This past Saturday (September 8), METALLICA presented the North Dakota's Great Plains Food Bank with a check for $10,000, representing a portion of ticket sales from its concert at the Alerus Center in Grand Forks.

Benefitting food banks throughout the country and encouraging fans to take an active role in the fight to end hunger, METALLICA also offered free tickets to volunteers of the hunger-relief organization.

Volunteers at the Great Plains Food Bank Fargo warehouse had two chances to win a set of tickets and one opportunity to win a collection of the band's 13 studio albums.

Through its All Within My Hands Foundation and throughout the 33 stops on its current North American tour, METALLICA is raising awareness for the 42 million people facing food insecurity throughout the country and encouraging fans to help those in need. One of the most successful acts in musical history, METALLICA has won nine Grammy Awards and sold more than 145 million albums worldwide.

In North Dakota alone, one in nine individuals struggles with not having enough food to eat each day. Each year, the Great Plains Food Bank provides needed food assistance to more than 97,000 individuals with nearly half of those being children and seniors.

Thank You to Metallica and their All Within My Hands Foundation! They donated tickets and a collection of their studio...Posted by Great Plains Food Bank on Saturday, September 8, 2018

METAL ALLEGIANCE — with its four core members: David Ellefson (MEGADETH), Alex Skolnick (TESTAMENT), Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS, ex-DREAM THEATER) and Mark Menghi — played a record-release show for its sophomore album, "Volume 2 – Power Drunk Majesty", this past Thursday (September 6) at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City. Special guests at the gig included SEPULTURA's Andreas Kisser, ACCEPT's Mark Tornillo, ARCH ENEMY's Alissa White-Gluz, OVERKILL's Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER's Trevor Strnad, ARMORED SAINT's John Bush and DEATH ANGEL's Mark Osegueda.

In addition to material from both METAL ALLEGIANCE albums, the band performed covers of classic songs from EAGLES ("Life In The Fast Lane"), BLACK SABBATH ("Electric Funeral"), DIO ("Stand Up And Shout"), ANTHRAX ("Room For One More"), METALLICA ("Hit The Lights"), JUDAS PRIEST ("Rapid Fire"), IRON MAIDEN ("Aces High"), OVERKILL ("Elimination") and ACCEPT ("Restless And Wild").

METAL ALLEGIANCE began as a celebration of heavy metal, powered by the almost tribal bond shared between the extreme music community's most revered trailblazers, armed with a list of contributors onstage (and off) that read like a Wikipedia entry on the genre itself.

"Volume II - Power Drunk Majesty" was produced by Menghi and Skolnick while Mark Lewis of MRL Studios handled the mixing and mastering. The cover artwork was created by renowned artist Marcelo Vasco (SLAYER, MACHINE HEAD, SOULFLY, HATEBREED) and Rafael Tavares.

Portnoy recently told That Drummer Guy about "Volume II – Power Drunk Majesty": "After we had so much fun making the first album, we knew a second album would be inevitable. I think myself, Alex Skolnick, David Ellefson and Mark Menghi, we felt we tapped into something. The first album was more like an experiment, because we didn't know how it was going to go, but we also had all these guests. There had to have been 15, 20 other people on the album. We knew this time around, we wanted to streamline it a little bit and kind of focus on the core four. The four of us did all the writing together, and we wanted to streamline the guests — mainly leave it to singers, to give it more of a band feel. The first time around was like more of an experiment; this time around, it really felt like a concise unit between the four of us."

KROKUS will embark on a "farewell" tour next year. The Swiss hard rock veterans announced their plan to pull the plug on their four-decade-plus career in a Facebook post, writing: "KROKUS shows have always been special and should stay that way. That's why we decided to stop when it's still really good. That's how the fans should remember us.

"Unlike other bands that are on their eternal 'farewell tour,' we will keep our word and pull the plug at the end of 2019, handing over the 'Rock Magic Wand' to the youngsters."

Said singer Marc Storace: "We look forward to a grandiose 2019 'Adios Amigos' world tour with the final highlight in Switzerland."

Added guitarist Fernando Von Arb: "We have signed reciprocally contracts with each other that it really is over. We will stick to that. Every party has to end eventually."

Stated bassist Chris von Rohr: "It was an unparalleled journey with all the ups and downs rock life has to offer. Now we are looking forward to the final lap of honor and will give it our all once more. We owe that to ourselves and our fans. The 7th of December, 2019 will be unforgettable as it was on the 27th of March 1982. "

Since 1975, KROKUS has stood for high-quality, honest-to-goodness, hand-made power rock. No other Swiss rock band sells albums and its back catalogue worldwide like KROKUS. The band has sold over 15 million records, toured the world, and received gold and platinum discs in the USA and Canada. The milestones in their rock career are dotted around the world: from Australia and the USA to Mexico, Russia, Japan, and China. KROKUS was the first Swiss band to sell out the legendary Hallenstadion in Zurich and has received a Diamond Disc for selling one million albums in Switzerland alone.

1980 saw the band set out to conquer America, Canada, and England, quickly consolidating its reputation as a strong, no-nonsense live band. Soon they were part of unforgettable headline tours and on the same bill as incredible bands such as AC/DC, VAN HALEN, RUSH, TED NUGENT, JUDAS PRIEST, MOTÖRHEAD and many, many more. These were wild times, full of big adventures, which saw the band not only going gold and platinum in the U.S. and Canada, but also being made honorary citizens of Memphis, Tennessee.

But it hasn't all been one long high: death, sickness, and internal strife pushed the band to the brink of collapse. The story of KROKUS is like no other. It is full of highs and lows, sell-out stadium concerts and sweaty club gigs. These five musketeers of rock have outlasted trends and survived treacherous U.S. managers, tough splits, bad deals, shady lawyers, drugs, awful fast food, endless bus trips, disco, grunge, grotesque record companies, and double-dealing advisors.

In the course of its legendary career, KROKUS has rocked over 2,000 shows on five continents, countless cities, unique locations, crazy gigs, and loyal fans.

English rock journalist Malcolm Dome quite rightly said: "If you look at the long-term output of this band, KROKUS is clearly one of the best hard rock bands of the last 40 years."

KROKUS is looking forward to proving this again in 2019.



[German Text Below]

Krokus shows have always been special and should stay that way. That's why we decided to stop when...Posted by Krokus on Monday, September 10, 2018

Progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER have finished recording all the parts for their follow-up to 2016's "The Astonishing" album. An early 2019 release is expected.

Keyboardist Jordan Rudess said: "This is gonna be such an amazing record. It's got so much energy. [I'm] very happy with all the keyboard parts. Listening back, all you can do is smile."

DREAM THEATER vocalist James LaBrie recently stated about the new material, "There's a heaviness to it, there's an aggression to it," while guitarist John Petrucci added: "So far the music is heavy, it's progressive, it's melodic, it's shredding, and it's also epic. So it has all those elements, which… they are the five pillars of DREAM THEATER, if you wanna call it that."

Petrucci hinted in a recent interview that DREAM THEATER's next album will be musically inspired by the "Images, Words & Beyond" tour, which saw the pioneering group celebrating the 25th anniversary of its milestone RIAA-gold-certified album "Images And Words".

DREAM THEATER's next studio album — its 14th — will be the band's first for Sony Music's progressive imprint InsideOut Music. The group spent the past 25 years recording under various labels in the Warner Music Group system, most recently Roadrunner Records, which released five albums by the band between 2007 and 2016.

DT14 - Keyboard Tracking Finished!The wizard Jordan Rudess has finished tracking keyboards for the new Dream Theater album! ??Posted by Dream Theater on Thursday, September 6, 2018

BEHEMOTH frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski says that he is definitely open to the idea of collaborating with JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford and EMPEROR's Ihsahn on a black metal project. "I'm just waiting for [Rob's] call," Nergal told Elliott Fullam of Little Punk People in a brand new interview (see video below). "I mean, if he says, 'Hey, I'm ready', if we're touring with SLAYER again ever or METALLICA, I have to drop that tour and just fucking run to Phoenix, or wherever Rob is living, and fucking work my ass off to bring the best song I can afford, so he can sing there. And I'm trying to sound funny, but the truth is that me and Ihsahn would love to do some music and we would love for Rob Halford to do some vocals over it. That'd be... that'd be beyond cool."

Asked if he has ever met Rob, Nergal said: "Yes, we met a couple of times. We just met at Wacken, a German festival, a couple of weeks ago. Again he was super cool, very friendly. One of the most humble human beings you'll meet ever is him. And considering his status, who he is, what he did to this genre, to heavy metal, it only makes you even a bigger fan of that person."

Halford has long spoken about wanting to work on a black metal album, revealing more than a decade ago that he had discussions with Ihsahn about doing something together.

Earlier this year, he told Noisey that he still hopes something will happen in the future.

"The black metal project!" he said. "It keeps being about to lift the launchpad, but it never quite gets anywhere. I met Nergal from BEHEMOTH recently, and I said, 'You know I love your kind of music. I would love to kind of put my toe into the water and see what would happen.'

"So now I've got these two very nebulous, but I hope at some point very real opportunities, to do something with Nergal and still something to with Ihsahn.

"'Anthems To The Welkin At Dusk' — that's my big EMPEROR album. Both of them are incredible; they just have this real mastery of their world."

Ihsahn, whose real name is Vegard Sverre Tveitan, told Finland's Kaaos TV that he would love to collaborate with Halford on a black metal project.

"I actually talked with Rob about this project… He approached me… that's quite a long time ago," Ihsahn said. "I think I met him the first time in 2001 or something. But, of course, as he said in so many interviews as well, the situation with him being back in PRIEST since that time, and my schedule, doing both bands [EMPEROR and the solo project], it's one of those things. But at some point, that would be great. When the god of metal calls, that's not something you want to miss."

He continued: "Then [Rob] met Nergal from BEHEMOTH as well, and he [discussed a possible collaboration with him as well]… Because he's a big fan of black metal — Rob — so at some point, he just wants to do something, as I said, tip his toe in the water with that kind of expression. So if time allows and fate will make it happen, and, for example, me, Nergal and Rob would come together — Nergal from BEHEMOTH is also someone that I have great respect for, a great artist — I think that would be amazing."

Ihsahn went on to say that if the project with Rob and Nergal does come to fruition, all three musicians would want to invest the time and effort to make it truly special. "It's not something that you just would throw together, because I think those kinds of collaborations where it's just putting names [on an album don't work]," he explained. "You need to do it proper. And I think all of us, the way I know them, I think that's their mindset [as well], where [we all think] it would have to be done properly. I think we would be very much on the same page on that."

On the back of his recently released autobiography, "What Does This Button Do?", IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson is making a string of speaking appearances. On the tour, Dickinson is reading excerpts from his book, delivering slides and hosting a question-and-answer session in which fans can ask all the questions they have been dying to know about what it's like to front one of music's most iconic bands.

During his September 8 spoken-word gig at DR Koncerthuset in Copenhagen, Denmark, Dickinson was asked about his relationship with late DEEP PURPLE keyboardist Jon Lord. He responded (see video below): "Jon Lord was a wonderful gentleman, and we were close friends. And he sadly died of… He had pancreatic cancer, but he survived for a year and a half — much against what everybody had said would happen. And actually, at the end, he didn't die of pancreatic cancer — he died, unfortunately, of some terrible blood collapse that happened with him, possibly as a result of treatment. But we had all kinds of crazy plans, including me going out on tour with him, singing DEEP PURPLE songs with an orchestra, which he was planning to do; that was one of the things we were planning to do. But it all got interrupted and canceled, and [it was] obviously very sad. He was a wonderful man."

Asked if he could ever consider doing IRON MAIDEN as a classical music concert, i.e. with a symphony orchestra, Dickinson replied: "It's been tried a lot by all kinds of people, many of whom I respect, and, to be really honest with you, I don't think it works. I think it might work for the odd specific song — for example, 'Empire Of The Clouds', my thing, has kind of got orchestra all over it. But that's just one song, and that was written specifically with that kind of thing in mind. And I can see that working under certain circumstances, but that's only one song. And the problem with orchestras is what do you do with them when they're not in use? Which is actually quite a lot of songs, if they're gonna be really proper rock and roll-type songs."

"What Does This Button Do?", landed at No. 10 on the New York Times "Hardcover Nonfiction" best sellers list. It was released in the U.S. last October via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books), an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Dickinson joined IRON MAIDEN in 1981, replacing Paul Di'Anno, and made his recording debut with the band on the 1982 album "The Number Of The Beast". He quit the band in 1993, pursuing several solo projects, and rejoined in 1999.

Dickinson, who turned 60 last month, has several other interests beyond music. He is a licensed commercial pilot and owns an aviation company. He has written other books, done some acting and brewed beer.

In 2015, he completed a round of chemotherapy for a tumor on the back of his tongue and was given a clean bill of health.

This past weekend, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and BREAKING BENJAMIN wrapped the summer portion of the North American outdoor amphitheater tour. The co-headliners chose to donate a portion of their ticket sales this summer to two charity organizations close to their hearts. As a result, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has donated $95,000 to C.O.P.S - Concerns Of Police Survivors — whose mission is rebuilding shattered lives of survivors and co-workers affected by line of duty deaths, through partnerships with law enforcement and the community — and BREAKING BENJAMIN has donated $95,000 to Prevent Child Abuse America — which counteracts the abuse and neglect of our nation's children by promoting services that improve child well-being and developing programs that help to prevent all types of abuse and neglect.


"We've had the privilege to work with veteran and police organizations for years," explains Zoltan Bathory of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH. "Today we are making this donation as a token of our respect and gratitude to those who committed to protect and serve, to those who signed up to bravely hold that thin blue line between 'civilization as we know it' and 'lawless savagery and chaos.' Unfortunately, every 58 hours a police officer who believes in something sacrifices everything and dies in the line of duty. C.O.P.S. (Concerns Of Police Survivors) helps and benefits the families of our fallen heroes in blue."


"C.O.P.S. is grateful to be the recipient of such a generous donation from FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH," says Dianne Bernhard, C.O.P.S. executive director. "We not only appreciate their amazing musical talent, but their support for surviving families and co-workers of America's law enforcement truly sets them apart. Thank you on behalf of over 47,000 survivors!"


"We're honored to be able to utilize the thing we love to do most as a tool to help children in need," explains Ben Burnley of BREAKING BENJAMIN. "Organizations such as Prevent Child Abuse America remind us that we are the voice of the voiceless and positive change is possible in otherwise hopeless situations for these kids. We offer our utmost gratitude to every fan who bought a ticket this summer and made a difference. And last but not least, thank you to the selfless people at Prevent Child Abuse America for inspiring greatness and all that you do to make the future brighter for so many."


"We are very grateful to the members of BREAKING BENJAMIN, not only for this incredible donation, but for helping to spread the world that child abuse and neglect prevention is possible," adds PCAA president and CEO, Dan Duffy. "This donation from BREAKING BENJAMIN and their fans will go directly towards programs like Healthy Families America that are making a difference in local communities across the country. At Prevent Child Abuse America, we say that 'we all have a role to play,' and we hope that others are inspired by BREAKING BENJAMIN to learn more about the ways that each of us can make an impact in our local community. Thank you again to Ben, Aaron, Shaun, Jasen and Keith for your generosity on behalf of our nation's children."


Due to fan demand, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and BREAKING BENJAMIN announced an expansion of their current co-headlining North American outdoor amphitheater tour, with additional dates which will take both bands through fall 2018. Co-produced by Live Nation and Frank Productions, the tour featured special guests NOTHING MORE and BAD WOLVES on the summer leg. On the fall leg, BAD WOLVES will once again join the trek on select dates and Swedish heavyweights IN FLAMES on other select shows. FROM ASHES TO NEW will be support on all fall dates.

Ronnie James Dio's widow Wendy Dio has spoken to the "Red Light District Show" about her decision to start the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, which was established after his death as a privately funded 501(c)(3) charity organization dedicated to cancer prevention, research and education.

"When Ronnie passed away, a lot of peers, a lot of the bands that knew Ronnie well, all of our friends wanted to donate money to a cancer charity," she explained (hear audio below). "And Ronnie's doctor and I were, like, well, a lot of these charities, there's so much administration cost in the big charities. We wanted to make sure that the money went directly into research and education. And so we decided to talk to a bunch of Ronnie's friends, friends of his for over 30 years, and we ended up forming the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund with 14 board members. And that's how it started. And we have no administration costs — every penny goes into research or education. And we are all volunteers, and we meet once a month, and we do two events a year, which is the Ride For Ronnie, around his passing date, which is always in May. And then we do the Bowl For Ronnie, [the fourth edition of] which is coming up soon, in October — October 25th. So those are our two events and our big fundraisers, and that's how it all started."

The Dio Cancer Fund has raised in excess of $2 million to date through its various annual events and direct support from the vast community of Dio fans worldwide. It is their mission to help eradicate this disease through education and via Wendy's mantra: early detection saves lives.

"We try to tell people, especially with men — 'cause women are pretty good about getting checked. So we try to teach that early detection saves lives, and we do try to teach everyone that and say that in all of our interviews and all of our conferences and things that early detection saves lives," she said. "Please go and get tested. We're working right now with UCLA [University of California, Los Angeles], with Dr. Wong there, who's developing a saliva test. So instead of men going to get the normal test, which is why they don't like to go, if you know what I mean — they don't like the finger… This will be a very easy swab in the mouth and then sent away and it will come back and let us know whether you have either prostate cancer, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer or stomach cancer, or none of the above. So it's a very good test. I think it will be out next year — hopefully — and that way, people can get tested and get it at a very early stage. And if it's caught early, then the chances of survival and far, far greater."

Ronnie James Dio lost his life to stomach cancer, also called gastric cancer, in May 2010. The disease often does not cause symptoms until its later stages. Usually, by the time stomach cancer is diagnosed, the prognosis is poor.

"With pancreatic cancer and stomach cancer, a lot of times you don't know what's wrong with you until it's too late," Wendy said. "Ronnie had a lot of indigestion [a persistent or recurrent pain or discomfort in the upper abdomen], and actually went to a specialist about seven years before he passed with indigestion, and they just tested his heart and tested all these other things. But had I known what I know now, I would have insisted he had a colonostomy and an ultrasound. But at that time, we didn't know anything about cancer, so we didn't do it. And then he continued to take a lot of [over-the-counter antacid] Tums — he ate Tums all the time because of his stomach indigestion, which is what he thought he had."

The Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund has given much of its money to the T.J. Martell Foundation, which is focused on leukemia, cancer and AIDS. The fund also has supported the Nashville Vanderbilt-Ingram Research Center for Cancer for men's cancers, such as stomach, colon and prostate cancer, and the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, where Dio was treated. Its fundraising efforts have included gala dinners and a tribute album containing songs written by Ronnie James Dio that were recorded and donated by major rock and metal recording artists called "This Is Your Life". The "This Is Your Life" album resulted in a 2015 Grammy win for "Best Metal Performance" for TENACIOUS D (actor/musicians Jack Black and Kyle Gass) and their rendition of Ronnie James Dio's "The Last in Line" from the tribute album.

The fourth annual "Bowl For Ronnie" celebrity bowling party, benefiting the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, will take place on Thursday, October 25 at PINZ Bowling Center in Studio City, California. The event will be hosted by television and radio personality Eddie Trunk, who is heard on SiriusXM's Volume channel and whose new TV series "TrunkFest" airs on AXS TV. The "Bowl For Ronnie" will feature a celebrity bowling tournament and a raffle drawing for prizes and memorabilia. Last year's event brought in $49,000 for the cancer charity, which is now in its ninth year of raising awareness and much-needed funding for cancer research.

Diamond Cut Diamond, the second full-length album from Australian true metal quartet Convent Guilt, is set for a November 9th release via Gates Of Hell Records.

The follow-up to 2014's Guns For Hire was recorded at various locations around Sydney in the first half of 2018 by Lachie Vercoe, who was also responsible for the album's mix. Diamond Cut Diamond was mastered by Patrick Engel at Temple Of Disharmony. The album's striking cover art featuring a strong colonial Australian image created by Lena Richter of Diamonds and Rust Tattoos.

Tracklisting:

"Howling Vengeance"
"Born To Trouble"
"Powder Dry"
"Scream Out Your Heart"
"Bonnie And Clyde"
"Thief In The Night"
"Foxes Run"

Possessing the same classic metal swagger as found on Guns For Hire, Diamond Cut Diamond contains seven slabs of song-oriented metal, graced with well-placed tinges of melody and NWOBHM influences. Convent Guilt (featuring bassist / vocalist / primary songwriter Ian, the guitar tandem of Andrew and Dario, and drummer Brent) have once again placed focus on emotion and energy over soulless musical precision, resulting in a must-listen for fans of early Iron Maiden, Saxon and Trespass.

According to Ian, the songwriting process for Diamond Cut Diamond was an organic one, although the band was sure to take their time when writing their all-important sophomore album. "Songwriting happens when it wants to rather than when I sit down to focus on it," he says. "The oldest tracks on Diamond Cut Diamond were written before Guns For Hire was released. Even the newest tracks have been around a while. We rehearsed the tracks quite a bit and recorded rough demos to fine-tune our approach. With a bit of luck, this has added extra layers to the songs without compromising the band's raw energy."

Employing lyrical themes that, according to Ian, touch upon Australia's "rich and dusty history," Diamond Cut Diamond proves to carry plenty of philosophical weight as well. "Some of our lyrics deal with conquerors and the subjugated, the inbuilt weakness of men, depression-era outlaws and the insanity of social media. It's a mixed bag thematically, but as always, lyrics are a vital part of what this band is about."

It's been four years since the release of the last Convent Guilt LP, so, as you could imagine, the band is chomping at the bit to unleash the album upon the waiting ears of the metal scene. As Diamond Cut Diamond shows, the wait was well worth it. "I'm sure it's the same for most bands, but getting an album out seems like such a massive weight off our shoulders - it's a 'release' in more ways than one," says Ian. "We won't rest on our laurels, but we'll enjoy the relief and achievement as well. A couple of us have other projects we're working on, so we're giving those a bit more attention. And we're riding the usual waves of life to wherever it takes us."

For further details, visit Convent Guilt on Facebook.

 

2018 marks the 20th anniversary of LACUNA COIL's debut. To celebrate this special year, they played an exceptional show on January 19 in London at the O2 Forum Kentish Town. The unique, one-time event was filmed and recorded for "The 119 Show - Live In London", which is scheduled for release November 9.


A performance clip of the song "Blood, Tears, Dust", taken from "The 119 Show - Live In London", can be seen below.


Fans can look forward not only to a very special live performance that was accompanied by the U.K. circus group Incandescence, but also to a career spanning set including LACUNA COIL songs never played live before:

01. A Current Obsession

02. 1.19

03. My Wings

04. End Of Time

05. Blood, Tears, Dust

06. Swamped

07. The Army Inside

08. Veins Of Glass

09. One Cold Day

10. The House Of Shame

11. When A Dead Man Walks

12. Tight Rope

13. Soul Into Hades

14. Hyperfast

15. I Like It

16. Heaven's A Lie

17. Senzafine

18. Closer

19. Comalies

20. Our Truth

21. Falling

22. Wide Awake

23. I Forgive (But I Won't Forget Your Name)

24. Enjoy The Silence

25. Nothing Stands In Our Way

The band comments: "What took place at the O2 Forum Kentish Town in London on the 19th of January 2018 was pure magic. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us as a band and as people. The work involved, the pre-performance tension, the intensity on stage, the energy between us and the audience — all of this was beyond anything we've ever done before. This event was not just a show, it was a birthday party, an anniversary celebration and most importantly a huge THANK YOU to everyone who travelled side by side with us for the last twenty years. And now, with the release of 'The 119 Show - Live In London', we can also share the magic with those fans who weren't able to party with us in January."

LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia explained to Tattoo.com that "there is a reason" January 19 was chosen as the date for the anniversary show. "It's because 1/19 is recognized as 'Lacuna Coil Day,' because we have a song that's called '1.19', so the people from the fan club and the fans decided to declare it 'Lacuna Coil Day,'" she said. "And we thought about making a special show in London, because, logistically, we thought it was the easiest way to reach, even for people who are not coming from Europe, our area. Usually the flights are cheaper. Like, if you come from the States, it's easier to reach London than Milano, for instance, [which] is our hometown. So we thought about London."

After the release the band will head out for a European tour to support the release of "The 119 Show - Live In London".

Early 2018 also saw singer Cristina Scabbia take on the prominent role of a coach for "The Voice Of Italy" on prime-time Italian national TV. LACUNA COIL were recently awarded the fan voted "Best Live Band" award at the prestigious Metal Hammer Golden Gods in London, U.K. Additionally, they were announced for a very important career recognition award for their 20 years together as a band from MEI, which is the annual meeting of the Independent labels in Italy.

LACUNA COIL is working on its first-ever book, also titled "Nothing Stands In Our Way", which is scheduled to be published later in the year.

Co-singer Andrea Ferro told the Impact metal channel last year that LACUNA COIL fans will have to wait until at least 2019 for the follow-up to 2016's "Delirium" album.

Swedish progressive metal veterans OPETH will release "Garden Of The Titans: Live At Red Rocks Amphitheatre" on November 2 via Moderbolaget Records/Nuclear Blast Entertainment. This historic event was captured for the DVD, Blu-ray and vinyl formats during the band's May 11, 2017 performance at the Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Denver, Colorado. Both the DVD and Blu-ray formats include CDs containing the audio as well.

The first trailer for "Garden Of The Titans: Live At Red Rocks Amphitheatre" is available below.

Video footage for "Garden Of The Titans" was overseen by The Deka Brothers (CARPENTER BRUT, THE PRODIGY) and audio was mixed by David Castillo (KATATONIA, BLOODBATH). All versions feature the masterful artwork of revered artist Travis Smith (NEVERMORE, KATATONIA, TESTAMENT).

"Garden Of The Titans: Live At Red Rocks Amphitheatre" track listing:

01. Sorceress (live)

02. Ghost Of Perdition (live)

03. Demon Of The Fall (live)

04. The Wilde Flowers (live)

05. In My Time Of Need (live)

06. The Devil's Orchard (live)

07. Cusp Of Eternity (live)

08. Heir Apparent (live)

09. Era (live)

10. Deliverance (live)

OPETH will release the limited 10inch vinyl "Ghost Of Perdition (Live)" on October 19 in the following formats:

* 10" pink sparkle in sleeve (limited to 700)

* 10" violet sparkle in sleeve (NB mailorder exclusive, limited to 300)

* 10" toffee in sleeve (NB mailorder exclusive, limited to 250)

* 10" summer bronze in sleeve (NB mailorder exclusive, limited to 250)

Side A contains the haunting live version of the band's classic "Ghost Of Perdition" (live), while the previously released "Sorceress" (live) can be found on Side B.

OPETH guitarist Fredrik Åkesson recently told FaceCulture that the band has commenced the songwriting process for the follow-up to 2016's "Sorceress" album. "We're very much into the demoing," he said. "I've recorded a lot of solos so far. And Mikael [Åkerfeldt, guitar/vocals] has almost already written 12 songs for the new album, so we have more material than enough for an album. But I think we will at least try to finish 15 songs. So hopefully we'll work on song ideas very soon."

According to Åkesson, OPETH is hoping to release its 13th studio album in the first quarter of 2019. "I'm not sure if it's gonna happen, but we're working towards that, and the songwriting goes very well," he said. "Mikael has been very productive these last… since January, basically. We did the last touring for 'Sorceress' in November."

Regarding the musical direction of the new OPETH material, Fredrik said: "Compared to the last three albums, I would say, if I can reveal anything, this album is more complex, more energetic, and I think it's gonna be something."

Åkesson went on to say that OPETH always tries to explore new ground with every album and it isn't overly concerned with how its music will be received by its fans. "The first filter is the guys in the band, I would say," he said. "If we enjoy it, we can only hope that people that enjoy listening to OPETH will enjoy it; that would be nice. But if we're happy with it, we will release it; it's quite simple. I think this is kind of a Mikael question in a way, since he's the creative director for the band, so I know, speaking for him a little bit here, that he always tries to push everything into something new. And I think people will enjoy this new album."

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

Despite the fact that he recently embarked on his farewell tour — dubbed "No More Tours 2" — Ozzy Osbourne continues to insist that he is not calling it quits.

"What I'm stopping is doing what I'm doing now, going around the world all the time," Osbourne told Philadelphia's The Inquirer. "I wish people would understand I'm not retiring. Is it my bad English accent? It's called the 'No More Tours' tour. It doesn't say 'No more tours ever.'"

Osbourne, who spent the last few years touring with BLACK SABBATH before the legendary heavy metal act retired from the road, said that he "didn't have a great time" on his final run with the band. "I spent nine or 10 years in SABBATH, but I'd been away from them for over 30 years," he explained. "With them, I'm just a singer. With me, I get to do what I want to do. I was getting bad vibes from them for being Ozzy. I don't know — what the fuck else can I be?"

Ozzy previously told Rolling Stone magazine that he wanted to "slow it down a little" and be there for his family. "I enjoy being a grandfather," he said. "I don't want to go through another generation of Osbournes without seeing them grow up."

"No More Tours 2" is a reference to Ozzy's 1992 "No More Tours" trek, which marked the first time the singer announced the end of his days as a touring artist. The tour name was a pun based on the title of his then-most recent solo album, "No More Tears". Ozzy returned to action three years later and has been on the road ever since.

Last year, Ozzy reunited with guitarist Zakk Wylde, who played on studio albums such as "No Rest For The Wicked", "No More Tears" and "Ozzmosis" and who has toured on and off with Ozzy for nearly thirty years.

Steven Wilson has announced details of a live film — "Home Invasion: In Concert At The Royal Albert Hall" — released on multiple formats on November 2 through Eagle Rock Entertainment and limited-edition deluxe vinyl via Caroline International on March 22, 2019.

At the end of March 2018, Steven Wilson played a sold-out three-night residency at one of the world's most iconic venues: London's Royal Albert Hall. Coming at the tail end of a lengthy European tour, these concerts were the crowning achievement of an incredible seven-month period that began with the release of Wilson's fifth album, "To The Bone". Released in August 2017, "To The Bone" charted at No 3 in the U.K. and went top 10 all over Europe, rapidly becoming the biggest selling record in Wilson's singular thirty-year recording career.

The three Albert Hall shows saw Steven and his virtuoso band present the songs from "To The Bone" and many more from a deep dive into his extensive back catalogue as part of a visually and sonically immersive experience. There, brain-twisting visuals met expansive 4D sound, making this most traditional of English venues feel like it was hosting a very different kind of prom — more communion than concert. It wasn't surprising that The Sun described the gig as "one of the best shows of the year — and it's only March."

"Home Invasion: In Concert At The Royal Albert Hall" captures the last show of the three-night run and includes nearly three hours of live performance. The concert film release is put together from footage filmed on multiple cameras from every conceivable angle in the auditorium and on the stage, and the sound has been specially mixed by Steven in both 5.1 Surround Sound and stereo. It's the perfect document of one of the U.K.'s most uncompromising artists — someone who remains "resolutely independent… the most successful British artist you've never heard of" (The Telegraph).

"Home Invasion: In Concert At The Royal Albert Hall" will be released on DVD+2CD, Blu-ray+2CD and digital video and audio.

Track listing:

01. Intro "Truth"

02. Nowhere Now

03. Pariah

04. Home Invasion / Regret #9

05. The Creator Has A Mastertape

06. Refuge

07. People Who Eat Darkness

08. Ancestral

09. Arriving Somewhere But Not Here

10. Permanating

11. Song Of I

12. Lazarus

13. Detonation

14. The Same Asylum As Before

15. Song Of Unborn

16. Vermillioncore

17. Sleep Together

18. Even Less

19. Blank Tapes

20. The Sound Of Muzak

21. The Raven That Refused To Sing

Bonus material:

* Interview with Steven recorded during the run of shows.

* Three tracks recorded in rehearsal at the Royal Albert Hall:

01. Routine

02. Hand Cannot Erase

03. Heartattack In A Layby

Steven Wilson is four times Grammy nominated, the founder and frontman of outsider rock band PORCUPINE TREE; a remixer for acts like ROXY MUSIC, SIMPLE MINDS and XTC and a self-sufficient solo artist, hugely respected for a series of visionary LPs starting with 2008's "Insurgentes" to 2017's "To The Bone".

"Rockin' With The Best", the new video from San Diego, California-based rockers P.O.D. (PAYABLE ON DEATH), can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's 10th studio album, "Circles", which will be released on November 16 via Mascot Label Group.

Frontman Sonny Sandoval says: "'Rockin' With The Best' is direct, raw and in-your-face, unapologetic sound that has been pioneered by P.O.D. The only question is whether or not you know how to get down with it."

On "Circles", P.O.D. collaborated with the Los Angeles-based production duo called the Heavy (Jason Bell and Jordan Miller), who ensured the album is contemporary sounding without losing any of the band's core sonic signifiers. The rap-driven "Rockin' With The Best" has an old-school P.O.D. sound that nods to the BEASTIE BOYS, while "Always Southern California" is a reggae-inflected rocker and the groove-heavy "Soundboy Killa" is a hip-hop/metal hybrid. The dynamic title track even boasts moody electronic flourishes, glassy piano, and laid-back rapping verses.

"On 'Circles', we didn't limit ourselves and say, 'Hey, we need to please the metal crowd, or the hardcore crowd, or the punk crowd,'" says frontman Sonny Sandoval. "We just wanted to play and write songs that we hope are relevant and catchy to a new audience, while, at the same time, still being true to ourselves."

From a lyrical standpoint, P.O.D. kept a similar open mind, while turning to optimism for inspiration. The title track addresses trying to get out of an unhealthy cycle in which someone feels stuck, while "Dreaming" envisions seeking out a brighter future even if the present day is tough. Other songs grapple with how to navigate life's biggest challenges. "Home" emerged after Sandoval suddenly lost a close friend who was more like a brother to him. "Fly Away", meanwhile, acknowledges that all of us sometimes struggle, and need to rely on others for help.

"We're looking for answers — and we're going to people to help us get through things — but at the same time, no one's perfect," Sandoval says. "Everybody's going through stuff, and we're all kind of on this same level and the same journey of experience and just trying to figure out our course of life."

The idea of searching for a bright side has been a constant theme for P.O.D. over the years, both on newer songs such as "Lost In Forever" and "Beautiful" and on early hits "Alive", "Youth Of The Nation" and "Boom". Through it all, the members of P.O.D. — Sandoval, lead guitarist Marcos Curiel, bassist Traa Daniels and drummer Wuv Bernardo — have leaned on one another for support and creative inspiration.

"We are touring and making music because it still means something to the people that are coming out to see us, and people that are still listening to our music," Sandoval says. "We're humbled, we're grateful, and we're thankful for people that still enjoy what we're doing."

"Circles" track listing:

01. Rockin' With The Best

02. Always Southern California

03. Circles

04. Panic Attack

05. On The Radio

06. Fly Away

07. Listening For The Silence

08. Dreaming

09. Domino

10. Soundboy Killa

11. Home

Over the span of two decades, P.O.D. has released 10 studio albums, including the triple-platinum "Satellite". They have had several hit songs, including "Southtown", "Alive", "Youth Of The Nation" and "Boom", and most recently with their Active Rock singles "Higher", "Beautiful" and "Lost In Forever", which reached No. 1. The band has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, racked up four #1 music videos, and contributed songs to numerous major motion picture soundtracks.

The members of P.O.D. are also active members of a tight-knit music community, having collaborated with a diverse list of artists including Katy Perry, H.R. (BAD BRAINS), Mike Muir (SUICIDAL TENDENCIES), Sen Dog (CYPRESS HILL), and more. The band's tenth studio album, "The Awakening", was released in 2015.

U.K. metallers ARCHITECTS will release their eighth full-length album, "Holy Hell", on November 9 via Epitaph Records.

The official music video for the disc's first single, "Hereafter", can be seen below.

"Holy Hell" marks ARCHITECTS' first record since the death of guitarist Tom Searle, who passed away in 2016 following a three-year battle with skin cancer.

Dan Searle, ARCHITECTS' drummer and Tom's brother, said: "In those first months after Tom's death, I didn't deal with it at all and I felt so unhappy and anxious. I'd ignored it and just tried to cope. But I knew that at some point, I had to learn from it."

"It's at times like that you ask yourself, What is left?'" adds vocalist Sam Carter. "As a group of friends, we had to find something."

"Ultimately, there were two choices," Dan says. "Feel sorry for yourself and believe the world to be a horrible place and let it defeat you. Or let it inspire us to live the life that Tom would have wanted us to live. I was very worried about people taking away a despondent message from the album. I felt a level of responsibility to provide a light at the end of the tunnel for people who are going through terrible experiences.

"For me, broadly speaking, 'Holy Hell' is about pain: the way we process it, cope with it, and live with it," he concludes. "There is value in pain. It's where we learn, it's where we grow."

"Holy Hell" track listing:

01. Death Is Not Defeat

02. Hereafter

03. Mortal After All

04. Holy Hell

05. Damnation

06. Royal Beggars

07. Modern Misery

08. Dying To Heal

09. The Seventh Circle

10. Doomsday

11. A Wasted Hymn

The official music video for "Diamond Boy", the title track of the new album from ENUFF Z'NUFF, can be seen below. The disc was released on August 10.

ENUFF Z'NUFF is the living, breathing example of what a rock 'n' roll group should be. Now centered around bass player and vocalist Chip Z'nuff, ENUFF Z'NUFF is still alive and kicking with a legion of loyal fans, who can't get enough of the band's power pop melded with hard rock stylings.

This record is the first ENUFF Z'NUFF release where Chip handles all of the vocal duties, which was quite a task, but one he was certainly up for.

"[Singing on the entire album was] very challenging," Chip says. "I'm taking the place of my brother who I consider one of the greatest singers of our generation. The songs on this record are solid as a boulder."

He describes the album as "a fresh new chapter that should have been written a long time ago. Picture David Bowie and THE BEATLES fighting and CHEAP TRICK comes in to break it up."

In addition to Chip Z'nuff, the band features longtime guitarist Tory Stoffregen, ex-ULTRAVOX singer/guitarist Tony Fennell, and Chicago native Daniel Benjamin Hill on drums. ENUFF Z'NUFF continues to tour and record relentlessly and this new record shows once again what a truly gifted hard/power pop act they are. With no shortage of hooks and awesome songs, "Diamond Boy" is another gem in ENUFF Z'NUFF's crown.

Originally formed in 1984 in Chicago, Illinois, ENUFF Z'NUFF received its big break in 1989 when they to Atco/Atlantic Records. Founding members Chip Z'Nuff and Donnie Vie were joined by guitarist Derek Frigo and drummer Vikki Foxx and they commenced work on their major label debut. The self-titled album was a monster hit and spawned two evergreen singles, "New Thing" and "Fly High Michelle". Both received constant airplay on radio and heavy rotation on MTV, spending over 60 weeks in the Top 10. 1991 saw the band release their sophomore album, "Strength". The album had more of a hard rock overtone and sustained the success achieved on the first album. The band made high-profile television and radio appearances through the likes of David Letterman and Howard Stern and were featured in Rolling Stone's Hot Issue as "The Next Big Thing." They soldiered on during the new musical climates of the '90s and went on to release another 12 studio records.

"Diamond Boy" track listing:

01. Transcendence

02. Diamond Boy

03. Where Did You Go

04. We're All The Same

05. Fire & Ice

06. Down On Luck

07. Metalheart

08. Love Is On The Line

09. Faith, Hope & Luv

10. Dopesick

11. Imaginary Man

Los Angeles hard rockers 9ELECTRIC have inked a deal with Pavement Entertainment. The band's new album, "Megalith", is due in early 2019.

"Megalith" is an album as true to the rock royalty that inspired it, as it is to the band members that created it. "We stripped our sound down and got back to basics, writing songs that stood out on their own and weren't dependent on programming and production," says guitarist Mikey Lopez, who wrote every song on "Megalith" with vocalist Ron Underwood. "This album is the most honest record of our career."

Integral to the process was Shawn McGhee, who recorded, produced, mixed and mastered the album in his Las Vegas studio. "We had a great experience making our last record, but in hindsight I can't help but feel like we stifled our producer by trying to have too much voice in how he did his job," recalls Lopez. "We learned from that with Shawn — we let him produce, and he let us be us. And the results speak for themselves."

"The 'Megalith' concept grew straight out of my obsession with lost civilizations and esoteric symbols," says Underwood of the album's theme. "Most of the lyrics are introspections into life's dualities — primarily good and evil, and how they work to create a third and even greater single entity beyond that given dimension."

9ELECTRIC is:

Ron Underwood - Vocals

Mikey Lopez - Guitars

Ginny Eck - Bass

Nick Ramirez - Drums

The surviving members of WE CAME AS ROMANS have announced that they will honor their fallen singer Kyle Pavone by going ahead with their previously announced U.S. tour as the support act for BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE.

Co-frontman Dave Stephens revealed the news in a video that was shared to the the Michigan metalcore act's Facebook page. He said: "The last few weeks, Kyle's family, his fans, his friends and the five of us have been experiencing a very wide range of emotions, and for us, it's been the most difficult time of our lives. Through this, we've been trying to be very honest with each other and open about how we're feeling and grieving.

"So, through all that, we've decided that the best course of action for the band is to do the BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE tour. We feel like this honors Kyle, and we can talk about his foundation, the Kyle Pavone Foundation, and carry on doing what he would've wanted us to do, and us be together on stage, playing music together with our fans.

"We will not be replacing Kyle. We will be continuing on, the five of us, and honoring his life for the next few weeks while we're on tour."

According to Stephens, WE CAME AS ROMANS' first show on the BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE tour will be Tuesday, September 18 at the The Pageant in St. Louis, Missouri.

Pavone died of an accidental drug overdose in late August. According to TMZ, his girlfriend told cops he had gone into the bathroom at his home for a long time, and when she went to check on him, she found him unconscious, feet away from a used syringe. The police report said the syringe was found on the counter of the bathroom sink. Police say the girlfriend also revealed Kyle had struggled in the past with heroin use.

A toxicology report is still pending.

TMZ originally reported that Kyle was transported to a Michigan hospital on August 19 and pronounced dead six days later, on August 25.

WE CAME AS ROMANS' fifth album, "Cold Like War", was released last October through SharpTone Records.

A week before his death, Pavone tweeted, "Will i be remembered or will i be lost in loving eyes," a lyric from the song "Promise Me" from "Cold Like War".

Pavone joined WE CAME AS ROMANS in 2008 as vocalist and keyboardist and appeared on all five of the band's albums. Their 2013 LP, "Tracing Back Roots", peaked at No. 8 on the Billboard 200 chart.

Announcementwww.KylePavoneFoundation.orgPosted by We Came As Romans on Tuesday, September 11, 2018

SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS debuted several new songs during their concert for SiriusXM Tuesday night (September 11) at the famed Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

The intimate set saw SLASH FEATURING MYLES KENNEDY AND THE CONSPIRATORS play the first two singles from their upcoming album, "Living The Dream" ("Driving Rain" and "Mind Your Manners"), plus "The Call Of The Wild", "Serve You Right" and "My Antidote", in addition to select cuts from their previous works "World On Fire" and "Apocalyptic Love".

The setlist was as follows:

01. Halo

02. Avalon

03. Standing In The Sun

04. Ghost

05. Back From Cali

06. Wicked Stone

07. Mind Your Manners (world premiere)

08. Bent To Fly

09. You're A Lie

10. Beneath The Savage Sun

11. The Dissident

12. Dr Alibi (Todd Kerns on vocals)

13. My Antidote (world premiere)

14. Rocket Queen

15. Starlight

16. Serve You Right (world premiere)

17. Driving Rain (world premiere)

18. World On Fire

Encore:

19. The Call Of The Wild (world premiere)

20. Anastasia

The performance will air September 21 at 8:00 p.m. ET on SiriusXM's Octane, via satellite on channel 37 through the SiriusXM app on smartphones and other connected devices, as well as online at SiriusXM.com. The show will also air simultaneously on Howard Stern's Howard 101 channel; Slash is a longtime friend of "The Howard Stern Show" and performed at the Howard Stern birthday bash.

In a recent interview with the New York radio station Q104.3, Slash stated about which songs planned to perform live during his upcoming tour with Kennedy and THE CONSPIRATORS: "When we first started out in 2010, I just had the solo album ['Slash'] with all the different singers on it, so at that point, we did songs off of that record and a lot of GUNS N' ROSES stuff which I hadn't played in years, and then some VELVET REVOLVER and some [SLASH'S] SNAKEPIT [material]. We did that, and then we recorded 'Apocalyptic Love', so we had a little bit more original material, but we kept doing the GUNS stuff and VELVET REVOLVER and so on. 'World On Fire', at that point, we had a pretty good catalog of our own stuff, but I was still digging playing 'Welcome To The Jungle' and whatnot. Then I hook up with GUNS N' ROSES, so now, I've played all those songs for the last two years, so I'm sort of like, 'Okay, we don't have to do any more GUNS N' ROSES songs.' We have enough to do."

"Living The Dream", will be released on September 21 via Slash's own label Snakepit Records. It is Slash's fourth solo album and third since putting together the CONSPIRATORS, which also features singer Myles Kennedy, drummer Brent Fitz, bassist Todd Kerns and guitarist Frank Sidoris. The group's North American headlining tour begins September 13 in Los Angeles, visiting 20 major cities before ending on October 14 in Sacramento.

The first single from "Living The Dream", a song called "Driving Rain", was released in late July. Slash said about the song: "This is a riff I specifically remember playing with the guys for the first time at a venue in New Hampshire on the 'World On Fire' tour. It's a cool guitar part we ran though, and from that point forward the rest of the song started to come together in my mind while on the road. We put it all together this year and Myles came up with a great melody for it."

Kennedy added: "Lyrically, it's a story about somebody who works on the road — it could be a musician, and it could be a traveling salesman. What makes it interesting is this guy has an addict girlfriend or spouse who continues to relapse, and she ends up getting him to come home. She's miserable and falls back into bad old habits, and that compels him to head back to her to save the day."

Christchurch City, New Zealand-based slamming death metal act Organectomy have premiered a new music video for their song "Carnal Bloodlust". The track is featured on their Domain Of The Wretched album, reissued via Unique Leader earlier this year. The gory video was filmed in New Zealand by Crazy Eye Productions and directed by the band.

The group commented, "'Carnal Bloodlust', the mid-way point of our debut full length Domain Of The Wretched, finds itself being brought to life in video form. In which, the sporatic, gore-ridden scenes detail the subjects descent into madness, (portrayed here by our frontman Alex Paul) as a parasite consumes his mind and takes control of his body causing him to have an insatiable need for blood, carnage, and viscera."

Self-recorded by the band and featuring incredible artwork by Pedro Sena (Lordigan) Domain Of The Wretched is a crushing mix of slam, tech death, sickening atmospherics, and a ferocious brutality unmatched by most bands today. It is immediately apparent why Organectomy have found themselves on top of the New Zealand extreme metal scene.

Physical order bundles for the reissue of Domain Of The Wretched are available here. Digital bundles here.

Tracklisting:

“Eons Of Unyielding Darkness”
“Sanctum Of Deceit”
“Beckoning The Horrors Of The Depths”
“Intracranial Incubation”
“Carnal Bloodlust”
“Terror Form”
“Inherent Revulsion”
“Cascading Into Despair”
“Domain Of The Wretched”
“Entropic Decay”

“Terror Form” video:

Haken's fifth studio album, Vector, is due out on October 26th. The album was produced by the band themselves, and recorded and mixed by Adam ‘Nolly’ Getgood (Periphery, Devin Townsend Project), with the artwork once again being handled by Blacklake.

The band have now launched the first of a 3-part interview with band members Ross Jennings, Charlie Griffiths & Rich Henshall discussing how the new album came together. Watch below:

The album will be available as limited edition 2CD Digipak (including instrumental versions), gatefold vinyl 2LP + CD, & as digital download.

Tracklisting:

"Clear"
"The Good Doctor"
"Puzzle Box"
"Veil"
"Nil By Mouth"
"Host"
"A Cell Divides"

"The Good Doctor" video:

Since their inception in 2007, Haken have shown over four previous studio albums, one EP and a live release that they never stand still, merely satisfied to rely on past triumphs. Rather, Haken always look for ways to challenge themselves as musicians and artists, and also to keep the listeners on their collective toes. “We don't like to make simple music,” laughs vocalist Ross Jennings. “We always aim to defy expectations, and I believe we've surpassed what we aimed to achieve with our new album.”
 
Their fifth studio record sees the band going in a heavier direction with the music. “We’ve always had a heavy influence”, explains guitarist Charlie Griffiths, “but it was obvious from the riffs that were naturally coming out of us early in the writing process that this would be a more metal album. These are some of the most riff driven songs we’ve ever written.” As is usual, Haken produced the album themselves, but for the first time they have enlisted Adam 'Nolly' Getgood during the recording and mixing stages. Formerly bassist with Periphery, in the last couple of years he has built a reputation as a fine producer. “We produced the album ourselves, as we always do,” insists Jennings. “But we're fans of what Adam has done with Periphery, Sikth and Devin Townsend. He has a great reputation for the heavier end of our genre”.
 
But if this album is musically heavy, then there's an underlying theme running through the seven songs which is certainly esoteric and fascinating. “The scene is set with the track The Good Doctor, which was a really fun song. Musically it feels like a logical step from 'Affinity', but lyrically it’s a bit more theatrical and about as ‘rock opera’ as Haken has ever got”, explains Griffiths. “It’s about a Doctor with an intriguing, perhaps sinister interest in a particular patient. From there the story enters the point-of-view of the patient - who appears to be catatonic, but his mind is sparking with what could be memories, or delusions brought on by the treatment he’s receiving - we leave this up to the listeners to decide. Although we don’t want to give too much away, people who are familiar with our back catalogue will have fun discovering further clues we’ve planted throughout the album. And that's the challenge for the fans - to find out for themselves their own meaning for 'Vector' as an album”.
 
Haken recently announced North American co-headline dates alongside Norway’s Leprous, and labelmates Bent Knee, in what is an all InsideOutMusic bill. These will be the first live shows in support of Vector, and you can find the full list of dates below:

Dates:

October
30 - The Crofoot Ballroom - Pontiac, MI
31 - Opera House - Toronto, ON

November
2 - Underground Arts - Philadelphia, PA
3 - Highline Ballroom - New York, NY
4 - The Sinclair - Boston, MA
6 - Soundstage - Baltimore, MD
7 - Cat’s Cradle - Carrboro, NC
8 - The Orpheum - Tampa, FL
9 - Revolution - Fort Lauderdale, FL
10 - The Plaza Live - Orlando, FL
11 - Variety Playhouse - Atlanta, GA
13 - Gas Monkey - Dallas, TX
14 - Barracuda - Austin, TX
16 - Crescent Ballroom - Phoenix, AZ
17 - Glasshouse - Pomona, CA
18 - August Hall - San Francisco, CA
19 - Hawthorne Theatre - Portland, OR
20 - The Crocodile - Seattle, WA
21 - Rickshaw Theater - Vancouver, BC
23 - Metro Music Hall - Salt Lake City, UT
24 - Bluebird Theater - Denver, CO
25 - Granada Theater - Lawrence, KS
26 - Delmar Hall - St Louis, MO
27 - Exit/In - Nashville, TN
29 - Rex Theater - Pittsburgh, PA
30 - Beachland Ballroom - Cleveland, OH

December
1 - Bottom Lounge - Chicago, IL

Tickets available here.

Haken have also announced European and Latin American live dates in support of the new album.

The band comments: “We’re thrilled to be bringing our Vector Studies tour to Europe. We had immense fun celebrating our 10 year anniversary across Europe in 2017 with incredible turnouts and warm receptions. This time around we will be focusing on performing tracks from our new album Vector along with some live favourites of ours. For your health and wellbeing, the good doctor prescribes you some live Haken.”

The band add on the Latin America shows: "A visit to South America has been long overdue. Many of our dedicated South American fans have made epic trips around the world to experience our shows in Europe and North America and now we're ecstatic to reveal we will finally be returning the favour! See you in January! As for Mexico City and Cruise To The Edge, well... we cannot wait to return!"

Latin America 2019

January
26 - Teatro Teleton - Santiago, Chile
27 - Groove - Buenos Aires, Argentina
29 - Caricoa Club - Sao Paolo, Brazil
30 - Auditorio Centro De La Amistad Peruano China - Lima, Peru

February
1 - Lunar - Mexico City, Mexico

Europe 2019

February
15 - Academy 3 - Manchester, UK
16 - St Luke’s - Glasgow, UK
17 - The Fleece - Bristol, UK
19 - Essigfabrik - Cologne, Germany
20 - Batschkapp - Frankfurt, Germany
21 - Übel & Gefährlich - Hamburg, Germany
22 - Lille Vega - Copenhagen, Denmark
23 - John Dee - Oslo, Norway
24 - Debaser Strand - Stockholm, Sweden
26 - Columbia Theater - Berlin, Germany
27 - Kwadrat - Krakow, Poland
28 - A38 - Budapest, Hungary

March
2 - Szene - Vienna, Austria
3 - Futurum - Prague, Czech Republic
4 - Conne Island - Leipzig, Germany
6 - Im Wizemann - Stuttgart, Germany
7 - Backstage Halle - Munich, Germany
8 - Kiff - Aarau, Switzerland
9 - Magazzini Generali - Milan, Italy
10 - Transbordeur - Lyon, France
12 - Mon Live - Madrid, Spain
13 - Kafe Antzokia - Bilbao, Spain
14 - La Maroquinerie - Paris, France
15 - De Boerderij - Zoetermeer, Netherlands
16 - Islington Assembly Hall - London, UK
23 - Tavastia - Helsinki, Finland

Full ticket details here.

(Photo - Will Ireland)

Sammy Hagar spoke to Broward Palm Beach New Times about "Space Between", the upcoming first album of all-original material from THE CIRCLE, his critically acclaimed supergroup also featuring Michael Anthony, Jason Bonham and Vic Johnson.

"It's about the misconception that money is the root of all evil, because the truth of the matter is, that it isn't money at all," Hagar said. "You can feed the poor, you can heal the sick, you can make people happy, you can stop a war with money, but it's greed that is the problem. That's what the whole record is about. It's what I discovered by being both rich and poor."

Hagar added that "Space Between", which is tentatively due in January 2019, will likely be his last album, and he hopes to get a Grammy for it.

"That's my bucket list: to have one more credible musical experience in my life," he said. "I think I did it, and I hope it's as good as I think it is. I've been double-parked in the rock 'n' roll business for 40 years, and I want a stamp on my validation so I don't have to pay to get out."

Bonham told Sonic Perspectives in a recent interview that THE CIRCLE's upcoming disc is a "concept kind of album" that needs to be listened to "in a specific order, which kind of tells the story."

The drummer added that Hagar has "been really inspired as of late, and I think it's gonna be some of his best stuff. It's definitely diverse," he said. "As I said, when you listen to it in the order… It's gonna be an incredible… What he wanted to do was do something very different than he's ever done, which is send you on a journey, like the old days. When you put on an album, you listened to it from start to finish instead of just a song — where the placement of each [song] is vital for it to make sense."

THE CIRCLE released a concert album, "At Your Service", in May 2015. Recorded on tour in 2014, it features live performances of hits from Sammy's four decades of rock (MONTROSE, solo, VAN HALEN, THE WABORITAS, CHICKENFOOT) as well as classic tracks from the LED ZEPPELIN catalog.

Toronto's Creatures unleashed their sophomore EP II back in July via their own independent label Old Haunt Records. Now the band have put together a new guitar playthrough for their track "What Would Rick Sanchez Do?". The video not only captures their shredding skills, but also their sense of humour as you watch them take on being goofy, psychedelic, yet deathly with their rampaging riffs. Check it out below.

Spawned in the Toronto murk in 2015, Creatures is a group effort with a long history that intertwines the lives of numerous local bands to summon a truly devastating soundscape of unbridled chaos. Inspired by bands such as Necrophagist, Despised Icon and Thy Art Is Murder, Creatures is a 6-piece band playing heavy and catchy deathcore, taking intense sounds and mixing in small elements of extreme and black metal.

The songs reach into a large porcelain cup of topics and instead of just merely presenting their themes to their listeners, Creatures smashes the cup in their faces, making sure their themes cut deep and stay with the listeners. Whether they are lyrics about the futility of existence with a cartoon metaphor, or the bond of brotherhood within an intense party setting, there is a message for everyone to latch onto. Regardless, the songs are a visceral insight into the band’s life.

Tracklisting:

"Old Style F.A"
"What Would Rick Sanchez Do?"
"Samara"
"Broken Anchors"
"(Safe Space) Triggered"

"What Would Rick Sanchez Do?" guitar playthrough video:

EP stream:

"Samara" lyric video:

Since their return to the stages of this world in 2016 at the Frost & Fire festival in Ventura, CA, Cirith Ungol has also played many successful festival shows in Europe. Due to the incredible demand and enthusiastic reactions from the fans, Cirith Ungol has decided to start writing and rehearsing a new song. The band now proudly unleashes their first studio recording since Paradise Lost in 1991.

The band comments: "'Witch's Game' was forged for the upcoming animated movie Planet Of Doom. Since we reunited in 2015, there was always a question if we would release new material. It was always on the top of our minds, and when approached to write a song that would be featured in this amazing movie, we agreed. We had already been working on songs for our 5th studio album and this was a perfect opportunity to dip our hooves back in the lake of fire! We are all very excited about the band's future and hope you like this sampling of what we have been brewing in our secret lair!"

Listen to "Witch's Game" below, and head here to pre-order the track on vinyl (featuring a B-side with the live version of "Doomed Planet") in the following versions:

- 180 g black vinyl
- Rusty colored marbled vinyl (ltd. 500)
- Pastel orange/Red marbled vinyl (ltd. 300)
- Orange w/brown circle vinyl (ltd. 200 - High Roller exclusive)
- Clear dark brown marbled vinyl (ltd. 100 - band exclusive)
- Dead gold marbled vinyl (ltd. 300 - US exclusive)
- Picture Disc (ltd. 500)

Witch's Game by Cirith Ungol

On December 7, Frontiers Music Srl will release "Rock'n Milan", a live album and long-form video of STEELHEART's 2017 performance at Milan, Italy's Frontiers Rock Festival IV. The show is a fitting tribute to the loving memory of STEELHEART guitarist Kenny Kanowski, who passed away just a couple of months after this last concert with the band.


A performance video of the song "My Dirty Girl", taken from "Rock'n Milan", can be seen below.

STEELHEART singer Miljenko Matijevic said: "'My Dirty Girl' is a track from our latest studio album, 'Through Worlds Of Stardust'. We love playing this one live as it has such a great dirty rock vibe to it!

"The night this was filmed was a hot, sweaty rock 'n roll night to remember in Milan, Italy. Sadly, though, this was Kenny's last performance with STEELHEART before he passed away shortly thereafter. He is here in spirit forever and I'm happy that we have this full set captured.

"I hope you all enjoy this video and album. So much more to come. Love you all!"


The band stormed the stage ahead of the, at the time, forthcoming release of their comeback album, "Through Worlds of Stardust", which is represented with the inclusion of "My Dirty Girl", while the rest of the setlist includes STEELHEART classics. With tracks culled from the self-titled debut album and from the "Rock Star" movie soundtrack, Matijevic was in fine form and delivered an amazing performance to the wowed crowd.


"Rock'n Milan" track listing:


CD

01. Blood Pollution

02. Livin' The Life

03. Gimme Gimme

04. Like Never Before

05. My Dirty Girl

06. She's Gone

07. Cabernet

08. Drum Solo

09. Everybody Loves Eileen

10. Rock 'N' Roll (I Just Wanna)

11. I'll Never Let You Go

12. We All Die Young


DVD

01. Blood Pollution

02. Livin' The Life

03. Gimme Gimme

04. Like Never Before

05. Live To Die

06. My Dirty Girl

07. She's Gone

08. Cabernet

09. Drum Solo

10. Everybody Loves Eileen

11. Rock 'N' Roll (I Just Wanna)

12. I'll Never Let You Go

13. We All Die Young


STEELHEART is:

Miljenko Matijevic: Vocals, guitar

Kenneth Kanowski: Lead guitar, vocals

Mike Humbert: Drums

James "Rev" Jones: Bass guitar, vocals

Global Music Award-winning nomadic folk metal group Tengger Cavalry have released a video for "Chasing My Horse", a track from their sixth album, Cian Bi, available via Napalm Records. Watch below:

Earlier this year, Tengger Cavalry turned heads with the release of Cian Bi. Now, the band returns to Carnegie Hall's stunning Weill Recital Hall in New York City (154 W 57th St.) for a special performance on Thursday, September 20th.

The performance will begin at 8 PM and tickets start at $30. The performance will feature traditional nomadic musical techniques and instruments such as throat singing, Mongolian long song, and Morin Khuur. Head here for more information.

In celebration of this performance announcement, Tengger Cavalry revealeded a video for their track "Redefine", cut from Cian Bi. The video acts as an artistic interpretation of the message that Tengger Cavalry's music often represents - raising awareness for the preservation of Mongolian culture in the face of modernization and overall culture conflict.

Sweden's Siniestro have released a lyric video for “Exitium Vivorum Omnes”, featured on their upcoming Arctic Blood EP, out December 10th on CD and digital. Watch the clip below, and pre-order the EP here.

The EP was recorded in Radionika Studios, Sweden 2018 mixed by Dino Medanhodzic and mastered by Jens Bogren. Arctic Blood features four uncompromising relentless and brutal tracks that are bound to stick with you until doomsday.

Tracklisting:

“Arctic Blood”
“Pesten”
“Exitium Vivorum Omnes”
“Strength Pride Blood Life”

“Exitium Vivorum Omnes” lyric video:

“Arctic Blood”:

Fan-filmed video footage of GHOST's September 9 concert at London, United Kingdom's famed Royal Albert Hall can be seen below. Tickets to the show reportedly sold out in under an hour when they went on sale back in late June.

Armed with three Swedish Grammis awards, a U.S. Grammy, and 75 million global streams of its latest album, "Prequelle", GHOST has announced the European leg of its "A Pale Tour Named Death" world tour, the band's first set of 2019 concert dates, that will start on February 3 in Lyon, France. Ticket presales begin this Thursday, September 13 at 10 a.m. CET, and the general on sale will start Friday, September 14 at 10 a.m. CET.

For these European dates, a limited number of VIP Cardinal Copia Upgrade Packages have just been made available. The special packages include early entry to the venue, a pre-show photo op with the Cardinal, a GHOST altar candle, a GHOST mystery puzzle and other exclusive perks.

Next month, GHOST will head to North America for its 40-date headline tour that starts October 25. That run will include two arena performances, November 16 at the Los Angeles Forum and December 15 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

It's already been quite a year for the Swedish rock band. In addition to the early global success of "Prequelle", "Rats", the album's first single, has accumulated more than 25 million streams, set a 2018 record for maintaining the #1 spot at U.S. Rock Radio for nine consecutive weeks, and the track's companion video has logged north of 12 million YouTube views. Last month, GHOST released the provocative Carpenter Brut remix of one of "Prequelle"'s most popular tracks, "Dance Macabre", that crossed the band into the world of dance music.

On September 7th, Metal Blade Records released Cruel Magic, the new album by English NWOBHM legends Satan. Stream the album in it's entirety below.

Bearers of the NWOBHM movement and responsible for '83's seminal Court In The Act and '87's Suspended Sentence, Satan make it abundantly clear with their upcoming new album that in 2018, they are not interested in simply capitalizing on past glories. Comprised of 10 tracks of searing metal, it is blatantly and profoundly the work of the Newcastle upon Tyne natives at their very best, infusing their signature sound with a more raw, wild and spontaneous vibe than they showcased on 2015's mighty Atom By Atom - and in the process, displaying more passion and energy than slews of bands half their age.

Tracking the album at First Avenue Studio, they further demonstrated their trust and rapport with past collaborators, recruiting engineer Dave Curle and Dario Mollo to handle the mix, letting them handle the technical side of things so the quintet could focus all of their energies on giving the best performances. Confident in the songs they had written and how they wanted them to sound made the process a very easy one, walking out of the studio with a record of which they are understandably proud, and will reign supreme in the speakers and headphones of metalheads the world over when it drops in September. "We truly feel we've got it 100% right this time, the balance between considered content and reckless performance. We always break loose on stage so why not on record?"

Order the album here in the following formats:

- ltd. Boxset (incl. Digipak-CD, excl. bonus-CD, excl. dead gold-marbled vinyl w/excl. bonus-LP, 75x75 cm flag, circular 12" back patch, five A4 art prints, A4 photo card, numbered certificate)
- Digipak-CD (EU exclusive)
- CD
- 180g black vinyl
- clear vinyl (limited to 500 copies - EU exclusive)
- red/black-marbled vinyl (limited to 300 copies - EU exclusive)
- water blue-marbled vinyl (limited to 200 copies - EU exclusive)
- steel grey-marbled vinyl (limited to 300 copies - US exclusive)
- yellow/ochre-marbled vinyl (limited to 200 copies - US exclusive)

Cruel Magic tracklisting:

"Into The Mouth Of Eternity"
"Cruel Magic"
"The Doomsday Clock"
"Legions Hellbound"
"Ophidian"
"My Prophetic Soul"
"Death Knell For A King"
"Who Among Us"
"Ghosts Of Monongah"
"Mortality"

Album stream:

"The Doomsday Clock" video:

In support of Cruel Magic, Satan will head out on the road this October for a US tour, which includes an appearance at the Frost and Fire IV festival in Ventura, CA. See below for all dates.

October
5 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
6 - Ventura, CA - Frost And Fire IV
7 - Los Angeles, CA - Whiskey
8 - San Francisco, CA - Elbo Room
9 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
10 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
11 - Chicago, IL - Reggie's
12 - Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus
13 - Boston, MA - Great Scott
14 - Philadelphia, PA - Voltage Lounge

Satan lineup:

Brian Ross - Vocals
Russ Tippins - Guitars
Steve Ramsey - Guitars
Graeme English - Bass
Sean Taylor - Drums

(Photo - Stefan Rosic)

On September 7th, Metal Blade Records released The Passage Of Existence, the new studio album by Florida death metal legends Monstrosity. The full album is now available for streaming below.

Order the album here in the following formats:

- ltd. Digipak-CD w/2 bonus tracks
- 180g black vinyl
- orange/red marbled vinyl (limited to 500 copies - EU exclusive)
- transp. grey-brown marbled vinyl (limited to 300 copies - EU exclusive)
- dusk blue-marbled vinyl (limited to 200 copies - EU exclusive)
- terracotta-marbled vinyl (limited to 120 copies - ebay exclusive)
- deep violet blue-marbled vinyl (limited to 500 copies - US exclusive)

Lee Harrison recorded his drum tracks at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida with veteran metal producer Jason Suecof. A week was spent creating rock solid drum tracks. Guitar and bass tracks were handled at Ascension Sound in Tampa with the vocal tracks being recorded at Obituary's "Redneck Studios" in Gibsonton, Florida. The mix was handled by producer Mark Lewis (Megadeth, etc), and the resulting 2018 album, The Passage Of Existence, was born. 12 tracks of masterfully crafted death metal for the modern era from the standard bearers of extreme art. Monstrosity still stand taller than ever, still delivering their brand of state of the art sonic devastation.

The Passage Of Existence tracklisting:

"Cosmic Pandemia"
"Kingdom Of Fire"
"Radiated"
"Solar Vacuum"
"The Proselygeist"
"Maelstrom"
"Eyes Upon The Abyss"
"Dark Matter Invocation" (ltd. Digi-CD bonus)
"The Hive"
"Eternal Void" (ltd. Digi-CD bonus)
"Century"
"Slaves To The Evermore"

Album stream:

Monstrosity lineup:

Mike Hrubovcak - vocals
Lee Harrison - drums
Mike Poggione - bass
Mark English - guitars
Matt Barnes - guitars