Swedish sleaze rockers CRASHDÏET have recruited Gabriel Keyes as their new vocalist. His addition to the band was first reported in the latest issue of Sweden Rock Magazine.
Gabriel, the brother of HIGHRIDE bassist Kriss Keyes, is the fourth singer for CRASHDÏET, which was previously fronted by Dave Lepard (2000-2006), H. Olliver Twisted (2007-2008) and Simon Cruz (2009-2015).
CRASHDÏET says: "[Gabriel] is the guy that blew our minds a while back when we first heard his voice. Then we started hanging out, writing music and the chemistry was a fact. We can't wait to let you hear him!"
Adds Gabriel: "I'm so fuckin' excited to get this circus started! I'm here to give you a kickin' experience both live and in the studio and I hope you all are lookin' forward to it, 'caaause I fuckin' do!"
A brand new single called "We Are The Legion" will be released on New Year's Eve.
CRASHDÏET's first show with Gabriel will take place on March 30, 2018, at Kägelbanan in Stockholm, Sweden.
CRASHDÏET's most recent release was the "Live In Sleaze" album, which was recorded in 2005 and features Lepard on vocals.
Cruz, who was previously a member of the Stockholm act JAILBAIT, joined CRASHDÏET in 2009 as the replacement for H. Olliver Twisted (now in RECKLESS LOVE).
Former CRASHDIET singer David Hellman (a.k.a. Dave Lepard) was found dead on January 20, 2006 at his apartment in the Swedish city of Uppsala, north of Stockholm. It was reported in several places that he hanged himself, although this was never officially confirmed.
CRASHDIET's latest album, "The Savage Playground", entered the official chart in Sweden at position No. 2. The CD was released in January 2013 via Frontiers.
CRASHDÏET released a DVD titled "Shattered Glass And Broken Bones – Three Years Of Generation Wild" on December 4, 2012. The disc featured three hours of live and behind-the-scenes footage complied by the band with Bear Productions.

Danish thrash/power metallers MANTICORA have inked a deal with ViciSolum Records for the release of their upcoming eighth and ninth albums — the first material from the band in almost eight years.
The two albums, which are a part of a grandiose concept based on the thriller/horror novel that lead singer Lars F. Larsen has written, will be released as two separate albums one year apart. The novel itself is scheduled for an April 2018 release, followed by the first album during the summer 2018. Futhermore, the plan is to release the album in small droplets — one song at the time.
Guitarist Kristian Larsen comments: "It's really cool to sign with a label who's actually doing something for the bands they are signing, be it promotion, advertisement and/or active hard work. We'll be labelmates with our good friends from PERSEFONE and LOCH VOSTOK. What else does a metal musician need?"
The music will be recorded and mixed at Hansen Studios with producer Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, DESTRUCTION) who also helmed the first two MANTICORA albums back in the last millenium, and vocals will be recorded with Tommy Hansen at Jailhouse studios (HELLOWEEN, BEYOND TWILIGHT, JORN). Tommy previously produced five albums for the band.
MANTICORA has written more than 20 tracks for the upcoming releases, which sees a return to the concept-album style that the band pursued on four previous albums. The concept is based on the band's original novel "To Kill To Live To Kill", which is a horror/thriller story but with a twist of extreme lunacy and horrid scenes of violence. Think "Saw" meets "American Psycho".
MANTICORA has released seven critically acclaimed albums since 1999 and toured numerous times around Europe as well as in the U.S. and played at prestigious festivals, such as Wacken Open Air, Sweden Rock Festival and ProgPower USA.
MANTICORA is:
Kristian Larsen - guitarLars F. Larsen - vocals Stefan Johansson - guitarsSebastian "Ceppe" Andersen - bass To be announced - drums

WE SELL THE DEAD will release its debut album, "Heaven Doesn't Want You And Hell Is Full", on February 23, 2018 via earMUSIC.
Revolving around Niclas Engelin (IN FLAMES, ENGEL), DRÖMRIKET's Jonas Slättung, Gas Lipstick (former HIM drummer) and the voice of Apollo Papathanasio (SPIRITUAL BEGGARS, FIREWIND), WE SELL THE DEAD goes beyond the strains of conventional storytelling and create a multi-media experience of premium quality heavy metal music embedded in visually stimulating and atmospheric visuals. Heavy-yet-melodic sounds transport the listener into a Victorian inspired world that is defined by pompous manors and daunting luxury standing in deep contrast to the harshness and cruelty of the gutter. It is a world that reeks of hysteria, but, above all, a sense of mysticism and dark romanticism. WE SELL THE DEAD's music rises above this, not merely pointing out this injustice, but expanding the narrative into the extreme, playing with themes of ghosts, death or religion.
But not only… Despite a reference to Victorian times, WE SELL THE DEAD maintains a very modern and ever-so-current approach that translates to the world we live in today. Explains Slättung: "From the late 1800, an era that has inspired our band enormously, comes one of the greatest and darkest crime mysteries of them all: Jack The Ripper. We don't know 100 percent who he was but we know his horrendous deeds. All the visuals we had in our mind, combined with the sometimes slightly morbid lyrics, made us think that this is what music would have sounded like if heavy metal had existed in the 19th century, or if Jack The Ripper had travelled forward in time to join a metal band. WE SELL THE DEAD would have been his natural choice for a backing band. He probably would have felt right at home with us.
"But, at the same time, the world hasn't exactly evolved into a beautiful place since the 1880s. In the 1979 movie, 'Time After Time', Jack The Ripper escapes justice by, indeed, fleeing in a time machine to 1979. After getting caught by his followers, The Ripper utters this line of wisdom: 'Back in 1893, I was a monster. Today... I'm an amateur.'" "Heaven Doesn't Want You And Hell Is Full" will be released as a CD, LP and on digital.
Track listing:
01. The Body Market02. Echoes Of An Ugly Past03. Leave Me Alone04. Imagine05. Turn It Over06. Too Cold To Touch07. Trust08. Pale And Perfect09. Silent Scream

An AI developed a very convincing black metal album by analyzing bits of an older black metal album and reconfiguring the music into an entirely new work.

Artificial Intelligence software might still have a way to go in terms of creating 'original' content, but one new AI wrote a black metal album that has even the biggest rock music fans impressed.

The Coditany of Timeness is a black metal album that resulted from a project done by CJ Carr and Zack Zukowski. The album is EP-length at just five songs, but every note and every song title were created by the AI's algorithm.

Like similar AIs which create their own musical compositions, this AI had to break down and synthesize another artist for inspiration. In order to create the album, the AI analyzed the album "Diotima" by Krallice, a New York-based black metal band. Carr and Zukowski then fed the audio segments into a neural network and trained the AI to guess what the next waveform of audio would be. Correct responses led to stronger pathways in the same way that our human brains develop stronger connections between neurons as we learn a new skill or activity.

However, "Coditany" didn't always sound great. As with any musician learning how to play an instrument, the project didn't always sound great.

“Early in its training, the kinds of sounds it produces are very noisy and grotesque and textural,” said Carr in an interview with The Outline. “As it improves its training, you start hearing elements of the original music it was trained on come through more and more.”

The AI's creators put together their experience in a Dadabots paper titled "Generating Black Metal and Math Rock: Beyond Bach, Beethoven, and Beatles."

“While we set out to achieve a realistic recreation of the original data, we were delighted by the aesthetic merit of its imperfections,” reads the Dadabots paper, which the duo is scheduled to present next week at the Neural Information Processing Systems conference in Long Beach, California. “Solo vocalists become a lush choir of ghostly voices, rock bands become crunchy cubist-jazz, and cross-breeds of multiple recordings become a surrealist chimera of sound.”

Coding and Music Composition
As the title of Zukowski and Carr's paper hints, developers have been training AI systems to create music for years. And yes, AIs have tackled Bach, Beethoven, and the British invasion band itself -- the Beatles. (If you don't listen to the lyrics too closely, the Beatles recreation produced by a Sony CSL artificial intelligence program is very convincing.)

Last year, Google's AI Experiments crafted the AI Duet built by programmer (and musician) Yotam Mann.

"Just play some notes, and the computer will respond to your melody," Google developers noted on the webpage. "You don’t even have to know how to play piano—it’s fun to just press some keys and listen to what comes back. You can click the keyboard, use your computer keys, or even plug in a MIDI keyboard. It's just one example of how machine learning can inspire people to be creative in new ways."

Critics of these programs are quick to point out small issues with the musicality or the music simply lacking a 'human element.' However, AI systems are certainly on their way to becoming a much larger part of the musical realm and even creative processes as a whole.

HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD has released a brand new video for the song "Black Cadillac", taken from the band's latest album, "V". The video and the track both feature B-Real from CYPRESS HILL.
"We haven't done a straight-up hip-hop song like this in a while, so this one made sense, and we got B-Real on it, who we all grew up listening to. It was an honor to have him participate," said HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD's J-Dog.
"Filming the video was a bitch! Brian Cox had to find a black cadillac in nowhere Minnesota; then we filmed shots in The Rave in Milwaukee, at a cemetery in Pennsylvania and on a green screen in Calgary Canada. But it was all worth it."
"V" was released on October 27 via Dove & Grenade Media/BMG and debuted on the Billboard Top 200 album chart at #22 and #7 on the Top Current Albums sales chart. The album is the band's fifth Top 25 debut overall.
The number five holds a deep significance and for the five members of HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD — Johnny 3 Tears, J-Dog, Charlie Scene, Funny Man and Danny.
"We're five brothers, and this is our fifth record," affirms Johnny 3 Tears. "Nothing gets to the essence of the music like this number does.
"Numerology has a lot of power. When we said 'five,' it just made sense. The fact that we could all agree on one word codifies who we are. It also nods back to 'No. 5' from our first album, because it was our fifth song. Moreover, it hints at this secret society of fans supporting us for the past decade. The number is significant, and this is a significant moment for us."
HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD is currently wrapping up a North American tour that launched in September with BUTCHER BABIES as support. European dates will begin on January 24 in Glasgow, U.K. at the O2 Academy.

According to TMZ, Chester Bennington's autopsy shows that he had alcohol in his system at the time of his death. The toxicology results, obtained by TMZ, also reveal that the LINKIN PARK singer's blood tested "presumptive positive" for MDMA, otherwise known as ecstasy, based on one test. Two subsequent tests did not detect the drug, and the ultimate conclusion was Chester was not under the influence of drugs when he died. Authorities found a prescription bottle of Zolpidem, which is used to treat insomnia, on his dresser. There was also a pint glass of Corona, which was less than half full, and an empty bottle of Stella Artois.
Chester's wife Talinda told the police that Bennington had been prescribed anti-depressants in the past, but had not taken them for more than a year.
Dr. Christopher Rogers, deputy medical examiner at the Los Angeles Coroner's Office, wrote in the report that "autopsy findings are characteristic of suicidal hanging. There was a history of suicidal ideation."
Bennington died on July 20 after committing suicide at the age of 41. He had been open with the press and public about his struggles with depression, drugs and alcohol, which landed him in rehab twice around 2006.
Nani Cholakians, an investigator with the Coroner's Office, deputy medical examiner at the Los Angeles Coroner's Office, wrote in the report that Chester was found "hanging with a ligature around his neck. The ligature was a black leather belt with a metal buckle engraved with 'Hugo Boss.' The belt was looped around [Chester's] neck, then through the buckle, before extending up towards the door frame. The belt passed between the top edge of a door and the door frame. The buckle was at the posterior of [Chester's] neck.
"On a dresser in the room was a prescription for Zolpidem 10mg containing one tablet broken in half. It was filled on 06/29/2017. Also on this dresser was a one-pint glass bottle of Corona, less than half full.
"On the counter of an attached bathroom was an empty glass bottle of Stella Artois, two bottle caps (Stella and Corona), two pairs of glasses, a wallet and a towel."
The full report can be found at this location.
LINKIN PARK paid tribute to Bennington on October 27 with an emotional three-hour show that featured numerous guests joining the band onstage at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
Among the artists who performed with the band throughout the show were BUSH's Gavin Rossdale, Jonathan Davis of KORN, Alanis Morissette, the instrumental members of NO DOUBT, Oli Sykes of BRING ME THE HORIZON, BLINK-182, M. Shadows and Synyster Gates of AVENGED SEVENFOLD and many more.

Just clearing this up: TMZ erroneously printed CB had MDMA in his system when he passed. That was incorrect, they misread the report. They have since corrected their piece, see below. I hope other publications have the decency to do the same. pic.twitter.com/MwglKqjsOc
— Mike Shinoda (@mikeshinoda) December 6, 2017

AVENGED SEVENFOLD will release a special acoustic album, "Live At The Grammy Museum", on December 8. The performance was recorded on October 19 at the Clive Davis Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles, California.
A portion of the proceeds from this digital-only release will benefit the education initiatives of the Grammy Museum, which seek to inspire youth to the enduring qualities and cultural significance of music.
"Live At The Grammy Museum" track listing:
01. Opening02. Introduction To 'As Tears Go By'03. As Tears Go By04. Introduction To 'Hail To The King'05. Hail To The King06. Introduction To 'Roman Sky'07. Roman Sky08. Introduction To 'Exist'09. Exist10. Introduction To 'So Far Away'11. So Far Away
AVENGED SEVENFOLD's latest album, "The Stage", will be re-released as a "deluxe edition" on December 15.
The band's 2018 North American arena headlining tour will kick off January 12 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville with special guests BREAKING BENJAMIN and BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE.
AVENGED SEVENFOLD has been nominated for a Grammy for "Best Rock Song" for "The Stage". It's the first-ever Grammy nod for the Southern California-based group comprised of singer M. Shadows, guitarists Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ and drummer Brooks Wackerman.
Also nominated in the "Best Rock Song" category are METALLICA's "Atlas, Rise!", K.FLAY's "Blood In The Cut", NOTHING MORE's "Go To War" and FOO FIGHTERS' "Run".

In a brand new interview with myPalmBeachPost focusing primarily on his "Rawk - The Art of Jason Newsted" art exhibition, former METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted reflected upon his decade and a half with the San Franciscian heavy metal giants, beginning in 1986 and ending in 2001.
"The band was the real deal. There were no weak links," Newsted said of former bandmates Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett. "We were four people, who were the faces of [the band], but there were 4,000 people who helped us do that show, from the crew, to the venues, to a guy in Timbuktu selling posters. We took it seriously. If we were supposed to go on at 8:01, we were there at 8:01."
Newsted, who was born in Battle Creek, and grew up in the town of Niles, Michigan, said that touring was a revelation and an education. "Lars Ulrich had traveled around and knew about Europe. I was, like, 'I know where Kansas is!' he said, laughing. "We would play these places where like UB40 and Diana Ross had played, and there were these kids who knew you from a copy of a copy of a cassette, in a METALLICA T-shirt that cost six weeks' wages."
"Rawk – The Art Of Jason Newsted" will be on display at the Cultural Council galleries in Lake Worth, Florida December 1 – February 3.
Jason left METALLICA back in 2001, but was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, along with Ulrich, Hetfield, Hammett, and the man who replaced him, bassist Robert Trujillo, in 2009.
Nearly four years ago, Jason shelved NEWSTED, the heavy metal project he operated between 2012 and 2014, saying that it cost him "an awful lot of money — hundreds of thousands of dollars." He added: "I couldn't continue because the business is such a harsh thing now and so different than what I had known."

2018 marks the beginning of yet another era in ANGRA's history.
At age 26, the band shows motivation and strength like never before. Not even the sometimes-uncertain trajectory was able to take away the focus, determination and inspiration of the quintet led — and founded — by Rafael Bittencourt, and completed by Felipe Andreoli (bass), Fabio Lione (vocals), Marcelo Barbosa (guitar) and Bruno Valverde (drums).
"Ømni" is ANGRA's ninth studio album, the result of months of intense dedication, blood, and sweat. It will be released on February 16, 2018 on earMUSIC.
Listen to the first song, "Travelers Of Time", below. Once again, the album was recorded in Sweden with Jens Bogren, who also produced the previous disc, "Secret Garden", and manages to capture the same excellent chemistry.
The sound, while fully contemporary, has an organic character and respects the different nuances and dynamics of each instrument. Many musicians were involved in creating the album, ranging from the percussion sound of Bahia to European orchestral arrangement — all of which give the album its outstanding variety. "Ømni" is a concept album, a set of science fiction short stories that take place at various places in time, simultaneously. The backbone of the plot is based on the idea that in 2046 an artificial intelligence system will change human perception and cognition. It is a system which will allow conscious communication between present and future human beings. Characters such as time travellers, cavemen, warriors, among others, help tell this story. The album connects the concepts of previous albums (Holy Land, Rebirth, Temple of Shadows) to one main system, "Ømni", which in Latin means "everything." "Ømni" fabricates an interconnectivity that shines light towards a universal truth: everything that has happened, led to what the band is today. "Ømni" celebrates and unites the whole history of ANGRA to this exact, current moment. ANGRA's trademark formula, a Brazilian style mixed with classical music and heavy metal, is enhanced by different influences such as progressive rock, thrash metal, Latin music, and djent, which transforms the albums into a swirl of modern and familiar. The conjoined moods and dynamics put a special spin on the lyrics and therefore increase deep sense of immersion in the story. The cover artwork was hand-drawn by Daniel Martin Diaz, a unique American artist who dedicates his life to mixing scientific and philosophical concepts such as anatomy, computer science, mathematics, cosmology, sacred geometry, symbolism and esotericism. The designer Gustavo Sazes was responsible for integrating such an organic art piece to the visual concept of the album as a whole. Even in a cultural environment increasingly sterile and unfavourable for music with soul and identity, the band gathers eleven tracks that completely differ from each other, but at the same time tell a cohesive story, and wander through all styles and nuances that have made ANGRA a worldwide reference. A very well bonded line-up, both personally and musically, overflowing with creativity, was the necessary fuel to bring these songs to life, songs which are undoubtedly among the best in the band's discography. "Ømni" track listing:
01. Light Of Transcendence02. Travelers Of Time03. Black Widow's Web04. Insania05. The Bottom Of My Soul06. War Horns07. Caveman08. Magic Mirror09. Always More10. Ømni - Silence Inside11. Ømni - Infinite Nothing

Danish thrash/power metallers, Manticora, have inked a deal with ViciSolum Records from Sweden, for a Worldwide release of their upcoming 8th and 9th albums - the first material, released for almost 8 years.

The two albums, which are a part of a grandiose concept, based on the thriller/horror novel that leadsinger, Lars F. Larsen has written, will be released as two separate albums, one year apart. The novel itself is scheduled for an April 2018 release, followed by the first album, during the summer 2018.

Futhermore, the plan is to release the album in small droplets - one song at the time for the die-hard fans in an as-of-yet unknown way of releasing music. More information will be revealed about this at a later time.

Kristian Larsen comments:

“It's really cool to sign with a label, who's actually doing something for the bands, they are signing, be it promotion, advertisement and/or active hard work. We'll be label mates with our good friends from Persefone and Loch Vostok - what else does a metal musician need?”

The music will be recorded and mixed in Hansen Studios, with World-famous producer, Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Destruction) who also produced the first two Manticora albums back in the last millennium, and vocals will be recorded with Tommy Hansen at Jailhouse studios (Helloween, Beyond Twilight, Jorn). Tommy has previously produced five albums for the band.

Manticora have written more than 20 tracks for the upcoming releases, which sees a return to the concept-album style that, the band has been doing on four albums previously. The concept is based on the self-composed novel To Kill To Live To Kill, which is a horror/thriller story, but with a twist of extreme lunacy and horrid scenes of violence. Think Saw meets American Psycho.

Following up on yesterday’s exciting news about Styx’s 2018 U.S. tour dates, the band surprised fans today with the release of a live video for “Radio Silence” from the band’s latest The Mission album, with a special introduction from Tommy Shaw. It was shot on August 19th, 2017 in Syracuse, NY at the Lakeview Amphitheatre.

Legendary and multi-Platinum rockers STYX - Tommy Shaw (vocals, guitars), James “JY” Young (vocals, guitars), Lawrence Gowan (vocals, keyboards), Todd Sucherman (drums) and Ricky Phillips (bass), along with the occasional surprise appearance by original bassist Chuck Panozzo - are getting ready to wrap up another busy year of touring in the US, having performed over 100 shows. They’re not showing any signs of taking a break from touring in 2018.

Earlier this summer, STYX announced another special five-night limited engagement with Don Felder at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Las Vegas. Presented by SiriusXM, Styx & Don Felder: Renegades In The Fast Lane, will take place at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian Las Vegas on January 26th, 27th, 31st and February 2nd, 3rd. Tickets are on sale now at Ticketmaster.com, Venetian.com, any box office at The Venetian or The Palazzo, or by calling 702 414 9000 or 866 641 7469.

In addition to the residency in Las Vegas, the rest of STYX’s 2018 tour schedule is already starting to take shape. They’ll join forces once again with fellow legends REO Speedwagon, and very special guest star Don Felder - formerly of the Eagles - for month-long trek starting in Duluth, MN on March 13th at the Amsoil Arena. Tickets for various cities are on sale now.

Tour dates:

January
18 - Tupelo, MS - Bancrop South Arena
19 - Lake Charles, LA - Golden Nugget Lake Charles
23 - Salt Lake City, UT - Delta Hall at Eccles Theatre
26 - Las Vegas, NV - Venetian Theatre/The Venetian
27 - Las Vegas, NV - Venetian Theatre/The Venetian
28 - Beverly Hills, CA - Saban Theatre
31 - Las Vegas, NV - Venetian Theatre/The Venetian

February
2 - Las Vegas, NV - Venetian Theatre/The Venetian
3 - Las Vegas, NV - Venetian Theatre/The Venetian
21 - Pasadena, CA - The Rose
22 - Phoenix, AZ - Celebrity Theatre
24 - Pala, CA - Pala Casino & Resort

March
2 - French Lick, IN - French Lick Resort and Casino
3 - New Buffalo, MI - Silver Creek Event Center
5 - Jamaica - ‘70s Rock & Romance Cruise

March (with REO Speedwagon and Don Felder)
13 - Duluth, MN - Amsoil Arena
14 - Bismarck, ND - Bismarck Event Center
16 - Brookings, SD - Swiftel Center
17 - Moline, IL - TaxSlayer Center
19 - Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena
20 - Saginaw, MI - Dow Event Center Arena
23 - Cape Girardeau, MO - Show Me Center - SMSU
24 - Springfield, MO - JQH Arena (No Don Felder)
25 - Park City, KS - Hartman Arena

April (with REO Speedwagon and Don Felder)
4 - Charlottesville, VA - John Paul Jones Arena
6 - Huntington, WV - Big Sandy Superstore Arena
7 - Greenville, SC - Bon Secours Arena
8 - Tuscaloosa, AL - Tuscaloosa Amphitheatre
10 - N. Little Rock, AR - Verizon Arena
11 - Lafayette, LA - Cajun Dome
14 - Orange Beach, AL - The Wharf Amphitheatre
15 - Charleston, SC - North Charleston Coliseum

Between 1985 and 1987, Venom released a series of Assault EPs. These collected studio material along with previously unreleased live tracks. The Assault-series were conceived as a strictly-limited souvenir of each of their overseas jaunts. Venom officially agreed on the Canadian, American and the Japanese Assault. The others were released without the permission from the band. The most successful release were the Banzai release Canadian Assault which reached Gold status in Canada, at 50,000 copies. Now all have been officially collected and remastered for this amazing collection. The Assault Box Set is due for release on January 5th via Dissonance. 

Tracklisting:

“Warhead” (Canadian Assault)
“Women” (Canadian Assault)
“Seven Gates Of Hell” (Canadian Assault)
“Die Hard” (Canadian Assault)
“Welcome To Hell” (Canadian Assault)
“In Nomine Satanas” (Canadian Assault)
“Rip Ride” (American Assault)
“Bursting Out” (American Assault)
“Dead Of The Night” (American Assault)
“Seven Gates Of Hell” (American Assault)
“Countess Bathory” (American Assault)
“Welcome To Hell” (American Assault)
“Nightmare” (French Assault)
“Bloodlust” (French Assault)
“In Nomine Satanas” (French Assault)
“Countess Bathory” (French Assault)
“Powerdrive” (French Assault)
“Bursting Out” (French Assault)

New Jersey's Toothgrinder have premiered the video for "The Shadow", which can be seen below.

The song lives on the band's new album Phantom Amour, which arrived on November 10th via Spinefarm Records. It follows Nocturnal Masquerade, the band's 2015 debut which set the stage for Toothgrinder and allowed them to join New Jersey's long and elite lineage of game-changing metal acts.

In Toothgrinder tour news, the band has recently confirmed January 2018 dates with Meshuggah and Code Orange, as well as appearances at several spring festivals.

January (with Meshuggah, Code Orange)
23 - Vancouver, BC - Commodore Ballroom
24 - Seattle, WA - The Showbox
25 - Portland, OR - McMenamins Crystal Ballroom
26 - Sacramento, CA - Ace of Spades
28 - San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore (no Code Orange)
29 - Los Angeles, CA - The Wiltern

April
27 - Jacksonville, FL - Welcome to Rockville
29 - Sunrise, FL - Fort Rock

May
4 - Concord, NC - Carolina Rebellion

(Photo - Jonathan Thorpe)

Finnish cinematic metal band Dark Sarah's new album, The Golden Moth, will be released in May and is now raising funds on Indiegogo reaching almost the target, 21 days campaign time left. The campaign is open here until Christmas.

Dark Sarah has released the final guest list for the album:

White Beard - Marco Hietala (Nigthwish)
Iron Mask - Zuberoa Aznárez (Diabulus In Musica)
Fortune Teller - Netta Skog (Ensiferum)
Dragon - JP Leppäluoto (Charon)

Check out a short audio teaser below:

The band also released the music video for "Trespasser” with JP Leppäluoto, the first single from the upcoming album. Watch the clip below:

The third Dark Sarah album, The Golden Moth, is the last part of the first trilogy (The Chronicles). The trilogy tells about Dark Sarah's travel through three worlds: The Middle World (Behind The Black Veil album), The Underworld (The Puzzle album) and The Upper World (The Golden Moth album).

On The Golden Moth album, Dark Sarah has to face the final test and find her way to the gods in the Upper World. After she had solved the puzzle in The Underworld and found the three keys, the Iron birds came there for her and took her to the Upper World, a deserted waste land where the gods rule. But also a trespasser, The Dragon, came with her. In the heat of the desert they meet again and there is something The Dragon wants from her..

Pop Evil have added dates to their Music Over Words Tour, which will serve as the official kickoff for their recently announced all-new, self-titled LP. Additionally, Pop Evil are confirmed for festival dates Carolina Rebellion on Friday, May 5th and Fort Rock on Sunday, April 29th.

Added tour dates on the Music Over Words Tour include stops in Des Moines (2/18) Omaha (2/20), Louisville (3/30), Chicago (4/5) and Columbus (4/7). The massive US tour kicks off on February 14th in Sault Ste. Marie, MI at the Kewadin Casino. The band will hit both sides of the US coast before wrapping things up at The Fillmore in Detroit on April 6th. Band VIP goes on sale Tuesday at popevilvip.com. Palaye Royale and Black Map will serve as support on all dates.

Click here for all tour dates.

Pop Evil have revealed the tracklisting for Pop Evil, their fifth studio LP out on February 16th via Entertainment One. The band brought on veteran producer Kato Khandwala and have been hard at work since early June. The band spent most of the summer in Nashville, TN at Studio A in Sound Emporium Studios and finished up the album at Sphere Studios in Los Angeles, CA earlier this month.

The new self titled LP will be the follow-up to UP, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard U.S, Independent Albums Chart, #3 on the Billboard Top Hard Rock Albums Chart and #25 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart in the week of its release. UP produced four top 5 singles with "Footsteps”, "If Only For Now”, “Ways to Get High" and "Take It All”. “Footsteps” not only reached #1, but went on to be the longest #1 single of the band's career.

Tracklisting:

“Waking Lions”
“Colors Bleed”
“Ex Machina”
“Art Of War”
“Be Legendary”
“Nothing But Thieves”
“A Crime To Remember”
“God’s Dam”
“When We Were Young”
“Birds Of Prey”
“Rewind”

“Waking Lions” video:

Pre-order via the following links:

- Digital
- Physical

(Photo - Clay Patrick McBride)

Sweden's Shining, featuring founder/frontman Niklas Kvarforth, are streaming the new song “Svart Ostoppbar Eld”, featured on  their forthcoming album, X - Varg Utan Flock, to be released on January 5th via Season Of Mist. Listen to the new track below, and pre-order the new album here.

Shining enter their third decade with the epic new album X - Varg Utan Flock (English translation: ‘Wolf Without A Pack’). As is their wont, Shining use black metal as a foundation upon which to build epic and radical songs that smash all genre convention. The charismatic Kvarforth, ever the conductor of madness, leads the charge with some of metal's most daring and expressive vocals. With X - Varg Utan Flock, Shining proves once and for all that they stand alone as one of black metal's most intrepid bands.

“Svart Ostoppbar Eld”:

“Gyllene Portanas Bro”:

"Jag Är Din Fiende":

Robert Plant has no plans to write an autobiography, saying that his memories will remain "locked nicely between" his "two ever-growing ear holes."
The LED ZEPPELIN frontman, who released a new solo album, "Carry Fire", in October, dismissed the idea of writing a book during a recent interview with U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine. He said: "Where the fuck does this memoir shit come from? I just think the whole idea of us… Once upon a time, we were social deviants, pushed out to the corners of society, quite often body searched in the street by cops. I remember walking through Dearborn [part of the Detroit metropolitan area] with John Bonham in 1969, on a Sunday afternoon, when Detroit was in flames, and looking across the cityscape and seeing smoke and things like that, and some people went by in a big Lincoln Continental and they put the window down slowly and spat at us — because we were hippies. We were representing a challenge to the order. So do we want to chum up and cuddle up to the whole idea of going to a publisher and telling stories? I mean, what — who — for? Those stories are locked nicely between my two ever-growing ear holes. So fuck it. There's a lot in there, and that's where it's staying."
Although "Carry Fire" has received mostly positive reviews, fans of Plant's work in the late 1960s and 1970s are not leaving his shows disappointed, with plenty of LED ZEPPELIN songs being included in his recent performances.
The follow-up to 2014's "Lullaby And… The Ceaseless Roar", "Carry Fire" was produced by Plant in the west of England and Wales, at Top Cat studio in Box, Wiltshire with additional recordings at Real World and Rockfield studios.
Plant spoke frankly about the new songs, telling "PBS NewsHour": "Well, there's a lot of preparation and there's a lot of, I guess you would probably call it soul-searching to make sure, with time being so precious, that it's not a wasted journey... it's bridled. It's contained more. It's a good place to go, and it's a bit of a surprise."

RIVERDOGS, the band featuring DEF LEPPARD and LAST IN LINE guitarist Vivian Campbell, played its first show since 2004 last night (Saturday, December 2) at the Frontiers Rockin' Christmas Bash 2017 at The Canyon club in Agoura Hills, California. Video footage and photos can be seen below.
RIVERDOGS' comeback album, "California", was released on July 7 via Frontiers Music Srl.
Featuring original members Campbell, Rob Lamothe (vocals, guitars) and Nick Brophy (bass, vocals), along with drummer Marc Danzeisen, the band's fifth album is RIVERDOGS' first new music since the eight-song mini album, "World Gone Mad", came out in October 2011.
Mixing the soulful vocals of Lamothe with the edgy guitarwork of Campbell and solid rhythmic lines from Brophy and Danzeisen, the album marks a definitive return to the sound of their critically acclaimed 1990 self-titled debut album. On the making of the album, Campbell said: "When my friends at Frontiers suggested a RIVERDOGS album in the spirit of the original debut record, I jumped at the chance to make it. In my opinion, 'Riverdogs' was a highlight of my career with some of my best guitar playing and definitely a record that flew under the radar. Having a clear direction of exactly what kind of record to make really helped the four of us create the music and there was an intense collective focus throughout the entire process that never wavered. I really think that we hit the target in creating a record that has all the hallmarks, the integrity and the emotional strength of the original debut. The fact that we've all remained such close friends throughout all the years only added to the joyous experience that was the making of this record."
Added Lamothe: "Going into this project, my goal was to enjoy the opportunity of making music with some of my best friends, to share this incredible experience with my family... and to create something that RIVERDOGS fans will probably think is pretty bloody awesome. Big guitars! Beautiful melodies! Words about crazy, complicated, real stuff! I feel like Nick, Viv, Marc and I all brought our 'A' games to the writing and recording sessions. That's way more important than money and awards and fame to me." Brophy summed up the writing process for the album: "In summer of 2016, I found myself in Los Angeles, reunited with three of my closest friends, about to begin a new RIVERDOGS album. Marc had arranged a rehearsal environment at a friend's house, which was to provide the creative atmosphere for writing new material. I stood there with bass in hand thinking, 'Okay, now what?' Little did I know that a few days later we would have six new RIVERDOGS songs and the album 'California' was born. The remaining six songs came, surprisingly, just as easily, a testament to the amazing talents of Vivian, Rob, Marc and the effortless way in which we work as a group. Our clear goal for this album was to remain true to the original RIVERDOGS sound and provide fans with a new set of songs which carry on the legacy of a truly remarkable band." RIVERDOGS formed in Los Angeles at the end of the '80s when flashy, glitzy hard rock ruled the day, but they were determined to avoid clichés and adopted an original sounding blues-rock style. Campbell of SWEET SAVAGE, DIO and WHITESNAKE fame at the time (soon to join and become a long-standing member of DEF LEPPARD and later, founding member of LAST IN LINE as well) was initially brought on board to produce the band's first demo, but was so impressed with the band that he actually became a member and played on the debut album. Soon after the release, Marc Danzeisen joined Rob, Nick and Vivian to complete the lineup. Though fans and critics gave the album a warm reception and high regard, the unfortunate and age old story of change of personnel at their record label came about and eventually led the band members to go their own ways, with Campbell settling into the DEF LEPPARD lineup and Nick Brophy becoming a respected engineer and producer. RIVERDOGS, with a revamped lineup, released two more records in 1993, "Bone" and "Absolutely Live", before going on an extended hiatus. They reconvened, with the original lineup, in 2003 to record new material and play a few reunion shows. Those new songs were recorded as demos, but only completed in the studio in 2011 when "World Gone Mad" was released.

Metal Blade Records will release Faroe Islands-based doomsters Hamferð's new album, Támsins Likam, on January 12th. Check out a video for "Frosthvarv" below, and pre-order the new album here.

Comments Hamferð: "For years we have been working towards using video material to bring a visual aspect to our music. But not until now have we been able to produce something with the quality that we always strive for. We are extremely pleased to have found the right group of people to work with, and we believe the result to be something truly special."

"Támsins Likam" tracklisting:

"Fylgisflog"
"Stygd"
"Tvístevndur Meldur"
"Frosthvarv"
"Hon Syndrast"
"Vápn Í Anda"

"Frosthvarv" video:

"Hon Syndrast" lyric video:

About Hamferð:

Hamferð refers to an apparition: the image of a person facing death, appearing before his or her loved ones as an omen.

"Faroese doom metal" is a powerful sound. Exclusive to this self-styled tag is Hamferð. For a near decade, the funeral dressed sextet has been casting a unique expression rooted in conceptual tragedy and intense, narrative doom metal.

"Hamferð is heavily inspired by our natural surroundings and our cultural heritage. Those aspects combine into unique feelings and atmospheres which we attempt to describe through our music", comments guitarist Theodor Kapnas.

Faroese history and folklore are mixed together with grand atmospheres, a trademark that has earned worldwide attention. Stages at festivals such as Inferno, Midgardsblot, Tuska, Summer Breeze, Wacken and many more have been turned into funerary ceremonies. Touring with bands like Amorphis and Moonsorrow has further garnered the band a respected reputation due to strong yet solemn live performances.

The lyrical and conceptual approach is ambitious in scope. People are drawn to it, even though the band sings in their native tongue, Faroese. With a highly engaging idea concerning lyrics and songwriting, the hour has arrived to close a conceptual trilogy which commenced with the 2010 EP Vilst er siðsta fet, continued with the internationally acclaimed 2013 full-length album Evst, and is now concluded with the new album, soon to be announced.

Check out a live video of Hamferð performing "Vrain" in the cathedral of Torshavn:

Hamferð lineup:

Jon Aldara - Vocals
John Egholm - Guitar
Theodor Kapnas - Guitar
Isak Petersen - Bass
Esmar Joensen - Keyboards
Remi Johannesen - Drums

(Photo - Beinta a Torkilsheyggi)

Japanese pop metal act BABYMETAL performed without one of its three female singers this past weekend.
18-year-old Yui Mizuno (a.k.a. Yuimetal) did not feel well and doctors suggested that it was in her best interest to not join her bandmates on stage on December and December 3 at Green Arena in Hiroshima, Japan.
BABYMETAL's management said in a statement: "As an entire team, we considered canceling this performance. However, it was Yuimetal's strong desire to not cancel this performance for the fans who were waiting and looking forward to these performances. After long discussions and careful consideration, both Su-Metal and Moametal, as well as the entire BABYMETAL staff team, came to a final conclusion to continue these performances for the dedicated fans who have been waiting for this special event as well as for team BABYMETAL."
Established in 2010, BABYMETAL is the offshoot of the Japanese pop idol group SAKURA GAKUIN that performs a distinctly Japanese mix of schoolgirl J-pop and heavy metal.
BABYMETAL's members — Suzuka Nakamoto (a.k.a. Su-Metal, who handles vocals and dancing), Mizuno and Moa Kikuchi (a.k.a. Moametal), the latter of whom both scream and dance — admit that they had never listened to metal before joining the group. The girls wear gothy schoolgirl costumes, do choreographed dance routines and bang their heads violently.
Many heavy metal fans have been reluctant to embrace BABYMETAL — which also includes producer Kobametal and a backing band of corpse-painted virtuosos — with some Internet forums calling them "the definition of a gimmick", "awful" and "metal for hipsters."

Former MORBID ANGEL frontman David Vincent joined ex-SEPULTURA members Max Cavalera and Igor Cavalera on stage this past Saturday, December 2 at the Winter Masters Of Rock in Zlin, Czech Republic to perform a cover version of the MOTÖRHEAD classic "Ace Of Spades". Video footage of his appearance can be seen below.
As previously reported, guitarist Marc Rizzo was forced to leave the "Max & Iggor Cavalera Return To Roots" European tour due to a "dire family emergency." Stepping in for him on the "MTV Headbangers Ball Tour 2017" — which also features OVERKILL, INSOMNIUM and DESERTED FEAR — is former HAVOK and current SOULFLY bassist Mike Leon.
The "Return To Roots" tour sees Max and Igor celebrating the twentieth anniversary of SEPULTURA's classic album "Roots" by performing the LP in its entirety.
Vincent is currently involved with a new project called I AM MORBID, which plays material from MORBID ANGEL's "Altars Of Madness" (1989), "Blessed Are The Sick" (1991), "Covenant" (1993) and "Domination" (1995) albums — all records that he originally sang on.

Former KISS and current Grand Funk Railroad guitarist Bruce Kulick appeared at the KISS Expo in Helsinki, Finland on November 25th. During his time there he jammed with Lordi frontman Mr. Lordi on some KISS classics. Check out the footage below.

Kulick is featured in a new interview with KaaosTV, conducted before his appearance at the KISS Expo in Helsinki.

History was made in November 2017 in the world of KISS, arguably the biggest rock band in the world, when brothers Bob and Bruce Kulick joined the KISS Kruise for the first time in the seven years the getaway has taken place.

"Our appearance on Kiss Kruise 7 the first night on the Main Deck (“Sail Away “ Stage) was one of our most exciting and memorable gigs in my life," says Bob.  "And I know my brother feels the same way about it!"  

Just hours after the performance, the internet lit up when Kruise passengers began posting and sharing live video of the Kulick Brothers' show, which overwhelmingly was regarded as the strongest of the week.

The band (also comprised of vocalist / bassist Todd Kerns and drummer Brent Fitz) had one rehearsal and one chance to put a set list together for the show.  "It was a very personal walk down memory lane," Bob states. "Especially with these songs, since we played on the original recorded versions of every one of them."

"It was, of course, also a treat to play with Brent Fitz, who was our anchor for the show as well as bassist and vocalist Todd Kerns, who happens to be the singer on my single, "Rich Man," which just went to radio this week."  

Setlist from KISS Kruise VII:

“All American Man”
“Hide Your Heart”
“Wouldn’t You Like To Know Me”
“Domino”
“Larger Than Life”
“Tears Are Falling”
“Nowhere To Run”
“Tough Love”
“Tonight You Belong To Me”
“Who Wants To Be Lonely”
“Crazy Nights”
“Turn On The Night”
“Goodbye”

Fan-filmed video:

“All American Man”:

“Who Wants To Be Lonely”:

“Goodbye”:

Slovakian prog rock band Persona Grata have checked in with the following update:

"It’s finally here: we proudly present our first live video from Prague Sounds Good festival - where we had the honor to share the stage with the Black Star Riders and the legendary Dream Theater - the band that inspired us to create our own music. It was an unforgettable experience and we hope that the video shows at least a little bit of the great atmosphere that was created by this very special audience at Forum Karlín. We would be extremely greatful if you told us your opinions and shared the video in case you like it. Special thanks to Michal Kolejak for the sound mix and Roman Piska for the cut. Enjoy!"

Persona Grata are currently working on a new album. Check out some footage from the studio below.

 
 

Australian death metal force Eskhaton have released the title track from their forthcoming album Omegalitheos for mass consumption. The album will be released in early 2018. 

What does Eskhaton sound like? Let's go with the band's description: "psychotic bestial death metal of absolute chaos and total death." Find out for yourself below.

The cover art and tracklisting for Omegalitheos are as follows:

"Relic Of Mictlantecuhtli"
"Serpentity"
"Elu Azag"
"Inverterror"
"Omegalitheos"    
"Abyss Unknown"
"Culthulhunatic"
"Nusku Etu Genii"
"Omnilify"
"Subvoidal"
"Blasphemartyr"
"Intramort"
"Numina Moribundus"
"Kimah Kalu Ultu Ulla"

 

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions will release the debut EP from Indy-based death metal outfit Obscene in early 2018.

Obscene self-released Sermon To The Snake in October, 2017 as a limited-edition cassette. The four-track EP quickly made it to the ears of HPGD owner Mike Juliano, who inked a deal with the band for the January '18 digital release of Sermon To The Snake.  

Sermon to the Snake by Obscene

Obscene formed in 2016 in the crypts of Indianapolis via drummer Brandon Howe (Acheron) and vocalist Kyle Shaw. The band came together with the intent to forge hymns of death, doom and destruction with influences running the gamut of classics from The UK, Scandinavia and The US.

"We wanted songs that are memorable with triumphant guitar harmonies and acidic vocals (ala Asphyx, Morgoth, Obituary), both woefully under utilized in a lot of newer death metal bands," said Shaw.

Obscene plans to strike out in support of Sermon To The Snake in 2018. Work is underway on a follow-up to the EP. Visit the official Obscene Facebook page for further details.

 

 

Jimmy Kay from Canada's The Metal Voice recently spoke to Dream Theater keyboardist Jordan Rudess. Rudess spoke about his classical training as a child, his induction into the Hall Of Heavy Metal History, how he joined Dream Theater, their latest album The Astonishing, the departure of Mike Portnoy and the bands future plans.

When asked about the future plans for Dream Theater, and a possible new album, Rudess reveals: "We have been on the road for almost two years and now we are going to take a break and go to the studio and make a new album around May and see what happens."

Watch below:

German industrial/gothic rockers Oomph! performed at Germany's Wacken Open Air 2015. Watch professionally filmed footage of the band's full set below.

Setlist:

"Alles aus Liebe"
"Träumst du?"
"Mein Schatz"
"Das weiße Licht"
"Wunschkind"
"Unter diesem Mond"
"Jetzt oder nie"
"Niemand"
"Mitten ins Herz"
"Jede Reise hat ein Ende"
"Gott ist Popstar"
"Gekreuzigt"
"Augen auf!"
"Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life"

J.B.O., the founders of comedy metal, return with their 12th studio album Deutsche Vita on March 30th via AFM Records.

For more than two decades, J.B.O. have withstood genre trends like grunge, pagan metal, metalcore, nu metal or whatever else they are called. Nowadays they are as successful as ever - even in places which many wouldn’t expect. J.B.O. works perfectly at big metal festivals as well as local scene bars, beer tents, at the Spring-Break-Event, the mainstream music open air or anywhere else - their comedy metal is still absolutely unique.

The tour starts on March 31st and J.B.O. have also just confirmed their first summer festival appearance at the Summer Breeze festival in Dinkelsbühl, Germany.

Tour dates:

March
31 - Dillingen, Germany - Lokschuppen

April
6 -  Hannover, Germany - Capitol
7 -  Glauchau, Germany - Alte Spinnerei
13 -  Köln, Germany - Essigfabrik
14 -  Stuttgart, Germany - LKA
20 -  Berlin, Germany - Columbia Theater
21 -  Dresden, Germany - Reithalle
27 -  Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
28 -  Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle

May
4 - Fulda, Germany - Kreuz
5 - München, Germany - Backstage Werk