Professionally filmed video footage of PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, the project led by the former PANTERA and current DOWN/SUPERJOINT frontman, performing the PANTERA classic "Walk" on November 13 at the Backstage Bar And Billiards rock 'n' roll bar in downtown Las Vegas can be seen below.

PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS played a number of PANTERA songs during their recently completed North American tour.

"That's really a tribute to Vince [PANTERA drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott] passing and Dime [PANTERA guitarist 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott] always, and just my time with PANTERA, man," Anselmo told the Rock 100.5 The KATT radio station.

"If there's ever a true blessing in this world, for me, it is PANTERA — incredible band, incredible time, incredible people," he continued. "And the love I see from people, the sheer joy that I see pouring out of people when we play those songs, it makes me… I don't wanna say 'choke up,' really, but it takes me aback. And sometimes I have to sit for a second and just accept that it is that way. It's emotional for people; it's big… It's blinding sometimes. It's crazy."

p until his death this past June, Vinnie remained on non-speaking terms with Anselmo, whom the drummer indirectly blamed for the death of Dimebag, who was his brother.

Vinnie Paul and Dimebag co-founded PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.

Anselmo is still finding it difficult to accept that his former bandmates are gone. "There's always gonna be that… especially when it comes to Dimebag, I'll never understand that; I can't wrap my head around that," he told Rock 100.5 The KATT. "So there's always some anger and plenty of sadness right there. But to play these songs again and just to see the love out of people is just overwhelming, man. It's awesome."

Vinnie Paul died of dilated cardiomyopathy, an enlarged heart, as well as severe coronary artery disease. His death was the result of chronic weakening of the heart muscle — basically meaning his heart couldn't pump blood as well as a healthy heart.

Vinnie was buried on June 30 next to his brother and their mother, Carolyn, at Moore Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Arlington, Texas.

Hollywood Vampires - featuring Alice Cooper, Johnny Depp, and Joe Perry - headlined Cooper's 17th annual Christmas Pudding concert at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, AZ on Saturday, December 8th. According to an AZ Central report, however, Perry was unable to perform as he is recovering from recuperate from pulmonary issues that had caused him to collapse backstage at Madison Square Garden in November following an appearance with Billy Joel.

From the report:

They're more a band now than they were the first time they played Pudding in 2016, with more original material to share. And they kept the focus on the strength of that original material as they made their way through "The Boogieman Surprise," "My Dead Drunk Friends" and – "just to you show we're not a one-trick pony," as Cooper introduced it – "Welcome to Bushwhackers," a song that had more of a Sun Records rockabilly flavor. 

Then, they got back to their roots with a handful of covers, from "Baba O'Riley" by the Who, complete with a synth loop, to David Bowie's "Heroes," with Depp really making a case for himself as a front man, Cooper playing blues-harp on "The Jack" by AC/DC and bassist Chris Wyse assuming the vocal spotlight on a raucous "Ace of Spades."

They closed their proper set the way you'd close your proper set if you were them, with "School's Out." After all, as I heard Cooper tells his bandmates while discussing setlist order during soundcheck, “Generally, you can’t do anything after ‘School’s Out’.” True enough.

Ending the night with an all-star rendition of Chuck Berry's "Run, Rudolph, Run" is a Pudding tradition. This year, that all-star rendition included two surprise guests – Nita Strauss, who had her own show that same night in Scottsdale, and the woman she replaced in Cooper's band, Orianthi. 

Read the complete report here. Fan-filmed video from the Hollywood Vampires set can be viewed below.

Proceeds from the Christmas Pudding benefit the free music, dance, arts and vocational programs for teens at Alice Cooper’s Rock Teen Center.

International bashers Kamelot recently brought their world tour for The Shadow Theory album to Australia. Fan-filmed video from shows in Brisbane and Melbourne respectively are available below.

Kamelot guitarist Thomas Youngblood recently checked in with the following update:

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are super excited to announce our second leg of the Shadow Theory Tour for Europe! Joining us on this sonic and visual journey will be Sweden's own Evergrey and symphonic standouts Visions of Atlantis. We are super pumped to get back on stage in Europe and bring the show to some new cities!"

This monumental trek begins March 8th in Nijmegen, Netherlands, and runs through March 23rd, in Prestatyn, UK. A complete list of dates can be found below.

Evergrey's Tom Englund adds: "We're happy to announce that we will do some cool dates with our buddies in Kamelot in March! So make sure you join us in the cities we visit as this surely will be nights to remember for all involved!"

Clementine Delauney from Visions Of Atlantis: "Visions Of Atlantis will join the fleet of the Shadow Empire in 2019 and I am more than thrilled to share the stage with Kamelot again! We had a great time together this year, enjoyed their powerful and flawless shows and felt intense vibes from their passionate crowd! We deeply thank Kamelot for trusting in Visions Of Atlantis again and having us be the ones starting the game every night on this tour in March! Evergrey are also bringing their forces and all together we will take you with us, through waves of bliss and pain, a blend of emotions your hearts will not forget!"

Dates are as follows:

March
8 - Nijmegen, Netherlands - Doornroosje
9 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg
10 - Antwerpen, Belgium - Trix
12 - Mulhouse, France - Noumatrouff
13 - Monthey, Switzerland - Pont-Rouge
15 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix
16 - Zürich, Switzerland - Komplex 457        
18 - Nürnberg, Germany - Hirsch
19 - Bremen, Germany - Tivoli
21 - Manchester, UK - Club Academy    
22 - Birmingham, UK - O2 Academy
23 - Prestatyn, UK - Hammerfest

Scandinavian melodic metal / hardcore band, Halcyon Days, have released a video for “In Memoriam”, a track from their second full-length, Rain Soaked Pavements & Fresh Cut Grass, out now 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”

“In Memoriam” video:

“Keeper” video:

“July” video:

Malamorte - the side project of Alex Nunziati (Lord Vampyr, Cain, Nailed God, Shadowsreign, Sepolcrum, ex VII Arcano, ex Theatres des Vampires) - ferocious, evil metal hailing from Italy brings you a third full length offering, telling tales of the occult, mysticism and the antichrist, set against multi dimensional music echoing influences from heavy, power and black metal. New lyric video "Antichrist" is streaming below.

Hell For All was written as a cohesive album, each song being composed in a complementary fashion to the rest of the tracks on the album. Compared to the album in 2016, this new record brings more thrash and power elements as the band deviates from their black metal origins.

Keeping the listener in mind, Malamorte desires to formulate a trip, one that “alternates hard times to more reflective or lighter moments” and can be played on repeat which each new listen creating a new perspective. Quality and energy are the primary focuses for these Italians, who allow their fans to escape into an alternate reality and cite influences from a broad range of musical greats including Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, Iron Maiden and Slayer.

Hell For All will be released on Rockshots Records on January 25th (Europe) and February 8th (North America). Album pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"Advent"
"Antichrist"
"Warriors Of Hell"
"Holy Or Unholy"
"Mother"
"Hell For All"
"Son"
"The Worshipers Of Evil"
"Satan's Slave"
"God Is Nothing"

"Antichrist" lyric video:

From the ghostly notes of the dead tree branch, played with a violin bow by Antti Haapapuro, to the haunting guitars, found forest sounds and violin by Daniel Pioro, their new song “Old Tree” sings of personal loss with a pagan heartbeat.

Hexvessel's singer/songwriter Mat McNerney says: "I wrote this song at a time of what should have been deep sadness, but as a way of finding solace in nature. We tend to think of life from such a short term perspective. Nature takes millions of years to develop some of the intricate life support systems we depend on to survive. I found my answers in the trees and what they tell me. As Hesse said, when we listen to trees, we learn the ‘ancient law of life’. This song ‘Old Tree’ is very much like the first song I ever wrote as Hexvessel and goes to the core of what our music is about. To quote Lord Byron, ‘I love not Man the less, but Nature more’.”

With visuals beautifully captured in the old growth rainforests of Vancouver Island by British Columbian filmmaker Mark Wyatt, their video is a reverential paean to the intrinsic and eternal divinity of nature.”

All Tree is out on February 15th, 2019 and is available to pre-order now as Ltd. CD Digipak, Ltd. Gatefold LP & LP-Booklet, Digital Album, along with merch bundles here.

Mat McNernery comments on All Tree, the successor to the band’s highly acclaimed album “When We Are Death” (2016):

“All Tree is not just about going back to the heart of Hexvessel, with a slight return to our forest folk roots, it’s about drawing fresh inspiration from my own heritage too. The English pastoral folk influences are infused with Celtic mythology from my Anglo-Irish blood, with Finnish nature as our backdrop. 

From the Canterbury folk scene and early prog bands that sound tracked my youth in England, to the ghost stories I was told as a child on my uncle’s farm in Ireland, this album is a spiritual journey where the old myths are doorways to enlightenment. The dawn light across boggy fields, the wind blowing through the keyhole, the branches dragging their breath inwards as the seasons ignite a magic sense of mystery about the wilderness. That’s what we tried to bring out into the songs on this album. By bowing old dead tree branches with violin bows, by summoning the sounds of the fire and the birds in the field outside, we gave the music a life which, like the liminal spirits of Samhain drifts in and out of this world. That's what folk means. It's the countryside singing out from within me. It’s their story we sing. And no matter where I go or where I end up staying, it's that folk countryside which is the seed from which I sprang. All Tree."

The Swedish melodic progressive metal band Darkwater will release their new album Human on March 1st in Europe and North America via Ulterium Records. The album will be available on CD, 2LP and digital.

Human won't leave fans of melodic metal or progressive metal disappointed. The songs are heavier, more melodic and atmospheric than before and the band worked really hard on tweaking the ten songs and over 76 minutes of playing time into perfection. Jacob Hansen (Evergrey, Volbeat, Amaranthe) was chosen to mix and master the album and he did a fantastic job which resulted in the best sounding Darkwater album to date.

The lyrics of the album welcomes you into a world of you and me, how we affect the world around us and the struggles we deal with as humans.

Don't miss out on Human, a perfect album for fans of melodic progressive metal and bands like Circus Maximus, Seventh Wonder and Evergrey.

Tracklisting:

“A New Beginning”
“In Front Of You”
“Alive (Part I)”
“Alive (Part II)”
“Reflection Of A Mind”
“Insomnia”
“The Journey”
“Burdens”
“Turning Pages”
“Light Of Dawn”

A fresh and haunting approach to death metal comes in the form of  Olkoth, a new project founded in South Carolina by guitarist Zach Jeter, bassist Brad Parris (Nile), drummer Joshua Ward (Rapheumets Well, Xael) and guitarist Hunter Ross (Rapheumets Well).

They are set to release their debut, self-titled album early in 2019 and to entice the masses they offer their first single and video “Imperfect Reanimation”.

Coined as dynamic, cold and haunting, inspiration for the band grew from elements of the occult, history of war and corruption, and Lovecraftian fiction. The single is a ferocious exhibition of the power, speed and unbridled aggression that Olkoth will quickly be reputed for.

Jeter tells listeners what they can expect from the upcoming album:

“Our unique blend of styles and approach to writing we believe will be well received. Our goal is to bring a newness and originality that will be a breath of fresh air in the death metal community.” He continues to explain their new single and future plans: “we will give the fans a taste of the sheer brutality we incorporate as well as the dynamic changes and atmosphere within our music. With further releases we will expand on that style and show our unique mix of violent riffs and diverse emotional themes.”

The single was produced and mixed by Joshua Ward and Zach Jeter at Elder Verse Studio.

Savannah, Georgia quintet, Vatican, have signed to 1126 Records. The band has also released a video for the new song, "Thirty-One Staples".

"''Thirty-One Staples' is about revisiting my childhood home through a lucid dream," said singer Jonathan Whittle. "Observing my past and witnessing an event which put me in the hospital for two months with 31 staples to the head and having to relearn all motor skills. I came out stronger thanks to the discipline I gained from having built myself back and learning from that experience. Ultimately, it’s about diving back into your mind where the worst moments of your life happened: remembering who you are, what you've gone through, and that pain is truly temporary."

The band will begin recording their new album at Silver Bullet Studios in Burlington, Connecticut with Greg Thomas (END, Misery Signals, Shai Hulud). Further details about this upcoming release will revealed in due time.

In the meantime, Vatican will hit the road with The Acacia Strain later this month and has confirmed several festival appearances in 2019. All confirmed dates are below.

December (with The Acacia Strain, Year Of The Knife, and Chamber)
18 - Providence, RI - Alchemy
19 - Amityville, NY - Amityville Music Hall
20 - Trenton, NJ - Championship Bar
21 -Philadelphia, PA - Voltage Lounge
22 - Waterford, NY - Chrome (+ Recon)

Festival dates:

February
16 - Savannah, GA - Ships of the Sea Museum Gardens - Aura Fest
19 - Louisville, KY - Riot Skatepark - LDB Fest

Heavy metal frontrunners Incite - lead by frontman Richie Cavalera - are set to release their upcoming fifth full-length album, Built To Destroy, on January 25th via Minus Head Records. Produced by Steve Evetts (The Dillinger Escape Plan, Suicide Silence) and mastered by Zeuss (Rob Zombie, Hatebreed), Built to Destroy is a visceral, urgent, voracious distillation of modern metal with reverence for the past, and boasts a progressed, matured sound for Incite.

Today, following the release of their first single, "Ruthless Ways" (listen below), Incite reveal a brand new Tommy Jones-directed music video for the new album's aggressive, no-frills title track, "Built To Destroy" (watch below). The track wastes no time delivering its unrelenting attack, eventually leading into a searing guitar solo and leaving the listener with no question as to where the name Incite comes from.

Frontman Richie Cavalera says, "We're ready for all the metalheads to hear and see this new video! We wanted to do something that was dark and full of energy with lots of heaviness, and really keep it all about the music. Are you Built to Destroy?"

Built To Destroy is available for pre-order now via Bandcamp, iTunes and Amazon.

Tracklisting:

"Built To Destroy"
"Ruthless Ways"
"Backbone"
"Resistance"
"Human Cancer"
"Confronting Darkness"
"Leech"
"Poisoned by Power"
"Cessation"
"Hate for Life"
"Savior Self"

"Built To Destroy" video:

"Ruthless Ways":

Incite recently announced their massive North American tour with headliners Soulfly and direct support artist Kataklysm, beginning on the same day as the new album's release. The tour will visit several cities across North America, coming to an end on February 26th in Los Angeles, CA. The tour will feature additional support from Chaoseum, Alukah and Skinflint on select dates. Tickets are on sale now. See below for all confirmed tour dates.

January
25 - Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine Theater*
26 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey*
27 - Austin, TX - Come & Take It Live*
28 - New Orleans, LA - Santos*

February
5 - Orlando, FL - Soundbar #
6 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade #
7 - Frederick, MD - Cafe 611 #
8 - Clifton, NJ - Dingbatz #
9 - Reading, PA - Reverb #
10 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall #
11 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre #
12 - Toronto, ON - Mod Club &
13 - Flint, MI - Buick City Events Center &
14 - Joliet, IL - The Forge &
15 - Ft Wayne, IN - Piere's &
16 - Dayton, OH - Oddbodys &
17 - Lexington, KY - Manchester Music Hall &
18 - Kansas City, MO - Riot Room &
19 - Colorado Springs, CO - Sunshine Studios Live ^
20 - Grand Junction, CO - Mesa Theater ^
22 - Spokane, WA - The Pin ^
23 - Seattle, WA - Club Sur Rocks ^
24 - Portland, OR - BossaNova ^
25 - Petaluma, CA - Phoenix Theatre ^
26 - Los Angeles, CA - 1720 Club ^
 
Support lineup key:

* with Incite supporting Soulfly
# with Kataklysm, Incite, Chaoseum supporting Soulfly
& with Kataklysm, Incite, Alukah supporting Soulfly
^ with Kataklysm, Incite, Skinflint supporting Soulfly

Incite is:

Richie Cavalera - Vocals
Lennon Lopez - Drums
Christopher "EL" - Bass
"Dru Tang" Rome - Lead Guitar

(Photo - Jeremy Saffer)

Swedish metallers, Hammerfall, have released the 20th anniversary reissue of their second album, Legacy Of Kings, as 2-CD/DVD boxset, via Nuclear Blast. A second video trailer for the title can be found below.

"The all-important second album. After the immediate success of Glory To The Brave, the pressure was on us to deliver. But we weren’t worried, we had a vision of the perfect heavy metal band and were intent on following through on it," explains Oscar Dronjak.

Order the boxset here.

Tracklisting:

CD1 (album, remastered 2018):

"Heeding The Call"
"Legacy Of Kings"
"Let The Hammer Fall"
"Dreamland"
"Remember Yesterday"
"At The End Of The Rainbow"
"Back To Back"
"Stronger Than All"
"Warriors Of Faith"
"The Fallen One"
 
CD2:

"Eternal Dark" (Picture cover)
"I Want Out" (Helloween cover)
"Man On The Silver Mountain" (Rainbow cover)
"Legacy Of Kings" (Medley 2018)
"Heeding The Call" (Live 2018)
"Let The Hammer Fall" (Live in Brazil 2017)
"Legacy Of Kings" (Live)
"At The End Of The Rainbow" (Live)
"Stronger Than All" (Live)
"Heeding The Call" (Rehearsal demo 1998)
"Let The Hammer Fall" (Rehearsal demo 1998)
"Warriors Of Faith" (Rehearsal demo 1998)
"Back To Back" (Rehearsal demo 1998)
"At The End Of The Rainbow" (Rehearsal demo 1998)
"Dreamland" (Rehearsal demo 1998)

DVD (Bonus):

Legacy Of Kings – Interview 2018

HammerFall – Live at Park Avenue, Jan. 19th 1999, Shure Endorsement Party
"Heeding The Call"
"The Metal Age"
"Let The Hammer Fall"
"Steel Meets Steel"
"Breaking The Law" (Judas Priest cover)
Shure Endorsement Ceremony

From The First Crusade
Listening Session
German TV Advertisement
Release party for Legacy of Kings
"Head Over Heels" (Accept cover)
"Balls To The Wall" (Accept cover)
"Breaking The Law" (Judas Priest cover)
Outtakes And Sign Off

From The Templar Renegade Crusades
"I Want Out" (Video montage from Hansen Studios)
"Unchained" (Live in Switzerland)
"Legacy Of Kings" (Live in the U.S.A.)
"Remember Yesterday" (Live in Japan)
"Warriors Of Faith" (Live in Chile)
"Let The Hammer Fall" (Live in Sweden)
"I Believe" (Live in Sweden)
"Breaking The Law" (Video montage)

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

Stay Tuned is the passion project of Austrian multi-instrumentalist Bernhard Welz. Not unlike other musicians, Welz often gathers his musical friends around to play and sing along to the songs he wrote, produced and arranged.

The difference between him and others is however, that his friends include some of the greatest rock’n’roll legends of our time. Among many fantastic others, these include Deep Purple’s Jon Lord, Ian Paice, Ian Gillan, Don Airey, Roger Glover and Steve Morse, Mark King of Level 42, Steve Lukather (Toto), Steve Hackett (Genesis), Suzi Quatro, Dan McCafferty (Nazareth), Jeff Scott Soto, Tony Martin (Black Sabbath), Rainbow’s Bob Daisley, Steve Lee and Marc Lynn of Gotthard.

This star-studded listening experience was brought to life to celebrate and commemorate friends, respect and - above all - the love for music. Defined by an abundance of talent on all instruments, Stay Tuned transports the listener to a time when classic rock was everything - and features solos and riffs from some of the most revered poster children, who were there to tell the tale. The individual talent and experience of each of these thoroughbred artists, when accumulated, created a sophisticated interplay which is not only fun for the artists themselves but to listen to for all rock fans. It is a true celebration of rock’n’roll!

Stay Tuned is available now on CD and Digital via earMUSIC. All proceeds go to the Linda McCartney Fundraising Centre - a charity very dear to the founder of Stay Tuned. Order the title here, listen to the song "Empathy", featuring Jeff Scott Soto, below.

Tracklisting:

"Jazz Police" (with Mark King, Ian Paice, Steve Morse, Suzi Quatro)
"Fading Away" (with Ian Gillan, Dan McCafferty, Mark King)
"Let The Stars Shine On You" (with Steve Lukather)
"Traffic Night" (with Don Airey, Steve Morse, Carl Sentance)
"I Don't Believe That Rock'n'Roll Is Out"
"Empathy" (with Jeff Scott Soto)
"Yound Free And Deadly"
"It's Just A Long Way" (with Carl Sentance)
"Always Behind You" (with Mark King)
"Believe Me" (with Roger Glover)
"Secret Land" (with Don Airey, Carl Sentance)
"Wanna Give You My Lovin'"
"Drum Jam" (Live 2002) (with Ian Paice)
"Child In Time" (Live 2009) (with Jon Lord)

"Empathy":

"Fading Away":

"Traffic Night":

Artist shout-outs:

Nightwish have unveiled a live video for the song "Wish I Had An Angel", taken from their End Of An Era reissue, out now. Watch the clip below:

October 21st, 2005 is a historic date for every Nightwish fan - many tears flowed, yet the foundation was laid for a new beginning and the ongoing continuity of the band. What subsequently appeared as the DVD titled End Of An Era was not only the final show of their mega-selling Once tour, but also the very last joint performance with their singer Tarja Turunen.

Due to all of these facets and more, the DVD will give you goose bumps many times over, yet it crowns the end of the Tarja chapter with a unique show that could hardly have been better or more spectacular. The setlist is stunning and contains 18 hymns, such as the opening "Dark Chest Of Wonders", "Sleeping Sun", "Nemo" and "Bless The Child" through to the final "Wish I Had An Angel". If you do not already own this live masterpiece, you can now look forward to the extensive new edition.

End Of An Era is available now as 3LP and Earbook formats including BluRay, 2CD and 3LP. Order here, or via the Nightwish webshop, here.

Tracklisting:

BluRay

"Dark Chest Of Wonders"
"Planet Hell"
"Ever Dream"
"The Kinslayer"
"Phantom Of The Opera"
"The Siren"
"Sleeping Sun"
"High Hopes"
"Bless The Child"
"Wishmaster"
"Slaying The Dreamer"
"Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan"
"Nemo"
"Ghost Love Score"
"Stone People"
"Creek Mary’s Blood"
"Over The Hills And Far Away"
"Wish I Had An Angel"
Documentary “A Day Before Tomorrow”

CD1

"Dark Chest Of Wonders"
"Planet Hell"
"Ever Dream"
"The Kinslayer"
"Phantom Of The Opera"
"The Siren"
"Sleeping Sun"
"High Hopes"
"Bless The Child"
"Wishmaster"

CD2

"Slaying The Dreamer"
"Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan"
"Nemo"
"Ghost Love Score"
"Stone People"
"Creek Mary’s Blood"
"Over The Hills And Far Away"
"Wish I Had An Angel"

3LP (33 RPM)

Side A
"Dark Chest Of Wonders"
"Planet Hell"
"Ever Dream"

Side B
"The Kinslayer"
"Phantom Of The Opera"
"The Siren"

Side C
"Sleeping Sun"
"High Hopes"
"Bless The Child"

Side D
"Wishmaster"
"Slaying The Dreamer"
"Kuolema Tekee Taiteilijan"

Side E
"Nemo"
"Ghost Love Score"
"Stone People"

Side F
"Creek Mary’s Blood"
"Over The Hills And Far Away"
"Wish I Had An Angel"

"Ghost Love Score" live video:

"Sleeping Sun" live video:

"Nemo" live video:

Farewell To Fear is premiering the official "Your Cure" music video on BraveWords! The song comes from the hard rock album Voices, which was released earlier this year via Pavement Entertainment.

"Your Cure" depicts the haunting effects of deteriorating relationships. The song blends the genres of hard rock, heavy metal, and old school to deliver a dynamic sound. Vocalist Mike Craig says, "I think it hits every category and provides something for everyone. ‘Your Cure' is clearly one of my personal favorites on the Voices album."

Farewell to Fear was formed out of a passion for music with a message. The meaning behind the name is overcoming the fear that impedes all areas of our lives. The day you say "Farewell to Fear" is the day you realize that you are free from any obstacle holding you back from living the life you were meant to live.

Catch Farewell to Fear on tour with Like a Storm. Tickets and VIP packages are available on the band's official website.

Dates:

December
11 – Lincoln, NE – Bourbon Theater
12 – Janesville, WI – The Back Bar
13 – Flint, MI – The Machine Shop
14 – Ringle, WI – Q and Z Expo Center
15 – Fargo, ND – The Aquarium
17 – Minot, ND – The O'Riginal Bar & Nightclub
19 – Spokane, WA – Knitting Factory
20 – Jerome, ID – Diamondz Event Center
21 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex
22 – Las Vegas, NV – Backstage Bar & Billiards

January
22 – Little Rock, AR – Stickyz Chike Shack23 – Dallas, TX – Trees
1/24 – Houston, TX – Scout Bar
25 – Houston, TX – BFE Rock Club
26 – Abilene, TX – Homer's Bar and Music Venue
29 – Lubbock, TX – Jake's
30 – Austin, TX – Come and Take It Live
31 – Corpus Christi, TX – House of Rock

K.K. Downing says that he "shocked" even himself when he decided to leave JUDAS PRIEST nearly eight years ago.

The guitarist, who is a founding member of the British heavy metal legends and was part of the group since 1969, announced his retirement from PRIEST in April 2011. He has since been replaced by Richie Faulkner, who was once the guitarist in the backing group for Lauren Harris, daughter of IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris.

Speaking about his decision to exit PRIEST after a 42-year run, Downing told "Sound Matters With Tom Leu" (hear audio below): "I was the guy that was really totally, totally dedicated. So that's why I even shocked myself, I think, to walk away and leave that. It was another point in my life, like I was 15 years old again, where I had to cut myself free and go to a better place, and that's what I felt I needed to do, and I had to be brave to do it. And that's another reason I wanted to do [write an autobiography] — to give everyone a better explanation of how that can happen to everybody, even myself."

He continued: "I thought I was tough in certain ways — not wielding the axe, but I thought I had a real, real tough personality that could endure and take anything. But I found that that wasn't the case — that I did have a breaking point."

sked to elaborate on the circumstances that led to departure from the band that he co-founded when he was still a teenager, Downing said: "I had firstly made an awful lot of sacrifices. And I didn't think I was getting the respect for what I'd done. I was the first one there back in the '60s, but it was real tough. I was there, trying to piece it all together and bring something to the table that was workable, and I did that. And I had to do a lot of things. It was tough, really, basically bringing about a lineup that I felt would endure and stay the course — with Rob [Halford, vocals] and Glenn [Tipton, guitar] and Ian [Hill, bass]. But it was a process of elimination getting to that point; it was tough. I did a lot of things. As I said, I stayed totally true and dedicated to the band. But I just felt that things weren't right. Things were good, but as we got older and things changed, it seemed to be that there was some complacency setting in, some respect not given where respect should have been given. The situation was not as democratic as it should have been. And so lots of things started to really get under my skin. The live performances weren't what they were supposed to be. [It] probably seemed to the audience that everything was spot-on, but it wasn't — it wasn't. And there were specific reasons for that. I felt the band was more like going through the motions, which I thought was unfair to the audience and to other bandmembers that really wanted to give 101 percent. Yeah, there was lots of reasons. I mean, lots of people have heard Rob in interviews recently, but Rob actually did release two studio albums in 2010, and he did his own tour with the HALFORD band. That was not good for somebody like me that was totally dedicated to JUDAS PRIEST."

Earlier this year, Downing revealed that he sent two resignation letters to his bandmates more than seven years ago when he decided to quit JUDAS PRIEST. The first was described as "a graceful exit note, implying a smooth retirement from music," while the second was "angrier, laying out all of his frustrations with specific parties."

Downing later said that he believes the second letter was "a key reason" he wasn't invited to rejoin PRIEST following Tipton's decision to retire from the road due to his battle with Parkinson's disease.

K.K.'s autiography, "Heavy Duty: Days And Nights In Judas Priest", was released on September 18 via Da Capo Press. The book was co-written by the Scottish author and journalist Mark Eglinton, whose previous collaborations include "Official Truth, 101 Proof" with Rex Brown of PANTERA and "Confessions Of A Heretic" with BEHEMOTH's Adam "Nergal" Darski.

Listen to "070: K.K. Downing" on Spreaker.

According to The Blast, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE bassist Tim Commerford is being sued over an alleged car accident that left the victim with over $65,000 in medical bills.

Alec Chaice claims Commerford was driving next to him as he was riding his motorcycle on the 10 Freeway in Los Angeles on April 24, 2018 when the bassist changed lanes and crashed into him, causing significant injury.

Chaice underwent lumbar spinal surgery and a nerve root block procedure and has a six-inch scar on his back as a result.

Chaice is suing for his medical expenses, economic loss, damage to property, plus interest and costs.

s previously reported, Commerford's wife filed for divorce from the bassist on November 28.

The 50-year-old rocker and Aleece Commerford were married in 2001 and have two sons together, Xavier and Quentin.

In addition to playing with RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, AUDIOSLAVE and PROPHETS OF RAGE, Commerford handles lead vocals in a post-punk trio known as WAKRAT, which also features drummer Mathias Wakrat and guitarist Laurent Grangeon.

TESTAMENT guitarist Eric Peterson has told Guitar World that he hopes the group's next album will be a more collaborative effort than 2016's "Brotherhood Of The Snake", which saw him writing all the music in about three months and then e-mailing the songs to his bandmates.

"I've talked with [lead guitarist] Alex [Skolnick] and he has some ideas," Peterson said. "Right now, I'm librarying riffs and it looks like it'll be pretty heavy and old-school. At the same time, I'm being careful not to copy what we've done before. I can't say for sure when it's gonna be finished, but it's gonna be killer."

This past September, TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy told Inquisitr that the band's next record would likely include a ballad. "We haven't done a ballad in 20-something years probably," he said. "I mean, a full-on ballad. 'Born In A Rut', off the other one ['Brotherhood Of The Snake'], it's soft and has melody, but it's not really a true ballad.

Chuck also talked about TESTAMENT's musical evolution, saying: "I think we're fortunate — TESTAMENT as a band — we're lucky to have Eric Peterson. He writes most of the music. He doesn't really follow a lot of other things. He has his black metal that he enjoys, and he likes his DRAGONLORD [Eric Peterson's side project] and loves playing that stuff. But he doesn't really listen to something current — that which is playing out there — which I think keeps him in his own creative groove. His own 'Eric Peterson TESTAMENT writing blinders' on. Which is good for us, because it's always kept TESTAMENT sounding like TESTAMENT. But, you know, Eric is also trying to squeeze things in there. Sort of like 'The Gathering' record. Elements of black metal with the blast beats and different elements that he enjoys — he's tried to work them into TESTAMENT. I think it's really kind of expanded us, and I'd say from that 'Gathering' point, we really kind of found our identity as a heavy metal band. It's kind of like a culmination of everything we did up to that point. Thrash, death, melodic vocals. Death vocals. And then when we came to 'The Gathering', all of it kind of got put in there. And the songwriting just started getting better."

b>"Brotherhood Of The Snake" was recorded under the watchful eyes of producer Juan Urteaga (EXODUS, HEATHEN, MACHINE HEAD), Peterson and Billy and was mixed and mastered by Andy Sneap.

TESTAMENT's U.S. tour as the support act for SLAYER wrapped in August in San Jose, California.

THE WINERY DOGS — the hard rock power trio featuring guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen (POISON, MR. BIG), bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, DAVID LEE ROTH) and drummer Mike Portnoy (SONS OF APOLLO, DREAM THEATER) — will embark on an American tour in May of 2019. The trek will mark the group's first tour in nearly three years.

During an appearance on last week's edition of "Trunk Nation LA Invasion: Live From The Rainbow Bar & Grill" on SiriusXM, Mike spoke about THE WINERY DOGS' decision to play together again. He said: "Everybody assumed we broke up. We all just went off to do our… All three of us do all these other things, so we just decided to take a break and do some other things, but we always knew there'd be a time we'd come together. It was never gonna be a one-time thing."

Asked how the May 2019 tour came about, Mike said: "Richie came out to see SONS OF APOLLO when we played L.A. in the spring, or whenever it was, and I remember talking with him, saying, 'Hey, it'd be fun to just play live. We don't have to commit to doing a new album. We don't have to make out this big schedule, this big plan.'… It was great for the three of us to see each other, and it was, like, 'Hey, it would be fun to play some gigs next year — whenever we can. Not have to commit to an album, not have to commit to a year schedule or whatever.' So that was it. It was as simple as that."

Richie concurred, saying: "What we wanted to do is get together and not forget about what we have. There's a lot of people that love the band, but we love the band too, so we wanted to just find a window where we could actually play together. And what Mike was saying, the idea of committing to this and committing to that, with my recent experience, making plans is a waste of time, 'cause you just don't know what's gonna happen. But we wanted to at least get together and play. And so, in my estimation, I would imagine that we would play together and I would say, 'I really miss you, Mike,' and then Billy, 'I really miss you, Billy.' And, 'Hey, by the way, Richie, I have this really cool bass riff I was working on.' And then, suddenly, 'That sounds like a song.' And then let it evolve."

ccording to Kotzen, there has been no concrete discussion about THE WINERY DOGS making another studio album. "You know me how I am — I don't make a lot of plans," he said. "And Mike knows — I'm like water, and if the water flows in the right direction, we're gonna make another record at some point. But initially, now, we just wanna have that feeling of playing together, capturing that magic we had in my garage when we wrote the first record."

Added Mike: "It's like when you have a new band starting out. And before you even have your first record deal, you're doing it for the fun of it; you're doing it because you you like playing together. You wanna write together, you wanna play shows together, and then as soon as you sign that record deal, then suddenly you have commitments. 'Oh, we've gotta commit to this timeline. Let's block out this year.' And blah blah blah. Writing a record takes months, recording a record takes months, and it takes months to put it out. Then you've gotta commit to a tour. We wanna just have fun. We just wanna play for the fun of it, not commit to another album yet, and just enjoy the window of opportunity to jam and have fun, and leave it as simple as that."

Richie continued: "Yes, there's gonna be a record at some point. C'mon — of course there's gonna be a record. Of course there will be. I'm not gonna tell you when, 'cause I want it to be a surprise."

Since wrapping up an extensive world tour in support of their sophomore album, "Hot Streak", in the summer of 2016, THE WINERY DOGS have performed live on just two occasions — during the inaugural "Monsterwood" West Coast edition of the Monsters Of Rock cruise in the fall of 2016, and nearly a year later during an "Ultimate Jam Night" tribute to late ADRENALINE MOB, SOTO and TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA bassist David Zablidowsky at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

Over the past two years, each of the members of THE WINERY DOGS have toured extensively with other acts — Kotzen with his long-running solo band; Sheehan with SONS OF APOLLO and MR. BIG; and Portnoy with SONS OF APOLLO, THE NEAL MORSE BAND and SHATTERED FORTRESS.

THE WINERY DOGS were founded in 2012 after Portnoy and Sheehan — who initially aimed to collaborate with former WHITESNAKE and BLUE MURDER guitarist John Sykes — reached out to Kotzen, who played with Sheehan in MR. BIG from 1997 to 2002. The group's 2013 self-titled debut reached No. 27 on the Billboard 200 after selling more than 10,000 copies in the U.S. during its first week of availability. The initial sales of "Hot Streak" were even better, as the album debuted at No. 30 in late 2015 after shifting 13,000 equivalent album units in America during its first week of availability.

Despite the band's success, Kotzen expressed a desire to return to his solo career after the end of the "Hot Streak" touring cycle. "I wanted to go back to what I was doing my whole life, which is making my music and my records," he said during an appearance on the satellite radio program "Trunk Nation" earlier this year. He reiterated that sentiment during a subsequent interview with Sofa King Cool. "I thought in my mind, 'Well, this worked. It was fun. It was really cool. But I kind of want to go back to being Richie for a while and doing what I was doing before,'" he said.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, BRING ME THE HORIZON frontman Oli Sykes has said in a new interview with Music Week that rap music is much more exciting these days than rock, explaining, "Rappers are almost the new rock 'n' roll or punk or whatever. Rock's gone soft, it's gone miserable and boring, there's not really much exciting about it. So it's important that we cross over, because we feel like we belong more in a place where people just like music and it's not about how heavy it is."

Keyboardist Jordan Fish added: "A lot of artists I like have changed constantly throughout their career. RADIOHEAD are one of my favorite bands — and I wouldn’t ever compare us to RADIOHEAD — but a lot of people would have said, 'I prefer [RADIOHEAD's second LP] 'The Bends'. But I don't like that old stuff, I like them from when they went electronic onwards."

Sykes told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that the band's musical progression goes hand in hand with their personal growth. "It's got to be true to where we are at," he said. "I think some bands at this age, when you get into fifth album and stuff as well, are still trying to sing about the same things and stuff to make the kids happy that used to listen to them. But if it's not true to what you are, it's not where you're at in life, it's gonna look transparent. I think that's why we've managed to carry on as a band, because we've always evolved and we've always made music that we still really, really love. It's not music that we used to love."

BRING ME THE HORIZON's new album, "Amo", is due out January 25 and the band will kick off a North American tour on January 23 in Nashville. First single "Mantra" is currently No. 8 on the rock radio chart.

Professionally filmed video footage of METALLICA performing the song "Atlas, Rise!" on November 26 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada can be seen below.

The second North American leg of METALLICA's "WorldWired" features in-the-round production and a few firsts, including a "Light It Up" pre-show party hosted by the band's friend, comedian Jim Breuer; and a "Wherever I May Roam Black Ticket" that gives a limited number of fans floor access to any show on the tour.

The "WorldWired" set and stage design, designed by the show's director, Dan Braun, features an immersive concert experience with a 44' x 44' square main-stage equipped with several prop lifts located in the center of the arena.

The "WorldWired" show features the touring industry's first autonomous indoor drone swarm, with 99 micro drones dancing like fireflies for the song "Moth Into Flame".

b>METALLICA kicked off the 2018/2019 U.S. leg of the "WorldWired" arena tour on September 2 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.

ASKING ALEXANDRIA singer Danny Worsnop has released "Little Did I Know", his latest solo single and follow-up to "Angels", which came out earlier this year. The new track is available now on all streaming platforms.

Combining Eric Clapton-esque guitar licks, soulful melodies, bright bursts of organ and Worsnop's phenomenal vocal, "Little Did I Know" showcases an entirely different side to Worsnop's songwriting compared to his output as frontman of ASKING ALEXANDRIA.

Speaking on his latest song, Danny says: "'Little Did I Know' was the song that set the tone for 'Shades Of Blue'. It is such a fun and upbeat feeling song that under the surface is a very sad and moving story of loneliness.

"I've been waiting a long time to get this out and am very excited and proud to finally share it with you all.

Jim Kaufman and I spent a lot of time figuring out how this song should feel and the direction he guided me in with this song really sculpted what the entire collection of music became."

Danny has been a busy man this year. ASKING ALEXANDRIA had a phenomenal 12 months following the release of its eponymous fifth studio album and celebrated its third Top 10 active rock radio hit with "Alone In A Room"; he got engaged in the summer and wrote a beautifully tear-jerking song about his bride-to-be, Victoria. "Angels" was released in October with an equally emotive video compiled of home footage of Danny and Victoria and features clips from his surprise proposal at an ASKING ALEXANDRIA show this summer.

SHINEDOWN has announced "An Evening With Shinedown" live dates — an intimate, limited run of shows kicking off May 6 in New Orleans. These nine special shows will offer fans an exclusive, up-close-and-personal live experience amidst the 2019 "Attention Attention" world tour, which will see SHINEDOWN pack arenas backed by its biggest, most eye-popping production yet. Following the high demand for tickets to SHINEDOWN's three intimate, year-end shows at the House of Blues in Orlando on December 27-29, the band is thrilled to be bringing "An Evening With Shinedown" to select cities around the country.

Fan club pre-sale tickets will be available December 4 at 10 a.m. local time, venue and radio pre-sale tickets will be available December 6 at 10 a.m. local time. General on-sale begins December 7 at 10 a.m. local time.


Additionally, SHINEDOWN will return to their roots in Jacksonville, Florida for an epic set at Welcome to Rockville on May 4 at Metropolitan Park. Tickets go on sale December 7 at noon ET.

"An Evening With Shinedown" tour dates:

ay 06 - New Orleans, LA @ The Fillmore

May 07 - Atlanta, GA @ Coca Cola Roxy Theatre

May 08 - Atlanta, GA @ Coca Cola Roxy Theatre

May 10 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues

May 11 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues

May 13 - Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium

May 14 - Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium

May 21 - Madison, WI @ The Sylvee

May 22 - Kansas City, MO @ Midland Theatre

"Attention Attention", SHINEDOWN's sixth studio album, debuted at No. 1 on the Top Rock Albums chart back in May. The follow-up to 2015's "Threat To Survival" marked SHINEDOWN's first full-length effort to be produced entirely by bassist Eric Bass. The 14-song release that tells the story of a character who starts out defeated and slowly overcomes pain and personal struggles and becomes confident at the end. The album also lyrically touches upon singer Brent Smith's former drug addiction and Bass's depression.

Smith told Classic Rock magazine that "Get Up" is "one of the quintessential songs on the record. I wrote the lyrics to 'Get Up' about Eric, who produced and mixed the record," he said. "Eric faces what is considered to be clinical depression on a daily basis. Some days everything is great, some days the sky is falling in. Often he'll tell me he wishes he could unscrew part of his skull, reach into his brain and take that part of him out and throw it away. But it is a part of him, and he has to work with it. He doesn't have to like it, but he has to respect it. And as a band, we all respect him because of it. It was one of the songs that took the longest to write because I was afraid what Eric was going to think. So this is the part of the record when a person has to have a heart-to-heart chat with themselves in that chair. It's a very conversational piece."

SHINEDOWN will embark on a U.S. headlining tour in February. Support on the trek will come from PAPA ROACH and ASKING ALEXANDRIA.

Greek melodic power metallers The Silent Rage have announced the addition of singer Michalis Rinakakis to the fold.

The band says in a statement: “It’s finally time to announce that a new Stormwarrior has joined our legion. We are more than happy to announce the arrival of Michalis Rinakakis (Event Horizon X, Revile, Dragonrider, ex-Air Raid) as the new frontman of the band. So please welcome him aboard!

“The band is currently working on the follow up of The Deadliest Scourge album. The pre-production has already begun and we are more than happy with the new material, which sounds really impressive. Some great shows has been scheduled and will be announced soon.”

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Mighty Music has announced the signing of GHOST SHIP OCTAVIUS, the new U.S. progressive metal sensation featuring former NEVERMORE and GOD FORBID members. The band's sophomore LP, titled "Delirium", will be released on February 22, 2019, and is a must-have for all NEVERMORE, KAMELOT and PAIN OF SALVATION fans.


Formed in 2012 by guitarist Matthew Wicklund (GOD FORBID, HIMSA), drummer Van Williams (NEVERMORE) and vocalist/guitarist Adōn Fanion, GHOST SHIP OCTAVIUS began writing what would become their critically acclaimed 2015 self-titled debut release. With foundations in progressive metal, GHOST SHIP OCTAVIUS is forging a fresh pathway in the metal genre by exploring emotional and melodic writing firmly founded in technical playing and memorable hooks with a common theme of darkness, hope and ghostly imagery with chilling, arctic elements throughout. "Delirium" sees GHOST SHIP OCTAVIUS raising the bar in both technical ability and emotional depth and color and marks the beginning of a new record label partnership with Mighty Music.

"We are beyond pleased to announce joining forces with Mighty Music, bringing forth a new and exciting chapter for GSO worldwide," said GHOST SHIP OCTAVIUS.

Added Michael H. Andersen, Mighty Music CEO: "GHOST SHIP OCTAVIUS is one of the most promising and professional artists I ever signed to Mighty Music. Their 'Delerium' album is a 10/10 in my personal fanzine."

Looking to strike while the iron is hot, Canadian up and coming true metal force Gatekeeper will release the Grey Maiden EP on February 22nd via Cruz Del Sur Music.

Featuring two brand-new compositions, a cover song and a track re-recorded from their first demo, Grey Maiden picks right up where the band's acclaimed East Of Sun first full-length left off. The groundswell of support in North America and abroad - including the selling out of the vinyl and CD pressing of East Of Sun within six months - spurred Gatekeeper to satiate their ever-growing fanbase with a new release.

"We've been working harder and faster than ever since all of this started happening," says guitarist and founding member Geoff Blackwell. "If there's one thing I've learned from spending the past ten-plus years in bands, it's that momentum is your greatest resource and you've gotta pour gasoline on the little fires that pop up in your career."

According to Blackwell, Gatekeeper (who are rounded out by vocalist Jean-Pierre, lead guitarist Kenny Kroecher, bassist David Messier and drummer Tommy Tro) has performed more shows in 2018 than all other years of the band combined, which has started to influence their songwriting. While East Of Sun is considered by many fans to get only better with each passing listen, the songs on Grey Maiden are some of the band's most immediate compositions to date. However, there are some twists afoot.

"The title track might be our best song yet," notes Blackwell. "It's got a massive chorus, intricate vocal lines and catchy, pummelling riffs. We re-recorded the song 'Tale Of Twins', which is an old favorite that we've been playing lately. It's finally gotten the recording and performance quality that the song deserves! JP did a great job with the singing on this one.

"'Moss' is a big departure from our other material," he continues. "It's a soft, finger-picked acoustic ballad featuring a lilting guitar pattern inspired by traditional folk music with fantasy-tinged lyrics. We also brought in a guest violinist to fill in the gaps. It's much different than anything else we've done, but I think it makes perfect sense for Gatekeeper. Lastly, we covered an obscure Nwobhm song by a band named Tredegar called 'Richard III'. They're a very cool, but forgotten band from Wales who had ex-members of Budgie in their ranks. They were a very early example of epic metal and we decided that it would be a good match for us. Kenny and I took some liberties with the guitar arrangement."

Gatekeeper's future plans include a tour of Europe in support of Grey Maiden, including spots on key festivals such as Hell Of Hammaburg, Swordbrothers and Up The Hammers. In addition to more live dates in their home territory of Canada, Gatekeeper will buckle down and get to work on their second LP, which, according to Blackwell, will feature material contributed by the entire band. But, before the calendar jumps over to 2019, some reflection of 2018 is warranted, a year that saw Gatekeeper emerge as one of the best new traditional metal hopefuls in recent memory.

"Obviously we all hoped the album would do well and I figured that we'd make a few sales and play some fun shows here and there," closes Blackwell. "But, I absolutely never expected us to sell out the first vinyl and CD pressing so quickly. That's the kind of stuff that usually happens to other people. The outpouring of support from our new friends and fans on social media and streaming platforms like YouTube has been huge, too."

Tracklisting:

“Grey Maiden”
“Tale Of Twins”
“Moss”
“Richard III”

TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider has released a music video for the title track of his latest solo album, "For The Love Of Metal".

Says Dee: "'For The Love Of Metal' — the song and the new video — is a love letter from me to the music and fans that have lifted me up and been my life for the last 45 years. To still be able to perform for audiences like the 40,000 plus at Forcefest in Mexico (shown in the video) is truly an honor and a privilege. I thank you all! Heavy metal forever!"

"For The Love Of Metal" was released on July 27 via Napalm Records. The disc, which was produced by HATEBREED vocalist Jamey Jasta, features contributions from Howard Jones (ex-KILLSWITCH ENGAGE), Mark Morton (LAMB OF GOD), Alissa White-Gluz (ARCH ENEMY), Joel Grind and Nick Bellmore (TOXIC HOLOCAUST), and Charlie Bellmore (KINGDOM OF SORROW).

Speaking to Chris Annunziata of the New Jersey radio station 90.3 WMSC-FM, Snider said about "For The Love Of Metal": "This is a really exciting album I did not expect to make, especially at this point in my life. I was doing Jamey Jasta's podcast, and he challenged me to make a contemporary rock record. And I was, like, 'Who's producing?' He said, 'I am.' And so we went in the studio [with] no record deal, and people started flocking [to appear on the LP]. It just amazed me, the enthusiasm and excitement that these younger musicians — younger than me, at least — had for working with Dee Snider and being a part of this project."

b>Dee went on to say that "the album turned out phenomenal," so much so that "we had a bidding war from all the major metal labels," he said. "As Jamey would say, it is hard. It harkens back to my earliest work with TWISTED SISTER, but it's very contemporary sounding with my voice. And people are astounded, actually, that I still have a very strong, very powerful, and as Jamey says, an important, iconic rock voice. So I'm very excited about this album."


Jasta previously described the LP as a "full-on metal album," adding that "people are gonna lose their minds when they hear this." He also called Dee "one of the best vocalists of our time" whose "voice is up there with Ozzy [Osbourne], [Ronnie James] Dio, [Bruce] Dickinson and [Rob] Halford to me. "And it's as powerful as ever!" he said.

TWISTED SISTER called it quits in 2016 after completing a farewell 40th-anniversary tour.

Nita Strauss, the Los Angeles-based guitar shredder for the ALICE COOPER band, says that she was surprised by the death of her THE STARBREAKERS bandmate Jill Janus.

Janus, who was also the frontwoman for the California heavy metal band HUNTRESS, passed away on August 14. A longtime sufferer of mental illness, she took her own life outside of Portland, Oregon.

In a recent interview with "Chasing Glory With Lilian Garcia", Strauss said about Janus's decision to commit suicide: "She was my sober sister, and the weight of the world just seemed very heavy on her."

Asked if she saw Jill's death coming before it happened, Nita said: "I did not see it coming. I think people closer to her than me may have.

If you had told me this news about Jill two years ago when we were both still… I guess I wasn't partying at that time, but she was still drinking, doing drugs, partying, I would have said, 'Yeah, that makes sense,' 'cause she was a party girl," Strauss continued. "But she was really happily sober. She had gotten sober on New Year's Day of this last year, of 2018, and she had confided in me so many times. And when I would tell her how hard it was for me [to stay sober], she would go, 'I don't feel that. I don't feel that it's that hard, because I love how I feel being sober.' So it came as a surprise when it happened, yeah."

Nita said that losing Jill in such a tragic way has been "hard" on her. "She was a trailblazer in the music industry," the guitarist explained. "She played in a heavy metal band. She had this super-rebellious attitude. She had a four-octave, incredible vocal range, so she could sing anything from opera to crazy heavy metal — crazy highs, crazy lows. She would do four octaves in our show — easily.

"When I first met her on tour in 2008 or 2009, they were the first band on the bill — the first band out of six, so they were going on at 6:30 in the afternoon every day," she recalled. "And she was going around directing everyone, 'By the way, you guys can't smoke in here. I have a four-octave range. I need to save my voice.' And by the time we got to a band together, she had learned that she had to tell people that she had asthma. 'I have asthma, so you can't smoke.' And the last show we played together was at The Viper Room, here in Hollywood, and she went off on the owner of the club and said, 'It says very clearly on the door: no smoking.' And everybody would look at her, 'cause she was a beautiful little blonde. When she got in her zone, she would say, 'Look, it says on the door. I have asthma. If this doesn't stop right now, we're not going on stage.' And everyone was, like, 'Yes, ma'am.'"

In addition to fronting HUNTRESS and THE STARBREAKERS, Jill was the vocalist for female metal/hard rock cover bans CHELSEA GIRLS and was the co-composer and creator of an upcoming rock opera with TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA's Angus Clark. She also had a decade-long career as New York City DJ Penelope Tuesdae. Her musical career began in childhood.

Janus has been open over the years about her battles with not only mental illness, in the form of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, dissociative identity disorder and alcoholism, but also physical illness in the form of cancer.

Janus was diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2015 while HUNTRESS was working on its third album, "Static". She was eventually declared cancer-free after undergoing a hysterectomy.

"Static" was released in 2015 via Napalm Records.

METALLICA's December 2 concert at the at the Spokane Arena in Spokane, Washington shattered the venue's nearly 20-year attendance record with a crowd of 13,184 fans on hand.

The show broke a record that had been in place since August 17, 1999, when 12,526 people turned up at a Neil Diamond gig.

"To break an almost 20-year attendance record was amazing," said Matt Gibson, general manager of the Spokane Arena. "But doing it with a crowd of all ages coming to see a band like METALLICA makes it all that more special."

According to Gibson, room for the additional 658 people was found on the venue's floor.

We had seats in place for Neil Diamond, and we did not have seats in place for METALLICA," he told Spokesman.com. "It was a GA (general admission) show, so we had more capacity on the floor. And anytime we have a stage in the round, we always have more room because of infrastructure that we don’t need when we have an end-stage show."

The METALLICA production featured 52 video cubes that moved up and down above the stage, setting another Arena record: for most weight hung from the venue's rigging grid: 230,000 static pounds and 320,000 dynamic pounds distributed along the steel beams of the venue.

"I'm still wondering how we got through it," Gibson said. "It was a huge, huge show. We had never hung that kind of weight on the grid before, and it was the first time in almost 20 years of doing that that my folks came back and said, 'Yeah, sorry, we can't do this.' … This was the first time we had to stop and take a step back and figure out how we were going to do it."

The second North American leg of METALLICA's "WorldWired" features in-the-round production and a few firsts, including a "Light It Up" pre-show party hosted by the band's friend, comedian Jim Breuer; and a "Wherever I May Roam Black Ticket" that gives a limited number of fans floor access to any show on the tour.

The "WorldWired" set and stage design, designed by the show's director, Dan Braun, features an immersive concert experience with a 44' x 44' square main-stage equipped with several prop lifts located in the center of the arena.

The "WorldWired" show features the touring industry's first autonomous indoor drone swarm, with 99 micro drones dancing like fireflies for the song "Moth Into Flame".

METALLICA kicked off the 2018/2019 U.S. leg of the "WorldWired" arena tour on September 2 at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.

Former KYUSS frontman John Garcia returns with his next incarnation of Desert Rock, JOHN GARCIA AND THE BAND OF GOLD. The group's self-titled debut album will be released on January 4, 2019 via Napalm. None other than KYUSS and QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE producer Chris Goss gave this new groovy piece of dust its finishing touches.

The official music video for the disc's latest single, "Jim's Whiskers", can be seen below.

Garcia takes the next step in his almost 30-year career by combining the strengths of his musical past with the achievements of modern times. It's once again a distinctive John Garcia album.

John told Under The Radar about the lyrical themes covered on "John Garcia And The Band Of Gold": "I'm a family man — I'm a husband, I'm a father — and there's a lot of appreciation and a lot of love and a lot of inspiration that comes from family and keeping your eye on the ball. What's the ball? What's important? Family's important. I don't mean my family, but [Garcia's bandmates] Mike Pigmie's family, Greg Sainz's family. If you've got a family, or if your family's tight. Y'know, I'm not singing about love, as far as 'oh I love my family.' It goes deeper behind that. There's deeper meaning behind some of these lyrics. The theme is keeping your eye on the ball and knowing what's important in life. And two: keeping a simple rock record. Don't get too bitchin'. Keep the drums, keep the bass, keep the guitar and don't finger-fuck this thing. Just make a simple, classic, rock record. And that's what we made out to do... with me singing over this thing. So it's not a love record, it's a rock record stripped down, and sometimes being simple is hard to do. Especially with music. That's the theme."

fter starting the stoner rock movement by establishing KYUSS together with Josh Homme, Brant Bjork and Nick Oliveri in 1990, Garcia became one of the most heard voices from the desert in rock history. No doubt that he had massive impact on the desert rock movement by singing in bands like HERMANO, SLO BURN, UNIDA and VISTA CHINO. Since his debut album as a solo artist in 2014 via Napalm Records, he has further established his very own trademarks.


Garcia will embark on a European tour with BAND OF GOLD in late January.