20th Century Fox has released the second trailer for the QUEEN biopic "Bohemian Rhapsody". "Mr. Robot"'s Rami Malek stars in the film as QUEEN lead singer Freddie Mercury, the iconic British vocal artist known for his extravagant performance style and his incredible vocal range.

Due in theaters on November 2, "Bohemian Rhapsody" is a foot-stomping celebration of QUEEN, the band's music and Mercury, who defied stereotypes and shattered convention to become one of the most beloved entertainers on the planet. The film traces the meteoric rise of the band through their iconic songs and revolutionary sound, their near-implosion as Mercury's lifestyle spirals out of control, and their triumphant reunion on the eve of Live Aid, where Mercury, facing a life-threatening illness, leads the band in one of the greatest performances in the history of rock music — in the process cementing the legacy of a band that were always more like a family, and who continue to inspire outsiders, dreamers and music lovers to this day.

Greg Brooks, QUEEN's official archivist, was part of this process and he worked with the band and the movie production team on a daily basis for months to recreate every tiny detail of each scene and to make it as authentic as possible.

"My role was to give the Fox 'props' team access to authentic QUEEN tapes, notes, handwriting, memorabilia, costumes and photographs — anything and everything remotely useful — which they could then create replicas of, to dress various sets," Brooks said.

"Like QUEEN, the Fox team were obsessed with detail; getting every aspect of every scene perfectly right. With costume, for example, they didn't just cover the basics; it meant sourcing precisely the right pair of blue denim jeans for 1972, with the correct belt, socks and footwear. And thus, from us, they needed every photograph we had of QUEEN relaxing off stage. 'What photos do you have of Roger's socks, Greg?' is the type of question that came at me, and that wasn't even one of the strangest," he added.

"Working on this project with such a brilliant gathering of dedicated talented people was a rare privilege. Fox have created a QUEEN universe that is scarily convincing. It is real in every way that it could reasonably be."

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

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

Emerging young Michigan rockers GRETA VAN FLEET have released their brand new single, "When The Curtain Falls", via iTunes, Apple Music and other music streaming services. You can now listen to the track below.

GRETA VAN FLEET's first full-length album is tentatively due later this year. "We're reshaping it and then get into mastering and hopefully release it soon. It's looking like late summer," lead singer Josh Kiszka recently told MLive.

The band played in Michigan clubs for six years before rocketing to the top of the rock radio charts last year with "Highway Tune". The track is taken from the "Black Smoke Rising" EP.

GRETA VAN FLEET drummer Danny Wagner recently told Musik Universe that his band doesn't mind being regularly compared to LED ZEPPELIN by fans and music critics alike. "We get it a lot, but you know what? In the end, it's such a high honor — it really is," he said. "Being compared to anyone of a generation that's nowhere of any relevance to yours is humbling alone, and the fact that these guys, to us, are prodigies — these guys are the real deal. These are the ones that we've never gotten to live to see, because we're so young. And the fact that we're being compared to them and it's garnering so much attention, it's honestly just a high honor to us at this point. We take it very humbly."

Asked if he thinks the ZEPPELIN comparisons will help GRETA VAN FLEET in the long run, Wagner said: "I hope so. But as every band goes, we've been working on our debut album, and we're really starting to hone in on a sound that has been developing over the last couple of years, and we're really trying to form this GRETA VAN FLEET kind of universe as we're doing so."

Last month, GRETA VAN FLEET guitarist Jake Kiszka told FaceCulture that LED ZEPPELIN was not a major influence on the group despite close similarities between the two bands' styles. He explained: "I think that we've become more conscious of it, because I don't think before we ever really realized, in a lot of senses, the similarities or the commonalities that we share with that group."

He added: "I think it's one of the greatest compliments that could ever be given to a young band like ourselves. They're arguably one of the greatest rock bands of all time, so that is humbling and inspiring and honorable, in that sense… Even if it exactly wasn't an overwhelming influence of ours, it still was influential and we can certainly see it. But overall, it doesn't really affect the writing of our music."

ONKEL TOM — the solo project of Thomas "Angelripper" Such, bassist/vocalist of veteran German thrashers SODOM — will release a new album, "Bier Ernst", on September 28 via SPV/Steamhammer. The effort will consist of 21 tracks on two CDs, titled — in accordance with their lyrical content — "Bier" and "Ernst," respectively.

"Bier Ernst" will be available on digipak double CD, double vinyl LP (gatefold) and for digital download. As hinted on "Zwischen Emscher & Lippe", ONKEL TOM presents itself on "Bier Ernst" more diverse and autonomous than ever before. Along with rock versions of the popular drinking and party ditties that ONKEL TOM and his band are renowned for, Tom and his four comrades-in-arms — drummer Cornelius Rambadt, guitarists Marcel Mönnig and Klaus Nicodem, and bassist Marc Beste — have recorded a dozen original numbers.

Tom reveals what his fans can look forward to: "The title track of our recent EP and eight additional numbers on the 'Ernst' CD present the band from a slightly different perspective. They're songs full of passion for music, but, of course, also full of anger about people's indifference that's bound to destroy the world. Naturally, it will also feature the new hit single, which will be supported by a very elaborate video clip. Get ready to be surprised! But don't worry: the twelve songs on the 'Bier' CD celebrate life, having a good time and sophisticated drinking. Our fans can rest assured that we're as thirsty as ever and that we will quench that thirst with them at our shows."

Track listing:

CD1 - "Bier"

01. Ich Steh' An Der Bar Und Ich Habe Kein Geld (2:12)

02. Flasche Zu Flasche (4:26)

03. Wir Trinken Wenig (3:05)

04. Bier, Bier, Bier Ist Die Seele Vom Klavier (2:09)

05. Durst Ist Schlimmer Als Heimweh (3:53)

06. Hätten Wir Lieber Das Geld Vergraben... (3:11)

07. Was Sind Wir Männer Doch Für'n Lustiger Verein (3:03)

08. Jacky Cola (3:54)

09. Durst Wird Duch Bier Erst Schön (1:58)

10. Trunkenbold (2:48)

11. Bier, Bier, Bier (3:02)

12. Prost (1:11)

CD2 - "Ernst"

01. Ich Finde Nur Metal Geil (5:19)

02. Todgeweiht (3:45)

03. Ich Muss Hier Raus (3:44)

04. Egal (4:16)

05. Von Arschlöchern Für Arschlöcher (5:05)

06. Zwischen Emscher & Lippe (05:45)

07. Auf Dünnem Eis (3:24)

08. Das Blaue Buch Des Lebens (3:44)

09. Polizisten (04:28)

Boston metalcore band ICE NINE KILLS has issued a music video for the song "Thank God It's Friday". In the clip, the group (and a bunch of unsuspecting teenagers) visit Crystal Lake and that's when all the trouble ensues. The video is a modern tribute to the classic "Friday The 13th" slasher series starring machete-wielding horror hero Jason Voorhees.


"Thank God It's Friday" will appear on ICE NINE KILLS's upcoming album, "The Silver Scream", which will be released on Friday, October 5 via Fearless Records. All of the album's 13 anthems are based on 13 respective horror classics.

The band previously shared the cinematic video for "The American Nightmare" — a twisted and tasteful homage to director Wes Craven's "A Nightmare On Elm Street" franchise. The clip provides a thematic feast for children of the '80s who grew up loving Freddie Krueger, the first film, and its sequels. It was directed by Daniel Hourihan and is the first installment of an over-arching film that will be a counterpart to "The Silver Scream".

ICE NINE KILLS — Spencer Charnas (vocals), Justin DeBlieck (vocals, guitar, orchestration) and Justin Morrow (guitar, bass) — hit the studio with producer Drew Fulk (MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, AS I LAY DYING) in Los Angeles in early 2018 and recorded "The Silver Scream".

Through the art of intricate song writing and elaborate storytelling, the Boston band has mastered the ability to engage and captivate listeners. Seamlessly weaving aggressive post-hardcore with soaring melodies, the band utilizes multi-textured guitar hooks, a dual vocal attack, complex orchestral arrangements and a pummeling rhythm section, which grabs the listener by the throat and refuses to let go.

The group's 2015 offering, "Every Trick In The Book", paid homage to a classic literary work and became ICE NINE KILLS's biggest to date, bowing at No. 1 on the Billboard Heatseekers chart and in the Top 5 of the Hard Rock Albums and Independent Albums charts.

ICE NINE KILLS is spending its summer on the final traveling edition of the Vans Warped Tour and will appear on all dates, which run through August 5.

As previously reported, Charnas has partnered with "Scream Comes Home", a Kickstarter campaign that will give fans an opportunity to hang out the house Wes Craven's classic slasher "Scream" was filmed in.

A special experience tier that is being offered as part of the campaign includes a chance to see Charnas perform in the garage of "Scream" character Stuart "Stu" Macher's house in the actual town that played the role of the fictional town of Woodsboro — Santa Rosa, California. The ICE NINE KILLS frontman will play an acoustic cover version of "Youth Of America", BIRDBRAIN's final and most successful single, which was featured in "Scream".

VOLBEAT dedicated the song "Seal The Deal" to Vinnie Paul Abbott during the band's July 13 concert at the Zwarte Cross festival in Lievelde, the Netherlands. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

Vinnie passed away on June 22 at his home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. The PANTERA and HELLYEAH drummer's death "did not appear suspicious," according to the official police report. Sources close to Vinnie told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he suffered a "major heart attack," but that information has not been corroborated yet by an official source.

Within a few hours of Vinnie Paul's passing, VOLBEAT frontman Michael Poulsen issued a statement via Facebook mourning his death. He wrote: "Today we sadly lost one of the great ones and a true sweetheart. Dear Vinnie, you were such a lovable guy and a friend with a big heart. Thanks for all the great moments together. Your company was always full of smiles. You will be missed by many. Love you, my friend."

In a 2014 interview with Legendary Rock Interviews, Vinnie Paul stated about VOLBEAT: "VOLBEAT took [HELLYEAH] out [in 2012] and that was probably one of my favorite tours I've ever been a part of. They treated us like gold and they were just an awesome band. Michael Poulsen is one of the most unique singers out there."

Vinnie Paul was buried on June 30 next to his brother, PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, and their mother, Carolyn, at Moore Memorial Gardens cemetery in Arlington, Texas. He was laid to rest in a custom "Kiss Kasket" provided by KISS members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley as a gift to Vinnie's family. Vinnie was also buried in some of his trademark clothes, including his hat, shoes and flannel.

VOLBEAT will enter the studio in November to begin recording its next album for a 2019 release. The follow-up to 2016's "Seal The Deal & Let’s Boogie" will be the band's first full-length effort to feature bassist Kaspar Boye Larsen.

"Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie" arrived in June 2016 and featured the chart-topping "Black Rose" and "The Devil's Bleeding Crown", in addition to the Top Five title track.

Des Moines metallers Green Death have released a teaser for their upcoming third full-length album Hallowmass, in stores October 19th on Combat Records. The new album follows their sophomore release Manufacturing Evil, and finds the band further expanding their musical horizons. Green Death are redefining thrash, incorporating doom, melodic death and classic metal, the Iowa natives are taking the genre back to hallowed ground, and creating the mold for future speed freaks.

Hallowmass was recorded in Des Moines, Iowa at The Establishment Recording with engineer Griffin Landa (The Acacia Strain), mastered by Zeuss at Planet Z, and produced by Green Death and Executive Producer David Ellefson.

Hallowmass once again features iconic artwork by the incredible Eliran Kantor (Testament, Iced Earth, Sodom). Head to this location for LP preorders.

Tracklisting:

“Lycanthropy”
“Bullet Of Silver”
“I Am Eternal”
“Lament”
“Curse The Heavens”
“The Betrayed”
“Bad Omens”
“Sacrament”
“Messis Diaboli”
“The Harvest”
“She Couldn’t Live”
“Pure Torture” (feat. David Ellefson)
“Hallowmass”
“Sickle & Scythe” (feat. Clayton Cagle of Hatchet)

Teaser:

In 2015, former Loudness vocalist Mike Vescera announced he would be playing a very special show with his former bandmates at Loud Park 2015 in Japan. Billed as Soldier Of Fortune, the band performed songs from Vescera's time in Loudness. Pro-shot video of the band performing "Never Again" and "Soldier Of Fortune" has surfaced on YouTube and is available below.

The Soldier Of Fortune line-up was as follows:

Mike Vescera - vocals
Akira Takasaki - guitars
Masayoshi Yamashita - bass
Mr. Go - drums (SADS)

Vescera recorded two albums with Loudness - Soldier Of Fortune ('89) and On The Prowl ('91) - replacing original singer Minoru Niihara, who has since returned to the band. He is currently the the frontman for Animetal USA featuring Chris Impellitteri, Rudy Sarzo and Jon Dette.

Devilment, led by Cradle Of Filth frontman Dani Filth, "unveil Anabelle Iratni as the band’s new female keyboard player / backing vocalist."

"Anabelle has worked closely with Colin (Parks, guitarist) through a large amount of our next album (title yet to be confirmed) with the sound being firmly situated between the horror aspects of the first album and the more progressive female laden choruses of The Mephisto Waltzes. We hope all you Devilheads will welcome Anabelle to the band. We cannot wait to get this one to you in early 2019. Thanks for your support, you are the best fans in the world!"

Anabelle has chimed in with the following comments: "I've been sitting on this for a while and can now finally announce my involvement with Devilment! I've been co-writing the third album and will be taking on keyboard and backing vocal duties. I'm beyond excited to begin this new chapter and to finally being brave enough to pursue what I want to do in life. I'm going to need the support of the people around me now more than ever! I hope to make you all proud and to fully express my love for you all."

 

The song "Poison", taken from Alice Cooper's upcoming release "A Paranormal Evening At The Olympia Paris", can be streamed below.

Following the release of the 2017 studio album "Paranormal", which was the best chart-performing album by Alice Cooper in decades, the American rock legend took his exciting live show all over the world, accompanied by "the best band he has ever had."


After an entire year spent on the road, the "Paranormal" tour ended in Paris on December 7, 2017 at the world-renowned Olympia, a theatre that is iconic in the truest sense of the word.

The Olympia, since opening in 1888, has witnessed changes in entertainment and pop culture for 130 years from the can-can through Édith Piaf to Johnny Hallyday and the Beatles and now... Alice Cooper!

This 90-minute rock show is a journey through Alice Cooper's timeless creations: classics like "Poison", "School's Out" and "No More Mr. Nice Guy" are alternated with hand-picked gems for the joy of true Cooper connoisseurs like "Pain", "Woman Of Mass Destruction" and "Paranoiac Personality", the first single from the album "Paranormal".


The album captures a rock 'n' roll show at its peak and is one of the best live releases by Alice Cooper, featuring his longtime band guitarists Nita Strauss, Tommy Henriksen and Ryan Roxie, bassist Chuck Garric, and drummer Glen Sobel in front of an excited audience.

The album will be released on August 31 on earMUSIC as 2CD digipak, 2LP gatefold (white and red LP), and digitally.

In July 2017, the artist released "Paranormal", his first studio album in six years. Produced by Bob Ezrin, it was immediately saluted as a classic Alice Cooper album, featuring collaborations with iconic guests such as ZZ TOP's Billy Gibbons, U2's Larry Mullen, Jr. and DEEP PURPLE's Roger Glover, as well Neal Smith, Dennis Dunaway and Michael Bruce — the three original Alice Cooper band members.

The album charted at #4 in the German and Australian official album charts, #6 in the U.K. and in Sweden and overall, it reached the highest chart positions for Alice in several decades.


"A Paranormal Evening At The Olympia Paris" track listing:

CD1:

01. Brutal Planet

02. No More Mr. Nice Guy

03. Under My Wheels

04. Department Of Youth

05. Pain

06. Billion Dollar Babies

07. The World Needs Guts

08. Woman Of Mass Distraction

09. Poison

10. Halo Of Flies


CD2:

01. Feed My Frankenstein

02. Cold Ethyl

03. Only Women Bleed

04. Paranoiac Personality

05. Ballad Of Dwight Fry

06. Killer/I Love The Dead Themes

07. I'm Eighteen

08. School's Out


2LP Colored:

Side A:

01. Brutal Planet

02. No More Mr. Nice Guy

03. Under My Wheels

04. Department Of Youth

05. Pain

06. Billion Dollar Babies


Side B:

01. The World Needs Guts

02. Woman Of Mass Distraction

03. Poison

04. Halo Of Flies


Side C:

01. Feed My Frankenstein

02. Cold Ethyl

03. Only Women Bleed

04. Paranoiac Personality


Side D:

01. Ballad Of Dwight Fry

02. Killer/I Love The Dead Themes

03. I'm Eighteen

04. School's Out

Griffin Taylor, the 15-year-old son of STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor, joined the band on stage Wednesday night (July 11) at Coliseu dos Recreios in Lisbon, Portugal to sing their hit single "Song #3". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

Prior to launching into the song, Corey told the crowd: "I've got something very special for you right now… We've only ever done this one other time, and it was one of the best fucking nights of my life. So I wanna invite to the stage my son, Griffin Taylor. Griffin's gonna help us out on this next song. And we're gonna do our very best, aren't we?"

Griffin previously performed "Song #3" with STONE SOUR in July 2017 at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey.

Corey told the Wisconsin radio station 102.9 The Hog about sharing the stage with his son in New Jersey: "A million things go through your head. First of all, he's a natural. He'd never done anything like that before. We didn't even practice on stage with him. He and I went through it acoustically backstage. He was 14 at the time. At 14, not only could he lean back on the adrenaline and fall in the pocket, but note-wise, he was so dialed in on it. And then had the presence of mind to be running around stage, going for it, and then at the end, he jumps up on my check-me-out box and takes a selfie with the audience. I would have never in a million years thought to do that. I'd never felt that kind of pride in my life, man. I was, like, 'Oh, you've got the Taylor curse now, dude. You're screwed.' [Laughs]"

He continued: "In one split second, I was up on stage and I'm playing guitar, and I was really just kind of backing him up on the choruses and stuff. But a million things are going through my head. I'm seeing him as a kid, I'm seeing him on his first day at school, I'm seeing him struggle with just trying to figure out who he is and stuff, and then all of a sudden — boom! — and there he is. And I'm like, 'Wow!'"

Asked if Griffin has always gravitated to music, Corey said: "No, man. When he was really young, he wanted to be a florist. And then he was just, like, 'Well, dad, I'm just gonna be a professional gamer.' And I was, like, 'Are ya? All right. Let's hear your rationale.' 'Well, you know, there are people that get paid to play video games.' And I'm, like, 'Hey, if you can do that, please, by all means, get in there.' And then he realized there's actual work [involved] and a lot of those gamers are actually programmers as well. And I'm, like, 'That means college.' And he was, like, 'Ugh.' My son's not the biggest fan of school."

In a 2012 interview, Corey said that the then-nine-year-old Griffin had "an incredible ear for singing," but he didn't think that his son would venture into a recording studio anytime soon. "He already has the bravado," Corey said at the time. "It is pretty crazy. He wants to be an adventurer. That's what he tells me. He runs around the house singing and writing songs. But he says he doesn't want to do anything in music. We'll see when he gets a little older."

Corey, however, added that he probably wouldn't mind it if Griffin eventually chose to pursue a different career path. "I'm honestly not trying to push him away from music, but I almost want him to do something else," Corey said. "I never, ever want him to suffer in my shadow. I never want him to be in a position where he's constantly compared to me. And it's not that I am so full of myself. It's because I have seen it through the years with everyone from Zowie Bowie to Frank Sinatra Jr. They live in [their fathers'] shadows, and I don't want him to go through that. I want him to be his own man and create something for himself."

Taylor went on to say that if his son did decide to eventually become a musician, he would support him wholeheartedly.

"You know me," said Corey. "If he does get into music, I'll be cheesed to death. I'll be, like, 'Yes!!!' front row center every show. I'll get up and play piano with him."

Corey had Griffin in 2002 with his first wife, Scarlett. The STONE SOUR and SLIPKNOT frontman also has a daughter named Angie, born in 1992.

Taylor divorced Scarlett in early 2007. He married his second wife, Stephanie Luby, in November 2009 in Las Vegas inside the Palms hotel's Pearl concert theater.

Corey confirmed in December that he had been separated from Stephanie for almost a year and that he recently started a new relationship with Alicia Dove, a professional dancer and a member of the all-girl dance group CHERRY BOMBS.

Earlier this year, Swedish metallers IN FLAMES entered West Valley Recording Studios in Woodland Hills, California with producer Howard Benson to begin recording the follow-up to 2016's "Battles" album. The group's 13th full-length disc, which is tentatively due later this year, will mark IN FLAMES' first effort since the departure of bassist Peter Iwers. Benson, a studio veteran who has also worked with HALESTORM, P.O.D., FLYLEAF and ALL THAT REMAINS, among others, previously helmed "Battles".

Speaking to Metal Hammer magazine, IN FLAMES frontman Anders Fridén stated about the band's upcoming album: "So far, it sounds very IN FLAMES; there's no surprises there. I think it sounds great and it has all the essentials that we want for an IN FLAMES album; there's melodies, screaming on various tracks, hooks everywhere. I think if you are into IN FLAMES and what we've done for the past 20 years or so, you should be happy. I'm very, very happy!"

Fridén confirmed that there will, once again, be plenty of melody on IN FLAMES' next release. "We've always been a melodic band, but it comes out in different forms: the guitars, vocals, keyboards or whatever. This is very melodic, too, but I would say this is more uptempo than 'Battles'. I think it has more similarities to 'Sounds Of A Playground Fading', but don't quote me on that… I guess you will. [Laughs]"

As for the lyrical inspiration for the new IN FLAMES material, Anders said: "We're living in a tough world. I'm looking at my kids and they are growing up in the world we have today, all the troubles you face and the political climate is very tense, it's almost going to explode. All of that brings tension, so that is what I've been looking into, but it is the same with the music. Then it is dealing with past relationships and things that I have gone through. It's not all based on me or anything; I just take ideas or inspiration from certain times of my life."

IN FLAMES has recruited American drummer Tanner Wayne, best known for his work with UNDERMINDED, SCARY KIDS SCARING KIDS and CHIODOS, to sit behind the kit for the band for their summer 2018 live appearances.

Wayne has stepped into IN FLAMES following the apparent recent departure of Joe Rickard, who played on "Battles".

Tanner made his live debut with IN FLAMES on July 4 in Brno, Czech Republic.

Longtime IN FLAMES drummer Daniel Svensson announced in 2015 that he was leaving the band to focus on his family life.

IN FLAMES' current lineup features American bassist Bryce Paul, who has been playing most of the shows with the group since Iwers's November 2016 exit.

Fan-filmed video footage of GUNS N' ROSES' entire July 13 concert at Otkritie Arena in Moscow, Russia can be seen below.

GUNS N' ROSES' "Not In This Lifetime" ranks as the fourth-highest grossing tour of all time, based on Billboard's Boxscore archives. The trek, which launched in April 2016, topped the $475 million mark in gross sales with the final show of the band's 2017 touring schedule on November 29 in Los Angeles.

"Not In This Lifetime" has surpassed Roger Waters's "The Wall Live" tour that earned $459 million from 2010 through 2013. U2 tops up the all-time list with $736 million from its "360°" stadium tour (2009-2011) followed by THE ROLLING STONES' "A Bigger Bang" at $558 million (2005-2007). COLDPLAY is third with its recently completed "A Head Full Of Dreams" trek that grossed $523 million (2016-2017).

About seventy people travel with the "Not In This Lifetime" show in addition to the truck drivers; that number goes upwards of five hundred, including the local workers, by show date once catering, security, etc. are factored in, according to the GN'R tour's production manager, Dale "Opie" Skjerseth.

GUNS kicked off its long-rumored and long-awaited reunion tour in April 2016 with a club show in Hollywood and appearances in Las Vegas and at California's Coachella festival.

The "Not In This Lifetime" tour features classic lineup members Slash (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass) and Axl Rose (vocals) backed by guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Fank Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and new second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

Despite the success of the tour, there has been no indication that GUNS intends to record a new album anytime soon. The last GUNS studio album, "Chinese Democracy", came out in 2008 and featured only Axl Rose from the band's classic lineup. The last album on which Rose, McKagan and Slash appeared together was 1993's covers set "The Spaghetti Incident?"

According to Forbes, GUNS N' ROSES is the biggest musical act on YouTube for both the 1980s and 1990s. The band's video for the classic ballad "November Rain", which was first released 26 years ago, is the first music video from the 1990s to reach the billion-view milestone. The song averaged nearly 560,000 views every day in 2017.

Other GUNS N' ROSES music videos that have received significant views include "Sweet Child O' Mine" (692 million), "Don't Cry" (471 million) and "Estranged" (111 million).

GUNS N' ROSES' classic 1987 debut album, "Appetite For Destruction", recently returned to the top 10 on the Billboard 200 chart after more than 29 years. The LP re-entered the chart at No. 10, following its "Locked N' Loaded" box reissue on June 29.

The deluxe edition of "Appetite For Destruction" contains 73 songs — including 49 tracks that have never before been released — spread out across four CDs and seven 12-inch 180-gram vinyl LPs. A super deluxe version also includes a 96-page book with unreleased photos from singer Axl Rose's personal archive, new lithographs and a plethora of memorabilia.

"Appetite For Destruction" is one of the most successful albums in recording history, selling a reported 28 million copies worldwide since its original release.

Brazilian/Italian metallers ANGRA have released a music video for their song "Black Widow's Web", taken from the band's latest album, "Ømni". The clip features the special participation of the singers Sandy and Alissa White-Gluz (ARCH ENEMY) and was directed by Leo Liberti of Libertà Films Group, who also worked on MEGADETH's "Lying In State" clip.

"Black Widow's Web" talks about loneliness and what it does to people. Among the main subjects are teen suicide, couples who do not look at each other, pedophilia, social media and the Internet, video games, drugs, that is, everything is a refuge. "In every refuge, there is always a hidden demon that wants to get you in some way, whether brutal or not," said Liberti.

He added: "Age does not matter! I see myself all the time using 'Pepa Pig' to help my son to be quiet and eat his food. And he's involved in the video just by doing that. We are all immersed in this huge network. Surely everyone should be reading this note because it's on the network! There is no escape."

Sandy is deeply admired by Liberti and ANGRA guitarist/vocalist Rafael Bittencourt. "Working with Sandy was a gift," said Rafael. "I feel privileged to have the respect of an artist such as her. She was practically born on a stage, so it was a learning experience to watch closely the performance of this beloved Brazilian diva. She has an intimate relation with the lights and a performance that’s worthy of the great icons of world music, not mentioning her tuning and impeccable technical preparation. I just have to thank the universe for giving me such an opportunity."

Liberti added: "When I started writing the screenplay, I really wanted Sandy not to just come out as a 'singer of one verse.'" He wanted her to be the personification of the black widow's archetype. The seemingly sweet and seductive web that leads you to death. And as a true rocker who listens to everything from THE BEATLES to SLIPKNOT, he only knew that Sandy was the daughter of "Chitãozinho and Xororó" and that she had recorded a version of a song by ROUPA NOVA. "In short, Sandy means rock too, in the most primitive sense of the word," Leo said. "She let me write the script the way I wanted, and she's much more concerned with art than with picture. It's not every singer who, without questioning, goes into a tub of blood under a cross, with four candles next to her in a church."

In addition to the whole history of music, the music video features such unusual scenes of Sandy in a tub filled with fake blood and the participation of White-Gluz, which was recorded directly from Canada, her native land.

Currently featuring Fabio Lione (vocals), Rafael Bittencourt (guitar), Marcelo Barbosa (guitar), Felipe Andreoli (bass) and Bruno Valverde (drums), ANGRA is excited about its new phase and the release of this music video. The band is presenting the album "Ømni" all over the planet, with 97 confirmed dates so far.

ANGRA will film a new DVD on July 21 at Tom Brasil in São Paulo. At this show, the musicians will fully present the album "Ømni" with the participation of Sandy, along with several other songs chosen by fans by request.

DISTURBED paid tribute to Vinnie Paul Abbott by performing a cover version of the PANTERA classic "Walk" Saturday night (July 14) at this year's Rock Fest in Cadott, Wisconsin.

Prior to launching into the song, DISTURBED frontman David Draiman told the crowd: "Our very first Ozzfest, PANTERA was on the main stage. And every night — every night — somehow, I ended up finding my way backstage to the PANTERA dressing room; in fact, I think most of the band did. And they were always so welcoming — they had the warmest heart, and Vinnie especially. Don't get me wrong, I will always love Dime [late PANTERA guitarist 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott], and everyone will always love Dime — he is one of the greatest legends to ever grace the face of the planet. But personally, I don't feel enough has been said about the incredible heart, the majesty and the unbelievable level of musicianship that just came from Vinnie Paul.

"It's funny, because as I was hanging out with them, Dime wasn't really into our stuff," Draiman continued. "He was all telling Vinnie, 'I'm not into all that jumping-up-and-down shit.' Well, we're all about the jumping-up-and-down shit here. And Vinnie said, 'No, no, no, Dime, I'm telling you, you've gotta give these guys a chance. You've gotta give them a listen to.' And by the time our second Ozzfest came around, we were lucky enough to open up the second stage in our hometown of Chicago. And Vinnie and Dime made it out to the show just to come see us. They weren't playing, PANTERA wasn't on the bill — they came to see us. And an area that could probably accommodate maybe 10 thousand people at most at that side stage was swarmed with 25 thousand people that day. And I'll never forget, after the whole experience went down, which was met with a mixture of both shock and wonder, and some regret, because it wasn't the safest situation. But Vinnie and Dime were both blown away, and Vinnie became such a dear friend and such a huge supporter. And I miss him so very, very much, and I know you guys do too. I'm sorry — I'm starting to get a little choked up here.

"So, as always, I feel, and I think you'll share my opinion, that the best way to pay tribute to our heroes is to play their music, David added. "So, Danny" — addressing DISTURBED guitarist Dan Donegan — "why don't you remind me how that one tune we always used to play with them started?"

Vinnie passed away on June 22 at his home in Las Vegas at the age of 54. The PANTERA and HELLYEAH drummer's death "did not appear suspicious," according to the official police report. Sources close to Vinnie told the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he suffered a "major heart attack," but that information has not been corroborated yet by an official source.

Vinnie Paul was buried on June 30 next to his brother and their mother, Carolyn, at Moore Memorial Gardens cemetery in Arlington, Texas. He was laid to rest in a custom "Kiss Kasket" provided by KISS members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley as a gift to Vinnie's family. Vinnie was also buried in some of his trademark clothes, including his hat, shoes and flannel.

In the rare video below, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow perform "All Night Long" in the US on December 1st, 1979. The lineup features Graham Bonnett on vocals, Don Airey on keyboards, Roger Glover on bass, Cozy Powell on drums and Ritchie Blackmore on guitar. This is the  Rainbow lineup that recorded just one album, Down To Earth.

In the previously posted video below, Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow are featured live in Munich 1977. With the nucleus of Ritchie Blackmore, Ronnie Dio and Cozy Powell, the band hit the studio with new bassist Bob Daisley and recorded Long Live Rock n Roll. The album featured the classic track “Kill The King”.

German epic melodic death metallers Nothgard have released details on their upcoming new album.

Bandleader Dom R. Crey states: "We are super happy to finally reveal more information about our upcoming record. Our fourth album will be called Malady X, to be unleashed via Metal Blade Records on October the 26th. Few days ago we got the absolute stunning album master from the one and only Jens Bogren (Amon Amarth, Arch Enemy, Kreator, a.o).

"Of course have planned some official release shows to present you the real Malady X. Therefore we have joined forces with the great Parasite Inc. who will release their new album Dead and Alive August the 17th."

Release shows:

October
26 - Jena, Germany - F-Haus
27 - Markneukirchen, Germany - Warwick Music Hall
31 - Lindau, Germany - Vaudeville

November
1 - Vöklabrück, Austria - OKH

Nothgard lineup:

Dom R. Crey - Vocals, Lead Guitar, Studio Keyboards
Skaahl - Guitars
Nico Kolja - Bass, Backing Vocals
Felix Indra - Drums

A trailer for Rob Zombie's next movie, "3 From Hell", is being shown at every concert during his current North American summer tour with Marilyn Manson. Rob posted a preview on his Instagram account and wrote in an accompanying message: "Keep your eyes peeled for the THREE FROM HELL trailer during our show! A little preview for you all. It not often you get to watch 14,000 people watch a trailer."

"3 From Hell", a sequel to Zombie's 2005 horror hit "The Devil's Rejects", is said to continue the story of the Firefly clan — Sid Haig as Captain Spaulding, Bill Moseley as Otis and Sheri Moon Zombie as Baby — whom we saw go down in a torrent of bullets at the end of the first film.

During an appearance on "Trunk Nation", Eddie Trunk's show on SiriusXM channel Volume, Zombie stated about "3 From Hell": "It's the third part of my sort of trilogy that started with 'House Of 1,000 Corpses', then it was 'The Devil's Rejects' and now it's this movie called '3 From Hell'. It's the third part of that series."

He added: "We're done shooting it. I finished about two weeks ago. And, basically, the process just stops and waits for me. 'Cause the film will just basically sit and wait till I get back from tour, which is the end of August, maybe… I don't remember when ['The Second Coming'] tour [with Marilyn Manson] ends… beginning of September. And then we'll start editing. And that'll take me through the rest of the year."

Asked to name his favorite part of the movie-making process, Rob said: "I like all of it. It's all a process that I enjoy. Shooting is great. Shooting is actually the fastest part of it.

"This film probably had two solid years of pre-production to get it going, 'cause getting these movies going sometimes feels close to impossible," he explained. "And then the shoot is so fast. And then the editing will be five or six months, maybe. But I like it. I have a studio at my house, and we just bring the editors there and set up and we just sequester ourselves away. It's actually the same studio we make the records in; we just switch out the gear."

Zombie went on to say that he didn't envision the original story being fleshed out over three movies when he first started writing it more than 15 years ago. "Every time I would finish a movie… After the second one, I thought, 'We're done with it,' but I always think that with every movie," he admitted. "And then you kind of live with it for a long time, and the movies sort of take on a life of their own, or they start getting popular and the fans really start embracing them and the characters, and you start thinking, 'Well… Hmmm… What if I did this? What if I did that?' This one, it's 14 years in between the two films, so it's been a long time; it wasn't really a rush to make it, by any means."

"3 From Hell" was shot in California and is tentatively due in early 2019.

It's not clear whether Zombie plans to resurrect the Firefly trio from the dead in some kind of supernatural fashion in the new film or has found a way to explain that they survived the original movie's climactic shootout.

"The Devil's Rejects" is widely considered Zombie's best film. It's a semi-sequel to his directorial debut, 2003's "House Of 1,000 Corpses", which introduced the Firefly family.

Bloody Disgusting reported four months ago that Zombie was in negotiations with Saban Films and Lionsgate to release "3 From Hell" in theaters, VOD, and home video. Zombie distributed his last movie, the partially crowdfunded "31", through both companies.

Zombie's 29-date tour with Marilyn Manson kicked off in Detroit on July 11.

Keep your eyes peeled for the THREE FROM HELL trailer during our show! A little preview for you all. It not often you get to watch 14,000 people watch a trailer. #threefromhell #freebaby #robzombie #robzombie #sherimoonzombie #billmoseley #sidhaig #jeffdanielphillips #richardbrake #dannytrejo A post shared by RobZombieofficial (@robzombieofficial) on Jul 13, 2018 at 8:41am PDT

Doro leader and namesake Doro Pesch joined KISS singer/bassist Gene Simmons on stage during his performance yesterday (Sunday, July 15th) at Masters Of Rock 2018 in Vizovice, Czech Republic. Video footage of their performance of "War Machine", featured on KISS' 1982 album Creatures Of The Night, can be seen below:

Forever Warriors, Forever United, Doro's upcoming 25-track double album will be released on August 17th via Nuclear Blast.

"There are some big anthems on the album, countless heavy songs, as well as heart-warming melodies! The album is supposed to give you power and thus contains a lot of energy!", says the metal queen.

The album cover artwork was once again created by Doro's favourite artist, Geoffrey Gillespie. It portrays Doro in the middle of a swarm of wild metal heads exuding attitude, power and positive vibes. "The cover and the title form a perfect unit," Doro explains, "Just as it should be. It all fits perfectly in line with the songs, which also deal with some political themes."

Doro continues: "On Forever Warriors, Forever United, there will be a lot of big rock heroes. Fans might be curious about the many awesome guest musicians involved. There are some big anthems on both albums, countless heavy songs, as well as heart-warming melodies! The records are supposed to give you power and thus contain a lot of energy."

Pre-order Forever Warriors, Forever United here.

"Lift Me Up" lyric video:

"All For Metal" video:

Trailers:

#1:

#2:

Track-by-track videos:

"Freunde Fürs Leben":

"Fight Through The Fire":

"Love's Gone To Hell":

"Don't Break My Heart Again":

"Living Life To The Fullest":

"Love Is A Sin":

"Turn It Up":

"It Cuts So Deep":

"Soldier Of Metal":

"Heartbroken":

"If I Can't Have You - No One Will":

"Lift Me Up":

"Bastardos":

"All For Metal":

"Résistance":

Tour dates:

July
20 - Fritzlar, Germany - Rock am Stück
21 - Wertheim, Germany - Burgrock

August
2-4 - Wacken, Germany - Wacken Open Air
8-11 - Villena, Spain - Leyendas del Rock (Warlock)
10 - Derby, UK - Bloodstock Open Air

September
1 - Hartenholm, Germany - Werner Rennen

November
16 - Bremen, Germany - Aladin
17 - Hamburg, Germany - Große Freiheit 36
18 - Berlin, Germany - Astra Kulturhaus
20 - Görlitz, Germany - Kulturbrauerei
21 - Wien, Austria - Simm City
23 - Memmingen, Germany - Kaminwerk
24 - Stuttgart, Germany - Im Wizemann
25 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
27 - Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp
28 - Erfurt, Germany - Stadtgarten
30 - Köln, Germany - Live Music Hall

December
1 - Bochum, Germany - Zeche

U.K. hard rock sensation ASKING ALEXANDRIA has released an acoustic version of its hit single "Alone In A Room". The original song can be found on the band's latest, self-titled album, which was released last December via Sumerian. The disc marks the group's first full-length effort with singer Danny Worsnop since he rejoined ASKING ALEXANDRIA in the fall of 2016.

"Asking Alexandria" was produced by FROM FIRST TO LAST's Matt Good and mixed by Taylor Larson.

"'Alone In A Room' is one of my favorite songs I have ever written!" said founder and guitarist Ben Bruce.


"Alone In A Room" spent five weeks on the BBC Radio One playlist in the U.K.

During his time away from ASKING ALEXANDRIA, Worsnop pursued a more traditional hard rock sound with his other project, WE ARE HARLOT, while ASKING ALEXANDRIA recruited a new singer, Denis Shaforostov, and released a fourth album, "The Black". Danny also issued a country-tinged solo album, "The Long Road Home", last year via Earache Records.

BLACK RIVER, the Polish punk/rock/metal band featuring BEHEMOTH's Tomasz "Orion" Wróblewski and DIMMU BORGIR's Dariusz "Daray" Brzozowski, has entered the studio to record its third album.

After causing a stir with its 2008 debut release, "Black River", and equally powerful follow-up, "Black'N'Roll" (2009), it's high time for the exciting supergroup to unleash another musical assault.

"We're ready to announce that BLACK RIVER is coming back to life!" says Daray. "We have written a dozen or so new songs, which are going to be laid down on tape during upcoming session. We're super-excited about playing together again and the energy that we create."

He continues: "The working title of the new record is 'BlackPunk' and it perfectly captures the attitude that we're approaching it with. The next step would be shows, but they will follow in the right time. Now it's time for the album!"

BLACK RIVER's third full-length is tentatively due in the first quarter of 2019 via Mystic Production.

Polish death metal masters DECAPITATED have released a music video for the song "Kill The Cult". The track comes off the band's latest album, "Anticult", which was released July 7, 2017 via Nuclear Blast Records. The clip was directed by Lukasz Jaszak, who previously directed the music video for "Never" and created the cover art for DECAPITATED's three most recent albums.

Back in March, DECAPITATED guitarist Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka said that he and his bandmates were "ready to return," two months after all rape and kidnapping charges against were dropped against them in Spokane County.

Less than two weeks before the Polish death metal musicians were scheduled to go on trial in January for allegedly kidnapping and raping a woman on their tour bus four months earlier, Spokane County prosecutor Kelly Fitzgerald filed a motion dismissing all rape and kidnapping charges. The motion cited "the well being of the victim" as a reason for dropping the charges without prejudice, meaning the four members of DECAPITATED could be prosecuted in the future.

Vogg told The Moshville Times in a 2017 interview that "Anticult" "follows on from the previous album in some ways but there's obviously some differences. The first thing that’s different is the sound of the album, as we changed the people we worked with and the studio we used to get a bit more of a raw sound," he said. "In my opinion, I'd say this album is more of our 'own' album. With 'Blood Mantra', we were kinda influenced by MESHUGGAH and bands like that quite a bit. I feel with this album, we've kind of found our identity and there's a lot more groove in this album. The songs are also a little bit shorter than on 'Blood Mantra', which, in my opinion, is good. It means that you don't have to wait too long for things to happen and the action is much faster than on the previous album. In some ways, I feel as though we took the experience we gained from 'Blood Mantra' and tried to up the ante with it and make a better album. It was kind of challenging, but I really feel as though we've taken a step forward with this album."

KVELERTAK will introduce its brand new singer during the band's performance on Friday, July 20 at the Fjellparkfestivalen in Flekkefjord, Norway.

The Norwegian rockers revealed their plans to carry on just a few hours after longtime singer Erlend Hjelvik announced his departure from the group.

"We have known for a while that Erlend has planned to step down, so we have had the necessary time to plan the way going forward and also find a new vocalist for KVELERTAK," the band said in a statement.

"The original plan was to finish up the festival season with Erlend, but as Erlend is not able to do so, we are therefore proudly announcing our newest member at the upcoming show Friday, July 20th, at Fjellparken, Norway.

"We would like to thank Erlend Hjelvik for his contribution to the band, and wish him all the best for the future."

KVELERTAK is currently working on material for its fourth album, tentatively due in 2019.

In announcing his exit from KVELERTAK, Hjelvik said that "the experience of building a successful band has been fun and rewarding but has also been equally intense and challenging. Over the years, this has taken its toll. As we've been developing personally and professionally, our individual goals, needs and motivations have changed, leading us in different directions."

"Though it is a heavy decision to leave a life I've been living and breathing for the last decade, I feel happy and excited to explore new possibilities for the future.

"Regrettably, due to circumstances out of my control, I am not able to perform the last four shows in Norway this summer. I apologize to the festival organizers and fans planning on these shows.

KVELERTAK's third album, "Nattesferd", arrived in May 2016. The follow-up to 2013's "Meir" was recorded live at Amper Tone Studio in Oslo, Norway (KVELERTAK's first effort to be recorded in the group's homeland) and was produced by the band and mixed/engineered by Nick Terry (LINDSTRØM, TURBONEGRO, THE LIBERTINES).

California heavy rockers HIGH ON FIRE have set "Electric Messiah" as the title of their eighth studio album, due in October via Entertainment One. The band has been busy in the studio since February putting the finishing touches on yet another blistering LP.

In a brand new interview with DCHeavyMetal.com, HIGH ON FIRE frontman Matt Pike called "Electric Messiah" "the best album we've ever done, by far. It's ridiculous. And I'm really proud of that," he said (hear audio below). "It is by far the best HIGH ON FIRE record ever, which is hard to believe, but it's fucking badass."

Asked how many songs will be on HIGH ON FIRE's new disc, Pike said: "I think there's 10 tracks, 11 tracks. It depends, 'cause there's a bunch of songs… Like, I wrote a Sumerian Anunnaki rock opera that actually is two songs, but they're separate tracks. And then there's a lot of 'slash' songs. There's a lot of songs that… you know [how certain bands] will have, like, one song but it makes, like, three songs, if you really think about it? It's kind of a bunch of shit like that, because we've had this constant stream of riffs and we put it together."

He continued: "I like, when I do HIGH ON FIRE records, to have a lot of interludes and weird shit going on, so you never lose focus, but it's constantly changing. It's a lot like… [2007's] 'Death Is This Communion' is like that; there's tracks that don't have names, but they're there. It's just one stream of HIGH ON FIRE consciousness, and it's fucking good; that's all. I'm really stoked on that record."

Pike also revealed that HIGH ON FIRE will promote "Electric Messiah" by embarking on a U.S. tour with MUNICIPAL WASTE. "We've been kind of beating a dead horse, dead in the water for a while, so we're doing a co-headline [run]," he explained. "The MUNICIPAL WASTE dudes are our good friends, so we figured we'll just punch the country together, swap spots and no one gets tired and all that stuff, and, yeah, it should be good. I wanna get HIGH ON FIRE rolling again, so it's full throttle. We took a lot of time to write this record, really make it good."

HIGH ON FIRE again teamed up with producer Kurt Ballou and GodCity Studios where the last two LPs were created. Additional tracking was done by Bryan Sours of Sour Sound.

"Electric Messiah" will serve as the highly anticipated follow-up to 2015's "Luminiferous", which garnered its own massive critical acclaim. NPR claimed that it "vividly captures HIGH ON FIRE's unique chemistry, presenting it in a tone that's both warm and aggressive to the point of leaping out at the listener."

The AV Club said the LP "aggressively illustrates that HIGH ON FIRE still deserves its place at the top of underground metal's food chain. It's hard to think of another band with this much-staying power."

HIGH ON FIRE has been confirmed for the 2018 Psycho Las Vegas festival, set to take place August 17-19 at the famed Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

The original version of this article incorrectly stated that "Electric Messiah" would be released in September. A representative for HIGH ON FIRE's record label has confirmed to BLABBERMOUTH.NET that the album will arrive in October.

German black/doom/punk chimera Mantar performed at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival for the first time in 2015. Professionally filmed video of the band's full set can be seen below.

Setlist:

"The Berserkers Path"
"Spit"
"Cult Witness"
"Astral Kannibal"
"Into The Golden Abyss"
"Swinging The Eclipse"
"The Huntsmen"
"The Stoning"
"White Nights"

Mantar recently released a video for the new track "Age Of The Absurd", to feature on the band's upcoming third studio album The Modern Art Of Setting Ablaze. The album will include 12 songs and is set to be unleashed on August 24th via Nuclear Blast.

Mantar have achieved more in five years than most bands twice their age and size. The product of a twenty year friendship between guitarist/vocalist Hanno Klaenhardt and drummer Erinc Sakarya, theirs is a success story born entirely of one thing: hard work, with three albums, an EP and a live release already to their name. Releasing their 2014 Svart Records debut Death By Burning, an uncompromising clash of stripped-back punk attitude and metal intensity to instant critical acclaim, the band toured relentlessly, gracing stages the world over, including the hallowed likes of Roadburn, Wacken Open Air and Maryland Deathfest. They used 2016’s Ode To The Flame, their Nuclear Blast Records debut, to further build upon their incendiary live reputation, conquering not only Europe and the US, but Russia, Japan and South Africa.

Now, following a brief period of repose which saw Hanno move to Florida, Mantar return with The Modern Art Of Setting Ablaze, a short, sharp shock that hones the hungry riffs and breath-taking pace of their previous records. “We skipped the bullshit,” explains Hanno. “I wanted 3 or 4 minute songs; bam, bam, bam. Every song different, catchy - that’s what rock and roll is about.”

Mantar's metallic genesis is unique in that neither member classes themself as a metalhead. Hanno’s a punk kid that developed a love for black metal later in life. Erinc’s tastes are even further removed, preferring the svelte sadness of the likes of The Sisters OF Mercy. “But we have a metal audience and we are a metal band, I guess!” states Hanno proudly, “I take that as a gift.” He’s never listened to more classic metal records than when writing »The Modern Art Of Setting Ablaze«, and it shows in the album’s ceaseless, hook-laden riffs and caustically blackened, nihilistic atmosphere. “Riffs, riffs, riffs are the only hard currency for Mantar - simple as fuck - that’s what I like,” says Hanno. “The Modern Art Of Setting Ablaze is way more metal than the previous two records; on the other hand I think the songs speak for themselves, without the need for genre classification.”

The Modern Art Of Setting Ablaze is a title in-keeping with Hanno’s symbolic obsession with fire on albums previous; this time disavowing mankind’s tendency to blindly follow those that would lead us into oblivion. This isn’t necessarily a political statement; more a morbid fascination with current smouldering tensions that threaten to set the minds of the masses on fire. The Modern Art Of Setting Ablaze is the spark that will ignite the flame - especially onstage. “I’m addicted to those moments up there,” impresses Hanno, “being loud, raw and aggressive - setting the stage ablaze, causing violence; that’s what I live for.”

The Modern Art Of Setting Ablaze is a title in-keeping with Mantar's symbolic obsession with fire on albums previous; this time disavowing mankind's tendency to blindly follow those that would lead us into oblivion. This isn't necessarily a political statement; but rather a morbid fascination with current smouldering tensions that threaten to set the minds of the masses on fire.

Mantar is currently on the road, playing select club shows as well as Europe's biggest festivals. See dates below.

July
27 - Metaldays - Tolmin, Slovenia

August
3 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, Germany
5 - Sylak Open Air - Saint-Maurice-de-Gourdans, France
10 - Sonic Blast Moledo - Moledo, Portugal
12 - Bloodstock - Derbyshire, England
24 - Kulturkombinat Bunker - Rostock, Germany
25 - Reload Festival - Sulingen, Germany

Skeletonwitch and Mantar recently announced that they will be hitting the UK and Europe this winter for a co-headline run. Support will come from Belgium thrash outfit Evil Invaders and German deathers Deathrite. Tickets on sale now.

Dates:

November
14 - Pumpehuset - Copenhagen, Denmark
15 - Krosset - Oslo, Norway
16 - Sticky Fingers - Gothenburg, Sweden
17 - Markthalle - Hamburg, Germany
19 - Musikzentrum - Hannover, Germany
20 - Hirsch - Nürnberg, Germany
21 - Turock - Essen, Germany
22 - Dynamo - Zürich, Switzerland
23 - KJH Hallschlag - Stuttgart, Germany
24 - Rockhouse - Salzburg, Austria
26 - Backstage - München, Germany
27 - Arena - Wien, Austria
28 - Explosiv - Graz, Austria
29 - Nova Chmelnice - Prague, Czech Republic
30 - UT Connewitz - Leipzig, Germany

December
1 - SO 36 - Berlin, Germany
2 - Biebob - Vosselaar, Belgium
4 - Rebellion - Manchester, UK
5 - Mama Roux´s - Birmingham, UK
6 - Underworld - London, UK
7 - Petit Bain - Paris, France
8 - Schlachthof - Wiesbaden, Germany
9 - Baroeg - Rotterdam, Netherlands

Finland's Amorphis performed at the 2018 edition of Hellfest in Clisson,France on June 24th. Pro-shot video of their entire set is available below.

The setlist was as follows:

"The Bee"
"The Golden Elk"
"Sacrifice"
"Silver Bride"
"Bad Blood"
"Wrong Direction"
"Daughter of Hate"
"Against Widows"
"The Castaway"
"Death of a King"
"House of Sleep"

Amorphis released their enormously successful new album, Queen Of Time, on May 18th through Nuclear Blast. To present their new hymns live on stage, the band is pleased to announce that they will join forces with visionary Swedish metallers Soilwork for a European co-headline run in early 2019. The band is currently working hard on the follow-up to 2015's hit album, The Ride Majestic. The trek will mark Soilwork's first tour in support of their new record. As if this package wasn't great enough, these headliners will be supported by Ukrainian modern metal outfit Jinjer plus German melodic death/doom metallers Nailed to Obscurity, who are working on their Nuclear Blast debut.

Amorphis guitarist Esa Holopainen commented: "We can't wait to hit the European roads and take the Amorphis live production to the next level with the Queen Of Time tour. We are really happy to bring the mighty Soilwork, Jinjer and Nailed To Obscurity to this tour as well. Get your tickets now, it's gonna be a blast from the past!"

Added Soilwork vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid: "We are very excited about touring with Amorphis, as the first tour for our upcoming album. Amorphis have been my favorite Finnish band since I was a teenager, when Tales From The Thousand Lakes was my daily soundtrack. Both of the bands' unique take on metal, will create an epic cocktail, as we roll through Europe on tour together. It's about time, I can't wait!"

Jinjer stated: "We are absolutely thrilled and honored to tour alongside two metal giants such as Amorphis and Soilwork, it's almost too good to be true! We'll be bringing our A game and playing some new material as well. Europe, get ready because 2019 is going to get loud!"

NTO guitarist Jan-Ole Lamberti: "We can't wait to get back on the road again and we are very excited to be a part of this killer tour package. We are looking forward to seeing familiar faces at cities and venues that we've already played in the past, but also to meeting lots of new people at places and even countries we haven't been to yet. This is going to be great!"

The tour schedule is as follows:

January
11 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle 2
12 - Nijmegen, Netherlands - Doornroosje
13 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
14 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Amager Bio
15 - Stockholm, Seden - Fryshuset
16 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller Music Hall
18 - Hanover, Germany - Capitol
19 - Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser
20 - Krakow, Poland - Klub Kwadrat
23 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Universiada Hall
25 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra Music Club
26 - Vienna, Austria - Arena
27 - Zlín, Czech Republic - Masters of Rock Café
28 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Majestic Music Club
29 - Berlin, Germany - Kesselhaus
30 - Munich, Germany - Backstage

February
1 - Geiselwind, Germany - MusicHall
2 - Cologne, Germany - Essigfabrik
3 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix Muziekcentrum
4 - London, UK - Islington Assembly Hall
6 - Paris, France - Cabaret Sauvage
7 - Toulouse, France - Le Bikini
8 - Madrid, Spain - Mon
9 - Barcelona, Spain - Salamandra
10 - Lyon, France - Le Transbordeur
12 - Trezzo sull'Adda, Italy- Live Music Club
13 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
14 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
15 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn
16 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7

After 14 years performing together, five full-length studio albums, and countless sold-out shows around the globe, there aren't many items left on a band's bucket list. For ALTER BRIDGE, one of the remaining list items was crossed off in October 2017 when the band performed two sold-out shows at London's iconic Royal Albert Hall backed by the 52-piece Parallax Orchestra led by conductor Simon Dobson. Those career-defining shows were captured and combined in the upcoming Napalm Records worldwide release "Live At The Royal Albert Hall" on September 7.

"I think out of all the years of doing this [music], this experience is the top two or three highlights without a doubt," explains singer Myles Kennedy in a recently released trailer that can be seen below. "It's something that none of us are going to forget."

"Live At The Royal Albert Hall" is a 21-song collection that features some of ALTER BRIDGE's biggest hits, fan favorites and even a couple of rarities including "Words Darker Than Their Wings" — a song the band had never played live previously. Songs like "Before Tomorrow Comes", "Ghost Of Days Gone By", "The Last Hero" and "Broken Wings" all find new life with the unique arrangements presented by Dobson and the Parallax Orchestra performing alongside the band. The pre-order for the release is live and fans can order various audio and video configurations including Blu-ray, DVD, CD and vinyl as well as other unique bundles with exclusive content. A portion of the proceeds from all sales will go to the Future Song Foundation; an organization that Myles Kennedy is closely involved with. The first track released from the collection is the band's chart-topping single "Addicted To Pain". The video for that song can be seen below.

The track listing for "Live At The Royal Albert Hall" is:

01. Slip To The Void

02. Addicted To Pain

03. Before Tomorrow Comes

04. The Writing On The Wall

05. Cry Of Achilles

06. In Loving Memory

07. Fortress

08. Ties That Bind

09. The Other Side

10. Brand New Start

11. Ghost Of Days Gone By

12. The Last Hero

13. The End Is Here

14. Words Darker Than Their Wings

15. Waters Rising

16. Lover

17. Wonderful Life/Watch Over You

18. This Side Of Fate

19. Broken Wings

20. Blackbird

21. Open Your Eyes

ALTER BRIDGE is:

Myles Kennedy - vocals/guitars

Mark Tremonti - guitars/vocals

Brian Marshall - bass

Scott Phillips - drums

It’s a tribute to the diversity and creativity of the metal genre that a band can still come up with a totally new inspiration for their music. Such a band is Mongol!

Hailing from Edmonton, Alberta, Mongol’s folk metal is inspired by the ancient Mongolian Empire, which was the largest land empire in history, at various times it included China, Korea, Mongolia, Persia (now Iran), Turkestan, and Armenia. It also included parts of Burma, Vietnam, Thailand, and Russia. This Empire increased contacts between people; and enabled the introduction of such innovations as paper, the compass and gunpowder. It is no exaggeration to say the Mongolian Empire helped shape the modern world.

Now, Mongol stand poised to unleash their latest album ‘The Return’, inspired by an ancient Mongolian prophecy of the return of Genghis Khan, Lord of All the People Dwelling in Felt Tents, from his grave. In the album, on seeing the sorry state of the world today, Genghis seeks to remake it as the New World Khanate.

Inspired by Kalmah, Wolfchant, Falconer, Dimmu Borgir, lead guitarist Luke Barry (Zev) describes Mongol’s sound as “melodic, eclectic, diverse, genre-defying, epic!”

As he explains. “We derived the band name, Mongol, from the fierce warriors of the Mongolian Steppe. To draw inspiration we have watched Mongolian films and read their oldest text “The Secret History of the Mongols” and other source material. In addition to this we have traveled to Mongolia and spent some time there, which was a great wellspring of inspiration.”

Live, Mongol resembles the warriors that inspired them, “bringing a unique energy to the stage that showcases our vast spanning sound perfectly. When the crowd isn’t banging their heads to one of our heavier songs, they are dancing joyously or clinking their beers with brethren in the mosh pit, singing along to catchy melodic choruses!”

The Return is due out via Sliptrick Records on October 5th.

Tracklisting:

“Prophecy Of The Blind”
“The Return”
“Sacrificial Rites”
“Takhil”
“Amongst The Dead”
“To The Wind”
“Dschingis Khan”
“The Mountain Weeps”
“River Child”
“Warband”

“Prophecy Of The Blind” lyric video:

Swiss melodic metal outfit Crystal Ball have released a full stream of their new album Crystallizer, out now via Massacre Records. Listen below, and order the new album here.

Crystal Ball's new album was once again produced, mixed and mastered by Stefan Kaufmann (ex-Accept, ex-U.D.O). The cover artwork was created by Thomas Ewerhard, who already designed the album artwork of bands like Jaded Heart, Kreator, and Edguy, among others.

The band comments: "Crystallizer is the full package - it's powerful and full of melodic hooklines and catchy songs!"

Tracklisting:

"Crystallizer"
"Curtain Call"
"Alive For Evermore"
"S.O.S."
"Crazy In The Night"
"Gentleman's Agreement"
"Let Her Go With Love"
"Beauty In The Beast"
"Death On Holy Ground"
"Satisfaction Guaranteed" (Digipak Bonus)
"Exit Wound" (Digipak Bonus)
"Dusty Deadly"
"Symphony Of Life"

Album stream:

"Curtain Call" video:

"Alive For Evermore" video:

"S.O.S." lyric video:

(Photo - Bojan Zupan / MD9 Photography)

Long standing New York death metal legends Pyrexia have returned with their newest and arguably most devastating album Unholy Requiem. The record, which will see a September 14th release date via Unique Leader, was recorded, mixed, and mastered at Subsonic Audio by guitarist Chris Basile and shows the band returning to their filthy, pulverizing, classic sound.

Basile said of the album, “This album is definitely the band returning to its roots. It’s dirty. It’s raw. It’s punishing. It’s us. It’s a hungry Album and we fed it a strict diet of pain, sweat, and blast beats.”

Not to be dismissed as a simple throwback album however, Unholy Requiem shows that Pyrexia still absolutely dominate the brutal death metal sound that they helped give birth to. These eight slabs of blistering, pulverizing menace show a band that are still pushing themselves forward, determined to continue raising the bar for extreme music. This album with all of its pummeling groove and signature riff laden violence is nothing less than pure sonic vitriol. Pyrexia have proven once again that they deserve every accolade and have further cemented themselves at the top of the brutal death pantheon.

Tracklisting:

“Angels Of Gomorrah”
“Blood To Ash”
“Moment Of Violence”
“Path Of Disdain”
“The Annointed”
“The Fall Of Eden”
“Unholy Requiem”
“Wrath”