Industrial metal veterans MINISTRY will release their new album, "AmeriKKKant", on March 9, 2018 via Nuclear Blast Records. The disc will feature guest appearances by DJ Swamp (Beck), Burton C. Bell (FEAR FACTORY), Arabian Prince (N.W.A.) and Lord Of The Cello.

Produced by mainman Al Jourgensen, recorded at Caribou Studios in Burbank, California between January and May this year, and with striking artwork created by Mister Sam Shearon, the album's psychedelic, politically influenced and very much in-your-face nine tracks are rooted in Jourgensen's unadulterated anger for what’s happening in America today — the waning respect for the U.S. Constitution, the growing acceptance of one’s opinions replacing facts, the decline of our leaders' sense of morals, ethics and personal responsibility to the country and to their constituents, and the mad man in the White House.

"This album, 'AmeriKKKant', will provide FEMA-type relief for the devastation 'Hurricane Cheeto' has brought upon us," stated Jourgensen.

"AmeriKKKant" track listing:

01. I Know Words
02. Twilight Zone
03. Victims Of A Clown
04. TV5/4Chan
05. We're Tired Of It
06. Wargasm
07. Antifa
08. Game Over
09. AmeriKKKa

The official music video for the song "Antifa" can be seen below.

In 2016, Jourgensen announced plans to record a new MINISTRY studio album to follow 2013's "From Beer To Eternity", despite previously saying there would be no further MINISTRY records after the death of longtime guitarist Mike Scaccia in 2012.

MINISTRY guitarist Sin Quirin told Alamo True Metal about "AmeriKKKant": "After the last tour last year is when [Al] was talking about wanting to do another record. The process, it changes from record to record. Sometimes we show up with ideas already kind of formed, but for this record, it was a lot of writing on the spot. He was pretty open to just different ideas. He didn't really have any 'Okay, I want it to be like this. I want it to be like that.' We definitely brought slower ideas, if that makes any sense, as opposed to just playing a thousand miles an hour like some of our early records. It was a bit more experimental and we brought different instruments into this record that I don't think people will be expecting to hear from us. It's definitely stuff that I don't think people are going to be expecting from a MINISTRY record, but it was pretty organic in that sense that we would show up and bring ideas and start tracking and see what we ended up with at the end of the day. We brought a couple of ideas that were in very basic forms and then just jumped from there. It was something that we might have worked on months earlier. It starts off one way and then by the time you're done with the song, it's completely different, but it started from an initial idea. That was the way we went about doing this record. It wasn't, 'Okay, I want you to write like this. I want you to write like that.' It was, 'Let's see what you got. Bring what you have to the table.' It was pretty cool. For me, it was really cool that we got so many people involved in this album. Other times, it would be just a couple of people that were doing things in the studio. For this, Cesar [Soto, guitar] is on it, JB [John Bechdel] is on it, I'm on it, Al's over it. JB was saying there's a bunch of different things and other guest people that are on it as well. For me, Tony's [Campos, bass] on it as well, it felt more like a band effort, which was really cool."

MINISTRY recently completed a North American tour with DEATH GRIPS as support.

Photo credit: Phil Parmet

IRON ANGEL has inked a deal with Scandinavia's premiere metal-rock label Mighty Music. The band's new album, "Hellbound", will be released on May 4, 2018.

IRON ANGEL is one of the true cult legends of the German speed metal genre. Formed in the Hamburg-area back in 1980 and known for two classic eighties metal album "Hellish Crossfire" from 1985 and "Winds Of War" from 1986 and a reputation as a staggering live band. The band has toured Germany with KING DIAMOND and in recent years has showed it is still a live band to reckon with at festivals like Metal Magic in 2016 and earlier this year at the Headbanger's Open Air in Germany. The band also recently toured South America with big succes.

Now the time has finally come for the long awaited comeback album from the band — the first studio effort in over 30 years!

IRON ANGEL is currently booking summer festivals and a European tour for the autumn of 2018.

Watch the official lyric video for the new song "The Unnamed One" below.

Pre-orders for the "Hellbound" album (released on limited-edition color LP, black LP, CD and digital) and the first official single and music video release will follow in January next year.

IRON ANGEL lineup:

Dirk Schröder - vocals
Didy Mackel - bass
Mitsch Meyer - guitars
Robert Altenbach - guitars
Mäx Behr - drums

In a career that has spanned in excess of 30 years and during which they have sold more than eight million albums, two-time Grammy-nominated U.S. progressive-metal band DREAM THEATER has never done the predictable. This was evident with the release of their ambitious 2015 concept album "The Astonishing" and the elaborately-produced tour that followed.

Now DREAM THEATER is pleased to announce that it has signed with Sony Music worldwide, through Sony's leading progressive music label imprint InsideOut Music, for the release of the band's forthcoming 14th studio album. They join an impressive roster of bands, many of which wouldn't exist without DREAM THEATER blazing a trail before them, and inspiring young musicians since the early '90s.

The band comments: "We are all really excited about signing a brand-new record deal with InsideOut/Sony! We've known Thomas Waber for a very long time and it's great to finally get a chance to work together. Thomas' enthusiasm, energy, music industry expertise and positive outlook towards the future of DT's recording career has been incredible to witness, and we have no doubt that being part of the InsideOut/Sony family will be an amazing creative and professional experience for all of us!"

InsideOut Music label head/A&R Thomas Waber adds: "This is what the term 'coming full circle' was invented for. We've followed the band closely ever since they started touring in Europe in 1993, and there has been a lot of history and friendship between DT and us for close to 25 years. Stepping up to the plate to join with them for this next important chapter in their career feels like the natural and right thing to do. I can't wait to get started!"

Sony Music Germany CFO Philip Von Esebeck adds: "This is an important signing in our goal to support and grow the InsideOut Music label as a brand, and we are very excited at Sony Music to welcome DREAM THEATER to our roster of top-tier artists!"

Since completing the theatrical stage presentation/fifteen-month touring cycle for "The Astonishing", DREAM THEATER has been circling the world in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the band's much-loved and gold-selling record "Images & Words", its breakthrough album which spawned the Top 10 hit "Pull Me Under".

Beginning in February 2017, the band has played in Europe, Japan, Australia, India, South East Asia, and the Middle East and just finished up their tour in North America.

DREAM THEATER keyboardist Jordan Rudess recently
said that the band will "take a break" after being on the road "for almost two years." He added: "And then [we will] go into the studio and make a new album around May [2018] and see what happens."

Guitarist John Petrucci has hinted that DREAM THEATER's next album will be musically inspired by the band's "Images, Words & Beyond" tour, which saw the pioneering group celebrating the 25th anniversary of "Images And Words".

DREAM THEATER's latest album, "The Astonishing" was released in January 2016 via Roadrunner.

Photo by Mark Maryanovich

Fan-filmed video footage of EXTREME's December 7 performance at LKA Longhorn in Stuttgart, Germany can be seen below.

EXTREME's long-awaited follow-up to to 2008's "Saudades de Rock" album is tentatively due next year.

Singer Gary Cherone told Metalholic in October 2016 that EXTREME's fans will be pleased with the musical direction of the group's new material. He said: "There will be, like all EXTREME records, familiar elements, but also stuff… Over the years, when Nuno and I write, we're affected by our environment and music changes throughout the years, so those elements… There will still be some new elements to the band as well. Hopefully that always happens; you always wanna grow and evolve and move on. But the guitars will be there, the harmonies will be there, the songs, the hooks, the lyrics… There'll still be elements of the past, but certainly new elements [as well]."

A live package celebrating EXTREME's "Pornograffitti" album was made available in October 2016. Titled "Pornograffitti Live 25 / Metal Meltdown", it includes a DVD, Blu-ray and audio CD recorded at the band's show at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Casino on May 30, 2015, where they performed the record in full.

LEGEND OF THE SEAGULLMEN will release its self-titled debut album on February 9, 2018 via Dine Alone Records. The track "Shipswreck", taken from the upcoming disc, can be streamed below.

LEGEND OF THE SEAGULLMEN is a genre-destroying supergroup featuring TOOL's Danny Carey on drums, MASTODON's Brent Hinds on guitar, director Jimmy Hayward ("Jonah Hex") on guitar, David "The Doctor" Dreyer on vocals, ZAPPA MEETS ZAPPA's Peter Griffin on bass, and Chris DiGiovanni on synth, alongside the help of a few more rippers.

Joining forces to make cinematic psychedelic rock, the SEAGULLMEN sing of ship wrecks and giant mutant squid, crafting conceptual rock 'n' roll hymns of epic proportions.

"Legend Of The Seagullmen" will be available on vinyl, CD, and digitally in a variety of packages via Dine Alone Records. (Limited-edition bundles include drumsticks hand-signed by Danny Carey, along with band jewelry!)

The SEAGULLMEN will take to the stage on New Year's Eve, alongside PRIMUS, in Oakland, California.

"Legend Of The Seagullmen" track listing:

01. We Are The Seagullmen
02. The Fogger
03. Shipswreck
04. Curse Of The Red Tide
05. Legend Of The Seagullmen
06. The Orca
07. Rise Of The Giant
08. Ballad Of The Deep Sea Diver

Dutch female-fronted rockers NEMESEA have released an alternate version of the song "Hear Me". The track, which originally appeared on the band's latest album, 2016's "Uprise" (Napalm Records), features vocals by NEMESEA's latest addition, Sanne Mieloo. Sanne joined NEMESEA in May 2017 as the replacement for Manda Ophuis, who decided to leave the band in 2016 to focus on her education job with highly gifted children.

Says the band: "NEMESEA is banging on your door with this new version of 'Uprise' track 'Hear Me'. Vocalist Sanne pulls off a tour de force with audible ease and the new dirty key sound production by Matthijs offers you a glimpse of NEMESEA 2.0!"

Back in 2006, NEMESEA became the first band internationally to succeeded in a crowdfunding campaign for its new album. They also broke new ground when they performed two unique live shows in 2009 in P3, Purmerend, Holland in full 9.2 surround sound.

With "Uprise" and "Forever" single receiving positive reviews, the NEMESEA members were determined to go on following Manda's departure. Auditions were held in October and November 2016 and Mieloo was chosen to front the group after she persuaded the musicians with her great voice, versatility, stage presence as well as her fresh ideas.

NEMESEA's first collaboration with Sanne was the single "Dance In The Fire", which was produced by Guido Aalbers and released last spring.

Sanne studied cum laude at the Conservatory, wrote her own musical theater performances and was connected to several productions by live entertainment company Stage Entertainment. She's also performed in several musicals, including "Tarzan" and "Sister Act". That said, her talent hasn't gone unnoticed; over the last three years, Sanne performed in several productions in Germany, Austria, Poland and Japan. Apart from her work in the theater world, she has experience in the music scene as well; she's travelled as a backing vocalist for singer Oonagh across major venues in Germany. Most recently Sanne played a leading role in the musical "Tanz Der Vampire" in Switzerland.

NEMESEA is:

Sanne Mieloo: Vocals
Hendrik Jan De Jong: Guitar
Sonny Onderwater: Bass
Steven Bouma: Drums
Mathijs Van Til: Keyboards

NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) veterans BLITZKRIEG have released the official music video for their new song "Reign Of Fire". The track is the title cut of the band's new single, which was released as a seven-inch vinyl EP on December 8 in a limited edition of five hundred copies embraced by amazing handdrawn old-school metal artwork by Lee Murphy.

Says BLITZKRIEG guitarist Ken Johnson: "We are very excited about the 'Reign Of Fire' EP coming out on our new label/home, Mighty Music, prior to the new album release in 2018. Let's re-ignite the fire... flame on."

"Reign Of Fire" was recorded by Phil (Vandetta) Davies at Downcast Base HQ Recording Studios, Newcastle upon Tyne, England and mixed by Johan Haagesen at Hansen Studios, Ribe, Denmark.

Track listing:

Side A: Reign Of Fire
Side B: Judge Not (exclusive track for this vinyl release only)

BLITZKRIEG recently entered the studio to record its first album for Mighty Music and follow-up to 2013's "Back From Hell". A spring 2018 release is expected, to be followed by a European tour.

2015 marked the thirty-fifth anniversary of BLITZKRIEG, which came into existence in 1980. Although their debut single, "Buried Alive" b/w "Blitzkrieg" (on Neat Records) was released in 1981, it was not till 1985 that the band recorded its debut album, as Ross was involved with his other group, SATAN, recording and touring their debut opus, "Court In The Act".

BLITZKRIEG's "A Time Of Changes" included the band's self-titled song "Blitzkrieg", which was covered by METALLICA on the "Creeping Death" EP. METALLICA's drummer, Lars Ulrich, commented that BLITZKRIEG was one of his band's main musical inspirations, along with DIAMOND HEAD.

Brian, the only remaining founding member of BLITZKRIEG, said: "Lars Ulrich phoned me up and asked if they could cover the song.

"METALLICA were, and still are, big fans of the band. We have met up with them a few times over the years and I am really pleased that they still play 'Blitzkrieg' at gigs."

Brian said that he tried to give the then-unknown METALLICA a helping hand in the early 1980s.

"They sent me their demo when they were still unsigned, asking for my help to get them on our label," he said. "But the label turned them down, saying they'd never go anywhere.

"I met up with the guy who made that call a few years ago and he says it is the biggest mistake of his life."

BLITZKRIEG is:

Brian Ross - Lead vocals
Ken johnson - Guitars, keyboards, backing vocals
Alan Ross - Guitars, Backing vocals
Matt Graham - Drums
Huw Holding - Bass

Band photo by Geoff Duke

On November 17, guitarist Bill Steer of British extreme metal pioneers CARCASS was interviewed by "Met Al Metal", Israel's metal radio show hosted by brothers Lior and Niv Peleg. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below.
Asked if CARCASS is planning to release the follow-up to 2013 comeback album, "Surgical Steel", Steer said: "Yeah, there is a plan of a kind — purely in terms of working on material. I mean, we haven't booked any studios or anything, 'cause we're really not that far down the line. It's been five years or so of regular travel. We've been away so much. We've done five or six American tours off this record, so there hasn't been a huge amount of time to do that kind of work in between. Everyone just goes their separate ways and kind of avoids each other until it's time to go [on the road] again. But there have been times when Dan [drummer Daniel Wilding] and myself have got together and worked on a bunch of tunes, and lately Jeff's [Walker, bass/vocals] started to get involved. So it's kind of entered the second phase. And I think before long, we'll start to demo some stuff, just to get a feel for the direction of the album. We've got tons of material; it's just trying to find a focus for this, really."
Steer told Dead Rhetoric last year about a possible musical direction for CARCASS's next studio album: "All I would say is there has to be small stylistic elements that haven't appeared on CARCASS records before. We're going to be walking the tightrope of sounding like the band CARCASS and bringing in new elements. There's nothing valid to say if we're going to do a retread… what's the point?"
Joining Steer, Walker and Wilding in CARCASS's latest incarnation is guitarist Ben Ash (PIG IRON, DESOLATION, LIQUEFIED SKELETON).
"Surgical Steel" sold around 8,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 41 on The Billboard 200 chart.
Interview (audio):

"I have Bell’s palsy," reveals The Browning vocalist Jonny McBee. "With Bell’s palsy, I’m not able to move the right side of face. According to the doctors, and after researching online, there is not much to be done to remedy this other than to wait.

"Bell's palsy is caused by your brain swelling, leading to your facial nerve being pinched and unable to be used. This can last anywhere from a few weeks to potentially being permanent.

"Right now, I have had it for a week and it feels that each day, something is getting slightly worse. I am almost out of the steroids I was prescribed by the doctor, and once I am done with those, I will go back in to get re-evaluated.

"I have people telling me there’s nothing I can do and people telling me to get acupuncture and do some Chinese herbal treatments. There really isn't enough information out there on this and it is really annoying to deal with.

"It makes things that much harder, as I am already dealing with a lot of pressure, so to have this happen inhibits me from being as productive as I need to be. The pressures of writing a new album, streaming full time, making money, home life, and general happiness are all things I struggle with daily. Now, a lot of those things have been put in jeopardy because of some random thing in my brain being screwed up. Add to that the uncertainty of the outcome or how long things may be delayed!
 
"I know there are a lot of people out there that support me and probably don't care about a delay as much as I do. The last thing I want to do is disappoint anyone, mainly myself.

"I might not be able to control the outcome of being able to move my face, talk properly, or blink. But what I can control is my motivation to not let it stop me from being creative, and inspiring others. Once I am able to speak properly, I will record vocals to finish up our new album. Until then, I’ll focus on my health, and really nail down the instrumentals for this album."

Watch McBee's video detailing his diagnosis below:

Following the release of the long-awaited documentary "Let's Play Two" that immortalized PEARL JAM's sold-out August 2016 shows from Wrigley Field comes the "Let's Play Two" baseball game named "Home Run Hitting Contest". Designed as an 8-bit game inspired by the iconic performances at Wrigley Field, the game features all the band members as baseball players. Play it here. "Let's Play Two" was directed by renowned director/photographer Danny Clinch and produced by Monkeywrench Productions, Tourgigs Productions, Universal Music Publishing Group, Republic Records, FOX Sports and Major League Baseball in collaboration with Milkt Films and Polygram Entertainment.

With Chicago being a hometown to Eddie Vedder, PEARL JAM has forged a relationship with the city, the Chicago Cubs and Wrigley Field that is unparalleled in the world of sports and music. From "Ten" to "Lightning Bolt", the feature film shuffles through PEARL JAM's ever-growing catalog of originals and covers — spanning the band's twenty-five-year career. Through the eyes of Danny Clinch and the voice of PEARL JAM, the film showcases the journey of the special relationship — using the past and present of both the band and the Chicago Cubs through the music, the sweat and the eternal hopes of being both a Cubs fan and PEARL JAM fan.

"In my films and photographs, I love to explore the relationship between a band, their fans and the location," Clinch explains. "When it happens that the main characters of your film are PEARL JAM, the Chicago Cubs, their fans, and Wrigley Field during a historic moment, you know it's going to be epic. Our instincts were correct to follow the story and it took us to a historic Game 7 of the World Series ending a hundred-and-eight-year drought for the Cubs. I have learned to welcome the unexpected and it always pays off if you're ready for it."

Clinch and Milkt executive producer Lindha Narvaez have been a director/production team on film projects for fifteen years, including PEARL JAM live concert film "Immagine In Cornice" (2007) and various PEARL JAM EPKs throughout the years.

Danny, Lindha and "Let's Play Two" cinematographers Vance Burberry and Josh Goleman as well as editor Taryn Gould collaborated with PEARL JAM to produce content for the release of 2013's "Lightning Bolt", including a short film and music video for "Mind Your Manners".

Republic Records released the "Let's Play Two" soundtrack in September in conjunction with the film's theatrical release.

Test your baseball skills with the #LetsPlayTwo game for a chance to win a signed @Cubs baseball & #PearlJam bat. https://t.co/dvf5kGydAq pic.twitter.com/dTiDdvaDIr

— Pearl Jam (@PearlJam) November 27, 2017

Italian stoner space rockers Kayleth have premiered the official video for "Forgive", the first single from their forthcoming new album Colossus, scheduled for release by Argonauta Records on January 12th, 2018.

The cover art, tracklisting, and a teaser video for Colossus can be seen below.

"Lost In The Swamp"
"Forgive" 
"Ignorant Song" 
"Colossus" 
"So Distant" 
"Mankind's Glory" 
"The Spectator" 
"Solitude" 
"Pitchy Mantra" 
"The Angry Man" 
"The Escape" 
"Oracle"

 

Austrian death / thrash metallers Darkfall have released a brand new lyric video for the track "The Way Of Victory", which is taken from the band's current album At The End Of Times, released last September via Black Sunset / MDD.

The battle footage was provided by the Neustadt Support Association, which organizes the Burgfest Neustadt-Glewe.

Tracklisting:

"Ride Through The Sky"
"The Breed Of Death"
"The Way Of Victory"
"Deathcult Debauchery"
"Ashes Of Dead Gods"
"Your God Is Dead"
"Blutgott"
"Welcome The Day You Die"
"Ash Nazg - One Ring"
"Land Of No Return MMXVII"

For further details, visit the official Darkfall Facebook page.

 

Croatian death metal act, Infernal Tenebra, have released a music video for "As Nations Fall", the title track of their latest album, available via Massacre Records.

The album was produced by vocalist/guitarist Darko Etinger, and mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios in Orebro, Sweden. The artwork, designed by Gustavo Sazes, reflects the album's theme perfectly: society's dysfunctional void of conscience, where human rights are just a phrase, and no one respects life's true values.

The new video is directed and brought to you by Meisterwerk Productions with a ferocious sound crafted by Fascination Street Studios. Check it out below:

Video footage of Denver’s nihilistic trio, Primitive Man, performing the Caustic album track "Victim" at Brooklyn's Saint Vitus Bar on November 6th can be seen below. The footage was filmed by Maximum Volume Silence.

Recorded and produced at Flatline Audio by Dave Otero (Cobalt, Cephalic Carnage, Cattle Decapitation), Caustic is 12 songs and 75+ minutes of bloodcurdling howls, abysmal tones and dense, unsettling feedback spewing forth a cesspool of utter misery. With lyrical themes ranging from political corruption, personal struggle and the crumbling social climate facing the world today, Caustic serves as a cataclysmic soundtrack for a world gone awry.

Caustic is available now on CD/2xLP/CS/Digital via Relapse Records. Physical packages and digital orders are available via Relapse.com here and Bandcamp here.

Caustic tracklisting:

“My Will”
“Victim”
“Caustic”
“Commerce”
“Tepid”
“Ash”
“Sterility”
“Sugar Hole”
“The Weight”
“Disfigured”
“Inevitable”
“Absolutes”

Album stream:

“Victim” video:

“Commerce” visualizer:

Bruce Dickinson says that the long-awaited follow-up to his 2005 solo album "Tyranny Of Souls" will likely include a reworked version of "If Eternity Should Fail", the opening track on the latest IRON MAIDEN disc "The Book Of Souls".

During the press junket for "The Book Of Souls", Dickinson revealed that he had about "half" of his seventh record already written and he also confirmed that "If Eternity Should Fail" was originally penned as a Dickinson solo track.

On December 5, Bruce told Finland's Kaaos TV that there are still tentative plans for him to resume work on his new solo album. "I just need to go and get some time and go and write some more material," he said (see video below).

According to Dickinson, the original plan was for his next solo record to be "a whole concept album, which was gonna be called 'If Eternity Should Fail'. And 'If Eternity Should Fail' was the title track to my new solo album," he said. "And a bit like [Dickinson's 1989 solo song] 'Bring Your Daughter To The Slaughter' [laughs], it got commandeered for IRON MAIDEN. So if I did do another solo album, which I think I will, I might just stick to my original plan and have that as the title track. I mean, I did write it — it was the first track that I wrote for it. So, yeah, I'd probably still include that song. But it would be… the feel would be slightly different — not very much, though — from the MAIDEN version."

Back in 2015, Dickinson told France's Hard Force magazine that "If Eternity Should Fail" ended up being used by IRON MAIDEN after bassist Steve Harris heard the demos that Bruce was working on for what was supposed to be his next solo album. "And [Steve] went, 'That's a really cool song. Can we use that? That's gonna be the opening song on the album,'" he recalled. "And I went, 'Yeah, okay.' And he was already writing, I think… He was already thinking of 'The Book Of Souls' as being the title, so he told me about the Mayan thing. And I'm, like, 'Yeah, that's cool. Okay. Yeah, I see where you're going.' But in my case, that song was written as part of a story. So the spoken word at the end is the beginning of a story that goes through the whole album. And one of the characters is Dr. Necropolis; he's the bad guy. And the good guy is Professor Lazarus; he raises people from the dead. So that introduces Necropolis in the spoken-word thing. And I asked Steve… I said, 'Look. Okay. I get having the song…' 'Cause it opens up with, 'Here is the soul of a man.' 'Yup. Get that. But what about the end?' I said, 'Will people understand what this is about? Because this is nothing to do with the Mayans or anything. This is to do with… I'd come up with a concept album that doesn't happen.' [Laughs] And he [went], 'No, no, no. It's just talking about souls and everything, and it sounds great.' I went, 'Okay.' [Laughs]"

Dickinson made his recording debut with IRON MAIDEN on the "Number Of The Beast" album in 1982. He quit the band in 1993 in order to pursue his solo career and was replaced by Blaze Bayley, who had previously been the lead singer of the metal band WOLFSBANE. After releasing two traditional metal albums with former MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith, Dickinson rejoined the band in 1999 along with Smith. Since then, Dickinson has only released one more solo album (the aforementioned "Tyranny Of Souls") but has previously said that his solo career is not over.

METALLICA and GUNS N' ROSES have made Forbes magazine's Highest-Paid Musicians Of 2017 list.

The data was compiled over a year's time, based on pretax earnings between June 1, 2016, to June 1, 2017. GUNS N' ROSES earned a cool $84 million during that time, while METALLICA pocketed $66.5 million.

To form the list, Forbes considered pretax income from June 1, 2016 through June 1, 2017, and did not take out fees charged by agents, managers and lawyers. The magazine gathered data from Nielsen SoundScan, Pollstar, the RIAA and interviews with industry insiders.

Forbes's top 10 highest-paid musicians of 2017 are:

01. Diddy ($130 M)
02. Beyoncé ($105 M)
03. Drake ($94 M)
04. The Weeknd ($92 M)
05. COLDPLAY ($88 M)
06. GUNS N' ROSES ($84 M)
07. Justin Bieber ($83.5 M)
08. Bruce Springsteen ($75 M)
09. Adele ($69 M)
10. METALLICA ($66.5 M)

GUNS N' ROSES concluded its 18-month "Not In This Lifetime" reunion tour on November 29 in the band's hometown of Los Angeles.

GUNS N' ROSES will return next June for a seven-week European jaunt, but the band's plans until then, and beyond that, remain unknown for now. The three original members have not given a single interview together.

The reunited trio, along with four backing musicians from latter lineups, have been on the road almost continuously since the tour was launched with a surprise show at the Troubadour nightclub in Los Angeles on April 1, 2016.

Although some fans have grumbled that two members of the original lineup — guitarist Izzy Stradlin and drummer Steven Adler, the latter of whom did appear at a handful of stops on the tour — remain on the sidelines, the trek has been wildly successful, reportedly grossing more than $400 million since its launch a year and a half ago.

The European leg of METALLICA's "WorldWired" tour kicked off in Copenhagen, Denmark on September 2 and ran through November 3. After a break, the trek will pick up again on February 1, 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal, and continue through May, finishing up in Helsinki, Finland.

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame band is touring in support of its tenth studio album, "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", which came out in November 2016.

The first ten of the shows of the North American "WorldWired" tour during May and June grossed $49.5 million in ticket sales.

Swedish band GHOST has surprise released the digital edition of a live album called "Ceremony And Devotion", just hours after posting a video teaser for the set online. It is available for streaming at all premium outlets and for purchase at Amazon and iTunes. The official cover artwork for the disc was revealed in the latest issue of Sweden Rock Magazine. The physical version of the LP will be out on January 19. The band has also streamed the song "Absolution" from the set.

Frontman Tobias Forge — who does all the band's interviews anonymously as a Nameless Ghoul — told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that he's always looking to expand GHOST's live performances. "The idea has always been, ever since we started, to have a very theatrical show," he said. "We basically want to be an arena band where you can bring a lot of production and a show where you go through different phases and, you know, a lot of costume changes and more magical tricks and more bombs and more fire and smoke and...more Disney On Ice, in a way."

The last-ever GHOST concert to allegedly feature Forge's onstage persona, Papa Emeritus III, took place on September 30 in Gothenburg, Sweden and ended with the singer apparently being forcibly removed from the stage. A very elderly man wearing a white and gold version of Papa's robes and his signature make-up took the stage and addressed the crowd, saying in Italian, "I am Papa Emeritus Zero. The party is over and now a new era begins. The Middle Ages begin now."

Of course, this is all part of the joke: the band supposedly dismisses the old Papa and recruits a new one on every LP, but they are all Forge, who will no doubt perform as a new Papa Emeritus on the next album cycle.

Forge has been working on the group's fourth studio album for a tentative April 2018 release. The new disc will follow up 2015's "Meliora", which featured the Grammy-winning hit "Cirice", and last year's "Popestar" EP, which included the chart-topping "Square Hammer".

Four former members of GHOST sued Forge earlier this year, accusing him of cheating them out of their rightful share of the group's profits. Forge countered that they were hired hands and that the band was essentially his project.

The singer hired an all-new lineup of musicians for touring purposes in the first half of 2017, all of whom performed anonymously as Nameless Ghouls.

Scotland-based metal/doom rockers King Witch will release their debut full-length, Under The Mountain, via Listenable Records early this February.
 
Under The Mountain was recorded and produced by guitarist Jamie Gilchrist at their underground studio in their home city of Edinburgh, mixed and mastered by Tom Dring at Vagrant Recordings (Dragged Into Sunlight, Acolyte) in Southport and comes swathed in artwork created by vocalist Laura Donnelly. The record serves as King Witch's follow-up to their debut EP, Shoulders Of Giants, and boasts nine riff-laden tracks offset by the powerful yet bewitching vocals of Donnelly. Influenced by everything from Black Sabbath and Led Zeppelin to Mastodon and High On Fire, Under The Mountain is as melodic as it is monolithic, taking its listener on a journey from soulful doom to full-tilt metal mayhem.
 
Formed in early 2015 in a dark cavern beneath the streets of old Edinburgh, King Witch manifests a potent and heavy brew of old school metal and the meatiest of '70s classic rock. In a time where many seek to stick rigidly within the confines of their chosen genre, King Witch simply writes the songs they want to play.
 
Under The Mountain is scheduled for a February 9th, 2018 release via Listenable Records. Preorders can be found at Listenable.net.

Tracklisting:

“Beneath The Waves”
“Carnal Sacrifice”
“Solitary”
“Under The Mountain”
“Approaching The End”
“Ancients”
“Hunger”
“Possession”
“Black Dog Blues”

(Photo by: Alan Swan)

Extreme metal outfit GRAVEN — formed in the ashes of SWARM OF THE LOTUS — makes its destructive return, ending a four-year hiatus with the construction of a new EP titled "Heirs Of Discord" for release in 2018. With its members currently located in Arizona, Maryland, New Jersey, and Florida, GRAVEN initiated the recording sessions for "Heirs Of Discord" last week, having traveled from their various current residences around the country to lay down tracks at Pristine Audio And Video in St. Petersburg, Florida with engineer Dee Blume, who will also mix and master the record. Teddy Patterson (BURNT BY THE SUN, HUMAN REMAINS, GRIDLINK) has joined the lineup, and in addition, original HUMAN REMAINS guitarist Stephen Procopio will appear on a cover of "Human" from HUMAN REMAINS's ageless "Using Sickness As A Hero". Said GRAVEN: "The time has come to officially announce what we've been working on for a while. Talks started earlier this year about reuniting to get this done and it hasn't been easy, as all of us live in a different part of the country now. Pre-production has been lengthy, involving passing demos back and forth via e-mail, until we felt confident we were ready.

"Our longtime friend Teddy Patterson will be joining us for the album and lending his talent in the bass department. His tracking will be done at Backroom Studios with engineer Kevin Antreassian of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN.

"We are beyond stoked on everything and after a four-year hiatus, we are happy to be back and making music again!" Following the disbanding of SWARM OF THE LOTUS in 2010, three of its members established GRAVEN, reworking the lineup and moving forward with a more extreme approach, bridging the crushing sludge/metallic hardcore explosiveness of the former act with more guttural death, grind, and doom devastation. GRAVEN began to play live in various lineup incarnations in 2011, and released its first EP, "The Filth Will Cleanse", in November 2012. They recorded two songs for a three-way split release with BURN EVERYTHING and RECKONER for Dullest Records which was released in May of 2014, however, GRAVEN went on hiatus in late 2013, leaving at least five songs on the table which were never recorded. Some of this material has been resurrected and reworked, and will finally see the light of day as part of "Heirs Of Discord". The "Heirs Of Discord" sessions will continue at various studios over the next several months, completed with artwork by Unexpected Specter, and released digitally and on vinyl sometime mid-2018, with select live appearances also being scouted out for late next year, following the release. "Heirs Of Discord" track listing:

01. I Dreamt You Were Dead 02. To Ravage And Absolve03. A Failed Mask04. Thieves Of Rotted Ilk05. Backwards To Oblivion06. Human (HUMAN REMAINS cover) GRAVEN is:

Peter Maturi - guitar/vocalsChris Csar - drumsJason Borowy - vocalsTeddy Patterson - bass

British hard rock band MAGNUM will release its new album, "Lost On The Road To Eternity", on January 19, 2018 via Steamhammer/SPV. It will be the 20th studio recording by the group led by founding members Bob Catley (vocals) and Tony Clarkin (guitar) since its 1978 debut, "Kingdom Of Madness". At the same time, Clarkin, Catley and bassist Al Barrow are set to introduce their current lineup, featuring new additions Rick Benton (keyboards) and Lee Morris (ex-PARADISE LOST; drums). Benton joined the MAGNUM camp in December 2016 to replace longstanding member Mark Stanway, while Morris took over from Harry James only a few months ago.

"Lost On The Road To Eternity" contains eleven new songs, among them the first single "Without Love" — the lyric video for which can be seen below — and a duet by Catley and Tobias Sammet on the title track, a kind of artistic thank you by the EDGUY and AVANTASIA frontman in appreciation of Catley's guest stint on a number of Sammet's releases.

The release will once again be complemented by Rodney Matthews's atmospheric cover artwork as well as a total of four live bonus tracks on the CD digipak version ("Sacred Blood - Divine Lies", "Crazy Old Mothers", "Your Dreams Won't Die" and "Twelve Men Wise And Just") recorded at MAGNUM's 2017 performance at the Leyendas Del Rock festival in Alicante, Spain.

"Lost On The Road To Eternity" will be made available as a digipak version including a bonus live disc, 2LP colored version, download and stream.

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

CD 1

01. Peaches And Cream (4:54)
02. Show Me Your Hands (5:45)
03. Storm Baby (6:13)
04. Welcome To The Cosmic Cabaret (8:08)
05. Lost On The Road To Eternity (5:54)
06. Without Love (5:55)
07. Tell Me What You've Got to Say (6:27)
08. Ya Wanna Be Someone (5:56)
09. Forbidden Masquerade (5:02)
10. Glory To Ashes (5:35)
11. King Of The World (7:04)

CD 2 (Bonus Live Disc)

01. Sacred Blood – Divine Lies (6:48)
02. Crazy Old Mothers (5:35)
03. Your Dreams Won't Die (5:56)
04. Twelve Men Wise And Just (6:21)

MAGNUM will embark on a major European tour from January to April 2018.

Devilment, led by Cradle Of Filth frontman Dani Filth, were scheduled to play The Underworld in London, England on December 10th - this show has now been cancelled. Refunds available at point of purchase. The press release reads:

"Dani has been struggling with a torn shoulder muscle since the previous Cradle Of Filth tour, and on advice from his doctors and not wanting to make the injury worse or perform a sub-standard show, we have had to make the decision to cancel the show. Devilment are already in the process of writing the third album, and are looking to return to playing live in summer 2018 festival season.

The band all wish to thank those of you that have been out to see Devilment, and humbly apologise to those of you who have got tickets to the London show. We are all gutted and again would like to thank all of you for your continued support."

The video for “JudasStein”, from Devilment II - The Mephisto Waltzes, can be seen below.

Visionary and highly influential writer Michael Moorcock, who worked with the bands Hawkwind and Blue Öyster Cult, memorably stated that ‘it is the business of the future to be dangerous’.

Ottawa three-piece The Dead Centuries are both futuristic and dangerous… which is as it should be. Influenced by Protest The Hero, Periphery, Paul Gilbert, Sithu Aye and Intervals, The Dead Centuries can easily hold their heads up in such exalted company.

Composing and performing technically precise instrumental progressive metal, The Dead Centuries are rich in virtuosity, melody, compositional skills, and most importantly... they create superb music to listen to. This isn’t the sound of three musicians showing off their undoubted skills, rather they are serving their songs above all else, with every fibre of their beings, every neuron firing in their minds, every tendon in their bodies. In a sense it is as if the three musicians that make up The Dead Centuries have become one mind in their own music.

Set to unleash their debut album, Race Against Time, on January 26th, the full length features ten tracks of melodic, high energy and refreshing material. Full of hook and sinker tracks, shining guitar riffs and overall escapades through their instrumental progressive metal has to offer.

Guitarist Adam Tremblett comments: "The album title Race Against Time is loosely representative of the experience writing, recording, and preparing the collection of songs. Throughout the process there have been band member changes, last minute rewrites, and several other testing circumstances. These have only served to further determine The Dead Centuries to release a high quality release that truly represents the band as a whole."

The first single, "Overdrive", which features a guest guitar solo from Mandroid Echostar's James Krul is available for streaming below.

Tremblett adds: "'Overdrive' is a very melodic, upbeat song, with the focus being on fun singable melodies. Starting with a half tempo clean theme, the song then picks up, keeping the melody, but adding heavier rhythm and more energy. There are several guitar harmonies throughout, a staple of the album. The song also features the album's second guest, James Krul (Mandroid Echostar), again by way of a guitar solo trade off."

Pre-order "Race Against Time" at the band's Bandcamp page, or at iTunes and Google Play.

Tracklisting:

"Freddy Lounds"
"Gotham"
"Reboot"
"Tree Fort"
"Blood Dragon"
"Attack of The Mutant" ft. guest solo Jeff Tremblett
"Venus Gospel"
"Overdrive" ft. guest guitar solo James Krul (Mandroid Echostar)
"Attack of The Mutant Pt. II"
"Souvenir"

"Overdrive":

Album band lineup:

Adam Tremblett – Guitar, Bass, Programming
Bryant McNamara – Drums

Live band lineup:

Adam Tremblett – Guitar
Bryant McNamara – Drums
Jacob McSheffrey - Guitar

(Photo - Adrienne Row-Smith)

EMP Label Group, the U.S.-based label of MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson has announced the relaunch of Combat Records, the seminal punk/thrash label that started MEGADETH's career.

Most will remember Combat as one of the seminal thrash labels of the 1980s, their most prominent artist being, of course, MEGADETH. Combat was also home to HELSTAR, CIRCLE JERKS, EXODUS, NUCLEAR ASSAULT and many of the most influential metal and punk bands of all time.

After a handful of ownership changes and attempted reboots, Combat went dormant in the mid-2000s, the catalog got absorbed by Sony, and the label itself ceased to exist. In 2016, Ellefson, with his partner Thom Hazaert from EMP Label Group, did the due diligence to research and acquire the intellectual property for the Combat Records brand, and bring it home to the EMP family.

With the utmost respect to the legacy of the past, Combat will relaunch in 2018 as an imprint of EMP Label Group, releasing not only new records from classic thrash and metal artists, but as a home for new and up-and-coming artists as well. The first tentative Combat releases in 2018 will be the North American release of the upcoming studio album from legendary NWOBHM titans RAVEN, a limited-edition classic B-sides release from HELSTAR (both original Combat artists) and new releases from Connecticut hardcore/metal staples DEAD BY WEDNESDAY and '80s progressive thrash favorites WRATH.

Says Ellefson: "Today is a really exciting day, as after over a year, it was finally announced the we will be relaunching the legendary Combat Records as a new label through EMP Label Group.

"So excited and honored to be able to revive such an iconic brand that was so instrumental to my history.

"Even though we signed to Capitol after 'Killing Is My Business', Combat's logo was on all the MEGADETH releases through 'Countdown To Extinction', and it truly was/is one of the most iconic metal labels of all time, even being home to some of the other artists who would end up on the EMP roster, like HELSTAR. The same independent spirit that drove Combat in those early days is truly the same spirit that drives what we do with EMP, and we are honored to launch another amazing conduit to support new and established metal artists, with great respect to the legacy of the past.

"And to clarify, we do not own any rights to the Combat back catalog. That is owned, and controlled by Sony, and they have done a great job of curating it through other imprints. Combat Records will solely focus on NEW releases under the Combat banner. As always, thank you for your support, and stay tuned for more details!"

Combat will be distributed through EMP Label Group, via Amped Distribution in North America, and SPV in Europe.

Artwork by: Melody Myers

Zimmers Hole (featuring 3/4 of Strapping Young Lad) - Jed Simon aka "El Smooche" (Strapping Young Lad, Scar The Martyr, Tenet, Vimic) and bassist Byron Stroud aka "Sickie Moochmaster" (Strapping Young Lad, Fear Factory, City Of Fire, 3 Inches Of Blood) alongside legendary drummer Gene Hoglan aka "The Atomic Clock" (Strapping Young Lad, Testament, Dethklok, Death, Dark Angel) and front-devil Chris Valagao aka "Lorde Heathen" (West Of Hell) - have just inked a fresh worldwide deal with Scrape Records.

Scrape Records will be reissuing the entire Zimmers Hole catalogue (Bound By Fire, 1997, Legion Of Flames, 2002 and When You Were Shouting At The Devil... We Were In League With Satan, 2008) on special edition CD and for the very first time on 180 gram vinyl in 2018. All hand-numbered including a small amount of CDs and vinyl autographed by the band and more. Not available in stores.

Additional liner notes from Devin Townsend and new artwork from Travis Smith (Opeth, Strapping Young Lad, Death, Devin Townsend).

Pre-orders / bundles available now at scraperecords.com/zimmers-hole/.

Scrape Records have also set up an Indiegogo pre-order campaign featuring rare and one-of-a-kind Zimmers Hole / SYL / Devin Townsend related items at this location.

Watch out for a brand new Zimmers Hole studio album on Scrape Records in late 2018.

Three members of the classic DOKKEN lineup have reunited in a new project called SUPER STROKE. The band, which is rounded out by former LYNCH MOB and current WARRANT singer Robert Mason, is working on material for its debut album, to be released in late 2018.

In a brand new interview with Glide Magazine, former DOKKEN bassist Jeff Pilson, who has been a member of FOREIGNER for the past 13 years, said: "I have a project that we'll be announcing soon that is George Lynch, Mick Brown and I, from DOKKEN. We have a project with Robert Mason called SUPER STROKE. It won't be coming out until well into next year but we've already written a lot of songs for that and it's absolutely stupendous. I am really proud of that and real excited."

Asked what the SUPER STROKE music sounds like, Pilson said: "There's definitely some DOKKEN in there. There is a little bit of the straight-ahead LYNCH MOB-ness in certain aspects but then another aspect we get quite musical. It's not progressive but very musical. Some of the songs are pretty epic in their musicality. George is playing his ass off. I mean, the whole band is playing great, I got to say. And Robert is just an amazing singer and it's so much fun. Robert is in WARRANT right now, and he was the second singer for LYNCH MOB. There's a lot of connections in there. So I'm doing that."

DOKKEN's classic lineup reunited for a short Japanese tour in the fall of 2016. The trek marked the first time in twenty-one years DOKKEN's classic lineup had hit the road.

A CD and DVD of DOKKEN's Japanese tour will tentatively arrive in March 2018. It will feature footage from two of the Japanese shows — including Tokyo — plus a brand new song, for which DOKKEN plans to film a video in December.

Singer Don Dokken told "The Classic Metal Show" that the main reason he doesn't want to continue with the classic DOKKEN lineup is that he "loves" the band he has now — which features Brown, alongside guitarist Jon Levin and bassist Chris McCarvill.

German power metallers IRON SAVIOR will release "Reforged - Riding On Fire" on December 8 via AFM Records. The disc contains re-recorded versions of the best and most popular songs IRON SAVIOR has released so far. These 2017 re-recordings come with a much more powerful sound, of course, but the band managed to keep the songs' original character and feel.

IRON SAVIOR decided to re-record the material because the band's early albums was not available anymore but a reissue was not possible due to legal reasons.

"We can't re-release our albums from the Noise Records years in their initial form," IRON SAVIOR leader Piet Sielck says, "but we are free to re-record songs from these albums. We've approached this challenge with a lot of enthusiasm."

"Reforged - Riding On Fire" will be made available as a two-CD digipak and double vinyl.

"Reforged - Riding On Fire" track listing:

01. Riding On Fire
02. Battering Ram
03. Brave New World
04. Prisoner Of The Void
05. Titans Of Our Time
06. Eye To Eye
07. For The World
08. Mindfeeder
09. Watcher In The Skye
10. Mind Over Matter
11. Warrior
12. Iron Savior
13. Tales Of The Bold
14. No Heroes
15. Break The Curse
16. Condition Red
17. Protector
18. I've Been To Hell
19. Atlantis Falling

The new version of "Battering Ram", taken from "Reforged - Riding On Fire", can be streamed below.

After a long five-year wait, New Jersey's Spider Rockets are at long last rolling out the lyric video to support their new single, "Sick". The single is from the group's upcoming full album release, Along Came a Spider, due out early 2018. Watch the clip below.

The new lyric video is a bit of a departure from the typical After Effects, graphics-driven lyric video flooding the current scene.

"We wanted to keep it organic, flowing, and to reflect the theme of the actual song," reveals lead singer, Helena Cos.

The video frames a scene set on a bar top where an unwilling female hand is passing handwritten notes (the song's lyrics) to a captive audience of one - a male hand on the receiving end. Suffice it to say the evening doesn't go very well for the bar fly looking for a hookup.

"It was all shot in a single take with no edits," adds guitarist, John Nap. "This made the shoot really fun, but we definitely have new respect for bands that do this kind of stuff. It's really hard to get all the action just right without screwing something up and then fixing it in post!"

The band's new album is the long-awaited follow up to 2012's, Bitten, which spawned the single "Going Down", adopted by Charlotte Flair of the WWE (daughter to wrestling icon, Ric Flair) as her introduction and victory theme song for much of 2014.

"Sick", as well as the rest of the new material, follows in the footsteps of Spider Rockets' previous album - delivering their brand of lean and mean, straight-ahead rock that has earned them their no-nonsense reputation.

When asked why "Sick" was chosen to mark their return, Helena confessed, "Keeping angry feelings bottled up inside rarely works for us. So, instead, we share them in a song. Unicorns and rainbows? Hell no!  We're here to kick your ass and make you sick."

The group is currently planning some live dates for the New Year, so keep your eyes open, especially in the northeastern United States. Spider Rockets' "Sick" will be available for download via most online music sites tomorrow, Friday, December 8th.