Dark Helm is a progressive death metal band based in India; they have been treading the boundaries of metal and have been experimenting by infusing sounds from the world music scene into their brand of Extreme Music. Their writing is laden with heavy riffs with a sprinkle of some ancient, contemporary ethnic instruments (like Sitar, Kyoto, Santoor, Saz,).

Today, the band premiered their first track from the forthcoming album entitled Hymnus De Antitheist. The track “Obey” is streaming below.

The band’s guitarist/ composer, Mohanish says, “This album is the sum total of all my hatred towards the state of humanity today. Let me clarify though; over the past few years I have noticed my stance harden, as a rational thinker. My belief that ‘divinity is poison’ has grown from a mere commentary on the human condition to a desperate need for a global change (if we are to survive the coming of age of the human race and become an advanced civilization worthy of wielding the tools we create).” 

He further adds, “I absolutely and equally hate the idea of ‘New Age’ spiritualism (crystal healing, myths about pineal glands, quantum mysticism, etc) and every pseudoscience scientific schmuck (Deepak Chopra and Rhonda Byrne's names come to mind) trying to make a quick buck. I also detest ignorant people who establish their allegiances to political parties rather than political stances (people who go ‘I love Mr. /Mrs. XY, hence every policy he/she suggests is a good one’). I hate unregulated ‘organic food’ that gets sold under the guise of being good for you, while harming the earth's resources and the fear mongering and misrepresentation of GMOs that goes with it. I hate homeopathy, mystics, gurus, astrologers, anti-vaxers, ‘Vastu Experts’, flat earthers, 432hz'ers and every other enemy of reason. They have made people's insecurities and ignorance into a multimillion dollar industry.”

Chilean heshers Critical Defiance are set to release their debut full-length, Misconception.

Critical Defiance goes straight for the jugular with their relentless and intricate brand of old-school thrash metal. Though spawned in the depths of Chile's underground, Critical Defiance bear all the markings of a band that came straight from the ‘80s Bay Area scene.

Following two demos and a limited-edition split with Santiago's Parkcrest, Critical Defiance signed with Unspeakable Axe Records for the release of Misconception. This eight-track album is an aggressive assault of violent riffs, shredding, yet melodic leads and shouted group vocals.

Misconception will be out February 8th on Unspeakable Axe Records. Stream album track, “What About You” below:

Australia's Greystone Canyon have revealed their music video "Take Us All" off the band's Wild West inspired debut album While The Wheels Still Turn released at the beginning of this year via Rockshots Records (EU/NA) and Hellfire Records (AU). If you're fan of classic metal in the vein of influences such as Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, and Megadeth, then this will be right up your alley.

The band adds:

"The end of mankind is here in the form of ‘Take Us All’.  This song is super catchy with its dark melodies and roller coaster dynamics. It's got a big vocal hook along epic dual guitar solos."

"In These Shoes" video:

"Take Us All" lyric video:

Greystone Canyon is:

Darren Cherry - Vocals / Guitars
Richard Vella - Guitars
Dave Poulter - Bass
Luke Wilson - Drums

German heavy/power metal machine Steel Engraved, have announced the release of their new self-titled album for January 25th, 2019 via ROAR Rock Of Angels Records. Steel Engraved's third studio outing will comprise 13 tracks guaranteed to please the fans of majestic, melodic, modern yet old-school metal. Find preorders 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)

Entertainment One (eOne) has signed Denton, Texas-based death metal act, Creeping Death, to a worldwide deal with plans to release an all-new LP next year. With an origin story from a state with so much metal history, the band is eager to enter the studio.

“We are beyond excited to be working with eOne," says the band. "The roster is made up of some of the best in the game, and we are ready to show the world who Creeping Death is.”

To celebrate, Creeping Death is re-releasing their EP, Specter Of War, on 180G vinyl on February 15th. This is the first time the EP is being released on vinyl and pre-orders are available today.

Tracklisting:

"Revenge"
"Specter Of War"
"Trail Of Confusion"
"Salvation"
"New Agony"

"Revenge":

The band will head out on the road with Homewrecker this February. Dates kick off on February 7th in Youngstown, OH and wrap up in Cincinnati about two weeks later.

(Photo - Keely Montague)

Epic melodic death metallers Nothgard have just finished their live activities for 2018. 

Bandleader Dom R. Crey comments: "Wow, what a blast! Four weeks, countless shows all over Europe and an incredibly awesome time. At the end of October, we started with the guys of Parasite Inc. in the 'Malady X' release-tour, and would like to thank all those who came to the shows. The energy that our fans put up here was fantastic. We had never expected that lyrics of the new songs would be shouted at us during those shows - incredible! Just as great was the subsequent European tour with our Finnish brothers in mind, Omnium Gatherum & Wolfheart. Again, a big thank you to all our fans in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Spain, Hungary and Co - you know who you are!" 

Nothgard filmed an abundance of material during their latest tour; the band has now launched a video for the Malady X track, "Guardians Of Sanity":

Dom R. Crey comments: "We have managed to film a new video on tour, this time as a live performance for the song 'Guardians of Sanity' from our new album Malady X. Camera and editing was handled by Wolfheart mastermind Tuomas Saukkonen, who is also producing the clips for his own band. If you couldn't come to the shows you now have the chance to get a glimpse of our live performance to headbang through your house!" 

Nothgard has entered the official German album charts with their latest album Malady X, at position 53.

Nothgard are working now on festival appearances for 2019. Stay tuned.

The album can be ordered here in the following formats:

- ltd. 1st ed. Digipak-CD
- box set (EU exclusive - limited to 300 copies)
- 180g black vinyl
- dead gold marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- light grey marbled vinyl (EU exclusive - limited to 200 copies)
- red/black marbled vinyl (EMP exclusive - limited to 120 copies)
- clear/black marbled vinyl (US exclusive - limited to 100 copies)

Nothgard recorded Malady X at Def-Creation and & Southern Deathcult studios and called the renowned Jens Bogren (Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, Kreator, Opeth, etc.) for mastering duties. The result is an album full of epic melodic death metal anthems.

Album stream:

Album unboxing:

"Fall Of An Empire" video:

"Epitaph" video:

"Malady X" video:

(Photo - Andreas-Richter; Photoart - Peter Sallai)

On March 29, Knoxville, Tennessee death metallers WHITECHAPEL will release their seventh full-length album, "The Valley", via Metal Blade Records. The latest single from the disc, "Black Bear", can be streamed below.

Produced once again by Mark Lewis (CANNIBAL CORPSE, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER) and featuring artwork by Branca Studio, "The Valley"'s title is a reference to the part of Hardin Valley (west of Knoxville) where vocalist Phil Bozeman grew up. Set against this backdrop, he approaches his subject matter unflinchingly, building upon everything that came before, making it clear that he has survived that which he was forced to endure and is not afraid to confront it.

"Phil has been upfront in his lyrics in the past about hardships he endured in his life as a child, and I believe with this record we tried to paint a better picture of that," says guitarist Alex Wade, who alongside his bandmates, stands a hundred percent behind everything their vocalist has to say. "I feel our music is Phil's release from his past, being able to get it out and speak about it, and hopefully anyone who hears it that may have gone through similar experiences can find some release in it as well."

Anyone throwing "The Valley" on for the first time will immediately recognize it as the work of WHITECHAPEL, yet, as has been the case with each release, there is also evolution in play. "Sound-wise, it's all over the place," Bozeman states plainly. "There's aggression, and then you're hit with ominous and emotional guitar riffs. It's mean, but then transfers to soft and inviting. It's a whirlwind of emotions throughout."

b>"The Valley" track listing:

01. When A Demon Defiles A Witch

02. Forgiveness Is Weakness

03. Brimstone

04. Hickory Creek

05. Black Bear

06. We Are One

07. The Other Side

08. Third Depth

09. Lovelace

10. Doom Woods

Dutch metallers DELAIN will release "Hunter's Moon" on February 22, 2019 via Napalm Records. The effort consists of exciting new studio tracks accompanied by a live Blu-ray from the band's sold-out "Danse Macabre" 2017 European tour.

"Hunter's Moon" is the final in the trilogy, and follows on from DELAIN's EP "Lunar Prelude" and the full-length album "Moonbathers".

"Hunter's Moon" includes four brand new tracks, ten live songs, and a Blu-ray shot at the infamous Utrecht Tivoli, featuring many special guests, including NIGHTWISH's Marco Hietala. The Blu-ray truly encapsulates DELAIN's breathtaking stage performance and showcases the band's stunning stage production.

The cover art for "Hunter's Moon" was created by Cam Rackam and can be seen below.

b>"Hunter's Moon" track listing:

Brand new studio tracks

01. Masters Of Destiny

02. Hunter's Moon

03. This Silence Is Mine

04. Art Kills

Live from Utrecht

05. Hands Of Gold - Live (feat. George Oosthoek)

06. Danse Macabre - Live

07. Scarlet - Live

08. Your Body Is A Battleground - Live (feat. Marco Hietala)

09. Nothing Left - Live (feat. Marco Hietala)

10. Control The Storm - Live (feat. Marco Hietala)

11. Sing To Me - Live (feat. Marco Hietala)

12. Not Enough - Live

13. Scandal - Live (feat. Marco Hietala)

14. The Gathering - Live (feat. Marco Hietala)

DELAIN stated: "Along with the live Blu-ray are four new studio tracks. Two of these offer a preview of what we are working on for our new full-length studio album, which we expect to release in 2019. 'Masters Of Destiny' is a dramatic, cinematic track that we're excited to shoot an equally dramatic video for this week. The title track, 'Hunter's Moon', has more of a catchy feel and will hopefully appeal to our fans featuring heavy riffs, orchestrations, a large chorus and as a novel feature, Timo's screams. Our guitarists stepped to the forefront on this release in writing 'This Silence Is Mine' (Timo Somers) and 'Art Kills' (Merel Bechtold). With fond live memories, classic and new sounds we're excited to present 'Hunter's Moon' to the world!"

Hietala stated about the "Danse Macabre" tour: "I was really pleased to do the tour, because it gave me a chance to challenge myself in different surroundings and band dynamics. In the end, it comes down to the same old but great thing. I love doing good shows with good people for good audiences. All for one and one for all!"

DELAIN said about the live Blu-ray: "The 'Moonbathers' tour has been a hell of a ride and the 'Danse Macabre' shows were an absolute highlight. We are excited to share the footage of our show at Tivoli Vredenburg with you on this brand new Blu-ray. It was great to finally perform all of our collaborations with Marco live, something our fans have been asking for for such a long time! Also gracing the stage were George Oosthoek, who gave his signature sound to 'Hands Of Gold', and Elianne Anemaat, who adorned 'Scarlet' with her beautiful cello tones. The Tivoli show had such an amazing atmosphere and was one of the highlights of our career. Plus a home match for some of us! We are thrilled to have this Blu-ray as a physical souvenir of the night and we hope that our fans will enjoy it as much as we did."

DELAIN is:


Martijn Westerholt - Keyboards

Charlotte Wessels - Vocals

Joey Marin de Boer - Drums

Otto Schimmelpenninck van der Oije - Bass

Timo Somers - Guitar

Merel Bechtold - Guitar

Photo credit: Sandra Ludwig

U.K. rockers BRING ME THE HORIZON have released a live performance video for their new single, "Wonderful Life". The song is taken from the band's upcoming album "Amo", which is due on January 25 via Columbia Records. The studio version of the track, featuring CRADLE OF FILTH frontman Dani Filth, received its first play on Daniel P. Carter's BBC Radio 1 show.

Fans who pre-order the album digitally will receive instant downloads of "Wonderful Life" and previously released track "Mantra".

BRING ME THE HORIZON frontman Oli Sykes says of the new track: "The lyrics for 'Wonderful Life' were done freestyle in the studio. It's stream of consciousness-type stuff about getting old and out of touch, being off tour and loving the mundane things in life, I guess because it's so novel when your life is mainly spent on the road. Things like weekly shops and mowing your lawn are quite nice. People who spend most of their lives away from home can surely relate. I guess on top of that there's this inner crisis I have of being a boring person but still having a desire to go wild inside me every now and again… But, yeah, all in all, it's mostly word vomit... but also some of my favorite lyrics. The beginning is 100 percent legit and the irony was just too good, so we left it like that."


BRING ME THE HORIZON's North American 16-city "First Love" tour will kick off January 23 and will include stops at The Forum in Los Angeles and Hammerstein Ballroom in New York, where a second show was just added due to overwhelming demand.


b>"Amo" track listing:

01. I Apologise If You Feel Something

02. Mantra

03. Nihilist Blues (feat. Grimes)

04. In The Dark

05. Wonderful Life (feat. Dani Filth)

06. Ouch

07. Medicine

08. Sugar Honey Ice & Tea

09. Why You Gotta Kick Me When I'm Down?

10. Fresh Bruises

11. Mother Tongue

12. Heavy Metal (feat. Rahzel)

13. I Don't Know What To Say

The 1996 self-titled album from MACHINE HEAD/VIO-LENCE guitarist Phil Demmel's TORQUE project will be reissued on January 18, 2019 via Mascot Records. The new version of the disc includes four bonus tracks and will be made available as a CD, on vinyl and as a digital download.

The song "Anger Mine", which is one of the bonus tracks on the reissue, can be streamed below.

It was 1994 when one of the San Francisco Bay Area thrash scenes leading lights, VIO-LENCE, called it a day following the departure of vocalist Sean Killian, who retired, and Robb Flynn, who went on to form MACHINE HEAD. The other members of VIO-LENCE formed the riff-heavy, groove-infused thrashers TORQUE, which saw Demmel taking on lead vocals for the first time. He was joined in the group by guitarist Ray Vegas, bassist Deen Dell and drummer Mark Hernandez, who helped create a formidably crushing four-way vocal assault with a tank-like heaviness that was to burn brightly, but briefly.


TORQUE released three demos between 1994 and 1997 before issuing the aforementioned album. In 2003, Demmel joined Flynn in MACHINE HEAD.


hree songs — "Breed", "Again" and "Shooter" — from the original "Torque" release were written while the band was still recording as VIO-LENCE, which means they feature lyrics written by Killian before he left the band in 1993. Upon making the decision to form TORQUE, Demmel entered the studio to re-record the vocals, and on the strength of those demos, Mascot signed the band. The album was then recorded at O Street Studios in Antioch, California with producer Rob Beaton (BUCKETHEAD, SAMMY HAGAR, EXHORDER).


TORQUE's songs all brimmed with explosive undertones such as dealing the world's problems with ultra-extreme consequences ("Breed"), a serial killer's struggle with the dark side ("Shooter") and being hunted ("Again").

"'Shooter' was one of the slowest VIO-LENCE songs I ever wrote, so it was a difficult song to sing and play at the same time," Demmel remembers.


Looking back on that time, he recalls: "With writing and creating music, we all were willing to try each other's ideas; all contributions were welcomed. We wanted to stay true to our core and get out and share it with as many people as possible."


At 11 songs long, "Torque" is a relentless ride through addiction ("H.L.S."), domestic abuse ("Nothing"), revenge ("Dead You Lay") and being falsely accused and convicted of a crime ("Pulled") in amongst blazing riffery.

Of the epic "Hand Over Fist", Demmel says: "The intro to the song was actually used as an instrumental before the last few VIO-LENCE shows — one of them a co-headline with MACHINE HEAD."


"We were able pull a decent draw right out of the gate, but supporting EXODUS at the Maritime Hall was a highlight," he said. "Sean came up and sang 'Breed' with us and we destroyed. We were brought over to play the Dynamo festival in the Netherlands and we left with lifetime memories. A landmark event for us all.


"I have nothing but fond memories of my time spent with these guys playing these songs. Great dudes to be in a band with. It was a tough time to be in a metal band in the mid-'90s and I'm proud of what we were able to do in that time."


The new version of "Torque" includes liner notes written by Demmel. The reissue features four bonus songs, taken from the band's last recordings, the "1997 Demo": "Circling", "Erased", "Sever" and "Isolation/Anger Mine".


Track listing:

01. H.L.S.

02. Again

03. Nothing

04. Shooter

05. Dead You Lay

06. Choking

07. Forgotten

08. Pulled

09. Will Of Stone

10. Breed

11. Hand Over Fist

12. Circling (bonus track)

13. Erased (bonus track)

14. Sever (bonus track)

15. Isolation / Anger Mine (bonus track)

Former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley has confirmed to Goldmine that he would willing to take part in the band's just-announced "End Of The Road" world tour "if the numbers were right."

Frehley first left KISS in 1982. He rejoined in 1996 and parted ways with the band once again in 2002 after the conclusion of their first "farewell tour." Since his departure, guitarist Tommy Thayer has assumed the role of the Spaceman.

Asked how he would like to see KISS's final tour pan out, Frehley said: "When I read the comments the fans make on the Internet — every once in a while I'll spend a half hour or an hour reading comments — invariably 80-90 percent of the KISS fans want a full-blown reunion. I don't know if that's possible; it could be a variation of it. There's no way KISS is gonna go out with a bang with the lineup they have now. It's half of a cover band. I love Eric [Singer, drums] and I love Tommy, but it's half of a KISS cover band. Paul [Stanley] and Gene [Simmons] are the two original guys and they've got two guys playing my part and Peter's [Criss] part. I think it works better overseas or in South America where the people aren't as educated as to who is in the band, but it's getting tired in America. Ever since 2014, when we were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, pretty much all of America realized that I was not in the band and Peter's not in the band and I think a lot of people in America weren't even sure that I had left. When they made the switch between me and Tommy, they really didn't publicize it and I don't think they wanted to. I mean, I remember getting phone calls in 2008, 2009 and people would call me up and say, 'Hey, you're playing my hometown. Can you get me tickets?', and I'd go, 'No. I'm not in the band anymore.' I mean, that happened multiple times. My departure from the band the second time around wasn't highly promoted."

Still, Frehley does not rule out playing with KISS again if asked to come back. "I would be up for it if the numbers were right and if it was presented to me in the right way, sure," he said. "It's not necessarily something that I am craving to do, but I want to do it for the fans because the fans are the ones who made us all famous and rich and turned us into superstars. I want to do what the fans want. I want to make the fans happy and it seems like that's the direction they are pointing towards. I'd be willing to do anything to make the fans happy."

b>Frehley's new solo album, "Spaceman", was released on October 19 via eOne. Simmons co-wrote two tracks on the disc, "Without You I'm Nothing" and "Your Wish Is My Command", the latter of which also features Simmons's bass playing.

Back in October, Frehley told Yahoo! Entertainment that he had "nothing bad to say about Tommy… You know, it'd be one thing if Tommy would have invented his own character, invented his own guitar solos," he said. "But unfortunately, he's copying everything I do, note for note. There's not much leeway for anybody to say what he's doing is original. I don't know how I could handle that, you know? I don't think I could step into a situation and be somebody else. It's almost like being a robot. Poor Tommy. My heart bleeds for him."

Patrick "Pat" O'Brien's neighbors didn't notice anything unusual about the CANNIBAL CORPSE guitarist in the days leading up to his arrest Monday 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.

He seemed "just like a regular neighbor," one person who lives on O'Brien's street told 10 News WTSP (see video below). "Get out of the car, go right into the house. That's about it."

Less than half a mile from where he was arrested, a fire broke out at O'Brien's 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.

"[It was] very scary," another neighbor told ABC Action News. "I was thinking 'my house, it's going to go if [the firefighters] don't hurry up and get here,' but they saved our house and we don't have any damage or anything."

Everybody kind of stays to themselves," the first neighbor said. "Nobody really bothers anybody. Most of the people abide by [the proverb] 'good fences make good neighbors.' I mean, it's just crazy something like that happened so close to home."

According to the Hillsborough County arrest log, O'Brien was booked into the Hillsborough County Jail on Monday night after he entered a house near the Northdale Golf and Country just before 7:00 p.m. and ignored orders from the two people inside the home to leave. O'Brien didn't know anyone at the house and didn't have permission to be there, an arrest report states. A sheriff's office supervisor says O'Brien shoved a woman to the ground and then went into the backyard.

Deputies responding to the burglary found O'Brien hiding behind a fence near the house. They say O'Brien "ran towards" one of the deputies "with a knife in his right hand." Deputies then shot O'Brien with a Taser and arrested him.

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, 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 must first pass a drug test before he will be allowed to post $50,000 bail and leave jail.

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

Professionally filmed video footage of METALLICA performing the song "No Remorse" on December 5 at Moda Center in Portland, Oregon can be seen below.

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

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

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

b>METALLICA kicked off the 2018/2019 U.S. leg of the "WorldWired" arena tour on September 2 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.

Vivian Campbell spoke to Metal Express Radio about "II", the upcoming second album from his LAST IN LINE project, which will be released on February 22, 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl. As with 2016's "Heavy Crown", the new disc was produced by DOKKEN and FOREIGNER bassist Jeff Pilson.

LAST IN LINE was formed in 2012, when Vinny Appice, Jimmy Bain and Campbell — Ronnie James Dio's co-conspirators and co-writers on the "Holy Diver", "Last In Line" and "Sacred Heart" albums — teamed up with esteemed vocalist Andrew Freeman. The debut album "Heavy Crown" was released in February 2016, landing at No. 1 on Billboard's Heatseekers chart. Initially, the release had been preceded by tragedy when bassist Jimmy Bain unexpectedly passed away at the age of 68 on January 23, 2016. LAST IN LINE, honoring what they knew would be Bain's wish to keep the band moving, brought in renowned bassist Phil Soussan (ex-OZZY OSBOURNE) and committed to sustained touring in support of the album, hitting festivals, headlining clubs, and sharing the stage with metal luminaries such as SAXON and MEGADETH.

Asked how Soussan is settling in, Campbell told Metal Express Radio: "He's fit in very well. In many ways, he's very similar to Jimmy. In other ways, he's very different. One of Jimmy's great strengths was he was a very simple player who had great tone and the way he locked in with Vinny. Phil is more intricate and is a bit more busy, so if you imagine how Geezer Butler plays with [BLACK] SABBATH, John Entwistle with THE WHO or Noel Redding with [Jimi] Hendrix."

Vivian continued: "He's come up with a lot of ideas for this record. We did it very much like 'Heavy Crown'. Nobody brought complete songs but we all brought ideas and riffs and we worked on them together. I told Phil not to bring complete songs as if we'd done that, it wouldn't have the same organic growth that LAST IN LINE does have. That's how we wrote in DIO too. We didn't bring songs in; we brought in ideas that we bounced off each other and grew the songs from there. It's worked every bit as well with Phil as it did with Jimmy. While Jimmy was more laid back and let the music do the talking, Phil was more A-type [personality]. Phil was more forceful with his ideas and a couple of times I had to pull him to one side and tell him to slow down. He's very quickly found his role in the band and adapted to the way we write. Phil turned out to be an inspired choice. We played with a few bass players before Phil, and one or two were really famous too, but as soon as Phil played, we knew he was the right for the band."

b>Vivian also talked about the fact that LAST IN LINE doesn't sound like a DIO tribute band, even though the group's initial intent was to celebrate Ronnie James Dio's early work by reuniting the members of the original DIO lineup. After playing shows that featured a setlist composed exclusively of material from the first three DIO albums, the band decided to move forward and create new music in a similar vein.

"If we'd gone with a Ronnie soundalike [for a singer], it would have been tacky and we would have painted ourselves into a corner and there would have been no chance for the band to grow," Vivian explained. "That's another reason why I'm getting excited about this is that we'll have more of a chance to play our original music. We'll still play some of those DIO classics, and it'd be stupid not to, but most of the show will be based around original LAST IN LINE material. But we will always play 'Holy Diver' and the song 'Last In Line'."

He continued: "I remember on the 'Holy Diver' tour with DIO, we were going out and most of the set was made up of RAINBOW and BLACK SABBATH songs. By the second tour, we were able to play more DIO songs, so it became less of a tribute show. We still did a couple of RAINBOW and SABBATH songs, but most of the show was DIO stuff. We're already planning on playing at least two new songs before the album is even released when we start touring in January."

The official music video for the first single from "II", a song called "Landslide", can be seen below.

In addition to Campbell, Soussan, Appice and Freeman, LAST IN LINE's current lineup includes keyboardist Erik Norlander (ASIA FEATURING JOHN PAYNE, DUKES OF THE ORIENT).

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

Rob Halford has once again said that he believes JUDAS PRIEST will eventually be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Even though artists are eligible for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single, iconic hard rock and metal bands like IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST and MOTÖRHEAD have yet to be recognized by the institution, which inducted GUNS N' ROSES in that group's first year of eligibility.

Having been eligible for induction since 1999, JUDAS PRIEST was on the ballot for this year's class of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but ultimately didn't clinch the nomination.

During a press conference in Indonesia ahead of JUDAS PRIEST's December 7 concert in Jakarta, Halford said (see video below): "Everybody has different opinions on this Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. It's kind of a controversial issue for some musicians. And I think everybody in the band has a slightly different observation on it. But I think on the whole, it's no different to the other institutions of the same experience in America, like the Basketball Hall Of Fame and the Football Hall Of Fame. If you are included in that kind of place, it's something of an honor, because you're surrounded by your peers, you're surrounded by the people who enjoyed the same life and experience in that kind of endeavor. So if that does happen for JUDAS PRIEST, I think it will be a wonderful moment, because we're a British heavy metal band and the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is an American institution, but it still carries weight around the world. So we'll wait and see. I think we will get in there eventually, hopefully."

b>Rock Hall rules state that artists become eligible a quarter century after their first records were released, but the Hall also claims that other "criteria include the influence and significance of the artists' contributions to the development and perpetuation of rock 'n' roll," which is, of course, open to interpretation.

Eligible for induction since 1999, KISS didn't get its first nomination until 2009, and was finally inducted in 2014.

DEEP PURPLE was eligible for the Rock Hall since 1993 but didn't get inducted until 2016.

JUDAS PRIEST's new album, "Firepower", was released in March via Epic.

The band will return to the United States next May for a run with fellow classic heavy rockers URIAH HEEP.

Providing QUEEN with its highest-charting album in 38 years in the U.S., where it's approaching official gold status as well as becoming one of the band's fastest ever selling albums throughout the world, QUEEN's "Bohemian Rhapsody" film soundtrack is set to be released as a two LP set February 8. In continuing the celebration of QUEEN's iconic music, a special picture-disc edition as well as a seven-inch single featuring "Bohemian Rhapsody"/"I'm In Love With My Car" will be released on Record Store Day, April 13.

The 22-song soundtrack album, produced by Brian May and Roger Taylor, features the first-ever release of audio tracks from QUEEN's legendary performance at Live Aid as well as other rare live tracks and their biggest hits. Rolling Stone hailed it as "more than just a greatest-hits," praising it as, "a fun imaginative way to relive the band's genius."

The "Bohemian Rhapsody" OST standard vinyl edition, the first of these special releases, will come as a four-side vinyl double album specially cut at Abbey Road Studios.

Most likely to be of interest to avid collectors will be two special Record Store Day releases: a double album picture disc version of the soundtrack and a special seven-inch single release of the original "Bohemian Rhapsody"/"I'm In Love With My Car" track coupling. While not featured in the film, "I'm In Love With My Car" is joke-referenced several times in the film. Now the track gets its moment.

b>"Bohemian Rhapsody", the film, had its world premiere in the U.K. on October 23 and has since gone on to top the box office in more than 35 countries around the world with over half a billion dollars in global ticket sales to date. The film has received two nominations for the 2019 Golden Globe awards: "Best Motion Picture – Drama" and "Best Actor In A Motion Picture – Drama" for Rami Malek's exceptional portrayal of the legendary Freddie Mercury.

The worldwide success of the film has also given a healthy boost to QUEEN's music across all streaming services. "Bohemian Rhapsody" was not only the top trending song per Google's 2018 Year In Search, but is now officially the most streamed track of the 20th century having surpassed 1.6 billion streams globally, followed by "Don't Stop Me Now" at 700 million streams and counting.

As previously announced, QUEEN + ADAM LAMBERT's North American "Rhapsody" tour kicks off July 10 in Vancouver, British Columbia, at Rogers Arena wrapping on August 23 at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Full track listing for "Bohemian Rhapsody: The Original Soundtrack" on vinyl is:

Side 1

01. 20th Century Fox Fanfare (0:25)

02. Somebody To Love (4:56)

03. Doing All Right... revisited (Performed By Smile) (3:17)

04. Keep Yourself Alive (Live At The Rainbow) (3:56)

05. Killer Queen (2:59)

06. Fat Bottomed Girls (Live In Paris) (4:38)

Side 2

01. Bohemian Rhapsody (5:55)

02. Now I'm Here (Live At Hammersmith Odeon) (4:26)

03. Crazy Little Thing Called Love (2:43)

04. Love Of My Life (Rock In Rio) (4:29)

Side 3

01. We Will Rock You (Movie Mix) (2:09)

02. Another One Bites The Dust (3:35)

03. I Want To Break Free (3:43)

04. Under Pressure (Performed by Queen & David Bowie) (4:04)

05. Who Wants To Live Forever (5:15)

Side 4

01. Bohemian Rhapsody (Live Aid) (2:28)

02. Radio Ga Ga (Live Aid) (4:06)

03. Ay-Oh (Live Aid) (0:41)

04. Hammer To Fall (Live Aid) (4:04)

05. We Are The Champions (Live Aid) (3:57)

06. Don't Stop Me Now… Revisited (3:38)

07. The Show Must Go On (4:32)

FLYING COLORS — the "prog/pop" supergroup featuring guitarist Steve Morse (DEEP PURPLE), keyboardist Neal Morse (THE NEAL MORSE BAND, TRANSATLANTIC, ex-SPOCK'S BEARD), bassist Dave LaRue (DIXIE DREGS), drummer Mike Portnoy (SONS OF APOLLO, THE WINERY DOGS, ex-DREAM THEATER) and vocalist Casey McPherson (ALPHA REV) — has started recording its third album for a tentative late summer/early fall release.

According to a tweet Portnoy made yesterday, drum tracks for the group's first album since 2014's "Second Nature" will be recorded this week. "We have 10 songs written and we are shooting/hoping for a late summer/early fall 2019 release if all goes well," he wrote, adding that he's "praying that the stars align for live shows too."

FLYING COLORS was originally assembled by executive producer Bill Evans, who hoped to curate a band that combined virtuoso musicians and complex musicianship with a pop singer and accessible songwriting. The group's 2012 self-titled debut, produced by Peter Collins (RUSH, QUEENSRŸCHE), was supported by an 11-date, six-country European tour, as well as shows in Los Angeles and New York City. A performance in Tilburg, Holland was recorded for the 2013 live album/Blu-ray/DVD "Live In Europe".

The self-produced "Second Coming" saw the group play another limited engagement-style tour, during which they performed three shows in America before doing a week's worth of European dates. A concert in Pratteln, Switzerland was filmed and released as the 2015 live album/Blu-ray/DVD "Second Flight: Live At The Z7".

n 2017, the group performed a surprise set aboard the prog-themed Cruise To The Edge as part of Portnoy's 50th birthday performance. Later that year, the band self-released a "raw" version of their first record, "True Colors", which included unmastered versions of the album's material as originally recorded by Grammy Award-winning mixing engineer Michael Brauer (COLDPLAY, John Mayer).

FLYING COLORS is:

Casey McPherson - vocals

Dave LaRue - bass

Steve Morse - guitar

Neal Morse - keyboards

Mike Portnoy - drums

On my way to Nashville for the week to begin my drum tracks for the new @FlyingColors album! We have 10 songs written and we are shooting/hoping for a late summer/early fall 2019 release if all goes well...(& yes, praying that the stars align for live shows too! ?) pic.twitter.com/JiGYlsiNJx— Mike Portnoy ? (@MikePortnoy) December 10, 2018

LINKIN PARK bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell spoke about the band's future during an appearance on SiriusXM's "Volume West". Asked what he has planned in terms of new music, nearly a year and a half since the death of singer Chester Bennington, Dave said (hear audio below): "It's a big question. I think the easiest way to answer it is probably just to say I don't know. And then I can expound upon that."

He continued: "The five of us, we still love getting a chance to hang out. We hang out quite a bit. I think we will do music again. We all want to. We all still enjoy being together and being around each other. But we have a huge process to figure out what we wanna do and what that's gonna look like. And I don't have a timetable for how long that'll take. I've never been down that road [or gone through] that process completely, so it's really hard to put a time or a day."

Farrell added: "In fairness, one of the things that I think has been ridiculously cool about LINKIN PARK fans and our fanbase is how supportive they've been of us in that process. Social media, notoriously, can be a really negative place, and it is, like, 99.9 percent positive — what I see — from our fans just saying, 'We're here. We want to hear what you guys are doing. We want to be involved, but we get it. We want you guys also to be healthy and happy, and do what's right for you as well.' And we hear that message — we receive that, we get that from that community and from that fanbase — and it's really, really something that is special, and I can't say 'thank you' enough for that."

Back in March, LINKIN PARK vocalist Mike Shinoda told Vulture that he still talked to the other guys from the band "pretty regularly. We check in all the time," he said. "We've gotten together and hung out a lot. Once in a while, we play a little bit of music, but there's also a lot of uncertainty there about what to do."

b>Shinoda, who released an EP, "Post Traumatic", in January, followed by a full-length album bearing the same title, told The Oakland Press that he was leery for a while of putting anything out into the world.

"Grief is a personal thing, a personal experience," Shinoda said. "Relatively early on I had a feeling — I didn't know, but I had a feeling — that things would get better, or they just wouldn't stay the same. We'll obviously never forget our friend. We'll always remind everybody how special and talented he was. But at the same time it'd be unhealthy and irresponsible for us not to move on with our lives at a certain point.

"So I had a feeling that with that journey ahead, and not knowing what shape it would take, that it would be interesting, and to share it would probably be difficult but in the long run it would help some people. I just felt like it would be worth sharing."

Bennington was found dead in his Los Angeles-area home in July 2017 after hanging himself.

LINKIN PARK headlined an all-star tribute concert for Bennington in October 2017 in Los Angeles but has not announced any future plans for recording or touring.

NWOBHM supergroup LIONHEART has released a new single in time for Christmas called "Mary Did You Know". With it, the band is hoping to bring some much-needed classic rock to the No. 1 spot of this British institution.

"We've had years of the same old formula pop songs at No. 1 and we thought it was about time to bring something fresh with a bit more power and punch," said Dennis Stratton, LIONHEART guitarist and one-time member of IRON MAIDEN. "At the same time, we have one eye on the traditional meaning of Christmas, and so have left out the sleigh bells and ho-ho-ho's in favor of something a bit more thoughtful. With the world in such turmoil at the moment, we wanted to bring a positive message across."

"Mary Did You Know" is accompanied by the official video and the band has a PR team working hard on securing radio spots. "Plays on the airwaves still count for so much when trying to make a song successful," continued Stratton, "so we decided to get a dedicated team on to this. Of course, we'd love the No. 1 spot over Christmas, but we'll be happy to have it anywhere up there in the official charts."

LIONHEART was formed in 1980 by Stratton along with guitarist and keyboardist Steve Mann and bassist Rocky Newton, both of whom were later to play with MSG. Mann is also playing in the current lineup of MICHAEL SCHENKER FEST. The LIONHEART lineup is completed by original drummer Clive Edwards (ex-UFO) and undoubtedly one of the best singers in the U.K. at the moment, Lee Small (ex-SHY). During the 1980s, they toured constantly, selling out the infamous Marquee club in London on repeated occasions, and completing tours with WHITESNAKE and DEF LEPPARD. They also played at the legendary Reading Festival in 1981.

n 2017, LIONHEART released its first studio album since the classic "Hot Tonight" record from 1984. Titled "Second Nature", it was hailed by the critics as a triumphant return for the band, and LIONHEART has now headed back into the studio to record a follow-up album. "We have about 10 songs on the go at the moment," added Stratton, "and they are just sounding fantastic. We can't wait to bring this out." Due for release in the spring of 2019, it's already been given the title "Reality Of Miracles".

LIONHEART is:

Lee Small (lead vocals)

Dennis Stratton (lead guitar, backing vocals)

Steve Mann (lead guitar, keyboards, backing vocals)

Rocky Newton (bass, backing vocals)

Clive Edwards (drums)

Pretty Maids are set to release A Blast From The Past, a 12CD box set, plus select vinyl reissues, on February 22nd via Frontiers Music Srl. A video trailer can be found below.

Pre-order links:

- Europe
- North America
- Amazon, iTunes, etc.

For many years, there has been a growing demand for reissues of Pretty Maids' albums from the '90s and onwards. A lot of these albums haven’t been accessible for years on either CD, vinyl, or digitally, so Frontiers is thrilled to roll out these catalog reissues for Pretty Maids fans, both old and new.

For North American fans, the only place you can get this limited edition box set  is at the PledgeMusic store (link above) and it is limited to 50 copies. Vinyl reissues available there too.

Says the band: "The '90s and the beginning of the new millennium were pretty hard times for traditional melodic hard rock and metal. Many new sub-genres dominated the rock world, the scene changed more or less constantly, and new trends came and went, leaving melodic hard rock a bit adrift. But, the genre was always there, still is, and always will be thanks to probably the most loyal and faithful supporters you’ll ever find in the music business.

"Pretty Maids has always taken great pride in delivering the best possible music at any given time, regardless of trends, and it is with great pleasure we now can reissue these albums.

"Enjoy the music whether it be for the first time or again for the first time in a little while!"

The 12CD box set details and tracklisting are below. The eight titles that will be reissued on vinyl are:

- Scream
- Wake Up To The Real World
- Motherland
- Pandemonium
- Planet Panic
- Carpe Diem
- Spooked
- Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Overdoing

12CD box set details:

1. Scream

"Rise"
"Scream"
"Psycho-Time-Bomb-Planet-Earth"
"This Love"
"Walk Away"
"No Messiah"
"In A World Of Your Own"
"Don't Turn Your Sex On Me"
"Adrenaline Junkie"
"Anytime Anywhere"

2. Spooked

"Resurrection" (Intro)
"Freakshow"
"Dead Or Alive"
"Die With Your Dreams"
"Fly Me Out"
"Live Until It Hurts"
"Spooked"
"Twisted"
"If It Can't Be Love"
"Never Too Late"
"Your Mind Is Where The Money Is"
"Hard Luck Woman"
"The One That Should Not Be"
"Where The Blood Runs Deep" (*)
"Crazy Horses" (*)
"A Love And A Fiction" (*)

(*) Bonus Tracks

3. Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Overdoing

"Snakes In Eden"
"Destination Paradise"
"Hell On High Heels"
"When The Angels Cry"
"Back Off"
"Only In America"
"With These Eyes"
"Anything Worth Doing Is Worth Overdoing"
"Scent Of My Prey"
"Face Me"
"Loveshine"

4. Carpe Diem

"Violent Tribe"
"Carpe Diem"
"Tortured Spirit"
"Wouldn't Miss You"
"Clay"
"Poisoned Pleasures"
"Until It Dies"
"The Unwritten Pages"
VFor Once In Your Life"
"They're All Alike"
"Time Awaits For No One"
"Invisible Chains"

5. Planet Panic

"Virtual Brutality"
"Playing God"
"He Who Never Lived"
"Face Of My Enemy"
"Not What You Think"
"Natural High"
"Who's Gonna Change"
"Worthless"
"One Way To Rock"
"Enter Forevermore"

6. Wake Up to the Real World

"Wake Up To The Real World"
"All In The Name Of Love"
"I Am The End"
"As Guilty As You"
"Why Die For A Lie"
"Such A Rush"
"Where True Beauty Lies"
"Brave Young New Breed"
"Terminal Violence"
"Perfect Strangers"
"Another Shot Of Your Love"

7. Pandemonium

"Pandemonium"
"I.N.V.U."
"Little Drops Of Heaven"
"One World One Truth"
"Final Day Of Innocence"
"Cielo Drive"
"It Comes At Night"
VOld Enough To Know"
"Beautiful Madness"
"Breathless"
"Ka-Ching" (*)
"It Comes At Night" (Remix)*

(*) Bonus Tracks

8. Motherland

"Mother Of All Lies"
"To Fool A Nation"
"Confession"
"The Iceman"
"Sad To See You Suffer"
"Hooligan"
"Infinity"
"Why So Serious"
"Motherland"
"I See Ghosts"
"Bullet For You"
"Who What Where When Why"
"Wasted"
"Mother Of All Lies" (Remix) (*)

(*) Bonus Track

9. Louder Than Ever

"Deranged"
"Playing God"
"Psycho Time Bomb Planet Earth"
"My Soul To Take"
"He Who Never Lived"
"Virtual Brutality"
"Tortured Spirit"
"With These Eyes"
"Nuclear Boomerang"
"Snakes In Eden"
"Wake Up To The Real World"
"A Heart Without A Home"
"Deranged" (Extended Version) (*)

(*) Bonus Track

10. Kingmaker

"When God Took A Day Off"
"Kingmaker"
"Face The World"
"Humanize Me"
"Last Beauty On Earth"
"Bull's Eye"
"King Of The Right Here And Now"
"Heavens Little Devil"
"Civilized Monsters"
"Sickening"
"Was That What You Wanted (Look What You've Got)"
"Kingmaker" (Extended Version)
"Humanize Me" (Extended Version) (*)

(*) Bonus Track

11. Screamin’ Live

"Psycho-Time-Bomb Planet-Earth"
"Rock The House"
"Rise"
"Walk Away"
"Scream"
"Yellow Rain"
"Sin-Decade"
"Savage Heart"
"No Messiah"
"Please Don't Leave Me"
"Lovegames"
"Future World"
"Back To Back"
"Red Hot And Heavy"

12. Alive At Least

"Sin-Decade"
"Destination Paradise"
"Tortured Spirit"
"Wouldn’t Miss You"
"Nightmare In The Neighborhood"
"Natural High"
"Virtual Brutality"
"Queen Of Dreams"
"Cold Killer"
"Playing God"
"Snakes In Eden"
"Shelly The Maid"
"Live Until It Hurts"
"Future World"
"Red Hot And Heavy"

Trailer:

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the formation of LED ZEPPELIN, and the surviving members are celebrating the occasion with the official illustrated book, "Led Zeppelin By Led Zeppelin", covering the band's career chronologically from its first concert in September 1968 through the 2007 one-off reunion show. It is a unique collaboration between Jimmy Page, Robert Plant and John Paul Jones, who have given Reel Art Press unrestricted access to the LED ZEPPELIN archive.

Asked in a brand new interview with Mark Goodman of SiriusXM Volume's "Debatable" if he has additional projects in mind to coincide with LED ZEPPELIN's half-century anniversary, Page said (hear audio below): "I've always got things in mind, and I always think of things as a schedule of releases over a period of time. I've never been, actually, any different. And, obviously, I would have ideas of things or projects which could go ahead, but, you know, it all takes time. So, at the moment, we've got this [book] out, so that's really brilliant. And who knows what may come further on down the line? I don't know. So I can't really say at this point."

Pressed about possible new material from him in 2019, Page responded: "Ah, well, that's a different story. Yes, you'll definitely be getting stuff from Jimmy Page; I can guarantee that."

Released this past March was a newly remastered reissue of the LED ZEPPELIN 2003 live collection, "How The West Was Won". The set, which features new remastering supervised by Page, marked the first offering from the band in celebration of its 50th anniversary.

n September, LED ZEPPELIN released three new digital-only collections. Available now are "Led Zeppelin X Led Zeppelin"; "An Introduction To Led Zeppelin"; and "Rock And Roll (Sunset Sound Mix)".

Heart have revealed the second song from their upcoming live album, Live In Atlantic City. The powerful live rendition of "Bébé Le Strange", with special guest Dave Navarro on guitar, shows why it is one of the most loved songs by these Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees.

Watch the video for “Bébé Le Strange” below. You can stream the song here.

Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees Ann and Nancy Wilson first showed the world that women can rock when their band, Heart, stormed the charts in the ‘70s with hits like “Crazy On You”, “Magic Man”, “Barracuda”, “Straight On”, and so many more.  

A night no one would ever forget was the night Heart performed on VH1’s Decades Rock Live back in 2006. It was an evening that brought together various stars around the two brightest shining stars of Heart. This show has been living on in the memory of music fans ever since and will now finally see its release on LP/CD/DVD/Blu-ray. Live In Atlantic City pays tribute to and celebrates the band’s legacy with the help of an incredible range of artists and friends, to keep this magical night of celebrating music and friendship alive for all eternity.

And what a night it was! The guest list of performers formed a Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame for itself, including country music star Carrie Underwood, Jane’s Addiction founding member and former Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist Dave Navarro, country singer-songwriter Gretchen Wilson and Canadian-American singer-songwriter and composer Rufus Wainwright. An exceptional highlight of the show furthermore entails the return of renowned grunge rockers Alice In Chains with Duff McKagan joining his friends on stage!

Each guest artist had the chance to perform up to three songs together with the band. The track list includes gems like Heart’s “Crazy On You”, performed together with Dave Navarro or Alice In Chain’s “Rooster“. A joined performance featuring all of the guest artists of “Barracuda” rounded up this monumental show, which will now finally be released on audio as well as visual formats for the world to enjoy.

Live In Atlantic City is going to be released as CD+Blu-ray Digipak, 2LP Gatefold+download, DVD, Blu-ray and Digital on January 25th, 2019 on earMUSIC. Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Bébé Le Strange" (with Dave Navarro)
"Straight On" (with Dave Navarro)
"Crazy On You" (with Dave Navarro)
"Lost Angel"
"Even It Up" (with Gretchen Wilson)
"Rock ’N Roll" (with Gretchen Wilson)
"Dog & Butterfly" (with Rufus Wainwright)
"Would?" (with Alice In Chains & Duff McKagan) *
"Rooster" (with Alice In Chains & Duff McKagan)
"Alone" (with Carrie Underwood)
"Magic Man"
"Misty Mountain Hop" (with Dave Navarro)
"Dreamboat Annie"
"Barracuda"

* CD and LP exclusive

Note: DVD and Blu-ray also include bonus footage in the form of Heart Confidential

"Bébé Le Strange" video:

"Lost Angel" video:

Trailers:

"Peace and Love and good happiness stuff to you this holiday season," states a message from guitar legend Steve Vai. "Enjoy this version of 'Christmas Time Is Here' I did some years ago. It’s a sweet track to break out during the holidays, because Charlie Brown rules!"

Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, Zakk Wylde, Nuno Bettencourt, and Tosin Abasi have launched a pre-order via Pledge Music for the upcoming live album, The Guitars That Destroyed The World - Live In China.

The Generation Axe experience goes way beyond simply gathering five guitar greats on one stage to jam. According to Steve Vai, “The idea was to create a seamless show with one backing band and five completely accomplished and astonishing guitarists that take to the stage in various configurations, performing some of their solo music and merging together as cohesive co-creators of lushly orchestrated guitar extravaganzas.”

Much of the time when multiple rock guitarists join in jamming, the results are usually conventional and often a mess. But the arrangements of some of the classic rock tracks performed by these five insane players makes for a magnificent cacophony of organized chaos unlike anything ever presented before.

Generation Axe - The Guitars That Destroyed The World (Live In China) was culled from various performances on their last very successful tour of Asia. It is indeed rare for a lineup of guitar players to create a unique offering and when listening to this wild ride through a kaleidoscope of 6-string mania, it’s obvious that Generation Axe hit the mark and this Pledge campaign offers a variety of unique merchandise, behind the scene footage, and ultimate fan access! You can get everything from signed guitars to listening parties and signed vinyl.

More details at Pledge Music.

A previously unreleased clip from Ozzy Osbourne's show "Ozzy & Jack's World Detour" in which the BLACK SABBATH singer watches a performance by the fast food-themed SABBATH tribute parody band called MAC SABBATH can be seen below.

Mysterious MAC SABBATH frontman Ronald Osbourne emerged from his basement bunker to tell Rolling Stone: "Being Ronald Osbourne, the front-clown for MAC SABBATH, isn't easy. I have to meet all these fry-by-night 'Drive-through metal' icons like Burger King Diamond, Cinnibon Jovi and KFCC DeVille, look them in the eye and pretend like my indigestion is not acting up. Today is quite different. Today I met Ozzy Freaking Osbourne. Some big clown shoes to fill."

Last year, MAC SABBATH released its first recorded material with "Pair-A-Buns" (a parody of SABBATH's "Paranoid"), as well as an accompanying video.

MAC SABBATH manager Mike Odd told Vanyaland in a 2016 interview: "One time, some guy messaged me and was, like, 'Hey man, love Mac Sabbath. I want to come on down.' And I was, like, 'Uh, come on down. What are you talking about?' And he was, like, 'Your address, can I get your address?' 'Address?' And he's, like, 'Yeah, the address of your restaurant!' 'Uh, sorry buddy, but Mac Sabbath is not a restaurant!'"

b>MAC SABBATH played its first few shows in its home state of California, before the band's Internet fame got them a slot on the prestigious Download festival in the U.K., which led to a full-blown U.K. tour and eventually a U.S. tour.

Brothers Of Metal, one of Scandinavia’s most promising new bands, have released an official music video for "Yggdrasil", a track from their debut album, out now via AFM Records. Watch the clip below, and order the album here.

The 8-piece, hailing from Falun, Sweden consists of three vocalists (two male, one female), three guitar players, a bass player and a drummer. Their sound: A thunderous, catchy mixture of power metal, irresistible melodies, heavy riffs and some folkish elements; or as they used to call it - “True Heavy Metal”.

The band comments: “Wimps and posers beware, for true metal is here. Brothers and sisters you fear - for true warriors are everywhere. Be you tiny and frail or large as the giants, be you faint of heart or brave in soul. Be your spirits light and swift, or dark as the night, fear not, for together we will conquer all… together we fight - together we rise - we ride into battle and into the night!”

Tracklisting:

"Death Of The God Of Light"
"Son Of Odin"
"Prophecy Of Ragnarök"
"Defenders Of Valhalla"
"Concerning Norns" (Digipak & Vinyl only)
"Yggdrasil"
"Tyr"
"Siblings Of Metal"
"Gods Of War"
"Freya"
"The Mead Song" (Digipak & Vinyl only)
"Sleipnir" (Digipak & Vinyl only)
"Fire Blood And Steel"
"We Believe In Metal" (Digipak & Vinyl only)

"Yggdrasil" video:

"Prophecy Of Ragnarök" video:

"Prophecy Of Ragnarök" lyric video:

Lineup:

Ylva Eriksson - Voice of the Valkyries
Joakim Lindbäck Eriksson - Battle Cries
Dawid Grahn - Guitar
Pähr Nilsson - Guitar
Mikael Fehrm - Guitar
Emil Wärmedal - Bass
Mats Nilsson - Tongue of the Gods
Johan Johansson - Anvil and War Drums

(Band photo - George Grigoriadis Photography)

BAD RELIGION guitarist Brett Gurewitz has confirmed to KROQ in a new interview that the band will release a new full-length record next year.

"We're not announcing the album yet, but everyone knows we've been working on it," Brett said (see video below). "So it will be coming out in 2019. And an official announcement will be made in January."

The follow-up to 2013's "True North" will include the song "My Sanity", which was recently released as a single.

"It's a song about what it feels like to live in a world gone mad," Brett said. "And that's the first line of the song. Whether you're on the left or the right, you can relate to that. You just think the other side is crazy right now."

his past summer, Gurewitz told LA Weekly that BAD RELIGION was preparing "an album's worth of 'Fuck Trump' songs" for its upcoming disc. He added: "It's exactly what we need."

BAD RELIGION's forthcoming 17th album will mark the band's first full-length studio effort with guitarist Mike Dimkich of THE CULT, and drummer Jamie Miller of …AND YOU WILL KNOW US BY THE TRAIL OF DEAD. They joined BAD RELIGION as replacements for guitarist Greg Hetson and drummer Brooks Wackerman, who left the band in April 2013 and October 2015, respectively.

BAD RELIGION released the EP "Christmas Songs" in 2013.

THE RAVEN AGE, the U.K.-based band led by IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris's son George Harris, has shared a new song, "Fleur De Lis". It is the third THE RAVEN AGE track with Matt James as vocalist, following the previously released "Surrogate" and "Betrayal Of The Mind", and the next dose of what to expect from the band's second album, "Conspiracy", which is due on March 8, 2019 via the group's own label Corvid Records. "Fleur De Lis" shares its name with the ancient stylized lily symbol that has long been associated with the heraldry of French royalty as well as linked to unity, loyalty and honor.


THE RAVEN AGE released its critically acclaimed debut album, "Darkness Will Rise", in 2016. It saw them championed by the likes of Metal Hammer and Planet Rock, who crowned them "Best New Band 2017" at their awards, and earned them slots at festivals such as Bloodstock, Hellfest, Wacken Open Air, Rock Am Ring/Rock Im Park and Download.


The band has continued to spread its wings, honing its craft, perfecting its sound and identity, and with the recent addition of vocalist Matt James (a.k.a. MJ) and guitarist Tony Maue bringing a new dimension and diversity to the band's songwriting and sound, they've created the new era of THE RAVEN AGE which is evident throughout the entirety of "Conspiracy".


George Harris explains: "We're so proud of it. It's definitely keeping within the spirit of the band but we've really expanded what we can do and delved into new topics and sounds. A lot of that is to do with what MJ has brought to the band. With him on board we've grown enormously from the first album."


rawing inspiration from their interest in historical myths and conspiracies, lyrically the tracks tell stories of desperation and inhumanity throughout different periods of time, delving into the lives and experiences of people from years ago.


The album is the second part to their story, where clues are left in everything from the artwork to the lyrics which point to what may later come to pass, and interlock with what THE RAVEN AGE is all about. They've created something more than just a record, but instead an artistic, conceptual identity as they set to write their own legacy.


"I've always been fascinated by the legend of the ravens of the Tower of London," continues George. "The fact that the collective noun for ravens is a Conspiracy really inspired the album, the title and the artwork around it. In this fantasy world the ravens are actually being held captive at the Tower, they aren't there of their own accord. Their wings have been clipped and they're prisoners of the Tower to keep Britain from falling. This record develops the story with all sorts of twists and tangents."


The album opens with a harmonious instrumental, equipped with delicate guitar lines and an accompaniment of euphoric synths and strings before yielding into recent single "Betrayal Of The Mind", which was written as a result of mental health issues, spreading awareness through the lyrics of how it affects so many people in different ways.


It then leads into the raging metal riff of the aforementioned "Fleur De Lis" and "The Day The World Stood Still", which enters with a melodious dynamic, creating space between the album's brutal moments, soaring into a momentous chorus showcasing James's vocal capabilities.


Elsewhere the racing Christian mysticism inspired "Stigmata" is filled with thunderous drum patterns from Jai Patel and heavy bass parts from Matt Cox, while the haunting intro of "Seventh Heaven" explodes into a colossal outbreak of commanding riffs expertly executed by guitarists George Harris and Tony Maue before dropping to a stripped-back section with James's exposed vocals taking center stage.


Continuing their running theme of historic references, the calmer "The Face That Launched A Thousand Ships" draws inspiration from the legend of Helen of Troy, whose incomparable beauty resulted in a fleet of a thousand ships setting sail to rescue her leading to the Battle Of Troy. Similarly, "Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier" is named after the U.S. monument which stands in tribute to those exhumed and unidentified from battles over the years.


Also included is "Surrogate", the album's debut track from earlier in 2018, and the sharp and fierce "Scimitar" before the epically sullen, grand finale "Grave Of The Fireflies", which resumes the dynamic rise and fall that resonates throughout the whole of Conspiracy.


"Conspiracy" track listing:

01. Bloom Of The Poison Seed

02. Betrayal Of The Mind

03. Fleur De Lis

04. The Day The World Stood Still

05. Stigmata

06. Surrogate

07. Seventh Heaven

08. Forgotten World

09. The Face That Launched A Thousand Ships

10. Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier

11. Scimitar

12. Grave Of The Fireflies


THE RAVEN AGE is currently finishing a European run supporting TREMONTI and will be heading off on its biggest European headline tour in March and April before joining IRON MAIDEN for a huge leg across North and South America.

The MEAT PUPPETS' story begins with three kids, enamored of music and immersed in the psychedelic drug culture of Arizona in the '70s, who find their way to punk rock and painstakingly become one of the most important bands of the American underground. "We began to make such a hellacious racket that we knew we were on to something," says returning drummer Derrick Bostrom. The PUPPETS went on to achieve mainstream rock stardom, with a hiatus and resurrection follow.


At their induction into the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall Of Fame in 2017, the original lineup of the MEAT PUPPETS — brothers Cris and Curt Kirkwood and Bostrom — joined together onstage for the first time in over two decades.


Throughout a set that included era-defining songs like "Lake Of Fire", "Plateau" and "Backwater", the chemistry was more than promising, as Bostrom isn't shy to point out. "It was so intense that even I couldn't deny it! I remember why we did this. It was magical." "It was the psychedelic fuckin' time machine," adds Chris. "Mind-blowing."


That rekindling has resulted in "Dusty Notes" (March 8 / Megaforce), the first MEAT PUPPETS studio album to feature the original trio since 1995's "No Joke!"


ince the band debuted in the early '80s, Curt Kirkwood has continually proven himself to be among the most brilliant songwriters of his generation. Time after time, album after album, he's demonstrated an extraordinary ability to draw upon various roots and rock styles en route to a unique new vision of what the MEAT PUPPETS can be. His latest contributions, especially songs such as "Warranty", "On", "Nine Pins", "Outflow" could be forgotten gems from Nashville, Bakersfield and Laurel Canyon.


"Dusty Notes" also features keyboardist Ron Stabinsky, a jazz-trained virtuoso adept at any style, and Curt's son Elmo, whose old-school rock-guitar grit ideally complements his father's spacier explorations. Intuitive, inspired and overflowing with genuine musicianship, it's the sort of band that can transform what Curt describes as "simple yet engaging" songs into maiden voyages each night on the road. "I can ignore my vocal and listen to the other four guys play," Kirkwood laughs. "They're all so good."


"The band has been a really, really deep font of creativity," Derrick said. "Love it or hate it, hit or miss, Curt is just prodigious. They are still living the rock lifestyle; they're not doing it by half measures. They stayed on the road. These guys are uncompromising. I consider the MEAT PUPPETS to be a national treasure."

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS were the musical guests on last night's (Tuesday, December 11) episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" The band performed several songs — "Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts)", "Knights Of Malta", "Solara", "Zero" and "Bullet With Butterfly Wings" — on the show's outdoor stage in front of a standing-room-only crowd.

"Silvery Sometimes (Ghosts)", "Knights Of Malta" and "Solara" are all taken from THE SMASHING PUMPKINS' new album, "Shiny And Oh So Bright, Vol. 1 / LP: No Past. No Future. No Sun.", which was released last month. The disc was produced by multi-Grammy winner Rick Rubin and is the first SMASHING PUMPKINS LP in over 18 years to feature founding members Billy Corgan, James Iha and Jimmy Chamberlain, with longtime guitarist Jeff Schroeder.

The group recently wrapped the "Shiny And Oh So Bright Tour", which sold over 300,000 tickets across North America and saw them playing sold-out arena shows at venues including The Forum, United Center and Madison Square Garden. Produced by Live Nation, the tour was the band's first in nearly two decades to feature Corgan, Chamberlin and Iha, alongside Schroeder, bassist Jack Bates and keyboardist Katie Cole. Critics were quick to praise the tour's opening dates as "a massive gift to their fans" (Uproxx), "a welcome reminder of why those early albums resonated in the first place" (SPIN), and "an unforgettably rewarding and often spectacular odyssey" (Forbes).

Formed in 1988 in Chicago, Illinois, THE SMASHING PUMPKINS released their heralded debut album, "Gish", in 1991 and found mainstream success with 1993's four-times-platinum "Siamese Dream" and 1995's ten-times-platinum "Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness". With over 30 million albums sold to date, the Grammy-, MTV VMA- and American Music Award-winning band remains an influential force in alternative rock.

div align=center>

Belgian symphonic black metal outfit, Lemuria, has released a video for "A Plague Upon The Land", the first single from their upcoming album, The Hysterical Hunt. The clip, directed, filmed & edited by Bram Mervillie, can be found below.

The concept album is set to be released on January 18th via Massacre Records, and tells a long forgotten tale about fear and monstrosity.

The Hysterical Hunt was mixed and mastered by Yarne Heylen at Project Zero Studio. None other than Kris Verwimp (Old Man's Child, Arch Enemy, Paths Of Possession) created the album's artwork.

Pre-order the album here.

Tracklisting:

"Prologue (The Land Of The Beast)"
"A Plague Upon The Land"
"The Hysterical Hunt"
"Between Man And Wolf"
"As Darkness Falls"
"Of Winter And Hell"
"A Secret Life"
"Deceptive Hibernation"
"An Elusive Monster"
"Endgame (The Impending Truth)"
"Epilogue (Before The Dawn)"
"A Dream That Never Came" (Bonus Track)

"A Plague Upon The Land" video:

(Band photo by Jonas De Kooning)