Wendy Dio, wife and longtime manager of Ronnie James Dio, has confirmed that there are "at least three" previously unreleased songs from the legendary heavy metal singer that may eventually see the light of day.

Ronnie James Dio, best known for his work with BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW and DIO, died of stomach cancer in May 2010 at the age of 67.

During a brand new interview with the "Talking Metal" podcast, Wendy was asked if there is any unreleased Dio material in the vaults. She said (hear audio below): "I think there's at least three, maybe five songs — not completed, but songs that have the lyrics and Ronnie singing them. We have the [DIO] band [playing on them], of course. Some are half done, some are just ideas and things. I have to really look. I haven't really had the time or wanted to go into that part of his life again, but I do have all the computers, and it's time — it's been seven and a half years now [since his death], so I can actually go in there and look without breaking down."

Wendy also talked about the status of "Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography Of Ronnie James Dio", the revealing memoir of the heavy metal master, which was three-quarters written before the singer's death and which was originally scheduled to be published several years ago via MTV Books.

"I am gonna finish the book," she said. "We've got the book, which hopefully can come out next year. I keep saying that, but I haven't had the time to sit down and go over it. He'd written his book up to the middle of RAINBOW, which is good, because I know the rest of it, 'cause I was there."

According to Wendy, there are also plans for a documentary that will cover Dio's career from his early days with ELF to his final project, HEAVEN & HELL. She said: "I'm in the process of talking to a lot of different companies about that."

Guitarist Doug Aldrich, who was a member of DIO for a short period between 2002 and 2006, recently revealed the existence of a previously unreleased Ronnie James Dio demo recording. The track in question was written during the sessions for DIO's "Magica II", a sequel to 2000's "Magica" that was left unfinished when Ronnie died in 2010. A "Magica II" track titled "Electra" made it on to 2012's "The Very Best of Dio Vol 2", but Aldrich said more material may surface from the sessions.

A hologram of Ronnie James Dio made its debut at last year's Wacken Open Air festival in Germany and set out on a world tour, backed by the late rock star's former bandmates from the DIO band. The tour, dubbed "Dio Returns", will make more than eighty stops around the globe, kicking off in Helsinki, Finland on November 30. The European leg of performances in theaters will be followed by tours of South America, Australia and Asia. The trek will arrive in the U.S. in the spring of 2018 and hit select festivals next summer.

The third annual Bowl For Ronnie bowling party, benefiting the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, will take place on Friday, October 6, at the Pinz Bowling Center in Studio City, California. The event, hosted by Eddie Trunk, will include a celebrity bowling tournament and a raffle drawing. Last year's Bowl For Ronnie brought in $36,500 for the cancer charity, which is now in its eighth year of raising awareness and much-needed funding for cancer research. Bowl For Ronnie participants can anticipate an evening of fun, food and, of course, bowling with rockers and celebrities competing for trophies in the name of raising funds and awareness for the Dio Cancer Fund. Among the raffle prizes will be a specially designed bowling ball and pin featuring the Bowl For Ronnie artwork.


Listen to "TM 694 Wendy Dio" on Spreaker.

Former W.A.S.P. and current METAL CHURCH drummer Stet Howland has been diagnosed with Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), an aggressive type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that develops from the B-cells in the lymphatic system. Howland said: "In layman's terms, it's essentially a form of cancer in my blood. And while it is a very aggressive form of cancer, it is also very treatable with an 80% cure rate. In my case, I'm one of the lucky ones whom my doctors are confident of knocking this shit completely out of me!

"I have gone from actually feeling like death to feeling fairly strong, all in just under one week of treatment," he continued. "It's been a rigorous and constant IV fusion cocktail that hasn't been exactly fun. But if this is what it takes to get back to my family, and to get back to my routine, I find it well worth it.

"We started treatment based on the doctors' initial diagnosis, as they were confident of what they were dealing with. They knew I had a form of lymphoma but the actual details didn't rear their head until yesterday as we had to await test results."

Howland added: "I'm once again blown away and thankful for all the positivity, love, and well wishes from family, friends and fans worldwide. I have heard from some people that I never knew if I would ever hear from again. Friends from school and all walks of life have reached out. The outpouring of love has been overwhelming, to say the least. I have been feeling like crap off and on for over a year now wondering why; now we all know.

"I will be discharged next week and heading back to Vegas, where I will begin tracking the new METAL CHURCH record with a vigor and thankfulness that I don't know if I've ever felt in my life.

"The 2018 METAL CHURCH calendar is already starting to fill up, and I'm going to be out there whooping ass at every single one of them!

"I consider myself a very lucky man who has done many great things in my life. I have been blessed to play in several iconic bands in my career. But my current METAL CHURCH gig is the unrivaled pinnacle of it all."

Stet was named METAL CHURCH's permanent new drummer in July. He stated at the time that he was "honored to be a member of such a group of people" and vowed to do his "best to deliver strong performances both live and in the studio."

Photo credit: Markus Wiedenmann Photography

David Coverdale has confirmed to Ultimate Classic Rock that WHITESNAKE is working on music for a new album, tentatively due in early 2018. "We've never had such an immense amount of positive material," he said. "I've worked, for the first time as writers, with [WHITESNAKE guitarists] Reb Beach and with Joel Hoekstra. Because when Joel came in, we were doing 'The Purple Album', of course. And not only do we have great Coverdale/Hoekstra and Coverdale/Beach songs, but we have the three of us combining [as writers]."

He continued: "The songs are fucking excellent. We have eighteen or nineteen extraordinarily positive, potent, juicy classic WHITESNAKE songs, from balls-to-the-wall [rockers] to blues, to epics to ballads. It's kickass. It's definitely got me fluffed up. That will be [coming out in] late spring next year. We're looking at getting out [on tour] in the U.S. around June, so probably May."

According to Coverdale, another project that is in the works is a DVD that was filmed during WHITESNAKE's tour in support of the group's latest disc, "The Purple Album". That effort, which was released in May 2015 via Frontiers Music Srl, was billed as "a re-imagination of classic songs from Coverdale's time as the lead singer for DEEP PURPLE's Mark III and Mark IV studio albums." Coverdale was DEEP PURPLE's frontman from late 1973 to early 1976 and sang on the albums "Burn", "Stormbringer" and "Come Taste The Band".

Coverdale told Ultimate Classic Rock about the upcoming DVD: "It's fucking fantastic. I'm going from talking with you guys to finishing off the edit today. We're doing the last tweaks and then delivering it to Warners. It's kickass. To promote it, we've put together WHITESNAKE as you've never seen them before on a video for 'Burn'. It is un-fucking-believable. It's a full-production video. And we're still tweaking, but the people at Warners who have seen it, they're mindblown by it. We worked with a young, hip gunslinger Canadian director called Tyler Bourns. And he's kick-fucking-ass. He did all of the videos with us on 'The Purple Album'. He's the head of our video creative ops and a great guy as well."

Also coming from the WHITESNAKE camp is "a fucking huge coffee table book" that is "about the size of a fucking huge encyclopedia, a historical photographic journey from the beginning of 'The Purple Album' to the end of the last show in the U.K. in Sheffield," according to Coverdale. "We were supposed to have this out for last Christmas, but I was so exhausted, coming off the road," he said. "So, better late than never. It's still only a year and a half old. The book's fucking beautiful to have. It's going to be a WHITESNAKE Christmas, without a doubt."

PURPLE classics revamped for "The Purple Album" included "Stormbringer", "Lady Double Dealer", "Soldier Of Fortune" and "Sail Away".

WHITESNAKE's self-titled album, also known in some countries as "1987", which was certified multi-platinum and featured the smash single "Here I Go Again", turns thirty this year and Rhino is celebrating with four new versions, including an expansive boxed set.

"Whitesnake: Super Deluxe Edition" will be available on October 6 for $49.98. The 4-CD/DVD collection includes the original album with newly remastered sound, unreleased live and studio recordings, classic music videos, concert footage, a thirty-minute documentary, featuring a new interview with Coverdale,. The music comes with a sixty-page hardbound book that's filled with rare and unseen photos from the era, an extended essay based on new interviews with Coverdale, plus a booklet of the album's lyrics, handwritten by Coverdale. The audio will also be available via digital download and streaming services.

Marilyn Manson "will be back in action soon" following an incident Saturday night when he was injured after a stage prop fell on him while he was playing in New York City.

The accident happened about forty-five minutes into Manson's set at Hammerstein Ballroom as tried to climb the prop — consisting of two enormous fake pistols — which was almost double his height. The huge prop toppled and knocked Manson to the stage.

A spokesman for Manson confirmed the singer was hurt and was being treated at a local hospital.

Manson's bandmate, producer and film composer Tyler Bates, who plays guitar and keyboards in Marilyn's group, offered an update on the singer's condition in an Instagram post early Sunday morning. He wrote: "Well, the Marilyn Manson 'Heaven Upside Down' tour is on pause for a minute. Heading home. Manson will be back in action soon. 'Heaven Upside Down' is released October 6th, with an insane video to stoke the fire. See you soon!"

Marilyn's North American tour kicked off on September 27 in Silver Spring, Maryland.

His new album, "Heaven Upside Down", sees him reunited with Bates following an epic collaboration on Manson's critically acclaimed 2015 release, "The Pale Emperor".

LACUNA COIL was joined by EPICA singer Simone Simons for a performance of the Italian band's song "Heaven's A Lie" this past Friday, September 29 at the PlayStation Theater in New York City. Later in the night, LACUNA COIL frontwoman Cristina Scabbia came up during EPICA's set to sing the latter group's track "Storm The Sorrow".

Fan-filmed video footage of both songs can be seen below.

LACUNA COIL's month-long September tour with EPICA marks the Italian band's first U.S. tour dates in over a year, as they continue to support their latest album, 2016's "Delirium". Joining LACUNA COIL and EPICA on "The Ultimate Principle" tour are INSOMNIUM and ELANTRIS.

LACUNA COIL will celebrate the twentieth anniversary of its debut by playing a very special show, dubbed "Nothing Stands In Our Way", on January 19, 2018 at London, England's O2 Shepherd's Bush Empire. It will be a unique extravaganza and truly exceptional event that is not to be missed. Apart from a career-spanning set, you will be able to enjoy LACUNA COIL songs never played live before. The show will be filmed and recorded for a release later in 2018.

EPICA's new EP, "The Solace System", was released on September 1 via Nuclear Blast. The effort contains six brand-new songs which were created during the sessions for the band's latest album, 2016's "The Holographic Principle".

"The Solace System" was recorded, mixed and mastered by Joost van den Broek and Jacob Hansen.

"Insane", a brand new song from CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, the band led by brothers and founding SEPULTURA members Max (also of SOULFLY) and Igor Cavalera, can be streamed on Spotify and Apple Music. A preview of the track is available below.

"Insane" is the opening song on CAVALERA CONSPIRACY's fourth album, "Psychosis", which will be released on November 17 via Napalm Records. The disc, which was produced by longtime friend Arthur Rizk, was recorded primarily at a studio in Phoenix, Arizona.

The cover artwork for "Psychosis" can be seen below.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Insane02. Terror Tactics03. Impalement Execution04. Spectral War05. Crom06. Hellfire07. Judas Pariah08. Psychosis09. Excruciating

Speaking to Metal Wani's Jake Patton, Max stated about the follow-up to 2014's "Pandemonium": "The album right now is finished. It was produced by Arthur Rizk, our friend and a great producer — an upcoming, underground producer. And he did a great job. I love the record. There are nine songs. We've got one song with Justin [Broadrick] from GODFLESH — just a great NAILBOMB, GODFLESH, CAVALERA kind of song. The rest is all pure thrash madness. And we had it mastered a couple of days ago by Joel Grind from TOXIC HOLOCAUST; he mastered the album. And it's great, man. It's a beast of an album. I think a lot of people are are gonna be surprised when they hear it. It's, for me, the best of all the CAVALERA albums, my favorite one. And it's got the same intensity and energy of the old stuff like [SEPULTURA's] 'Beneath The Remains' and 'Arise'. So a lot of people are gonna be happy to hear that."

Max also talked in more detail about the lyrical themes covered on the new CAVALERA CONSPIRACY disc. He said: "It's a bit… kind of like a mix. There's some stuff about what's going on right now, so there's some terrorist stuff in songs like 'Impalement Execution' and 'Terror Tactics' and 'Excruciating'. And there's some kind of fantasy stuff, like 'Crom', which is the father of Conan. That was a really fun song to make. We have a song called 'Insane' — it's about the state of the world, with Donald Trump and the bombings in England and France. And then, of course, there's an instrumental called 'Psychosis', which is the name of the album, which I think is cool, because I think it also reflects the state of mankind right now, the state of the world right now. It's pretty much psycho — we're living in a psycho age, with madness everywhere we go. The GODFLESH song is called 'Hellfire' — it's about drones. It was inspired by a movie called 'Eye In The Sky' and a movie called 'Good Kill', which is about drones and how people just sit in an air-conditioned office in Nevada and bomb people in Afghanistan and Pakistan with those crazy drones. It was a really cool song built around that, and I really love Justin from GODFLESH's vocals. He sings more in the line of the 'Streetcleaner' vocals from the early GODFLESH, so that came out really nice."

Asked if Max and Igor's recent tour on which they celebrated the twentieth anniversary of SEPULTURA's classic album "Roots" by performing the LP in its entirety influenced the musical content of the new CAVALERA CONSPIRACY material, Max said: "The 'Psychosis' song is very tribal. Some of the recordings were done with Igor in Uganda, in Africa. Igor went there for a thing he did with his wife, like helping people from Uganda, a humanitarian kind of thing. And he recorded a bunch of cool sounds when he was in Africa. So we created this kind of… almost like a voodoo, ambient kind of real tribal… It could have been on [SEPULTURA's] 'Roots'; this song could be on the 'Roots' album. It's got a really great buildup with the drums, and then it has real cool melodic guitars on it — almost like prog rock a little bit. It's kind of like the one 'off' song of the album that really is not like the rest of the record. But it's very cool, it's very tribal and definitely influenced by 'Roots'."

Igor told HeavyMetal.dk that it was "good" for him and Max to have Rizk involved with the new CAVALERA CONSPIRACY album because Arthur "is super passionate about music, the same way we are. So to have someone like him coming in and helping us with ideas and things like that, I think it's gonna surprise a lot of people, 'cause he understands a lot about what's going on today in music, and that's pretty cool — that exchange with us, with the old-school ideas with also someone that understands music right now. I'm far more excited than I've been in many years to put out a record like this. So I have to say I'm quite into it, what we're doing right now."

Max concurred, telling HeavyMetal.dk: "[Arthur] captured the classic Max and Igor in a way that's never really quite been captured before. It was always his objective from the beginning — he wanted to capture the soul of the brothers, and I think he did. I think it's quite amazing, looking back, that somebody can get that out of you after twenty-five years, man. That's awesome. But, like Igor said, there's a lot of noise also — between songs we're gonna hear all this kind of crazy just pure noise and heaviness, which is unheard of. So I'm very excited."

"Pandemonium" sold around 2,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 177 on The Billboard 200 chart.

CAVALERA CONSPIRACY's previous CD, 2011's "Blunt Force Trauma" opened with around 5,000 units to land at No. 122.

The band's first CD, 2008's "Inflikted", registered a first-week tally of 9,000 copies to enter the chart at No. 72.

"Pandemonium" was produced by John Gray, who has previously worked with SOULFLY.

The second in a series of webisodes featuring footage from the making of EVANESCENCE's next album, "Synthesis", can be seen below.

In the second episode of "Inside Synthesis", we explore the making of EVANESCENCE's new single, "Imperfection".

"Synthesis" is due on November 10. The effort features full orchestration in a completely synthetic world of beats and sounds, with help from arranger and composer David Campbell. "Synthesis" will contain two new EVANESCENCE songs in addition to fan favorites re-recorded with a live orchestra and electronica. The album includes guest performance by famed violinist Lindsey Stirling on "Hi-Lo", one of the two new tracks on the album.

EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee described the inspiration behind the other new song, "Imperfection": "For me, this is the most important song on the album. I struggled with the lyrics for a long time because there was a lifetime of work to live up to and I wasn't sure what to say or how to be good enough. When it finally started pouring out of me, it was undeniable. I had no choice. It's for all the people we've lost, all the people who we could lose, to suicide and depression. I'm singing from the perspective of the person left behind, the person in the waiting room. It's a plea to fight for your life, to stay. Don't give in to the fear — I have to tell myself that every day. Nobody is perfect. We are all imperfect, and it's precisely those imperfections that make us who we are, and we have to embrace them because there's so much beauty in those differences. Life is worth fighting for. You are worth fighting for."

The "Synthesis Live" tour will launch on October 14 on the West Coast. Like the album, "Synthesis Live" will feature a reimagining of some of EVANESCENCE's best-loved songs with the spotlight on full orchestra, electronics combined with the band and Lee's virtuoso piano and voice.

"This is a total passion project for me. There are so many layers in our music, underneath the huge drums and guitars," explained Lee. "I've always wanted to shine a light on some of the gorgeous David Campbell arrangements and programming elements in our songs, and that idea snowballed into completely re-doing them with full orchestra, not just strings, elaborate programming and experimentation.

"This will be our first time touring with orchestra and I'm so excited to perform this way — really focus on the vocals, and the emotion and the story we've built over the years. I'm also really excited about the new material on the album. Besides the two new songs, there are some really beautiful instrumental in-between moments. The whole thing flows like a big, dynamic soundtrack."

Lee told Graspop.be about "Synthesis": "It's different in a way that it's still coming from the roots of what EVANESCENCE was conceived to be,. It's really a beautiful project. A lot of our old songs are getting a whole new life in a way where we're getting to experience the focus being this beautiful, full orchestra. It's also a lot of electronic, cool elements — parts that have always been part of our music. It hasn't been full orchestra before — it's just been mainly strings — but just taking it to very beautiful, classical and epic and groovy place. Oh, it feels so good. There's some new stuff on it too, but it's mostly old stuff [reimagined]."

Lee also talked in more detail about the making of "Synthesis", explaining: "As far as the conception, basically, you work in demo land first and just create the arrangements of songs. I went through all the master sessions of, say, 'Bring Me To Life', and [I would] pull out all the stuff and listen to it and then chop it up and decide, 'Oh, maybe this part needs to be longer. Maybe this part at the beginning will be just strings and piano.' Just figure out what you're gonna do and build a map. And working with David Campbell, who has done all the string arrangements for EVANESCENCE for all three albums now doing full orchestra, just going back and forth with him and our producer Will and then each other, just throwing ideas in a Dropbox and basically just playing tennis back and forth for months. We finally recorded the orchestra. It sounds just gorgeous. I can't wait to finish the thing."

During an interview with MagentaMusik 360's Sara Kelly-Husain at last month's Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany, MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine was asked how he has managed to keep his marriage together for more than two and a half decades. He jokingly said (see video below), "I think [my wife's] friends think she's desperate," before adding: "You've gotta work on it. Anything worth having is worth keeping and you've gotta work at it. It helps that we're friends first and foremost; it wasn't just physical."

Later in the chat, Mustaine revealed that he would "be divorced right now if it wasn't for [MEGADETH bassist] David Ellefson challenging me and saying, 'Have you been the best husband you could possibly be?' 'Cause [my wife and I] were separated," he said. "And I went, 'You know what? No, I haven't been the best husband I could be. I could be way better.' And I went back, and that's where we had this renaissance and fell in love again. And it's been really great."

Mustaine continued: "I think that that's a great challenge for a lot of men that are married out there: are you the best husband you can possibly be? Who cares if she is the best wife that she is? If you are the best husband you can possibly be, if she don't hitch her wagon up to your horses, then you know what? You're gonna eventually pull away anyway."

Mustaine married Pamela Anne Casselberry in 1991. They have one son, Justis, born in 1992, and a daughter, Electra, born in 1998. The family has lived in Arizona and Fallbrook, California and currently resides just outside Nashville, Tennessee.

Mustaine reportedly filed for divorce twice around a decade ago — in May 2006 and then again in February 2008 — only to apparently change his mind and withdraw the petitions.

In a March 2007 interview with "The Radio 1 Rock Show with Daniel P. Carter" on BBC Radio 1, Mustaine spoke about about how his family life has been affected by MEGADETH's extensive touring. "There needs to be time off in between each leg for me to nurture my family, because I just resolved heading for divorce, and that was really a terrible thing," he said.

"Over the years, it never really worked well because the music was always first. It ain't anymore… Because my family is first… Well, my family is actually second," he added. "My faith is first, and then my family is second, and then the music is third. So because everything else is going so good, when I go into the guitar world and I put on my little headphones and pick up my guitar, it's like, 'Okay, now it's time to unleash the beast and to really, really just get it on.'"

MEGADETH's tour with SCORPIONS kicked off on September 14 in Reading, Pennsylvania and will conclude on October 15 in Tampa, Florida.

You're unlikely to find a phenomenon like Carmine and Vinny Appice a second time in the history of rock music. For more than forty years, the two brothers have been among the most sought-after and renowned rock drummers worldwide. Carmine and Vinny (each of them on his own) can be heard on numerous legendary albums and have toured countless times with some of the world's greatest acts. Carmine embarked on his musical path in the 1960s with the unforgotten VANILLA FUDGE, manning in the course of his illustrious career the drums for superstars such as Rod Stewart and Ozzy Osbourne, among others. His brother Vinny, who is eleven years his junior, looks back on an equally spectacular career, having worked with acts such as BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL and DIO, among others. With the exception of the live album "Drum Wars - Live!" (2014), there has been no direct collaboration between the two so far. That's about to change!

"Sinister" is the first joint studio album by Carmine and Vinny and was recorded with the support of a number of prestigious guests. Vinny says: "As Ringo said: with a little help from our friends." "Sinister" consists of a total of thirteen tracks, recorded by Carmine and Vinny together with distinguished colleagues. "Killing Floor" and "Future Past" feature the wonderful Craig Goldy (together with bassist Tony Franklin), Franklin resurfacing, together with Paul Shortino, on "Suddenly" and on "You Got Me Running". Shortino also lends his awesome vocals to "War Cry" and the programmatic "Monsters And Heroes", the latter also featuring BULLETBOYS guitarist Mick Sweda, while Shortino teams up with WHITESNAKE stringsman Joel Hoekstra on "War Cry". Talking of vocals: "Sinister", "Danger" (bass: Phil Soussan), "In The Night" (guitar: Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal) and "Sabbath Mash" (guitar: Erik Turner, keyboards: Erik Norlander) are all sung by Jim Crean, while Chas West recorded the vocal parts for "Killing Floor", Scotty Bruce featuring on "Future Past" and Robin McAuley on "Riot". The biggest surprise of all: Carmine himself doubles as vocalist on "You Got Me Running". Vinny says: "Carmine has been singing lead and background for years. He's a very good singer and I"m glad he sang one number on this record."

The lyric video for the song "Monsters And Heroes" can now be seen below.

Carmine Appice comments on the song and lyric video: "The song 'Monsters And Heroes' is a song about the great Ronnie James Dio. The song is a tribute to his legacy. The track features both Vinny and I on drums as well as special guest Paul Shortino (who wrote the lyrics) handling the vocal duties. We all knew Ronnie very well and wanted to do this video so everyone can see what a great tribute this is to Ronnie. Check it out it is a piece of rock art!!!" Adds Vinny: "'Monsters And Heroes' is special song that was inspired by the greatest singer and person in rock! My friend Ronnie James Dio. This is a special tribute to the man who gave us such great music and words and also took the time for all his fans who he loved."

"Sinister" will be released on October 27 through SPV/Steamhammer as CD digipack, double gatefold vinyl, download and stream.

Track listing:

01. Sinister02. Monsters And Heroes03. Killing Floor04. Danger05. Drum Wars06. Riot07. Suddenly08. In The Night09. Future Past10. You Got Me Running11. Bros In Drums12. War Cry13. Sabbath Mash

Lineup and guests

Carmine Appice (drums, vocals)Vinny Appice (drums)

Jim Crean (vocals)Paul Shortino (vocals) (ROUGH CUTT, ex-QUIET RIOT)Robin McAuley (vocals) (MSG)Chas West (vocals) (ex-LYNCH MOB)Scotty Bruce (vocals)

Craig Goldy (guitar) (ex-DIO, ex-GIUFFRIA)Bumblefoot (guitar) (ex-GUNS N' ROSES)Joel Hoekstra (guitar) (WHITESNAKE)Mike Sweda (guitar) (BULLETBOYS)Erik Turner (guitar) (WARRANT)David Michael Phillips (guitar) (KING KOBRA)

Tony Franklin (bass) (ex-BLUE MURDER, ex-THE FIRM)Phil Soussan (bass) (ex-OZZY OSBOURNE)Johnny Rod (bass) (KING KOBRA, ex-W.A.S.P.)Jorgen Carlson (bass) (GOV'T MULE)

Top photo of Carmine Appice and Vinny Appice was taken by Joey Wester

Gothminister release their new single and video "Ich Will Alles" from the upcoming album "The Other Side", out on October 13th. Get your copy here: http://promo.afm-records.de/en/gothminister

GOTHMINISTER on Tour with ASP:
* 27.10.17 - Oberhausen, Turbinenhalle
* 28.10.17 - Leipzig, Haus Auensee
* 29.10.17 - Hamburg, Markthalle
* 30.10.17 - Stuttgart, Im Wizemann
* 03.11.17 - Würzburg, Posthalle
* 04.11.17 - Hannover, Pavillon
* 05.11.17 - Saarbrücken, Garage
* 08.11.17 - München, Backstage Werk
* 09.11.17 - Berlin, Huxleys Neue Welt
* 10.11.17 - Dresden, Alter Schlachthof
* 11.11.17 - Heidelberg, halle02

"Renegade", the new video from HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's fifth full-length album, "V" (Five), which will be released on October 27.

HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD's Johnny 3 Tears stated about the track: "I hope this song and video can inspire kids to believe that they can change the world, and it's up to them if it's for the better or worse. The truth is that the kids of today are the renegades of tomorrow."

Regarding "V", Johnny 3 Tears said: "We're five brothers, and this is our fifth record. Nothing gets to the essence of the music like this number does. Numerology has a lot of power. When we said 'Five', it just made sense. The fact that we could all agree on one word codifies who we are. It also nods back to 'No. 5' from our first album, because it was our fifth song. Moreover, it hints at this secret society of fans supporting us for the past decade. The number is significant, and this is a significant moment for us."

HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD's new set of dates in support of "V" will begin on September 30 at the Louder Than Life festival. For all U.S. headline shows, BUTCHER BABIES will serve as direct support.

"Headspin", a brand new song from BUTCHER BABIES, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's third album, "Lilith", which will be released on October 27 via Century Media. The follow-up to 2015's "Take It Like A Man" was produced by Steve Evetts (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SEPULTURA, SUICIDE SILENCE) and marks the band's recording debut with new drummer, Chase Brickenden, who replaced Chris Warner last year.

Pre-orders for "Lilith" are available now in both physical and digital formats.

"Lilith" track listing:

01. Burn The Straw Man02. Lilith03. Headspin04. Korova05. #Iwokeuplikethis06. The Huntsman07. Controller08. Oceana09. Look What We've Done10. Pomona (S**t Happens)11. Underground And Overrated

BUTCHER BABIES co-vocalist Heidi Shepherd stated about "Lilith": "After a year of writing and recording, we are thrilled with the growth and maturity of this album. Leading with our title track, 'Lilith', the artistic development within the band shines.

"We worked with producer, Steve Evetts, to bring you the rawest form of BUTCHER BABIES. No Auto-Tune, a hundred percent real drums, real guitars, real bass, and an all-out BUTCHER BABIES assault on your senses. As we know in this industry, these standards are quickly replaced by machines and can eliminate what makes a band an actual band.

"We are so proud of the hard work and dedication that each member of our team put in to create this masterpiece."

BUTCHER BABIES co-vocalist Carla Harvey told Meltdown Of Detroit's WRIF radio station that the music on BUTCHER BABIES' upcoming disc "runs the gamut" from "great thrash metal" to "a little bit of '90s influence." She said: "We're singing, we're screaming and it's just a great, great album. I couldn't be prouder of it. I think there's four songs where we do predominantly singing on it. And normally that would scare even me, 'cause I'm, like, 'I'm a metal girl! I don't wanna be singing.' But it's so beautiful — it really is. So it's kind of ballady, but not too ballady. It's very dark, sensual — the lyrics are very sensual on this album."

She continued: "I think we're bringing a little bit of the sexy back on this album that we kind of steered away from for a while. When we were building up our career, we wanted to be taken so seriously as metal chicks, so I think we kind of let those hindrances go a little bit and said, 'Let's just be us in all aspects of us' — from the metal to the sexy to everything else."

Although there is a lot of variety on BUTCHER BABIES' upcoming effort, Carla is quick to point out that "I couldn't do an album with no thrash on it, 'cause that's my passion. I think my favorite song on the album is a completely ridiculous thrash metal song that you'll hear," she said. "It's just amazing. In fact, one line in the song is about my Corvette that is always broken down. I have a '75 Corvette, 'cause I'm a real Detroit girl with a real American car. The song has completely ridiculous lyrics, but it's so cool — total thrash."

Carla said that BUTCHER BABIES next album will contain eleven songs, with an extra track for Japan. The disc's first single has "got a super-sexy rhythm to it," according to Harvey. "But everything is still… When you hear the album, you say, 'That's definitely BUTCHER BABIES.'"

Regarding BUTCHER BABIES' collaboration with Evetts, Carla said: "He doesn't do any Auto-Tuning or any pitching or anything like that, so every note on this album is a hundred percent authentic. And it's really cool to be able to say that about an album nowadays, I think, because people are so used to hearing everything Auto-Tuned and touched up and fixed up. This album is exactly what we've always wanted to do — it's something passionate and raw — and we're all just over the moon for it."

She added: "That's the one thing that we've always wanted to capture, because I think that we're a great live band, and when you're a good live band, you wanna capture that energy, and we finally found a producer that can help harness that live energy, actually, into the album."

According to Carla, Chase's addition to BUTCHER BABIES contributed to the upcoming album being "just on another level." She explained: "He's just a great, great, great drummer with all kinds of new ideas, and we blend really well together. And we actually toured with Chase on our very first tour with OTEP years and years ago, so we're all old friends already and he just fit in seamlessly."

Shepherd stated about the "Lilith" title and cover artwork, which can be seen below: "Historically, Lilith has become demonized as a representation of promiscuity and disobedience. We, however, see her as a positive figure. A symbol of autonomy, sexual equality, and full control over your own destiny.

"Lilith is the supreme representation of the left-hand path woman: independent, having discarded the patriarchal yoke, and not afraid to use all the tools available to her, including her sexuality, to gain the most out of existence. The eels in the cover art represent sleek symbolism of new beginnings and adventure.

"With this album, we have musically taken a leap through old boundaries and landed in new oceans. It is said that a the dream or visions of eels is confirmation that the path we currently lead is the right one.

"In this new chapter of BUTCHER BABIES, we welcome evolution as we bare ourselves with 'Lilith'."

Added Harvey: "When we were thinking of titles for our album, we wanted to find something that embodied sensuality, lust, danger and power. We kept going back to Lilith. We researched Lilith and her origins in different cultures and forms and knew that this figure, once feared but now a beautiful, symbolic middle finger to repression, would be a perfect representation of our album.

"The cover art we created with our graphic artist perfectly pulls together the last year we've spent working on 'Lilith'.

"I've always loved water themes and there is something terrifying yet calming about the deep sea; submersing yourself in it could be the death of you, yet at the same time it's cleansing and renewing.

"With this album we dove in fully and drowned ourselves in emotion, sexuality and even turmoil, and let the two-headed beast we created has emerged even stronger."

BUTCHER BABIES will support HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD on a U.S. tour which will kick off on October 1 in Atlanta, Georgia.

CYHRA, the new band featuring former IN FLAMES members Peter Iwers (bass) and Jesper Strömblad (guitar) alongside ex-AMARANTHE singer Joacim "Jake E" Lundberg and LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY drummer Alex Landenburg, has recruited former SHINING guitarist Euge Valovirta.

CYHRA said in a statement: "We're thrilled to inform that Finnish guitarist Euge Valovirta will be joining CYHRA as our fifth member!

"Euge has already contributed to our forthcoming new album, 'Letters To Myself', by playing twin guitars and solos, and he'll be shredding with us live as well.

"During rehearsals, it became obvious that we would need two guitars to reproduce the songs in a live setting, so we decided to ask our good friend and amazing guitarist Euge Valovirta to join CYHRA. Euge had already done a killer job on the album and we can't wait to share the stages of the world with him."

Valovirta stated: "I feel very honored and excited to be part of this amazing band together with these talented and professional guys and I look forward to kick some serious ass on stage on our upcoming tours. I'd like to welcome all our current and future fans to our shows; it will be ass-kicking juicy! Oh, and the album is amazing too!"

A video clip in which Valovirta talks about how he joined the band and shows how to play the CYHRA track "Karma" can be viewed below.

CYHRA's debut album, "Letters To Myself", will be released on October 20 via Spinefarm Records. The disc was recorded at Top Floor Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Speaking to AntiHero Magazine, Jake stated about CYHRA's formation: "I have been friends with Jesper for a long time, probably ten years. We met for the first time when I was working for IN FLAMES as a pyro technician back in the day. That was also when I got to know Peter. We had been friends since then. I was considering to make a solo album, and I would say that I have no idea what I'm going to do, but I'm probably going to write some songs as well. And he asked me, 'Would you do the vocals on my solo album?' And I said, 'Of course. Would you be interested in playing guitar on whatever I'm doing?' And he said yes. And then we started to talk about what our solo albums, projects, whatever it was meant to be would sound like and when we were discussing that we just realized that okay, we want the same. We want to make the same album. So that's where it all came to be and then we decided to start writing songs together. So, we were actually talking over a cup of coffee on a Friday and then on Monday we actually sat down in the studio and we started working on the first song. So that was really, really good. And then when we were doing the same thing there, we didn't know what to do. But after a couple of songs, everything started to come together. Then Jesper said, 'Okay what are we going to do?' And I said that I had the perfect drummer for this band, and that's Alex Landenburg. I said that you are going to love this guy. And a couple of months later we all met, and Jesper and Alex became best friends instantly. And then Jesper said that it would be cool if Peter would like to join. And so we asked him and he was still the bassist for IN FLAMES, and he said, 'Yeah, absolutely, I will gladly jump on board of this ship. But just to let you know, I am going to still be a member of IN FLAMES as well.' We were cool with that and then things happened like they did. Peter eventually decided to part ways with IN FLAMES."

Regarding the CYHRA sound, Jake said: "It is hard to describe what we sound like because we've been writing for almost a year. We've been influenced by so many different bands. We are, of course, influenced by ourselves. Because like, as the main songwriter in all our different projects before, you know, like, Jesper has his touch of things, I have the touch on my side, and also the other guys. Of course, you will find similarities in our former bands. But I won't say that we have reinvented the wheel in any way, but it's still something that sounds really, really fresh and new, even though music is music. You could always probably find similarities. But I would not say that it sounds like old AMARANTHE, or that it sounds like IN FLAMES. But you could completely, you know, recognize yourself within these boundaries."

Jake E announced his departure from AMARANTHE in February, explaining at the time that he began to feel that "my place both on the albums and live was reduced; I felt like I was superfluous… I started to feel more like a backing singer."

Iwers issued a statement in November saying that he was leaving IN FLAMES "to pursue other endeavors." He has since been replaced on the road by Bryce Paul, a member of the Southern California pop-rock outfit IVES.

Strömblad quit IN FLAMES in February 2010 in order to continue receiving treatment for his alcohol addiction. He later formed THE RESISTANCE with Marco Aro (vocals, THE HAUNTED) and Glenn Ljungström (guitar, ex-IN FLAMES), only to exit that band in March 2016.

CYHRA will make its live debut on October 27 at Nosturi in Helsinki, Finland.

Former ANTHRAX singer Dan Nelson has joined YEAR OF THE TYRANT, the new band featuring bassist Jason Viebrooks (GRIP INC., HEATHEN), guitarist Vinnie LaBella (EXHORDER) and drummer Sasha Horn (FORBIDDEN, HEATHEN).

YEAR OF THE TYRANT is finishing up the pre-production on its first batch of tunes, to be made available later in the year.

Regarding how the band was formed, Sasha said: "Jason kind of put this together, and him and Vinnie go way back. And he knew the players he wanted, but we all get along great. It's kind of a family affair at this point."

Added Jason: "We've just gradually been building material, writing it together. We didn't really wanna say anything to anybody until we were ready to just basically suckerpunch you — you didn't see it coming; here we are.

"It's been amazing to finally play with these guys," he continued. "I played with Sasha when he did 70000 Tons Of Metal with HEATHEN a couple of years ago, and I clicked with him on a personal level and just jamming around on some riffs and stuff. I had a feeling that he was gonna be the guy to really gel and who we needed to have to come pull the whole thing together."

Nelson in 2012 settled a lawsuit he filed against ANTHRAX over the fallout from his departure from the veteran metal group. Details of the settlement were not made public.

The singer, who was in ANTHRAX for nearly two years — from late 2007 until July 2009 — filed a lawsuit in November 2011 claiming that Charlie Benante (drums), Frank Bello (bass) and Scott Ian (guitar) falsely stated in "numerous interviews" that he had "abruptly resigned" after getting sick, forcing a cancelation of a tour. The $2.65-million suit also alleged that Benante told BLABBERMOUTH.NET that Nelson "was a bully."

The Long Island native said his ex-bandmates' "intentional defamation" has caused him a loss of income and damaged his reputation.

Before reaching the deal, ANTHRAX attorney Brian Caplan told the judge that Nelson had been offered a "fairly small dollar amount" and co-authorship of eleven ANTHRAX songs that the band recorded for "Worship Music", according to the New York Daily News.

LaBella was a founding member of EXHORDER, the legendary New Orleans metal band cited by many as the originator of the riff-heavy power-groove approach popularized by PANTERA.

SMASHING PUMPKINS frontman Billy Corgan has shared "The Spaniards", the second track off his forthcoming Rick Rubin-produced solo album, "Ogilala". The ethereal song is available now at all digital retailers.

"Ogilala" is due for release on October 13 via BMG and is available for pre-order now. Fans who pre-order the album will receive instant downloads of "The Spaniards" and previously released track "Aeronaut".

Corgan also shared an accompanying music video for "The Spaniards", which can be seen below. Directed by longtime collaborator Linda Strawberry, the clip is comprised of scenes from Corgan's recently announced silent film set to the music of "Ogilala", "Pillbox". Inspired by a hero's journey, "Pillbox" was written by Corgan, and directed by Corgan alongside Strawberry. The film will premiere next month with four sold-out screenings in London, Los Angeles, Chicago, and New York.

This Sunday, Corgan will debut new material from "Ogilala" at a special live performance for Berlin Live. Fans around the globe can tune in to a live stream of the performance on October 1 at 7:00 p.m. CET here.

Corgan announced "Ogilala" last month and shared its striking first track "Aeronaut". Recorded at Shangri La studios in Malibu, "Ogilala" presents Corgan's distinctive vocals and melodies across a sparse, but rich palette of acoustic guitar, piano, and strings.

"Ogilala" track listing:

01. Zowie02. Processional03. The Spaniards04. Aeronaut05. The Long Goodbye06. Half-Life Of An Autodidact07. Amarinthe08. Antietam09. Mandaryne10. Shiloh11. Archer

This fall, Corgan will embark on a solo acoustic North American tour that kicks off on October 14 in Brooklyn, New York and wraps up on November 11 in Los Angeles, California with a three-night stint at the Masonic Lodge at Hollywood Forever Cemetery. These intimate performances will see Corgan perform songs from "Ogilala", as well as a second set which will span works from his earliest days through his years as the frontman of THE SMASHING PUMPKINS and beyond.

Photo credit: Alpha Pan

British heavy metal legends SAXON have completed recording their new album, "Thunderbolt", for a tentative early 2018 release. Singer Biff Byford tells Myglobamind: "I finished doing the vocals on September 20th, and Andy Sneap is mixing it at the moment. It sounds really good. There are no big surprises on the CD. We haven't turned into Lady Gaga. [Laughs] I like Lady Gaga, as it's a bit of a compliment. We haven't changed into a different kind of band."

The follow-up to 2015's "Battering Ram", "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.

Leif Edling is working on a new CANDLEMASS song, to be released next year. The Swedish bassist and songwriter broke the news in a Facebook post, writing: "[The track] will see the light of day early 2018. It will be a part of something bigger, something really cool that will take [CANDLEMASS] on another adventure. This will be very exciting and a new challenge for me as a songwriter."

Edling, who has been unable to tour the last few years due to unspecified health problems, also revealed that he is no longer a member of AVATARIUM, the band he launched more than four years ago. "My doctors have said absolutely NO to me for work with more than one band at the time," he wrote. "They did not like it when I did THE DOOMSDAY KINGDOM album at the same time as [CANDLEMASS] 'Death Thy Lover' and they are always right, of course. As a result of this, I had another breakdown not long after 'Death Thy Lover' was ready."

Although Edling is not a member of AVATARIUM anymore, he will continue to work with the band in the future. "[AVATARIUM guitarist] Marcus [Jidell] and [singer] Jennie [Jennie-Ann Smith] are good friends so I hope that [AVATARIUM's latest album] 'Hurricanes And Halos' will get the success it deserves. I'm quite sure of it. The reviews this far have all been mindblowing! (the ones outside of Sweden anyway, hahaha!) So when the next one is due, I will definitely be contributing!"

According to Leif, he will carry on with his THE DOOMSDAY KINGDOM project, which released its self-titled debut LP earlier this year. "There will definitely be another THE DOOMSDAY KINGDOM album," he said. "Next year or the year after that. Promise!"

"Death Thy Lover" was released last year as CANDLEMASS's special thirtieth-anniversary EP. The four-track effort — which featured Mats Levén on vocals — was recorded during September/October 2015 and was made available as a four-page digipack, one-LP gatefold edition and one-LP gatefold webstore edition and old-school "skull-and-cross" slipmat. The cover artwork for the EP was created by Erik Rovanperä.

When Swedish metal band Sparzanza started planning the music video for the title track of their upcoming album Announcing The End, they were determined to create something different than just five guys playing their instruments in a rough setting. Both the director, Mattias Larsson, and the band are fans of the first Blade Runner movie from the '80s and wanted to pay a tribute to the upcoming movie Blade Runner 2049 that will premiere October 6th 2017. The video can be seen below.

This project was extra interesting since no one had seen the whole movie, but only had the movie trailers for inspiration. A version of a trailer to a movie that nobody’s seen was a fun idea, but also a challenge. 

In the selection of actors, Sparzanza only chose to work with actors from the area around Karlstad and Värmland. To work with Swedish actor Johan Östling was an obvious choice. Johan is known from Swedish director Ulf Malmros’ movies Smala Sussie, Bröllopsfotografen, and Mammas Pojkar. Last spring he won the Swedish celebrity version of TV show The Great Bake Off, and he is currently working as one of the leading roles in the new season of the TV series Ack Värmland that will air on Swedish TV4 this fall. Östling is a former musician colleague to the band and didn’t hesitate to act in the video, even though he still hasn’t brought back the keys to the rehearsal room after 15 years.

Anders Louthander, the Harrison Ford of Karlstad is also working as a small part in Ack Värmland this fall, is tall and strong, but the band’s guitarist Magnus Eronen managed to give him a bruise after one of the music video’s stage fights.

Sparzanza wanted to record the entire video in Karlstad and they put a lot of work into finding the right futuristic settings from the movie in the small Swedish town. Some of the settings are also interesting to Sparzanza fans, having recorded some of the scenes at the same places where the band has taken a lot of their band photos and pictures for previous album artworks. They’ve also recorded at places such as the University of Karlstad and Stadshotellet (one of the town’s well known landmarks together with the Sola i Karlsta statue).

Announcing The End will be released through Despotz Records on October 13th.

Announcing The End tracklisting:

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

“Vindication”:

 

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Rob Zombie and Slash were among the rock artists who paid tribute on social media to publishing titan and Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who passed away from natural causes on Wednesday (September 27) at the age of 91. Hefner died at his home, the Playboy Mansion, where many legendary rockers — including those who honored the man online — no doubt spent a few wild nights.

Rob Zombie posted a photo of himself and his wife Sheri with Hefner, writing, "Meeting Hef back in 2001 at the Mansion. Crazy place. Glad I got to party there. RIP to the one and only. The man in the silk pajamas."

KISS bassist Gene Simmons tweeted, "A great man, entrepreneur and innovator. Your legacy lives on."

Slash posted a photo of Hefner surrounded by dozens of bikini-clad women on Instagram, writing simply, "RIP Hugh Hefner."

FOZZY's Chris Jericho posted the same picture, writing, "I'd say he had a pretty good run."

Hefner started Playboy in 1953 after leaving his job at Children's Activities magazine. Although the nude pictorials of women in the magazine created an uproar among the more conservative sectors of America, circulation of the magazine hit one million subscriptions by 1960 and was selling upwards of seven million during the 1970s.

Hefner branched out with Playboy clubs, resorts, casinos, his own television channel and the opening of the Playboy Mansion, which hosted many a legendary party over the years for legions of celebrities and musicians.

"Don't Stop", the new video from the Texas rock quartet NOTHING MORE, can be seen below. The track, which features a guest appearance by PAPA ROACH frontman Jacoby Shaddix, is taken from NOTHING MORE's latest album, "The Stories We Tell Ourselves". Released on September 15 via Better Noise Records, the disc sees frontman Jonny Hawkins once again bearing the soul of NOTHING MORE as his bandmates Mark Vollelunga (guitar), Daniel Oliver (bass) and Ben Anderson (drums) craft a sonic palette comprised of elements ranging from progressive metal to pop.

The songs on "The Stories We Tell Ourselves" were written early last year and recorded primarily on the road and in personal studios as production duties were often handled by Hawkins and the bandmembers themselves.

From the relentless groove of "Don't Stop" to the emotive, anthemic bent of the PIXIES-esque "Still In Love", "The Stories We Tell Ourselves" proves that confessionals have never been so catchy — and songs like "Let 'Em Burn" seamlessly alternate between aggression and anthemic pop.

Lyrically the band was further informed by everything from the writings of Carl Jung and C.S. Lewis to the potent psychedelic DMT, the latter of which helped open Hawkins's mind to new ways of understanding himself and the world around him.

NOTHING MORE has announced a 2018 extension to its current U.S. headline tour, which sees the band headlining venues from coast to coast.

NOTHING MORE's live show is a sight to behold; it features a 400 lb., 14-foot-tall instrument made from scrap metal, automotive and motorcycle parts. The instrument was hand-crafted by Oliver, a self-taught welder and metal artist. It looks and sounds like nothing you've come across and must be seen to be believed.

America's legendary progressive rock band Kansas, will release their new live album Leftoverture Live & Beyond on November 3rd via Inside Out Music. This is the first live album since 2009 for the band that has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, and is famous for classic hits such as "Carry On Wayward Son" and "Dust In The Wind", to progressive epics like "Miracles Out Of Nowhere".

Kansas now offers the first preview of Leftoverture Live & Beyond with the live version of "Carry On Wayward Son". Pre-orders can be placed at KansasBand.com.

Leftoverture Live & Beyond, produced by Jeff Glixman, features 19 songs selected from 12 shows recorded during Kansas' Spring 2017 Leftoverture 40th Anniversary Tour. The setlist includes classic hits, deep cuts, new songs from 2016's studio album The Prelude Implicit, and culminates with the band's sextuple-platinum breakthrough album, Leftoverture, performed in its entirety.

Coinciding with the 40th anniversary of Leftoverture, and the release of The Prelude Implicit, Kansas embarked on their biggest headlining tour in decades. The overwhelming success of that tour led the band, along with Inside Out Music, to release selected songs from the tour as a live album.

"When we saw how much our fans enjoyed the Leftoverture 40th Anniversary Tour shows, we knew we had to record a live album," said Kansas drummer, Phil Ehart. "When it came to finding someone to produce it, we thought the best possible person would be the guy that produced Leftoverture 40 years ago. So, we called Jeff Glixman!"

"I'm really excited with how this live album sounds," adds producer, Jeff Glixman. "This band is on fire. Producing this live album was truly an undertaking, but I am confident that Kansas fans will enjoy the end result."

Tracklisting:

"Icarus II"
"Icarus"
"Point Of Know Return"
"Paradox"
"Journey From Mariabronn"
"Lamplight Symphony"
"Dust In The Wind"
"Rhythm In The Spirit"
"The Voyage Of Eight Eighteen"
"Section 60"
"Carry On Wayward Son"
"The Wall"
"What's On My Mind"
"Miracles Out Of Nowhere"
"Opus Insert"
"Questions Of My Childhood"
"Cheyenne Anthem"
"Magnum Opus"
"Portrait (He Knew)"

Kansas has since resumed the Leftoverture 40th Anniversary Tour. More information, including specific dates, can be found at this location.

 

Multi-national rock act, Blues Pills, have released an official live video for “Elements And Things”, taken from the DVD/Blu-ray, Lady In Gold - Live In Paris, out on November 3rd and available for purchase here.

The release features the band’s sold out performance at Le Trianon in Paris, France on October 30th, 2016 in front of 1,200 euphoric fans.

Commented the band: "We are stoked to share with you that we will release a live record/ DVD which was recorded and filmed during our show in Paris at Le Trianon last October on the Lady in Gold Tour. We decided to do this because we want to share our live experience with all our fans and also those fans who might have never had the chance to see us live. The live interpretation of our songs differs a lot from the studio record versions. We would call it a bit more rock’n roll, more heavy, more jam parts, more psychedelic parts – simply another experience . Playing live is what we've always enjoyed most. In no other situation can you connect as deep with your fans. We tried to catch the magical moments and emotions of the live atmosphere on DVD/ record for your living rooms, cars and wherever you will rock out to it. Paris was chosen because it means a lot to us to play in this beautiful city and also Le Trianon is one of the most beautiful venues in Europe – this needed to get shared with you!“

Lady In Gold - Live In Paris tracklisting:

“Lady In Gold”
“Little Boy Preacher”
“Bad Talkers”
“Won't Go Back”
“Black Smoke”
“Bliss”
“Little Sun”
“Elements And Things”
“You Gotta Try”
“High Class Woman”
“Ain't No Change”
“Devil Man”
“I Felt A Change”
“Rejection”
“Gone So Long”

“Elements And Things” video:

“Little Boy Preacher” video:

Spanish blackened extreme metal band, Noctem, released their 2016 full-length album, Haeresis, via Prosthetic Records to great buzz. Earlier this year, the band followed up with a separate digital single, "A Cruce Salus", giving fans a taste of what's soon to come.

Now, the band reveals their brand new music video for the track. The video, which features blistering black & white live performance footage, can be viewed below. The live performance footage in the video was filmed by Metalovisión at three festivals in Spain this past summer - Rock Arena, Resurrection Fest, and Leyendas del Rock.

The band says, "'A Cruce Salus' is the last track we composed and a bridge between our latest full length Haeresis and our upcoming record. We decided to record some of the festivals where we performed this summer to capture the energy of the band in our live show, which is outstandingly fast, ravenous and full of anger."

Order "A Cruce Salus" here.

Noctem have dominated the stage and studio for over 15 years, with two demos, one live LP and four albums under their belts. The band has performed internationally with artists such as Marduk, Enthroned, Impiety, Napalm Death, Samael, Gorgoroth, Nargaroth, Keep Of Kalessin, Taake, Immolation, Vomitory, Malevolent Creation, Incantation, Hate, Ragnarok, Melechesh and many more.

The band's latest album, Haeresis, presents a haunting aural account of their home country's grotesque and obscene history during the Spanish Inquisition throughout 1500 A.C. stretched out over ten menacing tracks. Noctem self-recorded Haeresis in 2016 at Fireworks Studios (Valencia) before sending the album for mixing and mastering by Tore Stjerna (Watain, Valkyrja) at Sweden's Necromorbus Studios.

Noctem is:

Beleth - Vocals
Exo - Guitars
Varu - Bass
Voor - Drums

Primitive Race, the hard rock/industrial hybrid helmed by Chris Kniker with core members Mark Gemini Thwaite (The Mission UK, Peter Murphy) and Erie Loch (Wiccid, Luxt), release their sophomore album, Soul Pretender, on November 3rd via Metropolis Records. The album track “Take It All” is available for streaming below.

As was the case with the band’s debut, Kniker brought an impressive group of guest musicians into the Primitive Race fold, with the full album featuring vocals by former Faith No More singer Chuck Mosley (pictured above) and drums by the Melvins’ Dale Crover. The album was produced by the band’s core trio, with Kniker recruiting Maor Appelbaum (Faith No More, Sepultura) for mastering, Toshi Kasai (Melvins, Helmet) for engineering and Joe Haze (tweaker, PIG) for mixing.

“Musically, Soul Pretender was a natural progression from the first album,” explains Kniker. “To have Chuck and Dale involved was perfect! They really brought a new vision to the project. Their style is a perfect match with Mark, Erie and myself. This record is more focused and organic. I wanted more of an alternative rock record. Stripped down. Live real drums. There’s space in the record. I didn’t want some overly polished ‘perfect’ record.”

Soul Pretender tracklisting:

“Row House”
“Cry Out”
“Cranial Matter”
“Take It All”
“Bed Six”
“Stepping Stone”
“Turn It Up”
“Soul Pretender”
“Nothing To Behold”
“Dancing On The Sun”

“Take It All”:

"On 'Take It All’, Chuck Mosley came up with great honest and dark lyrics that I think are relatable for the listener. There is a certain beauty and grittiness that coexist in the song, which makes it one of my favorites on the record," explained Chris Kniker.

(Chuck Mosley photo: Andy Watson)

Berlin, Germany-based rock overlords, Kadavar, have released a new video trailer for their upcoming fourth studio album, Rough Times, out on September 29th via Nuclear Blast. In the new clip, drummer Tiger discusses the darker themes on the new album. Check out the clip below. Pre-order the album here.

Tracklisting:

“Rough Times”
“Into The Wormhole”
“Skeleton Blues”
“Die Baby Die”
“Vampires”
“Tribulation Nation”
“Words Of Evil”
“You Found The Best In Me”
“The Lost Child”
“A L'Ombre Du Temps”
“Helter Skelter” (Bonus Track)

Trailers:

“Into The Wormhole” video:

“Die Baby Die” video:

Sweden's Shining, featuring founder/frontman Niklas Kvarforth, have unleashed the first track taken from their forthcoming album, X - Varg Utan Flock, to be released on January 5th via Season Of Mist. The song "Jag Är Din Fiende" will also be released as the A-side of a 10" vinyl EP, entitled Fiende (out Novever 24th), available for pre-order here.

Niklas Kvarforth comments on the new song: "The third track, 'Jag Är Din Fiende', from our upcoming tenth album embodies everything that Shining represents on a musical level. An uncompromising mix of high and low tainted with a sinister atmosphere of horrible unease. Lyrically, this track speaks of the need and means for retribution, making not only this, but the album overall, infused with a nightmarish maliciousness and a pitch-black hatred that hasn't been as prominent on our earlier albums. There is a war coming and this is our statement on what we have in store for you!"

Listen to "Jag Är Din Fiende" below:

With two highly successful albums under their belt and countless national tours with such A-list bands as Candlebox, Theory Of A Deadman, Flyleaf, Passafire, and Amaranthe, renowned rockers Lullwater are heading into some uncharted territory as they team up with producer Jakob Herrmann (Anthrax, Machine Head, Amaranthe) and engineer Justin Davis (Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, Nirvana’s Chad Channing, Guns ‘N’ Roses’ Duff McKagan) to record what they are already calling their “biggest, most mature, honest, and personal project yet”.

Slated for a March 2018 release, Lullwater’s third album is expected to feature approximately 10-12 songs and while the new music will still embody the gritty, Southern-rock swagger that they have become known for, fans can expect the new tracks to go deeper than previous albums, according to lead singer John Strickland.

“This album is much more personal - we've had a tumultuous two years since we released Revival and that is reflected in the music”, Strickland said. “Not that the songs will be all doom and gloom. But they'll definitely convey a depth that will expose us in a way that our fans haven't seen yet.”

To achieve this bolder sound, the band is recording digitally for the very first time so that the new songs are more layered and every element has room to “breathe.”  However, Strickland assures fans that the new material will still stay true to their signature sound.

“The new album will sound like us and be true to our rock roots. We're not looking to reinvent ourselves - but, just as we've grown, so has our writing”, he said.

Lullwater’s third album will be available on iTunes, Spotify and wherever digital music is sold. Physical copies will also be available at all of the band’s shows.

For more information about Lullwater and for all of the latest updates on the new album, visit lullwatermusic.com. You can also find the band on Facebook.