MANDRAH, the band featuring former GRIP INC. guitarist and acclaimed producer Waldemar Sorychta, Danish-German singer Cornelia Schmitt (THE HEROINES) and drummer Vic Chains (THE SPOOK, THE DEAD KINGS), has just released its debut EP, "The Other Side", via RecordJet.

Sorychta's music has never been about walking trodden paths, following trends or copying other bands. Instead he always set marks himself — as the producer for genre classics like MOONSPELL's "Irreligious", SAMAEL's "Passage" and TIAMAT's "Wildhoney", as well as the creative mastermind behind GRIP INC. (with SLAYER's Dave Lombardo), critically acclaimed ENEMY OF THE SUN, and old-school thrashers DESPAIR.

MANDRAH's music is described in a press release as "a shining blend of crushing metal riffs, with a hunting groove reminiscent of GRIP INC.'s signature sound meeting an outstanding voice. Schmitt beats the faceless masses of female operatic voices in today's metal scene within the blink of an eye. With a powerful voice evoking the late Amy Winehouse, the singer explodes from low tuned coolness to roaring heaviness, from a gentle punk spark to graceful heights and balladic fragility."

It wouldn't be Sorychta's work if "The Other Side" was simply a regular metal EP. It is a unique collection of five songs backed up by sophisticated compositions combining grooving guitars with catchy melodies and exciting songwriting details turning every track into a little adventure.

b>MANDRAH's music ranges from a hard-hitter like "Black Light" to a slowly growing treasure like "The Wedding" to a dark ballad like the title track.

With a wink, Sorychta gives a nod to METALLICA in "Know My Name". The press release states: "Imagine a cool female hard rock voice teaming up with the Bay Area icons' sound during their heyday."

"The Other Side" EP track listing:

01. The Wedding (4:56)

02. Black Light (3:21)

03. The Other Side (3:58)

04. Trailer From Hell (3:28)

05. Know My Name (4:03)

Vocals: Cornelia Schmitt

Guitar: Waldemar Sorychta

Drums: Vic Chains

Bass: Marius Ickert

Portuguese label Alma Mater Records, run by MOONSPELL's Fernando Ribeiro, has just announced part 3 of its "Underground Majesty" series — a reissue of the groundbreaking third album, "Clouds", by Swedish masters TIAMAT.

Originally released in 1992, this record expanded TIAMAT's musicality and atmosphere to greater heights, picking up their darkened death and black metal roots and helping to create the fine mixture to allow the birth of true gothic metal. It was a testimony of darkness and dream, with moving atmospheres that placed TIAMAT at the top of its game, paving the way for the magnificent "Wildhoney" in 1994.

With highlights like "The Sleeping Beauty", "In A Dream", "Scapegoat" and "Smell Of Incense", Alma Mater will release "Clouds" as a very special limited edition, fully re-mastered on vinyl, with the original artwork and liner notes. To add to the equation, there will be three different LP colored editions to celebrate this great reissue: gold, purple and white.


Set for a release on February 22, 2019, the pre-order for this timepless piece and very limited edition is available at this location.

s TIAMAT sets up to return with a new album in 2019, this year seems to be perfect to pick up this classic as the band is now playing exclusive shows with the "Clouds" repertoire.

Swedish melodic death metal pioneers THE DUSKFALL will release their long-awaited sixth album, "The Everlasting Shadows", in 2019. The band is currently mixing and mastering the disc, with plans to reveal a teaser in the coming months.

THE DUSKFALL singer Mikael Sandorf says "The Everlasting Shadows" contains some of the group finest material to date.

Joining Sandorf in THE DUSKFALL's current lineup are Ronny Edlund on guitar, Jakob Björnfot on guitar, Anton Lindbäck on bass and Sebastian Lindgren on drums.

"The Everlasting Shadows" track listing:

1. Entomb My Shadow

02. Golem

03. Nights At The Graves

04. As Our Days Are Dying

05. Knee Deep In The Grave

06. Legion

07. The Everlasting Shadows

08. World Of Lies

09. Peacemaker

The artwork was created by Gustavo Sazes and can be seen below.

ODDKO is a new Los Angeles based music project lead by Giovanni Bucci, award winning director who worked on two music videos for Korn, as well as promos for Red Bull and MTV. As motion designer Gio has also been involved on several film titles including: “Star Trek”, “Ninja Turtles” and “RoboCop”.

“Disobey” is the first single released by ODDKO, part of the debut album – “Escape the Maze” – fusing metal, electronics, orchestral elements and cinematic sounds. The album includes guest vocals by Veronika Coassolo (Tricky, Subsonica), drums by Francesco Paoli (Fleshgod Apocalypse) and it was mastered by Howie Weinberg (Rammstein, Madonna, Metallica…). More tracks will be released over the following months.

"You Spark My Heart", the new video from Swedish rockers ELECTRIC BOYS, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's upcoming album, "The Ghost Ward Diaries", which will be released on November 23 via Mighty Music.

Vocalist/guitarist Conny Bloom comments on the "The Ghost Ward Diaries" songwriting process: "We like guitar riffs, strong hooks and heavy grooves, performed on analog instruments. I guess you'd call it classic rock.


"Lyric-wise, it's a bit darker than before; little diaries from times on the road and the struggle in between.

"The album is far from predictable, yet it was the easiest album to record since the reunion. We really had a good team going with producer/engineer David Castillo."


ormed in Stockholm in 1988, ELECTRIC BOYS is a band with roots in '70s groove rock and '60s pop and psychedelia. Their critically acclaimed debut album, "Funk-O-Metal Carpet Ride", was produced by Bob Rock (METALLICA, BON JOVI, THE CULT, MÖTLEY CRÜE) and spawned the Billboard Top 20 single "All Lips 'N' Hips" that got them heavy rotation on MTV.

After extensive touring, ELECTRIC BOYS entered legendary studio Abbey Road to record the follow-up, "Groovus Maximus", which gave the band another Billboard Top 30 single with the song "Mary In The Mystery World". The third album "Freewheelin'" (also recorded in Abbey Road) peaked at No. 16 on the official Swedish album chart before the band called it a day in 1994.

Bloom went solo until he, as well as bassist Andy Christell, joined legendary glamsters HANOI ROCKS in 2005. In 2009, they began the process of reuniting the ELECTRIC BOYS. They released the album "And Them Boys Done Swang" in 2011 and the critically acclaimed fan favorite "Starflight United" in 2014.

In all the years, the band has toured relentlessly opening for the likes of METALLICA, ALICE COOPER, MR. BIG, HARDLINE, VIXEN and THUNDER. In 2017, the band took part in the hugely popular Monsters Of Rock cruise from Florida, it was a triumphant return Stateside.

Earlier in 2018, ELECTRIC BOYS released two singles, "Dishes" and "Suffer".

"The Ghost Ward Diaries" track listing:

01. Hangover In Hannover

02. There She Goes Again

03. You Spark My Heart

04. Love Is A Funny Feeling

05. Gone Gone Gone

06. Swampmotofrog

07. First The Money, Then The Honey

08. Rich Man, Poor Man

09. Knocked Out By Tyson

10. One Of The Fallen Angels

ELECTRIC BOYS is:

Guitarist/vocalist: Conny Bloom

Bassist: Andy Christell

Guitarist: Franco Santunione

Drummers: Niclas Sigevall and Jolle Atlagic (THE QUILL, HANOI ROCKS)

Sigevall and Atlagic share recording and touring duties.

EMPEROR frontman Ihsahn (real name: Vegard Sverre Tveitan) says that his solo music has been influenced by "the bravery" of Kanye West's "Yeezus", which has been described by some as the controversial rapper's most divisive album.

"Let's be honest, as a person, the character, he's not the most easy to empathize with," Ihsahn said of West in a recent interview with the Czech Republic's Metalshop TV (see video below). "But sometimes your relationshhip with the person, the artist, if they act the way you don't [like], you bring that with you when you listen to the music. But in spite of that, there's no denying that it's so brave. And I think the kind of megalomaniac ego that goes behind it makes it that genius; that is so brave. There's no commercial thought when you do an album like that, when you just scream out this lyric: 'I am a God.' It's crazy, and I love it."

Ihsahn continued: "I have this theory that the really new creation in music, the real genius happens in the underground, where there's no money and people just do it for the artistic ambition, and all the way at the top where's so much money that they don't even care, and they can do anything. And there's all the rest in the middle who try to do the 'right' things and [make] those compromises to get there."

Ihsahn's latest solo album, "Ámr", was released in May via Candlelight/Spinefarm.

b>EMPEROR hasn't released any new material since 2001's "Prometheus - The Discipline Of Fire And Demise". That album was composed and mostly played by Ihsahn, with guitarist Samoth already forming his next band during its production.

Tobias Forge has confirmed to Revolver magazine that a new release from GHOST is possible for 2019. "There might be something coming next year," he said. "As an active person, I've spent some time in the studio, but we'll see. We're still sort of planning the year out. But as of right now, there's no plan for another covers EP. I think that would be a little predictable. I'm all for recording covers in the future, but we're definitely not going to do one that comes out in 2019. And even though we made a live record last year, the one thing I am very keen on is making a film, for lack of another phrase. I really want to make a capture of our live show. Since the live record, which I think is very good, we sound way better now. We're a better band, and now with everything being performed organically, it's a different being. It sounds way bigger and maybe lends itself to a film better. So we'll see."

In December 2017, GHOST surprise-released the digital edition of a live album called "Ceremony And Devotion", just hours after posting a video teaser for the set online.

FOO FIGHTERS frontman Dave Grohl produced GHOST's 2013 covers EP "If You Have Ghost", which included cover versions of songs by ROKY ERICKSON, ABBA, ARMY OF LOVERS and DEPECHE MODE.

GHOST released the "Popestar" EP back in 2016, which, along with the song "Square Hammer", featured covers of the EURYTHMICS, ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN, SIMIAN MOBILE DISCO and IMPERIET.

b>GHOST is on tour promoting its latest album, "Prequelle", which came out in June.

The North American trek, known as "A Pale Tour Named Death", is visiting nearly 40 cities, including Chicago, New York, Los Angeles and Toronto.

Forge performed as a "new" Papa Emeritus on each of GHOST's first three albums, with each version of Papa replacing the one that came before it. Papa Emeritus III was retired in favor of Cardinal Copia before the release of "Prequelle".

TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy says that he understands why certain rock and metal artists rely on off-stage backing musicians or use pre-recorded tracks during their live performances.

In recent years, more and more bands have been given a pass for using backing tracks, drum triggers and other assorted technology that makes concerts more synthetic but also more consistent.

Asked by "The Cassius Morris Show" if he feels that an over-reliance on backing tracks and extra musicians can fatally hamper the immediacy and spontaneity of a concert, Billy said (hear audio below): "Well, I guess to each his own, but we were out with HEAVEN & HELL, for example, and the keyboard player and background singer, he wasn't on the stage — he was behind the backline. Sometimes [he was] even set up outside, off the stage. [Laughs] But, you know, it's an important part to the show; he adds that element. And maybe they're just not known for the keyboard to be on stage. So each band has their own approach, I guess. And a lot more people experiment with more samples or the drummer taking control of a lot of stuff going on — you know, they keep the tempo and run all the effects and background vocals and rhythm guitars from the drummer's starting position. So a lot's changed now, for sure."

He continued: "I guess it all depends for how each band is and what they feel. If they're represented as a four-piece and [they] don't want the keyboard player and the saxophone player in the photo and on stage, I can understand it. Or if it's all sampled, just so they don't have those members on stage, I understand that as well."

b>Billy said in an interview with "Talking Metal" that TESTAMENT is hoping to enter the studio in January to record the follow-up to 2016's "Brotherhood Of The Snake" album. He also confirmed that TESTAMENT is planning to use British metal producer Andy Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, ACCEPT, ARCH ENEMY, SAXON, MEGADETH) once again to mix the upcoming disc.

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

TESTAMENT's U.S. tour as the support act for SLAYER wrapped on August 26 in San Jose, California.

Simon Wright, who played drums for AC/DC in the 1980s, spoke to Illawarra Mercury about how having actually been a member of the band afforded him a unique perspective on performing the group's material as part of the "Let There Be Rock - Orchestrated" show, which launches in Australia.

"One thing I did come away from AC/DC [with] is that it's about the feel," the drummer said. "It sounds simple, but it's not about the technicality of it. It's about the swing and the feel of it. I do it to the best of my ability, but I'm no Phil Rudd."

Wright, who joined AC/DC after the departure of Rudd in 1983, also commented on the rumors that Phil and vocalist Brian Johnson are both back with AC/DC and working on new music, after the two were caught on camera together outside a Vancouver recording studio last summer. It would be AC/DC's first release since the death of founding rhythm guitarist Malcolm Young in 2017.

"I'm hoping they'll be back with another album and a tour — that would be awesome," Wright said.

With all the problems they've had, obviously with Mal leaving us, and all that crazy stuff with Phil Rudd. I guess they've patched that up, but I don't know anything other than what we all see on the Internet.

"I think it would be nice if they came back and they did an album for Mal, just to kind of put a dot behind that conversation. Because Mal was just the engine room and creator of that band. It's such a tragedy."

Wright, currently of DIO DISCIPLES and also known for his work in DIO, RHINO BUCKET and UFO, lasted in AC/DC for six years. Wright, a then-unknown drummer whose first credits included Manchester, England metal outfit A II Z, joined AC/DC in time for the touring cycle for "Flick Of The Switch" and played with the Australian rockers throughout the '80s before leaving to join DIO in 1989.

Titled in recognition of AC/DC's fourth Australian album released in 1977, "Let There Be Rock – Orchestrated" features AC/DC songs performed by an international band, backed by a 30-piece symphony orchestra.

The group also includes Tim "Ripper" Owens (ex-JUDAS PRIEST), Steve Balbi (NOISEWORKS, MI-SEX), Joel McDonald (ROSE TATTOO), Paul Christie (MONDO ROCK) and rock vocalist Cynthia Gallie.

METAL CHURCH guitarist Kurdt Vanderhoof has told Canada's The Metal Voice in a new interview that he has grown to appreciate the dramatic changes in the music business in the last couple of decades, with the massive expansion of the Internet, the collapse of physical sales and the emergence of on-demand streaming services.

"I really like the new music business," he said (hear audio below). "There's more good about the new music business than there is bad. And it took me a couple of years to get my head around this, but there really is. Now it's more direct artist to fans. Us old guys can still have a career legitimately and put out records, and things like that, and it's not the 'he-lives, he-dies' thing that the record companies used to be. The big bucks aren't there anymore and the big sales aren't there anymore, but you don't need to, because your expenses aren't nearly as much. So there's a lot of good upsides. The downside, obviously, is the piracy. But we still get to have a career, 'cause you can bypass… It's direct artist to fans, like I said, and that makes it possible for us to continue as long as people still show up at our shows and still wanna buy our records, or download it."

Vanderhoof also talked about METAL CHURCH's days as a major-label act in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when significant recording costs had to be recouped by the record companies before they paid the artists any royalties.

"The downside of it is suddenly, after a period of time, you find out how the business works, which, in our particular case, wasn't working in our favor," he recalled. "Because then you get the management thing and then you get the big-label thing and then you realize the word… you finally, suddenly learn the definition of the word 'recoup.' And then the light bulb starts going on about how this works and then you realize that there's no way you can make any kind of money unless you break huge, like METALLICA or something, you break big. Other than that, you're operating in debt and you're never gonna get out. That's also part of the reason why I wanted to kind of recuse myself from that part and learn to make records [as a producer], 'cause I saw the pecking order and saw how the payment structure worked — how everybody gets paid first and the band gets paid last."

b>METAL CHURCH's 12th full-length studio album, "Damned If You Do", will be released on December 7 via Rat Pak Records. The effort will also be available in Europe via Nuclear Blast and Japan via King Records. The latest release is the follow-up to 2016's "XI", which saw the return of legendary frontman Mike Howe.

Jake E. Lee says that he was fired from DIO after only six weeks because Ronnie James Dio "was looking for more of a European sort of sound."

While enjoying a short-lived tenure as guitarist in ROUGH CUTT, Jake's playing caught the attention of the legendary heavy metal singer, whose wife had managed ROUGH CUTT. Jake and Ronnie reportedly wrote a bunch of songs together in 1982 before Ozzy tapped Jake to become the permanent replacement in the Osbourne band for the deceased Randy Rhoads.

Asked during a new interview with the "Cobras & Fire" podcast why he was fired from the DIO band, Jake replied (hear audio below): "I think that [Ronnie] was looking for more of a European sort of sound. 'Cause back then, and maybe to this day — I don't know — heavy metal, you had the American version and you had the European version. And the American version relied a lot on VAN HALEN; that was kind of the American metal sound. And I am more of that school — of Eddie Van Halen, Southern California. There was a bunch of us. And I was more of that. Maybe a little busier on my rhythm stuff than Dio would have liked. And I think that was the main reason."

Jake's explanation for why he was dismissed from DIO appears to have been corroborated by statements from Wendy Dio, who told Metal Hammer magazine that Ronnie "liked the way British musicians thought. I think that's why he wanted to have British players in the band" before making the "Holy Diver" album.

b>Lee played on two Ozzy records: "Bark At The Moon" and 1986's "The Ultimate Sin".

Jake and his band RED DRAGON CARTEL released a new album titled "Patina" on November 9.

Lotsofmuzik recently conducted an interview with DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Lotsofmuzik: For [DREAM THEATER's upcoming] album ["Distance Over Time"], you guys decided to convene in an isolated property and work together in the album. When I heard about that, I couldn't help but think about the old LED ZEPPELIN albums when they'd go together to Headley Grange and write and record the whole thing. Did anyone make that connection at the time?


LaBrie: "I think first and foremost, John Petrucci [guitar], John Myung [bass] and I recalled the last time we did that as a band, when we were recording the 'Images And Words' album. We were at BearTracks Studios in upstate New York, and we actually all lived in this house. It was about 10 minutes from the studio in Tomkins Cove. That was the name of this town that we were in, and we were all living together in the house throughout the duration of the recording. So we were all talking and kind of reminiscing about those times, and so it was kind of cool to come back to this. It was like a summer camp, but at the same time, what you're doing is you're there to produce a new album, new material. And it was cool, because I think what it allowed us to do is that it enabled us to come up with ideas together and slowly but surely we formed them into complete songs. Sometimes we'd just be chilling out, sitting around one another, and more often than not the conversation obviously comes back around to the music and where things are at and how we feel and the direction that it's going and maybe even focusing on that particular song at the moment that is being worked on. So it's kind of cool because it, it doesn't allow you many distractions, right? You're not getting away from it, but you're in that zone and you're there. Pretty much 24/7."


Lotsofmuzik: We have a couple of tracks whose names were already revealed: "Fall Into The Light", "Paralyzed", "At Wit's End" and "Barstool Warrior". How have you contributed to those ones? And did you have any involvement in the music this time or just the lyrics?


b>LaBrie: "Only the lyrics. I was there the whole time though, observing the music and if anything felt a little weird to me, then I'd voice my opinion. But the amount of times that I would say that is not even worth mentioning. When it came time to write the melodies to the songs I got involved, I wrote lyrics to three songs. And we had this discussion about me being involved and being a part of the process so that I could listen and kind of gauge where we're going and where we're at and what the end result is going to be. And so for me it's kind of cool because part of the whole process with any band that when they're writing is that you'll leave all your egos at the door and you're just basically candid with one another. What was surprising with this was just how quickly it was going on. I don't know if you were speaking to any of the other guys, but I believe you did an interview with Jordan [Rudess, keyboards] and he might've mentioned to you that at the end of the day, the actual days of writing worked out to be something like 17 days! That's how prolific, how fast things were coming together. Like I said, I wrote the lyrics to three songs, one of the songs being the bonus track on the album. I think everything came out exactly as we had hoped and as we had been discussing leading up to the actual time in the studio to actually start writing."


Lotsofmuzik: And it seems that you took the same approach as the self-titled album to a certain extent, in the sense that the songs are a bit more direct, right? Not necessarily shorter but more direct, more straight to the point.


LaBrie: "Yeah, absolutely. Our last album was very conceptually based and very theatrical as well. So it was about getting back and about encompassing or encapsulating all of our roots, where we came from and our influences originally and what does that say to each and every guy in the band. And also chasing something that's a little more organic, and then ultimately creating something where we can say that each song is always going to be who and what we are. It always has to be identified as DREAM THEATER. But we felt that we were creating something a little more than what was previously done. I think when everyone hears the songs they're going to be going, 'Wow!' I think each track is very, very exciting and very, very unique."

Read the entire interview at Lotsofmuzik.

"Distance Over Time" will be released on February 22, 2019. The artwork was created by long-time cover collaborator Hugh Syme (RUSH, IRON MAIDEN, STONE SOUR). The disc was produced by Petrucci, mixed by Ben Grosse and mastered by Tom Baker.

"Distance Over Time" will mark DREAM THEATER's first album for Sony Music's progressive imprint InsideOut Music. The group spent the past 25 years recording under various labels in the Warner Music Group system, most recently Roadrunner Records, which released five albums by the band between 2007 and 2016.

The "Distance Over Time" tour of North America kicks off on March 20, 2019 in San Diego, California. The tour will run for seven weeks before wrapping up in Mexico City on May 4, 2019. Information on tickets for all upcoming shows as well as VIP packages can be found at DreamTheater.net.

ASKING ALEXANDRIA has released a brand new live video for its hugely successful single "Alone In A Room". Having spent 28 weeks on the Active Rock radio chart and peaking at No. 7, it is the band's third top ten hit at rock radio. The song has amassed a whopping 16.3 million streams on Spotify and the official music video has clocked up 6.3 million views on YouTube to date.

"Alone In A Room" is the second single from ASKING ALEXANDRIA's self-titled fifth studio album, which was released last December via Sumerian Records. The disc marks the group's first full-length effort with singer Danny Worsnop since he rejoined ASKING ALEXANDRIA in the fall of 2016.

During his time away from ASKING ALEXANDRIA, Worsnop pursued a more traditional hard rock sound with his other project, WE ARE HARLOT, while ASKING ALEXANDRIA recruited a new singer, Denis Shaforostov, and released a fourth album, "The Black". Danny also issued a country-tinged solo album, "The Long Road Home", last year via Earache Records.

ASKING ALEXANDRIA will join SHINEDOWN and PAPA ROACH for the "Attention Attention" tour in early 2019.

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Former MORBID ANGEL guitarist Richard Brunelle has launched a new project called MOSAIC COVENANT. He is joined in the group by drummer Brandon Thomas Lyons.

MOSAIC COVENANT recently released its first two songs via Knife Fight Media, "Silence The Dead" and "The Sun Never Stops The Rain".

Brunelle stated about MOSAIC COVENANT's music: "It is Alien Metal!!! Do you believe in Aliens? What if Aliens are really GOD? The MOSAIC COVENANT (named after Moses), also known as the Sinaitic Covenant (named after the biblical Mount Sinai), refers to a biblical covenant between God and the biblical Israelites, including their proselytes aka The 10 Commandments.

"I feel this music I am releasing was given to me by Aliens what I believe to be the true God. It is the beginning of what is hoped to be much more to come of them making their presence known. It is not me creating this music it is them. By all means do not take this as some Christian religious expression. This is to open the eyes of humanity to the existence of Aliens.

WE ARE NOT ALONE!!!"

Brunelle was in MORBID ANGEL from 1985 until 1992 and he appeared on the band's first two albums, 1989's "Altars of Madness" and 1991's "Blessed Are The Sick". He returned to the group a couple of times — most notably in 1994 and 1998 — to help out with live work, but he never took part in any additional recording sessions with the band.

Brunelle formed PATHS OF POSSESSION in 1999 with Randy Butman (SILHAVEN), Jay Fossen and Erin "Goat" Fuller (CRYPTIC WINDS) and appeared on the group's independently released CD-R demo "Legacy In Ashes" in 2000.

Brunelle has been largely inactive for the past decade and a half, having battled drug addiction, which has apparently landed him in jail nearly a dozen times.

A few years ago, Brunelle stated about his exit from MORBID ANGEL: "I was unable to stay with MORBID ANGEL for personal reasons. I spent the next few years trying to start a band and PATHS OF POSSESSION was born. But as fate would have it I quit the band just before they were signed to Metal Blade Records. After I left PATHS OF POSSESSION, there were many dark days for me. It has taken every ounce of strength I have to crawl out of the darkness."

A PERFECT CIRCLE, which debuted the video for "So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish" earlier this month, has released a limited-edition seven-inch of the track with a B-side featuring Billy Howerdel and Maynard James Keenan's take on AC/DC's "Dog Eat Dog".

The "So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish"/"Dog Eat Dog" vinyl single is available exclusively via "Record Store Day" Black Friday.

A PERFECT CIRCLE wrapped up its third leg of North American tour dates last night with a stirring show in Phoenix, with a European trek beginning December 2 in Glasgow.

The band's North American tour kicked off with an intimate Grammy Museum performance to 200 lucky fans. The evening was a rarity for A PERFECT CIRCLE, who just this week performed at Madison Square Garden and whose most recent hometown show was a sold-out outing at the venerable Hollywood Bowl.

b>Steven Sebring ("Horses: Patti Smith And Her Band", "Dream Of Life") directed a companion film to "Eat The Elephant". Viewable via a custom prism, the hologram film is a first-of-its-kind offering and can be found in the "Eat The Elephant" deluxe box set. Several clips from the film have been released in 2D versions, including the video for the album's title track.

Photo credit: Paul Harries

Germany's first female hard rock act ROSY VISTA was around for five years between 1984 and 1989. During this time, the group from Hanover helmed by guitarist Anca Graterol, released one professionally produced EP and two singles. In addition, the band performed a multitude of spectacular concerts alongside legends such as URIAH HEEP, JOE COCKER, MANFRED MANN'S EARTH BAND and MÖTLEY CRÜE, among others. So the only career dream left unfulfilled for the five bandmembers was a proper album. This obvious gap will be closed on February 8, 2019 at last, because ROSY VISTA is back together again and will present its debut album, "Unbelievable", almost precisely 35 after the group's foundation.

"We'd been thinking about it for a number of years, but good ideas always take a while to mature, that's why it took a little longer," confesses founding member Graterol, who has two more original bandmembers by her side, namely Andrea Schwarz (vocals) and Marina Hlubek (drums). The latest addition to the ROSY VISTA fold is bassist Angela Mann.

Another highlight: the cover artwork was designed by Circus Roncalli's Bernhard Paul and Steffen Maier. So mission accomplished! True to the motto "Good things come to those who wait", the four ROSY VISTA musicians have not only made their life's dream come true with "Unbelievable" but will also delight their many fans, which will no doubt culminate in loud applause at their official release party at the Hanover Musikzentrum on February 9.


"Unbelievable" will be released through SPV/Steamhammer on all digital formats in North America.


rack listing:

01. Crazy (3:25)

02. Sadistic Lover (3:59)

03. Master Of Control (3:51)

04. Too Much Feeling (5:11)

05. Tables Are Turned (3:57)

06. Until I'm Satisfied (4:37)

07. Hopatina (5:33)

08. Poor Rosy (3:17)

09. Sound Of Your Love (3:29)

10. Rockin' Through The Night (3:44)

11. Changin' My Mind (4:24)

12. Born To Be Wild (4:07)

Swedish skate-punk band MILLENCOLIN will release its ninth studio album, "SOS", on February 15, 2019 via Epitaph. The follow-up to 2015's "True Brew" was recorded at the group's own Soundlab Studios in Örebro, Sweden and was mixed by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios. It was produced by vocalist/bassist Nikola Sarcevic and guitarist Mathias Färm, with all artwork, photography created by guitarist Erik Ohlsson.


Says Sarcevic: "We're a band truly formed from respect and understanding for each other and our passion for rock music. If you ask us, this is the best job in the world."


MILLENCOLIN has announced its first 2019 festival appearances, including Belgium's Groezrock, Austria's Nova Rock and Germany's Mission Ready. More dates will be revealed soon.

"SOS" track listing:

1. SOS

02. For Yesterday

03. Nothing

04. Sour Days

05. Yanny & Laurel

06. Reach You

07. Do You Want War

08. Trumpets & Poutine

09. Let It Be

10. Dramatic Planet

11. Caveman's Land

12. Carry On

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has tapped Charlie Engen to play drums for the group on the fall leg of its tour with BREAKING BENJAMIN. Engen is filling in for FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's founding drummer Jeremy Spencer, who is sitting out the trek to undergo a second back surgery for an undisclosed condition.

The 33-year-old Engen, who was previously identified only as "a drum prodigy" called "The Engine", played his first show with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH on November 6 in Wichita, Kansas. The tour will end on December 11 in Portland, Maine.

The Saint Paul, Minnesota-based Engen has been teaching drums for more than 15 years and currently offers private and Skype lessons at his home studio, along with playing in the bands SCALE THE SUMMIT and IDEOLOGY.

Says Charlie in the bio section of his official web site: "Receiving a drum set for my second birthday, drums have been my main passion in life for as long as I can remember. Going to McNally Smith College Of Music for my masters degrees in percussion performance, I have focused on creating my own playing style combining elements of progressive metal, funk, Latin, and East African rhythms. My goal is to utilize the many different approaches and rhythmic tools to bring my percussive voice to its optimum level. I continue to push my own physical limitations daily, and hope that my playing style represents these concepts in a unique and musical way."

an-filmed video footage of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's second concert with Engen, which took place on November 7 at Broadmoor World Arena in Colorado Springs, Colorado, can be seen below.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "And Justice For None", which came out in May.

Progressive music titans DREAM THEATER have launched the first in a series of three in-the-studio video interviews, where the entire band sat down and discussed how their upcoming 14th studio album, "Distance Over Time", came together.

"Distance Over Time" will be released on February 22, 2019. The disc showcases a newfound creativity for DREAM THEATER while maintaining the elements that have garnered them devoted fans around the globe. The album also marks the first for the band's new label InsideOut Music. The artwork was created by long-time cover collaborator Hugh Syme (RUSH, IRON MAIDEN, STONE SOUR). "Distance Over Time" was produced by guitarist John Petrucci, mixed by Ben Grosse and mastered by Tom Baker.

Says Petrucci: "When I listen back to the album, I can distinctly recall every moment of the writing process; where I was standing in the room, what inspired us in that instant and the meaning behind each song. As a producer, my goal was to try and create the best-sounding DREAM THEATER record we've ever made so that listeners can just be enveloped in the music. I really wanted this recording to truly reflect the spirit, joy and passion that went into making the album and for people to walk away feeling some of the organic nature, personality and raw energy that the band captured while together in the studio. For me, I think it accomplishes that and I hope that other people will feel the same way."

In June 2018, the members of DREAM THEATER secluded themselves in a private location in upstate New York to begin writing for the new record. While spending the summer living together in the property's adjacent residence, the band spent their days and nights crafting the music that would make up the new album in the "Yonderbarn"; a beautiful and spacious barn that had been meticulously transformed into a state-of-the art film and recording studio. Following an intense and extremely productive period of group writing sessions and wanting to retain the magic that was captured in this scenic and inspiring location, they decided to record the album in the very room they had all convened to write together in. Living together during the writing and recording for "Distance Over Time" marked another first for the band's 33-year career. The result is a heavier collection of songs that showcases the early roots of the band while exploring new territory as musicians and as friends.

It was like going back to summer camp," says singer James LaBrie. "Being around each other the whole time made it that much more of a profound experience. I think the songs reflect the energy. It was a lot of fun to have a situation so powerful at this point in our career."

It has been three years since DREAM THEATER released new music. To announce the details of the brand new album, DREAM THEATER enlisted the help of one lucky contest winner to break the news of the record to the loyal fans of the band. An Alternate Reality Game was launched that encompassed a "treasure hunt" whereby fans were able to search for clues hidden in various photos, videos, social media posts, and more. Ultimately, one lucky winner was given access to content before everyone else including the release date and cover artwork, and the winner would be the one to share the first taste of never-before-heard music.

DREAM THEATER is also planning to hit the road in support of the new album. The "Distance Over Time" tour of North America was recently announced and kicks off on March 20, 2019 in San Diego, California. The tour will run for seven weeks before wrapping up in Mexico City on May 4, 2019. Information on tickets for all upcoming shows as well as VIP packages can be found at DreamTheater.net.

SPINAL TAP will reunite for a 35th anniversary screening of the film "This Is Spinal Tap" at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. The band — Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer — will also perform following the screening. They will be joined by "This is Spinal Tap" director, co-writer and star Rob Reiner for a conversation to follow.

Released in 1984, the mockumentary follows the fictional heavy metal rock band SPINAL TAP on tour.


"'Spinal Tap' proves there is definitely a fine line between stupid and clever," said Reiner.

"This Is Spinal Tap" was released to little fanfare in 1984 with some viewers convinced the bumbling dinosaurs — who had a knack of losing drummers in freak accidents — on screen were a genuine band. But word of mouth about the smartly observed film, which took a pop at bands such as STATUS QUO, LED ZEPPELIN and BLACK SABBATH, spread and it became a sleeper hit.

ccording to the Belfast Telegraph, McKean, Guest and Shearer prepared several scenes with Reiner but then ad-libbed. At the end of filming, they had more than 40 hours of footage, which was edited down to a more manageable form.

When "This Is Spinal Tap" was released, not everybody got that it was a "mockumentary." U2's The Edge immediately embraced it, saying: "I didn't laugh, I wept. It was so close to the truth." Ozzy Osbourne didn't understand it, saying the first time he watched it, he thought it was a real documentary. Early home video versions of the movie reportedly even had a disclaimer at the start and finish of the movie stating the band didn't really exist.

ALICE COOPER axemaiden Nita Strauss kicked off "The Guitar Collective" U.S. tour with renowned soloist Angel Vivaldi on November 19 in New Bedford, Massachusetts. Fan-filmed video footage of the second concert of the trek, which took place November 20 in Philadelphia, can be seen below.

"The Guitar Collective" will visit several major cities, ending in Asbury Park, New Jersey on December 21. Vivaldi and Strauss are co-headlining each date of the tour with support from special guest Jacky Vincent (ex-FALLING IN REVERSE). "The Guitar Collective 2018" marks Strauss's live solo debut.


VIP and general admission tickets are available now via www.angelvivaldiofficial.com/tour. VIP meet-and-greets with Vivaldi and Strauss include a question-and-answer session, a signed tour poster, and an HD photo with Angel and Nita.


The main goal of "The Guitar Collective" tour, now in its second year, is to give fans of instrumental guitar music a chance to discover new artists, and for those artists to branch out to new fans. "The Guitar Collective" founder Angel Vivaldi sees the tour as a place where people can come year after year to discover new virtuosos in an exciting live setting, not just behind their computers and phones.


b>Vivaldi said: "The past four years have given us some of today's most incredible guitarists. After last year's 'Guitar Collective', which included SCALE THE SUMMIT and Andy James, I knew I had to make this 'modern G3' an annual outing. This year, not only do we have Nita Strauss's live solo debut, we've also got Jacky Vincent, who both will continue to carry the torch of instrumental guitar music for generations to come. I can't wait to get on stage night after night to jam with my friends."


Strauss added: "These will be my first shows ever as a solo artist, and I couldn't have hoped for a better fitting tour. I've been a huge fan of Angel's since I first discovered his music and became an even bigger fan when I saw his incredible live performance. Angel and Jacky are two of the most innovative and exciting solo guitarists out there in the scene today, and I am beyond honored to share the stage with them on this tour!"

Remaining "The Guitar Collective" 2018 tour dates:

Nov. 21 - Clifton, NJ @ Dingbatz

Nov. 23 - Brooklyn, NY @ Brooklyn Baazar

Nov. 24 - Kent, OH @ Outpost Concert Spot

Nov. 25 - Detroit, MI @ The Loving Touch

Nov. 27 - Berwyn, IL @ Wire

Nov. 28 - Iowa City, IA @ Gabe's

Nov. 29 - Kansas City, MO @ The Riot Room

Nov. 30 - Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater

Dec. 01 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Club X

Dec. 02 - Boise, ID @ The Shredder

Dec. 04 - Seattle, WA @ Club Sur Rocks

Dec. 05 - Portland, OR @ Paris Theatre

Dec. 06 - Orangevale, CA @ The Boardwalk

Dec. 07 - San Diego, CA @ Brick by Brick

Dec. 08 - Scottsdale, AZ @ Pub Rock

Dec. 09 - Los Angeles, CA @ 1720

Dec. 11 - Austin, TX @ Come and Take It Live

Dec. 12 - Houston, TX @ Scout Bar

Dec. 13 - Dallas, TX @ Trees

Dec. 14 - Memphis, TN @ Hi-Tone

Dec. 15 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade

Dec. 16 - Orlando, FL @ The Haven

Dec. 17 - Margate, FL @ O'Malley's

Dec. 18 - Tampa, FL @ Crowbar

Dec. 19 - Spartanburg, SC @ Ground Zero

Dec. 20 - Richmond, VA @ Canal Club

Dec. 21 - Asbury Park, NJ @ House of Independents

Nita's debut solo album, "Controlled Chaos", was released on November 16 via Sumerian Records.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's Grammy Museum performance of "So Far Away" can be seen below. The recording is taken from "Live At The Grammy Museum" (Capitol), a special acoustic album recorded during the band's October 19, 2017 sold-out event at the famed Grammy Museum in downtown Los Angeles.

Produced by Joe Barresi (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, TOOL, NINE INCH NAILS) and the band, the digital-only release features unique renditions of new songs and classic tracks captured during the first-ever acoustic performance by Grammy nominees AVENGED SEVENFOLD. A portion of the album's proceeds will benefit the education initiatives of the Grammy Museum, which seek to inspire youth to the enduring qualities and cultural significance of music.


Presented as "An Evening with Avenged Sevenfold," the event was held at the Museum's Clive Davis Theater and featured an intimate conversation about the band's career and new music, moderated by Los Angeles Times pop music critic Mikael Wood. The interview followed a stunning acoustic performance from the band (backed by a string section) and saw the quintet (vocalist M. Shadows, guitarists Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ and drummer Brooks Wackerman) discussing their latest release, "The Stage".


"Live At The Grammy Museum" track listing:

1. Opening

02. Introduction To 'As Tears Go By'

03. As Tears Go By

04. Introduction To 'Hail To The King'

05. Hail To The King

06. Introduction To 'Roman Sky'

07. Roman Sky

08. Introduction To 'Exist'

09. Exist

10. Introduction To 'So Far Away'

11. So Far Away

"The Stage" was re-released as a "deluxe edition" in December 2017.

In the spring of 2016, guitar heroes Steve Vai, Yngwie Malmsteen, Zakk Wylde (OZZY OSBOURNE, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY), Nuno Bettencourt (EXTREME) and Tosin Abasi (ANIMALS AS LEADERS) teamed up for a North American tour called "Generation Axe", in which the five musicians shared a backing band and performed together in addition to playing individual sets.

A year after their successful inaugural tour, the five guitarists reconvened for an 11-city tour of Asia that included a stop in Beijing, China. Select performances from that April 2017 concert appear on the new live recording, "Generation Axe - The Guitars That Destroyed The World: Live In China". The album is currently available for pre-order on CD and vinyl via Pledge Music.

The track listing is as follows:

01. Generation Axe - Foreplay (BOSTON cover)

02. Tosin Abasi - Tempting Time (ANIMALS AS LEADERS cover)

03. Tosin Abasi/Nuno Bettencourt - Physical Education (ANIMALS AS LEADERS cover)

04. Nuno Bettencourt - A Side Of Mash (medley of EXTREME solos)

05. Nuno Bettencourt/Zakk Wylde - Sideways (CITIZEN COPE cover)

06. Zakk Wylde - Whipping Post (THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND cover)

07. Steve Vai - Bad Horsie

08. Yngwie Malmsteen - [to be announced]

09. Yngwie Malmsteen/Steve Vai - Black Star

10. Vai/Wylde/Bettencourt/Abasi - Frankenstein (Edgar Winter cover)

11. Generation Axe - Highway Star (DEEP PURPLE cover)

he album's cover artwork can be seen below.

According to a press release, the "Generation Axe" experience goes way beyond simply gathering five guitar greats on one stage. Much of the time when multiple rock guitarists join in jamming, the results are conventional and often even a mess. But the arrangements of some of the classic tracks performed by these five players makes for a magnificent cacophony of organized chaos unlike anything ever presented before.

Vai says the idea behind "Generation Axe" was "to create a seamless show with one backing band and five completely accomplished and astonishing guitarists that take to the stage in various configurations, performing some of their solo music and merging together as cohesive co-creators of lushly orchestrated guitar extravaganzas."

In a video posted on the album's Pledge Music pre-order page, Vai describes "Generation Axe" as "pure controlled chaos." "My favorite thing about 'Generation Axe' is the tour bus," he says. "Between the hours of 1 a.m. and 7 a.m., when we're all hanging out in the lounge just rapping. I wake up in the morning [and] my jaw hurts from laughing so much. These guys, they're out of their minds."

"Generation Axe" is currently in the midst of its second North American tour, which wraps up in Los Angeles on December 18.

British thrashers ONSLAUGHT have entered the studio to begin recording their new album. The first teaser video can be seen below.

ONSLAUGHT guitarist Nige Rockett recently spoke to The Metal Crypt about the band's latest additions, drummer James Perry and guitarist Wayne Dorman. He said: "James has been waiting in the wings to join the band for many years now. He's a longtime friend and helped us out on a South American tour back in 2013. He really is an incredible drummer. Strangely enough, James had e-mailed me around a month before Mic Hourihan left, saying if we ever needed him, he is ready and waiting, so bang, James was straight in; no drama whatsoever. It was a real easy transition and he already knew 80 percent of the songs. Regarding Wayne, we headhunted him through videos, etc. on YouTube. I really liked his guitar style and he is also an amazing vocalist, which helps massively with backing vocals and with the songwriting."

According to Nige, it was "hugely important" for him and his bandmates to find the right guys to step into the group. "Lineup changes can be a huge pain in the ass, so if and when it happens, you have to make changes that are going to improve the band and take it to another level musically," he said.

"As I said previously, we all knew James and what a great drummer he is so that chemistry was already in place. I had a lot of conversations with Wayne before he joined the band to make sure we were all on the same wavelength. He's very hungry for success and his enthusiasm for moving ONSLAUGHT onwards and upwards was very infectious and it's already paying off greatly as his contributions so far have been very positive."

sked what the new ONSLAUGHT members have brought to the band, Nige said: "Both guys have brought with them musicianship of the highest order and a very relaxed and chilled attitude into the ONSLAUGHT camp. It's a very happy and cool place to be right now and it feels like there are no limits to what we can achieve with this lineup.

"We have played three festivals/shows so far and the fans have been super amazing as always. The feedback from everyone about James [and] Wayne has been 150 percent positive, which says we totally made the right decisions.

"From a guitar point of view, Wayne is one of the tightest players I've had the pleasure to share a stage with over the years, and we all love his style of soloing — it's pure, full-on metal; no-nonsense, no prisoners taken."

Rockett also spoke about the material ONSLAUGHT has written for the follow-up to 2013's "VI" album. "We've already played one of the new songs live a few times," he said. "It's titled 'A Perfect Day To Die' and the response has been mind-blowing. We couldn't have asked for more from the fans. It's always a worry when you air a new track for the first time, but everyone who has heard the song has already taken to it just like one of the older classics."

Nige said that he and his bandmates "always set the bar as high as possible with each and every record we make. I see no point or joy in making a new album that's not as good as your previous releases; that would just be conning ourselves and our fans," he explained. "So yeah, the bar is high and we're up for the challenge. I have a really good feeling about the new recordings."

Fan-filmed video footage of ONSLAUGHT performing "A Perfect Day To Die", on August 10 at the Bloodstock Open Air festival at Catton Park, Derbyshire, United Kingdom can be seen below.

ONSLAUGHT released a concert CD/DVD, "Live At The Slaughterhouse", in February 2016 via AFM. The 13-song set captured two performances in the U.K. (Bristol and London) featuring the lineup of Rockett, Sy Keeler (vocals), Jeff Williams (bass), Leigh Chambers (guitar) and Mic Hourihan (drums).

"VI" was released in September 2013 via AFM Records. The follow-up to 2011's "Sounds Of Violence" was mixed by Thomas "Plec" Johansson (TIAMAT, SCAR SYMMETRY) at Panic Room studios in Skara, Sweden.

....and so it begins
How is this for a teaser? Huge thanks to @GrindstoneStudios for the video clip....more news soon!Posted by Onslaught official on Sunday, November 18, 2018

Joe Perry has canceled his previously announced fall headlining shows as he continues to take some time off following his recent hospital visit. The AEROSMITH guitarist will now take the rest of the year off and looks forward to seeing his fans again in 2019.

Refunds are available at point of purchase.

Perry's solo dates were set to begin November 30 and run through December 16.

Only minutes after guesting with Billy Joel on stage on November 10 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, Perry experienced shortness of breath and was treated by paramedics. The legendary rocker, who's now 68, was taken out of the Garden on a stretcher after paramedics worked on him in his dressing room, reportedly inserting a tracheal tube down his throat at one point.

ccording to TMZ, doctors ran a series of tests and determined that Perry was suffering from a combination of allergies and fatigue.

Joe, who has reportedly had breathing issues his whole life, tweeted last week that he was "doing well" and thanked fans "for all the love and support."

As most fans will remember, back in July 2016, Perry collapsed during a HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES gig at Brooklyn, New York's Ford Amphitheater at Coney Island Boardwalk.

Alice Cooper, who fronts the all-star covers band, recalled to CBS News at the time that he was unaware that Perry was perhaps not geared up for such a rigorous schedule. "I didn't realize AEROSMITH only did two shows a week. Honestly, I just figured everybody was like me. I do five shows a week, and very physical shows. We were on our eighth show in 10 days. It was pretty brutal. I think [Joe] was dehydrated and basically exhausted. I talked to him before the show and he said, 'I don't think I've eaten anything in three days.' I went, 'Well, that's not smart.'"

Cooper went on to squash the rumors that Perry had collapsed due to a coronary, explaining: "It wasn't his heart, though, and it wasn't anything vital, because four or five days later, he was on stage with us and I'd never seen him look so good."

Perry has played several shows this year in support of his most recent solo album, "Sweetzerland Manifesto".

Photo credit: Zack Whitford

Ian Gillan spoke to SiriusXM about "Born Again", his first and only studio collaboration with BLACK SABBATH, which was recorded at Richard Branson's Manor Studios in Oxfordshire and then released in August 1983.

One of SABBATH's most poorly reviewed efforts, "Born Again" began with a bender at the Bear Inn, one of the oldest pubs in Oxford, England.

"How it started is was just 'cause we got drunk together one night," the DEEP PURPLE frontman said. "I went for a drink with Tony [Iommi] and Geezer [Butler], and we ended up under the table. And I can't remember much more that happened. But I got a call from my manager the next day saying, 'Don't you think you should call me if you're gonna make decisions like this?' I said, 'What are you talking about?' He said, 'Well, apparently you… I just got a call. You agreed to join SABBATH.' So that's how it happened. I was at a kind of loose end anyway, having just finished with my own band and PURPLE not really being anything viable at the time. So we set a one-year plan, and it was to do an album and a tour. Nobody knew what was gonna happen, so we pitched up and I pitched my tent, literally, at the old manor in Oxfordshire. And we made an album. I didn't see much of 'em. They were night people, so they slept all day and worked all night. I got up in the morning, cooked my breakfast, went to the studio to hear what they had recorded the night before and write a song over it. And that's how the album was made."

Gillan went on to describe the making of "Born Again" as "a challenge for me. It was a bit like doing [Andrew Lloyd Webber's rock opera] 'Jesus Christ Superstar' or singing with [opera singer Luciano] Pavarotti; it's just something completely different," he explained. "But Tony is such a great writer. You know what to expect with Tony. There's no multidirectional approach. He is the father of everything that came out of Seattle, I believe. He's just very direct, and that's how he evolved from the early days.

I found it very easy to sing and write songs with [Tony]," Ian continued. "And we had a couple of good ones. There was always a narrative. My favorite song from that album is 'Trashed', which was a true story about a racetrack and too much drink and spinning a car and crashing it and going upside down. It was exciting times."

The second track on "Born Again" was a brief instrumental called "Stonehenge", and on SABBATH's 1983 tour, the band hilariously had to shelve a Stonehenge stage concept because the scenery was much too big to use.

"We had a production company called Light And Sound Design; they were in Birmingham, where the band was based," Gillan recalled. "And after rehearsal one day, we had a kind of meeting to go the office, and as we were walking through these corridors, one of the guys said, 'By the way, anyone got any idea of a concept for a stage set or anything?' And Geezer Butler said, 'Yeah. Stonehenge.' And the guy said, 'Wow! That's great.' He said, 'How do you visualize it?' And Geezer said, 'Well, lifesize, of course.' We didn't quite go lifesize, but it was about two-thirds. And we could never get it all up on a stage. We played some huge arenas, and places, stadiums, and you couldn't get it [up there]. So there are parts of it, there are monoliths that are all lying around in docklands somewhere and are spotted around the world, as far as I know."

In addition to being the only BLACK SABBATH album to feature Gillan, "Born Again" was also the last of the band's studio albums to feature drummer Bill Ward.

A longtime treasure among hardcore SABBATH fans, "Born Again" was re-released in the spring of 2011 as a special two-CD set featuring a 1983 live performance from the Reading Festival.

At the time of its initial release, "Born Again" was a commercial success. It was the highest-charting BLACK SABBATH album in the United Kingdom since "Sabbath Bloody Sabbath" and became an American Top 40 hit. Despite this, it became the first BLACK SABBATH album to not have any RIAA certification (gold or platinum) in the U.S.

In a recent interview with Loudwire's "Gear Factor", EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt offered an update on the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2014's "Blood In Blood Out" album. "I've been writing new EXODUS material for, like, months now — for, like, close to a year now — and we've got a massive fucking catalog of riffs and songs," he said (see video below). "And [EXODUS drummer] Tom Hunting and I are just getting together when I'm home and we're just working on new stuff and taking our time. We're not in any hurry. We're gonna make sure it's a fucking earthshaking moment when the album's done."

Although it was originally reported that the veteran San Francisco Bay Area thrashers would go into the studio in October 2017 to work on the new effort, the band will now not begin tracking the next disc until Holt is done playing with SLAYER as part of that band's "final" world tour.

"Blood In Blood Out" was EXODUS's first album since the departure of the group's lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

Holt spoke in a 2017 interview about the musical direction of EXODUS's next disc. He said: "Of the stuff I've written so far, I think the songs are shorter, but I think they're also at the same time more progressive than the last album. It's a little outside the box. It's really super crushing, but I think people will be surprised."

e added: "It's an EXODUS album, but as of now, the stuff Tom and I have been putting together is a bit different. It's got those subtle changes that make for a departure, but it will still stay true to the core of the band's sound."

IN THIS MOMENT singer Maria Brink has confirmed to New York's Q103 radio station that the band has begun the songwriting process for the follow-up to last year's "Ritual" album. "Some of my bandmembers are flying in here to Albany and they're gonna be writing with me for a few weeks here till the next HALESTORM tour starts," she said in an interview that was conducted in mid-October. "We are writing," she added. "It has begun. We're writing on the road as well. So it's all happening."

According to Brink, IN THIS MOMENT is riding a wave of energy by continuing to play shows while finding ways to stay musically inspired. "We're so grateful and lucky that in our career… We're like the slow tortoise that could — we're really slow, but we have this slow, steady uphill [climb]," she said. "'Cause we're six albums in and we have the highest sales that we've ever had, we're getting the biggest offers we've ever had, we're climbing up to the top, we're headlining certain festivals. We can't believe it — we're the strongest we've ever been — so we don't wanna ruin our momentum and all of a sudden disappear for a really long time. We feel really empowered, we feel really creative and kind of excited. So we just wanna dive into it, we wanna start creating, we wanna start bringing all these things alive so that next summer we can be coming back out and just keeping this strength growing. And we love it and we live for it. So it kind of keeps us feeling alive."

Earlier this year, IN THIS MOMENT guitarist Chris Howorth told Guitar Interactive magazine that the band will tentatively enter the studio in February 2019 to begin recording its next album.

"Ritual" included an eerie cover of Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight", and Brink told KLAQ's Lisa Sanchez that there is a good chance the follow-up effort will see the band tackling yet another classic song.

I don't what we're gonna do yet, but I definitely wanna do [a cover]," Maria said. "I love doing covers. Labels always like 'em anyway, cause they use 'em for other things and stuff too. So I'm actually on the hunt right now [for] what to cover."

"Ritual" was produced by IN THIS MOMENT's longtime collaborator — and multiple Grammy Award nominee — Kevin Churko (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, OZZY OSBOURNE).

Extreme metallers ARCH ENEMY will release a strictly limited, hand-numbered seven-inch single and a digital single for their song "Reason To Believe" on December 7 through Century Media Records. Both formats, physical and digital, feature the cover song "Shout" (TEARS FOR FEARS) as a B-side.

The seven-inch single will be available in the following vinyl colors:

* Black vinyl (limited to 300 copies)

* Clear vinyl (limited to 100 copies, only available at CMDistro EU)

* White vinyl (limited to 200 copies)

* Silver vinyl (limited to 200 copies, only available at Nuclear Blast)

* Red vinyl (limited to 200 copies, only available at EMP)

On January 18, 2019, ARCH ENEMY will release a compilation, "Covered In Blood", of all cover songs the band has recorded throughout its career.


his past summer, ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott spoke to Hayley Leggs about the band's decision to record a near-ballad, "Reason To Believe" — complete with clean vocals — for its most recent studio album, 2017's "Will To Power".

"I wrote the music for that song with my brother [former ARCH ENEMY guitarist Christopher Amott], and it was obviously a ballad, and we thought, 'Well, if we use it for ARCH ENEMY, it's gonna be weird to just growl and scream on that music,'" he said. "So I talked to [ARCH ENEMY frontwoman] Alissa [White-Gluz] about it, and we came up with the arrangement and everything.

"But it's actually gone down very well with the fans," he continued. "And it's always been my ambition anyway… I've never been a diehard, 'It's gotta be all extreme or nothing.' A lot of my favorite music… I grew up with thrash and death metal, but also I'm a big fan of SCORPIONS and JUDAS PRIEST. All those great bands — SCORPIONS, JUDAS PRIEST, MANOWAR, BLACK SABBATH — they've all got ballads as well. So I think this makes us more of a complete metal band in a way."

According to Michael, White-Gluz's addition to ARCH ENEMY following the 2014 departure of Angela Gossow has "opened up a few doors for me as a songwriter, because she's got more things she can do with her voice. So now we're gonna explore that a bit," he said.

In a 2017 interview with Revolver, Alissa said that some ARCH ENEMY fans were "really surprised" to hear her sing "different ways. But I've been doing that since high school and in my other bands, [such as THE AGONIST], so that's nothing new to me," she explained. "In the ARCH ENEMY world, it seems like there were only a few people who knew that. When I posted the video I did with KAMELOT for 'Liar, Liar', a lot of people were, like, 'Um, what is going on?' And I was like, 'Wait, you don't know about this? [Laughs] From that point on, a lot of people were like, 'Wow, we want to hear clean singing in ARCH ENEMY, too. And actually, Michael had been dying to write sort of like an extreme-metal ballad. So it was perfect."

SLIPKNOT percussionist M. Shawn Crahan (a.k.a. Clown) has revealed to Metal Hammer magazine that he is sitting on an album's worth of music recorded during the "All Hope Is Gone" sessions in 2008.

While making SLIPKNOT's fourth album, Crahan and his bandmates Jim Root, Corey Taylor and Sid Wilson wrote and laid down different music at a separate studio. One of the resulting songs, "Til We Die", is featured on the digipak release of "All Hope Is Gone", but the rest has yet to see the light of day.

Crahan told Metal Hammer: "There's a collection of songs that were recorded, 11 I think, I've held on to them for 10 years because it hasn't been right, and I'm going to let you know now that it's feeling right.

"Is it SLIPKNOT? No, it's not SLIPKNOT. Is it four members of SLIPKNOT? Yes. It's four members of SLIPKNOT. Is it music being written at the same time as 'All Hope Is Gone'? Absolutely.

Jim would write guitar then go down and play guitar on the album, then come up and finish playing guitar on the song. That's how we'd kill time during those four months."

He added: "There's a big collection of music, it's fucking really amazing. It's so amazing it had to be held back to wait for the right time, it's been 10 years. It wasn't going to be one of those things to loosely go out and confuse everyone, and piss everyone off.

"I'm not going to put music out to spite people — we do things the right way in this camp. The right way is that sooner or later, people need to be made aware of it because it's the truth. It happened. We spent time doing it, we worked it every day, we mixed it, we mastered it, there's artwork. It's amazing stuff. But it's all got to be right in the story of SLIPKNOT."

The 10th-anniversary edition of "All Hope Is Gone" will be released on December 7. The package will feature re-imagined artwork and a bonus disc containing an audio recording of the band's 2009 headlining concert at Madison Square Garden.

"All Hope Is Gone" debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 with first-week sales of nearly 240,000 copies in the United States. It marked the first No. 1 for the masked hard rockers, who scored a No. 2 with 2004's "Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses" and a No. 3 with 2001's "Iowa".

SLIPKNOT also topped the Billboard chart with its latest album, 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter". That effort sold 132,000 copies in its first week of release.