Finnish epic metallers Wintersun have finally released their third studio album The Forest Seasons, today (July 21st) via Nuclear Blast. Additionally, Wintersun live at Tuska 2013 is purchasable on vinyl as well. To mark this occasion, the band led by Jari Mäenpää has launched a lyric video for the album's opening track, “Awaken From The Dark Slumber (Spring)”.

Order The Forest Seasons via the band’s IndieGoGo page.

Tracklisting:

“Awaken From The Dark Slumber (Spring)”
Part I - The Dark Slumber
Part II - The Awakening
“The Forest That Weeps (Summer)”
“Eternal Darkness (Autumn)”
Part I - Haunting Darkness
Part II - The Call Of The Dark Dream
Part III - Beyond The Infinite Universe
Part IV - Death
“Loneliness (Winter)”

“Eternal Darkness (Autumn)” guitar playthrough:

“The Forest That Weeps (Summer)” guitar playthrough:

“Awaken From The Dark Slumber (Spring)” guitar playthrough:

Formats trailer:

The band recently commented on the new album: “Yes, you guessed it! This album is our version of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, but it hasn't got anything to do with Vivaldi musically or with classical music. It is 100% original and solid Wintersun material! It is something new and different. Let's just say it has a bit more darker tone overall.”

Former Eclipse Eternal frontman Voldamares recently announced the formation of his new band, Hexeklad. Their new song  "Returned", taken from the forthcoming debut Spirit Of The Stone, is streaming below.

Release date for Spirit Of The Stone  is July 28th via CDN Records in CD/digital format. Pre-orders can be made here.

Tracklisting:

"In This Life or the Next"
"To Whom Veer Sinistral"
"At the Ends of Existence"
"Returned"
"At Dusk"
"In Waking Tymes"
"Path to Ruin"
"An Offering"

Hexenklad is:

Timothy Johnston (Voldamares) - vocals
Michael Grund - guitars
John Chalmers (The Ancient One) - guitars

Go to this location for information and updates on Hexenklad.

In the clip below, courtesy of Capital Chaos TV Fallujah perform live at the Bay Area Death Fest 2017 in San Francisco, CA  featuring original vocalist Alex Hoffman's final appearance with the band.

Fallujah recently released the following statement regarding Hoffmann's departure:

"It is with a heavy heart that we announce the departure of our vocalist and friend, Alex Hofmann. A decade-long journey has just ended for one of our founding members, and now he begins a new path separate from our own. His dedication and creativity have been a vital part of Fallujah for the last ten years, but we respect his decision and support him wholeheartedly.

"The Dreamless touring cycle has been our longest and most challenging yet; taking us across the planet with bands we respect and admire while molding this band into a brotherhood. These experiences have brought us together and proven that this is what we are meant for. Alex’s departure will bring a new period of growth and we intend to come out of it with something groundbreaking for our fans.

"We will have a special guest taking over vocals for our festival run in Europe as well as our North American tour with Decapitated and Thy Art Is Murder. When we return to California, we will continue writing our new album and begin our search for a new vocalist. We invite all of our local friends and fans to join us in sending Alex off at Bay Area Death Fest; his last show, but a new beginning for us in Fallujah."

Hoffmann adds: "The reasons for my departure are both complicated and difficult to summarize; but one thing I know now is that in order to begin a new chapter in life, you must inevitably close the previous one.

"Fallujah is currently on a nonstop skyward trajectory and my departure will not compromise this in the slightest. I love my band mates to death and I will still be involved in a certain respect after my replacement is solidified. I have to also take the time to thank our manager and mentor EJ Johantgen, our A&R Monte Conner and everyone else at Nuclear Blast, Our agents JJ Cassiere and Marco Walzel, Karim at Indiemerch and Florian at Impericon, as well as all the others who've ever worked with me behind the scenes keeping this band going.

"Thank you to our fans for 10 years of wild nights, stage dives, bloody noses, circle pits and hangovers. To my friends in the touring world, I'm not going anywhere, you will all see me around still. My last show with the band will be Bay Area Death Fest in San Francisco, and I cannot think of a better way to go out!"

Fallujah will continue to with their juggernaut-like-momentum this year, with several European festivals (Brutal Assault, Summer Breeze, Ieperfest, etc.), a spot on Ozzfest Meets Knotfest (US), and an upcoming North American tour with Thy Art Is Murder, Decapitated and Ghost Bath.

Fan-filmed video footage of VIMIC, the new band featuring former SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison, perfoming on July 21 at Concrete Street Amphitheater in Corpus Christi, Texas as the support act for IN THIS MOMENT can be seen below.

VIMIC in February postponed its previously announced European tour so that the group could finish work on its first full-length disc, to be released later this year. "Open Your Omen", is described in a press release as "quite possibly the biggest triumph of Jordison's illustrious career."

VIMIC's debut album was originally supposed to be released last year via Jordison's longtime label, Roadrunner, but the band has since parted ways with the record company and has yet to announce a new label home.

In April, photos surfaced on social media of Jordison and Dave Mustaine at a Nashville studio, leading to speculation that the MEGADETH mainman was involved in the mixing process for VIMIC's upcoming effort.

Joining Jordison in VIMIC are singer Kalen Chase Musmecci, who has toured with KORN as a backing vocalist and percussionist, and Joey's former SCAR THE MARTYR bandmates Jed Simon (guitar), Kyle Konkiel (bass) and Matthew Tarach (keyboards). VIMIC has also welcomed new guitarist Steve Marshall to the band.

In a December 2016 interview with Shockwave Magazine, Jordison stated about the making of VIMIC's first album: "The way we did 'Open Your Omen', the way we wrote it is exactly like how a garage band would do their demo tape. We went all the way back to the basics, and it was cool doing it like that because you didn't have the influence of your label, and the huge studio, and cars, hotels, and fancy dinners, all this bullshit that goes on along with being in the record industry. It was done literally in my home, organic, and we went out just to the studio not too far from my house and we just laid it down there. So, it was pretty much born in my home and then we just cruised up to the studio and just laid it down really quick."

Before his dismissal from SLIPKNOT in December 2013, Jordison had been quietly struggling with the career-threatening neurological condition acute transverse myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord which damages nerve fibers, which ultimately led to Joey losing the use of his legs. Never one to quit or back down from a fight, Jordison overcame the impossible through months and months of rehabilitation, regaining the strength to walk again. He is feeling stronger than ever and is eager to show the world what is possible.

"When this stuff happened to me, most, a lot of people, they just don't come back from it," he told Shockwave Magazine. "They just don't. They're crippled for life, they give up, and they're either in a wheelchair, or they just don't come back from this. My fighting spirit is to never give up no matter what and I fought so hard. I had to throw music away, I had to kiss it goodbye for a little bit and it sucked. But I knew that if I was going to be able to do this again that I had, with all my strength that I had in my body, mentally, in my heart as well, soulful, spiritually, whatever I had to get through this, I had to do it. I put myself all the way through it and I came back and I'm actually stronger than I've ever been. It took a long time to get through it. It was not an easy road, but I'm back and I'm happier than I've ever been. I'm playing music all the time. I play better than I ever have, cause all I do is gym and just work out. Life takes you down troubled roads sometimes, not to hurt you, but to cleanse you. That's the way I kind of look at it."

Today sees the official release of Tau Cross' sophomore album Pillar Of Fire. The record is available worldwide on CD, 2xLP, and digital formats. Physical orders and exclusive bundles are currently available via Relapse.com at this location. Digital orders are available via Bandcamp here. Listen to the full album below featuring photography by Cavan Blight. 

Pillar Of Fire further expands the group's unique musical approach ranging from dark folk witchery to industrial punk metal brutalism; a moody melting pot of Killing Joke's metallic post-punk and Motörhead's anthemic, hard rock with flourishes of traditional instrumentation and an infusion of 16th century English mysticism. Pillar Of Fire is a musical unearthing of Tau Cross' philosophical preoccupations: mythological motifs, ultra-terrestrial hypotheses, surreal, social political landscapes and the endless search for meaning in a controlled Universe.

Pillar Of Fire tracklisting:

“Raising Golem”
“Bread And Circuses”
“On The Water”
“Deep State”
“Pillar Of Fire”
“Killing The King”
“A White Horse”
“The Big House”
“RFID”
“Seven Wheels”
“What Is A Man”
“Three Down” (Vinyl + Digital Bonus Track)
“We Are The Terror” (Vinyl + Digital Bonus Track)
“In Time” (Vinyl + Digital Bonus Track)

“Bread And Circuses”:

"Killing The King" video:

“Deep State” video:

Tau Cross recently launched a video trailer promoting tour dates in support of Pillar Of Fire. The band recently announced a European headlining tour from July 29th in Finland through August 8th in Denmark. Watch the trailer below.

Tour dates:

July
29 - Puntala Rock Festival - Lempaala, Finalnd
30 - Street Bar 95- Turku, Finalnd

August
1 - Kraken - Stockholm, Sweden
2 - Revolver - Oslo, Norway
3 - Truckstop Alaska - Gothenburg, Sweden
4 - Hafenklang - Hamburg, Germany
5 - Baroeg - Rotterdam, Netherlands
6 - Disintegrate Your Ignorance Fest - Giavera del Montello, Italy
7 - Badehaus - Berlin, Germany
8 - Beta Dirty Days of Summer - Copenhagen, Denmark

Tau Cross:

Rob "The Baron" Miller - bass/vocals
Andy Lefton - guitar
Jon Misery - guitar
Michel "Away" Langevin - drums
Tom Radlo - bass
James Adams - keyboards

“Broken Ones”, a track from Shaman’s Harvest’s upcoming album, Red Hands Black Deeds, is available for streaming below. The album is out on July 28th.

Produced by Keith Armstrong, the new album pre-meditatively took on a more organic approach, utilizing vintage gear. Nathan Hunt offers, “We used analog effects pedals and vintage amps. It was kind of like trying to find the melting point between Midwest and L.A. It still has the Shaman's Harvest Midwest vibe to it, but it definitely has organic L.A. written all over it."

Guitarist Josh Hamler adds, “Goat toes are the new cowbells. We'd tell Keith we wanted a certain sound, and he'd pull stuff out that we never thought of, like the goat toes we used on “Blood Trophies” and "A Longer View” or sandpaper on ‘Scavengers’.”

The band - singer Nathan Hunt, bassist Matt Fisher, rhythm guitarist Josh Hamler, lead guitarist Derrick Shipp, and drummer Adam Zemanek - simply didn't want to use anything digital, and when a certain effect was needed they approached the process creatively, coming up with solutions to reach a realized vision. As Hamler shares, “We had been so stuck in our way of writing and recording, but Keith had a different, more interesting approach to coming up with that sound. He really helped us find a fresh new creative path."

Red Hands Black Deeds is a darker, visceral, and more layered sound than past repertoire offered on the band’s first five studio albums. The album ranges from the ominous, haunting vibes of the title track prelude, "A Longer View," "The Devil In Our Wake," and "Scavengers" - which could fit just as easily on a horror film soundtrack as it does on this rock band's album - to quieter, more vulnerable moments as heard on "Tusk And Bone" and "Long Way Home”.

Lyrically, the band also ventured into new territory, taking on the current political, social, and economic struggles we're facing as a nation under the new administration. "Red Hands Black Deeds touches upon the darker nature inside all of us,” says Hunt. “The whole record has a contrast and push and pull tension - a juxtaposition of good and bad or questioning what is right and wrong. The record ended up having a concept, though we weren’t intending it to," says Hunt.

The writing of the record began in November 2016 at the time of the presidential election, so it's no wonder there are social and political undertones to many of the songs. "The tension in the record kind of speaks for itself. There's a dark anxiety, tension-filled feeling that reflects what’s going on in the world," says Hamler.

"The Come Up," the album’s first single, is an upbeat song that juxtaposes a Motown backbeat with classic Rolling Stones rock and roll swagger, and that delves into depression. "There's so much negativity on social media today ‑ a lot of people struggling with real issues and with where we're at as a nation," says Hunt.

But, "The Come Up" is also an acknowledgment of the singer's own battle with depression. "It's therapeutic for myself," he says. "It's just about sometimes when you just can't change shit, you got to realize you can't mold everything in your life and you kind of just have to roll with the punches," says Hunt, who overcame throat cancer in 2014 that could've derailed the band, but didn't.

"A Longer View" is a song that touches on civil unrest we face today and global race issues. "When you step back, you see we're all just humans. That's the longer view. It doesn't matter. At the end of the day, we all just want love and to be understood," says Hunt.

On a similar note, "The Broken Ones" touches on immigration issues, as well as anyone who feels disenfranchised, such as Hunt's own Native American ancestors. "My father's family is part of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina, which is made of a lot of different races and regions, and because of that they don't get all of the benefits that federally recognized tribes have. The song is a cynical look at society today," says Hunt, whose heritage inspired the band's name.

"The Devil in Our Wake" tackles the topic of war. "I'd go to bed with CNN on to some bullshit at the White House, or the heartbreaking situation in Syria. I'd see what's going on in the world and think, 'Shit, how did we get so divisive?'" says Hunt.

"Soul Crusher," a funky rocker about fighting through tough times, shows off the band's musical versatility. "It mixes a lot of genres musically. You can’t help but want to dance and bob your head. It touches on that old Motown vibe. But it also has some Texas blues to it," says Hunt.

Even through the singer's battle with cancer, and other trials and tribulations every band goes through, the band has persevered. Born in Jefferson City, Missouri, Shaman's Harvest released their first album, Last Call for Goose Creek in 1999, followed by Synergy (2002) and March of the Bastards (2006) before having their break-through moment with 2009's Shine. Shine featured the standout track, "Dragonfly," which hit #9 on Billboard's Heritage Rock chart and #15 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. It was also featured on the soundtrack to the major motion picture, Legendary, and the video has garnered more than 4.5 million YouTube views.

The band followed that success with their Mascot Records debut, Smokin' Hearts & Broken Guns in 2014, which has garnered more than 31 million streams. The album's "In Chains" peaked at #11 on the Media Base chart after a run of 22 weeks at Active Rock radio. It also spent over four months in the Top 10 of iTunes Metal Songs Chart. The song's video has more than 3 million views on YouTube, while the band has a cumulative 8 million YouTube views.

Shaman's Harvest has had equal success on the touring front. They've toured or shared the stage with major artists like AC/DC, Alice In Chains, Godsmack, Breaking Benjamin, Seether, Nickelback, Three Doors Down, In This Moment, Daughtry, Cheap Trick, Theory of a Deadman, Hinder, and others, and played major festivals like Rocklahoma, Rock on the Range, Rock Fest, KRockathon, Rockin' The Rivers, Texas Mutiny, Rock Carnival 2016, High Elevation Rock Festival, and Midwest Rock Fest.

The key to the band's longevity is threefold: Staying in Missouri, which gives the band a Midwestern authenticity. "Our music wouldn't be what it is if we weren't from a hillbilly kind of a state," notes Fisher. Second, knowing the gift of distance and being open to change. "It's been 21 years for us," Fisher continues, "so it's a brotherhood and there are fights, but I think over all it's just keeping some distance in between tours when we need it."

And, third: "Growing musically as a band each time. I think this record, with how differently we approached it and how we expanded our sonic palette, is a good step toward a new future for us," adds Fisher.

Tracklisting:

“Red Hands Black Deeds” (Prelude)
“Broken Ones”
“The Come Up”
“A Longer View”
“Soul Crusher”
“Off The Tracks”
“Long Way Home”
“The Devil in Our Wake”
“Blood Trophies”
“So Long”
“Tusk and Bone”
“Scavengers”

“The Come Up”:

“Red Hands Black Deeds”:

Trailer:

Find the band’s live itinerary at this location.

Barb Wire Dolls have released a video for “Surreal”, a track from their Motörhead Music debut and third full-length album, Desperate. Find the new video below.

Barb Wire Dolls are one of the most vital new bands in music today, representing all that is inspiring and furious about rock and roll. The band intelligently weaves sub-genres of punk, grunge, and metal, producing an urgent sound that is truly unique. Hailing from an artist commune on the island of Crete, the band sold everything they owned and left crisis-ridden Greece in 2010 for Los Angeles, at the invite of legendary KROQ DJ Rodney Bingenheimer. Upon their arrival in California, Barb Wire Dolls immediately sold out the world famous Roxy Theatre in Hollywood, boasting a live show that is second to none.

Electrifying rock of this magnitude did not go unnoticed by the elder statesman of the Sunset Strip, the incomparable, irreplaceable Lemmy Kilmister of Motörhead. After seeing Barb Wire Dolls live, Lemmy took an immediate interest in the band and placed them under his supportive wing.

Desperate contains 10 gripping rock tracks, empowering anthems, and hard-edged thrashers, all performed with the classic punk rock energy the band has become internationally known for. As members of Motörhead Music, Barb Wire Dolls are represented by Lemmy's long-time manager Todd Singerman, Motörhead's booking agents, and parent label UDR/Warner Music Group. Desperate's release through Motörhead Music serves as an edgy, thrilling first chapter in the life of a label whose mission is to present the most fiery new bands in rock and roll.

Recorded at Sonic Ranch (Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ministry, Gogol Bordello) and NRG (Motörhead, Foo Fighters, No Doubt) studios, Desperate was produced and mixed by Grammy award-winning producer Jay Baumgardner (Bush, Evanescence, Lacuna Coil) and mastered by Grammy award-winning mastering engineer Howie Weinberg (Nirvana's Nevermind, Red Hot Chili Peppers' Blood Sugar Sex Magik, U2's Pop).

Tracklisting:

“Drown”
“Surreal”
“Take Me Home”
“Heart Attack”
“Desperate”
“Blind To Your Misery”
“I Will Sail”
“Darby Crash”
“Problem Of The Poet”
“Rhythm Method”

“Surreal” video:

“Blind To Your Misery” video:

“Drown” video:

Rockumentary:

Barb Wire Dolls is:

Isis Queen (vocals)
Pyn Doll (lead guitar)
Krash Doll (drums)
Iriel Blaque (bass)
Remmington (rhythm guitar)

METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo spoke to the Los Angeles Daily News about the success of the band's latest album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", which came out last November.

"The great thing about this whole journey is that, for me, being the new guy after fourteen years, each album sort of takes on its personalty and different experience," he said. "We're always on this roller-coaster ride with our fans, but they're very loyal at the end of the day.

"One thing I can say about METALLICA is that it's all about taking chances, trying new things and even just stylistically with the music, we just go with the flow and what we're feeling and play what makes us feel good," he continued. "We try to have as much fun as possible and sometimes that connects and sometimes it probably doesn't. But it seems to be working right now, and we're happy about that. It's always nice to feel like you've been well-received."

Asked why it took METALLICA so long to release the follow-up to 2008's "Death Magnetic" disc, Trujillo said: "We toured pretty hard in between. You gotta write the record, record the record. We also made an album with Lou Reed, and that took some time, and then we made a 3D movie called 'Through The Never', which also took a couple of years. So it's not like we took a break for eight years; we definitely were working... On the album itself, we spent a couple of years recording and writing, so it's not as bad as it seems, but it does take a long time regardless of the different sidebar projects that we did."

Trujillo added that METALLICA is "having a great time" and "having fun" touring in support of "Hardwired" and revealed that the band is already working on material for possible inclusion on its next effort. "There's no shortage of creativity, no shortage of ideas or grooves," he said. "In fact, the other night we came up with about three things in our jam room before we went onstage."

The North American leg of METALLICA's "WorldWired" trek will hit stadiums in eight more cities before ending in mid-August.

The next stop on the tour is Pasadena, California on Saturday, July 29.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS bassist Flea has said that talk of the band retiring is premature. Flea was asked by TMZ about recent comments made by CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith, in which Smith mused about the end of the band, saying that while he still loved recording, "the touring part... I don't know if we can continue."

Smith's remarks led to speculation that the band could be thinking of calling it quits. But Flea wasn't having any of it, calling the speculation "silly talk" and adding: "We never really look past the immediate future, but we're on tour right now, we're rocking out, we feel in the spirit, letting the music move us."

Flea continued: "To be honest, since we first started this band 35 years ago, I've never ever known what's next or round the corner or anything. I think the power of the band lies in that — just staying in the moment and the energy that's moving."

The bassist told The Pulse Of Radio that playing in the band and being creative are two things he can't live without. "Playing in the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS and playing bass is a very animal, comfortable, instinctual, intense thing for me and a huge part of who I am," he said. "Every time I am involved in any creative process, it always deepens me as a person, just widens my palette of colors to paint with, you know, and I'm always loving doing it. I like being creative, it's when I'm happy."

Smith told podcaster Eddie Trunk that he didn't know how much longer the band could continue, 33 years after releasing their first album. He added: "I mean, three of us are 54 years old — Anthony [Kiedis, singer], me and Flea. Josh [Klinghoffer, guitarist] is 38 or 39, so he's a young man. But I don't know if we can continue to do the long tours — the year, year and a half we normally do. That's a good question."

Smith hinted that for their next album cycle, the CHILI PEPPERS could adopt a similar schedule as METALLICA, who limit themselves to around 50 shows a year.

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS are currently on the road behind their eleventh studio effort, "The Getaway", which came out in June 2016 and debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 album chart.

RAINBOW singer Ronnie Romero has revealed to Spain's MariskalRock that the band recorded fresh material earlier in the year, with plans to make it available in the coming months.

Back in May, the revamped version of RAINBOW released its first new music in more than two decades. Two tracks were made available on iTunes: an instrumental song called "Land Of Hope And Glory", which is is a reworking of the 1902 British patriotic song of the same name from Edward Elgar's "Pomp And Circumstance March No. 1", and a re-recording of the RAINBOW classic "I Surrender", which was written by Russ Ballard and was first released by RAINBOW in 1981. The latter song features vocals recorded by Romero, who is originally from Chile but is now settled in Madrid.

Asked by MariskalRock if there are any plans for RAINBOW to record and release more new tracks, Romero said (see video below): "As a matter of fact, we recorded some stuff back in January. Actually, there is a new track scheduled to be released, though I don't know when. Ritchie [Blackmore, RAINBOW leader] is constantly trying new stuff just to see how it works out. That's why he released the new version of 'I Surrender' and the instrumental version of 'Land Of Hope And Glory'."

Blackmore stepped away from his Renaissance-inspired brand of music with BLACKMORE'S NIGHT last year to perform a handful of shows with a brand-new lineup of the band he had formed after quitting DEEP PURPLE.

Although Ritchie initially said that he had no plans to make a new RAINBOW album — explaining in early 2016 that he wanted to "just get back to playing the old songs one more time" — he revealed to Japan's Burrn! magazine that he changed his mind.

In addition to Blackmore and Romero, the current incarnation of RAINBOW includes STRATOVARIUS keyboardist Jens Johansson, BLACKMORE'S NIGHT drummer David Keith, bassist Bob Nouveau (a.k.a. Robert "Bob" Curiano, ex-BLACKMORE'S NIGHT), and backing singers Candice Night and Lady Lynn.

The two shows RAINBOW played in Germany in June 2016 were caught on camera to produce "Memories In Rock - Live In Germany", which was released in November via Eagle Rock Entertainment on DVD+2CD, Blu-ray+2CD, and digital formats.

After Ritchie left DEEP PURPLE for the final time in 1993, he reformed RAINBOW for one album (1995's "Stranger In Us All") and one tour, ending things in Denmark in 1997.

RAINBOW completed a three-date U.K. tour last month.

Glenn Hughes spoke to Promoportal-Germany about BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's much-anticipated fourth album, which is tentatively due this fall.

The supergroup, which features Hughes alongside drummer Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN, FOREIGNER), keyboardist Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, ALICE COOPER, BILLY IDOL) and blues-rock guitarist/vocalist Joe Bonamassa, recorded the follow-up to 2012's "Afterglow" at a Hollywood, California studio after a near-four-year split that was caused by tensions between Bonamassa and Hughes.

Speaking about how he reconnected with his BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION bandmates, Hughes said: "The beautiful thing is when we kind of separated four years ago, we knew we were coming back, we knew we would have a reunion. So, a year ago, I was getting inducted into the [Rock And Roll] Hall Of Fame with DEEP PURPLE, and Joe called me to congratulate me and ask when I would be coming back to Los Angeles, where I live. And I said I'd be home on Wednesday, and we had dinner on Thursday, and we talked about getting the band back together to do another album."

Asked if BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION is planning on hitting the road in support of the upcoming disc, Hughes said: "We're gonna announce something soon. I'm not sure what's going on right now, because it's impossible to talk about it until it's planned. But we're hoping to do some shows. I would hope so. We really wanna play."

Hughes also talked about the chemistry between the BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION members, especially since all the musicians have had successful careers prior to launching the group.

"This band was meant to be," Glenn said. "It was formed out of a friendship with Joe and I. We got the [other] guys to come in, and it's always been a strong brotherhood. And we're just very lucky and fortunate to have met. I've known Jason since he was [a kid]. I just think that these four guys in this band are the right guys to play in the band."

Helming the new BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION album once again is Kevin Shirley, a man known for his production work with artists such as IRON MAIDEN, JOURNEY and Bonamassa. Shirley has worked closely with Joe on every album that the guitarist has recorded since 2006's "You & Me", a period of time that has seen the artist's success and popularity grow massively.

Hughes previously told Icon Vs. Icon that the the new BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION material would sound like "a combination of [the first] three albums. It will sound like BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION. When you hear the first few bars of the song, you will know it's us! We are not making any severe left turns or opening up any new doors of trying to do something that is different from the way we started. We are very focused on what we should do. We are making a rock album for rock fans. We're not making anything different than pure rock music in the tradition of what BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION set out to do in 2010."

GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Richard Fortus has told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in a new interview that he is looking forward to recording a studio album with the partially reunited classic lineup of the band. "Everyone is excited about it," he said. "There's a really magical thing now with the band. It feels like a new band. It feels like the best version since I joined, and it's the most fun for me. There's so much excitement around it."

Since it began in April 2016, the tour has grossed $230 million and counting.

"It's bigger than anything I've ever experienced," Fortus said. "Doing multiple nights at a stadium is a mindfuck. It's hard to get your head around that level of craziness. Fans are just so rabid for it."

Fortus said in another interview that the current lineup of GUNS N' ROSES — which features classic lineup members Slash (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass) and Rose backed by Fortus, Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and new second keyboardist Melissa Reese — has begun "assembling ideas" for a new studio album.

Fortus, who joined GUNS N' ROSES in 2001 and became the band's longest-serving post-Slash guitarist, spoke about the possibility of new music from GN'R during an interview with the new "StageLeft" podcast.

He said: "We haven't started recording anything. I mean, when I say that, as far as in the studio, doing an album… We've been recording a lot of stuff, just ideas, sort of assembling ideas, but not going into a studio and actually tracking a new record."

Asked if he thinks a new GN'R album will happen, Fortus said: "Yeah, I do. It's sort of too good not to happen at this point — that's how I feel about it. This band is really a force right now, and I definitely hope that we do, and I think we're all sort of counting on it, and we're also planning on it."

Fortus was also full of praise for GUNS singer Axl Rose, saying that "the genius of Axl is his ability to assemble songs from different parts and make them feel cohesive as a song. And I've never seen anybody able to do that in the same way."

A St. Louis native, Fortus got his big break when his band PALE DIVINE opened for THE PSYCHEDELIC FURS. This led to Fortus forming the band LOVE SPIT LOVE with PSYCHEDELIC FURS frontman Richard Butler and future GN'R drummer Frank Ferrer. In 2000, Fortus and Ferrer became touring members of the reformed PSYCHEDELIC FURS before Fortus hooked up with GUNS N' ROSES. Ferrer himself joined GN'R in 2006.

GUNS kicked off its long-rumored and long-awaited reunion tour in April 2016 with a club show in Hollywood and appearances in Las Vegas and at California's Coachella festival.

According to Billboard.com, LINKIN PARK's music was streamed more than seven times more in the U.S. on the day of singer Chester Bennington's death as compared to the day before he committed suicide.

In total, there were 12.6 million on-demand audio streams of the band's catalog of songs on July 20, versus 1.5 million a day earlier.

Among the most streamed tracks on July 20 were "In The End" (923,000 streams, up from 107,000 a day earlier, "Numb" (740,000 streams), "Heavy" (684,000 streams), "One Step Closer" (480,000 streams) and "Crawling" (439,000 streams).

Billboard.com also reported that LINKIN PARK's music sales grew 5,332 percent following Bennington's passing. In total, the act's albums and songs sold 111,000 copies on July 20, versus 2,000 the day before.

In the two days since Chester's death, fans shared their favorite music lyrics, photos of Bennington and some even posted pictures of their LINKIN PARK memorabilia and photos with the late singer.

https://t.co/Un26XQTxBm Linkin Park tour canceled as fans pay respects at home of frontman Chester Bennington https://t.co/6QJHSlILls pic.twitter.com/KFVMlJaiLJ

— Palos Verdes Post (@PalosVerdesPost) July 22, 2017

“Gone But Never Forgotten”Chester Bennington @ Palos Verdes, CA pic.twitter.com/gwJL1qj5Q7

— ( ¨̮ ) (@HeMeleNou) July 22, 2017

STAIND frontman Aaron Lewis paid tribute to his friend Chester Bennington just hours after learning of the LINKIN PARK singer's passing.

While performing a solo concert Thursday night (July 20) at the Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, Lewis addressed the crowd. He said: "So… I lost a really good friend today. I'm not really sure why he, uh, he chose to take his own life, but it's been a really sad day. So this next song, uh… this next song is for Chester."

Lewis then launched into an emotional rendition of the STAIND track "Something To Remind You", which is the tenth and final track on the band's self-titled seventh studio album, released in 2011.

Bennington's body was discovered Thursday morning (July 20) by an employee at the musician's Palos Verdes Estates home.

The 41-year-old's body was hanging from a belt on a bedroom door inside the house in the 2800 block of Via Victoria, Ed Winter, spokesman for the L.A. County medical examiner-coroner, said on Friday. A half-empty bottle of alcohol was found in the room, though it was not near his body, Winter said.

A suicide note was not found, Winter said.

Winter said an autopsy was pending, and that toxicology tests were also likely to be carried out.

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.

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE paid tribute to Chester Bennington by performing a cover version of LINKIN PARK's "One Step Closer" during their concert last night (Friday, July 21) at Concrete Street Amphitheater Corpus Christi, Texas.

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE frontman Chris "Motionless" Cerulli introduced the track by telling the audience (see video below): "So this is usually the part of the show every day where we like to play a cover song by a band that we really love. And, you know, we're still gonna do that, but in light of the very, very, very tragic news yesterday about Chester from LINKIN PARK, in light of that very sad news, we're gonna do something a little bit different today than we have done in a quite a while.

"I don't think, to our fans, it's been any secret that LINKIN PARK has been a very strong influence on our band and our material over the past couple of years," he continued. "LINKIN PARK has meant a lot to a lot of us in this band. One of the first bands in this genre that I ever heard that got me into a lot of the bands that came after. I owe a lot to the album 'Hybrid Theory' as a person, and I know it means a lot to these guys in this band. And not just 'Hybrid Theory', but I'm talking about a lot of albums that followed — all amazing materpieces by LINKIN PARK. Make some fucking noise for them right now."

Chris added: "It really does suck to see so many amazing musicians dying off, watching them, having to say goodbye time and time after again. This one really fucking me hard. So we would like to play a song right now to honor Chester and LINKIN PARK. Before we do, though, I do have to say that if anyone out there is struggling with the same thoughts, the same issues, please do not make the same decision. Reach out to your friends, reach out to your family, go to your favorite bands' social pages and reach out to some other fans of the same bands you love.

"If there's something that I've learned in eleven years of touring, especially last summer, it is that there are a lot of fucking people that are just as much of a fan of another band as you are that are willing to reach out and help you through your personal shit. And I need every fucking one of you to be there for each other every single time that hand extends. Don't make the same decision.

"This one is for LINKIN PARK. Sing it with us so fucking loud that wherever he is, Chester can fucking hear us. This song is called 'One Step Closer'."

The LINKIN PARK frontman's body was discovered Thursday morning (July 20) by an employee at the musician's Palos Verdes Estates home.

The 41-year-old's body was hanging from a belt on a bedroom door inside the house in the 2800 block of Via Victoria, Ed Winter, spokesman for the L.A. County medical examiner-coroner, said on Friday. A half-empty bottle of alcohol was found in the room, though it was not near his body, Winter said.

A suicide note was not found, Winter said.

Winter said an autopsy was pending, and that toxicology tests were also likely to be carried out.

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.

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Graveyard Shift", which came out in May.

GUNS N' ROSES performed at Harlem's world-famous Apollo Theater this past Thursday night (July 20) for a special invitation-only concert for SiriusXM subscribers.

Quality fan-filmed video footage of the show can be seen below.

The gig marked the first time that GUNS N' ROSES performed at the iconic venue. The special event, taking place before the next leg of the band's North American "Not In This Lifetime" tour, aired live nationwide on SiriusXM's Guns N' Roses Radio. The concert also aired live on Howard Stern's Howard 101 channel.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. It's So Easy02. Mr. Brownstone03. Welcome To The Jungle04. Chinese Democracy05. Double Talkin' Jive06. Better07. Estranged08. Live And Let Die09. Rocket Queen10. You Could Be Mine11. Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory / A New Rose12. This I Love13. Civil War14. Yesterdays15. Coma16. Godfather Theme17. Sweet Child O' Mine18. My Michelle19. Whole Lot Of Rosie20. Wish You Were Here / Layla21. November Rain22. Black Hole Sun23. Only Women Bleed24. Knockin' On Heaven's Door25. Nightrain Encore

26. Sorry27. Patience28. The Seeker29. Paradise City

SiriusXM's Guns N' Roses Radio features music from the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees' entire iconic career, including the 1987 "Appetite for Destruction" album, which is celebrating its thirtieth anniversary. The SiriusXM channel also includes music by artists who have influenced GUNS N' ROSES, live tracks and rarities.

Former GUNS drummer Steven Adler told the "Trunk Nation" show earlier this year that Fernando Lebeis, who is part of GN'R's management team, had "some good ideas" for the thirtieth-anniversary celebration of "Appetite For Destruction".

Adler appeared with GUNS onstage last November in Buenos Aires, Argentina, as well as on three separate occasions during the U.S. leg of the "Not In This Lifetime" tour last summer.

It was rumored in September that former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Izzy Stradlin turned down a five-figure fee to play with the band at their April 2016 reunion shows.

Stradlin tweeted about the dispute, writing that the group didn't want to "split the loot equally."

GUNS N' ROSES' "Not In This Lifetime" tour features three members of the classic GUNS N' ROSES lineup — guitarist Slash, bassist Duff McKagan and singer Axl Rose — backed by drummer Frank Ferrer, guitarist Richard Fortus, and keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Melissa Reese.

CANNIBAL CORPSE frontman George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher joined AMON on stage last night (Friday, July 21) at the Brass Mug in Tampa, Florida to peform a couple of DEICIDE classics. Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

AMON is the resurrected Florida-based death metal band featuring former DEICIDE members Eric Hoffmann (guitar) and Brian Hoffman (guitar) alongside Jesse "Jecheal" Jolly (PROMETHEAN HORDE, DIABOLIC, SUCCESS WILL WRITE APOCALYPSE ACROSS THE SKY, AFTER DEATH) on vocals/bass and Mike Petrak (LEPROSY, SUCCESS WILL WRITE APOCALYPSE ACROSS THE SKY) on drums.

AMON's latest album, "Liar In Wait", was released in 2012. The disc was recorded and mixed at RedRoom Recorders in Tampa with producer Mark Prator.

In an interview with U.K.'s Terrorizer magazine, Eric stated about the decision to bring AMON back from the dead, "We were actually going to use the [DEICIDE] name [for the new band], but [DEICIDE members Glen Benton and Steve Asheim] got on the bandwagon faster than us. "They basically took the name, and Glen writes all the lyrics, so the kids are familiar with that, but in the beginning we hired Glen, and we wrote most of the music. So we had to go out and find a singer, which was pretty difficult at the time."

When asked about the musical direction of AMON, Eric said, "[The music's] a little bit more technical than the DEICIDE stuff. It's not too intricate, so it's still catchy at the same time. You'll still have a couple of classic DEICIDE beginnings, and then it'll go into some killer technical, in-your-face shit."

AMON recorded two demos — 1987's "Feasting The Beast" and 1989's "Sacrifical" — before signing with Roadrunner Records and changing its name to DEICIDE. After producing two extremely successful albums as DEICIDE, the band chose to make the AMON demos available on CD in 1993 under the title "Amon: Feasting The Beast".

The Hoffman brothers parted ways with DEICIDE in 2004 after becoming embroiled in a bitter dispute with DEICIDE bassist/vocalist Glen Benton over royalties and publishing issues.

LINKIN PARK has canceled its previously announced US. headlining tour, Live Nation has announced. The trek was called off just a day after the passing of the band's singer, Chester Bennington, who died by hanging.

"We are incredibly saddened to hear about the passing of Chester Bennington," the tour promoter said in a statement, adding that "refunds are available at point of purchase. Our thoughts go out to all those affected."

The "One More Light" tour was set to kick off in Mansfield, Massachusetts on July 27.

Bennington played his last concert with LINKIN PARK just two weeks before his death — on July 6 — at the Barclaycard Arena in Birmingham, England.

"The Son Of Misery", the new video from Australian extreme metallers THY ART IS MURDER, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Dear Desolation", which will be released on August 18 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment.

"Dear Desolation" was produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Will Putney at Graphic Nature Audio in Belleville, New Jersey. Artwork was created by Eliran Kantor (HATEBREED, TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH, SODOM).

"Dear Desolation" marks THY ART IS MURDER's first full-length release since vocalist C.J. McMahon rejoined the band this past January.

McMahon blamed his drug addiction for his departure from the group and has vowed to move forward as "a new man."

Asked what has changed for him since he rejoined THY ART IS MURDER, McMahon told Decibel magazine: "Basically, I'm trying to support myself and my wife as best as I can. I work with my father-in-law as a stone mason… I have my clothing line, and the band's making a little bit of money as well. Financially, I'm working my ass off and I'm literally busting my ass and hustling as much as I can to be able to have somewhat of a normal life. Sydney is extremely expensive to live in and, unfortunately, it wasn't my choice to live here. [I was] born and raised here, I fucking hate it. My family and my life is here. Also, not really big on drugs anymore. I was smoking copious amounts of marijuana every day and I was using a lot of cocaine most days. There was a couple of close calls in the U.S. on tour when I thought I was going to die and I possibly did a couple times. Now I've cleaned my life up and I have a different outlook on things. Trying to manage my anger management a bit better and try to be a little bit more calm in life because it negatively impacts my family and my band."

McMahon also spoke about what fans can expect from "Dear Desolation". He said: "I think you can expect it to be slightly different to a lot of our releases. It's a record that I feel is like a breakthrough record for us where we've really found our sound. It's something that we feel will be able to push us further in our musical careers in the future rather than just having to stem out of being in this genre of deathcore. I really don't care what people pigeonhole us as, but, for some reason, the name 'deathcore' kind of leaves a sour taste in my mouth after saying it. We're showing our strengths and variety. We can kind of move into a more modern metal phase of our lives now where we're not going to be — not that we ever were — this generic deathcore-sounding band. This record will be more appealing to people that are into more of a modern metal, modern death metal sort of element and style of music. I think we've broken down the actual content of the music and instead of having ten or twelve riffs in a song, having the listener try to pick up on a few different riffs, we've broken the structures down so there's less riffs but the riffs are better. The structures are not as complex as older material. It's like taking out all the great things we've always liked about our band and trying to figure out what works for us in the best way and not having to add filler to everything else to make it more technical or more crazy or more interesting. We've kind of broken down the way that our band writes and try to write the best of the best, rather than just writing the craziest, the heaviest, the craziest breakdown, the techiest riff. Instead of doing those things, we just try to take out what works and what we like and incorporate that into having a more modern sound that’s not so deathcore. We're evolving on this record and it'll be interesting to see what the listeners think of it, that's for sure."

DEEP PURPLE stands alongside LED ZEPPELIN and BLACK SABBATH as part of the Holy Trinity of British hard rock. The list of the band's classic songs is legion, and the influence it's had on successive generations of musicians is both enduring and remarkable. Rhino will celebrate DEEP PURPLE's history with three definitive collections.

"A Fire In The Sky" will be available as a single CD and a three-CD set on September 8 in North America with an international release following later in the year. A three-LP version will also be available on November 3. Each version includes a selection of songs chosen from the 19 studio albums that DEEP PURPLE recorded between 1968 and 2013.

The single-disc version of "A Fire In The Sky" features 20 songs and focuses mainly on the band's singles. The heavy hitters are here, of course — "Smoke On The Water" and "Highway Star" — but so are gems like "Perfect Strangers", the title track from the band's platinum-certified album from 1984, as well as "Hell To Pay", from 2013's "Now What?!".

The three-disc version of "A Fire In The Sky" dives even deeper into PURPLE's past with 40 songs and includes at least one track from every studio album through "Now What?!". It also provides the ultimate showcase for the group's various incarnations through the years. To date, more than a dozen musicians have appeared on a DEEP PURPLE album.

Among the set's many highlights are: the title track from 2005's "Rapture Of The Deep"; "King Of Dreams" from 1990's "Slaves And Masters"; "Bad Attitude" from 1987's "The House Of Blue Light"; "You Keep On Moving" from 1975's "Come Taste The Band"; and "Hush" from the group's 1968 debut, "Shades Of Deep Purple". This expanded version also features Kevin Shirley's 2010 remix of "Dealer", and the 2012 stereo mix for an early version of "The Bird Has Flown".

"A Fire In The Sky" will also be available as a three-LP set that includes 27 songs. Among the highlights are the single edit version of "Woman From Tokyo", the U.S. single edit for "Burn", and the radio edit of "Bad Attitude".

Earlier this year, DEEP PURPLE released their 20th studio album, "Infinite", and as announced a co-headlining North American tour with ALICE COOPER. It begins on August 12 in Las Vegas.

"A Fire In The Sky" single-disc track listing:

01. Hell To Pay (Radio Edit)02. Rapture Of The Deep03. Sun Goes Down04. Any Fule Kno That05. Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming (Edit)06. Bad Attitude (Radio Edit)07. Knocking At Your Back Door (Single Edit)08. Perfect Strangers (Single Edit)09. You Keep On Moving (Single Edit)10. Soldier Of Fortune11. Burn (U.S. Single Edit)12. Woman From Tokyo (Single Edit)13. Highway Star (U.S. Single Edit)14. Smoke On The Water (U.S. Single Edit)15. Fireball16. Strange Kind Of Woman17. Child In Time (Part 1)18. Speed King (U.S. Album Edit)19. Black Night20. Hush

"A Fire In The Sky" three-disc track listing:

Disc One:

01. Hell To Pay02. Vincent Price03. Wrong Man04. Rapture Of The Deep05. Sun Goes Down06. Any Fule Kno That07. Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming08. Vavoom: Ted The Mechanic09. The Battle Rages On10. King Of Dreams11. Call Of The Wild12. Bad Attitude13. Knocking At Your Back Door16. Perfect Strangers

Disc Two:

01. You Keep On Moving02. Dealer (2010 Kevin Shirley Remix)03. Stormbringer04. Soldier Of Fortune05. Mistreated06. Might Just Take Your Life07. Burn08. Rat Bat Blue09. Woman From Tokyo10. Space Truckin'11. Smoke On The Water12. When A Blind Man Cries

Disc Three:

01. Highway Star02. Demon's Eye03. Fireball04. Strange Kind Of Woman05. Child In Time06. Speed King (U.S. Album Edit)07. Black Night08. Hallelujah09. Emmaretta (2012 Stereo Mix)10. The Bird Has Flown (Early Version – 2012 Stereo Mix)11. Wring That Neck (a.k.a. Hard Road)12. Kentucky Woman13. Mandrake Root14. Hush

"A Fire In The Sky" three-LP track listing:

Side One:

01. Hell To Pay (Radio Edit)02. Vincent Price03. Rapture Of The Deep04. Sun Goes Down05. Any Fule Kno That

Side Two:

01. Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming02. The Battle Rages On03. Bad Attitude (Radio Edit)04. Perfect Strangers

Side Three:

01. You Keep On Moving (Single Edit)02. Soldier Of Fortune03. Stormbringer04. Burn (U.S. Single Edit)05. Might Just Take Your Life06. Woman From Tokyo (Single Edit)

Side Four:

01. Highway Star02. Smoke On The Water03. Demon's Eye04. Fireball

Side Five:

01. Strange Kind Of Woman02. Speed King (U.S. Album Edit)03. Child In Time04. Black Night

Side Six:

01. Kentucky Woman02. Wring That Neck (a.k.a. Hard Road)03. Mandrake Root04. Hush

The Los Angeles County coroner has confirmed that Chester Bennington died by hanging.

The LINKIN PARK frontman's body was discovered Thursday morning by an employee at the musician's Palos Verdes Estates home.

The 41-year-old's body was hanging from a belt on a bedroom door inside the house in the 2800 block of Via Victoria, Ed Winter, spokesman for the L.A. County medical examiner-coroner, said on Friday. A half-empty bottle of alcohol was found in the room, though it was not near his body, Winter said.

A suicide note was not found, Winter said.

An autopsy has not yet been scheduled.

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 was set to kick off its "One More Light" tour in late July, but the surviving members of the group have not yet announced whether they will pull the plug on the trek in the wake of the tragedy.