Legendary guitarist Zakk Wylde will reunite with iconic BLACK SABBATH frontman Ozzy Osbourne for a summer tour that marks the thirtieth anniversary of when the two first collaborated together.

Wylde's return to Ozzy's band marks the end of Osbourne's collaboration with Greek guitar virtuoso Gus G., who joined the singer's solo group just under a decade ago.

Speaking about how his reunion with Ozzy came about, Zakk told the 98.9 The Rock radio station at yesterday's (Saturday, June 3) Rockfest at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City (see video below): "Oz called up. He said at this juncture Gus couldn't do it. And he said, 'Who else could get the dishes as clean and the linens as fluffy as they were back in the day?' So that's the reason why… It really has nothing to do with the guitar playing. It's just 'cause Gus couldn't do it. So they're, like, 'Well, we'll let him play guitar while he's here anyway doing dishes and linens.'"

It was announced on April 28 that Wylde would be rejoining Ozzy's backing group for all his upcoming 2017 solo show dates. Osbourne's touring lineup will also include Rob "Blasko" Nicholson on bass, Tommy Clufetos on drums and Adam Wakeman on keyboards.

Within a couple of hours of the announcement, Gus, who played on Ozzy's latest studio album, 2010's "Scream", released a statement thanking his former boss and praising the singer's decision to rejoin forces with Zakk.

"It's been an honor and a privilege playing by your side since 2009," Gus wrote on social media. "Nothing but great times and an experience of a lifetime." He added: "As a fan, it's great to see Ozzy and Zakk back together. It's been long overdue.

Wylde originally joined Osbourne's band three decades ago and backed the legendary frontman from 1987 to 1995, then again in 1998, from 2001 to 2004 and also from 2006 to 2009. His guitar playing can be heard on Osbourne's studio albums "No Rest For The Wicked", "No More Tears", "Ozzmosis", "Down To Earth", "Under Cover" and "Black Rain". The first album with Wylde went double platinum and "No More Tears" remains Ozzy's most successful album, going four times platinum in the United States with four Top 10 songs on the U.S. Billboard chart. Wylde also appeared with Ozzy on three live albums.

In a 2010 interview with Metal Insider, Gus said that he "wouldn't be surprised" if Ozzy one day felt like playing with Zakk again. He said: "For me, when I was growing up, Zakk was there. The first time I ever saw on TV, Zakk Wylde was on guitar. From my generation, Zakk Wylde was the man. As a fan above all, I know these guys, they're like family more than just a team. So I definitely wouldn't be surprised if one day he would jam again with Ozzy. I know these guys love each other."

Gus recently released a new studio album with his long-running band FIREWIND, "Immortals", after issuing two discs as a solo artist.

British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST are "just about done" recording their long-awaited follow-up to 2014's "Redeemer Of Souls" album. Helming the sessions for the new disc are the band's longtime producer Tom Allom, acclaimed British knob-twiddler Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, TESTAMENT, ACCEPT) and engineer Mike Exeter (BLACK SABBATH).

In a new Instagram post, Sneap wrote: "Just about done with PRIEST tracking. One of the most enjoyable records I've worked on in a long time, especially working alongside [Exeter and Allom]."

JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford recently told Planet Rock about the band's new disc: "It's just great to watch how a record comes together, from those early, early days where there was just me and [guitarists] Glenn [Tipton] and Richie [Faulkner] sitting in the studio with a couple of guitars and just, you know, doing what we do. You start the day with nothing, and then at the end of day, potentially, you've got a really great, classic PRIEST song that may live forever."

He continued: "So we're hard at it. We're still doing what we love to do. PRIEST is a working band more than anything else. It's that Midlands ethic, the work ethic of anybody that goes to work… I say it's work, 'cause it is work — you're working with your mind, you're being creative. And now we're moving through into other stages, we're preparing for another big world tour, getting stage designs sorted, lighting designs sorted. So this is the beginning of what's gonna be a very exciting 2018 period."

Allom produced every PRIEST release from "Unleashed In The East" (1979) through "Ram It Down" (1988), along with several live records since then. As a young engineer, he also worked on the first three BLACK SABBATH records under producer Rodger Bain.

During a January 2017 appearance on "Trunk Nation", Eddie Trunk's show on SiriusXM channel Volume (106), Halford said that there was no set-in-stone timetable for the release of PRIEST's next album. "You know, there is no rush," he said. "There is no rush. We feel great. We're very happy, we're very confident, we're very excited. And so, yeah, we're working with our label and with promoters, and there's a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes."

He continued: "When we go out, we want it to be good — we want it to be good, we want it to be well planned, we wanna make sure that everybody's happy."

Halford said last year that JUDAS PRIEST wasn't interested in making "a 'Redeemer Of Souls Part Two'." He explained: "I think it's very important that we make another stand-alone record again, a heavy metal record that's going to have its own legs and just be as different as all of them have been so far."

"Redeemer Of Souls" was released in July 2014. The follow-up to 2008's double-disc concept album "Nostradamus" was billed as a return to JUDAS PRIEST's heavy-metal roots.

"Redeemer Of Souls" sold around 32,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart.

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.

Speaking to Moose of the 98.9 The Rock radio station at yesterday's (Saturday, June 3) Rockfest at Kansas Speedway in Kansas City, HALESTORM guitarist Joe Hottinger stated about the group's follow-up to 2015's "Into The Wild Life" disc (see video below): "We're making a rock and roll record. We have a new producer, and he's made some of our favorite records."

HALESTORM singer Lzzy Hale added: "It's been pretty epic so far."

On May 22, Amy Lee of EVANESCENCE, which is working on a new album called "Synthesis", posted a photo of Lzzy and Nick at Dark Horse, along with the caption: "The icing on the cake is two of my favorite people are working next door."

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.





The icing on the cake is two of my favorite people are working next door ❤️❤️

Posted by Amy Lee on Monday, May 22, 2017

GHOST kicked off its U.S. tour as the support act for IRON MAIDEN last night (Saturday, June 3) at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia. Quality fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

GHOST frontman and founder Tobias Forge, who performs as Papa Emeritus, recently said that he hoped to re-team with Swedish producer Klas Åhlund for the follow-up to the group's 2015's album "Meliora".

GHOST's third full-length effort, "Meliora", was a Billboard Top 10 record that sold nearly 30,000 copies in its first week. The disc's lead single, "Cirice", even won the 2016 Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance."

Asked in an interview with Italy's "Heavy Demons" radio show what Klas contributed to the making of "Meliora", Tobias said: "He brought a focus. I liked working with him because he was very, very… questioning. He was, like, 'This part, it sounds like you haven't really thought about that part so much, where it sounds like this part you spent hours on. Is that true?' And I was, like, 'As a matter of fact, yes. That part is not as important as that part.' [And he would tell me], 'Take it off. Take it off. Why do you need it then? Don't do it.' [Or he would say], 'Write something else. Write something better.'"

He continued: "You really had to step up your game. And I definitely need that. I like writing like that. I like having to prove myself, because I think that oftentimes… This is definitely what I would do if or when I would produce someone else… Don't leave anything to chance. Because songs are so important. There's many, many, many songs written, but not all of them are good. And most people can agree that that song, that song, that song, that song is a good song, be it 'Ace Of Spades' or 'We're Not Gonna Take It' or 'Bohemian Rhapsody'. And what's common with them is they're very well written. Even if 'Ace Of Spades' is, like, raunchy metal, it's still a song that contains no fat. Take out the fat. Be to the point. And that's what I learned from Klas."

Forge added: "I'm hoping now that we're gonna work with him again for this album. We haven't really decided yet; we're still sort of trying to make the schedules work and all that. But I will forever, for the rest of my life, I will have Klas sitting on my shoulder [guiding me through the songwriting process]."

When pressed about where Papa draws most of his vocal inspiration from, Forge — who once again did the "Heavy Demons" interview disguised as a member of his backing band of Nameless Ghouls — said: "I don't know about him, but when I write the music that he's playing, or he's performing, I write from a very vocal point of view. I would probably say that the biggest influences from a vocal point of view, coming into arrangement and writing songs thereafter, comes from other bands, or artists, that I would reckon do the same thing. QUEEN is a simple example where I'm sure that most of the songs that they even wrote collectively often had a very vocal signature theme rather than just a riff. A big other influence, for me, is THE DOORS. So I guess there's a little Jim Morrison in there. And actually Morrissey. I'm a huge fan of THE SMITHS. Even though you might not hear it in GHOST, but it's very SMITHS influenced in the sense that THE SMITHS always wrote different songs. They were very bold, and I am very influenced by bands that are brave. I like that."

GHOST's most recent release was the "Popestar" EP, which was produced by Tom Dalgety, who has previously worked with PIXIES, ROYAL BLOOD and OPETH, among others.

Forge is being sued by four ex-members of GHOST who have accused the band's leader of cheating them out of their rightful share of the profits from the group's album releases and world tours.

The four musicians were offered two separate contract proposals by Forge in 2016, which they rejected as "slave agreements." That may have led to Forge's wholesale firing of the band at the end of 2016.

The new lineup of GHOST, which made its live debut in late March, is rumored to include musicians who have previously played with THE SISTERS OF MERCY, KORN, PENDRAGON and BLOODBATH.

Iconic Los Angeles rock band MÖTLEY CRÜE celebrates the thirtieth anniversary of its fourth studio and four-times-platinum album, "Girls, Girls, Girls", with special album reissue bundles that will be available on August 25 via Pledge Music. Fans can get a jump start on owning the exclusive merchandise today by pre-ordering bundles exclusively at Pledge Music! Various bundles will include, colored vinyl, cassette tape, commemorative poster/lithograph, vintage t-shirt, vinyl test pressings, a limited-edition, numbered drum head, a flexi single of "Wild Side", "Girls, Girls, Girls" patch, and more! The band recently celebrated the thirtieth anniversary on the album’s actual release date – May 15 — with the announcement of the August 25 reissue.

MÖTLEY CRÜE paved the way for rock bands to push the envelope since the band's inception and their music, as well as their antics, provided them a successful thirty-six-year career as a leading force in rock around the world. 1987's "Girls, Girls, Girls" included three smash hits, "Wild Side", "You're All I Need" and the title track, which became a global success, despite the original uncensored video being banned from MTV at the time.

MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx says: "It's hard to believe 'Girls, Girls, Girls' already turned thirty this year. We went against the grain with this album when it first came out in 1987. The music and lyrics reflect what was going on in the streets of Los Angeles at that time.

"A big thank you to all the fans who have made the album stand the test of time. It's really cool to now see a new generation of fans exploring and digging 'Girls, Girls, Girls' three decades later."

A trailer for the "Girls Girls Girls" special deluxe edition is available below.

A product of the '80s Hollywood Sunset Strip, MÖTLEY CRÜE was the quintessential L.A. hair metal band. Their string of hit albums and crossover songs on radio and MTV was only matched by their over-the-top live show, mounting legal bills, and alarming drug use. By 1987, the band was dancing on a fine line between real life or death. Sixx told the "In The Studio" show what he remembered about the Billboard No. 2-charting album. "We were a mess," he said. "I know we didn't go overseas, because the management said, 'You guys go, and somebody’s not coming back. Or if they do, they're coming back in a body bag... We were operating like a punk band! We were completely out of control."

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

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

Sixx told SiriusXM's "Debatable" about MÖTLEY CRÜE's decision to call it quits after one last show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles following an eighteen-month tour that saw the group performing to packed houses all over the world: "MÖTLEY CRÜE was never really meant to stay together. I mean, I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did. It was wired like a bunch of Rottweilers or like a gang. And there's all these Type A personalities and different issues within the band that made it really magical. But maturity and that doesn't necessarily work together, and I think that it was kind of cool that we sat down together and said, 'Hey, man, let's just let this thing go.'"

No Remorse Records has announced the upcoming reissues of three albums which feature former MEGADETH and CACOPHONY guitarist Marty Friedman: the VIXEN "Made In Hawaii" EP (originally released in 1983), HAWAII's legendary "Loud, Wild And Heavy" EP (from 1984), and a collection of recordings from his late 1970s band DEUCE (later known as TENSION). All three titles were recently remastered and partially restored by Bart Gabriel (CIRITH UNGOL, SORTILÈGE, CRYSTAL VIPER). The VIXEN and HAWAII releases are both packed with bonus tracks and extended to the size of full-length albums. Each of the releases will be available as a limited-edition CD, and VIXEN's "Made In Hawaii" will be available as a CD, vinyl LP and ultra-limited box set. Exact release dates for all three albums will be announced shortly.

In a 2003 interview, Friedman stated about DEUCE: "DEUCE was me and my friends back in Washington D.C. The only member that any of you may know is Tom Gattis, who went on to sing and play guitar in TENSION and WARDOG. He also did a KISS compilation album with me. He is one of my best friends in the world. We were the core of DEUCE. We were kind of punk, kind of rock and roll, but at the same time we loved tricky little guitar parts. All the band members were between 14 and 17, but we had a huge fanbase in our area, mainly because we put on a show every night at our rehearsals. We never really rehearsed; we just made our 'practices' a 'concert' and a big party for everyone. We all learned a lot from that." He added: "I quit DEUCE because my father got transferred to Hawaii and I had to move."

Regarding how HAWAII came together, Friedman told Ultimate Guitar: "I moved to Hawaii with my family and I started this band called HAWAII down there; actually, it was called VIXEN first and we released an EP ['Made In Hawaii'] as VIXEN and we kind of turned into a group called HAWAII. At the time, which was the early '80s, it was a pretty radical kind of band; we were really fast and heavy and very guitar-oriented. Lots of wild, manic guitar playing, and I think we were the total opposite of what the state Hawaii implied. Which was kind of intentional — we were just radical kids down there; we were not the beach type at all. I lived there two, three years, and I never went to the beach until the last couple of weeks I lived there. I was anti-everything — [I] hated beaches, hated the pool, hated the whole vibe. I was just kind of a recluse, locked up in a room practicing all the time. Then when we played in the band HAWAII, we were just totally over the top and crazy and it was really hard to get a following down there in Hawaii playing [music] like [that]. First of all, there's not very many people down there and there's not many places to play. But when we were down there, we kept pushing at it and we started to get an underground following in Europe and stuff. We made a couple albums and they got your underground airplay and underground record sales and underground tapetraders and stuff. A lot of people picked up on it — everywhere except where we actually lived. We had one record called 'One Nation Underground', which was a heavy one, and we released another one called 'The Natives Are Restless', which was kinda like an attempt to commercialize. I'm not really that happy about that album; I think it was just kind of a phase. That's when I was phasing out of the group HAWAII. We had an EP in between called 'Loud, Wild And Heavy', which was pretty cool at the time, I thought. It's a very rushed recording."

Friedman joined MEGADETH in 1990 and recorded five studio albums with the band, including the ultimate thrash metal classics "Rust In Peace" and "Countdown To Extinction". Between 1988 and 2014, Friedman released eleven studio albums, with his twelfth disc, titled "Wall Of Sound", due in August.

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN kicked off the 2017 North American leg of "The Book Of Souls" tour last night (Saturday, June 3) at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia. 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 tour: "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.

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

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.

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

One of the biggest moments of the band's career was the monumental show at London's famous O2 Arena on November 26, 2016. That landmark performance was captured in its entirety. The two-CD, nineteen-track recording documents what an enormous presence ALTER BRIDGE have become on concert stages around the world.

Myles Kennedy, Mark Tremonti, Brian Marshall and Scott Phillips tear through hits like "Farther Than The Sun", "Show Me A Leader", "Rise Today", and their masterpiece "Isolation", showcasing a band at the top of their game. Other highlights include the Tremonti-sung "Waters Rising", the acoustic-driven "Watch Over You" and ALTER BRIDGE's signature anthem "Blackbird".

In addition, this latest release includes an exclusive full-length rarities CD sure to excite fans everywhere. The disc features the never-before-released tracks "Cruel Sun" and "Solace" that were recorded during the "One Day Remains" sessions, as well as the song "Breathe" from the same time which has only ever been available as a U.S. retail exclusive via Best Buy. These tracks join seven other songs that have only been released in Japan until this collection.

This incredible selection of ALTER BRIDGE gems will be released in multiple formats. In addition to a standard three-CD audio version, fans can also pick up one of the limited deluxe editions (including a four-LP set and a CD/DVD Earbook) which also include an exclusive ALTER BRIDGE documentary featuring extensive interviews with the band, their crew, and family, giving an amazing glimpse behind the scenes of this legendary show at London's O2 Arena.

"Live At The O2 Arena + Rarities" track listing:

CD1

01. The Writing On The Wall02. Come To Life03. Addicted To Pain04. Ghost Of Days Gone By05. Cry Of Achilles06. The Other Side07. Farther Than The Sun08. Ties That Blind09. Water Rising10. Crows On A Wire11. Watch Over You (solo acoustic)

CD2

12. Isolation13. Blackbird14. Metalingus15. Open Your Eyes16. Show Me A Leader17. Rise Today18. Poison In Your Veins19. My Champion

CD3

01. Breathe02. Cruel Sun03. Solace04. New Way To Live05. The Damage Done06. We Don't Care at All07. Zero08. Home09. Never Borne To Follow10. Never Say Die (Outright)11. Symphony Of Agony (The Last of Our Kind)

The band's next European tour runs from June 3 through July 7.

Sólstafir have released a video for “Silfur-Refur”, the opening track of their new album, Berdreyminn, out now via Season Of Mist. The video is available for streaming below.

Sólstafir are not like any other band. Their sixth album, Berdreyminn, underscores this statement. As its title "a dreamer of forthcoming events" aptly describes, the four Icelanders have taken their already impressive evolution one step further. The band has continued to amalgamate haunting melodies, psychedelic phases, as well as strong undercurrents of classic rock and hard rock with echoes of their metal past. Yet Sólstafir’s focus is not on style but pure emotion.

Berdreyminn is eclectic by a conscious choice to make feelings audible and transform taste as well as texture to sound. Genre borders are not broken but simply ignored. Musical influences are gathered from a wide range of sources, re-arranged, and woven into new patterns. Melancholy, longing, anger, joy, pleasure, pain, and other emotions are fuelling and fulling this album.

Tracklisting:

“Silfur-Refur”
“Ísafold”
“Hula”
“Nárós”
“Hvít Sæng”
“Dýrafjörður”
“Ambátt”
“Bláfjall”

“Silfur-Refur” video:

Album stream:

Svart Records recently announced the signing of Hallatar. The first fruit of this union is the band's debut album, No Stars Upon The Bridge, which is based on the lyrics and poems of Aleah Starbridge, and is tentatively slated for release this fall. The album cover art by Fursy Teyssier can be seen below.

Hallatar have released a video for “Mirrors”, the first single from the upcoming album. The band describe the song as “one is one of the darkest and slowest song on the album for sure”. Watch the video below:

Although a brand-new name, Hallatar features among its ranks Swallow The Sun and Trees Of Eternity guitarist Juha Raivio, Amorphis vocalist Tomi Joutsen, and former HIM drummer Gas Lipstick. In fact, one could see Hallatar as an extension of Trees Of Eternity, whose massively acclaimed debut for Svart, Hour Of The Nightingale, served as the swansong of vocalist Aleah Starbridge.

Juha Raivio explains the genesis of Hallatar: "After the death of my beloved and my life partner Aleah Starbridge last April, I have been gathering writings, lyrics, and the poems of Aleah to keep them safe and close to my heart. About one month after the world came down on the blackest day of my life on April 18th, I knew I needed to pick up the guitar and try to create something or I would be truly destroyed. And something did arrive out of the darkness, and I wrote the music for the Hallatar album in a week's time. I don’t have much memory of this week, not a memory of a single day of writing the music. But all I remember when going into this abyss of the writing process was a promise to myself that whatever music would come out, I would not touch or change anything of it afterwards. What mattered was that the music would stay forever as an absolute truth of those moments as they came out. I asked my good friends - and amazing musicians - Tomi Joutsen and Gas Lipstick if they would want to record this music with me, and both of them said yes without even hearing a note of it. I am forever grateful to both of them for sharing this road with me; even the weight of the process has not been easy to carry, or will be."

Adds Gas Lipstick, "I am grateful and very honored to be asked to join this band. Juha is a dear friend of mine since many years ago, and when he told me about his vision for Hallatar and asked me to join, I said yes instantly - I just had to be part of this amazing journey. I had never heard a single note of the music before I gave my 'yes' because I didn't need to. Juha has been one of my favorite songwriters already for years, and I knew that Hallatar will be a very deep, personal, and one-of-a-kind story which I wanted to help him to bring alive."

Continues Tomi Joutsen: "I have known Juha from the year 2007, when we worked together for the first time. A couple years ago, I had the privilege to meet Juha's life partner, Aleah Starbridge, who was such a beautiful person, inside and outside, and had an angelic voice out of this world. Aleah lent her voice on the latest Amorphis album, and we called her 'the whispering ghost.' When I heard about Aleah's passing last spring, it came as a total shock and heartbreaking news out of the blue. When Juha asked me if I would want to be part of this album and carry Aleah's flame with him, I didn't have to think twice. When everything has been taken, all that is left is the music. The sorrow strips us naked and leave us humble - this is how it sounds like."

Concludes Raivio, "What we recorded was a raw moment in time honoring the memory, lyrics, and poems of Aleah Starbridge with all its pain, beauty and darkness. There are no stars left upon the bridge to light the way anymore, but the music will always be a dim light, even in the darkest of the night."

Sweden’s Vintersorg are streaming “Jökelväktaren”, the opening a track from the upcoming Till Fjälls del II album, out on June 30th via Napalm Records.

Andreas "Vintersorg" Hedlund, mastermind behind the captivating sound of Vintersorg about the track: "This song is kind of a sequel to the song called "Jökeln" from the Till Fjälls album from 1998. I really wanted to tie it back to that lyrical theme that deals with Glaciers. The first episode on that old album is more of an observation of the mightiness of a Glacier and how it effects its surroundings, including mankind. On the new episode I took a different path lyric wise. It's much more from an environmental stand point dealing with sustainability. Mankind continues to treat this planet as garbage in some aspects to the point that we actually contribute to melting poles. So, the lyric is about a human being that sees this and tries to address this problem. Still it has a lot of nature scenery-worship-style. The music has both harsh and soft edges with a very powerful chorus."

It was a tricky question... How would Vintersorg continue after 2014's intriguing album, Naturbål? Shunning repetition, Andreas “Vintersorg“ Hedlund did the unthinkable and composed a sequel to his groundbreaking 1998 album, Till Fjälls, which is considered to be one of the most important albums in the genre of black/folk metal.

What to expect from Till Fjälls del II? No scientific lyrical concept, no progressive trickery, but a heartfelt return to snowcapped mountains, pure nature-inspired mysticism, Nordic folklore and real black metal with a captivating epic streak. Vintersorg share a vision of equally harsh and melodic soundscapes that melt the raging extremes of the late 90s with the focus of 2016.  

Till Fjälls del II tracklisting:

CD1
“Jökelväktaren”
“En väldig isvidds karga dräkt”
“Lavin”
“Fjällets mäktiga mur”
“Obygdens pionjär”
“Vinterstorm”
“Tusenåriga stråk”
“Allt mellan himmel och jord”
“Vårflod”

CD2
“Tillbaka till källorna”
“Köldens borg”
“Portalen”
“Svart måne”

“Fjällets mäktiga mur” lyric video:

The album will be available as:

- 2 CD 6 pages digipak
- 2LP gatefold edition (black vinyl, strictly limited to 300 copies worldwide)

Magenta Harvest, featuring Finntroll singer Mathias Lillmåns, will unleash their new album, ...And Then Came The Dust, on September 1st via Apostasy Records. The new song, “The Murderous Breed”, can be heard below and is described as follows:

“A melody that sticks in your head right away and that is backed up by a bloodcurdling blastbeat-thunder only a few seconds after it appeared first leads into a verse-part which paves the way for a song that reveals more and more musical facets. ‘The Murderous Breed’ shows what Magenta Harvest is able to come up with these days and it’s also the first glimpse of their forthcoming record.”
 

 
Magenta Harvest from Finland’s Pietarsaari started out as the brainchild of drummer Janne Manninen and guitarist Timo Kontio. Over the years, the band evolved into a quintet, which released their debut, Volatile Waters, in 2014.

...And Then Came The Dust art:

 
Line-up
Mathias Lillmåns (Finntroll, Chthonian) – vocals
Timo Hanhikangas – guitar
Timo Kontio (Festerday, Oceans) – guitar
Jonas Frilund (Chthonian) – bass
Janne Manninen (Pain Confessor, ex-...and Oceans) – drums

German metal legends Primal Fear have released an official live video for “Rulebreaker”, featured on their new live album/home video, Angels Of Mercy - Live In Germany, out now. The video is available for streaming below.

2016 was a very busy year for Primal Fear. Following the release of their latest killer studio album, Rulebreaker in January, the metal warriors embarked on a world tour which shattered all the previously held records for shows played in one year by the band.

“We started in Europe with 11 countries and recorded the concert in Stuttgart for the album and video, which is Primal Fear’s first Blu-Ray release. We continued in the USA and Canada, Japan and for the first time, Australia. Then we played some wonderful festivals in the summer, continued touring in 10 countries in South and Latin America and ended the year with more shows in Europe. It was a fantastic experience for the band and we want to thank every single fan who joined us on this great journey!” says bassist and co-founding member Mat Sinner.

Vocalist and co-founding member Ralf Scheepers adds: “With a handy cam in my suitcase, I have recorded on multiple occasions many behind the scenes shots and funny, candid moments. We recorded an entire show right at the beginning of this fantastic world tour and it gives you an insight to the Primal Fear live experience on stage. You will find a lot of bonus material such as video clips and different additional surprises, so we can easily say that we are very proud to deliver this package to you…please enjoy and do us a favor: CRANK IT UP!”

The last tour unleashed the best Primal Fear performances since the band formed in 1998 - a consistently great mix of power, ambition, and enthusiasm filtered through the talent of these insanely great players! There is undoubtedly magnificent performances on this release, with great sound and video quality. This live album offers a barrage of metal anthems in their full glory that will please any headbanger! If you are a metal fan you, then you must see this in all it’s power and glory!

The package is available on CD/DVD and Blu-Ray with vinyl and a limited edition special box set in the works as well.

Tracklisting:

CD:
“Countdown To Insanity”
“Final Embrace”
“In Metal We Trust”
“Angel In Black”
“Rulebreaker”
“Sign Of Fear”
“Seven Seals”
“Angels Of Mercy”
“The End Is Near”
“Rollercoaster”
“The Sky Is Burning”
“Nuclear Fire”
“When Death Comes Knocking”
“Metal Is Forever”
“Fighting The Darkness”

DVD/Blu-Ray:
“Countdown To Insanity”
“Final Embrace”
“In Metal We Trust”
“Angel In Black”
“Rulebreaker”
“Sign Of Fear”
“Seven Seals”
“Let There Be Drums”
“Angels Of Mercy”
“The End Is Near”
“Rollercoaster”
“The Sky Is Burning”
“Nuclear Fire”
“When Death Comes Knocking”
“Metal Is Forever”
“Fighting The Darkness”
“Running In The Dust”

Bonus features:
“The End Is Near” (Videoclip)
“Angels Of Mercy” (Videoclip)
“When Death Comes Knocking” (Videoclip)
“King For A Day” (Videoclip)
“Strike” (Videoclip)
“Chainbreaker” (Live At Master Of Rocks)
Rulebreaker World Tour 2016 (documentary)

“Rulebreaker” video:

“The End Is Near” video:

“Metal Is Forever” video:

Primal Fear are back on the road promoting Angels Of Mercy. Currently confirmed dates are listed on the flyer below.

Primal Fear lineup:

Ralf Scheepers - Vocals
Mat Sinner - Bass
Tom Naumann - Guitars
Alex Beyrodt - Guitars
Francesco Jovino - Drums

German police have called for an evacuation of the popular Rock Am Ring festival in Nürburg over a "terrorist threat."

More than 80,000 fans are attending the three-day event, which was scheduled to run until Sunday.

The organizers said in a statement: "Due to a terrorist threat, the police have advised us to interrupt the festival.

"We ask all festival visitors to leave the festival site in a calm and controlled manner towards the exits and camping grounds.

"We have to support the police investigations.

"All visitors will be kept informed about any developments on all Rock Am Ring social media channels, radio and the speakers.

"We hope that the festival will continue tomorrow. Thank you for your cooperation."

Concert promoters Marek Lieberberg Konzertagentur told journalists at the scene: "The public reacted fantastically."

The police said the event had been suspended due to "concrete leads, which do not allow us to eliminate a possible terror threat".

They added: "We are currently conducting a very intense investigation."

Of particular concern is a person who had been involved in the festival preparations, including erecting the security fences, according to Sky News.

The organizers announced last month that backpacks would be prohibited at this year's Rock Am Ring and Rock Im Park following the "horrendous attack in Manchester."

As was the case with last year's Wacken Open Air, the German sister festivals are rucksack-free zones this summer, with keys, wallets, mobile phones and bum bags/fanny packs the only personal items allowed into the main festival arena.

Marek Lieberberg paid tribute to those who lost their lives in Manchester, calling the bombing of Manchester Arena "an attack on our freedom, culture and [way of] life."

This headliners of this year's Rock Am Ring festival include RAMMSTEIN and SYSTEM OF A DOWN.

METALLICA has uploaded a 360-degree clip of the "Seek & Destroy" performance from the band's May 19 concert at the Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts. Check it out below.

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield spoke to the WAAF radio station about what fans can expect from the stage production on the North American leg of the band's "WorldWired" tour, which launched last month. He said: "It's a huge stage. [When you're] our age and you've been around for thirty-six years and you're gonna do stadiums, go big."

The guitarist/vocalist added that he couldn't say for sure that it was "the biggest production" METALLICA has had so far, explaining: "I mean, when you say 'big'… I mean, we've done stuff where we've had two stages indoors and all kind sof crazy stuff. This, I would say, when you look at it, is the biggest we've done, as far as outdoors and just sheer size of it."

Hetfield also talked in more detail about the "WorldWired" stage set, which includes pyro displays that include forty-foot flames that turn into fireballs and fireworks galore.

"Some guy, the other day, in an interview, asked me… He says, 'Why do you have forty-foot flames?'" James recalled. "[I'm like] 'Why do you not? Why would you not have forty-foot flames if you could?' It's giant, it's big, it's huge."

He continued: "The whole idea around this is to make everyone feel as close as possible. That's what we've always done from day one — trying to get people drawn in. We wanna see facial expressions, we wanna see sweat, we wanna see the expression, the joy — everything that goes into making a show. So, on these big screens, if you're way up in the nosebleeds, normally you would feel like you're not a part of something. This, you're still able to count the nosehairs in Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] — whether you want to or not. You're up close and personal no matter where you are, and that's what we've been trying to do."

The summer stadium leg of the "WorldWired" tour — during which METALLICA is playing some venues with a capacity of more than 50,000 — kicked off at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore on May 10 and wraps up at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton, Alberta on August 16.

Later this year, METALLICA will head to Europe with a slate of fall arena dates planned through early November.

British heavy metal legends SAXON had their phones, passports and wallets stolen from their dressing room earlier today (Friday, June 1) at the U Rock festival at Campus Arena in Umeå, Sweden. The bandmembers have been able to travel following the theft, but some of their crew have not.

The group says: "[We've had] no luck in tracking the phones but we are checking regularly and the police are involved. We also have a witness, so hopefully this person is caught — especially before he strikes again!"

SAXON is continuing to tour in support of its latest release, "Battering Ram", and the live DVD "Let Me Feel Your Power". The band recently spent time in the studio working on a new studio album for an early 2018 release.

Due to demand following their hugely successful tour together in March and April, SAXIN and UFO have announced more dates in the U.S., plus two in Canada, in September and October.

SAXON is: Biff Byford (vocals), Paul Quinn (guitar), Nigel Glockler (drums), Doug Scarrett (guitar) and Tim "Nibbs" Carter (bass).

PROPHETS OF RAGE, the supergroup featuring members of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, PUBLIC ENEMY and CYPRESS HILL, has released a video for its new single, "Unfuck The World". Directed by Michael Moore — who previously worked with RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE on the "Sleep Now In The Fire" video — it juxtaposes politically charged footage with shots of the band performing live.

"Unfuck The World" is taken from PROPHETS OF RAGE's self-titled debut album, which will be released on September 15. The disc was recorded with legendary producer Brendan O'Brien who has done notable work with RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and AUDIOSLAVE.

Moore stated about the video in a press release: "I am thrilled to once again be working with my old friends and comrades in the struggle for a just world. PROPHETS OF RAGE is the right band saying the right shit at this very critical moment. This music video is our collective battle cry against those who seek to harm the innocent and the powerless. I am proud to have directed this video and I ask all who see it do their part to unfuck this world. ALL HANDS ON DECK!"

"Prophets Of Rage" track listing:

01. Radical Eyes02. Unfuck The World03. Legalize Me04. Living On The 11005. The Counteroffensive06. Hail To The Chief07. Take Me Higher08. Strength In Numbers09. Fired A Shot10. Who Owns Who11. Hands Up12. Smashit

PROPHETS OF RAGE guitarist Tom Morello told Billboard that the members of PROPHETS OF RAGE have set a very high bar for the material that they want to release. "The goal is a simple one: The music has to be devastating," he explained. "In all these interviews, we talk a lot about the politics, but the cornerstone is that the music has to be devastating and we have to not just be competitive with our legacies, but in [2017], it has to be something that goes beyond that and is very authentic, unapologetic and contemporary."

Even though PROPHETS OF RAGE does not feature RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE frontman Zack de la Rocha, the group plays classics like "Bulls On Parade" along with tunes by PUBLIC ENEMY and CYPRESS HILL.

"I think the music of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE is more relevant today than it was when it was written," Morello told Cleveland.com. "And we give a lot of credit and honor to Zack at every show because his lyrics are brilliant."

PROPHETS OF RAGE made their live debut in May 2016 in Los Angeles.

According to Billboard, GUNS N' ROSES' "Greatest Hits" collection, which was originally released in March of 2004, has just logged its 400th nonconsecutive week on the Billboard 200 albums chart, making it just one of seven albums to spend at least 400 weeks on the list.

GUNS N' ROSES frontman Axl Rose, guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan tried to block the release of "Greatest Hits" with a lawsuit, claiming that the record label had assembled the CD without their input. The band's label, Geffen Records, insisted that it was forced to put out a greatest-hits album since Axl Rose had failed to deliver the long-delayed new GUNS album, "Chinese Democracy".

"Greatest Hits" debuted and peaked at No. 3 on the Billboard 200 chart dated April 10, 2004 and has sold 5.93 million copies in the U.S.

Among the other albums that have spent at least 400 weeks on the list are PINK FLOYD's "The Dark Side Of The Moon" (927), JOURNEY's "Greatest Hits" (462) and METALLICA's self-titled album (432).

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, bassist Duff McKagan and Axl Rose backed by guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Frank Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and new second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

"Train Song", the new video from former PANTERA bassist Rex Brown, can be seen below. The song is taken from Rex's debut solo album, " Smoke On This", which will be released on July 28 via Entertainment One (eOne). The disc will be the first time in Brown's career in which he will serve as both lead vocalist and guitarist in a band.

Directed by Justin Reich, the "Train Song" clip was filmed in Nashville and features Brown alongside guitarists Lance Harvill and Joe Shadid, drummer Johnny Kelly and Caleb Sherman on keys and lap steel.

"Smoke On This" track listing:

01. Lone Rider02. Crossing Lines03. Buried Alive04. Train Song05. Get Yourself Alright06. Fault Line07. What Comes Around...08. Grace09. So Into You10. Best Of Me11. One Of these Days

Brown wields a six-string guitar as confidently as he wore the bass in PANTERA and DOWN. His engaging voice crackles with easygoing spirit and truth-telling power. It's a crunchy drawl that's down-to-earth, grippingly relatable, charmingly welcoming, and gritty, somewhere between the achingly resonant spiritual shamanism of Tom Waits and the instantly recognizable everyman AM radio vibes of Tom Petty and THE HEARTBREAKERS.

After a season away to gather his wits about him, rediscover his own roots, and assemble a group of players ready to help him execute his vision for the days ahead, Rex Brown re-emerges with a semi truck's worth of rock n' roll tunes as honest and sincere as they come. The new album is the sound of the man's own truth, forthright and ego-free. As he likes to say, "You're only as good as your word and your word better be good."

Rex's solo album is full of mojo and the force of character, determination, and nerve. He tracked lead vocals, rhythm guitars, and bass, working with his primary collaborator and old friend Lance Harvill, a Nashville-based guitarist and songwriter, on the album's songs. "Lance was and is my main man on this. Everything we did was finely tuned, both musically and brotherly."

Drums were tracked by Christopher Williams, himself no stranger to diverse tastes, from funk music to punk. His talent has been utilized by country music star Lee Greenwood, the reconstituted BLACKFOOT and most recently, power metal legends ACCEPT. The album was produced by New Yorker-turned-Nashville-transplant Caleb Sherman, a multi-instrumentalist with work on records by LITTLE BIG TOWN and PORTER BLOCK, among others. "Caleb produced the project from a musician's standpoint," adds Brown. "Not just a typical producer's standpoint, which was something I definitely needed. Between Caleb and Lance, we were a force to be reckoned with. They really pulled out the best in me." Peter Keyes, known for his work with LYNYRD SKYNYRD, can also be heard on a few tracks. All bass tracking came from Rex himself as well.

"My motto these days is 'Shake some shit up,'" Brown declares. "I've had my ups and downs, like anybody in this business. I wanted to feel like a true artist again, where I can write and record songs without worrying about any of the bullshit. This is just something else I'm doing for fun, man. And musical freedom. Fun has to come into it or I'm not going to do it. I've had a tremendous career and now I feel like I'm twenty-five years old again. This has given me that freedom I needed."

"I've got so much more in me," he enthuses. "I'm just getting my feet wet."

Brown previously described his solo album as "a rock and roll record. It's not your standard fare or typical metal thing," he told Metal Hammer magazine. "I was always a big [LED] ZEPPELIN fan and even though it has its little fringes of it... It's a new journey that sounds like anywhere from FOGHAT to old Tom Waits. I'm a child of the '70s and I love those kind of songs."

After leaving DOWN in 2011, Rex went on play with KILL DEVIL HILL, which has released two albums so far: "Kill Devil Hill" (2012) and "Revolution Rise" (2013).

"Condolences", the video for the title track of WEDNESDAY 13's seventh solo studio album, can be seen below. Released today (Friday, June 2) via Nuclear Blast Entertainment, the follow-up to 2015's "Monsters Of The Universe" was produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who previously worked with Wednesday 13 and guitarist Roman Surman on the 2010 MURDERDOLLS album "Women & Children Last". The artwork was created by Travis Smith (OPETH, KATATONIA, NEVERMORE) and can be seen below.

"We weren't trying to do a really long, IRON MAIDEN type of song — it just came out that way," Wednesday 13 said. "It wasn't forced and I think it's awesome! It's one of the first songs I wrote for the record.

"The title 'Condolences' came from when David Bowie passed away; I kept seeing 'Condolences, sorry for your loss.' I realized how powerful that word was, so I picked my guitar up and started writing the riff for it; I had the chorus instantly."

He added: "We shortened the song for the video — we cut two minutes off of it. But it's still a really, really dark song. And I think we captured that vibe in the video. It's definitely the strangest thing I've ever done — I filmed my fake funeral. I had all my friends there, putting flowers on a casket; it was really weird! I had a wreath that said, 'In Memory of Wednesday 13.' I'm the priest in it, doing my eulogy, and I'm also inside the casket, like I'm being buried alive. When we filmed the video, the director, Matt Zane, said, 'This reminds me of TWISTED SISTER 'Burn In Hell' or 'Captain Howdy'. And I was like, 'Holy shit, it does! I didn't even realize it."

"Condolences" track listing:

01. Last Rites02. What The Night Brings03. Cadaverous04. Blood Sick05. Good Riddance06. You Breathe, I Kill07. Omen Amen08. Cruel To You09. Eulogy XIII10. Prey For Me11. Lonesome Road To Hell12. Condolences13. Death Infinity

Wednesday 13 told Creative Loafing that "Condolences" may be his darkest and heaviest album to date. "The campiness is kind of gone off of this record," he said. "It's definitely heavier, and definitely the best-produced sounding thing, I think, I've ever recorded. A lot of people go, 'He's serious now!' Well, I'm 40 years old now. I'm growing with the music, my band, everything, and this record definitely has some experimenting with different sounds and things. The sense of humor is still always there, but maybe not as campy as it's always been, and sometimes that comes off more serious."

Regarding the subject matter covered on "Condolences", Wednesday 13 said: "The theme is death, and it comes from everything from the point of view of a killer, the point of view of being killed, and the whole record ends with the title track 'Condolences' and that's like the funeral."

He continued: "It's just a dark, weird record, kind of inspired by basically everybody who seems to be dropping around us. I kept seeing, 'Condolences, sorry for your loss,' and I saw that, and I themed the record around what's in the air right now."

Photo credit: Jeremy Saffer

Australia's NORTHLANE has released a video for its new single, "Solar".

Lifted from the band's critically acclaimed fourth album, "Mesmer", the song is a groove-laden, multi-layered prog journey that showcases the incredible vocal talent of Marcus Bridge, whose range and dexterity has proven unparalleled.

The video, directed by long-time collaborator Jason Eshraghian, was premiered via Twitter Wednesday morning.

"Mesmer" was released on March 24, with no forewarning and completely blindsiding fans and the industry alike.

Since it dropped, "Mesmer" has been streamed over 5.38 million times. The album was received with a raft of acclaim, shaping NORTHLANE into one of the most successful Australian heavy music exports today.

"Mesmer" was recorded throughout September 2016 in New Jersey with acclaimed producer David Bendeth (BRING ME THE HORIZON, PARAMORE, A DAY TO REMEMBER).

The rest of 2017 will see NORTHLANE take "Mesmer" to all corners of the globe, starting with appearances on the main stage at Download festival (U.K.) and Hellfest (France). The band will also appear at Vainstream Rockfest (Germany), Jera On Air (Netherlands), Graspop Metal Meeting (Belgium), Dissonance Festival (Italy), Rock For People (Czech Republic), Resurrection (Spain) and many more.

Prior to "Mesmer"'s arrival, NORTHLANE's last full-length studio release was 2015's "Node". A split three-track "Equinox" EP with IN HEARTS WAKE — featuring all ten members of both bands — came out last year.

"Node" was the first NORTHLANE to feature Bridge, who joined the band after the departure of longtime frontman Adrian Fitipaldes. Adrian left the band unexpectedly in 2014, citing health issues.

Newly reunited metal band EIGHTEEN VISIONS has released a video for the new song "Live Again". The clip was directed by Michael R. Garcia. "Live Again" is taken from EIGHTEEN VISIONS' comeback album "XVIII", which came out on June 2 via Rise Records. EIGHTEEN VISIONS was scheduled to take the stage for the first time in ten years last night (Friday, June 2) for a record-release show at The Observatory in Orange County. "XVIII", the reunited and reenergized band's first new album in over a decade, is both mission statement and battle cry. It's a blistering, dense, and diverse album. Recharged and newly partnered with Rise Records, EIGHTEEN VISIONS sound liberated from the expectations of the outside world and driven only by their own personal and artistic directive. This is the album promised by the raw alchemy of every other EIGHTEEN VISIONS record. The unrelenting force and unashamed ambition that fueled every stylistic incarnation of this always evolving and never boring band: it's finally fully realized in the sound of "XVIII".

The album was made at home in Orange County, with U.K. transplant and multi-instrumentalist producer Mick Kenney at the helm. His close relationship with the guys in the band (vocalist James Hart, guitarist Keith Barney and drummer Trevor Friedrich) lent itself to the most fully realized recording in their discography, emphasizing every strength of EIGHTEEN VISIONS' unique arsenal. Among the album's many highlights is "Live Again", a moving tribute to bassist Mick Morris, who passed in 2013; "Picture Perfect", a super-heavy, dirgy assault on fakery and wolves in sheep's clothing, dripping with menacing melody; and "Fake Leather Jacket", a Molotov cocktail tossed at the music industry, threatening and staunchly confident. "XVIII" track listing:

01. Crucified02. The Disease, The Decline, The Wasted Time03. Underneath My Gun04. Live Again05. Laid To Waste In The Shit Of Man06. Oath07. Spit08. Picture Perfect09. Fake Leather Jacket10. For This I Sacrifice

"Lords Of Thunder", a brand new song from ADRENALINE MOB — the band featuring Russell Allen (vocals; also of SYMPHONY X) and Mike Orlando (guitar) — can be streamed below. The track is taken from the group's third studio album, "We The People", which is being released today (Friday, June 2) via Century Media. The follow-up to 2014's "Men Of Honor" is the first ADRENALINE MOB release to feature the band's new drummer Jordan Cannata and bassist David Zablidowsky (of TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA).

"We The People" is available for purchase as a special-edition CD digipak, gatefold 2LP+CD, and on all standard digital and streaming music platforms.

"We The People" track listing:

01. King Of The Ring02. We The People03. The Killer's Inside04. Bleeding Hands05. Chasing Dragons06. Til The Head Explodes07. What You're Made Of08. Raise 'Em Up09. Ignorance & Greed10. Blind Leading The Blind11. Violent State Of Mind12. Lords Of Thunder13. Rebel Yell

As the title "We The People" indicates, there's a political side to ADRENALINE MOB. Throughout their years as a musicians and songwriters, they hadn't stayed silent on matters significant. Whether they were masked in metaphor or flatly conspicuous, they've always poured their feelings into song. It was, as Orlando puts it, a form of catharsis. So, as they were watching the presidential campaigns, feeling the negativity — the constant bickering and finger pointing — they knew ADRENALINE MOB's next venture would be affected. In fact, the first song Orlando began writing for "We The People" was the politically charged rocker "Blind Leading The Blind". "The title track is very much inspired by the past election year," confirms Allen. "It touches on our society, here in America. The album title is a reflection of our times. The songs have certain particular stories that stand on their own. Many of them are also driven by the climate we live in today and some are about having a good time, being free and loving rock 'n' roll. All the tracks have a personality and character to them."

ADRENALINE MOB will embark on a 30-date U.S. tour on June 16 in Poughkeepsie, New York. Support on all dates will come from the Canadian band THE WILD!

THE WINERY DOGS, the power trio featuring drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB), legendary bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, TALAS, DAVID LEE ROTH) and guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen (MR. BIG, POISON), will release "Dog Years: Live In Santiago & Beyond 2013-2016" on August 4 via Loud & Proud Records.

"Dog Years: Live In Santiago & Beyond 2013-2016", which will be available in both standard and deluxe editions, is a collection of live concert footage, music videos, and an EP of previously unreleased studio tracks. Pre-orders are available now on Amazon for the deluxe and standard editions. A standard two-disc edition of "Dog Years: Live In Santiago & Beyond 2013-2016" will be available which includes one Blu-ray disc of the 100-minute concert, eight music videos from the band's two albums, and the "Dog Years" EP on CD. A special edition five-disc package will consist of one Blu-ray disc, one DVD of the live concert material and the eight music videos, the "Dog Years" EP on CD, as well as two CDs of the live concert audio. "Dog Years: Live In Santiago & Beyond 2013-2016" track listing:

Live In Santiago - May 27, 2016: 01. Oblivion02. Captain Love03. We Are One04. Hot Streak05. How Long06. Time Machine07. Empire08. Fire09. Think It Over10. Mike Portnoy Drum Solo11. The Other Side12. Billy Sheehan Bass Solo13. Ghost Town14. I'm No Angel15. Elevate16. Regret17. Desire Music Videos: * Elevate* Desire* Time Machine* I'm No Angel* Oblivion* Captain Love* Hot Streak* Fire "Dog Years" EP: 01. Criminal02. The Game03. Solid Ground04. Love Is Alive05. Moonage Daydream

THE WINERY DOGS last year completed a tour in support of its second album, "Hot Streak", which was released in October 2015 in North America.

"Hot Streak" debuted at No. 30 on The Billboard 200 chart, having shifted 13,000 equivalent album units in the week ending October 8, 2015.

In a recent interview with Myglobalmind, Kotzen said about THE WINERY DOGS' current status: "[There is] nothing [planned] at the moment, I don't foresee anything happening for a couple of years.

"It's an interesting thing, with THE WINERY DOGS I wasn't looking to join a band for the rest of my life," he continued. "My idea was to take a break from being Richie Kotzen and do something more collaborative. I thought it would be fun to do the first WINERY DOGS CD and tour to some key market shows and that would be the end of it. We ended up getting a great response and toured for over a year. People loved the CD so much that we got back in the studio to do the second one.

"For me, it's time to come home and do what I've always done. I have been making Richie Kotzen records since I was 18; it's a source of survival, sanity, art, and everything you want to call it. I know the other guys have something very exciting in the works which people will love. It may fill a WINERY DOGS void."

Kotzen added: "I'm not saying it's over; you never know in a couple of years from now we may get back together and do something. What I am saying is THE WINERY DOGS are the furthest thing from my mind right now with a new [solo] CD out."

Radiation Romeos have released a video for “Monstertraxx”, a song from their self-titled debut album, out now. The new video is available for streaming below.

Radiation Romeos is a new band formed by the singer Parramore “Perry” McCarty, best known for being the frontman of legendary US metal act Warrior and famed Billy Idol guitarist Steve Stevens' solo project, Atomic Playboys (in fact, the inspiration for the name Radiation Romeos came from a line in the song “Atomic Playboys").

Musically, the band moves in a melodic hard rock direction with solid, metallic edges thanks to the production of Michael Voss (Phantom 5, Casanova, Michael Schenker), who also contributed to the songwriting. In the studio, Parramore sang all vocals with Dag Heyne handling guitars, Jogi Spittka on bass, and Gereon Homann laying down the drum work with gusto.

Perry says: “Radiation Romeos started when producer Michael Voss contacted me in San Diego through Facebook. A few days later we had the record agreement with Frontiers, so the Radiation Romeos album was soon under way. Our goal was to write great melodic rock songs. The album “spans the globe” from the title track, power rockin’ Radiation Romeos to some songs with a bit more grit like Castaways. All the way to a beautiful ballad, “Like An Arrow”. Something for everyone, if you will… The recording was so much fun and exciting for me. I couldn’t wait to get up the following day to work on the next song! Michael is a wonderfully professional person with endless talent and the musicians super cool guys and top players!”

Parramore McCarty's career in music started when Robbin Crosby of Ratt gave him his start singing in cover bands. His first major label album was Fighting For the Earth on Virgin Records in 1985 for the legendary heavy metal band Warrior. Steve Stevens' Atomic Playboys followed in 1989 on Warner Bros. Records. Then he returned to Warrior and also started gigging in the LA area with Metal Freqs and Monster Traxx.

Radiation Romeos tracklisting:

“Radiation Romeos”
“Ocean Drive”
“Bad Bad Company”
“Mystic Mountain”
“Like An Arrow”
“Promised Land”
“Castaways”
“Ghost Town”
“Til The End Of Time”
“On The Tight Rope”
“Monstertraxx”

“Monstertraxx” video:

“Radiation Romeos” video:

“Castaways”:

“Like An Arrow”:

“Ocean Drive” video:

Band lineup:

Parramore McCarty - vocals
Dag Heyne - guitars
Jogi Spittka - bass
Gereon Homann - drums

During last night's (Wednesday, May 31) KISS concert at the O2 Arena in London, England, the legendary rockers asked for a moment of silence in honor of those who lost their lives in Manchester.

KISS had been scheduled to play at the Manchester Arena on May 30, just one week after a suicide bomb killed 22 people at an Ariana Grande gig at the same venue.

As a result, the Manchester Arena remains closed, which forced the band to cancel its performance.

KISS said in a statement: "We are heartbroken by the atrocity committed against the innocent victims of Manchester.

"We have always looked forward to these shows and our local fans, but in light of recent events, a canceled rock show seems of such little consequence.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and friends of those affected and all the people of Manchester at this difficult time. We are with you and you are in our prayers."

Several other artists — including BLONDIE and TAKE THAT — also canceled concerts in the wake of the attack.

As they have done at every show during their current European tour, GUNS N' ROSES paid tribute to Chris Cornell Friday night (June 2) by performing a cover version of SOUNDGARDEN's "Black Hole Sun" at Passeio Marítimo de Algés in Lisbon, Portugal. Fan-filmed video footage of the rendition can be seen below.

For his first solo album, which came out in 2010, GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash invited many great musicians as guest vocalists, including Cornell, who can be heard on a song called "Promise". Slash later told Music Radar about the track: "Chris was great. 'Promise' was probably the most unorthodox piece of music that I'd written, it was very different. It was one of those things, I don't know why I thought of him for that song more than any of the others, but I sent it to him and within 48 hours he sent me this great lyric and we were off and running. It was as simple as that. Everybody seems to like this one."

Cornell told Classic Rock magazine about Slash: "I met Slash in 1992 when GUNS N' ROSES took SOUNDGARDEN on tour. He was extremely gracious and always very supportive. Often when you tour with a band that are that successful, they treat you like shit. Slash was always a very consistent and amiable person and he is now. And I will say this — and I don't mean this as a slight to him, it's actually a compliment — Slash is the most drunk guitarist I have ever seen play well on stage. I was never able to be that trashed and that good at the same time. That's a part of his consistency: he doesn't drink now and he's still great. That dedication to music is what drives his character."

A completed toxicology report confirmed on Friday that Cornell was using prescription drugs at the time of his death. The report revealed that the SOUNDGARDEN frontman had Naloxone (Narcan), Butalbital (a sedative), Lorazepam (Ativan), Pseudoephedrine (a decongestant) and barbiturates in his system on the night he died by hanging himself in his Detroit hotel room. He was 52.

Michigan's Wayne County Medical Examiner said that the manner of death was suicide and that "drugs did not contribute to the cause of death."

Decibel Geek TV has uploaded video footage of the reunited RATT, featuring three members of the band's classic lineup — singer Stephen Pearcy, bassist Juan Croucier and guitarist Warren DeMartini — performing on May 28 at the Rocklahoma festival, which took place at "Catch the Fever" Festival Grounds in Pryor, Oklahoma, just outside Tulsa. Check it out below.

As before, Pearcy, Croucier and DeMartini were joined on stage 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.

A completely different version of RATT — led by drummer Bobby Blotzer and featuring a revolving door of members — has been hitting stages across the country since the fall of 2015.

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.

Blotzer's most recent lineup of RATT included singer Seann Nicols (QUIET RIOT) alongside guitarists Mitch Perry (TALAS, HEAVEN, STEELER, MSG, LITA FORD) and Stacey Blades (L.A. GUNS) and bassist Brad Lang (Y&T).