A previously unreleased video of METALLICA performing the song "Battery" can be seen below. The clip was filmed at at Aichi Kinro Kaikan, Nagoya, Japan on November 17, 1986 and is taken from the upcoming reissue of METALLICA's seminal third album, "Master Of Puppets".

The "Master Of Puppets" reissue will arrive on November 10 via METALLICA's own Blackened Recordings. The LP has been remastered for the most advanced sound quality and will be available in various digital and physical configurations. The reissue is available for pre-order at Metallica.com where fans can see the full package details and track listing. Those who pre-order the standard album will receive an instant download of "Disposable Heroes (Remastered)". Those who pre-order the expanded or deluxe editions will receive an instant download of "Disposable Heroes (Remastered)" and "The Thing That Should Not Be (Live at the Aragon Ballroom, Chicago, IL - May 25th, 1986)" . The "Master Of Puppets" reissue will be available physically as a Standard LP, Standard CD, 3 CD Expanded Edition, and Limited Edition Deluxe Box Set and digitally as a Standard CD (available to stream and download), a 3 CD Expanded Edition (available for download only), and a Digital Deluxe Box Set (available for streaming and download). The Expanded Edition will include previously unreleased demos, rough mixes, interviews, live tracks, and a 28-page booklet. The Limited Edition Deluxe Box Set will include a 108-page hardcover book including never before seen photos, outtakes and previously unreleased interviews, three LPs, ten CDs, a cassette, two DVDs, a lithograph, a folder with handwritten lyrics, and a set of six buttons. Watch James Hetfield unbox the reissue below.

"Master Of Puppets" was released on February 24, 1986 and was the first album METALLICA recorded after signing a major label deal with Elektra Records.

The set only reached No. 29 on the Billboard album chart but has sold over six million copies in the U.S. since.

It is the last record to feature bassist Cliff Burton, who was killed later that year in a tour bus crash.

Several songs from the album are still staples of METALLICA's live set, including "Battery", "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" and the title track.

Many fans consider it METALLICA's finest album, a fact that the band acknowledged by playing it in its entirety on a European tour in 2006.

"Metallica: Back To The Front", the definitive story of "Master Of Puppets" and the tour that followed its release, hit bookstores and online sellers last September. A very special Collector's Edition of the book was made available two weeks earlier through Metallica.com and MoonriseMedia.net.

"That album, it's interesting, because from the moment it was released, it never went away," METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett said last year while promoting the book. "It still has not and there are no signs of it going away at all."

"It was still rebellious," METALLICA frontman James Hetfield said. "Back then, it was still the four of us in a van out to conquer the world."

"I really feel that a lot of the music on 'Master Of Puppets', we pulled it out of a deep place," Hammett added. "A lot of it, it's just so emotional, from the music to the lyrics to the guitar solos to even the arrangements. It's so dramatic."

Due to "severe laryngitis," the remainder of SCORPIONS' U.S. 2017 tour with MEGADETH has been canceled.

According to a statement released by the German hard rock veterans, SCORPIONS singer Klaus Meine has been advised by top throat specialist in Los Angeles to rest his voice. If he continues the tour, he could risk permanent vocal damage.

The band said: "[We] truly hate to disappoint our fans and hope to come back to America soon, but this time we have no choice but to cancel."

Tickets will be refunded at points of purchase.

SCORPIONS were due to be honored on Friday morning by Los Angeles City Council at a ceremony at Van Nuys City Hall, but the event was canceled due to "illness within the band." The award was to celebrate the band's contribution to the city's musical landscape.

SCORPIONS and MEGADETH played Saturday night (October 7) at the Forum in Inglewood, California. Fan-filmed video footage of SCORPIONS' performance can be seen below.

SCORPIONS kicked off their North American tour with MEGADETH on September 14 at Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania. The sixteen-date trek, dubbed the "Crazy World Tour", was celebrating SCORPIONS' 1990 LP of the same name. Two of the SCORPIONS' best-known songs, "Winds Of Change" and "Send Me An Angel", both appear on "Crazy World".

SCORPIONS recently finished recording a couple of new songs for a forthcoming compilation album that will collect the most popular of their ballad-type material.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH was joined by IN THIS MOMENT singer Maria Brink for a performance of the song "The Bleeding" at the Rock Allegiance festival on October 7 at the BB&T Pavilion in Camden, New Jersey. Fan-filmed video footage of her appearance can be seen below.

In introducing Maria to the crowd, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH singer Ivan Moody said: "Through the years, I got to know somebody on a whole different level, personal. A very, very close friend of mine and one of the most beautiful in the entire fucking metal world: the madam of mayhem… if you will, Maria Brink from IN THIS MOMENT."

As previously reported, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has already completed its seventh studio effort and is still waiting to get a release date for it, nearly one year after the disc was finished.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Zoltan Bathory gave The Pulse Of Radio an update on where the new album is at. "I think we have about eighteen songs, nineteen songs on deck and right now we are… You know, we will figure out if a greatest-hits [collection] comes first or the record comes first. But we have a lot of songs and there are a couple of massive ones that I'm really proud of, that I know that they will touch a lot of people."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Jason Hook told Detroit radio station WRIF that the set turned out "killer," adding, "Some of the stuff will be right in line with what people want and expect from the band, and then some of it, again, we took some chances, tried to branch out a little bit to see if it would work, and some of that stuff wound up on the record."

The band delivered the new LP to its current label, Prospect Park, several months ago, but a legal battle with the company has delayed its arrival.

The band filed a lawsuit against Prospect Park in April, asking a judge to release them from their contract and order the company to pay over a million dollars in damages.

The label sued FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH in 2016 for breach of contract, alleging that the group wanted to rush the recording of a new album. The band signed a new North American recording deal with Rise Records last year.

The group has also dealt with Moody's struggles with substance abuse, which forced him to miss a number of shows last year and this past spring.

The classic self-titled debut album from the New York metal band HITTMAN will be reissued via No Remorse Records on October 31, 2017, on the eve of the thirtieth anniversary of the record's original release in 1988. Also included as bonus material will be the original 1985 HITTMAN demo, remixed and remastered faithfully to the original, making this the first time it will have been released officially in the digital medium — a real treat for fans who have most likely only have heard it as a copied cassette, widely traded through the metal tape trading underground, often duplicated many generations, with tons of tape hiss, and degraded audio quality. The release will boast cleaner, more vivid re-imagined cover art (yet still a hundred percent faithful to the original) and will be accompanied by a generous booklet of twenty-four pages containing never-seen photos, articles and other anecdotes, as well as liner notes by the underground press's first real champion of the band, Kerrang! and Metal Forces journalist Dave Reynolds. Dave took to the band early on, and was always an ardent supporter. HITTMAN is also working on new material for a 2018 album, slated for official release at the the Keep It True festival in Lauda-Königshofen, Germany, where the band will perform its official reunion show, including all four surviving original members: Dirk Kennedy (vocals), Jim Bacchi (previously known as Bachi; guitar), Chuck Khoury (previously known as Kory; drums) and John Inglima (previously known as Kristen; guitars).

HITTMAN bassist Mike Buccellato (previously known as Buccell) passed away tragically in 2013 and the band, still a tight-knit family, decided to reunite, partially, to pay tribute to his honor, but also to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the release of "Hittman". The album (and demo), still coveted by many fans of traditional, classic and power metal, has been kept alive by unofficial bootlegs, and social media, and the band decided now was time to do an official re-release and present the best possible result.


Posted by Hittman on Monday, May 8, 2017

Capital Chaos TV has uploaded video footage of EXODUS's October 6 performance at the Ace Of Spades in Sacramento, California. Check it out below.

Although it was originally reported that EXODUS would go into the studio in October to begin recording the new effort, it now appears that fans will have to wait a bit longer to hear new music from the legendary San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal group. "[We're] probably gonna have to put it off," drummer Tom Hunting admitted to Metal Wani. "This ['Battle Of The Bays' North American] tour [with OBITUARY] kind of set back the writing process a little bit. But we're chugging along. We're not gonna rush anything. We just want it to be good. We don't care when it's done, just that it's good."

Tom said that he loves the process of making new albums. "It's like building the perfect sandwich," he explained. "And the drums are the bread that holds it together. The riffs are the meat."

Asked if the writing process has changed at all now that singer Steve "Zetro" Souza is back in the band and is available to contribute, Hunting said: "Not too much. It usually starts… We've been doing it a while now, but it usually starts with a riff, and then guitars and drums jam together and everything else comes later. So that's kind of how we layer it in terms of creating the stuff.

"Some songs are crazy; they take forever," he continued. "Like, I'll be working with Lee [Altus, guitar] one day and we can't even get fifty-eight seconds worth of shit. And then the next day Gary [Holt, guitar] comes over and we jam and we have the makings of a whole song in, like, five minutes."

"Blood In Blood Out" was notable for featuring a guest appearance by former EXODUS guitarist Kirk Hammett, who left the band in 1983 to join METALLICA. Asked if the upcoming EXODUS disc could include another collaboration with Hammett, Hunting said: "We'll bring Kirk back, if he wants to come in and do a solo, for sure. And there might be a Rick Hunolt [former EXODUS guitarist] sighting on the new record too; you never know.

"At this point, we feel like it's good to celebrate the history of the band and all the important people that have been in the band along the way," Tom explained.

"Blood In Blood Out" was EXODUS's first album since the departure of the group's lead singer of nine years, Rob Dukes, and the return of Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

Holt spoke in a recent interview about the musical direction of EXODUS's next disc. He said: "Of the stuff I've written so far, I think the songs are shorter, but I think they're also at the same time more progressive than the last album. It's a little outside the box. It's really super crushing, but I think people will be surprised."

He added: "It's an EXODUS album, but as of now, the stuff Tom and I have been putting together is a bit different. It's got those subtle changes that make for a departure, but it will still stay true to the core of the band's sound."

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

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

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

"I'm still very proud of this album; it has turned our lives upside down," the vocalist sums up, and is equally proud of the extensive re-release of the cult album, which will be madea available on December 1. The re-release includes the completely remastered version of "Glory To The Brave", a radio edit of the legendary title track as well as the great cover version of the STORMWITCH classic "Ravenlord". The bonus CD will include six live versions of "The Metal Age", "Steel Meets Steel", "Stone Cold", "Glory To The Brave", "Hammerfall" and "The Dragon Lies Bleeding", as well as a medley from numerous tracks off of their first-class debut album, which was recorded live this year at a show in Berlin. In addition to this, the double CD will also be enhanced by a bonus DVD containing the first chapters of their "The First Crusade" documentary, which was originally published on VHS, as well as four new, historically edited interview chapters plus a live recording of their Dynamo Open Air show at Eindhoven in 1998. It will be available as a digipak in an attractive box set, including a booklet containing detailed liner notes, many photos from the private archives of the musicians as well as magazine reports, flyers, posters and much more. Besides the 2-CD/DVD, you can also purchase the audio part separately, which includes bonus tracks as a double-vinyl in various colors.

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

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

Digi, Album Tracks Remastered

CD1

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

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

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

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

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

Side A

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

Side B

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

Side C (Bonus)

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

Side D (Bonus)

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

AVENGED SEVENFOLD has announced a December 15 release date for the deluxe version of its critically acclaimed album "The Stage" (Capitol). This new edition features seven additional studio songs plus four previously unreleased live tracks recorded during the band's recent shows at The O2 arena in London. Among the seven bonus tracks is the band's stunning cover of the PINK FLOYD classic "Wish You Were Here", which was released today. Both the digital and physical deluxe versions of "The Stage" can be pre-ordered here (note: the CD and vinyl versions of the album will include a special lenticular cover). About AVENGED SEVENFOLD's version of "Wish You Were Here", lead singer M. Shadows says: "This is the song that started us down the rabbit hole with our recent cover recordings. I've always loved this song and though I felt it would be impossible to capture the somberness of the original, we approached it with another purpose. There's a poignancy to the song that seems appropriate with everything going on in the world today. We put a bit of a modern twist on it to reintroduce it at a time when it might help capture what some of us are feeling."

The deluxe edition is the latest chapter in an innovative album cycle that began twelve months ago when AVENGED SEVENFOLD "surprise-released" "The Stage", becoming the first-ever rock band to drop an unannounced album in digital and physical form. The band (vocalist M. Shadows, guitarists Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ and drummer Brooks Wackerman) announced the album's release to millions of surprised fans who had been watching their live-streamed set from the rooftop of the Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood, California. That groundbreaking event saw the quintet give a 3D/360-degree virtual reality performance that enabled fans around the globe to experience AVENGED SEVENFOLD's electrifying show as if they were there for the first-of-its-kind immersive event.

Months later, the forward-thinking band announced plans to transform "The Stage" into an evolving body of work by adding a series of new tracks over the course of several months.

Those songs — which began with a scintillating rendition of Mexican folk song "Malagueña Salerosa" —have been previously unavailable for purchase, but fan demand for the tracks brings the album to its current stage as a deluxe release.

In addition to the album's original eleven tracks, the deluxe version features A7X's reimagining of MR. BUNGLE's "Retrovertigo", original track "Dose", a cover of Del Shannon's 1961 No. 1 hit "Runaway" (featuring a guest appearance by VANDALS guitarist Warren Fitzgerald and lead vocals by AVENGED SEVENFOLD guitarist Zacky Vengeance), the band's version of the BEACH BOYS' 1966 hit "God Only Knows" and most recently, their rendition of THE ROLLING STONES' "As Tears Go By". The four concert recordings included on the album are title track "The Stage", "Paradigm", "Sunny Disposition" and "God Damn". Tickets also go on sale today for AVENGED SEVENFOLD's 2018 North American arena headlining tour, set to kick off January 12 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville with special guests BREAKING BENJAMIN and BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE. The band has partnered with CID Entertainment to offer VIP Tour Experiences, including access to a VIP-only viewing area, an official signed show setlist, an invitation to the pre-show lounge featuring AVENGED SEVENFOLD memorabilia and an exclusive A7X tour book including never-before-seen photos. The tour will be North America's introduction to the electrifying "Stage" spectacle that drew rave reviews in Europe. After the recent 02 Arena shows, the London Evening Standard lauded AVENGED SEVENFOLD as "a global phenomenon" and wrote that the band "specialized in preposterous fun," calling the show "royally entertaining." The Guardian ran a four-star review of the show in Glasgow, writing, "Underneath retina-scorching screens and giant cosmic cube broadcasting spiraling starfields, the five-piece methodically discharge booming, arena-filling songs…these industrial assemblages of growing riffs and fret-melting solos have a default minor-key menace, yet the overall atmosphere is surprisingly joyous." But Kerrang! best summed up AVENGED SEVENFOLD's new live show: "You've never seen anything like it." Photo credit: Jeff Forney

British heavy metal legends SAXON have completed mixing their new album, "Thunderbolt", for a tentative late January release. Singer Biff Byford told Canada's The Metal Voice on October 4 (see video below): "Andy [Sneap, producer] finished mixing it yesterday. The artwork's ready. I'm just doing all the credits now for the album, besides my job as executive producer."

Asked what the new disc will sound like, Byford said: "Pretty much the same as [2015's] 'Battering Ram' and [2013's] 'Sacrifice'. It's not gonna change drastically."

"Thunderbolt" will feature the song "They Played Rock And Roll", written about and dedicated to MOTÖRHEAD. Byford previously said that he gave the track that title because "that's what Lemmy used to say every night [from the stage]." He added: "It's basically about early MOTÖRHEAD — '79/'80 MOTÖRHEAD, like around 'No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith', 'cause that's the tour we were on, that one. So, yeah, it's about the band, really, and their music."

According to Biff, "They Played Rock And Roll" will be musically similar to Lemmy and Co. He explained: "I asked Nibbs [Carter, SAXON bassist] to write me some music that was like MOTÖRHEAD, and he did. So it sounds very MOTÖRHEAD-ish, but not MOTÖRHEAD, if you know what I mean."

Regarding the "Thunderbolt" album title, Byford said: "'Thunderbolt' is about Greek gods, so I read up on Greek mythology. There's not really that much. Homer had some writings… I made most of it up, but it's based on Zeus and Poseidon and Hades, so it's got a bit of good and a bit of evil in it, so it's pretty cool. Obviously Zeus's sign was a thunderbolt and his sign was an eagle holding a lightning bolt."

Like "Battering Ram", SAXON's upcoming effort will feature Byford alongside Paul Quinn and Doug Scarratt on guitar, Nibbs Carter on bass and Nigel Glockler on drums.

Los Angeles-based alternative rock band DOROTHY has released a live version of its single "Down To The Bottom", recorded in-studio in one take. This live version offers a raw, intimate spin on the hard-hitting single. In the video, fans get to see "Down To The Bottom" showcased in real time from an in-studio performance; experiencing a band connecting sonically, emotionally and creatively. Lead vocalist Dorothy stated: "The band and I had a good time shooting 'Down To The Bottom Live' at Linda Perry's studio with Kii Arens and Kristin Burns.

"I'm excited to share our daily habitat with our fans. They get an inside look as to how this next record is being made.

"We went with an old-school approach, just like how THE STONES would. It feels organic, and it feels right." "Pretty much every album you ever heard between the birth of Christ and the '80s was recorded live," added Linda Perry. "We overdubbed background vocals and a Moog. It doesn't get any more live than this. The only thing missing was DOROTHY's fans rocking out in the audience. Oh, and we filmed this awesome moment with an iPhone."

"Down To The Bottom" was produced by Linda Perry, who also manages the band with her partner Kerry Brown through We Are Hear, an artist-empowering record label, publishing, and management company. The single was co-written by Dorothy Martin, Mark Jackson, Ian Scott and Linda Perry. The video is presented by Roc Nation and produced by We Are Hear.

DOROTHY was built around Dorothy Martin, a singer who was born in Budapest but raised in San Diego. As a child, she started singing early and eventually made her way to Los Angeles. Her latest EP earned attention from LA Weekly and Rolling Stone — the latter named DOROTHY one of the best 50 Best New Artists of 2014. All the chatter was enough to earn the attention of Jay-Z's Roc Nation, which signed Dorothy in 2015. She recently put together a new high-level and powerful band, including guitarist Nick Maybury, guitarist Leroy Wulfmeier, bassist Eliot Lorango and drummer Jason Ganberg.

"Freedom - Rio", a song from VUUR, the new band featuring renowned Dutch vocalist Anneke Van Giersbergen, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the group's debut album, "In This Moment We Are Free – Cities", which will be released on October 20 via InsideOut Music. The disc was produced by Joost Van Den Broek, who was also involved in the writing process. Other co-writing partners are Mark Holcomb (PERIPHERY), Esa Holopainen (AMORPHIS), Daniel Cardoso (ANATHEMA), and both of VUUR's guitar players wrote a song as well. Anneke co-wrote "Freedom - Rio" with Holcomb and Joost Van Den Broek.

The album will be available on special edition CD digipak, gatefold 2LP + CD (including etching on side D) and digital download.

Regarding "In This Moment We Are Free – Cities", Anneke said: "The cover is designed by Black & Finch, with whom I've previously worked on the 'Verloren Verleden' release.

"The lyrical themes of this album revolve around cities and freedom. Exposure to big cities can be overwhelming and you can feel engulfed by everything around you. At the same time it's easy to be a stranger in a big city and for me that brings out a feeling of freedom as well. This past year I've thought a lot about the virtues of rural versus urban life, since me and my family are moving back to the city. It's very exciting, but at the same time I know that sense of urban solitude from past experiences. The cover artwork represents this duality."

"In This Moment We Are Free – Cities" track listing:

01. My Champion - Berlin02. Time - Rotterdam03. The Martyr And The Saint - Beirut04. The Fire - San Francisco05. Freedom - Rio06. Days Go By - London07. Sail Away - Santiago08. Valley Of Diamonds - Mexico City09. Your Glorious Light Will Shine - Helsinki10. Save Me - Istanbul11. Reunite! - Paris

In early 2016, Anneke decided for the sake of clarity to narrow her musical focus, choosing to go in a folk acoustic direction as a solo artist and in a heavy progressive metal direction as a band vocalist. The name VUUR — translated from Dutch as "fire", which can also be interpreted to mean "passion" or "drive" — was chosen as a moniker to represent Anneke's metal side, with the idea that when fans buy a ticket with the VUUR name on it they will be getting her heavy progressive music, while an Anneke Van Giersbergen show will be entirely different.

"It's like I'm searching for contradictions," Anneke said of splitting her focus in two. "I want the heavy to be really heavy, and the soft acoustic stuff that I can do can be almost silent and inward. I'm trying to find those outer limits. I'm still writing and collaborating with different people, so VUUR's style is still kind of different from THE GATHERING and THE GENTLE STORM. You could say VUUR's music has the melancholy of THE GATHERING and lots of elements from THE GENTLE STORM, but it's a bit darker with fewer folk elements. It's still melodic and warm, but heavy."

The band shares some members with THE GENTLE STORM live band, and you can find the full lineup below:

* Anneke Van Giersbergen (ex-THE GATHERING) - lead vocals* Ed Warby (HAIL OF BULLETS, AYREON, ex-GOREFEST) - Drums* Jord Otto (MY PROPANE, ex-REVAMP) - Guitar* Ferry Duijsens - Guitar* Johan Van Stratum (STREAM OF PASSION) - Bass

Anneke commented: "The band has a different name, because the music will be slightly different from THE GENTLE STORM, but most band members are still involved and the music will be heavy too, so in that perspective not a lot will change, especially in the live situation. I think people will really embrace VUUR as a live band because there are nothing but stars in this band. [Laughs] They're some of the best heavy metal players in Holland so I didn't want to let them go."

VUUR began playing live this summer and has also been confirmed as main support to EPICA in late 2017. The band also recently announced they will team up with SCAR SYMMETRY for a short co-headline tour in December. Opening act for these exclusive shows will be MY PROPANE.

Former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen is bringing the festive season early with the release of her brand new Christmas album, "From Spirits And Ghosts (Score For A Dark Christmas)", on November 17.

The album includes eleven Christmas classics and brings them to a never-before-seen level, uniquely blending Tarja's classically trained voice with darker gothic influences.

Utilizing the sound of a grand orchestra, the successful Finnish solo artist puts a sinister spin on traditional songs like "O Tannenbaum", "We Wish You A Merry Christmas" and "Feliz Navidad", reminding the listener of a dark movie score.

Besides covering classic carols, "From Spirits And Ghosts" features a twelfth track, the brand new original song "Together". This song is aligned with the dark sound of the album and embodies the theme of ghosts and mysticism throughout, in a brilliant, Tarja-styled manner. "Producing a dark Christmas album in the middle of the summer is a very interesting process, especially if you are doing it by the turquoise Caribbean Sea," Tarja said. "It's significantly different from the snowy Christmas that I am used to in my home country Finland — another proof that the darkness comes from deep within.

"On this album, I explored the other side of Christmas — the Christmas of the lonely people and the missing ones, the Christmas for those that do not find joy in the blinking lights and the jingle bells." "From Spirits And Ghosts (Score For A Dark Christmas)" will be released on November 17 on earMUSIC as 1CD digipak, 1LP Gatefold (180g, black) and digital. There will also be a wide variety of exclusive, limited fan items and bundles. The album is produced by Tarja, the American Emmy Award-winning film score composer Jim Dooley and British producer Tim Palmer, known for his work with PEARL JAM, U2, David Bowie, Lang Lang and THE CURE, among others, who also mixed the album at 62' Studio in Texas. The album was mastered at Sterling Sound in New York City. "From Spirits And Ghosts (Score For A Dark Christmas)" track listing:

01. O Come, O Come, Emmanuel02. Together03. We Three Kings04. Deck The Halls05. Pie Jesu06. Amazing Grace07. O Tannenbaum08. Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas09. God Rest Ye10. Feliz Navidad11. What Child Is This12. We Wish You A Merry Christmas

The official video for the disc's first single, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel", can be seen below.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Following the arrival of "Crooked Teeth", which scored them their fourth consecutive Top 20 entry in the U.K., California rockers PAPA ROACH are celebrating their most successful album for years with the release of their rip-roaring live session on Daniel P. Carter's BBC Radio 1's "Rock Show" earlier this year via Spotify. Recorded at BBC Maida Vale Studios, and then broadcast on BBC Radio 1 and subsequently available on demand on BBC iPlayer, the "Live At BBC Radio 1" EP contains the tracks "Born For Greatness", "Periscope", "American Dreams" and their generation-defining track "Last Resort".

PAPA ROACH's official video for "Periscope", the moody ballad featuring singer/songwriter Skylar Grey, has already racked up over three million views and ten million streams. It has been embraced by Radio 2, 6music, Virgin (where it was Record of The Week), Planet Rock (B List) and A list Kerrang (A list). The video was directed by the award-winning Uprising Creative (Rihanna, Justin Timberlake, Big Sean, Lil Jon) who cited the inspiration for the video was "to create a moody, different look for the band using a stylistic light exploration." PAPA ROACH's track "Help", which was initially premiered by Radio 1's Daniel P. Carter as his "Rockest Record", has taken on a life of its own, proving to be the biggest success for the band in the past fifteen years, with over twelve million YouTube views and twenty-five million streams. "Crooked Teeth" has accumulated over eighty million Spotify streams since its release.

PAPA ROACH is back touring the U.K. for the first time in two years starting on October 5 in Birmingham. Singer Jacoby Shaddix said: "We’re really excited to get back to the U.K. after such a long time. Every time we play, the audience keeps getting bigger and more passionate each time. We can't wait to play this new music live." PAPA ROACH's last visit to the UK saw them celebrate the fifteenth anniversary of the album "Infest" by playing it in full to a crammed London's Roundhouse.

HELLYEAH will release a "deluxe" edution of its latest album, "Unden!able", on October 27 via Eleven Seven Music as a CD/DVD Best Buy exclusive and CD and live audio digital deluxe. The physical package contains the fan-shot live concert DVD, "We're All In This Together". The digital package contains the live audio from the DVD.

"Unden!able" features three Top 10 U.S. Active Rock singles, including "Human", "I Don't Care Anymore" and "Love Falls" — currently at its highest position at No. 7.

Featuring footage from HELLYEAH's Australian leg of the 2015 "Blood For Blood" world tour captured by the band's fans, "We're All In This Together" also features frank on-camera discussions with HELLYEAH founder Chad Gray discussing the heavy metal lifestyle and their history within the heavy metal community.

"Moth" live audio from "We're All In This Together" is out today exclusively via Spotify and Apple Music.

"Unden!able" was released on June 3, 2016 via Eleven Seven Music. The disc marked the first time HELLYEAH's current lineup — singer Chad Gray, guitarists Tom Maxwell and Christian Brady, drummer Vinnie Paul and bassist Kyle Sanders — recorded together as a unit.

Maxwell recently confirmed that HELLYEAH will once again work with producer Kevin Churko, who helmed "Unden!able" and 2014's "Blood For Blood" record. "Yes, I hope so, yes," the guitarist said. "I don't wanna work with anybody else. [He's] kind of like the sixth member.

"For me, producers… It's a loosely thrown around word," he continued. "In my opinion, most producers are just glorified engineers. They know how to do good sounds, but a good producer, to me, is a composer who can bring ideas, who can help you re-write your song five or six different ways. And that's a good thing to have. I welcome feedback, and I welcome other ideas. It just inspires me. You might not like it, you might like it; you've just gotta try it and see if it works.

"So, yeah, the next record, I'm sure we're gonna be back in the studio with Kevin and it's gonna be just like what we're doing now — moving forward, [recording the] same heavy [kind of stuff]. Up and down, and giving people a journey."

REVOLUTION SAINTS, the band featuring Deen Castronovo (JOURNEY, BAD ENGLISH), Doug Aldrich (THE DEAD DAISIES, WHITESNAKE, DIO), and Jack Blades (NIGHT RANGER, DAMN YANKEES), will release its second album, "Light In The Dark", on October 13 via Frontiers Music Srl.

The official video for the song "Take You Down" can be seen below. "Light In The Dark" will be available on CD, CD/DVD deluxe edition (includes live bonus tracks on the CD and on the DVD, footage from the band's first-ever live performance captured at Frontiers Rock Festival in Milan this past April, a "making-of" mini-documentary, and music videos for "Light In The Dark" and "I Wouldn't Change A Thing"), vinyl, and as a special limited-edition box set (includes the deluxe edition CD/DVD, 180-gram vinyl, T-shirt [size L], poster, lithograph and sticker). For "Light In The Dark", REVOLUTION SAINTS once again teamed up with producer/songwriter Alessandro Del Vecchio (HARDLINE, JORN), who was also behind the boards for the band's debut album. Most of "Light In The Dark" was recorded at Del Vecchio's studios in Somma Lombardo, Italy, with additional recording taking place at Blades's studio in Washington, Aldrich's CasaDala studio in Los Angeles, and other countries all over the world while Aldrich was on tour with THE DEAD DAISIES. "This is a fun band!" exclaims Blades. "I think the fans are going to pick up on the excitement and the sheer musical enjoyment we are having. It was great going to Italy to get the album started and film the videos, and the music speaks for itself." "'Light In The Dark' is such a great song," says Castronovo. "It was the first one we recorded. We ran through it a few times and nailed it in the first couple takes.

"We're so excited for everyone to hear this record. We're very happy with what we came up with and can't wait to bring it to everyone live." As Aldrich proclaims: "I'm very excited about REVOLUTION SAINTS' second record! First, I want to say that it's because of huge support from the fans that RS2 happened. Thank you. If you liked #1, I think you'll love this one even more. It's stronger, and a bit heavier in some spots. We tried a few new things and we can't wait for our fans to hear it! There's a very good chance we'll finally get to play live and we're currently exploring the possibilities of a tour. For now, get ready, because the album kicks ass and it's comin' at you real soon!" REVOLUTION SAINTS was born from the vision of Frontiers' president, Serafino Perugino, who for years had hoped to work on a project highlighting Castronovo's amazing vocal abilities. Having previously worked with all three artists on different projects on Frontiers, having Deen, Jack and Doug on board together was a dream come true for Perugino. This time, with one album already under their belt, REVOLUTION SAINTS entered the studio to record the new album more familiar with one another and a clear understanding of where they wanted this to go. As with the first album, Castronovo's superb vocal talents are in the spotlight on this release and deservedly so. Pretty impressive for a man who is most widely known for his incredible drumming talents. Blades really needs no introduction at this point, but for those who have been living under a rock, his bass and vocal talents are well documented over the years through his work with NIGHT RANGER, DAMN YANKEES, SHAW/BLADES, and more. And, of course, a major feature is the fiery and intense playing from former WHITESNAKE and DIO guitarist Doug Aldrich, whose blistering guitar fretwork is on full display here. "Light In The Dark" builds off the classic melodic rock style of the debut, but fans should prepare for a somehow even more inspired set and a few (pleasant) surprises. Inspiring, uplifting, emotionally powerful, and thoughtful, this album will be the soundtrack to many a moment in your life. "Light In The Dark" track listing: 01. Light In The Dark02. Freedom03. Ride On04. I Wouldn't Change A Thing05. Don's Surrender06. Take You Down07. The Storm Inside08. Can't Run Away From Love09. Running On The Edge10. Another Chance11. Falling Apart12. Back On My Trail (live, bonus track on deluxe edition only)13. Turn Back Time (live, bonus track on deluxe edition only)14. Here Forever (live, bonus track on deluxe edition only)15. Locked Out Of Paradise (live, bonus track on deluxe edition only) Bonus DVD contents: * REVOLUTION SAINTS live at Frontiers Rock Festival ("Back On My Trail," "Turn Back Time," "Here Forever," "Locked Out Of Paradise")* Making of "Light In The Dark" (documentary)* "Light In The Dark" (song video)* "I Wouldn't Change A Thing" (song video)

Columbus, Ohio metalcore giants LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES will release their new album, "Dark Divine", on November 3 via longtime label Rise Records. The follow-up to 2015's "The Dying Things We Live For" was produced by Erik Ron at Grey Area Studios and mixed by Caleb Shomo (BEARTOOTH).

The "Dark Divine" title track can now be streamed below.

"We are excited to share the title track from the record," said LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES vocalist Chris Roetter said. "I think this is one of the songs that combines most of the new things we tried to do with the album. We wanted to keep certain elements that felt reminiscent of our old material while still exploring a healthy balance of new ideas. I think 'Dark Divine' does a great job at combining both."

"Dark Divine" track listing:

01. New Plagues02. Nowhere Left To Sink03. Shallow Truths For Shallow Minds04. Dark Divine05. Empty The Same06. From The Dust Returned07. Even God Has A Hell08. Mischief Managed09. Instinctive Intuition10. The Skeletons I Keep11. False Idol

LIKE MOTHS TO FLAMES is:

Chris Roetter - Vocals Jeremy Smith - GuitarZach Pishney - GuitarAaron Evans - Bass Greg Diamond - Drums

"The River's Mouth", the new video from Norwegian progressive black avantgardists ENSLAVED, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's upcoming album, "E", which will be released on October 13 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2015's "In Times" was recorded at Duper & Solslottet Studios in Bergen and was once again mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden.

ENSLAVED songwriter and guitarist Ivar Bjørnson stated about "The River's Mouth" clip, which was once again created by Josh Graham (SOUNDGARDEN, NEUROSIS): "'The River's Mouth' is a quite heavy track, drawing both on our rock roots and of course the foundation of everything awesome: mid-'80s, mid-paced BATHORY. It also includes some odd space-rock in the choruses and the end part — finally BATHORY and HAWKWIND met.

"I like the energy of this song a lot — both Cato and new-kid-on-the-chopping-block Håkon is doing such a great job with the psychedelic parts, the chorus and the ending. What a drive! The end sounds like travelling at insane speed through wormholes.

"The theme here is your relationship with the 'future,' as we describe it: The sensation of time moving along is a construction of our brains — physics claims all time to already have been 'rolled out'; try wrapping our brains around that one! So the future would be, speaking in tabloid; a piece of land we just haven’t arrived at yet. But it is already here. The song is about acting in tandem with your future self which already arrived at this 'future island' — do not sit and wait, make sure you lay the ground for what is to happen in the future, now!"

"E" track listing

01. Storm Son02. The River's Mouth03. Sacred Horse04. Axis Of The Worlds05. Feathers Of Eolh06. Hiindsiight07. Djupet (bonus track)08. What Else Is There? (RÖYKSOPP cover; bonus track)

Ivar explains the "E" title: "The concept of the album lies in both its meaning as a letter in the latin alphabet and its runic reference: the rune 'Ehwaz', that is depicted as an 'M' when drawn as rune (just to make sure it gets really confusing) — the runes are drawn to look like what they literally mean. Ehwaz (pronounced and used as what's known as E, but drawn as an 'M') looks like and means 'horse.' Which is closely linked to its esoteric meaning; which is 'trust' and 'co-operation.' One of mankind's oldest and deepest pairings/collaborations with any 'outside' entities is with the horse. When they were first tamed and utilized, there must have arisen the notion of some esoteric link between the two; now we could move swiftly, escape faster and even eat and drink from the animal (both horse milk and horse blood), and of course show off and brag before our enemies and peers with the most spectacular horses.

"So, no, it is not about horses! It is about the symbioses that surrounds us; which are vital to our existence, to our development — on all scales: man and vessel (for instance horse, yes), a person and its significant other, child and parent, musician and instrument, chaos and order, subconscious and conscious, Oden and Sleipnir — wisdom and communication. There are many levels and variations of this concept on the album; the duality of man and nature, present and past personalities within one self, the conscious fear and the subconscious drive. And other symbiosis."

Almost five decades ago, the toll of a bell and rolling thunder marked the conception of an ear splittingly monolithic riff. In that moment, BLACK SABBATH and the sound of heavy metal were forged. The band embarked on what vocalist Ozzy Osbourne describes as the most incredible adventure you could think of, a journey that would go on to define a genre.

"The End" is a celebration of BLACK SABBATH's final hometown concert at Birmingham's Genting Arena on February 4, 2017. This unforgettable farewell show from one of the biggest bands in the world will be released by Eagle Vision on November 17, 2017.

With a hit-packed set list including "Iron Man", "Paranoid", "War Pigs" and many more, the high production values, visual effects, and pyrotechnics wowed fans, as the band delivered the most emotionally charged show in their history.

All visual formats feature special bonus material of the band playing a selection of their favorite songs not played on tour. These intimate live sessions at Angelic Studios were recorded in the days after their final live performance.

"The End" captures a once-in-a-career performance, an essential snapshot of musical history, and a fitting farewell to true innovators and original heavy metal icons, BLACK SABBATH.

Track listing:

Live at Birmingham's Genting Arena on February 4, 2017

01. Black Sabbath02. Fairies Wear Boots03. Under The Sun / Every Day Comes And Goes04. After Forever05. Into The Void06. Snowblind07. Band Intros08. War Pigs09. Behind The Wall Of Sleep10. Bassically / N.I.B.11. Hand Of Doom12. Supernaut / Sabbath Bloody Sabbath / Megalomania13. Rat Salad / Drum Solo14. Iron Man15. Dirty Women16. Children Of The Grave17. Paranoid

The Angelic Sessions

01. The Wizard02. Wicked World03. Sweet Leaf04. Tomorrow's Dream05. Changes

Pre-orders are available now via PledgeMusic, where exclusive bundles, such as the deluxe box set, can be found.

Ozzy told The Pulse Of Radio not long ago that he's glad that SABBATH has come full circle. "BLACK SABBATH has been through the mill over the years, but to come back and be friends with my buddies who I started off with all those years ago, it's a closure for me, a chapter of my life which I can say, 'Well, we came, we saw, we had a good time and now it's over,'" he said. "I'm glad we ended up happy. Whatever axes we had to grind between us over the years, we got rid of all that and we're friends again."

Guitarist Tony Iommi said that he wouldn't rule out the possibility of doing one-off shows or even more recording, saying, "I wouldn't write that off, if one day that came about. That's possible. Or even doing an album, 'cause then, again, you're in one place."

The band decided to make this tour its last because Iommi, who was diagnosed with cancer in 2012 and is currently in remission, can no longer travel for extended amounts of time.

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

They regrouped again in late 2011 for a new album and tour, although Ward dropped out after a few months over financial issues. SABBATH has used Ozzy's regular touring drummer Tommy Clufetos since then for live work. RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Brad Wilk laid down the drum tracks on the album "13", which came out in June 2013.

Iommi and Butler haven't announced any specific post-SABBATH plans yet, but Osbourne is reportedly at work on a new album, and already played a few solo shows this summer.

"Piles Of Little Arms", a brand new song from death metal veterans MORBID ANGEL, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "Kingdoms Disdained", which will be released on December 1 via UDR Music. Recorded at Mana Recording in St. Petersburg, Florida with producer — and former MORBID ANGEL guitarist — Erik Rutan, the LP marks the band's first release with drummer Scott Fuller (ANNIHILATED, ex-ABYSMAL DAWN) who joined MORBID ANGEL last year following the departure of Tim Yeung. It is also be MORBID ANGEL's first album to feature bassist/vocalist Steve Tucker since 2003's "Heretic".

"Kingdoms Disdained" will include the song "Warped", which MORBID ANGEL performed live on its recent U.S. tour.

Tucker, who is back for his third spell with the group, told "The Metal Magdalene With Jet" show about MORBID ANGEL's approach on the upcoming album: "It was really just about writing music — it was just about writing a MORBID ANGEL album. Nobody said, 'Hey, we wanna go in this direction,' nobody said anything. I mean, there's obvious things there. I've said it before — I'm a death metal guy, so, for me, it's gonna be a death metal album; if I'm on it, it's death metal. So it was just about making a MORBID ANGEL album. It was really about coming in with something new, something fresh, but yet it still being MORBID ANGEL. Really, honestly, we didn't approach this any differently than any of the other albums I was involved in except for maybe [1998's] 'Formulas Fatal To The Flesh', which 'Formulas', Trey [Azagthoth, guitar] wrote all the music, all the lyrics and things like that. But this was done more similar to maybe [2000's] 'Gateways To Annihilation', where everybody had their contribution. Trey wrote a bunch of songs, I wrote songs, Scotty contributed some ideas. There was a lot of back-and-forth. In the end, it has to become a MORBID ANGEL song. And at this point, I feel that it's very much a MORBID ANGEL album."

MORBID ANGEL in January announced the addition of Dan Vadim Von (guitarist/frontman of the American death metal band VADIMVON) to the band's lineup on second guitar. He joined the group as the replacement for Norwegian guitarist Destructhor (a.k.a. Thor Anders Myhren), who left the band two years ago.

Former MORBID ANGEL frontman David Vincent recently joined forces with several other musicians — including Yeung (drums) — to perform classic MORBID ANGEL songs under the I AM MORBID banner.

MORBID ANGEL's controversial 2011 album, "Illud Divinum Insanus", marked the group's first CD to feature Vincent since "Domination".

A 360-degee animated video for "Hegemony", the title track of the tenth album from Swiss industrial black metal pioneers SAMAEL, can be seen bellow. The disc will be issued on October 13 via Napalm Records. The band comments: "This is our grand overture... We choose to open the album with this song because we thought it sets the tone; square rhythm, martial beat, massive guitar riffs, intricate keyboards arrangements, powerful orchestration all that meshed with aggressive and relentless vocal lines... This is our 'Hegemony'... enjoy!"

"Hegemony" track listing:

01. Hegemony02. Samael03. Angel Of Wrath04. Rite Of Renewal05. Red Planet06. Black Supremacy07. Murder Or Suicide08. This World09. Against All Enemies10. Land Of The Living11. Dictate Of Transparency12. Helter Skelter13. Storm Of Fire (bonus track)

The band states: "The creative process that led to the completion of 'Hegemony' took over four years. Throughout that time, we lived with and saw each song growing into what they finally became.

"'Hegemony' is an album that acknowledges the world we're living in, and emphasized on the effort to take control of that world. It's all about change and evolution. It's a strong statement, a testament of our time and a call for revolution."

SAMAEL frontman Vorph (real name: Michael Locher) told Invicta Magazine about "Hegemony": "It is quintessential b>SAMAEL as it has all the elements that make our sound what it is. It was not something we planned; it came naturally. Our producer, Waldemar Sorychta, came back to Switzerland and coach me during the recording of the vocals. The last time he did that was for the recording of 'Passage' twenty years ago."

Regarding the overall musical direction of "Hegemony", Vorph said: "I think it's kind of wide [sounding]. There's faster songs… probably 'Angel Of Wrath' is one of the heaviest. We have more mid-tempo songs. We try to have variation. I hope it is a varied album."

Founded in 1987 as an old-school black metal act that was influenced by the likes of BATHORY, fellow countrymen CELTIC FROST and VENOM, the brothers Vorph and Xy later developed the band's style further towards a more industrial dark metal sound that found its previous high peak in those legendary albums such as "Passage" and "Eternal".

SAMAEL is:

Vorph: Guitar, VocalsXy: Keyboards and ProgrammingMakro: Bass

GUNS N' ROSES leads the latest slate of ticket sales data reported to Billboard Boxscore with box-office grosses from fifteen shows during the summer 2017 North American leg of the band's "Not In This Lifetime" tour.

The group added $53 million in sold ticket revenue to the trek's overall gross that is now believed to have passed the $300 million mark since its April 2016 launch.

GUNS N' ROSES' July 30 concert in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which featured DEFTONES in the support slot, was the highest-grossing show on the list, having surpassed the $5.5 million mark in ticket sales. The performance took place at the U.S. Bank Stadium that held a crowd of 48,740. Elsewhere, the August 30 concert at Edmonton, Alberta, Canada's Commonwealth Stadium held 44,393 fans with $4.8 million in sales.

Pollstar reported earlier in the year that "Not In This Lifetime" tour was the most popular and highest-grossing global tour of 2017.

About seventy people travel with the show in addition to the truck drivers; that number goes upwards of fie 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.

An EPK (Electronic Press Kit) for "Unified", the sophomore album from SWEET & LYNCH — the band featuring guitarist/vocalist Michael Sweet of STRYPER, legendary guitarist George Lynch (DOKKEN, LYNCH MOB), bassist James LoMenzo (MEGADETH, WHITE LION, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY) and drummer Brian Tichy (THE DEAD DAISIES, WHITESNAKE) — is available below. The disc will be released on November 10 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Says Sweet: "George and I couldn't be more excited about this album! We've worked very hard to bring you the best of both worlds — a throwback of the chart-topping STRYPER/DOKKEN days yet with a modern production that fits right in with anything out there now in the rock world today.

"We couldn't be more proud than to be working with Brian Tichy and James LoMenzo again as they are the best rhythm section you'll ever hear.

"If you liked SWEET & LYNCH I, you're going to love 'Unified'."

"Unified" track listing:

01. Promised Land02. Walk03. Afterlife04. Make Your Mark05. Tried & True06. Unified07. Find Your Way08. Heart Of Fire09. Bridge Of Broken Lies10. Better Man11. Live To Die

Michael previously said that SWEET & LYNCH was formed when Frontiers president Serafino Perugino approached him "to sing and write for what [Serafino] was referring to as a 'supergroup' project — (one of the first) that Frontiers would be putting together and releasing. I was, of course, not only intrigued by the idea but also humbled that he would ask me! Jon Levin [DOKKEN] was suggested as the possible guitarist and I suggested to Serafino getting the man himself, Mr. Scary [George Lynch] involved. Serafino was, of course, excited about the idea. Frontiers has told me how happy they are with my production on the new STRYPER albums, so I immediately suggested producing as well. Serafino also agreed. I contacted George [as soon as possible] and he quickly agreed to be a part of this exciting project. It was decided that he and I would co-write everything together and that I would produce."

Sweet, who is a devout Christian, also talked about his working relationship with George, who considers himself to be a freethinker/atheist.

"You may ask how does an atheist and a Christian work together in a band situation? The answer is respect. Although I don't agree with George's spiritual/religious views (and he doesn't agree with mine, assumedly), we respect each other as musicians, friends and human beings.

"I'm free to do many things with the hope that maybe, just maybe, my life might have a profound effect on people I come in contact with.

"I've spoken with George many times over and he always strikes me as a genuine soul and someone who cares for and loves people. Bottom line? He's a great guy and I'm proud to be a part of this with George.

"Although we don't see eye to eye in our beliefs, we respect each other enough to not let that come between us."

Lynch concurred, telling Antihero Magazine: "There could potentially be a conflict there between Michael and I, and we've talked about that. I'm sort of a freethinking atheist, and he's a born-again Christian. I've been through that in my life; I was a born-again Christian at one point. I was the guy knocking on your door handing out tracks. I played in a Pentecostal charismatic band that did revivals… tent revivals in black neighborhoods in South Central L.A. — yeah, all kinds of stuff. I definitely have something to say about all that, but I don't know how effective I am at it. I'm not RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE. I wish I was."

SWEET & LYNCH's debut album, "Only To Rise", was released in January 2015 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Swedish blackened thrash metallers WITCHERY have released the official music video for the song "Of Blackened Wing", off their upcoming album, "I Am Legion", to be released on November 10 via Century Media Records.

The clip, which was created by Martin Hultgren of Gryt Film, can be seen below.

WITCHERY guitarist Patrik Jensen stated about "Of Blackened Wing": "'Of Blackened Wing' is a song that perfectly combines both the old and new sounds of WITCHERY. It mixes the thrashing touch of old with the grittiness and rawness of new. It's one of my personal favorites on the 'I Am Legion' album and it will definitely be a part of our set for our upcoming live shows." As with the previous album, "I Am Legion" was created in the WITCHERY lineup consisting of Angus Norder (vocals), Patrik Jensen (guitar), Rickard Rimfält (lead guitar), Sharlee D'Angelo (bass) and Chris Barkensjö (drums). The disc was also produced and mixed by Daniel Bergstrand at Dugout Studios (BEHEMOTH, IN FLAMES, MESHUGGAH) and comes packaged in powerful artwork by Andreas Diaz Pettersson, which can be seen below.

Jensen commented: "The first few days after the release of 'Nosferatu' (the first single from 2016's 'In His Infernal Majesty's Service' album), I was quite taken aback. There had been so many years between the releases of 'Don't Fear The Reaper' and 'Witchkrieg' (four years) and then an additional six more years between 'Witchkrieg' and 'In His Infernal Majesty's Service' that I hardly thought anyone remembered WITCHERY anymore...

We got our shit together for 'In His Infernal Majesty's Service' in order to celebrate the band's twentieth anniversary. We wrote new songs and got a few new members so we could make the album happen and have it released in 2016. But that was the goal; to merely celebrate the band's twenty years of existence. Then, after 'Nosferatu' was released, this massive wave of appreciation started to surface. When the full album dropped in November 2016, we experienced a surge of positive feedback on the rest of the album as well. I mean, we all loved the album and knew it was good, but we were thrilled to see that also other people heard what we heard; that it was a great album and that this lineup had both the chops and riffs needed, displaying them with an enthusiasm and bravado perhaps not seen since maybe the early days of the band's existence! This feedback of positive energy set things in motion within the band.

"Remembering our promise from somewhere around the release of the 'Dead, Hot And Heavy' album that we would put out two albums a year (youthful hubris, anyone?), we thought to ourselves: 'Let's try to put out a new album within a year of the release of 'In His Infernal Majesty's Service'. Said and done.

"With 'I Am Legion' having the same lineup, the same studio (Dugout Studios) and the same producer (Danne Bergstrand) as on 'In His Infernal Majesty's Service', you just know that this will be yet another sonic fist-to-the-face riffage offering!

"We think 'In His Infernal Majesty's Service' is a great album, but we also think 'I Am Legion' takes everything up a notch or two!

"We are very excited about 'I Am Legion' and we hope this release shows that WITCHERY, albeit after 20 years of existence, isn't going to fade away. On the contrary, WITCHERY is more likely entering the most productive phase yet in the band's career!"

WITCHERY is:

Angus Norder - VocalsPatrik Jensen - GuitarRickard Rimfält - Lead GuitarSharlee D'Angelo - BassChris Barkensjö - Drums

AVENGED SEVENFOLD continues its expansion of new album "The Stage" with today's release: a cover of the PINK FLOYD classic "Wish You Were Here". You can now listen to it below.

Over the course of the past several weeks, AVENGED SEVENFOLD have been steadily adding new tracks to "The Stage" and transforming the album into an evolving body of work. They began with Mexican folk song "Malagueña Salerosa" and followed with a reimagining of MR. BUNGLE's "Retrovertigo", original track "Dose", a cover of Del Shannon's 1961 No. 1 hit "Runaway" (featuring a guest appearance by VANDALS guitarist Warren Fitzgerald and lead vocals by AVENGED SEVENFOLD guitarist Zacky Vengeance), the band's version of the BEACH BOYS' 1966 smash "God Only Knows" and the group's rendition of the 1966 THE ROLLING STONES classic "As Tears Go By".

"We love the idea of putting out music in a non-conventional way," AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows told Billboard. "We also love making albums, so this allowed us to do both. This was all put into motion when we made the original recording for 'The Stage', so it all feels cohesive; We put out 'The Stage' and let it sink in for seven months, and now we can add to that piece of work. This way, throughout the cycle you'll be able to hear new music while going back to the original album.

"The idea of turning an album into a living piece of art and adding new installations is really intriguing," he continued. "It expands the journey."

Shadows added that AVENGED SEVENFOLD took inspiration from the way hip-hop and pop artists have taken to surprise and random releases of new material, sometimes with little or no notice, and sometimes simply releasing individual songs not related to any particular album or other project.

"We told all the kids we were going to evolve the record... It was just a matter of how," Shadows said. "Obviously it works in the (pop) mainstream a little better than it does in rock 'n' roll. You look at what Kendrick Lamar or Drake are doing, or any hip-hop or pop act. Their streaming numbers are through the roof. And you look at rock, and they're just not there. But we want to get new stuff out to people. We don't have the answers to all the big questions in the music industry, but we do have control of keeping ourselves artistically satisfied, and this just seemed fun to us."

"The Stage" was released at the end of October 2016 with almost no promotion beforehand.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD has confirmed the details of an early 2018 North American headlining tour with BREAKING BENJAMIN and BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE. The trek will begin on January 12 in Nashville with shows booked so far through February 11 in Fargo, North Dakota.

Due to "illness in the band," Friday's (October 6) SCORPIONS City Council presentation at the Van Nuys City Hall has been canceled.

It was previously announced that tomorrow would be declared "Scorpions Day" in the city of Los Angeles in honor of the German hard rock veterans who amassed a string of Billboard chart toppers in the 1980s.

SCORPIONS were scheduled to be honored by the Los Angeles City Council. They were being recognized for "fifty-two years of excellence in rock 'n' roll, including making records in Los Angeles, the entertainment capital of the world," said City Councilman Jose Huizar, who authored the resolution to honor the band.

The resolution noted that the group has ties to L.A., where the band recorded three albums and has frequently performed over the years.

SCORPIONS were ranked No. 46 on VH1's "Greatest Artists Of Hard Rock" and their song "Rock You Like A Hurricane" landed at No. 18 on VH1's list of the "100 Greatest Hard Rock Songs". Celebrated across the globe, the iconic rock act has sold more than a hundred million albums worldwide, and has received multiple honors, including a World Music Award, a postage stamp in Brazil, induction into the Hollywood RockWalk, Echo honors, and a Lower-Saxony State Prize.

SCORPIONS released their nineteenth studio album, "Return To Forever", in 2015, the same year the band celebrated its fiftieth anniversary.

SCORPIONS kicked off their North American tour with MEGADETH on September 14 at Santander Arena in Reading, Pennsylvania. The sixteen-date trek, dubbed the "Crazy World Tour", celebrates SCORPIONS' 1990 LP of the same name. Two of the SCORPIONS' best-known songs, "Winds Of Change" and "Send Me An Angel", both appear on "Crazy World".

SCORPIONS have just finished recording a couple of new songs for a forthcoming compilation album that will collect the most popular of their ballad-type material.

Rob Halford says that that JUDAS PRIEST is open to reuning with longtime guitarist K.K. Downing for a one-off performance at a Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony.

PRIEST is among the first-time nominees to the Rock Hall, part of a list of nineteen potential candidates that was unveiled on Wednesday evening (October 4).

Speaking to Billboard on Thursday (October 5), Halford said that he had not had a chance to speak to other members of the band yet, but he's confident that "we're all very, very happy and we're thrilled and we're very genuinely honored by this opportunity for PRIEST and for heavy metal."

As for a possible reunion with Downing, who left PRIEST somewhat acrimoniously during 2011, Halford said: "Everything's on the table for anyone that's been associated with PRIEST in and out of the band. It's going to be an absolutely spectacular night, should we be inaugurated — so get the votes, I say."

Downing, who is a founding member of the British heavy metal legends and was part of the group since 1969, announced his retirement from PRIEST in April 2011. He has since been replaced by Richie Faulkner, who was once the guitarist in the backing group for Lauren Harris, daughter of IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris.

Downing told BlastEcho in a 2016 interview that he "would be fine" with performing with his former bandmates at the Rock Hall induction ceremony if they were to ever receive the honor. As for an official return to JUDAS PRIEST, Downing said: "Obviously, they have Richie there. MAIDEN has done the three-guitar player [thing], but I don't think there's room for an extra guitar player in PRIEST. PRIEST has always been a two-guitar band so I can't see that working. We'll have to see what happens next."

Downing went on to say that one way to guarantee his reunion with JUDAS PRIEST is to schedule a massive tour featuring of BLACK SABBATH, IRON MAIDEN and PRIEST. "It would be something I would have to be part of," he said. "Only because I'd like to see the greatest heavy-metal tour happen because it's never happened. And it's never gonna happen. Unfortunately, that chapter of history won't be there forever, which is kind of sad."

K.K. told the "Rockin' Metal Revival" Internet radio show in 2015 that he was optimistic that PRIEST would one day get inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. He said: "Well, I certainly hope so. But everything comes to us in the end, I guess and hope. As hard workers and as prolific a band as we've been, producing material and tours for so long, it was… not as though we really, really care about winning Grammys, but lots of other bands do. We're thinking, 'Why do we get pushed to the back of the queue?' So I guess the Hall Of Fame, there's still a lot of fantastic bands that have still not been let into the Hall Of Fame, but I guess that everyone's turn will come."

During a 2015 interview with Guitar International, Downing elaborated on his reasons for leaving PRIEST. He said: "I had lots and lots of reasons for not continuing, as I wasn't content with things as they were. I wasn't happy with the band's live performance. I thought it could have been better; not that the fans would notice. To me, PRIEST was always a stealth machine and that's what I liked about it. Even though you get older, you still need to be able to deliver the goods. People came a long way and paid a lot of money to see us, so you've got to make sure you still give 110 percent. I thought that should be inherent and what it should always be."

K.K. also said that he didn't think his return to PRIEST would "ever, ever happen." He explained: "Obviously I'm quite happy for Richie Faulkner to be in the band. But I really wasn't expecting to have someone who had so many familiarities as me, the looks and everything. At a glance, nothing too much has changed for the fans."

The top Rock Hall vote-getters will be announced in December and inducted on April 14 at a ceremony in Cleveland. HBO will broadcast the ceremony later in the year.

To be eligible for this year's ballot, each nominee's first single or album had to be released in 1992 or earlier.

For the sixth consecutive year, the public will have the opportunity to vote alongside the more than eight hundred artists, historians and music industry insiders of the Rock Hall voting body.

From now until December 5, fans can vote on the Rock Hall's site for the nominees they'd like to see inducted. The top five acts will comprise a "fan's ballot" that will count as one of the ballots that determine the class of 2016.

The induction ceremony this year could feature some other reunions: RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE has not performed together since 2011, and it's unknown whether reclusive frontman Zack De La Rocha would turn up for the event.

BON JOVI guitarist Richie Sambora left the group in 2013 under less-than-amicable circumstances. Jon Bon Jovi later told "Today" that he had moved on, though he insisted that he still had a special place in his heart for his former bandmate.

On November 24th, BMG release Gary Moore’s Blues And Beyond, a remarkable collection of his powerful and emotive blues studio recordings. Blues And Beyond is released on double CD, 4 LP and as a box set, which includes unreleased live recordings and the official Gary Moore biography I Can’t Wait Until Tomorrow written by Harry Shapiro.

Best known for his evocative solo hits, “Parisienne Walkways” and “Still Got The Blues” (live versions feature in this set), and his on/off membership of Thin Lizzy, Gary Moore’s solo career comprises over twenty albums. Throughout the 1980s, Gary moved up the rock hierarchy, but turned his back on what he regarded as the empty flash of metal and reverted to his heart music - the blues - where ironically he scored his biggest commercial success through his 1990s and 2000s blues albums.

As well as running his own bands, during a successful solo career, Gary mixed with the best that rock and blues could offer, playing live and on record with George Harrison, Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker, Greg Lake, BB King, Albert King, Albert Collins and many others. Gary was also the guitarist many looked up to, not just for the terrifying speed of his fretwork, but for the passion, fire and honesty in his playing.

The Blues And Beyond formats:

* 2 x CD: Bringing together the cream of Gary Moore’s blues studio recordings, this digipack format is the perfect Gary Moore blues collection.

* The 4 x LP counterpart format is housed in an awesome double gatefold “AxeWax” vinyl and features a number of Gary Moore’s blues studio recordings, most of which have never appeared on vinyl.

* The Box Set: comprises the blues studio recordings on 2 CDs plus a further 2 CDs of newly mixed and mastered live concert recordings, with two previously unheard song versions. This is the first time that this concert has been available, anywhere. Also included, is the brand new book I Can’t Wait Until Tomorrow, which offers a unique insight into the world of Gary Moore. This full length Gary Moore-authorised biography is new, unreleased and all you need to know about the man behind the guitar. For the true collector, included are a number of reproductions of ultra-rare memorabilia items including a concert ticket, album launch event invite, VIP wrist band and AAA pass. This box is the ultimate collection of Gary Moore’s blues output and documents the evolution of a legend.

Pre-order at this location.

Blues And Beyond tracklisting:

CD1
“Enough Of The Blues”
“Tell Me Woman”
“Stormy Monday”
“That's Why I Play The Blues”
“Power Of The Blues”
“Ball And Chain”
“Looking Back”
“Surrender”
“Cold Black Night”
“There's A Hole”
“Getaway Blues”
“We Want Love”
“Memory Pain”
“The Prophet”

CD2
“You Upset Me Baby”
“Bring My Baby Back”
“I Can't Quit You Baby”
“World Of Confusion”
“Picture Of The Moon”
“Can't Find My Baby”
“Drowning In Tears”
“Evil”
“My Baby (She's So Good To Me)”
“Ain't Got You”
“Just Can't Let You Go”
“How Many Lies”
“Torn Inside”
“Parisienne Walkways” (Live)

CD3 (box set only)
Blues And Beyond Live: (previously unreleased)
“Walking By Myself”
“Oh Pretty Woman”
“Need Your Love So Bad”
“Since I Met You Baby”
“Surrender”
“Cold Black Night”
“All Your Love”
“Still Got The Blues”

CD4 (box set only)
Blues And Beyond Live: (previously unreleased)
“Too Tired”
“The Sky Is Crying”
“Further On Up The Road”
“Fire”
“The Blues Is Alright”
“Enough Of The Blues” (Alternative)
“The Prophet”
 
I Can’t Wait Until Tomorrow book information (box set only):

Three years in the making, I Can’t Wait Until Tomorrow is the official Gary Moore biography written by acclaimed music writer Harry Shapiro, who was given exclusive access to Gary’s family, friends and musicians.

Spanning Gary’s five decades as a professional musician, the story begins with his early, troubled life in Belfast which he dealt with by honing his extraordinary talent in private, becoming recognised as one of the city’s best guitarists even while still at school. Leaving home at 16, the guitar prodigy began a tumultuous career first in Skid Row then, aged only 19, an abortive attempt at running his own band and then on through the Seventies switching with consummate ease between the hard rock of Thin Lizzy and the complex jazz rock of Jon Hiseman’s Colosseum II.

But even as a kid, Gary was telling his friends that he always wanted to be the frontman, never a guitar for hire. His solo career finally took off in 1979 with the chart single “Parisienne Walkways”. Throughout the 1980s, Gary moved up the rock hierarchy, but turned his back on what he regarded as the empty flash of metal and reverted to his heart music - the blues - where ironically he scored his biggest commercial success with the 1990 album, Still Got The Blues, selling over 3 million copies worldwide.

Gary never found life easy. He had demons to battle, could be his own worst enemy and made quite a few extra ones on the way. But when he suddenly died in 2011, the outpourings of admiration and grief from fellow musicians and fans around the world was heartfelt. As Harry Shapiro says “I would never have written a simpering hagiography. Hopefully this account will come across as honest as the man himself.”

Imperium is the impending new full-length from brutalizing California death metal unit The Kennedy Veil. Slated to drop on October 20th via Unique Leader Records, the eight-track offering was produced, mixed, and mastered by Zack Ohren (Animosity, Suffocation, All Shall Perish) at Castle Ultimate Productions, features guest appearances by Trevor Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder, Sven de Caluwé of Aborted, and Dickie Allen of Infant Annihilator, and comes swathed in the cover art of Robert Cook.

In advance of its release, The Kennedy Veil offers fans the official lyric video of opening crusher, "Godslaughter".

Issues the band, "The opening lyric of 'Godslaughter' simply states, 'reclaim death.' To us, it is a statement of remaining true to what the genre was built from, while still bringing our own ideas of modern death metal into the fold. From blast beats to slow, heavy parts, 'Godslaughter' has something that we think all fans of the genre can sink their teeth into."

The occult has been a construct within civilizations all over the world, varying in degree and modernity, but always present. Each individual culture derives its occultism from the dark myths that permeate within its subconscious hive mind. America as a culture - as an experiment - has been volatile since day one. Plagued by a history of genocide, slavery, and corruption, its burgeoning occult is in its fragile yet violent infancy. Imperium highlights themes of this encapsulation: That is, fear, myth, despair, and humanity's inclination toward utter corruption.

Taking influence from a purer, more ancient evil of European descent, The Kennedy Veil has incorporated symphonic, blackened themes that parallel the lyrical aesthetic. Moving one step away from the more technical side and two steps into a deeper, darker, more blackened aggression. 

Issues the band: "We are beyond excited to bring you our newest and greatest interpretation of darkness and intensity: Imperium. This album shows our maturation not only as musicians but as individuals seeking truth amongst a never before seen landscape of obfuscation and evil. These eight songs came from our hands to warn of the oncoming desolation our culture is awaiting. We give you Imperium. A new chapter in The Kennedy Veil tome. Nowhere is safe."

Imperium tracklisting:

"Godslaughter"
"Legacy Left"
"Hunted To Extinction"
"Draconian"
"Last Born"
"Flesh Of The Sun"
"Dawning Of Wrathful Deities"
"Seething Rot"

Stream "Flesh Of The Sun", featuring The Black Dahlia Murder's Trevor Strnad, via the YouTube clip below:

"The world of metal has become flooded with your quintessential 'tech' bands," says drummer Gabe Seeber. "It seems to me that many metal bands of today put so much focus on cramming as many notes as possible into songs, and playing the most difficult riffs with less focus on song structures as a whole. Without taking anything away from the obvious creativity and talent of today's generation of death metallers, we in The Kennedy Veil are aiming to harken back to a more primal and aggressive form of the genre." 

The Kennedy Veil has recruited bassist Tyler Hawkins and Monte Bernard as the new frontman moving forward, and are taking influence from a purer, more ancient evil of European descent. "Lyrically, I drew from the current culture of our nation's short but bloody history," Barnard notes. "In such a short time this political experiment has not only uncovered, but proudly enacted some of mankind's most hideous acts. This album draws from these events, highlighting a theme of universal evil hiding under the surface of all races, cultures, and peoples."

Imperium will be somewhat of a departure from the band's previous effort, Trinity Of Falsehood, taking one step away from the "technical" side and two steps into deeper, darker, more blackened aggression. Guitarist Casey Childers said of their new direction, "I feel like this album is taking us back to riffs and memorable song structures. We really focused on stepping our writing game up and worried less about over the top technicality and speed. The new album shows a lot more depth and experimentation than our previous work."

Norwegian hard rockers Magick Touch reveal their new video "Under The Gun". The track is the first glimpse of the band's forthcoming second album, Blades, Chains, Whips & Fire, which shall see international release early next year via Edged Circle Productions.

Magick Touch are a power trio from the southwestern coastal town of Bergen, Norway. The band - HK Rein on guitar and vocals, Bård Nordvik on drums, and Christer Ottesen on bass and vocals - formed in 2014 and released their debut album, Electrick Sorcery, through Edged Circle in 2015. 
 
As the trio encompasses at least two singers and three songwriters, Magick Touch is almost like getting several bands for the price of one. Even more so than their celebrated debut, Blades, Chains, Whips & Fire plays this out with absolute (and absolutely addicting) aplomb. The vocals are characterful indeed, blending into slick harmonies on infectious choruses whilst Rein’s wah-drenched solos are splendidly delivered. Once again, this is that rich 'n' rewarding middle point between hard rock and heavy metal, and Magick Touch finesse it with a truly magickal touch.
 
Release date, cover art, and tracklisting for Magick Touch's Blades, Chains, Whips & Fire to be announced shortly.
 

"Forever And A Day", a brand new song from the new Swedish hard rock project Gathering Of Kings, can be streamed via the YouTube clip below. The song written by Victor Olsson, is taken from the as yet untitled debut album, which will be released in 2018.

Lineup on "Forever And A Day":

Björn Strid - lead vocals (Soilwork, The Night Flight Orchestra)
Victor Olsson - lead guitar (Saffire, Apollo)
Erik Mårtensson - rhythm guitar, Background Vocals (Eclipse, W.E.T)
Nalle Påhlsson - bass (Therion, ex-Treat)
Richard Larsson - keyboards (The Night Flight Orchestra)
Robban Bäck - drums (Mustasch, W.E.T, ex-Eclipse, ex-Sabaton)

The album is being helmed by producer Thomas "Plec" Johansson, who has previously worked with Watain, Soilwork, Scar Symmetry, The Night Flight Orchestra, Nocturnal Rites among others.

"Plec" has managed to fill his studio walls with multiple platinum and gold record awards as well as taking home three Swedish Grammy awards.

The full-length album will also include following artists:

Apollo Papathanasio - vocals (Spiritual Beggars, Apollo, ex-Firewind)
Tobias Jansson - vocals (Saffire)
Rick Altzi - vocals (Masterplan, Herman Frank)
Jens Westin - vocals (Corroded)
Stefan Helleblad - guitar (Within Temptation, Jono)
Martin Sweet - guitar (Crashdiet, Sister)
Niclas Engelin - guitar (In Flames, Engel)
Erik Wiss - keyboards (Cap Outrun)
Chris Laney - keyboards (Pretty Maids)
Jonas Källsbäck - drums (The Night Flight Orchestra, Mean Streak)

Visit the official Gathering Of Kings Facebook page for further details.