Lesser Gods has announced the official release of "My Riot: Agnostic Front, Grit, Guts & Glory" — a memoir written by AGNOSTIC FRONT vocalist Roger Miret with Jon Wiederhorn (also known for his book titled "Louder Than Hell: The Definitive Oral History Of Metal"). Due on August 29, the book chronicles Miret's life surrounding his career as the vocalist of AGNOSTIC FRONT, a leader in the New York hardcore scene, and the significant events in his upbringing that led him to where he is now. Though he has a colorful musical history replete with trouble and mischief, the biography focuses on Miret's trials and tribulations growing up in 1980s New York City. Born in Cuba, Miret fled with his family to the U.S. to escape the Castro regime. Through vivid language and graphic details, he recounts growing up in a strange new land with a tyrannical stepfather and the roles that poverty and violence played in shaping the grit that became critical to his survival. In his teen years, he finds himself squatting in abandoned buildings with unforgettably eccentric runaways and victims of similar childhood trauma. With like-minded misfits, he helps pioneer a new musical genre but with money scarce and commercial success impossible, he turns to running drugs to support his family and winds up in prison. It's the ultimate test of his toughness and perseverance that eventually sets him on a path towards redemption. In a 2015 interview with Invisible Oranges, Miret stated about AGNOSTIC FRONT's three-and-a-half-decade-long career: "I think the secret to our longevity is that we're true, we're real, we're passionate about what we do. And people want to relate to that. Nobody wants to be a part of something that's not genuine. I think that's why people gravitate to us and is the secret to our longevity and success. We're genuine people, the band's genuine, we have genuine stuff to say. At some points it can be controversial, but you know what? Some people don't want to be confronted because the truth hurts. And that confrontation is sometimes important because you get people talking. And if I sometimes have something to say, and I back up everything I have to say for sure, most of it is true-life experiences. I like a good challenge. I like people to ask me stuff and I like to be challenged. And I'm not ignorant. I'll take whatever the challenge is and get the best out of it and I'll learn something from it. I'm not a hundred percent right, I'm not all your answers, but I'm willing to accept when I'm wrong and learn something from it. That's what hardcore is all about."

StudioAMB conducted an interview with ALTER BRIDGE guitarist Mark Tremonti at this year's Sweden Rock Festival, which was held June 7-10 in Sölvesborg, Sweden. You can watch the full chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On ALTER BRIDGE's continued success:

Mark: "We've been at it for a long time. We've been touring for, I don't know, 15 years or something with ALTER BRIDGE and over 20 years total with both [Tremonti's previous band] CREED and ALTER BRIDGE. So it's [about] just working hard, trying to make each record better than the last and putting out the best live music you can and putting in a lot of time on the road so people become familiar with what you do."

On the regular challenges he faces while being in ALTER BRIDGE:

Mark: "The hardest challenges are being away from family on any given day. That's the worst, but I have them fly out here, I fly home, so I try not to go two weeks without seeing them. That's the toughest thing. This is my job, this is my passion and having kids is more important than any of that stuff. Me and my kids' time is crucial. I get them out here as much as I can."

On whether he's had to deal with any conflicts while in ALTER BRIDGE:

Mark: "Yeah, we've had many conflicts. We've had many managers, business managers, record labels, we've probably dealt with ten different record labels in all. We've had to buy out of contracts that financially put us in a financial grave for years, so we've dealt with just about everything. We've dealt with death threats, we've dealt with bandmember changes… drug addictions and all kinds of stuff."

On his advice to younger bands when dealing with conflict:

Mark: "Just make sure you are dealing with people that you agree with their morals and the type of person they are because if even they are the best musician, there are other great musicians out there. The core personalities have to really mesh and if you have one bad seed in there, it can ruin the band. You don't want it to happen three years later when you have some success. You want to nip it in the butt right off the bat."

On how young bands should deal with the changes within the music industry:

Mark: "Nowadays, put your music up on YouTube, Facebook, everywhere you can. Every chance you get. I get stuff tweeted at me, 'Check out my band's cover of this song.' Tweet it at everybody, use social networking to its fullest. It's a much different world than when we came out. In my early days, I would say try to get your song on the radio. It's next to impossible nowadays unless you have a record label. Try to get a record deal first. Sometimes record deals don't work out, so just write great songs. If the song is good enough, it's going to make its way through somehow, I would think. If it's a great song, you can knock down all kinds of walls in your way."

On whether maintaining a consistent band image is important:

Mark: "I never thought of the image thing. It was always about the music. I think pop stars have to be more worried [about that]. But don't do anything you're going to be embarrassed about four years from now. You're going to look back on old stuff and sometimes you'll have skeletons in your closet. There's a picture I did years' back where the photographer asked us all to take our shirts off. [Laughs] It's an embarrassing, horrible picture that I wish was never around, but we were young and impressionable and we did it, so don't do things like that."

ALTER BRIDGE will release of a new live album and rarities collection, "Live At The O2 Arena + Rarities", on September 8 via Napalm.

Finland's Kaaos TV recently conducted an interview with legendary shock rocker Alice Cooper. You can listen to the full interview below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On his current tour:

Alice: "It's been going great. This band is the best band I've ever worked with, my touring band, so every night is fun. It's just fun to do it, every single night. We do 28 songs in the show from all the different albums. We're starting to do some songs from the new album, from 'Paranormal'. So every night we have to rehearse different songs because we're changing the show up and down all the time."

On his take on the long-running debate whether classic rock and metal bands should only focus on their "hits" and not focus on playing new material live:

Alice: "I think you have to do the hits for the audience. I think the audience wants to hear 'School's Out' and 'Poison' and 'Man Behind The Mask', all those songs. We try to do a couple of songs that they're not expecting at all. You try to do songs like 'Feed My Frankenstein' where you have a lot of theatrics and we do the whole thing with the guillotine and straightjacket and the nurse and snake and the whole thing. There's certain songs we have to do in order to get all of those songs in. At the same time, the audience never complains; they love the way the show goes."

On whether he still gets excited about writing new music:

Alice: "I think that's what it is that I've always been in the business, to create new music and to do shows for audiences. Just because we don't get the kind of sales that we used to get in the '70s — well, nobody gets those sales anymore except for Beyoncé [Knowles] and Justin Bieber. It's just a different era. I make albums now for my fans. There's millions of Alice Cooper fans around the world, so I make albums for them. I don't expect to sell five million albums. I expect to sell to the audience that loves Alice Cooper music. I think that the real fans don't want to just live on the old music, I think they want to hear new music. I think that's why I make albums and I think it's why [Paul] McCartney makes albums and THE ROLLING STONES. We're now in the habit of writing music and making sure the audience hears it."

On bringing members of his original '70s band back to play on some songs for "Paranormal":

Alice: We've always been friends. We were never enemies. Neal [Smith, drums], Dennis [Dunaway, bass], Mike [Bruce, guitars] and I were always friends together. They called me up, they knew I was doing a new album. They said they got songs, I said 'Okay, great!' I said 'Let's hear them.' We listened to three of the songs and we thought the three songs we were listening to were really good. So I brought the band in, the original band in, and they were great. They really did a great job."

On how he selects guest musicians for his albums:

Alice: "You have your core people working: [producer] Bob Ezrin, myself and [collaborator] Tommy Denander and [guitarist] Tommy Henriksen. We would sit and write songs and all of the sudden we would play back the demo and I'd say 'Wow, do you know who needs to be on this? Billy Gibbons [ZZ TOP] needs to play lead on this because it's a perfect Billy Gibbons song.' So we'd call him up and say, 'What are you doing?' He says 'Send the track over.' And I sent it over and he plays on it. It's a perfect combination. With [U2 drummer] Larry Mullen, Bob Ezrin said 'Let's get a different sound for the bottom of this album. Let's not just go to what we normally do. Let's think outside the box. Let's get a different sound for it.' When you use a drummer that's a very artistic drummer like Larry Mullen, he's going to bring something to the table that's a lot different than what you're normally going to get. That's what we got. We got a really cool sound out of him. He does it very differently than anybody else."

On whether "Paranormal" will be his final album:

Alice: "Oh, no. I'm already writing songs for the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES album. After that, it will be another ALICE COOPER album. I don't ever consider retiring. Retirement doesn't seem to fit in… If I was getting onstage and I was tired and if I was kind of phoning it in and my band was kind of lazy, it would be different. But I've never had a band or a show as high-energy as this show. It actually keeps me very much in shape and keeps me feeling young, doing 130 shows a year. I would never even think of retiring. Physically, if something happens where I can't play anymore or if something happens where I lose my edge, then I would think about it. Then I wouldn't be giving the audience everything I've got. Right now, I'm at the top of my game right now."

"Paranormal" will be released on July 28 via earMUSIC.

German heavy metal trio, Rage, are streaming the re-recorded version of their track “Adoration”, featured on Avenger Revisited, a bonus CD included with the band’s upcoming 23rd studio album, Seasons Of The Black, out on July 28th via Nuclear Blast. The song is available for streaming below.

Seasons Of The Black is available for pre-order. You can purchase it in the following formats:

- 2CD-Digibook
- CD
- 2LP (black) in gatefold

NB Mailorder Exclusive:
- 2LP (NB anniversary green) in gatefold
- Digibook + belt bag

Get your copy here, or get the digital version of the new album here.

Tracklisting:

“Season Of The Black”
“Serpents In Disguise”
“Blackened Karma”
“Time Will Tell”
“Septic Bite”
“Walk Among The Dead”
“All We Know Is Not”
“The Tragedy Of Man - Gaia”
“The Tragedy Of Man - Justify”
“The Tragedy Of Man - Bloodshed In Paradise”
“The Tragedy Of Man - Farewell”

Avenger Revisited (Bonus CD):
“Adoration”
“Southcross Union”
“Assorted By Satan”
“Faster Than Hell”
“Sword Made Of Steel”
“Down To The Bone”

“Adoration”:

These bonus tracks originate from the time when Rage was still called Avenger.

Peavy comments: "It was really nice to re-record the songs from my first years of being a musician! I remember quite well how the songs were created. I always thought that it's a pity that most of the people don't know these songs, just because they were released with another band name. For me it was always clear that these songs are kind of timeless and when we played them together it was really awesome! Back then, we couldn't realise our ideas as good as today. When you listen to the new recordings you will recognize how fantastic these songs really are!"

Seasons Of The Black was recorded in February / March 2017 at Megafon Studios (Burscheid, Germany) and at Soundchaser Studios (Zandhoven, Belgium). Its production was handled by Rage, whilst the renowned Dan Swanö (Marduk, Opeth, Katatonia) took care of the mix and mastering at Unisound Studios (Grefrath, Germany).

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

Trailer #3:

“Blackened Karma” video:

Studio trailer #1:

Studio trailer #2:

Studio trailer #3:

Rage live dates:

July
2 - Barcelona, Spain - Rock Fest
6 - Ballenstedt, Germany - Rock Harz Open Air
16 - Vizovice, Czech Republic - Masters of Rock
21 - Ternopil, Ukraine - Faine Misto Festival

August
3-5 - Wacken, Germany - Wacken Open Air
10 - Villena, Spain - Leyendas Del Rock
12 - Kortrijk, Belgium - Alcatraz Festival
13 - Königs Wusterhausen, Germany - Zombie Rock Festival

September
2 - Zons, Germany - Zons Rockt (RAGE meets REFUGE)

December
23 - Burglengenfeld, Germany - VAZ, X-Mas Dynamite Night

Rage lineup:

Peter "Peavy" Wagner - lead vocals, bass
Marcos Rodriguez - guitars, vocals
Vassilios "Lucky" Maniatopoulos - drums, vocals

Ye Banished Privateers have released a video for “Annabel”, the opening track of their third studio album, First Night Back In Port, out today via Napalm Records. The new clip is available for streaming below.

Ye Banished Privateers takes you 300 years back in time for an imaginary journey through the harsh life at sea during the early 18th century. With songs inspired by traditional Irish and Scandinavian folk music, acting and elaborate historical clothing the privateers tell a story about the rough sailor's life, lived on the other side of the law - and the fight against oppression and nationalism.

Together, the nearly 30 crew members take turns to go on tour and plunder, and with around a dozen sailors on stage no two shows are ever the same. The mix of rude folk and punk music invites you to dance and sing along, while the gripping ballads will make the toughest pirate heart soft.

 

 Tracklisting:

“Annabel”
“A Night At The Schwarzer Kater”
“First Night Back In Port”
“All The Way To Galway”
“Cooper's Rum”
“Skippy Aye Yo”
“I Dream Of You”
“A Declaration Of Independence”
“For A Fragile Moment's Ease”
“We Are Ye Banished Privateers”
“Bosun's Verses”
“Eastindiamen”
“Devil's Bellows”
“Ringaroo At Cooper's Inn”
“Mermaid's Kiss”

“Annabel” video:

“I Dream Of You” lyric video:

“First Night Back In Port” video:

Studio Diary Part 1:

Studio Diary Part 2:

Studio Diary Part 3:

Track-by-track Part 1:

Track-by-track Part 2:

Track-by-track Part 3:

California metal outfit, Night Demon, are set to unveil a special treat for their European fans: a limited 7" vinyl single for the song "Black Widow”, taken from the band's new record, Darkness Remains.

Jarvis Leatherby says: "We are pleased to announce the release of the first vinyl single from our latest release Darkness Remains! Our cover of Black Sabbath's “Turn Up The Night” serves as the B-side, and really goes hand in hand with the content of the A-side. Take a journey into the night with the illustrious kiss of death. Beware the wrath of the Black Widow!"  

"Black Widow" will be released through SPV/Steamhammer on July 14th as a 7" vinyl single (limited to 1,000 pieces), download and stream.

Tracklisting:

Side 1:
“Black Widow”

Side 2:
“Turn Up The Night” (Black Sabbath cover)

You can get the limited vinyl single at the live shows listed below or via the following links:

- EMP
- Nuclear Blast Germany
- Napalm Records
- HR Records

Tour dates:

July
22 - Crispendorf, Germany - Chaos Descends Festival
25 - Gothenburg, Sweden - The Abyss
27 - Brande/Hörnerkirchen, Germany - Headbanger's Open Air
28 - Kiel, Germany - Alter Meierei (with Nervosa)
29 - Kassel, Germany - Fiasko
30 - Frankfurt, Germany - AU Squat

August
1 - Weimar, Germany - Gerber 3
3 - Cologne, Germany - Underground (with Crowbar)
4 - Hohenstaufen, Germany - Downhill Festival
5 - Rheine, Germany - Hypothalamus (with Flotsam And Jetsam)
8 - Krefeld, Germany - Kulturrampe
9 - Oldenburg, Germany - MTS Records
10 - Schlotheim, Germany - PartySan Open Air
11 - Weiher, Germany - Live Music Hall
13 - Paris, France - Le Klub
14 - Gent, Belgium - Casa Papa Giovanni
15 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage (Club)
16 - Dinkelsbühl, Germany - Summer Breeze Festival

Steven Wilson has digitally released a new track from his forthcoming album, To The Bone. Something of a departure for Steven Wilson, "Permanating" is a thundering piano driven, sun-soaked pop song that extols the virtues of nostalgia as escapism - a glorious musical blast of summer. "Permanating" is taken from Steven’s expansive, brilliant fifth album, To The Bone, due for release August 18th. Listen to the song below.

To The Bone is a gloriously dynamic modernist pop record as imagined by the UK's biggest underground artist. Pre-orders are live at this location.

Fusing driving futurist rock and spectral electronics to elegiac hyper-space ambience and dizzying, squalling guitars, To The Bone is Steven Wilson's hat-tip to the hugely ambitious progressive pop records of his youth (think Peter Gabriel's So, Talk Talk's Colour Of Spring, Tears For Fears' Seeds Of Love).

Lyrically, the album's 11 tracks veer from the paranoid chaos of the post-truth era and the creeping self-loathing of the technology age to steely fly-on-the-wall observations of the everyday lives of religious fundamentalists with a welcome shot or two of wide-eyed escapism. Sonically and melodically stunning, To The Bone is a high definition snapshot of the disconcerting times we live in.

The follow up to 2015’s Hand. Cannot. Erase., To The Bone is Steven Wilson’s first album since signing with Caroline International (Iggy Pop, Underworld, Thurston Moore, Glass Animals).

Formerly the founder and mainstay of outsider rock band Porcupine Tree, Steven released his first record under his own name, Insurgentes, in 2008. He has been resolutely independent throughout a three-decade career that’s made him the most successful British artist you've never heard of.

Tracklisting:

“To The Bone”
“Nowhere Now”
“Pariah”
“The Same Asylum As Before”
“Refuge”
“Permanating”
“Blank Tapes”
“People Who Eat Darkness”
“Song Of I”
“Detonation”
“Song Of Unborn”

“Permanating”:

“Song Of I” video:

“Pariah” video:

1989 marks the year of birth of New Jersey's spacerock legends Monster Magnet. Three years after their first EP on Glitterhouse, the band released their official debut album, Spine Of God, on Caroline Records, which became a full on genre classic literally in an instant. The original debut album, Tab, was recorded a year earlier than Spine Of God, but only saw the light of day because of the overwhelming success of its actual successor.

The drug hazed heavy sound of both releases helped in cementing Monster Magnet's reputation of being the only legit descendants of the likes of psychedelic and stoner rock Godfathers Hawkwind, Black Sabbath, and their electrifying punk siblings in MC5. Following those groundbreaking records, the band centered around charismatic master mind Dave Wyndorf went on to issue their first major label release, Superjudge, followed by critically acclaimed albums Dopes To Infinity and Powertrip. That's how Monster Magnet transformed themselves into the Olympus of modern power rock and became legends themselves. The rest is history...

Napalm Records now presents the reissues of those legendary musical beginnings of this incredible band that no doubt can be considered the founding fathers of stoner rock. Both classic albums Tab and Spine Of God will be released on September 1st worldwide and can be pre-ordered here. The albums will be available on vinyl and CD.

Monster Magnet will also release a brand new studio album later this year, so stay tuned for more info.

Tab tracklisting:

“Tab”
“25”
“Longhair”
“Lord 13”

Spine Of God tracklisting:

“Pill Shovel”
“Medicine”
“Nod Scene”
“Black Mastermind”
“Zodiac Lung”
“Spine Of God”
“Snake Dance”
“Sin's A Good Man's Brother”
“Ozium”
“Ozium” (Demo Version)

(Photo - Jeremy Saffer)

Available for streaming below is the single track “Misguided Thought”, from the upcoming RPWL concert film, A New Dawn. The track gives a taste for this two-hour concert highlight which is not only in German and English synchronized versions, but also satisfies the highest demands on sound with Dolby Atmos.

The concept albums Wanted (2014) and its predecessor Beyond Man And Time (2012) are widely recognized as career highlights of the German art rock giants RPWL, who celebrate two decades together in 2017 with the release of the long-awaited concert movie, A New Dawn. Documenting the last stop on a tour in support of Wanted that saw the talented core quintet make a triumphant appearance in their hometown of Freising, Bavaria on October 31st, 2015 for an elaborate show comprising not only a rock concert, but also a play and multimedia event, the one-off production involved 50 actors and extras and is presented on this multi-format title.   

The A New Dawn Blu-Ray and DVD formats comprise identical 2-hour long stereo and surround sound mixes of the concert, each with audio tracks in both English as well as German. Both formats also contain extras: a 15 minute 'Making Of' film, the encore “Unchain The Earth” and the official video clip for “Sword And Guns”.

Edmonton shredders Striker have won their third Edmonton Music Award for "Metal Recording of The Year" for their single "Phoenix Lights" off their 2016 album Stand In The Fire, a record packed with incredible riffs and colossal anthems, all laced together with epic harmonies. The album was both self-released via their indie label Record Breaking Records and self-recorded by the band (Dan Clearly (vocals), Tim Brown (lead/rhythm guitars), William Wallace (bass), Adam Brown (drums) plus help from Randy Black (Primal Fear, Bif Naked, Annihilator) who filled in on drums while Adam was away during recording) along with mixing done by genius Frederik Nordstrom (Bring Me The Horizon, In Flames, Opeth).

]

(Photo by: Cara Ashbey)

The band comments:

"Winning an Edmonton music award is the icing on the cake for an already great year for us. Stand In The Fire opened a lot of doors for us and we are proud to be recognized by our hometown 3 years in a row."

Edmonton Music Awards - Metal Recording of The Year 
Nominees:

All Else Fails – “The Forever Lie”
Black Friday – “Suffering In Stereo”
Juliet Ruin – “Rogue Down”
Silence The Machine – “Lost”
Striker – “Phoenix Lights”

In additional news, Striker have been also nominated for a 2017 Western Canadian Music Award for "Metal / Hard Rock Artist of Year".  This year's WCMA will be held in Edmonton, AB on September 14th. Full details can be found here.

Striker will be hitting the road in September and October for tour dates across North America supporting Swedish melodic death metal innovators Dark Tranquillity along with American thrashers Warbringer.

Tour dates:
 
September
6 - Margate, FL - O'Malley's
7 - Winter Park, FL - The Haven
8 - Tampa FL - The Orpheum
9 - Jacksonville, FL - 1904 Music Hall   
10 - Charlotte, NC - The Underground    
11 - Durham, NC - Motorco         
12 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade         
13 - Halethorpe, MD - Fish Head Cantina           
14 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance    
15 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theatre    
16 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium        
17 - Montreal, QC - FouFounes
18 - Toronto, ON - MOD Club   
19 - Westland, MI - Token Lounge          
20 - Joliet, IL - The Forge
21 - Sioux Falls, SD - Icon Lounge          
22 - Minneapolis MN - The Cabooze       
23 - Winnipeg, MB - Park Theatre            
24 - Regina, SK - The Exchange   
25 - Calgary, AB - Dickens           
26 - Edmonton, AB - The Starlite Room  
28 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theater  
29 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon      
30 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre   

October
1 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's    
2 - West Hollywood, CA - Whiskey a Go Go   
3 - San Diego, CA - Brick by Brick
4 - Tempe, AZ - Club Red          
5 - El Paso, TX - Tricky Falls      
6 - San Antonio, TX - Fitzgerald's          
7 - Dallas, TX – Trees

(Top photo by: Dana Zuk)

Loviatar (pronounced low-vye-ah-tar), are the latest addition to the Prosthetic Records family. Hailing from Canada, this four-piece borrows equally from the hazy gloom of My Bloody Valentine and the crushing riffs of Isis. With clearly sung vocals and equal parts somber and soaring, their thunderous elements of doom and post-metal contrast with hypnotic moments of atmospheric introspection to set them apart from others in the genre.

Formed in 2010, Loviatar have independently released a series of singles and EPs, and have been tapped to support such acts as Red Fang, Skeletonwitch and Blood Ceremony. In 2014, they shifted production to their newly built Wolf Lake Studios deep in the forested hills outside the nation's capital and began work on their first full length LP. Self-titled and set for a worldwide release date on July 28th, the album features two monolithic tracks available on all digital platforms, digipack CD and a limited edition gold and black swirl LP.

The album track, “Discordant (Stygian Wyrm Part II)”, is now available for streaming below.

Loviatar tracklisting:

“Nascent (Stygian Wyrm Part I)“
“Discordant (Stygian Wyrm Part II)“
“Ascendant (Stygian Wyrm Part III)“
“Blind Goddess of the Nine Plagues“

“Nascent (Stygian Wyrm Part I)”:

“Discordant (Stygian Wyrm Part II)“:

Teaser:

Lineup:

JD: Vocal, Rhythm Guitar
JP Sadek: Drums, Backing Vocal
Shane Whitbread: Lead Guitar
Mike Bond: Bass

(Photo - Robert Hawara 2017)

Canadian rock/metal legends, Helix, have released a new single. Get “The Devil Is Having A Party Tonight” as a digital download now via CD Baby.

This is the first song written by the present 2017 lineup of Helix. The initial lick for the song was written in the fall of 2016 at guitarist Chris Julke's place in Cambridge, ON, where the band practice. Over the next six months the song would evolve into it's final version.

Bassist/keyboardist Daryl Gary began recording the song at his studio, named The Dawghause Projedt Studio in St. Catherines, ON. From there the song was sent to Aaron Murray at the "A" Room in London, Ontario, who did further recording with guitarist Kaleb Duck, Chris Julke, and frontman Brian Vollmer.

The song is released for Canada's150th birthday while the band plays at those celebrations in St. John's, Newfoundland with old friends Honeymoon Suite. Brent Doerner, former Helix guitarist, and who, over the past several years has filmed videos for the band, is putting together a quick video to coincide with the audio release on Facebook and CD Baby.

Says Brian Vollmer: “Well, no time like the present to release the new Helix song "The Devil Is Having A Party Tonight". I was going to release it on Canada Day (July 1st for those who are not Canadian) but Lynda (Brian’s wife) pointed out to me that the long weekend might not be the best time as everyone will be away from their computers. Anyway, you can now purchase the song as a digital download on CD Baby.

“We're asking fans to support us by picking up the new tune. I'm also working on putting together a vinyl release which should be out in a couple of months. It will have "The Devil Is Having A Party Tonight" on Side A and "The Tequilla Song" on Side B. That song I wrote with Gord Prior and Steve Georgakopoulos, who I co-wrote “The Power Of Rock And Roll” with. The record will be album size even though it's really a single.

“I should also mention here that Brent Doerner (former Helix guitarist and the guy who's been doing our videos for a couple of years now) is putting together a video for the song. He already has over 60 hours into it. It should be ready by next week. At first we wanted to coordinate the release of the song with the video with the listing on CD Baby, but Kaleb suggested to me that it was actually better to have different releases on different days to help keep the profile of the song up. For instance, today we're releasing the digital download for sale and for fans to listen to. Next week will be the video. Some time over the next month we'll be releasing “The Tequilla Song” as well, and then around September the vinyl should hit. I find it all exciting (no shit) even after all these years. I think the Helix catalouge is now around 160 songs.

“The song "The Devil Is Having A Party Tonight" stays in the tradition of past Helix tracks which I describe as "heavy metal pop”. From as early as 1983 we've been writing heavy songs but with sing along choruses. I think our "direction" was determined by those years of playing the Canadian bar circuit, where you had to be a travelling Top 40 jukebox to survive... But Helix always liked and played the heavier stuff like Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, and Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow. So instead of playing "Taking Care Of Business" and "Some Kind Of Wonderful" we were playing stuff like "Dog Eat Dog" and "Cat Scratch Fever”. While it doesn't seem too radical now, back in the late 70's we were about the only band on the circuit playing these kind of tunes.”

(Photo - Victor Azziz / Azziz Studios, London, Ontario)

Indie Recordings recently announced the signing of Fleshkiller. Founded by Ole Børud, Fleshkiller saw the light of day as a result of Extol’s return to hiatus after their last album in 2013. The upcoming debut album entitled Awaken was recorded and mixed between late 2015 and early 2017 at multiple locations around the world. Also written by Ole Børud, the style of music mixes old school death metal aesthetics with rich harmonic prog fusion elements. Compared to his previous efforts in the genre these new compositions spark a new level of intensity. Debut album Awaken will be released in September. First single "Parallel Kingdom" is streaming below:

"We’re so happy to be part of the Indie Recordings family, it really feels like a great match for Fleshkiller! The people at Indie appear to be genuinely into music which makes for a great dialogue and we look forward to future achievements in collaboration with them! Can’t wait to share the upcoming album with all of you!" - Ole Børud, Fleshkiller

“With their jawdropping mix of pure metal brutality and mesmerizing hooks, Fleshkiller make an astonishing entrance to the stage of metal. Their debut record stand short of none, and is a testament to the fantastic musicianship and songwriting capabilities embodied by the band. It`s a great honor to welcome them to the Indie Recordings family!” - Erlend Gjerde, Managing Director at Indie Recordings

Facedown Records will release the album in the US and Canada, while it will be available in the rest of the world via Indie Recordings. 

Fleshkiller line up:
Ole Børud: guitar/vocals (Extol)
Elisha Mullins: guitar/vocals (The Burial, A Hill To Die Upon)
Ole Vistnes: bass (Shining, Tristania)
Andreas Skorpe Sjøen: drums (Umpfel)

One of Prosthetic Records' newest signings, experimental doom band Livid, will release their new album, Beneath This Shroud, The Earth Erodes, on July 14th. The album will be available via all digital platforms, on digipack CD and limited edition transparent purple LP. The artwork was created by Cryptworm (Bell Witch, Cough). The album is available for pre-order here. New song, "The Fire" is streaming below.

Guitarist/vocalist Cole Benson says: "We worked on ‘The Fire’ for over a year. It was the most challenging song to get right, we tried different lyrics, vocal melodies, and guitar lead lines before we got it perfect. I remember hearing the test pressing for first time and freaking out with excitement when ‘The Fire’ came on."

Bassist Chad Padelford adds: "We put a lot of work into that song. Day of, we we're still changing and adding parts. The outro was done on the fly. As we were ringing out the end of the song, we weren't sure how we were going to end it, when Cole just kept playing. It was so spontaneous and genuine. It was perfect."

The album artwork was created by Cryptworm (Bell Witch, Cough).

Beneath This Shroud, The Earth Erodes tracklisting:

“Descend”
“Nothing”
“Sins Of God”
“The Fire”
“Into Nothing”

"The Fire":

“Sins Of God” video:

Livid is:

Cole Benson - Guitar/Vox
Tim Leick - Drums
Chad Padelford - Bass
Swen - Guitar

Belgium-based death metal sickos, Aborted, will release their 7” Bathos EP on July 7th. Today you can check out the title track via the static video below.

Bathos is a fine example of what Aborted have managed to achieve by hard work, staying focussed, excellent musicianship and the unwavering belief in what they are doing by offering two prime tracks of relentlessly raging, barbaric and horror-laden insane brutal death metal.

The 7” version of Bathos can be pre-ordered directly at CM Distro here.

Available in the following vinyl colours:

Black vinyl: limited to 700 copies
Transparent-red vinyl: limited to 100 copies, exclusively available at CM Distro
Clear vinyl: limited to 200 copies

Bathos EP tracklisting:

Side A
“Bathos”

Side B
“Fallacious Crescendo”

“Bathos”:

“Fallacious Crescendo”:

Aborted lineup:

Sven De Caluwe: Gurgloroth
Mendel Bij De Leij: Flesh Upon The Razor Wire
Stefano Francescini: Nocturnal Pulse
Ken Bedene: Hymen Blaster
Ian Jelekis: Immaculate Resection

One of Spain's most legendary death metal bands, Canker, formed in 1990, are finally going to see their third album Earthquake released next September through Xtreem Music.

Originally recorded back in 2005, Earthquake never saw the light of day due to various problems, but it is now when it'll finally be released. Containing ten songs, this album keeps the band's identity intact, that killer death metal with a thrashing edge and a total old school feel always owned by Canker.

Cover artwork for Earthquake was painted by Spanish artist Jose Vives who already did covers for bands like Goat Worship, Itnuveth. and Retrofaith amongst many others.

Release date, tracklisting, and an advanced song will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Nashville, Tennessee-based purveyors of blackened deathly alchemy Enfold Darkness continue their conquest of all realms as they move closer to the July 14th release of their sophomore full-length, Adversary Omnipotent.

Today the group has premiered "The Test Of Wisdom", a venomous hymn to the void alternating its rage between surging black metal fury and complex death metal devastation. Adding to the brilliance of the song is a guest spot from Inferi and A Loathing Requiem shredder Malcolm Pugh who adds an extra layer to the track with a guest guitar solo. 

Tracklisting:

“Awaken, Brak’tal O’Minn”
“Lairs Of The Ascended Masters”
“Liberator Of Mages”
“The Sacred Daemonic”
“Invocation Of Na’ak Ba’ran”
“Banishment”
“Arise, Morning Star, Into The Netherworld”
“The Adversary, Omnipotent”
“Terror Of A Perilous Quest”
“The Test Of Wisdom”
“The Dirge Of The Surrogate Invictus”
“Summoning The Archons”
“Vanish Into Damnation” 

“Terror Of A Perilous Quest”:

“The Adversary, Omnipotent”:

 

The official lyric video for "Wrestle The Devil", a brand new song from German melodic metallers EDGUY, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's "Monuments"2-CD/DVD-package, which will be released on July 14 via Nuclear Blast.

In February 1992, a bunch of German kids set out from the middle of nowhere and founded a band that would conquer the hearts of a whole new generation of fans around the globe. Today, 25 years later, EDGUY's founding members Tobias Sammet and the two guitarists Jens Ludwig and Dirk Sauer, as well as Tobias "Eggi" Exxel (bass) and Felix Bohnke (drums), who joined the band 20 years ago, can look back at their hugely successful career to shows in more than 40 countries, countless tours in Asia, Australia and America, ten studio albums and Top 10 chart entries from all over the world. To celebrate such an exceptional career with their fans, EDGUY will get back on the road. And while the live program will only contain the best material of their entire career, the new release will not be just a "greatest hits" album one would expect to accompany such a tour: "Monuments" will include brand new material, their best tracks of the last 25 years, and old rarities that have never been published before. In addition, the DVD will include an entire show from EDGUY's "Hellfire Club" tour in 2004 as well as the complete collection of the band's video clips. The limited edition will include an extensive coffee-table book containing material from throughout the entire history of EDGUY.

Track listing:

CD1

01. Ravenblack02. Wrestle The Devil03. Open Sesame04. Landmarks05. The Mountaineer06. 9-2-907. Defenders Of The Crown 08. Save Me09. The Piper Never Dies10. Lavatory Love Machine 11. King Of Fools 12. Superheroes 13. Love Tyger 14. Ministry Of Saints 15. Tears Of A Mandrake

CD2

01. Mysteria 02. Vain Glory Opera03. Rock Of Cashel04. Judas At The Opera 05. Holy Water 06. Spooks In The Attic07. Babylon 08. The Eternal Wayfarer 09. Out Of Control 10. Land Of The Miracle 11. Key To My Fate 12. Space Police13. Reborn in The Waste

DVD

01. Mysteria02. Under The Moon03. Navigator04. Wake Up The King05. Land Of The Miracle06. Lavatory Love Machine07. Vain Glory Opera08. Fallen Angels09. The Piper Never Dies10. Babylon11. King Of Fools12. Chalice Of Agony13. Tears Of A Mandrake (feat. André Matos)14. Out Of Control

Video Clips:

15. Love Tyger16. Robin Hood17. Two Out Of Seven18. Ministry Of Saints19. Superheroes20. Lavatory Love Machine21. King Of Fools22. All The Clowns

The official lyric video for the new song "Ravenblack" can be seen below. Sammet states: "Whilst collecting all of this picture material together, we were once again made aware of how proud we are of what we have created.

"There are probably not many musicians who are lucky enough to be able to look back on a 25-year-old band history at the end of their thirties. And especially without any lineup changes in the last 20 years! This is even more incredible considering that we’re not from Birmingham, New York or a German metropolis but from a small town called Fulda, a place where you normally only know about the insights of the music business by hearsay. I mean, as kids we started to play EDGUY shows even before we had visited concerts as fans ourselves! Then we started to play shows outside our home town, then outside Germany and, all of a sudden, we found ourselves touring in Asia, America and Australia on a regular basis, because apparently there were people who liked our music. And they became more and more. For us, this always felt quite normal, the next step was all that mattered. We didn't think about what happened while things were happening. But if you look back now, you will realize how lucky we were!"

He continued: "It's now time to celebrate our anniversary with our fans. We'll celebrate our quarter century with the release of 'Monuments' and live in some selected cities! We'll perform a best-of set list, a journey throughout our past, with a lot of fuss and at full throttle!

"The first quarter century is over and we want to honour these years with our fans! To the next 25 years!"

Fan-filmed video footage of GUNS N' ROSES' June 27 performance at Telia Parken in Copenhagen, Denmark can be seen below.

GUNS N' ROSES recently made Forbes magazine's "Celebrity 100" list of the world's top-earning entertainers for the first time. The band landed at No. 12 with earnings of $84 million in the past twelve months, before taxes and fees for managers.

The "Not In This Lifetime" tour has grossed more than $230 million since launching in April 2016, according to Billboard.

That figure includes a $38 million haul from eight concerts in Australia and New Zealand, but does not account for earnings from seven Asian markets that the band visited during the first quarter of 2017.

One of the stops on the Australian trek, a two-night stand in Sydney, was the fourth biggest of the entire tour, pulling in $9.2 million from a total of 84,277 tickets sold.

The top earner on the tour remains a two-night stop in New York City, where 100,177 fans forked over $11.6 million.

Last summer's North American leg, which featured 25 stadium shows in 21 cities, grossed a whopping $116.8 million with over one million tickets sold.

The "Not In This Lifetime" tour features classic GUNS members Slash on guitar, Duff McKagan on bass and Axl Rose on vocals, backed by drummer Frank Ferrer, guitarist Richard Fortus, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

The band, with this same lineup, will come back to North America for at least another 15 stadium dates this summer, starting on July 27 in St. Louis and ending on September 8 in San Antonio.

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

This summer marks the 30th anniversary of the release of GUNS N' ROSES' classic debut album, "Appetite For Destruction", which arrived on July 21, 1987.

Finnish folk metallers KORPIKLAANI will release their first-ever live Blu-ray/DVD+2CD package titled "Live At Masters Of Rock" on August 25 through Nuclear Blast.

In addition to KORPIKLAANI's performance at the Masters Of Rock festival in Vizovice, Czech Republic, "Live At Masters Of Rock" will include a second full show from 2014 as a bonus feature. The 2016 concert features guest appearances from Tero Hyväluoma (additional fiddler) as well as Toni Perttula (additional accordion player), Sami's identical twin brother. The mixing and mastering of "Live At Masters Of Rock" was handled by frontman Jonne Järvelä.

Jonne comments: "This our first ever DVD release, and we are quite proud of it. It has no backing tracks, no choirs, no samples, all the mistakes are included. It is just us, KORPIKLAANI, pure live rock 'n' roll. I spent a lot of time during the mastering process with Svante Forsbäck, who recently handled the RAMMSTEIN mastering, and we worked very hard to get the right ambience and crowd sound. So when you turn it up loud, it feels like you are right there in the thick of it." As a first taste of "Live At Masters Of Rock", a performance clip of the song "Pilli On Pajusta Tehty" can be seen below. "Live At Masters of Rock" track listing: Blu-ray/DVD

2016:

01. Intro (Tanhuvaara)02. A Man With A Plan03. Journey Man04. Pilli On Pajusta Tehty05. Erämaan Ärjyt06. Lempo07. Sahti08. Ruumiinmultaa09. Vaarinpolkka10. Viima11. Metsämies12. Kultanainen13. Kipumylly14. Ämmänhauta15. Rauta16. Kylästä Keväinen Kehto17. Wooden Pints18. Vodka19. Beer Beer

2014:

01. Intro (Tanhuvaara)02. Tuonelan Tuvilla03. Ruumiinmultaa04. Metsämies05. Kantaiso06. Juodaan Viinaa07. Petoeläimen Kuola08. Sumussa Hämärän Aamun09. Vaarinpolkka10. Kultanainen11. Uniaika12. Louhen Yhdeksäs Poika13. Uni14. Vodka15. Ievan Polkka16. Rauta17. Wooden Pints18. Pellonpekko19. Happy Little Boozer

CD1 (2016)

01. Intro (Tanhuvaara)02. A Man With A Plan03. Journey Man04. Pilli On Pajusta Tehty05. Erämaan Ärjyt06. Lempo07. Sahti08. Ruumiinmultaa09. Vaarinpolkka10. Viima11. Metsämies12. Kultanainen13. Kipumylly14. Ämmänhauta15. Rauta16. Kylästä Keväinen Kehto17. Wooden Pints18. Vodka19. Beer Beer

CD2 (2014)

01. Intro (Tanhuvaara)02. Tuonelan Tuvilla03. Ruumiinmultaa04. Metsämies05. Kantaiso06. Juodaan Viinaa07. Petoeläimen Kuola08. Sumussa Hämärän Aamun09. Vaarinpolkka10. Kultanainen11. Uniaika12. Louhen Yhdeksäs Poika13. Uni14. Vodka15. Ievan Polkka16. Rauta17. Wooden Pints18. Pellonpekko19. Happy Little Boozer

The official lyric video for "The Hermit", a brand new song from CELLAR DARLING, the band featuring former ELUVEITIE members Anna Murphy (vocals, hurdy-gurdy), Merlin Sutter (drums) and Ivo Henzi (guitars, bass), can be seen below. The song is taken from CELLAR DARLING's debut album, "This Is The Sound", which was released on June 30 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was recorded at New Sound Studio with producer Tommy Vetterli (CORONER, ELUVEITIE).

When asked about the biggest challenges facing CELLAR DARLING since the band's conception, Anna told AAA Backstage: "There haven't really been many, as everything kind of fell into place and happened naturally. For us, writing the album was actually quite an easy task because we had so many ideas and so much output. But, of course, there were struggles within the realm of real life. Financially, we obviously weren't having a great time since we lost our main job in ELUVEITIE and thus didn't have any money. Merlin's living at the rehearsal room at the moment and I'm also forced to leave my apartment, so everything is a bit chaotic. We're trying to get our real lives back on track, but creative things are so great and that's more important so I would say we're facing the challenges we have very well."

Murphy went on to say that "some" of these struggles are reflected in the lyrics of CELLAR DARLING's debut album. "Everyone's always subconsciously inspired by what they’re going through, but with CELLAR DARLING, I don't really want to convey what I am currently feeling or currently experiencing," she said. "I want to take those feelings and make stories out of them — completely new stories and abstract poems, so I think it would be pretty hard to tell what is going on in our lives.

"A lot of our songs deal with the end of something, like an apocalypse or a death," she continued. "It kind of represents what is going on with us because something very important ended and something very new started. You can definitely interpret some of that in our lyrics.

"When I write lyrics, it's similar to when I'm writing melodies and songs — it all just comes to me. I don't sit there and have something in mind. It's really interesting because looking at the album and listening to the songs, it's only after we realized what was going on in our lives that we started to interpret out own songs." "This Is The Sound" track listing:

01. Avalanche02. Black Moon03. Challenge04. Hullaballoo05. Six Days06. The Hermit07. Water08. Fire, Wind & Earth09. Rebels10. Under The Oak Tree…11. …High Above These Crowns12. Starcrusher13. Hedonia14. Redemption

Bonus tracks, available exclusively on the digibook:

15. The Cold Song16. Mad World17. The Prophet's Song After their split with ELUVEITIE, Murphy, Henzi and Sutter quickly realised their musical journey was far from over. What quickly developed was a unique and fresh combination of grand and heavy riffs, powerful drumming and a unique voice along with the signature folky, earthy tones of the hurdy gurdy. This, combined with classical elements as well as inherited folk influences, led to the creation of something entirely new, setting CELLAR DARLING on the path of musical innovation.

As previously announced, AVENGED SEVENFOLD is expanding its new album, "The Stage", into an evolving body of work by adding a series of new tracks over the course of the coming months. Today sees the release of the album's latest addition, their rendition of MR. BUNGLE's "Retrovertigo".

"Retrovertigo" follows the recent release of AVENGED SEVENFOLD's first-ever Spanish-language recording, "Malagueña Salerosa", a song whose companion video has already amassed over two million YouTube views. The band recorded both tracks with producer Joe Barresi (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, TOOL).

"We're massive fans of MR. BUNGLE," says AVENGED SEVENFOLD vocalist M. Shadows. "'Retrovertigo' is one of their softer songs and a particular favorite of ours and we thought it'd be a fun twist to make a heavy version. We hope this song encourages the uninitiated to dig a little deeper into the brilliant world of MR. BUNGLE. Mike Patton is one of the greatest vocalists of our generation and it was pretty daunting for me to sing one of his songs, but we had a great time recording this track. More coming."

"The Stage" was released at the end of October with almost no promotion beforehand.

The surprise release of the disc, which was announced the night it went on sale, earned the lowest sales of an AVENGED album in 11 years. It sold 76,000 copies in its first week, 73,000 of which were physical.

M. Shadows recently confirmed to Kaytie of the Razor 94.7 radio station that AVENGED SEVENFOLD will embark on a full North American headlining tour in January and February 2018. The trek, which will be announced after the completion of AVENGED's current stadium run as the support act for METALLICA, was originally "supposed to happen this summer until we got that call from METALLICA, so we decided to put it on hold," the singer explained.

"Whiteworm", a brand new song form former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman, can be streamed below. The track is taken from his upcoming album, "Wall Of Sound", which will be released on August 4 via Prosthetic Records. Produced by Friedman, engineered by Paul Fig (GHOST, RUSH, ALICE IN CHAINS) and mixed by Jens Bogren (KREATOR, OPETH, SEPULTURA), the disc "expands and destroys any conventional notions of instrumental music," according to a press release. Legendary QUEEN producer Mack came on board to handle the mixing on two tracks, "Streetlight" and "For A Friend", which Friedman proclaimed was "an honor for me, for sure."

Friedman said last year about the musical direction of the follow-up to his 2014 album "Inferno": "This time it's even more ambitious than that album was, a bit more dense, and, with any luck, more exciting for those of you who will hear it."

He added: "There will be elevent or twelve songs in total. Sometimes a song you really love doesn't make it to the album because it doesn't fit nicely in the sequencing. Either way, we're pushing sixty minutes, so it won't be a short album."

Marty's new CD was recorded in part at Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in California with engineer Paul Fig (ALICE IN CHAINS, RUSH, DEFTONES) and was previously described by Friedman as "a way more intense version" of its predecessor: "deeper, sadder, happier and more aggressive."

Like "Inferno", Friedman's upcoming album will feature several guests, including prog-thrashers MUTOID MAN, Jørgen Munkeby of the Norwegian avant-garde jazz-metal outfit SHINING and Jinxx of Los Angeles theatrical rockers BLACK VEIL BRIDES.

Regarding how the collaboration with Jinxx came about, Friedman told Guitar World: "I'm a big fan of Jinxx and BLACK VEIL BRIDES. He came to my show in L.A. in 2015. Right after that, I was told that he plays violin. I didn't even know that! Then light bulbs went off. I thought now's the chance to really turn some heads by doing something that's a little bit, well, a lot, unexpected to my fans and his fans."

"Wall Of Sound" track listing:

01. Self Pollution02. Sorrow And Madness (featuring Jinxx of BLACK VEIL BRIDES)03. Streetlight04. Whiteworm05. For A Friend06. Pussy Ghost (featuring Shiv Mehra of DEAFHEAVEN)07. The Blackest Rose08. Something To Fight (featuring Jørgen Munkeby of SHINING)09. The Soldier10. Miracle11. Last Lament

"Hydrograd", the new album from STONE SOUR, can be streamed in its entirety in the YouTube playlist below. The disc will be released on June 30 via Roadrunner Records.

"Hydrograd" was recorded at Sphere Studios in North Hollywood, California with producer Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX and STEEL PANTHER.

The band tracked the album live in the studio, cutting a total of 18 songs from which 15 made the CD.

STONE SOUR singer Corey Taylor told iHeartRadio about "Hydrograd": "It is kind of a departure, but not really. To me, it's more of an evolution. It's taking everything that we've done on the last few albums, and really honing it down and turning that diversity into more cohesion and really finding the strength in the song to be able to express ourselves through all of these different genres that we've always dipped our toes in, whether it's hard rock, or heavy, or metal, or just rock and roll, or straight up punk, or even in one of the cases a bit of California country."

He added: "I don't think it's so much a departure, as it is just becoming more of what STONE SOUR really means."

Taylor went on to call "Hydrograd" "the best stuff that [STONE SOUR] has ever written." He explained: "I think the songwriting is stronger, I think the energy in the recording is better, and I think that comes down to the way we recorded it, which was live in the room. No click, no grid, no beat detective, no Auto-Tune, no fake guitar sounds, everything was real. That really allowed the songs to become very alive and very exciting. I also think that it's some of our strongest performances. Obviously, it's our first album with Christian [Martucci, guitar] and with Johny [Chow, bass], and those guys shine like crazy. And with Roy [Mayorga, drums], this is really his coming-out party. People are really going to start looking at him very differently. [He's] just one of the best drummers on the planet. Josh [Rand, guitar] [can be heard] really experimenting, doing all these crazy things. It's some of the best music that we've ever created as a band, and I hope that people listen to my singing and my writing and just can see where I'm at from a personal standpoint and from a professional standpoint. I feel like it's my best work that I've done in a long time and I don't really care if people don't hear it, say it's heavy or whatnot. It's just really good straight-up rock and roll, and it's amazing."

Regarding the "Hydrograd" title, Taylor told told Detroit radio station WRIF that he was running through an "antiquated" airport in Eastern Europe a few years ago where the gate info was "on those old-school '80s block-letter, number, digital horrible Timex watch kind of readers" and scrolling between different languages. As he ran past, Taylor thought he saw the word "Hydrograd."

Taylor said: "So my brain is trying to do geometry while also at a sprint because I don't wanna miss my plane. I pass one and I look up and I could have swore it said 'Hydrograd.' And I kept running for a second and I was, like, 'Hydrograd? Where the hell is Hydrograd? What?'"

Taylor eventually realized that the word wasn't "Hydrograd," recalling, "It didn’t even start with an 'H.' It wasn’t even close." But he still remembered the word, saying, "It’s a cool name. It was what I saw but didn’t really see."

"Hydrograd" track listing:

01. YSIF02. Taipei Person/Allah Tea03. Knievel Has Landed04. Hydrograd05. Song #306. Fabuless07. The Witness Trees08. Rose Red Violent Blue (This Song Is Dumb & So Am I)09. Thank God It's Over10. St. Marie11. Mercy12. Whiplash Pants13. Friday Knights14. Somebody Stole My Eyes15. When The Fever Broke

"Forever And Back", a brand new song from MR. BIG, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's ninth studio album, "Defying Gravity", which will be released on July 7 via Frontiers Music Srl. The effort will be available at traditional retail and all digital service providers, as will a deluxe edition version with CD and bonus DVD that features music videos and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the new album. The album will also be made available on vinyl in the coming months.

"Defying Gravity" deftly showcases that patented MR. BIG blend of crunch and melody, from the freight-train ride of opening cut "Open Your Eyes" to the harmony-laden wonderment of "Damn I'm in Love Again" to the grateful/wistful nostalgia of "1992" (recalling the days when the band was flying high atop the singles charts with their international No. 1 smash "To Be With You") to the barnburning slide-blues closer, "Be Kind". Overall, "Defying Gravity" is prime evidence that the only thing MR. BIG remains tethered to is their ongoing pursuit of achieving creative excellence. Original members Eric Martin (lead vocals), Paul Gilbert (guitars), Billy Sheehan (bass) and Pat Torpey (drums) reunited with producer Kevin Elson (who was behind the boards for the band's 1989 self-titled debut, 1991's "Lean Into It" and 1993's "Bump Ahead") for an intensive six-day recording session in Los Angeles. While Torpey was unable to perform some of the songs on "Defying Gravity" due to a recent diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, Matt Starr has been filling in for him on a majority of the album. Starr also been touring with the band for the past couple of years, with Torpey able to play a couple of songs at each stop. "It was great to get back in the studio with our original producer, Kevin Elson," says Gilbert. "Kevin recorded all of our original classic albums from the '80s and '90s, and we immediately felt that magic chemistry with him on 'Defying Gravity'. We basically played live in the studio.

"Over the years, we've all had a chance to experiment with every recording technique possible, but it's still always the best just to play together as a band. Most of my guitar solos were tracked live with the band. I've worked hard on my improvisation in the last few years, and it really paid off on this record… both melodically and on the face-melting stuff." MR. BIG is gearing up for the launch its latest worldwide tour, which starts May 31 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Potowatami Casino. "2017 is filling up quickly with tour dates all around the world," proclaims Gilbert. "I can't wait to play the new songs, and, of course, our favorites from the old days, like 'Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy', 'Just Take My Heart', 'Green Tinted Sixties Mind', 'Wild World' and 'To Be With You'." "Defying Gravity" track listing: 01. Open Your Eyes02. Defying Gravity03. Everybody Needs A Little Trouble04. Damn I'm In Love Again05. Mean To Me06. Nothing Bad (About Feeling Good)07. Forever And Back08. She's All Coming Back To Me Now09. 199210. Nothing At All11. Be Kind

Photo credit: William Hames

Swedish death metal supergroup THE LURKING FEAR will release its debut album, "Out Of The Voiceless Grave", on August 11 via Century Media. Recorded at Welfare Sounds in Gothenburg, Sweden, the disc will be available as special-edition digipak CD, gatefold LP on 180-gram vinyl with a poster and as a digital download. The album's LP edition will be available on classic black vinyl as well as on limited colored runs as follows: silver vinyl (200 copies; CM Distro Europe), clear vinyl (200 copies, Sweden) and golden vinyl (300 copies; CM USA).

The first single from "Out Of The Voiceless Grave", a song called "Vortex Spawn", can be streamed below.

THE LURKING FEAR vocalist Tomas Lindberg said: "To us, this track sums up all the raging, interstellar evil that we try to convey with this album. We want the riffs to slither out of your speakers like torrents of tentacles, crowned in festering doom. The vocals pulsating with aeons of filth and death. Spewing out of its cosmic, voiceless grave: the 'Vortex Spawn'. Timeless death."

The cover artwork for "Out Of The Voiceless Grave" was designed by Stefan Thanneur and can be seen below. "Out Of The Voiceless Grave" track listing:

01. Out Of The Voiceless Grave02. Vortex Spawn03. The Starving Gods Of Old04. The Infernal Dread05. With Death Engraved In Their Bones06. Upon Black Winds07. Teeth Of The Dark Plains08. The Cold Jaws Of Death09. Tongued With Foul Flames10. Winged Death11. Tentacles Of Blackened Horror12. Beneath Menacing Sands

Lindberg previously stated about the "Out Of The Voiceless Grave" artwork: "Stefan Thanneur understood the vision I had for 'Out Of The Voiceless Grave' straight away. He has portrayed the exact same nightmare vortex of interstellar death and terror that I envisioned when I wrote the lyrics and came up with the concept. Pure cosmic evil. Even more twisted madness than my imagination could portray. I have been very happy to work with yet another great talent. You can never get enough tentacles." Featuring members/ex-members of illustrious and influential acts like AT THE GATES, THE HAUNTED, SKITSYSTEM, DISFEAR and GOD MACABRE, THE LURKING FEAR is not just another retro all-star project, but a real band of five death metallers who organically got together in order to celebrate the metal breed closest to their roots as well as their hearts. THE LURKING FEAR is:

* Tomas Lindberg (AT THE GATES) - Vocals* Jonas Stålhammar (THE CROWN) - Guitar* Fredrik Wallenberg (SKITSYSTEM) - Guitar* Andreas Axelsson (DISFEAR, TORMENTED, EDGE OF SANITY) – Bass* Adrian Erlandsson (AT THE GATES, THE HAUNTED) – Drums

Citing common inspiration by bands like AUTOPSY, POSSESSED, early DEATH, REPULSION, early MORBID ANGEL, SLAUGHTER, BATHORY, early SLAYER and MASTER/DEATH STRIKE, THE LURKING FEAR previously stated about the band's formation: "We are a death metal band. Not your average new wave of old-school death metal band. We play death metal from the heart with pure emotional impact and a focused artistic vision. This is the music we live and breathe. Always have, always will. "We have all played in various other bands for over 25 years and we just want to spew out the music that we want to hear. When we get together, this is what comes out of naturally, because we share the exact same reference points. We love 'Seven Churches' and 'Mental Funeral' for the exact same reasons. "We want our death metal ugly, twisted and possessed. We miss the urgency, intensity and 'realness' in a lot of the modern death metal. Therefore, it is natural for us to stray away from the streamlined sounds of today, but rather focus on bringing sheer, natural weirdness and horror back to the table…"

Veteran Colorado metallers JAG PANZER will release their new album, "The Deviant Chord", on September 29 via SPV/Steamhammer.

For JAG PANZER, team spirit is more important than anything else. Without team spirit, guitarist Mark Briody would no longer see any reason for continuing the band. "We're like a family, we've all known each other for many years," he says and looks back at the years between 2011 and 2013 when JAG PANZER were on the brink of calling it a day. "Two bandmembers quit and there was little interest in hiring new people and starting over. Introducing new musicians would have been tough, so we decided to disband." But then the American power metal act's strong fan base made itself heard, causing the spark to be rekindled. Briody explains: "We had a lot of interest in our early albums, so my bandmates soon noticed that people were still listening to JAG PANZER, that the audience was still there. We started talking on the phone more and more. Some excellent gig offers arrived so we decided we should get back together."

"The Deviant Chord" is a veritable metal manifesto, consisting of ten awesome songs featuring all those typical JAG PANZER strengths that the band's fans have come to appreciate. Together with band members John Tetley (bass), Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin (vocals), Rikard Stjernquist (drums) and Joey Tafolla (lead guitar), who has returned to the fold, Briody has recorded an album that impresses in every respect and that benefits from the outstanding qualities of all five band members.

"John does our 'quality control,' meaning that he makes sure every song we do is the best it can be. Harry is a musical genius. He's been singing since we were kids, he's very skilled in vocal arrangements and vocal recording techniques. This skill makes him a very big contributor in the songwriting. Rikard is all about drumming. He's been drumming since he was a small child and has never stopped. He grew up living all around the world and he has always been in a band. Joey is the classic lead player in every sense of the world. He has amazing skill on the guitar plus an outstanding stage presence. His playing makes every song better." "The Deviant Chord" will be available as a CD digipak (including poster) and double LP colored version as well as for download and streaming. The cover artwork was created by Serbian artist Dusan Markovic and reflects the album's haunting atmosphere perfectly. Briody gives also some hints: "Fans of both science fiction and real-life scientists should look closely at the new JAG PANZER album as the band has placed a few hidden tributes in the album art!"

There can be no doubt: the spark has rekindled the fire in JAG PANZER and it's burning brightly. Briody says: "The mood in the band is very focused. This album was the first time we did multiple demos for every song. So everyone has been very involved in every step. Each band member got to see a song grow and change with time. That's very exciting for us. And we're all excited to unleash 'The Deviant Chord' unto the world."

"The Deviant Chord" track listing:

01. Born Of The Flame (4:00)02. Far Beyond All Fear (3:49)03. The Deviant Chord (5:37)04. Blacklist (4:19)05. Foggy Dew (3:20)06. Divine Intervention (3:30)07. Long Awaited Kiss (6:16)08. Salacious Behavior (4:07)09. Fire Of Our Spirit (4:37)10. Dare (5:17)

The official video for "Tuska20 - The Anniversary Song", a track celebrating the twentieth anniversary of Finland's Tuska open-air metal festival, can be seen below. The clip, which was edited by Antti Kuivalainen and Ykä Järvinen, includes excerpts from Tuska 2015 and 2016 aftermovies as well as newly shot studio footage.

The 12-inch vinyl version of "Tuska20 - The Anniversary Song" is available for order from Levykauppa Äx. This edition is very limited, so be sure to act fast.

"Tuska20 - The Anniversary Song" features contributions from members of NIGHTWISH, STRATOVARIUS, WINTERSUN, AMORPHIS, HIM, BATTLE BEAST and CHILDREN OF BODOM.

Tuska promoter Jouni Markkanen said: "All proceeds from this project will be collected to the 'Tuska 20 Years' fund that operates under the umbrella of Elmu Säätlö, and will be donated to charity. The object of charity will be determined by an advisory board, which consists of musicians, industry notables and Tuska-related persons throughout the history of the festival."

"Tuska20 - The Anniversary Song" has also been a great experience for the musicians involved, and an exciting one, as CHILDREN OF BODOM drummer Jaska Raatikainen explained: "This project is more secret than North Korea. Even the musicians don't know what's going to happen…"

The seven-minute epic, which was written by Esa Holopainen of AMORPHIS, features guest appearances by the following musicians:

* Akira Takasaki (LOUDNESS)* Gus G. (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIREWIND)* Marco Hietala (NIGHTWISH)* Lauri Porra, Jens Johansson and Timo Kotipelto (STRATOVARIUS)* Roope Latvala and Janne Joutsenniemi (STONE)* Jari Mäenpää and Teemu Mäntysaari (WINTERSUN)* Santeri Kallio (AMORPHIS)* Janne Johannes Puurtinen (a.k.a. Burton; HIM)* Noora Louhimo (BATTLE BEAST)* Archie Cruz (SANTA CRUZ)* Esa Holopainen (AMORPHIS)* Nino Laurenne (THUNDERSTONE, Sonic Pump Studio)* Jaska Raatikainen, Alexi Laiho, Daniel Freyberg, Janne Wirman (CHILDREN OF BODOM)* Gas Lipstick (ex-HIM, HALLATAR)* Tomi Joutsen (AMORPHIS)* Kai Hahto (WINTERSUN, NIGHTWISH)* Marko Annala and Tuomo Saikkonen (MOKOMA)* Pasi Rantanen (THUNDERSTONE)* Antti Hyyrynen (STAM1NA)* Samy Elbanna (LOST SOCIETY)* Ville Sorvali (MOONSORROW)* Netta Skog (ENSIFERUM)

"Tuska20 - The Anniversary Song" can be downloaded as an MP3 or WAV file through www.fundyou.io. Each download costs 5 euros.

HIM, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, MAYHEM, APOCALYPTICA, DIRKSCHNEIDER and SONATA ARCTICA are among the bands who are set to perform at the 20th-anniversary edition of the Tuska festival, which is taking place June 30 - July 2 in Helsinki, Finland.

The 2016 edition of the Tuska festival saw 28,000 fans gathered at Suvilahti, formerly an energy production area, a present-day venue for festivals, flea markets and graffiti, located in Helsinki's Sörnäinen district.

The festival offers a variety of ticket options: from 255 euros for the three-day Tuska Turbo VIP package to 129 euros for a normal three-day ticket and 105 and 75 euros for a two- or one-day ticket, respectively. Tickets can be exchanged for wristbands at the festival site.

For more information, visit Tuska.fi.

"Fairytale", the new video from SAINT ASONIA, the act featuring ex-THREE DAYS GRACE frontman Adam Gontier and STAIND guitarist Mike Mushok, can be seen below. The song is taken from SAINT ASONIA's self-titled debut album, which came out in July 2015.

SAINT ASONIA is continuing work on its sophomore album, tentatively due before the end of the year. Gontier told Meltdown of Detroit, Michigan's WRIF 101.1 FM radio station back in February that the band was "about halfway done, meaning the writing process is pretty much done. Right now, we're just in the stages of demoing what we, as a band, believe are four or five of the best tracks that will be on the record, that we feel are the best tracks, that we are most happy with. And as well, we're looking into producers and whether or not we're actually going to hire a producer to produce this record."

He continued: "Between myself, Mike Mushok and [SAINT ASONIA bassist] Corey Lowery, we've all done some producing in our day, and at this point, a producer isn't one hundred percent necessary. So we're kind of going through the motions of that and trying to decide what the next step is in the way of production and where we're gonna go to record the record. But as for the songwriting, it's pretty much done, and we're having a really good time putting the finishing touches on the music we've got so far."

Asked how important it is for a rock band in 2017 to work with a producer, Gontier said: "I've been really fortunate to work with some really great producers — Howard Benson and Don Gilmore, and a whole bunch of different guys. I think as a young band, it's very important, because as a young band, you're very influential and you definitely need that outside ear to help you move along and help you decide the direction of where you wanna go as a young band. In our case, just because we've done it so many times and we've made quite a few records between all of us, it's one of those things that we feel pretty confident that when we finish a batch of songs, or we finish a record that between the three of us, if we're happy with it, we're almost positive that our fans, definitely our loyal fans as well as maybe some fans that might not have heard of us before are gonna enjoy it as well. Young bands tend to use producers, and I think for a band like us, it's one of those things where we don't necessarily need one, but it's always nice to have an extra set of ears around regardless."

SAINT ASONIA was announced in early 2015, with Mushok and Gontier joined in the band by ex-FINGER ELEVEN drummer Rich Beddoe and Lowery. The group's self-titled debut album contained the Top 10 rock radio hit "Better Place".

"I don't think we had any expectations in the beginning," Gontier told WRIF. "We were more excited than anything just to get this record out that we had made and get on stage and start touring. And we've done that. So that's been incredible. The most we could ask for was just to be able to get out and play the songs live in front of people.

"We all have the back story — me with THREE DAYS GRACE, Mike with STAIND and Corey with STUCK MOJO and DARK NEW DAY and EYE EMPIRE — but we definitely… we don't lean on our pasts to try to help us in the future," he continued ."It's more so a case of we're making another record and we just wanna keep evolving as musicians. I know working with Mike Mushok in the studio has been incredible for me. It's raised the bar tenfold from the band that I used to be in where it was a little bit different, where we'd all get in the studio and things would just be, for lack of a better word, things would be sort of mediocre. And this time around, we go into the studio trying really hard to be the best we can be, and Mike Mushok is legendary. He can write incredible guitar riffs and he can write incredible music, and the same goes with Corey. So the three of us together, we're in a place right now where we're really happy with the music that we're writing. We're taking a step forward."

He added: "I believe this record is a big evolution for us. I honestly believe the next record is going to be… For us, for SAINT ASONIA, I believe it's gonna be the record that will jumpstart — if we haven't already — catapult what we've been trying to do so far."