On September 7, Swan Song/Atlantic Records will release LED ZEPPELIN's historic concert film and soundtrack recorded on July 27, 28 and 29, 1973 at New York City's Madison Square Garden, "The Song Remains The Same". The super-deluxe version is the first time that both the expanded soundtrack and film are available in the same package. It also recreates the intricate embossing of the set's original issue.

In celebration, a one-hour nationally syndicated radio show featuring interviews with Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, John Paul Jones and John Bonham, taking you behind the scenes of those monumental concerts and the new release, can be heard below.

LED ZEPPELIN was at the peak of its powers on July 27-29 1973 when the band's performances at New York's Madison Square Garden were recorded for the concert film "The Song Remains The Same". The soundtrack to the film, produced by Jimmy Page, was originally released on Swan Song in 1976.

The band continues revisiting their live canon with a new edition of the soundtrack to "The Song Remains The Same" that features newly remastered audio. This release follows the recent reissue of their live album "How The West Was Won", and rounds out the deluxe reissue series of their classic albums that began in 2014, building to the band's 50th-anniversary celebration slated to commence later this year. Coincidentally, John Bonham, John Paul Jones, Jimmy Page and Robert Plant played their first live show together, under the moniker THE NEW YARDBIRDS at the time, on September 7, 1968.


"The Song Remains The Same" will be released in multiple formats from Atlantic/Swan Song, including the full album's debut in hi-res 5.1 surround sound on Blu-ray. The Super Deluxe Boxed Set will be the most exquisite and elaborate release in the reissue series, recreating the intricate embossing of the set's original issue and will also mark the first time the full-length film and soundtrack have been available in the same package. On the four-LP set, Page made a change to the track sequence, allowing the epic, 29-minute version of "Dazed And Confused" to be featuring in its entirety on one side of vinyl for the first time.

* CD - Remastered audio on two CDs, plus 24-page booklet.

* Vinyl - Remastered audio on four 180-gram vinyl LPs, plus 28-page booklet

* Blu-ray - 96kHz/24 bit 5.1 (DTS-HD Master Audio Surround) and stereo mixes (PCM Stereo and DTS-HD Master Audio Stereo). Video performances of four songs not in the original film: "Celebration Day", "Over The Hills And Far Away", "Misty Mountain Hop" and "The Ocean". (All with 5.1 audio)

* Streaming & Digital Download - Remastered audio.

* Super Deluxe Boxed Set.

- Remastered audio on two CDs and four 180-gram vinyl LPs.

- Two-DVD set of the "The Song Remains The Same" featuring the full theatrical version of the film plus bonus content including four performance outtakes that were not part of the original film: "Celebration Day", "Over The Hills And Far Away", "Misty Mountain Hop" and "The Ocean".

- DVD of the entire album in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround and PCM Stereo, plus photo gallery.

- High-def download card of all stereo audio content at 96kHz/24 bit.

- A 28-page book featuring band photos and stills from the film and an essay by Cameron Crowe.

- A replica of the Japanese program from 1977, previously available only when the film first toured cinemas in that country.

- High-quality print of the original album cover, the first 30,000 of which will be individually numbered.

"The Song Remains The Same" is the soundtrack to the legendary concert film of the same name, which was released in 1976. The performances in the film were recorded July 27-29, 1973 at Madison Square Garden during the band's tour for its then-current studio album "Houses Of The Holy". The two-CD and four-LP collections are packed with electrifying live versions of ZEP classics like "Rock And Roll", "Stairway To Heaven", "No Quarter", "Moby Dick", "Dazed And Confused" and "Celebration Day".

"The Song Remains The Same" soundtrack


CD And Digital Track Listing

01. Rock And Roll

02. Celebration Day

03. Black Dog

04. Over The Hills And Far Away

05. Misty Mountain Hop

06. Since I've Been Loving You

07. No Quarter

08. The Song Remains The Same

09. The Rain Song

10. The Ocean

11. Dazed And Confused

12. Stairway To Heaven

13. Moby Dick

14. Heartbreaker

15. Whole Lotta Love


LP Track Listing

LP One

01. Rock And Roll

02. Celebration Day

03. Black Dog

04. Over The Hills And Far Away

05. Misty Mountain Hop

06. Since I've Been Loving You

07. The Ocean


LP Two

01. The Song Remains The Same

02. The Rain Song

03. No Quarter

LP Three

01. Dazed And Confused

02. Moby Dick


LP Four

01. Stairway To Heaven

02. Heartbreaker

03. Whole Lotta Love

Ozzy Osbourne has announced a partnership with online fundraising platform Omaze offering one lucky fan a once-in-a-lifetime experience of being in his entourage for the day, complete with the never-before-offered opportunity to watch his Las Vegas show from the side of the stage. The campaign will support Love Hope Strength as they work to save lives one concert at a time.


A $10 donation through Omaze.com/Ozzy will enter fans the chance to win and support the lifesaving work of Love Hope Strength. The grand prize for one randomly selected winner and their guest includes:


* Flights to Vegas to see Ozzy's show "No More Tours 2" on October 13, 2018, and accommodations in a 4-star hotel.

* Meet Ozzy, be on his personal guest list and be a part of his entourage for the day.

* Attend soundcheck and the pre-show party

* The option to watch the entire set from the side stage-a never before offered opportunity!

* A $500 gambling chip to use in Las Vegas.


Fans can enter for their chance to win this unforgettable experience at Omaze.com/Ozzy through September 30, 2018 at 11:59 p.m. (PT).

Ozzy kicked off the main North American leg of "No More Tours 2" on August 30 at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Despite the fact that "No More Tours 2" is being billed as his farewell tour, Ozzy insists that he is not calling it quits. "I'm not retiring," the 69-year-old singer told Rolling Stone in an interview. "It's 'No More Tours', so I'm just not doing world tours anymore. I'm still going to be doing gigs, but I'm not going on tour for six months at a time anymore. I'd like to spend some time at home."

Osbourne, who spent the last few years touring with BLACK SABBATH before the legendary heavy metal act retired from the road, said that he wanted to "slow it down a little" and be there for his family. "I enjoy being a grandfather. I don't want to go through another generation of Osbournes without seeing them grow up."

"No More Tours 2" is a reference to Ozzy's 1992 "No More Tours" trek, which marked the first time the singer announced the end of his days as a touring artist. The tour name was a pun based on the title of his then-most recent solo album, "No More Tears". Ozzy returned to action three years later and has been on the road ever since.

Last year, Ozzy reunited with guitarist Zakk Wylde, who played on studio albums such as "No Rest For The Wicked", "No More Tears" and "Ozzmosis" and who has toured on and off with Ozzy for nearly 30 years.

Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley makes a guest appearance on "Beauty In The Backseat", the new album from singer-songriter and authord Ken Sharp. The disc sheds the dark, musical blood on the tracks vibe of Ken's previous release, "New Mourning", and draws deep from his Philly roots, delivering a fresh blast of infectious soul-pop and power pop. Produced by Fernando Perdomo (TODD RUNDGREN, JAKOB DYLAN, BECK) and Sharp, the record showcases mighty musical contributions from Frehley (guitar solo on "Rock Show") and another Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame legend John Oates ("Philly Kind of Night") along with UTOPIA's Kasim Sulton ("Mona Lisa Smile").

The 16-track album traverses a wide musical terrain and a myriad of lyrical themes. "Rock Show" delivers the intoxicating joy of getting your band on the concert stage; "Pull The Strings" is a quirky story of an adult in his mid-40s who can’t survive without his ventriloquist dummy by his side ("Pull The Strings"), the death of David Bowie is explored on "The Day That David Bowie Died"; "Sinking" chronicles the transformative power of loss while "Listen To Me" is a plea for unity in a world torn apart by social and political tumult and divisiveness.

"Being a Philly boy with my ear permanently glued to the radio dial, the sound of Philadelphia etched its indelible mark on my musical DNA," says Sharp. "Being able to work in the studio with John Oates, someone whose music was the soundtrack of my youth, was a supersonic blessing of brotherly love! Another full-circle moment for me, being a huge fan of KISS since I was a kid, I was thrilled that Ace Frehley laid down a solo on the opening track, titled, appropriately enough, 'Rock Show'."

"Beauty In The Backseat" is Sharp's fifth album. He is a seasoned live performer who’s recently landed high profile gigs opening for John Waite, David Cassidy and THE BABYS and headlined The Troubadour in Hollywood, California.

"Beauty In The Backseat" track listing:

01. Rock Show

02. Mona Lisa Smile

03. Lemons To Lemonade

04. No One Seems To Stay Together Anymore

05. Closer

06. 24 Hours A Day

07. Pull The Strings

08. The Day That David Bowie Died

09. The Hardest Part

10. Jetfighter

11. Ring On Your Finger

12. Listen To Me

13. Sinking

14. I Wanna Be David Cassidy

15. Philly Kind Of Night

16. Miracle

Finnish rockers THE 69 EYES have entered the studio to begin recording their twelfth album. The follow-up to 2016's "Universal Monsters" is expected to arrive in early 2019.

THE 69 EYES singer Jyrki 69 confirmed in a tweet that the band is once again working with longtime producer Johnny Lee Michaels, adding: "Last week @jussi69official recorded his legendary vampire beats down and now we are recording the rest."

Speaking to TotalRock Radio at this year's Sweden Rock Festival, Jyrki 69 stated that the next THE 69 EYES album would likely arrive in the early spring of 2019. Asked where he gets the inspiration for his lyrics, Jyrki said: "I trust in the first impression. When I hear the demo song, I should have the idea of some words or some picture in my mind immediately; I trust in that and use that first impression. If I have to toss and turn the song, I sort of give it back to our guitarist, who writes most of the songs, like, 'Oh, this wasn't good enough.' It's kind of a cruel way to do it, but it has ended up to work by this far. And then, I can't explain where the idea, or where the main lyrics sometimes come from. They're definitely not kind of, like, I plan to do something; they come from the music and they come [from] what happens around me and around the world. For instance, this time is very chaotic, negative, kind of doomsday kind of life right now, so it's very inspirational as well — unfortunately, but fortunately."

THE 69 EYES' eleventh album, "Universal Monsters", was released in April 2016 via Nuclear Blast.

Just in case you are wondering what’s going, here’s a status update: The 69 Eyes have started recording our 12th album with producer Johnny Lee Michaels. Last week @jussi69official recorded his legendary vampire beats down and now we are recording the rest. More updates soon! J69 pic.twitter.com/VtVeNACiTS— The 69 Eyes Official (@69eyesofficial) September 4, 2018

Following the first leg of a massive World Tour in North America during April and May, it is now time kick off the next leg and bring The Shadow Theory overseas. Kamelot is returning to Europe for their biggest headliner tour to date. Special guests on the tour include Leaves' Eyes, Visions Of Atlantis, Dynazty (Sweden), Circus Maximus (Oslo) vocalist Lauren Hart (Once Human) and more.

Just in time for the upcoming tour, the band has released a brand new music video for the track "MindFall Remedy". The live footage is taken from Kamelot's North American tour and just offers a glimpse of what you can expect when the band takes the stage.

"The North American Tour was our biggest ever and we had to chronicle it in some way, the fans were so amazing. We decided to shoot this video and mix in scenes from the tour. We cannot wait to return to the US and Canada for the next run!," states Thomas Youngblood.

The meaning of the song and title "MindFall Remedy" sparks some debate, but singer Tommy Kaverik sums it up beautifully: "In this material world, full of vanity and beautifying filters, it is easy to turn to those things when looking for validation and comfort. We have come to expect external gratification to lift us up, solve our insecurities and give us a meaningful existence. With this song we want to encourage people to look inside themselves for answers. Only then can we fully learn to respect and love ourselves and grow as people. There is a way to unlock your inhibitions, and only you possess the key..."

Tour dates:

September
12 - Köln, Germany - Live Music Hall     
14 - Tilburg, Netherlands - Poppodium 013
15 - Paris, France - Elysée Montmartre
16 - Aschaffenburg, Germany - Colos-Saal
18 - Berlin, Germany - Astra Kulturhaus
20 - Göteborg, Sweden - Pustervik
21 - Malmö, Sweden - Kulturbolaget
22 - Oslo, Norway - Sentrum Scene    
23 - Stockholm, Sweden - Fryshuset Klubben
25 - Helsinki, Finland - Nosturi    
26 - Tampere, Finland - Tullikamarin Pakkahuone
28 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
29 - München, Germany - Backstage
30 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Konzertfabrik Z7

October
2 - Mannheim, Germany - MS Connexion Complex
4 - Toulouse, France - Le Metronum
5 - Madrid, Spain - La Riviera
6 - Barcelona, Sopain - Razzmatazz 2
7 - Lyon, France - CCO Villeurbanne
9 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra Music Club
10 - Praha, Czech Republic - Palác Akropolis
12 - London, UK - KOKO
13 - Brugge, Belgium - Het Entrepot

November
28 - Tokyo, Japan - Shibuya O-East
29 - Osaka, Japan - Club Quattro

December
3 - Brisbane, Australia - The Triffid
4 - Melbourne, Australia - Max Watts
6 - Canberra, Australia - The Basement
7 - Sydney, Australia - Manning Bar

March
23 - Pwllheli, UK - Hammerfest

GREAT WHITE has released a performance video of its cover version of Ian Hunter's "Once Bitten, Twice Shy", featuring the band's latest addition, singer Mitch Malloy. The clip was filmed on August 18 at the Kentucky State Fair at Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, Kentucky.

GREAT WHITE guitarist Mark Kendall told KBACK Radio that the band wanted to make "a proper video and record a show with something other than a cellphone to kind of introduce Mitch. And our [booking] agent will use it for this and that, and we'll just throw it out there free — it's nothing we're gonna really put together to sell or anything; we just want people to see it properly and hear how it sounds at the show," he said. "Because when you hear a cellphone [recording], the guy [filming] might be over by the bass player's side and it might distort a little bit. So it really isn't a great representation, although we welcome the cellphones — I don't care if everybody holds 'em up and records us — but it's not really a great representation of what happened that night."

In early July, GREAT WHITE announced that it was parting ways with vocalist Terry Ilous and was replacing him with Malloy.

"[Mitch] is an incredible singer, artist, songwriter and engineer," Kendall said. "We're beyond excited to stretch our musical muscles with a fresh, new take on GREAT WHITE's catalog of hits."

Added Malloy: "I have to represent this music honorably. I respect what has come before me, and have to remind fans of where they were when they first heard these songs. I also have to be myself at the same time. When I first heard my own voice with GREAT WHITE's music, I knew something special was going on."

Keyboardist/guitarist Michael Lardie praised Malloy for his musical chops and reputation.

"We had an immediate rapport with Mitch," Lardie said. "I'm positive the fans will embrace Mitch and continue to support GREAT WHITE. This music is bigger than any one person."

Ilous, formerly of '80s L.A. hard rockers XYZ, joined GREAT WHITE in 2010 after stepping in for touring vocalist Jani Lane (WARRANT).

The Ilous-led GREAT WHITE released two albums, 2012's "Elation" and last year's "Full Circle", before Terry was shown the door.

This version of GREAT WHITE is not to be confused with JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE, which features original GREAT WHITE singer Jack Russell alongside Robby Lochner (FIGHT) on guitar, Dan McNay on bass, Tony Montana on guitar and Dicki Fliszar on drums.

IMONOLITH, the new Canadian metal band featuring members of THREAT SIGNAL, DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT and STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, has released an audio snippet of its latest demo track, titled "Dig".

Says the group: "It's a song about shit talkers and the importance of ignoring them. The message of the lyrics are to do what you think is best for you, do what you love with your life and leave the negative people behind. What they think is none of your business anyways."

IMONOLITH was launched following Devin Townsend's announcement that he has put the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT on indefinite hiatus while he works on other projects.

Joining drummer Ryan Van Poederooyen and guitarist Brian "Beav" Waddell (who played bass in DTP) are bassist Byron Stroud, second guitarist Jed Simon and vocalist Jon Howard.

Regarding how IMONOLITH was chosen as the moniker for the new band, Van Poederooyen said: "Jed Simon had a list of over 50 band names he thought of over the years. He sent them to all of us in the band. The word 'Monolith' was one of the band names. It caught my attention and I started playing with the word. At first, I thought of various names with words in front of, or after the word Monolith, then I thought of 'I Monolith.' But it didn't sound right, so I added the letter 'i' to the front of the word 'Monolith' and voilà… IMONOLITH was born. A brand new word used for a band name. The guys dug it when I brought it up to them. It sounds heavy and is easy to say. So we're sticking with it! It still somewhat carries the meaning of Monolith, which is a monumental, black stone of significance. Sounds metal enough for us!"

IMONOLITH (the first "i" is pronounced like the "i" in the word "impossible") is:

* Jon Howard (THREAT SIGNAL) - Vocals

* Jed Simon (VIMIC, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, SCAR THE MARTYR) - Guitar

* Brian "Beav" Waddell (DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT) - Guitar

* Byron Stroud (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD) - Bass

* Ryan Van Poederooyen (DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT) - Drums

Photo credit: LIM SANG Photography

Former JOURNEY vocalist Steve Perry has released the official music video for his latest solo single, "No More Cryin'". The song is taken from "Traces", his first solo album in more than two decades, which will be released on October 5 via Fantasy Records (a division of Concord Records/UMG). Co-written by Perry and Dan Wilson (SEMISONIC, ADELE), the track is a soulful reflection on isolation and love.

Perry states: "'No More Cryin'' is a love song, but not in the way you would think. It starts in one place, and builds and lands somewhere entirely different. It's got many overtones, and can be applied to so many different kinds of relationships, including my own relationship with past isolation."

"Traces" marks Perry's first solo album since 1994's "For The Love Of Strange Medicine", which was certified gold in the U.S. for sales in excess of half a million copies.

Perry told "Scott Shannon In The Morning" about his decision to step away from music for more than two decades: "The band was really, really fortunate to be successful, and at some point, I got a little bit toasty, a little burned out, and coupled with a serious touring schedule, and, like I said, being crispy, and back in the day, we all had a little bit of what we might call 'extra party behaviors,' maybe — and when you put the 'party behaviors' together with a little bit burned out, I was toast.

"It was an unpopular decision I came up with at the time, which was just to stop," he continued. "And I told the band, and they were not happy about it. But the biggest thing I was really concerned with was the fans. Because I knew it was gonna be a painful decision for me to walk away, but sometimes you just have to take care of yourself, even if it hurts to do so — you have to do that."

Asked if he planned on being gone for so long, Perry replied: "I did not plan to be gone so long. But once I stopped, there was something great about just stopping. I went back to my hometown and hung out with friends. I rode my motorcycle on these country roads on the outskirts of Fresno, where I was born and raised, and I've gotta tell you — there was something cathartic about just stopping."

Perry reiterated a previous comment he made about wanting "to be a person again" after his exit from JOURNEY. "I think that's pretty accurate," he said. "I just wanted to step out of the limelight. Being successful in a band like that, it was like… I know it sounds a little bit self-serving, but it really was kind of like circling the earth — you're kind of up there, you've gotta come down, you've gotta land, you've gotta touch down, you've gotta go back to your hometown and just be you, not the guy that was on the stage every night.

"But I must tell you — did I miss it? It was terrible!" he admitted. "It was a detox in its own way, you know? Because the adoration of the fans every night and the applause and being able to live the dream…. 'Cause I came from a small town, and it was a dream to get in the music business to start with, but to be able to be successful like JOURNEY was, it was a dream come true, so walking was tough."

"Traces" track listing:

01. No Erasin' (4:07)

Writers: Steve Perry, David Spreng


02. We're Still Here (4:06)

Writers: Steve Perry, Brian West


03. Most Of All (4:23)

Writers: Steve Perry, Randy Goodrem


04. No More Cryin' (4:29)

Writers: Dan Wilson, Steve Perry


05. In The Rain (4:06)

Writers: Steve Perry, David Spreng


06. Sun Shines Gray (3:57)

Writers: Steve Perry, John 5, Thom Flowers


07. You Belong To Me (4:07)

Writers: Steve Perry, Barry Eastmond


08. Easy To Love (4:03)

Writers: Steve Perry, Thom Flowers


09. I Need You (2:59)

Writers: Steve Perry, George Harrison


10. We Fly (3:56)

Writers: Steve Perry, Jeff Babko

Deluxe edition bonus tracks:

11. October In New York (deluxe edition only)

12. Angel Eyes (deluxe edition only)

13. Call On Me (deluxe edition only)

14. Could We Be Somethin' Again (deluxe edition only)

15. Blue Jays Fly (deluxe edition only)

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

The singer was inducted, alongside his old band, at the 2017 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony in Brooklyn, New York.

Professionally filmed video footage of SEPULTURA's entire September 1 concert at ReeveLand Music Festival in Markneukirchen, Germany can be seen below.

SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser confirmed to TotalRock Radio that the band has commenced the songwriting process for the follow-up to 2017's "Machine Messiah" album. "Already, me, Eloy [Casagrande, drums], Derrick [Green, vocals] and Paulo [Xisto Pinto Jr., bass], we have a few ideas, so we have where to start from — a few songs in demo version," he said at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany. "And we still have to develop [them] and stuff. We don't still have a kind of a direction or a theme or something, but it's getting there. We still like to enjoy a lot the road, and we don't write that much on the road as a band. Yeah, it's going, but it's still early."

Kisser also talked about SEPULTURA's relationship with Nuclear Blast Records, with whom the band has been for nearly a decade. "It's amazing, man," he said. "They are a metal label, and there are people that are on the scene since the beginning, the early days. It's a label that never sold out. Many other labels sold out to bigger companies and bigger labels, you change personnel, you think more on the business side. I think Nuclear Blast has a perfect balance between believing in music — in metal and hardcore and punk — and having the business able to sustain everything… And you see how many artists now are with the label, which is great. It's a great place to be. We have total freedom and support to do our stuff and to work with the producers we want and the artists for the cover — everything. They're very supportive, and they believe in the band, which is everything we need. It's great."

"Machine Messiah" was released in January 2017. The disc was recorded at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden with Swedish producer Jens Bogren. The CD's cover artwork was created by Filipino artist Camille Della Rosa.

SEPULTURA's official documentary, "Sepultura Endurance", will tentatively be released on DVD and Blu-ray in late 2018 or early 2019.

Slash has revealed to Japan's "Rock City" that his upcoming fourth solo album, "Living The Dream", is the first record he has made using the digital audio workstation Pro Tools after recording all his previous LPs to analog tape.

The "Living The Dream" sessions, which commenced in late March, saw Slash and his SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS bandmates Myles Kennedy (vocals), Brent Fitz (drums), Todd Kerns (bass and vocals) and Frank Sidoris (guitar and vocals) reunite with producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette, who also helmed 2014's "World On Fire". But while the producer stayed the same, the studio this time changed, with Slash opting to move operations to his newly active recording facility, Snakepit Studios.

"We didn't do drums [at Snakepit] because it just doesn't have a high enough ceiling for [that], but for everything else, it's great," Slash told "Rock City". "I mean, it's only a 16-track board in there, and we did this entire record on that. We mixed over at Elvis's place in Florida, but other than that, it's totally functional, and it sounds really good."

"It's just too expensive making analog records for me, out of pocket, because in this day and age of making records, the chances of you seeing a return on a record that cost you a hundred thousand dollars or more to make, it just isn't really cost effective," Slash explained. "So we did it on Pro Tools and we just bounced everything into 40-some-odd tracks."

Slash went on to say that he "very concerned" at first about making a Pro Tools album, but his mind was put at ease by Elvis's assurance that everything would turn out to his satisfaction. "Elvis is pretty much a genius, so he is somebody that appreciates analog recording as well," Slash said. "He's one of the best guys at taking a digital recording and making it sound warm enough. All things considered, when I listen to this record we just did, it doesn't strike me right off the bat as a digital record. So that's really all you are striving to do — just make something that sounds warm and doesn't have that digital click to it. So I think we've managed to pull it off."

"Living The Dream" will be released on September 21 via Slash's own label Snakepit Records, in partnership with Roadrunner Records.

The group's North American headlining tour begins September 13 in Los Angeles, visiting 20 major cities including New York, Denver, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington D.C., Chicago, Austin, Houston, and more before ending October 14 in Sacramento.

Grammy Award-winning MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson was inducted into the Iowa Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Fame over the weekend, in a ceremony Sunday in Okoboji, Iowa, presented by the Iowa Rock 'N' Roll Music Association.

David, a native of nearby Jackson, Minnesota, spent his formative years, pre-MEGADETH, performing on the club circuit in Iowa, Minnesota, and South Dakota. Ellefson was inducted in the "individual artist" category, for his achievements both as a recording artist and performer, and as a producer, writer, and entrepreneur, including his work with EMP Label Group, Ellefson Coffee Co., ETA (Ellefson Touring Agency) and the recently relaunched Combat Records.

"Growing up in Jackson, which is right on the border with Iowa, I spent as much time in Iowa, as I did in Minnesota," Ellefson says. "My mom was from Iowa, and really, so much of my life growing up was here. The Iowa circuit is where I really cut my teeth as a musician, before moving to L.A. and joining MEGADETH, and it's such an amazing honor to be recognized with the Iowa Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Fame Class of 2018. After the Grammy win for 'Dystopia', it was really a cherry on top, to be recognized by my peers, and the great people back home, and to get to come back and participate in this amazing weekend."

The induction came with a permanent Ellefson exhibit on display in the Iowa Rock 'N' Roll Hall Of Fame Museum, in Arnold's Park, Iowa, featuring one of Ellefson's personal Jackson Kelly Bird signature basses, which kicked off the weekend with Ellefson performing an intimate "Basstory" masterclass on Saturday morning, and, with partner Thom Hazaert, judging the finals of the statewide Iowa Rocks Battle Of The Bands competition.

The induction weekend closed out with an all-star jam Sunday night, with Ellefson participating along with the rest of the 2018 inductees.

Earlier this month, Ellefson was honored at the Independent Entertainment Summit (IES) in Los Angeles, where he was presented (by former MEGADETH guitarist Chris Poland) the "Trailblazer Of The Year" award (along with Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman), for "starting his successful indie label EMP, reactivating Combat (which originally released MEGADETH's 'Killing Is My Business'), starting his management company, indie booking agency and coffee company, in addition to touring the world and headlining festivals and arenas with the mighty MEGADETH!"

Photos below: Melody Myers

METALLICA kicked off the 2018/2019 U.S. leg of the "WorldWired" arena tour this past Sunday night (September 2) at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. It marked the band's first visit to Madison since 2004 and first-ever appearance in the Kohl Center.

Professionally filmed video footage of the "Cyanide" performance from the Madison concert can be seen below.

METALLICA's setlist was as follows:

01. Hardwired

02. Atlas, Rise!

03. Seek & Destroy

04. Cyanide

05. Fade To Black

06. Now That We're Dead

07. Confusion

08. For Whom The Bell Tolls

09. Halo On Fire

10. Last Caress (MISFITS cover)

11. Fuel

12. Moth Into Flame

13. Sad But True

14. One

15. Master Of Puppets

Encore:

16. Spit Out The Bone

17. Nothing Else Matters

18. Enter Sandman

METALLICA recently landed on Pollstar's Global Concert Pulse chart with concert grosses of more than $2 million per market appearance on the band's European tour.

The San Francisco-based metal giants averaged 20,451 tickets per market, at an average ticket price of $104.

The 19 market reports included a two-night stand at Stuttgart, Germany's Hanns Martin Schleyer Halle, which grossed $3.3 million. Both shows were sold out, with an attendance of 14,695 per concert.

Touring in support of its latest album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", that arrived in November 2016, METALLICA launched the world tour in Latin America a month before the disc's release. In early 2017, prior to the North American stadium tour, the band made festival appearances and headlined concerts at venues in Asia, Europe and Latin America.

Although METALLICA played U.S. stadiums last summer, the band was mostly indoors for the first leg of its European tour last fall.

METALLICA's European tour included the first drone swarm for a major touring act. It consisted of 120 autonomous micro drones that emerge from the main-stage prop lifts during the song "Moth Into Flames" and swarm into several formations over the band's heads, according to Pollstar.

The 2017 dates on the "WorldWired" tour, which included stadium shows across the U.S., grossed $110.3 million in North America and $152.8 million worldwide.

ALL THAT REMAINS singer Phil Labonte has confirmed to "Jon's Untitled Podcast" that the band's new album is "done." As for the musical direction of the follow-up to last year's "Madness", Phil said (hear audio below): "I don't wanna start talking about what the new record sounds like yet. 'Cause we haven't talked about the new record publicly at all, really.

"There will be a new record soon," he continued. "It'll definitely be out next year. It'll be available early part of next year. I'm not sure when the release date's gonna be. But I don't wanna get into [the sound of the album], just because I don't wanna spoil the surprise."

"Madness" was released in April 2017 via Razor & Tie in the U.S. and Eleven Seven Music in Europe. The disc was recorded at West Valley Studios in Woodland Hills, California with producer Howard Benson, who has previously worked with such acts as MOTÖRHEAD, PAPA ROACH, THREE DAYS GRACE, FLYLEAF, P.O.D.mand HALESTORM.

At the time of the album's release, Labonte dismissed "sellout" accusations due to the more radio-friendly sound of the first single and title track, "Madness". He told Ryan Daniels of of Rock 105.5, Carolina's Pure Rock radio station: "If you're doing something — making music — and specifically catering to an audience that you have catered to or that has found something to attach to, is it a sellout to try and change and do something different? Or is it a sellout to be, like, 'Okay, this is the safe play where I know I can make my money?' It's, like, I know I that I can cater to this narrow group of people, and if we don't stray, these people will keep buying our records, these people will keep coming to our shows. Is it a sellout to be, like, 'I'm gonna try something different?'"

He continued: "People have been saying 'sellout' about us since 2006, since we put out 'The Fall Of Ideals'. We started doing clean choruses, and people were, like, 'Oh, sellout!' And it's, like, gimme a fucking break. We've always tried to push [the envelope] and change."

Krist Novoselic has responded to critics who slammed his appearance with fellow NIRVANA surviving members over the weekend.

When Novoselic's band GIANTS IN THE TREES opened for the FOO FIGHTERS — which also includes former NIRVANA touring member Pat Smear — at Seattle's Safeco Field on Saturday night, September 1, no one expected to see a mini NIRVANA reunion. Dave Grohl invited Novoselic on stage during the FOO FIGHTERS set and the duo performed NIRVANA's cover of THE VASELINES' "Molly Lips".

Grohl told the crowd: "This is an old song. We haven't done this song together in a long time."

After some fans seemingly objected to Novoselic's performance with the FOO FIGHTERS, Krist took to his Twitter account to playfully counter the online criticism. "We tried to get a hold of [Kurt] for this gig — as many times as we tried to contact Kurt, we couldn't get through" he wrote. "The phone just kept ringing & ringing. Kurt does not have email. In fact I have never emailed him in my life and I have been online since 1993."

Novoselic last performed with FOO FIGHTERS in 2017 in Eugene, Oregon. For that onstage reunion, they played FOO FIGHTERS' classic song "Big Me".

FOO FIGHTERS previously performed "Molly Lips" in Scotland, the home of THE VASELINES, in September 2015.

Fans may get treated to another reunion at Cal Jam 2018 on October 16 in San Bernardino, California. GIANTS IN THE TREES and FOO FIGHTERS are both on the festival bill.

NIRVANA's "Molly Lips" cover was included on the band's 1992 album "Incesticide".

We tried to get a hold of him for this gig—as many times as we tried to contact Kurt, we couldn't get through. The phone just kept ringing & ringing. Kurt does not have email. In fact I have never emailed him in my life and I have been online since 1993. https://t.co/HTpvvhxzr1— Krist Novoselić (@KristNovoselic) September 4, 2018

Acclaimed rock duo and basically everyone's favorite band ever TENACIOUS D — comprised of Jack Black and Kyle Gass — will release not one but two incredible works this fall. Both are called "Post-Apocalypto". Both are amazing. Here's what you need to know:

"Post-Apocalypto" — the series — is an original, six-part animated video series from the minds of TENACIOUS D. Each frame of every episode was hand-drawn by Jack himself, with every character voiced by Black and Gass. The series begins rolling out on September 28 via TENACIOUS D's YouTube page, with a new episode every Friday after that.

All six episodes feature new TENACIOUS D songs, culminating in a new TENACIOUS D album — also called "Post-Apocalypto" — released on November 2. As each episode goes up, a song from that episode can also be heard via all DSPs. Produced by John Spiker, and featuring longtime collaborator Dave Grohl on drums, "Post-Apocalypto" — the album — is a genius addition to the D's already-scintillating catalogue of rock greatness.

True to the title, "Post-Apocalypto" finds TENACIOUS D thrust into a world of complete and utter destruction following the drop of an atomic bomb. Surviving the attack in classic cinematic fashion (a good old imperishable 1950s refrigerator), the duo quickly learns that new forms of evil have spawned from the blast. One thing becomes apparent — for humanity to prevail, TENACIOUS D must save the world.

With unimaginable twists and turns, an insane visit to the White House, a time machine, a space adventure, and the help of some tried and true daddy issues, "Post-Apocalypto" is as hilarious as it is political, and as brilliant and multi-faceted as its incredible creators. The songs are damn good, too.

"Post-Apocalypto" (the album) will be available digitally, on CD, and on translucent green vinyl. There is also a limited-edition "Post-Apocalypto" vinyl picture disc that will only be available on the band's online store.

TENACIOUS D will be playing sold out shows across the country this fall. Tour dates are below.

The dates are:

Oct. 06 - San Bernardino, CA @ Cal Jam 18

Nov. 03 - Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre

Nov. 04 - Brooklyn, NY @ Kings Theatre

Nov. 05 - Boston, MA @ House of Blues

Nov. 07 - Washington, DC @ The Anthem

Nov. 08 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Fillmore

Nov. 09 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Stage AE

Nov. 10 - Columbus, OH @ Express Live! Indoor Pavilion

Nov. 12 - Detroit, MI @ The Fillmore

Nov. 13 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre

Nov. 14 - Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre

Dec. 10 - Calgary, Canada @ Grey Eagle Resort and Casino

Dec. 11 - Edmonton, Canada @ Show Conference Centre

Dec. 13 - Vancouver, Canada @ Queen Elizabeth Theatre

Dec. 14 - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre

Dec. 15 - Portland, OR @ McMenamins Crystal Ballroom

Dec. 17 - Oakland, CA @ FOX Theater

Dec. 31 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint

"Viva Morte", a new song from Greek black metallers LUCIFER'S CHILD, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's second studio album, titled "The Order", which will be released on November 9 via Agonia Records. The band, featuring members of ROTTING CHRIST, NIGHTFALL and CHAOSTAR, recorded eight new songs clad in artwork by Daniele Valeriani (DARK FUNERAL, DISSECTION, MAYHEM).

LUCIFER'S CHILD originates from Athens. Its music is a bridge to the world of atmospheric black metal, and a vessel for spiritual self-expression through lyrics. The goal of unifying these two elements gleamed clearly in the eyes of George Emmanuel, a prolific guitarist primarily known for his work as part of ROTTING CHRIST (and a former guitarist of CHAOSTAR), when he formed the band together with bassist Stathis Ridis (a member of another long-running Hellenic metal unit, NIGHTFALL) in 2013. Born from a partnership between two talented musicians, the duo quickly expanded to take in vocalist Marios Dupont (KARMA VIOLENS) and drummer Nick Vell (CHAOSTAR), and delivered their debut album, "The Wiccan", in 2015. Encouraged by the album's keen reception, followed by several festival appearences (including Inferno Festival, Blastfest and Incineration Festival), LUCIFER'S CHILD returns in a darker, more extreme shade, passionate in outperforming its bold debut.

"The Order" was recorded, mixed and mastered in Emmanuel's own recording studio, Pentagram. He commented on the new album: "After three years of converging and sculpting our ideas and sounds we are ready to present our second full-length album entitled 'The Order'. Lucifer awaits!".

"The Order" track listing:

01. Viva Morte

02. The Order

03. Fall Of The Rebel Angels

04. Through Fire We Burn

05. El Dragón

06. Black Heart

07. Haraya

08. Siste Farvel

LUCIFER'S CHILD is:

George Emmanuel - guitars

Stathis Ridis - bass

Marios Dupont - vocals

Nick Vell - drums

In a brand new interview with the "Iron City Rocks" podcast, ex-JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing was asked if he would ever entertain reconnecting with his former bandmates if the opportunity presented itself. "I don't know what happened," K.K. said. "I tried to leave discreetly [and] quietly, and that was it. But when things start to appear in the press and that, I don't know why — maybe it's misinterpretation, but things happen, and I'm thinking this kind of mutual-respect thing seems to be drifting away, and it kind of gets to be like that. But my intention was to hopefully not burn any bridges at all, because I'm of an age now where it's not a good thing to permanently burn bridges through life. I would like to be in a situation where — and I'm sure it would happen — we could meet, shake hands, hugs and embraces after such a long time, and keep the relationship intact.

"With Glenn's [Tipton, guitar] condition, it's something that, I think, was a surprise to everyone. But I heard that Glenn was in Montreal a few days ago at a show, so that's good. And I'm sure that everyone, with me, wishes him, obviously, the best. The guys are scheduled to tour, I believe, I've just heard, with Ozzy [Osbourne] next year in the U.K. and do some big shows there, so that's a show not to be missed. So I'm more than happy and enthusiastic that we'll have a good day when we eventually do get together."

Downing, who is promoting his upcoming autobiography, "Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest", also talked about a point he makes in the book about JUDAS PRIEST never becoming as big as he thinks it could have been. "It was just really an observation," he said. "To most people, JUDAS PRIEST were this gigantic machine, a powerhouse and really successful, but we didn't achieve, in a way, [what] a lot of other bands achieved, and a lot of bands, essentially, did kind of pass us in the success and album-sales ratio. DEF LEPPARD would be a prime example, going from supporting JUDAS PRIEST to selling an album that, in the States, did five [or] six million, and then the next album did nine, 10, 11 million. I think our biggest-ever-selling record in the States was 'Screaming For Vengeance', [which] may have done something in between two to three million maybe. So that kind of ratio. And there's lots of other bands doing similar sort of things. Even the band QUIET RIOT, I think, had an album that was five or six million, which was double or more than what we had achieved. So who's to say, really? I think timing is very, very critical. Hence I say DEF LEPPARD [did] these mega-selling albums in '83 and '84 — I'm guessing — and we [came] out with the 'Turbo' album in '85 or '86. It's just about timing, really, as to how people are feeling at a certain point in a decade. But, yeah, we could have done a lot worse, so no complaints at all. I'm very, very proud of my achievement, the band's achievement, and the greatest respect to not just my bandmates, but also, obviously, to all of the fans and music lovers worldwide."

"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.

Earlier this year, Downing released a statement in which he said that he was "shocked and stunned" that he wasn't approached to rejoin JUDAS PRIEST following Glenn Tipton's announcement that he would no longer be touring with the band due to his battle with Parkinson's disease.

A revamped version of KINGDOM COME — comprised of guitarists Danny Stag and Rick Steier, bassist Johnny B. Frank, drummer James Kottak, along with singer Keith St. John (formerly of MONTROSE and LYNCH MOB) — will celebrate the 30th anniversary of the release of the band's self-titled debut album by embarking on a U.S. tour in the fall. Original singer Lenny Wolf declined to participate in the trek, which will kick off on September 27 in Seattle, Washington.

Tour dates:

Sep. 27 - Seattle, WA - Club Sur Rocks

Sep. 28 - Vancouver, WA - Cascade Bar & Grill

Sep. 29 - Sacramento, CA - Holy Diver

Oct. 03 - West Hollywood, CA - Whisky A Go Go

Oct. 05 - Las Vegas, NV - Vamp'd

Oct. 06 - Ramona, CA - Ramona Mainstage

Oct. 07 - Scottsdale, AZ - Blk Live

Oct. 08 - Santa Fe, NM - Camel Rock Casino

Oct. 11 - St. Charles, IL - Arcada Theatre (with special guests KILLER DWARFS)

Oct. 12 - Westland, MI - The Token Lounge

Oct. 13 - Versailles, OH - BMI Speedway (co-headlining with AUTOGRAPH; special guests are KILLER DWARFS)

Oct. 14 - Louisville, KY - The Bourbon Hall

Oct. 17 - Pittsburgh, PA - Jergel's Rhythm Grille

Oct. 18 - Sellersville, PA - Sellersville Theater

Oct. 19 - Halethorpe, MD - Fish Head Cantina

Oct. 20 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance (supporting ZEBRA)

Oct. 21 - Derry, NH - Tupelo Music Hall

Oct. 23 - New Bedford, MA - Greasy Luck Brewpub

Oct. 26 - Granite City, IL - Eddie's Bar & Grill

Oct. 27 - Kansas City, MO - The Scene KC Rock Bar

Kottak, who played on KINGDOM COME's first two albums, 1988's "Kingdom Come" and 1989's "In Your Face" before leaving, spoke to "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" about his decision to resurrect the group. "I've been itching at this," he said. "We tried to launch it back in 2012-13; it just didn't happen because my duties with SCORPIONS took over. And here we are now. We've got the original four — me, myself, Danny Stag on guitar; Johnny B. Frank on bass; Rick Steier on guitar — and then introducing Keith St. John, the vocalist who sang for MONTROSE, LYNCH MOB, etc. And I'm so excited. It's gonna be so awesome."

Regarding Lenny's decision to sit out the tour, James said: "Lenny is just kind of Lenny. To know him is to love him, and I love him and respect his wishes. We've gone back and forth over the last five, six years about this KINGDOM COME reboot, but recently, back in November [or] December, I approached him and I gave him everything on a silver platter, but he said, 'You know what? I just don't wanna do it.' He's just kind of done. He wants to retire. He's got his life. He's up in Hamburg, Germany, and he just doesn't wanna deal with it. And I can understand that and I respect that.

"I had this desire to do this for so long, and he knew that — he knew this going into it, that I wanted to do it, and I'm not gonna let anything stop me," he continued. "So I'm taking it out — KINGDOM COME; it's my name — 'cause it was my band too. So we're out there, and Lenny gave us [his] blessing. I really wish he was onboard, [but] he's just not, and it is what it is. And you do what you have to do, and that's it. It's rock and roll, man."

Asked if the new KINGDOM COME will perform only cuts from the self-titled debut or if it will include other material in its set, Kottak said: "We're gonna play the entire first album, but also we're gonna include songs from the second album, and then also what we thought we would do is add in some MONTROSE, because me and Keith were both with MONTROSE. We're gonna add in some… a little bit of this, and maybe a WARRANT song, and maybe this song and that song, and a little bit of everything to keep it interesting. I mean, we're gonna play some LED ZEPPELIN. Are you kidding? GRETA VAN FLEET is killing it. And we wanna include everything, because we don't wanna be a one-dimensional band, like, 'Oh, it's KINGDOM COME, KINGDOM COME. We're playing the first album.' We wanna include everything, we wanna involve everybody and we wanna make it interesting, because, face it or not, people's attention spans have gotten very short. And we want to entertain everyone — in an hour and 15 minutes, we want to provide you with 24, 28 songs. Maybe it's not the complete songs, but you know what you're gonna get? You're gonna get a rock and roll extravaganza, [and] you're gonna get entertainment."

Kottak, who joined the SCORPIONS in 1996 and played with the band for 20 years, went on to say that he hopes KINGDOM COME can continue well beyond the upcoming U.S. tour. "For me, this is something I wanted to reboot years ago, but SCORPIONS didn't end," he said, referring to the German group's aborted farewell tour. "What I would like to see happen is we do this to reboot it and we get it up and running at the end of September through October, and then we keep going and going. And I would like to tour on it and I would create some new music, or some new singles — something. But I want it to continue on, because I love rock and roll, and I love KINGDOM COME. And maybe Lenny will contribute some music towards it… I just want things to go forward — I want things to be big. Because if the music isn't there, I'm not there, man."

He continued: "I've been offered so many situations, to play with this one and that one and whatever, and do this and that, whatever, and, honestly, I just don't wanna do it. I wanna do what I wanna do. I've worked my ass off for 35 years, and I wanna do what I wanna do. I wanna be creative and I wanna be involved in what I wanna do. And that's selfish, but…

"I love rock and roll and I like good rock and roll, and KINGDOM COME, to me, is the best of the best. So let's see what happens, man."

Keith St. John also made an appearance on "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" to address his involvement with the revamped KINGDOM COME. The singer, who has known Kottak for more than two decades, said that he decided to front the project after careful consideration over a year-long period.

"As a vocalist, when you're gonna go out and either sub in or become the new guy in a band that's been seen and is kind of iconic and especially that had a lot of video exposure, it's a big decision for me, as a singer, because the vocalist is hard to miss, and especially for the fans — it's hard to miss that there's a different vocalist when people come out to see a band," he explained. "So I'm really careful about picking and choosing what I'll do. And suffice it to say, living in L.A. and being a guy that most of the, let's say, '80s, hair-band kind of genre knows about, I get called to do this kind of thing. And for me, my basic philosophy, as I've been getting middle-aged, or whatever you wanna call it — a little older — has been, if I can't be me and just do my thing and have it just fit in with the style of the band, then I really have to pass these days.

"The KINGDOM COME thing came about out of the blue, when James and I were talking, probably close to a year ago," he continued. "And I listened to the material and I thought about it, and I was, like, 'Man, this stuff really could be done in a way… I mean, I can sing this my way and it'll still sound authentic, like it's supposed to sound, and I can have a lot of fun with this stuff.' And as also part of my due diligence, I said to myself, 'Well, you guys [have] really gotta make sure that you wanna do this, because, by and large, for me' — I always tell this to bands, and I'm sure everybody else feels the same way — 'if the original guys are alive and you can get together, get together, man. Do it. Because there's only so much time.' But, for whatever reason, this is something that probably has to remain the way it is, as far as Lenny doing his own thing and the band doing its own thing. And that's cool — they spent a lot of time working it out. So I waited until they did their diligence and they were really sure. A bunch of months went by — like a half a year — and we said, 'Are you sure? Are you sure? Okay.' And we said, 'Okay, let's go for it, man. [We've] got a month or more worth of dates in the fall. Let's try it out. Let's start it there, see how it goes.' And we're either gonna have a really big super-win or we're gonna have a whole bunch of angry fans going, 'Thumbs down.' [Laughs]"

This past June, Wolf issued a statement via his official web site in which he said that "the KINGDOM COME ship has reached its final destination, at least during my visit on our planet earth." He added that his decision was "mainly caused by experiences I made throughout the last three years, during which the fun factor disappeared more and more, and our energy and hopes have repeatedly been crushed by people and circumstances beyond our control. Some folks out there may not believe it, but it's NOT all about money," he said. "I realized that chasing something which seems is not meant to be, trying to force things, would never lead to something good. Therefore it's time to let go.

"It's been a fantastic 30-year-long musical ride, for which I can only be VERY grateful," the singer added. "Having gone through good and bad times, in the end it was an exceptional way to explore our planet, having met countless wonderful people around the globe and building up memories that can not be taken away from me, or you.

"I'm not saying that I will never write a song again, or never again enter a stage, but the chapter called 'KINGDOM COME' is now closed. One day I may revisit the music scene with a new band called 'IRON BANANA', but until then, it is what it is.

"I hope the KINGDOM COME songs have given many of you energy, joy and strength, as they did for me," Lenny said. "The KINGDOM COME songs will live on, long after we all have turned to dust, and will hopefully do the same for many generations to come, unless of course, we have blown up our planet before then."

After its early run of success in the '80s, KINGDOM COME released several albums, with Wolf remaining the only constant member of the band. The group's most recent effort was 2013's "Outlier".

Udo Dirkschneider has confirmed to Greece's Rock Overdose that he will no longer perform any ACCEPT songs live once he has completed his current touring obligations with his DIRKSCHNEIDER project. "I did now the DIRKSCHNEIDER thing for nearly three hundred shows — I played only ACCEPT songs," he said. "If [the fans] wanna hear some ACCEPT classic stuff, what can I say? Then please go to [see] ACCEPT; they're still touring.

"I would say as long as ACCEPT is existing, I don't play any ACCEPT songs anymore," he explained. "If they maybe split up and I'm still continuing to tour, then it's a possibility to play some ACCEPT songs. But at the moment, they're still going on tour and they play also a lot of old ACCEPT classic stuff, so here we go. I mean, I have now 16 U.D.O. albums out and I think we have enough songs to do a setlist without ACCEPT songs."

Asked if he still has any contact with his former bandmates, Udo said: "No. No contact anymore. Definitely no contact. There was too many bad things [that] happened. I don't wanna be in contact with them anymore."

Back in 2015, ACCEPT guitarist Wolf Hoffmann dismissed Dirkschneider's comment that the band's current lineup — which includes ACCEPT's singer of nearly a decade, Mark Tornillo — performs live "without any emotion," "It's just hilarious at this point," Wolf said. "It's just a big joke in our lives. And we just go on about our lives, and we do our thing, and we just… We let these things go by and laugh about it. He's actually sort of our press agent, in a way. He keeps us [in the news]."

The DIRKSCHNEIDER tour, which was originally supposed to conclude with the band's North American run in January/February 2017, has now been extended through the fall of 2018.

In addition to Udo and his son Sven (drums), the DIRKSCHNEIDER and U.D.O. bands include bassist Fitty Wienhold and guitarist Andrey Smirnov.

DIRKSCHNEIDER released "Live - Back To The Roots - Accepted!" in August 2017 as a DVD/2CD, Blu-ray/2CD and gatefold triple vinyl in two different colors.

U.D.O.'s new album, "Steelfactory", was released on August 31 via AFM.

Julien's Auctions is paying tribute to one of the most influential heavy metal heroes and forefathers of headbanging music with the "Property From The Estate Of Ronnie James Dio" auction, live at The Hard Rock Café in New York on Friday, September 14 and Saturday, September 15 and online at JuliensLive.com.

Nearly a dozen video trailers for the "Property From The Estate Of Ronnie James Dio" auction have been posted online and can be viewed below.

Highlights of the auction will feature items from the legendary singer's stellar career with iconic bands RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH and DIO, including several pieces of original album artwork including the acrylic painting by Barry Jackson used as the cover for the 1984 DIO album "The Last In Line" (estimate $20,000 - $30,000); his pair of moon and stars patchwork jeans worn extensively on stage with RAINBOW (estimate $2,000 - $4,000); Dio's custom-made violet suede vest with tails and red leather shin guards worn on stage and in promotional photographs for the 1985 "Sacred Heart" tour (estimate $2,000 - $4,000); a personalized BLACK SABBATH hooded velour robe from the 1981 "Mob Rules" tour worn regularly backstage (estimate $1,000 - $2,000); Dio's personal rolling wardrobe case (estimate $800 - $1,200); some of the most ambitious and spectacular stage design rock has ever seen with props such as a monumental animatronic sphinx on plinth base from the 1984 "The Last In Line" tour (estimate $2,000 - 4,000) and a massive animatronic dragon's head from the 1985 "Sacred Heart" tour (estimate $3,000 - 5,000); an array of Dio's studio and stage used instruments and gear such as a custom Charvel guitar featuring a one-of-a-kind wizard paint motif (estimate $3,000 - $5,000); a 1978 "gold" record award commemorating Australian sales of the RAINBOW album "Rising" (estimate $600–$800) and a 1978 "gold" record award for the album RAINBOW "On Stage" (estimate $600 - $800) and much more.

"I am glad that Ronnie's extensive collection of items will go to his fans, museums and collectors around the world to be displayed for all to see and enjoy," Dio's widow Wendy said in a statement. "These items are very special to me but I recognize the historical importance of anything to do with Ronnie and he would want his fans to be able to own, enjoy and see these items for many years to come."

Darren Julien, CEO and president of Julien's Auctions, said: "Dio stands atop the colossal rock legends of our time as the definitive heavy metal hero whose voice, style and persona influenced heavy metal and today's music icons like no other.

"Julien's Auctions salutes Dio's enduring legacy in this larger-than-life collection of his artefacts that will surely be the ultimate metal auction of the season."

Video footage of Swedish doom metal legends CANDLEMASS rehearsing their classic song "Solitude" with newly returned singer Johan Längqvist can be seen below.

CANDLEMASS announced yesterday that it had parted ways with Mats Levén and reteamed with Längqvist.

Längqvist sang on CANDLEMASS's debut album, 1986's "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus", before exiting the group and being replaced by Messiah Marcolin.

Commented CANDLEMASS: "We wanted to find our way back to the roots of CANDLEMASS, back to the soul and essence of the band. Johan Längqvist is back and we hope this will give us some new energy and kickstart the heart of doom again. We don't know if it will last 10 more years or even five, but if it will give us just another year of having fun and playing the music that we love so much, it will be a blast! The circle is closed, Johan is back!"

Levén, who had been with CANDLEMASS since 2012, added in a separate statement: "First, let me salute all the fans in Europe, South/Latin America, North America and Japan for coming to our shows during the last six years. It's been a true privilege and joy playing for you all — thank you! Also, a big thanks to our crew, promotors and every musician filling in whenever it was necessary. I especially want to mention Per Wiberg (bass/keyboards) who's done quite a few CANDLEMASS shows and also been a splendid roommate — thanks amigo."

CANDLEMASS is currently recording a new studio album for a tentative 2019 release.

A new CANDLEMASS track, "House Of Doom", was released on May 25 as an EP with three bonus cuts via Napalm Records. The song is the soundtrack of the game with the same name, which was co-designed by the legendary Swedish doom metal band.

The "House Of Doom" soundtrack was written by CANDLEMASS bassist Leif Edling, produced by Marcus Jidell, mixed by David Castillo and mastered by Maor Appelbaum.

CANDLEMASS's most recent full-length album, "Psalms For The Dead", came out in 2012 via Napalm Records. It was the last CANDLEMASS album recorded with singer Robert Lowe, who left the band just days before its release.

Ian Gillan has reunited with his pre-DEEP PURPLE band THE JAVELINS to record the group's debut album. "Ian Gillan And The Javelins" was released August 31 as a CD digipak, a vinyl LP and a digital download. The 16-track collection features covers of American blues, rock 'n' roll, soul and country tunes, including renditions of rock classics like THE CONTOURS' "Do You Love Me", Roy Orbison's "Dream Baby (How Long Must I Dream)" , Chuck Berry's "Memphis, Tennessee" and "Rock And Roll Music", Jerry Lee Lewis's "High School Confidential", Buddy Holly's "It's So Easy", Howlin' Wolf's "Smokestack Lightnin'" and Ray Charles's "What I'd Say".

In the video below, Ian Gillan and THE JAVELINS share some stories from the 1960s.

Every DEEP PURPLE true lover knows how much their magic and powerful style is the result of many different influences brought in by the single members, all merging into the powerful sound loved by millions of rock fans. Ian Gillan's love for American soul and R&B as well as skiffle and early rock and roll has been well documented in many articles and interviews.

Founded in the early 60s, THE JAVELINS were influenced by pop, soul, country, jazz and blues artists from America. They soaked up the music of their heroes, added their own stamp and went from town to town to perform their favourite songs in front of a small but ever growing audience — becoming local heroes themselves.

This was the time when Ian Gillan discovered himself, broke the chains and "found his voice."


THE JAVELINS paved the way for the Ian Gillan who, only a few years later, wrote music history with DEEP PURPLE, becoming one of the most iconic frontmen of all time and, together with very few others, shaped rock music the way we know it today.

"These contemporary recordings (2018) by THE JAVELINS are drawn from our set lists, circa 1963, when I was 18 years old. Now, a few years later, I have the privilege and joy of working with my old mates from the original group; Gordon Fairminer (lead guitar); Tony Tacon (rhythm guitar); Tony Whitfield (bass guitar); Keith Roach (drums), as we make a long-overdue LP."

Ian Gillan has defined this new studio album as "a collection of catchy rhythms and feel-good melodies". This understating definition shows Gillan's ability to still look at those songs and his whole career with the same eyes of the 18-year-old boy who sang them many years ago.

But there is a lot more to this recordings…

By paying tribute to music legends such as Chuck Berry, THE DRIFTERS, Jerry Lee Lewis, Ray Charles, Buddy Holly and Bo Diddley, IAN GILLAN & THE JAVELINS have not only managed to do that.

Avoiding the use of any modern technology, the band has managed to find the spontaneity and true sense of freedom of pop and rock and roll music of 50 years ago, probably without completely realizing it themselves.

One world superstar and four friends who have taken very different directions in life (none decided to "turn pro" as they would say it) but still able to capture the essence of what being a performing band is about.

This album is what happened during four days of recordings in a studio in Hamburg, Germany, where instruments, microphones, lyrics sheets and memories were the only tools allowed.

This album is not an act of nostalgia, or a celebration of the purity of the old days versus modernity. This is simply what the Javelins were in 1963… and this is what they are now, if they happen to meet in the studio, embracing their guitars and look at each other with a big smile on their face.

This is where it all started.

"Ian Gillan & The Javelins" has been recorded at the Chameleon Studios during a five-day recording session in Hamburg, March 2018, Germany. It features Don Airey (DEEP PURPLE) as special guest on piano.

Gillan told Kaaos TV about THE JAVELINS: "The guys in the band, most of them tickled along at the occasional gig and they practiced, but most of them haven't really played in any progressive way for 50 years or more — 55, 56 years now.

"I prepared all the material with Steve Morris, my old partner from Liverpool — not Steve Morse; Steve Morris. And we sent the tapes, 16 songs, to each of the guys, and said, 'Okay, practice like crazy for six weeks.' And so we all met in the studio in Hamburg and we recorded 10 songs on the first day. And the whole 16 were recorded in two days, and then the solos and extra bits and pieces, a few mistakes, were repaired on a Wednesday, and then we did a video, and that was it. It was unbelievable."

He continued: "I was listening to the rough mixes, before we put on the vocal backings, the girls, and the brass section, because a lot of those old songs, like THE COASTERS and Ray Charles, had brass sections on them, so we're doing it authentically, augmenting the band. But, you know, because they hadn't played professionally for 50 years, they didn't evolve at all — they kept playing in the style which was in 1962, and consequently, when I'm listening to it, I think, 'My God! This is so authentic. It sounds just exactly as it did in those days.' It's not musicians from today trying to do a retro version of those songs, which I've heard plenty of, and they're always high production — there's no breathing space; no nothing. It sounds, to me, just as I remember it.

"Of course, we're all in our 70s, and we're like a bunch of school boys in the studio," he added. "We had a reunion a couple of years ago — at Christmas, we all went on a boat up the river Thames and had a fantastic night. And it was great — the old banter was still there, the jokes and the sense of humor. And it was wonderful — just truly wonderful. A great experience for these guys who have not been in a studio like that before. We did try another project a few years ago and made another set. So I think there were some nerves and some apprehension prior to the session, but by God, they went through it great. After every day's work, we sat down, we had a meal and drank some beers together and just talked about things. It was great. It was certainly a fantastic experience."

After heavy touring for the first part of 2018, STRYPER will return to the road this fall for the second half of its "God Damn Evil" world tour. And there is good news for STRYPER fans… guitarist Oz Fox intends to return to the road for most of the dates this fall.

This has been a challenging summer for Oz and his bandmates. On August 11, Oz suffered a medical emergency while performing with a side project in Las Vegas. An onstage seizure led to the discovery of some previously unknown "spots" on the brain. Oz has been released from the hospital, although additional testing and treatment will be necessary. However, he should be released to work this fall while his medical team decides the best course of action moving forward.

Oz was forced to sit out the Australia tour dates last month, and he'll miss the September dates as well due to air travel restrictions from his doctor. However, he intends to rejoin STRYPER on the road in October. Oz handpicked Los Angeles-based guitarist Howie Simon to fill in for him on the September dates, allowing Oz additional time to rest and recover. Simon will be a familiar face to many STRYPER fans, with performance credits that include NELSON, Jeff Scott Soto, SCRAP METAL, TALISMAN, Eric Martin, WINGER and more.

"Howie Simon and I have been friends for well over a decade now," says Oz. "It is great to have him help us out and fill in for me while I am in recovery. I am looking forward to catching some fan videos of him online. He's an excellent performer and his guitar playing outranks so many in the business. In my opinion, it is very important for the band to fulfill dates that have been booked for so long. I am thankful for the continued support of the fans while my STRYPER family and I face this detour in my career, and I look forward to seeing many of you on the road in October and November."

"We appreciate all the support, thoughts and prayers from everyone at this time," says frontman Michael Sweet. "We look forward to having our brother Oz back as quickly as possible. We're also very grateful to Howie for working so hard learning the material and parts to be able to sit in with us for the time being. We'll do our best to bring you the absolute best show possible until Oz returns."

Formed 35 years ago, STRYPER is the first overtly Christian metal band to go mainstream. The group's name comes from Isaiah 53:5, which states: "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed."

STRYPER's albums include "To Hell With The Devil", "Second Coming", "No More Hell To Pay", "Fallen" and the band's latest effort, "God Damn Evil".

Tour dates:

Sep. 07 - Rocktember Music Festival - Hinkley, MN

Sep. 08 - The Arcada Theatre - St. Charles, IL

Sep. 13 - House of Blues Orlando - Lake Buena Vista, FL

Sep. 15 - “Rockin’ Vivo Fest” at Vivo Beach Club - Carolina, Puerto Rico

Oct. 12 - The Vogue - Indianapolis, IN

Oct. 13 - Delmar Hall - St Louis, MO

Oct. 14 - Diamond Ballroom - Oklahoma City, OK

Oct. 18 - Stampede - Aurora, CO

Oct. 20 - LeatherHheads - Draper, UT

Oct. 25 - The Marquee - Tempe, AZ

Oct. 26 - The Rialto Theatre - Tucson, AZ

Oct. 27 - The Club @ Cannery Casino Hotel - North Las Vegas, NV

Oct. 31 - Whiskey A Go Go - West Hollywood, CA

Nov. 02 - San Manuel Indian Bingo & Casino - Highland, CA

Nov. 03 - The Canyon Theater - Santa Clarita, CA

Nov. 04 - Ace of Spades - Sacramento, CA

Nov. 06 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA

Nov. 11 - Virginia St Brewhouse - Reno, NV

Nov. 14 - Pub Station Ballroom - Billings, MT

Nov. 17 - Anthem @ Hard Rock Casino - Sioux City, IA

Jan. 31 - Tupelo Music Hall - Derry, NH

Feb. 01 - Wolf’s Den @ Mohegan Sun - Uncasville, CT

Feb. 09 - Kawasaki Club Citta - Tokyo, Japan (Rescheduled)

Feb. 10 - Kawasaki Club Citta - Tokyo, Japan (Rescheduled)

STONE SOUR's music video for an acoustic version of the song "Mercy" can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's acclaimed 2017 LP, "Hydrograd", which was released as a deluxe edition on August 31. The two-disc set, "Hydrograd Deluxe Edition", collects unreleased covers, b-sides, live recordings and alternate versions of songs from "Hydrograd". The deluxe edition is highlighted by "Burn One Turn One", a previously unreleased b-side from "Hydrograd". "Hydrograd Deluxe Edition" features 13 rare or unreleased songs including an acoustic version of the No. 1 rock song "Song #3", as well as covers of hits from RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, SOUNDGARDEN and VAN HALEN.

"Hydrograd Deluxe Edition" track listing:

Disc 1:

01. YSIF

02. Taipei Person /Allah Tea

03. Knievel Has Landed

04. Hydrograd

05. Song #3

06. Fabuless

07. The Witness Trees

08. Rose Red Violent Blue (This Song Is Dumb & So Am I)

09. Thank God It's Over

10. St. Marie

11. Mercy

12. Whiplash Pants

13. Friday Knights

14. Somebody Stole My Eyes

15. When The Fever Broke

Disc 2:

01. Burn One Turn One

02. Bootleg Ginger

03. Live Like You're On Fire

04. Subversive

05. Unchained

06. Bombtrack

07. Outshined (Live at Sphere)

08. Song # 3 (Acoustic)

09. Mercy (Acoustic)

10. Rose Red Violent Blue (This Song Is Dumb & So Am I) (Acoustic)

11. The Witness Trees (Acoustic)

12. Mercy (Live at Sphere)

13. Fabuless (Live at Sphere)

"Hydrograd" was recorded at Sphere Studios in North Hollywood, California with producer Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX and STEEL PANTHER.

STONE SOUR drummer Roy Mayorga told Topeka's rock station V100 about the making of "Hydrograd": "It came about pretty natural. It's just a collective of everyone. A lot of it was written together, live at my house. We demoed all of it at my studio at my house and just kind of pieced everything together there. We did five or six songs at a time, and every three months we'd get back together and do it that way. Corey [Taylor, vocals] would bring in some songs; Josh [Rand, guitar] would bring in some songs; Christian [Martucci, guitar] brought in a lot of stuff; I would submit some riffs to Christian and he would put 'em together… We wrote about, I'd say, 28 to 30 [songs], and we whittled it down to what you hear. You write as many as you can, you write the best songs you can, and then just pick from there."

STONE SOUR is supporting Ozzy Osbourne on the initial North American leg of the legendary vocalist's "No More Tours 2" tour, which kicked off August 30 in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

The first trailer for the upcoming self-titled debut album from NORTHWARD, the hard rock project featuring current NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen and PAGAN'S MIND guitarist Jørn Viggo Lofstad, can be seen below. The disc will be released on October 19 via Nuclear Blast. The cover artwork for the album was created by Hannes Van Dahl and Chris Rörland and can be seen below.

NORTHWARD's recently released music video for the "While Love Died" single was produced by Ville Lipiäinen (NIGHTWISH, PAIN).

"Northward" track listing:

01. While Love Died

02. Get What You Give

03. Storm In A Glass

04. Drifting Islands

05. Paragon

06. Let Me Out

07. Big Boy

08. Timebomb

09. Bridle Passion

10. I Need

11. Northward

It was during the "all-star jam" at ProgPower USA festival in 2007 when Jansen and Lofstad spontaneously joined forces on stage for some cover songs and noticed a certain creative magic between them. Although the two musicians had never met before, they soon discovered their mutual love for stripped-down hard rock and decided to write some songs together. In 2008, still barely knowing each other, they composed an entire album's worth of material in next to no time — but due to their tight schedules with their main bands, their new project named NORTHWARD never found its way to the spotlight, until today!

In 2017, the year of NIGHTWISH's break, Floor took the opportunity to contact her old friend Jørn Viggo again to see if he was still interested in resurrecting NORTHWARD — and of course he was!

"Jørn Viggo was positive about the project and we started to make the overall plans, meeting again in March of 2017 in Sweden to go through all the material together to see if we still felt happy with what we had created", recalls Floor.

Stepping free from boundaries, NORTHWARD's sound is strong, euphoric and straight in the tradition of SKUNK ANANSIE, FOO FIGHTERS and ALTER BRIDGE but also bands such as DEEP PURPLE and LED ZEPPELIN.

With the help of producer Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT), the two forged a raw diamond composed of heavy riffs and Floor's incomparable voice, free from influence of the musicians' main bands. And although the songs had originally been written in 2008, they just felt as fresh and alive upon a second hearing as they had on the very first day of their creation.

"The music is melodic, but also in-your-face and kick-ass rock," says Floor. "Cool riffs, good melodies and tasteful arrangements. We would simply like to call it 'good music.' We wanted to explore a basic rock sound, with drums, bass, guitar and vocals. Not the heavy layers of keyboards, choirs etc.".

Alongside Jansen and Lofstad, Morty Black (TNT) handled bass duties, while drums were recorded by Django Nilsen and Stian Kristoffersen (PAGAN'S MIND). You will also hear a guest appearance by Floor's sister Irene Jansen, singing a duet on the song "Drifting Islands". And finally, Ronny Tegner from PAGAN'S MIND played the piano on one song.

This year NORTHWARD is ready to break free. Jansen states: "We are happy and excited to be able to release this rock album under Nuclear Blast's name. They accepted the challenge of bringing this non-metal album into the world by believing in us as musicians, and also for the pure love for music that sounds good to them. We have both put our heart and soul into this album. We are very proud of it and we can't wait to show it to you all!"

WURMgroup has announced the signing of the newly reunited ONESIDEZERO.

Formed in 1997, ONESIDEZERO has released two albums: its acclaimed 2001 debut, "Is This Room Getting Smaller", which was produced by Jim Wirt (INCUBUS) and mixed by David Botrill (TOOL), as well as the 2007 self-titled follow-up, which was helmed by Ulrich Wild (PANTERA, DEFTONES, STATIC-X). Through the years, the band has toured with the likes of INCUBUS, SEVENDUST, STATIC-X, SOULFLY and 311, and has also appeared on the HBO show "Reverb" with LINKIN PARK.

Now armed with a new lineup, ONESIDEZERO is looking to further cement its mark in the rock world. The band is currently in the studio working on new music with WURMgroup founder, producer and mixer Ulrich Wild, and has planned a re-release of its self-titled second album. This new edition will feature a new mix, as well as a previously unreleased song.

In regard to the new songs and album, singer/guitarist Jasan Radford said: "We've always written what we've felt, and I think we're 100 percent back to doing that again. It's still very much like an original onesidezero sound, but it's more 'adult.' … We've grown up and appreciate everybody and the people we're playing with."

WURMgroup was founded in 2015 by Wild as a place for artists to find a home and build their recording careers.

ONESIDEZERO made its live comeback on August 18 at The Viper Room in Hollywood, California. This marked the group's first live appearance with its new lineup, featuring founding members Radford and Levon Sultanian (guitar), along with new drummer Michael Tarabotto and bassist Marello Dias (formerly of SOULFLY and ABLOOM).

PAPA ROACH's Jerry Horton has revealed to Morgan Richards Interviews that the band is "about 85 percent finished" making the follow-up to last year's "Crooked Teeth" album. The new disc will arrive "either at the end of this year or the beginning of next year," according to the guitarist.

Speaking about how PAPA ROACH's upcoming LP will be a musical progression from "Crooked Teeth", Horton said (see video below): "We're at the point, I think, in our career where we want to… we're really trying to explore more dynamics now and not just be a wall of guitars all the time. So you can do that, but if it's loud all the time, then you don't know when it's supposed to be loud and when it's supposed not to be loud. So we're trying to balance and trying to get some more impact, and I think we started that off really well with [the 'Crooked Teeth' song] 'Help' — and 'Born For Greatness' was another one. We're trying to imagine how it's gonna go [over] live, when we write the song. So that's kind of how 'Born For Greatness' happened, where we were just, like, 'We want something that people can bounce to.' So we're continuing that on the next one. And it's been really good."

PAPA ROACH frontman Jacoby Shaddix recently told the Lazer 103.3 radio station that the band had "13 or 14 songs written and recorded" for the upcoming album. He described the musical direction of the new PAPA ROACH material as "a pretty bold evolution," saying that the tracks that have been laid down so far are "so inspiring and just unique and different and rocking and anthemic and passionate."

"Crooked Teeth" was released in May 2017 via Eleven Seven Music. The disc was written and recorded in a cramped North Hollywood studio with producers Nicholas "RAS" Furlong and Colin Brittain, with the exception of "Born For Greatness", which saw the band collaborate with writer/producer Jason Evigan (Jason Derulo, Demi Lovato, Zedd, MAROON 5).

Multi-camera video footage of SLAYER's August 26 performance at the SAP Center in San Jose, California can be seen below (courtesy of Capital Chaos TV).

SLAYER kicked off its farewell tour on May 10 at the Valley View Casino Center in San Diego, California.

This past January, SLAYER announced that it would do one last concert tour around the globe to thank their fans for all of their support over the years, for making the last three and a half decades so packed with good times and unforgettable experiences, and then move on.

SLAYER bassist/vocalist Tom Araya talked about his possible retirement in a 2016 interview with Loudwire. He said: "At 35 years, it's time to collect my pension. [Laughs] This is a career move." He continued: "I'm grateful that we've been around for 35 years; that's a really long time. So, yeah, to me, it is. Because when we started off, everything was great, because you're young and invincible. And then there came a time where I became a family man, and I had a tough time flying back and forth. And now, at this stage, at the level we're at now, I can do that; I can fly home when I want to, on days off, and spend some time with my family, which is something I wasn't able to do when [my kids] were growing up. Now they're both older and mature. So now I take advantage of that." Araya added: "Yeah, it just gets harder and harder to come back out on the road. 35 years is a long time."

Tom also revealed another reason for his diminished enjoyment of the touring life. He said: "There's things that have gone on in my life that have made me change how I play as a bass player. I had neck surgery, so I can't headbang anymore. And that was a big part of what I enjoyed doing what I do — singing and headbanging. I liked knowing that I was one of the fucking badass headbangers. That played a big part. Now I just groove with the music, which is cool, because I'm grooving with the music and the feel of the songs, so that's changed a little for me."

SLAYER has been touring in support of its latest album, "Repentless", which was released in September 2015 via Nuclear Blast. That effort marked the band's first release since the death of SLAYER's co-founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman.

Hanneman contracted necrotizing fasciitis, also known as flesh-eating disease, in January 2011 from a spider bite in his backyard. The infection ravaged the flesh and tissues of Hanneman's arm, leading to numerous surgeries, skin grafts and intense periods of rehab that forced him into semi-retirement and left him near death at several points.

Hanneman eventually died in May 2013 from alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver. He is credited for writing many of SLAYER's classic songs, including "Angel Of Death" and "South Of Heaven".

Original SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo was effectively fired from the band after sitting out the group's Australian tour in February/March 2013 due to a contract dispute with the other members of SLAYER. He has since been replaced by Paul Bostaph, who was previously SLAYER's drummer from 1992 until 2001 and recorded four albums with the band.

SLAYER will embark on the European leg of its "farewell" tour in the fall. Support on that trek will come from LAMB OF GOD, ANTHRAX and OBITUARY.

The official video for the song "The Last Home" from symphonic metal masters VISIONS OF ATLANTIS can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's seventh studio album, "The Deep & The Dark", which was released in February via Napalm Records.

Says the band: "This is the album we have always dreamed of making. It is everything fans of this genre love and VISIONS OF ATLANTIS was founded for. This is the heart and soul of this band and symphonic metal. We are proud and excited that after over four years we put out the best 10 tracks the band has to offer. This is VISIONS OF ATLANTIS — this is symphonic metal!"


"The Deep & The Dark" track listing:

01. The Deep & The Dark

02. Return To Lemuria

03. Ritual Night

04. The Silent Mutiny

05. Book Of Nature

06. The Last Home

07. The Grand Illusion

08. Dead Reckoning

09. Words Of War

10. Prayer To The Lost

"The Deep & The Dark" was made available as a deluxe box set, CD digipak and digital download.

Hauntingly beautiful duets between vocalists supreme Clémentine Delauney and Siegfried Samer meet classic power metal infusions, embodying the symphonic metal cake: a must-have for all genre-fans and beyond! With "The Deep & The Dark", VISIONS OF ATLANTIS created its most powerful and perfectly executed magnum opus to date.

Clémentine told Metal Underground about the disc: "We all do believe this is the best album the band has ever released. We went back to a more melodic and symphonic metal style with an old-school touch and a production that suits the genre. We wrote diversified songs with rich arrangements using many different influences [and] I was finally able to take part in the creative process. I wrote many of the vocal lines, most of the lyrics together with Siegfried, and I wrote the last song of the album, 'Prayer To The Lost'. So, for the first time, I'm able to release really personal material and to sing about things that deeply matter to me. I've been waiting for this since I joined my first band in 2010."

In a separate interview with Distorted Sound, Clémentine spoke in more detail about the songwriting process for "The Deep & The Dark". "I feel more comfortable when I am writing lyrics when I have a melody because as a singer, it's easier to have a melody so you can let the words come out," she said. "Depending on the notes, I can see which one is more natural to sing an 'a,' another vowel or a specific word that contains a letter like a 'c' or a 't' where I know to project the sound. So, you have singing tricks that someone doesn't normally think about and sometimes, not necessarily in our music, in general the words match so well with the melody because they were created together. I like to make sure the words match the melody so it's easier for me to know the strength of the melody first and then I can shape the words and lyrics nicely to the melody rather than have a text that gets put on top of a melody, as that is difficult."

Photo by Moritz Maibaum Photography

Five years since the release of their last album, in response to fans' keen anticipation, Taiwanese metallers CHTHONIC announced their new album "Battlefields Of Asura" last month. Today, CHTHONIC has dropped the music video for first track "Millennia's Faith Undone", featuring Hong Kong singer Denise Ho, and announced a festival appearance in Japan.

Doris Yeh, the spokesperson and bassist in CHTHONIC, states that "Millennia's Faith Undone" was inspired by the era of radical change in the history of Taiwan between the '30s and the '50s, also as the prequel to their albums of story series. Birdy, the director of the music video, set the narrative after the stores in their previous music videos of "Defenders Of Bú-Tik Palace" (acoustic version) and "Kaoru" (acoustic version). With an out-of-body experience, the main character sees the White Terror victims' lives taken away by the dictators, and eventually himself being executed by shooting; all was left is his last will and testament overwhelmed in the mass of historical documents. Birdy recruited the crew and the lead actor and actress, Finn and Chia-Yu Chang, from the shoot for "Defenders Of Bú-Tik Palace" (acoustic version) and "Kaoru" (acoustic version) four years ago. Meanwhile, Doris also announced on Ho's fan page the release of the music video of The Aeon's version of "Millennia's Faith Undone" at the end of the month; the story will be told from the perspective of the lead female character. Although Birdy's interpretation and idea might not be exactly the same as CHTHONIC's narrative in the album, Doris found the process of re-interpretation of a piece from different artists a rewarding surprise.

CHTHONIC has also announced that its will play at the No Maps music festival in Japan on October 12. No Maps is a festival of a conglomerate of music, movies and technologies with its increasing importance as one of the most crucial events in the Japanese music industry. Moreover, as an event co-hosted by the Japanese government, private organizations and educational institutes, No Maps holds a significance in Taiwan-Japan interchange and liaison as well. Freddy Lim, the frontman of CHTHONIC, therefore decided to make time from their busy schedule flying to Japan over the weekend for the festival. This show is also highly anticipated by Japanese fans as it will be the only overseas stop for the tour for the new album from CHTHONIC.


"Battlefields Of Asura" track listing:

01. Drawing Omnipotence Nigh

02. The Silent One's Torch

03. Flames Upon The Weeping Winds

04. A Crimson Sky's Command

05. Souls Of The Revolution

06. Taste The Black Tears

07. One Thousand Eyes

08. Masked Faith

09. Carved In Bloodstone

10. Millennia's Faith Undone

11. Autopoiesis

According to CHTHONIC, "Battlefields Of Asura" depicts the adventure of deities in Taiwan through eleven songs carrying messages about resistance, freedom and fraternity. The journey is full of hostility, adversary, impregnable fortresses and desires but also inspires infinite courage to search for eternal wisdom. Anyone deeply touched by this album will eventually realise that it is the origin of all thrilling epic stories portrayed in the past albums. This album sounds like gods versus devils and fights among evil spirits on the surface; however, everyone can feel the empathy of fury, grief and even strength of resurgence from the lyrics.

When asked why the band named the new album "Battlefields Of Asura", Doris Yeh, the spokesperson of CHTHONIC, stated that "this album is the prologue of the albums released in the past and was inspired by and dedicated to the activists of Taiwan's first modern political reform movement back in 1920s."