STEELHEART — the brainchild of Miljenko Matijevic, whose powerful voice and multi-octave range is the heart and soul of the band — will release its new album, "Through Worlds Of Stardust", on September 15 via Frontiers Music Srl. The official video for the second single from the disc, "You Got Me Twisted", can be seen below.

Says Miljenko: "I cannot express how excited I am for you all to hear this new album. Our focus was to bring back the magic in the music with songs that have been lived, loved, laughed and struggled. I best describe this album as 'deep, sexy, loving, twisted, romantic, and hungry rock 'n' roll.' The record was recorded throughout parts of the world, including a live string section recorded in Stockholm, Sweden. I truly hope you enjoy this album as it was created from the heart and no corners were cut. Love you all; we look forward to seeing you on the road." Although they were lumped in with the glut of long-haired hard rock bands emerging in the early '90s, STEELHEART was always more forward thinking than their peers and the 2017 version of the band has a contemporary and edgy feel, while still retaining the patented powerful vocals of Miljenko. On "Through Worlds Of Stardust", Miljenko has fused his past, present, and future together, creating an undeniable piece of hard rock music. Certainly fans of the band's first three classic albums will be happy to hear those powerful pipes back in action, but fans of modern hard rock acts like HALESTORM, SHINEDOWN, ALTER BRIDGE and other melodic-minded rock heavyweights will find much here to love. STEELHEART released their self-titled debut album in 1990 and, based on the buzz around the hit single "I'll Never Let You Go", was a smashing success (for example, 33,000 albums were sold in one day in Japan) and quickly reached platinum sales. STEELHEART's sophomore album, "Tangled In Reins", was released in 1992 to critical acclaim and rave reviews, but moderate success in terms of sales in the U.S. (by early '90s standards) due to the well documented rise of grunge music; however, East Asia was a different story, where the band was widely embraced yet again. In the midst of promotion of the album, a serious accident happened on Halloween night in 1992, when an improperly secured lighting truss hit Matijevic on the back of the head, breaking his nose, cheekbone, jaw, and twisting his spine. Almost impossibly, Matijevic managed to walk off the stage of his own strength before being rushed to a hospital. STEELHEART, as it was known, ended that night. Four years later, Matijevic formed a new version of STEELHEART with Kenny Kanowski (guitars), Vincent Mele (bass), and Alex Makarovich (drums) to record and release his third album, "Wait". The album was very different musically from the previous two albums, but featured the song "We All Die Young" (millions of streams and counting on Spotify) which was later included as a re-recorded version in the movie "Rock Star", which saw Matijevic providing the singing voice for Mark Wahlberg's character. The movie soundtrack was performed by Matijevic (and Jeff Scott Soto) on vocals along with Zakk Wylde (Ozzy Osbourne's then-guitarist and frontman of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY), Jeff Pilson (DOKKEN, FOREIGNER), and Jason Bonham. "Through Worlds Of Stardust" track listing:

01. Stream Line Savings02. My Dirty Girl03. Come Inside04. My Word05. You Got Me Twisted06. Lips Of Rain07. With Love We Live Again08. Got Me Runnin'09. My Freedom10. I'm So In Love With You Lead Vocals, Acoustic Guitar, Guitars, Ebow Guitars: Miljenko Matijevic Musicians on the album:

Guitars: Uros RaskovskiBass: James "Rev" Jones, Sigve Sjursen, Jesse SternDrums: Mike Humbert, Randy CookePiano: Daniel Fouché, Ed RothGuest guitar solo and part rhythm on "My Dirty Girl" by Kennet KanowskiStrings composed and conducted by Glen GabrielOrchestrated by Anthony WeedenPerformed by Stockholm Strings

Florida death metallers OBITUARY have released the official live video for the song "Sentence Day" off the band's self-titled full-length album. The video was filmed in stunning 4K by Magnetar Studios at several locations on the band's headlining tour with GRUESOME earlier this year.

OBITUARY commented on the video: "We are super excited to bring you guys another music video from the new album. This video was extra fun for the band as we invited James [Pesature of Magnetar] to ride along with us for a couple shows and get onstage/offstage. His entire crew met up with us and filmed a show with multi-camera angles. 'Sentence Day' is one of our favorite songs on the album and definitely a fan favorite so we are proud to bring you guys this video. Enjoy!"

OBITUARY and EXODUS will join forces for another epic "Battle Of The Bays" this fall! The two American legends went to war in Europe last year and are now bringing the battle to America, this time with support from POWER TRIP and DUST BOLT. The co-headlining tour kicks off September 14 in Durham, North Carolina and ends on October 15 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

OBITUARY's new, self-titled album was released on March 17 via Relapse.

Picking up where 2014's "Inked In Blood" left off, OBITUARY show no signs of slowing down as they continue to reign as kings of death metal. Recorded at the band's home studio in Tampa, "Obituary" is a ten-track tour de force of bone-pulverizing death metal that is as heavy, uncompromising and infectious as anything they've released in the group's historic, nearly 30-year career.

The band took part in the 2017 Decibel Magazine Tour with KREATOR, HORRENDOUS and MIDNIGHT. The tour kicked off on March 17 in Charlotte, North Carolina and ran through April 15 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON have released an audio/visual clip for "Streambreather", a song from their latest album, "Emperor Of Sand". The video, created by Aaron Hymes, can be seen below.

"Emperor Of Sand" debuted at No. 7 on the Billboard 200 album chart, making it their third Top 10 album. The follow-up to 2014's "Once More 'Round The Sun" was recorded at The Quarry Recording Studio in Kennesaw, just outside MASTODON's hometown of Atlanta, with producer Brendan O'Brien (PEARL JAM, NEIL YOUNG, AC/DC, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE), who first worked with MASTODON on their seminal 2009 album "Crack The Skye".

"Emperor Of Sand" finds MASTODON returning to a deeply imaginative and complex conceptual storyline that ponders the nature of time. Threading together the myth of a man sentenced to death in a majestically malevolent desert, the band conjures the grains of a musical and lyrical odyssey slipping quickly through a cosmic hourglass.

"'Emperor of sand' is like the grim reaper," says drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor. "Sand represents time. If you or anyone you know has ever received a terminal diagnosis, the first thought is about time. Invariably, you ask, 'How much time is left?'"

"We're reflecting on mortality," adds bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders. "To that end, the album ties into our entire discography. It's 17 years in the making, but it's also a direct reaction to the last two years. We tend to draw inspiration from very real things in our lives."

For the past few months, rumors have been circulating about a new secret project including former DREAM THEATER members Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian. Now, the time has come to make the grand and highly anticipated introduction to their new band, SONS OF APOLLO. Reuniting to form SONS OF APOLLO, Portnoy and Sherinian have joined forces with Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ex-GUNS N' ROSES), Billy Sheehan (THE WINERY DOGS, MR. BIG, DAVID LEE ROTH) and Jeff Scott Soto (ex-JOURNEY, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN'S RISING FORCE). Their debut album, "Psychotic Symphony", will be released October 20 on InsideOut Music. An album teaser can be seen below.

"Psychotic Symphony" was produced by the dynamic production duo of Portnoy and Sherinian, also affectionately known as "The Del Fuvio Brothers," which is the nickname given to them over 20 years ago during their time together in DREAM THEATER. SONS OF APOLLO got together very organically, as Portnoy explains: "Derek and I reunited shortly after I left DREAM THEATER in 2010 and we put together an all-instrumental touring band with he and I, Billy Sheehan, and Tony MacAlpine. That was my first time working with Derek since the '90s when he was in DREAM THEATER and it was just great to be working with him again. Ever since that tour, which was really just a one-off live thing, he has been nudging me to start a real, original, full-time band. The timing just had never been right, because I had too many other things on my plate. Long story short, the time was finally right to take the bait and put together a band." "Mike and I work at a relentless pace in the studio," continues Sherinian. "The music is modern, but we have an old-school soul. What is unique about SONS OF APOLLO is that we have true rock 'n' roll swagger along with the virtuosity — a lethal combination!” But what to call the next great supergroup? "Derek was mainly the one behind the name," says Portnoy. "I have a list that I keep on my phone of about a hundred different band names, which I constantly have to refer to every time I have a new band every year. [Laughs] So, I pulled up the list and APOLLO was one of the names on the list. It was a word that both of us really liked. We started fiddling with different variations of the word. One of the original band names we were working with was APOLLO CREED, the character from the 'Rocky' movies, but after lots of different discussions on different variations, Derek suggested SONS OF APOLLO and it seemed to stick. Apollo is the God of music so with that in mind it seemed like a fitting name." Mike Portnoy, Derek Sherinian and Billy Sheehan previously toured together in 2012 and 2013 as PSMS (along with guitarist Tony MacAlpine), playing all instrumental versions from each of their previously recorded music. SONS OF APOLLO is the next logical progression by adding a vocalist and creating all-original material. The band incorporates the progressive style and individual technical prowess that Portnoy and Sherinian shared together in DREAM THEATER combined with the swagger and groove of VAN HALEN, DEEP PURPLE and LED ZEPPELIN. "I have known Mike and Derek for a long time, so when they came to me with SONS OF APOLLO, I jumped on this straight away," says Thomas Waber, label manager/A&R international of InsideOut Music. "However, the album they ended up recording exceeded my already high expectations by a long mile! We couldn't be happier about it!" SONS OF APOLLO will hit the road in 2018 for their first worldwide tour. "This is a real band," Portnoy declares. "This is going to pick up for me and Billy where THE WINERY DOGS left off, in terms of this being the next logical full-time thing for us. I'm not saying THE WINERY DOGS have broken up, because we haven't, we're just on a break. SONS OF APOLLO is absolutely going to be a full-time band and we plan on touring all over the world all throughout 2018 and, honestly, it is the priority for all five of us." Sherinian agrees: "We will go on a worldwide crusade in 2018 to bring SONS OF APOLLO to as many people as possible. Apollo was the God of music, and we are his mighty offspring!"

Canada's ragga-metal kings Zeroscape have released the video for their new single "Lies Out, Lights Out". The song will be featured on their new album Finish Dem, due to be released September 12th via Boonsdale (Canada) / Bad Reputation (international). 

Frontman Binski comments:

"Zeroscape never really officially ended. We just took a break, so when we came back it was like we never missed a beat. The stuff where we left off from, the music we were writing, it's just more enhanced. It's way tighter because we grew naturally into our sound. We're gonna record the sound that we made, that is ours. The sound that's gonna take over." 

Zeroscape is: 

Binski - vocals)
Speshalizt - guitars
JJ - drums
Matt - bass

Photo by Remy Tartaglia / John Bridge

 

British rock legends UFO will release their first-ever covers album, paying homage to a dozen of their personal favorites. "The Salentino Cuts" includes several unexpected choices such as MAD SEASONS' "River Of Deceit", John Mellencamp's "Paper In Fire" and Bill Withers's "Ain't No Sunshine" alongside more traditional but nonetheless thrilling versions such as THE YARDBIRDS' "Heartful Of Soul", ZZ TOP's "Just Got Paid" and lots more!

UFO's current lineup features original members Phil Mogg on vocals and Andy Parker on drums. Keyboardist/guitarist Paul Raymond joined the band in 1976. Lead guitarist Vinnie Moore has been a permanent member of the group since 2003, and American bassist Rob De Luca joined the fold in 2012.

Vinnie says: "Making this covers record was a blast for me. I thoroughly enjoyed putting a little of my own spin on these tunes that I grew up with. I played ZZ TOP and Robin Trower songs about a gazzilion times onstage over the years. it was great to actually get to record some of my old faves."

"The Salentino Cuts" will be released on September 29 and will be available on both CD and two limited vinyl pressings, one splatter vinyl and one white vinyl.

"The Salentino Cuts" track listing:

01. Heartful Of Soul02. Break On Through (To The Other Side)03. River Of Deceit04. The Pusher05. Paper In Fire06. Rock Candy07. Mississippi Queen08. Ain't No Sunshine09. Honey-Bee10. Too Rolling Stoned11. Just Got Paid12. It's My Life

In September & October, UFO will embark on a monster tour of North America with fellow classic rockers SAXON.

UFO released its last studio album, "A Conspiracy Of Stars", in 2015.

A video for “Hunter Of The Heart”, a track from Swedish hair metal outfit Crazy Lixx’ new studio album, Ruff Justice, is available for streaming below.

The new record, released back in April, celebrates Crazy Lixx’s 15th anniversary as a band and offers 10 hair/sleaze/80s metal gems that harken back to the height of the hard rock era. The new songs draw inspiration from not only music, but also from 1980’s horror and action flicks and stand as a glowing reminder that pretty much everything was better in the 80s. With its big choruses, memorable hooks and riffs, impressive guitar solos, and a massive production by Danny Rexon and Chris Laney, this album is sure to resonate with old fans and new listeners alike.

Ruff Justice is the first Crazy Lixx album to feature the new lineup with Chrisse Olsson and Jens Lundgren handling axe duties.

Ruff Justice tracklisting:

“Wild Child”
“XIII”
“Walk The Wire”
“Shot With A Needle Of Love”
“Killer”
“Hunter Of The Heart”
“Snakes In Paradise”
“If It's Love”
“Kiss Of Judas”
“Live Before I Die”

“Hunter Of The Heart” video:

“Walk The Wire”:

“Wild Child” video:

“Snakes In Paradise”:

“XIII”:

Lineup:

Danny Rexon - vocals
Joél Cirera - drums
Jens Sjöholm - bass guitar
Chrisse Olsson - guitar
Jens Lundgren - guitar

"Plagued By Obscurity”, the opening track on Italian death metal group Devangelic’s upcoming sophomore album, Phlegethon, is available for streaming below. The album will be released October 27th on Comatose Music.

The artwork was created by American artist Ken Sarafin (Sarafin Concepts) and is based on Dante's Inferno; the concept revolves around a journey through the darkest and most brutal elements that characterize the masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance Poet.

Phlegethon will consist of 100% pure US style brutal death metal mixed with unrelenting guitar riffs, dark atmospheres, intense blasting and ultra guttural vocals. The album will be mixed/mastered by Sasha Borovykh at TsunTsun Productions. Comatose Music will open pre-orders soon.

Phlegethon tracklisting:

"Plagued By Obscurity"
"Mutilation Above Salvation"
"Of Maggots And Disease"
"Malus Invictus"
"Abominated Impurity Of The Oppressed"
"Condemned To Dismemberment"
"Wretched Incantations"
"Manifestation Of Agony"
"Decaying Suffering"
"Asphyxiation Upon Phlegethon"
"He Who Sleeps" (Morbid Angel cover) (limited digipak bonus track)
"Abominated Impurity Of The Oppressed" (Promo 2016)  (limited digipak bonus track)

"Plagued By Obscurity”:

Bay Area rock outfit, Black Map, have debuted an all new music video for their track "Ruin”, from their In Droves album, released earlier this year.

"The lyrics are from the perspective of someone who thinks they see the world collapsing around them," says vocalist/bassist Benjamin Flanagan, "and wondering the whole time what the true nature of their reality is."

The video was directed by Frank Door and the second video we've seen from the power trio's new LP.

Flanagan continues, "When we shot the video it was important to have something with tension and unnerving to match the subject matter of the song. We shot the footage all in one long day at Mt. Davidson in San Francisco. The actor is a 6-year old kid Frank found who got to run around the woods wielding an axe in a giant custom crow mask. This video will probably mark the only time in our career you will ever see anyone in Black Map wearing make up."

Black Map released In Droves back in March via Entertainment One (eOne). The band has been steadily touring all summer on headliner dates, festival dates and support dates on the Chevelle tour. Black Map recently performed a highlighted set at Chicago Open Air earlier this month, and will perform at Rock Allegiance, Louder Than Life, Houston Open Air and Aftershock festivals scheduled for later this year.

All tour dates here.

(Photo - Jen Cash/Calibree Photography)

To celebrate 50 years of Pink Floyd releasing music that changed the world, The Sword guitarist Kyle Shutt has produced a heavy metal cover of their seminal album, The Dark Side Of The Moon.

Titled, Doom Side Of The Moon, the resulting band and album features Shutt and a host of celebrated musicians including his bandmates from The Sword, bassist Bryan Richie and drummer Santiago Vela III, vocalist Alex Marrero (Brownout / Brown Sabbath), saxophonist Jason Frey (Black Joe Lewis / Hard Proof), and keyboardist Joe Cornetti (Croy & The Boys). Engineered and mixed by Stuart Sikes (White Stripes, Rocket From The Crypt), the LP will be released on August 4th, the date which marks the 50th anniversary of the release of the British band's debut album, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn.

In celebration, Doom Side Of The Moon today releases a full album visualizer, allowing fans to kick back and take in the record in its entirety while watching the record's cover artwork journey through both space and time. Light up and tune in:

Doom Side Of The Moon previously unveiled dazzling videos for it's amped-up versions of the Pink Floyd classics "Money" and "Time". Check them out below:

On August 5th at Emo's in Austin TX, fifty years to the day after the release of Pink Floyd's debut album, Doom Side Of The Moon will perform their take on the record, in its entirety, along with other Pink Floyd favorites all set to a spectacular laser light visual experience performed by The Mustachio Light Show (Levitation / Desert Daze / NRMAL). Reverend Guitars, with whom Shutt recently released a signature guitar, will sponsor the event. Tickets are on sale now at this location.

Doom Side Of The Moon will be released independently in North America, with physical copies available exclusively from the band's webstore. A deluxe pre-order bundle includes a silk screened poster (designed by Weird Beard 72) signed by the band, an exclusive commemorative baseball t-shirt, CD and LP with download code. Upon ordering you will be shipped a limited edition cassette single for "Money" directly from Shutt himself. Doom Side Of The Moon will be made available digitally via Amazon and iTunes.

American symphonic metal force, Seven Spires, are streaming their upcoming concept album, Solveig, ahead of this Friday’s official release. Listen to the album here.

With its new theatrical piece, Solveig, Seven Spires is about to pull off a major coup in the ever-growing symphonic metal scene. This debut album, which is to be released worldwide on August 4th via SAOL, indeed succeeds in establishing as of now the four-piece orchestra as an essential figure of tomorrow's extreme soundscape.

The wide stylistic range embraced by Seven Spires' art of musical storytelling relentlessly attests of the outstanding abilities of the band's members. Going astray from melancholic power metal to melodic death metal with fierce forays into black metal, the quartet's versatility never fails to make a deep impression on the listener. Their signature blend of melody, theatrics and high-caliber musicianship is tastefully bittersweet, chaotic at times and comforting at others.

Solveig tells the story of a lost soul and his journey through a Demon's sunless neo-victorian underworld. Despite small glimmers of hope, it is a grim tale with a heavy focus on escapism, death and decadence. The love for Romantic composers and epic film scores the four young graduates/students of the prestigious Berklee College of Music have shows in their ambitious and emotionally moving dramatic vision.

Frontwoman Adrienne Cowan leads the band with an iron will and a golden voice. She employs a combination of her classical training and self-taught extreme vocal techniques to "deliver every bit of recorded promise live". Therefore, the strict operatic singing that is often found in the symphonic corner of metal is more of a spice than a staple for Seven Spires.

The band ventured to Gate Studios in Wolfsburg, Germany to put the finishing touches to Solveig in the company of the illustrious Sascha Paeth (Avantasia, Kamelot, Rhapsody), who stated that Seven Spires is "one of the few new real personalities in metal". As a matter of fact, a band that has been sharing the stage with big names such as Arch Enemy, Amaranthe and Apocalyptica - among many others - in its first three years of existence has to be taken seriously in the challenging environment of the current metal scene.

Solveig tracklisting:

“The Siren”
“Encounter”
“The Siren” (Reprise)
“The Cabaret Of Dreams”
“Choices”
“Closure”
“100 Days”
“Stay”
“The Paradox”
“Serenity”
“Depths”
“Distant Lights”
“Burn”
“Ashes”
“Reflections”

“The Paradox” video:

“The Cabaret Of Dreams” video:

PÄNZER, the heavy metal "supergroup" featuring DESTRUCTION frontman Schmier alongside Pontus Norgren (HAMMERFALL) and V.O. Pulver (G.U.R.D., POLTERGEIST) on guitar and Stefan Schwarzmann (ACCEPT, ex-RUNNING WILD) on drums, will release its second album, "Fatal Command", on October 6 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2014's "Send Them All To Hell" will mark PÄNZER's first release since the departure of guitarist Herman Frank (ACCEPT, VICTORY), who left the group to focus on his solo project.

A new song PÄNZER song titled "Satan's Hollow" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

"We pay tribute to our early days and the era of NWOBHM," comments Schmier. "The new songs are faster, heavier, catchy and even more melodic, without being commercial at all. We wanna keep the old and original metal spirit alive."

"Fatal Command" lives and breathes heavy metal like a few other albums of recent years do. It is a monolith of a record on which the tempestuous music, the provocative artwork and Schmier's social criticism come together under a metallic and indestructible hide, courtesy of Little Creek Studio in Basel, Switzerland. One thing, however, is setting "Fatal Command" apart from the perfect heavy metal record: "There's no ballad! But as the singer, I wanted to spare mankind," Schmier laughs. Consequently, PÄNZER prefer to hit the throttle and concentrate on kicking as much ass as possible. "Fatal Command" proudly wears the insignia that so many current bands are lacking, a bold statement against wimps and posers. PÄNZER swear a solemn oath on "Fatal Command": They will be true to heavy metal in good as well as in bad times, in sickness and in health. They will love it and honor it all the days of their lives until death does them part. Amen!

In a recent interview with Metal Master Kingdom, Schmier said about PÄNZER: "Lineup changes are always a little difficult, but, basically, the backbone of the band didn't change at all; we kept everything rolling. And it's great fun. To me, it's a great alternative to play heavy metal — just straight metal and maybe very German also. And there's no limits; we just do what we want. There's no high expectations that we have to sound like this or that; we just praise the good old fucking metal."

Regarding the musical direction of "Fatal Command", Schmier said: "It's a lot of JUDAS PRIEST, ACCEPT… but there's also a lot of fast-forward music. There's no ballads… I think the new one is even more melodic [than the first one]. There's some really catchy choruses and nice hooklines, a lot of great lead guitars, double harmonies everywhere and stuff."

Pulver and Norgren officially joined PÄNZER in December. At the time, V.O. stated about his decision to hook up with Schmier and Stefan: "After producing the debut with PÄNZER, the guys asked me to help them out live to help provide the double axe-attack on stage. Of course I took the opportunity to rock out with my buddies. And when the chance came up to join them permanently, I didn't hesitate to accept and now I can't wait to play the sound of my youth!"

Norgren was just as excited to join the heavy metal war machine. "It was not a hard decision when I got asked to join the PÄNZER project; it was a straight-up YES!" he said. "To be able to create music with good friends is the most important thing in my world and in this band, having fun when making music, is number one. I'm looking forward to all of the craziness that the future is going to bring with these guys. So let's kick some serious...!"

Gemini, featuring Testament bassist Steve Di Giorgio among many others, is an instrumental metal album which collects 13 songs written and/or arranged by Mistheria in the metal, neo-classical, prog-metal genres. A video trailer can be found below.

An album release date will be announced soon. Pre-order your exclusive signed edition now at this location.

The album was mixed and mastered by Ivan Moni Bidin at Artesonika Recording Studios, hosted by “Nuove Tecniche” (Pordenone, Italy). Artwork and graphic design by Havane. Produced by Mistheria.

Tracklisting:

“Hands Of Fire” (composed and arranged by Mistheria)
“Angels In The Shadow” (composed and arranged by Mistheria)
“Fight Of The Bumblebee” (composed by R. Korsakov - arranged by Mistheria)
“Moonlight Sonata” (composed by L.V. Beethoven - arranged by Mistheria)
“Air In E Minor - The Day After" (composed and arranged by Mistheria)
“Devil's Steps” (composed and arranged by Mistheria)
“Prayer To God” (composed and arranged by Mistheria)
“Prog-Fantasy” (composed and arranged by Mistheria)
“Falling Stars” (composed and arranged by Mistheria)
“My Dear Chopin” (composed by F. Chopin / Mistheria - arranged by Mistheria)
“Asturias” (composed by I. Albeniz - Arranged by Mistheria)
“Adagio In G Minor” (composed by T. Albinoni - arranged by Mistheria)
“Metal Piano Sonata, Op.13” (composed and arranged by Mistheria)

Trailer:

Artists featured:

Mistheria - music, arrangements, keyboards
Roger Staffelbach - guitar
Leonardo Porcheddu - guitar
Ivan Mihaljevic - guitar
Steve Di Giorgio - bass
Dino Fiorenza - bass
John Macaluso - drums

Special guests:

Chris Caffery - guitar
Roy Z  - guitar

(Photo - Martine Petra)

Professionally-filmed video of Sepultura performing the title track of their 2011 album Kairos, live at Audio, in São Paulo, Brazil can be seen below. The footage was recorded for the documentary Sepultura Endurance on June 20th, 2015.

Sepultura are touring in support off their fourteenth album, Machine Messiah, out worldwide via Nuclear Blast Records. Check out a trailer below, and find the band’s live itinerary at sepultura.com.br.

Sepultura broadened its musical horizons with Chaos A.D. and Roots, a pair of acclaimed albums that took the Brazilian band’s hard-rocking sound in bold and exciting new directions. This fall, Rhino will revisit those back-to-back classics with remastered versions that are expanded with rare and unreleased studio and live recordings.

Chaos A.D.: Expanded Edition will be available on October 6th and Roots: Expanded Edition will be available on November 3rd, both as double-disc sets for $19.98 each. Double-LP versions, with similar track listings, will also be available for $31.98 each.

Sepultura was founded in 1983 by the brothers Max and Iggor Cavalera with Wagner Lamounier and Jairo Guedes.  Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. joined just a few short months later and in 1987, with the departure of Jairo and addition of guitarist Andreas Kisser, the solid lineup of Sepultura was final. The band quickly became an influential force in heavy metal music thanks to its dynamic studio recordings and intense live performances.

The band was in the midst of a creative and commercial peak in 1993 when it released Chaos A.D. with Max Cavalera on vocals and guitar, Andreas Kisser on guitar, Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr on bass, and Iggor Cavalera on drums. The record ushered in a more groove-based sound on songs like the singles “Refuse/Resist,” “Territory” and “Slave New World.”

Chaos A.D.: Expanded Edition includes a newly remastered version of the original album along with 17 bonus tracks. Among the highlights are a cover of Black Sabbath’s “Symptom Of The Universe” that was originally issued as a B-side, plus nine scorching live versions of album tracks like “Territory” and “Biotech Is Godzilla”. Also featured are several unreleased instrumental tracks that the band used during rehearsals for “Clenched Fist” and “Propaganda”.

Three years after Chaos A.D., the band returned with Roots, an album that was deeply influenced by Brazilian rhythms, which were incorporated into tracks like “Itsári” and “Ratamahatta”. Since its release in 1996, the album has sold more than two million copies worldwide.

Roots: Expanded Edition features a newly remastered version of the original album, plus 17 bonus tracks. Standouts include demos for “Dusted” and “Roots Bloody Roots”, instrumental versions of “Dictatorshit” and “Cutthroat”, a version of “Attitude” recorded live at Ozzfest, and the unreleased first take of “Kaiowas”.

Sepultura has sold nearly 20 million albums worldwide, including more than three million in the United States.

Chaos A.D.: Expanded Edition

CD Tracklisting:

Disc One
“Refuse/Resist”
“Territory”
“Slave New World”
“Amen”
“Kaiowas”
“Propaganda”
“Biotech Is Godzilla”
“Nomad”
“We Who Are Not As Others”
“Manifest”
“The Hunt”
“Clenched Fist”

Disc Two
“Chaos B.C.”
“Symptom Of The Universe”
“Inhuman Nature”
“Policia”
“Crucificados Pelo Sistema”
“Clenched Fist” - Instrumental
Version 1 *
“Propaganda” - Instrumental *
“Clenched Fist” - Instrumental
Version 2*
“Refuse/Resist” - Live
“Slave New World” - Live
“Propaganda” - Live
“Beneath The Remains/Escape To The Void” - Live
“Kaiowas” - Live
“Clenched Fist” - Live
“Biotech Is Godzilla” - Live
“Territory” - Live
“Amen/Inner Self” - Live

LP Tracklisting:

Side One
“Refuse/Resist”
“Territory”
“Slave New World”
“Amen”
“Kaiowas”
“Propaganda”

Side Two
“Biotech Is Godzilla”
“Nomad”
“We Who Are Not As Others”
“Manifest”
“The Hunt”
“Clenched Fist”

Side Three
“Chaos B.C.”
“Symptom Of The Universe”
“Inhuman Nature”
“Policia”
“Crucificados Pelo Sistema”
“Propaganda” - Instrumental *
“Clenched Fist” - Instrumental
Version 2 *

Side Four
“Refuse/Resist” - Live
“Slave New World” - Live
“Propaganda” - Live
“Kaiowas” - Live
“Clenched Fist” - Live
“Biotech Is Godzilla” - Live
“Territory” - Live

Roots: Expanded Edition

CD Tracklisting:

Disc One
“Roots Bloody Roots”
“Attitude”
“Cut-Throat”
“Ratamahatta”
“Breed Apart”
“Straighthate”
“Spit”
“Lookaway”
“Dusted”
“Born Stubborn”
“Jasco”
“Itsári”
“Ambush”
“Endangered Species”
“Dictatorshit”

Disc Two
“Ratamahatta” - 2 Meter Sessions
“Roots Bloody Roots” - 2 Meter Sessions
“Attitude” - 2 Meter Sessions
“Kaiowas” - Take One *
“Procreation (Of The Wicked)”
“Roots Bloody Roots” - Demo
“Attitude” - Instrumental
“Cutthroat” - Instrumental
“Dictatorshit” - Instrumental
“Untitled” - Demo
“R.D.P.” - Demo
“Dusted” - Demo
“War”
“Mine”
“Lookaway” - Master Vibe Mix
“Roots Bloody Roots” - Megawatt Mix
“Attitude” - Live at Ozzfest

LP Tracklisting:

Side One
“Roots Bloody Roots”
“Attitude”
“Cut-Throat”
“Ratamahatta”
“Breed Apart”
“Straighthate”
“Spit”
“Lookaway”

Side Two
“Dusted”
“Born Stubborn”
“Jasco”
“Itsári”
“Ambush”
“Endangered Species”
“Dictatorshit”

Side Three
“Ratamahatta” - 2 Meter Sessions
“Roots Bloody Roots” - 2 Meter Sessions
“Attitude” - 2 Meter Sessions
“Kaiowas” - Take One *
“Procreation (Of The Wicked)”

Side Four
“Roots Bloody Roots” - Demo
“Attitude” - Instrumental
“Cutthroat” - Instrumental
“Dictatorshit” - Instrumental
“Untitled” - Demo
“R.D.P.” - Demo
“Dusted” - Demo

“Mr. Mime”, a track from Pennsylvania-based metal act Next To None’s sophomore album, Phases, is available for streaming below. Next To None, featuring drummer Max Portnoy, released Phases on July 7th via EMP Label Group in North America, and InsideOutMusic in Europe.

Formed in 2012, in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania, the foursome released their debut, A Light In The Dark, in 2015 via InsideOut, before setting out to work on Phases. The album features 12 tracks of powerful modern metal, self-recorded by the band at singer/keyboardist Thomas Cuce’s home studio Battery Power Studios, and mixed by Grammy nominated Periphery bassist Adam “Nolly” Getgood.

Phases marks the recording debut of new guitarist Derrick Schneider, who came on a recommendation from band friend and former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, who guested on the band’s first album. Guitarist Ryland Holland departed the band last year to attend Berklee College of Music.

Tracklisting:

“13”
“Answer Me”
“The Apple”
“Beg”
“Alone”
“Kek”
“Clarity”
“Pause”
“Mr Mime”
“Isolation”
“Denial”
“The Wanderer”

“Mr Mime”:

“Pause” lyric video:

“The Apple” video:

Florida metallers TRIVIUM have released the official music video for their new song "The Sin And The Sentence". The track, which has also been made available for purchase as a digital single through online retailers, marks the band's first recording with drummer Alex Bent (BATTLECROSS, DECREPIT BIRTH), who joined TRIVIUM in late 2016.

Asked why it has been so difficult for TRIVIUM's core trio — guitarist Corey Beaulieu and bassist Paolo Gregoletto and guitarist/vocalist Matt Heafy — to keep a drummer in the last few years, Paolo told Germany's Grasser Production this past March: "I don't know. Alex is touring with us right now, and we're not rushing into anything. We wanna make sure he likes the situation, he likes the songs. We're having fun touring with him, he's an incredible drummer, and once we get done with the touring, we'll see what happens next. The other guys, we just rushed into every situation, so we're not making the same mistake for a fifth time. We decided to learn from our lessons, which is give it some time, tour with the dudes, see how they actually are on tour, 'cause that exposes a lot about people's personalities and playing. And we're just kind of taking it as we go. Matt, Corey and I have been doing it for so long, we have a set way we like to do things. We're very demanding of each other and of ourselves and our playing and how we are on tour, and we expect nothing less from whoever is behind us on the kit. And thankfully, Alex is a super-pro player, great person, [he's] crushing it live, [and he has] a lot of experience."

Bent's predecessor, Paul Wandtke made his live debut with TRIVIUM in December 2015 at Knotfest in Mexico. A short time later, he appeared in an official promotional photo with the three core members of the band.

Paul joined the Florida outfit on the recommendation of DREAM THEATER's Mike Mangini and replaced Mat Madiro, who departed due to reasons of "creativity."

Madiro was the featured drummer on TRIVIUM's latest album, "Silence In The Snow", which was released in October 2015 via Roadrunner.

The self-titled debut album from DEAD CROSS, the Southern California outfit featuring drummer Dave Lombardo (ex-SLAYER, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, MISFITS) and singer Mike Patton (FAITH NO MORE), can be streamed in its entirety below (courtesy of Noisey). Due on August 4 via Ipecac Recordings, the effort was helmed by producer Ross Robinson, who has previously worked with KORN, DEFTONES, SEPULTURA and LIMP BIZKIT, among others, and was mastered at Golden Mastering in Ventura, California.

DEAD CROSS, which is rounded out by Justin Pearson (THE LOCUST, RETOX, HEAD WOUND CITY) and Michael Crain (RETOX, FESTIVAL OF DEAD DEER), last year parted ways with singer Gabe Serbian.

"Dead Cross" features a glow-in-the-dark cover (CD/LP) created by Eric Livingston, with vinyl available in a limited edition gold and a clear/red/black swirl.

Joining DEAD CROSS on the bulk of their North American tour is SECRET CHIEFS 3. The San Francisco-based outfit, who describe themselves as "an ever-unfolding musical vision," features Patton's former MR. BUNGLE bandmate Trey Spruance. "I have no idea what kind of chaos it will conjure on stage or in the audience," said Lombardo of the five-week outing, continuing, "but I know it's going to be a hell of a good time."

The late-summer tour kicks off on August 10 at The Observatory in Santa Ana, California and includes a stop at Riot Fest in Chicago.

Patton told Rolling Stone that he got involved with DEAD CROSS after reaching out to Lombardo to see if he could release the band's album on Ipecac. After getting a text from the drummer asking him to join the group, "my jaw dropped," the singer said. "I was like, 'Who, me? Hmm …' And I think it took like all of 30 seconds, but in a sarcastic way, I'm like, 'Yeah, of course. I can do this. Are you sure you want me?' So I kind of second-guessed him a little bit. And he said, 'Man, you'd be our dream vocalist.' And then it was just a matter of logistics. I decided to record it here in my basement, which is fitting. It shouldn't sound too polished."

Regarding DEAD CROSS's musical direction, Patton said: "To me, it is a traditional hardcore record. It is very pointed, direct and visceral. Like, I wasn't going to play keyboards, add samples or any kind of orchestration. It was like, 'Yo, just go for it.' In some ways, it reminded me of stuff that we had collectively all grown up with and loved when we were like teenagers — bands like the ACCÜSED, DEEP WOUND or SIEGE, stuff that was just brutal, uncompromising and right to the point. I was listening to all those bands again before this came to be, so it was already back infused in my blood. And now I got a chance to do a pencil-in-your-eye record."

Lombardo concurred, telling Rolling Stone: "The album is only 28 minutes long. And the funny thing is [SLAYER's] 'Reign In Blood' was 29 minutes. This album carries so much anger and frustration. You hear it in my drumming. It was the perfect birth of a hardcore album. It's one of the most brutal albums I've ever done."

"Stentor Of Doom", the new video from Belgian death grind extremists LENG TCH'E, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's sixth full-length album, "Razorgrind", which will be released on August 25 via Season Of Mist.

The development of veteran bands follows established patterns. Some become complacent and happy to release a regular string of barely inspired albums. Others take their time and with no need to prove anything wait until the time is ripe to hammer out another crusher that demonstrates their hard-won maturity much to the delight of their following. LENG TCH'E fall into the latter category.

The Belgian death grind extremists obviously felt no rush to follow-up their latest sonic assault "Hypomanic" (2010), but their new sixth full-length, aptly named after their self-chosen style description "razorgrind," comes with everything that their die-hard fans want to hear. Short, sharp chops crammed with brutal riffing, down-tuned grinding and a knack for deadly melodies over which frontman Sergeï bellows belligerent and fury-filled vocal lines.

"Razorgrind" track listing:

01. Gundog Allegiance (1:26)02. Indomitable (1:29)03. Cibus (1:29)04. Spore (2:20)05. AnarChristic (1:08)06. Stentor Of Doom (1:56)07. Redundant (2:47)08. Commitment Fail (2:19)09. The Red Pill (3:03)10. Species. Path. Extinction. (2:52)11. Guinea Swine (3:24)12. Cirrhosis (2:35)13. I Am The Vulture (2:57)14. Magellanic Shrine (6:36)

LENG TCH'E is:

Sergeï Kraven: vocalsJan Hallaert: guitarOlivier Coppens: drumsNicolas Malfeyt: bass guitar

Las Vegas rockers OTHERWISE are will release their third full-length album, "Sleeping Lions", on September 22 via Century Media.

Two songs from the disc, "Angry Heart" and "Close To The Gods", can be streamed below.

OTHERWISE vocalist Adrian Patrick states: "The initial spark for 'Angry Heart' took place on a cross-country flight from New York to L.A. I was watching UFC on the in-flight entertainment and the fighter, Cyborg, was giving an interview in which she basically said, 'I am a pretty nice person outside of the ring. I don't know why I fight with such an angry heart.' Upon landing on the West Coast, I told my brother about what she said and the lyrics just flowed out of me, like a molten poem of rage. For whatever reason, be it how our father raised us to fight for what we believe in, we completely related to Cyborg's statement.

"Personally, I've always felt like I was waging some kind of spiritual war, but I didn't know why, until my sons were born. Those two beautiful boys have utterly redefined the 'good fight' for me. Anger is a gift, if utilized properly, and we plan to somehow make the world a slightly better place by using that righteous fire for positive goals."

As for "Close To The Gods", Patrick says: "[It] is a reluctant acknowledgement of our own mortality. We've reached some of the pinnacles of worldly achievement; personally, professionally and physically, only to see them succumb to the trappings of human frailty. But by leaving this song, for future generations, as a monument to the blessings that true grit and perseverance can garner in this realm, we hope to enjoy even just a taste of immortality in the next."

You'd be hard pressed to find a more fitting album title than "Sleeping Lions" for latest studio release from OTHERWISE. The album hits like a revelation, jolting the listener upright and transporting them from a dreamy landscape to a wide-eyed state of consciousness textured by humility and sandblasted by the winds that weather life.

"We named the album 'Sleeping Lions' because that's what we feel like - we've been hibernating in our neon desert cave, licking our wounds and regaining our strength for the hunt," says OTHERWISE frontman Adrian Patrick, who along with guitarist Ryan Patrick, form one of the most incendiary sibling duos in modern music. "Now we're back on the prowl again, and our eyes are wide open. The album title absolutely references a bigger awareness of who we are and what we're capable of. The last thing you ever want to do is wake sleeping lions."

The twelve-track epiphany runs an emotional gamut that juxtaposes the very nature of the recordings, "Angry Heart" flowing with the frontman's blistering vocal cadences as he "fills with hate" and "embraces the monster I'm becoming." As quickly as it boils over, the rage subsides on "Blame", one of the most sensitive statements of the band's career. "If it makes it better for you, just blame it all on me," the frontman pines, bleeding into the emotional effervescence of "Bloodline Lullaby", a heart-wrenching ballad of epic proportions.

OTHERWISE is a band built on emotion and fueled by the feelings that drive our lives. Anger. Regret. Love. This isn't packaged rebellion, it's the real world. And it's what makes the band — and album — connect at such a visceral level. "Emotion is the most important element of our writing process," Adrian says. "We try to capture every aspect of the human condition so the subject matter of our songs runs the gauntlet of what it means to be alive. Every lyric comes from a very genuine and heartfelt place. There are no fictional storylines or tough-guy rhetoric in any of our tunes."

One of the album's more mature musical excursions, "Monster" takes flight in a flurry of programmed embellishments and supple guitar play, an unbridled reminder of the relationship that destroys us all but we just can't bring ourselves to leave. The risks continue on "Nothing To Me", where the symphonic grandeur boils over amidst emotional disrepair, and "Suffer", where the guitars jangle more than mangle, conveying a melodic appreciation that far outweighs a more pedestrian quest for being heavy.

"As artists, evolution is the lifeblood of creativity," continues the singer. "We spread our musical wings a bit more on this album in a concerted effort to remain true to ourselves and not conform to what others expect of us. Rock and roll is all about taking risks, and that's what we do best. If we were forced to stagnate or remain trapped in the same stylistic box, the fire inside us would burn itself out."

One can confidently call "Sleeping Lions" the most mature chapter of OTHERWISE's impressive volume of work, but don't mistake mature for soft in the middle. Quite the contrary, the band's evolution is poignant both musically and lyrically, and they steer clear of the awkward growing pains that so many other bands endure.

That's a bold statement when talking about a band whose had four singles crack the Top 20 at Active Rock radio — "Soldiers", "I Don't Apologize (1000 Pictures)", "Darker Side Of The Moon" and "Coming For The Throne" — seen "Soldiers" alone surpass eight million streams on Spotify, toured alongside such heavy hitters as STONE SOUR and PAPA ROACH, and shared festival stages on land and sea, appearing anywhere from Rock On The Range to Shiprocked, and everywhere in between.

"Both 'Weapons' and 'Sleeping Lions' are special to us on several levels," the singer continues, pointing out a few of his favorite tracks. "Not only were they co-written with two of our idols, but 'Weapons' can absolutely be considered social commentary and 'Sleeping Lions' is basically our protest song. Album closer 'Bloodline Lullaby' serves as a tribute and legacy for our family, while the bonus track 'Won't Stop' is an anthem for our better angels... We try to infuse a sense of hope into all of our songs, regardless of how angry or sad or introspective they may seem. It's always an intentional goal of ours, to leave everyone, including ourselves, with a feeling of empowerment. We are eternally seeking the light through the darkness."

Mike Portnoy says that has "no longing to reunite" with DREAM THEATER but says that he would return to his former band "for the fans."

Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than thirty years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mike Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE, STEVE VAI).

Asked in a new interview with Rockhok how sure he is that he will never get on stage with DREAM THEATER again, Portnoy said (see video below): "Well, I normally dodge these questions, but I'll answer it. The ball's in their court, to be honest. I have no longing to reunite with them; it's not something I necessarily am looking to do or want to do. I'm very content with all the eighty-seven bands I currently have going, so it's something I need. But I would do it for the fans, because I'm a very sentimental person and I have a lot of great, fond memories of those guys and the times. I'm a sentimental guy, so I would never close the door on it. So, really, the ball's in their court, honestly. [But] if you're asking me the odds [of a reunion happening], I would say, don't bet on it, because I know their personalities as well and I don't think they're the type that are looking backwards. Although they're out there playing [the 1992 DREAM THEATER album] 'Images And Words' [in its entirety on tour], but that's their choice."

Portnoy added that he is "always [just] a phone call away" from playing with any of his former bandmates. "I mean, I would reunite with them, I would reunite with TRANSLATLANTIC, I would reunite with OSI… anybody," he explained. "I'm generally, like I said, a sentimental guy and I don't hold grudges. Life is too short for resentments and I always forgive. So, yeah, the door is always open for me. But, that being said, like I said, it's not something I'm looking for or wanting to do. I would be very content to never do it again, and this is some nice closure, with the SHATTERED FORTRESS shows. If this is the end, it's giving me a nice feeling, and I think it's giving the fans a nice feeling as well. If there's more in the future, that's their phone call to make."

Portnoy is playing shows throughout the world with his SHATTERED FORTRESS project. He is joined by an all-star prog lineup for the tour, including Ross Jennings on vocals, Eric Gillette, Richard Henshall and Charlie Griffiths on guitar, Connor Green on bass and Diego Tejeida on keyboards. Together, they are performing the "12 Step Suite" in its entirety, as well as a a couple of other classics. "12 Step Suite" documents Portnoy's battle with alcoholism, and is an ensemble of five songs recorded by DREAM THEATER from 2002 to 2009, with titles that reflect his struggles: "The Glass Prison", "This Dying Soul", "The Root Of All Evil", "Repentance" and "The Shattered Fortress".

Portnoy, who celebrated his fiftieth birthday on Cruise To The Edge this past february, said that it was always part of his master plan to perform "12 Step Suite" in its entirety live on stage with DREAM THEATER. However, his exit from the band made that impossible.

Nikki Sixx says that he is happy MÖTLEY CRÜE disbanded because he no longer has to deal with the "drama" of being in a group with three other guys with completely "different ideas."

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

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

During an appearance on episode 369 of the "Let There Be Talk" podcast with rock and roll comedian Dean Delray, Sixx was asked if he has been in contact with any of his bandmates since the end of "The Final Tour". "I talked to Vince [Neil, vocals]," he said. "Me and Vince talk and text back and forth. He's a texter, like me. And I've reached out to Tommy [Lee, drums] and Mick [Mars, guitar] a couple of times, [but] I haven't gotten anything back.

"When it ended, man, it didn't end in a good way," Nikki admitted. "We're all in different ways. But as time went on, I was, like, 'I'm just gonna reach out,' because we were there together in the beginning. I don't wanna reach out and put the band back together; I was just, like, 'Hey, man…,' just reaching out."

According to Nikki, one of the main reasons CRÜE called it quits was the dysfunction that led them to be one of the defining acts of the 1980s and early 1990s.

"When these four guys got together, we agreed on a common idea, and everybody put their skin in the game," Sixx explained. "I don't think Mick Mars was a punk rock fan. I'm a punk rocker at heart — always have been. My attitude is, I love heavy metal, but I was never a super-musician, muso fan. I'd be, like, 'I love what Eddie Van Halen's doing right there,' but I didn't think about it technically. There's other guys in the band that are technical. So they put their skin in the game, I put my anarchy in the game. I'm a huge lyricist fan; that's, like, my driver for everything. And nobody in the band wrote lyrics; I wrote all the lyrics for the band. That was all the messaging. And Vince had this voice; no one else sounded like that. He had a spitfire, Gatling-gun lead-vocal style. He put his skin in the game. No one played like Tommy. Tommy was seventeen, eighteen years old when I met him. He was a monster, and he was hyper — he's a hyper human being. He played hyper and I played simple, and that worked. If I played super busy and he played super busy, it wouldn't have sounded right. So I feel like Tommy's energy was a big driver of the band.

"As the years went, Tommy wanted to be a different guy," Nikki continued. "He fell in love with hip-hop. I have no problem with it, but it was weird for us. We were, like, 'Whoa! Where's Tommy?' And then he went through kind of a… I don't know what that other phase was… [He became] an EDM guy. Anyway, he [was] young and he [was] exploring. But Tommy's thing was, 'Well, wouldn't it be great if MÖTLEY CRÜE did this?' And my thing was, 'I want MÖTLEY CRÜE to be MÖTLEY CRÜE.' So if I'm Angus Young and I'm, like, 'Here's a song called 'Highway To Hell',' and then Tommy is Malcolm Young and comes in and goes, 'Hey, man, wouldn't it be cool if we sound like these other bands?' Angus is gonna say, 'What are you, crazy?' And then there became resentment. And he felt like, 'Oh, Nikki's holding the band back.' I wanted the band to be MÖTLEY CRÜE. And Mick is passive. We did some albums with this producer named Scott Humphrey who made Mick feel horrible about his guitar playing; it was about all sampling and all this and all that. So Mick started to kind of pull out, Vince is in and out of the band. At times, it would be really wonderful with us."

In the end, however, Sixx says that internal conflicts were just too much to bear, with every CRÜE member having his own vision of where the band should go. "It became four men with different ideas," he said. "Sometimes you have a band and you go, 'There's four guys with the same idea: METALLICA.' They were, like, 'This is what we are. We are metal. It's even in our name.' Even though they had some crazy albums here and there, they figured it out. And towards the end, I think our version of figuring it out was, 'Let's just leave our legacy for what it was.'"

Despite all the disagreements, Sixx says that he looks back on MÖTLEY CRÜE's career with pride and he insists that he has nothing bad to say about anybody else in the band. "We all wanted something in the beginning, and later, we all wanted something different," he said. "And just because I wanted it to be the same thing and somebody else might have wanted it to be a different version of that doesn't make them a bad person. It just means it was time for us not to be a band anymore.

"Music changes, people change," he continued. "It's okay to change, it's okay to be dysfunctional, it's okay to let it go. And I haven't gone in the press or anywhere and talked bad about anybody in the band. I don't think that I need to do that. I think that my frustrations in MÖTLEY CRÜE probably equal other guys' frustrations in MÖTLEY CRÜE. But when you boil it all down… You ask me if I've talked to anybody in the band… I've reached out, because it's, like, 'Hey, man. How're you guys doing?' That's it. Like back to that first day in rehearsal."

Sixx added: "I don't really care if Mick Mars wants to fly from the Eiffel Tower with a fucking flametorch, playing fucking Steve Ray Vaughan licks in a fucking push-up bra. It's, like, 'Great! That's not why I'm calling. I don't need anything. I'm not calling you because I'm gonna try to incentivize you to do something.' I just was reaching out. But when it first ended, I wasn't reaching out. I'm just softening a little bit."

Sixx says that he decided to reconnect with his CRÜE bandmates because he remembered a piece of advice he received years ago while he was going through a particularly difficult time in his life. "My AA sponsor told me once, he said, 'When you've really got the program, it's when you learn to let things that are hard soften you,'" Nikki recalled. "I was going through a divorce and I was, like, 'Man, brake lines over a cliff, I'd be so happy. I'd be done with this divorce and she'd be dead.' And he's, like, 'Whoa! You've just gotta let what went wrong actually be a life lesson and soften you a little bit.'"

He continued: "See, a lot of guys would sit here and go, 'Those guys, man, I wanted to do this, and those guys were stupid. That guy was ugly, that guy was drunk and that guy was fat and that guy was dumb. That guy wanted to be [in an] electronic [band]. 'Nikki's a stick in the mud, man. He didn't wanna change.' Like, you know what? Why don't you just let it be cool? It was what it was."

After Delray brought up SKID ROW as an example of another band that has had its share of dysfunction, particularly involving its former lead singer, Sebastian Bach, Nikki said: "I've talked to the SKID ROW guys before, and it really comes down to, again, the fact that you're not twenty-one years old, and you have a home and you have a wife and everyone in the band, they've got what they want, but they also want a little bit of peace. I don't wanna wake up every day to fucking drama. I don't want drama every fucking day of my life.

"I'm so happy that MÖTLEY CRÜE made a decision to move on, because there's no more e-mails about things that you're, like, 'We can't even agree on the goddamn artwork,'" he said. "It's, like, 'Fuck, dude! It's artwork. You guys win. It's two percent smaller.' But it becomes about other stuff."

Circling back to SKID ROW, which has steadfastly refused to reunite with Bach despite substantial offers from promoters to do so, Nikki said: "With SKID ROW, I don't think they want… They're just like, 'Dude, if you can just sing… but you can't.'"

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

A tour film about MÖTLEY CRÜE's final shows, "The End", came out last year, and a film adaptation of the band's 2001 autobiography "The Dirt" is said to be in negotiations to land at Netflix.

Special thanks to Chris Marti

Samantha Bennington, former wife of late LINKIN PARK singer Chester Bennington, has released a statement reflecting on her ex-husband's death.

Samantha and Chester Bennington were married from 1996 until 2005. They had one child together, Draven Sebastien Bennington, who was born on April 19, 2002.

"Words cannot express the devastating loss that my son and I both, along with the rest of our families, are feeling over my ex-husband and son's father's recent passing," Samantha wrote in a message posted to Facebook. "Unreal, to stay the least! I pray from my soul that he is at peace and no longer suffering.

"My son and I are extremely spiritual and would like to share our beliefs with you in hopes it brings a little comfort.

"We do not believe there is a hell. We believe that we as souls make 'soul contracts,' we agree to come into this world with the knowledge of our destiny, and when it's fulfilled, we move on to a higher vibration of energy, meaning 'the next level.'

"He fulfilled his destiny while helping others every step of the way through his music, a handshake, a conversation or even a hug. No matter if you saw him on stage, had an opportunity to meet him anywhere, he truly touched everyone in a positive way. He absolutely loved singing for each and every one of you and for all of his friends and family at home all the time. I have always missed him singing throughout our home and loved it when he would visit. He would sing for us every time we ask[ed], or just spontaneously . He absolutely had a God-given talent!

"We are all created the same and connected, so, Chester, you are never 'gone.' Our souls and energy are forever connected.

"Chester, as one of my best friends of the age of 19, a husband, father to my son, business partner, and all we created together, I'm truly honored to have completed our soul contracts together, build all we did together, and thank you for giving me the greatest gift ever, our beautiful son Draven. I promise to continue to raise a great man who has integrity, humility, kindness and, most of all, compassion and love.

"I do feel your presence as a guardian angel watching over us and Im extremely filled with gratitude.

"Thank you to Draven's godparents Uncle Stefie and Moni, along with friends and family for joining us in with a raw ruby crystal that we shared a prayer, we all kissed the stone and prayed to Chester to find peace and fill his heart with love. Then our son threw it in the ocean as an offering to God/Source. We also want to thank our family and friend who traveled close and far for their support and continuous love.

"We will always love you, Chester."

The statement was signed by Samantha and Draven Bennington.

Chester married his second wife, Talinda, shortly after his divorce from Samantha.

In a 2009 interview with Bullz-Eye, Chester discussed how Talinda helped him overcome the depression that he felt after the split with his first wife.

"My divorce was one of the worst and best things to ever happen to me in my life," he said. "Everything I had worked so hard for was gone after we were through. Everything! I was wiped out and it was tough on my ego to let go of all of that. I went from living in a huge house to a tiny apartment in Santa Monica. I was so drained and bitter during that time. But I eventually learned from it and moved on," he added, "I then fell in love again and I got help facing my demons… When I met Talinda, I knew she was the one pretty instantly. She moved into my place after a week and a half or something like that."

Chester and Talinda had three children together, Tyler Lee, 11, and Lila and Lilly, both of whom are 6.

Planet Rock's Paul Anthony conducted an interview with IRON MAIDEN and BRITISH LION bassist Steve Harris earlier today (Saturday, July 29) at the Ramblin' Man Fair, which is being held at Mote Park in Maidstone, Kent, United Kingdom. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked about the status of the previously announced BRITISH LION live album, Harris said: "It all got put on the backburner for a little while, unfortunately, because… Well, it's not 'unfortunately,' [but] the dayjob comes first, so something else cropped up with MAIDEN [that] needed to be done. So I did all that. It is what it is. So it's just been put back a bit later. But I will get around to doing it, but it's just not… [I'm not] doing it when I thought I was gonna be doing it. So, yeah, it'll still happen. And straight after this tour, we're going in to do some backing tracks for the next [BRITISH LION] album as well — studio album — so at least we'll get some of that done. And we'll just get it done bit by bit. I've just gotta try to cram things in, really."

Harris told Mammoth Metal TV last year that the sophomore BRITISH LION disc would sound slightly different from the band's 2012 self-titled debut. "The band has been evolving anyway, just live naturally," he explained. "The second album will be a lot more like we are now. It's just the vibe, the sounds, the guitar stuff, some of Graham's [Leslie] guitar sounds on a couple of songs were that sort of sound. I'd still like to keep that element in there because the band is evolving. It's what we started with, so it's important."

He added: "[Of the new BRITISH LION songs] I think 'Bible Black' in particular, is pretty heavy, even though it has very melodic verses. I don't think there's too many bands out there at the moment playing this kind of stuff that is heavy and with this much melody in it. Maybe there is, but I don't know about it. We've played on some festival-type bills and we've been very different as to who else is on the bill, which I think is quite interesting."

BRITISH LION's debut album sold around 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 3 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"British Lion" was released in the U.S. on September 25, 2012 via Universal Music Enterprises (UMe). Mixed by Kevin Shirley — whose credits include IRON MAIDEN as well as LED ZEPPELIN, JOURNEY and RUSH, among many others — the CD featured Harris alongside singer Richard Taylor, guitarists Graham Leslie and David Hawkins and drummer Simon Dawson.

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION the Anglo-American rock group comprising vocalist/bassist Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, TRAPEZE), drummer Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN, FOREIGNER), Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, ALICE COOPER, BILLY IDOL) and blues-rock guitarist/vocalist Joe Bonamassa, release their long awaited and highly anticipated fourth album, "BCCIV", via Mascot Records on Friday, September 22. This is the band’s first studio album since 2013's "Afterglow".

Just like its three predecessors, "BCCIV" was overseen by Kevin Shirley, whose catalogue of hit records for LED ZEPPELIN, IRON MAIDEN, AEROSMITH, JOURNEY and THE BLACK CROWES has made him one of the hottest producers that rock music has to offer. Shirley, who originally had the idea of putting Hughes and Bonamassa in a band after seeing them jamming together onstage in Los Angeles back in November 2009, is the group's unofficial ‘fifth member’.

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION is an earth-shattering combination of American and British rock influences — a bona fide super group that conveys to the world a simple but important message: classic rock is alive and well, and in good hands in the 21st century. Their communion together forms something that is greater than the sum of its parts, creating a legacy being cemented within the halls of music history.

The initiative for the new album came from Joe Bonamassa, who contacted the band in 2016 to see if they would be up for going back into the studio to write and record a fourth album.

Says Joe: "I just felt the time was right for BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION to go back into the studio and write and record a new album. When I contacted Glenn, Derek and Jason, they immediately agreed to give it shot. The timing was right."

During October 2016, when news first broke about the band getting back together, things on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, started blowing up and fan reaction was overwhelming. It was clear to see that BCC fans were hungry for another album. "BCCIV" is destined to become one of the biggest hard rock albums of 2017.

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's inception took place when frontman and bass guitarist Glenn Hughes and Joe Bonamassa fused their styles on stage in Los Angeles in November 2009 for an explosive performance at Guitar Center's King Of The Blues event. With the help and guidance of producer Kevin Shirley, they further added to their rock lineage by recruiting drummer Jason Bonham and keyboardist Derek Sherinian.

Taking their name from the industrial area in Britain, and the birthplace of both Hughes and Bonham, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION released their self-titled debut album in 2010, and with that, unleashed their brand of take-no-prisoners hard rock to a world thirsting for music with substance.

Following the release of another two studio albums, 2011's well-received "Black Country Communion 2" and 2012's equally impressive "Afterglow", plus a smoldering live CD released in 2011, "Live Over Europe", the band has firmly established themselves as one of hard rock's premier acts. The band took a hiatus in 2013 and focused on their successful solo careers.

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION has cultivated a reputation not only as amazing songwriters, but as a powerful live act, is only exceeded by their dedication to their craft, and a willingness to challenge and motivate each other to make the best music they can.

Now, seven years on from its inception, Bonamassa feels the time is right to bring the original BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION lineup back for album No. 4.

"We had around four months to write this album, and I think the results speak for themselves," comments Glenn Hughes. "All four of us wanted to make a record that stood up to the first three albums. However, the new album is more of a progression, as we wanted to be careful not to repeat the previous albums. A lot has happened since we last recorded the 'Aferglow' album in 2013, so, in many ways, the new album shows BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION with a much harder, riffier and bigger and bolder sound. If you're looking for a folk album, this ain't the one."

The band assembled to record "BCCIV" at Cave Studios in Los Angeles in December 2016. The album was mixed at Cave Studios in Sydney in March 2017. The songs on "BCCIV" will appeal to all fans of high quality hard rock, also those that admire singers of distinction. Hughes is not known as The Voice of Rock for nothing.

In terms of content, "BCCIV" expands upon the progression that took place between the first three albums. With an abundance of heavy riffs, undeniable hooks, melodic flair and infectious choruses, "BCCIV" is a spectacular album that gets bigger and bolder with repeated spins.

"I wanted the new album to physically shake your soul. It’s a wake-up call." explains Hughes.

All songs on the new album were co-written by Glenn Hughes and Joe Bonamassa. Glenn wrote all the lyrics on the album except for the song "The Last Song For My Resting Place", which was written by Joe.

"BCCIV" track listing: 01. Collide (4:07)02. Over My Head (4:06)03. The Last Song For My Resting Place (7:57)04. Sway (5:24)05. The Cove (7:11)06. The Crow (6:00)07. Wanderlust (8:18)08. Love Remains (4:53)09. Awake (4:42)10. When The Morning Comes (7:56)11. With You I Go (bonus track on vinyl edition only)

The first single taken from the new album will be "Collide". BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION has announced two exclusive concerts in Europe during January 2018 to support of "BCCIV". The band will play Wolverhampton Civic Hall on Tuesday, January 2 and London Hammersmith Apollo on Thursday, January 4.

These will be the only two concerts the band will play in Europe. Planet Rock will run a 48-hour ticket pre-sale from 9 a.m. on Wednesday, August 2.

Tickets will then go on sale to the general public from 0844 844 0444 and can be booked online from Ticketmaster.co.uk and Eventim.co.uk.

LINKIN PARK singer Chester Bennington was laid to rest in a private funeral Saturday (July 29) near his home in Palos Verdes, California.

According to TMZ, the ceremony at South Coast Botanic Garden was attended by a couple of hundred people, including bandmates, friends and family members. A full stage, including a drum kit, was set up for musical tributes to be performed.

Among the attendees were members of Chester's side project DEAD BY SUNRISE, former OF MICE & MEN singer Austin Carlile, hip-hop artist Blackbear and Chris Cornell's mother-in-law Toni Karayiannis.

Each guest was provided with a yellow wrist band featuring Chester's name and a pass — similar to the types of VIP passes fans and press would obtain for a concert.

DEAD BY SUNRISE's Julien-K wrote: "Julien-K & Dead By Sunrise stand with @linkinpark & the Bennington family as we go to honor our sweetest and dearest friend. Chester we love you so much. Our thoughts, love, and prayers to Talinda, the kids, and the LP family. We love you….."

Carlile wrote: "The service today was beautiful. Thank you Linkin Park, thank you Chester. For everything ❤❤❤."

Karayiannis wrote: "I'm not ready to let one more of my loved ones go,not now not ever! Chester and Talinda stood by us 24/7 I can't give Chester up today ! It's unfair that god wants them both! Its just double the pain! Unthinkable, unbearable! Black Saturday!"

Blackbear wrote: "Beautiful ceremony.. a lil piece of u has & will be in every song i sing on stage forever. @chesterbe @linkinpark #chesterbennington."

Bennington was found dead in his home in Palos Verdes, California by one of his employees shortly before 9:00 a.m. on July 20. A Los Angeles County coroner confirmed that the cause of death was "suicide by hanging."

LINKIN PARK has canceled plans for a North American tour, with the future of the group unclear at this point.

Several days ago, Bennington's bandmates released a statement honoring their frontman, writing, "the demons who took you away from us were always part of the deal … After all, it was the way you sang about those demons that made everyone fall in love with you in the first place."

The second part of the DEF LEPPARD mini-documentary "Step Inside: Hysteria At 30" can be seen below.

DEF LEPPARD will celebrate the 30th anniversary of its seminal album "Hysteria", one of the best-selling and most influential releases in music history, with the release of "Hysteria (Remastered 2017)". Set to debut on August 4, the remastered anniversary edition will be released in various formats via Bludgeon Riffola/Mercury/Ume — Super Deluxe Edition, Deluxe Version, 1 CD Vanilla Version, 2-LP Black Vinyl Version, and limited-edition 2-LP Colored Vinyl Version. The reissue boasts B-sides and live tracks, plus the audio for "In The Round In Your Face (Live)" on CD for the first time.

Frontman Joe Elliott says: "It's hard to believe that it’s been thirty years since the release of 'Hysteria'. In some respects, it really does seem like only yesterday. So, to mark this milestone, we wanted to do something very special for our fans and give them the definitive version of the album, one that incorporates all of the memories and milestones that we caught on tape and some of the madness that we got up to on the road. We hope it means as much to you as it does to us."

Adds guitarist Phil Collen: "I look back at the whole 'Hysteria' experience with excitement along with fond and tragic memories. It was our commercial zenith, thanks to Mutt Lange's insistence that we create an artistic hybrid between hard rock and pop Top 40 music using every genre available as an inspiration. It was a rock album that would garner seven hit singles. Mission accomplished."

Essential listening for fans across the board, "Hysteria" indisputably ranks as one of the most decorated and revered rock albums of all time. As the group's second consecutive RIAA Diamond-certified record (10 million sales in the U.S.), it would go on to sell over 30 million copies worldwide and 12 million in the U.S. Moreover, the record staked a spot in the U.S. Top 40 for 96 weeks matched only by "Born In The U.S.A." Rolling Stone touted it on the prestigious "500 Greatest Albums of All Time" list, and a poll in Q placed it among the "100 Greatest Albums of All Time". Dominating multiple charts, it captured No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 and U.K. album charts, bolstered by immortal Top-5 anthems such as "Pour Some Sugar On Me", "Animal", "Love Bites", "Hysteria", "Rocket" and "Armageddon It". "Hysteria" left an indelible mark on rock 'n' roll. Powered by stadium-filling drums, rapturous guitars, and unshakable choruses, the record saw DEF LEPPARD rightfully claim their place among rock's divinities forever. As a result, its influence now reverberates through three generations of artists to follow. It also historically marked their third straight collaboration with producer Robert John "Mutt" Lange.

Among the new versions, the Super Deluxe Edition boasts 5-CD/2-DVDs including four books — "Story Of"; a Ross Halfin photo book; Discography; Hysteria Tour Program and Tour Poster. The Deluxe Version features 3 CDs, the Vanilla Version is 1-CD, and the Vinyl Version is 2 Black LPs. In addition, there will be a limited-edition, 2-LP Colored Vinyl available via D2C channels for the first time.

"Hysteria 30th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition" track listing:

CD One (Remastered "Hysteria")

01. Women02. Rocket03. Animal04. Love Bites05. Pour Some Sugar On Me06. Armageddon It07. Gods Of War08. Don't Shoot Shotgun09. Run Riot10. Hysteria11. Excitable12. Love And Affection

CD Two

01. Tear It Down (B-side)02. I Wanna Be Your Hero (Retro Active)03. Ride Into The Sun (Retro Active)04. Ring Of Fire (B-Side)05. Women (Radio Edit)06. Rocket (Lunar Mix) (Radio Edit)07. Love Bites (Radio Edit)08. Hysteria (Radio Edit)09. Pour Some Sugar on Me (Radio Edit)10. Armageddon It (Radio Edit)11. Release Me (Stumpus Maximus)12. Classic Album – Hysteria (BBC Radio Documentary)

CD Three

01. Rocket (The Lunar Mix - Extended Version) (B-Side)02. Armageddon It (The Nuclear Mix) (12" Single)03. Animal (Extended Version)04. Pour Some Sugar On Me (Extended Version)05. Excitable (The Orgasmic Mix) (B-Side)06. Rocket (Lunar Mix) (B-Side)07. Rock Of Ages (Live) (B-Side)08. Love And Affection (Live) (B-Side)09. Billy's Got A Gun (Live) (B-Side)

CD Four: "In The Round, In Your Face" (Live)

01. Stagefright02. Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)03. Women04. Too Late For Love05. Hysteria06. Gods Of War07. Die Hard The Hunter

CD Five: "In The Round, In Your Face" (Live)

01. Bringin' On The Heartbreak02. Foolin'03. Armageddon It04. Animal05. Pour Some Sugar On Me06. Phil Solo07. Rock Of Ages08. Photograph

DVD One

01. Rocket (Top Of The Pops)02. Pour Some Sugar On Me (Top Of The Pops)03. Animal (Top Of The Pops)04. Pour Some Sugar On Me (Brit Awards)05. Women (Promo Video)06. Animal (Promo Video)07. Pour Some Sugar On Me (Promo Video)08. Pour Some Sugar On Me (U.S. Version Live)09. Hysteria (Promo Video)10. Love Bites (Promo Video)11. Rocket (Promo Video)12. Armageddon It (Live) (Promo Video)

DVD Two ("Classic Albums")

01. Introduction02. Animal03. Hysteria04. Rocket05. Love Bites06. Pour Some Sugar On Me

Bonus Material

07. Initial Recordings Of Animal08. Rick Gets Hysterical09. Hysteria (Acoustic Performance)10. Drumming - Return To The Status Quo11. The Album According To Joe12. Sugar Stripped Down13. Pour Some Sugar On Me (Acoustic Performance)14. Guitars, Guitars, Guitars15. Windmill II And The Gods Of War16. Mutt's Vocals In The Mix17. The Album Is Finally Released

Kiiara, the singer featured on LINKIN PARK's song "Heavy", paid tribute to Chester Bennington at New York City's Panorama festival.

Kiiara performed the first few songs of her gig at the festival's indoor Parlor Stage on Sunday before addressing the LINKIN PARK singer's passing.

"It's been… a pretty rough week," she began. "I don't know what to say and there's nothing really to say to make it better, but these next two songs are for Chester." She then sat down as "Battle Symphony", a track off LINKIN PARK's latest album, "One More Light", played.

Soon after, "Heavy" began to play — its video airing in the background — with Bennington's recorded vocals, and Kiiara and her band filling in their parts live.

When it ended, Kiiara offered a simple, "Thank you, New York," and left the stage.

Kiiara last week wrote an emotional note to Bennington, saying that she could not stop crying every time she was reminded that he was "no longer here." The 22-year-old singer added: "Chester, you brought an energy to every room and somehow made every moment, no matter what it was, seem carefree. You brought this lightness with you. There was never a dull moment. You'd find a way to make everyone laugh. Like that day in rehearsals, you sang 'Heavy' in pretty much every accent I can think of."

"Heavy" was the first single from "One More Light", which came out in May. The track featured Kiiara trading verses with Bennington over what was described by Rolling Stone magazine as "a sparse but nimble pop groove of swirling synths and rapt percussion."

"One More Light" featured a major shift in direction toward a pop sound from a band which had previously been known for harder music.

Bennington was found dead in his home in Palos Verdes, California by one of his employees on July 20. A Los Angeles County coroner confirmed that the cause of death was "suicide by hanging."

Bennington struggled with drugs and alcohol for years. He had said in the past he had considered committing suicide because he had been abused as a child by an older male.

LINKIN PARK bassist Dave Phoenix Farrell has thanked fans for the "outpouring of love and kindness" he has received since the band's lead singer, Chester Bennington, passed away more than a week ago.

Bennington was found dead in his home in Palos Verdes, California by one of his employees shortly before 9:00 a.m. on July 20. A Los Angeles County coroner confirmed that the cause of death was "suicide by hanging."

"It goes without saying, this last week has been extremely difficult. The outpouring of love and kindness I've received from friends and from all over the world has been incredible," Farrell wrote in a series of tweets.

"I wish I could personally thank every one of you for your love and support," he continued. "A huge part of Chester's legacy will be the memories we hold of him in our hearts. He was an enthusiastic, playful father, an honest, passionate musician, and a loyal friend."

The 40-year-old musician also said that he has been "touched to see memorials that have been held worldwide" — and asked his fans to share pictures of events they have attended in Bennington's memory so he can repost them.

LINKIN PARK has canceled plans for a North American tour, with the future of the group unclear at this point.

Several days ago, Bennington's bandmates released a statement honoring their frontman, writing, "the demons who took you away from us were always part of the deal … After all, it was the way you sang about those demons that made everyone fall in love with you in the first place."

Fan-filmed video footage of SLAYER's July 28 performance at the Pier Six Pavilion in Baltimore, Maryland can be seen below.

SLAYER's six-week North American tour with LAMB OF GOD and BEHEMOTH kicked off on July 12 in Bemidji, Minnesota and will run through August 20 in Phoenix, Arizona.

In a recent interview with Revolver magazine, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King was asked if there are any plans in place for the band to begin working on a follow-up to 2015's "Repentless" album. He responded: "Funny thing is, 'Repentless' isn't even two years old yet, though it seems like it is. But from that session, there are six or eight songs that are recorded — some with vocals, some with leads, but all with keeper guitar, drums and bass. So when those songs get finished lyrically, if the lyrics don't change the songs, they'll be ready to be on the next record. So we already have more than half a record complete, if those songs make it."

He continued: "This is actually the most prepared we've ever been for the next record in our history; there's no reason to not do more work, because it's already more than halfway done. Just write four or five new songs, and give the others some attention, and we'll be good to go. If we get a down period of time, which I know is coming at the end of this year, maybe we'll focus on that and get to it."

Pressed about whether it's "conceivable" that we could see a new SLAYER record next year, Kerry said: "It's conceivable — but I'm certainly not gonna promise it, because every time I do, I make a liar of myself! [Laughs]"

"Repentless" was released on September 11, 2015 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2009's critically acclaimed, Grammy-nominated "World Painted Blood" was produced by Terry Date, who has previously worked with PANTERA, DEFTONES and SOUNDGARDEN. The artwork was created by Brazilian artist Marcelo Vasco in collaboration with Tom Araya and Kerry King.

"Repentless" debuted at No. 4 on The Billboard 200, having shifted 50,000 equivalent album units in the week ending September 17, 2015.

During their July 29th show at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, Metallica broke out a brief tribute to Van Halen with a cover of "Runnin' With The Devil" as "a little homage to the Pasadena boys" according to frontman James Hetfield. Check out pro-shot footage of the minute-long jam below.

Upcoming Metallica North American tour dates are listed below. Find the band’s complete live itinerary at this location.

August
4 - Phoenix, AZ - University of Phoenix Stadium*+
6 - San Diego, CA - Petco Park*+
9 - Seattle, WA - Centurylink Field*+
11-13 - San Francisco, CA - Outside Lands
14 - Vancouver, BC - BC Place*+
16 - Edmonton, AB - Commonwealth Stadium*+

* With Avenged Sevenfold
^ With Volbeat
+ With Gojira

Limited edition Metallica concert posters went on sale Thursday, July 27th at 1 PM, PDT via Metallica.com.

The official screen printed concert posters from every stop on the third leg of the North American WorldWired Tour. These seven posters featuring artwork by Jeff Soto (Orlando, Montréal), Mark 5 (Miami), Munk One (Atlanta), Ames Bros (Detroit, Québec City), and Acorn (Toronto).

“We have a limited number available, so mark your calendars and be in the Met Store at 1 PM, PDT on Thursday, July 27th to get yours while you can!”

* Posters are exclusive to Fifth Members. Limit one (1) of each product per customer.