Julio Viterbo, mastermind and leader of heavy metal outfit Heavens Decay, has posted a new statement about the upcoming album and new session members:

"To all those interested in this heavy metal band, I’ve been composing, arranging, and visualizing what will be the new music for Heavens Decay for the second CD. The process has been a bit slow since I have a job to fulfill (“no money no band”), and I’ve gone through recovery from my last surgery, but I’m not sitting around to see how life happens in front of me, or with crossed arms. We are about to start rehearsing as a band and we will give final details to the music and lyrics. I have to introduce the new session members for this CD and maybe some upcoming shows."

Heavens Decay:

Nick Hernandez (Vocals) - Stone Magnum, Kommandant
Luis Ceja (Guitar) - Ancient Gods, Profanacion, Question Of Madness
Antonio Leon (Drums) - The Chasm, Thy Only Forgotten, Question Of Madness
Julio Viterbo (Guitar)

Julio continues: “I want to tell my great brother Oscar Clorio thank you for the great job and the good times we spent creating the “great void of mystery.” Unfortunately the distance from Chicago to CDMX is a barrier in creating music. I appreciate all the effort he put to come to Chicago to do and start this project… thanks shuuuuu! A few but dedicated fans thank you for supporting and waiting for Heavens Decay. We want to do outstanding work, an entity that exceed your highest expectations.”

New Zealand's Stälker will release their debut album, Shadow Of The Sword, this Friday (November 17th) via Napalm Records. An album teaser can be found below.

Stälker will send you back on a trip through time to the wild days of raw speed metal mayhem. Shadow Of The Sword is rammed full of heavy, tempo driven full speed songs. The album will be available in the following formats:

- 1CD Jewel Case
- LP Black Vinyl Gatefold
- LP Gold Vinyl Gatefold (Napalm Records exclusive)
- LP Red Vinyl Gatefold (Napalm Records exclusive)
- LP Silver Vinyl Gatefold (Underground Power exclusive)
- LP White Vinyl Gatefold (Band exclusive)
- CD & SHIRT BUNDLE

Get your hands on your exclusive pre-order here.

Shadow Of The Sword tracklisting:

“Total Annihilation”
“The Mutilator”
“Path Of Destruction”
“Shadow Of The Sword”
“Satanic Panic”
“Shocked To Death”
“Demon Dawn”
“Master Of Mayhem”
“Evil Dead”
“Steel God”

Album teaser:

“Total Annihilation”:

“Shadow Of The Sword”:

Lineup:

Daif King - Vocals, Bass
Chris Calavrias - Guitar
Nick Oakes - Drums

Professionally filmed footage of German metallers Der Weg Einer Freiheit, performing at the 2016 edition of the Wacken Open Air festival, is available for streaming below.

Setlist:

"Eiswanderer"
"Der stille Fluss"
"Zum Abschied"
"Requiem"
"Zeichen"

US heavy metal trio Midnite Hellion, who recently released their new album Condemned To Hell, announce the addition of new guitarist Mark Siedlecki II to the lineup. The band released the following statement concerning the new member:

"We are extremely pleased to introduce the newest Hellion, Mark Siedlecki II on lead guitar! Mark comes from Jersey blackened thrashers Anticosm, who we have had the pleasure of sharing the stage with in the past. His style, tone, and attitude is a perfect fit, and we are honored to have him in our ranks! Give Mark a warm welcome and come see him Rip It Up live with us at his debut concert on Saturday, December 2nd at Paul's Tavern in Belmar, NJ!

"We also want to thank Mario DiBartolo for all of his assistance over the past six years, both on the live front and in the studio. He's made it possible for Midnite Hellion to continue to grow, and we're certain that our paths will cross again as time permits."

Midnite Hellion have announced these upcoming shows in support of Condemned To Hell.

December
2 - Paul's Tavern - Belmar, NJ (hosted by Don Jamieson of That Metal Show)

February
24 - Dingbatz - Clifton, NJ (movie screening party of Bill Zebub's latest film, Exploitation, in which drummer Drew Rizzo makes an appearance)

March
16 - Bar XIII - Wilmington, DE
17 - Sparta Inn - Sparrows Point, MD

Condemned to Hell was released on September 15 through Witches Brew. Stream and order here.

As the host of his very own weekly Beats 1 online show, "It's Electric!", on Apple Music, Lars Ulrich celebrates the reissue of METALLICA's "Master Of Puppets" album with two special shows with some very notable guests.

The two-part series was recorded at the band's most recent European tour stop in Antwerp, Belgium and Lars welcomes back to the show James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and Robert Trujillo to cover all things "Puppets", discussing the first riffs recorded on a Fostex to James's lyrical influences with many, many more stories in between.

Traveling from places far and wide, Lars is also joined by the album's co-producer and engineer Flemming Rasmussen and mixer Michael Wagener for their tales from Sweet Silence Studio in Copenhagen.

Part one of the conversation is available on demand to Apple Music subscribers here. Part two of the conversation will air on Sunday, November 19. Listen live for free. Otherwise, Apple Music subscribers can listen to the show on demand here.

"Master Of Puppets" has been remastered for the most advanced sound quality and is available in various digital and physical configurations.

"Master Of Puppets" was originally released on March 3, 1986, on Elektra Records and went on to become the first METALLICA album to be certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association Of America. The album has been certified six times platinum in the United States and has sold over 10 million copies worldwide.

In 2016, the album became the first metal album to be added to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress, an honor granted to works deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

Three members of the original ALICE COOPER band have joined him on tour in the U.K., returning to the shores 46 years after they first shocked and enthralled fans on their historic 1971 tour.

Fan-filmed video footage of bassist Dennis Dunaway, guitarist Michael Bruce and drummer Neal Smith performing with Cooper on November 11 at First Direct Arena in Leeds, England can be seen below.

The three musicians previously played a five-song mini-set with Cooper in May in Nashville, Tennessee.

This followed the announcement that his latest album — "Paranormal", released this past July on earMUSIC —include stwo new recordings written and recorded by the original lineup ("Genuine American Girl" and "You And All Of Your Friends").

In Nashville, they were joined by current band member Ryan Roxie filling in for the late Glen Buxton on guitar. The band ripped through "I'm 18", "No More Mr. Nice Guy", "Muscle Of Love", "Billion Dollar Babies" and then closed with "School's Out", bringing back current band members — drummer Glen Sobel, bassist Chuck Garric, and guitarists Nita Strauss and Tommy Henriksen — for a grand finale.

Alice said: "When the original band broke up in 1975, there was no bad blood, there were no lawsuits — we had just burned out the creative process. We had gone to high school together and had recorded something like five platinum albums in a row. We were never out of sight of each other for ten years. Everybody just went their own way. Neal, Dennis and I always stayed in touch. Mike disappeared for a while and Glen Buxton passed away in 1997, which was a big blow. But last year Neal called me up and said, 'I have a couple of songs.' I said, 'Great. Bring 'em over.' Then he said Mike was stopping by, so I had them come to my house and we just worked on a few things for a week. Then Dennis called up and said, 'I got a couple songs.' So, I thought, 'Hey, let's do this!' When you listen to the record, it just fits right in."

Fan-filmed video footage of the HELLOWEEN's November 11 concert in Stuttgart, Germany as part of the band's "Pumpkins United" world tour can be seen below. The trek features former HELLOWEEN vocalist Michael Kiske and guitarist Kai Hansen alongside current singer Andi Deris, guitarists Michael Weikath and Sascha Gerstner, bassist Markus Grosskopf and drummer Dani Löble.

The "Pumpkins United" tour marks the first time Kiske has played live with HELLOWEEN since 1993. Hansen, who departed HELLOWEEN in 1988, has been joining the band onstage on various tours and festival appearances throughout the years. The set features several duets with Kiske and his replacement, Deris, along with many rarely played songs, including "Kids Of The Century", "Rise And Fall" and "Livin' Ain't No Crime". Hansen — who fronted HELLOWEEN until late 1986 — sings a medley of several early HELLOWEEN classics, including "Ride The Sky", "Judas", "Starlight" and "Heavy Metal (Is The Law)" .

Grosskopf told Brazil's Heavy Talk about how the "Pumpkins United" reunion came about: "That's actually a couple of years ago, when the two guys who are doing the pumpkins [animation] tonight on the screen [David López Gómez and Carlos Vicente León of EasyRabbit CreArtions], they are two great friends of ours, they started the book, the 'Hellbook'. Also within the 'Hellbook', we were thinking of the great old times with the pictures and the stuff in there, bringing in some emotions [coupled with] Kai and Michael Kiske playing in a band together at the time, UNISONIC. So we gave it some time and the time was right. We just thought, 'Let's give it a go.' It turned out to be a great, great idea. Shows, we're still working on bits and pieces to find together, but it's getting better and better every day. I like it a lot."

Regarding the most difficult aspect of putting together the reunion, Markus said: "It was getting together the rehearsals. As HELLOWEEN without them, we had a certain routine going on, but then having two guys working totally different, we had to destroy those workflows and create a new workflow with two new members in. Therefore, we took a lot of time to rehearse and get together, not only playing, but the way we work together and all that. We did this song in between the rehearsals, that 'Pumpkins United' song to see what it's like, to see how it feels. It wasn't that easy, because it was in between writing the song and rehearsing for the big tour, but, it's the only way you can find out how things are working out. So far it's worked well. It wasn't always easy, to finding a base to work on was the hardest thing so far, but we're still working on it. But it's getting better; we've found a way. The two singers are together, they're matching perfect. It's nice. I like it a lot."

On the topic of choosing which songs to play live, Markus said: "That was pretty tough to choose what songs we're going to play. We got to keep in mind, being together longer for only for this tour and if we do more tours, then we can always change the set with a couple of new tracks or a couple of old tracks or a couple of very different tracks and very old tracks. We had two weeks of rehearsing, so we had five blocks of rehearsals and in between, we had some time off to think about things. It was pretty well arranged. If you go for more than two or three or four weeks rehearsing, then your mind gets so fed up with it, so we had two weeks' break in between, which makes your head free again."

The North American leg of the "Pumpkins United" tour will kick off on September 7, 2018 in Las Vegas and conclude on September 15, 2018 in New York.

Frontiers Music Srl has announced the signing of CORELEONI, the new project founded by GOTTHARD guitarist Leo Leoni to pay a very personal tribute to his rock and roll past. He is joined in the band by Ronnie Romero (LORDS OF BLACK, RAINBOW) on vocals, Hena Habegger on drums, Jgor Gianola on guitar and Mila Merker on bass.

CORELEONI will release a very special album in February 2018.

Says Leo: "On the 25th anniversary of the release of the first GOTTHARD album, I wanted to pay tribute to songs like 'Downtown', 'Firedance', 'Higher', 'Here Comes The Heat', 'In The Name', 'Ride On…', 'Let It Be' and 'All I Care 4'. Songs that with GOTTHARD we have kind of left aside. We've re-recorded, refreshed, and 're-brushed' them in a respectful way. These songs are very dear to me and they are part of a period that will remain forever with me."

Leoni dusted these songs off and brough a new life to these overlooked masterpieces from his past. The album will also include a new song, "Walk On Water", which will be released in December.

"This CORELEONI project made me feel so many emotions and memories, filling my heart with joy," says Leo. "I hope hearing these new versions gives all the GOTTHARD fans, especially the ones who knew and loved the band in the early days, the same great emotions that it has brought to me."

CORELEONI will play the following shows in Switzerland:

Dec. 21 - Temus, AgnoDec. 22 - Musigburg, Aarburg Dec. 23 - Harley Heaven, DietikonDec. 30 - Piazza, Lugano - Radiofestival

A&D Records, with permission from AFM Records, now present Eden's Curse - The Demo & Bootleg Series.

The Demo Series CDs 1 to 5 feature the original songwriter demos from all five studio albums starting with Eden's Curse (2007), The Second Coming (2008), Trinity (2011), Symphony Of Sin (2013) up to Cardinal (2016). Volume 1 is a 5CD set featuring all five discs in one collectors piece jewel case.

Each booklet contains individual track notes from the main songwriter Paul Logue, a total of 76 tracks,12 previously unreleased songs and some lead vocal performances from names such as David Readman (Pink Cream 69, Voodoo Circle, Almanac), Steve Grimmett (Grim Reaper, Lionsheart) and Carsten Lizard Schulz (Evidence One, Domain).

Witness the true evolution of the Eden's Curse song as you hear how each songs was crafted by the writers and how they progressed and blossomed into the anthems that you know today.

The Bootleg Series DVD's 1 to 6 includes over 8 hours of never seen before concert footage from the band's debut tour with Stratovarius, their only appearance on US soil at Melodic Rock Fest 2, their appearance at Hard Rock Hell festival, their first live show with Nikola Mijic on vocals at Firefest to their recent Symphony Of Sin and Cardinal UK Tours.

Order directly from the band at this location

Max Cavalera spoke to the "No Limits Music Show" about SOULFLY's upcoming follow-up to 2015's "Archangel" album, tentatively due in the middle of next year via Nuclear Blast.

"My goal is to bring some of the tribal [elements] back," he said (see video below). "A lot of people have been asking… I want it too, 'cause I love the heaviness of the drums with the guitars — it's amazing. We had it on [2004's] 'Prophecy', we had it on [2000's] 'Primitive', the first SOULFLY [album in 1998]. And that's kind of lost on the SOULFLY tours. After [2005's] 'Dark Ages', we really stopped doing percussion at all. So I think it's kind of cool now to bring it back — it's the perfect time.

"The album is gonna be deeply tribal, very spiritual," he continued. "There's a concept. I cannot tell you much about it, 'cause it's kind of a surprise. But there is a concept behind the record, and I have not done a record with a concept like this since [SEPULTURA's] 'Roots'. So this one has got the same kind of feeling that 'Roots' has."

Max added that he will complete the songwriting process for the new SOULFLY album once he is done with the "Point Blank With Soulfly" tour, where SOULFLY is performing NAILBOMB's lone studio album, 1994's "Point Blank", in full. "I hope I can enter the studio around January," he said. "We've already got the producer, Josh Wilbur. He's the producer that did KILLER BE KILLED, LAMB OF GOD. An amazing guy, so he's gonna be amazing for this record. And it's, of course, 20 years since [the release of] the first [SOULFLY album]. So it's a great date — it's a special date. So we are hoping we can make a really special record, hopefully with some really cool guests. Again, SOULFLY continue the guest appearances. I don't know who I'm gonna get yet, but I'm sure it's gonna be really cool."

Max reiterated his belief that the next SOULFLY album will "be a special record, man. I have the feeling. When you have the feeling, you have the feeling," he said. "And I have right now… I feel it's coming along. I've just gotta work on the riffs real hard, get the best riffs possible — just like I did with [the new] CAVALERA [CONSPIRACY album]. But the difference is, with the SOULFLY record, I've got more room, I can do more stuff with it. 'Cause I've got the world music element, the tribal element, the spiritual element. They give me more room to go even further on what I can do with the music, so I'm very excited. I think it's gonna be a great record."

Max and his brother, former SEPULTURA drummer Igor Cavalera, have spent the last year celebrating the twentieth anniversary of the band's "Roots" album by performing the LP in its entirety all over the world.

According to Norrköpings Tidningar, the representatives for the former members of GHOST who sued the band's frontman and founder Tobias Forge earlier this year will meet with his attorneys for the first time today (Monday, November 13) in a court in Linköping, Sweden.

It is still unclear whether the former bandmembers and the band leader themselves will participate in the hearing or they will only be represented by their legal counsel.

Monday's negotiation is said to be so-called oral preparation. Such a negotiation has two purposes: first, it is about preparing any uncertainties for a main negotiation, and it is about investigating the conditions for a settlement.

The original lawsuit, which was filed in the district court of Linköping, where GHOST was originally based, claimed that Forge solely controlled the band's business affairs without input from anyone else in the group. The four musicians furthermore stated that a partnership agreement existed between them and Forge which put Tobias in charge of carrying out the company's management duties.

In a statement explaining the lawsuit, the musicians officially revealed their identities as Simon Söderberg (Alpha; member of GHOST from 2010 until 2016), Mauro Rubino (Air; member of GHOST from 2011 until 2016), Henrik Palm (Eather; member of GHOST from 2015 until 2016) and Martin Hjertstedt (Earth; member of GHOST from 2014 until 2016).

In June, Forge filed an official response to the lawsuit, claiming that "no legal partnership" ever existed between him and the four musicians regarding the activities of GHOST and explaining that "none of the plaintiffs were present at the time of the" group's formation and that their sole task was to "perform" and "execute" the musical works and the image that Forge had created, produced and decided, all according to his instructions. For their efforts, he said, the musicians were paid a fixed salary.

At the end of August, the four ex-GHOST members presented an answer of their own, dismissing Forge's claim that GHOST is a solo project as "not [being] in accordance with the truth." "Forge has certainly been the band's main songwriter, he has had the role of the band's cinematic front figure 'Papa Emeritus,' has been a driving force in the band's business, as well as in the handling of the band's business affairs," the musicians wrote. "However, the activities carried out with respect to GHOST were extensively handled jointly by the members — for example, by making decisions jointly regarding the band's image, by participating in interviews, and by the fact that every member has, at certain times, contributed when recording the band's albums and singles and by touring together almost continuously since 2011."

The four ex-members, known previously only as Nameless Ghouls, claim that between the years of 2010 and 2016, Forge never told them that he viewed GHOST as a one-man business and solo project. "To the contrary, Tobias Forge has always emphasized that it was a collaboration that everyone was involved in and would share in the profit of once the business became profitable," they wrote. "The first time Tobias Forge, through the band's management, mentioned that he saw them as hired musicians rather than full-fledged members of GHOST was in the context of a contract proposal presented in April 2016." This proposal was later rejected.

According to GHOST's ex-members, "It is not true that Tobias Forge was solely responsible for the creation of GHOST, its image based on anonymity and its special stage presentation. Tobias Forge might have taken the initiative of founding the band GHOST, but all members of the band were involved in the creation and development of the band's image and live show," they wrote. "For example, [former guitarist] Martin Persner [who is not involved with the lawsuit] designed most of the costumes and clothing that the band had on the stage (some of them together with Tobias Forge). Martin Persner has also, together with Tobias Forge, designed some of the masks that members have worn at stage performances. Martin Persner is also behind many of the symbols used in GHOST's activities, such as the 'Water', 'Fire', 'Air' and 'Quintessence' symbols, as well as the various album covers, t-shirt designs, etc. For others members of the group they, like Martin Persner, have been involved in the development of the band's stage show, setlists, choreography, lighting, stage decor and the like."

The ex-GHOST musicians allege that the Papa Emeritus character was actually created by Peter Hällje, a former bandmate of Persner, prior to GHOST's formation. Hällje never performed as Papa Emeritus, but agreed to let Persner use the character for his then-new band. "It is noteworthy that the permission given by Peter Hällje was not given to Tobias Forge, but to Martin Persner for use in the band GHOST," they wrote.

The musicians furthermore claim that in 2011, they discussed the possibility of converting the business from the single company to an economic association, a limited company or a trading company. But "because Tobias Forge succeeded in convincing the other members that there was no time to register a joint association or joint venture, they chose to move forward with another GHOST model on the advice of Forge and the accounting consultants the band hired," they wrote. "The model was based on the fact that Tobias Forge, through his companies and as the band leader, would collect and invoice third parties for the band's live fees, merchandise revenues and record royalties. The other members of the band would acquire 'F-tax slips'" — which allow business and self-employed individuals to document responsibility for payment of taxes to the state — "and bill Tobias Forge for their share of the profits of the business."

The four ex-GHOST musicians also dispute Forge's claim that the band was formed in 2006, four years prior to the release of GHOST's debut album, "Opus Eponymous". They wrote: "GHOST operations began in 2010 when Simon Söderberg and Tobias Forge recorded the songs 'Ritual', 'Death Knell', 'Elisabeth' and 'Prime Mover' and made them available on the MySpace web site, followed by GHOST's first live show, which took place on October 23, 2010. The launch of GHOST was thus 2010, not 2006."

The musicians also deny Forge's claim that they were paid a salary by him. Instead, they claim, an agreement was reached between the parties in 2013 that Simon Söderberg and Mauro Rubino would receive regular advance payments pending the final settlement. The advance payments received by the plaintiffs have varied from SEK 10,000 to SEK 30,000 (approximately $1250 - $3750) per month, depending on the member. This corresponds to a monthly net income (after tax) of between SEK 5,000 and SEK 15,000 ($625 - $1850). In addition, the members "received allowances on tours to cover rising living expenses."

Forge was asked in a recent interview with CBS Philadelphia if he considers GHOST a solo project or a band. He replied: "I actually refer to it as the earlier of the two options. Even though I've never wanted it that way, but at the end of the day, that is what it is. So I think it speaks clear for itself. I mean, I started it in 2006, and no one that was ever in the band in 2016 was even on the first record. Call it solo, if you want to, but I call it a project."

Forge, who does all the band's interviews as a Nameless Ghoul, dismissed the entire lineup at the end of 2016 and brought in a fresh group of players. He explained: "I have been in the band since I started the band. I started writing songs for it in 2006. Nowadays there's a handful of very new members, yeah. But there has been about 10 to 15 people now going in and out of the band, so there's been a lot of rotation."

He added: "People have a tendency to want to feel that they're very important for something, and if it's not crucial that they're there, there will also be a little bit of a friction there."

Forge entered the studio in August to begin recording a new GHOST LP. The follow-up to 2015's "Meliora" is expected out sometime early next year.

Eicca Toppinen, a member of the Finnish cello metal band APOCALYPTICA, has composed a new piece of music based on DNA samples gathered around Finland by geneticists. The effort is part of Visit Finland's new campaign, "The Symphony Of Extremes - Born From Finnish DNA", to honor the 100th anniversary of Finland's independence.

"Finland is a nation of extremes and strong contrasts — in our seasons, nature and people," Visit Finland's Paavo Virkkunen explains. "Authenticity is a major trend in tourism and travellers are especially interested in stories and local lifestyles. The campaign combines all this into a fascinating true story of science and art."

"The Symphony Of Extremes - Born From Finnish DNA" follows the composition process, from gathering the DNA samples to the final premiere. The Finnish icons behind the DNA are also part of the campaign.

"The symphony is a symbol of diversity as well — our travel destinations range from idyllic Lakeland and Archipelago to the urban beat of Helsinki and the Arctic spell of Lapland," Visit Finland's head of marketing Heli Jimenez says.

As Finland is a nation of vast extremes, not only in its weather and seasons, but in its peoples' adventurous lifestyles and taste for both "headbanging" metal and classical music as well, Visit Finland has delved into the nation's distinct character by examining its heritage and culture and turning the Finnish genotype into music.

The campaign closely follows the creative process and highlights a group of noteworthy people behind the genes, each of whom exhibit some extreme and distinctively Finnish trait, such as "sisu," their unique grit, or a strong bond with the Arctic.

A number of professionals at the apex of their fields were also brought together, including Jonathan Middleton, visiting professor at the University of Tampere who has developed a program that can create sounds from the base pairs found in DNA; and Toppinen.

"The Symphony Of Extremes" also focuses on extreme freediver Johanna Nordblad; Tinja Myllykangas who lives with dozens of dogs in the wilderness of Lapland; and a group of children living in the extreme conditions of outer Finnish Archipelago. Their unique and personal stories inspire international audiences and also draw attention to the mysterious wonders of Finland, drawing in tourism and visitors around the globe.

This cooperation involves extensive research, product development, and expertise from a number of key academic influencers, including Paivi Onkamo, lecturer of genetics in The University of Helsinki; Jonathan Middleton, a composer based in Spokane where he teaches composition at Eastern Washington University; and Janna Saarela, research director of Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland.

Finland appeals to travelers searching for unique and extreme experiences in their destinations. For example, there are 500,000 summer cottages throughout the country, 188,000 lakes, over 3,000,000 saunas (more than the number of cars), 179,000 islands and over 70% of the land covered by forest. Its spectacular nature wonders has attracted travelers and lovers of the outdoors to visit Finland from all over the world.

Besides its stunning landscape wonders, Finland's seasons present extreme conditions that test the strength of its people, with freezing temperatures reaching -51°C in the winter when the sun doesn't rise above the horizon for 52 days in Lapland, and 70 days of midnight sun in the summer; and these intense conditions seem to have given birth to an impressive 3,400 Finnish metal bands that rock the country with sound waves.

Over the year, Visit Finland has orchestrated this grand campaign of audio-visual stimulation to showcase the unique and authentic Finland in all its extreme adventure and glory, and to enhance the destination's brand awareness to markets across the globe. Audiences can expect a very real, firsthand look into the nation's core DNA, from its people's ancestry, love of extreme sports, to its rural communities' passion for environmental sustainability.

Finland has also been named one of the top countries in the world for travelers, receiving the accolade in Lonely Planet's Best in Travel 2017, the highly anticipated collection of the world's hottest trends, destinations, and experiences for the year ahead.

Following the massively successful global tour of 2016-17 in support of their sixteenth studio album "The Book Of Souls", British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN will take to the road again in 2018 with a series of arena and festival shows in Europe on the "Legacy Of The Beast" world tour opening in Tallinn, Estonia on May 26 and finishing at the O2 Arena, London on August 10.

Tour dates:

May 26 - Tallinn, Estonia @ Saku Arena,EstoniaMay 28 - Helsinki, Finland @ Hartwall ArenaJun. 01 - Stockholm, Sweden @ Tele2 ArenaJun. 03 - Trondheim, Norway @ Rocks Dahls ArenaJun. 05 - Copenhagen, Denmark @ Royal ArenaJun. 07 - Sölvesborg, Sweden @ Sweden Rock Festival,Jun. 09 - Munich, Germany @ Rockavaria, KönigsplatzJun. 10 - Hannover, Germany @ Expo PlazaJun. 13 - Berlin, Germany @ WaldbuhneJun. 16 - Florence, Italy @ Firenze RocksJun. 17 - Nickelsdorf, Austria @ NovarockJun. 20 - Prague, Czech Republic @ Letnany AirportJun. 22 - Dessel, Belgium @ Graspop Metal MeetingJun. 24 - Clisson, France @ HellfestJun. 26 - Geneva, Switzerland @ ArenaJun. 28 - Sopron, Hungary @ Volt FestivalJun. 30 - Freiburg, Germany @ MessegelaendeJul. 01 - Arnhem, Netherlands @ GelredomeJul. 05 - Paris, France @ AccorsHotel ArenaJul. 09 - Milan, Italy @ San Siro IppodromoJul. 10 - Zurich, Switzerland @ HallenstadionJul. 13 - Lisbon, Portugal @ Altice ArenaJul. 14 - Madrid, Spain @ Wanda Metropolitano StadiumJul. 17 - Trieste, Italy @ Piazza Della Unita D'ItaliaJul. 20 - Athens, Greece @ RockwaveJul. 22 - Plovdiv, Bulgaria @ Hills Of RockJul. 24 - Zagreb, Croatia @ ArenaJul. 27 - Krakow, Poland @ Tauron ArenaJul. 31 - Newcastle, UK @ Radio ArenaAug. 02 - Belfast, UK @ SSE ArenaAug. 04 - Aberdeen, UK @ Exhibition & Conference CentreAug. 06 - Manchester, UK @ ArenaAug. 07 - Birmingham, UK @ Genting ArenaAug. 10 - London, UK @ O2 Arena

The tour is expected to continue in 2019.

The concept for the "Legacy Of The Beast" world tour was inspired by MAIDEN's mobile game and comic book of the same name and the stage set design will feature a number of different but interlocking "worlds" with a set list covering a large selection of eighties material with a handful of surprises from later albums to add diversity.

MAIDEN manager Rod Smallwood explains further: "As our fans know, we've been following a particular touring cycle ever since Bruce [Dickinson, vocals] and Adrian [Smith, guitar] rejoined MAIDEN at the start of the millennium, alternating new album tours with 'History/Hits' tours. We enjoy working this way for many reasons, not least because it gives the band a chance to play both new material and the older favourites which we know fans like to hear. It keeps things fresh, not just for the fans but for the band too.

"For this History/Hits tour we decided to base the theme around the 'Legacy Of The Beast' name, which suits our purposes perfectly by giving us scope to get creative and have some fun, especially with Eddie! I don't want to give too much away at the moment but we're working on a number of different stage sets, all in keeping with the MAIDEN tradition and we hope to give our fans a fantastic experience when they come to see this very special show."

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE will be MAIDEN's special guest on headline European shows from May 26 to July 1 inclusive, and in the U.K. from July 31 to August 10 inclusive. Guests on other shows are currently being finalized and will be announced soon.

Most shows go on sale Friday, November 24. As always, there will be an exclusive presale for fan club members, starting Monday, November 20.

British heavy metal vocalist Blaze Bayley (IRON MAIDEN, WOLFSBANE) will release the third album in his "Infinite Entanglement" trilogy on March 2, 2018 and has announced pre-order packages, plus an exciting world tour schedule for Europe, USA, Canada and Latin America.

There are three pre-order packages — "Regular," "Membership" and "Ultimate Membership." The latter sold-out within the first few hours, while the others remain available via BlazeBayley.net. The packages offer fans a mouth-watering mix of merch items and also special online features, as well as exclusive DVD bonus content.

The new album, called "The Redemption Of William Black", is the highly anticipated third part of the trilogy, bringing the sci-fi concept to a conclusion.

This will be the tenth album of Blaze's solo career, following his rise to global fame as singer with IRON MAIDEN (1994-1999). He was chosen for the MAIDEN role after coming to notice with his first band WOLFSBANE, based around home city of Birmingham, England, which is now the location for the recording of all his more recent solo releases.

The past three or four years has been an exciting period in Blaze's career, with a real sense of purpose, increased sales and media attention, not least with the recent front cover of Powerplay magazine (November 2017 issue), together with a three-page tour report from North America. Blaze received further recognition when voted by fans as the 67th best singer of all time in Sweden Rock Magazine, while a guest performance with DISTURBED at the U.K.'s premier music festival Download was another highlight.

"The Redemption Of William Black" has been co-written with Chris Appleton of fellow British metal band ABSOLVA. Chris, who also co-produces the album, is lead guitarist and backing vocalist in Blaze's band for recording and touring, together with his ABSOLVA bandmates Martin McNee (drums) and Karl Schramm (bass and backing vocals).

Special guests on the album include FOZZY singer Chris Jericho, also of WWE fame, for whom Blaze has specially created a character within the "Infinite Entanglement" story. Also, on choir duty is Luke Appleton (ICED EARTH bassist and ABSOLVA rhythm guitarist), as well as Michelle Sciarrotta (choir/voice actor), Jo Robinson (choir), Mel Adams (choir), Liz Owen (backing vocals/choir), Aine Brewer (voice actor) and Rob Toogood (choir/voice actor).

"The Redemption Of William Black" world tour begins at the end of February in Glasgow and the European leg completes on May 25 and May 26 when a live DVD and CD will be recorded over two nights at Chez Paulette, near Nancy, France. After a small number of festival shows in the summer, plus a short second run of U.K. shows to be confirmed, the tour heads to USA and Canada in September, on the back of the success of the North America tour of 2017. Then, in the first half of 2019, the schedule takes the tour to Latin America and again to the USA to return to those territories not covered in 2018, by which time the live DVD and CD will be ready for release.

Special guests on the U.K. shows (except Hammerfest) will be Manchester-based hard rockers FAITH IN GLORY, while in Europe from April 1 to the completion of the European leg on May 26, the special guest will be Luke Appleton (ICED EARTH, ABSOLVA) with his solo acoustic show.

Pictured below (from left to right): Martin McNee (drums), Chris Appleton (lead guitar and backing vocals), Blaze Bayley (lead vocals), Karl Schramm (bass and backing vocals)

PROPHETS OF RAGE's music video for the song "Hands Up" can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's self-titled debut album, which was released on September 15. The disc was recorded with legendary producer Brendan O'Brien who has done notable work with RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and AUDIOSLAVE.

PROPHETS OF RAGE is the supergroup featuring Chuck D, Tom Morello and other members of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE alongside CYPRESS HILL's B-Real.

"Prophets Of Rage" scored top chart entries in multiple countries across the globe in its first week. The album sold more than 21,000 copies in the U.S., entering Billboard's Top 200 Album chart at No. 16. The set's strong international chart showings include a No. 6 debut in the U.K., No. 8 in France, No. 14 in Germany, No. 4 in New Zealand and NO. 11 in Australia.

Formed amid 2016's tumultuous election, PROPHETS OF RAGE have toured extensively in the U.S. and Europe and coalesced into an explosive unit capable of playing with equal parts precision, passion and muscle. The new album, with bold cover art created for the band by renowned street artist, Shepard Fairey, fuses the diverse styles, sonic firepower and hard-hitting social consciousness of their previous work into an inventive, compelling and timely new musical statement. Michael Moore, who directed the blistering, politically charged video for the track "Unfuck The World" declared: "PROPHETS OF RAGE is the right band, saying the right shit, at this very critical moment."

"When we put this band together a year ago, I don't think any of us knew what to expect or how it would be received by the people," stated B-Real. "From that time to now, it's been amazing to see the growth of this new amazing band and to see the effect it has had on the fans we've played for. I feel blessed to be a part of it. Our chemistry is undeniable when we are on stage, and to finally bring forth a new album with that same powerful chemistry is exciting and we can't wait to see what the future brings."

At its core, PROPHETS OF RAGE functions not only on a love of music, but a deep belief in its power as a tool and a weapon. Woven into the band's DNA are influences as varied as THE CLASH, KRS-One and Johnny Cash, as well as the undeniable ideals and aesthetics of its predecessors: PUBLIC ENEMY's frenzied, racing textures, RAGE's jaw-melting riffs, and CYPRESS HILL's manically playful party energy.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, PEARL JAM is contributing a new song called "Obey The Law Of The Heart" to the soundtrack of an upcoming film called "Basmati Blues". Written by guitarist Stone Gossard, and performed by PEARL JAM with Sain Zahoor and Priya Darshini, it's the band's first new song since the release of its 2013 LP "Lightning Bolt". "Basmati Blues" is an independent musical romantic comedy film starring Academy Award winner Brie Larson, Scott Bakula and Donald Sutherland.

The band has posted a preview of the track online. The film just opened in Sweden but currently does not have a North American release date.

Although there have been rumors that the band is working on a new album, PEARL JAM has not indicated when or if it will return to the studio.

Guitarist Stone Gossard told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that the band never sets out with a predetermined goal for a new LP. "It's very difficult to set out to do something and achieve it, as opposed to just each song, try to make it as good as you can," he said. "We set out more like, we're gonna make a record and we know we're gonna… everyone's gonna write some songs, and we're gonna try to do the best for each of those songs and then we're gonna see what we've got at the end and figure out how to put 'em together, you know. It's much less planned than you would imagine."

The group took most of 2017 off, getting together only to perform at their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame last April. A documentary chronicling the group's two-night August 2016 stand at Chicago's Wrigley Field, titled "Let's Play Two", came out in late September.

Capital Chaos TV has uploaded video footage of CORE 10, the band featuring original KORN drummer David Silveria, performing on November 10 at The Boardwalk in Orangevale, California. Check it out below.

CORE 10 recently released a video for the song "Unforgotten". The track was produced by Grammy-nominated producer Ulrich Wild, who has previously worked with WHITE ZOMBIE, PANTERA, DEFTONES and STATIC-X.

Silveria is joined in CORE 10 by Sean Lenhoff and Duncan Nisbet on vocals, Chris Dorame on bass, Joe Taback on guitar and Ronnie King on keyboards.

Lenhoff told BackStage360 that CORE 10 opted to have two singers instead of one in order "to create [its] own sound, something original."

Describing CORE 10's sound as a fusion of metal, rock and punk, Lenhoff said: "We never wanted to pigeonhole ourselves into one genre. It's so hard to make a living as a band and a musician now, you just take your influences and you just run with it. Why not create something for everybody but having continuity still in what you're doing?"

Asked how he first got involved with CORE 10, Silveria said: "I've known Sean for about… probably fifteen, twenty years from downtown Huntington Beach days. And he kept sending me MP3s of songs, and the more I listened to it, it was kind of, like, you either love it or hate it. I was kind of conflicted when I first heard it. And I would show it to my wife and said, 'What do you think about this?' 'Cause I didn't really understand it at first. And the more I listened to it, the more I liked it. Now they come over and play, and I come out and my wife is all giddy and excited going, 'I love that song. It's one of the best songs you guys have ever done.' And now I'm just in love with the music. So I'm all in now."

Earlier in the year, CORE 10 released a video for the song "Act Of Valor". The clip, which had almost forty thousand views in the first few days after being posted on YouTube, was met with overwhelmingly negative response from KORN fans, many of whom questioned everything from CORE 10's musical direction to the quality of the recording itself.

CORE 10's current lineup made its live debut on April 1 at Tiki Bar in Costa Mesa, California.

Chad Hanks, bassist of the Minneapolis, Minnesota hard rock/industrial metal outfit AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE, passed away earlier today at the age of 46. He had reportedly been battling a terminal illness in the months prior to his death, with various social media posts suggesting he was suffering from kidney and liver failure.

A benefit concert to cover Hanks's final expenses will be held on November 26 at the First Avenue in Minneapolis. The show will serve as a public memorial for all who knew Chad and enjoyed his music.

AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE vocalist Cameron Heacock and keyboardist Justin Fowler both paid tribute to Hanks by posting touching photos of the fallen musician on their respective Facebook pages. Meanwhile, former AHC guitarist Ted Hallows wrote in a separate post: "Rest in peace, my friend. You will be missed and your music will live on forever. Thank you for making me a better guitarist and thank you for all the great memories we shared together. Love you, man."

Hanks is not the first member of AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE to die at an early age. 2005 saw the tragic passing of guitarist Bryan Ottoson, who died of an accidental prescription drug overdose while on tour in support of "The Feeding" album.

AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE released its fourth album, "Tango Umbrella", in March 2016 via Napalm Records. The effort marked the band's first full-length release in over 10 years.

In a 2016 interview with Soundlink Magazine, Hanks stated about "Tango Umbrella": "I pretty much kind of wrote this whole thing off in 2008-2009 when I thought we were done. I thought they very last thing that would happen would be I'd hear back from Cameron or [AHC guitarist Karma Singh Cheema] and start to hear vocals on demos and stuff like that. But lo and behold, almost two years of silence from him living in California and me living in Minneapolis, and us being the two guys who started the band, I just thought it was done. We did an Indiegogo campaign, we surpassed our goal of the money to make the record, so just the fact that there were fans willing, after six years, to dump money into this kind of, like, blind: 'Well, we liked em then, hopefully they’ll figure it out.' And us having a propensity for past drug use and things like that, I'm surprised anyone even gave us a dime. They're, like, 'They're just gonna spend it on booze, and dope — nothing will happen,' or something like that. The main thing is I'm just grateful the record actually got made, 'cause people give a shit."

AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE split in August 2009 but reformed two years later.



Posted by Cameron Heacock on Sunday, November 12, 2017


Posted by Justino De La Noche on Sunday, November 12, 2017



Chad Hanks, a dear man, wonderful person and former teacher passed away this morning after a health battle he's been...

Posted by School of Rock Eden Prairie on Sunday, November 12, 2017

U.K. industrial metal pioneers GODFLESH will release their new album, "Post Self", on November 17 via Justin K. Broadrick's Avalanche Recordings on CD, digital and LP formats, with a cassette version incoming on Hospital Productions.

Over two years in the making, "Post Self" explores the less "metal" side of GODFLESH, taking in the formative influences and spitting out something more informed by late '70s early '80s post-punk and industrial than it is anything metal-related. Lyrically, the album deals with anxiety and depression, fear, mortality and paternal and maternal relationships.

"Post Self" track listing:

01. Post Self02. Parasite 03. No Body 04. Mirror Of Finite Light 05. Be God 06. The Cyclic End 07. Pre Self 08. Mortality Sorrow 09. In Your Shadow 10. The Infinite End

You can listen to the song "Be God" using the Bandcamp widget below.

GODFLESH's last album, "A World Lit Only By Fire", was released in October 2014 via Avalanche Recordings.

Broadrick recently told Metal Invader that "Post Self" "is much better" than its predecessor. He explained: "'A World Lit Only By Fire' was a heavy riff piece, a GODFLESH minimal metal record. This new album is a mood piece, offering an all-encompassing vision of GODFLESH."

Photo credit: Kevin Laska


POST SELF by GODFLESH
Post Self - single by GODFLESH

Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM will enter the studio at the end of March to begin recording their new album for a late 2018 release. The follow-up to 2015's "I Worship Chaos" will once again be recorded at the band's own Danger Johnny Studios in Helsinki where the group's last two efforts were laid down.

"We're in the middle of writing, so it's very exciting times for us because we have almost half of the record already written," CHILDREN OF BODOM bassist Henkka Seppälä (a.k.a. Henkka T. Blacksmith) told Metal Wani (see video below). "After this [U.S. tour], we go back to finish the writing and then hit the studio in the spring."

As for the inspiration for CHILDREN OF BODOM's new material, Henkka said: "Alexi [Laiho, guitar/vocals] is still writing most of the stuff, so I don't know what he's inspired by. For some reason, he always gets these good [ideas for] melodies from somewhere."

Laiho previously described Danger Johnny as "kind of like the COB headquarters where everything is. We have a rehearsal space, studio and warehouse where we can keep our backline, our cars, there's a lounge area, so it's pretty awesome. Everything for 'I Worship Chaos' was recorded there, including the drums. It's awesome, because it beats having to book studio time and spend a ton of money on recordings. It's a different vibe compared to recording at home, and that's why I actually moved in there a couple of weeks before we started recording. We were missing two songs and I figured I'd get more done if I'm there all the time. I usually get so much done when I'm in there."

CHILDREN OF BODOM's current U.S. tour sees the band celebrating the 20th anniversary of the release of its debut album, "Something Wild". The 24-date trek kicked off on October 31 in Dallas, Texas and included an appearance at this year's Ozzfest Meets Knotfest. The tour will conclude in Montreal on December 1. Joining the band are Dutch masters of horror CARACH ANGREN, Finnish thrashers LOST SOCIETY and New Jersey progressive, technical death metallers UNCURED.

Fan-filmed video footage of KISS's November 5 "acoustic unmasked performance aboard this year's Kiss Kruise can be seen below.

KISS hasn't released a full-length disc of new music since 2012's "Monster", which sold 56,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 3 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's previous LP, "Sonic Boom", opened with 108,000 units back in October 2009 to enter the chart at No. 2. This marked the KISS's highest-charting LP ever.

Asked by the Loudwire Podcast for his thoughts on the prospect of recording a new KISS CD, Stanley said: "If we're going to do an album, it would be because we want to do an album, not because of sales. I think we're living in a time, obviously, now where albums don't sell what they once did, so you either do it because it's a creative outlet and because it satisfies something in you, or not. If you're doing it purely for sales, then you're probably doing it for the wrong reason. So if we do an album, it's only gonna be because it feels right to do it. And as time has passed, I find it becoming more and more enticing, the idea of doing another album. For me, the only thing we have to make sure is that we don't do 'Son Of Monster' or 'Son Of Sonic Boom'. Unless we are in a different direction — not to go to the route of 'The Elder' [KISS's much-maligned 1981 concept album] — but, again, if we're doing it for ourselves, then if people like it, that's great. But the only way to do an album, for me at this point, is to do something that I find intriguing. So I'm kind of more into it than I was before, only because once you set the parameters and your expectations… So, for me, it really just comes down to: is it gonna be exciting creatively?"

According to Stanley, he doesn't feel any pressure to come up with an album that will rival KISS's classic early offerings, even if the band's next output turns out to be its last. "You know, the greatest champs got knocked out towards the end," he explained. "They're not remembered for that — they're remembered for their history and for what they've done. I remember going to see Muhammad Ali get outpointed by Leon Spinks. Manny Pacquiao just lost a boxing match. So I feel no pressure. The story's been written. It's as good as gold. If there's a hundred and fifty pages that tell the story of victory and a few that tell of stumbles, that's fine with me." Paul's bandmate Gene Simmons recently confirmed that "some writing" has been going on for a possible new KISS studio album but once again said that he was "not incentivized" to release another KISS disc unless there are some major changes in the way music is consumed. He said: "Not too long ago I wrote a song called 'Your Wish Is My Command'. It sounds anthemic, like something that might have come off 'Love Gun', maybe. But I'm not incentivized. The idea that you work your ass off and then someone with freckles on their face decides they want to download your music and file share — that's not what I work for. How'd you like to be a plumber, come over somebody's house and work all day to fix their plumbing and then when it's time to get paid, they say, 'No, I just wanted to say thank you.' No."

Fan-filmed video footage of Sebastian Bach's November 4 performance at the second annual RockFest 80's at C.B. Smith Park in Pembroke Pines, Florida can be seen below.

Bach hasn't released a full-length disc since 2014's "Give 'Em Hell", which was criticized by some for sounding "too modern" and a departure from his '80s hard rock past.

Asked in a recent interview with Australia's Hysteria magazine whether he is working on new music at the moment, Bach said: "I've released a lot of solo albums. I've released 'Bring 'Em Bach Alive!' on Atlantic Records, 'The Last Hard Men', 'Angel Down', 'Kicking & Screaming', 'ABachalypse Now', 'Give 'Em Hell'. And, basically, those are all heavy metal… you know, in the ballpark of hard rock/heavy metal, and, for me, I have done enough of those kinds of records now. So I need to make what I'm calling my 'California record,' which is probably gonna be more concerned about the vocals than the guitar, the drums and the bass. The last records I loved that I've done, but they're kind of similar. So now it's time for me to do a different-sounding kind of record. So that's what I'm doing. I'm into acoustic guitar right now a lot. And that's not to say if somebody plays me some wicked crazy riff that I won't do it, but I'm trying to make a record that's gonna put me into the next phase of music. That's what I'm working on now."

Bach went on to defend his decision to make a sofer-sounding album this time around. He said: "The thing is that my records, mostly, have had a lot of aggression in them, and I'm not feeling aggressive right now. So I'm not gonna pretend to channel some anger that's not real. But, you know, there's things that I am angry at, like the climate being destroyed — I'm angry at that. And the first song that I just recorded has lyrics kind of to do with that. But people like my ballad voice; that's, really, at the end of the day, what people like to hear me sing like. And I like that too, and that's the way I'm feeling right now, so that's the [way the] music [is] coming out — it's got a lot of harmonies, and the vocals sound great, and that's what I'm gonna give you in your ears… It's gonna be focused on the vocals, harmonies, but it's gonna sound like me, 'cause that's all I can sound like."

Asked to elaborate on his comment that he is writing a "California record," Bach said: "Well, you know, California has a great history of music that sounds like Southern California. You know, THE DOORS' 'L.A. Woman'. The sound of, like, STEELY DAN, VAN HALEN, MÖTLEY CRÜE… Los Angeles has a great sound of its own, and I wanna make my record. You know, THE EAGLES … Okay, there you go. My next record will be a mix between THE EAGLES and MÖTLEY CRÜE. [Laughs] Both [THE EAGLES and MÖTLEY CRÜE] sound California, and I want… I live here now, so I wanna make a record that sounds like it's made here. I'm not into Pro Tools and the computer making it all perfect. On this record, it's real players, recording real human beings. No drum machines — I'm not into that. I want real guys playing real instruments. That's for sure."

Bach added that he is "not far at all" into the production process for his next album. "I'm just starting to record demos, and I've got songs," he said.

Sebastian's autobiography, "18 And Life On Skid Row", came out last December via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books), an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Fan-filmed video footage of STONE SOUR's entire November 10 performance at Stadium in Moscow, Russia can be seen below.

STONE SOUR is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Hydrograd", which was released on June 30 via Roadrunner Records. The disc was recorded at Sphere Studios in North Hollywood, California with producer Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX and STEEL PANTHER. The band tracked the album live in the studio, cutting a total of eighteen songs from which fifteen made the CD.

STONE SOUR singer Corey Taylor told iHeartRadio about "Hydrograd": "It is kind of a departure, but not really. To me, it's more of an evolution. It's taking everything that we've done on the last few albums, and really honing it down and turning that diversity into more cohesion and really finding the strength in the song to be able to express ourselves through all of these different genres that we've always dipped our toes in, whether it's hard rock, or heavy, or metal, or just rock and roll, or straight up punk, or even in one of the cases a bit of California country."

He added: "I don't think it's so much a departure, as it is just becoming more of what STONE SOUR really means."

Taylor went on to call "Hydrograd" "the best stuff that [STONE SOUR] has ever written." He explained: "I think the songwriting is stronger, I think the energy in the recording is better, and I think that comes down to the way we recorded it, which was live in the room. No click, no grid, no beat detective, no Auto-Tune, no fake guitar sounds, everything was real. That really allowed the songs to become very alive and very exciting. I also think that it's some of our strongest performances. Obviously, it's our first album with Christian [Martucci, guitar] and with Johny [Chow, bass], and those guys shine like crazy. And with Roy [Mayorga, drums], this is really his coming-out party. People are really going to start looking at him very differently. [He's] just one of the best drummers on the planet. Josh [Rand, guitar] [can be heard] really experimenting, doing all these crazy things. It's some of the best music that we've ever created as a band, and I hope that people listen to my singing and my writing and just can see where I'm at from a personal standpoint and from a professional standpoint. I feel like it's my best work that I've done in a long time and I don't really care if people don't hear it, say it's heavy or whatnot. It's just really good straight-up rock and roll, and it's amazing."

Regarding the "Hydrograd" title, Taylor told told Detroit radio station WRIF that he was running through an "antiquated" airport in Eastern Europe a few years ago where the gate info was "on those old-school '80s block-letter, number, digital horrible Timex watch kind of readers" and scrolling between different languages. As he ran past, Taylor thought he saw the word "Hydrograd."

Taylor said: "So my brain is trying to do geometry while also at a sprint because I don't wanna miss my plane. I pass one and I look up and I could have swore it said 'Hydrograd.' And I kept running for a second and I was, like, 'Hydrograd? Where the hell is Hydrograd? What?'"

Taylor eventually realized that the word wasn't "Hydrograd," recalling, "It didn't even start with an 'H.' It wasn't even close." But he still remembered the word, saying, "It's a cool name. It was what I saw but didn't really see."

ZZ TOP's Billy Gibbons joined GUNS N' ROSES on stage Friday night (November 10) in Houston, Texas to play a guitar solo on the "Lies" ballad "Patience".

ZZ TOP had previously opened for GUNS N' ROSES' for a couple of shows in Texas in early September.

The Houston concert was part of GUNS N' ROSES' "Not In This Lifetime" tour, which 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.

METALLICA's entire performance at Band Together Bay Area can be seen below.

The benefit concert, which took place yesterday (Thursday, November 9) at AT&T Park in San Francisco, supported recovery efforts for the recent firestorm that swept through Northern California. Also scheduled to appear were G-Eazy and DAVE MATTHEWS BAND.

METALLICA's setlist was as follows:

01. Hardwired02. For Whom The Bell Tolls03. Fade To Black04. The Memory Remains05. The Unforgiven06. Wherever I May Roam07. Sad But True08. One09. Master Of Puppets10. Nothing Else Matters11. Enter Sandman

METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett, who nearly lost his house in Sonoma's Mission Highlands, told the San Francisco Chronicle: "On the Cal Fire map, the fire ends right on top of my house. The reality is that it ended at my front gate. It's brutal. The mental and psychological toll is what I always think about."

The METALLICA members said in a statement that they were "proud" to take part in the event "to assist the families impacted by the fires and show our immense appreciation to the thousands of first responders who have been working tirelessly since the fires began."

They explained: "[In October] Northern California, the community that we have called home for over thirty-four years, endured devastating wildfires. We're extremely saddened by the suffering that so many are feeling in the Bay Area, but are also inspired by the enormous outpouring of love and support from all around the country."

One hundred percent of the ticket price will be donated to Tipping Point Community benefitting low-income, vulnerable communities impacted by the crisis, including vineyard workers, immigrants, displaced young people, and students.

UK-based heavy doom outfit, Conand, are set to release their hotly anticipated demo record. Man Is Myth - Early Demos, on November 17th via Napalm Records, but taking a rest as soon as this new release sees the light of day, would not be in the style of Conan. This trio never stands still: After they just returned from a heavy touring schedule all over Europe and the United States, the band are already back in the studio and currently recording the follow-up to their latest 2016 studio record, Revengeance.

The band has now checked back from their Skyhammer studios, watch their message below. The new album is set for a release in spring 2018 via Napalm Records.

Man Is Myth - Early Demos will be coming as a CD Digi Pack, Digital Download and LP Gatefold editions, and is now available for preorder here.

Tracklisting:

“Battle In The Swamp” (Rehearsal Room Demo 2009)
“Satsumo” (Rehearsal Room Demo 2009)
“Krull” (Rehearsal Room Demo 2009)
“Satsumo” (Rehearsal Room Demo 2006)
“Gravity Chasm” (Studio Demo 2012)
“Foehammer” (Studio Demo 2012)
“Domed Iron Boss” (Studio Demo 2012)

“Gravity Chasm” (Studio Demo 2012):

Greek melodic death metal band, Aetherian, have released a video for Dark Earth, a track from their upcoming debut album, The Untamed Wilderness, to be released on November 24th via Lifeforce Records. Watch the clip below.

Listening to Aetherian for the first time makes you think the band would come from Finland or Sweden, but the trio in fact is from sunny shores of Greece. Even with a Southern heritage and much more Vitamin D in their veins the band from Athens share the same melancholic genes as their “competitors” from the upper North. With the sound the band is creating we are very sure Aetherian will be playing in the first league of melodic death metal bands very soon.

Tracklisting:

“Wish Of Autumn Twilight”
“Dark Earth”
“As The Veil Fades”
“Black Sails”
“Seeds Of Deception”
“Shade Of The Sun”
“Clouds Gathering”
“The Rain”
“The Path”

“Dark Earth” video:

“Seeds Of Deception” lyric video:

“The Rain” video:

New York progressive death metal/post metal act Cryptodira have debuted a brand new track “The Fascist’s Phantasy”.

"Since there's no shortage of ways to critique fascism (nor should there ever be), The Fascist's Phantasy takes up this attitude from a specific social psychological view," says the band.

"The fascist is not only destructive outwardly in their political projects and their bizarre capacity to fetishize 'great leaders,’ but even self-destructive according to their own psychic economy. These self-destructive tendencies cannot properly be recognized by the fascist's narcissistic ego and to deal with this inner turmoil, the fascist copes by projecting this unbearable part of themselves onto the 'out-group' or others, which tend to be chosen along pre-existing lines of nationalism and eurocentrism. Fascist propaganda is shameless in exploiting these inside-out egos, promising them salvation or a 'final solution' while in reality only continuing a war which is fought both internally and externally. This is a war with no victor; fascism is a senseless and absolute loss.”

The new track and the two previous tracks "Medusa Misgendered" and "In Hell As On Earth" are all available on streaming platforms. The three tracks are also iTunes instant gratification tracks. Meaning, if you pre-order the new LP via iTunes, you get all three tracks as instant downloads. Cryptodira will release The Devil's Despair via Good Fight Music on November 17th. 

Drummer Matthew Taibi explains the band's thought process behind the LP title, "Much of The Devil’s Despair deals with the themes of dehumanizing social forces; forces which come from human activity and yet become confused for rigid, natural laws. In “Medusa Misgendered,” the trend being criticized specifically is the objectification of femininity under the gaze of masculinity, reversing the myth of Medusa as the title suggests. Even for the side that benefits from reification, there is still an unnecessary loss of substance and they themselves become a reflection of the very world they've frozen. This hits on the larger theme captured by the artwork, where the Devil himself becomes a victim of the demonic force of dehumanization which originally emanated from him."

Tracklisting:

“Neutralization”
“Constituted - I. Constitutum”
“Constituted - II. Constituens”
“Medusa Misgendered”
“The Gods Of Epicurus”
“Longing Belonging”
“In Hell As On Earth”
“The Fascist's Phantasy”
“Negation Consumes Affirmation”
“Negation Consumes Itself”

"The Fascist's Phantasy":

"In Hell As On Earth" video:

“Medusa Misgendered”:

Pre-order the album via the following links:

- Digital
- Physical

The band is hitting the road this December with The Number Twelve Looks Like You on the Nuclear Sad Nuclear 12th Anniversary Tour. Tickets are now on sale.  

December
12 - Voltage Lounge - Philadelphia, PA    
13 - Middle East     - Cambridge, MA    
14 - Ottobar - Baltimore, MD    
15 - Local 506 - Chapel Hill, NC    
16 - Backbooth - Orlando, FL    
17 - CrowBar - Tampa, FL    
18 - Gasa Casa - New Orleans, LA    
19 - The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA    
20 - Open Chord - Knoxville, TN    
21 - Mr. Smalls - Millvale, PA    
22 - Mohawks - Buffalo, NY    
23 - Brooklyn Bazar - Brooklyn, NY   

Excalibur IV is the fourth studio in the Celtic Rock Opera series, following on from the gold and platinum selling original trilogy. Excalibur IV was played live in its entirety to 12 arenas in Germany in December 2016 and will be touring again in 2018.

Released on Babaika Productions, via Cherry Red Records, the album features appearances by:

Alan Stivell
Michael Sadler (Saga)
Jesse Sibenberg & John Helliwell (Supertramp)
Martin Barre (Jethro Tull)
Moya Brennan (Clannad)
Roberto Tiranti (Labyrinth)
Bernie Shaw (Uriah Heep)
Siobham Owen
Sonja Kristina (Curved Air)
John Kelly (The Kelly Family)
Maite Itoiz (Elfhental)

After a thousand years of imprisonment, Merlin - the wizard - finally escapes from Morgana’s spell. Initially intrigued by the beauty of the new world that he returned to, he soon discovers the decay of knightly and sublime virtues, which once had been so bravely defended by King Arthur’s roundtable. An enraged Merlin casts his biggest spell over this world and brings the mighty dragon to life. A epic return of the legendary Celtic rock opera on to German stages, a new chapter in the saga around the sword Excalibur – this is Excalibur - The Dark Age Of The Dragon.

A trailer for the album can be seen below.

Tracklisting:

“The Wings Of The Dragon”
“Alone”
“Stonehenge”
“I’m Not The Only One”
“Calling For You”
“Don’t Be Afraid”
“Silver Moon”
“Dreamers”
“The Last Lament Of A Fairy”
“The New Times”
“Forget Your Sorrow”
“The Fifth Season”
“The Passion”
“I Will Be For Ever”
“Behind The Mist”
“You Don’t Know”
“You Are The Sunshine”
“There Is Someone”
“Dun Aengus II”

Trailer:

Purchase via the following links:

- Physical
- Digital

(Photo - Christian Roch)