METAL ALLEGIANCE — with its four core members: David Ellefson (MEGADETH), Alex Skolnick (TESTAMENT), Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS, ex-DREAM THEATER) and Mark Menghi — began as a celebration of heavy metal, powered by the almost tribal bond shared between the extreme music community's most revered trailblazers, armed with a list of contributors onstage (and off) that read like a Wikipedia entry on the genre itself.

The band will release its sophomore album, "Volume II - Power Drunk Majesty", on September 7 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The thrash-worshiping disc merges old-school legends with the modern metallers of the scene to produce groove-driven, adrenaline-soaked anthems while tackling the frustrating state of the world.

Guest musicians on "Volume II - Power Drunk Majesty" include Trevor Strnad (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER), John Bush (ARMORED SAINT), Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth (OVERKILL), Mark Tornillo (ACCEPT), Max Cavalera (SOULFLY), Floor Jansen (NIGHTWISH) and Johan Hegg (AMON). The album also marks the return of Mark Oseguesda (DEATH ANGEL) and Troy Sanders (MASTODON).

The official video for the first single from the disc, "Mother Of Sin", featuring Ellsworth, can be seen below.

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

"Volume II - Power Drunk Majesty" track listing:

01. The Accuser (feat. Trevor Strnad)

02. Bound By Silence (feat. John Bush)

03. Mother Of Sin (feat. Bobby Blitz)

04. Terminal Illusion (feat. Mark Tornillo)

05. King With A Paper Crown (feat. Johan Hegg)

06. Voodoo Of The Godsend (feat. Max Cavalera)

07. Liars & Thieves (feat. Troy Sanders)

08. Impulse Control (feat. Mark Osegueda)

09. Power Drunk Majesty (Part I) (feat. Mark Osegueda)

10. Power Drunk Majesty (Part II) (feat. Floor Jansen)

Los Angeles craft beer connoisseurs Trappist brew forth their debut full-length Ancient Brewing Tactics, due out August 17th via Relapse Records. Stream two songs from the album: “Wolves In The Taproom”, and a re-recorded version of the previously released “No Corporate Beer”, below.

Trappist comments on the debut album: "Starting a beer-centric band came naturally, considering the many parallels between the hardcore and independent beer scenes. Both foster collaboration, community, and support of grass-roots efforts. It made sense to team up with our old pals at Relapse for this release since they've always supported our previous bands. But enough about us... your pint is getting warm!"

Physical packages are available via Relapse.com here, and digital downloads / streaming services here.

Formed in 2014 and consisting of scene legends Chris Dodge (Spazz, ex-Infest, ex-Despise You, etc.), Phil Vera (Crom, Despise You, ex-(16)-) and Ryan Harkins (co-owner of popular heavy metal-themed burger joint Grill Em’ All), Trappist have one clear mission, to annihilate the listener with a storm of d-beat, crust punk, powerviolence, and hardcore all in the name of BEER. Picture Discharge style punk and Xeroxed WWII photos with bombs replaced by casks, cans, and kegs.

Ancient Brewing Tactics is 21 tracks and 33 minutes of booze-induced chaos, bound to knock you on your ass faster than shotgunning a 15% Russian Imperial Stout. Trappist round out their alcohol-fueled blasts with special guest appearances by Tony Foresta (Municipal Waste, Iron Reagan), Steve Brooks (Torche), and Blake Harrison (Pig Destroyer). NO CORPORATE BEER.

For the ultimate sensory experience, Trappist have recommended a specific beer pairing for listeners to drink along to each song on the album! “Wolves in the Taproom” is paired with Sierra Nevada Barrel Aged Narwhal Imperial Stout and “No Corporate Beer” with Eagle Rock Brewery Amwolf Pilsner. The full tracklisting and beer pairing are available below. True aficionados only!

Ancient Brewing Tactics tracklisting and beer pairings:

"No Soldier Left Behind" (3 Floyds Zombie Dust Pale Ale)
"This Means Wort" (FiftyFifty Brewing Eclipse Imperial Stout)
"Tesguino" (Cerveza Fauna Penelope Coffee Porter)
"The Patron Saints" (Orval Belgian Pale Ale)
"Hymn To Ninkasi" (Beachwood Brewing Citraholic IPA)
"Waiting In Line - First Stanza" (Jackie O’s BBA Oil Of Aphrodite with Coffee Imperial Stout)
"Giving The Boot To Reinheitsgebot" (Schneider Weisse Aventinus Weizen Bock)
"Swignorant" (The Bruery Mash Barleywine)
"Nihamanchnihamnchii" (Insurgente La Lupolsa IPA)
"Frank The Tank" (Cigar City Hunahpu’s Imperial Stout)
"No Corporate Beer" (Eagle Rock Brewery Amwolf Pilsner)
"Victims Of A Bomber Raid" (Surly Brewing Darkness Russian Imperial Stout)
"99 Problems" (But A Beer Ain’t One) (TRVE Possession Saison)
"Proost-Op" (De Struise Black Albert Russian Imperial Stout)
"Waiting In Line - Second Stanza" (The Veil Brewing Daddy’s Home Triple IPA)
"To The Pint" (Thrash Zone Chris Dodge’s Ham Slappin’ Aru-Chu Ale Barley Wine)
"You’re The Reason" (Sante Adairius Saison Bernice Farmhouse Ale)
"Garbage Human" (Mikkeller Beer Geek Brunch Imperial Oatmeal Stout with Vietnamese Coffee)
"Waiting In Life - Third Stanza" (Lawson’s Finest Liquids Double IPA)
"Wolves In The Taproom" (Sierra Nevada Barrel Aged Narwhal Imperial Stout)
"Trappist-1: Final Gravity" (Zundert Trappist Abbey Tripel)

"Wolves In The Taproom":

"No Corporate Beer":

Trappist is:

Brother Dodge - Bass, Vocals, Brewing
Brother Vera - Guitars, Vocals, Fermentation
Brother Harkins - Drums, Vocals, Bottling

(Photo - Paul Lee)

As Swedish grindcore outfit AXIS OF DESPAIR — formed by current and former members of NASUM, COLDWORKER, INFANTICIDE, VOLTURYON, LIVET SOM INSATS, NERVGIFT, OVERTORTURE, and more — prepares its "Contempt For Man" debut full-length for July release through Southern Lord, two new tracks have been issued alongside preorders for the record.


AXIS OF DESPAIR's "Contempt For Man" propels with twenty super-charged, raging songs, clocking in around the half-hour mark. The album surges with blasting percussion delivered with savage force, yet every hit finding its target with pinpoint accuracy. The blazing, hook-laden riffs leave charred scars in their path, while lyrically the band unloads their noncompliance with humanity's declining ways. "Contempt For Man" was recorded by drummer Anders Jakobson at Soundlab Studios and in the band's rehearsal room summer 2017, mixed at Studio Ülgnor by Johan Berglund, and completed with artwork by Paul Romano (MASTODON, CIRCLE, HATE ETERNAL).


AXIS OF DESPAIR's "The Wolven Law" and "Crush The Empire" are now streaming alongside the previously released "A Life Of Ceaseless Grind".


Southern Lord will release "Contempt For Man" on LP, CD, and digital formats on July 27.


AXIS OF DESPAIR will perform at Obscene Extreme 2018 in Czech Republic on July 19, with more live actions to follow.


AXIS OF DESPAIR was formed in late 2013 by former COLDWORKER members Joel Fornbrant (vocals), Oskar Pålsson (bass) and Anders Jakobson (drums). The lineup was completed by guitarist Kristofer Jankarls (also in LIVET SOM INSATS) a few months later and the quartet focused on songwriting. The first recording took place in the spring of 2015 and the twelve tracks were released on the two seven-inch EPs — "Time And Again", released via Selfmadegod Records, and "Mankind Crawls", a co-release through Give Praise Records and Spela Snabbare Records. Following both EPs and several live shows, AXIS OF DESPAIR set to work on new material, striving to create a striking grindcore album with an aggressive, yet diverse selection of strong songs. The writing process was spread out over a year until the band went into the studio and begun the recordings in the summer of 2017, now set to arrive in the form of their debut album, "Contempt For Man".

Contempt for Man by Axis of Despair

THE DEAD DAISIES have released a new single and music video for "Dead And Gone", one of the crowd favourites off their latest album, "Burn It Down". The clip combines classic performance elements intertwined with appearances from the Undead, which were created, filmed and edited by legendary horror visionary Tony Valenzuela.

During the last run of shows in Europe and when in Berlin, the band filmed the performance sequences at Black Box Music (RAMMSTEIN, 30 SECONDS TO MARS, LINKIN PARK, MARILYN MANSON) with the zombie footage being shot, so to speak, in Los Angeles at the mythical Daisyland studios.

This also marks the official kick-off to the band's new Daisyland platform, which invites everyone from around the world to be a part of the band’s journey. From day one, THE DEAD DAISIES wanted to provide all lovers of rock music with a place to hang out, have a blast and enjoy the vibe without being ripped off for the experience. Daisyland is that place!

Singer John Corabi states about "Dead And Gone": "'Dead And Gone' is one of those tracks that must be played LOUD!!! It's got a great groove, and it's basically about living life, (responsibly) having fun, and not letting ANYBODY judge you for wanting to have a great time!!!!"

THE DEAD DAISIES are about to embark on their second Japanese headline tour followed by a stint of European headline shows and festivals with KISS, Joe Satriani, SCORPIONS and GUNS N' ROSES. August sees the band return to North America for a month-long run with longtime mate and current GN'R keyboard player Dizzy Reed and his HOOKERS & BLOW.

THE DEAD DAISIES are: Doug Aldrich (WHITESNAKE, DIO), John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE, THE SCREAM), Marco Mendoza (WHITESNAKE, THIN LIZZY), Deen Castronovo (BAD ENGLISH, JOURNEY) and David Lowy (RED PHOENIX, MINK).

Maryland rockers CLUTCH have released "How To Shake Hands", the second single from their upcoming album, "Book Of Bad Decisions", as an instant-gratification track at iTunes and Amazon.


In addition, a very limited seven-inch picture disc in a transparent PVC pocket has been made available. "How To Shake Hands" is on the blue side and "Gimme The Keys" on the reverse, green side.


"How To Shake Hands" traces its lineage back to Ry Cooder and John Lee Hooker via the song "John Lee Hooker For President". In that song, Ry Cooder impersonates JLH giving a stump speech on what will happen when he becomes president. CLUTCH's original idea of covering the Ry Cooder song was soon abandoned as vocalist Neil Fallon said he couldn't do the song justice. Instead, Neil put his own lyrics in the style of Ry Cooder/JLH to a new CLUTCH song which ended up becoming the fast-paced "How to Shake Hands".


Each of the single releases from "Book Of Bad Decisions" is accompanied by a Spotify playlist put together by one of the bandmembers. In this instance, guitarist Tim Sult is responsible for surrounding "How To Shake Hands" with other songs to his liking.

"Since Neil mentioned Jimi Hendrix and Bill Hicks in 'How To Shake Hands', I decided to make a playlist including both," said Sult. "Classic guitar playing meets classic comedy. What could go wrong?"

"Book Of Bad Decisions", will be released on September 7 via the group's own Weathermaker Music label. The disc was completed at Sputnik Sound studio in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Vance Powell. The album cover was designed by renowned photographer Dan Winters.

CLUTCH has announced a fall 2018 "Book Of Bad Decisions Tour" with support from SEVENDUST and TYLER BRYANT & THE SHAKEDOWN.

On September 22, 2017, DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT played a special show at the Ancient Roman Theatre in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, celebrating the 20th anniversary of Devin's landmark "Ocean Machine" album in full, as well as a set of fan-requested tracks alongside the Orchestra of Plovdiv State Opera. This concert was filmed, and on July 6, 2018, it will see the light of day as "Ocean Machine - Live at the Ancient Roman Theatre Plovdiv".

The second video to be taken from the live release, a performance of the track "Regulator", can be seen below.

Devin comments: "Plovdiv and this live package represents a lot to me, it signifies the end of one era, and the celebration of another. Amidst a gruelling touring year, this show came together with much blood, sweat, and tears, and the result is the culmination of many aspects of my work on one stage.


"'Ocean Machine' was released 20 years ago, and though Marty (drums) is no longer with us, I was able to finally perform the album in its entirety with the original bassist John 'Squid' Harder on this night. On a cold evening in an old city in the ancient theatre, many lifelong milestones came to a conclusion on this night and I'm exceptionally proud of it.


"I am currently writing, writing, and writing some more for the next stage of my life and work, and the team of individuals who contributed to this project, from the musicians in the band and orchestra, to the crews locally and with this, management, artists, filmographers and most importantly, the audience... made this night a powerful and strangely bittersweet moment I am proud to have documented with this work.


"This is a very special live recording of a very special night, and I hope you enjoy it as a monument to the things that inspired it all in the first place."


"Ocean Machine - Live at the Ancient Roman Theatre Plovdiv" will be available as a limited deluxe 3CD/2DVD/Blu-ray artbook (with liner notes from Devin and a special documentary dubbed "Reflecting The Chaos" on the second DVD & Blu-Ray), special edition 3CD/DVD digipak, standalone Blu-ray and as digital audio download.

"Ocean Machine - Live at the Ancient Roman Theatre Plovdiv" track listing:

By Request with Orchestra

01. Truth

02. Stormbending

03. Om

04. Failure

05. By Your Command

06. Gaia

07. Deadhead

08. Canada

09. Bad Devil

10. Higher

11. A Simple Lullaby

12. Deep Peace


Ocean Machine

01. Seventh Wave

02. Life

03. Night

04. Hide Nowhere

05. Sister

06. 3 A.M.

07. Voices In The Fan

08. Greetings

09. Regulator

10. Funeral

11. Bastard

12. The Death Of Music

13. Things Beyond Things


DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT released the much-acclaimed "Transcendence" in late 2016, before embarking on one of its biggest world tours ever. This new live release marks the end of an era, as DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT was disbanded in early 2018 to pave the way for Devin to focus on numerous other creative, musical endeavors of which he is currently hard at work on.

"Dreamer", the new video from heavy rockers LUCIFER, can be seen below. The song is taken from LUCIFER's second studio album, "Lucifer II", which will be released on July 6 via Century Media Records.

Apart from a new label home, the follow-up to 2015's "Lucifer I" also marks the first studio release of the new LUCIFER incarnation now consisting of vocalist Johanna Sadonis, guitarist Robin Tidebrink, and multi-instrumentalist Nicke Andersson, who plays drums and also took over bass and guitar when recording "Lucifer II". The band's live lineup also features Martin Nordin (DEAD LORD) on guitar and bass player Alexander Mayr.

"'Dreamer' was the first song Nicke and I wrote together," says Sadonis, while Andersson adds: "We got one horse, one cemetary and one band. That makes up for a pretty good video in my eyes."


"Lucifer II" was recorded at the Honk Palace in Stockholm. It was mixed by Ola Ersfjord (DEAD LORD, TRIBULATION, PRIMORDIAL) at Cuervo Recording Service in Madrid.


Originally, LUCIFER formed in Berlin back in 2014 consisting of Sadonis and members of CATHEDRAL, ANGEL WITCH and LADYTRON. The first seven-inch single, "Anubis", and debut album, "Lucifer I", were released by British label Rise Above Records, quickly establishing the group as a promising new act offering excellent 1970s hard rock with a good dose of proto metal and doom added to the mix. Citing BLACK SABBATH, DEEP PURPLE, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, LUCIFER'S FRIEND, STEPPENWOLF, 70's HEART and FLEETWOOD MAC as inspiration, LUCIFER corrupted the souls of many and achieved international recognition on tours through Europe, USA, Canada and Japan.


With a shift of constellation within the band in 2016 and Sadonis moving from Berlin to Stockholm, LUCIFER is now ready for an exciting new chapter in its career. With Nicke Andersson, Sadonis found a congenial new songwriting partner, and "Lucifer II" turns out to be a strong sonic statement.

Johanna stated about "Lucifer II": "Maybe I could say it's different from the first LUCIFER album, which was because that first album was written with Gaz Jennings of CATHEDRAL. It had a very particular sound. The new album that has been written with Nicke and me is even more so in the vein of what my original vision of LUCIFER was. I'm very stoked. I think this new album digs even deeper into the record crates of the '70s and opens up even more. There's a whole variety of different moods and songs in there. I think it opens up, hopefully, to more people. For me, it certainly was an expansion."

U.D.O., the German metal band led by former ACCEPT frontman Udo Dirkschneider, will release its new album, "Steelfactory", on August 31 via AFM. The official EPK (Electronic Press Kit) for the disc is available below.


According to a press release, "Steelfactory" sees "U.D.O. return to their core competence, clearly influenced by their past shows with DIRKSCHNEIDER, the songs in their rousingly simple straightness have a hymn character, as it is only known from the past."

The press release continues: "'Steelfactory' has become a timeless metal album and thus the impressive statement of a master of his craft. With its earthy, punchy and handmade sound — with the participation of the Danish producer Jacob Hansen (among others, VOLBEAT) — 'Steelfactory' meets the nerve of the time, which may be triggered again since the successful DIRKSCHNEIDER tour worldwide."

"Steelfactory" track listing:

01. Tongue Reaper

02. Make The Move

03. Keeper Of My Soul

04. In The Heat Of The Night

05. Raise The Game

06. Blood On Fire

07. Rising High

08. The Devil Is An Angel (digipack bonus track)

09. Hungry And Angry

10. One Heart One Soul

11. Pictures In My Dreams (digipack bonus track)

12. A Bite Of Evil

13. Eraser

14. Rose In The Desert

15. The Way


Dirkschneider has spent the last two years touring under the DIRKSCHNEIDER banner, performing classic ACCEPT songs for the last time. The trek, which was originally supposed to conclude with the band's North American run in January/February 2017, has now been extended through the fall of 2018.

Guitarist Stefan Kaufmann recently rejoined U.D.O. for the group's summer festival appearances.

Kaufmann left U.D.O. in September 2012 for health reasons.

He was the drummer for ACCEPT on nine albums but was forced to give up drumming towards the end of the band's initial run after sustaining a serious injury to his back.

Stefan joined U.D.O. as a guitar player in 1996, following ACCEPT's second breakup, and recorded nine albums with them, including his most recent release with the group, 2011's "Rev-Raptor".


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

Punky Meadows and Frank Dimino of ANGEL played to a packed house June 15 at Count's Vamp'd in Las Vegas when, unexpectedly, former ANGEL keyboardist Gregg Giuffria walked onto the stage to the roar and cheers of shocked fans and kicked off "The Tower" for the encore. The crowd was in a trance and Gregg sounded great, as if he never stopped playing with the guys. The chemistry and vibe was magical.

This was the first time Gregg, Punky and Frank performed together in over 37 years. You can clearly see in the video footage below that he was really enjoying himself, as did Punky, Frank, and the rest of the band on stage. This was a very special moment for ANGEL fans indeed.

Meadows and DiMino are continuing their joint tour, with stops including Chicago, Detroit, St. Louis and Nashville. They will also play in the U.K. for the first time in October.

The band is rounded out by Danny Farrow (rhythm guitar), Charlie Calv (keyboards), Steve O'Jane (bass) and Billy Orrico (drums) and is delivering a full ANGEL set with select solo material from DiMino's 2015 solo effort "Old Habits Die Hard" and Meadows's 2016 release "Fallen Angel".

DiMino joined Meadows on stage for the first time in over 30 years in March 2017 to perform the ANGEL song "Tower" at the Backstage Bar And Billiards in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Punky and Frank, along with other former members of ANGEL, appeared at the 2016 Vegas Rocks! Hair Metal Awards at the Eastside Cannery Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The group received the "Glam Rock Legends" award in honor of their contributions and influence in music. Accepting the award were Meadows, DiMino, Gregg Giuffria, Barry Brandt, and Felix Robinson. This marked the first time all surviving ANGEL bandmembers — bassist Mickie Jones passed away from cancer in 2009 — had been on stage together since 1980.

Formed in 1975 by Meadows and Jones in Washington D.C., ANGEL straddled the fence between the prog-rock pomp of YES and ELP, the orchestral hard pop of QUEEN, BOSTON and ELO, and the riff-heavy raunch-rock of KISS and AEROSMITH. They were discovered by KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons while performing at a nightclub and were eventually signed to the same label as KISS, Casablanca.

Released in the fall of 1975, the band's self-titled debut was promoted with a number of live appearances on the great American arena circuit with the likes of AEROSMITH, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, JOURNEY and RUSH. The group's gimmick — the members were all dressed in white — got them labeled the "anti-KISS" by rock critics, and their spectacular stage show was so over the top that even Simmons & Co. were said to have been inspired by it.

ANGEL started to fall apart in the early 1980s after Casablanca pulled the plug on the group due in part to disappointing album sales. In 1981, Robinson and DiMino left to pursue other projects. Meadows and Giuffria tried to keep ANGEL going and came close to landing a record deal with CBS. But it didn't pan out, and ANGEL finally disbanded.

Fan-filmed video footage of SLAYER's June 20 performance at Austin360 Amphitheater in Austin, Texas can be seen below.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

SLAYER has U.S. dates booked through August 26 at San Jose, California's SAP Center. The band will embark on the European leg of its "farewell" tour in the fall. Support on the trek will come from LAMB OF GOD, ANTHRAX and OBITUARY.

Californian punk rockers BAD RELIGION have released a brand new song called "The Kids Are Alt-Right". A nod to THE WHO's 1965 anthem "The Kids Are Alright", it is a sharp takedown of the alt-right movement, captured in lyrics that cut right to the core (e.g., "Humanity is a nowhere scene/When everybody has an AR-15"). With its lyric video offering an onslaught of unnerving images — girls taking selfies in KKK hoods, chalk body outlines as constellations — "The Kids Are Alt-Right" returns to the powerful and melodic Southern California hardcore sound that BAD RELIGION defined on albums like "Suffer", "No Control" and "Recipe For Hate".

BAD RELIGION's last studio album, "True North", was released in 2013. Singer Greg Graffin promised in early 2017 that another record was "on the horizon." But, he cautioned, "'True North' was such a good album that I don't want to put out something that indicates we're aging. [Laughs] We do plan on getting another record out there, hopefully before our 40th anniversary [in 2020]."

The next BAD RELIGION album will be the band's first full-length studio effort with Mike Dimkich (replacing Greg Hetson) on guitar and Jamie Miller (replacing Brooks Wackerman) on drums. The band last released the EP "Christmas Songs" in 2013.

Los Angeles hard rock trio OWL has just released a new single, "Believe", via Overit Records. The song is available on all digital platforms.

The band, which consists of Chris Wyse (vocals, bass), Eric Bradley (guitar, vocals) and Dan Dinsmore (drums) — taps directly into the unseen on the track, which is the first effort for Bradley after he rejoined OWL since his recording with the group on its self-titled release. Eric met Chris when they both were in the Jerry Cantrell band in 2003. Eric also played guitar on "Owl" in 2007.

"Believe" taps into a very personal and exploritive topic. Chris has long been interested in creating wonder and exploration and wanted no limitations on the creation of the song. The approach to the recording emphasized a live approach with pushing the boundaries on how upright bass and bow can be integrated into the music in innovative ways. The track encompises materializing what a person believes and taking control of destiny.

OWL camped out at Overit Studios in upstate New York to record "Believe" in between Wyse's touring activities with Ace Frehley and the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES.

Chris is touring the world with the VAMPIRES this summer and is excited about the future of OWL.

Corey Taylor has said that SLIPKNOT fans should be should be expecting something "fucking dangerous" on the band's next album.

The new SLIPKNOT disc is tentatively due out in 2019 and will follow up 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter".

"It's only in the demo stages right now," Taylor told Kerrang! magazine. "However, we have very serious, tentative plans — and I say that because the best way to make God laugh is to announce your plans out loud — to go into the studio at the beginning of next year and get this fucker going. We have 16 songs written right now, and they are fucking dangerous.

"I loved '.5', but this album, to me, makes '.5' look like nobody's business," he continued. "This is 'Iowa' levels of heavy. And I have to go out and tour this shit at my age — I can feel those songs in my back! I am really, really excited about it, and I talk to the guys in SLIPKNOT all the time. I talk to Clown either every day, or every other day. I've been talking to Jim, V-man, Jay, Mick, Craig, Chris, Sid. We're all really, really, really excited about this stuff, and it's coming together really fucking well. So be prepared for 2019 — which, weirdly, is the 20th anniversary of our first album. Shit's about to get fucking real again! So take that as you will."

Taylor recently told Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio program that the lyrics he's writing for the next SLIPKNOT LP are perhaps his most personal yet. The singer, who separated from his wife more than a year ago and has since gone public with a new relationship, said: "It's been a heavy couple of years for me personally. So I'm working out some things, personally for myself, which has been great. I've been able to kind of grab hold of some of the depression that I've been fighting and kind of formulate the way that I want to describe it. So some of these lyrics are, to me, some of the best I've ever written. It's probably the most I've shared in years."

Taylor added that the reaction from the other members of SLIPKNOT to the lyrics has been "fantastic," saying, "I know Clown was, like, just blown away by how open and raw it all felt. It felt like the old days."

Even though he's been on the road with STONE SOUR, Taylor said that "it's been great watching the process and getting involved with the process" of writing new SLIPKNOT songs, continuing, "Hearing the music that... everybody else in the band has been really working on, and being able to listen to it with fresh ears and come at it from different standpoints has been really fulfilling."

".5: The Gray Chapter" was released following a six-year hiatus during which founding SLIPKNOT bassist Paul Gray died and drummer Joey Jordison was dismissed.

".5: The Gray Chapter" sold around 132,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 1 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores in October 2014 via Roadrunner.

Gray died in 2010 from a drug overdose, while Jordison was let go in December 2013, just before SLIPKNOT began recording the last album.

Female vocalist Pamela Moore, who is best known for her performance as Sister Mary on QUEENSRŸCHE's 1988 epic release "Operation: Mindcrime" and 2006's sequel "Operation: Mindcrime II", has released a video for the song "WiFi Zombie". The track is taken from Moore's new album, "Behind The Veil".

A team of masterful musicians helped bring this masterpiece to life: Rudy Sarzo (QUIET RIOT, OZZY OSBOURNE) on bass, Casey Grillo (KAMELOT, QUEENSRŸCHE) on drums, Michael Posch on guitar and orchestration and newcomer Craig Church on guitar and orchestration. The record also features special guest appearances by Ralf Scheepers (PRIMAL FEAR), Randy Piper (W.A.S.P.) and Elliot Anders.

"I am very grateful and deeply honored to have such amazingly talented friends who agreed to join me on this album," Pamela said.

"'Behind The Veil' is by far my most personal work yet. The sudden loss of my mother really hit home and left me asking some very difficult questions. It was a reality check of sorts and that's what I would say 'Behind The Veil' has become... a reality check.

"Life is short. Don't waste it. Run for your life and always be grateful that you still can run!"

Moore is a proven musical powerhouse and veteran entertainer. A native of Seattle, Washington, Pamela moved to New York City in the late nineties to become the singer for RADAR, recording the band's 2000 release, 'R.P.M." When RADAR dissolved in 2001, Pamela returned to the Pacific Northwest. Pamela continued following her passion, making guest appearances on various albums in the next decade. Pamela also toured with QUEENSRŸCHE between 2003 and 2008 as a featured vocalist and stage actress. That tour reignited Pamela's desire to record her own album, and she began writing songs with former RORSCHACH TEST guitarist Benjamin Anderson. The two found instant chemistry as Pamela's lyrics and melodies brought Anderson's musical ideas to life. "Stories From A Blue Room", released in 2006 under Planet Sweet Records, was the compelling result. The eleven-track album featured guest vocals from Terri Nunn (BERLIN) and contributions from guitarists Michael Wilton (QUEENSRŸCHE) and Jeff Loomis (NEVERMORE).

After touring extensively with QUEENSRŸCHE, Pamela took her time finding the perfect collaborators for her next album, "Resurrect Me". Chicago-based guitarist Michael Posch (RADAKKA) provided potent, addictive metal grooves and soundscapes. Combined with Pamela's stylistic, emotive power vocals and inquisitive lyrics, they created pure metal magic. "Resurrect Me" was released in 2013, with very happy fans across the globe.

"Behind The Veil" track listing:

01. Rise

02. Sickness

03. Beneath The Voodoo Marsh

04. My Eternal

05. Slow Burn

06. WiFi Zombie

07. These Scars

08. Just Breathe

09. Undertow

10. Run

According to Variety, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS bassist Flea has put his home in the Los Feliz area of Los Angeles, California on the market at $2.997 million.

Flea, whose real name is Michael Balzary, and his wife, Frankie Rayder, bought the house less than four years ago for $2.47 million.

The listing at the real estate firm Compass states about the property: "Prominently sited on a large corner lot, this 1939 traditional is gated and private. The formal entry with Magnasite floors and double foyer create an elegant first impression. Large bay windows in the living room and formal dining room give the home an airy livability."

The listing adds: "The cook's kitchen with high-end appliances serves a charming breakfast room with French doors that lead to a covered patio with built-in bbq. A wood-paneled den with fireplace is both warm and comfortable. A guest suite completes the first floor. The second floor features a master bedroom with walk-in closet, spacious bath, office, and exterior terrace. There are two additional en-suite bedrooms. The swimmers pool and spa are surrounded by lush gardens and mature trees. Close to Griffith Park and all that Los Feliz has to offer."

Flea and Rayder reportedly also own a two-plus-acre compound in Malibu's Encinal Bluffs that was purchased 12 years ago for $10 million.

Canada’s fast-growing independent metal band and Juno Award nominees, Striker, will be back with their sixth studio album Play To Win this fall.

Guitarist Tim Brown has put their newest project into words: "Play To Win is bigger and better than anything we've done before. This is our 6th album, and for this one we have a few new tricks up our sleeve that we picked up while touring around the world with all kinds of amazing artists. This album was an absolute blast to put together and is designed from the ground up to get your party started."

Starting in summer, the pioneers of The New Wave of Traditional Heavy Metal are planning a huge pre-order campaign for anyone who can’t stand helplessly waiting for the release day. In the meantime they’re taking the chance to get back onto the European stages for eight cult club shows and a blast at the best festival there is for this kind of music: Bang Your Head!!!

Live dates:

July
10 - Bambi Galore - Hamburg, Germany
11 - MTS Records - Oldenburg, Germany
12 - Café central - Weinheim, Germany
13 - Bang Your Head - Balingen, Germany
14 - Helvete - Oberhausen, Germany
15 - Little Devil - Tilburg, Netherlands
16 - Elpee - Deinze, Belgium
17 - Colosseum - Genk, Belgium

(Photo - Dana Zuk Photography)

Fan-filmed video footage of ALICE IN CHAINS' June 20 concert at the Gröna Lund amusement park in Stockholm, Sweden can be seen below.

ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist Jerry Cantrell said in a recent interview with SiriusXM that the band's new single, "The One You Know", was inspired by legendary late rock artist David Bowie. Cantrell explained: "It's really aggressive. It's got a super-aggro riff. I was thinking kind of Bowie when I was writing it, a little bit, so it's got kind of a metal 'Fame' shuffle to it, kind of almost. It's a good aggro riff and it's got the classic ALICE IN CHAINS chorus, with a weird kind of trippy middle part."

"The One You Know" is taken from ALICE IN CHAINS' upcoming sixth full-length studio LP, which is due out later this year. The title has not yet been revealed.

Cantrell added about the new disc: "I wouldn't say that the rest of the record sounds like ['The One You Know'], but that's a good indicator of what the rest of the record kind of feels like. There's a lot of edgy stuff there, a lot of rocking stuff, a lot of weird stuff, and some pretty stuff in there too."

The new LP follows up 2013's "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here". Regarding the five-year gap between records, Cantrell remarked: "We've been really fortunate in most of our career to be able to make music when we feel like it rather than having to be on somebody else's schedule, which is really nice. So we take advantage of that."

ALICE IN CHAINS will start a new North American tour leg on August 22 in Vancouver.

Syracuse.com is reporting that Foreigner fans are furious that the band's original singer Lou Gramm was a no-show at the band's Tuesday night's concert in Syracuse.

Live Nation announced on Friday that Rochester native Lou Gramm, the original voice of Foreigner, would reunite with the classic rock band at the St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater at Lakeview (formerly Lakeview Amphitheater). However, Gramm never showed.

A source had also told Syracuse.com that Gramm would perform a few select songs with Foreigner. But all the estimated crowd of 8,000 heard was Foreigner's current lead singer, Kelly Hansen. Guitarist Mick Jones was the only original member on stage.

The show also included performances by special guests Whitesnake and Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Evening.

"Was wondering why lou didn't make it to the concert in Syracuse tonight?" one fan wrote on Lou Gramm's fan club page on Facebook. "They announced that he was gonna come for a couple of songs. If he's still sick I hope he feels better soon."

Live Nation, St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater at Lakeview, Foreigner and Gramm have not commented. Social media posts by Live Nation and the Amp's official accounts still say Gramm was supposed to perform.

Find out what happened at Syracuse.com.

Tour dates:

June
20 - Boston, MA - Blue Hills Bank Pavilion
22 - Wantagh, NY - Northwell Health at Jones Beach
23 - Camden, NJ - BB&T Pavilion
26 - Cincinnati, OH - Riverbend Music Center
27 - Burgettstown, PA - KeyBank Pavilion
29 - Bristow, VA - Jiffy Lube Live
30 - Holmdel, NJ - PNC Bank Arts Center

July
3 - Raleigh, NC - Walnut Creek Amphitheater
4 - Charlotte, NC - PNC Music Pavilion
6 - Nashville, TN - Ascend Amphitheater
7 - Alpharetta, GA - Verizon Amphitheatre
8 - Simpsonville, SC - Heritage Park Amphitheatre
10 - Cuyahoga Falls, OH - Blossom Music Center
11 - Chicago, IL - Huntington Bank Pavilion at Northerly Island
13 - Noblesville, IN - Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
15 - Clarkston, MI - DTE Energy Music Theatre
17 - Kansas City, MO - Starlight Theatre
18 - St. Louis, MO - Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
20 - The Woodlands, TX - Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion
21 - Irving, TX - The Pavilion at Toyota Music Factory
24 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center
25 - West Valley City, UT - Usana Amphitheater
27 - Auburn, WA - White River Amphitheatre
28 - Ridgefield, WA - Sunlight Supply Amphitheatre
31 - Chula Vista, CA - Mattress Firm Amphitheatre

August
1 - Irvine, CA - Five Point Amphitheater

King Company have released a video for "Living In A Hurricane", featured on the upcoming Queen Of Hearts album. Watch below.

King Company was formed in 2014 by drummer Mirka ‘Leka’ Rantanen (Raskasta Joulua, Warmen, ex-Thunderstone, ex-Kotipelto) together with a number of well known musicians from the Finnish hard rock and metal scene: Antti Wirman (Warmen), Jari Pailamo (Kiuas, Ponies To Kill), Timo Schleifer (Enfarce) and original singer Pasi Rantanen. The band released their debut album, One For The Road, in August 2016.

The band toured their home territory in 2017, but Pasi Rantanen wound up having severe vocal cord problems and eventually could not sing at all. With a tour of Spain already booked, a high pressure search for a replacement singer resulted in the band finding the perfect candidate on….YouTube! Italian-Argentinian Leonard F. Guillan accepted the job and, proving to be a great live performer, ended up joining the band as their permanent lead vocalist.

"He gives 110% for the band and his enthusiasm is easily transmitted to everybody. Also, he’s a great showman. I had never before seen a guy who runs to the top of the bar and sings there for the audience!” says Mirka Rantanen.

Leonard was stoked to join the band and the vocal recordings for the band's new album were finally able to begin.

"I think the most relevant progression on this album is that this time pretty much all the songs were written after the first album came out,“ continues Mirka. “On that record, you can hear a few very old songs, but the new material is really fresh and the new record will give the listener a much better picture of what kind of band we have become. Also, we have grown up a lot as a band, which means that we play better and are more relaxed together - and it of course affected the songs and feelings when we were recording the album."

The new album, Queen Of Hearts, will be released on August 10th, following which King Company will tour to promote it, beginning in Finland, followed by a festival appearance in Spain and further shows in the works for the remainder of the year and well into 2019. Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Queen Of Hearts"
"One Day Of Your Life"
"Stars"
"Living In A Hurricane"
"Under The Spell"
"Never Say Goodbye"
"Learn To Fly"
"Berlin"
"King For Tonight"
"Living The Dream"
"Arrival"
"Good Thing" (Bonus Track, Digital)

"Living In A Hurricane" video:

"One Day Of Your Life" lyric video:

Lineup:

Leonard F. Guillan - vocals
Antti Wirman - guitars
Jari Pailamo - keyboards
Time Schleifer - bass
Mirka Rantanen - drums

Ahead of this year’s World Music Day, a recent poll reveals that heavy metal is the most popular genre in the UK - beating pop, hip hop and reggae to the top spot.

- heavy metal is the favourite genre of 20% of the UK Population
- house music is one of the least popular, only enticing 5% of music fans, mostly Northerners
- Northern England is the worst place in the UK for country and western lovers

New research from online casino operator bgo.com has revealed that music fans voted heavy metal  as their favourite genre.

20% of music lovers polled chose heavy metal as their favourite genre with home grown acts like Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden and Judas Priest headlining as long-standing favourites.

Black Sabbath is often credited as the inventors of heavy metal with their self-titled debut album in early 1970. The distinctive style soon inspired others and created a musical genre that’s maintained its popularity as a counter-culture for 48 years.

Rupert Till, Professor of Music at Huddersfield University, elaborates; “New generations are often looking for something new. When they are bored of what is around in the charts, they will often stumble across old scenes that they have never heard of before, something old can seem like something really exciting.”

Jon Hawkins, 26, guitarist from the metal band The Hero Dies First cites Black Sabbath as a major influence; “Black Sabbath continues to define the genre for me. Without their music, I’d never have wanted to pick up a guitar and play. My first guitar was a copy of Tony Iommi’s.”

The Hero Dies First live photo by Neil McCarty @neilmccartyphotography

31% of those polled in the north and 30% of those in the Midlands liked rock and heavy metal. Making heavy metal and rock the most popular form of music by far in the midlands and the north of the UK.

Prof. Till goes on to say, “Heavy metal has a particular history in the Midlands. Black Sabbath are generally agreed on as the originators of heavy metal, and they came from Birmingham, so that genre has a particular resonance.”

Dance music was the second most popular genre across the UK, with 15% of those polled choosing this modern form of music as one they couldn’t live without. In particular 25% of those polled living in the south of the UK preferred this style of music.

The genre, which is often created with digital equipment by DJs, as individuals or in small groups, has been growing in popularity for a number of years, but doesn’t have the same long history as heavy metal.

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

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


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

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

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

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

* Streaming & Digital Download - Remastered audio.

* Super Deluxe Boxed Set.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

"The Song Remains The Same" soundtrack


CD And Digital Track Listing

01. Rock And Roll

02. Celebration Day

03. Black Dog

04. Over The Hills And Far Away

05. Misty Mountain Hop

06. Since I've Been Loving You

07. No Quarter

08. The Song Remains The Same

09. The Rain Song

10. The Ocean

11. Dazed And Confused

12. Stairway To Heaven

13. Moby Dick

14. Heartbreaker

15. Whole Lotta Love


LP Track Listing

LP One

01. Rock And Roll

02. Celebration Day

03. Black Dog

04. Over The Hills And Far Away

05. Misty Mountain Hop

06. Since I've Been Loving You

07. The Ocean


LP Two

01. The Song Remains The Same

02. The Rain Song

03. No Quarter

LP Three

01. Dazed And Confused

02. Moby Dick


LP Four

01. Stairway To Heaven

02. Heartbreaker

03. Whole Lotta Love

One of the most theatrical rockers today, Granny 4 Barrel, has struck up a kinship with adult film star Stormy Daniels - as evidenced by recent photographs of the pair together in Miami (as Granny crisscrossed the country touring with Texas Hippie Coalition, while Stormy is on the promotional circuit), as well as Daniels directing the music video for G4B’s “She Likes Guns”. And the collaboration will not end there, as Daniels has also signed on to direct the next G4B video this fall.

“Last summer I had the pleasure of directing a video for G4B for their song, ‘She Likes Guns’, says Stormy. “It was such a great experience and the response to the video has been overwhelming, so I jumped at the chance to work with the band again. Our busy schedules made it difficult to get together, but we were finally able to connect in Miami. The meeting was very productive and I cannot wait to share the details about some exciting (but for now top secret) projects.”

Granny affirms, “It was really great to meet up with Stormy in Miami last month to discuss the positive feedback the ‘She Likes Guns’ video is receiving, plotting out our next music video and discussing some killer new projects on the horizon... you won’t believe what happens next!”

“Feeling a great sense of accomplishment and excitement about completing the nationwide Year Of The Bull Tour with Texas Hippie Coalition, Kobra And The Lotus and Brand Of Julez,” says Granny. “We circled the country two times and covered over 16,000 miles experiencing the amazing fans and spreading the metal gospel of Granny 4 Barrel!”

The “She Likes Guns” video can be seen below:

Granny is a true original and represents freedom of expression, the rebellious spirit of rock n’ roll, disobedience and nonconformity. Think of Granny as the surrogate bad ass metal granny you never had, Granny gives the rock n’ roll children everything they need, and serves up a big middle finger to all the stereotypes of the world.

Now with the two controversial figures collaborating, the results are destined to go down as both provocative and unforgettable for rock fans throughout the world!

(Photos - Larry Marano)

German/American heavy metal legends ACCEPT will release a live set, "Symphonic Terror - Live At Wacken 2017", on November 23 via Nuclear Blast. Fans can expect a unique ACCEPT show, shot on August 3, 2017 at the legendary Wacken Open Air festival, where the band played the biggest and most extraordinary show of its career in front of 80,000, on top of thousands more fans watching via a live stream.

The two-hour concert was divided into three parts, showing the full creative power of ACCEPT: The first part featured the premiere of new tracks "Die By The Sword" and "Koolaid", as well as some of the band's most popular songs, such as "Restless And Wild" and "Pandemic". The middle part featured guitarist Wolf Hoffmann accompanied by a symphony orchestra, presenting the best tracks from his recent solo album, "Headbangers Symphony", which includes metal versions of some of the world's biggest classical compositions (e.g. from Beethoven, Mozart, Vivaldi). And in the last but not least part, fans were able to bang their heads to ACCEPT anthems (also accompanied by the orchestra), such as "Princess Of The Dawn", "Breaker", "Fast As A Shark" and "Metal Heart", as well as to newwe songs like "Stalingrad", "Shadow Soldiers" and "Teutonic Terror". The finale was an eight-minute version of ACCEPT's classic song "Balls To The Walls".

"This was a mash-up of intensity and precision," Wolf Hoffmann says about the fusion of heavy metal and classical music. "The fans are extremely open-minded, but I was nervous 'till the last minute before the show anyway. After all, it's still a metal festival! But I think that, after many years of ACCEPT combining both worlds, fans have started to really accept this concept."

After the Wacken performance, Hoffmann told TotalRock's Whitney Alyson Ribbins: "It was phenomenal. We didn't really know what to expect. We did some rehearsals and stuff, but that was the first time we were ever on stage with an orchestra. It was totally different to what we normally do, but it sounded fantastic and it felt great. Everybody was smiling, the orchestra people had a lot of fun, the conductor was in a great mood and everybody was, like, 'This is fun.' It all went really, really smooth and it couldn't have gone better."

He continued: "A lot of preparation went into it — months of talking about it and organizing everything and writing the scores and writing all the sheet music for everybody, because playing with an orchestra, you can't just jam."

Asked whether this was something he would like to do again, Wolf responded: "Yeah, I'd love to. For me, classical music... the sound of an orchestra is something that has always fascinated me. My whole life I have wanted to combine the two elements together. I've done it by using classical bits and pieces in my solos over the years, then I made a solo record, then I made a solo record with an orchestra and now finally live on stage with an orchestra like that, fifty people, it was a dream come true."

What started as a world premiere at Wacken will be continued in early 2019. ACCEPT is planning to tour with an orchestra across Europe in the spring of next year. "I really hope we will be able to fulfill our dream — we are working hard on it!" Hoffmann says. "What I can already say now is that there will be lots of optical and musical surprises that fans of ACCEPT have never experienced before. We want to multiply what we have achieved in Wacken and are happy about every bit of support we get. One thing is for sure: 2019 will be exciting!"

The first trailer for "Forever Warriors, Forever United", the new album from German metal queen Doro Pesch, is available below. Due on August 17, it boasts 25 brand new Doro tracks. Speaking about the album, she says: "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."

The first single from the epic collection of tracks is "All For Metal", which is available to stream and purchase digitally. The track is also available on limited-edition seven-inch silver vinyl and picture disc.

"All For Metal" features an assortment of metal heroes, who can also be seen in the new official music video: Mille Petrozza (KREATOR), Johan Hegg (AMON AMARTH), Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT), Warrel Dane (NEVERMORE, SANCTUARY), Jeff Waters (ANNIHILATOR), SABATON, Ross The Boss (MANOWAR), Rock 'N' Rolf (RUNNING WILD), DETRAKTOR, Tommy Bolan (ex-WARLOCK), Andy Brings and The Ultimate Doro Clan.

Doro explains: "I think the song 'All For Metal' is an anthem like 'All We Are' with some great guests singing, who are all friends of mine. It's an awesome live song and I hope you enjoy it because it's one of my favorite songs!"

"Forever United" takes a more sentimental turn, with lyrical topics covering friendship, love and companionship. Highlights include Doro's tribute to the late and great Lemmy.

"We've been touring a lot during the last years. We collected a lot of impressions and got to meet many amazing people. That inspired me enormously," explains Doro. "The songs and ideas simply bubble out of me. That process didn't even end while being in the studio. We had 50 song ideas in the beginning which turned into 14 concrete album tracks. Suddenly we had 20 songs, and, in the end, it was even 24. I also wanted to record 'Caruso' in the last recording week."

With "Forever Warriors, Forever United", Doro presents two new records, featuring 19 regular tracks and six bonus songs.

This unique songwriting marathon was based on "Living Life To The Fullest" back in January 2016. Says Doro: "I was flying to Lemmy's funeral when the track's melody and lyrics suddenly came to mind. Lemmy was always very important to me. Everything went quickly from this point. As soon as a song was constructed, I headed to the studio — between all those shows and tours — to capture the freshness and live energy of the new tracks."

The album cover artwork was once again created by Doro's favorite 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."

The long-awaited follow-up to 2012's "Raise Your Fist" will be the German singer's first release since 2016's "Love's Gone To Hell" single.

Last year, Pesch celebrated the 30th anniversary of WARLOCK's "Triumph And Agony" album by performing the LP in its entirety at select shows around the globe.

Doro was joined on the "Triumph And Agony" 30th-anniversary tour by Bolan alongside bassist Nick Douglas, drummer Johnny Dee, guitarist Bas Maas and guitarist/keyboardist Luca Princiotta.

Grammy-nominated group CODE ORANGE has surprise-released a new digital EP. Titled "The Hurt Will Go On", it includes two new tracks, "3 Knives" and "The Hunt", with the the latter featuring a guest appearance by SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor. The final track on the EP is "The Hurt Will Go On", which is a remix of the Pittsburgh-based group's song "Hurt Goes On". "Hurt Goes On" was featured on the widely acclaimed LP "Forever", which earned CODE ORANGE a Grammy nomination and topped several "Best of 2017" lists.

The release of the new CODE ORANGE EP coincides with the start of the band's North American tour, which kicks off Friday (June 22) in Boston, Massachusetts. Support on the trek will come from TWITCHING TONGUES and VEIN. "The New Reality Tour" will also feature special guests WICCA PHASE SPRINGS ETERNAL, SHOW ME THE BODY, GHOSTEMANE, NICOLE DOLLANGANGER, DISEMBODIED and TRAIL OF LIES on select dates.

CODE ORANGE drummer/singer Jami Morgan told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that the band spent most of the days earlier this year writing and working in the studio.

"As long as we're inspired… we don't want to force anything out," he said. "The only reason we're doing this is because we are inspired. If we ran out of ideas, we would have to sit back and chill and figure it out, because I don't want to put stuff out that I regret. I also feel the urgency to keep going."

MaYaN, the symphonic death metal brainchild of Epica guitarist/vocalist Mark Jansen and his former After Forever bandmate Jack Driessen, are gearing up for the release of their new album Dhyana, due on September 21st.

In regards to the new video below, the band states: "This time, we take a look at the orchestral bits that will appear on the new record."

A previous message states: "We're excited to announce our Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign with the goal of intensifying the sounds of our 3rd album by recording with a live symphonic orchestra! With our profound love for epic movie scores, it has been our dream to incorporate real strings, brass and percussion into our music and have written each new track to be amplified with the sounds of an orchestra. You can help us make this dream come true by pledging to our campaign for the many unique rewards that we have created for you, including exclusive access to our new EP (ONLY available through our campaign) and a chance to attend the orchestra recordings! Check out our video and visit our campaign page here. We thank you in advance for your support!"

(Photo - Victor Peters)

Helix frontman Brian Vollmer has posted the following update:

"Here's an 8-minute capsulized version of last weekend's adventures (June 16th) at the Grey Eagle Casino in Calgary and the Regina Casino Showroom."

Vollmer recently issued the following announcement:

"So, if you haven't pre-ordered the new Helix vinyl / CD on Universal, whatya waiting for? Ironically, for the seven years we were with Capitol / EMI, they never ever put out a vinyl Best Of album. Now that Universal has bought the catalog they're putting out a series of albums from bands on the roster called The Icon Series. The Helix Icon album has all the hits plus two new tracks: 'Even Jesus (Wasn't Loved In His Home Town)' and 'Gene Simmons Says (Rock is Dead)'. The album and CD will be out by July 10th. If you'd like to order an advance copy, the vinyl is $25 plus shipping, the CD is $15 plus shipping. You can order it here."

Check out the artwork and tracklist below.

On May 17th, Helix - along with Lee Aaron guitarist Sean Kelly - performed an acoustic show in Blyth, Ontario. Rehearsal footage shot a week prior to the gig can be viewed below.

Catch Helix live in concert at the following shows:

July
29 - Parc Jean-Drapeau - Montreal, Quebec

August
11 - Rock The Plaza - Windsor, Ontario
17 - Rockin' The Rock - Little Current, Ontario

Singer/guitarist Zach Slaughter (frontman for Skull Fist) has released the debut album for his new project, Freedumb. The musical style includes punk, acoustic, doom and traditional metal all combined with a cheeky sense of humour. The debut album Skate N Die was released on May 18th via Boonsdale Records and is available at this location.

Check out the song "Street Surfing Man" below

Freedumb’s debut release unleashes nine tracks of high energy punk/metal in the vein of Candlemass, Bad Religion, Dead Kennedys, Skull Fist, trademarked with Zach’s unique vocal style along with metal elements and virtuoso guitar solos, plus the lyrical humour of NOFX / Frank Zappa. Skate N Die offers an alternate approach to mainstream music that can give attention to the counter culture of today’s social circles.

Tracklisting:

"Punch Patrol"
"S.O.S."
"Shark Attack"
"Grand Canyon"
"Jerkathon"
"Skate N Die"
"Anarchy Will Prevail"
"Street Surfing Man"
"Finding Emo"

"S.O.S."

"Punch Patrol"

Soulfly, featuring former Sepultura frontman Max Cavalera, performed at With Full Force in Gräfenhainichen, Germany on June 16th. Pro-shot footage is available below. 

The setlist was as follows:

"Frontlines"
"Prophecy"
"Fire"
"Porrada"
"Blood Fire War Hate"
"We Sold Our Souls to Metal"
"No Hope = No Fear"
"Bleed / Plata o Plomo"
"Back to the Primitive"
"Refuse/Resist" (Sepultura cover)
"Jumpdafuckup"
"Eye for an Eye"

Los Angeles-based thrash metal icons Body Count recently released a new music video for their track "All Love Is Lost" featuring Max Cavalera. The track is featured on the band's 2017 full-length, Bloodlust.

In a new interview with Eric Blair, Cavalera discusses the collaboration and much more. Watch below:

Co-written by Max Cavalera (Soulfly, Cavalera Conspiracy), "All Love Is Lost" delves into the intense feelings one has after a betrayal of trust by a loved one. Commingling his acting and music career, Ice-T enlisted his Law And Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC) co-star Kelly Giddish to play the vindictive lead.

The new video, directed by Jay Rodriguez, can be seen below.

On June 18th, Kobra And The Lotus vocalist Kobra Paige and guitarist Jasio Kulakowski guested on CTV in Calgary, Alberta. They sat in for an interview segment and performed an acoustic rendition of the song "Let Me Love You", taken from Prevail II. Check out the live streaming  studio footage below.

Kobra And The Lotus will embark on a co-headline tour with the Butcher Babies, dubbed the Female Metal Voices Tour 2018. Other bands on the bill include Skarlett Riot, Ignea and Martyrium.

Prevail II is the proverbial yang to the yin and continues right where Kobra And The Lotus left off in 2017. The album was released on April 27th via Napalm Records.

The band recently unveiled their video for a cover of the Fleetwood Mac classic "The Chain".

Says Kobra about the video and song: "We couldn't be more stoked to release the final closer to our Prevail album series!! We've chosen a classic, recorded in 1976, and we hope to connect and carry the magic forward from that musical era. Here it is, 'The Chain' by Fleetwood Mac, in full Kobra And The Lotus spirit. Can you recognize it?"

More Prevail II details below.

Tracklisting:

"Losing My Humanity"
"Let Me Love You"
"Ribe"
"My Immortal"
"Human Empire"
"Heartache"
"Velvet Roses"
"Modern Day Hero"
"You're Insane"
"White Water"
"The Chain"
"Let Me Love You" (Acoustic Bonus Track)

Album teaser #1:

Album teaser #2:

"Let Me Love You":

"Losing My Humanity" lyric video:

A complete list of tour dates can be found here.