OPERATION: MINDCRIME, the band led by former QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate, will release "A New Reality", the third and final of a concept album trilogy exploring international politics, the world economy and social ethos, on December 1 via Frontiers Music Srl.

The official lyric video for the song "Under Control", taken from "A New Reality", can be seen below.

"A New Reality" track listing:

01. A Head Long Jump02. Wake Me Up03. It Was Always You04. The Fear05. Under Control06. The New Reality07. My Eyes08. A Guitar In Church?09. All For What?10. The Wave11. Tidal Change12. The Same Old Story

The cover artwork can be seen below.

"The whole OPERATION: MINDCRIME project was really a group effort," Tate told the Chicago Tribune.

"I wanted to have an open-door policy where really great players could come in, contribute and also do other projects. I just called all the people I really respect that I've met over the years, asked them to be part of it and gave them all the material I've written.

"We did one really massive session and recorded everything. I've just been finishing it over the years."

OPERATION: MINDCRIME recorded and released the first part of the trilogy, "The Key" in 2015 and followed it a year later with "Resurrection".

"Resurrection" continued to track Tate's protagonist, H, as he plowed ahead in his quest to bring a project called The New Reality to fruition. "I wanted it to be what happens next, of course," Tate explained to Billboard. "The first part was kind of set up where you see a little bit about what's going on with the characters; the second one is what actually happened, then how do the characters get out of it."

Among the musicians who have contributed to the OPERATION: MINDCRIME project are keyboardist Randy Gane; guitarists Kelly Gray and Scott Moughton; DISTURBED bassist John Moyer; and drummers Brian Tichy (OZZY OSBOURNE, WHITESNAKE) and Simon Wright (AC/DC, DIO).

"I love storytelling. I like telling stories with music," Tate told the Chicago Tribune. "It's something that I just grew up with, listening to the ALAN PARSONS PROJECT's 'Tales Of Mystery And Imagination' and PINK FLOYD's 'The Wall' and 'The Dark Side Of The Moon'.

"They were fantastic albums that told stories that really got under my skin and influenced me. It's what I enjoy."

Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group has announced the signing of '90s progressive metal adventurers GALACTIC COWBOYS. The band's reunited original lineup — lead vocalist Ben Huggins, drummer/vocalist Alan Doss, guitarist/vocalist Dane Sonnier and vocalist/bassist Monty Colvin — will release its first album in seventeen years, "Long Way Back To The Moon", on November 17. They descended upon Doss's studio in Houston, Texas in early 2016 to write and record.

A new GALACTIC COWBOYS song "Next Joke", taken from "Long Way Back To The Moon", can be streamed below.

GALACTIC COWBOYS has always been a musical enigma. Hailing from Houston, Texas, the band combined melodic thrash, progressive metal, and BEATLES-esque harmonies into a genre of its own creation. Blending these considerable musical chops with a quirky sense of humor, the band quickly distinguished itself from anyone else in the world, garnering fans amongst some of music's biggest stars. Their first time around, though, they were the right band at exactly the wrong time. On this outing, they shoot for the moon again, and celebrate the journey back. The COWBOYS' most notable fanbase became other musicians—an exclusive club that included other 1990s musical misanthropes such as JELLYFISH, KING'S X and Kevin Gilbert. Reflecting both the musicality and diversity of the band, GALACTIC COWBOYS toured with two hard rock/metal legends, ANTHRAX and DREAM THEATER.

Said former DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy: "The GALACTIC COWBOYS were (and still are) one of my favorite bands to emerge from the '90s. Great songwriting, killer players and euphoric harmonies. They were always criminally underrated and overlooked, which led to their premature demise in 2000. My last seventeen years have had a hole in my musical palate without them and I couldn't be happier at the announcement of their return! Welcome back boys... I missed you!"

The eleven new tracks (and two bonus tracks) included on "Long Way Back To The Moon" harken back to the COWBOYS' iconic songs, but are infused with a contemporary hard rock sound. In the tradition of ALAN PARSONS PROJECT, Steven Wilson and PERIPHERY, the album is completely organic: engineered, produced, mixed, and mastered by the band — even all the artwork. One trapping of contemporary production set aside by the band was an over-reliance on studio trickery — no Pro Tools, drum triggers or even vocal tuning. Just real music by real musicians.

The album's sound is alternately heavy, whimsical, charging, and crunching, combining inescapable atmosphere with the drive of a band on a mission. Old fans will feel at home, but hard rock fans who have never heard GALACTIC COWBOYS before will also be instantly hooked. As with all GALACTIC COWBOYS albums, the songs are emotional in topic, and often including a large dose of ironic humor. Each song is performed, sung, and written with intense passion.

Said Colvin: "It was an absolute pleasure getting back together with the guys to record this album. I think we've all grown as musicians and as people since we first got together in '89, and I think our fans will really love this new stuff."

The song "Zombies" is a tongue-in-cheek study on finding love on the last day of human existence, blended with social commentary regarding modern society's obsession with its electronic screens. Timely topics continue with "Next Joke": from kids' sports in which everyone gets a trophy to Disney telling kids to wish upon a star and all their dreams will come true, our unrealistic expectations have set us all up for failure: the joke is on us. "Internal Masquerade", the album’s first single, examines the turmoil endemic to the human experience and the difficulties in keeping self-generated darkness at bay, themes revisited in darker "Blood In My Eyes".

A special treat for fans both old and new is "In The Clouds", the album’s leadoff track and also the first GALACTIC COWBOYS song ever written. Penned in 1989 by Doss and Colvin after the demise of their previous outfit, THE AWFUL TRUTH, the song explores leaving the banal confines of this world behind and ascending to a higher plane of existence. It's also the song Huggins sang to earn his spot in the band!

Said Sonnier: "We can't wait for everyone to hear this, and it's great to be back. Back from the Ranch on Mars and onward to the moon."

LINKIN PARK will release a live album, "One More Light Live", on December 15. Recorded live 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 of the band's latest studio album, "One More Light".

"One More Light Live" will arrive five months after the passing of singer Chester Bennington, who died on July 20 after committing suicide at the age of 41.

LINKIN PARK says in a statement: "We dedicate this live album to our brother Chester who poured his heart and soul into 'One More Light'.

"After we finished recording the album, we joked with Chester that — since he had delivered so many stunning performances in the studio — he had set the bar extra high to produce that alchemy on stage each night. Not surprisingly, he welcomed the challenge.

"The shows we played together during the early summer of 2017 were extraordinary. Chester shared with us that he felt this was the best tour we had ever done. The camaraderie and joy we experienced on stage reflected our deep connection with each other, with our fans, and with the music.

"Every night before walking out onto the stage, we would huddle, get focused, and share whatever last-second remarks popped into our heads. Chester always took it upon himself to turn the name of the city where we were playing into a first-rate run. This was our ritual. Best of all, it was a moment to express our gratitude that we were living our dream.

"Chester never forgot to express his appreciation to our crew — the men and women who traveled the world with us, making our dream into reality night after night. Without them, these shows would not have been possible.

"Chester was uniquely passionate, uncommonly generous, sensitive, optimistic, funny and kind. With his voice, he turned pain into catharsis, authenticity into art, and passion into connection. His dedication to bringing these songs to life was triumphant.

"For those of you who attended this tour in person, we thank you. For those who could not, we hope this live album gives you a glimpse into how magical these shows were for the six of us."

"One More Light Live" track listing:

01. Talking To Myself02. Burn It Down03. Battle Symphony04. New Divide05. Invisible06. Nobody Can Save Me07. One More Light08. Crawling09. Leave Out All The Rest10. Good Goodbye (feat. Stormzy)11. What I've Done12. In The End13. Sharp Edges14. Numb15. Heavy16. Bleed It Out

Bennington had been open with the press and public about his struggles with depression, drugs and alcohol, which landed him in rehab twice around 2006.

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.

LINKIN PARK has yet to announce whether the band intends to continue without Bennington.

Fan-filmed video footage of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's November 9 concert at Stadium Live in Moscow, Russia can be seen below.

As previously reported, lyrics from the FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH song "Wash It All Away" were used to criticize the United States in an op-ed essay written by a top aide to Russian president Vladimir Putin. In the piece, penned by Putin adviser Vladislav Surkov for the state-run news channel RT, Surkov writes, "The line 'Done with all your hypocrisy' sounds like a prophecy, a verdict, and as the motto of a new era."

According to The Moscow Times, Surkov linked the 2016 presidential election that led to U.S. president Donald Trump's victory and an ongoing sexual harassment scandal in the U.S. with a widespread desire among Americans to "wash it all away." He quoted the song a second time, writing that a "strong hand" will lead the confused crowds from "all of the chaos and all of the lies."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Zoltan Bathory responded to news reports of his group's lyrics being used in Surkov's editorial by first noting that the band happened to be touring Russia at the time, then speaking fondly of the group's Russian fans. He added, "I can tell you, between the people there is NO hate, there is NO cold war here. So let's NOT make one."

He continued, "I grew up on this side of the Iron Curtain in communism . . . so I have ACTUAL memories of the cold war. Even back then, though we were told by the communist media that America was the 'enemy,' nobody, and I mean nobody sane, actually believed that."

Bathory, who came to the U.S. from Hungary, told The Pulse Of Radio not long ago that he's a strong proponent of the capitalist system. "I came to this country without speaking English and I didn't have anything, and here I'm sitting with you, doing this interview today," he said. "So I have the right to say, like, hey, you know, doesn't matter what circumstance you were born in, you have a shot in this system. The capitalist system will give you a fair shot."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has confirmed a December 1 release date for its greatest-hits collection, "A Decade Of Destruction", and has released one of two new tracks included on the album, a song called "Trouble".

The hits collection and an already completed new studio album are part of a deal to settle a legal dispute and close out the band's contract with its label, Prospect Park. The new studio LP will be released in spring 2018.

Kamelot recently wrapped up their final shows for the Haven album, in Russia, Greece and Israel respectively. The band has posted the following update:

"Wow, what an epic final Haven tour!! Russia, Greece and Israel have been incredible. Packed venues and great fans, what a pleasure to play in front of such amazing crowds! We will be back very soon!!

Now stay tuned Kamelot Nation because exciting times lie ahead. The new Kamelot album is on its way, will be released Spring 2018. Lots of good news are coming including new dates for the new album tour. Make sure to follow us!! North American tour has already been announced, check out our page for info.

Thanks to opening bands Kobra And The Lotus, support Sunburst, and to guest singers Kobra Paige, Polina Psycheya and Hel Pyre for being with us on this tour. You totally rocked! Big thanks to our crew as well, their work must not be forgotten!

Back to working on new album now. Rock on, see you soon!!"

Fan-filmed video from Kamelot's Moscow show on November 9th is available below. Kobra And The Lotus vocalist Kobra Paige was a special guest for these shows.

In a new interview with Rock Overdose, Kamelot mastermind Thomas Youngblood talks about their next album, the band’s creation and more.

Asked how the writing for the new album is going, Thomas responds: “Going great, slow but really good. It harkens back to th Ghost Opera days a bit with Haven elements. I am excited!”

On if he has ideas about a theme for the new album, and if it will be a concept album or not, Youngblood says: “Can’t say yet, that is a secret.”

Read the full interview at Rock Overdose.

Kamelot, Delain, and Battle Beast will tour North America in April/May 2018.

Tour dates:

April
16 - Louisville, KY - Mercury Ballroom
17 - Charlotte, NC - Filmore Underground
18 - Silver Springs, MD - The Filmore
20 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza
22 - Montreal, QC - Metropolis
23 - Toronto, ON - The Opera House
25 - Albany, NY - Upstate Concert Hall
26 - Pittsburgh, PA - Carnegie Music Hall
27 - Chicago, IL - Concord Music Hall
28 - Minneapolis, MN - The Cabooze
29 - Des Moines, IA - Wooly's

May
1 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theater
2 - Salt Lake City, UT - Complex
4 - San Jose, CA - City National Civic
5 - Anaheim, CA - Grove Anaheim
6 - Phoenix, AZ - Marquee Theater
8 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
9 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
11 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
12 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues
13 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution

Dave Grohl (FOO FIGHTERS, NIRVANA) joined GUNS N' ROSES on stage last night (Tuesday, November 14) at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma to perform the song "Paradise City". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

After one of the first shows on GUNS N' ROSES' "Not In This Lifetime" tour in April 2016, singer Axl Rose tweeted his gratitude, crammed full of emoji and exclamation points, at Grohl, who lent the then-injured GN'R singer the throne he had used on a FOO FIGHTERS tour one year earlier.

"Not In This Lifetime" is the most popular and highest-grossing global tour of 2017, according to Pollstar.

About seventy people travel with the show in addition to the truck drivers; that number goes upwards of five hundred, including the local workers, by show date once catering, security, etc. are factored in, according to the tour's production manager, Dale "Opie" Skjerseth.

GUNS kicked off its long-rumored and long-awaited reunion tour in April 2016 with a club show in Hollywood and appearances in Las Vegas and at California's Coachella festival.

The "Not In This Lifetime" tour features classic lineup members Slash (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass) and Axl Rose (vocals) backed by guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Fank Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and new second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

Photo credit: Katarina Benzova

Arkaik will kick off a near month-long US tour supporting the gore metal miscreants in Exhumed tonight. The journey will commence in San Diego, California and run through December 8th in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 

 
Arkaik will be touring in support of their Nemethia full-length, out now and streaming via Unique Leader. Their most ambitious studio album to date was produced, engineered, and mixed by Zack Ohren (Immolation, Fallujah, Suffocation, Decrepit Birth et al.) at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California, and features guest appearances by Joe Haley of Psycroptic, Arde Ostowari formerly of Burning The Masses, Stephen Paulson of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, and former Arkaik guitarist Craig Peters, as well as Gabe Seeber from The Kennedy Veil and Decrepit Birth (live) performing drums for the entire album. The cover art and booklet was designed by visionary artist Tyler Space, who worked with the band on their previous release, Lucid Dawn.

Stream the album via the Bandcamp player below:

Nemethia by Arkaik

For all tour dates, head to this location.

BraveWords is premiering the new, official video for “Payback” by Black Water Rising. The video serves up dark, gritty horror with hard rock. It pays homage to the classics of the genre while adding some gruesome innovations of its own.

“Payback” comes from BWR’s new album, Electrified. Electrified promises to be more riff-heavy than BWR’s previous albums, featuring hooks and catchy choruses to pull you in, all while retaining a musical identity of its own. The album is available via Pavement Entertainment and can be found in digital and retail outlets everywhere.

Black Water Rising is a collection of soul-baring, angst-ridden, riff-heavy material proudly anchored in the foundations of traditional hard rock. Their monster guitar riffs, soaring melodic vocals, and big hooks make them the epitome of no frills riff rock. Lyrically, the band strives to shed light on the socially and politically dark times we live in. BWR aims to bring a fresh sound while keeping the hard rock scene alive.

Black Water Rising is:

Rob Traynor - Vocals/Guitar
Mike Meselsohn - Drums
Oddie Mclaughlin - Bass
Dennis Kimak - Guitar

Toto have announced a February 9th worldwide release date via Legacy Recordings for their brand new Greatest Hits package, titled 40 Trips Around The Sun.

The 17-track album features three previously unreleased recordings: "Spanish Sea", "Alone" and "Struck By Lightning" alongside newly remastered classic tracks worked on by Elliot Scheiner & Gavin Lurssen and his team. The core Toto members, Steve Lukather, David Paich, Steve Porcaro, Joseph Williams re-entered the studio earlier this year to work on this release. Fans can pre-order the album here.

While going through the Sony vaults, the band uncovered several unfinished tracks that featured both Jeff and Mike Porcaro, one of which is now "Spanish Sea".

“This track is originally from the Isolation sessions” Steve Lukather commented. “It’s one that didn't make it and we had to re-write it including creating a new chorus. Thanks to modern tech we were able to play once again with not only our 20 something selves but with our dear brothers Jeff and Mike Porcaro reminding us just how deep their groove was. Bittersweet... Many stories, laughs and a few tears on this one. It’s classic Toto with an excellent solo and I kept my old 1985 melody solo Dave wanted me to do... Old meets new but since legendary pal Al Schmitt cut the tracks and Bob Clearmountain mixed...it sounds like it was done 2 weeks ago not 30 + years ago!”

All fans who pre-order the album beginning today will receive "Alone" as an instant-grat track. You can listen to the song below.

“Alone is a brand-new song” Lukather remarked. “This one was written with just the four of us really writing together and no one else in the room with us. We wanted to start with an ‘up’ song in terms of groove for the album. The lyric is darker but we are older guys now ands have lived life. The good, bad and ugly... we have lived it all and in the end we are all alone anyway. Proud of this piece and it just sort of organically happened.”

The third new track on 40 Trips Around The Sun, "Struck By Lightning", began with David Paich. “I had the opening riff in my head for months,” Paich said. “Joe and the guys helped flesh this one out. I love the heavy arrangement and Luke’s solo on it is an all time great!”

Beginning on February 11 in Helsinki, the band will begin the first leg of their worldwide 40 Trips Around The Sun tour in support of their 40th anniversary. 36 shows in Europe have been announced to date. The tour will be the band’s most extensive run in years and is expected to hit the US later in 2018. More shows will be announced shortly.

Few ensembles in the history of recorded music have individually or collectively had a larger imprint on pop culture than the members of Toto. As individuals, the band members can be heard on an astonishing 5000 albums that together amass a sales history of a half a billion albums. Amongst these recordings, NARAS applauded the performances with more than 200 Grammy nominations. Toto has over 400 million streams on Spotify alone along while views on YouTube far exceed over a half billion.

With close to 40 years together and literally thousands of credits, including the biggest selling album of all time: Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and accolades to their names, Toto remains one of the top selling touring and recording acts in the world. They are the benchmark by which many artists base their sound and production, and they continue to transcend the standards set by the entire music community, being simply synonymous with musical credibility. Their repertoire continues to be current via high profile usage on broadcast television. They are pop culture, and are one of the few 70’s bands that have endured the changing trends and styles to a career enjoy a multi-generational worldwide fan base.

40 Trips Around The Sun tracklisting:

"Alone"
"Spanish Sea"
"I'll Supply The Love"
"I'll Be Over You"
"Stranger In Town"
"99"
"Struck By Lightning"
"Pamela"
"Afraid Of Love"
"I Won't Hold You Back"
"Jake To The Bone"
"Stop Loving You"
"Lea"
"Hold The Line"
"George Porgy"
"Rosanna"
"Africa"

"Alone":

Tour dates:

February
11 - Helsinki, Finland - Icehall
12 - Tallinn, Estonia - Nordea Concert Hall
14 - Stockholm, Sweden - Fryshuset
16 - Oslo, Norway - Spektrum
17 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Forum
19 - Hamburg, Germany - Mehr! Theater
21 - Dusseldorf, Germany - Mitsubishi-Electric Hall
22 - Munich, Germany - Olympiahalle
24 - Berlin, Germany - C-Halle
25 - Leipzig, Germany - Haus Auensee
27 - Prague, Czech Republic - Forum Karlin
28 - Krakow, Poland - Tauron Arena

March
2 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer
4 - Sofia, Bulgaria - National Palace Of Culture
5 - Skopje, Macedonia - Boris Trajkovski Sports Hall
9 - Zagreb, Croatia - Dom Sportova
10 - Milan, Italy - Mediolanum Forum
12 - Zurich, Switzerland - Hallenstadion
13 - Stuttgart, Germany - Porsche Arena
15 - Lille, France - Zenith
17 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Ziggo Dome
18 - Brussels, Belgium - Forest National
20 - Offenbach, Germany - Stadthalle
22 - Geneva, Switzerland - Arena Geneva
23 - Bologna, Italy - Unipol Arena
25 - Marseille, France - Dome
26 - Toulouse, France - Zenith
27 - Lyon, France - Halle Tony Garnier
29 - Luxembourg City, Luxembourg - Rockhal
30 - Paris, France - La Seine Musicale

April
1 - London, UK - Royal Albert Hall
2 - Manchester, UK - Bridgewater Hall
4 - Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street
5 - Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street
7 - Belfast, Ireland - Waterfront Auditorium
8 - Glasgow, Scotland - SEC Armadillo

Tickets are available now from livenation.co.uk.

The Poodles have released their music video for "It's No Good", the second single from the upcoming album Prisma, in virtual and physical stores early 2018.

"We took on the challenge to do our version of an iconic song from a different genre", says lead singer Jakob Samuel. “Depeche Mode is such an influential band and their darker 90s stuff is really cool!” he continues.

"The choice to do a heavy rock version of 'It’s No Good' stems from the simple fact that everyone liked the song”, guitarist Henrik adds. "It is a dark, epic song about broken relationships, which is always and interesting theme to explore."

"We wanted to add an explosive element that would catch the listener’s ear and develop the hypnotic groove of the song into something more modern sounding, says Kicken, drummer of the band. “People are going to be surprised when they hear it!” he adds.

Listen to "It's No Good" here, watch the video below:

The Poodles have released seven full-length studio albums and one live album over the past ten years and had discussed the possibility of doing an album featuring songs from other artists for several years. They finally decided that it was time.

The title, Prisma, is meant to reflect the difference in perspective that the band brings to the songs on the album. The decision was made early to stay away from genres close to the band’s own, but other than that, any song could come into question for making the cut.

In collaboration with up-and-coming producer, Dino Medanhodzic at Radionica Studios, the band came up with a slate of songs that span some 40 years of music, from the 1970s up to the 2010s. The deciding factor was the quality of the song where a strong hook and a driving riff were key ingredients.

Fans of Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Depeche Mode, Blondie, and The Swedish House Mafia are in for a treat, as The Poodles put their unique stamp on classic tracks by these and other artists.

Prisma is out in virtual and physical stores on January 26th. More album details to follow.

Mike Portnoy says that has "no desire or interest" to play with DREAM THEATER again.

Portnoy, who co-founded the legendary progressive metal outfit more than thirty years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mike Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE, STEVE VAI).

Mike has spent the last few months playing shows throughout the world with his SHATTERED FORTRESS project. He is joined by an all-star prog lineup for the tour, including Ross Jennings on vocals, Eric Gillette, Richard Henshall and Charlie Griffiths on guitar, Connor Green on bass and Diego Tejeida on keyboards. Together, they are performing DREAM THEATER's "12 Step Suite" in its entirety, as well as a a couple of other classics. "12 Step Suite" documents Portnoy's battle with alcoholism, and is an ensemble of five songs recorded by DREAM THEATER from 2002 to 2009, with titles that reflect his struggles: "The Glass Prison", "This Dying Soul", "The Root Of All Evil", "Repentance" and "The Shattered Fortress".

Asked by Australia's Triple M radio station how he feels about the fact that DREAM THEATER has been performing some of the songs from the "12 Step Suite" on its recent tours, Portnoy said (hear audio below): "Well, look, I left the band and they're free to do whatever they want. I have no control over that. It feels weird to me when I hear that they're performing some of those specific songs, 'cause they're very personal to me. 'A Change Of Seasons' I wrote for my mom, who died in a plane crash. So you don't get more personal than that. So when I hear these stories of them performing a song like that now, or performing one of my '12 Step' songs, it's just strange. But, obviously, I can't stop them and I can't expect them to do it or not do it — that's their prerogative — but, for me, it's a little strange. But it is what it is."

According to Portnoy, he is "on very good terms" with his former DREAM THEATER bandmates John Petrucci (guitar) and Jordan Rudess (keyboards). "We stay in touch and send each other nice e-mails and texts, and I've even gotten together with both of them," he said. "So, yeah, I stay in close contact with those two guys."

Pressed about whether he hopes that he could one day play with DREAM THEATER again — possibly at a one-off celebration show similar to the band's 2004 gig where they invited original vocalist Charlie Dominici and ex-keyboardist Derek Sherinian to perform with them in Los Angeles — Portnoy said: "I have no hopes of it, I have no desire or interest at this stage, and I don't think they do either.

"When we did that 15th-anniversary show [for DREAM THEATER's debut album, 'When Dream And Day Unite'], I was the one that reached out to Derek and I was the one that reached out to Charlie," he continued. "I even reached out to [former keyboardist] Kevin Moore for that. So I think I was always the sentimental one in the band that did that kind of stuff. I personally don't think there's anybody in the band these days that would extend an invite like that. I think that's just those guys' personality and my personality — that's the difference."

Portnoy, who celebrated his fiftieth birthday on Cruise To The Edge this past February, said that it was always part of his master plan to perform "12 Step Suite" in its entirety live on stage with DREAM THEATER. However, his exit from the band made that impossible.

KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch has paid tribute to Chuck Mosley, saying that the ex-FAITH NO MORE singer and his former bandmates "were a huge part" of KORN's "everyday lives" in the early 1990s.

Mosley died last week at the age of 57. He sang on FAITH NO MORE's first two albums, 1985's "We Care A Lot" and 1987's "Introduce Yourself". He was fired from the band and replaced by Mike Patton, who remains the group's singer to this day.

In an Instagram post earlier today (Monday, November 13), Welch wrote: "I remember living in a tiny apartment in Burbank, California, living with most of the guys who would later form KORN. They were in their funk rock band called L.A.P.D. I was just hanging out drinking beer trying to figure out life. They were so into the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS and FAITH NO MORE, and I wanted nothing to do with those bands. Little did I know that FAITH NO MORE would grow on me so much that it changed my whole outlook of what metal could sound like. I remember Fieldy [KORN bassist] waking the whole house up every single day singing the background vocals for the song 'We Care A Lot' by FAITH NO MORE. Every morning he would scream, 'whoa whoa uh oh!' Drove us all crazy, but looking back now, it's a funny memory. FAITH NO MORE with Chuck Mosley were a huge part of our everyday lives back then.

"Guys, we need to learn from all this. We are losing too many people to the disease of addiction. It's a plague that's sending the angel of death to wipe so many of our people out and it's got to stop!

"Please, get help with whatever you're struggling with. Initiate conversations with the Lord every day.

"Religious people make prayer out to be some holier than thou thing, but all it is, is talking to God like a friend. Face to face. Heart to heart.

"RIP Chuck Mosley, I'm so grateful that you and your family came to see us a couple months ago at our show."

After he was fired from FAITH NO MORE, Mosley sued his former bandmates over ownership rights and they eventually settled out of court. Years later, he reconciled with FAITH NO MORE, reuniting with them onstage in 2010 and making further live appearances with the group in 2015 and 2016.

Following his initial departure from FAITH NO MORE, Mosley briefly fronted BAD BRAINS and launched a series of solo projects, including the funk metal band CEMENT.

Lyrics from a FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH song have been used in an essay from a Russian presidential aide arguing that the West is suffering from "a crisis of hypocrisy."

Putin adviser Vladislav Surkov penned a cryptic column for the state-run news channel RT on Tuesday in which he quoted words from the FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH track "Wash It All Away".

"The line 'Done with all your hypocrisy' sounds like a prophecy, a verdict, and as the motto of a new era," Surkov wrote.

According to The Moscow Times, Surkov went on to link the 2016 presidential election that led to U.S. president Donald Trump's victory and an ongoing sexual harassment scandal in the U.S. with a widespread desire among Americans to "wash it all away."

He later quoted the FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH song again, writing that a strong hand will lead the confused crowds from "all of the chaos and all of the lies."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Zoltan Bathory responded to news reports of his group's lyrics being used in Surkov's editorial by pointing out that he and his bandmates "just happened to be in Russia at the moment. We had a fantastic show at the Stadium in Moscow yesterday," he wrote. "The energy of the crowd was incredible.

"We love our Russian fans just as much as they love us... They are at the airport when we arrive, follow us all over Europe, all the way to America, even to South America... We see their faces and we see their sewn-together half-Russian-half-American flags everywhere... We are family... Music unites.

"I can tell you, between the people there is NO hate, there is NO cold war here," he continued. "So let's NOT make one.

"I grew up on this side of the Iron Curtain in communism... so I have ACTUAL memories of the cold war. Even back then, though we were told by the communist media that America was the 'enemy,' nobody, and I mean nobody sane, actually believed that. We loved American music, American culture and the American people. We understood the difference between propaganda and reality.

"Just as I ran into some Iranian kids in the elevator as they were taking photos, they actually said, 'Please don't believe the media. They are lying to you! We don't hate America.' And they tried to explain that regular (especially younger) people don't feel that way whatsoever.

"The media needs to be responsible with their words — choosing ratings over peace is irresponsible.

"So let's tone down the hysteria and try harder with that dialogue."

According to The Moscow Times, Surkov played a leading role in shaping the current Russian political landscape during President Vladimir Putin's first two terms in office. He has also written poetry and lyrics for the rock group AGATA KRISTI.




Ha... Another one in Bloomberg.... The title reads: "How U.S.-Russia Diplomacy Went Heavy Metal - In the new Cold...

Posted by Zoltan Bathory - Official on Friday, November 10, 2017

California Christmas is anew album from former Dio guitarist Tracy G and guitarist Miachel Beatty, available as a CD and digital download. The tracklist is available below.

"Enter The King"
"MCHNY"
"Thankful Christmas"
"We Three Kings"
"A Christmas Prayer"
"California Christmas"
"Merry Christmas Dear"
"California Lullaby"
"Joy To The World"

Purchase the album via Tracy G's online shop here.

After a successful Latin America tour, Helloween has just started their European Tour in Switzerland and Germany. The band has uploaded a new behind the scenes video, complete with English subtitles, dubbed "The Hype Is Real And Party Is On!"

Helloween have announced North American dates for their Pumpkins United World Tour.

Says the band: “Indeed, the North American Helloween fans had to be very patient. Reading about Pumpkins United’s touring schedule and sold out shows in Latin America, Europe & Asia, but yet any shows in the upper half of the American continent... but your constant demands were heard! We proudly announce the Pumpkins United shows in the USA & Canada!”

Tickets at this location.

North American dates:

September
7 - Las Vegas, NV - House Of Blues
8 - Los Angeles, CA - The Palladium
10 - Chicago, IL - Concord Music Hall
12 - Montreal, QC - Metropolis
14 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
15 - New York City, NY - Irving Plaza

Current dates are listed below:

November
14 - O2 Academy Brixton - London, United Kingdom
15 - Zénith Paris La Villette - Paris, France
18 - Medionlanum Forum - Milan, Italy
20 - 013 - Tilburg, Netherlands
24 - Ruhr Congress - Bochum, Germany
25 - Tipsport Aréna - Prague, Czech Republic
26 - Aegon-arena - Bratislava, Slovakia
28 - Hala Koło - Warsaw, Poland
30 - Black Box - Helsinki, Finland (Sold Out)

December
2 - Partille Arena - Partille, Sweden
4 - Tempodrom - Berlin, Germany
9 - Wiznik Center - Madrid, Spain
14 - Arena Armeec Sofia - Sofia, Bulgaria
15 - Romexpo - Bucharest, Romania

March
18 - Zepp - Sapporo, Japan
21 - Zepp Bayside - Osaka, Japan
23 - Zepp - Tokyo, Japan
24 - Zepp - Tokyo, Japan
25 - Zepp - Nagoya, Japan

Helloween’s “Pumpkins United” track is available via Helloween.org as a free download. Watch a lyric video below:

Pre-order the 10" vinyl single (to be released on December 8th) here.

During an interview on November 5 at 92Y in New York City, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich spoke about how important achieving independence by owning all of the band's master recordings — including both music and long-form videos — has been in having a long and successful career.

"[METALLICA's longtime managers, Q Prime founders] Cliff [Burnstein] and Peter [Mensch] were smart enough to anticipate that the primary carrot at the of that journey for the first 20 years or whatever was the masters," he said. "The masters. The recording tapes. The records. So if you can get ownership of your own records… And I know that sounds a little odd. People go, 'Well, who owned them before?' Well, guess who owned them. The record companies owned them. The record companies, basically… they gave you money to make a record, then they own the records, and then they own them, sort of, in perpetuity. So Peter and Cliff said, 'Let's gun for getting our masters back.' And at that time, there was really nobody that had that — maybe [Bruce] Springsteen, Prince, one or two other artists at that level. But that was what we went for. So lo and behold, we ended up getting our masters back. So when METALLICA became our own record company five, seven years ago, all of a sudden our whole business model changed, because now we have to sort of run all of this ourselves."

He continued: "So we have our setup in Northern California and have a lot more people in Northern California than we used to and a lot of people to manage there and have some great people that all live under the umbrella of what we call HQ, and that's our record company and our touring entity and some management stuff there, and our managers, Q Prime, are here in New York and have a big office, and then we have people in L.A. and stuff."

Back in 2012, METALLICA regained control of its entire back catalog and launched its own label called Blackened Recordings. They have since been using this imprint to launch a massive reissue campaign.

"From a business point of view, it fits in with the way everything else does, which is the word 'autonomy,'" Lars explained during the 92Y interview. "I mean, we try to be free, we try to be autonomous, we try to make decisions not based on anything other than what's right for METALLICA and for how we see our own path. And it's a combination of… half the time you feel like you're sort of steering it, and the other half the time you feel like you're just hanging on as it's kind of steering itself."

Ulrich, who has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area — the technology hub of the United States — for more than three decades, added: "The one thing that you hear a lot from a lot of these tech people… People sit there and go, 'Well, you know, the guys at Apple must know what iPhone 25 looks like, because they certainly look that far ahead.' I can tell you from knowing some of these people, they don't know what iPhone 11 looks like, okay? Because everything in that world is that you have to be ready for what the other guy's gonna do or that's gonna come and ambush you, so you have to be ready to change your business model at any time. And any of those people in that world will tell you that that's the primary M.O., really.

"And so what we try to do in our little world is try to… Nobody really knows… The demise of the music business has come and gone and now it's kind of the Wild West. So whenever you make a record, you have to be prepared to just move in whatever ways feels right at that very moment, because six months from now or 12 months from now, the business may look diffferent. So you always have to be ready to just hang on as the beast is steering itself through some of these different dynamics."

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

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

Geezer Butler says that he has been "enjoying the retirement," nine months after BLACK SABBATH finished "The End" tour on in the band's hometown of Birmingham, England, closing out the quartet's groundbreaking 49-year career.

"I'm not in a hurry to do anything," the bassist told Billboard. "I'm traveling a lot, seeing the places (the band) only stayed for one night and going back and spending some time there. We've recently moved house this year and I'm going to be building my home studio, but it's taken me ages. Next year I'll see if I can get back into music."

A founding member of BLACK SABBATH, Butler is also the lyricist of such SABBATH classics as "War Pigs", "Iron Man", "Paranoid" and others.

The original lineup of SABBATH came together in 1969 with Ozzy Osbourne on vocals, Tony Iommi on guitar, Butler on bass and Bill Ward on drums. That lineup recorded and toured through 1978, and periodically reformed through the '90s and 2000s for live work.

They regrouped again in late 2011 for a new album and tour, although Ward dropped out after just a few months. The remaining trio issued the "13" album in 2013 and backed it with a successful world tour — despite Iommi being treated for lymphoma since 2012.

On November 17, a documentary focusing on SABBATH's last-ever concert, "The End", will be made available in home video and audio packages, featuring footage of the entire historic show.

"The End" will be released as DVD/CD and Blu-ray/CDs set, a double-CD collection, a three-LP 180-gram vinyl package and a limited collector's edition.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, SMASHING PUMPKINS mainman Billy Corgan defended NICKELBACK and its chief songwriter, frontman Chad Kroeger, in a new interview with the "Joe Rogan Experience". After Rogan took a shot at the Canadian rockers, like so many people tend to do, Corgan responded: "I don't know enough about their world, but I don't think there's anything wrong if that's who you want to be. Pop, to me, is predicated on satisfying. I've said many times, pop is porn. It's porn, they want to get you off. It's just how they're going to get you off. I'm not that concerned with getting you off. I'm just not. It's just not in my DNA. I was never that guy."

Corgan also called Kroeger "an incredible songwriter."

Kroeger told The Pulse Of Radio not long ago that keeping NICKELBACK's fans happy is more important to the band than anything else. "We don't feel pressure from the label or management or anything like that," he said. "We set the bar pretty high, you know, for ourselves and our fans because they're always in the forefront of our mind when we're creating new stuff, and we love giving our fans what they want. It's tough because picking out a Nickelback fan's tricky, you know, 'cause they're all over the map and they all like something different. So trying to keep all of them happy, it's a challenge."

Corgan himself is doing the promotional rounds for his new solo album, "Ogilala", and has hinted at a reunion of the original SMASHING PUMPKINS taking place in 2018.

NICKELBACK will return to Las Vegas for the first time in seven years next February, when the band launches a five-night run at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The engagement will be NICKELBACK's only North American dates of 2018.

The quartet released its ninth studio album, "Feed The Machine", this past summer and recently completed a 45-city North American tour.

According to TMZ, former FAITH NO MORE singer Chuck Mosley is suspected to have died of a heroin overdose after syringes were found next to his body.

Mosley's body was found last Thursday (November 9) by a friend and his longtime partner, Pip Logan, in their Cleveland home. Logan told the police she last saw Chuck earlier that day around 11 a.m. She and the friend returned just before 8 p.m. to find Mosley's lifeless body on the living room floor.

Cleveland police say they found two syringes, a baggie and a spoon with residue by Chuck's body.

The singer's family issued a statement saying that Mosley "lost his life… due to the disease of addiction."

An official toxicology report could take weeks.

Mosley sang on FAITH NO MORE's first two albums, 1985's "We Care A Lot" and 1987's "Introduce Yourself". He was fired from the band and replaced by Mike Patton, who remains the group's singer to this day.

After he was fired from FAITH NO MORE, Mosley sued his former bandmates over ownership rights and they eventually settled out of court. Years later, he reconciled with FAITH NO MORE, reuniting with them onstage in 2010 and making further live appearances with the group in 2015 and 2016.

Following his initial departure from FAITH NO MORE, Mosley briefly fronted BAD BRAINS and launched a series of solo projects, including the funk metal band CEMENT.

FAITH NO MORE issued a statement in which the bandmembers described Mosley as "a reckless and caterwauling force of energy who delivered with conviction and helped set us on a track of uniqueness and originality that would not have developed the way it had had he not been a part."

NICKELBACK's music video for the song "The Betrayal (Act III)" can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's ninth album, "Feed The Machine", which was released in June via BMG.

NICKELBACK leader Chad Kroeger told Music Choice about "Feed The Machine": "This album is definitely heavier, as a whole, than a lot of our previous records. We've gone back to some pretty crunchy roots, and we're happy about that. I mean, we're always stretching off in different directions and trying different things, but we definitely went with more of an aggressive sound on this record."

Kroeger called "The Betrayal (Act III)" "probably one of the hardest and heaviest songs we've ever put out… It is quite heavy; there's a lot of screaming that goes on in that chorus," he said. "I think we've all tasted a little betrayal in our days and it is not a flavor that I think any of us liked to swallow."

As previously reported, NICKELBACK will return to Sin City in February 2018 for an impressive five-night run at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. MONSTER TRUCK will open all five shows. The limited run is made even more special with the announcement that these shows will be NICKELBACK's only North American dates scheduled in 2018.

The Las Vegas shows are scheduled for February 23, 24, 27 and March 2 and 3, 2018.

Following its Vegas run, NICKELBACK will embark on the international leg of the "Feed The Machine" tour throughout the remainder of 2018.

The Haxans - a goth pop duo consisting of Ashley Costello (New Years Day) and Matt Montgomery aka Piggy D. (Rob Zombie) have debuted a brand new music video showcasing their devilishly delightful single, "Young Blood", featured on their debut album, Party Monsters, out now via Red Music. Get your copy on limited edition, hand numbered 12" vinyl here. Grab it digitally via iTunes, or stream it now on Spotify.

"The 'Young Blood' video expresses The Haxans visually in my favorite way," remarks Ashley Costello, "If Gomez and Morticia Addams melted together with Ike and Tina Turner and encourage all the ghouls in the audience to dance and shake their tail feathers, horns, and claws in the aisles. It's a fancy party rock song. It has rock'n'roll elements but it wants you to start moving and dancing. If you want to smile and feel good, this is your jam." 

Matt Montgomery adds, "I think 'Young Blood' is our flagship jam. Musically it kinda sums us up, and the video does the same. If you were a member of some secret late night basement Vampire Party club, we might be the house band."

 

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's official music video for "Over My Head" can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's fourth album, "BCCIV", which was released on September 22 via Mascot Records. This is BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's first studio album since 2013's "Afterglow".

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION is 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.

Just like its three predecessors, "BCCIV" was overseen by Kevin Shirley, whose catalogue of hit records for LED ZEPPELIN, IRON MAIDEN, AEROSMITH, JOURNEY and THE BLACK CROWES has made him one of the hottest producers 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."

"BCCIV" track listing:

01. Collide (4:07)02. Over My Head (4:06)03. The Last Song For My Resting Place (7:57)04. Sway (5:24)05. The Cove (7:11)06. The Crow (6:00)07. Wanderlust (8:18)08. Love Remains (4:53)09. Awake (4:42)10. When The Morning Comes (7:56)11. With You I Go (bonus track on vinyl edition only)

Speaking to myRockworld about some of the lyrical themes covered on "BCCIV", Hughes said: "All the songs were written with a topic — what kind of song we're gonna write musically, what kind of song am I gonna write lyrics about? This album is about walking through the fear, having faith, hope, the killing of dolphins, which I'm against, of course. Look for a big video on [that song, 'The Cove'] — a big video. 'Wanderlust', a song that was written about my travels and always returning home, always safe… to get back home to a safe place. 'The Crow', a very intense rock track written about the bird that watches over the band; it's really a great song about the Black Country. I wrote a song for my father when he passed away, called 'Love Remains'. The chorus was very, very sensitive, and it sounds like a song written for someone that had just passed. So it's a very personal song for me."

As for the track "The Last Song For My Resting Place", Hughes said: "[BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION guitarist] Joe [Bonamassa said to] me, 'Hey, I've got this idea about writing a song about the head violin player… or the leader of the orchestra on the Titanic, and I said, 'That's a really good idea.' So he wrote a lyric about the violin player — a great Joe song that needed to be, as always… I mean, I love Joe, I love Joe's voice and I love Joe's work — I really do love him. And I thought it was a great opportunity to show how versatile Joe is on this particular song. So I'm really happy for Joe."

Elsewhere, the basic idea for "Over My Head" came to Hughes in the middle of the night. "[My wife] hears me singing, [singing] 'Over my head.' And she said, 'Honey, what's that?' I said, 'I don't know, but I have to go and record it,'" Glenn recalled. "And I left the bedroom and I went, [singing], 'Over my head,' and I just wrote a song around that chorus, that very melodic chorus. And I came back to bed, and the idea was recorded. And that's the way I took it to Joe and we finished it together."

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's inception took place when Hughes and Bonamassa fused their styles on stage in Los Angeles in November 2009 for an explosive performance at Guitar Center's King Of The Blues event. With the help and guidance of Shirley, they further added to their rock lineage by recruiting Bonham and Sherinian.

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION has announced two exclusive concerts in Europe during January 2018 to support of "BCCIV". The band will play Wolverhampton Civic Hall on Tuesday, January 2 and London Hammersmith Apollo on Thursday, January 4. These will be the only two concerts the band will play in Europe.

Watch Deep Purple perform "Birds Of Prey" live from Hellfest 2017 below. This performance is included on the Blu-ray From Here To inFinite (out now) and as an audio track on The inFinite Live Recordings Vol. 1 and the inFinite Gold Edition, out November 17th.

Deep Purple's performance of "Bloodsucker" from Hellfest 2017 has been turned into a lyric video (watch below). This recording is also part of the bonus CD of the inFinite Gold Edition and The inFinite Live Recordings, Vol. 1. Order via the links below:

- inFinite Gold Edition
- inFinite Live Recordings, Vol. 1

As part of 2017's series of BBC Radio 2 In Concert shows, Deep Purple are performing at an exclusive show this month.

Direct from the BBC Radio Theatre in London, the band will be lighting a fire in the sky as they roll through their back catalogue of rock classics, including tracks from their electrifying new album inFinite. It's all happening on Thursday, November 16th, and you can watch the whole gig live from 8 PM on the BBC Red Button (available by pressing red from any BBC TV Channel).

Says Ian Paice: “Deep Purple are really looking forward to performing for the BBC Radio 2's In Concert programme. It's been many years since we did something like this. But through all those years one thing has never changed. Playing live is the only way to capture the spirit of rock n roll music, because even 60 years after it reared its wonderful rebellious head that's what it still is! There is no safety net of the recording machine to 'fix things later', you get it right or get it wrong. For the musicians it's an adrenaline rush, concentration and invention, but most of all fun. That's why we started doing it when we were kids. We hope you have fun being on the receiving end."

Deep Purple and earMUSIC have released the 97-minute documentary, From Here To inFinite - The Movie. The film shows the history and origin of inFinite and provides a deep insight into the workings of the band for the first time on Blu-ray. Watch a trailer below.

The Blu-ray further includes two hours of bonus material, including music videos such as "The Surprising," three previously unreleased live videos ("Time For Bedlam," "Birds Of Prey," and "Smoke On The Water"), all filmed and recorded at Hellfest 2017, as well as in-depth behind the scenes footage, movie documentary outtakes, interviews, and an audio commentary by Deep Purple themselves — all previously unreleased.

From Here To Infinite (Blu-ray) tracklisting:

The Movie - From Here To Infinite (97 min.)

Bonus
- Audio commentary by Deep Purple
- Live At Hellfest 2017 (“Time For Bedlam”, Birds Of Prey”, “Smoke On The Water”)
- Outtakes From Here To Infinite (Full interview with Joe Satriani, Corky – The Recording Engineer)

Official Music Videos
“The Surprising”
“Johnny’s Band”
Johnny’s Band Documentary
“All I Got Is You”

About inFinite - Interviews
- About the album
- Beyond the album
- Track by track
- Rapid Fire interview
- Behind the scenes photoshoot

Trailer:

“The Surprising” video:

The origin story of the fastest rising band in underground rock, Barb Wire Dolls, is undoubtedly an impressive one. From being discovered and signed by late rock legend Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead, to being personally invited to move to Los Angeles by iconic KROQ DJ Rodney Bingenheimer, Barb Wire Dolls have proven worthy of some of music's biggest stars.

While Barb Wire Dolls are humbled by those honors to this day, their chief honor was to be personally invited to record in the Joshua Tree desert at legendary studio Rancho De La Luna in California. Not only because of the iconic status of the other artists who have recorded there, like Iggy Pop and Queens Of The Stone Age, but because it came at the hands of co-owner and Eagles Of Death Metal member Dave Catching. However, this was before Catching's life and the music community as it existed would be forever altered.

Dave Catching was with the Eagles Of Death Metal at the time of the tragic Bataclan venue shooting, where 90 people lost their lives to senseless violence exactly two years ago on November 13, 2015. The tragedy not only shook the music community - it shook the world.

"After the Paris Attacks, we wrote David [Catching] and told him, apart from our most sincere condolences for what had happened, that we understood if he would not want us to come in and record at his studio after such events," recalls Barb Wire Dolls vocalist Isis Queen. "But he immediately replied, 'the music must go on, they can't take that away'..."

With Catching's blessing, Barb Wire Dolls traveled to Rancho De La Luna - all the while inspired by their desert surroundings and the emotional journey they were about to take. They put pen to paper, writing several tracks inspired by the Bataclan tragedy that would eventually take position on Rub My Mind.

Isis continues, "...with that one message [from Dave], songs and tears came pouring out of us. We wrote most of the songs on the new album just as we entered his studio in the desert."

Once in the studio, the band recorded the chilling rock anthem, "Fade Away", which was purely inspired by the tragedy. What's more, the band was honored to have Dave Catching and the other members of Eagles Of Death Metal be the very first people to hear the track - present at the first full play of the song at the studio.

Today, Barb Wire Dolls are finally revealing the music video for "Fade Away", adding haunting image and further inspiration to the already emotional track. The video was filmed, edited and directed by French filmmaker Romaine Zawadski, and shot in a dungeon outside of Nancy, France. 

In a statement posted in the video description, the band dedicates the track to not only those impacted by and lost to the senseless tragedy at the Bataclan, but to anyone who has been affected by the shootings at live music / entertainment events in London, Orlando, Las Vegas, and any senseless act of violence. Along with the Bataclan, these are all tragedies that have greatly impacted the music community and beyond, and Barb Wire Dolls feels that as a community, we need to spread more love into the world and keep the music flowing freely.

Remaining Barb Wire Dolls U.S. Tour Dates:

November
14 - Huntsville, AL - SideTracks Music Hall
15 - Baton Rouge, LA - Spanish Moon
16 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live - Green Room
17 - San Antonio, TX - Korova
18 - Dallas, TX - Three Links
19 - Lubbock, TX - Depot Obar Live
21 - Phoenix, AZ - The Rebel Lounge
22 - Las Vegas, NV - TBA
24 - San Diego, CA - Space - The Hideout
25 - Los Angeles, CA - Whisky A Go Go

"Back in the U.S.S.A." music video:

This Friday, November 17th, sees the release of a special box set of Queen‘s landmark 1977 album, News Of The World, marking the 40th anniversary of the original release. An unboxing video is available for streaming below. This lavish new package is available to pre-order now.

The 40th anniversary is also marked with the release of a special limited edition picture disc album. Newly cut from the Bob Ludwig 2011 master, this picture disc version will be available in a strictly limited run of 1977 individually numbered copies housed in a commemorative die-cut sleeve. This version will only be available through pre-order from the official Queenonline webstore.

Originally launched in October 1977, News Of The World is one of Queen’s biggest selling albums of all time.  It opens with two of the band’s most indestructible worldwide hits, the Brian May-penned “We Will Rock You” and Freddie Mercury’s “We Are The Champions”, monumental stadium anthems which remain a staple of major sporting events all around the world to this day.  With songs written by all four band members, NOTW, Queen’s sixth album, set a new standard in stylistic diversity, from Roger Taylor’s proto-punk blast of “Sheer Heart Attack” to the salacious funk-rock groove workout “Get Down Make Love”, to the fragrant tropical calypso-pop “Who Needs You”.  News Of The World also features the hit “Spread Your Wings”, the epic rock saga “It’s Late” and Freddie’s wistfully romantic “My Melancholy Blues”.

The new package includes the original album on CD, plus two further CDs of recently unearthed out-takes and rarities from the band’s archives, one of which is a newly created ‘alternative’ version of the whole album - Raw Sessions.

For many Queen devotees, this Raw Sessions CD will be the most intriguing component of the new release.  Mined deep from long-vaulted studio multi-track tapes, this extraordinary parallel album brings to light never-before-heard alternative versions of each of the album’s 11 tracks.  Every lead vocal is different, as are most of the lead guitar parts and a great many other instrumental details.  Here we experience “We Are The Champions” anew, with many unfamiliar vocal and instrumental elements, and for the first time at its full-recorded length rather than the edited 1977 album cut.  Here also is the chance to discover peak era Freddie Mercury vocals on a track that nobody outside Queen’s inner circle has heard him sing before at all - Brian May’s “All Dead, All Dead”.  The original album version features May himself on vocals. Roger Taylor’s “Sheer Heart Attack” can be heard with its original long-lost guitar intro and uncut ending.  Taylor’s other song, “Fight From The Inside”, is more remarkable in that we hear his demo vocal worked on in his home studio in preparation for the next sessions, ‘homework’ that all of the band members would regularly carry out.  As a point of note, Taylor plays all instruments on these two recordings, except for some lead guitar. In this age of digital leaks and obsessive fan culture, there is already great excitement that these recordings are, in 2017, truly New to the World.

The third CD in the package, Bonus Tracks, features a feast of previously released but hard-to-find versions of News Of The World tracks recorded in concert, for radio shows, or in alternate mixes.  Included is the band’s entire five-song final live session recorded for BBC Radio in October 1977, seven live performances of NOTW songs, plus rare backing tracks and instrumentals of the Queen classics “We Will Rock You”, “We Are The Champions”, “Spread Your Wings”, “Get Down”, “Make Love” and “Fight From The Inside”.  Also on this third disc is the seldom-heard US radio edit of “It’s Late”, making its belated CD debut, and the rowdy stomper Feelings Feelings, which was recorded during the original NOTW sessions but not included on the final album.

Another outstanding feature of this weighty 40th anniversary box is another first - a pure analogue re-cut of the original vinyl LP, direct from the un-mastered analogue master mix tapes.  This exceptional album collector’s piece is presented in a facsimile original sleeve.  There is also a rich selection of NOTW related memorabilia including three posters and a 60-page book of images, mostly previously unseen.

The package is completed with a brand new one-hour DVD documentary, Queen: The American Dream, created from backstage material filmed during Queen’s 1977 USA News Of The World tour.  In November that year, Queen embarked on another headlining US tour.  The highly respected British radio and TV presenter Bob Harris, complete with full film crew, followed their journey as part of a proposed documentary that has remained incomplete and unreleased - until now.  The crew had unlimited access to the band on and off stage, in the recording studio and during rehearsals.  This one-hour documentary includes superb live footage of Queen at the Houston Summit in December.  We also see moments from the birth of “We Will Rock You” and “We Are The Champions”, songs that would both earn a place in the Grammy Hall of Fame. Queen: The American Dream is a fascinating behind-the-scenes insight into a young British band at a creative peak, defying the odds as they take the USA by storm.

For casual fans and Queen Connoisseurs alike, the new NOTW package, with its feast of extra material, is manna from Heaven - a bumper haul of buried treasure from a world-beating band in its prime.

Tracklisting:

Vinyl - The Original News Of The World Album - New Pure Analogue Cut

Side One
“We Will Rock You”
“We Are The Champions”
“Sheer Heart Attack”
“All Dead, All Dead”
“Spread Your Wings”
“Fight From The Inside”

Side Two
“Get Down, Make Love”
“Sleeping On The Sidewalk”
“Who Needs You”
“It’s Late”
“My Melancholy Blues”

CD1: The Original Album (Bob Ludwig 2011 Master)
“We Will Rock You”
“We Are The Champions”
“Sheer Heart Attack”
“All Dead, All Dead”
“Spread Your Wings”
“Fight From The Inside”
“Get Down, Make Love”
“Sleeping On The Sidewalk”
“Who Needs You”
“It’s Late”
“My Melancholy Blues”

CD2: News Of The World - Raw Sessions
“We Will Rock You” (Alternative Version)
“We Are The Champions” (Alternative Version)
“Sheer Heart Attack” (Original Rough Mix)
“All Dead, All Dead” (Original Rough Mix)
“Spread Your Wings” (Alternative Take)
“Fight From The Inside” (Demo Vocal Version)
“Get Down, Make Love” (Early Take)
“Sleeping On The Sidewalk” (Live In The USA, 1977
“Who Needs You” (Acoustic Take)
“It’s Late” (Alternative Version)
“My Melancholy Blues” (Original Rough Mix)

CD3: News Of The World - Bonus Tracks
“Feelings Feelings” (Take 10, July 1977)
“We Will Rock You” (BBC Session)
“We Will Rock You” (Fast) (BBC Session)
“Spread Your Wings” (BBC Session)
“It’s Late” (BBC Session)
“My Melancholy Blues” (BBC Session)
“We Will Rock You” (Backing Track)
“We Are The Champions” (Backing Track)
“Spread Your Wings” (Instrumental)
“Fight From The Inside” (Instrumental)
“Get Down, Make Love” (Instrumental)
“It’s Late” (USA Radio Edit 1978)
“Sheer Heart Attack” (Live In Paris 1979)
“We Will Rock You” (Live In Tokyo 1982)
“My Melancholy Blues” (Live In Houston 1977)
“Get Down, Make Love (Live In Montreal 1981)
“Spread Your Wings” (Live In Europe 1979)
“We Will Rock You” (Live At The MK Bowl 1982)
“We Are The Champions” (Live At The MK Bowl 1982)

Unboxing video:

“We Will Rock You” (Alternative Version):

“We Are The Champions” (Alternative Version):

Trailer:

Act Of Defiance - featuring Chris Broderick on guitar, Henry Derek on vocals, Shawn Drover on drums and Matt Bachand on bass - released their new album, Old Scars, New Wounds, back in September via Metal Blade Records. A full album stream can be found below. Order the album here.

On Old Scars, New Wounds, Act of Defiance has upped the ante. Each of the 11new tracks sound fresh and urgent while wielding a timeless quality that will connect powerfully with metal fans new and old - and there aren't many contemporary bands who can make such a claim.

Naturally blending a plethora of metallic styles and never recycling ideas, Old Scars, New Wounds is an even more dynamic and diverse collection than its predecessor, which was written solely by Broderick and Drover prior to recruiting bassist Matt Bachand and vocalist Henry Derek. With a fully-seasoned, tour-hardened band in place, there was room for everyone to bring something to the table this time around, and their varying styles helped shape the record.

Old Scars, New Wounds tracklisting:

“M.I.A.”
“Molten Core”
“Overexposure”
“The Talisman”
“Lullaby Of Vengeance”
“Circle Of Ashes”
“Reborn”
“Conspiracy Of The Gods”
“Another Killing Spree”
“Broken Dialect”
“Rise Of Rebellion”

Album stream:

"Overexposure" video:

“M.I.A.” video:

Act of Defiance lineup:

Chris Broderick - guitar
Henry Derek - vocals
Shawn Drover - drums
Matt Bachand - bass

Raintimes, the new melodic rock project featuring Italian musicians Pierpaolo “Zorro” Monti (Charming Grace, Shining Line) and Davide Barbieri (Wheels Of Fire, Charming Grace) together with singer Michael Shotton (Von Groove), will release their debut album on December 1st. The track “Don't Ever Give Up” is available for streaming below.

The lineup on the album is completed by Sven Larsson, Andrea Gipponi, and Ivan Gonzalez.

Pre-order the new album here.

Tracklisting:

“Forever Gone”
“Make My Day”
“Don’t Ever Give Up”
“Swan”
“I Need Tonight”
“Raintimes”
“Just A Little Bit More”
“Empty Days”
“Together As Friends”
“Missing Piece”
“I See The Light”

“Don't Ever Give Up”:

“Swan”:

“Forever Gone” lyric video:

Band lineup:

Michael Shotton - Lead & Backing Vocals
Iván González - Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Sven Larsson - Lead & Rhythm Guitars
Davide Barbieri - Keyboards & Backing Vocals
Andrea Gipponi - Bass & Fretless Bass
Pierpaolo Monti - Drums & Percussion

Special guests:

Niclas Olsson - Keyboards on “I Need Tonight”
Philip Lindstrand - Backing Vocals on “I Need Tonight”
Alessandro Del Vecchio: Keyboards & Backing Vocals on “Just A Little Bit More”
Erica Trovato: Backing Vocals on “Together As Friends”
Jesús Espín: Backing Vocals on “Missing Piece”
Daniel Flores: Percussion on “I See The Light”
Michele Luppi: Keyboards on “I See The Light”

Swedish metal band Sparzanza are streaming "The Trigger", a track from their new album, Announcing The End, out now via Despotz Records. Listen below.

Announcing The End tracklisting:

“Announcing The End”
“Damnation”
“One Last Breath”
“Whatever May Come May Be”
“Vindication”
“The Dark Appeal”
“Breathe In The Fire”
“The Trigger”
“To The One”
“We Are Forever”
“Truth Is A Lie”

"The Trigger":

“Vindication” video:

“Announcing The End” video:

(Photo - Eric Hansen)

BMG recently announced the release of Saxon - Decade Of The Eagle, a deluxe anthology featuring 34 tracks, that looks back at the years that built the Saxon legend. Additionally, a 1CD and 1LP version will be made available for North America, tracklisting is below. BMG in North America will release the 1CD, 1LP versions and and then a limited number of the 4LP editions on Friday, December 1st.

Check out an unboxing video below:

In the new videos below, Biff Byford discusses the band's first headline show in London at the Electric Ballroom, their set lists and live shows during the 80s, what he feels is their most undervalued album from the 80s, and working with Elton John on Rock The Nations:

Decade Of The Eagle is a retrospective that spans the band’s first nine albums and represents the very best of the first decade of their astonishing career during which time they notched up five Top 40 albums and four Top 20 singles. These 4LP and 2CD deluxe editions feature new liner notes by frontman Biff Byford that document the decade and which are accompanied by rarely seen and classic photos from the era.

Biff says: “These are the albums from a time in the eighties that moved a generation of rock fans around the world, when British rock was once again at the forefront.   Great times - never to be forgotten and still reverberating to this day.”

Saxon played a significant part of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal movement, perhaps the greatest metal genre of them all and have become one of the all-time masters of heavy metal. In doing so, Saxon have ensured they are now representative of the heart and soul from the NWOBHM time. Always remaining true to the values which established them in the first place they are driven by a desire to continuously set the highest standards and meet them head on, Saxon's work on those nine studio albums still resonates resoundingly - this is timeless stuff.

Saxon’s music that will continue to inspire metalheads for generations to come, as it has influenced so many until now. In those immortal words, fill your heads with... HEAVY METAL THUNDER!

Tracklisting:

“Stallions Of The Highway”
“Big Teaser”
“Backs To The Wall”
“Militia Guard”
“Wheels Of Steel”
“747 (Strangers In The Night)”
“Suzie Hold On”
“Motorcycle Man” (live)
“Strong Arm Of The Law”
“Heavy Metal Thunder”
“20,000ft” (live)
“Dallas 1PM”
“And The Bands Played On”
“Never Surrender”
“Denim And Leather”
“Fire In the Sky” (live)
“Princess Of The Night”
“Power & The Glory”
“This Town Rocks”
“The Eagle Has Landed”
“Midas Touch”
“Sailing To America”
“Crusader”
“Devil Rides Out”
“Back On The Streets”
“Rockin' Again”
“Rock N' Roll Gypsy”
“Broken Heroes”
“Waiting For The Night”
“Rock The Nations”
“Northern Lady”
“Battle Cry”
“Ride Like The Wind”
“Red Alert”

1LP & 1CD tracklisting:

“Backs To The Wall”  
“Wheels Of Steel”  
“747 (Strangers In The Night)”  
“Strong Arm Of The Law”  
“Denim And Leather”  
“Power And The Glory”  
“Sailing To America”  
“Rock N’Roll Gypsy”  
“Waiting For The Night”  
“Ride Like The Wind”

To pre-order your copy of Decade Of The Eagle, head here.

Saxon isn't wasting any time in 2018. Following the critically acclaimed release of Battering Ram in 2015, the heavy metal giants are set to release their latest studio album, Thunderbolt, on February 2nd via the Militia Guard label (Silver Lining Music). The new album Thunderbolt features original artwork by long time Saxon collaborator Paul Raymond Gregory.

"This is album 22 and it's called Thunderbolt. It's a storming, smashing, thundering collection of tracks we've been crafting with producer Andy Sneap, and it's finished ready to be unleashed. Stand clear and fasten your seat belts!” says Biff Byford.

Three weeks later, the band will embark on the first leg of the Thunderbolt 2018 European Tour. Saxon will be joined by fellow English rockers Diamond Head and metal trio Rock Goddess will perform on the scheduled UK dates, with very special guests Magnum on the UK Hull date only. However, Saxon doesn't stop there - dates for Thunderbolt Tour Part 2 will be announced in early 2018.

"This is part one of the colossal Thunderbolt World tour. We're going to be touring the whole of 2018 so get your tickets and join the ride. It's going to be fast and furious, dark and brooding. Monumental riffing and screaming vocals - loud and proud - it's going to be a Saxon tour, unique in every way!" adds Biff.

Since the 1970s, Saxon have proven their ability to take rock 'n' roll and give it an electrifying edge which has since cemented their status as pioneers of the British heavy metal wave. With over twenty studio albums under their belt, Saxon have made it their steadfast dedication to creating a dynamic body of work - a staple of their career.

Thunderbolt tracklisting:

“Olympus Rising”
“Thunderbolt”
“The Secret Of Flight”
“Nosferatu (The Vampires Waltz)”
“They Played Rock And Roll”
“Predator”
“Sons Of Odin”
“Sniper”
“A Wizard's Tale”
“Speed Merchants”
“Roadie's Song”
“Nosferatu” (Raw Version)*

* not available on vinyl

Thunderbolt will be available for pre-order on December 1st in the following formats:

- digipack CD
- 180gm coloured vinyl in a gatefold sleeve
- special edition boxset
- cassette
- digital download

Thunderbolt 2018 European Tour - Part 1:

February
23 - Cardiff, UK - University
24 - Cambridge, UK - Corn Exchange
25 - Hull, UK - City Hall
27- Tilburg, Netherlands - 013
28 - Saarbruecken, Germany - Garage

March
1 - Germany,  Hannover, Germany - Capitol                       
2 - Germany,  Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp               
3 - Germany, Dresden, Germany - Schlachthof

Lord Of The Lost have released the new video below, for "Fists Up In The Air" (Swan Songs II Version). The video was directed by Linus Specht, produced by ICH & ER media, and filmed at Chameleon Studios in Hamburg, Germany on November 11th.

Swan Songs II was released via Napalm Records on October 6th. Get it here.

Tour dates:

November
17 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle (Additional Show)
18 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle (Sold Out)
21 - Dresden, Germany - Alter Schlachthof
23 - Berlin, Germany - Huxleys
24 - Bochum, Germany - Christuskirche (Sold Out)
25 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
26 - Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp