Arch Enemy are breaking all records with their new masterpiece, Will To Power, entering sales charts on top ranks all over the world.

Here is a list of the most relevant chart results:

#3 - German Album Charts
#3 - UK Rock Charts
#2 - Finnish Album Charts
#5 - Swiss Album Charts
#5 - Czech Album Charts
#6 - Austrian Album Charts
#11 - Swedish Album Charts (last album #40)
#11 - Dutch Album Charts (last album #38)
#11 - Flemish Album Charts (Belgium)
#15 - Wallonian Album Charts (Belgium)
#19 - French Album Charts (last album #42)
#26 - Australian Album Charts (first chart entry ever)
#37 - UK Album Charts (last album #85)
#1 - US Hard Music Charts
#10 - US Rock Charts
#1 - iTunes Metal Charts (international)

Michael Amott comments, "This is quite overwhelming to be honest... Firstly, a huge THANK YOU to all the fans that picked up Will to Power during the first week of release! This has resulted in some of the best chart entries in Arch Enemy's history! The Will To Power tour has just begun and the reactions to the new songs are just phenomenal. This is just the beginning, we're very much looking forward to going around the world a few times! We'll see all you metal maniacs out there soon and thank you once again from Arch Enemy!

Arch Enemy are currently on tour taking their latest batch of metal anthems to the people. The band has just recently kickstarted their international Will To Power Tour with a headlining jaunt across Eastern Europe with special guests Jinjer before going overseas for a co-headlining North American tour with Trivium featuring support from While She Sleeps and Fit For An Autopsy from October through December.

Arch Enemy will continue touring into the new year with a January trek across Europe with support from Wintersun, Tribulation, and Jinjer. Check out the band’s itinerary and get tickets for all shows at this location.

(Photo - Katja Kuhl)

Madame Mayhem is a true rocker with an eclectic style in every aspect of life - merging theatricality with hard-hitting, rocking tunes. And on October 20th, she will be unveiling a brand new album, Ready For Me (via Metalville label in the UK and Europe, and HeadBall Records in the US). The just-completed album features a powerhouse team of rock talent, including producer Corey Lowery (Saint Asonia), Clint Lowery (Sevendust), Troy McLawhorn (Evanescence), and both Bevan Davies and Ryan Bennett (Madame Mayhem) on drums. A video trailer for the new album can be found below.

“All the songs on this album are super personal to me,” explains Mayhem. “About my frustrations, trying to get through the rough times, my anxieties and insecurities, some messed up stuff that has happened to me along the way, relationship devastation, you name it. I noticed it only afterwards that audiences are really getting 'the dirt' on me through this album. I was super honest, vulnerable, and didn't hold back during the writing process of these songs. Corey Lowery and I are a great team because he makes me feel comfortable to spill my guts during writing sessions, and during recordings, to re live these situations I am writing about so whoever is listening gets all of what we wanted to give.

And it turns out the album’s first single/video is the perfect intro to the album - a song titled “All Around the World”.

“’All Around The World’ is really about feeling like it's you against the world, and racing against time. It's about the pressures to succeed in such a short amount of time, people thinking they know best, and are lost in their own worlds, only concerned about themselves. In this rat race we all live in today, it's getting harder and harder to break through, even if you work your ass off. The sound is upbeat, kind of a more pop punk ish vibe. Corey Lowery and I thought, though we usually are huge fans of incorporating harmonies in our arrangements, that since this song is really about feeling like it's just you against the world, so we tried to make it sound like just one melody line, one voice, against all this hard hitting music. The verses are also supposed to make you feel that anxiety and panic that I have on a daily basis, as I'm sure many of us do. But its a super fun song to rock out to when you are just listening to it without over analyzing it.”

Other album standouts include "War You Started" (“Hard hitting high energy - first track off the album to get listeners pumped up definitely one of my favorites!!! Also one of our favorites to kick off our sets with!”) Also, “So Wrong (Lay You To Rest)”, “It’s about some really dark messed up stuff I went through and the rage that was building inside me because of it - about laying to rest the stress I was having over the situation. This song is also hard hitting and the vibes from the verse-pre chorus-chorus, even the breakdown and solo take you through the different stages of the feelings one can go through when dealing with traumatic experiences; and the relief you have when you finally tell a loved one or anyone that thing that you tried to bury inside you that you didn’t know was holding you back.”). Plus, the album-closing title track. “’Ready For Me’ is the name of the album and the 13th/final track on the record. I thought it would be a strong album title because it's basically - Are you ready for me? I don't think you're ready for me; ready for me or not, here I am.”).

Physical CD pre-order for North America here. Digital pre orders coming soon for North America.

With hard rock roots and melodies that show off her vocal range, Madame Mayhem is excited to bring these new, unreleased songs to the masses this fall, as she will be hitting the road with Austin John Winkler (formerly the voice of Hinder) and Smile Empty Soul this fall on the Love Sick Radio Tour (presented by M7 Agency) in the US, before heading over to Europe and the UK for dates with Fozzy and Hardcore Superstar.

“I am so excited to play this new music live! Really looking forward to touring Europe and The UK in October and November 2017!”

The singer has performed across the United States to packed rooms, including B.B.King Blues Club, The Roxy, The Viper Room, Bowery Ballroom, Knitting Factory, a residency at The Cutting Room, the Bluebird Café during Grammy nomination week, Shiprocked Cruise 2017, Sunfest 2017, Sturgis Buffalo Chip 2017, and has performed on national tours with renowned and respected artists such as Doro and Mushroomhead.

With Ready For Me and tour dates on the horizon, Madame Mayhem is setting the stage for what promises to be a big 2018 with this string of worldwide tour dates in 2017.

Ready For Me tracklisting:

“War You Started”
“Wake Up (Enemy)”
“Hurt Me”
“Innocent”
“All Around The World”
“Number One”
“Stand Up”
“Say Go”
“Before You Burn”
“Original”
“Slow It Down”
“So Wrong (Lay You To Rest)”
“Ready For Me”

Trailer:

Tour dates:

September
22 - Front Street Grill - Dardanelle, AR              
23 - Outland Ballroom - Springfield, MO             
24 - Shots - Rolla, MO              
26 - Spillway - Bowling Green, KY              
27 - Rockhouse Live - Memphis, TN                  
29 - 9 Muses - Tyler, TX                  
30 - Hideaway - Jackson, MS               

October
3 - Still Bar - Gadsden, AL              
5 - Captain Hiram's - Sebastian, FL             
6 - State Theatre - St Petersburg, FL             
7 - 1904 Music Hall - Jacksonville, FL              
8 - Club LA - Destin, FL             
11 - Poseidon Rooftop Bar - Hilton Head Island, SC              
12 - Carolina Nightlight - Darlington, SC                  
13 - Hogtails - Pendleton, SC              
14 - Johnny and Junes - Winston-Salem, NC              
15 - Open Chord - Knoxville, TN

October     
27 - O2 Academy 2 - Birmingham, United Kingdom             
28 - Tivoli - Dublin, Ireland             
29 - Limelight 2 - Belfast, United Kingdom             
31 - Live Rooms - Chester-Le-Street, United Kingdom         

November
1 - Waterfront - Manchester, United Kingdom             
2 - Islington Academy - London, United Kingdom         
3 - Corporation - Sheffield, United Kingdom             
4 - The Garage - Glasgow, United Kingdom             
5 - Riverside - Newcastle, United Kingdom             
7 - Q Factory - Amsterdam, Netherlands    
8 - Colas Saal - Aschaffenburg, Germany             
9 - Z7 - Pratteln, Switzerland              
10 - Live Club - Trezzo     Sull'adda, Italy             
11 - New Age Club - Roncade, Italy             
12 - Kimera Rock - Rome, Italy             
14 - Flex - Wien, Austria         
15 - Technikum - Munich, Germany             
16 - Turock - Essen, Germany         
17 - Grunespan - Hamburg, Germany             
18 - CPG - Genk, Belgium

Iron Maiden have announced that they’ll release a live package celebrating their 16th studio album The Book Of Souls.

Titled The Book Of Souls: Live Chapter, it will feature 15 tracks recorded on the band’s world tour in support of the record and will be available on November 17 via Warner Music/BMG on CD, deluxe CD and vinyl audio formats, with the concert film available to stream free online or as a digital download.

Bassist Steve Harris, who co-produced the album with Tony Newton, says: “We spent a huge amount of time working on this as I wanted to get it as close to the Maiden live experience as I possibly could and to represent our fans from different parts of the world.

“This meant listening to literally hours upon hours of tapes from every show to select material and construct a sound that would run consistently across the whole album and capture the excitement of a new country like El Salvador alongside such regular favourites as Donington or Wacken.”

Maiden manager Rod Smallwood adds: “The Book Of Souls World Tour was a huge undertaking – not least for Bruce who started the tour singing in public for the very first time since recovering from throat cancer.

“He also piloted Ed-Force One, upgraded last year from a Boeing 757 to a 747 so we could go further and faster to visit some fantastic cities and fans all round the world. This year continued that excitement bringing us our most successful North American and UK tours ever.”

He continues: “It was a very special tour in a great many ways so we felt we wanted to document it for both ourselves and for our fans. Steve has done an incredible job putting together this set from cities around the world and we’ve made sure the deluxe CD will be available in a matching book format to The Book of Souls release.

“On top of all that the release will be celebrated by an event that is a Maiden first – a free live streaming premiere of the concert film, as a thank you to our loyal fans around the world.

“We hope that the global Maiden community will all enjoy coming together to watch this special event online. Many of you will be in it as there is footage from a whole host of the places we played on this momentous tour."

Further details on this one-off event will be revealed in the near future via the band’s website.

Find a list of tracks and the cities they were recorded in below, along with the cover art and CD and vinyl packages.


Iron Maiden The Book Of Souls: Live Chapter tracklist
If Eternity Should Fail - Sydney, Australia
Speed of Light - Cape Town, South Africa
Wrathchild - Dublin, Ireland
Children of the Damned - Montreal, Canada
Death or Glory - Wroclaw, Poland
The Red and the Black - Tokyo, Japan
The Trooper - San Salvador, El Salvador
Powerslave - Trieste, Italy
The Great Unknown - Newcastle, UK
The Book of Souls - Donington, UK
Fear of the Dark - Fortaleza, Brazil
Iron Maiden - Buenos Aires, Argentina
Number of the Beast - Wacken, Germany
Blood Brothers - Donington, UK
Wasted Years - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

Gene Simmons has once again defended his attempt to trademark the so-called "devil's horns" hand gesture.

The KISS bassist/vocalist withdrew his application to trademark the symbol in late June — less than two weeks after filing with the federal copyright office.

Most music fans slammed Simmons for the trademark request, saying the symbol has become ubiquitous and means different things to different people.

Asked by Canada's Metro if he is bothered by the negative feedback he got for trying to trademark the "metal horns" or "rock on" hand sign, Simmons replied: "You can't please everybody. Not everybody likes Jesus, either.

"Instead of worrying what people think, I just go my merry way and do whatever I want to do.

"If I could, I would trademark the air you breathe. Every breath. Yes, I would."

Gene's KISS bandmate Paul Stanley recently said that he had no idea why Simmons attempted to trademark the "devil's horns" hand gesture. Stanley told the Loudwire Podcast: "Well, you know, Gene elicits some very strong reactions from people. And what he does he does for the reasons that only he knows. So I can't really say that I have really any thought about it. It was really something that he wanted to pursue, and the reaction was how people felt about it. So I don't know why he pulled it, and I don't know why he started it. I really have no… I haven't asked him."

In his original request, which was filed on June 9, Simmons described the sign as consisting "of a hand gesture with the index and small fingers extended upward and the thumb extended perpendicular." He paid $275, seeking to use the hand signal symbol for "Entertainment, namely, live performances by a musical artist; personal appearances by a musical artist."

Gene claimed the gesture was first used in commerce on November 14, 1974, which corresponded to KISS's "Hotter Than Hell" tour. He wrote in his signed declaration that he believed "no other person, firm, corporation or association has the right to use said mark in commerce, either in the identical form or in such near resemblance."

It's unclear why Simmons suddenly withdrew his application to trademark the gesture but it's unlikely he would have succeeded anyway.

Copyright lawyer Ronald Abrams told Forbes that such hand gestures can't be trademarked unless they are part of a logo. Trademark attorney Michael Cohen with Cohen IP Law Group in Beverly Hills, who deals with trademark, patent and copyright infringement cases, concurred, telling the Los Angeles Times that it would have been very difficult for Simmons's application to be approved because the gesture has become "genericized."

Simmons's version of the gesture is actually "I love you" in American Sign Language, with the thumb extended, rather than the thumb holding two middle fingers close to the palm.

Ronnie James Dio's widow Wendy also criticized Simmons for attempting to trademark the hand sign. She told TheWrap: "To try to make money off of something like this is disgusting. It belongs to everyone — it doesn't belong to anyone. It's a public domain, it shouldn't be trademarked."

Photo credit: Mark Weiss

During a brand new interview with Australia's Heavy, former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach was once again asked if he gets annoyed when people constantly call for a reunion of the group's classic lineup. "I expect it and I understand the feeling of seeing your favorite band reunite, and how cool that is," he responded. "KISS did it better than anybody until GUNS N' ROSES did it, and they did the biggest reunion ever, and to see them back together was so inspiring. I got to play with them in [Las] Vegas right at the beginning of [the 'Not In This Lifetime'] tour and just looking around at those guys being together on stage again was something I'll never forget. So I understand why people ask that, but I don't have an answer. [Laughs]"

SKID ROW guitarist Scotti Hill last month ruled out the possibility of a reunion with Bach, explaining he and his bandmates don't want to "put ourselves in a volatile situation and be unhappy and destroy what we have now."

Bach fronted SKID ROW until 1996, when he was fired. Instead of throwing in the towel, the remaining members took a hiatus and went on to play briefly in a band called OZONE MONDAY.

In 1999, SKID ROW reformed and, after a bit of shuffling over the years, featured a lineup consisting of original bassist Rachel Bolan and guitarists Dave "Snake" Sabo and Hill, alongside drummer Rob Hammersmith and singer Johnny Solinger.

SKID ROW fired Solinger over the phone in April 2015, a few hours before announcing ex-TNT vocalist Tony Harnell as his replacement. Eight months later, Harnell exited the band and was replaced by South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart, who previously fronted DRAGONFORCE, TANK and I AM I.

Jeff Loomis says "it's quite possible" that he could one day reunite with NEVERMORE to record some new music.

Loomis and drummer Van Williams announced their departure from NEVERMORE in April 2011 due to personal differences with singer Warrel Dane and bassist Jim Sheppard. Three years later, the guitarist joined ARCH ENEMY, with whom he has been on the road ever since.

Asked in a new interview with Ultimate Guitar if fans will ever get to hear more material from NEVERMORE, Jeff said: "I only have good things to say about everybody in the band and Van Williams is one of my best friends.

"I still talk to Warrel sometimes. He's now doing SANCTUARY again, which is awesome.

"It was a really good eighteen years that we had — an amazing run. Unfortunately, things ended in a really bad, sour way.

"There was a lot of drinking going on in the band, and I think that was the final nail in the coffin as to why the band actually broke up.

"It wasn't a very good breakup at all. It was very difficult."

He continued: "When you spend eighteen years together with a bunch of dudes, it's kind of like a marriage in a way. When something like that breaks up, it's heartbreaking. It was a real bummer.

"Maybe one day, I would really like to be able to talk to Warrel again face to face and sit down and talk through all of our problems that we had and stuff like that.

"Time is a healer and life is short. So hopefully one of these days we will be able to sit down and talk out some of our differences, just as friends, even. That would be great.

"But at the moment, everybody is doing something else and that's great, bless them for whatever they want to do."

Loomis added: "I'm in ARCH ENEMY now, and I guess the chapter is closed for NEVERMORE for now and another chapter has opened up in my life.

"I'll never say no to anything — I'll always give something a shot. And if the timing is right, maybe one day we'll do a couple more songs or maybe an album even. Who knows? It's quite possible."

Dane told "The Jasta Show" last year that "rarely" talked to Jeff. But, he insisted, "we don't hate each other. We're not enemies. We're still friends — friends that rarely speak to each other, unfortunately."

The singer added that there has been no discussion of a NEVERMORE reunion, explaining: "[Jeff is] sober now. I tried to get the whole band sober fucking years ago, and it was pretty much, 'Fuck you! I'm gonna do whatever I wanna do.' Not from him. Not from Jeff. [It came] from someone else in the band. And had that worked, if I had been successful and got the whole band sober, we'd probably still be together right now. But, you know, everything happens for a reason. And the new shit that I'm working on, the new original stuff with my solo band, makes me realize how lucky I am to have worked with so many great musicians and made so many great songs."

NEVERMORE's last album, "The Obsidian Conspiracy", was released in 2010.

DEEP PURPLE singer Ian Gillan has once again shot down the possibility of a reunion with Ritchie Blackmore, saying that "the rain stopped and the sun came out for the band" once the guitarist left the group.

Blackmore is a co-founder of DEEP PURPLE and wrote many of their most memorable riffs, including "Smoke On The Water", but he has not played with the group since his 1993 departure.

Steve Morse effectively took over Blackmore's slot in 1994 and has since been in the group longer than Ritchie.

During an appearance on "The Vinyl Guide" podcast, Gillan was asked if there are any circumstances under which he would be open to playing with Blackmore again. He said (hear audio below): "Well, you know, [Ritchie has] been playing minstrel music for twenty-five years nearly. He got together RAINBOW for a few shows recently. I've got some friends, or acquaintances, to whom Ritchie is god, an absolute god, and they think he's not playing rock and roll like he used to. And I'm putting that as kindly as I can, because Ritchie and I are getting on okay these days; there's no great animosity anymore, and I've publicly wished him well as often as I can. We nearly had dinner together a couple of times.

"The answer to your question is no," he continued. "There's no reason.

"Put it this way: for all those years, the wounds would have healed within a year. But if somebody keeps poking a wound, it won't heal — it won't, if you keep poking it with a stick.

"We're happily married now. Ritchie and the band got divorced. He walked out in the middle of a tour, and the rain stopped and the sun came out for the band. It was like that."

Gillan added: "Ritchie was a difficult character; there's no denying that. And suddenly Ian Paice [drums] came alive again; he was a happy guy. And Jon Lord [keyboards] regained his gravitas. And Roger [Glover, bass] came out from under a rock. Everyone started being their normal person again. It was a big cloud on the social and musical and professional scene.

"As Ian Paice puts it best: why would I go back to that misery again? It's like somebody saying, 'You're happily married now, but we want you to get back together with your divorced wife, with which there's been much bitterness over the years — just for the sake of the fans.

"It's not gonna happen."

Blackmore was recently quoted saying he woud like to play one last show with DEEP PURPLE "for nostalgia reasons." He also previously suggested that the band's manager had blocked him from joining them onstage during the 2016 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony, and he used that as an excuse for not attending the event.

Despite Blackmore being a no-show at last year's Rock Hall, he was given several shoutouts during the induction speeches of the DEEP PURPLE members in attendance. In addition, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich, who inducted DEEP PURPLE into the institution, praised "Ritchie fucking Blackmore" for one of the most memorable guitar riffs of all time on "Smoke On The Water".

LINKIN PARK's Mike Shinoda spoke to the Los Angeles radio station KROQ Monday morning (September 18) about the band's first concert since Chester Bennington died in July. The group will perform a one-off "celebration" to honor the singer on October 27 at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

A press release promises an "an unforgettable night of music" featuring a number of other artists. Proceeds from the show will go to Music For Relief's One More Light Fund in memory of Bennington.

Shinoda told KROQ that the decision to move forward with the tribute concert took some encouragement. "I had gone to [producer] Rick Rubin as a source of guidance," he explained (hear audio below). "He had said, 'I think you guys need to get on stage. I think that'll be the thing that'll feel good. It'll be super, super hard.' We haven't gone out together in public, we haven't played — we haven't gone on stage. He said, 'The fans want to see you. Not because they want to see a show, but there's a cathartic experience that needs to happen and it'll inform what you guys are doing.' And I thought it over — and I know that for some of the guys in the band, getting on stage [without Chester] is more scary than [for] other guys in the band, but I will say that for all of us, it's definitely the thing that we want to do. It feels like the right way to celebrate Chester."

Shinoda also touched on Bennington's tragic death at the age of 41. The singer was found after committing suicide at his home in Palo Verdes Estates, California on Thursday, July 20, leaving behind his wife Talinda and six children from multiple relationships.

"With something like this, and it was the same at his funeral… I know that the circumstances of his passing were really dark, and as we said at the time, the darkness that he had was always there and was kind of part of the package, but what was so unique and special about this guy is that he used it as fuel to do so many positive things," Mike said. "His overall, the way he was, he was such a happy guy, he was such a fun guy. When he'd walk in the room, there was such a positive, funny, upbeat energy, and that's what we wanna get out of this show."

He continued: "I know it's gonna be a roller coaster of emotion. But when we talk about this and when we're focusing on the show, it's really about, like we say, celebrating life."

The pre-sale for LINKIN PARK's Hollywood Bowl concert — the guest list for which is "still coming together," according to Shinoda — begins September 19, while tickets become available to everyone on September 22.

Whitney Ribbins of TotalRock Radio recently conducted an interview with legendary bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION). You can watch the full chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On his recent activities:

Glenn: "I've been writing more music. I just did a record with another famous fellow, which I can't say who right now, which will be coming out… soon. It's like another secret. I can't announce it until they announce it, but I've been super-busy working. I'm a writer. That's my main thing is writing."

On how he views touring today versus when he started:

Glenn: "When I was a teenager, I really wasn't a drinker. I was a sports fanatic when I was a child, even when I was a long-haired in TRAPEZE with my beard and I was pretty much a sports enthusiast. When I joined DEEP PURPLE, I don't like to use the word 'fame,' but I think success can bring danger into your life. I didn't really understand about alcoholism or drug addiction. When I was a kid, I didn't [tug at] my mother's skirt and say 'Mommy, when I'm sixteen, can I drink? Can I do drugs?' I didn't want to become that guy, but I found myself surrounded by people that were over-excessing in drinking and womanizing and drugs and driving fast. I kinda became one of 'them,' not knowing I was stepping into the fast lane. Not knowing that I was becoming an alcoholic."

On the moment he decided his drinking and drug habits weren't the way he wanted to carry on:

Glenn: "I knew ten years before I stopped. I was trying to stop…in my book ['Glenn Hughes: The Autobiography - From Deep Purple To Black Country Communion'] I talk about the '80s. I don't remember the 1980s. I really honestly don't. I say that not for a statement, but I don't remember the '80s. I think in the '80s, I was trying to get sober. In '91, I had the heart attack and that definitely got my attention."

On being on the road today sober:

Glenn: "The road today is a place if you embrace it and if you are able to live normally on the road, if you can take care of your body and your mind and sleep, you gotta sleep. If you're a singer, you have to sleep. I travel by bus and I have a great bus and sleep well and drink a lot of water. For me, to cut back to the chase of the drug thing: I had a psychic change. I don't think it was the heart attack that gave me the change. I think it was the ability to realize that this behavior was going to kill me, at least drive me insane. Worrying my mother and father to death, which it did, they remember one day, they reported that I was dead. There was another guy called 'Glenn Hughes' in the band called VILLAGE PEOPLE. His name is Glenn Hughes and his name is spelled the same as mine. He was a gay guy and funny enough, my mom became friends with his mom because of the mix-up. It was horrible for them to read their son with his picture in the paper. There could have been a lawsuit there. I say this because I just lost my mom and dad. This whole scenario of touring and making album after album and having a career and being sober and trying to help kids, is really a big thing for me."

On what the new BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION album "BCCIV" means to him:

Glenn: "I'm singing again about life and death, because my mom had just died. My dad had died a few months before. Without being morbid, that's what life is. You come and you go. I wrote about fear and faith. I wrote about life in general, about living life. If you read my liner notes, I always seem to be out there on the sea and I'm always coming back to the shore. It's like I'm always reaching out, leaving and the song 'Wanderlust', it's like I'm always wandering and meeting people and always finding my way back. It's something that's important to me. I used to be in fear of that, but I've [embraced] it very much so."

On whether he is looking forward to playing more shows with BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION:

Glenn: "I am looking forward to it. We've been planning on this for a while. It's really enjoyable. I believe, from what I'm gathering, there's a lot of people waiting for this album. I'm really happy that the songs are strong and the vibe is really good."

"BCCIV" will be released on September 22 via Mascot Records. This is BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's first studio album since 2013's "Afterglow". The album was recorded in early 2017 at The Cave Studio in Malibu, California with producer Kevin Shirley (BLACK STAR RIDERS, IRON MAIDEN).

Mike Portnoy has shut down his official forum, explaining that he could no longer take all the "bickering and negativity."

Back in June 1999, the former DREAM THEATER drummer created a place for his fans to interact with each other using Infopop's Ultimate Bulletin Board software. Since then, he has hosted the forum at MikePortnoy.com, frequently responding to questions from fans and engaging in mostly light-hearted banter with his longtime supporters.

After announcing his latest project, SONS OF APOLLO, in early August, Portnoy has seen some his fans embrace the band while others have complained about the that fact that the first two songs from the group were too straightforward and somewhat musically bland.

At first, Portnoy claimed that he was amused by the negative feedback on his official forum, insisting that the response to SONS OF APOLLO on all the other web sites he had seen — "even including Blabbermouth" — has been "unanimously positive so far."

He wrote in a September 16 post: "When I hash-tagged #ProgMetal on the first day in the studio (before anything was written), that was the general idea *in mind*...but once we started writing together, the music ended up going in MANY places...and I think that is what will set this band apart from most in the 'prog' genre. "Picture the chops of PSMS" — referring to the supergroup featuring Portnoy, Billy Sheehan, Tony MacAlpine and Derek Sherinian — "or DREAM THEATER mixed with the hooks and melodic sensibilities of THE WINERY DOGS. "If you're down for the ride with an open mind and not expecting a specific style or sound, you're going to love this band... I think it's the band that most of you that are DREAM THEATER fans have probably been waiting for from me."

After seeing more critical opinions about SONS OF APOLLO pop up in the last couple of days, Portnoy finally disabled new comments on the forum over the weekend. He explained in a post: "I think it's time for a Permanent Vacation... "Sorry gang.... just way too much bickering and negativity.

"It's time to move on...it was fun while it lasted, but I can only take so much and I'm not interested in playing host to it anymore. "We have plenty of interactive social media outlets and I will always be around watching and participating."

He added in a separate message: "I have been contemplating this for a while now and feel it's time to finally move on. "The forum will remain read-only and all threads will remain archived.

"I will continue to post tour dates and release dates as they come in as well as keeping the tourography up to date."

Portnoy then thanked all the people who were "a part of the forum for almost twenty years."

SONS OF APOLLO's debut album, "Psychotic Symphony", will be released on October 20 via InsideOut Music.

In a 2015 interview with Drumtalk, Portnoy said that he "embraced" social media from the beginning because he was "a loudmouth" with "an extroverted personality." But he admitted that there was a negative side to "fame," specifically "the fact that you become a bit of a punching bag for the critics, and for the people on the Internet and the social media that want to have their say." He said: "I like to have an open, honest relationship with my fans. But you can only get beat up so many times. And I realize for every one angry, mean post from a fan, there's another nine supportive, loving ones. But still, yeah, it hurts. I'm human. My skin is only so thin, or so thick."

During their September 12th concert at Halle Tony Garnier in Lyon, France, Metallica performed “Of Wolf And Man”, originally featured on their 1991 self-titled album (aka The Black Album). Professionally-filmed video of the performance can be seen below:

Remaining dates on Metallica's 2017 WorldWired Tour are as listed below:

October
22 - London, England - The O2 Arena (Sold Out)
24 - London, England - The O2 Arena (Sold Out)
26 - Glasgow, Scotland - The SSE Hydro (Sold Out)
28 - Manchester, England - Manchester Arena (Sold Out)
30 - Birmingham, England - Genting Arena (Sold Out)

November
1 - Antwerp, Belgium - Sportpaleis (Sold Out)
3 - Antwerp, Belgium - Sportpaleis (Sold Out)

Ernie Ball, the iconic maker of Slinky guitar strings and instrument accessories, has announced the launch of the Hetfield + Hammett Experience, a partnership with longtime Ernie Ball artists and legendary guitarists James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett that will grant three lucky winners the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to hang with the guitarists at Metallica Headquarters in San Francisco, CA.

In the promo video below, Hetfield talks about the band's HQ and what you can expect to find there:

Winners will also take home their choice of a Hetfield or Hammett Signature ESP Guitar as well as an Ernie Ball Prize Pack complete with their favorite gauge of Slinky guitar strings and other prizes. The contest launched September 7th, and runs through October 31st.

“I have to say that HQ is kinda like NASA,” says Kirk Hammett. “You need the right credentials to get in, you need to know the right codes to get through the door. There are constantly people around making sure that whoever is there is there for a purpose. It’s pretty tight because it’s like the brain control…the mission control for all things Metallica.”

“This is a pretty cool opportunity to get into Metallica’s creative space and see what it is, why it is, and what is in there that inspires us,” said James Hetfield. “For me, as a fan of other bands, it would’ve been pretty awesome to have shown up in Phil Lynott’s writing space. This is gonna be a very special moment for whoever gets to show up at HQ.”

“To have artists like Kirk Hammett and James Hetfield trust our strings for over 35 years is something the Ernie Ball family is incredibly thankful and proud of,” says Ernie Ball President Brian Ball. “It also means our strings have been along for the epic ride of ‘Seek & Destroy,’ ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls,’ ‘Sad But True’ and many of the band’s biggest hits. We’re excited about this contest and looking forward to connecting the band and a few lucky fans in a special way.”

Fans can enter Ernie Ball’s Hetfield + Hammett Experience by purchasing qualifying packs of Ernie Ball Strings at Guitar Center or from Musician’s Friend, then entering the codes found inside the packs at ernieball.com/metallica for a chance to win.

World-renowned guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani has announced the release of his sixteenth solo album, "What Happens Next", due on January 12, 2018 via Sony/Legacy Recordings. Just a day prior to the album release, Satriani revives his G3 tour entity, inviting DREAM THEATER's John Petrucci and DEF LEPPARD lead guitarist Phil Collen to join him. The G3 tour launches on January 11 in Seattle, Washington and continues across the U.S. before winding up on February 25 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

The new, instrumentally electrifying album features a power trio of legendary status; Satriani on guitar and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee bassist Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION) and drummer Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS), the latter reuniting with Satriani for the first time since their work in the supergroup CHICKENFOOT. Satriani is once again joined by producer/engineer/mixer Mike Fraser, his frequent collaborator over the last 20 years, on "What Happens Next". Fraser is well-known for recording/mixing every AC/DC album since 1990's "The Razors Edge" along with his classic works with Satriani going back to the release of "Crystal Planet" in 1998.

These new tracks literally vibrate the soul with an energy rarely found these days. From the dynamic opening track, "Energy", to the majestic crunch of "Thunder High On The Mountain", and the easy, sensual chords of "Smooth Soul". This unparalleled rock-rhythm section gives "What Happens Next" a depth of groove that sets it apart from Satriani's other work.

Since its debut in 1996, Satriani's G3 tour has featured the world's greatest guitarists (everyone from Steve Vai and Eric Johnson to Steve Lukather and Robert Fripp) and has become a consistent concert hall sell-out attraction in the U.S., South America, Europe, Australia and Japan. "I could say that I'm surprised at the durability of G3 and how much it's grown, but in a way I'm not," Satriani says with a laugh, "I think part of its charm and its mojo is in the chemistry of having three top guitarists share what they do on stage. It's fun, it's unpredictable, it's wild — it's everything you could want in a show."

In addition to this new album and exciting tour news, a new documentary "Beyond The Supernova" shot by Satriani's filmmaker son, ZZ, makes its debut at the Mill Valley Film Festival this October. The tour documentary chronicles Joe, along with his band and crew, on their last "Shockwave Supernova" tour throughout Europe and Asia.

Satriani's "Strange Beautiful Music: A Musical Memoir" first released in May 2014 will now be available in paperback. Pre-orders are available now with the official release on November 7. The paperback version includes a new chapter focusing on Satriani's last album, "Shockwave Supernova".

For two decades, the guitar virtuoso has traveled the world, playing to sold-out crowds as both a headliner and as founder of the all-star G3 guitar extravaganza. Satriani's studio and live recordings have sold more than ten million copies worldwide to date and of his many solo albums, two have gone platinum and four others went gold, with fifteen Grammy nominations between them. His side project, CHICKENFOOT, featuring former VAN HALEN frontman Sammy Hagar, former VH bassist Michael Anthony and Chad Smith saw their debut album certified gold and their second studio album debuted at #9.

"What Happens Next" track listing:

01. Energy 02. Catbot 03. Thunder High On The Mountain 04. Cherry Blossoms 05. Righteous 06. Smooth Soul 07. Headrush 08. Looper 09. What Happens Next 10. Super Funky Badass 11. Invisible 12. Forever And Ever

"Code Of The Slashers", the brand new video from Florida-based death metallers CANNIBAL CORPSE, can be seen below. The clip was directed by Zev Deans, who previously worked on BEHEMOTH's "Messe Noire", GHOST's "Square Hammer" and PORTAL's "Curtain" videos.

Deans comments: "After crawling through abandoned buildings, crashing our van into a tree in the middle of a scene, witnessing a real stabbing and drenching ourselves in fake blood in a derelict park at 5 a.m., we can safely say this was a proper introduction to the slasher genre for Panorama Programming. We brought a slab of fresh meat back from a rotting metropolis, and we're serving it to you raw. Come and get it."

"Code Of The Slashers" is taken from CANNIBAL CORPSE's new studio album, "Red Before Black", which will be released on November 3. The follow-up to 2014's "A Skeletal Domain" was recorded at Mana Recording Studios in Saint Petersburg, Florida with producer/engineer Erik Rutan (SOILENT GREEN, BELPHEGOR, HATE ETERNAL), who previously worked with CANNIBAL CORPSE on 2006's "Kill", 2009's "Evisceration Plague" and 2012's "Torture".

Many words come to mind when you hear the name CANNIBAL CORPSE, but one truly defines the soon-to-be-thirty-year death metal veterans: unstoppable. Returning with their fourteenth full-length, the monstrous "Red Before Black", serves to not only reiterate this but to once more raise the stakes, making it very clear who sets the standard when it comes to always compelling music that is equally brutal and complex. Moreover, the band have pushed themselves again, ensuring that it stands out from their catalog.

"We always try to make our music aggressive, but where an album like 'A Skeletal Domain' [2014] was definitely aggressive, it has a targeted refinement that the new album doesn't. 'Red Before Black' is as well executed as anything we've done, but it has a rawness to it that we haven't had in a long time," asserts bassist Alex Webster. "We really worked super hard crafting these songs, practicing them, and getting them where we wanted to be more so than on any of our previous albums," adds drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz. "And, as Alex said, musically I think it's the most raw sound we've had — and at the same time I think it's our most focused, tightest and catchiest record."

With 2017 seeing a slew of stunning new releases from death metal's old guard — including SUFFOCATION, OBITUARY and DYING FETUS — it's been a landmark year both for the genre and its early innovators, and with "Red Before Black", CANNIBAL CORPSE stand strong alongside their peers. "We're proud to be part of a scene that has great, experienced bands that stick to their guns," affirms Webster. "Death metal is an established form of underground music that's here to stay, and the leadership bands like these have shown by staying true to the genre is no doubt part of the reason it has such longevity."

That CANNIBAL CORPSE have carved out a career spanning almost three decades is testament to their work ethic, innovative songwriting, passion and devotion to extreme music — though it still remains an astounding feat to the members, as Webster makes humbly clear.

"Who could have imagined this?" he says. "When we started, even BLACK SABBATH hadn't been around for three decades. There simply was no precedent for a lifelong career in metal, of any kind, let alone a relatively new form like death metal. We've been unbelievably lucky, and we are so grateful to our fans for making it possible." In typically grounded fashion, they continue to forge ahead, seeing no end in sight, Webster stating he likes to think they have yet to write their best record, while Mazurkiewicz outlines their goals: "I would say we just want to keep it going, try to better ourselves — and finally open for SLAYER!"

"Red Before Black" track listing:

01. Only One Will Die02. Red Before Black03. Code Of The Slashers04. Shedding My Human Skin05. Remaimed06. Firestorm Vengeance07. Heads Shoveled Off08. Corpus Delicti09. Scavenger Consuming Death10. In The Midst Of Ruin11. Destroyed Without A Trace12. Hideous Ichor

The cover artwork for the album can be found below.

This November, CANNIBAL CORPSE will kick off a USA tour in support of the upcoming disc. Support on the trek will come from POWER TRIP and GATECREEPER.

"A Skeletal Domain" sold 8,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 32 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Torture", opened with 9,600 units to land at No. 38. This figure was in line with the first-week performance of 2009's "Evisceration Plague", which entered the chart at No. 66. CANNIBAL CORPSE's 2006 CD, "Kill", debuted at No. 170 after shifting more than 6,000 copies.

"A Skeletal Domain" was produced by Mark Lewis (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, DEVILDRIVER) at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida.

Party god Andrew W.K. will release his first new full-length album in over a decade on March 2, 2018 via Sony Music worldwide. According to a press release, the LP "showcases Andrew's signature style of blasting triumphant rock music with an ever more epic expanses of energizing emotional ecstasy."

"I'm going for the sound of pure, unadulterated power; every emotion, every thought, every experience, every sensation, every fear, every joy, every clarity, every confusion, every up, every down... all extruded and concentrated into one thick syrup of super life-force feeling, and then psychically amplified by the celebratory spirit of glorious partying," explans Andrew.

This week, Andrew W.K. officially began his first full-band concert outing in five years with "The Party Never Dies Tour". Starting September 18 in Minneapolis, Andrew brings his party-centric positivity across America, with additional shows added due to high demand in San Francisco and Boston as well as a new Chicago headlining show (following the success of the stage-closing Riot Fest performance). The previously announced U.K. tour dates are now moving from November to April 2018. All tickets bought for the November tour will still be honored at the new dates, or can be refunded at the point of purchase.

A one-man music machine possessed by a single-minded, monomaniacal focus on euphoric joy, Andrew lives to spread a singular message: that to party is to exist, and to exist is to party. Andrew continues to passionately deliver his extremely high-energy brand of uplifting entertainment, with a unrelenting commitment to continuing the mission he first embarked upon in 2001, with the release of his debut single and signature tune "Party Hard", and has never swerved from since. Despite taking on a dizzying array of additional roles that took him into virgin territory for a rock 'n' roll musician (ie: advice columnist for the Village Voice and Vice, host of a Cartoon Network kid's game show, lecturer at Yale, Harvard, Carnegie Mellon and the U.K.'s Oxford University), Andrew has always remained true to his positive-partying cause. It's safe to say, Andrew's hard-partying spirit is showing no signs of softening.

Photo credit: Nina Ottolino

The official video for "Afternow", a new song from BLACKFINGER, the band led by former TROUBLE singer Eric Wagner, can be seen below. The track is taken from BLACKFINGER's latest album, "When Colors Fade Away", which was released on September 15 via M-Theory Audio.

"After I finished the first BLACKFINGER record and actually sat back and listened to it, it dawned upon me that 'when colors fade away' would be a great title and concept for the next one… of course, I didn't know there would be one, but I always hope," explains Eric. "A common thread throughout that album was the different feelings of what colors meant to me. I wondered what would happen if all the colors were gone? What would life be like without colors? I also wanted to clear up some of the misconceptions of what we are taught throughout our lives, most of which seems unrealistic to me and only serves to better the collection plate."

Renowned and still cherished for the classic material he recorded with Chicago's TROUBLE for over two decades, Wagner has in recent years been focusing on a couple other promising new bands in a similar vein, including BLACKFINGER. Now relocated to Pittsburgh, Eric is joined in the new BLACKFINGER lineup by another respected name in doom metal circles, guitarist Terry Weston of DREAM DEATH/PENANCE.

Featuring photos from Matt Bluejay and graphic design by Al Oaks, "When Colors Fade Away" is a striking and artistic package with a full color twelve-page CD booklet and a four-page vinyl insert. Vinyl limited to four hundred copies of blue/black marble.

"When I saw the photographs of the old abandoned funeral home by Matt Bluejay, I thought it would make the perfect album cover for 'When Colors Fade Away', and the start of the journey to feel good about oneself again," explains Eric M-Theory Audio is the new label launched by Marco Barbieri, the former president of Century Media Records, whose previous experience includes Nuclear Blast and Metal Blade. Joining Marco in this adventure are colleagues whose past experience includes work for labels like Century Media, Prosthetic, Victory and Epitaph. The label's roster includes Bay Area thrash outfit CULTURAL WARFARE, Las Vegas prog/power metal band SICOCIS, Sacramento headbangers BLESSED CURSE, Southern California's pagan death metallers HELSOTT, nomadic folk metal band TENGGER CAVALRY, female-fronted symphonic metal band GRAVESHADOW and Nor Cal's death/metalcore band APOTHESARY. "Eric Wagner is a true artist, talent and storyteller," says Barbieri. "I've spent the last thirty-four years listening to classic tales weaved by this man; and he is truly one of my favorite vocalists. Along the way I've had the pleasure of working with Eric and TROUBLE while at Century Media during their 'Plastic Green Head' album cycle and even had his other band, THE SKULL, headline one of the Doom In June festivals. Now our co-operation and friendship continues and I am fortunate to release the new and phenomenal BLACKFINGER album."

Marco Mendoza has signed wordwide record deal with Mighty Music. He is currently in Denmark recording his long-awaited new solo album, "Viva La Rock", with producer and guitar player Søren Andersen (Glenn Hughes, Mike Tramp).

The new disc will be the first solo album in eight years from Mendoza, whose last effort, "Casa Mendoza", came out in 2010 via Mascot Records.

"Viva La Rock" is a tour de force of ten soulful, hard-rocking songs inspired by Mendoza's roots from the seventies through the bands he has been involved with in recent years, including WHITESNAKE, THIN LIZZY, Ted Nugent and THE DEAD DAISIES.

Mexican/American-born Mendoza is mostly known for his bass playing, but on "Viva La Rock", he will underline how gifted a singer he is and has always been. Like fellow bass man Glenn Hughes, the voice of Mendoza has only grown stronger with age.

"Viva La Rock" recording lineup:

Marco Mendoza - Vocals, BassSøren Andersen - GuitarsMorten Hellborn - Drums

Says Marco: "I'm so jazzed to annonce that I will work with Mighty Music and my talented, good friend Søren Andersen on a worldwide album release. Very exciting and creative times for me."

Adds Michael H. Andersen, CEO of Mighty Music: "So proud to welcome Marco Mendoza to our label. Marco is one of those musicians from the glorious days of rock 'n' roll who's still got the voice, the stage presence and the ability to write songs."

"Viva La Rock" will be released in early 2018 and will be followed by an extensive tour.

This week, Mendoza will be heading on a threee-week solo European tour with Michael McCrystal (TYGERS OF PAN TANG) and John Macaluso (Yngwie Malmsteen).

BMG has set a November 17 release date for "Decade Of The Eagle", a deluxe anthology featuring thirty-four tracks that look back at the years that built the SAXON legend.

"Decade Of The Eagle" is a retrospective that spans the band's first nine albums and represents the very best of the first decade of their astonishing career during which time SAXON notched up five Top 40 albums and four Top 20 singles. These 4LP (180g vinyl) and 2CD deluxe editions are in a gatefold sleeve that features a special metallic embossed coin on the cover. They also include new liner notes by frontman Biff Byford that document the decade and which are accompanied by rarely seen and classic photos from the era.

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

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

"Decade Of The Eagle" track listing:

01. Stallions Of The Highway02. Big Teaser03. Backs To The Wall04. Militia Guard05. Wheels Of Steel06. 747 (Strangers In The Night)07. Suzie Hold On08. Motorcycle Man (live)09. Strong Arm Of The Law10. Heavy Metal Thunder11. 20,000ft (live)12. Dallas 1PM13. And The Bands Played On14. Never Surrender15. Denim And Leather16. Fire In the Sky (live)17. Princess Of The Night18. Power & The Glory19. This Town Rocks20. The Eagle Has Landed21. Midas Touch22. Sailing To America23. Crusader24. Devil Rides Out25. Back On The Streets26. Rockin' Again27. Rock N' Roll Gypsy28. Broken Heroes29. Waiting For The Night30. Rock The Nations31. Northern Lady32. Battle Cry33. Ride Like The Wind34. Red Alert

To pre-order your copy of "Decade Of The Eagle", go to www.pledgemusic.com/saxon.

SAXON's new album, "Thunderbolt", is tentatively due in January 2018. The follow-up to 2015's "Battering Ram" is once again being recorded with British producer Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with JUDAS PRIEST, MEGADETH, EXODUS and TESTAMENT.

According to Billboard, FOO FIGHTERS' new album, "Concrete And Gold", is likely to move more than 120,000 equivalent album units in first week of release to debut at position No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

FOO FIGHTERS previously topped the chart in 2011 with "Wasting Light". Seven of the band's albums have landed in the top 10, including 2014's "Sonic Highways", which debuted and peaked at No. 2.

FOO FIGHTERS last week released an animated mini-documentary on the making of "Concrete And Gold", which arrived on Friday (September 15). In the short film, frontman Dave Grohl talks about how the band selected the producer it wanted to work with, Greg Kurstin, and how it landed a guest appearance from Justin Timberlake, among others.

Grohl recalls meeting Kurstin at a restaurant after hearing a song by his band THE BIRD AND THE BEE on the radio in his car. As the two become friends, Grohl decides he wants Kurstin to record the next FOO FIGHTERS album. Kurstin has previously produced artists like Adele and Pink.

Grohl also recounts how he floated the idea of working with Kurstin to the rest of the band, who were puzzled because Kurstin had never worked on a heavy rock record.

In addition to Timberlake, the disc features guest appearances from Paul McCartney, THE BIRD AND THE BEE's Inara George, THE KILLS' Alison Mosshart and BOYZ II MEN singer Shawn Stockman.

FOO FIGHTERS have lined up a fall North American tour that kicks off on October 7 in San Bernardino, California with Cal Jam 17, also featuring QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, CAGE THE ELEPHANT, Liam Gallagher, ROYAL BLOOD, THE STRUTS and more. The rest of the tour begins on October 12 in Washington D.C.

Symphonic metallers XANDRIA claim that they learned about singer Dianne Van Giersbergen's departure in a "surprising" way.

On September 12, XANDRIA canceled its previously announced U.S. tour, which was scheduled to kick off on September 29 in Buffalo, New York and conclude on October 21 in Atlanta, Georgia.

The band also announced that it had recruited Aeva Maurelle (AEVERIUM) to sing for XANDRIA at its European shows in November and December.

One day later, Van Giersbergen released a statement saying that she was exiting XANDRIA because "staying in the band would cause further damage to the health problems the band has caused me." She went on to say that her attempts "to put band and management issues on the table… failed and have been ignored" and her "cries for help have been met with financial threats and emotional extortion," ultimately leaving her with "uncontrollable stress symptoms."

On Sunday, the remaining members of XANDRIA released a follow-up statement, claiming that their decision to enlist a "temporary replacement singer" was purely an attempt to "celebrate the music we love so much together with you and us, instead of cancelling any more concerts."

They wrote: "We are very sad about the situation that we and you, the people following XANDRIA, have to face now.

"After we already had to cancel many concerts since July due to Dianne not being able to perform we had now been informed by her that she is leaving the band with immediate effect. This happened after we published news that the upcoming concerts will be played with a temporary replacement singer. It was clear to everyone, including Dianne, that it was supposed to be a temporary solution only.

"We had to learn about her departure in a way that has been surprising us very much and with a statement in which we do not recognize ourselves in.

"We have been very downhearted about not being able to play these concerts, and probably would not have been able to play for an undetermined time also in the future. For that reason, we wanted to play at least the concerts in November and December with a temporary replacement singer that can celebrate the music we love so much together with you and us, instead of cancelling any more concerts.

"We always have been doing our best to be there for you fans, so we tried the same in this difficult situation.

"Just as we always tried to find a good way to care for all members of the band to live the passion that is music, which can sometimes be difficult for everyone. Unfortunately, it seems that Dianne's needs and goals were drifting apart from the band's ones.

"However, we are proudly looking back at what we achieved together and we are thanking Dianne for the great times we shared and everything she did for the band. We wish her all the best for what she is heading for on her future way.

"We will live the passion we have for our music together with you all on our concerts in November, December and beyond! With a heavy heart, but at the same time looking forward to the future and to see you out there sharing our music with you."

XANDRIA in 2013 parted ways with their singer of three years, Manuela Kraller, and replaced her with Van Giersbergen, who also fronts the progressive metal outfit EX LIBRIS.

Dianne Van Giersbergen made her live debut with XANDRIA at the end of November 2013 on a Spanish tour.

XANDRIA's latest album, "Theater Of Dimensions", was released on January 27 via Napalm Records.

Australian hard rockers AIRBOURNE will release "Diamond Cuts" on September 29 via Nettwerk. The box set will be made available in limited-edition vinyl and CD formats, containing the band's first three discs — "Runnin Wild", "No Guts. No Glory." and "Black Dog Barking" — along with the brand new "Diamond Cuts - The B-Sides" collection featuring two previously unavailable tracks ("Money" and "Heavy Weight Lover") plus a bonus DVD of the brand new band documentary, "It's All For Rock 'N' Roll", housed in a slipcase box including original "Diamond Cuts" artwork.

A trailer for the "It's All For Rock 'N' Roll" documentary is available below.

"'Money' was found covered in piles of dust and reel to reel tape," said AIRBOURNE. "It was part of the recording sessions for 'No Guts. No Glory.', and, for some reason, it just didn't make the album, but hearing it again today we're pumped to get it out there."

AIRBOURNE in April parted ways with guitarist David Roads and replaced him with Harri Harrison (PALACE OF THE KING).

The band's latest album, "Breakin' Outta Hell", landed in the Top 10 in both the U.K. and Australia after its September 2016 release.

On October 27th, Dragonhammer will release their new album Obscurity, via My Kingdom Music. The cover art, created by Rob Marconi, along with the tracklisting can be viewed below.

"Darkness Is Coming"
"The Eye Of The Storm"
"Brother vs Brother"
"Under The Vatican's Ground"
"The Game Of Blood"
"The Town Of Evil"
"Children Of The Sun"
"Fighting The Beast"
"Remember My Name"
"Obscurity"

Expect a lyric video for an as yet undisclosed song to surface in the coming days. In live news, Dragonhammer will open for Firewind on October 27th in Rome, Italy at Jail Break Live Club.

 

 

 

Winnipeg, Manitoba-based progressive death / technical metal outfit Inverted Serenity have been actively pursuing an eclectic and ambitious death metal sound all their own for many years now. On October 6th, the group will officially release their third full-length, As Spectres Wither. The album will strongly appeal to fans of Beyond Creation, Decrepit Birth, Decapitated, and Death.

Today the band launches "Grave", the third single to debut off the album thus far. Of particular note, "Grave" thrives on a distinct black metal and melodeath tinged influence within it's technical and prog-death flavored depths.

As Spectres Wither tracklisting:

“Dead Dialectics”
“Mitral Genesis”
“We Who Wander”
“Cornerstones”
“Paragon”
“Mechanical Gods”
“Grave”
“Lunar Cradle”
“Mountains Of Stoke” (Hidden Track)

Grindcore/death metal outfit, Implore, have released an unboxing video for their upcoming album, Subjugate. Watch the clip below.

Subjugate will be released on September 22nd in the following formats:

- Ltd. CD Digipak (with two bonus tracks and patch)
- LP (gatefold sleeve, 180 gram vinyl, CD with two bonus tracks)
- Digital download/stream

The following vinyl colours are offered:

- Black vinyl: unlimited
- Silver vinyl: limited to 100 copies, exclusively available at CM Distro Europe
- White vinyl: limited to 200 copies, available at various mailorder stores
- Clear/black haze vinyl: limited to 300 copies, exclusively offered at Pelagic Records

Pre-order options here.

The cover artwork for Subjugate, as well as the entire layout, was created by Brian D’Agosta, who many of you will know from his excellent work for bands such as Vallenfyre, Goatwhore and others.

Tracklisting:

“Birth Of An Era”
“Loathe”
“Cursed Existence”
“Paradox”
“Disconnected From Ourselves”
“Totalitarian”
“Patterns To Follow”
“Ecocide”
“Technology A Justification For Killing”
“Cult Of El”
“Desolated Winds”
“Boundary”
“Untouchable Pyramid”
“Gazing Beyond”
“Manufactured Reality”
“Victims Of The Hollowing”

“Patterns To Follow” video:

“Untouchable Pyramid”:

“Loathe”:

To present the new album live, Implore are touring Europe with label mates Vallenfyre now, followed by shows in October/November with Gadget. The band visit Japan as well.
 
September (with Vallenfyre)
20 - Pumpehuset - Copenhagen, Denmark
 
October (with Gadget)
26 - Dynamo - Zurich, Switzerland
27 - Bloodshed Fest - Eindhoven, Netherlands
28 - Westwerk - Leipzig, Germany
29 - Nove Korzo - Ruzomberok, Slovakia
31 - Dude Fest Fall Edition - Karlsruhe, Germany

November (with Gadget)
1 - Magasin 4 - Brussels, Belgium
2 - Hafenklang - Hamburg, Germany
3 - Tommy Haus - Berlin, Germany
 
Japan tour:

November
8 - Chaotic Noise - Kochi, Japan
9 - K2 - Tsuyama, Japan
10 - Sengoku Daitoryo - Osaka, Japan
11 - Kunperuza - Shizuoka, Japan
12 - Dues - Tokyo, Japan
13 - El Puente - Nishi Ku, Japan

Implore lineup:

Gabriel Dubko - Bass & Vocals
Eduard Petrolillo - Guitars
Guido Montanarini - Drums

Veteran Canadian rockers Headstones have unleashed a video for the song "Broken" from their new album, Little Army. The clip, which can be seen below, was directed by Ian Harnarine.

Catch Headstones live in concert:

October
14 - Waterloo, ON - Maxwell's
28 - Calgary, AB - Grey Eagle Resort & Casino

November 
9 - Victoria, BC - Sugar NightClub
10 - Vancouver, BC - The Commodore Ballroom
11 - Vancouver, BC - The Commodore Ballroom
13 - Kamloops, BC - CJ's Nightclub Kamloops
14 - Medicine Hat, AB - Esplanade Arts & Heritage Centre
16 - Winnipeg, MB - Club Regent Casino
17 - Regina, SK - Casino Regina
18 - Saskatoon, SK - O'Brians Event Centre
20 - Winnipeg, MB - Club Regent Event Centre
23 - Edmonton, AB - The Starlite Room
24 - Edmonton, AB - The Starlite Room
25 - Grande Prairie, AB - Better Than Fred's
26 - Grande Prairie, AB - Better Than Fred's

December
8 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
9 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom

Norwegian dark metal masters, Gothminister, will release their sixth studio album, The Other Side, on October 13th worldwide via AFM Records. You can pre-order your copy here. A music video for “The Sun” can be found below.

With tracks like “Devil” (Gothic Electronic Anthems 2003), “Monsters” (Empire of Dark Salvation 2005), “Darkside” (Happiness In Darkness 2008), “Liar” (Anima Inferna 2011) and “Utopia” (Utopia 2013), the last single from the CD/DVD horror movie concept album which even reached the national finals of the Norwegian Eurovision contest, Gothminister has gotten a significant following of fans through the years. His new album The Other Side, produced, mixed and mastered by Henning Verlage (Unheilig, Eisbrecher), exceeds even the highest expectations. Powerful metal riffs march relentlessly arm in arm with huge orchestras and heavenly choirs.

The Master himself reveals an astonishing range of vocal-art: from the deepest Gothic-dungeons up to the higher spheres of steaming rock. The Other Side is about spiritistic seances, and supernatural experiences. And again, Gothminister find it in the dark and unknown, where the greatest inspiration lies from within the motto Happiness In Darkness, as he sings in the opening track “Ich Will Alles” (I want everything): “Cause I have darkness on my mind - It is the sign of the times”

Tracklisting:

“Ich Will Alles”
“The Sun”
“Der Fliegende Mann”
“Aegir”
“Red Christ”
“We Are The Ones Who Rule The World”
“All This Time”
“Day Of Reckoning”
“Taking Over”
“Somewhere In Time”

“The Sun” video:

“Der Fliegende Mann” video:

Ghost Iris have released a video for “Detached”, a track from their new album, Blind World, released back in February via Long Branch Records. The new clip is available for streaming below.

Blind World contains 10 brand new tracks from Denmark’s most streamed metal act in 2016, including the singles "Pinnacle" and "Save Yourself”. Order the album at this location.

Tracklisting:

“Gods Of Neglect”
“Save Yourself”
“The Flower Of Life”
“Pinnacle”
“No Way Out”
“Blind World”
“Time Will Tell”
“The Silhouette”
“After The Sun Sets”
“Detached”

“Detached” video:

“Save Yourself” video:

Canadian bashers, Skull Fist, performed last month at Germany’s annual Wacken Open Air festival. Professionally filmed footage of the band’s entire performance is available for streaming below.

Setlist:

“Sign Of The Warrior”
“Ride The Beast”
“Like A Fox”
“Chasing The Dream”
“Hour To Live”
“Get Fisted”
“Mean Street Rider”
“Bad For Good”
“Head Of The Pack”

Danish power thrash metallers, Artillery, have released a video for the song "When The Magic Is Gone", taken off the band's latest album, Penalty By Perception.

Artillery comments: "Our new video 'When The Magic Is Gone' is a song about death and grief, it is a very personal song which shows the more mellow side of Artillery. The video was recorded in Norrebro, Copenhagen by Terkel Christensen (Aggressive Art) who is an old friend of Artillery."

On September 23rd, Artillery will start their co-headline tour with Onslaught. Artillery will celebrate the 30th Anniversary of their Terror Squad album on this run, playing 5-6 songs from that album, plus new songs from their latest album Penalty By Perception, as well as some more classics. See below for dates.

September
23 - Helvete Club - Oberhausen, Germany
24 - Hedon Club - Zwolle, Netherlands
25 - De Verlichte Geest - Roeselare, Belgium
26 - Roxy Concerts - Flensburg, Germany
27 - Garage Deluxe - Munchen, Germany
28 - Moonlight Music Hall - Diest, Belgium
29 - Fuizenfest - Riel, Netherlands
30 - Kiehool Burgum - Burgum, Netherlands

October
2 - Schwarzer Adler - Tannheim-Egelsee, Germany
3 - Escape Metalcorner - Vienna, Austria
4 - 7er-Club - Mannheim, Germany
5 - Musigburg - Aarburg, Switzerland
6 - Dada Live Club - Pavia, Italy
7 - Revolver Music Hall - Venice, Italy
8 - Borderline - Pisa, Italy
9 - Sala Utopia - Zaragoza, Spain
11 - SMAC de La Gespe - Tarbes, France
12 - Sala Upload - Barcelona, Spain

Artillery will also tour Denmark in November together with Impalers and with a different setlist - see below for dates.

October
13 - Amager Bio - Copenhagen

November
3 - Konfus - Esbjerg, Denmark
4 - Pitstop - Kolding, Denmark
10 - Ungdomshuset - Fredericia, Denmark
11 - TBA
18 - Von Hatten - Randers, Denmark
24 - Kontrast - Herning, Denmark
25 - Sonderborghus - Sonderborg, Denmark

December
1 - Templet - Lyngby, Denmark
2 - TBA

German power metal outfit Stormhammer have released a lyric video for “Road To Heaven”, a track from the band’s new album, Welcome To The End, out now via Massacre Records. Watch the clip below.

Graced with artwork created by Jan Yrlund, mixed by Mario Lochert and mastered by Jan Vacik, Welcome To The End features the 14 tracks listed below.

"The Beginning Of The End"
"Northman"
"Welcome To The End"
"The Heritage"
"Secret"
"The Law"
"Watchmen"
"Road To Heaven"
"My Dark Side"
"Into The Night"
"Spirit Of The Night"
"Soul Temptation"
"The Awakening"
"Black Dragon"

"Road To Heaven" lyric video:

"Northman" lyric video:

Album stream:

Visit the official Stormhammer Facebook page for further details.