WE ARE SENTINELS (formerly SENTINELS), the new project featuring vocalist Matt Barlow (ICED EARTH, ASHES OF ARES, PYRAMAZE) and composer, keyboardist and pianist Jonah Weingarten (PYRAMAZE, STRUCTURE OF INHUMANITY), will release its self-titled debut album on July 6 in Europe via SAOL.

The official Chance White-directed video for the song "Kingdom In Winter" can be seen below.

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. From My Tower

02. My Only Sin

03. Life, Death, Rebirth

04. Kingdom In Winter

05. Dreaming In Winter

06. Battle In Winter

07. In Memoriam

08. Sirens of Odysseus

09. Miracle

10. Soul On Fire

11. Holy Diver

Combining sweeping motion picture style orchestral arrangements, modern classical piano, thunderous percussions, and the dynamic and powerful vocals of Barlow, WE ARE SENTINELS has set out to create something truly unique and groundbreaking. With musical and thematic elements inspired by the great drama, sci-fi, and fantasy films of the last thirty years — combined with duo's obvious enthusiasm for all things heavy metal — WE ARE SENTINELS works to embody the very essence of the word "epic."

WE ARE SENTINELS is:

Matt Barlow: Vocals, Lyrics, Choirs

Jonah Weingarten: Keyboards, Piano, Percussion, Orchestration

Pure Steel Records has announced June 29th as the official release date for Commander Of Pain, the new album and all-star project headed by Austrian rock legend Klaus Schubert. 

Schubert In Rock, inaugurated by Klaus Schubert, lead guitarist and mastermind of No Bros, is taking what was previously established to the next level. 

Back in 2013, Schubert assembled some of the most legendary international rock artists and long-time friends to record new versions of No Bros’ greatest hits. Among those previously featured were: Tony Martin (Black Sabbath), Biff Byford (Saxon), Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow, Deep Purple), Marc Storace (Krokus), Doogie White (Rainbow), Bernie Marsden (Whitesnake), Neil Murray (Black Sabbath, Brian May) and Don Airey (Deep Purple). The riveting project turned out to be a huge success and culminated in a sensational sell-out show at the Congress concert hall in Innsbruck.

Much like the first self-titled album, the new Commander Of Pain project will feature some of the world’s most celebrated artists and musicians, making for yet, another milestone in Austrian rock music. 

Commander Of Pain will introduce entirely new songs, all of them tailor-made for each artist while remaining true to Schubert's distinctive sonic signature. The cover art, along with the tracklisting and a list of special guests, is available below:

"Empathy" – Jeff Scott Soto (Sons Of Apollo) - vocals
"Burning Heart" – Marc Storace (Krokus) – vocals
"Little Boy"
"Too Late" – Dan McCafferty (Nazareth) – vocals
"Under The Lights" – Doogie White (Rainbow) – vocals, Don Airey (Deep Purple) – keyboards
"World With No Tomorrow" – Carl Sentance (Nazareth) – vocals, Jennifer Batten (Michael Jackson) – guitar
"Forgive Me When I Fall" - Jeff Scott Soto (Sons Of Apollo) - vocals, Don Airey (Deep Purple) – keyboards
"Ride The Bullet"
"On The Line" – Michael Vescera (Yngwie Malmsteen, Loudness) – vocals
"It's Our World" – Dan McCafferty (Nazareth) – vocals, Jennifer Batten (Michael Jackson) – guitar
"Dance Of The Black Tattoo"
"Commander Of Pain" – Marc Storace (Krokus) – vocals, Don Airey (Deep Purple) – keyboards
"My Name Is Judas" – Doogie White (Rainbow) – vocals, Don Airey (Deep Purple) – keyboards

 

SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser joined DEATH ANGEL on stage on May 20 at the final show of the two bands' Australian tour in Perth to perform the song "Hatred United / United Hate". Fan-filmed video footage can be seen below.

Kisser originally appeared on the studio version of "Hatred United / United Hate", which was included on DEATH ANGEL's latest album, 2016's "The Evil Divide". The CD was once again recorded at AudioHammer studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, DEICIDE), who previously worked on 2010's "Relentless Retribution" and 2013's "The Dream Calls For Blood".

Back in January, DEATH ANGEL singer Mark Osegueda told The Metal Voice that the band was hoping to have its next album "written, recorded and mixed by the end of the year."

Regarding the musical direction of the next DEATH ANGEL LP, Mark said: "This will be the fourth album with this lineup. This will be the most albums ever by DEATH ANGEL with the same lineup. We're going to stay with the same producer as well — Jason Suecof out in AudioHammer in Florida. So we're gonna stick with kind of the same formula, as far as it's gonna be aggressive, in your face, but I think our arsenal has gotten a lot more varied — say on the last record, 'The Evil Divide', with a song like 'Lost'. So we always have our own little subtle nuances that we throw in that other thrash bands just don't do, and I think that's what separates us from them. I don't know if it's a better thing, but it's an original thing, and that's what we always strive for."

Soulfly made the crowd go nuts at Wacken Open Air 2006 as they belted out "Roots Bloody Roots" and "Eye For An Eye". The fine folks at Wacken TV have just shared professionally filmed footage of this killer performance:

Next month, Soulfly will return to the road. Catch Max Cavalera and co. live at the following shows:

June
16 - With Full Force - Gräfenhainichen, Germany
19 - M.A.U. Club - Rostock, Germany
21 - Copenhell - Copenhagen, Denmark
22 - Tons Of Rock - Halden, Norway
24 - Musikbunker - Aachen, Germany
25 - Turock - Essen, Germany
26 - Patronaat - Haarlem, Netherlands
27 - Poppodium Hedon - Zwolle, Netherlands
28 - La Poudriere - Belfort, France
29 - La Souris Verte - Epinal, France

July
1 - Nuvolari Liberia Tribu - Cuneo, Italy
2 - Circolo Magnolia - Milan, Italy
3 - Vintage Industrial Bar - Zagreb, Croatia
6 - Univerisada - Sofia, Bulgaria
7 - Metalhead Meeting - Bucharest, Romania
8 - Dürer Kert - Budapest, Hungary
10 - Szene - Wien, Austria
13 - Gefle Metal Festival - Gavle, Sweden
18 - Melnä Piektdiena - Riga, Latvia
22 - Roxy - Prague, Czech Republic
23 - Dynamo - Zurich, Switzerland
25 - Metaldays - Tolmin, Slovenia
27 - Secret Place - Saint Jean De VÉdas, France

August
2 - Pol'and'Rock Festival - Kostrzyn Nad Odrą, Poland
11 - Boomtown Fair - Winchester, United Kingdom

 

Italian deathsters Grind Zero have a teaser for for Concealed In The Shadow, the new full-length album out now via Punishment 18 Records. Listen below.

The effort was mastered by Dan Swanö (Opeth, Bloodbath, Katatonia, Edge Of Sanity) that, about the band, also said: "...awesome death/grind that brings me back to the '80s/'90s!"

Tracklisting:

"Soul Collected"
"Corrosion"
"See You In Hell"
"Master's Pleasure"
"Sodomizing The Sun"
"A Shadow"
"Lost Shrine"
"Buried Deception"
"The Horde"
"Cursed Be My Path"

Teaser:

Scandinavian melodic metal / hardcore band Halcyon Days have released a video for "Keeper", a track from their second full-length, Rain Soaked Pavements & Fresh Cut Grass, out on June 15th via Indie Recordings. Watch the clip below.

Halcyon Days is a melodic metal and hardcore band not swaying stylistically too far away from bands such as Architects, Underoath and Counterparts. Since their beginning in 2012, they have released two EP’s, and most importantly their debut album (2014) titled .ELEVATE. Their debut album was frequently play listed and recommended on Norway’s national radio, NRK P3. Two years after their debut album, they released a self-titled EP in 2016, scoring more than 250k total streams on digital platforms. The EP was met with an amazing response from their fans all over the world, in addition to awarding the band the title of “Band of the Week” from NRK P3’s Urørt at the end of 2016. The band is now ready to release their second full-length album, with the title Rain Soaked Pavements & Fresh Cut Grass.

The album tells stories in simple ways. The book of synonyms that we all love so dearly had been tossed out of the window, focusing on a way more simple vocabulary. The stories talks about reflections on specific events or periods in our lives. The intention from their side was to write songs that wasn’t too open for interpretation, but as you read the lyrics you will get a view into their personal lives and thoughts, with the intent of having the listener being able to relate to the message the songs carry.

Tracklisting:

“Fragments”
“Lights Out”
“July”
“Cerca Trova”
“Catcher”
“In Memoriam”
“Keeper”
“Monument”
“Winter”
“Friendship”

“Keeper” video:

“July” video:

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN played the second show of the "Legacy Of The Beast" world tour earlier tonight (Monday, May 28) at the Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland.

As was the case three days earlier in Tallinn, IRON MAIDEN opened the concert with "Aces High" — complete with a Spitfire war plane replica suspended over the musicians — and continue with "Where Eagles Dare". Other notable tracks during the set included the Blaze Bayley-era classics "The Clansman" and "Sign Of The Cross", as well as three additional songs that received their first airing in years at the Tallinn show: "For The Greater Good Of God", "The Wicker Man" and "Flight Of Icarus".

This past March, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson said in an interview that there will be "one or two things" in the "Legacy Of The Beast" setlist "that people are gonna be really surprised by" and predicted that "there'll be social media madness after the first show."

The concept for the "Legacy Of The Beast" tour was inspired by MAIDEN's mobile game and comic book of the same name and the stage set design features a number of different but interlocking "worlds" with a setlist covering a large selection of 1980s material with a handful of surprises from later albums to add diversity.

MAIDEN manager Rod Smallwood explained: "As our fans know, we've been following a particular touring cycle ever since Bruce and Adrian [Smith, guitar] rejoined MAIDEN at the start of the millennium, alternating new album tours with 'History/Hits' tours. We enjoy working this way for many reasons, not least because it gives the band a chance to play both new material and the older favorites which we know fans like to hear. It keeps things fresh, not just for the fans but for the band too.

"For this 'History/Hits' tour, we decided to base the theme around the 'Legacy Of The Beast' name, which suits our purposes perfectly by giving us scope to get creative and have some fun, especially with Eddie! We're working on a number of different stage sets, all in keeping with the MAIDEN tradition and we hope to give our fans a

Video footage of former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted and his THE CHOPHOUSE BAND performing the song "Blackbird" at the Norton Sculpture Garden in West Palm Beach, Florida can be seen below (clip filmed by Michelle Pariseleti).

Named after Jason's four recording studio facilities around the U.S. and featuring a fluid roster of players, THE CHOPHOUSE BAND began in 1992 when Newsted founded The Chophouse Records Studio in San Francisco.

Following the success of METALLICA's 1991 Black Album, The Chophouse Records Studio was conceived by Newsted to assemble friends and comrades from other established acts and groups, to have a special place to enjoy chasing ideas and sounds, having fun playing pure and wild music on breaks and downtime, mixing up wicked musical soup away from rigorous touring schedules and agendas.

THE CHOPHOUSE BAND is led by Newsted, playing acoustic guitars and performing lead vocal, accompanied by 
close friends/musicians of all walks and styles, sharing some great American songs from familiar and unfamiliar heroes.

The members of THE CHOPHOUSE BAND reside from coast to coast, including Chris Barnett, Mike Hughes, Tom Jordan, Joe Ledesma, David Lopez, Jesus Mendez, G.E. Perez, Mike Ramos, Brian Sagrafena, Angeline Saris, Chris Scianni, Amir Tal and Rob Tucker.

"Blackbird" was written by Newsted and Tal.

THE CHOPHOUSE BAND in the clip below consists of the following musicians:

Jason Newsted - lead vocals, guitar

Joe Ledesma - bass

Robert John Tucker - percussion, backing vocals

Amir Tal - lead guitar, backing vocals

During an appearance on the SiriusXM satellite radio show "Eddie Trunk Live", Newsted explained how his mother's illness and eventual passing inspired his current acoustic-based projects. He said: "What transpired was I had to keep playing, and she knows I had to keep playing. So I picked up the acoustic and started doing what I was able to do when I was just hanging around her, and started learning my cowboy chords and started collecting my songs. This was about the beginning of summer of 2014. So I would play certain songs for her, kind of choking through 'em — a bass player playing heavy handed on the acoustic guitar and just banging these cowboy chords out and learning Johnny Cash and Neil Young and George Jones and some more popular things like that. And by now, I've dug in a lot deeper than that, but it was originally inspired by that thing, where I'd play mom songs. And she wouldn't necessarily remember, the next day or the next couple of days, which ones I'd played for her, and so she would react to certain songs the same way each time she heard them as if she was hearing them the first time. And so that kind of showed me which ones to chase, that showed me which ones had the groove, which ones my voice fit with, and all that. That's how I started collecting my songs. I had to keep playing music, of course, but the way and the form that it had to take was me with an acoustic, one voice, working through those songs as I had to put everything else on hold."

Jason left METALLICA back in 2001 but was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, along with Ulrich, guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield, guitarist Kirk Hammett, and the man who replaced him, bassist Robert Trujillo, in 2009.

Mark "Barney" Greenway of British grindcore pioneers NAPALM DEATH joined Danish metal rock 'n' rollers VOLBEAT on stage on May 27 at the at the Olympia in Dublin, Ireland to perform the VOLBEAT track "Evelyn". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

In an April 2011 interview with Straight.com, VOLBEAT vocalist/guitarist Michael Poulsen spoke about Barney's appearance on the studio version of "Evelyn", which appears on the band's fourth album, "Beyond Hell/Above Heaven".

"Writing a song like 'Evelyn' was my way of showing people that it was not only the '50s elements we were inspired by, but we were actually growing up with a lot of great metal bands," Michael said. "And NAPALM DEATH was one of the first extreme metal bands I was listening to — I was listening to them when I bought my first guitar. So being able to have a singer like Barney from NAPALM DEATH on my record was a real accomplishment. It's great to see that it's actually possible for dreams to come true, in a way."

VOLBEAT plans to enter the studio before the end of the year to begin recording its seventh album for a tentative 2019 release. The follow-up to 2016's "Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie" will mark the band's first full-length effort to feature bassist Kaspar Boye Larsen, who joined VOLBEAT too late to appear on the last CD.

DEF LEPPARD has recorded a session at the Spotify studios in New York.

The two-song session was taped on May 16 and will be aired at a later date as part of the streaming service's "Spotify Singles" series.

"Spotify Singles" was launched in 2016 and features artists recording at least two live songs — an original and a cover — for release exclusively on Spotify. As the name suggests, the "Spotify Singles" concept channels back the good old days of vinyl and CD singles.

The first round of "Spotify Singles", which launched in November 2016, gave users access to new music by more than 20 artists, including John Legend, Grouplove and Lindsey Stirling.

DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott spoke about the band's Spotify session during a recent appearance on "The Eddie Trunk Podcast". He said: "[We recorded] just two songs. I won't say any more because I don't want to spoil the surprise for whenever it's gonna get broadcast, but [it was a] bit of fun. [We laid down] one of ours and a cover of somebody else's stuff."

Back in January, DEF LEPPARD finally made its entire catalogue available for downloading and streaming. The British rock icons, who had been longtime holdouts to having the band's music available digitally, even went so far as to re-record their classic hits in note-for-note replications rather than cave to a deal that didn't serve them well. Now, the band's work — from its 1979 debut, "The Def Leppard E.P." through 2015's self-titled album — can all be found online.

DEF LEPPARD's 58-city tour with JOURNEY kicked off on May 21 in Hartford, Connecticut and will run through October 6 in Los Angeles.

This past week, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen left the JOURNEY tour to deal with a family emergency. Replacing him until he returns is TRIXTER's Steve Brown.

DIMMU BORGIR has announced the addition of Swedish bass player Victor Brandt (ENTOMBED A.D., FIRESPAWN) to the group's ranks. The Norwegian symphonic black metal titans will play their first show since 2012 in June and will visit all corner of the world throughout this year and 2019, and Victor is ready to storm the stage with vocalist Shagrath, guitarists Silenoz and Galder, keyboardist Gerlioz and drummer Daray.

Victor comments: "It's a great honor and pleasure to be a part of the mighty DIMMU BORGIR. And such great timing for me to start at the release of their new album, 'Eonian', which, in my opinion, is their best album so far. The members of the band are equally awesome to their music so I am looking forward to good times ahead."

The band adds: "We are very excited to have Victor become a part of the team! His experience, dedication and craftmanship is very much appreciated and we look forward to sharing the world stages with him!"

Released on May 4 via Nuclear Blast, "Eonian" contains 10 new tracks, produced by the band itself and engineered by Jens Bogren. Emerging from the dark minds of the three songwriters, "Eonian" follows a philosophical concept, dealing with the illusion of time.

Silenoz told Metal Shock Finland about DIMMU BORGIR's long-awaited follow-up to 2010's "Abrahadabra": "We feel that we're sitting on the best album that we could possibly do at this time, and personally, I think it's definitely our best album to date. Obviously, that's something that everybody says, but if I didn't believe that we would do our best album, there wouldn't really be any point doing a new one. So, yeah, I'm really excited about it, and I know that quite a few fans will probably be positively surprised."

As for the musical direction of DIMMU BORGIR's new effort, Silenoz, said: "I think it's safe to say that [the parts that are] more epic and majestic are more epic and majestic, and the same goes for the brutal sound of DIMMU and also the primitive and more black metal sound of DIMMU is more black metal this time around. So you will have the more extremes of each part that we are known for."

Phil Mogg has confirmed that next year's 50th-anniversary tour with UFO will be his last as the frontman of the long-running hard rock band. Consequently, it seems almost certain that at that point they will cease to exist. UFO were formed in London in 1968 and Mogg is their only ever-present member, performing on all of the group's 22 studio albums.

"This decision has been a long time coming. I've considered stepping down at the end of UFO's previous two tours," Mogg explains. "I don't want to call this a farewell tour as I hate that word, but next year's gigs will represent my final tap-dancing appearances with the band.

"2018 marks UFO's 50th anniversary, so the timing feels right," he continues. "There will be a final tour of the U.K. and we will also play some shows in selected other cities that the band has a strong connection with. But outside of the U.K. this won't be a long tour.

"Being out on the road isn't always tremendously luxurious and although the playing is as great as it ever was, the stuff that surrounds it becomes very tiresome. I always told myself that when I reached that stage, I would step down, and that's what I'm going to do. This is the right time for me to quit."

Mogg turned 70 back in April and although his voice remains strong, he admits that age played its part in his conclusion.

"I'm a big reader of obituaries, and my finger always goes down to: 'I wonder how old they were…'," he chuckles. "The last few years have been tough — losing Lemmy was awful and I was sad that Jimmy Bain passed on a cruise ship. That distressed me quite a lot."

While many veteran bands in such a position simply cease playing live and continue to record, UFO will no longer be releasing new music. "A Conspiracy Of Stars" in 2015 and last year's covers collection "The Salentino Cuts" are set to become a signing-off point, though Mogg insists that however unlikely the prospect might seem — the singer is a lone strand of consistency throughout a 50-year history — he would have no problem with UFO continuing with a replacement.

The band's current lineup – completed by keyboard player/second guitarist Paul Raymond, guitarist Vinnie Moore, drummer Andy Parker and bassist Rob Le Luca — have, of course, been informed of Mogg's decision.

"I've told the guys that this is how it is," he says. "They know it's my time to go and they know that they can do whatever they want to do without me but I don't want to play live or make records anymore, though having said that I might go on and do an album of my own. I'll have to see how I feel about that."

Of course, UFO has either split up, retired or gone on hiatus several times before but Mogg is keen to make the distinction that next year's dates don't just mark the end of his touring commitments with UFO — for Phil, there will be no further concerts of any kind.

"For me, this is the end of my stint with UFO," he clarifies. "This is a line in the sand. I'm suggesting we call the tour 'Last Orders', though I also like 'The Bar Is Closing'. I'm also tempted to name it 'The Drinks Are On Parker'," he chuckles, referring long-suffering sticksman Andy Parker.

You'll have gathered that Mogg is not about to slash his wrists anytime soon. Of course, he is sad that the finishing line is now within slight but has had sufficient time to live with and process such a massive personal decision.

"Maybe the best word to use is 'bittersweet'," he concludes. "But my time has arrived and all that remains is to make sure that we have a good tour."

UFO's first confirmed live appearance of 2019 will take place in March at the Hard Rock Hell festival in North Wales.

Organizational and individual reasons have compelled German death metal veterans MORGOTH to refrain from any further live activities. A new record is not planned.


The last scheduled live show will take place on June 8 at the Chronical Moshers Open Air in Germany. The band made this decision after careful consideration.

Guitarist Sebastian Swart says: "Since a while, it is difficult for us to act flexibly enough as a band. The main reason is that we all live spread all over Germany. My individual reasons are the fact that I suffer from massive and multiple hearing problems, and on top of that, I will be moving abroad for my work."

The decision does not mean that MORGOTH will permanently split up, but all activities are being suspended at this time.

Guitarist Harry Busse says: "This decision was not an easy one for us, but at this point it is necessary to take this step. The initial idea back in 2011 was to play only a handful of shows to celebrate the 20th anniversary of 'Cursed'. The fact that we went on for another seven years and would follow with a new studio album, 'Ungod', wasn't something that we had anticipated back then. We really enjoyed this time and want to thank all of our fans, Century Media Records and our management, Clandestine Music, for their support during these years."

MORGOTH is:

Karsten "Jagger" Jäger - Vocals

Harry Busse - Lead & Rhythm Guitars

Sebastian Swart - Rhythm Guitars

Sotirios Kelekidis - Bass

Marc Reign - Drums

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard 200 chart with seventh studio album, "And Justice For None". The set, which arrived last Friday (May 18), launched with 71,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending May 24, according to Nielsen Music. Of that sum, 60,000 were in traditional album sales.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH previously landed in the Top 10 of the Billboard 200 chart with "Got Your Six" (No. 2, 2015), "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell: Volume 2" (No. 2, 2013), "The Wrong Side Of Heaven And The Righteous Side Of Hell: Volume 1" (No. 2, 2013), "American Capitalist" (No. 3, 2011) and "War Is the Answer" (No. 7, 2009). According to Billboard, the group's only studio album to miss the top 10 was its debut effort, "The Way Of The Fist", which topped out at No. 107 in 2008.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH bassist Chris Kael told Iowa's Rock 108 radio station that "And Justice For None" marks the first time that the band has had an album available on Spotify the first week of release. He said: "The other years, they didn't count streaming towards physical sales and album sales. But now, they've gotten together and streaming actually counts towards album sales," he said. "So this is the first time we've actually gone in guns blazing on every single platform — whether it be physical sales, your vinyl, all that stuff, streaming, Apple Music, everything. It's all available now right out of the gate."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's sixth album, "Got Your Six", sold 119,000 units in its first week of release.

The group's first four albums all shifted at least 500,000 units.

Standard cover:



Deluxe cover:

HEART's Nancy Wilson made an unannounced appearance at this past Saturday's (May 26) weekly "Soundcheck Live" event at Lucky Strike Live in Los Angeles, California.

Wilson, one of the founding members of legendary Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame group, joined event curator Nuno Bettencourt (EXTREME), bassist Marty O'Brien (LITA FORD, TOMMY LEE, DISTURBED, STATIC-X) and Liv Warfield, acclaimed R&B singer and former Prince's NEW POWER GENERATION bandmember, for a rendition of the HEART classic "Barracuda".

Video footage of the performance can be seen below. Photos are available at WillToRock.com (courtesy of Will Greenberg).

"Soundcheck Live" is a weekly live music night that brings together the industry's top musicians alongside emerging talent to create a vibrant social experience driven by the artists.

Nancy and her sister, HEART singer Ann Wilson, had a very public falling out in 2016 due in large part to an incident in which Ann's husband Dean Wetter was arrested and convicted on charges of assault against Nancy's 16-year-old twin sons backstage at a HEART show in suburban Seattle.

Nancy told ABC Radio last month that she and her sister "[have] done a little more communicating recently" and revealed that "HEART has a nice offer to go on a tour next year, so [I'm] hoping [for that]."

Nancy's main focus right now is her new band ROADCASE ROYALE, which recently released its debut album, "First Things First".

In addition to Wilson and Warfield, ROADCASE ROYALE features Ryan Waters (lead guitar) along with HEART members Chris Joyner (keys), Dan Rothchild (bass) and Ben Smith (drums).

Denver metal/doom conquerors KHEMMIS will release their third album, "Desolation", on June 22 through 20 Buck Spin in North America, with Nuclear Blast Entertainment handling international territories.

A visualizer video for the album's triumphant opening track, "Bloodletting", can be seen below.


While KHEMMIS is undeniably influenced by doom and classic metal, to tag them with those labels doesn't do justice to what's accomplished on "Desolation"; a perfect representation of modern heavy metal in 2018 that integrates the past in a way only possible in the present. "Desolation" is not just the best KHEMMIS record to date but a testament to the quality that heavy metal is still capable of.

From the stadium-sized opening notes of "Bloodletting", it is immediately evident that KHEMMIS is again putting distance between themselves and their earlier influences to inform a sound that is singularly their own. "Isolation" — which the band recently aired live on the Decibel tour — is the album's lead single and most immediate track, with the classic metal melodies the band have become revered for shining throughout. On epic closer "From Ruin" and throughout the entirety of the album, the lead vocals and melodies of Phil Pendergast are the clearest, most powerful and best arranged that the band has achieved. Working for the third time with Dave Otero at Flatline Audio in Denver, the band and producer now have the familiarity and mutual experience to arrive at the perfect symbiosis of songwriting, arrangement and production value.


KHEMMIS states about the new single: "'Bloodletting' displays a number of new directions we take throughout this album. A big, harmonized overture gives way to soaring vocals and classic metal grooves before dragging you into uncharted, crushing darkness."


"Desolation" is completed with cover artwork by Sam Turner (BLACK BREATH, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD, IN THE COMPANY OF SERPENTS). The album will be released on CD, digital and LP — with a foil-stamped jacket and eight-inch lyric booklet.


"Desolation" track listing:

01. Bloodletting

02. Isolation

03. Flesh To Nothing

04. The Seer

05. Maw Of Time

06. From Ruin

Progressive metal pioneers FATES WARNING will release a new live album, "Live Over Europe", on June 29 via InsideOut Music.

Captured during the most recent European headlining run for FATES WARNING's acclaimed latest studio album, "Theories Of Flight", in January 2018, "Live Over Europe" includes recordings from eight different cities (Aschaffenburg, Germany; Belgrade, Serbia; Thessaloniki and Athens, Greece; Rome and Milan, Italy; Budapest, Hungary and Ljubljana, Slovenia) and a total of 23 songs in over 138 minutes of playing time, spanning 30 years of the group's seminal career.

A performance clip of the song "The Light And Shade Of Things", which was edited by Chris Anderson at Divine Digital based on live footage from Germany (filmed by Bernhard Baran of B-Light Pictures) and several other locations on FATES WARNING's recent European tour, with audio recorded in Milano, Italy on January 20, 2018, can be seen below.

"Live Over Europe" was mixed by Jens Bogren (OPETH, KREATOR, SYMPHONY X) and mastered by Tony Lindgren at Fascination Street Studios in Sweden and will be available as limited 2CD mediabook, gatefold 3LP + bonus-2CD or as digital album.

FATES WARNING vocalist Ray Alder stated: "We would like to thank each and every one of our fans that helped us make 'Live Over Europe'. We had a great time making this album and we hope that you enjoyed the shows as much as we did playing them."

"Live Over Europe" track listing:

CD 1:

01. From The Rooftops

02. Life In Still Water

03. One

04. Pale Fire

05. Seven Stars

06. SOS

07. Pieces Of Me

08. Firefly

09. The Light And Shade Of Things

10. Wish

11. Another Perfect Day

12. Silent Cries

13. And Yet It Moves

CD 2:

01. Still Remains

02. Nothing Left To Say

03. Acquiescence

04. The Eleventh Hour

05. Point Of View

06. Falling

07. A Pleasant Shade Of Gray, Pt. IX

08. Through Different Eyes

09. Monument

10. Eye To Eye

FATES WARNING 2018 is:

Bobby Jarzombek - Drums

Joey Vera - Bass and Vocals

Ray Alder - Vocals

Jim Matheos - Guitars

Mike Abdow - Guitars and Vocals

Asked how he feels being attached to the "progressive" tag, Matheos told Goldmine in a 2016 interview: "I understand the need for labels. We all use labels. I use them if I have to describe something I'm listening to… I'll use whatever label comes to mind. That's the one that fits in general. It doesn't bother me. I just think that whole term doesn't mean that much anymore. The stuff that people give to me to listen to all the time — 'Oh, this is great prog stuff. You're gonna love it.' But, to me, if I even bother to listen to it, it sounds like something I've heard a hundred times before."


Photo credit: Stephanie Cabral

FIFTH ANGEL has inked a deal with Nuclear Blast Records. The band's third album, "The Third Secret", will be released in September.

The Seattle music scene in the mid 1980s was a breeding ground of exceptional talent. Heavy metal was a new wave of music that was beginning to sweep the globe, and FIFTH ANGEL was one of the forefathers of the legendary Seattle music scene that also produced iconic bands such as QUEENSRŸCHE and METAL CHURCH. In 1984, high school friends Ted Pilot (vocalist) and Ed Archer (guitarist) teamed up with lead guitarist James Byrd. They filled out the lineup with drummer Ken Mary (ALICE COOPER, HOUSE OF LORDS) and bassist John Macko. Inspired by the success of QUEENSRŸCHE, who shunned playing clubs for the sake of writing, recording and releasing their own music independently, FIFTH ANGEL followed a similar path.


Concentrating on honing their writing and recording skills, FIFTH ANGEL crafted the incredible debut album, "Fifth Angel". This recording was initially an independent release funded and produced by the band, and co-produced by the famed Terry Date. "Fifth Angel" was Date's first-ever production, and Date later went on to produce platinum artists such as PANTERA, SOUNDGARDEN, WHITE ZOMBIE and DEFTONES. The album was first released in Europe through a fledgling label named Roadrunner Records based in the Netherlands and instantly became a cult classic in the European metal community.


Epic Records in New York City caught wind of the band and were so impressed with "Fifth Angel", they signed the band to a seven-album deal. Remastering the original independent recording and re-releasing the album, Epic introduced FIFTH ANGEL on to the worldwide stage in 1988. The band received rave reviews and was touted in the press as the "next big thing" in all the major metal magazines of the day, including Hit Parader, Kerrang!, RIP, Metal Edge, Metal Forces and many others. Kerrang! went as far as attaching a flexi disc of the band's music onto their cover and giving the center fold-out of the magazine to the band. During this same time period, Ken Mary was covering the drumming duties with Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame artist Alice Cooper on the "Constrictor" and "Raise Your Fist and Yell" tours. While on these world tours with Alice, Ken promoted FIFTH ANGEL in both press and radio interviews, which gave some additional momentum to the release.


The band entered the studio once again in late 1988, this time with producer Terry Brown (RUSH) and Epic released "Time Will Tell" in August of 1989. "Time Will Tell" saw the departure of lead guitarist James Byrd, and the introduction of guitar prodigy Kendall Bechtel. The video for "Time Will Tell" was released from the album and went into rotation on MTV, and the track "Midnight Love" became the theme song for shock jock Howard Stern's radio show for over four years. However, the winds of change were beginning to stir over the music industry and when grunge music hit hard in the early '90s, (ironically based out of Seattle as well), FIFTH ANGEL disbanded. But that's not the end of the story…


In 2010, some 22 years after the Epic release of "Fifth Angel", the band was asked to headline the Keep It True festival in Lauda-Koenigshofen, Germany. Gathering many of the core members and adding HEIR APPARENT vocalist Peter Orullian (Ted Pilot is now an endodontist practicing in Seattle and was not able to sing for the reunion), the band prepared a blistering set of songs from the first two albums. The reception was incredible, with the sold-out crowd singing the lyrics to every song.


FIFTH ANGEL again headlined the sold out 2017 Keep It True festival as well and this positive momentum planted the seeds for a new album. Jaap Wagemaker from Nuclear Blast Records, one of the most successful metal labels of all time, listened to a couple of demos Kendall Bechtel had been working on and expressed interest in hearing more. A few of the members began writing and recording together and the collective enthusiasm was very strong over the music that was being created. Nuclear Blast signed the band to a new record contract based on a three-song demo that was submitted.


FIFTH ANGEL recently put the finishing touches on their first new album in almost 30 years, "The Third Secret", which will be released in September of 2018. The album features the incredible talents of guitarist and lead vocalist Kendall Bechtel, bassist John Macko and drummer and backing vocalist Ken Mary. Says bassist John Macko: "When we began this process, we always were mindful to write songs that moved us as a band first. We felt that if we achieved that, then the music will most likely touch our fans as well." Adds lead vocalist and guitarist Kendall Bechtel: "We are very proud of the new album! We hope the fans will hear the classic threads of the FIFTH ANGEL they know and love, along with the growth and maturity the individuals of the band have gone through over the years. We hope they love the new songs as much as we do!"

Says drummer Ken Mary, "Over the years, we have worked with some amazing record companies, such as Roadrunner Records, Shrapnel Records, and one of the biggest labels in the world, Epic Records. However, we are even more excited to be working with the Nuclear Blast family for one simple reason: the incredible people that run this company really love the music itself and are themselves fans of great metal music. This indeed is a unique and astounding situation, and we could not be more excited to make this announcement of making Nuclear Blast our home! We also want to thank all of the metal warriors that have kept the spirit of FIFTH ANGEL alive and well for over three decades, and we are so very excited to finally... finally... finally announce the release of our long-awaited new album, 'The Third Secret'."

Adds vocalist and guitarist Kendall Bechtel: "We also want to say a special thank you to Nuclear Blast for giving us the musical freedom to create the art that we feel best represents FIFTH ANGEL! We had an incredible and very long journey creating this record and we hope the fans love it as much as we loved making it for them. In the end, it is the fans of the music that keep it alive, and without you this record would not be possible!"

States Nuclear Blast A&R manager Jaap Wagemaker: "Nuclear Blast is very proud to reveal the secret about the signing of legendary U.S. metal band FIFTH ANGEL! Last year when I was at the Keep It True festival I was blown away by the live performance of FIFTH ANGEL! I have always been a big fan of the two albums they released, and seeing them play these songs live with such an ease was a real joy for the ears! Before and after the show, I had the pleasure of meeting John Macko and Kendall Bechtel and they played me some new music. Although it was still in the demo stages and sounding rough, you could hear that it had that iconic FIFTH ANGEL signature! We remained in contact and a couple of months later I received the first of three completed demo songs. These songs captured the sound and the spirit of the old classics perfectly! I listened to those songs in rotation for days! It is with great pride that we welcome FIFTH ANGEL to the Nuclear Blast family!"

FIFTH ANGEL is:

Ken Mary - drums

John Macko - bass

Kendall Bechtel - vocals, guitars

OTEP, the band led by singer, poet, illustrator, author and activist Otep Shamaya, will release its eighth full-length album, titled "Kult 45", on July 27 via Napalm Records.


Drawing influences from politically charged recording artists of the past but allowing her artwork to remain fully and undeniably OTEP, Shamaya continues her nearly two-decade invasion of the senses with "Kult 45".


Today, OTEP dropped the first single from "Kult 45", a song called "To The Gallows", which is described in a press release as "a hyper-political outcry to the resistance to challenge Trump's falsehoods and hypocrisies."

Shamaya says: "Art is resistance. Art allows us to fight back without violence. This song, 'To The Gallows', is meant to shine a light on Traitor Trump's attacks on the Constitution, on health care, on the LGBTQ+, the African-American, Hispanic and Muslim communities, Dreamers, and women's reproductive rights. Not to mention that this spurious president might have committed just a little bit of light treason, but this is why we rally, this is why we march, and this is why I write. Because when I look back some day, I want to know that I did everything in my power as an artist, activist and citizen, to stop him and his bigoted embryonic autocracy."


Throughout the span of her career, Shamaya has been an undeniable force in bringing awareness via various acclaimed mediums to social and political injustices felt by various communities and subcultures. For years, publications such as Revolver magazine have lauded Shamaya for "following in the footsteps of outspoken musicians from folk singer Woody Guthrie to RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Zach de la Rocha, dubbing her "one of music's catalysts for social change". So, with the political climate as it is today, it's prime time for OTEP to make their voices heard in their primary medium — song.


"You can expect a complete and total mutiny of the senses on 'Kult 45'," says Shamaya. "That said, it's important for fans to know that this record is not just an indictment of Trump. The idea is rather to empower people to stand up and remind them this is our country and we have the power. It's primarily a rallying cry for people with common sense and good-natured patriots to rise up and know that we own this nation.


"Although the album is produced well technically, lyrically, it's very raw," she continues. "Musically, we explore different genres — we're trying to reach everyone. I don't want to be limited to one genre or to be anchored to a particular space where I can only reach certain political minds. It's important to me that I'm sending a clear and concise message to the Resistance — the people out there bending the barricades and fighting for justice is this country."


"Kult 45" was recorded at The Lair in Los Angeles, completely utilizing the same equipment used for OTEP's first album, "Sevas Tra" (down to Shamaya's vocal microphone, a SHURE Beta 58), in order to create a sound reminiscent of their roots. "Kult 45" was self-produced by the band, with assistant engineering from Larry Goetz, Nicolas Schilke and Lizzy Ostro.


Shamaya explains that "Kult 45" is the most authentic album OTEP has ever released, at least since their first record, and self-producing it helped achieve this result. "We had the freedom to be able to write, record and exist within the songs on 'Kult 45'," she says. "Things needed to be said and songs needed to be written that reflect the times. We weren't under anyone else's agenda, there was no pressure to create a 'single' or a song for radio, and the band was really able to shine."


"Kult 45" track listing:

01. Hail To The Thief

02. Halt Right

03. Molotov

04. Said The Snake

05. Undefeated

06. Trigger Warning

07. Cross Contamination

08. Shelter In Place

09. Boss

10. To The Gallows

11. Sirens Calling

12. Invisible People

13. Be Brave

14. Wake Up (cover of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE)

15. Feral Oracle (bonus track)

16. The Tribe Speaks (bonus track)


OTEP does not hold back on "Kult 45", pointing out all sorts of political duplicities and leaving them in their wake. The band explodes on aggressive, adamant anthems like "Halt Right" and "Molotov", which act as timely outcries against the recent resurgence of hate groups. Tracks like the in-your-face "Cross Contamination" explore the hypocrisy of the evangelical right giving Trump a pass on his infidelities, and cherry-picking scriptures to fit their ideologies. "Invisible People" approaches immigration issues while pointing a strong finger at Trump, the electronically charged "Boss" aims to break, fight, and redefine gender roles, and "Trigger Warning" targets rape culture — specifically Stanford rapist Brock Turner — with a vengeance.


"Shelter In Place" investigates the topic of school shootings, specifically. "This song is extremely important to me because it was inspired by the bravery of those Parkland students who formed the March For Our Lives," says Shamaya. "The outro is, 'hey hey NRA, how many kids did you kill today?' because they've actively taken measures to make our kids less safe in school. They want to arm teachers, they want to put more guns in schools and on the street. The song itself isn't specifically anti-gun, but aimed at the hypocrisy of the NRA and certain belief systems that lose sight of what's truly important — the lives of our children."


The album pre-closes with a cover of "Wake Up" — an homage to political music icons, major "Kult 45" writing inspiration, and original track recording artists RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE — as well as a unique finisher, "The Tribe Speaks", featuring recorded voicemails from fans expressing how OTEP's music has changed their lives. "In the voicemails people say they feel empowered, that the music saved them," explains Shamaya. "They told us that they discovered their identities with our music. There was a girl who said that she considered committing suicide and that our music pulled her out of that. These were all based on last album, and I think that this album will have a similar impact on people. These are so moving — it's what keeps me fighting. Really."


"We want to empower people," ends Shamaya. "This album wasn't written to only wake people up, it's meant to carbonate people with the hope and confidence that they can make a difference."


OTEP will go out on a headline tour supporting "Kult 45", beginning July 5 in Las Vegas, Nevada at the Hard Rock Hotel And Casino. The tour will run for nearly a month and a half, coming to an end in Ventura, California on August 18.

Following up the worldwide top 10 video chart success "Act I", former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen and earMUSIC have announced the release of the long-awaited follow-up, "Act II", this summer.


Filmed during Tarja's world tour "The Shadow Shows", during which the influential heavy rock singer circled the world 7.5 times with over 300,000 km travelled and played over 200 shows in 40 countries in front of 1 million people, "Act II" consists of the singer's very intimate 75-minute set filmed and recorded live at the Metropolis Studio in London, U.K. and the breathtaking live performance of one of her shows in Milan, Italy, and previously unreleased interviews and photo galleries.

A one-minute video offering the "first look" at "Act II" is available below.


The theatrical rock adventure "Act II" combines two incredible-yet-slightly-different live performances on video: The first chapter, "Metropolis Alive", has been filmed two months prior to the release of Tarja's 2016 success "The Shadow Self". Twenty winners from all over Europe were lucky to witness Tarja's intimate-yet-rocking set at renowned Metropolis Studios in London, where the singer performed songs from her then unreleased album — for the first time in front of an audience.


"Act II" is the second chapter and was recorded on November 29, 2016 at the magnificent Teatro della Luna Allago in Milan, Italy and includes numerous hits from all four Tarja albums such as "Innocence", "Die Alive", "Until My Last Breath", as well as an incredible cover of MUSE's classic "Supremacy". That night's setlist also enchants the soprano's long-time fans with a medley consisting of the distinctive NIGHTWISH evergreens: "Ever Dream", "Slaying The Dreamer" and "The Riddler". It was all topped off with a remarkable acoustic set, which presented Tarja classics in a brand new way.


Even though the shows deliberately differ in look, sound, approach to the music and adrenaline, both have one thing in common: from the very first to the very last tune, the state of the art production displays Tarja's energetic performance and her graceful, charming presence.


"Act II" will be released on July 27 on earMUSIC as 2CD digipak, 3LP gatefold (180g, black), DVD, Blu-ray, limited mediabook 2CD+2BD (including two full live shows filmed at Hellfest in France and Woodstock Festival in Poland as bonus) and digital.

"Act I", Tarja's first-ever live release, charted Top 10 all over Europe as well as almost all over the world, with a sensational No. 5 in Germany. The video version even remained for over two months at the peak of the Finnish music video charts.

APOCALYPTICA will enter the studio next winter to begin recording the long-awaited follow-up to its 2015 album, "Shadowmaker".

The Finnish cello rockers have spent most of the last two years touring behind the re-release of their epic debut, "Plays Metallica By Four Cellos". The remastered version of the instrumental cello-driven rock opus contains never-before-released instrumental recordings of "Battery", "Nothing Else Matters" and "Seek & Destroy".

In a brand new interview with NorthJersey.com, APOCALYPTICA's Eicca Toppinen said that the band is "super hungry to get into writing new music in the studio next winter."

"Shadowmaker" was APOCALYPTICA's first album to feature just one singer — former SCARS ON BROADWAY guitarist Franky Perez — instead of guest collaborators. The disc was recorded with Grammy Award-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, DEFTONES, MASTODON).

Prior to enlisting Perez, APOCALYPTICA released eight albums that melded the classically trained cello mastery of the three core bandmembers with the harder elements of the rock world, including drums and guest vocalists, such as Gavin Rossdale from BUSH and Corey Taylor of SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR fame.

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN kicked off the "Legacy Of The Beast" world tour earlier tonight (Saturday, May 26) in Tallinn, Estonia.

The concert in front of a 10,500-capacity crowd at Saku Suurhall saw the band open with "Aces High" (complete with a Spitfire war plane replica suspended over the musicians), which hadn't been performed since 2014, and continue with "Where Eagles Dare", which was played for the first time in 13 years.

Other surprises during the set included the Blaze Bayley-era classics "The Clansman" and "Sign Of The Cross", which received their first airings since 2003 and 2001, respectively, as well as three additional tracks that hadn't been performed in years: "For The Greater Good Of God", "The Wicker Man" and "Flight Of Icarus".

This past March, IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson said in an interview that there will be "one or two things" in the "Legacy Of The Beast" setlist "that people are gonna be really surprised by" and predicted that "there'll be social media madness after the first show."

The concept for the "Legacy Of The Beast" tour was inspired by MAIDEN's mobile game and comic book of the same name and the stage set design features a number of different but interlocking "worlds" with a setlist covering a large selection of 1980s material with a handful of surprises from later albums to add diversity.

MAIDEN manager Rod Smallwood explained: "As our fans know, we've been following a particular touring cycle ever since Bruce and Adrian [Smith, guitar] rejoined MAIDEN at the start of the millennium, alternating new album tours with 'History/Hits' tours. We enjoy working this way for many reasons, not least because it gives the band a chance to play both new material and the older favorites which we know fans like to hear. It keeps things fresh, not just for the fans but for the band too.

"For this 'History/Hits' tour, we decided to base the theme around the 'Legacy Of The Beast' name, which suits our purposes perfectly by giving us scope to get creative and have some fun, especially with Eddie! We're working on a number of different stage sets, all in keeping with the MAIDEN tradition and we hope to give our fans a fantastic experience when they come to see this very special show."

IRON MAIDEN's setlist for the Tallinn concert was as follows:

01. Aces High (first performance since July 2014)

02. Where Eagles Dare (first performance since September 2005)

03. 2 Minutes To Midnight

04. The Clansman (first performance since August 2003)

05. The Trooper

06. Revelations

07. For The Greater Good Of God (first performance since June 2007)

08. The Wicker Man (first performance since August 2011)

09. Sign Of The Cross (first performance since January 2001)

10. Flight Of Icarus (first performance since September 1986)

11. Fear Of The Dark

12. Iron Maiden

13. The Number Of The Beast

Encore:

14. The Evil That Men Do (first performance since July 2014)

15. Hallowed Be Thy Name

16. Run To The Hills (first performance since July 2014)

May 25 marks the 70th birthday of SCORPIONS singer Klaus Meine. In the video below, his bandmates, as well as members of METALLICA, JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, BON JOVI, DEEP PURPLE, KISS, WHITESNAKE, GUNS N' ROSES, DEF LEPPARD, AC/DC, and many more, wish Klaus a happy birthday.

Meine told the Phoenix New Times in a 2017 interview that the aging process has forced the SCORPIONS to scale down their touring activities — they no longer play three shows in a row or even attempt to perform some of the earlier songs in the original key. He said: "When you listen to songs from 'Blackout', like 'No One Like You', [or] 'Big City Nights', it's physically impossible [now] to do those songs in the original keys. You want to play those songs, but you want to survive 100 shows a year. So some of the songs we play in different keys, but the energy is still there. You're still at the top of your voice. Even now, you've got to go to the edge, but maybe the edge has moved a little bit."

SCORPIONS are currently promoting "Born To Touch Your Feelings - Best Of Rock Ballads", an essential anthology of the band's new and classic recordings, which was released in November via Legacy Recordings, a division of Sony Music Entertainment.

SCORPIONS' previous release was 2015's "Return To Forever", partially comprising songs the band had in the vault from the '80s. It was the final recorded appearance of SCORPIONS' longtime drummer James Kottak, who was dismissed from the band in September 2016. He has since been replaced by Mikkey Dee, formerly of MOTÖRHEAD.

SAXON frontman Biff Byford has revealed in a new interview with Rock Hard magazine that he is planning to go to Sweden "in a few weeks" to write and record some demos for his upcoming solo album "with some friends up there." He added that he has "a few" songtitles for the disc, which he said may end up being called "School Of Hard Knocks".

Last month, Biff told "Rock Talk With Mitch Lafon" that he had seven songs ready for his his solo album, and described their musical direction as "probably" be "a bit more rock and roll, a bit more classic rock" than SAXON's recent output.

Byford added that he doesn't compose music with a specific direction in mind. "The way I write is I write individual songs — I don't write albums, per se," he said.

"People say, 'What's the concept behind the album?' I go, 'There's no concept,'" he explained. "The concept is write as many great songs as possible and see if our fans like it."

With regards to when he expects to see his solo album completed, Biff said: "Well, I'm writing on the road already. I'm writing some stuff with Nibbs [Carter, SAXON bassist], I'm writing a bit of stuff on my own. It's the writing that takes the time, not the recording. You can record things really quickly."

Biff went on to say that his solo album will probably feature a number of guest musicians. "I'm gonna ask various people [to appear on the record]," he said. "It's not easy for guitarists to work with you, because they just smack down their signature solo and off you go. Singers, I might do some duets and things. We'll see. I wanna get the songs written first, and then see who wants to work on them. I'll probably have a nucleus of a drummer and a bass player, although I might play bass myself. I've still got my Rickenbacker."

Asked why he just doesn't use the extra material for a future SAXON album instead of setting it aside for his solo disc, Biff said: "Well, I did. Actually, 'Roadie's Song' [off SAXON's 2018 album 'Thunderbolt'] was a solo album project. And I do move them across all the time. And actually, originally, 'They Played Rock And Roll' was a solo-album idea [that also ended up on 'Thunderbolt']. So I do that all the time. And I do have songs that me and Nibbs have written for SAXON that I didn't think were right for SAXON that might end up on my solo album."

"Thunderbolt" was released on February 2 via Militia Guard (Silver Lining Music).

SAXON supported JUDAS PRIEST on the North American leg of the "Firepower" tour, which kicked off on March 13 in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania and wrapped on May 1 in San Antonio, Texas.

DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen has left the band's tour with JOURNEY to deal with a family emergency. Replacing him until he returns is TRIXTER's Steve Brown.

Brown made his live debut with DEF LEPPARD on the current tour Friday night (May 25) at the Hersheypark Stadium in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Fan-filmed video footage and photos can be seen below.

Collen and his wife of eight years, Helen, are awaiting the birth of their son this spring.

This is not the first time Brown has stepped in for a member of DEF LEPPARD. He previously subbed for Vivian Campbell at several shows in 2014 and 2015 while the DEF LEPPARD guitarist received treatment in his fight against Hodgkin's lymphoma. Brown's first appearance with DEF LEPPARD took place in September 2014 during the pregame show for the first of three NFL International Series outings.

DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott broke the news of Phil's absence to the Hershey crowd about a half hour before showtime. He said (see video below): "Good evening, Hershey. I am Joe Elliott. Welcome to what should be a great night.

"I have an announcement to make. And I'd like you to spread the word as people come in. But, very sadly, Phil Collen cannot be with us this evening. He has a family emergency back in California. So we are very blessed that our very good friend Steve Brown, who, some of you may remember, stood in for Vivian about four years ago when Vivian couldn't make a couple of shows, has learned the bits very, very rapidly and, with Phil's blessing, will join us on stage tonight. And for the immediate future.

"So just be prepared, okay? We're here for ya, and we're glad that you're here for us. Thank you. See you in 30 minutes."

Asked by Sleaze Roxx in a 2017 interview how the DEF LEPPARD gig came about, Brown said: "Those guys are like family to me. Most people don't know this, but I go back with DEF LEPPARD to about 1988 when they were touring behind 'Hysteria'. Phil Collen is a like a brother to me. When Vivian was diagnosed with cancer in 2013, Phil said to the LEPPARD guys, 'I have the guy that can step in while Viv is undergoing treatment. Let's call Steve.' I was also friends with Joe [Elliott, DEF LEPPARD singer] and I think it helped that he was a fan of one of my other band 40 FT. RINGO. I think he knew I had the voice to do it. I truly believe that I got the gig not because of my ability as a guitarist but more because of my vocal ability. So I got the call in early 2013. I learned the entire set and finetuned my parts and began playing some gigs with them in 2014."

Steve went on to say that "the DEF LEPPARD catalog is not the easiest thing to learn. There's some very intricate guitar parts, very unique guitar parts," he explained. "Steve Clark wrote things in shapes and boxes that I haven't played before. So it was challenging, for sure. I have said this to friends of mine that are guitarists, 'Man, the LEPPARD gig isn't as easy as you think it is.' It was a challenge to dig in and learn the Mutt Lange/DEF LEPPARD collection. They are not your typical cookie-cutter rock and roll band. They have a unique way of writing songs."

DEF LEPPARD and JOURNEY's 58-city tour kicked off on May 21 in Hartford, Connecticut and will run through October 6 in Los Angeles.



































Posted by Joel Walter on Saturday, May 26, 2018

Check out these PHOTOGRAPHs! Yes, that is our very own band brother and axeman, STEVE BROWN, filling in for Phil Collen...Posted by RUBIX KUBE: The Eighties Strike Back Show on Friday, May 25, 2018

Rise Records and THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA have released the band's cover of Julien Baker's "Sour Breath" at all DSPs today, Friday, May 25.

Check it out below.

"We were most flattered when Julien mentioned covering our songs way back when," singer Mike Hranica said. "With that, we thought it would be interesting to cover one of hers. I suppose it sort of explains itself."

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA's latest album, "Transit Blues", was released in October 2016 via Rise Records.

Hranica told Tattoo.com about THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA's songwriting process: "It's changed over the years, as have the members. There are still guys in the band that take a more forward role than others. Over the years, we've become much more democratic, which I certainly consider a plus. These days, every member has a larger role than when we just started; and that creates a more inspired, creative result."

After a world premiere debut at Night Visions Film Festival in Helsinki, Finland, Dream Evil Pictures has announced the DVD release of "The Mentors: Kings Of Sleaze Rockumentary".

This feature-length documentary explores the intrigue of THE MENTORS, one of the most controversial rock bands to emerge from the 1970s. Most known for their shock rock stage presence akin to GG ALLIN & THE MURDER JUNKIES, a long history of false rumors and outrageous myths also helped augment their fame and notoriety. Learn how this trio inspired and offended masses worldwide using chauvinistic satire and an obscene comical act, playing an identifiable role in moral depravity and pushing the boundaries of freedom of speech.

While weaving together rare archival footage, recent tour coverage and an intimate collection of interviews, filmmaker April Jones captures the bands climb from scum to shock to success, culminating in a shocking conspiracy that involves former member Eldon Hoke, famously known as El Duce. Interviews include THE MENTORS' own Stephen Broy and Eric Carlson, along with select members from GWAR, FANG, THE DWARVES and others.

"Despite widespread controversy, I was able to dig deep to reveal who THE MENTORS really are," said Jones. "Get ready to be rocked, shocked, and offended by yourself for laughing! This film removes the hoods and facade only to capture the truly intimate, hilarious, and surprising story of the undeniable Kings of Sleaze."

DVDs can be purchased at this location.

BUTCHER BABIES have released the official music video for the song "Look What We've Done". The track is taken from the band's third album, "Lilith", which was released last October via Century Media. The follow-up to 2015's "Take It Like A Man" was produced by Steve Evetts (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SEPULTURA, SUICIDE SILENCE) and marks the band's recording debut with new drummer, Chase Brickenden, who replaced Chris Warner in 2016.

BUTCHER BABIES frontwomen Heidi Shepherd said: "Our new docu-video 'Look What We've Done' gives a behind-the-scenes look as to what emotions a tour might bring when the curtains close and real life settles in — when the accolades of the stage and energy of the crowd are gone; when you retreat to your bunk and the loneliness sets in; where you miss your family, your friends and your loved ones. We touch on when conditions out of your control can make or break your stride. This gives an inside peek as to what keeps us going and how we deal with the extreme highs and extreme lows. The reality behind the stage."

BUTCHER BABIES co-vocalist Carla Harvey told Meltdown Of Detroit's WRIF radio station that the music on "Lilith" "runs the gamut" from "great thrash metal" to "a little bit of '90s influence." She said: "We're singing, we're screaming and it's just a great, great album. I couldn't be prouder of it. I think there's four songs where we do predominantly singing on it. And normally that would scare even me, 'cause I'm, like, 'I'm a metal girl! I don't wanna be singing.' But it's so beautiful — it really is. So it's kind of ballady, but not too ballady. It's very dark, sensual — the lyrics are very sensual on this album."

She continued: "I think we're bringing a little bit of the sexy back on this album that we kind of steered away from for a while. When we were building up our career, we wanted to be taken so seriously as metal chicks, so I think we kind of let those hindrances go a little bit and said, 'Let's just be us in all aspects of us' — from the metal to the sexy to everything else."

Asked what the most challenging aspect of being in BUTCHER BABIES is, Heidi told Psycho Babble TV: "I was telling someone that I think at ten years is when you're supposed to get jaded, so I have another year left. I'm just kidding. [Laughs] The thing is, we wake up every day and we love what we do and when we step onstage, it's a new day. There are days when you wake up in your bunk and you're not feeling your best. Your voice hurts, or your back hurts. Or, maybe you had a tiff with one of the band members, but when it comes down to it, we're five best friends first and foremost. We're five best friends who get to tour the world and do cool shit together. We keep that in mind and that's the reality of it. With 'Lilith', this album, we call it our 'rebirth.' We did take a year off to write and record, but we also had a member change that brought a whole new, fresh energy into the band. Even just looking at things from a different perspective, like slightly sometimes, offers a rebirth."

Formed in 1987 in Hamilton and Niagara Falls, Ontario, Sven Gali brought the '80s and '90s hard rock / metal wave home to Canada. They delivered their high-energy live show from St. Johns to Victoria, and across the US and Europe for the next nine years. Back in March the band announced they had reunited; the 2018 lineup includes all three remaining original members: Dave Wanless (vocals), Andy Frank (guitar), Shawn Maher (bass) and new drummer Dan Fila (Varga). Former Slik Toxik guitarist Kevin Gale was initially on board but has since stepped down. 

Sven Gali has issued the following update:

"We are proud to announce that Sean Williamson will be taking over the guitar role alongside Andy in Sven Gali. Prior commitments and priorities led to an amicable split with Kevin. We collectively wish Kevin all the best. Sean's veracious and viscous playing, along with his attention to detail bring the authenticity, precision, and attitude that is paramount to the Sven Gali sonic assault."

The band has announced a string of dates for the summer, including a return to the UK in September. The band's schedeule is as follow:

July 
20 - Norma Jean's - London, ON
21 - This Ain't Hollywood - Hamilton, ON
27 - The Music Hall Night Club  - Oshawa., ON

August
9 - The Asylum - Sudbury, ON
10 - The Brass Monkey - Ottawa, ON

September
14 - Hull Metal Heaven Festival - Kingston upon Hull, UK

Sven Gali built a name fast with their live shows; drawing growing crowds on the Canadian and US circuit while building their songwriting chops and a wild reputation. David Bendeth (Paramore, Breaking Benjamin) signed the band to BMG Music Canada in 1991 and produced the self-titled debut, released in 1992.

The album included singles and videos for "Under The Influence", "Tie Dyed Skies", "In My Garden", and the ballad, "Love Don't Live Here Anymore" (#6 CanCon song of 1993). It included a cover of Teenage Head’s "Disgusteen" featuring guest vocals by Frankie Venom. The video for "Under The Influence" won the MuchMusic Best Metal Video award in 1993. The band was nominated for Hard Rock Album of the Year and Most Promising Band at the Junos. Sven Gali went gold in Canada.

Sven Gali toured extensively throughout Canada and the USA, Germany, Belgium, Ireland and the UK, headlining and on the bill with acts including: April Wine, Foreigner, Candlebox, Pearl Jam and Def Leppard.

Their follow up album, Inwire (1995), recorded at London Bridge Studios in Seattle, was produced by Kelly Grey (Candlebox, Brother Kane, Dokken) and featured guest musicians Christopher Thorn of Blind Melon, and Candlebox's Kevin Martin and Scott Mercado.

The band toured for the next year before disbanding in 1996.

Look for Sven Gali in 2018. Booking inquiries can be directed to blackmoonent@rogers.com