Formed in 2012, Arizona-based rock 'n' rugged five piece, As Thick As Thieves, have crafted a unique and honest sound with innuendos throughout their lyrics that encourage their listeners to think twice before making decisions. They launched with their debut record The Space Between Seconds in 2013, which was produced by Hiram Hernandez.

With the success of the record it caught the attention of Escape The Fate and The Dead Rabbits, where they toured across the country together in 2014. With significant praise the band continued to push on and opened for national acts: Devil You Know, Mushroomhead, Powerman 5000, Orgy, John5, Wednesday 13 and more.

After spending several years on the road the band unleashed their latest EP Whiskey Bent in 2016 which was also produced by Hiram Hernandez and featured single "Take You Down”.

Today, the band unleash their follow-up single for "Straight To Hell”, which has been featured on 98KUDP Arizona's hard rock station. The band dives in to their latest single, "Straight To Hell" by stating, “This is a song about someone completely losing tour with them self and with reality. The subject of the song alienates herself from family and friends and finds herself involved in even darker and dangerous situations."

Fans can watch the brand new "Straight From Hell" music video below:

On June 16th, Igorrr - the brainchild of French musician and eclectic composer Gautier Serre - will release their new album, Savage Sinusoid, via Metal Blade Records. On this record, electronic manipulations, accordion, saxophone, sitar, harpsichord, mandolin and strings sit comfortably alongside ruthless blastbeats, chunky riffs, death grunts and soaring operatic vocals - and as chaotic as this might sometimes seem, there is no lack of heart behind everything thundering from the speakers.

For a preview of Savage Sinusoid, a video for the new single, "Cheval" (featuring guest vocals by Cattle Decapitation's Travis Ryan), can be watched below.

The album can be pre-ordered here in the following formats:

- Digipak CD
- pale skin clear vinyl (limited to 500 copies)
- cream/white splatter (limited to 200 copies - EU exclusive)
- golden yellow vinyl (limited to 100 copies - Bandcamp exclusive)
- tan-marbled vinyl (limited to 200 copies - US exclusive)

* exclusive bundles with a shirt, plus digital options are also available.

Savage Sinusoid tracklisting:

“Viande”
“ieuD”
“Houmous”
“Opus Brain”
“Probleme d'emotion”
“Spaghetti Forever”
“Cheval”
“Apopathodiaphulatophobie”
“Va te foutre”
“Robert”
“Au Revoir”

"Cheval" video:

“ieuD” video:

Savage Sinusoid “making of” videos:

Part 1:

Part 2:

To realize Savage Sinusoid as a completely sample-free record, Serre reunited with vocalists Laurent Lunoir and Laure Le Prunenec, along with drummer Sylvain Bouvier, and collaborated with more musicians than on any of his previous releases - one of those guests being Cattle Decapitation's Travis Ryan, who lends his vocals on "Cheval", "Apopathodiaphulatophobie" and "Robert".

While Savage Sinusoid draws from a plethora of genres, Serre has no intention of baffling or alienating potential listeners. As he explains: "I just want to make the music I love, without asking myself if it's gonna be too complex or too far from what people like. I want to make the music which has sense to me, with no restrictions, like a big party with metalheads, electronics nerds, classical and baroque-heads and gypsy violinists getting drunk and joining together to bring the best of every genre."

Igorrr tour dates can be found at this location.

Less than two weeks remain until the cosmic synth/psych collective known as Arcadea unleashes their mind-bending album, and in anticipation the band is streaming the new song, “Magnificent Facade”. The track is found on the band’s debut, self-titled record that will be released June 16th via Relapse Records. The record is available now for pre-order at this location.

"A dark planet soon finds its way into a dying solar system. Feeding on the disaffected moons of cold planets, it grows stronger. Driven by an intergalactic being at its core, it works out its dark machinations to challenge the sun, gravity and time itself." - Core Atoms on the celestial story behind “Magnificent Facade”

“Magnificent Facade” is the latest chapter in the band’s epic space opera that foretells stories of space travel and celestial battles 5 billion years in the future where galaxies have collided, leaving catastrophic disorder in its wake as war is waged among gods and planets.

Arcadea was born when drummer-vocalist Brann Dailor (Mastodon) teamed up with upside-down guitarist & keyboardist Core Atoms (Zruda) to create a synth-laden progressive, heavy psych band. Adding guitarist Raheem Amlani (Withered) on synth, the three recorded their visionary, 10 song synth odyssey at Orange Peel Studios in Atlanta, GA.

Tracklisting:

“Army Of Electrons”
“Gas Giant”
“Rings Of Saturn”
“Neptune Moons”
“Infinite End”
“Electromagnetic”
“Motion Of Planets”
“The Pull Of Invisible Strings”
“Through The Eye Of Pisces”
“Worlds Can Go On”
“Magnificent Facade”

“Army Of Electrons” video:

“Infinite End”:

“Gas Giant”:

Unlike their other bands, Arcadea uses only keyboards in a unique blend of crushing, organic drums and psychedelic synthesizers. The music is at once electronic but not electronica, synthetic but not processed, heavy but not metal.

The album envisions a future 5 billion years from now, where the impending collision of galaxies creates a new order of planets. Where cold, distant moons pledge alliance to new suns and expanding gas giants implode into black holes. Ancient drones, forever adrift, record toxic tales of love between dying stars. Where lifeforms in suspended animation, dream among the ice rings of Saturn and cosmic war wages among gods and planets. It is in this universe that Arcadea reign supreme as the last surviving space wizards since the final extinction.

(Photo - Jenny Bishop)

American progressive metal act, The Contortionist, has released a new music video for the track “Reimagined”. Directed by Erez Bader, it is the first music video from the band from their forthcoming LP, Clairvoyant, due out later this year. The video is available for streaming below.

“Clairvoyant is the product of not only months of writing and recording dozens of song ideas over the last year, but also a definitive creative artifact outlining the artistic confluence of the six members of The Contortionist for our past and future endeavors,” says keyboardist Eric Guenther.

“Collectively, we're feeling proud, apprehensive, but ultimately excited to finally have this record speak for us as a meticulously sculpted voyage into our musical psyche. On album and stage, between the art's presentation, zealous and even forceful sonic immersion, and interpretable lyrical and visual metaphor, we are attempting to bring the listener deeper into the world and musical language of The Contortionist. “Reimagined” struck everyone simply as the most truthful and sincere place to start in this new universe.”

"Reimagined" is available on all streaming services today and is available as an iTunes Instant Gratification track, meaning, fans who pre order the LP via iTunes receive "Reimagined" as an instant download. The cover art and tracklisting can also be found below.

The Contortionist will release Clairvoyant on September 15th via Entertainment One Music / Good Fight Music. The new LP is the follow-up to Language, the genre defying LP that continues to garner critical acclaim. Clairvoyant, which reunited the band with producer Jamie King (Between The Buried And Me, Through The Eyes Of The Dead), takes the best elements of The Contortionist’s past and reshapes them as the band follows their individual creative muses toward the future.

Pre-order the new album at the following links: Digital, Official Band Store, Good Fight Store.

Tracklisting:

“Monochrome (Passive)”
“Godspeed”
“Reimagined”
“Clairvoyant”
“The Center”
“Absolve”
“Relapse”
“Return To Earth”
“Monochrome (Pensive)”

“Reimagined” video:

The band just wrapped up a European tour with Periphery and are currently playing some intimate UK headline shows before their first ever Download Festival performance on Friday, June 9th. This fall the band will support Between The Buried And Me on the Colors Ten Year Anniversary Tour. Click here for all tour dates.

Infectus 13 have released the second in a series of tributes to some of their favourite bands that influenced and inspired them throughout their own careers.

This time it’s Black Sabbath's “After All (The Dead)”, off of the 1992 album, Dehumanizer. Although everyone in the band were originally hesitant to record any songs featuring Dio, out of respect for his unique style and talent, they decided that he has been such a huge influence on everyone involved, that it would be criminal not to pay tribute to the greatest singer and lyricist of all time. The band, again, tried to stay very respectful of the original recording.

The song was mixed by Jörgen Kristensen of Dead Awaken, at Wide Awake Studio in Sweden. This song sees the return of John Gallagher of Raven on bass.

Since these songs will no longer become bonus material for the album, they will not be available for sale. They are simply the band, playing some songs from some of their favourite artists, and putting them on YouTube for people's enjoyment.

The tribute/cover songs were originally meant to be used for bonus material for their debut album, Last Rites, but due to numerous delays because of health issues suffered by Sid Falck, the most recent a back fusion surgery, the band decided to go ahead and release them to their YouTube channel one by one, while Sid recovers and the band can return to the studio to finish recording the last few songs.

All the drum tracks for these tracks were recorded during downtime between 2013 - 2016.

For those living in Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland, Faroe Islands, where the new video has been blocked, an alternative version of the video
with just a static cover picture can be found here.

The band previously released their take on Mötorhead’s “The Hammer” (streaming below). This song also features a guest appearance by Raven’s John Gallagher of Raven on bass.

For more on Infectus 13 go to this location.

Queen continue to release new lyric videos for their classic songs, this time for “We Are The Champions”, featured on the band’s 1977 album, News Of The World. Watch the new clip below:

Queen previously released official karaoke style lyric videos for their songs “Somebody To Love”, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “Radio Ga Ga”, “The Show Must Go On”, “I Want It All”, “Don’t Stop Me Now”, “Another One Bites The Dust”, and “We Will Rock You”, all available for streaming below:

Queen + Adam Lambert Tour Dates 2017:

June
23 - Phoenix, AZ - Gila River Arena
24 - Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena
26 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
29 - San Jose, CA - SAP Center

July
1 - Seattle, WA - Key Arena
2 - Vancouver, BC - Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
4 - Edmonton, AB - Rogers Place
6 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center Arena
8 - Omaha, NE - CenturyLink Arena
9 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
13 - Chicago, IL - United Center
14 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
17 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
18 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
20 - Detroit, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills
21 - Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
23 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
25 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
26 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
28 - New York, NY - Barclays Center
30 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
31 - Washington D.C. - Verizon Center

August
2 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
4 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
5 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center

November
1 - Prague, Czech Republic - O2 Arena
2 - Munich, Germany - Olympiahalle
4 - Budapest, Hungary - Sportarena
6 - Lodz, Poland - Atlas Arena
8 - Vienna, Austria - Stadhalle
10 - Bologna, Italy - Unipol Arena
12 - Luxembourg, Amneville - Galaxie
13 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Ziggo Dome
17 - Kaunas, Lithuania - Zalgiris Arena
25 - Dublin, Ireland - 3 Arena
26 - Belfast, Ireland - SSE Arena
28 - Liverpool, England - Echo Arena
30 - Birmingham, England - Barclaycard Arena

December
1 - Newcastle, England - Metro Radio Arena
3 - Glasgow, Scotland - The SSE Hydro
5 - Nottingham, England - Motorpoint Arena
6 - Leeds, England - First Direct Arena
8 - Sheffield, England - Motorpoint Arena
9 - Manchester, England - Arena
12 - London, England - 02 Arena
15 - London, England - The SSE Arena, Wembley

SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian joined PROPHETS OF RAGE on stage on Saturday, June 3 at the Rock Im Park festival in Nuremberg, Germany to perform AUDIOSLAVE's "Like A Stone" as a tribute to Chris Cornell.

Professionally filmed video footage of the performance — which was posted on the PROPHETS OF RAGE YouTube channel earlier today — can be seen below.

AUDIOSLAVE featured Cornell alongside RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE members Tim Commerford (bass), Tom Morello (guitar) and Brad Wilk (drums). The latter three are all in PROPHETS OF RAGE, alongside PUBLIC ENEMY's Chuck D and CYPRESS HILL's B-Real.

Tankian and Cornell last saw each other on April 12 when the both attended a red-carpet premiere in Los Angeles for "The Promise", a historical drama about the Armenian genocide. Both men had recorded music for the film. "He was doing great, doing press – fighting the good fight" for the project, Tankian told Rolling Stone. Cornell was "one of those guys," he added, who "tried to make everyone in the room feel comfortable with themselves. He was generous that way, with his emotions and time."

Prior to that, Tankian and Cornell were guests at a star-studded 70th-birthday gala thrown by Elton John in L.A.

"We had this long chat, sitting next to each other," Tankian remembered. He and Cornell talked about touring. "For myself, it's fun but nothing new under the sun," Tankian admitted. Cornell "was just the opposite: 'I'm really excited. I'm doing this tour with SOUNDGARDEN. I've got these other ideas.' He had plans, man."

AUDIOSLAVE came together in 2001 following the then-dissolution of both SOUNDGARDEN and RAGE, releasing three studio albums and a historic concert set recorded in Cuba before Cornell exited in 2007, ending the band.

AUDIOSLAVE performed together for the first time in over a decade on January 20, reuniting at the Teragram Ballroom in Los Angeles as part of the Anti-Inaugural Ball, a star-studded concert protesting the swearing-in of Donald Trump as the nation's 45th president. The band played three of its best-known songs: "Cochise", "Like A Stone" and "Show Me How To Live".

Cornell was found dead in his hotel room after performing a show with SOUNDGARDEN in Detroit on May 17. Officials later confirmed he had hanged himself.

Danish/American rock 'n' rollers VOLBEAT have uploaded short video clip of the band playing a new riff in their rehearsal room. Check it out below.

Asked about the new riff by Nivens of the 98.9 The Rock radio station at this past weekend's (Saturday, June 3) Rockfest at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, VOLBEAT frontman Michael Poulsen said (see video below): "We do have, I believe, around five new songs that we're jamming, working on, and we've got that one riff also. We always, when we go out on tour, bring a little bit new stuff with us, just to tease the audience a little bit, but also just to try it out on stage."

Poulsen told the 99.7 The Blitz radio station at last month's Rock On The Range festival that three of the five already completed tracks for VOLBEAT's upcoming seventh album "are very heavy [and] more uptempo" while the remaining two are "more melodic rock songs."

VOLBEAT's sixth full-length album, "Seal The Deal & Let's Boogie", was released in June 2016 via Republic Records. The discs is their highest charting in the United States.

VOLBEAT is currently supporting METALLICA on its stadium tour but is also performing a select few headlining gigs.

Fan-filmed video footage of SKID ROW's June 2 performance at Harrah's Cherokee Resort Event Center in Cherokee, North Carolina can be seen below.

SKID ROW recently entered the studio to begin recording the final installment of its "United World Rebellion" trilogy of EPs, to be released later in the year. The follow-up to 2014's "Rise Of The Damnation Army - United World Rebellion: Chapter Two" and 2013's "United World Rebellion: Chapter One" will mark the band's first release with the South African-born, British-based vocalist ZP Theart (DRAGONFORCE, TANK, I AM I), who joined SKID ROW in December 2015.

Despite having played sporadic shows with SKID ROW for a year, Theart wasn't officially announced as the band's new frontman until this past January.

Theart said in a statement: "[SKID ROW's] music was the soundtrack to the largest part of my younger years and many a crazy adventure. Now I get the chance to re-live all of them for a hour and a half every night! I am beyond honored to be given this opportunity. Think I'm a bit jealous of my actual self."

Theart's involvement with SKID ROW was exclusively reported by BLABBERMOUTH.NET on December 31, 2015. He stepped into the group following the departure of Tony Harnell, the TNT frontman who joined SKID ROW in April 2015 as the replacement for Johnny Solinger, the band's singer for fifteen years.

SKID ROW guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo told News-Press.com that Theart has been doing a great job on the road. "He's come in," the guitarist said, "and he's a really great source of positive energy. He knew all of our songs coming in, and he knew them well. He started singing the crap out of all of them, and we were all very impressed."

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN played the second show of the 2017 North American leg of "The Book Of Souls" tour last night (Sunday, June 4) at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. If Eternity Should Fail02. Speed Of Light03. Wrathchild04. Children Of The Damned05. Death Or Glory06. The Red And The Black07. The Trooper08. Powerslave09. The Great Unknown10. The Book Of Souls11. Fear Of The Dark12. Iron Maiden

Encore:

13. The Number Of The Beast14. Blood Brothers15. Wasted Years

IRON MAIDEN bassist and main songwriter Steve Harris recently told Express & Star about the band's current trek: "We are really looking forward to returning to North America for a full tour. We had always planned to go back there and to the U.K. as last year, due to the global nature of the tour and the period it took, we just didn't have time to cover them properly and we do still like to get to fans in as many places as possible.

"We will, of course, be bringing the full production with us, including all the Eddies and the Maya-themed stage sets. There's been a great reaction from everyone to this tour's theme, people really seem to love it. We're still deciding on the final set list and we'll work that out once we get into rehearsals.

"Most of our North American fans haven't seen the show yet, so as we want to give them the same 'Book Of Souls' live experience that we took around the world, it's unlikely we'll change much. And, of course, we know our fans appreciate us playing a lot of the older songs too, so we will continue to do that."

MAIDEN's recent European tour consisted of a total of sixteen dates, including three shows in Germany, eight in England, two in Scotland and one each in Ireland and Wales. The U.K. leg marked MAIDEN's first full U.K. arena tour in six years.

"The Book Of Souls" is MAIDEN's first ever double studio album and their most successful chart-wise to date, debuting at the No. 1 spot in over 40 countries around the world and No. 4 in the U.S.A.

Richard Fortus says that the reunited partial classic lineup of GUNS N' ROSES 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.

The "Not In This Lifetime" tour features classic lineup members Slash (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass) and Rose backed by Fortus, Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and new second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

Fan-filmed video footage of MONSTER MAGNET performing a brand new song called "Mindfucker" on May 23 in Leeds, England can be seen below. The track will appear on the band's next studio album, tentatively due before the end of the year or in early 2018 via Napalm Records.

In an interview with Metal Express Radio conducted on May 22 in Newcastle, England, MONSTER MAGNET guitarist Phil Caivano stated about the band's planned follow-up to 2013's "Last Patrol": "It's finished. The mixes are just getting done. I think there's one more song to mix, and it's done."

Regarding the musical direction of MONSTER MAGNET's new album, Phil said: "It's very aggressive, very straight-ahead, very 'Detroit.' Once again, [it's] back to some of our American roots. We did the 'space rock' thing on the last couple of records. Being the huge HAWKWIND fans we are, AMON DÜÜL fans, GROUNDHOGS fans… that whole thing. 'Last Patrol' was very, very influenced by space rock, and there'll always be elements of space rock in MONSTER MAGNET stuff, but we brought it back to what we were influenced by as kids, which would be the Detroit thing: STOOGES, MC5, GRAND FUNK RAILROAD. Very punchy, American… That's really what it is. All I can say is the word 'Detroit' always keeps coming to mind."

Caivano's comments echo those made by MONSTER MAGNET frontman Dave Wyndorf earlier in the year. Speaking to the "Talking Metal" podcast, Wyndorf described the band's new material as "full-on rock [with] shorter songs. Yeah, it's 'fight' music. Still 'psych' in a kind of garage-rock kind of way and sound, and you'll hear echoes and stuff like that, but it's less longform."

He continued: "The last bunch of records, I went on a psychedelic tinge, as is my right to do. But after I do a couple of records that are completely psychedelic, it just overtakes me to just rock — just go out there and pummel it. So it's fast tempo and a lot of Detroit-style… That's the best way I can describe it, 'cause Detroit had this spirit to it, and even a sound — kind of droney strings, but still rocking. It's what I needed to do in order to live continually in 21st Century, which is completely out of its mind. So I needed something… I take the psychedelic stuff and get all cerebral and kind of ruminate on what's going on in the world in my head and in my music. And then, when I get so disgusted with the way the world is, then I strike back with my music, or me, in this way. So it makes sense."

MONSTER MAGNET's next disc will be the final release under the band's current contract with Napalm. "And then I'll see if they wanna continue or somebody else will wanna continue," Wyndorf told Sofia Live last year.

MONSTER MAGNET's last release was "Cobras And Fire (The Mastermind Redux)", which came out in October 2015. The album was dubbed an "alternative listening experience" to the band's 2010 effort "Mastermind". The approach was similar to what MONSTER MAGNET did in 2014 when they took "Last Patrol", pulled the songs apart and rebuilt them as "Milking The Stars: A Re-Imagining Of Last Patrol".

Don Dokken performed an acoustic set at the special "A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" event on Saturday, June 3 at Underground Arts in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

The ultimate Wizard World Horror Fest celebration marked the 30th anniversary of the Chuck Russell-directed "A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors" film and included a live commentary and question-and-answer session with both Russell and the movie's star Heather Langenkamp.

DOKKEN performed the infamous hit single "Dream Warriors" on the film's soundtrack. The song was released as a single in 1987, landing at No. 22 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart, and also appeared on DOKKEN's fourth album, "Back For The Attack".

"Dream Warriors" was recorded by the classic lineup of DOKKEN — Don Dokken, guitarist George Lynch, bassist Jeff Pilson and drummer "Wild" Mick Brown — which completed a short Japanese tour last fall.

A DOKKEN concert DVD focusing on the band's reunion tour is tentatively due before the end of the year or in early 2018. The set will feature footage from two of the Japanese shows — including Tokyo — as well as the band's very first comeback gig, which was held on September 30, 2016 at Badlands Pawn Guns Gold And Rock 'N' Roll in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

GREAT WHITE's video for the song "Big Time" can be sen below. The clip was filmed in Yucaipa, California and was directed by Todd E. Braley.

"Big Time" is taken from GREAT WHITE's new album, "Full Circle", which was released on June 2. The effort sees the band re-teaming with its original producer, Michael Wagener. It's an honorable nod to their first EP, "Out Of The Night" (Aegean Records, 1983) and debut self-titled full-length record (EMI, 1984). Wagener, is, of course, the legendary producer behind ALICE COOPER, MEGADETH, METALLICA, OZZY OSBOURNE and a slew of other rock gods.

"Full Circle" was recorded in January and February 2017 at Wagener's Nashville-based WireWorld Studio. The album's packaging includes a must-have companion DVD called "Making Of Full Circle". Rockslide Entertainment (produced by Todd Sadowski) captured the band developing the songs in the studio — a never-before-seen band access.

Much like 2012's "Elation" (Frontiers) the core songwriting team of Mark Kendall, Michael Lardie and Terry Ilous worked heavily alongside Audie Desbrow and Scott Snyder.

In total, the ten songs on "Full Circle" range from the gut-punching "Give It Up" to the bass-heavy "Cry Of A Nation", the easily embraced, more acoustic "Let Me In" to the dynamic "This Is The Life".

"Full Circle" track listing:

01. I'm Alright02. Movin' On03. This Is The Life04. Let Me In05. Moonshine06. Cry Of A Nation07. Give It Up08. Big Time09. Never Let You Down10. I've Got Your Back

This version of GREAT WHITE is not to be confused with JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE, which features original GREAT WHITE singer Jack Russell alongside Robby Lochner (FIGHT) on guitar, Dan McNay on bass, Tony Montana on guitar and Dicki Fliszar on drums.

GREAT WHITE guitarist Mark Kendall recently told the "Music Mania" podcast about Terry Ilous (also of XYZ): "He's a blues-rock singer. He's like Ian Gillan meets Paul Rodgers meets Glenn Hughes or something, and a little bit of Steve Marriott. So when he was filling in, I kind of fell in love with that right away, 'cause that's kind of the school I come from. So I know his strengths, and that is in the power region of his voice."

He added: "We didn't really want a [Jack Russell] clone. We wanted the Mach II — kind of like the way DEEP PURPLE brought in [David] Coverdale and Glenn Hughes, and they made one of the best albums of their career, apart from that first 'Machine Head' record; I mean, nothing's gonna beat that. But I really felt 'Burn' was a super-strong record and the songs were just amazing. So the more play with Terry, the more we write, it just keeps getting better. And I'm looking forward to doing the next one. I think we could keep beating the last one, you know what I mean?"

Photo credit: Neil Zlozower

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach has recruited Andy Sanesi to play drums in his solo band. Bach says: "Andy Sanesi was recommended to me by my friend Adam Jones from the band TOOL. Andy Sanesi is the drummer who replaced Terry Bozzio in the incredible Los Angeles band MISSING PERSONS. He is a great guy and an extremely talented percussionist!"

Sanesi made his live debut with Bach this past weekend in Council Bluffs, Iowa and Walker, Minnesota.

Bach's drummer for the past twelve years had been Bobby Jarzombek, who had previously played with FATES WARNING, HALFORD and ICED EARTH, among others.

Sebastian recently confirmed that he was preparing to make the follow-up to his 2014 album "Give 'Em Hell".

The singer said in a 2015 interview that he was "really dying to make a record that sounds like the records of the '70s that I always listened to." He told the "Iron City Rocks" podcast: "What I mean [by that] is recording it in a way that… Like, when I listen to 'Women And Children First' by VAN HALEN, the guitar's all the way on the left, and the vocals are in the middle, with the drums who knows where, and it's just very different sounding, recording-wise, than the way albums are made today. So I think the next time I make an album, that's really what I'm gonna be going for."

He continued: "BLACK SABBATH's '13' sounds like a '70s BLACK SABBATH album, as much as it could in 2014. So whatever the fuck they were doing, I just would love to have an album of mine that sounds like that.

"I love 'Give 'Em Hell'… 'Give 'Em Hell' is like 'Star Wars'; it's, like, 'Holy shit!' I mean, it's a very modern-sounding record. And when it really got that sound was when it went to mastering with Tom Baker; he made it sound so fucking 'spacey,' and I totally love it. But my taste, as a fan, a rock fan, the next one I do, I'm gonna be going for, like… If I could have a BLACK SABBATH '13' kind of production, that's what I'll be looking for."

Sebastian Bach's autobiography, "18 And Life On Skid Row", came out last December via Dey Street Books (formerly It Books), an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.




Sometimes it all comes together just right. I would like to personally thank the people of Walker Minnesota for an...

Posted by Sebastian Bach on Monday, June 5, 2017

HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale performed a surprise solo rendition of "I Will Always Love You", the love ballad made famous by Whitney Houston and Dolly Parton, during the band's May 28 concert at HerrinFesta Italiana in Herrin, Illinois. Fan-filmed video footage of Lzzy's version can be seen below.

HALESTORM is collaborating with Nick Raskulinecz on material for the band's fourth album. At least some of the sessions are taking place at the Dark Horse Recording studios just outside Nashville.

Raskulinecz is an acclaimed producer who has previously worked with RUSH, KORN, ALICE IN CHAINS and DEFTONES, in addition to having helmed HALESTORM's third covers EP, "ReAniMate 3.0: The CoVeRs eP", which came out in January.

Lzzy recently told the 97.7 WQLZ radio station that HALESTORM was "about half way" through the production process for the band's next album. She said: "We have a lot of tracks. We've been kind of doing both [recording and working on pre-production]. We've been writing in my personal studio, at my house, and then we've been going into an actual studio with a producer and doing kind of pre-pro as we go along, which we've never really done. 'Cause usually, it's, like, 'Okay, we have all the songs together, and then we'll go in the studio.' And this time we have like half-songs and then we go in the studio and we finish them. We have some keeper song takes and there's maybe some vocal or guitar takes that we won't redo later, but, yeah, it's everything all at once at the same time, so we're multitasking."

"ReAniMate 3.0: The CoVeRs eP" featured an eclectic mix of songs from artists like METALLICA, SOUNDGARDEN, JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS, SOPHIE B. HAWKINS, TWENTY ONE PILOTS and WHITESNAKE.

"Into The Wild Life" was criticized by some fans for veering too far into pop music territory.

A teaser for "Ritual", the new album from IN THIS MOMENT, is available below. Due on Friday, July 21, the band's sixth studio effort will be released by Atlantic Records in partnership with Roadrunner Records and is available for pre-order now.

All pre-orders will be joined by an instant grat download of "Oh Lord", with additional instant-grat downloads becoming available in the weeks leading up to the album's release. Exclusive pre-order bundles, which include custom IN THIS MOMENT branded rosary beads, are available now at the band's webstore. Produced by longtime collaborator — and multiple Grammy Award nominee — Kevin Churko (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, OZZY OSBOURNE), "Ritual" sees IN THIS MOMENT pushing their inimitably dark sound forward with a provocative sense of pervading doom and metallic blues power.

Highlights include a dramatic reimagination of the Phil Collins classic "In The Air Tonight" as well as "Black Wedding", a walk down the aisle of musical madness that sees lead singer Maria Brink sharing the mic with legendary JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford. "It's like we're going into the next realm," says Brink. "I had a conviction of feeling empowered in my life and with myself. I always write from a personal place, and I needed to share that sense of strength. I've never been afraid to hold back. Sometimes I can be very suggestive. However, I wanted to show our fans that this is the most powerful side of myself and it's without overt sexuality. It's that deeper serious fire inside of my heart." "When fans hear this, I want them to feel the music, whether they take away sadness, anger, or happiness," adds lead guitarist Chris Howorth. "As a kid, I remember listening to records and putting them on repeat over and over again. I'd love for the world to listen and absorb this as a piece of work." IN THIS MOMENT will herald "Ritual" on a major North American tour, beginning June 20 at Peoria, Illinois's Limelight and featuring support by such like-minded bands as MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, VIMIC, LITTLE MISS NASTY and STARSET. As if that weren't enough, IN THIS MOMENT is also set for two exciting support dates, joining AVENGED SEVENFOLD on June 19 at Mt. Pleasant, Michigan's Soaring Eagle Casino and PAPA ROACH on June 23 at El Paso, Texas's Streetfest. The upcoming dates follow the just-wrapped "Half God Half Devil Tour", the nearly sold-out trek marking IN THIS MOMENT's first full-scale live assault since serving as special guest on last year's blockbuster "Return Of The Dreads" tour with KORN and ROB ZOMBIE. The band's own hugely successful "Black Widow" headline tour included a wide range of sold-out shows and stage-stealing festival appearances.

"Ritual" track listing:

01. Salvation02. Oh Lord03. Black Wedding (feat. Rob Halford)04. In The Air Tonight05. Joan of Arc06. River of Fire07. Witching Hour08. Twin Flames09. Half God Half Devil10. No Me Importa11. Roots12. Lay Your Gun Down

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES' free concert in Los Angeles was cut short yesterday afternoon (Sunday, June 4) after police pulled the plug on the performance less than half an hour into the set. According to ST drummer Dave Lombardo, the band "got to play four songs before the riot squad and helicopter aka Ghetto birds broke up the event," apparently in response to some of the audience breaking through one of the security gates.

The concert was staged in connection with the unveiling of a mural of SUICIDAL TENDENCIES singer Mike Muir, who was being honored by councilmember José Huizar and Los Angeles-based artist Robert Vargas.

Located on Santa Fe Avenue in the Arts District, the Mike Muir mural is adjacent to the future 6th Street Bridge and park space. Councilmember Huizar worked with the City's Department of Cultural Affairs to work with Robert Vargas, a prolific muralist whose work is displayed throughout the city, to paint a mural of Muir. Vargas is painting the mural freehand, without using stencils, projections or grids.

SUICIDAL TENDENCIES' latest album, "World Gone Mad", was released last September. The follow-up to 2013's "13" disc was the band's first to feature former SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo and guitarist Jeff Pogan, who replaced Nico Santora in May 2016.

Legendary KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons played a special concert dubbed "An Evening With Gene Simmons And His Band" on June 2 at Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as part of a partnership with Wizard World, Inc., the preeminent producer of Wizard World Comic Cons across North America. Fan-filmed video footage of the show can be seen below.

"This is gonna be a first for me," Simmons told CantonRep.com about playing his own shows. "Outside of KISS, I've never done a solo tour. I never did anything like that. Every once in a while, I'll jump up on stage and do a song with somebody. Johnny Depp and I did a few songs together, a few other knuckleheads, but that's about it. When Wizard World and I agreed to do five events together, the idea of jumping up onstage and gulping it on for an hour or so came up. And I got a great bunch of guys, real rocking guys who are gonna get up with me, and we'll play all the hits and have ourselves a good old time."

Simmons also spoke about performing some of the deeper cuts live with his solo band, such as "Charisma" and "Got Love For Sale". He told Michael Cavacini: "When the masses show up at our concerts, they're the diehards who've been with me since day one. If you're five years old, fifteen years old or even twenty years old, you still don't scratch the surface because we've been around for forty-three years. If KISS played what they used to call in the music industry a b-side of an album, some of the more obscure stuff, most of the people wouldn't know it. If you go to [see] THE [ROLLING] STONES and they play something obscure, everybody sits down because they don't know it. They know 'Satisfaction', 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' and a few others. Doing these smaller concert halls, which hold a thousand to three thousand people, means they get filled up by real diehard fans. They don't want to hear the same-old, same-old. They want to hear nuggets, as they say. It's a hoot for me because I've never really had a chance to do this stuff live. It's been a lot of fun. There's nothing like playing 'Charisma' and seeing a few thousand fans mouth every single word. Lot of fun."

Simmons said in a recent interview that he was still working on his box set that will include "a hundred and fifty songs that have never been released. That news is gonna be released soon."

DIRKSCHNEIDER — the band fronted by former ACCEPT singer Udo Dirkschneider — made its live debut with new guitarist Bill Hudson Sunday, June 4 at the Rock Hard Festival in Gelsenkirchen, Germany. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

Hudson was in the middle of a European tour with I AM MORBID — the new band featuring former MORBID ANGEL members David Vincent (vocals, bass) and Tim Yeung (drums) — and was forced to miss a couple of shows with that group in order to make the DIRKSCHNEIDER gig at Rock Hard. Hudson will rejoin his I AM MORBID bandmates on stage on June 5 in Mörlenbach, Germany.

Hudson hooked up with DIRKSCHNEIDER and U.D.O. as the replacement for the recently departed Finnish guitarist Kasperi Heikkinen.

U.D.O. and DIRKSCHNEIDER said in a statement: "Bill fits in, in every way, perfectly with us and builds a fantastic guitar team together with Andrey Smirnov. He is very experienced and has shared the stage with several known bands, most notably CIRCLE II CIRCLE, JON OLIVA'S PAIN and TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA for the last few years. It's not really necessary to talk about his skills; simply check it out on our next tour and you will see what we're talking about!

"After Kasperi left the band, we have received many suggestions and applications from great guitar players from all over the planet. At the same time, we started getting hints from different and unrelated people in the business pointing straight into the same direction, telling us to check out this Brazilian/American guy. Once in Germany, he convinced everybody from the get-go and it was very clear that this guy had all the requirements to become the new band member."

U.D.O. has commenced work on the follow-up to 2015's "Decadent" album for a tentative late 2017 release.

Heikkinen left U.D.O. and DIRKSCHNEIDER in February for personal reasons.

Udo spent the last year touring under the DIRKSCHNEIDER banner, performing classic ACCEPT songs for the last time.

"Decadent" was released in Europe in January 2015 via AFM. The disc was recorded in Udo's current home, Spanish island Ibiza, and also at Redhead Audio Productions in Wilhelmshaven.

The current U.D.O. lineup includes Udo's 23-year-old son Sven Dirkschneider, who joined the group as the replacement for drummer Francesco Jovino.

DIRKSCHNEIDER released a live album called "Live - Back To The Roots" in October via AFM Records. The effort, which was recorded on April 2, 2016 at Kaminwerk in Memmingen, Germany, was made available as two-CD digipak and gatefold three-vinyl in four different colors (black, gold, silver and clear).

The official music video for "Everybody Needs A Little Trouble", a brand new song from MR. BIG, can be seen 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

The official video for the song "Fire To The Sun" from JORN can be seen below. The track is taken from the vocalist's brand new studio album, titled "Life On Death Road", which was released on June 2 via Frontiers Music Srl. Easily one of the greatest rock singers of the 21st century, Norway's very own giant Viking warrior Jorn Lande's vocals are resoundingly strong once again on his ninth original studio album, "Life On Death Road". This absolutely brilliant new album sees Lande attacking the microphone with rejuvenated vigor, accompanied by a new band and a bigger and stronger sound. "Life On Death Road" took several months of hard work for the songwriting vision to come together. Jorn needed to take the music to a new level to push the concept of the band further than it has ever gone before. The result is a record that is deep, strong, full of groove and powerful with anthemic songs aplenty. Songs like "Man Of The '80s", "Love Is The Remedy", "Life On Death Road", "Insoluble Maze (Dreams In The Blindness)", and "The Slippery Slope (Hangman's Rope)" capture the essence of Jorn as a singer, songwriter and lyricist. Jorn says: "It's easily one of the best albums I've ever recorded. This was all about putting the right people together for the right result, and about taking the necessary time to work more thoroughly and in depth with the material we chose for the album.

"The older I get, the more I feel it is necessary to listen to my heart and look for that genuine and honest feeling that made me take interest in music in the first place.

"Back in the '70s and early '80s when I grew up, people and music were more free and so the presence of feeling and soul came more naturally and was expected from an artist or a band. This is the energy and craftmanship we've been looking for, but still keeping a pulse on the modern times we live in.

"'Life On Death Road' is an original album that is pretty much summing up the last 40-50 years of rock and metal and has become a hybrid modern heavy rock album without losing those tasty elements of a good aged wine. Regardless, we're all products of our time, and the feeling, soul and symbioses we've achieved for this album is a rarity in today's music world, so in that sense this album is a true old school sailors' 'tall ship adventure.' From start to finish, it took us nearly three years to finalize and I'm really proud to say that this album is the proof that classic albums can still be made." The album also marks the debut of a new lineup of very experienced and gifted musicians around the Norwegian singer. On bass is Mat Sinner (PRIMAL FEAR, SINNER, KISKE/SOMERVILLE) who needs virtually no introduction to European heavy metal fanatics. On keyboards and production is Alessandro Del Vecchio (HARDLINE, REVOLUTION SAINTS), who already joined JORN for the recording of his last covers album, "Heavy Rock Radio" and was the glue that helped Jorn to create the feel and the direction for the new album. Francesco Iovino (PRIMAL FEAR) is on drums and Alex Beyrodt (PRIMAL FEAR, VOODOO CIRCLE) handles guitar. Truly a recipe for a roaring success! Jorn had no desire to do "just another" JORN record. The aim was to do the best record possible and it took almost two years of writing, arranging, and producing before wrapping this all up. The performances are thunderous across the board and you can hear the urgency of these songs in Jorn's singing! Jorn's catalogue is getting too long to include in brief overviews and his innovative and creative skills as a vocalist and music visionary have led to him selling millions of albums worldwide while being a frequent entrant on sales charts around the world, including Billboard. Worth a mention here though are his years fronting MASTERPLAN, whom he recorded three albums with. He has also recently collaborated with the world's biggest online gaming company, Riot Games, providing vocals for the virtual band "PENTAKILL" in the game "League Of Legends". Claimed to be the biggest-selling Norwegian musical export since the pop band A-HA, Jorn continues his rock crusade and there are no signs of him slowing down and "Life On Death Road" is a magnificent testament to his abilities! "Life on Death Road" track listing:

01. Life On Death Road02. Hammered To The Cross (The Business)03. Love Is The Remedy04. Dreamwalker05. Fire To The Sun06. Insoluble Maze (Dreams In The Blindness)07. I Walked Away08. The Slippery Slope (Hangman's Rope)09. Devil You Can Drive10. The Optimist11. Man Of The '80s12. Blackbirds JORN is:

Jorn Lande - VocalsAlex Beyrodt - GuitarsMat Sinner - Bass Alessandro Del Vecchio - KeyboardsFrancesco Iovino - Drums

After a six-year hiatus, Swedish heavy metal band LION'S SHARE has just released a new lyric video, "Another Desire". This is the group's first new release since the "Dark Hours" album in 2009.

"The plan was always to release more LION'S SHARE material. And even though Lars [Chriss, guitar] and I live quite far apart, we have managed to squeeze in songwriting sessions here and there throughout the years," lead singer Nils Patrik Johansson reveals.

"I've been working full time as a producer/mixer for the last six years, and Patrik has released albums and toured with both CIVIL WAR and ASTRAL DOORS, so it's not like we've been out of the music business, even though LION'S SHARE as a band hasn't been very public," Chriss adds.

Both remark that they have always worked very well together, and at this point it feels the most natural to keep LION'S SHARE as a duo, with friends helping out wherever needed.

Well over twenty new LION'S SHARE songs are more or less written. About half of them are partly recorded as well, with original member Andy Loos handling the bass duties on the first batch of tracks. The plan is to release a couple of lyric videos — one by one — a couple of months apart, and to take it from there, depending on the response from fans.

GODSMACK is hoping to release a new single in the first few weeks of 2018 before following it up with a full-length album by early spring.

Speaking to Nivens of the 98.9 The Rock radio station at yesterday's (Saturday, June 3) Rockfest at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna stated about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2014's "1000hp" album (see video below): "I've been working on it all year. Everyone's been writing. That's our main focus again right now — getting a new record out."

Asked if fans can expect to hear new GODSMACK music later this year or if they will have to wait until 2018, Erna said: "Definitely next year. We're gonna try to time this so we can drop the single right at the beginning of the year, January, and maybe drop the record by first week in April at the latest."

Erna recently walked back his previous comments that GODSMACK intends to commemorate its twentieth anniversary in 2018 with a massive world tour that could feature the group playing its self-titled 1998 debut disc live from start to finish. Erna told Wisconsin radio station 93X: "We don't know that yet. That's been circulating, 'cause I opened my mouth a little bit soon, but as we get deeper into writing this new record, that may change. So we're not making any promises on that yet."

Back in March, Erna told Houston radio station 94.5 FM about the tour: "We're gonna do a massive production. We're gonna kind of base it around the theme of the first record. We're even talking about coming out and doing the first record front to back to open the show."

Erna also said in the Houston interview that GODSMACK originally planned to put out a new album in 2017, but explained why that changed, saying: "We wanted to do something this year, but we were just, like, 'You know, let's just wait another second,' because if we release this at the top of 2018, it will be our 20th-year anniversary of the first record, and we wanna do something special."

Erna added: "I have to write a really great record for us, and that's the tough part."

GODSMACK's last release was a song called "Inside Yourself", which was made available in October 2015 as a free download at the band's official web site.

The new GODSMACK CD will be its first effort for BMG, following a split with the band's label home since 1998, Republic/Universal.

GODSMACK has a a couple of more festival shows on tap over the next few weeks.

The reunited RATT, featuring three members of the band's classic lineup — singer Stephen Pearcy, bassist Juan Croucier and guitarist Warren DeMartini — "would love" to complete the follow-up to the group's latest studio album, 2010's "Infestation".

Pearcy, Croucier and DeMartini have played several shows so far this year after reforming in 2016 in the midst of a highly publiced legal battle with drummer Bobby Blotzer over the rights to the RATT name. They were joined at the gigs by former QUIET RIOT guitarist Carlos Cavazo, who played on RATT's last studio album, 2010's "Infestation", and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso, who previously played with Y&T, WHITE LION and MEGADETH, among others.

Asked by Nivens of the 98.9 The Rock radio station at yesterday's (Saturday, June 3) Rockfest at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City if fans can expect to see a new RATT album in 2018, Juan said (see video below): "Look, right now, we're just glad to be out there working again and moving forward. And, really, not to promise too much or… You know what I mean?"

After DeMartini teasingly pointed out to Croucier that "the question was about a new record," the bassist explained: "That's exactly what I'm referencing."

Pearcy, for his part, was more direct in his response, telling the station: "I would love to get that done, actually. I would."

RATT also spoke about how the band has been received by the fans since the group's core trio reunited in 2016 after a two-year hiatus during which Blotzer attempted to launch his version of RATT without any other original members. Stephen said: "Oh, [the fans are] going… they're crazy. Or, as Ozzy [Osbourne] would say, fucking crazy."

Juan added: "It's been going really well. And the band is playing really well, so it's sort of a nice level to see… as far as the performance… And it's really consistent. So it's been going great."

Pearcy told rock journalist Mitch Lafon earlier this year that RATT wanted the follow-up to "Infestation" to be to "something special." He explained: "We want it to be brilliant, and we're gonna take the time and effort to do it," he said. "We just don't wanna go out there and… I mean, of course, we're gonna go out there and play the hits and do what we do, but at the end of the year, we wanna start on the record. It's part of the plan of us getting together in the first place — the three of us [me, Warren and Juan] — and going through the mess that we did to protect this entity, and to step up and finally say, 'Okay, this is big-rock time. This is 'stop the bullshit,' all this nonsense that's going on.' So, you know, expect the best."

Last November, a California judge ruled against Blotzer with respect to whether Croucier had committed trademark infringement by using the RATT name and logo to advertise his band RATT'S JUAN CROUCIER back in the fall 2015. The judge furthermore decided that the corporation WBS, Inc. — of which Blotzer and DeMartini were thought to be the sole shareholders — did not have ownership interest in the RATT marks and that the name and brand was still owned by the members who were part of the original RATT partnership agreement.

In addition to claiming to have expelled Blotzer from the partnership following the latest court ruling, DeMartini, Croucier and singer Stephen Pearcy said that Blotzer could now only refer to himself as a "former member of RATT," as per the partnership agreement.

Veteran rockers QUIET RIOT will release their new album, "Road Rage", on August 4 via Frontiers Music Srl. The band is led by drummer Frankie Banali, who is joined by bassist Chuck Wright (who has been in and out of the band since 1982), guitarist Alex Grossi (who has been in the band since 2004), and new vocalist James Durbin.

Durbin, who became known as the "metal guy" on 2011's season of "American Idol" after performing "Living After Midnight" and "Breaking The Law" with JUDAS PRIEST, hooked up with QUIET RIOT last month after the dismissal of Seann Nicols (a.k.a. Sheldon Tarsha; formerly of ADLER'S APPETITE). Nicols was with QUIET RIOT for just a few months, but long enough to record the vocals for an early version of "Road Rage".

"Road Rage" was originally scheduled for release in the spring of 2017, but with the injection of newfound energy for the band with the addition of Durbin in the vocalist slot, the band decided to scrap the original sessions and record a new version of the album with the new and improved lineup. "The recordings for the new 'Road Rage' record have been an incredible musical journey in the storied history of QUIET RIOT," said Banali.

"I asked vocalist James Durbin to fill the very large shoes of the late great Kevin DuBrow because I knew he could. While no one can ever replace Kevin DuBrow, he has the same spirit and drive that Kevin had.

"James is an amazing live performer with insane vocal range, but he is also a very gifted songwriter and brought to the 'Road Rage' record totally unique original lyrics and melodies. Not only do they fit perfectly to the music we wrote, but took the songs to a completely new level.

"All the work that we have put into this record has been well worth the wait!

"I am extremely proud of guitarist Alex Grossi, bassist Chuck Wright and especially James Durbin for the work we have created on this record.

"QUIET RIOT continues to tour relentlessly and will be on the road throughout the year. Expect to hear your QUIET RIOT favorites as well as new songs from 'Road Rage' at our shows!" Durbin comments on joining the band and his work on "Road Rage": "The crown jewel, on top of joining one of your favorite bands, has to be writing, recording and releasing a new album. No matter what, you are now a part of that band's history and I'm honored to have had the opportunity to do that with QUIET RIOT.

"I spent just over three weeks marathon songwriting brand new lyrics and melodies for every song and recording vocals.

"I'm extremely proud of the 'Road Rage' record, not only that I had the band's support and trust to deliver, or how great of a personal accomplishment and blessing it's been, but that we can keep the QUIET RIOT freak flag flying and have the chance to inspire a new generation of fans!"

"Road Rage" track listing:

01. Can't Get Enough02. Getaway03. Roll This Joint04. Freak Flag05. Wasted06. Still Wild07. Make A Way08. Renegades09. The Road10. Shame11. Knock Em Down Durbin made his live debut with QUIET RIOT on March 18 at The Cotillion in Wichita, Kansas.

Banali revived QUIET RIOT in 2010, three years after DuBrow's death, along with Grossi and Wright. The group went through two vocalists — Mark Huff and Scott Vokoun — before settling on Jizzy Pearl in 2013. Pearl announced his exit from QUIET RIOT last October.

Baroness’ longtime guitar player, Pete Adams, has amicably left the band, electing to spend less time on the road and focus on a burgeoning non-music business and his home life.

“I would like to say thanks to all of the Baroness fans far and wide and all of the support through the ups and downs along the way,” says Pete. “I feel beyond fortunate to have had the chance to travel great distances with Baroness and to meet so many of you. I honestly never thought I would be able to do what I have done with Baroness. Playing alongside my oldest friends, playing music that isn’t simply readily accepted by the masses, and sharing the stage with some of the best musicians and bands from around the globe. That said, it’s time for me to focus my energy closer to home and not on the road. However, this isn’t the end of my musical career by any means as I plan to continue working with Valkyrie. Again, thank you to all along the way, and most importantly thank you greatly to the current, past and future members of Baroness.”

Band founder, singer and guitar player John Baizley commenting on Pete’s departure: “I need to take a moment, on behalf of myself and Baroness, to recognize and sincerely thank one of my oldest friends and bandmates, Pete Adams, as he moves on from Baroness to pursue a new phase in his life. I feel fortunate beyond words to have shared the stage with you for nearly 25 years, since we were barely teenagers. It would be impossible to articulate the value and impact of the personal history, friendship and musical bond we have enjoyed throughout our lives and within this band. Through Baroness, we’ve seen that friendship grow further and often in unexpected ways; we’ve taken part in so many adventures together that it’s difficult to keep track of them all. It’s never easy to part ways but it is important to highlight a couple of things: First, we offer unconditional support and respect for Pete’s decision and we’re excited to see where his path leads. Second, Baroness will forge ahead with an undiminished passion and as much creativity as ever. The narrative of this band has often felt as though it falls into distinct chapters, and while we’re excited to move into the next, we are equally sad to see Pete go. When Pete and I were kids, as he’s often said in interviews, we shared a dream of growing up and playing music together and seeing the far corners of the globe. And we did. Thank you Pete, for being a friend when I needed support, a brother when I needed family, and a bandmate when you and I had a hunger to see the world.”

Baroness have added guitar player Gina Gleason, a Philadelphia native who Baizley, Nick Jost and Sebastian Thomson are excited to have on board:

“With Pete Adams’ official last show just over a month behind us, and a European tour on the not-so-distant-horizon, we are proud to welcome our new guitarist, Gina Gleason, into Baroness, and we hope our fans will share in our excitement and provide her a warm welcome into the Baroness family. She has worked tirelessly in recent weeks/months, not only learning the specifics of our material, but slowly beginning to carefully stake out her own personal territory within our sound. Throughout the lifespan of this band we've had the genuine pleasure of working with incredibly gifted artists/musicians, who recognize in Baroness the need each member has to contribute something of their own musical personality, rather than imitate one that’s been established, not simply to respect the individual contributions of past members, but to develop a genuine connection to our songs, old and new alike. Gina’s ability both to learn our music and to find her own voice within our songs has been inspiring to observe, and it helps once again to renew our belief in this band’s music, which we’ve come to rely on as a true wellspring of creativity and musical discovery.”

Baizley, adds: “I really thought I would have become a jaded musician at this point, with nothing left to discover and no will to try, but each subsequent year proves me wrong. We play a hometown show with Gina tomorrow, followed by a European tour and my only regret is that we won’t have time to go everywhere on Earth we’d like to before the urge to get back to writing our new record overtakes us. We’re bringing a bunch of songs on tour that haven't been played in many years; we’re anxious to dust off some of these earliest Baroness songs. Thanks to all of you who have offered your support over these years. We’ll be seeing you soon.”

Baroness tour dates:

June
2 - Philadelphia, PA - Union Transfer
9 - Derby, UK - Download Festival
10 - Nimes, France - This Is Not A Love Song
12 - Strasbourg, France - La Laiterie
14 - Eindhoven, Netherlands - Effenaar
15 - Berlin, Germany - Columbia Theater
17 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop Metal Meeting
18 - Clisson, France - Hellfest
19 - Esch Sur Alzette, Luxembourg - Rockhal
20 - Saarbrucken, Germany - Garage Saarbrucken
23 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Copenhell
24 - Scheessel, Germany - Hurricane Festival
25 - Neuhausen Ob Eck, Germany - Southside Festival
27 - Graz, Austria - PPC
28 - Dresden, Germany - Beatpol
30 - Norrkoping, Sweden - Bravalla Festival

July
2 - Helsinki, Finland - Tuska Open Air Metal Festival

(Top photo - Dante Torrieri, B&W photo - Jimmy Hubbard)

Tom Phillips, guitarist, keyboardist, vocalist and driving force behind epic metal act While Heaven Wept has announced his exit from the music industry. 

Phillips announced his retirement via Facebook days following a lengthy statement on his involvement with the forthcoming full-length debut from North Carolina's Walpyrgus. The multi-instrumentalist and composer played a crucial role in the writing and recording process behind Walpyrgus Nights, out June 9th on Cruz Del Sur Music. 

Phillips has a long history with members of Walpyrgus dating back to 1996 when he performed alongside the band's guitarist Scott Waldrop in Twisted Tower Dire. While Heaven Wept was part of Cruz Del Sur Music's roster before signing to Nuclear Blast Records in 2010.

Phillips' emotional statement reads as follows:

"The time has come to give up the ghost. I am officially retiring from touring, making commercial albums, losing myself in the music, pursuing the ultimate rigs or some elusive sound that I hear but can never reach; I've spent a lifetime pouring my heart and soul out through albums - when I should've been pouring my heart and soul out to the people who mattered the most. I've become a self-fulfilling prophecy, always trying to heal from the past, looking too far into the future, neglecting the present. I have lost so much more than I have ever gained. 

“I am content to leave off with the anniversary show at Hammer Of Doom a few years ago and 'Suspended At Aphelion' - and I knew deep down that these would likely be the last things I would do professionally even as they were happening. I'm at peace with that. 

“The Walpyrgus is in essence taking care of some unfinished business and it turned out the way we all wanted it to. I am at peace with that as well. I've spent the last couple years circling around debating inside of myself, whether or not I could actually walk away from this, and the answer is 'Yes, I can.' 

“I am haunted by all of the unintentional casualties along the way, and I want to convey how sorry I am to everyone who I've hurt - please know it wasn't what I wanted. I just wanted to be whole again, to be the best I could be - for you. I look around at the desolation in my life and it is beyond description. I appreciate deeply those of you who have reached out from nowhere recently - I know not all is lost despite being in a very dark place - but that which I have lost can never be replaced. 

“Please do not feel sorry for me - I brought it upon myself and I'm doing what I know I need to do to not make those same mistakes again. I know that I can be a better teacher, friend, lover, and human being...but I have to let go of the past and resolve the things left untreated for so long to do so. Sobriety has afforded me the clarity to look at all of this, but for too long I've been pondering instead of acting. 

“I've been taking baby steps towards all this for a couple years now, but now it's time to walk on. I want to thank every single person who ever gave a part of themselves along the way and everyone who supported WHW in any way. I kept all of your letters, Emails, remember your faces and stories, I cherish the times we shared. I hope that my struggles have made a difference for even one of you out there - if only to know that you're not alone. 

“Please, everyone out there: don't take anything for granted, communicate fearlessly, show the people you love that you do in actions and words, strive to have a positive impact on lives and the world. If you need me, reach out, no matter where I am, I'll be there. For now...goodnight, travel well."

A lawyer representing original ENTOMBED frontman Lars-Göran "LG" Petrov has commented on the ongoing legal battle between the singer and fellow founding ENTOMBED member Alex Hellid (guitar) regarding the rights to the band's name.

On May 17, Hellid released a statement in which he claimed that the Swedish Court of First Instance (Patent and Market Court [PMD] at Stockholm District Court) found in his favor on all points.

Helene Hillerström Miksche from Comlaw, which represents Petrov and other members of LG's version of ENTOMBED (now billed as ENTOMBED A.D.), has disputed the claims made by Alex, insisting that the court's decision does not give the guitarist the exclusive right to use the name.

In a statement sent to the Swedish music business site MusikIndustrin.se, she writes: "Unfortunately, incorrect information has been spread following the two judgments announced by the Patent and Market Court last [month] concerning the right to the band name in different product classes. The court's decision is unfortunate in many ways, and largely difficult to understand. Regardless of what decisions are made, the effect of them is not that the brand and the band name belong to Alex and the former band members. The decisions have not gained legal force and can be appealed.

"LG's and the rest of the band's attitude is that the band name belongs to the band in common, and Alex has been offered to be also registered for trademark registration," she continues. "The same applies to former band members. Alex's attitude so far has been that he himself shall own the name and he's treating the rest of the band, including LG, who has been a member since its inception, as if they were without legal rights. LG and the rest of the band are still hoping to reach an out-of-court reachment and have proposed submitted several conciliation proposals."

In announcing the Patent and Market Court's decision last month, Hellid said that it was "great relief that this issue is now finally ruled on and we can return to focusing on giving people more ENTOMBED." He added: "We have discussed ideas and plans of what we want to do and look forward to working together on creating the best possible ENTOMBED for the future, both in the recording studio and in a live setting."

Hellid and Petrov have been embroiled in a legal battle over the ENTOMBED name for several years. In 2014, Petrov was reportedly awarded the right to use the band name in connection with future recording and touring activities, a decision which Hellid appealed without success. The guitarist then went on to register a trademark for spirits production under the "Entombed" name. This move did not sit well with Hellid's former bandmate, who filed a letter of protest against Alex's registration of the name, claiming that it could be confused with band activities. He also said that Hellid acted in "bad faith" when he registered name and that there was a desire to "deceive the public." Petrov's protest, however, found no favor with the Swedish Patent And Registration Office, which rejected his claims on the issue in a March 8, 2016 ruling.

In an interview with Revolution-Music.dk, Petrov defended his group's decision to release albums and tour under the name ENTOMBED A.D. in order to avoid a legal battle with Hellid who didn't want his former bandmates to use the ENTOMBED moniker: "It had to be done, because without an album you can't tour," he explained. "I mean, you can tour, but if there's seven years between albums, it's ridiculously long. So we did the right thing, and we did what bands should do, and still do — release an album and go on tour and headbang and have a good time with friends, and that's what it's all about."

He continued: "There was too much bullshit — crying and whining about things. It's just ridiculous.

"Some people are comfortable staying at home, but then just step aside and let us do our thing.

"We added two letters, but it's still the same band — [only] without people that wanna stay at home, or take millions of years [coming up with] a [new] riff."

Asked if he thinks the ENTOMBED name has been damaged as a result of the drama surrounding the split with Hellid and the decision to continue as ENTOMBED A.D., Petrov said: "Nah, not really. A thousand people have a thousand different opinions — good and bad. But we do what we felt was right. And we're out here touring, and that's the most important [thing], I think. And leave the childishness aside and play metal, basically."

ENTOMBED A.D.'s second album, "Dead Dawn", was released in February 2016 via Century Media.

A completely different version of ENTOMBED — featuring Hellid, alongside fellow founding members Uffe Cederlund (guitar) and Nicke Andersson (drums) — played the band's groundbreaking 1991 album, "Clandestine", in its entirety at Malmö Live in Malmö, Sweden in November 2016. Joining them at the show were Robert Andersson (vocals) and Nicke's half brother Edvin Aftonfalk (bass), both formerly of the Swedish death metal band MORBUS CHRON.

Two weeks earlier, the new Hellid-led lineup of ENTOMBED made its live debut on the Close-Up Båten cruise.

With the release of "The Children Of The Night" in 2015, Sweden’s TRIBULATION left a permanent mark on the metal scene worldwide. After excessive touring in North America and Europe TRIBULATION took a well-deserved break not only to recover from the intense album campaign, but also to focus on what lies ahead: a new album and a change of drummer. TRIBULATION recently parted ways with Jakob Ljungberg, who had been with the group since the album "The Formulas Of Death". The band said in a statement: "As the summer in the year of their lord 2017 draws near and the world in the north is again fully starting to wake from its slumber, we, on the other hand, are forced to face an inevitable end in the departure of our drummer Jakob Ljungberg who has decided to leave the band.

"We have spent the last five years together through pain to heaven, in chaos to bliss! It's been such a strange, wonderful, tiring and inspiring time and we would like to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for making this time the most important in the history of the band. We surely couldn't have done it without you. We were like brothers even before the time of TRIBULATION and we certainly will be in the time after! Make sure to check out Jakob's unique and most excellent band SECOND SUN where he sings and plays guitar!" But as every end is also a new beginning, TRIBULATION has secured a new drummer in the form of Oscar Leander (ex-DEATHSTARS) and has further good news to spread. "After this period of silence, renewal and contemplation the time has now come to give you the new TRIBULATION!" the band said. "We have now fully immersed ourselves in the making of a new album that will be recorded at summer's end. We are very pleased to announce that Oscar Leander is our new drummer. He will make his first appearance with us on Muskelrock now on Thursday, June 1st! Are you ready? We are!" TRIBULATION is:

Adam Zaars - GuitarJohannes Andersson - Vocals, BassOscar Leander - DrumsJonathan Hultén - Guitar