STONE SOUR guitarist Josh Rand has admitted that staying clean and sober on the road has been "more difficult" than he expected.

Rand received treatment earlier this year for "an alcohol and Xanax dependency" which forced him to sit out one of the the band's tours.

Josh performed with STONE SOUR on the ShipRocked cruise in mid-January before stepping away for what were at the time unspecified issues.

STONE SOUR enlisted a temporary replacement for its Canadian tour, with singer Corey Taylor later saying that Rand would rejoin his bandmates in April at the Welcome To Rockville festival in Jacksonville, Florida.

STONE SOUR spent this past spring and the early part of summer playing select shows in the U.S and completing a European tour which saw them making appearances at some of the biggest rock festivals on the continent, including Rock Am Ring, Sweden Rock Festival and Hellfest.

In a brand new interview with Andy Hall of the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3, Rand was asked if making sobriety last has been tougher than he imagined. "Honestly, yes," he responded (hear audio below). "Europe, for me, was really trying — just for the simple fact of… When I was touring in the U.S., it was easy for me to have structure, and that's one thing that I learned on both of these tours — the U.S. one and then the European summer tour — I'm a guy that needs structure. And there was definitely times when the temptation was there, and it was a challenge. But I have a great support group within the band and the people that work for us, and then my fiancée came out midway through, so that was the extra support. But it was a little bit more difficult than what I thought going into it."

Earlier this year, Rand said that "nobody had any idea" that he had been on Xanax since 2010 after he was first prescribed it for anxiety related to flying. He added: "And then, over the course of the last couple years, I started drinking, and when we started touring, I was basically day-drinking. But not drinking to get messed up, but just to maintain, I guess. Or to be able to cope, to have this buzz."

The guitarist said he just started feeling "horrible and miserable" and that things came to a head for him on the ShipRocked cruise.

Rand recalled: "We were flying from Florida back up to Canada and basically we were in the airport and I just had made the decision that I had to come home. Luckily, I had the support of the other guys and my family to make that decision. I had hit a wall and knew that I needed to regroup and deal with my stuff. So that's what I did."

STONE SOUR will release a deluxe edition of its latest album, "Hydrograd", on August 31. The two-disc set, "Hydrograd Deluxe Edition", collects unreleased covers, b-sides, live recordings and alternate versions of songs from "Hydrograd".

"Hydrograd Deluxe Edition" features 13 rare or unreleased songs, including an acoustic version of the No. 1 rock song "Song #3", as well as covers of hits from RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, SOUNDGARDEN and VAN HALEN.

STONE SOUR will support Ozzy Osbourne on the initial North American leg of the legendary vocalist's "No More Tours 2" tour, which kicks off August 30 in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Former DIO keyboardist Claude Schnell has once again denounced the Ronnie James Dio hologram, saying that it "it isn't about" the singer anymore.

The legendary heavy metal frontman died in 2010 at the age of 67 from stomach cancer. His hologram was created by a company called Eyeillusion and made its debut at the Wacken Open Air festival in August 2016 in front of more than 75,000 fans.

Schnell, who joined DIO in May 1983, after the "Holy Diver" was released but before the accompanying tour was launched, offered his opinion on the holographic version of Ronnie during a lengthy interview with The Metal Voice.

"I won't presume to tell you what I think about what certain people are doing with his memory, but it just seems to me that it isn't about Ronnie anymore," he said (hear audio below). "They can say it's about keeping him and his music alive, but nobody ever made holograms of THE BEATLES, and their music is still alive. I think their decision is based on more pragmatic concerns, I'll put it that way. You've got a bunch of guys who can't find gigs, they're managed by the same woman who has contacts all around the world with agencies and promoters, and what could be a more natural thing than taking the out-of-work musicians and putting 'em on tour and making a little money while you're at it? Don't get me wrong — not to take anything away from these guys; I mean, they all do a great job, and if the fans are happy about it, that's all that matters. But you're not asking me what the fans think; you're asking me what I think."

Claude also seemed to firmly take original DIO guitarist Vivian Campbell's side in the way the current DEF LEPPARD axeman was fired from Ronnie's band. Campbell, bassist Jimmy Bain, drummer Vinny Appice and Ronnie James Dio worked together on the first three DIO albums — 1983's "Holy Diver", 1984's "The Last In Line" and 1985's "Sacred Heart" — before Irishman Campbell left to join WHITESNAKE in 1987. Vivian later publicly took issue with Ronnie's need for total control of the band, claiming that finances played a major part in the bad blood that preceded the split.

During The Metal Voice interview, Schnell called "Sacred Heart" a "transitional" album for DIO, saying: "If you think of the band, when things are good, as a tight knot where the ropes are all firmly together, by the time 'Sacred Heart' was being recorded, the knot was loosening.

"We all felt that Viv was really treated very badly — not so much by Ronnie. But it was obvious that those decisions were being handled, for lack of a better word, by Wendy [Ronnie's then-wife and manager]," he continued. "Viv was basically set up and he was put in the position where the only thing that he could do was the exact thing that would get him kicked out of the band. And when it came to pass, Wendy was chomping at the bit to walk Craig [Goldy, Vivian's replacement] into the band. And Viv just got very unceremoniously let go — in my humble opinion, for no real fault of his own."

Schnell went on to say that he wishes the original DIO lineup had lasted longer and collaborated on more music beyond the first three albums. "I think the best move for Viv, I think the best move for all of us would have been had we stayed together, had Wendy been willing to allow a more equitable split so we could all have a living wage and allow the band to develop the way bands used to develop back in the day before it became all about the money," he said.

The Dio hologram production uses audio of Ronnie's live performances from throughout his career, with the DIO band playing live, consisting of Craig Goldy on guitar, Simon Wright on drums and Scott Warren on keyboards, along with Bjorn Englen on bass. Also appearing with them are former JUDAS PRIEST singer Tim "Ripper" Owens and ex-LYNCH MOB frontman Oni Logan.

After the tour's initial seven-date run was completed last December, Ronnie's hologram is undergoing "some changes" before the launch of the next leg of the "Dio Returns" world tour, scheduled for 2019.

Schnell recently called the Ronnie James Dio hologram a "travesty" and "disrespectful" to the singer's memory. He went on to describe it as "cheesy" and added that he couldn't understand how Wendy could be "okay with it."

Wendy Dio, who is a member of the Eyellusion team, said that the people that criticize the Ronnie James Dio hologram should at least see it in person before voicing their disapproval. "Don't criticize it if you haven't seen it," she told "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie. "It's done with love. The band love doing it. And we just wanna keep Ronnie's memory and his music alive."

She added that a digital version of Dio makes perfect sense. "I think that Ronnie was an innovator of heavy metal music, so why not be an innovator of technology?" she said. "And I think technology is coming a long way with holograms — a lot of people are doing it now. And I think the reason is because we are losing all of our innovators; everybody is getting older. And we need to keep them alive and keep their memory and their music alive. I think it's a new way. It's like when people first came out with a CD or a cassette: 'Ooh, we don't want that.' But then it was the way of technology."

Photo courtesy of Claude Schnell's Facebook page

The title track of REVOCATION's new album, "The Outer Ones", can be streamed below. Due on September 28 via Metal Blade Records, the follow-up to 2016's "Great Is Our Sin" sees the band pushing both the death metal and progressive elements of its signature sound harder than ever.

"The Outer Ones" track listing:

01. Of Unworldly Origin

02. That Which Consumes All Things

03. Blood Atonement

04. Fathomless Catacombs

05. The Outer Ones

06. Vanitas

07. Ex Nihilo

08. Luciferous

09. A Starless Darkness

The official video for the disc's first single, "Of Unworldly Origin", directed by David Brodsky, can be seen below.

"I knew that I wanted to go in a darker direction, and this is our most death metal album to date," states vocalist/guitarist Dave Davidson.

"Sometimes when death metal bands go down the prog route, they lose some of that edge, but we wanted to keep the aggression at the forefront of what we do while still pushing our boundaries."

Moving away from the societal and historical themes that informed "Great Is Our Sin", this time Davidson has immersed himself in the fantastic, evoking one of the great writers of the sci-fi/horror genre.

"The title is my ode to H.P. Lovecraft and the entities of pure cosmic horror that rule that universe he created," Davidson says. "Since the new music we were writing was so evil and spacey in sections, it seemed to be the right title to fit the overall vibe. But while the lyrical content is largely influenced by such writings, in every allegory there is, of course, some reflection of the real world, so I enjoy writing in a way that could have one overlaying meaning and then another deeper, symbolic meaning as well."

This September/October, REVOCATION will head out on the road for its first North American headlining tour in several years, with EXHUMED, RIVERS OF NIHIL and YAUTJA as support.

REVOCATION is:

David Davidson - Guitars / Vocals

Dan Gargiulo - Guitars / Vocals

Brett Bamberger - Bass / Vocals

Ash Pearson - Drums

British rockers BRING ME THE HORIZON have released a new single, "Mantra". Singer Oli Sykes told BBC Radio 1 about the track: "It felt like the first thing we wanted to show people upon our return."

Asked if the new song's arrival means that fans can expect a new album from BRING ME THE HORIZON soon, Sykes said: "I don't want to say. We're definitely working on stuff. We've got something exciting to announce in the next few days."

Prior to the new song's premiere, BRING ME THE HORIZON launched a mysterious campaign, including a billboard reading "Do You Want To Start A Cult With Me?" That line ended up being one of the lines in "Mantra". The promotional campaign also saw the band starting a web site, joinmantra.org, with an initial message that read: "There are those who will say that only after a lifetime of sacrifice and good doing can the soul be free — that God demands conditions in the freedom and that some have the power of making mankind slaves."

Sykes said the music he and his bandmates are working on is "completely different" from 2015's "That's The Spirit" album, which was criticized by some for going too far in a pop direction. He added: "We want to be a heavy band, but not in the way you think of heavy."

Former GUNS N' ROSES drummer Steven Adler has recruited Ariel Kamin, the singer of Argentinian GN'R tribute band SON OF A GUN, to front his group ADLER'S APPETITE. Kamin replaces Constantine Maroulis of "American Idol" and "Rock Of Ages" fame, who was the vocalist for ADLER'S APPETITE for a dozen or so dates this past May, including an Australian tour.

Adler announced Kamin's addition to ADLER'S APPETITE via Instagram, writing: "Warming up for today's rehearsal for this weeks shows with my new AMAZING singer @arielkamin"

In addition to Adler and Kamin, the latest version of ADLER'S APPETITE includes guitarist Michael Thomas and bassist Tanya O Callaghan.

Steven previously played with Ariel when the drummer joined SON OF GUN on stage in November 2016 in Buenos Aires, Argentina to perform several GN'R classics, including "You Could Be Mine" and "Welcome To The Jungle". Fan-filmed video footage of that concert can be seen below.

The new incarnation of ADLER'S APPETITE will play the following three shows at the end of this week:

Aug. 23 - The Rose - Pasadena, CA

Aug. 24 - Golden Nugget - Las Vegas, NV

Aug. 25 - The Canyon Theatre - Santa Clarita, CA

ADLER'S APPETITE FEATURING CONSTANTINE MAROULIS celebrated the 30th anniversary of GN'R's classic debut album by performing "Appetite For Destruction" in its entirety on the aforementioned Australian tour.

Back in April, when Constantine was first announced as the new frontman of ADLER'S APPETITE, Steven said: "GUNS N' ROSES are the biggest rock band in the fuckin' world now, and since the guys don't want me to play with them and I love these songs and I'm so proud of them ... now I finally have a singer who can compete with the young Axl Rose."

Warming up for today’s rehearsal for this weeks shows with my new AMAZING singer @arielkamin #gnr #rockandroll #picoftheday #doubletap @vaterdrumsticks @soultonecymbals @dwdrums @goldennuggetlv A post shared by Steven Adler (@realstevenadler) on Aug 20, 2018 at 3:52pm PDT

AUDIOTOPSY, the American heavy rock quartet featuring the deft musical talents of guitarist Greg Tribbett and drummer Matt McDonough — both of Grammy-nominated metal band MUDVAYNE — as well as SKRAPE vocalist Billy Keeton and bassist Perry Stern, will release its second full-length album, "The Real Now", on November 2 via Megaforce Records. Produced by the band with vocal production and mixing by Dave Fortman (EVANESCENCE, SLIPKNOT, MUDVAYNE), "The Real Now" is available for pre-order now via Amazon, and will be available via more digital retailers very soon. New music is set to be released in early September.


A teaser for the upcoming single "What Am I?" is available below.


According to the band, "The Real Now" explores the journey of life. Tribbett states: "This album deals with life — from addiction to depression to death. Life is a journey of unforeseen experiences."


AUDIOTOPSY began writing together in 2014 with the goal of setting themselves apart with their songwriting and dynamic presentation. Upon quickly recognizing the chemistry, they began the journey of recording their debut album, "Natural Causes".

Featuring both fast-paced headbangers and melodic, grooving anthems, "The Real Now" conjures nostalgic turn-of-the-century alt-metal influences while never sacrificing crystal clean, modern metallic drive and swagger. Heart-clenching vocals and unforgettable guitar riffs grip the listener from track one. Tracks like "Panic On The Airwaves" and "What Am I?" summon deep, numbing grooves while driving anthems like "Hologram" feature non-stop power rhythms and energy. No AUDIOTOPSY release would be complete without a melodic climax, which comes in the form of the chill-inspiring track "Hurt Down".


"The Real Now" track listing:

01. War

02. Hologram

03. Panic On The Airwaves

04. Fade Away

05. Hurt Down

06. What Am I?

07. If Only

08. A Death Benefit

JETBOY's new album, "Born To Fly", will be released on January 25, 2019 via Frontiers Music Srl.

You can watch the video for the disc's title track below.

Founded in 1983 by guitarists Billy Rowe and Fernie Rod, JETBOY continues to crank out its brand of rock 'n' roll in the 21st century with the same passion that has existed from the beginning.


Of the song and video for the title track, Mickey Finn says: "'Born To Fly' is just about the feeling of being meant to do something great and fighting and working to make it happen, never giving up or giving in and sticking to your guns to do it on your own terms.

"Remember — sometimes greatness comes in small accomplishments. If it feels great to you, then it is great!!

"We shot the video on two rooftop locations in the southside of downtown Los Angeles on one long day and night in July 2018."


"Born To Fly" — put together by the band's core of guitarists Billy Rowe, Fernie Rod and vocalist Mickey Finn, alongside former FASTER PUSSYCAT bassist Eric Stacy and drummer Al Serrato — is the first full-fledged set of new material from JETBOY since 1990.

"The band wasn't working on any new material when Frontiers approached us," says Rowe. "Mickey and I had written one or two songs a few years back, but that's about it. For myself, I've been very into writing music and got very into recording, so I had a good amount of complete musical songs that I always felt could end up as new JETBOY material, and some of it did. But the majority of the songs on this album were written within a couple of months after we got the offer from Frontiers."


Rowe continues: "Writing and recording this album came so naturally, there was no struggle at all. We feel it happened at the right time and was meant to be.

"The spirit of the band has been at an all-time high ever since we started this new album. We shared ideas via e-mail and then demoed every song before enteringthe studio. Once we started tracking this album, we all felt something special was going on."


Best described as a blend of edgy rock and roll with a traditional blues-based influence, "Born To Fly" is the perfect vehicle to exploit the commanding style of JETBOY's classic rock 'n' roll sound.

"The musical inspiration for the "Born To Fly" album came from a lifelong list of influences from bands we all grew up on from the 1970s," states Rowe.

"JETBOY has always approached its writing with a simple, stripped-down, no-nonsense rock 'n' roll structure, starting with a great riff and a catchy hook.

"This album flowed so organically, everything felt like it was meant to be. We've also all really grown as musicians, which really helped capture what we feel is some of our best work to date."


Vocalist Mickey Finn says the "lyrics flowed amazingly fast, with most songs being written in one sitting. My feelings were to stay true to JETBOY's roots and style, but to also incorporate where we are at today, pleasing old and new fans alike.

"My wife was the inspiration for 'Every Time I Go' and my firstborn son inspired 'The Way You Move Me'. Our life struggles as a band and lifelong friends inspired tracks like 'Beating The Odds' and 'Born To Fly'. 'Inspiration From Desperation' covers our political climate in America these days, 'Brokenhearted Daydream' reminds us that love is sometimes fickle and hearts get broken, but don't let it destroy your heart — we have to learn to move on and allow love to come into our lives again.

"So, all in all, lots of inspiring messages on the record, as well as some good old rock 'n' roll fun and 'Party Time!' lyrics make it a well-rounded listen!


"Born To Fly" track listing:

01. Beating The Odds

02. Born To Fly

03. Old Dog, New Tricks

04. The Way That You Move Me

05. Brokenhearted Daydream

06. Inspiration From Desperation

07. All Over Again

08. She

09. A Little Bit Easy

10. Every Time I Go

11. Smoky Ebony

12. Party Time!


JETBOY is:

Mickey Finn - Lead Vocals, Harmonica

Fernie Rod - Rhythm, Lead Guitar, Vocals

Billy Rowe - Rhythm, Slide Guitar, Vocals

Eric Stacy - Bass

Al Serrato - Drums

JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon paid tribute to Aretha Franklin during the band's August 17 concert at the BB&T Center in Sunrise, Florida. Schon posted a clip of the performance on his official Instagram account, along with the following message: "I did tribute to Aretha Franklin- Queen Soul R.I.P. with much Love & RESPECT."

In a separate Instagram post, Schon wrote: "I've been paying respect to Aretha during my solo spot in our shows. She was the best and Huge inspiration not only as an artist but kind to all."

Franklin, the "Queen of Soul," died Thursday after it was reported last week that she was "gravely ill" in Detroit. Her family said that the cause of death was advanced pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type.

Franklin was 76 years old at the time of her death.

In 1987, Franklin became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and was later named the "Greatest Singer of All Time" by Rolling Stone.

JOURNEY's current North American co-headlining tour with DEF LEPPARD has already surpassed $50 million in sales, based on box office totals from 33 shows reported to Pollstar.

The final stop on the 20-week jaunt will be a two-night engagement at the Forum in Inglewood, California on October 6-7.

Neal Schon BB&T Center Fort Lauderdale Florida last night. I did tribute to Aretha Franklin- Queen Soul R.I.P. with much Love & RESPECT @nealschon @nealandmichaeleschon #ladym ? vid @journeymusicofficial #schön #schon #nealschon #journeythroughtime #guitar A post shared by Neal Schon Music (@nealschon) on Aug 17, 2018 at 9:55pm PDT

The reunited expanded classic lineup of German power metallers HELLOWEEN — featuring seven musicians, including former vocalist Michael Kiske and guitarist Kai Hansen alongside current singer Andi Deris and guitarist Sascha Gerstner — has captured "the very best moments" from its ongoing "Pumpkins United" world tour and will make the footage and recordings available as a live CD as well as on DVD and Blu-ray in early 2019. In addition, there will be a brand-new HELLOWEEN studio album featuring Kiske and Hansen. The band's songwriting trio of Michael Weikath, Hansen and Deris will retreat to the studio in 2019 to begin work on the disc, which is scheduled to arrive in 2020 via Nuclear Blast.

HELLOWEEN will tour North America in September, to be followed by additional dates in Latin America. The final "Pumpkins United" concert of 2018 will take place in Hamburg, right where all the madness started in 1984, at the legendary Sporthalle on December 22.


The "Pumpkins United" tour marks the first time Kiske has played live with HELLOWEEN since 1993. Hansen, who departed HELLOWEEN in 1988, has been joining the band onstage on various tours and festival appearances throughout the years. The set features several duets with Kiske and his replacement, Deris, along with many rarely played songs, including "Kids Of The Century", "Rise And Fall" and "Livin' Ain't No Crime". Hansen — who fronted HELLOWEEN until late 1986 — sings a medley of several early HELLOWEEN classics, including "Ride The Sky", "Judas", "Starlight" and "Heavy Metal (Is The Law)".

Asked by Spark TV whether HELLOWEEN will continue to compose new music with their reunited lineup, Hansen said: "Let's do this tour first, that's what we said. Of course, the ideas are there, for sure. But, now we want to focus on doing this. It will go until the end of next year on and off, but I think from the middle of next year we can be more definite about making an album. We'll see."

Added Weikath: "When we did this extra track for the tour, the 'Pumpkins United', it was out of schedule, because we were preparing for the tour. We were rehearsing. Usually we don't do track recordings during a rehearsal. You take your extra time for it. If we're ever going to record something together with everyone, it would certainly take more time than back when we were doing the 'Keeper [Of The Seven Keys]' records because there's more characters, more alpha animals involved. That's okay. It's going to work. It's going to take a lot longer. If we deliver something like that, we wouldn't want it to be half-baked in any way. There's not going to be a fucking filler track…"

The North American leg of the "Pumpkins United" tour will kick off on September 7 in Las Vegas and conclude on September 15 in New York.

French black/death metal band THE ORDER OF APOLLYON will release its third studio album, "Moriah", on October 26 via Agonia Records. The follow-up to 2015's "The Sword And The Dagger" was recorded at BST Studio, except for drums which were laid down at Studio de Saint-Loup. The cover artwork was created by Vincent Lécuyer.

Co-founder, guitarist, vocalist and producer BST commented: "This third full-length release is without a doubt the most coherent and mature work we've ever put out. The fact that we have had for the first time in the band's history a stable lineup of devoted individuals with similar goals made this possible, and filled the production process with powerful creative energy".

"Moriah" track listing:

01. The Lies Of Moriah

02. Rites Of The Immolator

03. Grey Father

04. The Cradle

05. The Original Cries Of Jerusalem

06. Trident Of Flesh

07. Soldat

08. A Monument

The official lyric video for the song "Rites Of The Immolator" can be seen below.

THE ORDER OF APOLLYON was formed in 2008 by then-ABORTED members BST (guitars and vocals; also ex-AOSOTH, VI) and Dan Wilding. They were joined by guitarist James McIlroy and bassist/vocalist Peter Benjamin, and started working on their debut album, "The Flesh", which was released in 2010 via Listenable Records.

Conflicting schedules caused the lineup to be modified, with drummer Dan Wilding being recruited by death metal legends CARCASS, at the time the band was producing its second full-length, "The Sword And The Dagger". After concluding the recordings, THE ORDER OF APOLLYON started off new, with the additions of members of the French underground black metal scene: SR (HELL MILITIA, TEMPLE OF BAAL) on guitar and vocals, AK (MERRIMACK, VORKREIST, DECLINE OF THE I) on bass and vocals, and JZ on drums.

For the first time in THE ORDER OF APOLLYON's history, "Moriah" has been rehearsed and prepared by a stable lineup, with each member being able to add his own touch.

The Eagles can now add another accolade to their unparalleled resume - Their Greatest Hits 1971-1975 is the best-selling album of all time, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), which recently certified the album 38x Platinum, accounting for sales and streams of more than 38 million copies since its release in February of 1976. Later that same year, in December, the band followed up with Hotel California, which is now the third best-selling album of all time, certified 26x Platinum by the RIAA for sales and streams of more than 26 million copies.

“Congratulations to the Eagles, who now claim the jaw-dropping feat of writing and recording two of the top three albums in music history,” said Cary Sherman, Chairman and CEO, RIAA.  “Both of these transcendent albums have impressively stood the test of time, only gaining more currency and popularity as the years have passed, much like the Eagles themselves.  As we celebrate the 60th anniversary of the RIAA’s Gold & Platinum Program this year, it is only fitting that we can recognize the Eagles for their singular contribution to the history of American music.”

In today’s faddish, fractured, rock landscape, the Eagles retain an appeal that transcends both generation and genre, cementing the band’s role as enduring musical icons. As the best-selling American band of the ’70s, and one of the top-selling acts of all time, the Eagles have sold more than 150 million albums worldwide, scored six #1 albums and topped the singles charts five times. They have won six Grammy Awards, were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1998, in their first year of eligibility, and received the Kennedy Center Honors in 2016.
 
The Eagles - Don Henley, Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit, with Deacon Frey and Vince Gill - are currently on tour through October 2018. The band has performed for more than half a million fans since the latest tour began on March 12th.
 
Remaining 2018 Tour Dates:
 
September
8 - Phoenix, AZ - Talking Stick Resort Arena
12 - Inglewood, CA - Forum
14 - Inglewood, CA - Forum
15 - Inglewood, CA - Forum
18 - Sacramento, CA - Golden 1 Center
20 - San Francisco, CA - AT&T Park (with Zac Brown Band and The Doobie Brothers)
22 - San Diego, CA - Petco Park (with Zac Brown Band)
 
October
6 - Hartford, CT - XL Center
9 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
10 - New York, NY - Madison Square Garden
12 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
14 - Detroit, MI - Little Caesars Arena
15 - Chicago, IL - United Center
18 - Milwaukee, WI - Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center
20 - Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena

(Photo - Henry Diltz)

Three years since the release of The Lucifer Principle LP, Canadian black metal veterans Panzerfaust have entered BWC Studios to record their third full length album with long-time producer Greg Dawson. The band comments that this is by far their most ambitious release to date, far eclipsing anything they have done in the past. Panzerfaust has implied that this album will be quite extensive; describing it as being a "colossal-length anthology."

Panzerfaust will be performing live in Toronto, ON with Dimmu Borgir on August 23rd at The Danforth Music Hall.

Panzerfaust will also be touring alongside Uada, Imperial Triumphant and Bane this September / October on the Blood Sand Ash Tour. Dates can be seen below:

September
19 – Riot Room – Kansas City, MO*
20 – Fubar – St. Louis, MO*
21 – TBA
22 – The Windup Space – Baltimore, MD – Shadow Woods Fest (Post-Mortum)
23 – TBA
24 – Gramps – Miami, FL
25 – Brass Mug – Tampa, FL
26 – Will’s Pub – Orlando, FL
27 – The Earl – Atlanta, GA
28 – TBA
29 – Barracuda – Austin, TX – Red River Family Fest III
30 – Double Wide – Dallas, TX

October
1 – Growlers – Memphis, TN
2 – The End – Nashville, TN
3 – The Green Latern – Lexington, KY
4 – Smiling Moose – Pittsburgh, PA**
5 – The Kingsland – Brooklyn, NY**
6 – Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA**
7 – TBA**
9 – Pittsfield, ME – House Of Doom**
10 – The Jewel – Manchester, NH**
11 – Mid East Up – Boston, MA**
12 – H Restaurant Bar Club – Silver Spring, MD – Satan’s Unholy Abomination Fest VI**
13 – The Shrunken Head – Columbus, OH**
14 – Black Circle Brewing – Indianapolis, IN**
15 – Reggies – Chicago, IL**
16 – Lager House – Detroit, MI**
17 – The Foundry – Lakewood, OH**
18 – Bugjar – Rochester, NY**
19 – Foufounes Electriques – Montreal, QC – Quebec Deathfest
22 – TBA*

* just UADA
** with Bane

 

 

Danish death metallers Baest, whose moniker translates to ‘beast’ or ‘brute’ in the band’s native language, have released an unboxing video for their debut album Danse Macabre, out now via Century Media Records. Find the clip below, and order the album here.

Danse Macabre, recorded with Andreas Linnemann at Output Lydstudio and mastered by Lawrence Mackrory at Obey Mastering (Firespawn, Decapitated, LIK), offers extremely focused (de)compositions perfectly blending Boss HM-2 pedal abusing buzz saw guitars, vicious blasts, deep growls and infectious hooks.

Danse Macabre tracklisting:

"Crosswhore"
"Hecatomb"
"Danse Macabre"
"Atra Mors"
"Messe Macabre"
"Ritual"
"Vortex"
"Ego Te Absolvo"

Unboxing video:

"Ego Te Absolvo" video:

"Vortex" video

"Crosswhore" video:

Tour dates:

September (with Abbath)
5 - Leiden, Netherlands - Gebr. De Nobel
6 - Essen, Germany - Turock
7 - Mannheim, Germany - MS Connexion Complex

September (with I’ll Be Damned)
27 - Sønderborg, Denmark - Sonderborg Hus
28 - Randers , Denmark - Turbinen
29 - Aalborg, Denmark - Studenterhuset

October (with I’ll Be Damned)
5 - Vejle, Denmark - Bygningen
18 - Fredericia, Denmark - Tojhuset
19 - Kolding, Denmark - Godset
20 - Odense, Denmark - Kansas City
25 - Roskilde, Denmark - Gimle
26 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Lille Vega
27 - Aarhus, Denmark - Voxhall

Baest is:

Mattias Melchiorsen - bass
Svend Karlsson - guitar
Sebastian Abildsten - drums
Simon Olsen - vocals
Lasse Revsbech - guitar

(Photo - Nikolaj Bransholm / Bransholm Photography)

Australian true metal brigade Road Warrior will release their debut full-length album, Power, on October 12th via Gates Of Hell Records. Featuring eight tracks of "diverse, fist-clenching, manly and classic metal," Power was recorded at Against The Grain Studios in Adelaide, South Australia with Andy Kite at the helm.

Comments bassist/vocalist Denimal Blake: "It is a statement of our intent: To inject 'Power' back into a heavy metal scene that has been somewhat bereft of it. Whether if it truly is an objective case or not, that is our summary and the crux of the band. When heavy metal first gained a foothold it was the personification of musical power, a very special time that is finally coming back to strength, regardless of trends, due to its dominance."

Road Warrior (who are rounded out by guitarist Overdryve and drummer Villon) are said to have recorded Power with "gusto, the gnashing teeth and thrusting of loins," meaning, the album's cuts are leaning heavily on the band's '80s influences as well as the proto-metal scene from the latter part of the '70s.

Says Blake: "Our influences are in a blender this time, laced with the flavor of Road Warrior, Metal Church, Blackout, early Iron Maiden, Savatage, Judas Priest, Loudness, Riot, Twisted Sister and Hexx."

Accordingly, Blake says the album's lyrical themes are quite varied: "Sex, sex and more sex, along with a bit of historical conspiracy, power, pre-diluvial civilization and hotter sex." Tongue-and-cheek aside, Blake and his Road Warrior bandmates remain steadfast in their conviction to true heavy metal.

"We have an acute awareness of the NWOTHM [New Wave Of Traditional Heavy Metal] and know that we stand out in many ways, whether it's due to influence, locality or pedigree. Either way, I cannot speak for the ears of others, but we are supremely confident the album will live up to the album cover and title and help usher in a new age of classic rock and metal as the trends dissolve."

Tracklisting:

"Don't Fight Fate"
"On Iron Wing"
"Devils In Waiting"
"I Am The Hunger"
"Tease n' Torture"
"Sweating Out The Poison"
"Back Alley Tokyo Woman"
"The Future Is Passed"

Seattle, Washington's death harsh metal trio Hissing has signed with Profound Lore Records for the release of their impending debut full-length release, Permanent Destitution. The LP is slated for release on October 26th, the label this week issuing pre-orders for the record as well as the lead single, "Eulogy In Squalor".

Hissing engages in dark, dissonant, cacophonous, inverted death metal drenched in noise, and with Permanent Destitution the band has created a nihilistic vision of deranged otherworldly auditory pandemonium. A soundscape of pure enveloping darkness and unrelenting chaos, Permanent Destitution deconstructs and builds itself through the walls and layers of pummelling audial turmoil and disarray generated through twisted angular guitar work and fretboard annihilation, surgically cold yet constructed and calculated death march drum ornamentations, and monolithic bass pulsations that become interspersed with an overall dark overbearing ambience. With already being at the mercy of Hissing's punishing sound fabric, that added touch of droning noise segments, also crucial to the band's sound, mixed with the doomy industrial components become that final element to make Permanent Destitution a towering monument of primal avant-deathnoise.

Experience the first audio from Hissing's Permanent Destitution and stream "Eulogy In Squalor" below.

Profound Lore will release Permanent Destitution on LP, CD, and digital platforms on October 26th; watch for pre-orders and more audio samples to be released shortly.

Tracklisting:

"Backwards Descent"
"Pablum Abundance"
"Eulogy In Squalor"
"It Without More"
"Cascading Failures"
"Perdurance"

"Eulogy In Squalor":

Formed in 2014, Hissing has already made quite the reputation as a force to be reckoned with on the West Coast through various live appearances (which included a major US tour with Sunn O))) and Big|Brave, impressions made with their 2015 demo, and most notably with their 2016 self-titled 7" EP released by Southern Lord along with last year's massive split with Sutekh Hexen through The Flenser.

Lineup:

Zach Wise - bass/vocals
Joe O'Malley - guitars
Sam Pickel - drums

(Photo - Toby Hockenbury)

One year after each releasing two of 2017's heaviest albums, Denver's Primitive Man (pictured above) and New York City's Unearthly Trance unite for an exercise in complete and total suffering with a split LP out now via Relapse Records. Across seven apocalyptic tracks, both bands tap into some of the most uncomfortable, vile realms of blackened doom and dissonant, harsh noise put to tape in the new millennium.

Available on CD/LP/Digital via Relapse.com, physical packages, digital downloads, and streaming services are available here.

Split w/ Unearthly Trance by Primitive Man

(Photo - Alvino Salcedo)

"We at Napalm Records just received a message from Odin," states the label. "Yes, Odin himself! His few words were mysterious, but the message was clear: Four kings of war were knocking on valhallas door to spend eternity in the realms of the gods. While waiting for admission, they told each other about the heroic deeds they survived in their lifetimes. Secretly listening to their stories, Odin decided that all living human beings on the Earth should know about these true stories of war and heroism. So he is about to sent them back with the mission to spread the stories of their battles upon mankind. The Warkings were born and pure and unadulterated heavy metal became their religion.

"Odin chose Napalm Records as the perfect platform for the Warkings to spread their stories. We were told to receive new information about these warriors every Wednesday from now on. To follow his order to spread their message, we‘ll launch the Warkings-Wednesday. From this week on, we will provide all of Odins informations to the world, before the four kings of war will be unleashed in mid September. We are as excited as one can be and waiting for big stories to tell on Warkings-Wednesday!"

The first statement from the kings of war is short and not very concisely: “Ready your breakfast and eat hearty...because we‘re coming for you at the Warkings-Wednesday."

Stay tuned for updates.

Check out this electrifying performance from Deep Purple at the Alpine Valley Music Theatre in East Troy, WI in August 1985. The Mark 2 lineup had reformed and were the biggest band in the world at that time. "Strange Kind Of Woman" featuring Ian Gillan on vocals and Ritchie Blackmore on guitar. There is even a great little jam from Jesus Christ Superstar.

Time To Kill is a new publication from Wymer Publishing that focuses on the final tumultuous year for the classic Deep Purple MKII lineup. Written by Purple biographer Jerry Bloom, who has already written several books on the band, this is an in-depth look at the the appropriately named The Battle Rages On... album and the tour that followed its release during this much over-looked period in the band's career.

Deep Purple MKII will always be revered as the classic Deep Purple lineup. Original members Ritchie Blackmore, Jon Lord and Ian Paice, along with Ian Gillan and Roger Glover, established Purple as one of the biggest bands in the world during their original tenure between 1969-73.

When the lineup reformed in 1984, it proved once again that this was the definitive Deep Purple and their 1985 US tour was the second biggest grossing that year. Sadly by 1989 the friction between Blackmore and Gillan that had led to the spilt first time around did so again and Gillan was fired.

With all eyes on the 25th anniversary of the band's 1968 inception, there was huge pressure both from within and outside the band for Gillan to return to the fold so that the occasion could be celebrated in style. The critics said it wouldn't work - it did. And they said it wouldn't last... well they were certainly right about that!

Upon Gillan's return in late 1992 they produced the album and then planned to embark on a world tour. However, the American shows were all cancelled, which left just Europe and Japan. Whilst the tensions within the band were greater than ever, Jon Lord went on to say, “the shows were done at an energy level and ability level I’ve rarely seen attained before. I think we played as well as we’ve ever played.”

Indeed, for those fortunate to witness the tour most fans shared Lord's opinion. Yet, the divisions between Blackmore and Gillan grew as the tour progressed with Blackmore calling a halt to proceedings before the Japanese leg could begin. In all there would be just thirty-seven shows - the last hurrah of the ultimate Deep Purple lineup. Author Jerry Bloom wrote Black Knight the unauthorised Ritchie Blackmore biography; several other books on Purple as well as contributing sleeve notes to various officially released Deep Purple albums including Live in Europe 1993 - a 4 CD box set that he also initiated. Bloom caught ten of the thirty-seven shows and was privy to some of the shenanigans that went on, making him the ideal person to document the last MKII tour in detail.

Along with the comprehensive narrative, this beautifully designed book is crammed full of never before seen photos from the tour. It includes many shots of the band both on stage as well as back stage, in hotels, on aeroplanes and relaxing as the tour wound its way across Europe culminating in Blackmore's last show with the band in Finland on 17th November 1993.

As part of the commemoration, the book will be fittingly published on 17th November this year, 25 years to the day that MKII played it's last ever concert together. The definitive word on the last days of the definitive Deep Purple lineup.

Time To Kill is due out on November 17th and can be ordered here.

UK rockers Johnny Wore Black featuring Megadeth's David Ellefson on bass guitar, have released their third full length album Ultra Violent Light via EMP Label Group. Johnny Wore Black have just posted a new music video for the song "Gun True Love", which can be viewed below.

The album was produced by David Bottrill (Tool, Stone Sour, Dream Theater) and Gez Walton (Earthtone9), mastered by Joao Carvalho and Bryan Lowe. Album artwork was designed by Andy Pilkington (Soil, Flotsam And Jetsam, Fury, Kissin’ Dynamite).

Tracklisting:

"Gun True Love"
"One Sexy Scar"
"Plastic Ocean"
"Honey Club"
"RIP Mr Man"
"Boy Soldier"
"Southern Storm"
"Broken"
"Ultra Violent Light"
"Ultimate Fighter"

"Gun True Love" video:

Johnny Wore Black was formed in 2012 with a view to writing and creating the music deep in the heart of Jay, the founder of the project. Having written songs since his teens, there was plenty of past material, a selection of which needed exorcising before new works could develop. The first album was an exploration into older songs with a few new ones and ended up being split into two parts, released in March and November of 2014 entitled Walking Underwater Parts 1 & 2.

During the writing time, Jay also dialled into his film making heritage and created various music videos to accompany the Johnny Wore Black tunes. It took more than three years to finally release album number 3, Ultra Violent Light and the collaboration with talents David Ellefson, David Bottrill, Simon Hutchby & Gez Walton, served to create the latest instalment of the Johnny Wore Black saga.

Diversely, Jay is also known for his stunt career with screen credits including: Game Of Thrones, Ready Player One, Spectre, Hitman's Bodyguard, Rogue One, Spiderman-Far From Home to name a few.

Johnny Wore Black is:

Jay Coen - Vocals
Simon Hutchby - Drums
Gez Walton - Guitars
David Ellefson - Bass
Cameron Daniel William Hill - Keyboards
Kate Shortt - Cello
Adam Sedgewick - Vocals
George Donahue - Vocals/Bass

AEROSMITH teamed up with Post Malone to close out the MTV Video Music Awards Monday night (August 20) at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

The 23-year-old rapper performed his hit "Rockstar", flanked by recent tourmate 21 Savage, before introducing AEROSMITH. Malone picked up a guitar and played along as AEROSMITH launched into its classic song "Dream On", then broke into "Toys In The Attic".

AEROSMITH's VMA performance served as promotion for the band's upcoming "Deuces Are Wild" Las Vegas residency, which kicks off April 6, 2019 at Park MGM's Park Theatre.

The residency, promoted by Live Nation and MGM Resorts International, features "never-seen-before visuals and audio from AEROSMITH recording sessions" via producer Giles Martin, who crafted the sound for THE BEATLES' "Love" Cirque Du Soleil show in Vegas. The band has also teamed with THX and L-Acoustics, who will deliver "the world’s first THX Certified live performance presented in L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound."

The band's 18 Vegas shows will run between April 6 and July 9. General tickets, starting at $75, go on sale on Friday, August 24 at 10 a.m.

SIX FEET UNDER vocalist Chris Barnes claims that the band's October 27 concert in Moscow, Russia "will mark the longest performance in the history of death metal." The veteran group will play a 25-song set with an expected running time of "over an hour and 30 minutes," according to the singer.

"So very happy and honored to have been invited to Moscow," he added. "This marks SIX FEET UNDER's first appearance in Russia, and we are gonna give all our fans who have been waiting to see us the best damn death metal show of their lives! See you soon, friends!"

Last month, SIX FEET UNDER issued a compilation album, titled "Unburied", in digital format through Metal Blade Records. The disc was produced by Barnes, and mixed and mastered by Chaz Najjar at Badlands Recording in Denver, Colorado. The LP consists of nine songs recorded during sessions for the albums "Undead" (2012), "Unborn" (2013) and "Torment" (2017). Music for the tracks was written by the following guitarists: WHITECHAPEL's Ben Savage, TORTURE KILLER's Jari Laine, current THE HAUNTED and former SIX FEET UNDER member Ola Englund, and ex-CHIMAIRA and SIX FEET UNDER member Rob Arnold. In addition, bassist Jeff Hughell wrote the music for the song "As The Dying Scream".

A public memorial for HUNTRESS singer Jill Janus will be held this Friday, August 24 at the Rainbow Bar & Grill in West Hollywood, California starting at 9:00 p.m. The celebration of Jill's "life, art and magic" will be open to "all friends, fans and walks of life," according to a poster advertising the event.

"Since Jill's departure, the amount of outreach and support from friends, fans and family has been absolutely incredible," says Jill's longtime boyfriend and HUNTRESS bandmate Blake Meahl. "It has been beyond heavy to see so many reminders of how she could be so talented and loved, yet could feel so much pain and loneliness. Let's get together and celebrate her life and the importance that we still have each other. Expect a lot of whiskey and grown men crying."

Janus died on August 14 at the age of 42. She had long struggled with mental Illness, and killed herself outside Portland, Oregon, her relatives and bandmates confirmed in a statement.

In addition to fronting HUNTRESS, Jill was the vocalist for female metal/hard rock cover bands THE STARBREAKERS and CHELSEA GIRLS and was the co-composer and creator of an upcoming rock opera with TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA's Angus Clark. She also had a decade-long career as New York City DJ Penelope Tuesdae. Her musical career began in childhood.

Janus has been open over the years about her battles with not only mental illness, in the form of bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, dissociative identity disorder and alcoholism, but also physical illness in the form of cancer.

Janus was diagnosed with uterine cancer in 2015 while HUNTRESS was working on its third album, "Static". She was eventually declared cancer-free after undergoing a hysterectomy.

"Static" was released in 2015 via Napalm Records.

Matt Mills of Antihero Magazine conducted an interview with frontman Kobi Farhi of Israeli progressive folk metallers ORPHANED LAND prior to the band's appearance at Bloodstock Open Air, which was held August 10-12 in Catton Park, Derbyshire, United Kingdom. You can watch the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the writing process for their new "Unsung Prophets & Dead Messiahs" studio album:

Kobi: "It takes a long time. If you take our career, it's been for 27 years now and we've only done six studio albums. It takes us a lot of time and it takes me a lot of time to find the concept. Once we do that, we have a lot of layers and ways that we want to tell the story. It takes us ages and ages to do that, but once we get that album, you can feel the richness of that album. You can still find new things on the 20th time that you're listening to the album. Probably that's the way we're doing albums. We don't do them very often, but once we do them, it's very long, it's very layered and full of richness and stuff like that. So, it takes us a lot of time. It's a nightmare to make an ORPHANED LAND album, but in the end, I hope it's worth it."

On the response to "Unsung Prophets & Dead Messiahs":

Kobi: "It was a great response both from the fans and the media. We have received album of the month in many magazines and a lot of our fans really connected with this album, they felt like it's a combination of the latest album, 'All Is One', together with the concept albums we did in the past like 'Mabool [The Story Of The Three Sons Of Seven]' and ['The Never Ending Way Of] ORwarriOR'. We felt like we touched a point where we reached a new level with our music and the response was and still is amazing, so I'm very happy about it. I think it's our best album, if you ask me."

On what kind of concepts ORPHANED LAND would like to explore with future albums:

Kobi: "It's very hard to tell. I mean, if I would have those concepts in my drawer, I would do many more albums, more frequently. It's always very hard to find a concept and the angle for which we want to do it. Maybe that's one of the reasons we've only done six studio albums in 27 years. The guys are composing all the time, but in order to put it into a concept and build it like a puzzle, you need the concepts, you need the themes, where it begins, how does it develop, where is it ending? So, yeah, it's hard and I'm the one to blame, sorry. [Laughs]"

On Israel's heavy metal scene:

Kobi: "The heavy metal scene in Israel is amazing. You have a whole lot of bands from all styles, bands with female vocals, like SCARDUST and black metal bands like ARALLU and WINTERHORDE, death metal bands or core bands like SHREDDED. There are many bands from all styles. The scene is very rich; bands are coming to play Israel, MEGADETH, METALLICA, we just played with OZZY OSBOURNE in Israel. The scene is very rich; people are flying all the way for Wacken, Bloodstock, Hellfest. Yeah, it's a very intense area, so I think metal music is very popular probably, for us as well."

On the censoring of certain words on "Unsung Prophets & Dead Messiahs":

Kobi: "We did it as part of the concept. It wasn't anything done by the label or by the censors. We did it as a conceptual joke because sometimes you bleep the word 'dick,' but then, look at the television. Frank Zappa said 'There are no bad words.' If the word 'dick' is being used, it's the perfect way to describe what you wanted to say. You cannot bleep words, you cannot bleep censor words, it's useless. Look what's going on in our world. What are you trying to censor? Kids from hearing the word 'dick'? Look at their cellphone: they can go to YouPorn at any second. It was something we did as a criticism and a joke of how ridiculous it is. It's part of the music; it's a sound. It's part of the music. When I do it onstage, the word 'dick' comes in, I'm growling 'dick'. It's no problem."

"Unsung Prophets & Dead Messiahs" was released on January 26 via Century Media. The band recently completed a North American tour alongside TÝR, GHOST SHIP OCTAVIUS and AETERNAM.

Headbangers Lifestyle conducted an interview with VENOM INC. frontman Tony "The Demolition Man" Dolan at this year's Alcatraz Hard Rock & Metal Festival, which was held earlier this month in Kortrijk, Belgium. You can watch the entire chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the health of guitarist Jeff "Mantas" Dunn, who recently suffered a heart attack and rejoined his bandmates on stage in Finland:

Tony: "It was great. We had to cancel a few things, of course because he had the heart attack, but it was a genetic thing. We were doing a lot of work. We've done an Asian tour, Australia, New Zealand, then came straight back and started the European tour. At the end of it, we thought maybe it was the workload because we were quite tired, jetlagged and everything, but it was a hereditary thing, so it could have happened at any point. He had signs of it, so go to the doctor's if you don't feel well and he didn't go! We Skyped one morning. He said, 'I've got to go to the chemist. I think I've got indigestion.' A half hour later he actually died and they had to save his life. It was quite a big thing. Physically, you recover, but mentally, it's a bit more difficult. You need to talk to people. You can say, 'It's great, don't worry. It's all fixed.' But, mentally, unless you've died, how do you say it to someone? I think for him, he had a great fear for this. Finland was important on many levels, but also for him to do it again. How did he feel? Could he recover? It was great. It was so important and it meant so much and to turn around to see him there because he's my brother. It was wonderful. At one point during the set, I went across to him, he's playing a solo, he's smiling and I said, 'You're not dead? This is amazing! Look, he's a zombie!' He laughs at himself, but it was very difficult. When we've lost so many artists, MANILLA ROAD [Mark Shelton], just happened, so many of our friends and peers are dying of all kind of things, you always see it, but you don't think it's going to be us, then it happened and you're like, 'Oh, my god!' I think we appreciate more what we do, the privilege of what we do, being onstage with the fans and how they drive us and feed us. That's a truly incredible thing. He even appreciates it even more than he did."

On whether he thought VENOM INC. would return to the stage after Dunn's heart attack:

Tony: "We had lots of things booked. The agents, the promoters and everybody promoting things were then going, 'Tony, what's going to happen?' I said, 'Until we do something, we don't know.' He may have walked onstage and came off and said, 'I can't do it anymore.' He may have said, 'Yep. It's great.' He wanted to. He's a very hard-working person, so he's very inspirational and music is everything to him, so the idea he may have lost that, I think, drove him. To play the first show we did, it was only ten weeks since he actually died. People were, like, 'Oh my god!' But that's his drive. It's not easy. It's probably going to take a little bit longer to be perfect again, but, there's something about music that I've always said, when we go to China or Venezuela, or a million places where I don't speak the language, they are trying to communicate, but when we play music, it doesn't matter where you are, everyone sings 'Countess Bathory', everybody sings 'Black Metal', it's like you realize that it transcends everything and you have that emotional attachment. I think that's what he needed. He needed to have that support when he went onstage and all of those people were giving him that adoration and that love and happiness that he was there, I think that made him stronger. That's what's good about it."

On whether he appreciates this incarnation of VENOM INC. more than before:

Tony: "Yeah, because everyone knows the mess that was VENOM and the ins and outs, but at the end of the day, we come from a small place in England and we all grew up with each other, so it's kind of like friends and old girlfriends are all having a go with each other, but fundamentally, when this happened to Jeff, everybody came together for him. We all came together. Even [current and former VENOM members] Cronos [Conrad Lant] and Antton [Anthony Lant], everybody all came together. That's where you see the reality of things. I think for now, what is important for me is to put this together, even Cronos was there doing what he was doing, all of the people were important and the legacy of the music of was what was important. I was looking at this and thinking there's a whole breed of new fans that I want them to connect all of the dots. A young girl, 22, did an interview with me, a French girl, she said, 'It's so great to do an interview because all of this history, I only read in a book because I wasn't there.' I said, 'This is living. You are here.' At the time we spoke, Lemmy [Kilmister] was still alive, so you have MOTÖRHEAD, JUDAS PRIEST, BLACK SABBATH, SLAYER, METALLICA and every other band, all the genres around, I said, 'You're living this right now.' That's what I wanted to do. I want to show the young kids that this is where we all began, but it's continuing. If we can go onstage with someone who's had a heart attack and died and inspire a 16-year-old dude who said 'I can do that too.' That's what it's about. The music inspires us and that's what we're here to do."

VENOM INC. released a three-song 10-inch single, "War", on August 10 through Nuclear Blast. The single's artwork was created by Marcelo Vasco (SLAYER, HATEBREED, MACHINE HEAD, BORKNAGAR).

VENOM INC.'s debut album, "Avé", was released in August 2017 via Nuclear Blast.

Headbangers Lifestyle conducted an interview with BEHEMOTH frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski at this year's Alcatraz Hard Rock & Metal Festival, which was held earlier this month in Kortrijk, Belgium. You can watch the chat below.

Asked about "God = Dog", the controversial first single and video from BEHEMOTH's upcoming album, "I Loved You At Your Darkest", Nergal said: "Well, it's a very complex process, because it started with us making this photo session that was very religious-inspired — like religious topics, classic paintings from Caravaggio, Memling and others. We are actors in this… Basically, the whole booklet looks like that — it's all paintings, but they are reinterpreted by us. [It's] pretty literal, so if I'm a crucified Jesus, I'm a crucified Jesus; I'm not Jesus with a dick out. It's not obnoxious in any way — it's very literal, it's very direct. And I think it's beautiful; it's aesthetically really stunning. Then we brought elements of that to that video, and we made it what it is."

He continued: "'God = Dog' is… There's some controversy about the title, but what can I say? From simple… Just inverse 'god' and it gives you 'dog,' and that's the simplest way to explain the title, but, obviously, it goes deeper than this. It refers to Aleister Crowley's philosophy, and there's a quote from 'The Book Of The Law' which goes like that: 'Is a God to live in a dog? No! But the highest are of us.' And that's a part of it — it's a section of the song. And then again, go into the lyrics, make up your mind and build your own world there, because I don't wanna fucking spoil it."

"I Loved You At Your Darkest" will be released on October 5 via Nuclear Blast. Nergal and his bandmates — Orion (bass) and Inferno (drums) — have channeled that passion into the disc, which revels in the kind of religious provocation that BEHEMOTH do best.

Unlike "The Satanist", which was primarily recorded in one studio, "I Loved You At Your Darkest" saw its production spread across Poland and the United States. It was produced by the bandmembers themselves, with drum co-production by Daniel Bergstrand (MESHUGGAH, IN FLAMES), mixing by Matt Hyde (SLAYER, CHILDREN OF BODOM) and mastering by Tom Baker (NINE INCH NAILS, MARILYN MANSON). Which is to say nothing of the 17-piece Polish orchestra arranged by Jan Stoklosa and engineered by Tomasz Budkiewicz.

In a brand new interview with KNAC.com, MR. BIG singer Eric Martin spoke about the band's future, six months after the passing of founding drummer Pat Torpey. "Well, as you know, I do a lot of solo shows, I play solo acoustic shows, anywhere from Moscow to Hood River, baby!" he laughed. "Billy [Sheehan, bass] has SONS OF APOLLO and THE WINERY DOGS — great bands — and, as you know, also has a solo career and he's working on a new album now.

"We are doing some touring this summer; we just got back from Australia, Thailand and China," he continued. "We did some shows with EXTREME and it went over wonderfully. I don't know why we didn't think of that earlier. We're heading to Europe to do the European festivals, which should be fun. I've been home for about a week, but it hasn't been till the past two days that I've been reflecting on MR. BIG.

"I've been working with my partner André Pessis, who I've worked with throughout MR. BIG's existence. We're trying to get a jump on writing material for a 'possible' MR. BIG album for 2019. That could very well be our last. We're booked to do some touring in June of 2019."

Martin added: "I'll be honest, without Pat Torpey, the wind has been taken right out of me.

"Billy would miss it just as much as I do, but he's got enough stuff to keep him busy. Paul [Gilbert, guitar] would probably love to get off the road, stay home and make solo records.

"We've been in this band for 30 years now, but without Pat Torpey, there's a huge emptiness. I don't think we could find an equivalent to Pat. It's impossible. I suppose there's a chance that Billy can talk me out of it, but right now, I just don't know."

Torpey passed away on February 7 at the age of 64 from complications of Parkinson's disease.

MR. BIG released its ninth original studio album, "Defying Gravity", in July 2017.

The band, formed in 1988, produced numerous hit songs that ranged across a wide array of rock genres — be it ballads, heavy metal, or blues rock. Their hits included "Alive And Kicking", "Just Take My Heart" and the chart-topping ballad "To Be With You".

Gene Simmons paid tribute to Aretha Franklin, the "Queen of Soul," who died Thursday after it was reported earlier this week that she was "gravely ill" in Detroit. Her family said that the cause of death was advanced pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type.

During an appearance on HLN's Franklin tribute show on Thursday, the KISS bassist/vocalist was asked what Aretha meant to him. He responded (see video below): "I'm an odd choice to be on here. I know it may strike people as sort of bizarre, but I loved Aretha, like tens of millions of people. [Clears throat] Sorry, I'm getting a little choked up.

"My first image of Aretha was when I was a little kid. I came to America from Israel and I turned on a television set and there was a New York disc jockey named Murray The K, and he said, 'All right. Here she is: Aretha Franklin.' And this young, sort of with her back straight up came up and looked at the TV set and started singing, 'R-E-S-P-E-C-T, I just want a little respect.' And I wasn't just stunned by the lyrics… I never heard women talk like that. I go, 'What?' 'Give me some respect. R-E-S-P-E-C-T.' And then the voice, I'd never heard anybody like that. I'd never heard church music, Baptist music; I was just being introduced to rock and roll. And I was flabbergasted. And I kept listening. And the depth of her songs. Think '(You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman' and so on and so forth.

"In the early '80s, when I was going out with Diana Ross, I suggested to Diana, 'Why don't you do a duet with Aretha?'" he continued. "And we were in her apartment in New York City, and instead of going through managers and all that, I just picked up the phone and was expecting to get brushed off by managers and the rest. Aretha got on the phone right away and I said — you know, that sort of stuttering thing, 'cause you're in the presence of greatness — 'How about… How about a duet with Diana Ross?' She [said], 'Sure. That would be a great idea.' I was stunned by her graciousness, the lack of ego, 'full-of-it' kind of thing, her kindness… Along the way, I learned more and more about how Aretha… of course, her father was a Baptist minister, she came out of Detroit. And when Diana took me back to Detroit to visit Motown and all that, we went through the neighborhoods, and I never knew this world; I didn't understand it. But Aretha didn't just stay in Detroit; she went down to the South and recorded with the classic Muscle Shoals rhythm section and Jerry Wexler and she started listening to all kinds of different music. THE [ROLLING] STONES loved her, for God's sake. She did 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' by them and killed it. She did 'Eleanor Rigby' by THE BEATLES.

"Here is a lesson for all of us. First of all, it's the saddest day. I love Aretha and always will. But all those little girls out who are watching 'America's Got Talent' and stuff like [that], shut up, get over yourself, sit down and listen to this music, because the new pop princesses have to understand that greatness once existed and her name was Aretha Franklin."

Franklin was 76 years old at the time of her death.

In 1987, Franklin became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and was later named the "Greatest Singer of All Time" by Rolling Stone.

Glenn Hughes paid tribute to Aretha Franklin, the "Queen of Soul," who died Thursday after it was reported last week that she was "gravely ill" in Detroit. Her family said that the cause of death was advanced pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type.

During an interview with the "Talking Metal" podcast, the former DEEP PURPLE bassist/vocalist and current BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION frontman said (hear audio below): "My first girlfriend's brother was three or four years older than I. I was 14 years old; he must have been 18. He ran a discotheque in the West Midlands, in the Black Country, where I was raised, and I was just a preteen kid, and he would have me fetching music like a DJ and he'd be playing me Detroit songs and gospel songs. As you know, I've got a bit of an R&B education.

"So what I'm getting to here, Aretha was the first woman — white, black or whatever color; it doesn't make any difference to me — she was the first woman that raised the hair on the back of my neck when she sang," he continued. "And as you know, I'm deeply into all kinds of singers — I'm a big fan of other people's work. [Hearing her sing for the first time] did a number on me, 'cause of the tone of her voice and the deep well of emotion she brought to every song noun or verb or word she sang, this did a number on this 14-year-old little boy. And I kind of followed her all these years, and knowing she was sick a couple of weeks ago, but not realizing she was going to pass… I think her death is going to really, really [affect] a lot of people. It's a really difficult thing to think that she's no longer with us."

Franklin was 76 years old at the time of her death.

In 1987, Franklin became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and was later named the "Greatest Singer of All Time" by Rolling Stone.

Hughes will launch the next U.S. leg of the "Classic Deep Purple Live" tour on August 25 in Westbury, New York. The 18-city trek, which follows the recently completed South American and European festival tour, travels around the Northeastern U.S. before wrapping up in Tarrytown, New York on September 22. Glenn will be performing various hits and deep cuts from the DEEP PURPLE catalog, including "Burn", "Stormbringer", "Sail Away" and "Smoke On The Water", among others. Hughes will focus on arrangements from the live albums — not studio recordings — for these songs, "giving fans even more insight as to what it was like seeing a DEEP PURPLE show during the 1970s," according to a press release for the tour.

Two-time-Grammy-nominated blues-rock titan Joe Bonamassa has released the music video for his track "Evil Mama", taken from his upcoming studio album, "Redemption", which is due on September 21 via his own record label J&R Adventures.

"Redemption", Bonamassa's 13th solo studio album and third in a row of all-original material, sees him at his most ambitious yet as he continues to redefine and push the barriers of blues-rock. It features a staggering collection of 12 songs that weave effortlessly through an assortment of genres and reflect the artistic rebirth that he is currently experiencing.

"I'm going through some other stuff in my life I didn't expect to be going through," he explains. "It's a rising, it's contrition, it's acceptance, it's everything. It's painful, but knowing that there's a rising coming."


The album reunites Bonamassa with some of Nashville's finest music minds such as Tom Hambridge, James House, Gary Nicholson as well as Richard Page and American rock and roll legend Dion DiMucci (THE WANDERER, RUN-AROUND SUE) who adds his songwriting expertise to the title track. Joe also continues his long creative relationship with Kevin Shirley and together create an album bigger than ever before. "From a producer's perspective, this is far and away the most challenging and diverse album that Joe has ever made, " says Shirley.


The album was recorded at various locations, including Blackbird Studios in Nashville, The Cave Australia in Sydney, Studio At The Palms in Las Vegas, Criteria Hit Factory in Miami and Addiction Sound Studios in Nashville. It was once again recorded with a remarkable collection of musicians, including drummer Anton Fig (DAVID LETTERMAN BAND), bassist Michael Rhodes, keyboardist Reese Wynans, horn players Lee Thornburg and Paulie Cerra, harmony vocalist Gary Pinto, background singers Mahalia Barnes, Jade McRae, Juanita Tippins, and Kevin Shirley introduced two additional guitar players, Kenny Greenberg and Doug Lancio. "It was interesting, because having two extra guitar players involved, allowed me to play a certain way," Bonamassa adds.

The album opens with a tip of the hat to LED ZEPPELIN on "Evil Mama" that burrows into a deep groove before ripping into the rockabilly-tinged boogie blues of "King Bee Shakedown". Next, Bonamassa dips into his BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION influence to tell a tragic tale with timeless hard rock riffs for "Molly-O" and "Deep In The Blues Again" changes the course yet again with a driving rhythm meant for the car stereo.


"Self-Inflicted Wounds" is most telling of Bonamassa's progression as a true singer-songwriter, and Joe claims it as his best songwriting yet. "Pick Up The Pieces" channels Tom Waits for a late night after hours while "The Ghost of Macon Jones" sees Joe trade vocals with Nashville country singer Jamey Johnson as they recount a cautionary tale of a rural renegade. "Just Cos You Can Don't Mean You Should" channels Gary Moore for an upbeat taste of blues-rock euphoria before Bonamassa makes light of his trials and tribulations on "I've Got Some Mind Over What Matters".


Then Joe strips it down to only acoustic guitar and vocals on the heart-breaking tale of "Stronger Now In Broken Places", which promises that things will be better over time and features MIDNIGHT OIL's Jim Moginie providing soundscapes and Kate Stone on the hand pan. After this intense musical journey, Joe wraps it all up with a traditional blues rock tune with "Love is A Gamble".


There is a resounding theme of redemption and salvation on the album, but also very much a sense of strength and empowerment. "We all need to be redeemed at some point in our lives. It's this yearning to redeem yourself after just this tremendous loss and this tremendous feeling of pain," explains Bonamassa.

Bonamassa is at his ultimate creative peak with "Redemption", which follows the recent release of his last live masterpiece, "British Blues Explosion Live", that debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Blues chart and marked his 20th No. 1 album. Bonamassa's fire is unstoppable both in the studio and live on the road.