Prior to headlining The Rockpile in Toronto, Ontario, L.A. Guns guitarist Tracii Guns – who recently reunited with vocalist Phil Lewis – invited BraveWords scribe Aaron Small on board the band’s tour bus for an exclusive chat about all things LAG.

First matter of discussion was the recent L.A. Guns lineup change. In March of 2018, guitarist Michael Grant (who had been with the group since 2013) and LAG parted ways. Then Johnny Monaco (Enuff Z’nuff) joined the band for a very brief stint, and now Adam Hamilton – who played bass on LAG albums Waking The Dead, and Tales From The Strip – is the new rhythm guitarist. “We had (guitar) pics made that just say Stage Right on them; we never know who’s coming or going on that side of the stage,” jokes Tracii. “Adam’s been in the band forever (from 2001 – 2007). I just thought it would be really cool to have this kind of shredder guitar player on the other side; make a spectacle of it. But I guess in the end, that’s not really what L.A. Guns is. Having Adam, even at rehearsal before the shows, it was like, ‘oh, that’s solid!’ I’m always trying to improve things that don’t need to be improved. Right now, it’s nice.”

Last month Tracii took to Instagram saying he was about to record “what has to be the best guitar work I have ever done.” Reflecting upon that posting, Tracii admits, “That’s where the stress lies. People are paying attention to me all of a sudden, which they really didn’t for years. It’s got to be good, it’s got to be something. I think we managed to raise the bar a little bit with the one that’s going to be out next.”

That next album is nearly complete, with all the music in the can. “Just waiting for Phil to finish (his vocals). Everything’s done. All the lyrics are written, all the melodies. The songs are done, he’s got five in the bag, so he’s got to do seven more.” We’re looking at a twelve-track album then? “I think it’s going to be eleven with a bonus track. Wait, no, no, it’s 13 songs; all original, no covers. No ballads. There’s something close to a ballad; it’s a murder ballad, ‘One More Season In Hell’. We have a song that is like The Cult – Sonic Temple, it’s called ‘Gone Honey’ – that’s a really cool, different kind of thing. A lot of the album’s really heavy. There’s ‘The Devil You Know’, ‘Loaded Bomb’, ‘Boom’, ‘Rage’ – we have some with one-word titles and some with all these words in the title. The album’s going to be called Wasn’t Tomorrow Great.”

When it comes to artwork, that title lends itself to so many different possibilities. “Yeah, we were thinking about calling the album Gravity’s In Control. But, last minute change. Phil’s wife was coming up with this concept for the globe hanging in space, but it was the L.A. Guns logo. I think that’s still in order, cause you’re looking at the world – Wasn’t Tomorrow Great – when you dream, it’s always about something that’s going to happen. The dreams are usually great.”

Tracii handles all of the guitar parts on Wasn’t Tomorrow Great; lead and rhythm. “It was recorded just me, Johnny (Martin – bass), and Shane (Fitzgibbon – drums),” confirms the six-stringer. Wasn’t Tomorrow Great is coming out really quickly as the previous studio album, The Missing Peace, was released in October 2017, and the live album, Made In Milan, was just released in March 2018. New material is always welcome, but why such a rush? Why not tour on The Missing Peace more? “Because we toured so much before The Missing Peace,” answers Tracii. “And, people have a short attention span. It’s nice to hear now – today – how much people are still listening to The Missing Peace. We weren’t going to do one this quick, we were going to wait about another six months from this point, but we had a break and I was home, and I wrote all the music really quickly; not intentionally. I didn’t sit down and say, ‘ok, got to write an album now.’ It was like, ‘we’re supposed to start writing soon…’ Then all this really, really cool stuff came out. Me and Phil, we have a co-writer, this guy Mitch Davis. I just started sending him demos and he was like, ‘Holy Shit!’ I was like, ‘Jesus Christ, let’s just do this.’” And the potential release date? “We’re looking at March through Frontiers Music.”

Once again, Tracii is producing the album. “I did the last one, I did this one. I don’t wanna fuck with the system; the system works. We did do an upgrade on this. We went to a really nice studio – Big Bad Sound LA – to record drums, to record all the instruments. Where on the last album, we went to pretty nice studios to do the drums, and then everything was done in my studio after that. But I managed to get 95% of the guitar done in the same room where we recorded drums, which adds a certain kind of togetherness. I used the same room mics for the guitars that we used for the drums. It’s like, wow! You just pull the faders up and it doesn’t need to be mixed, everything fits. It was like a Godsend.”

All counted, there’s seven L.A. Guns albums of original material featuring both Tracii and Phil. Does that mean the songs found on Tales From The Strip (2005) and Hollywood Forever (2012) – which featured guitarist Stacey Blades in place of Tracii Guns – are dead and buried, never to be played live again? “Fuck those songs man. That’s not L.A. Guns, I’m not on those records.” To be fair, the unexpected does happen occasionally. Case in point, Guns N’ Roses performing “Slither” by Velvet Revolver live. Of course, Velvet Revolver featured GN’R members Slash and Duff McKagan, along with Stone Temple Pilots vocalist Scott Weiland. No one ever thought Axl Rose would sing that song, but he is. “I think Axl’s being nice,” offers Tracii. “It is a good song, it was massive on radio. But nobody knows shit off those fucking L.A. Guns records; it’s the truth. Nobody knows shit off half the records I did with L.A. Guns either. The first three, maybe a glimpse of Vicious Circle, a glimpse of Waking The Dead. Those are records we love, and there’s certain songs from those that the audience knows, but overall, to be realistic, the first two records and ‘Kiss My Love Goodbye’ and ‘Over The Edge’ off Hollywood Vampires – that is by far and away the most popular stuff. Then there’s The Missing Peace – it came out of nowhere.”

(L.A. Guns photo by Amy Maglieri, Tracii Guns photo by Aaron Small)

Catch L.A. Guns live in concert at the following shows:

August
9 - Cornerstone - Berkeley, CA
10 - Holy Diver - Sacramento, CA
11 - Rock Star University House Of Rock - Santa Rosa, CA
31 - O2 Academy Islington - London, United Kingdom

September
1 - O2 Academy Sheffield - Sheffield, United Kingdom - SOLD OUT
2 - Riverside - Newcastle, United Kingdom
4 - The Robin 2 - Wolverhampton, United Kingdom
5 - The Craufurd Arms - Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
6 - Rebellion - Manchester, United Kingdom
8 - The Tivoli - Buckley, United Kingdom
10 - Cacaofabriek - Helmond, Netherlands
11 - Turock - Essen, Germany
12 - Colos-Saal - Aschaffenburg, Germany
14 - L’empreint - Savigny-Le-Temple, France
15 - Castle of Princess d'Arenberg - Raismes, France
16 - Hair Metal Heaven Festival - Hull, United Kingdom

October
6 - Streeters - Traverse City, MI
12 - Riverside Ballroom - Green Bay, WI

November
29 - Proof Rooftop Lounge - Houston, TX

December
7 - The State Theatre - Harrah, OK
8 - IDL Ballroom - Tulsa, OK

 

MONSTER TRUCK's video for the song "Evolution" can be seen below.. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "True Rockers", which will be released on September 14 via Mascot Records/Mascot Label Group.

Speaking about the track and video, singer/bassist Jon "Marv" Harvey explained: "'Evolution', as a song, was a real shift in a different direction. It was very eye opening in many different ways for us. We wanted to keep the video looking like the image that we built rather than have another curveball. I think the juxtaposition feels more natural than we expected, and the end product speaks for itself."


It's been two years since the mighty "Sittin' Heavy" came out and in the 18 months that followed its release, MONSTER TRUCK played over 150 shows, which included arena tours with NICKELBACK, BILLY TALENT and a European DEEP PURPLE tour. They also played with BLACK STONE CHERRY, VOLBEAT, THE TEMPERANCE MOVEMENT, JANE'S ADDICTION, ROB ZOMBIE and ALTER BRIDGE.


During the time on the road, the band took a recording rig on tour and songs came together for what was to become "True Rockers" and they began to send material back and forth to producer Dan Weller (SIKTH, YOUNG GUNS, ENTER SHIKARI).

"When the inspiration strikes, use it, if you're not gonna use it, you're wasting it," said Harvey. "As soon as you think of something could be a good song, work on it, immediately. Inspiration is so valuable." They then returned to Echo Mountain Studios in Asheville, North Carolina in July 2017 to record the album.


"True Rockers" is the sound of a band letting lose and having fun. Harvey affirmed: "We want people to listen to it and have fun, have as much fun as possible." "Yeah, that's what I was gonna say too," added guitarist Jeremy Widerman. "I mean, right off the beginning of the album, you hear me scream at Marv. That just kicks off the entire vibe of the album. Us in a room, having fun, joking and yelling at each other."


The album had been put to bed but the band were still bouncing around ideas and they had the opportunity to work with award-winning producers Gavin Brown and Maia Davies on songs "Evolution", "Young City Hearts" and "Hurricane".

"We had a chance to work with some hitmakers, so we took the chance, and what came out is different than anything we have done," explained Harvey. "Gavin and Maia were fantastic to work with. It added a lot of color to the record and allowed us the opportunity to take a risk and branch out a little."


Elaborating further, Widerman added: "It almost wouldn't be a MONSTER TRUCK record if we didn't reach the supposed end of the process and then double-back to track a few extra songs in order to strengthen what was already a strong record to us."


Harvey has become a father since the last record was released and this life-changing moment had a real effect on the songwriting. Whereas "Sittin' Heavy" was a more "serious" record, "True Rockers" is the sound of a band letting loose and having fun. Harvey affirmed: "We want people to listen to it and have fun, have as much fun as possible."


This is the essence that is pumping through "True Rockers", a band that formed only for fun back in 2009 have toured the world because they connect with their fans who want that from them.

Upon the release of "True Rockers", they will be three albums in and are steamrolling through the world picking up people along the way that want that wild ride and its feels like they are only just getting started.


Widerman added: "Looking back to the beginning, I think, in a way, I knew it, I really did. Within the first couple of rehearsals we ever did. I always think back to how I knew this was something different to anything else I'd ever done. It was weird because I had to manage how excited I was. We all agreed that this wasn't gonna be a band that signs a record deal and goes on tour. I was, like, 'Holy shit! This is better than anything I've ever done before. How am I going to convince these guys to go with it?'"

"We Want A War", the new video from NASHVILLE PUSSY, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Pleased To Eat You", which will be released on September 7 via earMUSIC.

Lemmy personally blessed NASHVILLE PUSSY calling them "America's last great rock 'n' roll band" — and Lemmy should know.

Formed in 1997, NASHVILLE PUSSY preached its sleazy gospel over the past couple of decades alongside MOTÖRHEAD in every rock outpost from Asia to Europe and back again.


Raised on a diet of Marshall stacks, Gibson guitars, Jack Daniels, and weed, NASHVILLE PUSSY are the bastard offspring of foul-mouthed, demented hillbilly ice-cream man Blaine Cartwright and tractor-driving, nude art school model, and guitar prodigy Ruyter Suys. NASHVILLE PUSSY quickly gained a reputation for being like "AC/DC with a female Angus" in Ruyter's blues-meets-punk frenzied guitar solos and Blaine's hilarious "jailhouse nursery rhyme" lyrics.


The band's bass player — Bonnie "Bon" Buitrago — began as a teenage fan of the band sneaking into shows, determined to make the leap from audience member to member of the band by mastering her craft on bass. Atlanta native and ex-landscaper Ben Thomas on drums has quickly become known for his showmanship, precision, and all-around sensuality behind the kit.


"We are rock 'n' rolls' dirty little secret — blissfully outliving musical trends we never knew existed," says Suys. "More than ever, everyone needs to escape to a place where they can pretend they don't give a shit, let their hair down and get loud, sweaty and dirty. NASHVILLE PUSSY provides that unpretentious refuge. Everyone is welcome — just don't dress up 'cause it's gonna get messy."


The Gods of Rock smiled upon on NASHVILLE PUSSY in creating the band's brand new studio album, "Pleased To Eat You". Combining the talents of producer Daniel Rey (RAMONES, WHITE ZOMBIE, Ronnie Spector and RAGING SLAB) and studio engineer David Barrick (BLACK STONE CHERRY, THE KENTUCKY HEADHUNTERS, MARSHALL TUCKER BAND), the band was fresh off an international tour and hungry for new songs to sink their teeth.


"Pleased To Eat You" is their seventh studio album and certainly another milestone recording by the band you'll need to share with your mom: Bourbon, BBQ, horse farms, good people, and a great fucking record. Seriously, you'll hardly find a band that manages to act so easy, so fast and yet so impulsive as NASHVILLE PUSSY — a band that is not shy about expressing opinions loud and clear.

Eclipse Records announces the signing of The Pain Method, an alternative metal band from New York City.

Shortly after the breakup of Generation Kill in 2017, guitarist Rob Moschetti (Pro-Pain, M.O.D., Generation Kill) along with Jay Trenczer (Generation Kill, Mutilation) and drummer Rob Youells (Fragile Mortals, Generation Kill) began writing material for a new band, and a new album. After bringing John Fattoruso (Stereomud) and Will Winton (Thanatotic Desire) into the mix, The Pain Method was born.

“The staff at Eclipse are fans of our album, and that means a lot more to me than being on some huge label” says frontman Rob Moschetti. “Our album won’t get lost in the mix, because Eclipse is not an over-saturated label. They’re a hands-on operation and the perfect home for The Pain Method.”

Guitarist John Fattoruso continues, “After being through the ringer of the music biz, from major labels to indies to self-releasing music, it's great to be signing with Eclipse Records and to know exactly where we stand with them!”
 
The band have also recently completed a new album entitled What Doesn’t Kill You… which is currently planned for release in the fall of 2018. Details will be forthcoming.

Tour dates:

August
25 - Troy, PA - Music for Munchkins Fest 3
26 - Long Branch, NJ - The Brighton Bar (Rock Against Dystrophy All Stars 2018)

Lineup:

Rob Moschetti (lead vocals & guitar)
Rob Youells (drums)
Jason Trenczer (lead guitar)
John Fattoruso (guitar)
Will Winton (bass)

(Photo - Andrew Marcinko)

Bon Jovi have released this official live video, which sees the band performing their classic hit "I'll Be There For You" in Philadelphia, PA on the 2018 This House Is Not For Sale tour.

Watch the band perform "Livin' On A Prayer" in Philadelphia below:

A series of videos recapping the North American tour leg of Bon Jovi's This House Is Not For Sale can be seen below:

Episode #1:

Episode #2:

Episode #3:

Episode #4:

Episode #5:

Slash Featuring Myles Kennedy And The Conspirators will release their new album Living The Dream on September 21st via Slash's own label Snakepit Records, in partnership with Roadrunner Records. The group unleashed “Driving Rain” - the first single off Living The Dream - today, to radio. Listen to “Driving Rain” via the static video below, and purchase the new song digitally here.

Slash describes the creation of “Driving Rain”: “This is a riff I specifically remember playing with the guys for the first time at a venue in New Hampshire on the World on Fire tour. It’s a cool guitar part we ran though, and from that point forward the rest of the song started to come together in my mind while on the road. We put it all together this year and Myles came up with a great melody for it.”

Myles Kennedy adds, “The riff is very reminiscent of vintage Aerosmith. It’s got a certain funk to it that’s compelling. Lyrically, it’s a story about somebody who works on the road - it could be a musician, and it could be a traveling salesman. What makes it interesting is this guy has an addict girlfriend or spouse who continues to relapse, and she ends up getting him to come home. She’s miserable and falls back into bad old habits, and that compels him to head back to her to save the day.”

"Driving Rain" static video:

Living The Dream is Slash’s fourth solo album, and third with Slash and his bandmates Myles Kennedy (Vocals), Brent Fitz (Drums), Todd Kerns (Bass & Vocals) and Frank Sidoris (Guitar & Vocals). The band has launched a physical pre-order for a variety of bundles for Living The Dream. View them now at this location.

Pre-order trailer:

The band has also unveiled the album cover art and tracklisting for Living The Dream. The artwork was created by renowned visual artist Ron English.

Living The Dream tracklisting:

"The Call Of The Wild"
"Serve You Right"
"My Antidote"
"Mind Your Manners"
"Lost Inside The Girl"
"Read Between The Lines"
"Slow Grind"
"The One You Loved Is Gone"
"Driving Rain"
"Sugar Cane"
"The Great Pretender"
"Boulevard Of Broken Hearts"

For Living The Dream, Slash and his band re-teamed with producer Michael “Elvis” Baskette (Alter Bridge, Iggy Pop, Incubus) on the powerful 12 song collection. The band’s previous albums World On Fire and Apocalyptic Love, debuted in the Top Ten on 12 charts globally, spawned three #1 hit singles at US Rock Radio and earned worldwide praise garnering Slash some of the best critical acclaim of his career.

The group’s North American headlining tour begins September 13th in Los Angeles visiting 20 major cities including New York, Denver, Philadelphia, Boston, Washington, DC (Silver Spring, MD), Chicago (New Buffalo, MI), Austin, Houston, and more before ending October 14th in Sacramento (all dates below).

September
13 - The Whiskey A Go Go - Los Angeles, CA
15 - The Van Buren - Phoenix, AZ
16 - Kaaboo Del Mar - Del Mar, CA
18 - The Depot - Salt Lake City, CA
19 - Fillmore - Denver, CO
21 - Paradise Cove Margaritaville - Tulsa, OK
22 - Winstar - Thackerville, OK
24 - Stubbs - Austin, TX
26 - House of Blues - Houston, TX
28 - Louder Than Life - Louisville, KY
29 - Four Winds Casino Resort - New Buffalo, MI

October
1 - Wellmont Theatre - Montclair, NJ
2 - Fillmore - Silver Spring, MD
4 - Casino Rama - Rama, Canada
5 - Pier 17 at South Street Seaport - New York, NY
6 - Mohegan Sun - Uncasville, CT
9 - Paramount - Huntington, NY
10 - Electric Factory - Philadelphia, PA
11 - House of Blues - Boston, MA
14 - Aftershock Festival - Sacramento, CA

Japan's trance metal bashers Blood Stain Child have uploaded highlight footage from their July 22nd show in Tokyo at Cyclone. Check it out below.

Blood Stain Child, who have been plagued in recent years by several line-up changes, will release a Best Of compilation entitled The Legend on June 13th. It will feature re-recorded and rearranged material from the band's catalogue, which stretches back to 2002 over five albums, four EPs, and four singers. An album trailer is available below.

The tracklist for The Legend is as follows:

"Kamui - Shinto"
"Silence Of Nothern Hell"
"Crimson Symphony"
"Requiem" 
"Mystic Your Heart"
"System B.U.R.S.T."
"Clone Life"
"Final Sky"
"Embrace Me"
"Truth"
"Exotic 6"
"Freedom"
"Another Dimension"
"Forever Free"
"Eternal" (bonus track)

Blood Stain Child in 2018 is:

Saika - vocals
Ryu - lead guitar, synth guitar
G.S.R - rhythm guitar, synth guitar
Yasu - drums, percussion
Yakky - bass
Aki - synth

Famous Underground / Creeping Beauty guitarist Darren Michael Boyd has released a solo new single / video entitled "This Song Won't Get Played On The Radio" (which it did). Check out the clip below.

Boyd recently released an acoustic country-flavoured solo single "The Only Thing I Hate Is You". It is available for purchase via Bandcamp. Check it out via the audio player below.

The only thing I hate is you by Darren Michael Boyd

Lead vocals - Mitch Foster 
Guitars, keys - Darren Michael Boyd 
Mastered by Harry Hess at HBomb Mastering

Photo by Momo Lambkin

New York City trio Unearthly Trance have shared the first track off their side of the impending, split LP with labelmates Primitive Man. Listen to “Mechanism Man” below:

Unearthly Trance will perform with Spirit Adrift and labelmates Wrong at Union Pool in Brooklyn, NY on July 31st. The trio will also make a special appearance at Psycho Las Vegas next month on August 19th following the release of the split album.

Primitive Man & Unearthly Trance’s Split LP is due out August 17th on CD/LP/Digital via Relapse.com. Physical packages, digital downloads, and streaming services are available on Relapse.com.

Lux Terminus is proud to release "Epilogue: Fly", the second single from their upcoming debut album, The Courage To Be. The final chapter of a four-part suite that is one of the album’s centerpieces, "Epilogue: Fly" features the unmistakable vocals of Dutch legend Anneke Van Giersbergen (ex-The Gathering, Devin Townsend Project, VUUR). Lux Terminus is excited to partner with Bravewords.com to premiere the single’s lyric video, created by Wayne Joyner (Ayreon, Europe, Rick Springfield).

Comments keyboardist Vikram Shankar: "As the only song on The Courage To Be with lyrics, 'Epilogue: Fly' is responsible for encapsulating the concept of the record. The message of both the song and the album is simple: life often presents us with circumstances that are difficult to bear, and sometimes, happiness and peace can seem transient and fleeting in the face of such negativity. In those moments, all we can do is resolve to fight through the darkness. This song is a statement of resolve for myself, which I hope that others can relate to: that no matter how difficult things can get, I will always choose life.

It is fitting for me, therefore, that the words of this song are delivered by an artist whose voice and music have given me the strength to choose life, time and time again. Anneke not only has my favorite voice in the world, but her artistry and ability to 'own' everything that she sings is in my opinion second to none. After hearing her delivery of this song, I am confident that there is nobody who could have performed it with such unique power of expression and creativity. Her vocal melodies during the closing section of the song may well be the best minute of music I will ever have my name on!"

The Courage To Be will be released on August 24th, 2018, and features a 21-minute orchestrally driven epic, high-octane jazz fusion, and a variety of other diverse influences including swing and electronic music. In addition, The Courage To Be includes a four-part musical suite that thematically tells a story of separation and hardship, but also hope and transcendence. The album features guest performances from vocalist Anneke Van Giersbergen, guitarist Timo Somers (Delain, Vengeance), and cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne (Leprous, Musk Ox). The Courage To Be was produced by the band and mastered by Brett Caldas-Lima (Ayreon, The Gentle Storm, Devin Townsend Project). Pre-order The Courage To Be now here.

For information and updates on Lux Terminus check out their official Facebook page here.

"The Gunslinger" is Swedish power metal act’s Mad Hatter's first single extracted from the self-titled debut album of the band, released February 23rd through Art Gates Records worldwide.

Founded by Petter Hjerpe and Alfred Fridhagen (Morning Dwell members) in 2017. The band produces high quality power metal combined with heavy metal influences. Mad Hatter is ready to take the world with some energetic and powerful metal. 

Order the album at this location.

Original KISS drummer Peter Criss appeared on stage during Rob Zombie's concert last night (July 24th) at PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey. Watch the video below:

Nuclear Blast Records recently announced the worldwide signing of Rob Zombie. A follow-up to his 2016 studio album, The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser and 2018’s Astro-Creep: 2000 Live is expected for a 2019 release. More details to be announced shortly.

Comments Rob Zombie: "I am very excited to work with the fine folks at Nuclear Blast. The combination of the label's grassroots urge to get the hustle done mixed with the detonation of our most combustable melodic masterpiece yet should prove to be a winning hybrid of hellacious hullabaloo."

Adds a representative from Nuclear Blast: "As fans ourselves at Nuclear Blast we have long admired the artistry of Rob Zombie throughout his extensive and successful career in both music and film. It is a very exciting opportunity to unite ROB’s visionary talent with Nuclear Blast ingenuity. Nuclear Blast has a long history of thinking outside of the box and creating personal and collectible experiences for the fans. We look forward to delivering unforgettable experiences to fans around the world for years to come with the legendary Rob Zombie."

Rob Zombie has continuously challenged audiences as he stretches the boundaries of both music and film. He has sold more than 23 million albums worldwide, and is the only artist to experience unprecedented success in both music and film as the writer/director of seven feature films with a worldwide gross totaling more than $150 million.

Dream Patrol, the international heavy metal/hard rock act assembled by Ronnie König and with a Nightmare on Elm Street-inspired name, has published a lyric video for the track “Get Back Home”.

“Get Back Home” is taken from Dream Patrol's second album, Phantoms Of The Past, which will be released in September 21st by Mighty Music.

The inspiration for the band name comes from the ‘80s horror movie A Nightmare on Elm Street, in which a demon-like creature would attack you while you were sleeping. With Dream Patrol you shall fear no more. It is a special office of combat against mind-invaders, working for you overtime, whenever you put on your headphones and start daydreaming.

The band started recording the debut album in 2016. Radim recorded all drum tracks during a two-day studio session in the summer of 2016 in Senec, Slovakia. Ronnie started recording his bass parts shortly after. The first three songs that Filip (guitar) recorded were “Dream Patrol”, “Get Back Home” and “Playing With Fire”. These three songs were used for the singer auditions. A couple of really talented singers took part in it. The band chose to have Eli Prinsen as the lead singer.

Since the line-up was completed, the band has been recording one song after the other. In spring 2018, demos were sent to record labels. Several offers from European and US labels were received. The band decided to sign a deal with Scandinavian premier rock / metal label - Mighty Music from Denmark.

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According to The Pulse Of Radio, FOO FIGHTERS frontman Dave Grohl has gone ahead and recorded the odd musical experiment he's been talking about in recent interviews, a 25-minute instrumental piece recorded live in which Grohl played every instrument and literally ran from one instrument to the next.

Grohl revealed in an interview with the Chicago Tribune that not only did he record the track, but filmed the entire thing. Grohl said about the project: "When people would ask me, 'Why are you doing this?' I'm always, like, 'I don't know. Because I've never done it before?'"

He added: "It's just the challenge of doing something new. That becomes your engine after a while. Because the last thing you want to get caught in is extreme monotony. So you try to jam every show a little bit differently and you try to make your albums a little bit differently."

The FOO FIGHTERS are in the midst of a lengthy North American tour in support of their 2017 album, "Concrete And Gold". The band next plays in Noblesville, Indiana on Thursday (July 26).

The Arizona Lottery has announced that a new lottery scratcher ticket featuring Alice Cooper will be available to the public August 7.

"We are excited to join legendary musical artist Alice Cooper with this exclusive ticket," said Gregg Edgar, executive director of the Arizona Lottery.

"The Arizona Lottery is dedicated to supporting vital programs that serve people across the state and we are proud of the work Alice is doing with the Solid Rock teen center to provide incredible resources, positivity and excellence for Arizona youth," Edgar added.

Alice commented: "You know you've made it in this world when you're an answer on 'Jeopardy', 'Wheel Of Fortune', a likeness of your head is on a PEZ dispenser, or if your face is plastered all over an Arizona Lottery ticket."

The ticket includes six top prizes of $50,000 each, with second-chance prizes that range from Cooper memorabilia to VIP tickets and pre-show party access to the legendary rocker's annual "Christmas Pudding" concert.

Multi-cam footage of “Beyond Oblivion” filmed by TriviumMemes is available below. Filmed on the last Europe tour in spring of 2018. The track is taken from their latest album The Sin And The Sentence, released in October 2017. 

Digital Tour Bus has also uploaded a new episode of Preshow Rituals with Trivium. The episode was recorded while the band was on tour with Arch Enemy, While She Sleeps, and Fit For An Autopsy. 

Trivium will continue The Sin And The Sentence World Tour with another leg of North American dates this fall. The band will hit the road on a headline run this October. The bill will feature very special guest Avatar and Light The Torch.

The 25-date trek kicks off on October 3rd in Tampa, Florida and runs through November 3rd in Berkeley, California, with several stops in Canada. Ticket info is available here.

"North America! The last North American and European runs were the greatest Trivium tours we had ever experienced," the band said. "Now how do we top it? We follow up with more songs from our extensive eight-record catalogue, a massive production and setlist, and two more of our favorite bands on earth: Avatar and Light The Torch. See you all soon."

Tour dates:

October
3 - Tampa, FL - The Ritz Ybor
4 - Atlanta, GA - Buckhead Theater
5 - Raleigh, NC - The Ritz
6 - Norfolk, VA - The Norva
8 - Cincinnati, OH - Bogarts
9 - Nashville, TN - Cannery Ballroom
11 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live
12 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount
13 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory
14 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
16 - Cleveland, OH - House of Blues
17 - Royal Oak, MI - Royal Oak Music Theatre
19 - Oklahoma City, OK - Diamond Ballroom
20 - Sauget, IL - Pop's Nightclub
21 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
22 - St. Paul, MN - Myth Live
23 - Fargo, ND - Sanctuary
25 - Edmonton, AB - The Ranch Roadhouse
26 - Calgary, AB - The Palace Theater
28 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
29 - Seattle, WA - Showbox SODO
30 - Portland, OR - Crystal Ballroom
31 - Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory

November
2 - Anaheim, CA - House of Blues
3 - Berkeley, CA - UC Theatre

According to Redfin, MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine has dropped another $150,000 from the asking price of his Fallbrook, California estate.

Mustaine put his house on the market in October 2015 for $5.375 million — more than five times what he paid for it three years earlier — but that price came down in June 2016 by almost a million and a half to $3.895 million, in January 2017 by another $700,000 to $3.195 million, in June 2017 by $20,000 to $3.175 million, and in December 2017 by $375,000 to $2,800,000. The home now sits at an even lower price of $2,650,000.

Mustaine and his family moved to Nashville in October 2014 after living in Fallbrook for a couple of years.

Speaking to MetalIreland.com, Mustaine stated about his California house: "Property like that, it's hidden, it's a bit off the beaten path, and we're not in a hurry to sell it. We want the right buyer too. We're obviously still quite attached to it. When we got it, it was abandoned, so we've completely restored it from the ground up. I mean, it has a vineyard on it, and that alone is worth the price of admission… It has a sort of 'Lord Of The Rings'… well, actually, no... more like 'The Hobbit' feel to it, with the thatched roof and everything."

On the topic of his move to Nashville, Mustaine said: "I've lived there four times before, because we did records there. So I've lived there for several months at a time… I want [my daughter] Electra to pursue her [country music] dreams. I can do my job anywhere, really… It's good for me, because my daughter is happy, and I think, if you love your children, you'll always want to protect and provide for them. And, like I said, I can pretty much do my job anywhere."

According to the Los Angeles Times, Mustaine's 9.5-acre country English-style home in the northern San Diego community was built in 1990 and includes vineyards, pastureland and a pond.

The 5,345 square feet of living space includes a paneled media room/den, a bar, an office, a gym, five bedrooms, five full bathrooms and two powder rooms. There is also a state-of-the-art sound and recording studio, a control room, a reception room and a producer's boarding room.

Public records published by Trulia.com indicate the home was last sold in December 2012 for $995,000.

In March 2017, Mustaine's Fallbrook house served as the "Megadeth Boot Camp" where diehard MEGADETH fans — who spent between $999 and $5,499 each — had the opportunity to take guitar, drum and bass lessons, witness an acoustic concert by the band, taste wine with Mustaine and jam in a studio on the group's 1992 classic "Symphony Of Destruction".

"Catastrophe", the new video from Japanese metal juggernauts CROSSFAITH, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "Ex_Machina", which will be released on August 3. The disc features lead single "The Perfect Nightmare" as well as cameos from ENTER SHIKARI frontman Rou Reynolds and industrial hip hoppers Ho99o9.


On "Ex_Machina", singer Kenta "Ken" Koie explains: "After we released our last album 'Xeno', we were thinking about what the next theme is for us. We decided on 'awake the individuality,' because we're always trying to make new things and that's a big part of the band's attitude.


"This album is a grave warning for our future. I hope you guys listen to this and think about what the meaning of this album is for you and feel how you feel through this album and start something for your future."


"Ex_Machina" is a concept album set in an alternative near future in which the ruling class, known as Angels, maintain their world through artificial intelligence and other technology, which dehumanises people and effectively turns them into drones — as explained in the opening title track, "Deus Ex Machina".


The other 12 songs featured on the album represent the voice of the resistance — in the form of underdogs known as Demons. Kenta was inspired to include these figures by Devilman Crybaby, particularly on the SLIPKNOT-esque "Catastrophe", the frantic, bloodcurdling "The Perfect Nightmare", and the epic assault of "Daybreak", rather than because they wanted to provide a comment on religion.


"There's no particular religious message," clarifies Ken. "In order to explore the dualism of humans, we decided to include angels and demons, which are opposing elements just like fire and water."


"Angels aren't necessarily good and demons aren't necessarily bad," he explains. "The most important theme is that we should never stop questioning the world around us."


"Ex_Machina" is a relentless album that strives for the listener's attention, and is unquestionably the heaviest that CROSSFAITH have put their name to since forming in their native Osaka in 2006.

Since their inception, CROSSFAITH have been on the edge of a fusion of rock, metal, electronica and big ideas on their albums; and the edge of euphoria with their live shows. "Ex_Machina" is the album on which they walk that fine, fiery line more skillfully and seismically than ever.


"Ex_Machina" track listing:

01. Deus Ex Machina

02. Catastrophe

03. The Perfect Nightmare

04. Destroy (ft. Ho99o9)

05. Freedom (ft. Rou Reynolds from ENTER SHIKARI)

06. Make A Move

07. Lost In You

08. Wipeout

09. Milestone

10. Eden In The Rain

11. Twin Shadows

12. Daybreak

13. Faint (ft. Masato from COLDRAIN)

US death metal veterans Skinless performed at Brooklyn, NY venue Brooklyn Bazaar on June 8th. Footage of the band performing "Savagery", the title track of their new album, can be seen below:

Savagery was recorded by Tom Case at Doomsday Bunker Studio in New York and by Dave Otero (Primitive Man, Cattle Decapitation, Cephalic Carnage) at Flatline Audio in Colorado.

Savagery embodies ten slabs of rotting, aural remains across 37 minutes of titanic slams, untouchable grooves, mauling riffs and blood-thirsty, bestial growls. Savagery sees Skinless at the top of their game, more than 25 years into an untouchable reign of terror. Features stunningly sick cover art by renowned tattoo artist Jesse Levitt.

Savagery is available on CD/LP/Digital. Physical packages are available via Relapse.com here, and Digital Downloads / Streaming Services here.

Savagery Tracklist:

"Savagery"
"Siege Engine"
"Skull Session"
"Reversal Of Fortune"
"Exacting Revenge"
"Medieval"
"Line Of Dissent"
"Cruel Blades Of The Guillotine"
"The Hordes"
"High Rate Extinction" (Bonus Track)

Album stream:

"Skull Session" video:

Swiss rockers Stoneman will release their new album Geil und Elektrisch on September 7th via Massacre Records. The band has released the new single "Dein General", which is accompanied by a video that's available below. Order the album here.

The upcoming album might rub some upholders of moral standards the wrong way - just like before. The tour, that accompanies the album and includes dates in Germany only, kicks off on September 6th.

Geil und Elektrisch tracklisting:

"Dein General"
"Niemandsland"
"Fremd"
"Tiefschwarz"
"Tanzmusik"
"Geil und Elektrisch"
"Fass mich nicht an"
"Alles Gute"
"Für immer"
"Worte"
"Dein General" (Elektro Edit)
"Geil und Elektrisch" (Elektro Edit)

"Dein General" video:

(Photo - Matteo Fabiani)

French post-black metal band Decline Of The I will release their third studio album Escape on July 27th via Agonia Records. An advanced stream of the full album can be found below.

Escape features six varied, original compositions replete with artwork from David Fitt.

The band commented: "After a heavy and neurasthenic first chapter, and an epileptic, dirty and violent second one, here's the last part of the Decline of the I’s trilogy: Escape. It’s now time to leave, to avoid this perpetual aggression of the outside world. All the other reactions leaded to a dead end. Running away is the only possible move for the subject to preserve its entity. There are many forms of escape: madness, suicide, technology, spirituality. This third album explores all of them. Musically, it’s the synthesis of all the previews works; it's contemplative and slow but also very fast, dark and brutal.”

Escape was recorded, mixed and mastered at Blacksun Recording by Junior Rodriguez. The album will be available in CD, LP and digital formats. Order via Agonia Records or iTunes.

Tracklisting:

“Disruption”
“Enslaved By Existence”
“Organless Body”
“Hurlements En Faveur De FKM”
“Negentropy (Fertility Sovereign)”
“Je Pense Donc Je Fuis”

Album stream:

“Enslaved By Existence” lyric video:

“Je Pense Donc Je Fuis” video:

Tulsa, Oklahoma-based metallers The Agony Scene released their new album Tormentor on July 20th via Outerloop Records/Cooking Vinyl. The album can be ordered here. The band has shared the video for "The Ascent And Decline", which can be found below.

"Tormentor is a pissed off and unrelenting record that is a product of the world we live in. The lyrics address all of the subjects one should avoid at a party [like] religion, politics, and various personal demons," The Agony Scene said. "'The Ascent And Decline', lyrically, is about watching as people abandon a belief system that they built their lives and careers upon in order to catch a ride on the next train, diving headfirst into a cult of personality. [It's] effectively selling one's voice to be on the winning team."

The band is currently appearing on the annual Summer Slaughter Tour with Between The Buried And Me, Born Of Osiris, Veil Of Maya, and more.

The UK-based heavy metal band Negacy recently signed with Massacre Records, and announced their new album Escape From Paradise.

The album will be released on September 21st and was mixed and mastered by Andy Mornar at Red Warlock Studio. The cover artwork - which is available below, along with the track list - was designed by Pierre-Alain D. of 3mmi Design.

All drums on the album were recorded by Raphael Saini (ex-Iced Earth), who stepped in for Negacy's original drummer Claudio Sechi during the album recordings.

Escape From Paradise promises to be more melodic and easy-listening than the band's previous album.

Tracklisting:

“Ex Cinere”
“Born Betrayed”
“Dog Among The Wolves”
“Land Of Oblivion”
“Escape From Paradise”
“Under The Sycamore”
“Lies Of Empathy”
“Scattered Life”
“Slave To The Faith”
“Black Messiah”
“Last Will”

BEARTOOTH will release its third album, "Disease", on September 28 via Red Bull Records. The video for the disc's title track, which can be seen below, was directed by Drew Russ, who has previously worked with the band on clips for "Lips", "In Between" and "The Lines".

"Disease" was recorded at BlackBird studio in Franklin, Tennessee with producer Nick Raskulinecz (DEFTONES, KORN, FOO FIGHTERS). Vocalist Caleb Shomo told AltPress.com about the LP: "I would say sonic photo album is the best way to describe this record. I came up with the title and the whole concept in December of 2016. Realistically, I've been sitting on the idea of this album for a year and a half. I wrote the song 'Disease', about a month or two later. From there, it was really a process of taking all those songs of written over that year and a half and within two months, kind of like really narrowing it down and deciding what would fit best all together. This is the first record I made with a ton of time, and I think it shows because there's a kind of spectrum to this record.

"There are songs where I was kind of more in a chipper place, where I was feeling more melody-driven or just flat-out heavy metal," he continued. "It's a great depiction of what it's like to make a record over the course of a year and a half. 'Aggressive' was made in, what, two months? And I think you can hear that as well on this new record. Obviously, I don't hate it, but I feel it lacked the same dynamic the first record had, compared to this one. I'm just glad I achieved the dynamic I was going for."

Last week, a new BEARTOOTH song leaked out to fans, so the band decided to keep the leak flowing. Not only did they post a link to the song, titled "Infection", they also shared details of their next album, including a look at the artwork.

Shomo wrote on Instagram: "After a year and a half of coming up with the title and concept, writing songs, writing more songs, (and…) writing more songs, tracking, writing more songs, recording, mixing, having panic attacks, losing countless hours of sleep, traveling thousands and thousands of miles, laughing, crying, and non-stop rocking… I have finished my masterpiece."

On August 24th, Manowar will release LP re-issues of their classic albums Fighting the World, Kings of Metal, and Triumph of Steel via Metal Blade Records. Preorders can be found at IndieMerch.com.

Fighting The World (Clear vinyl – limited to 1500 copies)

Side A
“Fighting The World”
“Blow Your Speakers”
“Carry On”
“Violence And Bloodshed”

Side B
“Defender”
“Drums Of Doom”
“Holy War”
“Master Of Revenge”
“Black Wind, Fire, And Steel”

Kings Of Metal (Translucent Gold vinyl – limited to 1500 copies)

Side A
“Wheels Of Fire”
“Kings Of Metal”
“Heart Of Steel”
“Sting Of The Bumblebee”
“The Crown And The Ring (Lament Of The Kings)”

Side B
“Kingdome Come”
“Hail And Kill”
“The Warriors Prayer”
“Blood Of The Kings”

The Triumph Of Steel (Translucent Red vinyl – limited to 1500 copies)

Side A
“Achilles, Agony And Ecstasy In Eight Parts”
     I. Hector Storms The Wall
     II. The Death Of Patroclus
     III. Funeral March
     IV. Armor Of The Gods

Side B
     V. Hector’s Final Hour
     VI. Death Hector’s Reward
     VII. The Desecration Of Hector’s Body
          A. Part 1
          B. Part 2
     VIII. The Glory Of Achilles

Side C
“Metal Warriors”
“Ride The Dragon”
“Spirit Horse Of The Cherokee”
“Burning”

Side D
“The Power Of Thy Sword”
“The Demon’s Whip”
“Master Of The Wind”

How many shades of black exist in this world? None so dark as the darkest soul of the Black Metal: A Coloring Book! Now, for yourself but definitely NOT your young minions, Black Metal: A Coloring Book is a perfect way to enjoy the pantheon of Black Metal Gods.

Feral House introduced you to the Lords of Chaos: The Bloody Rise of the Satanic Metal Underground, co-written by Michael Moynihan and Didrik Søderlindin in 1997 and they followed up with Dayal Patterson’s seminal, Black Metal: Evolution of the Cult and the upcoming Blood, Fire, Death: The Swedish Metal Story.

Black Metal: A Coloring Book will disturb and entertain you.

Contributors: Jason Atomic, Gaye Black, Mike Diana, Krent Able, Anthony Ausang, Savage Pencil, Corinne Halbert, Paul ‘Mutartis’ Boswell, Dennis Franklin, Andrew Labanaris, Laughing Indio, Rachael Gater, Nico de la Mort, Anna Piera di Silvestre, Billy Chainsaw, Carlo ‘Uranus’ Quispe, and many more.

“Black metal is the essence of Satan forged into shining steel, a gruesome axe that shines its dismal, eerie gleam in the night when no other lights shine anymore.” (Satanic Warmaster – Werwolf)

Head to this location for more information.

A six-minute video featuring "all of the behind-the-scenes action" from the 2018 HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES tour can be seen below.

HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES is the supergroup featuring international film star and musician Johnny Depp alongside Alice Cooper and AEROSMITH's Joe Perry.

Cooper told the Evening Standard that fans will be shocked when they hear Depp play guitar.

"He's not new to playing on stage," Alice said. "People are going to be very surprised when they hear him play, because they know him as Jack Sparrow.

"When they see a guitar in his band, they going to say, 'Wait a minute! I didn't have any idea he could play like that.' He's a real guitar player. I wouldn't be working with anybody that wasn't as good as anybody I've worked with normally.

"Last year, we were testing the waters to see if people were even going to be interested in what we were doing, and we found that they were; we got great reactions and sold out quite a few places. I think a lot of that might have been out of curiosity — Joe Perry, Johnny Depp and Alice Cooper; what a weird combination."

HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES' current touring lineup:


Alice Cooper - Vocals

Johnny Depp - Guitar

Joe Perry - Guitar

Sheryl Cooper - Vocals

Chris Wyse - Bass

Tommy Henriksen - Guitars/Music Director

Glen Sobel - Drums

Buck Johnson - Keyboards


During the 1970s in the upstairs bar of the Rainbow Bar & Grill on the Sunset Strip in Hollywood, the "Hollywood Vampires" were born. It was a gathering place where celebrated artists such as John Lennon, Keith Moon, Jim Morrison, Alice Cooper, Harry Nilsson and countless others would meet and drink into the early morning hours, and the club became legendary.

Back in 2012, Cooper and Depp decided the time was right to revive the camaraderie and spirit that defined Hollywood Vampires" (minus the drinking), creating an environment for great artists to hang, laugh and play together. Cooper and Depp were joined by Perry, along with producer Bob Ezrin, and soon the recording began. The band's debut album, "Hollywood Vampires", was released in September 2015.

FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares has joined forces with DIE KRUPPS frontman Jürgen Engler and Danish musician Claus Larsen of LEÆTHER STRIP in a new industrial project called DIEKLUTE.

Earlier this week, DIEKLUTE shot a video for the song "All In Vain" with director Vincente Cordero of Industrialism Films. The video will feature clips of the upcoming indie film "The Relic", which was produced and written by William Shatner, who also stars in the movie. "All In Vain" will be featured in the film, which was directed by Jared Cohen and is due in 2019.

Behind-the-scenes footage from the "All In Vain" video shoot can be seen below.

Earlier in the year, Cazares confirmed that he was working on his debut solo album. He told Heavy New York that the LP's musical direction will not surprise anyone. "Metal's in my heart and speed riffing is my thing, and that's what I love to do," he said. "I'm not saying it's gonna be the 'same ol', same 'ol.' Of course I'm gonna try to take it to somewhere different, but people are gonna know what to expect from me, and I'm okay with that."

Back in 2016, FEAR FACTORY completed a U.S. headlining tour during which it performed its classic second album, "Demanufacture", in its entirety.

FEAR FACTORY's latest album, "Genexus", was released in August 2015 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment.