AFI has released a new song called "Get Dark". It is the first track from a special EP titled "The Missing Man (Ex Noctem Nacimur)", which was produced and mixed by AFI guitarist Jade Puget and is slated for a December 7 release.

"Get Dark" is available as an instant download to those who pre-order "The Missing Man".

"Thanks to the unexpected continuation of 'The Blood Tour', we found ourselves inspired to begin writing," says AFI lead vocalist Davey Havok. "It was during this process that 'The Missing Man' was found."

About "Get Dark", Havok says: "From the initial performance and recording, it had a driving sense of forward movement and penetrating connection. The song's themes of deification and deference, self-loathing and vanity, captivation and release, damage and healing, are posed in a subtle invitation to those inherently compelled to accept."

bout the production, Puget says: "I was aiming for something a little raw for 'Get Dark'. In fact, I used most of the vocal takes from the very first time Davey sang it, as well as some of my guitar parts from when we were writing it. The song is built on the sparseness and simplicity of the verse drum groove and guitar riff that opens up into this big anthemic chorus. For the EP, the same idea of a certain rawness was really important to the overall vibe. I feel like it's easy to turn out a slick, polished set of songs, but to walk that fine line between studio creation and live sound can be difficult. It's been an intense labor of love and we can’t wait for everyone to hear it."

"The Missing Man" follows last year's "AFI (The Blood Album)", which hit No. 1 on Billboard's Alternative and Hard Rock Albums charts and No. 5 on the Billboard 200. It was the band's second consecutive Top 10 Billboard debut following 2013's "Burials".

Since the release of 1995's debut album, "Answer That and Stay Fashionable", AFI (Havok, Puget, drummer Adam Carson and bassist Hunter Burgan) has written and recorded five To 10 hit singles ("Miss Murder", "Medicate", "Love Like Winter", "Silver And Gold", "Girl's Not Grey"), hit No. 1 on the Billboard 200, garnered worldwide critical acclaim and amassed a fiercely loyal global following whose members number in the millions.

The official video for the song "Full Moon Shoals" from Swedish metallers SOILWORK, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's 11th studio album, "Verkligheten", which is the first to feature drummer Bastian Thusgaard, who replaced Dirk Verbeuren in 2016.


"Verkligheten" will be released on January 11, 2019 via Nuclear Blast. The first-edition digipack, as well as the vinyl versions, will also contain the exclusive "Underworld" EP, containing four more songs. The digipack version will also feature special artwork with lavish foil print.

The album as well as accompanying merchandise is now available for pre-order in various formats (digipack + t-shirt, digipack, black/orange/purple vinyl as well as digital download/stream).

"Verkligheten" track listing:

1. Verkligheten

02. Arrival

03. Bleeder Despoiler

04. Full Moon Shoals

05. The Nurturing Glance

06. When The Universe Spoke

07. Stålfågel (feat. Alissa White-Gluz)

08. The Wolves Are Back In Town

09. Witan

10. The Ageless Whisper

11. Needles And Kin (feat. Tomi Joutsen)

12. You Aquiver (feat. Dave Sheldon)


"Underworld" bonus EP track listing:

13. Summerburned And Winterblown

14. In This Master's Tale

15. The Undying Eye

16. Needles And Kin (original version)

SOILWORK singer Björn "Speed" Strid told United Rock Nations about the disc. "I'm really, really pleased with it — it's really, really cool. [It's] possibly the most epic and darkest album we've done. And it's also very melancholic, but it's also very sort of uplifting. It's huge. I'm really happy with it."

Asked if the musical direction of the new SOILWORK material is similar to that on the last album, Strid said: "I would say a mixture between 'The Ride Majestic' and [2013's] 'The Living Infinite'."

SOILWORK will embark on an extensive European co-headlining run with labelmates AMORPHIS in January. Support on the trek will come from NAILED TO OBSCURITY and JINJER.

SOILWORK is now a quintet, following the departure of bassist Markus Wibom in late 2016 due to "other commitments." He has since been replaced by touring bassist Taylor Nordberg (THE ABSENCE).

In 2016, SOILWORK released a special collection of rarities titled "Death Resonance" via Nuclear Blast.

SOILWORK is:

Björn "Speed" Strid - Vocals

Sven Karlsson - Keyboards

David Andersson - Guitars

Sylvain Coudret - Guitars

Bastian Thusgaard - Drums

Photo credit: Stephansdotter Photography

With her cover of Tom Petty's "Luna" set as the newest song to be released from her critically acclaimed Immortal album (BMG), Ann Wilson of Heart will serve as guest DJ on SiriusXM's Tom Petty Radio channel where she'll play the track alongside some of her favorite Petty songs like "Room At The Top" and "A Woman in Love," among others. See the dates and times below.

Immortal features 10 musically diverse tracks that pay tribute to some of Ann's influences and friends who've recently passed and whose music poignantly lives on. Other highlights from the album include the Eagles' "Life In The Fast Lane" (in honor of Glenn Frey) and Cream's "Politician" (in honor of Jack Bruce), both of which have placed in the Top Ten of the Mediabase Classic Rock Tracks chart.

"'Luna' is perhaps my favorite Petty song; it's simple, romantic and aching," Ann says. "The words say, 'Luna come to me tonight...I am a prisoner.' Speaking directly to the moon, as romantics will, there is a desire to be free in the moon's metaphysical power. Free from what or whom? Though it's only reflected light, the soul of the moon has inspired countless lovers, dreamers and existentialists for time immemorial. This song is a classic and I have reimagined it in a sultry, unhurried, southern mood with Warren Haynes on guitar as the voice of the moon."

Ann's guest DJ session will premiere Monday, November 5th at 8 AM (ET) and 5 AM (PT) on SiriusXM's Tom Petty Radio via satellite on channel 31 and through the SiriusXM app on smartphones and other connected devices, as well as online. The guest DJ session will rebroadcast throughout the week on SiriusXM's Tom Petty Radio. SiriusXM's Tom Petty Radio features music from Tom Petty's legendary career, including music from Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers as well as Petty's solo career, and the best in rock, rhythm and blues.

Here's the breakout of days/times.

Monday, November 5th:
8 AM, ET / 5 AM, PT
4 PM, ET / 1 PM, PT

Tuesday, November 6th:
10 AM, ET / 7 AM, PT
8 PM, ET / 5 PM, PT

Wednesday, November 7th:
10 PM, ET / 7 PM, PT

Thursday, November 8th:
12 noon, ET / 9 AM, PT

Friday, November 9th:
3 PM, ET / 12 noon, PT
1 AM, ET / 10 PM, PT

Saturday, November 10th:
1 PM, ET / 10 AM, PT

Sunday, November 11th:
6 PM, ET / 3 PM, PT

Ann Wilson recently sat down to discuss Immortal.

"You Don't Own Me" (Lesley Gore) - "'You Don't Own Me' was originally an early feminist anthem in the 1960's and '70's. Since then the idea of self possession has grown to be more universal...This song is about refusing to be objectified and owned. By anyone."

"I Am the Highway" (Chris Cornell, Audioslave) - "The song is strong, confident, spiritual. It's about a person who refuses to be tied down to the mundane, who is constantly looking for freedom and independence on a more universal scale, not just ordinary everyday reality. It was the cry of a soul, and it's a beautiful song. Chris and I were friends; we had a lot in common, we were both outsiders in a way. He left us with amazing music."

"Luna" (Tom Petty) - "'Luna' is perhaps my favorite Petty song; it's simple, romantic and aching. The words say, 'Luna come to me tonight...I am a prisoner.' Speaking directly to the moon, as romantics will, there is a desire to be free in the moon's metaphysical power. Free from what or whom? Though it's only reflected light, the soul of the moon has inspired countless lovers, dreamers and existentialists for time immemorial. This song is a classic and I have reimagined it in a sultry, unhurried, southern mood with Warren Haynes on guitar as the voice of the moon."

"I'm Afraid of Americans" (David Bowie) - "A sardonic look at Americans through the eyes of a non-American, David Bowie. I love this little prank of a song, and decided to surround the words with the sounds of the rest of the world that is watching; India, Italy, France, Britain, Asia etc etc etc. The rest of the world, as a tribe, ends up engulfing the self important, superficial, vain, materialistic, lo tech 'Johnny' who, in this song is the stereotypical American. It is not a hate message, but certainly a reality check from an outside perspective. I had fun with this one and hope my fellow Americans will too."

"Politician" (Cream) in honor of Jack Bruce - "What are Politicians? They are salesmen...pure and simple. In this old blues grinder by Jack Bruce, I decided to keep it pure and old school. The riff that struts, slinks and slithers throughout this song is as greasy and manipulative as a seduction campaign. Two different guitarists solo on this one; Doyle Bramhall II with his suggestive, slow hand blues moan and Tyler Boley, a progressive brainiac flirting with overheated insanity. The result is a sexy, dangerous game of cat and mouse. I call that politics."

"A Thousand Kisses Deep" (Leonard Cohen) - "Leonard Cohen was a poet, songwriter and thinker for the ages. His deeply wrought, soulfully human words hit home in 'A Thousand Kisses Deep.' This is a dip into the existential pool and the climb out again, bathed in the beauty of love when simple youth and sex have deserted the heart. It is a song by a grown-up romantic that will not die. I chose to make it a journey, starting at your corner bar on open mic night...ending far out on the windswept ocean in the consensual, sensual shipwreck of Love's 'Sturm and Drang.' This one I am very proud of. It features my friend Ben Mink on violins that begin in the bar on the Friday night and end up as elemental orchestra deep in eternity. This one is a real good one for headphones, too."

"Life in the Fast Lane "(in honor of Glenn Frey, the Eagles) - "For 'Immortal' I didn't want to choose just the hits by each artist, but rather those songs that spoke to me the deepest. However, with Glenn Frey and the Eagles, it's almost impossible to not pick a hit. ''Life In The Fast Lane' is the perfect picture of love in the ego-driven, materialistic party culture of the 1970's. This groove is as hot and addictive as the sex, booze, drugs, beautiful, rich young celebs that party 'til dawn every night... 'til the heat is gone, her beautiful face is tired and lined, his energy is spent and the love connection has disintegrated in the chaos. There is a tribal groove here, relentless like a bonfire. This song is for dancers!"

"Back to Black" (Amy Winehouse) - "Without a doubt one of saddest songs I have ever sung; right up there with 'The Man That Got Away' (Judy Garland), 'Back to Black' is a real heart-wrencher. This song honestly exposes the pain in an abandoned lover's heart. It talks about humiliation, bravery, inextinguishable hope, desolation and feeling small. I took this out of the casual R&B groove of Amy Winehouse's version and planted it in a deep, dark, gothic garden with high walls. In this environment the words grow luscious and poisonous; saturated with despair...truly black. The marriage of sadness and toxic smoke deranges the lonely lover's heart in this garden of purple flowers."

"A Different Corner" (George Michael) - "The first time I heard this song I was slow dancing with a partner in a crowded club and we were a 'maybe.' The feeling was magical, breathless ; colored lights dissolving in the air like harmonics, incense making the scene even more mystical and a couple of cocktails radiating through my veins. The feeling was almost like falling in love. Anything was possible...and for that moment, the world was crystalline. I painted the canvas of 'A Different Corner' in the watercolors of that feeling. It whispers and delights with those little currents of euphoria and spectral light. The vocals ride on air and tiny bursts of energy charge the heart and mind. This version is pure optimism. You can close your eyes and lie back as if you are in a warm bath. Relaxed...out of the world, in love...maybe."

"Baker Street" (Gerry Rafferty) - "Who hasn't dragged their tired soul home after long days of pounding the pavement in pursuit of some dream; when everything has been tried, everyone talked to, everything possible done, your very best, most complete shots taken...yet still there are no takers? Such moments can be incredibly discouraging and depressing. They can also be cathartic. In this version of Gerry Rafferty's classic, 'Baker Street' I wanted to show the power of realization; that one door has closed but another has opened wide. I chose Townsend-like power chords and high rock energy to describe the moment of knowing it's time to go home. Home...ground zero. The natural place to recharge and figure out what comes next, where you are known and loved. Home, the seat of the soul, the true place of peace."

Ann performed on ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live! on September 19th, and you can watch her perform her cover of the 1963 Lesley Gore classic, "You Don't Own Me", featured on Immortal, below:

BILLYBIO, the solo project of BIOHAZARD and POWERFLO guitarist Billy Graziadei, will release its debut album, "Feed The Fire", on November 30 via AFM Records.

The official music video for the first single from "Feed The Fire", "Freedom's Never Free", can be seen below.

"Feed The Fire" can be pre-ordered at this location.

Music has always been the central, unifying force in Graziadei's life. Early musical training took place on the Graziadei family's old, forever out-of-tune upright piano and he began studying music under the guidance of his grandfather and uncle, both of whom he had always admired. So he expanded his musical vocabulary while growing up, finding inspiration in so many forms of music but it wasn't until he stumbled into the underground world of punk-rock music that his musical taste was really sparked into growth.

mmersing himself in the sounds, perspective, and culture of the punk underground, Billy's desire to create new, innovative music led him to the late-'80s hardcore scene in New York City, from Sunday-matinee hardcore shows at CBGBs to Friday-night metal shows at Brooklyn's L'Amour metal/rock club. It was here that he found his musical home and it was here that Billy helped form a band that would take the metal/hardcore scene by storm. It was the birth of BIOHAZARD. As one of the first bands they combined the urban sounds of hardcore, metal and rap with scorching lyrics describing the forces at work in our modern urban lives.


With an audio-engineering degree and years of experience recording BIOHAZARD, Graziadei opened Firewater Studios. This studio became an incubator for Billy's creativity, where he continues to cultivate his talent while producing upcoming bands. During the years of touring with BIOHAZARD, Graziadei collaborated with many different musicians. As a result of this, the friendship with CYPRESS HILL singer Sen Dog turned in 2016 into the supergroup POWERFLO along with bassist Christian Olde Wolbers (ex-FEAR FACTORY) and guitarist Roy Lozano (DOWNSET). While Graziadei continues to work on new POWERFLO songs as he tours around, he decided that the time finally has come for his solo venture.


Billy states: "I've always wanted to do a solo release and the timing of everything that I have been working on just seemed to fall in place.

"I always let the creative juices flow, I don't try and restrict them to fit a certain genre.

"With BILLYBIO, it's 100% me. No influence from anyone else. This is who I am and what I've become. I'm a product of everyone I've met, talked with, shared my stories with… and a bit of their stories as well.

"Anyone who's a fan of what I've done, especially with BIOHAZARD, will love this! There's something there for every fan of heavy underground music!

"I'm psyched to release my new music this fall as BILLYBIO. Launching the band in Europe on tour with my family in LIFE OF AGONY couldn't get any better!"


According to Billy, "Feed The Fire" is "heavy, fast, groovy and full of energy. I couldn't have it any other way," he says. "It's full of my roots but modern."

Producer Tue Madsen, who worked on "Feed The Fire", agrees. "When I was brought in to mix this record, it was with big expectations, and boy, were they met," he says. "These songs keep the energy level so high and have so much to say. Great deliverance, great songwriting and now me mixing the whole thing. I couldn't be happier."

Photo credit: Melissa Hummel

The first trailer for "One Last Ride", the fifth and final album from CHROME DIVISION — the Norwegian band featuring DIMMU BORGIR frontman Shagrath (a.k.a. Stian Thoresen) on guitar — is available below. In the clip, lead guitarist Mr. Damage speaks about the songwriting and recording of the single "Walk Away In Shame".

"One Last Ride" will be released on November 30 via Nuclear Blast.


Comments Shagrath: "I think 'Walk Away in Shame' has a different approach and it's one of the happier songs. We wanted to create some interesting breaks in the album that are slightly different, so we invited the pop singer Misssela. She has a great soul voice in the style of Beyoncé and we thought it was a good idea and it turned out to be something cool and different."

Four years after "Infernal Rock Eternal", CHROME DIVISION joins forces again with its first lead singer, Eddie Guz, and brews up a new masterpiece crackling with metallic energy and spinning wheels.

b>CHROME DIVISION fired Guz in August 2009 "due to lack of dedication and commitment to the band." His replacement, Shady Blue (a.k.a. Athera), originally filled in for Guz at the Winterfire Festival at Hessenhallen in Giessen, Germany in February 2009 after Eddie was unable to make the gig.

In 2012, CHROME DIVISION parted ways with bassist Björn "Burn" Luna and guitarist Ricky Black.

CHROME DIVISION 2018 is:

Eddie Guz - lead vocals

Shagrath - guitar, bass, backing vocals

Mr. Damage - lead guitar, bass, backing vocals

Tony White - drums, cowbell, percussion

According to the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office, MANOWAR guitarist Karl Logan has been charged with possessing child pornography.

Logan, 53, was arrested on August 9 in Charlotte, North Carolina and charged with six counts of third-degree exploitation of a minor.

Under N.C. General Statute §14-190.17A, "a person commits the offense of third-degree sexual exploitation of a minor if, knowing the character or content of the material, he possesses material that contains a visual representation of a minor engaging in sexual activity."

A spokesperson for the Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office told The Blast that a warrant was issued back in August for the guitarist's arrest and he was booked into the local jail. The Blast, which was launched last year by former TMZ news director Mike Walters, was the first to report news of the arrest.

b>Logan's bail was set at $35,000 and he has since bonded out.

Karl joined MANOWAR in 1994 as the replacement for David Shankle.

MANOWAR is in the middle of its "The Final Battle" farewell world tour.

Police booking photo courtesy of Mecklenburg County Sheriff's Office

Former SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison has confirmed that he is working on his first-ever book.

The 43-year-old musician, who is currently touring Europe with the international death metal superground SINSAENUM, revealed that he will tell his life story in book form during an interview with the Impact metal channel.

"I've had a couple of offers from book companies and stuff like that, and I've been so busy, of course, with new music projects and recording and touring that I haven't really gotten down to it," he said during the chat, which took place on October 10 in Budapest, Hungary. "I can't do it on the road, because everything else takes all my time as far as — you've got travel, you've got all these things that you have to do, and, of course, soundchecks and then you've got the show, and then you've got meet-and-greets, and then you've gotta meet the fans, of course, after the show. That takes all of your time.

"But as far as the book is concerned, I already started it, to be completely honest, and it will just take some time to make sure it's absolutely detailed," he continued. "Because I can't complete it without completing the SINSAENUM tour [laughs], 'cause it wouldn't make any sense."

b>Jordison also talked about the state of his health, several years after overcoming the neurological condition acute transverse myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord which damages nerve fibers, which ultimately led to the drummer temporarily losing the use of his legs.

"[My health is] great," he said. "I'm over here on tour; I couldn't ask for anything more. I've still got VIMIC going, a new record, and I'm doing SINSAENUM right now. I'm just glad to be onstage, man. I'm glad to meet fans every day. Every day is a good day above ground, and especially being able to play metal and being able to your craft and everything. You've gotta respect that, because it's something that can be taken away from you really quick. And a lot of people wish they could be in your position, so if you disrespect your position that you've been given, that's when the trouble happens. But as of right now, man, everything's great. Yeah, no complaints."

Asked if reaching the "bottom" while battling health issues served as an inspiration for him to return to playing drums, Joey said: "[it] asolutely was, because that was the test of who I am as a person. And being able to get back from that, and the people that supported me, and my trainers, and especially my lady, Amanda, I got back from it. And also, when we were doing this SINSAENUM record and forming SINSAENUM, that was a huge thing because that was the real test of playing the most extreme metal drumming I've ever done in my life, and still am doing. That's what fuels me, man. It's, like, you never let anything beat you — ever! 'Cause life will hit you crazy. No one's exempt from it. And being able to come back [and play] with SINSAENUM and [secure] new record deals and all that stuff, it's just great to be over here and be able to play. And I can't wait to get onstage tonight and slay."

Jordison and the members of SLIPKNOT had been silent and evasive about the reasons for his dismissal from the band in December 2013, but Joey finally spoke about it in 2016 while accepting an award at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in London, England.

At the time, Joey claimed that he was fired from SLIPKNOT without a band meeting or "anything from management." He said: "All I got was a stupid fucking e-mail saying I was out of the band that I busted my ass my whole life to fucking create. That's exactly what happened and it was hurtful. I didn't deserve that shit after what I'd done and everything I'd been through.

"They got confused about my health issues and obviously even I didn't know what it was at first," he continued. "They thought I was fucked up on drugs, which I wasn't at all.

"I've been through so many things with those guys and I love them very much. What's hurtful is the way it went down was not fucking right. That's all I want to say. The way they did it was fucking cowardly. It was fucked up."

Despite the circumstances surrounding his dismissal from SLIPKNOT, Jordison praised the band's latest album, ".5: The Gray Chapter", which features his replacement, Jay Weinberg, as well as new bassist Alessandro Venturella. He said: "I listened to the whole record multiple times. And I think it's great. It's fucking cool and I'm glad they moved on."

Back in 2014, SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor told Metal Hammer that firing Jordison after 18 years was "one of the hardest decisions" the group ever made, adding that Joey is "in a place in his life" which is "not where we are."

Taylor said he could not get into specifics for legal reasons, but admitted, "It's when a relationship hits that T-section and one person's going one way and you're going the other. And try as you might to either get them to go your way or try and go their way, at some point you've got to go in the direction that works for you. This is me speaking in the broadest terms, with respect to Joey. I guess to sum it up, it was one of the hardest decisions we ever made."

Taylor said that the band is "happy right now and we hope that he is . . . he's just in a place in his life, right now, that's not where we are."

The singer would not answer whether drug use played a role in Jordison's dismissal, and confessed that he had not been in touch with his former bandmate. Taylor said, "I haven't talked to Joey in a while, to be honest. That's how different we are. It's not because I don't love him and I don't miss him. And it is painful; we talk about him all the time, but at the same time, do we miss him or do we miss the old him? That's what it really comes down to."

MÖTLEY CRÜE recently recorded four new songs for the film adaptation of the group's biography, "The Dirt - Confessions Of The World's Most Notorious Rock Band". The movie, which is being helmed by "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa" director Jeff Tremaine, was picked up by Netflix after being previously developed at Focus Features and before that at Paramount.

Singer Vince Neil took to Twitter yesterday morning (Monday, October 22) to announce that he was on his way to a studio in Nashville "to sing new MÖTLEY SONG 'The Dirt' with [producer] Bob Rock." He later posted an update, saying, "Me and Bob Rock finished 2 songs today! Great recording with him again."

Earlier in the month, bassist Nikki Sixx described the new MÖTLEY CRÜE recordings as "real and raw. Everybody is playing like mad and the songs crush," he wrote on Twitter. "Bob Rock brought the sounds. Plus we have a surprise that will confirm that we're outta our minds."

In response to a Twitter question from a fan on how the new music will fit in, since the film is based on MÖTLEY CRÜE's past, Sixx responded: "You can trust us these are ball-busters. Everybody can relax. We're soon gonna smack you upside the head with some killer new tracks. Bob Rock is producing. It's our movie. We know what we're doing."

b>Nikki's remarks came just weeks after a picture of the bassist and CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee was posted on the band's Facebook page, along with the caption "28th August 2018." Appearing with them in the photo was longtime CRÜE producer and collaborator Bob Rock. In addition, Lee posted a brief video of himself playing drums on his Instagram, captioning the clip: "It's that new shit!!!"

Back in late 2016, Sixx shot down any possibility of the CRÜE returning as a recording act, telling TeamRock that there was "no chance" of the band making another record. "I want to just leave it intact," he said. "I see no reason. We couldn't be creative as a band, so how the hell can we continue? But I'm glad the way it finished — we did it all, we did what we said we were going to do, and now I'm excited about the future."

MÖTLEY CRÜE's last studio album was 2008's "Saints Of Los Angeles", which was followed by a 2009 "Greatest Hits" compilation.

A tour film about MÖTLEY CRÜE's final shows, "The End", came out in 2016.

In 2015, MÖTLEY CRÜE completed "The Final Tour", closing the book on the band's iconic career after performing a total of 164 shows in 72 markets, grossing over $100 million.

To cement the sense of finality, the four members of MÖTLEY CRÜE in 2014 publicly signed a "cessation of touring" contract that prevents any of them from performing under the CRÜE name in the future.

This morning in my way to a studio here in Nashville to sing new Mötley song “ The Dirt “ with Bob Rock. I’ll share pics later.— Vince Neil (@thevinceneil) October 22, 2018



Me and Bob Rock finished 2 songs today! Great recording with him again. pic.twitter.com/kD0n1TBVTu— Vince Neil (@thevinceneil) October 22, 2018

STATIC-X is back! Featuring the band's original lineup introduced on their 1999 platinum-selling debut full-length album, "Wisconsin Death Trip", bassist Tony Campos, guitarist Koichi Fukuda and drummer Ken Jay have joined forces once again to release a new album, "Project Regeneration". Due in the spring of 2019, the effort will be released in conjunction with a world tour to commemorate the 20th anniversary of "Wisconsin Death Trip". The band plans to perform the majority of their debut album at each show. Headline dates will serve as memorial events to honor late frontman Wayne Static, who passed away four years ago. More information on the world tour and other dates will be coming soon.


STATIC-X has cultivated a treasure chest of vocal performances and musical compositions left behind by Wayne. Along with the help of STATIC-X's long-time producer Ulrich Wild, the band is in the process of completing their seventh studio album, which will feature between 12 and 15 brand new STATIC-X tracks.


"With the 20th anniversary of 'Wisconsin Death Trip' quickly approaching, it feels like the right time to pay our respects to the band, to Wayne, and to all the fans who have been with us right from the start." says bassist Tony Campos. "We had a lot of material to work with... several demos that Wayne left behind, as well as some really great isolated vocal performances from some nearly finished songs. Together, we have been writing and crafting something very special!"


Check out a new teaser featuring clips from a brand-new music video, as well as five new STATIC-X tracks — "Road To Hell", "Something Of My Own", "Terminator Oscillator", "Hollow" and "Disco Otsego" — along with a personal message from Campos about the inspiration behind "Project Regeneration".


or the unfinished tracks, the band is inviting several of their friends to lend their voices for the completion of this very personal project.


"We have confirmed interest from our friends David Draiman [DISTURBED], Ivan Moody [FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH], Al Jorgensen [MINISTRY], Dez Fafara [COAL CHAMBER, DEVILDRIVER], Edsel Dope [DOPE], Burton C. Bell [FEAR FACTORY], and a few others," says Campos. "Unfortunately, due to everyone's crazy schedules, it is a little early to know how things will shake out. We are more than confident that the album will have some incredible guest vocalists, but it should be noted that it is still too early to count anyone in 100%."


The guest vocalist curation process is being led by none other than SiriusXM programming pioneer Jose Mangin, who is working alongside the band as one of the executive producers for "Project Regeneration".

STATIC-X has created a pre-order campaign allowing fans who purchase "Project Regeneration" in advance to have their name appear in the liner notes of the new album. Additional special pre-order package options are also available, including "Project Regeneration" merch bundles and several old school STATIC-X merch items to commemorate the 20th anniversary of "Wisconsin Death Trip". Pre-orders are available via www.static-x.org.


"This is a celebration of STATIC-X, 'Wisconsin Death Trip', Wayne Static, and all of our fans," adds Campos. "We are very excited about what we have created, so we wanted to involve the fans early, and in a campaign sort of way, so that they can participate with us and help to dictate some of the things that we do."


"Reuniting with the guys has been an amazing experience," says Jay. "It's been so much fun sharing stories and working on new music together. Obviously, it is bittersweet because we all miss Wayne and we wish that he was here with us, doing what he did best... Evil Disco..."


"I am so excited to play STATIC-X songs live again," says Fukuda. "The STATIC-X sound is so big and powerful live! I can't wait to play songs like 'Bled For Days', 'Push It' and 'I'm With Stupid' again."


STATIC-X plans to do multiple video updates and a series of Facebook Live chats over the next few months in order to keep the fans involved as the process continues to unfold.


"We feel very grateful that we have such a loyal fan base that misses the band, and misses Wayne, and I know that Wayne would appreciate all the heart and effort that we are putting into this," says Campos. "I've had some very heartfelt discussions with Wayne's family about doing this. They were very touched by the amount of love and effort that we have put into this new album and they have given us their full support. Having the blessing of Wayne's family means the world to us! I know in my heart that Wayne would be very proud!


Wayne Static died after mixing Xanax and other powerful prescription drugs with alcohol, according to the coroner's report. The 48-year-old Static, whose real name was Wayne Richard Wells, was found dead in his Landers, California home on November 1, 2014.

Static founded STATIC-X in 1994 and achieved commercial success with "Wisconsin Death Trip", which included the rock radio hit "Push It".

The group issued five more studio albums before disbanding permanently in June 2013. Static had been pursuing a solo career at the time of his death.

Napalm Records will release Warkings' debut album, Reborn, on November 16th. Pre-order the album here, and watch a lyric video for the album track "Hephaistos", below.

On Odin’s order, the Warkings will leave their sanctuary behind to return to the European battlefields! It will be a historical moment, when the four ancient warriors set their foot on the ground in Vienna after an absence for many centuries or even millenniums on December 8th.

In the beginning of 2019, especially the Viking will return to the lands of his forefathers and his own past. Accompanied by Amaranthe, the Warkings will return to the lands of ice and snow and wander through Scandinavia and parts of Germania and Belgica, today called the Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Finland.
    
Tour dates:

December (with Dragony, Illuminata, Titan Killer)
8 - Vienna, Austria - Szene

January (with Amaranthe, Follow The Cipher)
31 - Nijmegen, Netherlands Doornroosje

February (with Amaranthe, Follow The Cipher)
1 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
2 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
3 - Luxembourg, Luxembourg - Den  Atelier
4 - Hamburg, Germany - Grünspan
6 - Malmö, Sweden - KB
7 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Pustervik
8 - Helsingborg, Sweden - Tivoli
9 - Örebro, Sweden - Frimis
11 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Pumpehuset
12 - Uppsala, Sweden - Katalin
13 - Stockholm, Sweden - Klubben

July
3-6 - Ballenstedt, Germany - Rockharz Festival

The Warkings story: Four kings of war were knocking on Valhalla’s door to spend eternity in the realms of the gods. While waiting for admission, they told each other about the heroic deeds they survived in their lifetimes. Secretly listening to their stories, Odin decided that all living human beings on the Earth should know about these true stories of war and heroism. So he is about to send them back with the mission to spread the stories of their battles upon mankind. The Warkings were born and pure and unadulterated heavy metal became their religion.

Odin chose Napalm Records as the perfect platform for the Warkings to spread their stories. We were told to receive new information about these warriors every Wednesday from now on. To follow his order to spread their message, we launched the Warkings-Wednesday. On this day, we will bring Odin’s word to the world.

The first statement from the kings of war is short and not very concisely: “Ready your breakfast and eat hearty... because we‘re coming for you at the Warkings-Wednesday."

Tracklisting:

"Give Em War"
"Never Surrender"
"Hephaistos"
"Gladiator"
"Holy Storm"
"Battle Cry"
"Fire Falling Down"
"Sparta" (feat. The Butcher from Debauchery)
"The Last Battle"
"Die Flut" (Bonus Track)

"Hephaistos" lyric video:

"Gladiator" video:

(Photo - Manuel 'Janus‘ Maier, Janus Photography)

December 7th is the confirmed release date for the sophomore album from Swedish melodic rock quintet, State Of Salazar. Pre-order Superhero here, and watch a video for the song "My Heart Is At War", below.

Sporting a melodic rock/AOR sound strongly inspired by musical giants such as Queen, Survivor, Toto, Journey, Europe, and the Rocky Soundtracks, State Of Salazar opened quite a few eyes with the release of their debut full length, All The Way, four years ago. And while it has been a bit of a wait between albums, work on what would eventually become Superhero actually began soon after the release of the debut album.

"After the release of All The Way, I started right away on writing new songs for a second album,” says singer Marcus Nygren. "We worked together as a band arranging the songs and recording really detailed pre-production demos. On the new album, we've given the instrumental parts a lot of space to capture the feel of the instrumental music that was often found in movies from the '80s. [Bear in mind that the “Training Montage” from Rocky IV is a major influence on the band’s sound.] At the same time, we wanted to show our love for smooth and groovy Westcoast AOR as well. All in all, Superhero consists of great guitar and keyboard riffs, some epic arrangements, and strong melodies, all performed with a heavier sound than last time."

Not too far after the release of All The Way, keyboard player Stefan Mårtenson chose to leave the band. Long-time friend Kevin Hosford took his place as the band's new keyboard player. Kevin wound up contributing not only as keyboard player, but also as lead vocalist and songwriter.

"I’ve thoroughly enjoyed working with the boys, with over the top arrangements, melodic songwriting and killer vocals. The only thing that worries me is that I might have to grow an extra pair of arms when we go out on tour with Superhero,” says Kevin.

"Superhero is more of a pure rock album, lots of guitars and keyboards riffin' it out, which, of course I enjoy,” concludes guitarist Johan Thuresson. "I think that all listeners will enjoy the path we've taken with our new songs, especially since we've been lucky enough to have Alessandro Del Vecchio helping out with the final touches regarding the sound.”

Superhero tracklisting:

"If You Wait For Me"
"My Heart Is At War"
"Hold On Tonight"
"Masquerade"
"She's A Loaded Gun"
"Lie To Me"
"Joanne"
"Someone I Know"
"To The Wire"
"Love Will Find A Way"
"Superhero"

"My Heart Is At War" video:

"If You Wait For Me" video:

Lineup:
 
Marcus Nygren - Lead vocals & backing vocals
Kevin Hosford - Keyboards & lead vocals
Johan Thuresson - Guitars
Johannes Hansson - Bass
Kristian Brun - Drums

Guest appearances:

Kristina Talajic - Lead Vocals on "Lie To Me"
Rasmus Nyvall - Saxophone on "Love Will Find A Way”

(Photo - Nicklas Raab)

German metallers POWERWOLF released their seventh album, "The Sacrament Of Sin", on July 20 via Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2015's "Blessed & Possessed" was recorded at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden with producer Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with KREATOR, DRAGONFORCE, SEPULTURA and PARADISE LOST, among others.

The official music video for "The Sacrament Of Sin" title track can be seen below.

POWERWOLF guitarist Matthew Greywolf told Overdrive about "The Sacrament Of Sin": "I would say the approach was to expand the territory a bit. I think 'The Sacrament Of Sin' has become the most diverse POWERWOLF album with the most variation in the music and a lot of new elements in our sound. At the same time, I think it's become a pretty typical POWERWOLF album in terms of atmosphere and power and character."

"The Sacrament Of Sin" also contains POWERWOLF's first ever attempt at a power ballad in the shape of a song called "Where The Wild Wolves Have Gone".

The idea of writing a proper ballad was growing for a lot of years," Greywolf told Overdrive. "I think it was some years ago that on one of the tours, I was confessing to Attila that I was a big fan of those classic rock and metal ballads and he was confessing the same, so we agreed that one day we would write a ballad, no matter what. But it never worked in the past. The fact that we did as a part of 'Blessed & Possessed' showed us we could go for that, and that we were ready for it. Because, I mean, back then we covered 'Edge Of Thorns' from SAVATAGE, where we had those verses based on piano and vocals; and that was the first time we tried that, and it sounded pretty great! So when we started writing 'The Sacrament Of Sin', I had that in mind and I was quite confident that we could realize that long-planned ballad this time. Luckily, it all came together very well and I think, for me personally, it's one of the highlights of the album, definitely."

"The Sacrament Of Sin" track listing:

01. Fire & Forgive

02. Demons Are A Girl's Best Friend

03. Killers With The Cross

04. Incense And Iron

05. Where The Wild Wolves Have Gone

06. Stossgebet

07. Nightside Of Siberia

08. The Sacrament Of Sin

09. Venom Of Venus

10. Nighttime Rebel

11. Fist By Fist (Sacralize Or Strike)

12. Midnight Madonna (bonus track; only available at EMP and Napalm Records mailorder)

POWERWOLF will embark on the European "Wolfsnächte Tour 2018" this week. Swedish melodic metal sensation AMARANTHE and Germany's heavy/glam high flyers KISSIN‘ DYNAMITE will be joining in as special guests.

Willy "Lange" Langenhuizen, bass player of San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal band LÄÄZ ROCKIT, passed away on October 23 from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. He was 57 years old.

LÄÄZ ROCKIT vocalist Michael Coons posted the following message on his official Facebook page: "In shock… the important thing is to honor Willy and his family at this time. I will get back to all of you when I'm able to… too difficult right now to do so, please understand."

TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy, who played with Willy in DUBLIN DEATH PATROL, wrote: "Today I lost my best friend. Willy, you have always been the person in my life that has been there for me and I love you for that. I will alway have you in my heart and soul and treasure all the great times we had with you and Kelly in this life. Until we see each other again on the other side and have a great reunion. You rest in peace, my friend."

Former VIO-LENCE and current MACHINE HEAD guitarist Phil Demmel wrote: "We lost a Dublin legend in shocking fashion. Willy Langenhuizen was taken from his loving family and our town is left with a huge void. One of the nicest, most caring and friendly dudes. Will was someone I looked up to and respected, especially in my early years of playing, as he was already in established bands playing clubs. That helped introduce me into a scene that would become my life. Watching and meeting SLAYER as the opener for Willy's band LÄÄZ ROCKIT. After Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] ripped on LÄÄZ on Rampage Radio, Will waged war on METALLICA, claiming the Dublin Death Patrol doesn't fuck around. Pretty sure Lars called for a truce and then later [Willy] almost got the bass gig after Cliff [Burton] died! I played in a few City Hoops leagues with him and he hated to lose, played hard and shot lights out from downtown. Same with golf — dude was a natural.

All of my heart goes out to Kell and their kids and for them to know how much we ALL care and will be there to support.

"Goodbye, Willy. Thank you and rest in peace."

Former TESTAMENT and current TRAUMA bassist Greg Christian also commented on Willy's passing, writing: "Rest in peace, Willy Lange!! I'm still kind of in disbelief. I haven't seen him in about five years, but I always liked Willy. He was cool. It sucks I won't see him again.

"Also, I want to say, Willy got LEGACY [the band that evolved into TESTAMENT] our first real show back in '84… The Stone with LÄÄZ ROCKIT and SLAYER. I'm thankful and appreciate that Willy did that for us. And never forgot. It was a good thing. Anyway, I'm still stunned here and don't know what to say. Except this is sad news. Truly.

"Rest in peace, metal brother / bass brother!!! Rest in peace!!!"

Lange joined LÄÄZ ROCKIT in 1983 and appeared on the band's first four full-length studio albums — "City's Gonna Burn" (1984), "No Stranger To Danger" (2005), "Know Your Enemy" (1987) and "Annihilation Principle" (1989) — before exiting the group in late 1989. Lange rejoined LÄÄZ ROCKIT for a 2005 reunion performance at the Dynamo Open Air festival in the Netherlands and a new LÄÄZ ROCKIT studio album, "Left For Dead", which came out in 2008.

Lange was also a founding member of DUBLIN DEATH PATROL alongside Billy. DUBLIN DEATH PATROL issued two studio albums, 2007's "DDP 4 Life" and 2012's "Death Sentence".

Lange is not the first member of LÄÄZ ROCKIT to die at an early age. Drummer Victor Agnello passed away on June 1, 2014 following a battle with leukemia. He was 50 years old.

Swedish melodic, brutal death metal tyrants Demonical, have premiered an old-school, VHS style music video for the track "Sung To Possess", taken from the band's latest album Chaos Manifesto, out now on Agonia Records. Watch the video and catch the band live on tour with Lik this November.

Demonical commented: "We are very much looking forward to November and our return to mainland Europe under the Carnage Manifesto banner. As we will be joined by our Swedish brothers in Lik and Of Fire this tour-package will be something special, a total slap of Stockholm-style old-school death metal and a wet dream for every worshipper of the buzzsaw HM-2 sound! Death metal darkness prevails… and then some!"

Dates:

November
6 – Poznan, Poland – Klub U Bazyla
7 – Praha, Czech Republic – Modra Vopice
8 – Mannheim, Germany – MS Connexion Complex
9 – Bitterfeld, Germany – Festung
10 – Hamburg, Germany – Bambi Galore
11 – Osnabruck, Germany – Bastard Club

Chaos Manifesto was recorded in 2017 and both mixed and mastered by Karl Daniel Lidén (Terra Tenebrosa, Cult of Luna, Katatonia). The album artwork was designed by Karmazid (Urfaust, Wolfbrigade, Blaze of Perdition). Pehr Skjoldhammer of Alfahanne guest appears on vocals.

The full trailer for the upcoming documentary Songs of Injustice: Heavy Metal Music in Latin America has just been released. The film was directed by Dr. Nelson Varas-Díaz (Professor, Florida International University) and explores metal music in Latin America focusing on Mexico, Chile, Argentina and Peru.

The film has already received several laurels from international film festivals. Here is what people are saying bout the documentary, which will see the light on December 2018:

“Songs of Injustice” is not simply a documentary about metal in Latin America, it is a moving testimony to the ways in which metal can act as a source of resistance, fortitude and resilience. All the countries covered in the film struggle with poverty, oppression and violence. The extraordinary interviews in ‘Songs of Injustice’ document the ways in which Latin American metalheads understand the circumstances in which they are living and find in metal a way to survive, endure and prosper.” -Keith Kahn-Harris, Author of Extreme Metal: Music and Culture on the Edge

“This film is the most important documentary of the metal scene today. Following on from the documentary on metal in Puerto Rico, Varas and his colleagues have created an essential critical history of the emergence of metal in Latin America.” -Karl Spracklen, Professor, Leeds Beckett University

“A stunning accomplishment—this film roams the vibrant and vast landscape of Latin American heavy metal with the keen eye of a scholar and a soul of a warrior. Nelson Varas-Díaz demonstrates once again that metal music has played a vital role in the region’s centuries-long struggle for human dignity in the face of genocide, colonialism, dictatorship, neo-imperialism, and environmental devastation. The music’s pretty excellent, too! Entertaining and insightful, Songs of Injustice is the crowning achievement in a remarkable trilogy of films on metal culture in Latin America.” Jeremy Wallach, Professor, Bowling Green State University

“Extraordinarily important work. Nelson Varas-Díaz has once again brought us the heart and purpose of metal: the fight of the underdog. Wherever you are in the world, this is the voice that unites us.” Denigrata Herself

Follow the film on Facebook.

US black metal band Imperialist are all set to release their debut full-length album on Transcending Obscurity Records. Their brand of black metal is inspired by the Swedish black metal scene and is furthermore worked upon to exude a thrash vibe. Listen to new track "Splendor Beneath An Ancient Permafrost" below.

Imperialist have conjured up a brilliant sci-fi themed album that stands out both conceptually as well as musically. Rooted in the early Swedish black metal sound of luminaries like Necrophobic, Dissection and Sacramentum, Imperialist hone it up further to suit their futuristic theme by adding touches of thrash metal without diluting the rich aura. Cipher is backed by a visually stunning artwork by Adam Burke (Vektor, Lurk) that extends into a continuous two-panel work depicting the grand theme. It's rare to find bands that have a bold vision and at the same time creating the perfect blend for music that is at once atavistic and forward-thinking. This is one of the finest examples of meticulously written black metal counterbalancing aggression with melodies and thrashy sections.

Cipher release formats:
-LP box set
-Gatefold LP
-Digipak CD box set
-8-Panel digipak CD
-Digital

Tracklisting:

“Continuum”
“The Singularity”
“Advent Anathema”
“Splendor Beneath An Ancient Permafrost”
“Umbra Tempest”
“Chronoclasm”
“Binary Coalescence”
“The Dark Below”
“Mercurian Dusk”

"Splendor Beneath An Ancient Permafrost":

“The Singularity”:

The kings of comedy rock Psychostick are hitting the road this coming October and November for The Socks, Sandals & PJ Pants Tour with Downtown Brown and Danimal Cannon (dates listed below) in support of their new album DO. But before they hit the road, they want fans to know the comfort of Socks, Sandals and Pajama Pants with their new music video.

"Being the cutting-edge connoisseurs of fashion that we are, we decided to theme our fall tour after our new music video and undeniable style, ‘Socks, Sandals, and PJ Pants’. We encourage all to come to the show in comfort, and forget about overrated things like ‘dignity’ and ‘self-respect’. And we want to see a pajama pants pit." says guitarist Josh 'The J" Key.

Vocalist Rob Kersey is also challenging fans to come to all the Psychostick shows dressed in Pajamas! and take tons of pictures with the hashtag #SSPJ:

Dates:

Tour dates:

October
24 - St. Louis, MO - Fubar *
25 - Omaha, NE - Lookout Lounge *
26 - Colorado Springs, CO - Sunshine Studios
27 - Denver, CO - The Roxy Theater
28 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall
30 - Boise, ID - The Shredder
31 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon

November
1 - Portland, OR - Paris Theatre
2 - Placerville, CA - PJ's Roadhouse #
3 - Cupertino, CA - The X Bar #
4 - Fullerton, CA - The Slide Bar #
6 - Fresno, CA - Full Circle Brewery #
7 - San Diego - Brick By Brick #
8 - Mesa, AZ - Club Red #
12 - Merriam, KS - Aftershock *#

* Does not include Downtown Brown
# Does not include Danimal Cannon

Do is available on CD and download exclusively here, and is also available on iTunes and Spotify.

"Do" video:

"You Can (Maybe) Do It!" lyric video:

"Adulting" video:

 
"From The Heart" video:

The legendary compilation Death Is Just The Beginning is back, But there’s more, a fantastic live package including Kataklysm, Hypocrisy and The Spirit hit the road last week under the banner of the same name. All three bands are represented in this amazing collection. Canadian death metallers Kataklysm have participated with a re-recording of their classic track “The Awakener“. Hypocrisy offered up a cover version of “They Lie“ (The Exploited) and The Spirit have provided a track from their Nuclear Blast label debut Sounds From The Vortex.

Today, Nailed To Obscurity present the trailer to their new song “King Delusion” which is featured on the compilation:

Nuclear Blast’s involvement with death metal harkens back to the late ‘80s and early ‘90s explosion of this heavy and deadly genre. The Death ...Is Just The Beginning compilations paved the way to the introduction of many soon to become legendary acts such as Pungent Stench, Dismember, Hypocrisy, Kataklysm. While the scene suffered a bit of stagnation somewhere in the mid-to-late ‘90s, the genre as a whole never went away and Nuclear Blast continued to release quality death metal in the form of bands such as Hypocrisy, Kataklysm, Decapitated, etc.

…And just like the undead, they always come back! Nuclear Blast is proud to announce the unearthing of this legendary series simply titled MMXVIII. Brace yourselves as death metal has never been this deadly. And remember, Death ...Is Just the Beginning.

Highlights for this latest instalment include some re-recordings of classic tracks, Nuclear Blast bands performing covers of classic songs from other Nuclear Blast artists, demos and rarities of previously released and unreleased songs, original cover artwork by Blake Armstrong and layout by Marcelo Vasco (Slayer, Kreator).

Out on October 19th, Death …Is Just The Beginning MMXVII will be available as a CD jewel, limited cassette, colored vinyl, long sleeve shirt, T-shirt + CD bundle & mail-order edition boxset. Pre-order the compilation here.

Death ...Is Just The Beginning MMXVII tracklisting:

Benediction - "Tear Off These Fucking Wings" (unreleased demo of new song)
Kataklysm - "The Awakener" (re-recorded)
Hypocrisy - "They Lie" (The Exploited cover)
The Spirit - "Illuminate The Night Sky"
Memoriam - "The War Rages On" (demo)
Insidious Disease - "Soul Excavation" (unreleased new song)
Possessed - "Abandoned" (unreleased demo of new song)
Thy Art Is Murder - "The Son Of Misery"
Immolation - "Morbid Visions" (feat. Max Cavalera) (Sepultura cover)
Nailed To Obscurity - "King Delusion" (unreleased new song)
Bleeding Gods - "Beloved By Artemis"
Decapitated - "Sane" (Meshuggah cover)
Aenimus - "Before The Eons" (unreleased new song)
Paradise Lost - "Frozen Illusion" (previously released Japanese only b-side)
Carcass - "A Wraith In The Apparatus"
Brujeria - "Viva Presidente Trump!" (previously only available digitally and on vinyl)

Therion singer Linnea Vikstrom's solo project QFT (Quantum Field Theory), also featuring members of the Swedish band Dynazty have released the third and final single from their debut album, Live In Space, released May 4th via Despotz Records. 

The lead off track on Live in Space, "End Of The Universe" is an epic, doomy and spacey tune about how Vikstrom views the actual end of the universe - "the victory of gravity over dark energy. The universe will be a singularity again, and the wish that a new universe will rise from it," says Linnea.  

The single can be purchased on iTunes and streamed on  Spotify .

SLIPKNOT will embark a month-long tour of Europe next summer. The band will perform at a number of festivals across the continent, including Download, Rock Am Ring, Graspop Metal Meeting and Resurrection.

Speaking to Kerrang! about headlining Download alongside TOOL and DEF LEPPARD, SLIPKNOT's Shawn "Clown" Crahan stated: "If someone chooses to come and see us, they're going to get us. I don't care about the day before, and I don't care about the day after! One thing I know about SLIPKNOT is that it's impossible to not talk about us, so I really don't get caught up in competition — I'm here to kick you in the face and make you remember it. End of story. I don't know what TOOL is doing, and I don't fucking care. I wanna hear their new album, but if I'm out playing, I don't care what they're doing, and they don't care what I'm doing. But I'm gonna kick you in the face."

Crahan added about the progress of the recording sessions for SLIPKNOT's new album: "We've been writing for the last two years. We went to L.A. seven or eight times for two, three, four weeks at a time, and wrote — seriously wrote. It's a wonderful thing, and we're not left with that stress of getting together when Corey's [Taylor, vocals] ready. We just decided to take that pressure off us. We've been doing this for 20 years, and if everyone just shuts the fuck up and lets us do what we do best — which is SLIPKNOT — then we will come through. There's, like, 20 categories of things that need to be taken care of in order to make a SLIPKNOT album, and I'm talking to you today, on October-fucking-whatever, about headlining Download festival 2019. If that isn't enough to make everybody wake the fuck up that we're back, then I don't know what the fuck else is. This is real."

SLIPKNOT tour dates:

un. 07-08 - Hyvinkää, Rockfest, Finland

Jun. 07-09 - Nuremburg, Rock Im Park, Germany

Jun. 07-09 - Nürburg, Rock Am Ring, Germany

Jun. 13-15 - Nickelsdorf, Novarock, Austria

Jun. 13-16 - Interlaken, Greenfield, Switzerland

Jun. 14-16 - Derby, Download Festival, UK

Jun. 17 - Leipzig, Arena, Germany

Jun. 18 - Hannover, TUI Arena, Germany

Jun. 19-22 - Copenhagen, Copenhell, Denmark

Jun. 21-23 - Dessel, Graspop, Belgium

Jun. 25-26 - Kraków, Mystic Festival, Poland

Jun. 27 - Bologna, Sonic Park, Italy

Jun. 28-30 - Madrid, Download Festival, Spain

Jul. 01 - Nîmes, Amphitheatre Nîmes, France

Jul. 03-06 - Lisbon, VOA, Portugal

Jul. 04-05 - Viveiro, Resurrection Festival, Spain

As previously reported, SLIPKNOT will perform at the Iowa State Fair Grandstand for the first time ever on August 10, 2019. Tickets for the concert go on sale November 2 at 10 a.m. via IowaStateFair.org, costing $43, $53 or $60 before fees and fair admission. An opening act is yet to be announced.

The Iowa State Fair runs August 8-18, 2019.

Taylor recently told Spain's Resurrection Fest TV that SLIPKNOT's follow-up to 2014's ".5: The Gray Chapter" album will likely arrive next summer.

".5: The Gray Chapter" was released following a six-year hiatus during which founding SLIPKNOT bassist Paul Gray died and drummer Joey Jordison was dismissed.

".5: The Gray Chapter" sold around 132,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 1 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores in October 2014 via Roadrunner.

Gray died in 2010 from a drug overdose, while Jordison was let go in December 2013, just before SLIPKNOT began recording the last album.

More than a month before JUDAS PRIEST's scheduled concert in Singapore with BABYMETAL, singer Rob Halford praised the Japanese pop-metal act, telling Bandwagon in a new interview: "I think BABYMETAL are one of the most unique metal experiences in the world right now. Not only their appearances, and their style and everything that surrounds them visually but they're an incredible band as well. I met the band a couple of years ago in America and they're so passionate about metal, they know everything about metal music and they've created a very special feeling and experience within the entire world of metal. They work extremely hard to create something unique and I think it's paying off and they're doing such an amazing job. In fact, I was watching the new music video for 'Starlight' and even with one member leaving, they still sound great."

Halford's latest comments come more than two years after he joined BABYMETAL for their appearance at the 2016 Alternative Press Music Awards in Columbus, Ohio. The singer performed two classic PRIEST songs with the Japanese outfit: "Painkiller" and "Breaking The Law".

"That was really intense; BABYMETAL give a thousand percent just like PRIEST," Halford said in a statement after the performance. "They're leading the charge into the new frontier of heavy metal."

"It was really amazing and fantastic," BABYMETAL's Su-Metal said. "A collaboration with Rob Halford, the 'Metal God,' has always been my dream. I never imagined that dream would come true!"

b>Halford previously posed for a photograph with BABYMETAL backstage at the Rock On The Range festival in 2015.

Many heavy metal fans have been reluctant to embrace BABYMETAL — which also includes producer Kobametal and a backing band of corpse-painted virtuosos — with some Internet forums calling them "the definition of a gimmick", "awful" and "metal for hipsters."

JUDAS PRIEST is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Firepower", which came out in March.

Hungarian metallers EKTOMORF have just released a brand new two-track digital single. The single, which was recorded in one day in early September at No Silence Studio in Hungary, features a new EKTOMORF song, "Eternal Mayhem", as well as a cover version of METALLICA's "Hardwired". You can now listen to both tracks below.

EKTOMORF's latest album, "Fury", came out in February via AFM. The effort marked the band's first release since the departures of Tamás Schrottner (guitar), Szabolcs Murvai (bass) and Róbert Jaksa (drums) and addition of Simon Szebasztián, Csaba Zahorán and Dániel Szabó, respectively.

EKTOMORF was founded in 1993 in Mezökovacsháza, Hungary by Zoltán "Zoli" Farkas. The band's breakthrough came when EKTOMORF started its collaboration with Danish producer Tue Madsen in 2003. Madsen helped the group to find a modern and powerful sound that EKTOMORF has expanded upon since the release of 2004's "Destroy".



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MetallicaTV has uploaded footage of Metallica performing "Leper Messiah" at The O2 Arena in London, England on October 24th, 2017. Watch below:

Footage of the band performing "Halo On Fire" at the same venue on October 22nd, 2017 can be seen below:

Metallica performs next on Thursday, October 25th, at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Find the band's complete tour itinerary here.

Footage from Metallica's performances at the Austin City Limits Music Festival at Zilker Park in Austin, TX (October 6th and 13th) can be seen below:

On November 2nd, Swedish progressive metal legends Opeth will release their new live album Garden Of The Titans: Live At Red Rocks Amphitheatre via Moderbolaget Records / Nuclear Blast Entertainment. A fourth video trailer for the upcoming release can be found below.

Captured for DVD, Blu-Ray and Vinyl formats during their performance on May 11th, 2017 at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, CO, this concert showcases the unique beauty of both classic and new Opeth tracks.

To celebrate, Opeth is offering a one-time screening of the concert at The Motalbán Theater (1615 Vine Street) in Los Angeles. On November 1st, fans can gather to view the historic concert on the big-screen with incredible surround sound. Doors will take place at 8:30 pm and tickets are now available  here .

Video footage for Garden Of The Titans was overseen by The Deka Brothers (carpenter Brut, The Prodigy) and audio was mixed by David Castillo (Katatonia, Bloodbath). All versions feature the masterful artwork of revered artist Travis Smith (Nevermore, Testament).

Fans can now pre-order various formats at this location .

The tracklist is as follows:

"Sorceress"
"Ghost Of Perdition"
"Demon Of The Fall"
"The Wilde Flowers"
"In My Time Of Need"
"The Devil's Orchard"
"Cusp Of Eternity"
"Heir Apparent"
"Era"
"Deliverance"

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

Trailer #3:

Trailer #4:

"Demon Of The Fall" video:

"Sorceress" video:

         

Always an unstoppable force for uniqueness amid a sea of generic swill, Opeth has been setting the rulebook ablaze, and ploughing a uniquely progressive and exploratory furrow for over 25 years now. Neither conforming nor exhibiting any desire to be restricted to a single genre, Opeth, quite simply, has a time honored tradition of blowing our minds with both class and forward thinking. All these years later, nothing and everything has changed once again with their most recent album, Sorceress.

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

(Photo - Steve Thrasher)

Continuing with the lead up to their new album, Germany's The Ocean Collective are unveiling the absolutely explosive visuals for their unreleased single, "Cambrian II: Eternal Recurrence" the third preview of Phanerozoic I: Palaeozoic

As The Ocean Collective are known for their mammoth melodies, ebbing from crushing climaxes to gorgeously intricate interludes, so the video matches their prehistoric, theatrical leanings. Using makeup and hand-molded masks, director Craig Murray transforms vocalist Loic Rossetti into a Cambrian-age lichen-creature, weaving molds of the band into a rocky prehistoric landscape, taking hours to meticulously shoot the video frame-by-frame.

Explains Murray, "This is a practical effects film which leans towards multiple single frame captures to creature the sequences. Everything is built from scratch. There's long exposure animation, stop frame, miniatures and cloud tanks. If the thing I'm working with can't be physically picked up and held in my hand, I struggle to understand how to use it; I prefer this long, messy and exhausting process."

Adds The Ocean Collective mastermind Robin Staps, "Craig has created a unique aesthetic visualization of our music, which is different from anything I've ever seen. He's spent 6 sleepless weeks working on this basically non-stop, all by himself. He plastered tons of clay and lichens over Loic's face and head, and really managed to turn him into an imaginary 'Cambrian creature‘. It’s incredible to see the final result now, and how the whole thing has evolved."

What results is a nearly eight-minute epic journey through space and time, fusing art, special effects, science, and absolutely mind-melting rock - which can be seen below.

Phanerozoic I, which will be available November 2nd via Metal Blade Records (CD / digital) and Pelagic Records (vinyl), can be pre-ordered here.

Tracklisting:

“The Cambrian Explosion”
“Cambrian II: Eternal Recurrence”
“Ordovicium: The Glaciation Of Gondwana”
“Silurian: Age Of Sea Scorpions”
“Devonian: Nascent”
“The Carboniferous Rainforest Collapse”
“Permian: The Great Dying”

“Cambrian II: Eternal Recurrence” video:

“Devonian: Nascent”:

“Permian: The Great Dying”:

Dutch symphonic metallers Within Temptation performed in Moscow, Russia on October 18th. Fan-filmed video of the full show is available below.

The setlist on the night was as follows:

"Intro / Raise Your Banner"
"The Reckoning"
"Endless War"
"In the Middle of the Night"
"Stand My Ground"
"All I Need"
"Supernova"
"Shot in the Dark"
"The Promise"
"Faster"
"Mercy Mirror"
"Paradise (What About Us?)"
"The Heart of Everything"
"Forgiven"
"Mother Earth"
"What Have You Done"
"Stairway to the Skies"

Within Temptation will release their seventh album, Resist, on December 14th via Spinefarm Records/Universal Music. Pre-order the album here.

The band have released "making of" footage from the shoot for the music video for the first single, "The Reckoning", featuring Papa Roach frontman Jacoby Shaddix. Watch the new footage, as well as the official video, below.

"The Reckoning" video "making of":

"The Reckoning" video:

Resist marks a departure from the Within Temptation's past. The record is armed with 10 anthemic tracks, driven by grand melodies and dark hooks. It brings a futuristic take on metal to the table - both instrumentally and thematically.

"Resist is a true milestone for us. If it wasn't for Resist, Within Temptation wouldn't be here anymore," the band stated.

"With this record, we've taken inspiration from modern music and gave it a face - a very dark one," said singer Sharon den Adel. "Sometimes, it feels that today's pop music lacks a rebellious edge. Our main goal was to collect pieces from sounds we did like and roughen it up as much as we could, resulting in a surprisingly new musical world that is heavier, dirtier and more futuristic than we’ve ever created before. Resist is our take on metal in a new way: to give modern music its rebellious edge.”

Resist tracklisting:

"The Reckoning" (feat. Jacoby Shaddix)
"Endless War"
"Raise Your Banner" (feat. Anders Fridén)
"Supernova"
"Holy Ground"
"In Vain"
"Firelight" (feat. Jasper Steverlinck)
"Mad World"
"Mercy Mirror"
"Trophy Hunter"

"The Reckoning" lyric video:

"Eyes Without A Face" (Tropkillaz Remix), from Billy Idol’s Vital Idol: Revitalized, is available for streaming below. Order Vital Idol: Revitalized digitally here. CD and vinyl editions will be available on November 16th.

More than 30 years after his groundbreaking Vital Idol compilation cemented the vibrancy of the dance-rock remix genre in the second half of the 1980s, Billy Idol’s Vital Idol: Revitalized collection features 11 brand-new remixes of Billy’s most classic and enduring hits. Lending their hands to the Revitalized proceedings are electronic dance luminaries Moby, The Crystal Method and Paul Oakenfold as well as current innovators including RAC, Tropkillaz, Shiba San, Juan Maclean and CRAY.

Vital Idol, initially released in Britain in 1985 and subsequently issued in the United States in 1987, was the first remix record released by a rock superstar. Besides being certified platinum, Vital Idol was accompanied by a version of “Mony Mony” that reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart, as well as hitting the Top 10 on the UK Singles chart.

Highlights found within the grooves of Revitalized include The Crystal Method’s percussive, explosive stab at “Rebel Yell,” CRAY’s bass-and-keyboard-blessed “White Wedding,” Tropkillaz’s trop-house framing of “Eyes Without A Face,” St. Francis Hotel’s shimmering stop/start caress of “Flesh For Fantasy,” and RAC’s retro-harmonic, fist-pumping “Dancing With Myself.”

The digital version of Revitalized features four additional exclusive remixes, namely the brand new Billy Idol/Steve Stevens Remix of “Mony Mony,” Paul Oakenfold’s Extended Remix of “One Breath Away,” Moby’s “Half Time Version” of his take on “(Do Not) Stand In The Shadows” and “Save Me Now” (Lost Dog Remix), reworked by Billy Idol’s son, Willem Wolfe Broad and Eddie B.

Tracklisting:

"White Wedding" (CRAY Remix)
"Dancing With Myself" (RAC Remix)
"Eyes Without A Face" (Tropkillaz Remix)
"Rebel Yell" (The Crystal Method Remix)
"(Do Not) Stand In The Shadows" (Moby Remix)
"Flesh For Fantasy" (St Francis Hotel Remix)
"Catch My Fall" (Juan Maclean Remix)
"One Breath Away" (Paul Oakenfold Remix)
"To Be A Lover" (DJDS Remix)
"Don't Need A Gun" (Shiba San Remix)
"Hot In The City" (Shotgun Mike Remix)

Bonus tracks (Digital version only):

"Mony Mony" (Idol/Stevens Remix)
"One Breath Away" (Paul Oakenfold Remix / Extended Version)
"(Do Not) Stand In The Shadows" (Moby Remix / Half Speed Version)
"Save Me Now" (Lost Dog Remix)

"Eyes Without A Face" (Tropkillaz Remix):

"Dancing With Myself" (RAC Remix):

Nita Strauss, the guitarist who has rocked out on stage with ALICE COOPER, FEMME FATALE, Jermaine Jackson, THE IRON MAIDENS and more, joined Steve Vai on stage on September 28 at "The Big Mama Jama Jam-A-Thon" event at Musicians Institute's LiveHouse in Los Angeles, California. The "improvisational music/art event" benefited Extraordinary Families and featured 52 consecutive hours of music.

Vai served as musical director alongside fellow performers Dweezil Zappa, Al Di Meola, Dave Navarro, Moby, Steve Morse, Lee Ritenour, Andy Vargas, Souleros and others. The event started at 12 p.m. PT on September 28 and continued non-stop until 4 p.m. on September 30.

Nita will release her debut solo album, "Controlled Chaos", on November 16 via Sumerian Records.

Strauss has been fighting to make a name for herself in the guitar world for years. She is one of the most sought-after clinicians in the industry and has done extensive clinic tours across multiple continents. Her consistent touring schedule has shown her to play in front of over a million audience members per year for the past several years. 2018 has already proven to be a banner year for Nita with her being named as the first-ever female Ibanez signature artist in the company's 60-year history. She played WWE suprstar Shinsuke Nakamura's entrance music at "WrestleMania" in New Orleans in front of an audience of 78,000 fans and millions streaming worldwide just before surpassing her Kickstarter campaign eight times over, allowing her to self-produce and record "Controlled Chaos".


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RUSH bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee has confirmed that the band is unlikely to play any more shows or make new music. "I can't really tell you much other than that there are zero plans to tour again," he told Rolling Stone when asked about RUSH's current state. "We're very close and talk all the time, but we don't talk about work. We're friends, and we talk about life as friends. I can't really tell you more than that, I'm afraid. I would say there's no chance of seeing RUSH on tour again as Alex [Lifeson, guitar], Geddy, Neil [Peart, drums]. But would you see one of us or two of us or three of us? That's possible."

Lee went on to say that it's possible he will work on another solo album one of these years. "I do think about it, and I think once the dust settles from this project, I'll probably find myself bored and wandering down to the studio to try to enliven my own life, and if something of a positive nature happens down there, I'll take it to the next step," he said. "But beyond that, I could only guess."

Asked if it's fair to say that he has ideas he has built up over time, Geddy said: "I have bits and bobs, but I don't have any finished material in the can, so to speak. If I pick up a bass, I just start playing something, and sooner or later I start writing a riff or this or that. So for my own peace of mind, I stash it somewhere. Chances are I'll come back to it, and it's crap, so I just trash it. But at least it makes me feel good for the moment. [Laughs]."

The chronic tendinitis-suffering Peart hinted during a 2015 interview with Drumhead magazine that he would no longer tour with RUSH, revealing his daughter had already started referring to dad as "a retired drummer."

short time later, Lee played down Peart's comments, blaming the media for making too much of his bandmate's remarks.

Geddy said in a 2016 interview that he had "accepted" that RUSH's last batch of live shows was "probably the last one as a tour."

The 66-year-old Peart revealed in RUSH's documentary "Time Stand Still" that he initially had no intention of going on a tour in 2015. "In November [of 2014], we all got together in Toronto and I was quite prepared to say, 'Sorry, I'm done,'" he said in the film. "I realized I was kind of a solitary misfit in that context of being the one that wanted to pull that plug. I left one little window in my mind that if somebody wanted to do it one more time and didn't know if they'd be able to, [I would do it]."

Lifeson and Lee confirmed that the band will never do a show unless all three musicians agree to take part. "It's not like you just get new members of a band and just go for it," said Lifeson. "RUSH has never been a band like that. We'd never, ever do something like that." Lee added: "We always said that if the three of us aren't on board, we don't do a thing. There have been other decisions in our career where the three of us weren't on board and we didn't do it. Nothing as profound as ending our touring life, but fair enough. So one guy doesn't want to do that thing anymore that I love to do. That hurts. But there's nothing I can do about it and that's part of the agreement."

On November 16, UMe/Anthem/ole label group will continue its extensive RUSH 40th-anniversary album series with a new, expanded edition of the band's groundbreaking 1978 release "Hemispheres".


"Hemispheres", RUSH's sixth studio album, was originally released in October 1978, and it built upon the adventurous sonic template the band established on its acclaimed 1977 effort "A Farewell To Kings".

Universal Music MENA has signed  heavy metal band ZiX and released their single "Rise From Your Ashes Your Grave" featuring Blind Guardian frontman Hansi Kürssch.

"Rise From Your Ashes Your Grave" is a crossover inspired by Edgar Allan Poe’s "A Dream Within A Dream" and the modern age of misinformation. Both concepts were carefully blended to showcase that in this modern age where people think they know everything, they don’t know anything at all. Everything they see or seem is only but a dream within a dream; it is a call to rise from the ashes like a Phoenix, and face the great illusion they are living in.

The biggest highlight of the song is definitely the duet performed by ZiX's lead singer Maria Danos and Hans Kürsch from Blind Guardian. The song was written by Ziad Bardawil and Juan Carrizo and recorded and mixed with the help of Karim Sinno at the Audio Loft Studio in Beirut, Lebanon.

ZiX, an acclaimed female-fronted cross-cultural heavy metal band founded in Beirut in 2010  released their debut album, Tides Of The Final War with 7x Grammy-winning producer and mixer Steve Thompson (Metallica,Yngwie Malmsteen, KISS, Anthrax, Madonna, Guns 'N Roses name a few) through German label, Puresteel records. The drummer on that album was Kenny Earl Rhino from Manowar and the album included the song "Metal Strike", which featured an all star cast composed of metal legends from Iron Maiden, Manowar, Black Sabbath and many others. The album was voted among the best top ten albums of 2016!

In 2012, ZiX completed the self-produced demo, The War Whore, and right away, the single impacted metal musicians and fans throughout the world. On the strength of that single song and ZiX’s mission in perilous territory, the great Metal Hammer Magazine voted and embraced ZiX as "one of the top 100 defenders of the faith."