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.

Saigon Kick guitarist Jason Bieler has put his Soliloquy EP up for free download. Click here to get your free digital copy.

The EP features the following tracklist:

"A Girl Named Hollow"
"Birds Of Prey"
"Disarmed & Disowned"
"Where Dreams Go To Die"
"The Depths"

Bieler has scheduled a string of solo shows for 2018 leading into the fall. His schedule is currently as follows:

July
14 - New York City, NY - Rockwood Music Hall Stage 2

August
10 - Baton Rouge, LA - Red Dragon Listening Room 
11 - New Orleans, LA - Howlin’ Wolf Porch

October
13 - Los Angeles, CA - The Hotel Cafe

French post-black metallers Decline Of The I have premiered a new track "Enslaved By Existence" in the form of a lyric video. The track comes from the band's third studio album Escape, due out on the 27th of July via Agonia Records.

Escape will feature six varied, original compositions replete with artwork from David Fitt, who filmed the new video.

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.

Tracklisting:

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

“Enslaved By Existence” lyric video:

Long running slamming death-grind monsters Stillbirth have announced an August 31st release date for their crushing fifth album, and Unique Leader debut, Annihilation Of Mankind. The explosive, unrelentingly fast, and massively heavy 12-track album shows the group writing the best and most exciting material of their nearly 20 year career.

The group collectively described the album as, "Annihilation Of Mankind will be released on the mighty Unique Leader Records and marks a huge milestone in Stillbirth's history! The album that is waiting to be unleashed is faster, harder, with more brutality and more groove than anything we have done before."

Annihilation Of Mankind tracklisting:

"Fictional Entertainment"
"Enemy Of The Enemy"
"Hypnotized By Lies"
"Psychological Manipulation"
"Firststrike"
"Highest Of Malice"
"Torturized"
"Plague Of Warfare"
"Torn Apart"
"Nuclear Stench"
"The Sky Turns Black"
"Annihilation Of Mankind"

Pre-order bundles will be announced in the coming weeks. Expect more news from Stillbirth very soon.

Lineup:

Lukas Swiaczny - Vocals
Dominik "Pumpa" Koenig - Bass, Vocals
Dr. Jan Weidemann - Guitar
Martin Grupe - Drums

Swedish rock band TOXICROSE has released a new single, "The Fallen Ones". The song was produced with CRASHDÏËT's Martin Sweet, the brother of TOXICROSE drummer Michael, and was mixed by Chris Laney. It was mastered by Claes Persson at CRP Recording AB.

The official lyric video for "The Fallen Ones" can be seen below.

Formed in 2010 in Stockholm, TOXICROSE recently announced the addition of bassist Johannes Sandberg to the group's ranks.

The band's current lineup is rounded out by Tom Wouda (GEMINI FIVE) on, Andy on lead vocals and Michael Sweet (both ex-LIPSTIXX 'N' BULLETZ) on drums.

TOXICROSE's debut five-track EP was released in late 2012. A full-length album, "Total Tranquility", followed in May 2016 via City Of Lights/Rock It Up.

The first trailer for "Kulkija" ("Wanderer"), the new studio album from Finnish folk metallers KORPIKLAANI, can be seen below. The disc will be released on September 7 via Nuclear Blast.

With 14 tracks and a total running time of over 71 minutes, "Kulkija" is the group's longest album to date. Working with producer Janne Saksa for the first time, the album was recorded at Petrax Studio (Hollola, Finland) and mixed at Sound Supreme Studios (Hämeenlinna, Finland). Mastering duties were handled by renowned engineer Svante Forsbäck (RAMMSTEIN). The cover was designed by Jan Yrlund (BATTLE BEAST, MANOWAR), who has already created several artworks for previous albums and singles for the band.

Founding member Jonne Järvelä commented: "We've never been as satisfied with a final result as we are with 'Kulkija'. We tried to keep it very natural. Like the wanderer, this album is a journey, one that makes you feel good."

Accordionist Sami Perttula added: "'Kulkija' isn't just a collection of songs, it's a 'real' album with a unique atmosphere guiding the listeners through a long journey. All songs were well prepared in advance and nothing needed to be arranged in the studio. Tuomas [fiddle] and I had lots of space to develop and play the folk arrangements."

The lyric video for the first single from the disc, "Kotikonnut" ("Homestead"), can be seen below.

Perttula, who wrote the track, stated: "It's a midtempo song with a lot of melodies. It was surprising how our lyricist managed to write it, he really captured the feeling and the character of the song. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!"

About "Kotikonnut": During his journey, a wanderer yearningly looks back on his home, childhood and the beauty of everything. He remembers running with his girl on the meadow, believing it to last till the end of times. Although his home is now, the road and a carriage run by joy, he will still always remember the happiness of his home and youth. At the time, the moon was golden, shining everywhere at night, lighting up the otherwise-dark countryside and the forest. The wanderer eventually accepts that everything that comes, will one day fade into a distant memory.

Photo credit: Peero Lakanen

The GRAHAM BONNET BAND will release its new album, "Meanwhile, Back In The Garage", on July 13 via Frontiers Music Srl. The disc's new single, "Sea Of Trees", can be streamed below.


Says Graham: "This is the most important album I have done in 35 years. I think fans of the classic ALCATRAZZ sound will love this record.

"The first single (which is also the title track), 'Meanwhile, Back In The Garage', is about any young band starting today... which is like it was back when I started. As the lyric says, 'take a number, it's a hell of a line'!

"I have had a fantastic career and been very fortunate to play with some great musicians and I hope there is a lot more touring and recording to come."


Bonnet is a hard rock legend with a pedigree to back that statement up. His stints with RAINBOW, MSG, ALCATRAZZ and IMPELLITTERI prove he is one of the finest rock vocalists of his generation. Fresh off a stint with Michael Schenker Fest, Graham is preparing to return with a new GRAHAM BONNET BAND album, "Meanwhile, Back In The Garage".

Crafted with Joey Tafolla on guitar (Joey performs all lead and rhythm guitars except "Livin' In Suspicion", which is performed by new guitarist Kurt James), Beth-Ami Heavenstone on bass, Jimmy Waldo on keyboards, and Mark Benquechea on drums, "Meanwhile, Back In The Garage" sees Bonnet showing why he has been and still is one of the premiere vocalists in hard rock.


This new studio album offers 13 new songs where Bonnet lays down his inimitable vocals over a selection of tunes full of great hooks and melodies. It includes a bonus live DVD captured at a Live From Daryl's House performance in early 2018.


"Meanwhile, Back In The Garage" track listing:


CD

01. Meanwhile, Back In The Garage

02. The Hotel

03. Livin' In Suspicion

04. Incest Outcest U.S.A.

05. Long Island Tea

06. The House

07. Sea Of Trees

08. Man On The Corner

09. We Don't Need Another Hero

10. America...Where Have You Gone?

11. Heading Toward The Light

12. Past Lives

13. The Crying Chair

14. Starcarr Lane (Live From Daryl's House 2018)


DVD (Live From Daryl's House 2018)

01. Night Of The Shooting Star (Intro)

02. Too Young To Die, Too Drunk To Live

03. All Night Long

04. Night Games

05. California Air

06. God Blessed Video

07. Stand In Line

08. Island In The Sun

09. Desert Song

10. Starcarr Lane

11. Jet To Jet

12. S.O.S.

13. Into The Night

14. Samurai

15. Skyfire

16. Since You Been Gone

17. Assault Attack

18. Eyes Of The World

19. Hiroshima Mon Amour

20. Lost In Hollywood

FIRE FOR EFFECT, the new death metal band featuring guitarist Gio Geraca (ex-MALEVOLENT CREATION), vocalist Bret Hoffmann (ex-MALEVOLENT CREATION) and drummer Derek Roddy (ex-HATE ETERNAL, NILE), has signed a deal with Agonia Records.

Despite being formed merely two years ago, FIRE FOR EFFECT is not short on experience or talent. With its members drawing from over 25 years of music careers in famed death metal bands, the expectations for FIRE FOR EFFECT's debut album — which is currently being worked on — are high.

FIRE FOR EFFECT found its resting place at Agonia Records after playing several gigs, releasing their first three-song demo "Into The Breach", and reviewing several other record deal offers. The band's origin is undeniably tied with MALEVOLENT CREATION, featuring the latter's two key former members. Originally launched as Garcia's solo project, events took an unexpected turn when singer Bret Hoffmann stepped in, and the duo exited their mother band, MALEVOLENT CREATION, for good. A short time later, they were briefly joined by bassist Tony Choy of progressive death metal icons ATHEIST and CYNIC, and SUFFOCATION's founding drummer Mike Smith. In 2018, Smith was replaced by another gifted drummer, Roddy. Bassist Paul Mcbride (ENDS) completes the band's lineup.

FIRE FOR EFFECT's debut album is planned for late 2018.

FIRE FOR EFFECT commented: "Hey guys, We are very happy to announce that we will be working with Agonia Records. As you can see, we are working hard and rehearsing our songs that will be appearing on our debut album coming out later this year. You all will be very pleased with what you hear."

FIRE FOR EFFECT is:

Gio Geraca (ex-MALEVOLENT CREATION) - Guitar

Bret Hoffman (ex-MALEVOLENT CREATION) - Vocals

Derek Roddy (ex-HATE ETERNAL, NILE) - Drums

Paul Mcbride (Ends) - Bass

BAD WOLVES have presented a check for $250,000 to the family of late CRANBERRIES singer Dolores O'Riordan.

The Los Angeles-based metal band's debut album, titled "Disobey", includes the group's massively successful cover of THE CRANBERRIES hit "Zombie". The track hit the Top 15 on the American rock radio chart and was No. 1 on iTunes in multiple countries, including the U.K., Sweden, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and THE CRANBERRIES' home country of Ireland.

O'Riordan was slated to record vocals for BAD WOLVES' cover of the track on the day that she died in a London hotel this past January. The band decided to release the song in her honor with all proceeds going to her children.

BAD WOLVES made good on their promise by inviting O'Riordan's family onstage last night at New York's Gramercy Theatre and presented them with the quarter-million-dollar check. O'Riordan's two sons, Donny Jr. and Taylor Burton, alongside their father, Don Burton, were presented with the gift in an emotional moment. The check was also accepted on behalf of their younger sisters, Molly and Dakota Burton.


"Our sadness the day Dolores passed was nothing compared to that of her children and her family," said BAD WOLVES frontman Tommy Vext. "In light of the tragedy, donating our proceeds to her children was the only thing that made sense. The ultimate goal is to present them with a $1,000,000 check — and the fact we're a quarter of the way there is beyond incredible. The connection that people have to this song, the stories, the memories and the kids who are hearing this song through BAD WOLVES for the first time — it's a true testament to the timelessness of their mother's songwriting that will live on forever, and we are so grateful to be able to do this for them."

The original single was first released by THE CRANBERRIES in 1994 and became a worldwide No. 1 hit.

The video for the BAD WOLVES' version has garnered more than 83 million views in four months on YouTube.

BAD WOLVES will tour the U.S. in the summer with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and BREAKING BENJAMIN.

BAD WOLVES is managed by FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Zoltan Bathory.

Vext went on tour with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH in 2017 as a fill-in vocalist for Ivan Moody while the latter was dealing with substance and alcohol abuse issues.

We shared a special moment with Dolores O'Riordan's family tonight in NYC.

#ForDoloresPosted by Bad Wolves on Tuesday, June 19, 2018

Roadrunner Records band THE AMITY AFFLICTION has unveiled details of its new album, "Misery", which arrives worldwide Friday, August 24.

"Misery" is available for pre-order today, with all orders joined by an instant grat download of the album's electrifying first single, "Ivy (Doomsday)", which is streaming now accompanied by a cinematic official music video. Written and co-directed by the band's own Joel Birch, the official video for "Ivy (Doomsday)" marks the first chapter of a three-part short film chronicling a dark tale of three friends and their quest for vengeance. Additional chapters will be unveiled in the weeks to come.

THE AMITY AFFLICTION will celebrate "Misery" with an epic tour schedule, beginning this week with a North American run as part of the milestone final Vans Warped Tour 2018. Those dates begin tomorrow, June 21 at Pomona, California's Fairplex and continue through early August. From there, THE AMITY AFFLICTION will head to Europe for a headline tour slated for stops in Germany, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Austria, Denmark, Norway, and Belgium. Support on select dates will come from DREAM STATE, THE PLOT IN YOU, ENDLESS HEIGHTS, and others.

Recorded earlier this year in Baltimore, Maryland with producer Matt Squire (PANIC! AT THE DISCO, ARIANA GRANDE, UNDEROATH), "Misery" is the long-awaited follow-up to THE AMITY AFFLICTION's acclaimed fifth studio album, "This Could Be Heartbreak". That LP made a spectacular chart debut upon its 2016 arrival, entering among the top 30 on the Billboard 200 while also charting at #1 in their native Australia — THE AMITY AFFLICTION's third consecutive time topping the ARIA album chart.

THE AMITY AFFLICTION is Joel Birch (vocals), Ahren Stringer (bass, vocals) and Dan Brown (guitar).

"Misery" track listing:

01. Ivy (Doomsday)

02. Feels Like I'm Dying

03. Holier Than Heaven

04. Misery

05. Kick Rocks

06. Black Cloud

07. D.I.E.

08. Drag The Lake

09. Beltsville Blues

10. Burn Alive

11. Nothing Left

12. The Gifthorse

SONS OF APOLLO — the progressive metal supergroup featuring former DREAM THEATER bandmates Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian, as well as bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, THE WINERY DOGS), guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (GUNS N' ROSES) and vocalist Jeff Scott Soto (JOURNEY, TALISMAN, W.E.T.) — has released the official music video for the song "Signs Of The Time". The track is taken from SONS OF APOLLO's debut album "Psychotic Symphony", which came out last October via InsideOut Music. It sold around 5,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release, earning the band the top position on Billboard's Heatseekers chart, which focuses on top-selling albums by new or developing acts, defined as those who have never appeared on the top 100 of the Billboard 200.

Portnoy says: "The 'Signs Of The Time' video was shot on the recent U.S. tour and is a good taste of what the band is like on stage.

"We are about to embark on the band’s first tour of Europe and the U.K. and can't wait to bring this five-headed musical monster to our fans overseas all throughout the summer."

SONS OF APOLLO got together very organically, as Portnoy explains: "Derek and I reunited shortly after I left DREAM THEATER in 2010 and we put together an all-instrumental touring band with he and I, Billy Sheehan, and Tony MacAlpine. That was my first time working with Derek since the '90s when he was in DREAM THEATER and it was just great to be working with him again. Ever since that tour, which was really just a one-off live thing, he has been nudging me to start a real, original, full-time band. The timing just had never been right, because I had too many other things on my plate. Long story short, the time was finally right to take the bait and put together a band."


"Mike and I work at a relentless pace in the studio," continues Sherinian. "The music is modern, but we have an old-school soul. What is unique about SONS OF APOLLO is that we have true rock 'n' roll swagger along with the virtuosity — a lethal combination!"


But what to call the next great supergroup? "Derek was mainly the one behind the name," says Portnoy. "I have a list that I keep on my phone of about a hundred different band names, which I constantly have to refer to every time I have a new band every year. [Laughs] So, I pulled up the list and APOLLO was one of the names on the list. It was a word that both of us really liked. We started fiddling with different variations of the word. One of the original band names we were working with was APOLLO CREED, the character from the 'Rocky' movies, but after lots of different discussions on different variations, Derek suggested SONS OF APOLLO and it seemed to stick. Apollo is the God of music so with that in mind it seemed like a fitting name."


Mike Portnoy, Derek Sherinian and Billy Sheehan previously toured together in 2012 and 2013 as PSMS (along with guitarist Tony MacAlpine), playing all instrumental versions from each of their previously recorded music. SONS OF APOLLO is the next logical progression by adding a vocalist and creating all-original material. The band incorporates the progressive style and individual technical prowess that Portnoy and Sherinian shared together in DREAM THEATER combined with the swagger and groove of VAN HALEN, DEEP PURPLE and LED ZEPPELIN.

Los Angeles hard rockers SUNFLOWER DEAD have signed to EMP Label Group, the label founded by MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson. The group's third album, "Coma", will be released on October 19.

Produced by Dave Fortman (SLIPKNOT, EVANESCENCE), "Coma" features SUNFLOWER DEAD's current lineup, including founding members, vocalist (and accordion player) Michael Del Pizzo, guitarists Jaboo and Jamie Teissere (DROID), along with former FEAR FACTORY and current POWERFLO bassist Christian Olde Wolbers and Brian "Brett" Weir, formerly of STARSET, on drums.

The follow-up to 2015's "It's Time To Get Weird", which included the Active Rock Top 40 hit, and title track, featuring Jonathan Davis of KORN, "Coma" is a stripped down, raw beast of a modern hard rock record, to match the band's recently stripped down image. Starting life and continuing through two records with intricate costumes and heavy, zombie-esque, stage makeup, "Coma" sees the band step out from behind the image, and put the focus on the songs.

Says vocalist Del Pizzo: "Though we are extremely proud of what we have accomplished on our own with the more theatrical version of the band, SUNFLOWER DEAD has grown considerably. The entire process of writing and recording this album was fueled by a sense of aggression unlike anything in our previous output. It was clear to everyone involved that this was the moment to strip off the makeup, sign with a label and let the music speak for itself. So we did. And when it came down to it, EMP was definitely the right place."

He adds: "We have known Thom (Hazaert) forever. He actually helped launch SUNFLOWER DEAD's first album and got us our first national tour back in 2012. Combine that with having David Ellefson on our side, and this was an easy decision."

Adds guitarist Jaboo: "The music on 'Coma' is more focused, vicious and emotionally dialed in than any of our previous work. This record is like the rebirth of the band similar to what Christopher Nolan did with the 'Batman' saga. That rebirth is that much stronger with the addition of Christian Olde Wolbers on bass and Brian 'Brett' Weir on drums."

Says EMP's David Ellefson: "SUNFLOWER DEAD is a great, hardworking band who truly embodies the type of DIY ethos that EMP was built on. They have not only released their own records and had great success at radio, but also managed to tour the World supporting major artists, all without the support of a label. We're proud to welcome them into the EMP mamily!"

SUNFLOWER DEAD spent the last three years on the road supporting "Weird", including dates with SNOT and KORN in the U.K., both legs of IN THIS MOMENT's "Hellpop" tour, as well as runs supporting AVATAR, HELLYEAH and MUSHROOMHEAD.

Veteran German metallers GRAVE DIGGER will release their new album, "The Living Dead", on September 14 via Napalm Records.

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Fear Of The Living Dead

02. Blade Of The Immortal

03. When Death Passes By

04. Shadow Of The Warrior

05. The Power Of Metal

06. Hymn Of The Damned

07. What War Left Behind

08. Fist In Your Face

09. Insane Pain

10. Zombie Dance

11. Glory Or Grave (bonus track)

The cover artwork can be seen below.

A headlining tour, dubbed "Tour Of The Living Dead", will launch in Hannover, Germany on January 11, 2019 and finish in Tel Aviv, Israel on February 9, 2019. Support on the trek will come from BURNING WITCHES.

GRAVE DIGGER's last album, "Healed By Metal", was released in January 2017 via Napalm Records.

GRAVE DIGGER frontman Chris Boltendahl spoke to Get Ready To Rock! about what inspires him to write new music. "I would say that we are inspired by our own creativity," he said. "As you well know, we have been playing this style of music for many years now and every single member of this band is a much-accomplished musician, so, at the end, what we do is simply play the type of music that we love — the music we grew up listening to. We are lucky to have acquired our own style over the years and that, I believe, is the most important thing to have. When people say to me, 'Oh, you sound like this or that band,' my response to them is, 'Well, we sound like GRAVE DIGGER. Thank you very much.' [Laughs]"

Chris also talked about how the fact that most of GRAVE DIGGER's current lineup has been intact for almost a decade affects the band's songwriting process. He said: "The core members have been playing together for more than twenty years and that certainly makes things easier when bringing new music to life, but, at the end of the day, it all boils down to good quality control, you know? I have to really feel that a certain song deserves to be released under the GRAVE DIGGER moniker — if not, then we simply discard it. We create many riffs when working on a new album but not all of them are good enough to make it to a GRAVE DIGGER album. The quality level in the decision-making process is very high indeed. Because our music is pretty guitar-oriented, we place much focus on the quality of the riffs we choose to utilize and so the decision-making process is very tough indeed."

GRAVE DIGGER is:

Chris Boltendahl - Vocals

Axel Ritt - Guitar

Jens Becker - Bass

Stefan Arnold - Drums

Marcus Kniep - Keyboards

KOBRA AND THE LOTUS has released the official music video for the song "Velvet Roses". Check it out below. The track is taken from the second part of the band's opus magnum, which was released one year after the successful arrival of rock juggernaut "Prevail I".

Issued on April 27 through Napalm Records, "Prevail II" is the proverbial yang to the yin and continues right where KOBRA AND THE LOTUS left off in 2017.

Vocalist Kobra Paige states about "Velvet Roses": "High impact, pure rock adrenaline!! This vid is a fabulous trip. Free falling through the sky, whipping tight turns on a planet where everything that makes sense to you doesn't apply and the impossible doesn't exist. Join this tenacious driver and her motley crew as they take guitar solos literally to 'new heights' and drive you through the hard rock, adventure of your life!!!"

"Prevail II" track listing:

01. Losing My Humanity

02. Let Me Love You

03. Ribe

04. My Immortal

05. Human Empire

06. Heartache

07. Velvet Roses

08. Modern Day Hero

09. You're Insane

10. White Water

11. The Chain

12. Let Me Love You (acoustic bonus track)

Says Kobra Paige: "Humanity. One of the greatest struggles of our human existence is to retain it.

"This sequel album takes a deeper dive into the darkness of our psyche and explores the personal torment and struggle we inflict upon ourselves, one another, and the earth.

"It has become commonplace for people to give up on themselves and lose their belief in their abilities and self-worth. This in turn affects our daily actions/behavior. We are a cripplingly, self-harming species but we are also profoundly capable beings of altruism, evolution, and positivity.

"This album will close the 'Prevail' double sequel on the lightest of all notes by acknowledging that every single person has a desire to be and deserves to be truly seen, loved, and heard. When the ignorance is cleared, we can recognize that we are all in this together."

Finnish metallers OMNIUM GATHERUM will release their new album, "The Burning Cold", on August 31 via Cenury Media. The cover artwork was once again created by Olli-Pekka Lappalainen, who has been responsible for every single artwork for the band since the very first demo.

"The Burning Cold" track listing:

01. The Burning

02. Gods Go First

03. Refining Fire

04. Rest In Your Heart

05. Over The Battlefield

06. The Fearless Entity

07. Be The Sky

08. Driven By Conflict

09. The Frontline

10. Planet Scale

11. Cold

Main songwriter and guitarist Markus Vanhala comments: "Sometimes you can be extra proud of something you've achieved, and I could claim that 'The Burning Cold' has a sense of special chapter for me. I haven't been this excited for a new album of mine for ages!

"I've been extra busy with all the touring in the past year(s) and I truly don't know when and where I got these songs made. They somehow wrote themselves indeed. We got some really good kick-ass songs and fresh tunes made up and 'The Burning Cold' has a really honest feeling in it. Fresh rebirth of OMNIUM GATHERUM!"

Singer and frontman Jukka Pelkonen comments on the lyrical themes and concepts: "There are two major lyrical concepts on the new album. Firstly, it touches the great human tragedies and fortunes which are around us — tragedies such as war and the engulfing darkness that follows, and fortunes which are tangled in experiences we all share despite of the seemingly burning world. Secondly, the lyrics speak loudly of the human emotional condition. How do we love? Why do we hate? Why some things are easier to leave behind than others. Why does death terrify us, and if it does why do people act like it does not exist?

"This album is a pinnacle of all the hard work we as a group have done in OMNIUM GATHERUM for a long time. The music comes alive and reaches new perspectives. Still. This is truly melodic death metal. Sharpened polished, brutal."

"The Burning Cold" was once again mixed and mastered by Dan Swanö and produced and engineered by Teemu Aalto.

OMNIUM GATHERUM is:

Jukka Pelkonen - Vocals

Markus Vanhala - Guitar

Tuomo Latvala - Drums

Aapo Koivisto - Keyboards

Joonas Koto - Guitar

Erkki Silvennoinen - Bass

Featuring two founding members of gore monsters Devourment, and two men from the ranks of Primordius, Kill Everything offer not the slightest suspicion of mercy. Bleak, terrifying and devoid of humanity, Kill Everything are a band for devotees of the ultimate in extremity. Not a single chink of light penetrates the all-pervading darkness that radiates from the brutal grooves of Scorched Earth. The onslaught is relentless, the thick, diseased riffs falling in an incessant cascade of blinding sludge and offal and the humour in tracks like "It’s A Wonderful Knife" is as black as old blood.

On August 17th, Comatose Music will unlock the cage and send Kill Everything’s debut out into the world, a pitiless predator with no aim but total, wanton destruction. A lyric video for the album's opening track, "Kill Everything" can be enjoyed below:

Tracklisting:

"Kill Everything"
"Scorched Earth"
"Intrinsic Vexation"
"Bereft Of Humanity"
"Thermal Liquidation"
"It’s A Wonderful Knife"
"Laid To Waste"
"Carnivorous Lunar Activities"

For further details, visit Kill Everything on Facebook.

 
 

An official karaoke-style lyric video for the Queen song "Liar" can be seen below. Originally titled "Lover", the song was featured on the band's 1973 self-titled debut album.

The official teaser trailer for the Queen biopic Bohemian Rhapsody is now available for streaming below. The film will be released on November 2nd.

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

The clip below features on set and behind the scenes stills taken from the Bohemian Rhapsody movie.

Greg Brooks, Queens’ Official Archivist was part of this process and he worked with the band and the movie production team on a daily basis for months to re-create every tiny detail of each scene and to make it as authentic as possible.

"My role was to give the Fox ‘Props’ team access to authentic Queen tapes, notes, handwriting, memorabilia, costumes and photographs - anything and everything remotely useful - which they could then create replicas of, to dress various sets."

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

Kassel, Germany-based melodic thrash/death metal band Burden Of Grief have released a video for "Killing Spree", featured on the band's Eye Of The Storm album. Watch the clip below, and order the album here.

Tracklisting:

"Inception" (Intro)
"Eye Of The Storm"
"The Angel"
"Broken"
"Wolf Moon"
"Killing Spree"
"Breathe One's Last"
"A Dying Breed"
"Maze Of Absurdity"
"Zero Gravity"
"The Funeral Cortege"

"Killing Spree" video:

"Wolf Moon" video:

Mordant Rapture, the San Jose, California-based group delivering powerful symphonic heavy technical death metal will release their debut EP, The Abnegation, on July 13th via The Artisan Era. The new track "Unsightly Beast" is available for streaming below.

The Abnegation is a five-song whirlwind of symphonic and blackened technical death metal influenced by the grandiose nature of film scores and also by groups such as Spawn Of Possession, Emperor, Necrophagist, and Dissection. Pre-orders can be placed at this location.

Active since 2013, The Abnegation will be the group's first release, due in part to Mordant Rapture labouring for years writing and re-inventing themselves until satisfied with songs they considered top-notch.

Tracklisting:

"Unsightly Beast"
"Withered"
"A Plea Above Ashes"
"Quell The Voiceless"
"Natal Trophies"

"Unsightly Beast":

"Quell The Voiceless" lyric video:

As Rammstein announce two shows in Mexico, accompanying reports say that the long-awaited follow-up to 2009’s Liebe ist für alle da is in the “final phase” of production.

Rammstein’s long-awaited new studio album is in the “final phase” of production and will be released later this year, according to reports.

The German outfit have just announced they’ll play two special shows in Mexico over the New Year, with the link to tickets reporting that fans attending the shows will “very likely be the first to hear the new songs.”

The band say: “Rammstein return to Mexico after two years – choosing Mexico's heavenly beaches to throw an unforgettable two-night only and very exclusive show this December 31 and January 2 in Puerto Vallarta. This unique experience is only for a limited group of fans around the world.”

Rammstein then posted a link to the ticket site, with the accompanying text declaring: “At this time, the band is in the final phase of the production of their seventh studio album which will be released before the end of the year, so Mexican fans will very likely be the first to hear the new songs.”

It was reported back in April that Rammstein had returned to the studio to work on the follow-up to 2009’s Liebe ist für alle da, with guitarists Richard Kruspe and Paul Landers previously telling Metal Hammer that their goal for the record was to “try unusual methods, new ideas, and change the path that one usually has” and make it a “milestone” in their career.

Kruspe later hinted that the as-yet-untitled album could be their final release.

He said: “I just feel like, for some reason, that it’s going to be the last record we do. That’s a feeling, I can be wrong – but at the moment, I feel like this is maybe the last shot we have."

Prior to MEGADETH's June 10 performance in Copenhagen, Denmark, vocalist/guitarist Dave Mustaine was interviewed by Heavymetal.dk. The full conversation can be seen below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On his early guitar inspirations:

Dave: "My inspirations were more along the guidelines of the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal and the British Invasion. There's a lot of great bands that are out right now [that] fans look to, a lot of young bands that are really great. For me, I always wanted to know, 'What were their influences?' Like with VAN HALEN — everybody thinks that David Lee Roth was such a great frontman, but what was his influence? It was Jim Dandy of BLACK OAK ARKANSAS. It's like David Lee Roth is a clone of him, except for his voice of course — the black leather pants, real low hip-huggers, big, giant belt buckle, no shirt, tan, muscles... the same thing. For me, when I look at my influences, I try and go back in time. Jimmy Page was a huge influence guitar-wise. Angus [Young] was a big guitar influence; so was his brother, Malcolm. Believe it or not, I was probably more influenced by Malcolm than I was by Angus. I liked Angus's solos a lot, but the rhythm of AC/DC was what did it for me, because there was a hook to it. A very simplistic hook. I think that's what's suffering with music nowadays — people are trying to be so fucking cerebral with their music, and a guy that played music with us at one point came up to me and goes, Hey, 'I've got a new riff,' and I was listening to it and it was awful. I said, 'What is it?' He said, 'Well, it's MEGADETH in Morse code. I was like, [puts head in hands]...

"How do I go back one more than Eddie Van Halen? What influenced Edward Van Halen? Classical. He was a classically trained guitar player growing up as a kid. I looked at some of the really great players — Vivaldi, Paganini, Chopin, Bach, Wagner, although not all of their movements or their pieces are stuff that I like. Vivaldi has 'The Four Seasons' — two of them, I like; the other two, they're a bit long for me, and while I can totally appreciate the songs, I've grown up in a kind of pop-radio mentality, so a four-minute song [is] paydirt. Where's the hook? When you have a song that's a little bit longer than four minutes for me, I tend to kind of lose the plot."

On MEGADETH's combination of groove and technical proficiency:

Dave: "I don't know that I would ever admit to wanting to be groovy, although that's a cool word. I think that a lot of people when they set out to be in a band, they're really flexible. For me, I only had one thing — I wanted revenge after changing bands. That's all I wanted. I just wanted everybody knew that all the lies that was being spread around that I couldn't play guitar... Just to think how absolutely bone-headed you have to be that I cannot play guitar. I definitely can play. Am I good? That's up to the listener. But just some of those things that people were saying is just crazy."

On the notion that the metal genre benefited from him leaving METALLICA and subsequently creating MEGADETH:

Dave: "It's about what was said. We're all friends now, so yeah, there's two great bands now. It was difficult, though, and it was totally unnecessary. But the beautiful thing about is, with the 'Big Four' as it is, it's no longer how it was, and the smoke is starting to clear and the dust is settling. SLAYER's going to retire; I don't know what's up with ANTHRAX; I don't know what's up with METALLICA; but I know we're ready to make another record, and we're still not going to take shit from anybody."

On whether he envisions MEGADETH lasting long enough to celebrate a 50th anniversary:

Dave: "I don't know. It's 35 for us right now, but to me, I think we'll know when the time is right. I don't think that if you put an age on a band... I think that's when you start to put unnecessary indicators on your career, like, 'Okay, what did he accomplish in 35 years?' Well, not as much as the fucking BEATLES did in six, okay, so let's stop with the comparisons. No one can keep up with those guys. Come on — 100 million-plus records in six years? That's just incomprehensible, and it makes you love THE BEATLES any more. That's part of why I say go back to your influences' influences. For me, loving THE BEATLES as much as I did, anybody who's been influenced by THE BEATLES, but one of my favorite 'easy-listening' bands is a band called CROWDED HOUSE. CROWDED HOUSE sounds so heavily influenced by THE BEATLES. I can only think if it was me and somebody was saying, 'You sound like you're influenced by one of the greatest pop bands in the world ever ever ever,' I would say, 'Thank you.' But we're not pop. When I picture myself growing up as a kid doing air guitar, I wasn't going [growls]. It's funny when you see people that play a musical style and somebody else doesn't understand it, how they try and make that style seem worse and their particular style seem better. I don't think there's any right or wrong way to make music."

On MEGADETH's global fan base, and the responsibilities of being a public figure:

Dave: "We went to China recently. MEGADETH has broken so many barriers for thrash metal bands, playing in China and Dubai and Israel and Turkey and Russia and Venezuela — all these places where you don't play. And we go there, and they love us, because we sing about what's in their heart. It's not necessarily what's on the minds of people, because minds can be infected. They can be changed, and you can very easily be dissuaded and believe some really bad shit in music. There's a lot of bands that sing and say stuff that I think is not cool as a parent, but for me as a parent too, I've got to remember that if you really love your kids, love them through the really difficult decisions too, not just the easy ones. I think that's why kids dig MEGADETH and me as much as they do, because I try to be a really good big brother, a really good uncle kind of thing. When anybody talks to me on our social feeds [or] my Gimme Radio station, I try and really be open about what it's like, what's my job like, what would I do as a parent. There's a lot of stuff that I would probably do that our fans' parents would do, but because it's their parents, they figure, 'Fuck you — you're my dad and my mom; I'm not going to listen to you.' But if I said, 'Hey, you know what — it's kind of a cool thing to open the door for older people when they walk in, that's kind of cool stuff,' or if you have somebody that you know could really benefit from saying, 'I forgive you'... there's an old Irish saying that if you carry a grudge, you have to dig two graves, because while you're planning somebody else's death, you're killing yourself. For me, I've kind of looked at it in a totally different way the last, maybe, 10 years. I've started to change my outlook on life, towards people. I'm a little bit more focused on the music and not so focused on what people are saying about me or about MEGADETH or anything like that. It's more about the music, and being there to help the fans and doing the right shit when the fans need stuff, not saying, 'Oh, hey, you know what — I'll be back later.' I've stood out in the snow with wet hair signing autographs, and I do that because it's the right thing to do."

On whether he foresees additional shows by the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX:

Dave: "I strongly doubt it. I would do it; I think the other two bands [apparently referring to SLAYER and ANTHRAX] would do it; but there's one person that's holding it up for everybody. So you've gotta ask the right person. I have nothing to fear; I have nothing to lose. We're all supposed to be friends now, so I think that if the fans are first and foremost, then you know what? Let's go. Let's go."

In 2018, MEGADETH is celebrating its 35th anniversary all year long, with special releases, exclusive merchandise items, and one-of-a-kind events and opportunities for fans worldwide.

The band is tentatively scheduled to enter the studio before the end of the year to begin recording its new album for a 2019 release.

The 2018 deluxe reissue of MEGADETH's classic debut album, "Killing Is My Business... And Business Is Good!" was released on June 8 via Century Media and Legacy Recordings.

iRock Radio conducted an interview with GODSMACK guitarist Tony Rombola and drummer Shannon Larkin at this year's Rock On The Range festival, which took place last month in Columbus, Ohio. You can now watch the chat below.

Speaking about GODSMACK's initial plans to celebrate the 20th-anniversary of the release of the band's debut album in 2018, Shannon said: "That was an initial thought; Sully [Erna, GODSMACK frontman] had said it a couple of times in the press or whatever. But then when we started working on the new album, we realized that… we thought that we really need to focus on this. And if we put a new record out and play all of the first record, then we wouldn't really be pushing this new record, which we feel is like a new sound for the band, a rebirth. We're all over 50 now, and we don't wanna be a bunch of old dudes trying to pretend like we're young and angry anymore. So with that said, we hope maybe next year, after we get done with the cycle for 'When Legends Rise', to maybe do a tour. And by then it'll be 'Awake''s 20-year anniversary. So we could do maybe a tour where we play just songs from those first two records."

Erna was asked by Kenosha, Wisconsin radio station 95 WIIL Rock about the response from fans to GODSMACK's new LP, "When Legends Rise". Erna replied: "We're getting some really positive reactions so far. It's reacting exactly the way we hoped for it to… The record is so deep, it's so packed with newer kind of sounds, more melodic kind of hooks, but it also has a lot of the core integrity that GODSMACK has built our fanbase off of."

Erna told The Pulse Of Radio that the change in the band's sound reflect changes in his personal life as well. "I'm just not that young, angry guy anymore that I was when I wrote the first two records," he said. "And I know a lot of the fans were, like, 'Oh my god, why won't you come out with this PANTERA-sounding record?' I'm like, 'Dude, I'm 50 years old, I have a daughter, you know; my life is in a much different place. And for me, the way I write is I write about things that affect me on an emotional level."

GODSMACK and SHINEDOWN recently unveiled a second North American leg to their upcoming co-headlining tour, adding a string of fall dates to the two bands' itineraries after initially hitting the road together in July. The new dates begin on September 21 in Greenville, South Carolina, ending for now on October 11 in Portland, Oregon. ASKING ALEXANDRIA will take over in the opening slot for LIKE A STORM and RED SUN RISING, who are splitting the summer concerts.

Erna told The Pulse Of Radio that both SHINEDOWN and his band intend to deliver a big show this time out. "You know, us and SHINEDOWN have worked very hard on putting out a big rock show," he said. "Each band wants to be able to deliver a big show and big production and I'm starting to feel, if I may say boldly, that I think it could be the best rock tour of 2018. It's just gonna be a really big package. We're bringing a big show, and so I don't think anyone's gonna be disappointed, that's for sure."

German thrash titans KREATOR and Norwegian symphonic black metal giants DIMMU BORGIR will team up for a big European co-headline run in late fall. Support on the trek will come from U.S. hardcore institution HATEBREED and death metal supergroup BLOODBATH.

Commented KREATOR frontman Mille Petrozza: "I am more than excited to team up with three of the strongest and most unique bands in today's metal world for this killer package. For this run, we have prepared the biggest production in the history of the band to bring the ultimate KREATOR experience to a venue near you. 'The European Apocalypse' will be THE tour of 2018, and I can't wait to see all of you in December. Hail to the Hordes!"

Added DIMMU BORGIR guitarist Silenoz: "It feels great to announce that we're finally touring Europe again! It's been a while, but we can't wait to share the Eonian energy with our fans. See you all in November and December!"

Stated HATEBREED singer Jamey Jasta: "We're honored and excited to share the stage with such influential and important bands. In a world where everyone seems so divided, it's important for heavy music to unify and inspire. This tour has something for everyone! Death, black, thrash, and crossover. Prepare to rage. See you in the pit!"

BLOODBATH guitarist Anders Nyström comments: "It's an honor that we're chosen to represent the death metal department in a versatile bill of thrash metal, black metal and hardcore!"

Tickets and bundles will be available starting on June 13 at 10:00 a.m. U.K. time at www.europeanapocalypsetour.com.

Tour dates:

Nov. 30 - NL - Tilburg, 013

Dec. 01 - DE - Hamburg, Sporthalle

Dec. 02 - DE - Frankfurt, Jahrhunderthalle

Dec. 03 - FR - Paris, L'Olympia

Dec. 04 - BE - Brussels, AB

Dec. 06 - IT - Milano, Alcatraz

Dec. 07 - DE - Munich, Zenith

Dec. 08 - DE - Ludwigsburg, MHP Arena

Dec. 09 - CZ - Prague, Forum Karlin

Dec. 10 - CH - Zurich, Halle 622

Dec. 12 - AT - Vienna, Gasometer

Dec. 13 - PL - Warsaw, Kolo Hall

Dec. 14 - DE - Leipzig, Haus Auensee

Dec. 15 - DE - Dusseldorf, Mitsubishi Electric Halle

Dec. 16 - UK - London, Roundhouse

VIXEN and MADAM X drummer Roxy Petrucci was recently interviewed by Bay Ragni of Totally Driven Radio. The full conversation can be streamed below. A few excerpts follow (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On performing with both VIXEN and MADAM X at this year's Sweden Rock Festival:

Roxy: "We play Friday, and I'm playing [at] noon with VIXEN and then [at] 2:45 with MADAM X the same day. I've got 90 minutes between shows, but I'll be ready for it. I'm just really excited about it. How cool is that — just to play Sweden Rock, and then, I'm playing twice. How cool is that?"

On VIXEN's new live album, "Live Fire":

Roxy: "That has two bonus tracks on it — two studio tracks. One of them is 'Edge Of A Broken Heart' acoustic, and it's really stripped-down and bare and heavenly. The vocals are just incredible. It's just incredible, the vocals that Janet [Gardner did] and the backgrounds. Then the other studio track is 'You Ought To Know By Now', which is a song that we played back in the day with [late guitarist] Jan [Kuehnemund], and we resurrected that and just brought it a little bit up to date. I don't know why we ever didn't record that because it's a great song — very VIXEN, very classic VIXEN with the big harmonies. It's killing. We're going to throw that in our live set. When I first joined VIXEN, we were playing that song, and then once we recorded the album, we didn't play it anymore. I don't know why — I guess because we had so many other songs to play, but it's a real standout track. I don't know why we didn't do that, but we're doing it now. We're really excited about that."

On Gardner's condition following brain surgery:

Roxy: "Luckily, she is going to be fine. She got her last CT scan, and she is 100 percent. She's all healed. She was rocking with her solo project just last week in Europe; she's back now and getting ready to hit the road with VIXEN. She is back to Janet. Thank god, because that was scary."

On VIXEN's set during this year's Monsters Of Rock cruise, which featured a number of guest vocalists filling in for Gardner:

Roxy: "They all pulled together for us, which was really, really cool. The rock n' roll community came together to help us out, and to help Janet out too. All these guys, like Terry [Ilous] from GREAT WHITE and Danny Vaughn from TYKETTO, Chad [Stewart] and Taime [Downe] from FASTER PUSSYCAT, Bret [Kaiser] from MADAM X... they all just knocked it out of the park. It was fantastic. We had a great time, too. We weren't sure we'd be able to pull it off, because a lot of these songs, Janet sings high — she sings in the heavens — so to have them be able to sing these songs and do a fantastic job, it was just very, very cool. We couldn't thank them enough for coming through for us. The show must go on — we wanted to play, and we wanted Janet to rest. She needed to be home. We were surprised it came together so well with no rehearsals. And Todd La Torre from QUEENSRŸCHE — the way he sang 'Edge Of A Broken Heart' [see video below], it was like, 'Wow!' It was very cool. It was just so much fun, and you could feel the love in that room."

On whether the group plans to record a new studio album:

Roxy: "That's next. We want to do that next. Now that we have the live record under our belt, I think it's time. I think we're going to be ready to release something in 2019. We'll take this year to start writing it. This is pretty much like, 'We're back.' Before we were even thinking about releasing something, we had so many fans writing, saying, 'It's time — come on. Can you release one song? Something.' They wanted something from VIXEN, so we thought, 'Let's give them an album, but let's give them the live stuff, a reminder of all the songs, and then having the two studio tracks, so that's just a little taste of what's to come. It's all about timing, and we're going to make sure and release something we're very proud of and that the fans will dig — a classic VIXEN record."

"Live Fire" will be released July 6 via Rat Pak Records. Mixed by Michael Wagener, the disc features 12 live tracks and was recorded at Chicago's legendary Arcada Theater during the group's successful 2017 tour. In addition to the classic VIXEN songs, the effort also includes a newly recorded studio version of "You Ought to Know By Now", an all-new studio acoustic version of the hit song "Edge Of A Broken Heart" and a live version of a previously unreleased track called "Big Brother".