Legendary rock vocalist Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION) was recently interviewed by Shawn SixX of "The Liquid Conversations". The full conversation can be streamed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On his work ethic:

Glenn: "I'm just super, super busy, more so than I have been in decades, and I am loving that. I'm in great mental and physical shape, so I thought I'd just go for it. I know what not to do — this is really important for me. Obviously, getting older — and I don't hide from the fact that anybody can Google how old I am — the fact is, I've lived through it, I've done it, I've had five decades doing it now, and I've seen the weird, the wacky, the wonderful and the freaky. I've seen it all, and I really wouldn't change a thing. I rode the crest of the wave, and I've been there and done it, and I'm super, super grateful to still be doing what I'm doing."

On the key to his longevity:

Glenn: "I live in the now, not so much tomorrow. I try to live in the moment. It's just 24 hours per day for me. I shoot for midnight. I do it one day at a time with everything I do, and it works for me. I don't try to make too many plans, because God has a sense of humor. If I make plans, he'll change those plans. I just keep showing up... Who would have thought a young Glenn Hughes at 21 in DEEP PURPLE, who's now talking to you at 67, who would have thought that that would be possible doing the songs I'm doing now? It's just unfathomable when you're in your early twenties that you'd still be doing it at this age. I always think about Mick Jagger and the older guys. If he's still doing it, I've got a chance."

On maturing:

Glenn: "What I don't want to do is glamorize the sex and the drugs and the weird stuff. It sells copy — we all know what it did in the '70s — but remember, I lost a lot of my friends, people I played with. Some of my closest friends are not here. They didn't even make it. They were bright, intelligent young men and women, and they were taken from us because of the foreplay before the ritual of rock n' roll, which was sex and drugs. I'm still so grateful to have gotten through that 15-year period where I was completely out there. For me to change my lifestyle was a really beneficial thing for me. It's not attractive to see a guy anywhere near my age drinking Jack Daniel's and doing lines of coke. It's just not attractive, and it's just not good for anybody. I didn't get sober to win a prize or to have a hit record. I did because I couldn't take it anymore. I was beat down. The devil had his way with me, and I had enough of it. What I've been doing ever since is carrying the message of faith, love and hope, and living a spiritual life... I think sobriety's really saved my life. I just wanted to change my life. I would have been dead if I hadn't have done that. It's very important for me to carry that message. I'm not the man I was in the '70s. People say, 'How come you can sing better now than you could in the '70s?' It's very obvious for me — number one, I was over-served at the bar, wasn't I? It's difficult to sing when you're inebriated or if you're a little high, or in my case, quite a lot high... When we were in our twenties, we just thought, 'Hey, this is going to last forever.' Of course, a guy dies in the band, and things start changing. You're not supposed to die when you're 25, for God's sake. Did that get my attention? Well, of course it did, but did it really get my attention? Of course it didn't. I had to go out and do some more trudging, more drinking and more cavorting. I was one of the lucky ones to [realize] this is killing me. I just hope that message is clear to the youngsters today, because there's so many different ways you can get stoned these days. It's just a different entity out there."

On how the music industry has changed over the course of his career:

Glenn: "[The] business is not the same now. It was all very straight-ahead back in the day — it was an agent, a manager, a promoter, fans and a band. There was no backdrops back in those days; there was no drum risers; there was no lasers. It was just guys in jeans and t-shirts and songs, and now, it's completely the other way. It's a new age now. The Internet has completely changed the world, and what I've subtly been doing is keeping abreast of it all with my team and try to stay as relevant as humanly possible in today's age, and keep up with these whipper-snappers out there."

Hughes's ongoing "Glenn Hughes Performs Classic Deep Purple Live" tour finds him performing various hits and deep cuts from the DEEP PURPLE catalog, including "Burn", "Stormbringer", "Sail Away" and "Smoke On The Water", among others.

The U.S. leg of "Glenn Hughes Performs Classic Deep Purple Live" will travel around the Northeast before wrapping up in Tarrytown, New York on September 22.

Once the U.S. run wraps at the end of September, Hughes will return to Europe to continue to bring his interpretation of the legendary music of DEEP PURPLE to the fans worldwide.

During the "Glenn Hughes Performs Classic Deep Purple Live" tour, Glenn focuses on arrangements from the live albums — not studio recordings — for the classic PURPLE songs, "giving fans even more insight as to what it was like seeing a DEEP PURPLE show during the 1970s," according to a press release for the tour.

Guitarist Michael Schenker and bassist Pete Way and have confirmed that they will not take part in UFO's 50th-anniversary celebration in 2019.

Schenker, who first joined UFO in 1973 and last played with the band in 2003, told Classic Rock that "bands like UFO and the SCORPIONS are trying to fool the audience, and I'm not a part of that world. It's becoming a trend to make a big deal about playing last shows, and those bands do it because they can't get anywhere in a normal way. For me, UFO only exists with the original five members, plus producer Ron Nevison. [Singer] Phil Mogg calls his current band UFO, but it isn't UFO."

Way, who co-founded UFO in 1969, left for the first time n 1982, returned to the band in 1988 and remained with the group through 2008, wrote on Facebook: "After the publicity which is currently surrounding Michael Schenker's announcement that he most definitely will not be joining in with UFO's advertised outing, I would like to make sure that nobody is under the illusion that I will be appearing. It is not made clear in the advertising. I will be touring with my new band — Paul Chapman [former UFO guitarist who replaced Schenker] will not be on guitar, sadly, but it was a pleasure to see him again. I wish UFO all the luck in the world and I am sure fans would like to see the original lineup but for me, I can only say RIP UFO."

Back in May, Mogg announced his plans to retire from UFO.

The singer, who turned 70 in April, released a statement confirming that he will leave the band after UFO completes a farewell 50th-anniversary tour in 2019.

"Being out on the road isn't always tremendously luxurious, and although the playing is as great as it ever was, the stuff that surrounds it becomes very tiresome," the vocalist, who has been the only constant member of UFO throughout its existence, said. "I always told myself that when I reached that stage, I would step down, and that's what I'm going to do. This is the right time for me to quit."

UFO's latest release was last year's covers collection, "The Salentino Cuts".

SCORPIONS announced in January 2010 that they would mount one more world tour and then call it a day but changed their minds due to the phenomenal response they received from their fans.

SAXON's first live album, "The Eagle Has Landed", will be reissued on October 19. The album features bonus tracks recorded live at Hammersmith Odeon in 1981-1982.

SAXON, over the decades has gone from being a pioneer of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal to one of the most successful U.K. rock acts of all time. The truth, though, is that SAXON has always transcended trends and eras. From 1979's "Saxon" album to new album "Thunderbolt", the band has enjoyed considerable success. Five Top 40 albums in the U.K., with four Top 20 singles. And they were similarly successful in other parts of the world as well. It's no wonder their influence spread across the globe, and played a crucial role in the way we look at hard rock and heavy metal today.

Originally released in May 1982, "The Eagle Has Landed" was SAXON's first live album to be recorded and also the first album to feature long-standing drummer Nigel Glockler. Taking its name from the band's huge, eagle lighting rig, it was recorded on the European leg of their "Denim And Leather" tour during 1981 and was mixed at Manor And Bray Sound Studio. It was an instant hit and reached No. 5 in the U.K. chart upon its release. This edition features bonus live tracks recorded at London's, famous Hammersmith Odeon during sold-out SAXON headline concerts from 1981 and 1982.

Original album 1982

01. Motorcycle Man

02. 747 Strangers In The Night

03. Princess Of The Night

04. Strong Arm Of The Law

05. Heavy Metal Thunder

06. 20,000 Ft

07. Wheels Of Steel

08. Never Surrender

09. Fire in The Sky

10. Machine Gun

CD Bonus Tracks - Live At Hammersmith Odeon 1981-1982:

11. And The Bands Played On

12. See The Light Shining

13. Frozen Rainbow

14. Midnight Rider

15. Dallas 1PM

16. Hungry Years

SAXON has just released a special tour edition of their latest album, "Thunderbolt". The special tour edition features live recordings of "Thunderbolt" and "Nosferatu (The Vampire's Waltz)" recorded in Frankfurt and Los Angeles on the 2018 "Thunderbolt" world tour. The CD format also contains a 10" x 10" poster with photos of the band while on tour.

"Thunderbolt" was released in February via Militia Guard (Silver Lining Music). The follow-up to 2015's "Battering Ram" was once again helmed by producer Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with JUDAS PRIEST, MEGADETH, ACCEPT and TESTAMENT, among others. The disc features original artwork by longtime SAXON collaborator Paul Raymond Gregory.

Nashville/Los Angeles quartet RIVAL SONS has released "Do Your Worst", the first new music to be made available from the band's forthcoming LP, expected to arrive early next year on Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb's Low Country Sound imprint via Atlantic.
Vocalist Jay Buchanan commented on how "Do Your Worst" was born: "Sometimes environment really shapes a song. Hunkered down in a threadbare shack deep in the south Tennessee woods, we (Scott and I) sweated it out and just wrote for a week straight. We were set out on an old causeway surrounded by neglected reservoirs and overgrown with shit you don't want to see and yes; infested with all manner snakes. The song is a whiskey nightmare crawling with copperheads to me."
Featuring Buchanan, guitarist Scott Holiday, bassist Dave Beste and drummer Mike Miley, RIVAL SONS are wrapping up work on their new disc, which was recorded in the historic RCA Studio A in Nashville and the legendary Muscle Shoals Sound Studio in Alabama with longtime collaborator Cobb helming the production.
Holiday is no stranger to Atlantic, having signed a deal with the label in 2000 with his first former band HUMAN LAB. That group spent two years making an album for the company, but the disc was never released.
b>Scott told Planet Rock: "It's painful to make a piece of art and not having it see the light of day. But I saw how the record business worked. And after that experience, I had to run in the other direction. With RIVAL SONS, it's thirty days writing and recording each album."
Holliday added that it was a huge honor to be signed to the longtime home of such rock legends as FOREIGNER, AC/DC, THE ROLLING STONES, LED ZEPPELIN and PHIL COLLINS. "It's kind of romantic to be at this big, legendary record label," he said. "And fuck all the rock 'n' roll bands — if you want to get really romantic, look at all the soul acts they signed, like Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin. We're talking about the bedrock, soul and blues, some of the most important recordings in the history of the world.
"But I'm a pragmatic person," he continued. "There's a lot of work to be done. We've made five records and we've had some success, but hopefully signing to Atlantic, we're going to have a little more."
RIVAL SONS' last album, "Hollow Bones", was released in June 2016 via Earache
The band spent much of 2016 supporting the legendary BLACK SABBATH on "The End" world tour.

In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the release of THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE masterpiece "Electric Ladyland", Experience Hendrix, L.L.C. and Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, are releasing the deluxe edition box set on November 9. Available as either a 3CD/1 Blu-ray set or a 6LP/1 Blu-ray set, both packages include the original double album, now newly remastered by Bernie Grundman from the original analog tapes. For the LP set, Grundman prepared an all-analog direct-to-disc vinyl transfer of the album, preserving the authenticity. Also included is "Electric Ladyland: The Early Takes", which presents demos and studio outtakes from this period in Hendrix's career, plus a new 5.1 Surround Sound mix of the entire original album by Hendrix's original engineer Eddie Kramer. This marks the first and only time this has been done with a Hendrix studio album, and gives listeners the original stereo mixes in uncompressed 24 bit/96 kz high-resolution audio.

"Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live At the Hollywood Bowl 9/14/68", part of Experience Hendrix's Dagger Records official bootleg series, is another exclusive component. The never before released recording captures the band and the mounting excitement that took place just weeks before the release of "Electric Ladyland". The Blu-ray also includes the acclaimed, feature length documentary "At Last… The Beginning: The Making Of Electric Ladyland".

Lastly, "Electric Ladyland Deluxe Edition" includes a full-color, 48-page book containing Jimi's handwritten lyrics, poem and instructions to his record label, as well as never before published photos from the recording sessions that were shot by Eddie Kramer himself.

"I had always dreamed of mixing 'Electric Ladyland' in 5.1 Surround Sound," says Eddie Kramer, who engineered every Hendrix album made during his life, and produced or co-produced nearly all of his posthumous material. "It always felt to me as the perfect vehicle for the kind of adventuresome stuff that Jimi and I were trying to do in 1968. The visceral thrill when we completed the first surround mix of 'Voodoo Child (Slight Return)' was palpable. It was an overwhelming experience — pun intended. We viewed this song as the surround test and the moment I heard it I flashed back on those moments when Jimi and I were mixing the stereo album, laughing at our attempts to find that 'elusive' sound." The Blu-ray for "Electric Ladyland Deluxe Edition" will contain these 5.1 Surround Sound mixes — a first for any studio album in the Hendrix canon.

he new cover art — a Linda (McCartney) Eastman photograph of the band and children at the statue of Alice In Wonderland in New York's Central Park — was Hendrix's own choice of imagery for the album's cover image. The shot was relegated to the inside of the U.S. version on Reprise Records, printed in black and white. The U.K. version of the album released by Track Records didn't include the photo at all, and instead featured a gatefold photo of 19 naked women, which Hendrix famously abhorred. For the first time ever, the Linda Eastman photo, in full color, will grace the cover of "Electric Ladyland", true to Jimi Hendrix's original vision.

The third album by THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE, "Electric Ladyland" was the last Hendrix studio album to have been released during the guitar icon's lifetime and reflects his meticulous involvement in every facet of its creation. In his essay, included in the full color 12" x 12" book that comes with the set, veteran Rolling Stone contributor David Fricke contends, "'Electric Ladyland' is the guitarist at a visceral, pictorial peak in his playing and his exploration of the recording studio as an instrument of composition and narrative."

Originally released on October 16, 1968, "Electric Ladyland" is the source of such legendary Hendrix tracks as "All Along The Watchtower", "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)", "Crosstown Traffic" and "Burning Of The Midnight Lamp". It is commonly acknowledged by Hendrix cognoscenti as the most fully realized, cohesive project of his entire career. The only Hendrix album to have hit No. 1 on the Billboard chart, it is, indisputably, the crowning achievement of THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE and underscored Hendrix's abilities as singer, songwriter, guitarist, and producer. It remains his most popular album outside the U.S., outpacing the guitarist's groundbreaking debut LP, "Are You Experienced".

Notable for being the first album produced and directed by Jimi Hendrix, "Electric Ladyland" was largely recorded after Hendrix split from Chas Chandler — the former member of THE ANIMALS who found Hendrix in New York and brought him to the U.K., co-managing his career and producing the first two EXPERIENCE albums. There is also the introduction of outside players, namely Steve Winwood, Chris Wood and Dave Mason of TRAFFIC, Jack Casady of JEFFERSON AIRPLANE (bass on "Voodoo Chile"), and Hendrix's own future BAND OF GYPSYS bandmate Buddy Miles (drums on "Rainy Day, Dream Away" and "Still Raining, Still Dreaming"). As a result of the growing tension between Hendrix and EXPERIENCE bassist Noel Redding (who parted ways the following year), Hendrix took it upon himself to play bass on most of the songs, including the cover of Bob Dylan's "All Along The Watchtower", the only JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE single to reach Billboard's top 20. Widely considered one of the greatest interpretations ever recorded, Dylan professed in 1995 that Hendrix "found things that other people wouldn't think of finding in there. He probably improved upon it by the spaces he was using." By 1974, Dylan demonstrated the ultimate show of respect when he began using Hendrix's template to perform his own song.

"Electric Ladyland: The Early Takes" consists of demos for song ideas Hendrix recorded himself on a Teac reel-to-reel tape machine in early 1968, as well as early sessions at Sound Center and the Record Plant in New York. Previously unreleased versions of "Angel Caterina" and "Little Miss Strange" feature guest appearances from Buddy Miles and Stephen Stills. "Long Hot Summer" features Hendrix and Mitch Mitchell with Al Kooper on piano, and "At Last . . . The Beginning" is an early version of what would become "…And The Gods Made Love". Jimi's demos, recorded in March 1968 while he resided at the Drake Hotel in Manhattan included formative renditions of such classic songs as "Voodoo Chile" and "Gypsy Eyes", as well as fascinating sketches of songs such as "Angel" and "My Friend" which, despite their quality, did not make the album.

"Electric Ladyland Deluxe Edition" includes the previously unreleased live album "Jimi Hendrix Experience: Live At the Hollywood Bowl 9/14/68", part of Experience Hendrix's official "bootleg" series. This live album documents their triumphant Los Angeles concert held a few weeks before "Electric Ladyland" was released. The recently discovered two-track soundboard recording captures the energy that had the audience in such a frenzy that many concert goers jumped into the reflecting pool that separated the bandstand from the seats. "Live At the Hollywood Bowl 9/14/68" includes selections from all three EXPERIENCE albums, as well as a cover of CREAM's smash hit "Sunshine Of Your Love". The accompanying book is filled with unpublished photos that follow the band at the Bowl, from afternoon rehearsal, to backstage to the performance itself.

"At Last… The Beginning: The Making Of Electric Ladyland" documents the creation of the legendary double album. Some of Jimi's closest associates are seen on screen discussing their first-hand recollections of Hendrix and the project including JHE bassist Noel Redding, drummer Mitch Mitchell, manager Chas Chandler; Buddy Miles, Jack Casady, Steve Winwood, Dave Mason and others who participated in the "Electric Ladyland" sessions. One of the highlights of the program includes demonstrations by Eddie Kramer, who discusses the techniques Hendrix, Mitchell and Redding employed in recording the album, playing some of the original multitrack tapes to illustrate the process. "At Last… The Beginning: The Making Of Electric Ladyland" is the definitive telling of the story.

The accompanying 48-page full-color book contains essays by music critic David Fricke and producer John McDermott. It is filled with detailed recording information and unpublished photos, including many taken by Eddie Kramer during the recording of the album. Fans get a rare look at Hendrix's handwritten lyrics and instructions to his label Warner Bros. for the album, drawn from his personal notebook, as well as original Warner Bros. internal memos and alternate artwork for the album.

With Metallica set to reissue their classic album ...And Justice For All (available everywhere on November 2nd), more rare live footage has surfaced. Watch the band perform "Blackened" in Mountain View, California on September 15th, 1989, below:

Watch ootage of the band performing "Eye Of The Beholder", filmed live on a camcorder at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, CA on December 10, 1988:

"We’re guessing that this one is coming as absolutely no surprise to anyone," says Metallica; "next up in our line of reissues is …And Justice For All! As many of you know, we’ve been rereleasing our albums remastered for the most advanced sound quality possible along with special deluxe editions including previously unreleased audio and video recordings. Next up is …Justice, coming to your favourite music retailer, Metallica.com and the Probity Merch UK/EU Metallica Shop on November 2nd with pre-orders beginning today.

"Available in both physical and digital versions, there will be multiple options to suit your taste... double LP on 180-gram vinyl, CD, cassette, 3-CD expanded edition and deluxe box set, all remastered as overseen by Greg Fidelman. The 3-CD set includes the remastered album, two discs including never before released rough mixes, demos and live tracks, and an expanded booklet including unseen photos taken by the master, Ross Halfin. The limited edition, one-pressing-only deluxe box set includes the remastered CD and double LP versions of the album, “One” 10” vinyl picture disc, triple live LP set featuring a newly mixed version of the band's iconic show from Seattle ‘89 by Greg Fidelman, 4 DVDs, 11 CDs of unreleased demos, rough mixes, interviews and live tracks, many of which have never been available and were pulled from our personal collections. There’s also a 120-page hardcover book with rare and never-before-seen photos from Ross Halfin’s vaults and friends and family, along with essays by those who were with us for the madness. Still not enough? The box also includes a set of four patches, a Pushead print, a tour laminate, lyric sheets and a download card for all the audio goodies included.

"Pre-order your copy now and we’ll send you a digital remastered version of “Dyers Eve” (streaming below), while pre-orders of the expanded and deluxe editions will receive an additional instant download of “Eye Of The Beholder" (Live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, England – October 10, 1988) (streaming below). Several additional instant grats will be sent to all pre-orders between now and November 2nd.

"Deluxe box sets are limited edition collectors’ items, so get yours before they are gone! You may pre-order all the configurations in the Met Store now and also our store serving European fans and beyond, and of course …And Justice For All will be available at your local record stores around the world on Friday, November 2nd."

Tracklistings:

...And Justice For All (Remastered) - Available on Vinyl, CD, Cassette and Digitally

"Blackened"
"...And Justice For All"
"Eye Of The Beholder"
"One"
"The Shortest Straw"
"Harvester Of Sorrow"
"The Frayed Ends Of Sanity"
"To Live Is To Die"
"Dyers Eve"

Remastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering, Los Angeles, CA

...And Justice For All (Remastered): 3-CD Expanded Edition

Disc One: ...And Justice For All (Remastered)

"Blackened"
"...And Justice For All"
"Eye Of The Beholder"
"One"
"The Shortest Straw"
"Harvester Of Sorrow"
"The Frayed Ends Of Sanity"
"To Live Is To Die"
"Dyers Eve"

Remastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering, Los Angeles, CA.

Disc Two: Demos & Rough Mixes - Previously Unreleased

"Blackened" (November 1987 Demo)
"...And Justice For All" (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
"Eye Of The Beholder" (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
"One" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"The Shortest Straw" (December 1987, Writing in Progress)
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" (November 1987 Demo)
"To Live Is To Die" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"Dyers Eve" (January 1988 Demo)

Disc Three: Live from the Damaged Justice Tour - Previously Unreleased except where noted

"Blackened" (Live – Seattle ’89) - Previously released on Live Shit: Binge & Purge. Newly mixed by Greg Fidelman.
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" (Live at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA – December 7th, 1988)
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" (Live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, England – October 10th, 1988)
"Leper Messiah" (Live at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA – December 7th, 1988)
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (Live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, England – October 10th, 1988)
"Eye Of The Beholder" (Live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, England – October 10th, 1988)
"Seek & Destroy" (Live at the Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA – May 24th, 1988)
"Creeping Death" (Live at Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX – February 5th, 1989) - Previously released as a b-side to one of the many singles for One. Newly remastered.
"One" (Live – Seattle ’89) - Previously released on Live Shit: Binge & Purge. Newly mixed by Greg Fidelman.
"…And Justice For All" (Live at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA – December 7th, 1988)
"Whiplash" (Live at the Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA – May 24th, 1988)
"Breadfan" (Live at Seattle Coliseum, Seattle, WA – August 30th, 1989) - Previously released on The 6 1/2 Year Anniversary EP as part of The Good, The Bad & The Live box set. Newly remastered.

...And Justice For All (Remastered): Deluxe Box Set

LP 1 & 2: ...And Justice For All (Remastered)

Side One
"Blackened"
"...And Justice For All"

Side Two
"Eye Of The Beholder"
"One"

Side Three
"The Shortest Straw"
"Harvester Of Sorrow"
"The Frayed Ends Of Sanity"

Side Four
"To Live Is To Die"
"Dyers Eve"

Remastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering, Los Angeles, CA
Vinyl lacquers by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, CA

LP 3: "One" 10" Picture Disc

Side One
"One"

Side Two
"Seek & Destroy" (Live at Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX – February 5th, 1989)

Artwork by Pushead
Remastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering, Los Angeles, CA

LP 4, 5 & 6: Seattle ‘89

Side One
"The Ecstasy of Gold"
"Blackened" (Live)
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" (Live)
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" (Live)

Side Two
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (Live)
"The Four Horsemen" (Live)
"The Thing That Should Not Be" (Live)

Side Three
Bass Solo (Live)
"Master of Puppets" (Live)
"Fade to Black" (Live)

Side Four
"Seek & Destroy" (Live)
"...And Justice For All" (Live)
"One" (Live)

Side Five
"Creeping Death" (Live)
Guitar Solo (Live)
"Battery" (Live)

Side Six
Encore Jam (Live)
"Last Caress" (Live)
"Am I Evil?" (Live)
"Whiplash" (Live)
"Breadfan" (Live)

Recorded live on August 29th and August 30th, 1989 at Seattle Coliseum in Seattle, WA
Mixed by Greg Fidelman
Mastered by Reuben Cohen at Lurssen Mastering, Los Angeles, CA
Vinyl lacquers by Chris Bellman at Bernie Grundman Mastering, Hollywood, CA

CD 1: ...And Justice For All (Remastered)

"Blackened"
"...And Justice For All"
"Eye Of The Beholder"
"One"
"The Shortest Straw"
"Harvester Of Sorrow"
"The Frayed Ends Of Sanity"
"To Live Is To Die"
"Dyers Eve"

CD 2: Interviews

KSDT Interview with Jason
Circus Magazine Interview with James
KNAC Report from LA Monsters of Rock
KHDX Interview with Kirk
Metal Forces Magazine Interview with Lars

CD 3 & 4: Riffs, Jams & Demos

Disc One

"Blackened" (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"Blackened" (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes II)
"…And Justice For All" (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"…And Justice For All" (1988, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"Eye Of The Beholder" (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"Eye Of The Beholder" (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes II)
"One" (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"The Shortest Straw" (1986, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"The Shortest Straw" (1986, from James’ Riff Tapes II)
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"To Live Is To Die" (1986, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"To Live Is To Die" (1988, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"Dyers Eve" (1986, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"Dyers Eve" (1987, From James’ Riff Tapes)
"Blackened" (October 1987, Writing in Progress)
"…And Justice For All" (October 1987, Writing in Progress)
"…And Justice For All" (October 1987, Writing in Progress II)
"One" (October 1987, Writing in Progress)
"The Shortest Straw" (October 1987, Writing in Progress)
"…And Justice For All" (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
"The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
"One" (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
"Dyers Eve" (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
"Eye Of The Beholder" (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
"To Live Is To Die" (November 1987, Writing in Progress)
"The Shortest Straw" (December 1987, Writing in Progress)
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (December 1987, Writing in Progress)

Disc Two

"Blackened" (November 1987 Demo)
"…And Justice For All" (November 1987 Demo)
"Eye Of The Beholder" (November 1987 Demo)
"One" (November 1987 Demo)
"The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" (November 1987 Demo)
"Eye Of The Beholder" (January 1988 Demo)
"The Shortest Straw" (January 1988 Demo)
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (January 1988 Demo)
"Dyers Eve" (January 1988 Demo)
"To Live Is To Die" (January 1988 Demo)

CD 5: Rough Mixes from the Vault

"Blackened" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"…And Justice For All" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"Eye Of The Beholder" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"One" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"The Shortest Straw" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"The Frayed Ends Of Sanity" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"To Live Is To Die" (Acoustic Intro) (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"To Live Is To Die" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"Dyers Eve" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"Breadfan" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)
"The Prince" (Work in Progress Rough Mix)

CD 6 & 7: Live at the Troubadour, West Hollywood, CA - May 24th, 1988 + B-Sides

Disc One

"Creeping Death" (Live)
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" (Live)
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" (Live)
"The Four Horsemen" (Live)
"Whiplash" (Live)
"Fade to Black" (Live)
"Seek & Destroy" (Live)
"Master of Puppets" (Live)
"Encore Jam (Live)
"Last Caress" (Live)
"Am I Evil?" (Live)
"Battery" (Live)

Disc Two

Encore Jam #2 (Live)
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (Live)
"Leper Messiah" (Live)
"Blitzkrieg" (Live)

B-Sides
"Breadfan" (Remastered)
"The Prince" (Remastered)
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" (Live) *
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" (Live) *
"Seek & Destroy" (Live) *
"Creeping Death" (Live) *
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (Live) **
"One" (Live) **
"Breadfan" (Live) ***
"Last Caress" (Live) ***

* Recorded live at Reunion Arena, Dallas, TX on February 5th, 1989
** Recorded live at Seattle Coliseum, Seattle, WA on August 29th, 1989
*** Recorded live at Seattle Coliseum, Seattle, WA on August 30th, 1989

CD 8 & 9: Live at the Hammersmith Odeon, London, England - October 10th, 1988 + Radio Edits

Disc One

"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" (Live)
"The Four Horsemen" (Live)
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (Live)
"Eye Of The Beholder" (Live)
Bass Solo (Live)
"Master of Puppets" (Live)
"Damage, Inc." (Live)
"One" (Live)
"Seek & Destroy" (Live)
"…And Justice For All" (Live) * Note: there is a tape cut on this track

Disc Two

"Encore Jam (Live)
"Creeping Death" (Live)
"Fade to Black" (Live)
Guitar Solo (Live)
"Battery" (Live)
Encore Jam #2 (Live)
"Last Caress" (Live)
"Am I Evil?" (Live)
"Whiplash" (Live)

Radio Edits
"Eye Of The Beholder" (Radio Edit)
"One" (Radio Edit)
"...And Justice For All" (Radio Edit)

CD 10 & 11: Live at Long Beach Arena, Long Beach, CA - December 7, 1988 + More

Disc One

"Blackened" (Live) *Note: there is a tape cut on this track
"For Whom The Bell Tolls" (Live)
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" (Live)
"Leper Messiah" (Live)
"Harvester Of Sorrow" (Live)
"Eye Of The Beholder" (Live)
Bass Solo (Live)
"Master of Puppets" (Live)
"One" (Live)
"Seek & Destroy" (Live)

Disc Two

"…And Justice For All" (Live)
Encore Jam (Live)
"Creeping Death" (Live)
"Fade to Black" (Live)
Guitar Solo (Live)
"Battery" (Live)

Live at UIC Pavilion, Chicago, IL - November 18th, 1988
"Last Caress" (Live)
"Am I Evil?" (Live)
"Whiplash" (Live)

DVD 1: ...And Camcorder for All & "One"

...And Camcorders For All - Featuring previously unreleased footage shot on Lars' camcorder

Intro
Barcelona
Leiden
San Francisco
San Antonio
Dallas
Philadelphia
Buffalo
Auckland
Osaka
Hoffman Estates
Richfield
Thornville
Greenville
Atlanta
Biloxi
Concord
Irvine (Night #2)
Irvine (Night #3)
São Paulo (Night #1)
São Paulo (Night #2)

"One"

2 of One Introduction with Lars
"One"
"One" (Jammin’ Version)
"One" (Live at the 31st Annual GRAMMY® Awards)

"One" B-Roll - Previously Unreleased

Intro
Band
Lars
Kirk
James
Jason
More Band

DVD 2: Live at Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, CA - September 15th, 1989 - Previously Unreleased

"The Ecstasy of Gold"
"Blackened"
"For Whom The Bell Tolls"
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"
"Harvester Of Sorrow"
"The Four Horsemen"
"The Thing That Should Not Be"
Bass Solo
"Master of Puppets"
"Fade to Black"
"Seek & Destroy"
"…And Justice For All"
"One"
"Creeping Death"
Guitar Solo
"Battery"
Encore Jam
"Last Caress"
"Am I Evil?"
"Damage, Inc."
"Blitzkrieg"
"Breadfan"

DVD 3: Live at the Stone Balloon, Newark, DE - August 7th, 1989 - Previously Unreleased Fan-Shot Footage

Backstage Shit
"The Ecstasy of Gold"
"Creeping Death"
"For Whom The Bell Tolls"
"Welcome Home (Sanitarium)"
"The Four Horsemen"
"Harvester Of Sorrow"
"Phantom Lord"
Bass Solo
"Master of Puppets"
"Fade to Black"
"No Remorse"
"Seek & Destroy"
"Last Caress"
"Am I Evil?"
"Motorbreath"
"Hit the Lights"
"Blitzkrieg"
"Damage, Inc."
"Breadfan"

DVD 4: Justice On Wheels, Masa Ito Interviews, Raw Live Footage

Justice On Wheels - A MuchMusic Documentary

Intro
The Road Crew
The Fans
The Band
The Video

Masa Ito Interviews - Previously Unreleased

Lars
James
Jason
Kirk

Raw Live Footage (Live at JFK Stadium, Philadelphia, PA – June 11th, 1988) - Previously Unreleased

"Whiplash"
"Fade to Black"
"Seek & Destroy"

Raw Live Footage (Live at RPI Field House, Troy, NY – March 15th, 1989) - Previously Unreleased

"Master of Puppets"
"One"

Raw Live Footage (Live at Copps Coliseum, Hamilton, Ontario – April 8th, 1989) -Previously Unreleased

"Master of Puppets"
"One"
"Seek & Destroy"

Unboxing video:

"Eye Of The Beholder" (Live at Hammersmith Odeon, London, England - October 10th, 1988):

"Dyers Eve" (Remastered):

KORN played the first of three very special shows in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the band's "Follow The Leader" album last night (Wednesday, September 12) at The Masonic in San Francisco, California. Fan-filmed video footage can be seen below.
While it was initially assumed that the band would perform the LP from front to back at those shows, only "most" of the record was played. Back in June, guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer explained to KLOS 95.5 DJ Full Metal Jackie: "There's some songs that we did collaborations — we [had guest appearances by] Tre [Trevant Hardson] from THE PHARCYDE, which is a hip-hop group; Ice Cube — everybody knows Ice Cube; and Fred [Durst] from LIMP BIZKIT. So those are the songs that are, like, 'Okay, well, we can't really recreate that.' But we're gonna play a handful of the songs that people haven't heard and maybe we haven't played in 20 years."
The band's setlist for the San Francisco concert was as follows:
01. It's On!

02. Freak On A Leash

03. Got The Life

04. Dead Bodies Everywhere (performed for first time since 2014)

05. B.B.K. (first time since 1999)

06. Reclaim My Pride (first time since 1998)

07. Justin (live debut)

08. Blind

09. Clown

10. Somebody Someone

11. Falling Away From Me

12. Coming Undone

13. Y'all Want A Single

14. 4 U

15. Make Me Bad

16. Here To Stay

17. My Gift To You (first time since 2003)
he other two shows are scheduled to take place on September 13 at the Palladium in Los Angeles, and September 15 at the Pearl Theater in Las Vegas. These will be KORN's only North American concerts of the year.
The San Francisco concert marked KORN singer Jonathan Davis's first public appearance since the passing of his estranged wife. Deven Davis died on August 17 at the age of 39. The former girl-on-girl porn star's cause of death has not yet been revealed. However, she reportedly struggled with sobriety and substance abuse throughout her life.
Munky told Full Metal Jackie that he looks back fondly on the "Follow The Leader" period of KORN's career. "Because we were really young, and it really was the first bit of money that we started to see from so many years of hard work," he said. "And we just really had a lot of fun. And musically, we kind of experimented with collaborations. We were in a real studio, in North Hollywood, in the middle of town. Because we recorded our first two records with [producer] Ross Robinson up at Indigo Ranch, and that was so remote and removed from anything, and that's how he liked it. But once we had the freedom and the money and the record label support to get into a real studio and have, like, a real beer budget…
"I think, honestly, the making of that album was something like 30 thousand dollars in alcohol by the time it was all done," he continued. "It was fun; that showed you how much fun we had. But, really, it was trying to figure out, 'Okay, we kind of did these two angst records. Let's kind of move into more of a song-based, lightened-mood.' Like, 'Let's have fun a little bit.' That's when we really started to kind of find who we were and make changes as far as song structures and listening to each other play. Like, 'Man, you're really good. I didn't realize it before.'"
Munky went on to say that "Follow The Leader" represented "a really special moment" in KORN's career. "That's when MTV was hitting, and everybody was watching all these boy bands," he said. "And then KORN topping the charts of all the 'TRL' stuff. I feel like it was a turning point. I feel like if you didn't like the whole boy-band thing and the pop thing, you had us over here."
According to Munky, "Follow The Leader"'s influence has reverberated beyond the hard rock world. "It's crazy" he said. "All these young hip-hop kids now are coming up to me, saying, 'Man, I love your band. Because of your band, I'm into this, this and this.' And they're all these young rapper kids with tattoos all over their faces — just super hardcore. So there's a whole new movement. So it's kind of nice for them to step up and give us an homage, I guess."
"Follow The Leader" was a massive commercial breakthrough for KORN, debuting at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart, selling five million copies in the U.S. and yielding two hits singles in "Got The Life" and "Freak On A Leash".

The official lyric video for the song "Bloodicide" from the demonic death metal supergroup BLOODBATH can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming fifth album, "The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn", which will be released on October 26 via Peaceville.
Recorded by BLOODBATH and Karl Daniel Liden at Ghost Ward, City Of Glass and Tri-Lamb Studios during the first half of this foul year of our Lord, the album is the second with Nick Holmes (PARADISE LOST) on vocals. If 2014's "Grand Morbid Funeral" was a thick spray of deathly noise, on "The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn", it is the rotten, fetid state of the world and our inevitable doom that is casting a looming shadow over proceedings. With world leaders threatening nuclear annihilation in 140 characters over social media, capitalism tearing itself apart, a wilful march into a surveillance state via handy pocket spying devices, a shifting climate that appears to literally be trying to kill us… It's all fuelled BLOODBATH's newest ode to filth.

"What are we presenting with this album? Humanity's unfaltering march prone towards downfall," declares guitarist Anders "Blakkheim" Nyström (KATATONIA). "The threat to this world isn't from far beyond the sun, the enemy is right here, within the walls. Only the god of emptiness will survive us all. The arrow of Satan is drawn!"

Right from the opening notes of the scything "Fleischmann", this sense of impending horror is carved into the music. The brutal "Wayward Samaritan" is anything but merciful, while "Deader" is a truly morbid workout, and "Morbid Antichrist" summons the spirits of those two classic death metal outfits perfectly. By the time things reach an atomic conclusion on the evil rock'n'roll of "Chainsaw Lullaby", you'll have been sucked into BLOODBATH's unholy world forever.

here's an extra nasty layer on "The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn". This time, among the usual chainsaw riffs and blasts, the darkness of Blakkheim's words is also reflected in the addition of new guitarist Joakim Karlsson of Swedish black metal plague CRAFT. It's a step forward that's only given the band's already fearsome fangs extra rabid bite.

He's not the only extra face getting covered in gore. "Bloodicide" — quite literally meaning "The Killing Of Blood" — features a full house of British death metal guest stars, with CARCASS's Jeff Walker, BOLT THROWER/MEMORIAM singer Karl Willetts and CANCER's John Walker all lending their larynxes to the madness.

"It wasn't deliberately planned to be just british guests, but as it randomly turned out that way, it became a really cool feat!" laughs Blakkheim. "Nick [Holmes], Jeff, Karl and John are all legends respectively within the U.K. death metal scene and we're proud to bring them all together on our little old school soiree to tribute the days of old.

"There's no mitigating circumstances coming your way any time soon," he adds. "The world is a mad place full of darkness, horror, disease and terror! Hell on Earth is real and not just limited to fiction. The dark ages transcend all frontiers, ever present but yet unseen."

"The Arrow Of Satan Is Drawn" track listing:
01. Fleischmann [03:38]

02. Bloodicide [04:56]

03. Wayward Samaritan [03:39]

04. Levitator [04:37]

05. Deader [04:06]

06. March Of The Crucifers [04:05]

07. Morbid Antichrist [04:05]

08. Warhead Ritual [03:38]

09. Only The Dead Survive [05:06]

10. Chainsaw Lullaby [03:20]

Bonus tracks on limited-edition CD
11. Ride The Waves Of Fire [03:48]

12. Wide Eyed Abandon [05:00]
The cover artwork was created by Eliran Kantor (TESTAMENT, SOULFLY, ICED EARTH) and can be seen below.
This weekend BLOODBATH plays Germany's Summer Breeze festival before they lay waste to stages across Europe in November and December as they join KREATOR, DIMMU BORGIR and HATEBREED on the "European Apocalypse" tour.

Photo by Steve Brown

MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil says that the band is returning to the studio to record four new songs.
"Exciting news!" he wrote in a tweet earlier today (Thursday, September 13). "I'll be going back in recording studio in a few weeks with the boys to record 4 brand new Motley Crue tracks! Rock On!!"
Vince's latest comments come just two weeks after a picture of MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee was posted on the band's Facebook page, along with the caption "28th August 2018." Appearing them in the photo was longtime MÖTLEY CRÜE producer and collaborator Bob Rock. In addition, a brief video of Lee playing drums was posted on his Instagram, with the drummer captioning the clip: "It's that new shit!!!"
MÖTLEY CRÜE fans have speculated that the trio were working on music for the film adaptation of the group's biography, "The Dirt - Confessions Of The World's Most Notorious Rock Band".
he movie, which is being helmed by "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa" director Jeff Tremaine, is being produced by LBI Entertainment's Julie Yorn and Rick Yorn, along with Erik Olsen and Amanda Adelson, who wrote the script. Netflix will distribute the project, which was previously at Focus and before that at Paramount.
Back in late 2016, Sixx shot down any possibility of the CRÜE returning as a recording act, telling TeamRock that there was "no chance" of the band making another record. "I want to just leave it intact," he said. "I see no reason. We couldn't be creative as a band, so how the hell can we continue? But I'm glad the way it finished — we did it all, we did what we said we were going to do, and now I'm excited about the future."
MÖTLEY CRÜE's last studio album was 2008's "Saints Of Los Angeles", which was followed by a 2009 "Greatest Hits" compilation.
A tour film about MÖTLEY CRÜE's final shows, "The End", came out in 2016.
In 2015, MÖTLEY CRÜE completed "The Final Tour", closing the book on the band's iconic career after performing a total of 164 shows in 72 markets, grossing over $100 million.
To cement the sense of finality, the four members of MÖTLEY CRÜE in 2014 publicly signed a "cessation of touring" contract that prevents any of them from performing under the CRÜE name in the future.
Exciting news! I’ll be going back in recording studio in a few weeks with the boys to record 4 brand new Motley Crue tracks! Rock On!!— Vince Neil (@thevinceneil) September 13, 2018

Slash and his solo band, MYLES KENNEDY & THE CONSPIRATORS, were the musical guests on last night's (Wednesday, September 12) episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" The band performed a total of five songs on the show's outdoor stage in front of a standing-room-only crowd. Two of the tracks — "Driving Rain" and "Mind Your Manners" — have been posted to the "Kimmel" YouTube channel and can be seen below.
Slash's new album, "Living The Dream", will be released on September 21 via his own label Snakepit Records. It is Slash's fourth solo album and third since putting together the CONSPIRATORS, which also features singer Myles Kennedy, drummer Brent Fitz, bassist Todd Kerns and guitarist Frank Sidoris. The group's North American headlining tour begins September 13 in Los Angeles, visiting 20 major cities before ending on October 14 in Sacramento.
The first single from "Living The Dream", a song called "Driving Rain", was released in late July. Slash said about the song: "This is a riff I specifically remember playing with the guys for the first time at a venue in New Hampshire on the 'World On Fire' tour. It's a cool guitar part we ran though, and from that point forward the rest of the song started to come together in my mind while on the road. We put it all together this year and Myles came up with a great melody for it."
Kennedy added: "Lyrically, it's a story about somebody who works on the road — it could be a musician, and it could be a traveling salesman. What makes it interesting is this guy has an addict girlfriend or spouse who continues to relapse, and she ends up getting him to come home. She's miserable and falls back into bad old habits, and that compels him to head back to her to save the day."
b>Slash told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that his partnership with Kennedy has been easy from the start. "We work really well together," he said. "I never really thought about how that's progressing. It's real natural. So it's like any kind of sort of close relationship, where I think we established it really, really early on and now we're just sort of doing our thing, you know. Yeah, I don't know what else to say — it's just a really cool kind of synergy that we've got."

Pittsburgh power thrashers VERMITHRAX have inked a deal with Divebomb Records for the release of their sophomore album, "Imperium Draconus", which is due October 12.

Striving to resuscitate the aggressive, driving metal of the mid-'80s thrash scene, VERMITHRAX was forged in 2012 by vocalist Chris "Croy" Roy (READING ZERO, EMANCIPATION SYNDICATE) and drummer J.R. Jameson (NUNSLAUGHTER, ICARUS WITCH, MERCENARY). Joined by guitarist Scott "Hagz" Haggerty and bassist Tom Donaldson (MERCENARY, EYE), the quartet issued its debut EP, "Volume 1" in 2013, with the metal press hailing the band's deft blend of progressive and thrash elements, thundering drums, shredding solos, as well as Croy's multi-faceted vocals.

Sharing the stage with such heavy-hitters as ICED EARTH, METAL CHURCH, QUEENSRŸCHE, FATES WARNING, OVERKILL, SABATON, LIZZY BORDEN, WHILE HEAVEN WEPT and EVERGREY has aided VERMITHRAX in sharpening their skills in preparation for "Imperium Draconus". Recorded at the band's personal studio, The Lair, the album was mixed by Christopher Lee Simmonds (THOUGHT INDUSTRY, FILTER, EMANCIPATION SYNDICATE) and Jim Dofka (DOFKA, PSYCHO SCREAM).

The anthemically epic vibe of "Enoch" and brooding chug of "Crucified By Hate" are definitive emblems of VERMITHRAX's balanced yet varied approach, featuring an array of blistering guitar solos and animated, identifiable vocals. "Road To Athkatla" emerges as the album's razor-sharp foray into the adventurous worlds of progressive and power metal, while "River Cruor" immediately breathes thrashing mad fire. Written as an homage to SLAYER's Jeff Hanneman on the day he passed, it lends the perfect counterbalance to the intricately nuanced and powerful "Spellbound", and the pummeling, prog-tinged driver, "Calling My Name". The disc closes with a medley of two FLOTSAM AND JETSAM staples — "Hammerhead" and "Hard On You" — as a heartfelt tribute to one of the band's favorite classic thrash influences.

"Imperium Draconus" track listing:

01. Sacred Keys Of…
02. Enoch
03. Crucified By Hate
04. Road To Athkatla
05. River Cruor
06. Spellbound
07. Calling My Name
08. Hammerhead/Hard On You

Dutch symphonic metallers WITHIN TEMPTATION will release their new studio album, "Resist", on December 14. It is the band's first release through Spinefarm Records, the specialist hard rock label of Universal Music Group.
Vocalist Sharon Den Adel told Metal Hammer magazine WITHIN TEMPTATION has taken inspiration from modern music, but given it a "dark" face.
"Sometimes it feels that today's pop music lacks a rebellious edge," she said. "Our main goal was to collect pieces from sounds we did like then roughen the whole thing up as much as we could, allowing us to shape a new musical world that is heavier, dirtier and more futuristic than we've ever created before. 'Resist' is our new take on metal; our way of giving a fresh lease of life to the rebellious edge of modern music."
Earlier this year, Sharon told Cryptic Rock that the four years since the release of WITHIN TEMPTATION's last album, "Hydra", have been "like a roller coaster. It has always been like a roller coaster with WITHIN TEMPTATION, since the day we started the band," she explained. "The train started moving and it just has kept on going. Also, with 'Hydra', it was a very successful album, we toured everywhere in America and Europe. It was an intense tour again, although we did try to plan it a little bit better from previous years.
When I returned home, I was pretty exhausted," she continued. "Normally, when I come back from a tour I have a lot of ideas and I want to start writing again immediately. This time, I didn't have any energy for anything, I was really exhausted. I thought, 'Okay, I am going to start anyway,' but nothing came out, and it was pretty frustrating. Also, that has always been my way to deal with life — I love writing music, it's the best thing for me, even more than being on stage because that's where everything starts creatively. There was an essential part of me that didn't work anymore. I didn't panic in the beginning, but later, I panicked a little bit more because I felt, 'Okay, if I don't have this anymore, did I lose the magic somewhere? What is happening to me and why?' Figuring that out, I came to the conclusion that I didn't have the kind of vibes I needed to write songs for WITHIN TEMPTATION. WITHIN TEMPTATION is big, storytelling, but epic and always very powerful as well as uplifting in a way. I didn't feel that way at all and it's very difficult to write that kind of music if you don't feel that.
"I felt like I needed to take a step back to see why that was happening and why I was feeling this way," she added. "It was taking more time for myself to do a little bit of soul searching. [Laughs] There was some time I took off for that, it's still a process that goes on and on, and it went deeper than I thought. I have been touring WITHIN TEMPTATION for so many years and there is always a pressure to perform. Also, I never really had the time to re-evaluate what I was doing, to think, do I still like what I am was doing? I liked what I was doing, but I never had the time to process the highs and lows of our career as well as personal life. That was in front of me and I needed to deal with it. Out of that came music again."
Den Adel's pop solo project, called MY INDIGO, released its self-titled debut album in April. When she first announced the project's existence, she said that that composing the songs for the disc was a therapeutic experience that helped he deal with a family "crisis." She later said that her "dad got very sick" during this period, which made her "think about how I want to spend the next 20 years in music, and what do I want to do with my life."

"Stranger Tonight", a brand new song from UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Wasteland", which is due to be released on October 12 via Rise Above Records.
The brainchild of mercurial Cambridgeshire mystic Kevin Starrs, UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS have been making extraordinary music since 2009. Now they return with their fifth full-length album. 47 minutes of vital, audacious and frequently bewildering heavy psychedelia, it is instantly recognizable as Starrs's most immersive and evocative body of work yet.
Always too bold and idiosyncratic to be easily pigeonholed, they emerged from an obscure corner of the labyrinthine English underground as shadowy purveyors of a new and overwhelmingly psychedelic take on the gruff and gritty rudiments of hard rock and turbo-blues, powered by the dark, lysergic heart of the late '60s and early '70s and drenched in woozily macabre imagery. Steeped in both the wayward melodies and mischievous arrangements of psychedelic pop and the dissonant thunder of proto-metal and doom, Starrs's greatest feat has been to create an entirely fresh sonic world from these most familiar of ingredients.
"There's not enough melody or harmony in new music for my liking," says Starrs. "I wanted to go even further with all of that this time, and really force it down people's throats! It's important to me that someone keeps it going, especially in heavy music. I always write to my own tastes, so as long as it appeals to me, I don't really think about it. But I would say that it's all been an instinctive progression."
disorientating journey through Starrs's wonkiest dreams, "Wasteland" glides majestically from punchy and direct psych-rock anthems like "I See Through You" and "Shockwave City" to the vicious, somnambulant ooze of the eight-minute "No Return" and the twinkly-eyed bad trip of the album's mesmerizing title track. Recorded at the legendary Sunset Sound studio in Los Angeles, "Wasteland" boasts the kind on irresistibly raw and exuberant sound that only the greatest bands can generate.
"We recorded the basic tracks the way we always do," says Starrs. "Everyone in one room, live and straight to tape. We worked with a great engineer called Geoff Neal (NINE INCH NAILS, MOTÖRHEAD), who really understood what we were going for and how to capture it. Playing in the same room where so many classic albums were made definitely inspired us. Even small things like running the guitars through the same echo chamber that VAN HALEN used in the '70s, it all added to the overall experience."
While most musicians seem content to chase their own (or other people's tails), UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS remain proud and resolute individualists and "Wasteland" is simply their most powerful and memorable spurge of creativity to date. Masterfully echoing the magical atmospheres of heavy music's turbulent past while sounding entirely unlike anything else available to human ears, this is what happens when the shadows come to life and suffocating darkness, UNCLE ACID & THE DEADBEATS style, is the only show in town.

The band will only play one North American show in 2018, at the Desert Days festival in Lake Perris, California, the weekend of October 12-14.

"Wasteland" track listing:
01. I See Through You

02. Shockwave City

03. No Return

04. Blood Runner

05. Stranger Tonight

06. Wasteland

07. Bedouin

08. Exodus

According to Kerrang!, AVENGED SEVENFOLD will release a new EP containing all four songs the band has written and recorded for the "Call Of Duty: Black Ops" franchise.
Frontman M. Shadows told the U.K. magazine about the decision to make the tracks available on a separate EP: "We just felt these songs needed a place to live, instead of being scattered all over streaming services. We will also be releasing 'Jade Helm', which is the multiplayer score we did for 'Black Ops 3'. Until now, that has only been available on YouTube and in the game."
The EP will include a new AVENGED SEVENFOLD song which was recently teased in a leaked trailer for the "Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4" video game. M. Shadows stated about the track: "The song is dark and brooding. We wanted to capture a difference feeling than a straight-ahead 'zombie killer' track. These songs are good places for us to experiment with our sound. I would put this in the category of 'dark alternative.'"
Asked how the new song came about and whether it was written with "Call Of Duty" in mind or if it was a leftover cut from "The Stage" sessions, M. Shadows said: "I did a Twitter takeover where a fan asked me about doing music for 'Black Ops 3'. The team at [games developing company] Treyarch saw it and asked us to participate. I went into the studio and saw what they were working on. We only had a month to get them a finished product, because of our European tour. We wrote what we felt would be a departure for not only us, but Treyarch as well."
video "using game footage" will be released "to present the song," according to the singer, with more details to be revealed soon.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD bassist Johnny Christ previously told HardDrive Radio about the band's new track: "It's a fun song — it's a little bit of a departure from I think what our fans would expect, but I guess that also makes sense because they expect crazy from us now."
"Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4" is scheduled to come to PS4, Xbox One and PC on October 12.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD contributed music to the previous three installments of the game series, and even appears (virtually) in the second chapter, when they can be seen performing the song "Carry On" in an epilogue after the closing credits.
The "Call Of Duty" song will be the first original material AVENGED SEVENFOLD has released since last year's "Dose", which originally surfaced in the Gameloft mobile game "Dungeon Hunter 5". It later appeared on the "deluxe edition" 2017 reissue of the group's 2016 studio album, "The Stage".
AVENGED SEVENFOLD will probably start working on its eighth studio LP this fall for a 2019 release.
The band recently canceled its summer tour with PROPHETS OF RAGE and THREE DAYS GRACE after M. Shadows was struck by a viral infection that left him "voiceless."

"Black Legend", the new video from MIKE LEPOND'S SILENT ASSASSINS, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's latest album, "Pawn And Prophecy", which was released on January 26 via Frontiers Music Srl.
The SYMPHONY X bassist is extremely excited for the release of his solo band's sophomore effort, which he describes as a "a collection of epic tales told with the power of heavy metal music. The classic headbanging riffs and kick-ass vocals will get your horns and fists in the air. It is an album made FOR metalheads, BY metalheads."

Best known as the bassist for progressive metal giants SYMPHONY X, Mike LePond stepped out on his own to front his own project, MIKE LEPOND'S SILENT ASSASSINS, in 2014.
The follow-up to the band's self-titled debut release, "Pawn And Prophecy" shows an onslaught of true heavy metal in its purest form. As an example of the range of metal styles here, the title track is a 21-minute opus based on William Shakespeare's "Macbeth", where Mike and company have essentially written a heavy metal soundtrack to this classic tale and features guest appearances from SYMPHONY X bandmates Michael Romeo and Michael Pinella.

b>"Pawn And Prophecy" track listing:
01. Masters Of The Hall

02. Black Legend

03. Antichrist

04. I Am The Bull

05. Avengers Of Eden

06. Hordes Of Fire

07. The Mulberry Tree

08. Pawn And Prophecy

Recording lineup:
* Mike LePond - Bass, Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals

* Alan Tecchio - Lead Vocals

With special guests:
* Michael Romeo - Drum Programming, Keyboards, Lead Guitar on Track 8

* Michael Pinella - Backing Vocals, Piano & Organ on Track 8

* Lance Barnewold - Lead Guitar on Tracks 1, 2, 3, 5

* Rod Rivera - Lead Guitar on Tracks 5, 6, 7

* Andry Lagiou - Lead Vocals on Track 8

* Noa Gruman - Lead Vocals on Track 8

* Veronica Freeman - Lead Vocals on Track 8

* Phyllis Rutter - Lead Vocals on Track 8

The fourth trailer for "Ritual", the forthcoming eleventh album from SOULFLY, can be seen below. Due on October 19 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment, the follow-up to 2015's "Archangel" was produced, recorded and mixed by Josh Wilbur (KILLER BE KILLED, LAMB OF GOD, GOJIRA). Cover artwork was painted by artist Eliran Kantor (TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH, SODOM). Additional booklet art was handled by Marcelo Vasco (SLAYER, HATEBREED, KREATOR), who also handled the package design. The album features multiple guests, including Randy Blythe (LAMB OF GOD) and Ross Dolan (IMMOLATION).
Comments guitarist/vocalist Max Cavalera: "I am really stoked to be working again with two of my favorite artists, Eliran Kantor and Marcelo Vasco!
"The 'Ritual' artwork is very mystic and captures the vibe of the album perfectly. For this one, we really tried to retain the groove of early SOULFLY as well as my love for the heavy, fast stuff I'm into, like death and black metal and some hardcore.
"Working with Josh Wilbur for SOULFLY this time around has been amazing. He's a huge fan and added a lot to the record. I would fight for the fast songs and he would always push me to add more groove. I think in the end we created a really cool mix of songs that covers a lot of ground in my career. Let the Ritual begin!"
b>Wilbur adds: "Before I had ever recorded a record, in my formidable years, Max released the holy trinity that was (at least to me) 'Chaos A.D.', 'Roots' and 'Soulfly'. I wanted to make a record that captured what I loved about those when I was growing up! Those records inspired me and introduced me to heavy metal. Fast forward to now and I was given the opportunity to make the record I wanted as a fan! So I set up some mics, recorded some riffs, we banged on some galvanized metal, roto toms, djembes, and anything else we could get, then I told Max to 'BRING DA SHIT'!"
"Ritual" track listing:
01. Ritual

02. Dead Behind The Eyes (feat. Randy Blythe)

03. The Summoning

04. Evil Empowered

05. Under Rapture (feat. Ross Dolan)

06. Demonized

07. Blood On The Street

08. Bite The Bullet

09. Feedback!

10. Soulfly XI

Drawing on the influences by the extreme currents of the black metal, post hardcore and rock, Paris-based Nature Morte don't fear any genre boundaries. The band's musical climates of atmospheric instrumentations majestically raise heavy riffs and rhythmic metal grooves to take us to virgin soundscapes.

Currently moving between the studio and stage, Nature Morte have signed a worldwide deal with Italy's rising label Argonauta Records and are preparing the release of their first full-length album, titled NM1, scheduled to see the light of day on November 23rd.

According to the band and their vision, for Nature Morte it is not important to unveil who is this trio behind their music. Who are these shadows on this scene, apparent thanks to the smoke of the incandescent sandalwood? 

"In the end, we will only interpret what is dictated by this Still Life, we will only be the living roots of this Dead Nature, which is Nature Morte. But what could Nature Morte hope for better than to be on a label that understands its groups as well? The release of the first album on Argonauta Records is the dream treatment that could happen. We are proud to be part of it and we will do everything as representatives of this Nature Morte to honor it as it should!"

The NM1 tracklist is as follows:

"Through The Perfection Of Your Nothing"
"Till Love Do Us Part"
"Grief"
"Black Pram"

Demo by Nature Morte

Pre-sale details and live shows will be announced soon. 

For more information on Nature Morte, visit the band's official Facebook page here.

Former JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing says that he never had a chance to even contemplate the possibility of rejoining the band following Glenn Tipton's decision to retire from the road due to his battle with Parkinson's disease.

Tipton was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease four years ago — after being stricken by the condition at least half a decade earlier — but only recently announced he was going to sit out touring activities in support of PRIEST's latest album, "Firepower". The guitarist, who is now 70 and has performed on every PRIEST record since the band's 1974 debut set, "Rocka Rolla", is not quitting the band, but simply cannot handle the rigorous challenges of performing live. He is being replaced on tour by "Firepower" album producer Andy Sneap, also known for his work as the guitar player in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT.

Asked by Greg Schmitt of WESU's syndicated radio show "Noize In The Attic" why he didn't inquire about returning to JUDAS PRIEST once he found about Tipton's decision to stay off the road, Downing said (hear audio below): "I didn't have a choice, because it had already been announced before anyone knew about it — certainly before I knew about it. So the replacement had already been made, so there was never an opportunity for me to ask, and I probably wouldn't have anyway."

He continued: "I say that now, but I guess I'll never know. Even after it had been announced, I was thinking, 'Can this be real? Is it true?' And I guess I was waiting for the phone to ring and it never did. So I guess I can't really say how I would have responded or not; it was just a done deal, so best leave it at that, I guess — that's what I thought.

Asked if he would talk to his former bandmates now if they contacted him about possibly rejoining PRIEST, Downing said: "Of course. Everything is always worth a conversation. I'd have to see how the land lies and how everybody feels. It's just one of those things — it's kind of like if someone close to you passes on in life; you can't dwell on things [because] there's nothing you can do about it. And that's how I felt, and that's how I feel now."

K.K. went on to say that he has not yet spoken to Tipton in the months since Glenn announced he was limiting his touring activities. "I've passed on my well wishes through the management and said hello through there, but that's as far as it's gone," he revealed.

Downing's autobiography, "Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest", will be released on September 18 via Da Capo Press. The book was co-written by the Scottish author and journalist Mark Eglinton, whose previous collaborations include "Official Truth, 101 Proof" with Rex Brown of PANTERA and "Confessions Of A Heretic" with BEHEMOTH's Adam "Nergal" Darski.

K.K. announced his retirement from PRIEST in April 2011. He has since been replaced by Richie Faulkner, who was once the guitarist in the backing group for Lauren Harris, daughter of IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris.

This past Saturday (September 8), METALLICA presented the North Dakota's Great Plains Food Bank with a check for $10,000, representing a portion of ticket sales from its concert at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks.

Benefitting food banks throughout the country and encouraging fans to take an active role in the fight to end hunger, METALLICA also offered free tickets to volunteers of the hunger-relief organization.

Volunteers at the Great Plains Food Bank Fargo warehouse had two chances to win a set of tickets and one opportunity to win a collection of the band's 13 studio albums.

Through its All Within My Hands Foundation and throughout the 33 stops on its current North American tour, METALLICA is raising awareness for the 42 million people facing food insecurity throughout the country and encouraging fans to help those in need. One of the most successful acts in musical history, METALLICA has won nine Grammy Awards and sold more than 145 million albums worldwide.

In North Dakota alone, one in nine individuals struggles with not having enough food to eat each day. Each year, the Great Plains Food Bank provides needed food assistance to more than 97,000 individuals with nearly half of those being children and seniors.

Thank You to Metallica and their All Within My Hands Foundation! They donated tickets and a collection of their studio...Posted by Great Plains Food Bank on Saturday, September 8, 2018

METAL ALLEGIANCE — with its four core members: David Ellefson (MEGADETH), Alex Skolnick (TESTAMENT), Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS, ex-DREAM THEATER) and Mark Menghi — played a record-release show for its sophomore album, "Volume 2 – Power Drunk Majesty", this past Thursday (September 6) at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City. Special guests at the gig included SEPULTURA's Andreas Kisser, ACCEPT's Mark Tornillo, ARCH ENEMY's Alissa White-Gluz, OVERKILL's Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER's Trevor Strnad, ARMORED SAINT's John Bush and DEATH ANGEL's Mark Osegueda.

In addition to material from both METAL ALLEGIANCE albums, the band performed covers of classic songs from EAGLES ("Life In The Fast Lane"), BLACK SABBATH ("Electric Funeral"), DIO ("Stand Up And Shout"), ANTHRAX ("Room For One More"), METALLICA ("Hit The Lights"), JUDAS PRIEST ("Rapid Fire"), IRON MAIDEN ("Aces High"), OVERKILL ("Elimination") and ACCEPT ("Restless And Wild").

METAL ALLEGIANCE began as a celebration of heavy metal, powered by the almost tribal bond shared between the extreme music community's most revered trailblazers, armed with a list of contributors onstage (and off) that read like a Wikipedia entry on the genre itself.

"Volume II - Power Drunk Majesty" was produced by Menghi and Skolnick while Mark Lewis of MRL Studios handled the mixing and mastering. The cover artwork was created by renowned artist Marcelo Vasco (SLAYER, MACHINE HEAD, SOULFLY, HATEBREED) and Rafael Tavares.

Portnoy recently told That Drummer Guy about "Volume II – Power Drunk Majesty": "After we had so much fun making the first album, we knew a second album would be inevitable. I think myself, Alex Skolnick, David Ellefson and Mark Menghi, we felt we tapped into something. The first album was more like an experiment, because we didn't know how it was going to go, but we also had all these guests. There had to have been 15, 20 other people on the album. We knew this time around, we wanted to streamline it a little bit and kind of focus on the core four. The four of us did all the writing together, and we wanted to streamline the guests — mainly leave it to singers, to give it more of a band feel. The first time around was like more of an experiment; this time around, it really felt like a concise unit between the four of us."

KROKUS will embark on a "farewell" tour next year. The Swiss hard rock veterans announced their plan to pull the plug on their four-decade-plus career in a Facebook post, writing: "KROKUS shows have always been special and should stay that way. That's why we decided to stop when it's still really good. That's how the fans should remember us.

"Unlike other bands that are on their eternal 'farewell tour,' we will keep our word and pull the plug at the end of 2019, handing over the 'Rock Magic Wand' to the youngsters."

Said singer Marc Storace: "We look forward to a grandiose 2019 'Adios Amigos' world tour with the final highlight in Switzerland."

Added guitarist Fernando Von Arb: "We have signed reciprocally contracts with each other that it really is over. We will stick to that. Every party has to end eventually."

Stated bassist Chris von Rohr: "It was an unparalleled journey with all the ups and downs rock life has to offer. Now we are looking forward to the final lap of honor and will give it our all once more. We owe that to ourselves and our fans. The 7th of December, 2019 will be unforgettable as it was on the 27th of March 1982. "

Since 1975, KROKUS has stood for high-quality, honest-to-goodness, hand-made power rock. No other Swiss rock band sells albums and its back catalogue worldwide like KROKUS. The band has sold over 15 million records, toured the world, and received gold and platinum discs in the USA and Canada. The milestones in their rock career are dotted around the world: from Australia and the USA to Mexico, Russia, Japan, and China. KROKUS was the first Swiss band to sell out the legendary Hallenstadion in Zurich and has received a Diamond Disc for selling one million albums in Switzerland alone.

1980 saw the band set out to conquer America, Canada, and England, quickly consolidating its reputation as a strong, no-nonsense live band. Soon they were part of unforgettable headline tours and on the same bill as incredible bands such as AC/DC, VAN HALEN, RUSH, TED NUGENT, JUDAS PRIEST, MOTÖRHEAD and many, many more. These were wild times, full of big adventures, which saw the band not only going gold and platinum in the U.S. and Canada, but also being made honorary citizens of Memphis, Tennessee.

But it hasn't all been one long high: death, sickness, and internal strife pushed the band to the brink of collapse. The story of KROKUS is like no other. It is full of highs and lows, sell-out stadium concerts and sweaty club gigs. These five musketeers of rock have outlasted trends and survived treacherous U.S. managers, tough splits, bad deals, shady lawyers, drugs, awful fast food, endless bus trips, disco, grunge, grotesque record companies, and double-dealing advisors.

In the course of its legendary career, KROKUS has rocked over 2,000 shows on five continents, countless cities, unique locations, crazy gigs, and loyal fans.

English rock journalist Malcolm Dome quite rightly said: "If you look at the long-term output of this band, KROKUS is clearly one of the best hard rock bands of the last 40 years."

KROKUS is looking forward to proving this again in 2019.



[German Text Below]

Krokus shows have always been special and should stay that way. That's why we decided to stop when...Posted by Krokus on Monday, September 10, 2018

Progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER have finished recording all the parts for their follow-up to 2016's "The Astonishing" album. An early 2019 release is expected.

Keyboardist Jordan Rudess said: "This is gonna be such an amazing record. It's got so much energy. [I'm] very happy with all the keyboard parts. Listening back, all you can do is smile."

DREAM THEATER vocalist James LaBrie recently stated about the new material, "There's a heaviness to it, there's an aggression to it," while guitarist John Petrucci added: "So far the music is heavy, it's progressive, it's melodic, it's shredding, and it's also epic. So it has all those elements, which… they are the five pillars of DREAM THEATER, if you wanna call it that."

Petrucci hinted in a recent interview that DREAM THEATER's next album will be musically inspired by the "Images, Words & Beyond" tour, which saw the pioneering group celebrating the 25th anniversary of its milestone RIAA-gold-certified album "Images And Words".

DREAM THEATER's next studio album — its 14th — will be the band's first for Sony Music's progressive imprint InsideOut Music. The group spent the past 25 years recording under various labels in the Warner Music Group system, most recently Roadrunner Records, which released five albums by the band between 2007 and 2016.

DT14 - Keyboard Tracking Finished!The wizard Jordan Rudess has finished tracking keyboards for the new Dream Theater album! ??Posted by Dream Theater on Thursday, September 6, 2018

BEHEMOTH frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski says that he is definitely open to the idea of collaborating with JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford and EMPEROR's Ihsahn on a black metal project. "I'm just waiting for [Rob's] call," Nergal told Elliott Fullam of Little Punk People in a brand new interview (see video below). "I mean, if he says, 'Hey, I'm ready', if we're touring with SLAYER again ever or METALLICA, I have to drop that tour and just fucking run to Phoenix, or wherever Rob is living, and fucking work my ass off to bring the best song I can afford, so he can sing there. And I'm trying to sound funny, but the truth is that me and Ihsahn would love to do some music and we would love for Rob Halford to do some vocals over it. That'd be... that'd be beyond cool."

Asked if he has ever met Rob, Nergal said: "Yes, we met a couple of times. We just met at Wacken, a German festival, a couple of weeks ago. Again he was super cool, very friendly. One of the most humble human beings you'll meet ever is him. And considering his status, who he is, what he did to this genre, to heavy metal, it only makes you even a bigger fan of that person."

Halford has long spoken about wanting to work on a black metal album, revealing more than a decade ago that he had discussions with Ihsahn about doing something together.

Earlier this year, he told Noisey that he still hopes something will happen in the future.

"The black metal project!" he said. "It keeps being about to lift the launchpad, but it never quite gets anywhere. I met Nergal from BEHEMOTH recently, and I said, 'You know I love your kind of music. I would love to kind of put my toe into the water and see what would happen.'

"So now I've got these two very nebulous, but I hope at some point very real opportunities, to do something with Nergal and still something to with Ihsahn.

"'Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk' — that's my big EMPEROR album. Both of them are incredible; they just have this real mastery of their world."

Ihsahn, whose real name is Vegard Sverre Tveitan, told Finland's Kaaos TV that he would love to collaborate with Halford on a black metal project.

"I actually talked with Rob about this project… He approached me… that's quite a long time ago," Ihsahn said. "I think I met him the first time in 2001 or something. But, of course, as he said in so many interviews as well, the situation with him being back in PRIEST since that time, and my schedule, doing both bands [EMPEROR and the solo project], it's one of those things. But at some point, that would be great. When the god of metal calls, that's not something you want to miss."

He continued: "Then [Rob] met Nergal from BEHEMOTH as well, and he [discussed a possible collaboration with him as well]… Because he's a big fan of black metal — Rob — so at some point, he just wants to do something, as I said, tip his toe in the water with that kind of expression. So if time allows and fate will make it happen, and, for example, me, Nergal and Rob would come together — Nergal from BEHEMOTH is also someone that I have great respect for, a great artist — I think that would be amazing."

Ihsahn went on to say that if the project with Rob and Nergal does come to fruition, all three musicians would want to invest the time and effort to make it truly special. "It's not something that you just would throw together, because I think those kinds of collaborations where it's just putting names [on an album don't work]," he explained. "You need to do it proper. And I think all of us, the way I know them, I think that's their mindset [as well], where [we all think] it would have to be done properly. I think we would be very much on the same page on that."

On the back of his recently released autobiography, "What Does This Button Do?", IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson is making a string of speaking appearances. On the tour, Dickinson is reading excerpts from his book, delivering slides and hosting a question-and-answer session in which fans can ask all the questions they have been dying to know about what it's like to front one of music's most iconic bands.

During his September 8 spoken-word gig at DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen, Denmark, Dickinson was asked about his relationship with late DEEP PURPLE keyboardist Jon Lord. He responded (see video below): "Jon Lord was a wonderful gentleman, and we were close friends. And he sadly died of… He had pancreatic cancer, but he survived for a year and a half — much against what everybody had said would happen. And actually, at the end, he didn't die of pancreatic cancer — he died, unfortunately, of some terrible blood collapse that happened with him, possibly as a result of treatment. But we had all kinds of crazy plans, including me going out on tour with him, singing DEEP PURPLE songs with an orchestra, which he was planning to do; that was one of the things we were planning to do. But it all got interrupted and canceled, and [it was] obviously very sad. He was a wonderful man."

Asked if he could ever consider doing IRON MAIDEN as a classical music concert, i.e. with a symphony orchestra, Dickinson replied: "It's been tried a lot by all kinds of people, many of whom I respect, and, to be really honest with you, I don't think it works. I think it might work for the odd specific song — for example, 'Empire Of The Clouds', my thing, has kind of got orchestra all over it. But that's just one song, and that was written specifically with that kind of thing in mind. And I can see that working under certain circumstances, but that's only one song. And the problem with orchestras is what do you do with them when they're not in use? Which is actually quite a lot of songs, if they're gonna be really proper rock and roll-type songs."

"What Does This Button Do?", landed at No. 10 on the New York Times "Hardcover Nonfiction" best sellers list. It was released in the U.S. last October via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books), an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Dickinson joined IRON MAIDEN in 1981, replacing Paul Di'Anno, and made his recording debut with the band on the 1982 album "The Number Of The Beast". He quit the band in 1993, pursuing several solo projects, and rejoined in 1999.

Dickinson, who turned 60 last month, has several other interests beyond music. He is a licensed commercial pilot and owns an aviation company. He has written other books, done some acting and brewed beer.

In 2015, he completed a round of chemotherapy for a tumor on the back of his tongue and was given a clean bill of health.

This past weekend, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and BREAKING BENJAMIN wrapped the summer portion of the North American outdoor amphitheater tour. The co-headliners chose to donate a portion of their ticket sales this summer to two charity organizations close to their hearts. As a result, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has donated $95,000 to C.O.P.S - Concerns Of Police Survivors — whose mission is rebuilding shattered lives of survivors and co-workers affected by line of duty deaths, through partnerships with law enforcement and the community — and BREAKING BENJAMIN has donated $95,000 to Prevent Child Abuse America — which counteracts the abuse and neglect of our nation's children by promoting services that improve child well-being and developing programs that help to prevent all types of abuse and neglect.


"We've had the privilege to work with veteran and police organizations for years," explains Zoltan Bathory of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH. "Today we are making this donation as a token of our respect and gratitude to those who committed to protect and serve, to those who signed up to bravely hold that thin blue line between 'civilization as we know it' and 'lawless savagery and chaos.' Unfortunately, every 58 hours a police officer who believes in something sacrifices everything and dies in the line of duty. C.O.P.S. (Concerns Of Police Survivors) helps and benefits the families of our fallen heroes in blue."


"C.O.P.S. is grateful to be the recipient of such a generous donation from FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH," says Dianne Bernhard, C.O.P.S. executive director. "We not only appreciate their amazing musical talent, but their support for surviving families and co-workers of America's law enforcement truly sets them apart. Thank you on behalf of over 47,000 survivors!"


"We're honored to be able to utilize the thing we love to do most as a tool to help children in need," explains Ben Burnley of BREAKING BENJAMIN. "Organizations such as Prevent Child Abuse America remind us that we are the voice of the voiceless and positive change is possible in otherwise hopeless situations for these kids. We offer our utmost gratitude to every fan who bought a ticket this summer and made a difference. And last but not least, thank you to the selfless people at Prevent Child Abuse America for inspiring greatness and all that you do to make the future brighter for so many."


"We are very grateful to the members of BREAKING BENJAMIN, not only for this incredible donation, but for helping to spread the world that child abuse and neglect prevention is possible," adds PCAA president and CEO, Dan Duffy. "This donation from BREAKING BENJAMIN and their fans will go directly towards programs like Healthy Families America that are making a difference in local communities across the country. At Prevent Child Abuse America, we say that 'we all have a role to play,' and we hope that others are inspired by BREAKING BENJAMIN to learn more about the ways that each of us can make an impact in our local community. Thank you again to Ben, Aaron, Shaun, Jasen and Keith for your generosity on behalf of our nation's children."


Due to fan demand, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and BREAKING BENJAMIN announced an expansion of their current co-headlining North American outdoor amphitheater tour, with additional dates which will take both bands through fall 2018. Co-produced by Live Nation and Frank Productions, the tour featured special guests NOTHING MORE and BAD WOLVES on the summer leg. On the fall leg, BAD WOLVES will once again join the trek on select dates and Swedish heavyweights IN FLAMES on other select shows. FROM ASHES TO NEW will be support on all fall dates.

Ronnie James Dio's widow Wendy Dio has spoken to the "Red Light District Show" about her decision to start the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, which was established after his death as a privately funded 501(c)(3) charity organization dedicated to cancer prevention, research and education.

"When Ronnie passed away, a lot of peers, a lot of the bands that knew Ronnie well, all of our friends wanted to donate money to a cancer charity," she explained (hear audio below). "And Ronnie's doctor and I were, like, well, a lot of these charities, there's so much administration cost in the big charities. We wanted to make sure that the money went directly into research and education. And so we decided to talk to a bunch of Ronnie's friends, friends of his for over 30 years, and we ended up forming the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund with 14 board members. And that's how it started. And we have no administration costs — every penny goes into research or education. And we are all volunteers, and we meet once a month, and we do two events a year, which is the Ride For Ronnie, around his passing date, which is always in May. And then we do the Bowl For Ronnie, [the fourth edition of] which is coming up soon, in October — October 25th. So those are our two events and our big fundraisers, and that's how it all started."

The Dio Cancer Fund has raised in excess of $2 million to date through its various annual events and direct support from the vast community of Dio fans worldwide. It is their mission to help eradicate this disease through education and via Wendy's mantra: early detection saves lives.

"We try to tell people, especially with men — 'cause women are pretty good about getting checked. So we try to teach that early detection saves lives, and we do try to teach everyone that and say that in all of our interviews and all of our conferences and things that early detection saves lives," she said. "Please go and get tested. We're working right now with UCLA [University of California, Los Angeles], with Dr. Wong there, who's developing a saliva test. So instead of men going to get the normal test, which is why they don't like to go, if you know what I mean — they don't like the finger… This will be a very easy swab in the mouth and then sent away and it will come back and let us know whether you have either prostate cancer, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer or stomach cancer, or none of the above. So it's a very good test. I think it will be out next year — hopefully — and that way, people can get tested and get it at a very early stage. And if it's caught early, then the chances of survival and far, far greater."

Ronnie James Dio lost his life to stomach cancer, also called gastric cancer, in May 2010. The disease often does not cause symptoms until its later stages. Usually, by the time stomach cancer is diagnosed, the prognosis is poor.

"With pancreatic cancer and stomach cancer, a lot of times you don't know what's wrong with you until it's too late," Wendy said. "Ronnie had a lot of indigestion [a persistent or recurrent pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen], and actually went to a specialist about seven years before he passed with indigestion, and they just tested his heart and tested all these other things. But had I known what I know now, I would have insisted he had a colonostomy and an ultrasound. But at that time, we didn't know anything about cancer, so we didn't do it. And then he continued to take a lot of [over-the-counter antacid] Tums — he ate Tums all the time because of his stomach indigestion, which is what he thought he had."

The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund has given much of its money to the T.J. Martell Foundation, which is focused on leukemia, cancer and AIDS. The fund also has supported the Nashville Vanderbilt-Ingram Research Center for Cancer for men's cancers, such as stomach, colon and prostate cancer, and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where Dio was treated. Its fundraising efforts have included gala dinners and a tribute album containing songs written by Ronnie James Dio that were recorded and donated by major rock and metal recording artists called "This Is Your Life". The "This Is Your Life" album resulted in a 2015 Grammy win for "Best Metal Performance" for TENACIOUS D (actor/musicians Jack Black and Kyle Gass) and their rendition of Ronnie James Dio's "The Last in Line" from the tribute album.

The fourth annual "Bowl For Ronnie" celebrity bowling party, benefiting the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, will take place on Thursday, October 25 at PINZ Bowling Center in Studio City, California. The event will be hosted by television and radio personality Eddie Trunk, who is heard on SiriusXM's Volume channel and whose new TV series "TrunkFest" airs on AXS TV. The "Bowl For Ronnie" will feature a celebrity bowling tournament and a raffle drawing for prizes and memorabilia. Last year's event brought in $49,000 for the cancer charity, which is now in its ninth year of raising awareness and much-needed funding for cancer research.

Diamond Cut Diamond, the second full-length album from Australian true metal quartet Convent Guilt, is set for a November 9th release via Gates Of Hell Records.

The follow-up to 2014's Guns For Hire was recorded at various locations around Sydney in the first half of 2018 by Lachie Vercoe, who was also responsible for the album's mix. Diamond Cut Diamond was mastered by Patrick Engel at Temple Of Disharmony. The album's striking cover art featuring a strong colonial Australian image created by Lena Richter of Diamonds and Rust Tattoos.

Tracklisting:

"Howling Vengeance"
"Born To Trouble"
"Powder Dry"
"Scream Out Your Heart"
"Bonnie And Clyde"
"Thief In The Night"
"Foxes Run"

Possessing the same classic metal swagger as found on Guns For Hire, Diamond Cut Diamond contains seven slabs of song-oriented metal, graced with well-placed tinges of melody and NWOBHM influences. Convent Guilt (featuring bassist / vocalist / primary songwriter Ian, the guitar tandem of Andrew and Dario, and drummer Brent) have once again placed focus on emotion and energy over soulless musical precision, resulting in a must-listen for fans of early Iron Maiden, Saxon and Trespass.

According to Ian, the songwriting process for Diamond Cut Diamond was an organic one, although the band was sure to take their time when writing their all-important sophomore album. "Songwriting happens when it wants to rather than when I sit down to focus on it," he says. "The oldest tracks on Diamond Cut Diamond were written before Guns For Hire was released. Even the newest tracks have been around a while. We rehearsed the tracks quite a bit and recorded rough demos to fine-tune our approach. With a bit of luck, this has added extra layers to the songs without compromising the band's raw energy."

Employing lyrical themes that, according to Ian, touch upon Australia's "rich and dusty history," Diamond Cut Diamond proves to carry plenty of philosophical weight as well. "Some of our lyrics deal with conquerors and the subjugated, the inbuilt weakness of men, depression-era outlaws and the insanity of social media. It's a mixed bag thematically, but as always, lyrics are a vital part of what this band is about."

It's been four years since the release of the last Convent Guilt LP, so, as you could imagine, the band is chomping at the bit to unleash the album upon the waiting ears of the metal scene. As Diamond Cut Diamond shows, the wait was well worth it. "I'm sure it's the same for most bands, but getting an album out seems like such a massive weight off our shoulders - it's a 'release' in more ways than one," says Ian. "We won't rest on our laurels, but we'll enjoy the relief and achievement as well. A couple of us have other projects we're working on, so we're giving those a bit more attention. And we're riding the usual waves of life to wherever it takes us."

For further details, visit Convent Guilt on Facebook.

 

2018 marks the 20th anniversary of LACUNA COIL's debut. To celebrate this special year, they played an exceptional show on January 19 in London at the O2 Forum Kentish Town. The unique, one-time event was filmed and recorded for "The 119 Show - Live In London", which is scheduled for release November 9.


A performance clip of the song "Blood, Tears, Dust", taken from "The 119 Show - Live In London", can be seen below.


Fans can look forward not only to a very special live performance that was accompanied by the U.K. circus group Incandescence, but also to a career spanning set including LACUNA COIL songs never played live before:

01. A Current Obsession

02. 1.19

03. My Wings

04. End Of Time

05. Blood, Tears, Dust

06. Swamped

07. The Army Inside

08. Veins Of Glass

09. One Cold Day

10. The House Of Shame

11. When A Dead Man Walks

12. Tight Rope

13. Soul Into Hades

14. Hyperfast

15. I Like It

16. Heaven's A Lie

17. Senzafine

18. Closer

19. Comalies

20. Our Truth

21. Falling

22. Wide Awake

23. I Forgive (But I Won't Forget Your Name)

24. Enjoy The Silence

25. Nothing Stands In Our Way

The band comments: "What took place at the O2 Forum Kentish Town in London on the 19th of January 2018 was pure magic. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us as a band and as people. The work involved, the pre-performance tension, the intensity on stage, the energy between us and the audience — all of this was beyond anything we've ever done before. This event was not just a show, it was a birthday party, an anniversary celebration and most importantly a huge THANK YOU to everyone who travelled side by side with us for the last twenty years. And now, with the release of 'The 119 Show - Live In London', we can also share the magic with those fans who weren't able to party with us in January."

LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia explained to Tattoo.com that "there is a reason" January 19 was chosen as the date for the anniversary show. "It's because 1/19 is recognized as 'Lacuna Coil Day,' because we have a song that's called '1.19', so the people from the fan club and the fans decided to declare it 'Lacuna Coil Day,'" she said. "And we thought about making a special show in London, because, logistically, we thought it was the easiest way to reach, even for people who are not coming from Europe, our area. Usually the flights are cheaper. Like, if you come from the States, it's easier to reach London than Milano, for instance, [which] is our hometown. So we thought about London."

After the release the band will head out for a European tour to support the release of "The 119 Show - Live In London".

Early 2018 also saw singer Cristina Scabbia take on the prominent role of a coach for "The Voice Of Italy" on prime-time Italian national TV. LACUNA COIL were recently awarded the fan voted "Best Live Band" award at the prestigious Metal Hammer Golden Gods in London, U.K. Additionally, they were announced for a very important career recognition award for their 20 years together as a band from MEI, which is the annual meeting of the Independent labels in Italy.

LACUNA COIL is working on its first-ever book, also titled "Nothing Stands In Our Way", which is scheduled to be published later in the year.

Co-singer Andrea Ferro told the Impact metal channel last year that LACUNA COIL fans will have to wait until at least 2019 for the follow-up to 2016's "Delirium" album.