Fades" will be made available on limited-edition vinyl (black and gold color variations) and all digital platforms.

Track listing:

1. Lean (5:06)

02. Conceal (6:10)

03. Ashes (5:36)

04. -(pause)- (0:40)

05. Shackle (5:25)

06. See (4:07)

07. Freeze (6:56)

DAWN FADES will celebrate the album's release with a performance at 5 Star Bar in Los Angeles on Saturday, February 16.

DAWN FADES is:

Sam Sherwood (vocals)

Adam El-Gerbi (guitar)

Markus Erren Pardiñas (bass)

Scott Quist (drums)

Nate Hertweck (guitar)

Photo credit: Elizabeth Gore / Lone Wolf Productions

Fan-filmed video footage of MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson's December 14 appearance at Shovelhead in Longwood, Florida can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube user "hvymtlmom").

The Longwood gig was part of Ellefson's "Basstory" tour, which combines solo bass performance with David's celebrated brand of storytelling, as he recounts intimate details of his struggles and triumphs in the name of rock 'n' roll. "Basstory" also includes special VIP meet-and-greets, exclusive merchandise, and more.

"Basstory" is also the launching pad for Ellefson and partner Thom Hazaert to announce the formation of their new booking agency, ETA — Ellefson Touring Agency — with veteran agent Keith Rowley personally booking the trek.

Prior to the start of the tour, Ellefson said: "I have always done clinics, and a few years ago did an amazing spoken-word tour in Australia to support my book 'My Life With Deth', and have always welcomed the opportunity to be able to meet and connect with fans on a more intimate level. These important parts of my professional life converged to create 'Basstory'. Not only will fans get to hear some of their favorite bass riffs, but the stories behind them. It's not often I get to get into small, intimate rock clubs, the way this all started, and I'm excited for fans to get to experience this show."

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Work has commenced on a forthcoming autobiography from SICK OF IT ALL vocalist Lou Koller and guitarist Pete Koller, to be called "The Blood And The Sweat: The Story Of Sick Of It All's Koller Brothers". Former A&R man and author Howie Abrams ("Finding Joseph I: An Oral History Of H.R. From Bad Brains", "The Merciless Book of Metal Lists..." ) will be compiling the book along with the Kollers. Publishing is scheduled for fall 2019 by Post Hill Press.

In its thirty-third year as a band, SICK OF IT ALL recently released its twelfth album, "Wake The Sleeping Dragon!", to critical acclaim and fan adoration alike. With so many unique experiences under their belts, Lou and Pete, born and raised in Queens, New York, felt the time was right to tell their collective, as well as individual, stories.

This is not a tale of the streets and broken homes similar to that of, say, AGNOSTIC FRONT or CRO-MAGS. It is, however, a tremendous account of struggle and perseverance by any means necessary. One of working-class blood brothers reared on aggressive music; catching the wave of early New York City hardcore and riding it with an unparalleled anger and fury across the globe for nearly three and a half decades — together and separately enduring all of the turbulence which comes along with carrying the flag for disenfranchised youth anywhere and everywhere they were welcome... And even many places they were not.

Lou and Pete have encountered all of it side by side. Decisions each has made throughout their journey has had an effect on the other for better or worse. They've won some battles, and have lost many. In 1992, they were faced with the aftermath of a mass shooting in Massachusetts, carried out by a shooter wearing their tour shirt, and the misguided blame game which followed as their band name was plastered across mainstream media outlets worldwide.

egardless, Lou and Pete Koller have achieved unparalleled success (in hardcore terms), and have taken the volatile sub-culture with them to locales previously assumed unfathomable. The brothers have made the hardcore family larger and more united like no other. To do so, there was certainly a lot of blood and sweat, but to this day, never any tears.

Left to right in photo above: Pete Koller, Howie Abrams, Lou Koller

In a recent interview with the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann spoke about the band's mindset while creating "Fast As A Shark", considered by some to be the first true thrash metal track ever recorded.

"I clearly remember how we wrote the song and how it all came about," Wolf said (hear audio below). "It was really the drummer, Stefan [Kaufmann], who came up with the crazy idea of playing double bass, double kick, all the way through. And we had never done that [before]. So he came up with that basic idea, the concept, and we sort of had the riff — that was fairly easy — and then I wrote that weird middle section for it. But then, at the very end, we wanted to have an intro for it, or something. And I thought about it, and I came up with the idea to put on a record that's completely the opposite of what's about to happen, just to fool people into thinking something else… I thought everybody who buys the record [would think] that they might have bought the wrong record. That was the idea — you go to the store, you buy the new ACCEPT record, you put it on and say, 'What the hell? Somebody put the wrong record in the sleeve.' That was the idea. And I thought, 'Maybe we'll use an opera part,' or something. And then we already had recorded the basic tracks and we were looking for any intro to use, and we went, actually, through the record collection of the studio owner's mother. We recorded at Dierks Studios, where the SCORPIONS used to record and all that, and there was [Dieter Dierks's] mother; she had a record collection. And we [asked her], 'What kind of records do you have that we can possibly steal and abuse, scratch out?' Because we wanted to rip the needle off. And she had some children's records that Dieter Dierks, as a kid, actually sang on. So there was all these German traditional folk songs that everybody heard as a kid. And there was the one song — it's called 'Ein Heller Und Ein Batzen' — that had this middle section where there's no lyrics. Because we thought, 'German lyrics? Nah.' We don't want that. Because we didn't really wanna sound too German; we wanted it to be international. And that little segment is 'Hi De Hi Do Hi Da,' which… that's what we used. So we borrowed that album and put it on and ripped the needle off and kind of destroyed the record for Mama Dierks."

ANTHRAX's Charlie Benante has been vocal about the influence "Fast As A Shark" had on his early drumming style, telling Reverb earlier this year: "At the time [of the song's release in 1982], it was like the fastest double kick that there was. And for me, they set the standard."

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

ast month, ACCEPT's founding bassist Peter Baltes announced his departure from the band. A replacement bassist has not yet been revealed.

Philip Anselmo spoke to Australia's Heavy magazine about his decision to play a number of PANTERA songs during the recent North American tour with his solo band, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS.

"This past year has been pretty rough as far as the PANTERA camp goes," he said. "So, with Vinnie's [Paul, PANTERA drummer] passing, I figure, this past year, why not play some of the old songs that people wanna hear and have been asking to hear for a long time. So that's been a different spin on the set, man. And once again, I can't say enough about my guys around me… Mike DeLeon, my guitar player, is really a death metal player, and Blue [José Manuel Gonzalez], my drummer, he comes from death metal roots, and everybody expands, but to ask them to do this PANTERA stuff, it was big, man — it was really big. So, big props to them, man."

Asked if performing classic PANTERA songs brings up good memories or bad memories for him, Anselmo said: "When I'm onstage, it's all good. And I will say there have been some bizarre moments. What freaks me out is the younger audience — the kids whose parents grew up as PANTERA fans in the house. It's amazing. Seeing the youngsters come in and go bananas, man — it's inspiring, man. Yeah, you know, strange feelings here and there, but overall, the payoff's been great."

Up until his death this past June, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for the death of Dimebag, who was his brother.

b>Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.

Vinnie Paul died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease. His death was the result of chronic weakening of the heart muscle — basically meaning his heart couldn't pump blood as well as a healthy heart.

Vinnie was buried on June 30 next to his brother and their mother, Carolyn, at Moore Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, Texas.

German industrial metallers RAMMSTEIN are tentatively scheduled to release their long-awaited new album in April 2019. The follow-up to 2009's "Liebe Ist Für Alle Da" is being mixed at a Los Angeles studio with Rich Costey, an American producer who has previously worked with MUSE, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and FRANZ FERDINAND, among others.

RAMMSTEIN guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe spoke to Heavy Consequence about the band's upcoming disc while promoting "A Million Degrees", the third effort from his EMIGRATE side project.

"Everything with RAMMSTEIN takes forever, because there are six people, plus an engineer and a producer, and we all have opinions about it," he said "It's just going very slow, and it's very time consuming, and sometimes frustrating. Eventually, I think it's going to be an album that has a certain kind of potential that RAMMSTEIN hasn't achieved yet. For me, one of the reasons to step back into making records with RAMMSTEIN was to balance the popularity of the band as a live act with the actual music. With RAMMSTEIN, people tend to talk about the fire and all the live stuff. I thought, 'I don't want to be another KISS,' where people talk about makeup and stuff like that and no one talks about the music."

Regarding the musical direction of the new RAMMSTEIN material, Kruspe said: "I wanted to do a record that stands out even more than our past records, and I kind of find when I listen to the [new] record, it's like RAMMSTEIN 3D, if I can summarize it. We're happy to work with my good friend Olsen Involtini, who also worked on EMIGRATE records. He a great friend of mine, and he brought certain kind of harmonies into the world of RAMMSTEIN, which I like."

s for when fans can expect to hear RAMMSTEIN's new album, Kruspe said: "We're finishing up the last mixes, and it's going to come out probably in April of 2019."

RAMMSTEIN recently announced a batch of summer 2019 European tour dates. The run of stadium and arena shows will kick off on May 27 in Gelsenkirchen, Germany and end of August 23 in Vienna, Austria.

In 2016 and 2017, RAMMSTEIN played a number of concerts where the band opened each show with a brand new song, presently only known as "Ramm 4". The track contained lyrics that seemed to be a combination of various titles of previous RAMMSTEIN songs.

In a brand new interview with Sweden's RockSverige, ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello was asked if he can see his band going on for another decade or longer, especially in the wake of SLAYER announcing its retirement earlier in the year. He responded: "Well, first off, I hope so, and I don't think about it that much. The reaction that ANTHRAX has had for the last two records, I think we're in a good place, writing-wise, and I think we're in a good place with people coming to our shows and our fanbase is growing. It's a really postive thing in ANTHRAX. Let me tell you something, in the band ANTHRAX, we are hungrier now than ever. We have a writing session in January and I can't wait to get into the studio and start writing heavy songs with these guys. I'm looking forward to the next page."

Asked if there has been a time when he felt he wanted to walk away from it all, Bello said: "I've always wanted to play music. I remember when the grunge era happened in the '90s, and that was a rough era for metal, let's face it. It was a rough period and those were tough times, but at the same time, I couldn't wait to play, so I don't think there's ever been a time I didn't wanna play. I enjoy the experience of connecting with people with music. It's why I'm here. I need that energy."

ANTHRAX's latest album, "For All Kings", was released in February 2016. Its arrival followed a five-year period during which the band experienced a rebirth of sorts, beginning with ANTHRAX's inclusion on the 2010 "Big Four" tour with METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH, and continuing with the 2011 release of comeback LP "Worship Music".

ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE, the project featuring Bello and MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson, will release its debut album, "Get It Out", on January 18, 2019 via Megaforce. The follow-up to ALTITUDES & ATTITUDE's 2014 self-titled EP was once again produced by Jay Ruston (ANTHRAX, STEEL PANTHER, STONE SOUR), with Jeff Friedl (A PERFECT CIRCLE, ASHES DIVIDE) returning behind the kit.

Former JOURNEY singer Steve Perry has released his cover version of "Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas", a song written by Hugh Martin and Ralph Blane, and first introduced by Judy Garland in the 1944 MGM musical "Meet Me In St. Louis".

Perry said in a statement: "This has been a big year of firsts for me. In keeping with that spirit, I thought I'd record a little Christmas card song and send it out to you to thank you for all of your kindness in welcoming me back. Have yourself a merry little Christmas. I hope you enjoy it."

Perry's first solo album in more than two decades, "Traces", was released on October 5 via Fantasy Records (a division of Concord Records/UMG).

Perry reunited with JOURNEY for the first time in years as they were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in April 2017. The iconic singer appeared onstage with his former bandmates as they each gave speeches, but did not perform with the group later in the event.

uring his speech, Perry praised each of JOURNEY musicians as well as the band's current singer, Arnel Pineda, who was not being inducted into the Rock Hall.

Perry's final full concert with JOURNEY took place in early 1987. He later rejoined his bandmates for a brief performance in 1991 to honor late concert promoter Bill Graham. He also appeared with JOURNEY when they received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame in 2005.

METAL CHURCH guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof has praised GRETA VAN FLEET, saying that the Michigan outfit has "the right influences" and doesn't rely on backing tracks to perform its music.

Despite the fact that GRETA VAN FLEET has managed to sell out shows all over the world, the four-piece has been criticized for channeling a sound uncannily similar to LED ZEPPELIN, with some music fans accusing singer Josh Kiszka of copy-and-pasting Robert Plant's vocal style.

Asked by Sweden's RockSverige for his opinion of GRETA VAN FLEET, Kurdt said: "I think it's wonderful. Of course they sound so much like LED ZEPPELIN and people get kind of, you know… the plagiarism is a factor, but then at the same time, I'm, like, well, at least they're playing and at least they have the right influences and they're being a rock band, they look like a rock band and they're doing something. They're young and obviously they've gotten into their parents' record collection and listened to it and figured it out. If you give the kids a chance, they will figure it out, because there's a generation of kids that are out there going, 'Where's our swaggering rock star guys? We don't want to listen to Eminem complain about Trump. Where's our cool rock stars?' They don't have them, so they have to beat them and figure it out for themselves, and they are."

According to Vanderhoof, GRETA VAN FLEET's success "is a good sign that if people actually do it… if you build it, they will come. It's obvious," he said. "It's organic. Even in this day and age, and even when it sounds old and they think this isn't hip and this isn't cool and… Rock and roll is rock and roll, and people like rock and roll because of what it means and what it's supposed to be."

arlier in the month, GRETA VAN FLEET scored four Grammy Award nominations, one for each major rock category — "Best Rock Album", "Best Rock Song", "Best Rock Performance" — and a "Best New Artist" nod.

The band's debut album, "Anthem Of The Peaceful Army", debuted at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart in July despite earning a lukewarm 53/100 score on review curation site Metacritic.

METAL CHURCH's 12th full-length studio album, "Damned If You Do", was released on December 7 via Rat Pak Records. The latest disc is the follow-up to 2016's "XI", which saw the return of legendary frontman Mike Howe.

In a recent interview with the "Music And Me" podcast, Glenn Hughes confirmed that his dispute over the royalties to the DEEP PURPLE material that he co-wrote while a member of the band more than four decades ago has finally been cleared up. "As we sit here speaking, it's three months ago, it's all been resolved," he told music journalist and presenter Kylie Olsson. "It's taken a long time. It's not really something I've spoke about in the press.

"People, of course, always ask me: 'How come you didn't write on 'Burn'?' And I don't really go out of my way to give the definitive answer, but the fact is I was signed to another company," he continued. "And if you look at [THE BEATLES'] George Harrison and [LED ZEPPELIN's] Robert Plant, they were off a couple of records too — Robert being 'Led Zeppelin I'. It's the same scenario. I decided I'd leave my name off to… take care of business, if you will. At a young age as well — I couldn't believe I did that."

According to Hughes, he doesn't harbor any bitterness toward the DEEP PURPLE camp over being inappropriately compensated for his work on the four albums he appeared on: "Burn", "Stormbringer", "Come Taste The Band" and "Made In Europe". "I never hold a resentment," he said. "Because the resentments are about people who are no longer with us. Let's just say that I was mismanaged — young and mismanaged — and I was promised things that… Being an only child living with his mum and dad up in the north [of England], I was offered a handshake, and I took it.

"The thing that's kept me alive is I've never held a resentment against anyone," he explained. "Never. Resentments would kill me — it would take me out drinking, it would take me out cavorting. I never held a resentment. And now, 44 years later, it's been resolved. It's a long time."

sked if he got back payments, Hughes said: "I'm getting paid, yeah. It's going back. But more importantly, I'm getting paid going forward. But there are some things I'm getting paid for, like film stuff and sync rights and streaming and stuff from lately. But there are other ways to go about it, which I can't talk about.

"I am right now… never been so healthy, and my mind is in a good place," he added. "As you know, mind can take you down. If I wake up in the morning and my mind goes, 'It's gonna be a crap day today,' it will be. So I do meditation at the bedside before I hit the floor and I go into a good place."

Hughes was with DEEP PURPLE from 1973 until the band split up in 1976. As bassist and co-vocalist, with David Coverdale, he helped steer the legendary rock group in a slightly more progressive direction, while touring the world for three years.

Hughes was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2016 along with fellow DEEP PURPLE members Coverdale, Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord, Rod Evans, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover and Ian Paice.

In addition to DEEP PURPLE, Hughes has, during his six-decade career, been associated with more than a handful of bands, including TRAPEZE, a short-lived collaboration with Pat Thrall (HUGHES/THRALL), a brief stint with BLACK SABBATH, and, over the past decade, the ill-fated CALIFORNIA BREED, and the recently revived BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION. As a solo artist, he has collaborated with everyone from Joe Satriani and RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith to KLF and Gary Moore.

Italian happy metal five-piece, Nanowar Of Steel, released their new album Stairway To Valhalla on November 30th. Today the band unleashes the new video for the song “Heavy Metal Kibbles”.

The band commented: "Heavy Metal Kibbles is our second 'shooted' videoclip taken from our latest full length album Stairway To Valhalla. The song is an anthem to the nutritional properties of a crispy and fenilalanineous brand of dry catfood. It is an 'in-your-face', Judas Priest-like rain of sharp riffs and high pitched screams which will pierce your ears while making you think that eating kibbles is not such a bad idea after all."

In "Heavy Metal Kibbles", Nanowar tell the tale of a new brand of catfood that transforms tender kittens into merciless war machines. Its marketing is however allegedly linked to an unexplained series of deaths, which the police is investigating. When the truth will be found, however, it will be too late...

Stairway To Valhalla features world-class guests such as Fabio Lione (Angra, Rhapsody), Alessandro del Vecchio (Edge Of Forever, Voodoo Circle), and Mario Draghi (Goldman Sachs, ECB). This record spans over a wide range of unusual music styles and genres, from Brazilian Samba to Damaged Dream Theater CD’s (yes, that's a music style), from Liechtesteinische Volksmusik to Dubstep, with a touch of sincere idiocy.

Tracklisting:

"Declination" (Intro)
"Barbie, MILF Princess Of The Twilight"
"The Call Of Cthulhu"
"Heavy Metal Kibbles"
"Il Maestro Myagi Di Pino" (Interlude)
"L'Opelatole Ecologico"
"Images And Swords" (Interlude)
"In The Sky"
"...And Then I Noticed That She Was A Gargoyle"
"Tooth Fairy"
"Vegan Velociraptor"
"Another Drill In The Wall" (Interlude)
"Ironmonger (The Copier Of The Seven Keys)"
"Bum Voyage" (Interlude)
"Uranus"
"The Crown And The Onion Ring" (Interlude)
"The Quest For Carrefour"
"Hail To Liechtensten"

"Barbie MILF Princess Of The Twilight" video:

"The Call Of Cthulhu" video:

"Tooth Fairy" video:

Lineup:

Mohammed Abdul (Valerio Storch) - Guitars, vocals
Potowotominimak (Carlo A. Fiaschi) - VocalsMr. Baffo (Raffaello Venditti) - Vocals
Gatto Panceri 666 (Edoardo Carlesi) - Bass

Finland's Children Of Bodom will release their tenth album, Hexed, on March 8th via Nuclear Blast Records. Today, the band unveils the guitar playthrough for the first single, "Under Grass & Clover". Watch below.

COB frontman, guitarist, and mastermind Alexi Laiho comments, “'Under Grass And Clover' is the sound of COB on fire and has been my favourite song since it was written. It’s fast, melodic, heavy and dark but also short and sweet. Someone told me that it’s kinda like old school Dimmu Borgir and AWK and that’s pretty damn cool in my books so we must’ve done something right.”

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

Hexed will be available in the following formats:

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

Pre-order here.

Hexed tracklisting:

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

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

"Under Grass And Clover" video:

(Photo - Marek Sabogal)

MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine says that he is "fighting" to get another heavy metal category added to the Grammy Awards.

In an effort to continuously evolve its Grammy Awards process, The Recording Academy announced in April 2011 that it had restructured the Grammy categories across all genres and fields, bringing the total number of categories to be recognized at the 54th Grammy Awards in 2012 to 78 from 109. As a result, instead of separate "Best Metal" and "Best Hard Rock" performance prizes, there is now a single "Best Metal Performance" award. In addition, "Metal" remains one of the 70 or so categories that aren't televised during the performance-heavy broadcast.

Mustaine, who landed his first-ever Grammy back in 2017 when he took home the trophy for "Best Metal Performance" for the title track of MEGADETH's latest album, "Dystopia", told the San Francisco's 107.7 The Bone radio station that heavy metal "deserves" to have another category at the annual event. "I joined the Grammy chapter out in Nashville to address that exact thing," Mustaine said (hear audio below). I joined the Grammy chapter because we have one metal category and I think they've got a dozen polka categories. I stopped going to the Grammys because you'd have to sit through, like, 30 Latin jazz records, and then you'd have to sit through another 30 jazz Latin records. And it's, like, 'What?' So a couple of years ago, the guy that produced our record 'Th1rt3en', Johnny K, and a couple of other guys at the Grammys tried to get another [heavy metal] category, and they were so close, but it failed. And I called them up and I said, 'We're doing this.' So 2020, we're fighting — we're getting all of the metal labels that we know, we're trying to get them all together to petition the Grammys to give us another metal category."

He added: "My record was one of the Top 25 records of the year worldwide for Universal. Don't tell me that we don't deserve another category."

b>MEGADETH's "Dystopia" nod marked the band's twelfth Grammy nomination in the "Metal" category (including nominations in the discontinued "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category). Even so, Mustaine told The Columbus Dispatch in a 2017 interview that he won't be fully satisfied until he has a Grammy with his own name on it.

"As crazy as I am, I was thinking about the Grammy the other day and [how] it was given to MEGADETH," he said. "I was thinking it would surely be a lot better if it was given to Dave Mustaine and not to MEGADETH. I guess you've got to keep the fire burning."

MEGADETH is currently working on the follow-up to "Dystopia" for a 2019 release.

The band will support OZZY OSBOURNE on the next North American leg of the BLACK SABBATH singer's "No More Tours 2" in May, June and July 2019.

Female-fronted rock and metal band, Upon Wings, has been hard at work in the studio creating new music, and in the spirit of the holidays, the group is releasing a Christmas single as a free download.

The song features vocalist Anne Autumn Erickson, guitar work and production by Kevin Jardine (Uplift Productions) and mastering by Grammy-nominated Glenn Brown (Kid Rock, Spinal Tap). Stream the song below.

Download the song - an angelic, acoustic version of "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel / God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" - via uponwings.com

"We wanted to release something as a gift to thank listeners for their continued support," Erickson said. "In the spirit of the holidays, we crafted this single and put a new spin on the traditional Christmas songs, 'O Come, O Come, Emmanuel' and 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.' We're excited to release the holiday song and more new music ahead."

Upon Wings' debut EP, 2013's Afterlife, features guest vocals and production by Brett Hestla (Dark New Day, former Creed), guitars and production from Jardine, drums by Peter Tzaferis and mixing for the song "You Are My Weapon" by Corey Lowery (Seether, Saint Asonia). Recording sessions for the EP took place at Johnny K's Groovemaster Studios in Chicago, Jardine's Uplift Productions in Canada and beyond.

Upon Wings' "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel / God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" will be available as a free download through Christmas. The track will also be available for purchase and streaming via iTunes, Amazon Music, Spotify and other digital outlets soon. Soli Deo Gloria.

"Get ready for new Upon Wings music soon," Erickson added. "Happy holidays to you and yours."

DEF LEPPARD has released an official music video for its new Christmas single titled "We All Need Christmas". A delicate acoustic ballad, the track proves fireside-ready with its uplifting, hopeful spirit and sense of seasonal soul.

"We All Need Christmas" is featured on DEF LEPPARD's brand new greatest-hits collection titled "The Story So Far - The Best Of", which was released on November 30. It is available in multiple configurations: a 2-CD set comprised of 35 tracks, 1-CD set comprised of 17 tracks, 2-LP vinyl, and digital. Among a blockbuster tracklisting loaded with timeless smashes, all four versions feature three new songs, including "We All Need Christmas", "Personal Jesus" and "Rock On (Remix)". As a bonus for collectors, the first-pressing vinyl copies of "The Story So Far" feature an exclusive seven-inch single of "Personal Jesus" and "We All Need Christmas".

As previously reported, DEF LEPPARD will be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame next spring. The honor comes after the British rockers got the most votes in the Rock Hall's online fan poll.

One of the top-selling rock acts of of all time, DEF LEPPARD has been eligible for the Rock Hall since 2004.

he 34th annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony will be held March 29 at Brooklyn, New York's Barclays Center. HBO will broadcast a truncated version of the ceremony later in the year.

CANNIBAL CORPSE guitarist Patrick "Pat" O'Brien has been released from jail, less than a week after he was arrested on charges of aggravated assault on a law enforcement officer and burglary of an occupied dwelling with assault. Deputies say he burglarized a house and charged at a deputy with a knife.

According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, O'Brien was released from Hillsborough County jail on Friday, December 14 at 9:01 p.m. after posting a $50,000 surety bond.

O'Brien allegedly broke into a home on December 10 and pushed a woman to the ground. He ran toward a responding deputy with a knife and was subdued with a stun gun.

O'Brien didn't know any of the residents, according to a Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office news release.

ess than half a mile from where O'Brien was arrested, a fire broke out at his home, sending flames billowing into the night sky from the roof. The exact cause of the blaze is unknown, but ammunition and "military-style flamethrowers" reportedly exploded inside the home during the fire.

The owner of the home where O'Brien was arrested wouldn't go on camera but told ABC Action News he thought the guitarist was hallucinating when he spoke to him about the "rapture" and claimed, "someone was after him." The homeowner added O'Brien seemed scared and at one point even hid in his closet.

At a first appearance hearing Tuesday morning (December 11), a Hillsborough County judge told the 53-year-old musician, clad in an anti-suicide vest with his hands and ankles chained together, that he would first have to pass a drug test before he would be allowed to post bail and leave jail.

CANNIBAL CORPSE announced last week that it would be part of the next North American leg of SLAYER's farewell tour.

Melodic death metal band, Lahmia, will release their second album, Resilience, on January 18th via Scarlet Records.

Resilience is the ability of an individual to face and overcome a traumatic event and in fact the whole album is an ambitious concept that finds its origins in the crisis of values of the present day, an album aims to describe the newfound "second life" of the band after the difficult years that followed the debut Into The Abyss, one of the death metal revelations of 2012.

From a musical point of view, Resilience picks up were its predecessor left off and shifts the bar in every possible way, mixing the most aggressive guitar riffs with incredible melodies and top notch musicianship. Variety has always been the band’s trademark and this new album makes no exception.

Resilience was produced by Giuseppe Orlando at OuterSound Studios in Rome, Italy, mastered by Mika Jussila and features a 11-minute long epic suite that is definitely not common in the genre.

Cover artwork by Gustavo Sazes (Arch Enemy, Machine Head, Morbid Angel, Cynic).

Tracklisting:

"Elegy For A Dying Sun"    
"Her Frantic Call"    
"Divide Et Impera"    
"The Frayed Lines Of Time"
"Void Of Humiliation"    
"The Age Of Treason"
"Limitless"    
"Existential Vastness"

British band, Ewigkeit, will release DISClose on February 23rd digitally and on March 23rd on CD, via the label Death To Music.

Ewigkeit is the ever-changing project of British multi-instrumentalist James Fogarty (In The Woods, Old Forest, Jaldaboath and others). Starting off as a black metal project in the mid 90s, the project has veered from symphonic black mMetal to industrial to 70's space rock and back again in the many years of it's on / off existence. The project has dealt with various themes over this time - whatever has been the current interest of it's creator.

DISClose is the 8th album; this has the greatest audio 'density' of all the releases, and sees the guitar settle somewhere around a baritone middle ground of early death doom and modern extreme metal topped with memorable riffs. The vocals are a mix of blackened metal and clean harmonies, not unlike those on the new In The Woods album (which was recorded simultaneous to this). The keyboards again add an ambience and space that is common to all Ewigkeit releases. DISClose is the strongest and most coherent album since 2005’s Conspiritus album (Earache).

The theme of this album is inspired by the growing movement of modern Ufology and the push toward official testament and disclosure of an alien presence visiting our skies: "Beyond the Black Majestic coven of 12 lie the secrets of flying saucery - the time to Disclose the truth of the Alien presence on Earth is upon us."

The first track, "Disclosure" serves as an introduction to the album, which is further explored musically and thematically throughout DISClose. But listen for yourself via the teaser below.

Cover artwork is designed exclusively for Death To Music productions by graphic artist Lenny Bridgeman. Album mastering was completed by Frederic Gervais of Studio Henosis.

DISClose is available to pre-order now from deathtomusic.com, and will be released digitally across all platforms to buy & stream on February 23rd, and on CD on March 23rd.

Tracklisting:

"1947"
"Disclosure"
"Oppenheimer's Lament"
"Guardians Of The High Frontier"
"Resonance"
"KRLLL"
"Moon Monolith"

Teaser:

(Photo - Jessica Tilley)

Dust Bolt have released a lyric video for the single "Bloody Rain". The track will be included on the band's forthcoming new album, Trapped In Chaos, out on January 18th via Napalm Records.

Lenny states: "'Bloody Rain' is a really special and outstanding song on the new album and in the history of Dust Bolt. It is by far the most melodic song vocal-wise, though it's also a really dark and heavy banger - especially towards the ending. The song was written by our guitarist Flo D.  I remember him calling me multiple times as he had this song he needed to show me immediately on a rainy and pale day. Mentally it was a dark and uncertain time for both of us, which probably made the song, what is is now. Uncomprehendingly, in some ways "grungy", heavy and as nihilistic as it can get."

Dust Bolt emerged in 2006 to encrust Germany and the rest of the world in hefty, Bay Area-influenced thrash metal featuring crossover influences and killer melodies. The four piece elevates its trademark sound to perfection on fourth album Trapped in Chaos: profound lyrics, dark melodies and pure hostility are the ultimate recipe for a thrashfest between retro and modern.

Trapped In Chaos can be pre-ordered here and will be available in the following formats:

-CD Jewelcase
-LP Gatefold Black
-LP Gatefold Blue (Napalm Mailorder exclusive)
-Digital

Tracklisting:

“The Fourth Strike”
“Dead Inside”
“The Bad Ad”
“Bloody Rain”
“Rhythm To My Madness”
“Shed My Skin”
“Killing Time”
“Trapped In Chaos”
“Another Day In Hell”

"Dead Inside" video:

Album announcement:

(Photo by: Niklas Niessner)

Exile To The Velveteen Lounge, the new release by vintage sleaze powerhouse trio, Babylon Shakes, is set for a February 1st release through HighVolMusic.

Exile To The Velveteen Lounge is the first full-length record from the band and contains 10 tracks of vintage rock. Video production for the album opener, "Making A Million", is set begin January 12th with the video being issued just around release day.

Tracklisting:

"Making A Million"
"Sunset Striptease"
"Sin Parade"
"No Pictures Please"
"Velveteen Libertine"
"Silver Tongue Devil"
"Hardtimes"
"Die Pretty"
"Star In Your Eyes"
"Motel Lights"

"Velveteen Libertine" video:

As previously reported, Babylon ShakesS recently added a fouth member in bassist David Elmore. The band is set to perform March 29th at Rocklanta 2019 in Atlanta, GA.

On December 15th, the Black Sabbath / Ozzy Osbourne tribute band Sweet Leaf performed live at On The Y in Sacramento, CA. Check out Capital Chaos TV footage of "War Pigs" and "Paranoid" below.

Sweet Leaf features One Machine guitarist Steve Smyth, who has previously worked with Forbidden, Nevermore, Vicious Rumors and Dragonlord.

One Machine recently released a lyric video for "New Motive Power" in 2017, the last single release from their album The Final Cull, released in September 2015 via Scarlet Records.

Steve Smyth: “We are very proud to release this excellent lyric video for 'New Motive Power', our last single release from The Final Cull, which we have been touring in support of since the release of the album! It’s a fan favorite, and we decided it must be seen as well as heard! Tommy Antonini did a great job capturing the essence of the song with plenty of underlying visuals to bring this beast to life!"

Chris Hawkins states: “'New Motive Power' is a reflection on our insatiable thirst for progress and the reduction of people to mere cogs in a much larger machine. This psychotic obsession with being better, faster stronger is fueled by the sacrifice of human life, figuratively and literally, and is best represented in modern times with our ravenous consumption and production of technology. Ultimately, following this path blindly  leads to our destruction or self-engineered obsolescence. Leading the way, we have those who benefit from this the most, and have the most to lose from it's failure. This song is written from the perspective of one of these authority figures, with a brief interjection from 'The Workers', but you can substitute the character with politicians, your boss, or perhaps the darker parts of your own pysche.”

Smyth continues: “'New Motive Power' was one of those songs on the album that was written in the studio, not just played live in the studio as all of the record was. I had quite a bit of the song already written, but working with the guys in the studio, we were able to breathe even more life into this song by playing together, and make it even heavier than I could have imagined! We hope you’ll enjoy the visual ride along with the song as much as we do!”

The Final Cull was tracked at Death Island Studios, with Marco Angioni and Tue Madsen helming. Recording lasted for nine days solid, as the band put in 15-18 hour days on this record.

The album art was illustrated by Gustavo Sazes (Gus G. Morbid Angel, Arch Enemy).

Tracklisting is as follows:

Digital Release:

“Forewarning”
“The Final Cull”
“Summoning Of The Soul”
“Screaming For Light”
“The Grand Design”
“New Motive Power”
“Ashes In The Sky”
“Born From This Hate”
“Welcome To The World”

Lyon, France-Gothic metal/industrial-rock artists Porn will release their fourth studio album The Darkest of Human Desires-Act II. BraveWords is hosting the exclusive premiere of new track “My Rotten Realm”.

“I wanted to create a song that match perfectly with Mr Strangler mindset. In this new album, act II of the trilogy, Mr Strangler is embracing his ‘trueself’, as a serial killer he is over-enjoying is art: murdering people. This song is very powerful, high tempo, as is cerebral activity: excitation, euphoria...  The lyrics are about Mr Strangler looking at many human decapitated heads he collects. Saying that he needs more. Considering every rotten heads as a subject of a rotten realm, his rotten realm. This songs features a sample of Gerard Shaeffer, an American Serial Killer, talking about a discussion he had in prison with another serial killer way more famous than him: Ted Bundy. Shaefer is saying in this sample that he is the best of all the serial killers.” - Mr Strangler Vocalist /Composer

In 2017, Porn released its third album The Ogre Inside - Act I, the first act of a trilogy based on the enigmatic character Mr Strangler. By embracing his true-self, Mr Strangler expresses his dark impulses without limitations and has no boundaries. With his crew, he commits murders and massacres. He also invites everyone to make a step forward and invites you to express your darkest desires and join his death cult.

For Mr Strangler and his team, the Ogre is released! Let the massacre begin! Let the darkest of human desires be: murder.

In this second act, you can hear some of the scariest serial killers and murderers: Richard Ramirez, Ed Kemper, Charles Manson, Richard Schaeffer, Jeffrey Dahmer.

The new album is the first collaboration between Porn and Tom Baker, who mastered many mythic albums: Antichrist Superstar by Marylin Manson, Downward Spiral by Nine Inch Nails, Psalm 69 by Ministry, Hellbilly Deluxe by Rob Zombie. The Darkest of Human Desires-Act II will be released February 22nd worldwide.

Tracklisting:

“Choose Your Last Words”
“Evil 6 Evil”
“Here For Love”
“Tonight, Forever Bound”
“Remorse For What?”
“My Rotten Realm”
“Eternally In Me”
“The Radiance Of All That Shines”
“Abstinent Killer”
“The Last Of A Million”

"King's X: The Oral History", the definitive companion to one of the most acclaimed hard rock acts in the business, will be published on February 19, 2019 via Jawbone Press.

Countless accolades have been bestowed upon KING'S X over the years, and, since their formation in 1980, they have grown to become one of the most universally admired in hard rock and heavy metal. But their story is one of many ups and downs, trials and tribulations, and periods of good and bad luck.

This authorized biography examines and explores all aspects of their history, both personally and professionally, and allows the band's three members — singer/ bassist Doug Pinnick, guitarist Ty Tabor and drummer Jerry Gaskill — to tell their full story for the first time. It also opens the floor to friends and collaborators, plus some of the many top rock names who are also fans of the band, including PEARL JAM's Jeff Ament, THE POLICE's Andy Summers, SMASHING PUMPKINS' Billy Corgan, SOUNDGARDEN's Kim Thayil, PANTERA's Rex Brown, MÖTLEY CRÜE's Mick Mars, and many more.

In addition, "King's X: The Oral History" explores the stories behind every single song the band have recorded over the years, while also detailing the creation of each of their twelve albums and offering insight into the influence of religion on their work. It also features memories of the band's tours with some of rock's biggest names — including AC/DC, PEARL JAM and MÖTLEY CRÜE — and the events that led to their show-stopping performance at the mammoth Woodstock '94 festival. Packed full of rare and never-before-seen photographs from throughout their career, and with a foreword by Scott Ian of ANTHRAX, this is the definitive companion to the band and their music.

b>Greg Prato is a journalist from Long Island, New York, whose writing has appeared in such renowned publications as Rolling Stone, Classic Rock and Vintage Guitar. He is also the author of several popular books, including "Shredders! The Oral History Of Speed Guitar (And More)", "Grunge Is Dead: The Oral History Of Seattle Rock Music" and "A Devil On One Shoulder And An Angel On The Other: The Story Of Shannon Hoon And Blind Melon".

Admired and respected by musicians and music fans alike, KING'S X is one of the most acclaimed hard rock bands in the business. Since 1988, they have issued twelve studio albums, including such classics as "Gretchen Goes To Nebraska", "Faith Hope Love" and "Dogman", and achieved MTV/radio hits, including "Over My Head", "It's Love" and "Black Flag". They remain one of rock's finest live acts.

Slash performed at "Celebrating Willie Basse: A Night Of Music & Stories" on December 14 at Boardner's in Hollywood, California.

The GUNS N' ROSES guitarist played three songs at the invite-only event, including covers of THE BEATLES' "Come Together" and LED ZEPPELIN's "Whole Lotta Love".

Basse died in October after a long battle with cancer. He was 62 years old.

Basse is best known for his role as bassist/frontman for legendary metalheads BLACK SHEEP, who were mainstays on the Los Angeles Sunset Strip during the '80s metal explosion. The band has boasted members that included Slash, Paul Gilbert (MR. BIG), James Kottak (SCORPIONS, KINGDOM COME), Randy Castillo (OZZY OSBOURNE, MÖTLEY CRÜE), Kurt James and Mitch Perry.

he Texan-born musician had lived in the greater Los Angeles since the mid-'70s.

In a post on Instagram shortly after Basse's death, Slash wrote: "RIP to my good friend #WillieBasse I/we will miss you buddy"

Italian progressive metal band LAST UNION has released a lyric video for the song "A Place In Heaven". The track, which features a guest appearance by DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie, is taken from the group's debut album, "Twelve", which will be released on December 21 via ROAR! Rock Of Angels Records.

"Twelve", which also features Mike LePond (SYMPHONY X) on bass, Uli Kusch (HELLOWEEN, MASTERPLAN) on drums, was mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren, best known for his work with ARCH ENEMY, SYMPHONY X, DEVIN TOWNSEND, ANGRA and OPETH, to name a few. The cover artwork was created by Thomas Ewerhard (AVANTASIA, RAGE, THRESHOLD).

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

Strong and positive reactions to their music spurred Scarpeccio and Tiberi on to take the first of many bold steps. The first was to reach out to Kusch, who, after hearing the music, expressed interest in joining the band as a full member rather than just a touring drummer. A similar scenario played out with LePond and LAST UNION was officially born. The icing on the cake, however, was getting LaBrie to sing on three tracks.

rack listing:

01. Most Beautiful Day

02. President Evil (feat. James LaBrie)

03. Hardest Way

04. Purple Angels

05. The Best Of Magic

06. Taken (feat. James LaBrie) (radio edit)

07. 18 Euphoria

08. A Place In Heaven (feat. James LaBrie)

09. Ghostwriter

10. Limousine

11. Back In The Shadow

12. Taken (feat. James LaBrie)

13. President Evil (feat. James LaBrie) (video version)

Veteran Japanese metallers ANTHEM have signed with Nuclear Blast Records for the European territory. The first release under the deal will be a greatest-hits album, featuring re-recordings of the band's most popular songs with English lyrics. Mixing and mastering the disc was renowned Swedish producer and engineer Jens Bogren, known for his work with a multitude of big-name artists.

The first single from the album, "Black Empire", can be heard below. Singer Yukio Morikawa comments: "We are very pleased to release the first single 'Black Empire' from the greatest-hits album 'Nucleus'. The original version featured a former vocalist, Mr. Eizo Sakamoto, so my version is finally revealed to the fans and with English lyrics! The new 'Black Empire' has ANTHEM's passion and soul very much. Please give it a listen."

A remarkable point worth noting about this release is that all of the songs except "Venom Strike" were written after their reunion in 2001 — proving that ANTHEM has never needed to rely solely on its past glories.

This compilation of re-recorded greatest hits, "Nucleus", includes a variety of ANTHEM's classics, perfectly demonstrating the band's musical quality and proving that they can be ranked as a top-notch band even in the international market.

b>Naoto Shibata (bass): "Our re-recorded greatest hits album with English lyrics, 'Nucleus', will be released internationally on March 29th, 2019. The title represents the fact that this work is ANTHEM's nucleus. I am proud that we can internationally release this album right before our 35th anniversary with this current great lineup, and I am also honored from the bottom of my heart that we can present this to our fans. ANTHEM will keep doing our best to move forward, always heading towards the future. I hope you will all enjoy 'Nucleus'."

Akio Shimizu (guitar): "Finally our re-recorded greatest hits album with English lyrics, 'Nucleus', is set to be released internationally! I tackled these recordings head on, putting all of my pride into it. Those 13 songs were not easy at all; however, I believe they’ve fully captured the sound and the expression of today's ANTHEM while being true to the originals at the same time. I am really happy that our music is now flying into the internatinal market, hoping for new possibilities. Please give it a listen and feel all of the details of the album with the fresh mixing by Jens Bogren."

Yukio Morikawa (vocals): "Four years have already passed since I rejoined ANTHEM. I can say that my musical activities have been very busy and fulfilling, containing two full-length albums, some video works and a lot of live concerts. And I must say, I am so excited that in 2019, at last ANTHEM will internationally release an album, the re-recorded greatest hits. Singing all the songs in English was not at all easy for me, but I hope that this album will show the world that Japan has a band like us who loves metal so much. I hope you enjoy 'Nucleus'."

Isama Tamaru (drums): "I am glad and excited that we can internationally release our re-recorded greatest hits album, 'Nucleus', at this point in time, and we have the opportunity to present ANTHEM's current music and our way of living not only to Japan but also to the rest of the world. I would like you to listen carefully to the sound by Jens Bogren, who we worked with for the first time. With the current lineup, we have been going through a lot of changes by tackling a lot of new things, which has made the bond between the members and the crew much stronger. I would like to say thank you to all the fans who have been supporting us."

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS played a rare acoustic concert last night (Friday, December 14) at the Norwood Space Center in Norwood, Massachusetts. Fan-filmed video footage of the show can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube users "jimmy shine" and "shawnbrennan1").

All proceeds from the evening benefited Music Drives Us, a charity founded by Ernie Boch, Jr. 13 years ago.

Money raised by Music Drives Us is earmarked for music and art education in the six New England states.

Boch told Business Jet Traveler about his decision to launch Music Drives Us: "Studies show that if kids take music when they’re young, it makes them more communicative, less violent, better at math, better at learning a second language, and socially more astute. Music can literally rewire the brain. Because of all the budget cuts and all the economic stress on towns, school systems have suffered. The first thing that goes is the music program, so I created a foundation to try and keep music in the schools."

b>STP's self-titled seventh studio effort was released in March and is the band's first with new singer Jeff Gutt.

Gutt made his live debut with the band in November 2017 in Los Angeles.

Asked how much freedom he had during the songwriting process for STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' new album, Jeff told WGRD: "It was full freedom, but I felt the responsibility of making sure it was an STP record at the end of the day. 'Cause my whole thing was helping them continue their journey. And I feel like it was less about me; it was more about honoring [late STONE TEMPLE PILOTS singer] Scott [Weiland] and honoring [late STONE TEMPLE PILOTS and LINKIN PARK singer] Chester [Bennington] and everyone that has ever been involved in STP and making sure that it just kept going the way it should."