Former Ozzy Osbourne guitarist and Firewind mastermind Gus G. has signed a worldwide deal with AFM Records; for his solo band, Gus G.

“I'm very excited & happy to confirm that I've signed a worldwide solo record deal with one of Europe's premier record labels, AFM Records! In my opinion, AFM is one of the few labels today that care for artist development, their team is really passionate about what they do and they have fresh and exciting ideas. We briefly worked together on Firewind's Immortals album for the North American territory and now I'm looking forward to the full scale collaboration on my next solo album”, Gus G. states.

A brand new studio album is in the making currently and will be released in April 2018.

But before, Gus G. will play a North American tour with Vinnie Moore, kicking off on November 28th in Derry, New Hampshire - presenting a surprising, brand new power trio line-up for the very first time: Gus will be joined by Dennis Ward on bass / vocals and Richie Monica on drums.

“Metal fans might know Dennis as the bass player from the bands Unisonic and Pink Cream 69”, says Gus. “What people might not know about him is that he's a multi-talented songwriter, producer AND singer. Since me and Dennis have been working on songs for Firewind's latest album release but also now on my upcoming solo record, I only felt it was natural to invite him to play this music with me on stage. So, obviously forming a power trio is a new setup and we're really looking forward to rocking the US crowds this Winter but also with my upcoming album tour cycle.”

AFM Records A&R Timo Hoffmann: “After releasing Firewind’s latest studio album Immortals in North America earlier this year, we are beyond excited that Gus decided to make AFM the new label home for his solo career as well. No words needed to praise the man’s qualities - Gus was a household name and highly acclaimed musician/songwriter long before he joined Ozzy’s band. Ever since its inception, he is the driving force behind Firewind and in addition has established a solo career, delivering outstanding up-to-date hard rock with finesse. Fans can look forward to a fantastic new Gus G. album which will see the light of day in April 2018.”

Tour dates:

November
28 - Derry, NH - Tupelo Music Hall
30 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Ballroom

December
1 - Detroit, MI - Token Lounge
2 - Joliet. IL - The Forge
3 - Milwaukee, WI - Shank Hall     
6 - Sellersville, PA - Sellersville Theater
7 - Brooklyn, NY - St Vitus  
8 - Stanhope, NJ - Stanhope House
9 - Somerville, MA - Once Ballroom

AC/DC guitarist and co-founder Malcolm Young will be farewelled by family and friends at St Mary’s Cathedral in Sydney, Australia on Tuesday, November 28th, reports NEWS.com.au.

Young died peacefully on Saturday, November 18th at age 64 after years of suffering with dementia. It is believed his family, who have always shunned the public spotlight, has requested the funeral not be broadcast so they can mourn the rocker privately.

Young’s funeral will be held at 11 AM on the same day as the annual celebration of Australian music, the ARIA Awards. The funeral is expected to be attended by the extended Young family, who had to farewell Malcolm’s older brother George, the co-founder of the Easybeats, only last month.

Read more at NEWS.com.au.

AC/DC issued the following statement upon Malcolm's passing: "Today it is with deep heartfelt sadness that AC/DC has to announce the passing of Malcolm Young. Malcolm, along with Angus, was the founder and creator of AC/DC. With enormous dedication and commitment, he was the driving force behind the band. As a guitarist, songwriter and visionary, he was a perfectionist and a unique man. He always stuck to his guns and did and said exactly what he wanted. He took great pride in all that he endeavored. His loyalty to the fans was unsurpassed."

Young struggled with the onset of dementia for a period of time prior to being admitted to full-time nursing care in Sydney, Australia beginning in 2014.

Angus Young: "As his brother, it is hard to express in words what he has meant to me during my life, the bond we had was unique and very special. He leaves behind an enormous legacy that will live on forever."

DEF LEPPARD has commenced the songwriting process for the follow-up to 2015's self-titled album.

"Def Leppard" was the band's first studio effort since "Songs From the Sparkle Lounge" in 2008.

During a brand new interview with Classic Rock Revisited, DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen stated about the band's plans for the next LP: "We've started writing. We have three songs on the go. Rick Savage [bass] has one, a verse that he sent me. I was messing around with some melodies for that too, and Joe [Elliott, vocals] has this amazing idea and I have this one that's kind of finished. I have melodies, a chorus and all the guitar parts. So we've started, officially, without even knowing it, the next DEF LEPPARD album."

According to Collen, DEF LEPPARD has "already started recording" material for its next release. "That takes a lot of the pressure off it," he explained. "I never get writer's block because I always stay busy. The great thing about music now is you can do it anytime with your computer. It's going to be awesome."

Collen added that the new DEF LEPPARD music will "come out in drips and drabs. It'll probably be a traditional album, but you never know," he said. "If someone says we need a new DEF LEPPARD song, we'll put it out. It's great to have every option available."

"Def Leppard" entered The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 10 with first-week sales of just over 30,000 units — nearly all from pure album sales.

Shred lord Michael Angelo Batio, who rose to fame in the '80s with Nitro, pays tribute to Eddie Van Halen in a new video showcasing his DV 250 Little M. Check it out below.

Batio also paid tribute to Metallica in a video clip, this time showcasing his DV Mark Multiamp:

Reactivated ‘80s rockers Nitro have released their first new song since 1992 with “It Won’t Die”. Alongside original members Jim Gillette (vocals) and Michael Angelo Batio (guitars), Lamb Of God drummer Chris Adler and bassist Victor Wooten are also in the fold. Check out the track below.

Joining Team Nitro is multi-Grammy Award nominee, Kane Churko, who's songwriting, producing and engineering credentials are second-to-none. Churko has worked with Ozzy Osborne, Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch, In This Moment, Hellyeah, Papa Roach and more.

In addition to producing the new Nitro album, Churko will also be contributing his songwriting talents.

"It's exciting to be part of Nitro's evolution and the opportunity to record a legendary vocalist such as Jim Gillette was not one I wanted to pass up. We've had a lot of fun working on new music together at The Hideout Recording Studio. I really think it's going to please old and new fans alike. With such a phenomenal lineup, it should be evident that Nitro is back and ready to compete with the best-of-the-best.", said Churko.

A release date for the new Nitro album, currently being recorded, is forthcoming.

KISS Kruise VII sailed out of New Orleans to Costa Maya and Cozumel on Norwegian Pearl from November 5th - 10th, 2017. Fan-filmed video of Extreme's entire pool deck set on the Kruise can be viewed below. 

Their setlist was as follows:

"Warheads"
"Get the Funk Out"
"It('s A Monster)"
"Rest in Peace"
"Kid Ego"
"Play With Me"
"Midnight Express"
"More Than Words"
"Cupid's Dead"
"Am I Ever Gonna Change"
"Hole Hearted" / "Crazy Little Thing Called Love"
"Flight of the Wounded Bumblebee"
"He-Man Woman Hater"(tease)
"Decadence Dance"

History was made 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”:

SikTh return on December 1st with an exclusive expansion to their awesome studio album, The Future in Whose Eyes? This edition includes three exclusive live mixes from their massive performance at ArcTanGent 2017, two re-imagined songs and one instrumental. Watch a video trailer below.

Sikth are back! The Watford mathcore sextet that stumbled upon a sound unexplored, who devised their own Morse code of metal – one that mushroomed into labyrinthine detours and tangents, that ultimately lead to the birth of the djent metal, the band’s whose legacy gave the inspiration for bands like Protest The Hero, TesseracT, Animals As Leaders and Periphery after their hiatus in 2007, are back, with one of the finest albums of 2017 - The Future In Whose Eyes?

Released on Millennium Night, the newly created label imprint from Snapper Music, home of Peaceville Records & Kscope.

Dan Weller, SikTh’s guitarist and producer proudly states "Ever since SikTh was formed way back at the turn of the century we've tried to self improve as musicians and as song writers. We take our music very seriously. This record feels like the one we've always wanted to make. We spent over a year writing it and pushed ourselves extremely hard - sometimes too hard. Opacities was the rebirth of SikTh but 'The Future...' is our statement - I want this album to define us. I don't care how over ambitious it sounds - we want this record to be heard by every metal fan on the planet."

Listen / pre-order / pre-save here.

 

Swedish melodic rockers, JoNo, will release their new album, Life, on December 1st. Pre-order the new album here, and listen to the song "On The Other Side", available for streaming below.

The band says: “We are very thrilled and proud about our cooperation with Frontiers Music Srl, a label which is home to so many great artists we truly respect and admire. As a band, this is an excellent opportunity to reach the international markets we've been aiming for. We can't wait to release the coming album, and of course hit the stage to be heard and seen by a wider audience, meeting with old and new fans. See you all out there!'

JoNo started as a solo project of singer Johan Norrby (hence the moniker "JoNo"), who has been singing, writing, and playing music in various bands and projects over the years. This is very much true for all the members of the band. Guitarist Stefan Helleblad is also a member of Dutch symphonic sensations Within Temptation. Drummer Nicka Hellenberg actually played all the drums on Within Temptation's The Unforgiving and has an impressive resume involving bands and recordings. Both keyboard player Johan Carlgren and bass player Janne Henriksson are frequently hired for both live and studio sessions. Leo Olsson - also a busy musician - joined the band in 2015.

JoNo's music is hard to pinpoint. Maybe it's best described as melodic rock with symphonic and progressive elements, always based on strong melodies with bombastic arrangements. Dynamics and a contemporary, fat sound are important ingredients in the JoNo musical recipe. Their music has been said to show the influence of great artists like Queen, Supertramp, Kansas, Journey and Sparks, but above all the band has received a lot of credit and praise because of their unique sound.

Tracklisting:

“Sailors”
“Crown”
“No Return”
“On The Other Side”
“Downside”
“To Be Near You”
“My Love”
“The Magician”
“Trust”
“The March”

“On The Other Side”:

“Crown” lyric video:

“No Return” video:

Lineup:

Johan Norrby - lead vocals
Johan Carlgren - piano/keyboards
Stefan Helleblad - lead guitar, guitars
Leo Olsson - guitars
Janne Henriksson - bass
Nicka Hellenberg - drums

STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet will release a new solo DVD, "Sole: Songs And Stories From A Life In Music", in December. The set was filmed on June 2 at the Narrows Center For The Arts in Fall River, Massachusetts and will be made available at Sweet's official web site.

Sweet's seventh solo album, "One Sided War", was released in August 2016 via Rat Pak Records. Backing Michael on the record were WHITESNAKE guitarist Joel Hoekstra, EVANESCENCE drummer Will Hunt, bassist John O'Boyle and East Coast shred-master Ethan Brosh.

Sweet told Screamer Magazine last year that "One Sided War" turned out to be "the heaviest album I've ever done. A lot of times, STRYPER fans expect heavy and when STRYPER doesn't do it, that's really a big issue. But when I don't do it, it's not as big an issue because fans typically expect a lighter side of Michael Sweet when I do solo albums, and they say that all the time. This is the album that I kind of wanted to put all those remarks to rest and I wanted to do something that was edgier and that compares to STRYPER on that level. It holds its own against anything STRYPER's done, for sure."

In a 2016 interview with The Aquarian Weekly, Sweet said that he enjoyed making solo albums "because it's an opportunity to free myself up a little bit more, experiment a little bit more, and try some things that STRYPER may not be able to try. So I just enjoy doing it. I love it. I've got a lot of music, a lot of solo music that I'd like to go out and play live that I think a lot of people would like to hear."

STRYPER recently finished recording all the basic tracks for its new album for an early 2018 release. The follow-up to 2015's "Fallen" will be the band's first disc since the addition of former FIREHOUSE bassist Perry Richardson. Perry joined the band as the replacement for STRYPER's longtime bassist Tim Gaines, who was fired from the group earlier this year.

ALTER BRIDGE frontman Myles Kennedy will release a 12-song solo album, "Year Of The Tiger", in 2018. The effort was helmed by ALTER BRIDGE's longtime producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette and was described by Kennedy in a recent interview with Metal Wani as "probably the closest thing to a full-on concept record that I've ever written. I mean, the story is congruent throughout the entire... It basically tells a story from start to finish, and it documents when my father passed away when I was a kid and basically what happened after that with my mom, my brother and I — it tells that story," he said. "So it's a full-on concept from start to finish."

"Year Of The Tiger" is actually the second solo album Kennedy recorded, having previously completed a full-length record's worth of material over a several-year period beginning in 2009. Although that album was mixed in early 2016, Myles "decided not to move forward" with the project because "I'm kind of a firm believer that songs can have a shelf life with an artist," he told Metal Wani. "And what happened was I'd been chipping away at the solo record for quite a while when I had time. Obviously, I was very busy playing with ALTER BRIDGE and touring with that, but in my spare time, I was chipping away at this record, so when I actually documented it and finished it, I had to step back and look at it with a fresh perspective and say, 'You know what? You've gotta be honest with yourself as a writer. Is this where you are now? No. And is this what you want to represent where you are now? No.' That was a hard decision for me to make, because there was a lot of work that went into it. Not just work, but time and money, and I just felt like, regardless of that, I had to scrap and start over. So I started writing again late last year, early this year, and, fortunately, I had plenty of ideas to draw from."

Kennedy eventually wrote a fresh batch of music for "Year Of The Tiger" but ended up "totally re-recording" one song from his scrapped first solo album. "I basically just used the demo [version of the track] and rebuilt around it," he said. "So a few people [close to me] were happy to hear that, 'cause it was one of their favorites from that record. The content suited the record that I just completed, the 'Year Of The Tiger' record, perfectly, so it definitely will see the light of day this time."

Asked how "Year Of The Tiger" compares to the musical direction of Kennedy's abandoned first solo disc, he said: "'Year Of The Tiger' definitely has much more of a blues-based vibe. Though I started the first record wanting to keep it more acoustically based… Sometimes you get in a studio and you have all these… With multi-tracking, with Pro Tools and all the toys available, it's kind of like the sky is the limit as far as what you do from a production standpoint. So songs that started out very acoustic-based and very stripped down then grew into something different. So what I tried to be very aware of on 'Year Of The Tiger', and Elvis as well, my producer, was to kind of tie our hands and keep things limited as far as how many tracks we could use. We went straight to tape for the majority of the record. So it was really just the idea of 'less is more' and trying to take that approach to making the album."

Saying that "Year Of The Tiger" sounds like "Myles Kennedy," the ALTER BRIDGE frontman went on to reiterate that people "who've heard it have commented that there's definitely more of a blues-based vibe on it. The instrumentation is certainly somewhat of a departure. I tried to veer away from any sort of high-gain wall of sound. There's plenty of resonator guitar, mandolin… there's even banjo, a lot of lap steel. So it's definitely different from what I've done."

Kennedy has yet to set an exact release date for "Year Of The Tiger", which will feature a guest appearance by drummer Zia Uddin of THE MAYFIELD FOUR, a group Myles descries as his "first real national touring band" back in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

ALTER BRIDGE is continuing to tour in support of its fifth album, "The Last Hero", which came out in 2016.

The group is expected to take most of 2018 off from the road while the bandmembers focus on other projects.

Writing for the follow-up to "The Last Hero" will begin next year, with tentative plans to release the effort in 2019.

KISS frontman Paul Stanley demonstrated his cooking chops in the kitchen overseeing "cruisers" aboard this year's Kiss Kruise. The ship departed from New Orleans on November 5 for a five-day journey that took participants to Costa Maya and Cozumel, Mexico. Check out video footage below (video by Rino; editing by Vriesdich).

In a recent interview with Men's Fitness, Stanley stated about how his diet and fitness routine today differs from his lifestyle in the '70s and '80s: "My routine then was: Eat whatever's in front of you. Youth is incredible, because you really do feel invincible. I had no real routine as far as diet; I ate what I wanted to. Back then, I tended to eat a lot of sugars. I ate a lot of cookies, a lot of ice cream; I didn't eat a lot of proper food. I started working out, doing a formal workout right around 1980. That's when I really decided I needed to get in shape and it may have been because you just start to see a decrease — a change in your body. The workout I was doing then would kill me today."

KISS has once again partnered up with the industry leaders in music festivals at sea, Sixthman, to announce the upcoming voyage of The KISS Kruise VIII. The cruise is set to sail on Halloween October 31, 2018 on Norwegian Jade leaving out of Miami, Florida.

A destination of her own, Norwegian Jade offers guests Norwegian Cruise Line's signature freedom and flexibility to enjoy 11 onboard bars and lounges, 15 dining experiences, one outdoor pool, hot tubs, and a full menu of spa treatments. Enjoy duty-free shopping and awe-inspiring architecture in beautiful Nassau. Explore your adventurous side diving into the crystal blue water with dolphins and colorful fish, or try your luck in a casino. To learn more about The KISS Kruise VIII, visit TheKISSKruise.com.

A video EPK (Electronic Press Kit) for "Alien Beans", the new solo album from KING'S X guitarist Ty Tabor, is available below. The disc will be released on January 12, 2018 via Rat Pak Records.

"Alien Beans" is a double-disc album that features 10 new studio tracks and a "best-of" compilation disc. The "best-of" disc is comprised of 11 remixed and remastered tracks personally selected by Tabor from his previous releases.

"I wanted to do a rock album and put some new, heavier stuff together," explains Tabor. "Along the way, we also decided to remix some of the older stuff and make it a double album. Everything just fits together like it should."

"Alien Beans" is now available for pre-order in various configurations at www.ratpakrecords.com/ty-tabor. Fans can order the new release in physical CD, vinyl formats and cassette as well as autographed copies, t-shirts and an ultimate fan bundle that will include a phone call from Tabor himself. All fans that pre-order "Alien Beans" will automatically be entered in to a grab bag raffle where they can win a custom Ty Tabor guitar, handwritten lyrics, an exclusive Select-A-Head wall display, and Ty Tabor's personal Orange amplifier, among other prizes.

From the melodic instrumental album opener "Alien Beans" to the brooding lyrics of closer "Deeper Place", Ty combines his unique songwriting and sense of melody that made him famous in KING'S X with his individual vocal style. Songs like "Freight Train", "Johnny Guitar" and "Somebody Lied" showcase Ty's rockier side while "So Here's To You" and "This Time" show his softer sensibility.

On the subject of songwriting, Ty states: "When it comes to what I write for solo material, I don't really think about bands or anything like that. I just write music that makes me happy, and I've ended up with an album I really love!"

"Alien Beans" track listing:

Disc 1

01. Alien Beans02. Freight Train03. Johnny Guitar04. So Here's To You05. Back It Down06. Somebody Lied07. This Time08. Heavily Twisted09. Until This Day Is Done10. Deeper Place

Disc 2

01. 'Cause We Believed (Blame It)02. Free Yourself03. Ride04. Senseless Paranoia05. Money Mouth06. Fast Asleep07. Politician's Creed08. Play09. Bring It On Back10. Nobody Wins When Nobody Plays11. Change

Tabor burst on to the music scene 30 years ago when he partnered up with Doug Pinnick and Jerry Gaskill to form KING'S X. The band released acclaimed albums together, including "Out Of The Silent Planet", "Gretchen Goes To Nebraska", "Faith Hope Love" and "Dogman". These records have been cited as influential by some of the biggest names in rock music today. Ty's love for recording and musical gear would eventually lead to him opening his own studio in Kansas City in 1996. In 1997, he released his first solo album, "Naomi's Solar Pumpkin", and much of that album would eventually become his second solo album, "Moonflower Lane". He has released seven solo albums to date as well as projects with his other side band, THE JELLY JAM. Ty spends his time between the studio and playing on the road with KING'S X.

LINKIN PARK was honored with the "Favorite Artist - Alternative Rock" award at the 2017 American Music Awards, which was held Sunday night (November 19) at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. They beat out other nominees in the category IMAGINE DRAGONS and TWENTY ONE PILOTS.

LINKIN PARK members Rob Bourdon, Mike Shinoda and Brad Delson took the stage to accept the award and honor frontman Chester Bennington, who passed away this summer.

"First of all, thank you so much to all the fans here and around the world who voted for the band, who have supported the band through thick and thin," Shinoda said.

Acknowledging his fellow nominees, Shinoda added: I got a chance to talk to those guys … who said really wonderful things about Chester. And they were similar to the things that our fans said all around the world about him, and we wanna dedicate this award to him, to his memory, to his talent, to his sense of humor, to his joy.

"Remember, you guys — all of you, tonight — whether you're a fan or an artist, I want you guys to take a moment to appreciate what you've got and make Chester proud. Thank you guys so much," he concluded.

You can watch part of LINKIN PARK's speech below.

Bennington died on July 20 at his Los Angeles area home after committing suicide at the age of 41.

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.

LINKIN PARK will release a concert album titled "One More Light Live" on December 15. Recorded on the band's "One More Light" world tour, it features 16 songs, including "Crawling", "Numb", "What I've Done", "Heavy" and the title track from the group's latest studio album, "One More Light".

DAY OF ERRORS, the three-piece band led by original BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward, has released its first two songs, "Day Of Errors" and "Blaspheming At Creation" via iTunes, Spotify, Amazon MP3 and Google Play.

You can check out an audio sample of "Day Of Errors" at this location.

DAY OF ERRORS was forced to cancel its previously announced West Coast tour after Ward was hospitalized this past weekend with heart problems. He explained in a statement: "I am okay and in good recovery at this time. However, I've never experienced this particular type of heart problem before, and due to its nature, I had to make the decision to cancel the dates."

DAY OF ERRORS made its live debut in June 2016 at Gaslamp in Long Beach, California.

The group, which was formed by Ward "in the desire to have my drumming spirit continue to live," also features Joe Amodea on guitar/vocals and KILL DEVIL HILL singer Jason "Dewey" Bragg on vocals.

Bragg joined DAY OF ERRORS earlier this year following the departure of bassist/vocalist Nick Diltz (ALL HAIL THE YETI).

Ward was on board for the SABBATH reunion when it was first announced in November 2011, but backed out soon after. He later claimed that he sat out the recording and touring sessions because of unfair contractual terms, although the members of SABBATH have hinted in other interviews that he wasn't physically up to the task.

It was rumored that SABBATH wanted to bring a second drummer on the road to share duties with Ward, which he allegedly balked at.

Asked in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine if he would be in shape right now to rejoin BLACK SABBATH, Ward responded: "Absolutely, yeah. I have no doubt in my mind. I know that they've suggested that I played half the gig, and I don't want to play half the gig. I'm quite capable of playing a complete fucking BLACK SABBATH set. So this health thing has been bandied around, and it's true that I have heart disease, and it's true that I did get sick a couple of years after the fact. But when the health card is being thrown around, the bottom line is that I really tried to take care of myself. Every day, I always look at the day and say, 'Could I have played a gig today no matter what's going on with me?' And the answer is always, 'Yes.' I'm much harder on me than those guys could ever be."

Ward in 2015 released his first solo album in 18 years. Titled "Accountable Beasts", the record can be purchased on iTunes.

DEAD CROSS, the Southern California outfit featuring drummer Dave Lombardo (ex-SLAYER, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, MISFITS) and singer Mike Patton (FAITH NO MORE), has released a music video for the song "Church Of The Motherfuckers". The clip is described in a press release as "a visual rebuke of organized religion."

"We are not capable of understanding aspects of molecular genetics, let alone the universe," said DEAD CROSS bass player Justin Pearson of the Michael Panduro-directed video. "I'd rather not fill in the blanks with outlandish oppressive morals, offensive social politics, and patriarchal garbage. In the year 2017 AD, some humans still think there is a god."

The band, which also includes guitarist Michael Crain (RETOX, FESTIVAL OF DEAD DEER), recently announced it will head to Europe next summer, already confirming a June 17 performance at Download Paris. More dates will be announced soon.

The self-titled debut album from DEAD CROSS was released on August 4 via Ipecac Recordings. The effort was helmed by producer Ross Robinson, who has previously worked with KORN, DEFTONES, SEPULTURA and LIMP BIZKIT, among others, and was mastered at Golden Mastering in Ventura, California.

Patton told Rolling Stone that he got involved with DEAD CROSS after reaching out to Lombardo to see if he could release the band's album on Ipecac. After getting a text from the drummer asking him to join the group, "my jaw dropped," the singer said. "I was like, 'Who, me? Hmm …' And I think it took like all of 30 seconds, but in a sarcastic way, I'm like, 'Yeah, of course. I can do this. Are you sure you want me?' So I kind of second-guessed him a little bit. And he said, 'Man, you'd be our dream vocalist.' And then it was just a matter of logistics. I decided to record it here in my basement, which is fitting. It shouldn't sound too polished."

Regarding DEAD CROSS's musical direction, Patton said: "To me, it is a traditional hardcore record. It is very pointed, direct and visceral. Like, I wasn't going to play keyboards, add samples or any kind of orchestration. It was like, 'Yo, just go for it.' In some ways, it reminded me of stuff that we had collectively all grown up with and loved when we were like teenagers — bands like the ACCÜSED, DEEP WOUND or SIEGE, stuff that was just brutal, uncompromising and right to the point. I was listening to all those bands again before this came to be, so it was already back infused in my blood. And now I got a chance to do a pencil-in-your-eye record."

Finnish folk metallers KORPIKLAANI are currently in the studio, working on the follow-up to 2015's "Noita" album. The effort is expected to arrive in early 2018 via Nuclear Blast.

The first video report from the studio can be seen below.

In February 2018, KORPIKLAANI will kick off an extensive European headline run with support from Russia's ARKONA, Dutch men HEIDEVOLK as well as Norwegian metallers TROLLFEST. The billing will be completed with EVERTALE, BLACK MESSIAH and THE PRIVATEER on select dates.

"Noita" was released in May 2015 in North America via Nuclear Blast. Recorded at Petrax Studio with Aksu Hanttu producing, recording and mixing again, it was KORPIKLAANI's first CD to feature new accordion player Sami Perttula, who played a very active role in the folk arrangements along with fiddler Tuomas Rounakari.

A video trailer for HAMMERFALL's upcoming "Glory To The Brave - 20 Year Anniversary Edition" can be seen below.

The gold and black vinyl, as well as the digital version of the album, will be released on December 1 — with the extensive fan box set dropping on December 15.

When HAMMERFALL released its debut album, "Glory To The Brave", twenty years ago, the five Swedes launched a true heavy metal revival overnight. While the mainstream still concentrated on grunge and the metal scene was dominated by especially black and gothic acts, this traditional metal record was like a godsend and heralded a new era. "For us, the immense success was a real shock in the beginning," singer Joacim Cans remembers, because suddenly, HAMMERFALL were considered to be the saviors of true metal. They received countless rave reviews from magazines, Wacken Open Air booked the band at prime time on the main stage, Kai Hansen invited the band personally to join as support on the GAMMA RAY tour and the CD entered the German album chart at the amazing position of No. 38 — an unbelievable achievement during this time.

"Our advantage was that no one has expected us and our album. We only did what we wanted and felt compelled to do," Cans says.

This passion was not least influenced by German metal acts like ACCEPT, HELLOWEEN and STORMWITCH but also by other underdogs like WARLORD and PICTURE.

"I'm still very proud of this album; it has turned our lives upside down," the vocalist sums up, and is equally proud of the extensive re-release of the cult album. The re-release includes the completely remastered version of "Glory To The Brave", a radio edit of the legendary title track as well as the great cover version of the STORMWITCH classic "Ravenlord". The bonus CD will include six live versions of "The Metal Age", "Steel Meets Steel", "Stone Cold", "Glory To The Brave", "Hammerfall" and "The Dragon Lies Bleeding", as well as a medley from numerous tracks off of their first-class debut album, which was recorded live this year at a show in Berlin. In addition to this, the double CD will also be enhanced by a bonus DVD containing the first chapters of their "The First Crusade" documentary, which was originally published on VHS, as well as four new, historically edited interview chapters plus a live recording of their Dynamo Open Air show at Eindhoven in 1998. It will be available as a digipak in an attractive box set, including a booklet containing detailed liner notes, many photos from the private archives of the musicians as well as magazine reports, flyers, posters and much more. Besides the 2-CD/DVD, you can also purchase the audio part separately, which includes bonus tracks as a double-vinyl in various colors.

There has been no other album that was quite as important for the development of heavy metal in the nineties and now, the milestone will be published in a comprehensive deluxe edition that leaves no wish unfulfilled! "Glory To The Brave - 20 Year Anniversary Edition" will be released with brand-new cover artwork and is now available for pre-order.

"Glory To The Brave - 20 Year Anniversary Edition" track listing:

Digi, Album Tracks Remastered

CD1

01. The Dragon Lies Bleeding02. The Metal Age03. HammerFall04. I Believe05. Child Of The Damned06. Steel Meets Steel07. Stone Cold08. Unchained09. Glory To The BraveBonus:10. Ravenlord11. Glory To The Brave (radio edit) CD2 (bonus) – Live

01. The Metal Age (1998)02. Steel Meets Steel (1998)03. Stone Cold (1998)04. Glory To The Brave (2012)05. Hammerfall (2012)06. The Dragon Lies Bleeding (2012)07. Glory To The Brave Medley (2017) Bonus DVD The First Crusade:01. Introduction 02. Steel Meets Steel - First Live Show03. Glory To The Brave - Clip 104. HammerFall 05. Steel Meets Steel - Live 06. Glory To The Brave - Clip 2 07. The Making Of "Glory To The Brave" 08. Ravenlord - Live (STORMWITCH cover) 09. The Metal Age - Live 10. Nominated For The Swedish Grammis Award 11. Stone Cold - Live 12. Interview Interview 2017:

13. Chapter I: The Early Days14. Chapter II: The Rockslaget Festival15. Chapter III: The Album 16. Chapter IV: New Members, Wacken & Touring Live: Dynamo Festival 1998

17. Child Of The Damned18. The Metal Age19. Steel Meets Steel20. Eternal Dark21. The Dragon Lies Bleeding22. Stone Cold23. HammerFall

2LP (140g, 33 RPM) Album Tracks Remastered

Side A

01. The Dragon Lies Bleeding 02. The Metal Age 03. HammerFall 04. I Believe 05. Child Of The Damned

Side B

01. Steel Meets Steel 02. Stone Cold 03. Unchained 04. Glory To The Brave

Side C (Bonus)

01. Ravenlord02. The Metal Age (live 1998)03. Steel Meets Steel (live 1998)04. Stone Cold (live 1998)

Side D (Bonus)

01. Glory To The Brave (live 2012)02. Hammerfall (live 2012)03. The Dragon Lies Bleeding (live 2012)04. Glory To The Brave - Medley (live 2017)

San Francisco Bay Area thrashers DEATH ANGEL paid tribute to Malcolm Young by playing a cover version of the AC/DC classic "Dog Eat Dog" during their November 18 concert at Barba Negra in Budapest, Hungary. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below,

DEATH ANGEL guitarist Rob Cavestany told Guitar World magazine last year that AC/DC's "Let There Be Rock" was the first record he ever bought with his own money. "I remember looking at all the album covers in the bin," he said. "You're not supposed to judge a book — or record — by its cover, but as a kid, I saw the green people in the audience and Angus [Young], and I was like, 'Dude this must be sick!' And yes, that album delivered when I put it on my record player. That raw guitar tone was insane."

DEATH ANGEL singer Mark Osegueda told Metal Obsession in a 2010 interview that "the album that changed our lives from when we were kids was AC/DC's album 'Let There Be Rock', and we've always been obsessed with that; that made us like cheese to a mouse of getting to Australia."

DEATH ANGEL is currently on the road in Europe with TESTAMENT and ANNIHILATOR.

DEATH ANGEL is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "The Evil Divide", which entered The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 98 with first-week sales of just over 6,000 units — nearly all from pure album sales. The set followed the No. 72-peaking "The Dream Calls For Blood", which opened with around 5,400 copies back in 2013.

"The Evil Divide" was released in May 2016 via Nuclear Blast. The CD was once again recorded at AudioHammer studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, DEICIDE), who previously worked on 2010's "Relentless Retribution" and 2013's "The Dream Calls For Blood". Mastering duties were handled by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound in New York City. The cover artwork was created by Bob Tyrrell.

ANTHRAX's "We've Come For You All" and "The Greater Of Two Evils" albums will be reissued on December 22 via Nuclear Blast.

The two LPs will be available for purchase via CD in one package, and also available via limited-edition gatefold vinyl as separate pieces.

"We've Come For You All" was originally released in 2003 and was ANTHRAX's ninth studio album. It was the last studio LP featuring vocalist John Bush and the first to feature Rob Caggiano on lead guitar. Produced by Rob Caggiano, it's a heavy and dynamic record that speaks to die-hard metal fans as much as rock and alternative audiences. THE WHO vocalist Roger Daltrey and PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott made guest appearances on the album. The cover art was designed by comic book artist Alex Ross. "The Greater Of Two Evils" is a compilation record originally released in 2004. The album is made up of fourteen songs from the early era of ANTHRAX that were first released between 1984 and 1990, originally sung by Neil Turbin and Joey Belladonna. The tracks were re-recorded with John Bush on vocals. The tracks were originally selected via a fan vote which was held on the ANTHRAX web site — the band received thousands of votes from all around the world. The artwork for "The Greater Of Two Evils" was created by the infamous Shepard Fairey.

2CD package

CD1 - "We've Come For You All"

01. Contact02. What Doesn't Die03. Superhero04. Refuse To Be Denied05. Safe Home06. Any Place But Here07. Nobody Knows Anything08. Strap It On09. Black Dahlia10. Cadillac Rock Box11. Taking The Music Back12. Crash13. Think About An End14. We've Come For You All15. Safe Home (Acoustic Version)16. We're A Happy Family (Acoustic Version)

CD 2 - "The Greater Of Two Evils"

01. Deathrider02. Metal Thrashing Mad03. Caught In A Mosh04. A.I.R.05. Among The Living06. Keep It In The Family07. Indians08. Madhouse09. Panic10. I Am The Law11. Belly Of The Beast12. N.F.L. (Nice Fucking Life – Efilgnikcufecin)13. Be All End All14. Gung Ho "We've Come For You All"

Limited-Edition Gatefold Double Vinyl

Side A

01. Contact02. What Doesn't Die03. Superhero04. Refuse To Be Denied

Side B

01. Safe Home02. Any Place But Here03. Nobody Knows Anything

Side C

01. Strap It On02. Black Dahlia03. Cadillac Rock Box04. Taking The Music Back

Side D

01. Crash02. Think About An End03. We've Come For You All04. Safe Home (Acoustic Version)05. We're A Happy Family (Acoustic Version) "The Greater Of Two Evils"

Side A

01. Deathrider02. Metal Thrashing Mad03. Caught In A Mosh04. A.I.R.05. Among The Living

Side B

01. Keep It In The Family02. Indians03. Madhouse04. Panic

Side C

01. I Am The Law02. Belly Of The Beast03. N.F.L. (Nice Fucking Life - Efilgnikcufecin)04. Be All End All

Side D

01. Gung Ho02. Anthrax03. Lone Justice04. In My World

Bush fronted ANTHRAX between 1992 and 2005 but was sidelined when ANTHRAX reunited with Joey Belladonna for a twentieth-anniversary tour. When that collapsed, and relationships disintegrated with next frontman Dan Nelson, Bush returned for a time before Belladonna took the job back in 2010.

Bush temporarily rejoined ANTHRAX for a number of shows in late 2009 and early 2010 but stepped aside in May 2010 in order to make room for the permanent return of Belladonna.

Although Joey did perform the John Bush-era song "Only" live with ANTHRAX on a couple of occasions, the track has since been dropped from the band's set. "We've got enough songs [that were originally recorded with me on vocals]," Joey explained in a 2016 interview. "We've got enough material; I don't need to go back. I'd just as soon leave that alone. I mean, once in a while I get people complaining, and then after a while, it got really old too. I hate that whole thing, 'cause we're not even the same… We happened to be in the same band, but it's a completely different thing."

The official lyric video for the song "The Great Awakening" from U.S. progressive metallers WITHERFALL — the collective brainchild of guitarist Jake Dreyer (ICED EARTH, KOBRA AND THE LOTUS, WHITE WIZZARD), singer Joseph Michael (WHITE WIZZARD) and the late Adam Sagan (CIRCLE II CIRCLE, INTO ETERNITY) — can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's debut album, "Nocturnes And Requiems", which received a European release on October 6 as a limited CD digipak version with three stickers, a noble LP version with gatefold sleeve, inlay, poster and CD as well as digital download/stream.

The beautiful cover artwork was created by legendary painter Kristian Wahlin (TIAMAT, DISSECTION, EMPEROR).

WITHERFALL has stirred up the international scene with its unique approach of combining epic metal with dark heavy metal and complex yet catchy progressive metal to style that reminds of early CRIMSON GLORY, the "Conspiracy"/"The Eye" era of KING DIAMOND and the great achievements of bands like NEVERMORE, FATES WARNING and QUEENSRŸCHE.

With Dreyer and Michael having previously worked together in WHITE WIZZARD and Sagan collaborating with Dreyer on the critically acclaimed debut instrumental EP, "In The Shadows Of Madness" — which included a featured track for the popular video game franchise Rock Band — the trio combined forces to begin writing for the new project in 2013. Eager to resonate their ideas, WITHERFALL headed to Phoenix, Arizona to record their debut album, "Nocturnes And Requiems", with engineer Ralph Patlan (MEGADETH, Brian "Head" Welch, MSG) in late 2014. The album was then sent on to New York City for mixing and mastering by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (ROB ZOMBIE, QUEENSRŸCHE, HATEBREED) at Planet Z.

"Nocturnes And Requiems" is dedicated to the life of Adam Sagan, who passed on December 7, 2016 during the final stages of production.

In September, WITHERFALL announced that it had recruited drummer Steve Bolognese, who, by strange coincidence, also replaced Sagan after his departure from the Canadian progressive power/death metal heroes INTO ETERNITY.

WITHERFALL is currently writing songs for for its second album, roughly scheduled for autumn/winter 2018.

DAY OF ERRORS, the three-piece band led by original BLACK SABBATH drummer Bill Ward, has canceled its previously announced West Coast tour which was scheduled to take place in early December.

Ward said in a statement: "I wound up in hospital this past weekend with heart problems. I am okay and in good recovery at this time. However, I've never experienced this particular type of heart problem before, and due to its nature, I had to make the decision to cancel the dates.

"I want to send my sincere apologies to everyone who was planning to come out to the shows. I'm so sorry we won't be making it — I was looking forward to seeing you all and sharing this music with you.

"I'll be in touch soon."

All DAY OF ERRORS tour dates have been canceled and will not be rescheduled. Tickets will be refunded at point of purchase. Tickets purchased through an online ticketing agency will be automatically refunded. Please allow 7-10 days for refunds to appear.

Affected dates are as follows:

Dec. 07 - Wow Hall - Eugene, ORDec. 08 - High Dive - Seattle, WA Dec. 09 - Dante's - Portland, ORDec. 12 - Great American Music Hall - San Francisco, CADec. 13 - Catalyst - Santa Cruz, CADec. 14 - The Garage - Ventura, CADec. 15 - The Casbah - San Diego, CA

DAY OF ERRORS made its live debut in June 2016 at Gaslamp in Long Beach, California.

The group, which was formed by Ward "in the desire to have my drumming spirit continue to live," also features Joe Amodea on guitar/vocals and KILL DEVIL HILL singer Jason "Dewey" Bragg on vocals.

Bragg joined DAY OF ERRORS earlier this year following the departure of bassist/vocalist Nick Diltz (ALL HAIL THE YETI).

Ward was on board for the SABBATH reunion when it was first announced in November 2011, but backed out soon after. He later claimed that he sat out the recording and touring sessions because of unfair contractual terms, although the members of SABBATH have hinted in other interviews that he wasn't physically up to the task.

SABBATH has used singer Ozzy Osbourne's regular touring drummer Tommy Clufetos since then for live work. RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Brad Wilk laid down the drum tracks on the band's comeback album, "13", which came out in June 2013.

It was rumored that SABBATH wanted to bring a second drummer on the road to share duties with Ward, which he allegedly balked at.

Asked in an interview with Rolling Stone magazine if he would be in shape right now to rejoin BLACK SABBATH, Ward responded: "Absolutely, yeah. I have no doubt in my mind. I know that they've suggested that I played half the gig, and I don't want to play half the gig. I'm quite capable of playing a complete fucking BLACK SABBATH set. So this health thing has been bandied around, and it's true that I have heart disease, and it's true that I did get sick a couple of years after the fact. But when the health card is being thrown around, the bottom line is that I really tried to take care of myself. Every day, I always look at the day and say, 'Could I have played a gig today no matter what's going on with me?' And the answer is always, 'Yes.' I'm much harder on me than those guys could ever be."

Ward in 2015 released his first solo album in 18 years. Titled "Accountable Beasts", the record can be purchased on iTunes.

A video clip of Nikki Sixx unboxing the limited-edition deluxe vinyl version of the 10th-anniversary edition of SiXX:A.M.'s "The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack" can be seen below.

Sixx got sober sixteen years ago. A decade ago he shared this story with the world. And yet with the modern opioid crisis looming larger than ever; Sixx's journey to sobriety and the words and music it inspired remains poignantly relevant. Chronicling the year of decadence and depravity that almost cost Sixx his life during the recording and tour for MÖTLEY CRÜE's seminal 1987 album "Girls Girls Girls", the book not only became a worldwide bestseller but also spawned the band SIXX:A.M., and Sixx's nationally syndicated daily iHeart Media rock radio show "Sixx Sense With Nikki Sixx". Said Sixx: "Over the last ten years, I've met so many people who have thanked me for 'The Heroin Diaries' and say that it saved their lives. But the truth is, writing 'The Heroin Diaries' saved my life too.” Comprised of James Michael (vocalist, producer, songwriter), DJ Ashba (guitarist, songwriter) and Sixx (bassist, songwriter), the group initially came together to write, record, and co-produce "The Heroin Diaries Soundtrack", which sold over 300,000 copies, and includes the #1 hit single "Life Is Beautiful", which became radio's most played rock song of 2008. Over the past decade, SIXX:A.M. has become a full-fledged global rock powerhouse, releasing four additional albums, multiple Top 5 hits and playing the biggest festivals and arenas around the world. "The Heroin Diaries: 10th Anniversary Edition Soundtrack" by SIXX:A.M. was released October 27 via Eleven Seven Music as a digital album, CD and CD/DVD. All music configurations feature new artwork, personal notes from the band and include three newly re-imagined tracks: "Life Is Beautiful 2017", "Accidents Can Happen 2017" and "Girl With Golden Eyes 2017".

Nikki Sixx unboxing The Heroin Diaries deluxe vinyl
Nikki Sixx unboxes the limited edition deluxe vinyl! Make sure you grab one on PledgeMusic ? pledgemusic.com/sixxammusic!

Posted by Sixx:A.M. on Monday, November 20, 2017

BARONESS will release the final two picture discs in its four-part "Purple" picture disc series, with "Try To Disappear" and "Morningstar" arriving December 12 via the band's webstore and at independent record stores for Vinyl Tuesday.

The limited-edition releases, which are available for pre-order via the band's webstore, each feature a quadrant of the John Baizley-created cover art for the band's album "Purple", as well as unreleased B-sides. "Try To Disappear" features a live version of the song from the band's 2016 performance at Los Angeles's Fonda Theatre while "Morningstar" features a demo version of the track.

The first two picture discs ("Chlorine" and "Wine And Shock Me") have been sold out since their release but a limited number of complete bundles, featuring all four releases, will be made available exclusively via the BARONESS webstore.

Baizley, who, Stereogum said, creates "the most unique, intriguing, stylish" album covers, has crafted the art for all four of BARONESS's albums as well as the outfit's EPs.

While Baizley tackled the "Purple" cover, the discs themselves feature illustrations by renowned artist Marald Van Haasteren.

BARONESS is John Baizley (vocals/guitar), Gina Gleason (guitar), Nick Jost (bass) and Sebastian Thomson (drums).

BARONESS released the Grammy-nominated album "Purple" in late 2015.

The band, which is currently writing music for its fifth album, recently announced an April 29 performance at the eighth annual Welcome To Rockville festival in Jacksonville, Florida.

Photo credit: Jimmy Hubbard

Fan-filmed video footage of W.A.S.P.'s November 12 performance at 013 in Tilburg, Netherlands can be seen below.

Brazilian drummer Aquiles Priester made his live debut with W.A.S.P. at the opening show of the band's "Re-Idolized - The Crimson Idol 25th Anniversary World Tour" on September 25 at Trädgår'n in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Aquiles said in a statement: "I'm very happy to announce that I will be touring Europe this fall with W.A.S.P. It's a huge honor to be part of the 'Re-Idolized' tour. 'The Crimson Idol' is one of the most important progressive concept albums in the history of heavy metal music. I would also like to extend my gratitude to W.A.S.P.: Blackie [Lawless, guitar/vocals], Mike [Duda, bass] and Doug [Blair, guitar]. Thank you, for having me aboard on this tour. I've learned a lot from all three of you."

For a list of upcoming W.A.S.P. shows, visit WASPnation.com.

Born in South Africa, Priester has collaborated with such bands and solo artists as ANGRA, HANGAR, MIDAS FATE, PRIMAL FEAR, Paul Di'Anno (ex-IRON MAIDEN), Tony MacAlpine and Vinnie Moore. He is also known for having participated in the widely talked-about DREAM THEATER drummer audition which took place after Mike Portnoy had left the band. It was after that event that DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci recommended Priester to another great guitar virtuoso, Tony MacAlpine.

Priester has released three educational publications: the book "Inside My PsychoBook: 100 Double Bass Patterns" (2011) as well as two DVDs, titled "The Infallible Reason Of My Freak Drumming" (2010) and "Top 100 Drum Fills" (2013).

Drummer Mike Dupke left W.A.S.P. in 2015 after a nine-year stint with the band. He was initially replaced on the road by YNGWIE MALMSTEEN drummer Patrick Johansson and, later, by Randy Black (PRIMAL FEAR).

Napalm Records will release "Re-Idolized", the twenty-fifth-anniversary version of W.A.S.P.'s iconic hit album plus the original "The Crimson Idol" movie on DVD and Blu-ray.

"Re-Idolized" will be made available on Blu-ray, DVD, CD, and vinyl on February 2, 2018.

Swedish epic heavy doom metal warlords SORCERER released their new album, "The Crowning Of The Fire King", on October 20 via Metal Blade Records.

The official lyric video for the disc's latest single, "Unbearable Sorrow", can be viewed below.

SORCERER comments: "We have aimed to write an album with diversity and intensity, an album that we want to listen to ourselves.

"'The Crowning Of The Fire King' is by far our best recording ever with songs that are strong, powerful and doomy. We have captured what SORCERER is about and taken the songs to the next level for the band."

"The Crowning Of The Fire King" track listing:

01. Sirens02. Ship Of Doom03. Abandoned By The Gods04. The Devils Incubus05. Nattvaka06. Crimson Cross07. The Crowning Of The Fire King08. Unbearable Sorrow

SORCERER emerged out of Sweden in the late 80s and was one of the very early bands to champion what is now known as "epic doom metal." Besides genre pioneers CANDLEMASS, groups like SOLITUDE AETURNUS, WHILE HEAVEN WEPT and SORCERER were among the few groups around representing this style of metal.

During its existence, SORCERER produced two self-financed cassette releases, both of which quickly became underground cult classics regularly hailed by metalheads as some of the finest of the era. After a few personnel changes, the group disintegrated in 1992 and since then some of the bandmembers went on to find some success with other groups. Bassist Johnny Hagel achieved greater success in TIAMAT and later SUNDOWN. Vocalist Anders Engberg has also made a name for himself with several other bands he has fronted, such as LION'S SHARE, TWILIGHT and SECTION A.

In the fall of 2010, members of SORCERER were coaxed into reforming to play a one-off gig at the Hammer Of Doom festival in Germany and, a year later, the Up The Hammers festival in Athens, Greece. Both shows were received extremely well and the thoughts of putting together a new album started to take form.

In March 2015, SORCERER released the critically acclaimed "In The Shadow Of The Inverted Cross". SORCERER played several festivals in support of the album — Sabaton Open Air and Rock Hard Festival, among others, with the latter especially being a huge success for the band, selling out their entire merch supply even before finishing their set.

2015 also saw the release of the EP "Black", which consisted of three songs left over from the "In The Shadow Of The Inverted Cross" sessions, as well as an acoustic version of the track "Prayers For A King".

In the end of 2015, the band started to write material for a follow-up album to "In The Shadow Of The Inverted Cross". Progress went pretty fast and ten new tracks emerged out of the royal epic doom chest. The songwriting carried on throughout 2016, and in early 2017, they went into the studio to record.

During the recording, the band and drummer Robert Iversen parted ways because of musical differences, and Lars Sköld (TIAMAT, AVATARIUM) filled the role as session drummer on the album.

In the early summer of 2017, the album was ready to be mixed by the very talented Ronnie Björnström (AEON, CUT UP, 220 VOLT), who also turned the knobs on their last album. The mastering this time was expertly handled by Mr. Thomas "Plec" Johansson (SOILWORK, WATAIN).

SORCERER is:

Anders Engberg - vocalsKristian Niemann - guitarsPeter Hallgren - guitarsJohnny Hagel - bassRichard Evensand - drums

In a brand new interview conducted during OPETH's U.K. tour, guitarist Fredrik Åkesson was asked if he and his bandmates have commenced the songwriting process for the follow-up to 2016's "Sorceress" album. "In a way, yes, I would say," he replied (see video below). "This is the last run we do [in support of 'Soreceress'], and then we have a break. We might play some festivals during the summer, but before that, there's no gigs. So it's a bit of a break, but also starting to write for a new album, absolutely. So we'll see how that goes. But nothing is… no direction is settled yet or anything like that."

Pressed about whether the members of OPETH ever write any music on the road, Fredrik said: "For me personally, I sit around and play a lot of guitar during the day, and sometimes you come up with a little melody or a little riff or something, and I just record it in my voice memory in the phone. So small stuff like that. But it's not… Working-on-a-song kind of thing rarely happens on the road. Especially for Mike [OPETH guitarist/vocalist and main songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt], I know he needs to be in his bubble, you know. So that's why we wanna take a break now as well, because for him, also, it's important to don't have to think about the shows or anything like that, just focus on coming up with new material."

Åkerfeldt recently told Eonmusic that he was hoping OPETH's next album would be "something different" and "something twisted." He added that the record would likely arrive by mid-to-late 2019. "I want to have a sabbatical, because we've been doing this for a long time, so I want to keep away and just be with my kids," he said. "Once I write songs, I want to sit and be."

"Sorceress" was released in September 2016. For the band's first effort for Nuclear Blast via OPETH's imprint label Moderbolaget Records, the group returned to Rockfield Studios in Wales, also home to pivotal releases from QUEEN, RUSH and JUDAS PRIEST, where the Swedes had tracked "Pale Communion" in 2014 with Tom Dalgety.

“I didn’t get into music because I wanted to be a big success…I originally went after music because I simply loved it. There wasn’t anything else for me. Nothing moved me like music did, and my hope had always been to move people as I had been moved.” — Neal Morse
 
Truer words never spoken by Morse, who will prove his own personal theory right with his latest solo album, Life & Times, which will be released February 16th on Radiant Records via Metal Blade Records/SONY on all digital outlets, as well as CD and vinyl. Preorders will be available on Radiant Records’ website starting December 12th.
 
Widely regarded as one of the world’s leading progressive rock (“prog”) musicians, there is now no doubt that Neal Morse is a “big success,” but his desire to move people through his music burns brighter than ever. Now in his mid-fifties and his children grown up, there is a sense on Life & Times that Morse is looking around and taking stock.

 
“I’ve come through a lot of difficult times and I’m in a fairly content place now,” he says. “You can feel that on some of the songs.” Much of this ‘acoustic-orientated, singer/songwriter’ album was written while he was travelling around the world on The Road Called Home tour in 2017, with some of the songs being inspired by the places he visited, while others are from spending time with his family.
 
For example, “Manchester By The Sea” is a musical portrait of that notorious rarity—a sunny day in Manchester, England—when Morse was sitting in a coffee shop watching the world go by. “Selfie In The Square” captures what he saw walking around Luxembourg City, hearing the cathedral bells and children playing, but realizing what a difference it makes to share these experiences. “Luxembourg was really nice, but I knew that if my wife was there, it would feel like a holiday, so I wrote a song about it to send to her,” he explains.
 
Some of these slice-of-life portraits also resonate with other people’s heartaches, such as “JoAnna,” which focuses on Morse’s son dealing with the loss of a relationship and— most poignantly—“He Died At Home,” about a mother’s grief over the loss of her soldier son. As Morse says, “I had been praying for a roommate of a friend of mine, who was a troubled ex-military guy. The day we were playing in Paris, I woke up to a text saying that sadly, he had died. As I began formulating ideas for a song about him, I remembered that many years ago, I had been at a meeting at a military base in Tennessee. They asked us to pray for their men because almost every week they were going to the funeral of those who had ‘died at home.’”
 
The power of the song that Morse eventually crafted has moved people in ways that he could never have imagined: “Because of the idea for the song, I was researching soldier suicides online and found an article about a young soldier named William Busbee. He came back from Afghanistan in 2012, and then committed suicide. The video director contacted Libby Busbee, his mother, who listened to the song and was so moved that she is contributing photos of William to put in a video we’ll be sharing very soon.” The song also had quite an impact when it was premiered at Morsefest 2017, where it was very much the talk of the festival.
 
Born in 1960 to a musical Californian family, Morse played in many bands during his youth. He learned and mastered several instruments along the way. In 1995, he wrote and recorded The Light with his new band, Spock’s Beard. It was an album grounded strongly in the then-unfashionable progressive rock genre. The album and title song became modern prog classics, and began to bring Morse and the band global recognition. In 2000, he also joined forces with Mike Portnoy (ex-Dream Theater), Pete Trewavas (Marillion) and Roine Stolt (The Flower Kings) to form Transatlantic, a prog supergroup that went on to win the PROG Magazine Award for “Album of the Year.”
 
Neal Morse’s solo work has focused almost entirely on music with a strong message of redemption, beginning with 2003’s Testimony—a two-disc musical account of his spiritual journey--and most recently with The Neal Morse Band’s PROG Magazine Award nominee, The Similitude Of A Dream, based on John Bunyan’s classic allegory, The Pilgrim’s Progress.
 
In touring news, Morse is hoping to move more people with these songs at some “absolutely solo” shows in cafes and small venues throughout the U.S. and Europe in 2018.

 

One-time "The X Factor" contestant Jeff Gutt made his live debut as STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' new vocalist during a SiriusXM special event on Tuesday, November 14 at the Troubadour nightclub in Los Angeles.

Professionally filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

A new STP single, titled "Meadow", was serviced to radio last week and was performed live for the first time during the Troubadour show.

Gutt, who was a runner-up in the reality TV music competition show's third season, originally auditioned for STP in September 2016 and became an official member of the band in May 2017. He has spent the last year secretly writing and recording new material with bandmembers Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo and Eric Kretz.

Robert DeLeo said that he first found out about Gutt while he was on the road with the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES. Robert explained: "We were playing ... up in Detroit, which is where [Jeff is] from. And after the show, there was a musician who said, 'Hey, man, you should check this guy out.' And that's where I kind of heard of him first."

Gutt recalled how he got to audition for the band, saying: "I can't remember what song it was, but a STONE TEMPLE PILOTS song came on the radio. So I called my buddy in New York who knows everybody in the music industry, and I was like, 'Hey, did they ever find a singer?' And he was like, 'You know what? I'll send 'em your stuff right now.' And three days later, I got a call."

Gutt added that he felt like he had the job before even trying out, explaining: "You have to be confident . . . I know what I'm doing. I've studied my craft. I've studied [original STP singer] Scott [Weiland] and the people Scott studied, and other singers of the era. I've really put in a lot of time into that, and if you're not willing to do all of that, you're not gonna be on the level to even be around these guys."

Gutt appeared on "The X Factor" in 2013, where he impressed the judges with his covers of songs like "Creep", "Dream On" and "Hallelujah".

STP had been without a vocalist since November 2015, when Chester Bennington — who joined the group in early 2013 — departed to spend more time with his main band LINKIN PARK. Bennington committed suicide last July.

Scott Weiland, who reunited with the group in 2010 after an eight-year hiatus but was dismissed in 2013, died in December 2015 of a drug overdose while on a solo tour.

"All That Once Shined", the new video from BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's upcoming tenth full-length album, "Grimmest Hits", which will be released January 19, 2018 via Entertainment One (eOne). The clip was directed by BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's longtime collaborator Justin Reich.

Both "All That Once Shined" and "Room Of Nightmares" are available on all digital service providers and streaming services. They are also iTunes instant-gratification tracks, meaning fans who pre order the album on iTunes will receive "All That Once Shined" and "Room Of Nightmares" as an instant download.

"Grimmest Hits" track listing:

01. Trampled Down Below02. Seasons Of Falter03. The Betrayal04. All That Once Shined05. The Only Words06. Room Of Nightmares07. A Love Unreal08. Disbelief09. The Day That Heaven Had Gone Away10. Illusions Of Peace11. Bury Your Sorrow12. Nothing Left To Say

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY will embark on a North American tour this winter in support of its upcoming album, "Grimmest Hits". Joining them on the trek will be CORROSION OF CONFORMITY on all dates, with EYEHATEGOD and RED FANG appearing at select shows.

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's latest studio album, "Catacombs Of The Black Vatican", sold around 26,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 5 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Prior to the release of "Catacombs Of The Black Vatican", BLACK LABEL SOCIETY amicably parted ways with longtime guitarist Nick Catanese and replaced him with Dario Lorina (LIZZY BORDEN).

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY is:

Zakk Wylde - Vocals/GuitarJohn DeServio - BassDario Lorina - GuitarJeff Fabb - Drums

Swedish death metallers AMON AMARTH have partnered with Swedish video game developer and publisher Ride & Crash Games AB to unleash a new mobile video game.

The Game. You are Thor and your mission is simple: cleanse Midgard from all of the vile creatures that are threatening the (*ahem*) peaceful Viking way of life. There are three keys to ensure your success:

(1) your hammer, Mjolnir; (2) your control of the freakin' thunder and lightning!; and (3) your fighting spirit is always high thanks to AMON AMARTH's epic music in retro style blasting from over the horizons and into your ears.

The unique game features four worlds, four epic battles, 12 unique levels and 13 different AMON AMARTH tracks with retro video game sounds!

The game is available worldwide to the public for iOS and Android phones and tablets for a retail price of $8.99. This link redirects the mobile or tablet user to their correct app store.

The idea for the game was conceived in the fall of 2015 when Robert Chirico Willstedt, a video game producer in Stockholm and founder of Ride & Crash Games AB, met AMON AMARTH. Robert and the band bonded over epic amounts of beer and a common love of video games, and they started discussing how cool it would be if they could create a video game for AMON AMARTH. There and then, the idea was born of a retro style Viking platformer with AMON AMARTH music in '80s-sounding square wave format. Robert hand-picked a team of developers and designers to realize the game concept. The band met the development team continuously during the development process to ensure the end product would stay true to the initial vision of the game.

AMON AMARTH is continuing to tour in support of its tenth studio album, "Jomsviking", which debuted at No. 19 on The Billboard 200, having shifted 21,000 equivalent album units in the week ending March 31, 2016.

"Jomsviking" was released via Metal Blade in North America and Sony Music internationally.

Black Country Communion, the Anglo-American rock group comprising vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple, Trapeze), drummer Jason Bonham (Led Zeppelin, Foreigner), Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Alice Cooper, Billy Idol) and blues-rock guitarist/vocalist Joe Bonamassa, released their fourth album, BCCIV, via Mascot Records back in September. A new music video for the album track “Sway” can be found below.

Just like its three predecessors, BCCIV was overseen by Kevin Shirley, whose catalogue of hit records for Led Zeppelin, Iron Maiden, Aerosmith, Journey, The Black Crowes, has made him the hottest producer that rock music has to offer. Shirley, who originally had the idea of putting Hughes and Bonamassa in a band after seeing them jamming together onstage in Los Angeles back in November 2009 – is the group’s unofficial ‘fifth member’.

All songs on the new album were co-written by Glenn Hughes and Joe Bonamassa.  Glenn wrote all the lyrics on the album except for the song “The Last Song For My Resting Place”, which was written by Joe.

Tracklisting:

“Collide”
“Over My Head”
“The Last Song For My Resting Place”
“Sway”
“The Cove”
“The Crow”
“Wanderlust”
“Love Remains”
“Awake”
“When The Morning Comes”
“With You I Go” (Vinyl edition bonus track)

"Sway"

“Over My Head” video:

“The Last Song For My Resting Place” video:

“Collide” video:

Black Country Communion are pleased to announce two exclusive concerts in Europe during January 2018 to support the release of their new album. The band will play Wolverhampton Civic Hall on Tuesday, January 2nd and London Hammersmith Apollo on Thursday, January 4th.

These will be the only two concerts the band will play in the UK and Europe. Tickets are available by calling 0844 844 0444, and can be booked online from www.ticketmaster.co.uk and www.eventim.co.uk.