Hailing from Tampere, Finland, Final Void combines melodic rock and metal in their own unique style in their debut Sounds Of Absence, released via Inverse Records

Final Void was founded in 2012, but instead of hurrying to the studio, they decided to let their sound grow and mature. In 2015, as the band reached its final ensemble, it was time to start working on their debut album. This powerful album takes the listener on a melodic journey through strong emotions and emotional landscapes.

Albert Hyrönen, a solo artist and a finalist of a national guitarist competition 'Kitarasankari' (Guitar Hero), stars on the track “Thoreau.”

“Final Void asked me if I wanted to play a solo on their upcoming album. I listened the song and immediately decided I wanted to be a part of this project! The song kicks ass and the overall feeling of the debut album is just amazing and so versatile!” -Albert Hyrönen

The album is available on all popular digital services (Spotify, iTunes, Deezer, Tidal, Apple Music, Google Play etc.) and the physical CD-version is sold via Finnish Record Shop X.

Tracklisting:

“One Certain Son”
“Dianthus”
“Thoreau”
“For You”
“Desperation Rises”
“Journey”
“Her Song”
“Bad Memory”
“The Day You Sold Your Heart”

“Thoreau” lyric video:

(Photo by: Sampsa Kapanen)

Detroit prog rock icons Discipline have just released the first single from their impending fifth studio album, Captives Of The Wine Dark Sea, which is set for release in early July, the band's first record through Laser's Edge. The album's second track, "Life Imitates Art," is now a lyric video.

Discipline has performed and recorded together since 1987, and remains one of the top bands in the American progressive rock scene. The band's current lineup, including drummer Paul Dzendzel, bassist Mathew Kennedy, lead guitarist Chris Herin (Tiles), and vocalist/keyboardist Matthew Parmenter, worked with veteran music producer Terry Brown(Rush, Fate's Warning) for the mixing of their newest opus, Captives Of The Wine Dark Sea, which Parmenter describes as, "an escape to ameliorate the workaday world."
 
Laser's Edge will release Captives Of The Wine Dark Sea worldwide on CD, LP, and digital formats on July 7th; watch for additional audio samples, digital, and vinyl preorders to be issued in the days ahead.

 
Discipline will perform several concerts in Europe this Summer, with a show in Madrid, Spain on August 30th, followed by a solo show from vocalist Matthew Parmenter show in Rome, Italy the following evening. September 2nd sees the band playing at Novara, Italy's 2Days Prog+1Festival on September 2nd before returning stateside. Discipline also plays September 23rd as part of the NJ Proghouse Series in New Jersey with Galactic Cowboy Orchestra, and October sees the band playing in Ferndale, Michigan with Necromonkey, and taking part in Progtoberfest III in Chicago. Additional tour dates supporting the new album are to be expected.

Austin, TX based extreme metal quintet HeadCrusher will release new album Death Comes With Silence on July 28th.  Check out new song "Trails of Devastation" below.

Death Comes With Silence offers fans and newcomers alike a new level of dense, unfettered brutality. The music will grab you and will not let go. After relocating to Austin from Colombia in 2008, HeadCrusher have carved their place in the growing Texas scene. Their fast execution and ferocious delivery has taken their music to international stages in support of some of the best metal acts in the world.

A limited edition (50) Death Comes With Silence preorder bundle is available now. In addition to the digital and CD versions of the forthcoming album, fans will also receive a bag of  Death Comes With Silence Coffee Blend; the double-vinyl version of Let The Blood Run / Black Burning Skies EP; and a free track download of "Trails Of Devastation."

Tracklisting:

“Ignis Fatuus (Intro)”
“Seismal”
“A Plague Upon Us”
“Black Hearted Demons”
“Trails Of Devastation”
“Intermission”
“Fatal Error”
“Eternal Butchery”
“Death Comes With Silence”
“I Am Death (Outro)”
“Gritos Del Sur” (bonus track)

“Trails Of Devastation”:

Trails of Devastation by Headcrusher

Video footage of LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe laying down his vocals on a cover of "Ghost Riders In The Sky" for DEVILDRIVER's upcoming outlaw country covers album, "Outlaws Till The End", can be seen below.

Tentatively due in early 2018, "Outlaws Till The End" will contain thirteen "insanely heavy, swinging badass outlaw tracks by some of the best outlaw country artists," including Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings and Johnny Paycheck, according to DEVILDRIVER singer Dez Fafara. Produced by Steve Evetts, the album will feature appearances by nearly two dozen other "high-caliber guests," among them Glenn Danzig, and guitarists John 5 (ROB ZOMBIE) and Mark Morton (LAMB OF GOD).

In a recent interview with RockRevolt Magazine, Fafara described "Outlaws Till The End" as "so out of the pocket and so different that people are gonna be tripping." He also talked about how the idea for the record first came about, saying: "If you go on a tour bus in the United States with metal bands, you're gonna hear outlaw country — you're gonna hear Johnny Cash, you're gonna hear Willie Nelson, you're gonna Waylon Jennings — you're gonna hear these artists in the back, in the front lounge as much as punk rock. I go from BLACK FLAG to Hank [Williams] Sr. to Hank III to fucking Ozzy [Osbourne] in an instant; like, that's my playlist. I've always heard these songs heavy, so when I hear, say, 'Ghost Riders In The Sky', I'm always in the back listening to that, smoking a joint [and] going, 'What would it be like to fucking hear a heavy version of this?' And we'll start singing it back there heavy, and it feels natural to me."

Fafara went on to reveal that "Outlaws Till The End" will contain covers of songs from "only the best of the best and mostly only outlaw country stuff." He added: "The first song that we worked on was 'Ghost Riders In The Sky'. I went to Johnny Cash's cabin in Tennessee. I recorded with John Carter Cash and his wife, did 'Ghost Riders', and now Randy from LAMB OF GOD is gonna jump on the song. And that's just the tip of the iceberg of artists that are on this thing. It's twenty artists, but it's turning more into, like, probably twenty-five by the time… There's people calling me daily that are jumping on this thing. The most recent cat, and he's a hero of mine, and just to pick up the phone and see his number calling me in the morning makes my fourteen-year-old self fucking shake, Lee Ving from FEAR is doing two songs with me as well. So it's just become this intense thing that everyone in the industry is calling me, going, 'Wait a minute? What are you doing? Everybody should have fucking done that.' And I go, 'Well, we're doing a 'volume one,' which means there's a 'volume two' coming, so if we don't have any more songs slotted, I'd love to have you. And I've actually had to turn some people down that were, like, major fucking artists, just saying, 'We don't have room."

According to Fafara, DEVILDRIVER's decision to make a country covers album is consistent with the band's overall approach to things, which is to "do different shit. We wanna shake it up. I wanna have the metal purists go, 'Fuck that! I don't love country,' and then hear the record and go, 'Jesus!' 'Cause it's heavy as balls — beyond heavy as balls. Or the person who loves country that hates metal to hear it and go, 'Jesus! You guys did a fantastic job at keeping the fucking song alive.' 'Cause we didn't go in and massacre these songs — we kept them as they are."

Despite Fafara's enthusiasm for the project, he admitted that he has "no expectations" for how well it's going to fare once it is released. "I'm not thinking it's gonna come out and outsell everything, it's gonna do this and that," he said. "What it's really go do is shake up shit. What I really want is every other band that's out there on their tour bus to fucking listen to it, 'cause they're gonna, and they're gonna be listening to it in the back lounge before they go on, going, 'Holy fuck! We should have done this.' But you didn't. DEVILDRIVER did."

DEVILDRIVER guitarist Neal Tiemann told Guitar World about the band's approach on "Outlaws Till The End": "I think the point is to keep the memorable melodies and lyrics intact while providing and alternate and heavier music bed. It's easy to get carried away in one of our own riffs, so we've been sure to keep refocusing on the essence of the original material."

The project started out in early 2016 when Fafara was thinking about remaking punk classics. "I loved the idea of focusing on a single genre, but I felt that country was a better way to go, because the songs would give us more ideas to work with," explained DEVILDRIVER guitarist Mike Spreitzer.

Added Tiemann: "While the theme is centered in outlaw country, we're adding some numbers that go against the grain, rather than fit inside those genre barriers."

In 2016 renowned Dutch vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen (ex-The Gathering) announced the formation of a brand new progressive metal band under the name of VUUR. She has posted more rehearsal footage on Instagram as the band gears up for a string of summer dates; this time it's a clip of The Gathering classic "On Most Surfaces".

The band's live schedule is as follows:

June
9 - Neushoorn - Leeuwarden, Netherlands (warm-up show)
30 - Tuska Open Air - Helsinki, Finland

July
14 - Masters of Rock - Vizovice, Czech Republic
15 - Dynamo Metal Fest - Eindhoven, Netherlands

With their debut album well under way, VUUR have announced that they will be main support to Dutch symphonic metal band Epica on The Ultimate Principle tour this coming November in Europe.

Anneke had this to say: "Right after the release of our debut album this fall, VUUR will hit the road on our first European tour as direct support for the mighty Epica. Also part of this amazing line-up is Tunisian progressive metal band Myrath. We are recording the album as we speak and we really can't wait to play these songs live! We are looking forward to this tour and seeing you. Get ready for an amazing night and purchase your tickets here.”

Tour dates:

November
9 - Klub Studio - Krakow, Poland
12 - Kesselhaus - Berlin, Germany
13 - Markthalle - Hamburg, Germany
14 - Essigfabrik - Cologne, Germany
15 - La BAM - Metz, France
17 - Stereolux - Nantes, France
18 - Krakatoa - Bordeaux, France
25 - Le Moulin - Marseille, France
26 - Le Transbordeur - Lyon, France
29 - Bakcstage Werk - Munich, Germany

December
3 - L'Aeronef - Lille, France

The band recently offered a glimpse into the recording process of their debut album at Sandlane Recording Facilities in Rijen, the Netherlands. You can watch a behind the scenes video below.

In the video Anneke reveals that the lyrical content of the album is inspired by the many cities she has visited while being on the road.

Anneke comments: "For a long time I've wanted to make a kind of concept album about the cities we've visited, because we tour so much and see so many countries and cities.  I often have a strong feeling for a city. It can be anything - sometimes I visualize a city as a man or a character, or sometimes something happened in that city and I want to write about that."

VUUR's debut full length is due in the fall of this year.

Best known as the lead vocalist of the all female rock band Vixen, Janet Gardner's powerful vocals propelled Vixen to the top of the Billboard charts with crossover hits "Edge of a Broken Heart" and "Cryin'" and Found the band opening for the likes of Deep Purple, Ozzy Osbourne, The Scorpions, Kiss, and Bon Jovi.

Teaming up with guitarist/songwriter/producer Justin James (having worked with Staind, Collective Soul, Tyketto), Gardner has ventured into the solo realm to unleash a new side of her musical creativity. Together, Janet and James have penned a collection of emotionally charged songs with gritty grooves, infectious hooks, and inspired lyrics that merge hard rock influences from the last four decades.

A sample teaser was put up on YouTube and literally exploded overnight. This quickly landed a deal with Pavement Entertainment. Early feedback on the album has stated that "Janet's voice is just as dynamic and powerful as it was back in 1988. Rock fans are going to be blown away by this solo album".
The album sampler can be viewed below. The full length self-titled debut will be released on August 18th worldwide via Pavement Entertainment in conjunction with Pavement's cohorts Eternal Sound Records for Europe.

In an era primarily dominated by male rock musicians, Vixen's all female line up matched with their undeniable musicianship and Gardner's unique and powerful vocal style propelled the band quickly to Gold Album status and earned the band critically acclaimed success that is still celebrated to this day. Vixen, along with their predecessors, helped pave the way for the current wave and success of female fronted acts such as Halestorm, In This Moment, The Pretty Reckless, and many others.

For more information visit Gardner's official Facebook page here and PavementMusic.com.

In the new, full-length video below, Queen guitarist Brian May unwraps his book, Queen In 3-D, available on May 25th.

Brian May’s London Stereoscopic Company is a new fine-art publishing company with a mission to share the wonders of the world’s greatest 3-D images, from Victorian times to the present day.

Queen In 3-D offers a stunning portrait of the legendary rock band seen through the personal stereoscopic lenses of Brian May (and friends) - complete with patent OWL 3-D viewer. This is the first time Queen’s history has ever been documented in 3-D, from the early days with Freddie Mercury in the 1970s, right through to the present day. The vast majority of these shots have never been seen before, and provide a uniquely intimate view of the world’s greatest rock band.

Just weeks after announcing a 26-date summer tour of North America, Queen + Adam Lambert have revealed further live plans for 2017, which will now see the band return to Europe later this year for a series of 24 dates including 12 arena concerts in the UK and Ireland. The tour will showcase a spectacular new stage production and a set list that the band hints will provide some surprises (see video below).

Queen + Adam Lambert’s 11-city UK and Ireland tour will kick off in Dublin on November 25th. They perform in Belfast in Northern Ireland the following day, then reach mainland Britain on November 28th to play Liverpool’s Echo Arena. More dates follow in Birmingham, Newcastle, Glasgow, Nottingham, Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester, climaxing with two huge London shows at the O2 Arena on December 12th and The SSE Arena, Wembley, on December 15th. Tickets are on sale now. The tour is presented by Phil McIntyre Entertainments.

These shows will mark the band’s first full British tour in almost three years, having last performed across the UK in January 2015 when they played 10 sold out shows. Their only UK appearance in 2016 was a one-off headlining set at the closing night of the Isle of Wight Festival on Sunday, June 12th, part of a 15-date European summer festival tour. Isle of Wight festival organizer John Giddings credited the band with “the greatest show we have ever had”.

For their 2017 tour, the band will unveil a brand new show including a specially designed state-of-the-art production. The choice of performance material will no doubt acknowledge this year’s 40th anniversary of Queen’s biggest-selling studio album to date, News Of The World from 1977, which yielded the immortal anthems “We Will Rock You” and “We Are the Champions”.

Queen drummer and co-founder Roger Taylor insists the 2017 tour “will look entirely different to the show we took around before. Production has really changed a lot, the things you can do now, you have a much broader palette, the technology has really come along. But we don’t use it all. We don’t play to click track. It’s 100% live. We're planning on doing stuff we either haven't done before or haven't done for a long time. We started as an albums band, that's what we were. The fact that we had hits was just a byproduct.”

Guitarist Brian May confirms Queen’s 2017 shows will have a more ambitious musical agenda. “The general public knows the hits, so you've got to cater for that,” he says, “but we can chuck in a few things that people really don't expect. We’ll do quite a bit more of that this time around. There are so many dimensions to Adam, which of course fits with our music. He can get down and do the rock stuff really dirty, and you have all those dimensions, and we can explore that even more.”

Adam Lambert welcomes the challenge of digging deeper into the band’s canon of classics. “What people should know if they came to the shows a couple of years back, is obviously we will still be playing the big hit songs you know and love from Queen, but we thought it would be good to challenge ourselves a bit,” he explains. “Change it up a little bit, change the visuals, change all the technology, change the set list to some degree. We will probably be pulling some other songs out of the Queen catalogue which we haven’t done before, which I am very excited about.”

Tickets are on sale now.

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

Inspired by ‘80s thrash bands and horror movies, coupled with old issues of Metal Forces and cheap beer, the mighty horror metal machine F.K.U. has just signed with Despotz Records and are currently working on an album to be released in late fall.

The band says, "As we prepare to enter the next stage of our ongoing battle for total dominance, we have formed a new alliance to assist us in forcing the world to succumb to horror and metal. We are proud to announce that Despotz Records will be releasing our albums in the future. They are a force to be reckoned with and will take no prisoners. And make no mistake, F.K.Ü. will be back with another horror metal attack late this fall."

Throughout their three decade long career F.K.U. has shown the world that it’s possible to have good, friendly, violent fun on your way to the nearest mosh pit.

"We give you horror thrash metal's finest, F.K.Ü," says Despotz Records partner, Omer Akay. "The band celebrates it's 30th anniversary this year, and we're honoured to present their fifth album to the world this fall. Mosh ‘til u drop!"

The British heavy metal veterans Mythra, that last month released a brand new studio album entitled Still Burning, have released a video clip to one of the new songs, entitled "A Call To All". The video was directed by Oliver Fowler and can be seen below.

Still Burning is available as a vinyl LP, CD, and digital download, and was released via High Roller Records. "It’s the first time the band has gone into the studio and recorded a complete album all in one go. We flew out to Poland in October 2016 to work with Bart Gabriel as producer. It was a superb experience and we all had a great time working with him. We were totally blown away when High Roller Records signed us to record the album and cannot thank them enough. Their support has been incredible!" says Mythra vocalist, Vince High. "We intended to stay true to our NWoBHM roots and achieved our goal. The eleven tracks have tons of power and energy, twin lead guitar breaks, driving bass, thunderous drums and big choruses. Everything fans would expect from a Mythra album", he adds.
 
The album’s cover artwork was painted by Roberto Toderico, an Italian artist known for his previous collaboration with Mythra, as well as with other notable NWoBHM acts such as Tygers Of Pan Tang and Quartz.

 
Mythra‘s reunion was a major event for many NWoBHM fans around the globe. Their legendary first recording from 1979, entitled The Death And Destiny EP", has cult status and stands alongside Iron Maiden‘s The Soundhouse Tapes released in the same year. The band has a great legacy, which has inspired and continues to inspire metal bands across the world - including Metallica, whose members have cited Mythra as one of the influences on their early recordings. Two years ago Mythra released the Warriors Of Time: The Anthology album, which featured a collection of classic tracks recorded between 1979 and 1982 along with five songs written and recorded in 2015 following the band’s reunion performances at Brofest UK and the Keep It True festival in Germany, both of which attracted fans from across Europe, the USA and South America.

British hard rock quartet Dirty Thrills have inked a multi-album deal with Frontiers Music Srl. The band have recently been hard at work in the studio recording their upcoming new album, Heavy Living, a first release for their new label home that is going to be full of explosive, pull-no-punches new songs.

Heavy Living serves as the follow-up to their well received EP releases and 2014 self-titled debut. The release will be accompanied by festival dates this summer and a full headline tour this fall.

Renowned producer, engineer, and mixer James ‘Lerock’ Loughrey is producing the album at Monnow Valley Studio in North Wales. Opened in 1975, the studio has played host to many a legend (like Black Sabbath and Robert Plant) and James Loughrey himself has his own impressive track record including work with a diverse array of artists ranging from Skindred to Lionel Richie to Manic Street Preachers to Björk and not to mention, Page and Plant and Def Leppard.

“The first time I saw the Dirty Thrills live I was blown away!” says James Loughrey. “I knew straight away that we needed to get into a studio to capture that raw energy and give them a record which would do their live show justice.”

The band’s live work has been building an impressive reputation as a perfect musical blend of sex, riffs, and lung-busting vocals and the aim is to capture that synergy in the studio, where according to bass player Aaron Plows, “the new album is shaping up to be a real treat.”

“We are honoured and beyond excited to be signing a multi-album deal with Frontiers,” says the band. “Many of the legendary bands on the label have hugely influenced our music and direction. We can't wait to spread the Dirty Thrills sound around the globe, make new fans to share our music with and hopefully inspire the next generation in the way we have been. Here's to the future with our new family at Frontiers!”

See a trailer for the new album below:

Cellar Darling, the new band formed by ex-Eluveitie members Anna Murphy, Merlin Sutter and Ivo Henzi, have released a first official video trailer for their upcoming album, This Is The Sound, out on June 30th via Nuclear Blast. Watch the clip below.

Tracklisting:

“Avalanche”
“Black Moon”
“Challenge”
“Hullaballoo”
“Six Days”
“The Hermit”
“Water”
“Fire, Wind & Earth”
“Rebels”
“Under The Oak Tree…”
“…High Above These Crowns”
“Starcrusher”
“Hedonia”
“Redemption”

Trailer #1:

“Black Moon” video:

“Challenge”:

“Fire, Wind & Earth”:

Studio trailer:

Cellar Darling have announced three festival shows for Europe this summer. Their schedule is currently as follows:

July
14 - Bôle, Switzerland - ParaBôle Festival

August
17 - Dinkelsbühl, Germany - Summer Breeze
25 - Gränichen, Switzerland - Open Air Gränichen

Middle East extreme metal pioneers, Nervecell, have set August 25th as the release date for their forthcoming third album, Past, Present...Torture. The album will be released through Lifeforce Records in most part of the world, while Metal East Records is handling the release in the Middle East region.

It is a fine line to combine brutality, technical requirements and harsh accessibility in such a way, that the result leads to extreme songs, which listeners like to hear and which they can remember. Nervecell master that impressively. The addition of Middle-Eastern folklore accents contributes a decisive part to this.

The Dubai-based band is, above all, an uncompromising death metal band, but the charm of the “special ingredients” always resonates. And this is how Nervecell find to musical differentiation. Past, Present…Torture marks the group’s third full-length and is the successor of Psychogenocide from 2011.
 
“Past, Present…Torture” was mixed and mastered by Wojtek and Slawek Wiesawski at Hertz Studios (Behemoth, Decapitated, Vader) in Poland, the cover artwork was created by Colin Marks of Rain Song Design (Origin, Exodus).

The album consists of 13 tracks and is the most extreme and versatile Nervecell record to date. The title speaks for itself, focusing on the state of the world and where we are all headed as a civilization. Past, Present…Torture serves as a concise summary for both, the lyrical message and the musical direction. Offering unpleasant truths and a rigorous death metal sound. Just as you know and expect from the beast from the Middle East... Nervecell.

Past, Present...Torture tracklisting:

“Intro”
“Aadvent”
“Proxy War”
“D.N.A. (Diruo Nocens Acervus)”
“Abyssviand”
“Hypnosis”
“Malice Within”
“Dawn Of Decimation”
“Habitual Deceit”
“Maqabre”
“Tree Of Lies”
“Treading Beneath”
“Past, Present... Torture”

“Proxy War”:

Nervecell have been confirmed to support Nile when the band play Dubai, UAE on August 5th at The Music Room. Go to this location for ticket information.

On July 7th, legendary rock vocalist Graham Bonnet returns with a new live album and home video captured during his acclaimed performance at Frontiers Rock Festival III in Trezzo (Milan, Italy) on April 24th, 2016. A video for “Jet To Jet” from the upcoming Live… Here Comes The Night release is available for streaming below.

Accompanied by a stellar band featuring founding member Beth-Ami Heavenstone on bass, South American guitar sensation Conrado Pesinato on lead guitar, and Mark Zonder (known for his work with Warlord and Fates Warning) on drums, Bonnet masterfully delivered a thrilling “Best of” set which included songs from his stints with bands such as Rainbow, McAuley Schenker Group, Alcatrazz, Impellitteri, and of course his solo material too.

Bonnet says: "It's been a very long time since I last released a live video, 33 years to be exact, with Alcatrazz. Myself and the band were very excited to film and record our performance at the Frontiers Rock Festival for a live album and video and are very happy with the final result!”

Bonnet has a powerful and distinctive vocal style and, indeed, a distinctive image - preferring to let the music, rather than the conventional heavy metal look, do the talking.

The Graham Bonnet Band has spent the last two years touring regularly around the world and this past winter, released his latest successful release, The Book. With the band and Bonnet fine-tuned from all their touring when they got to Frontiers Rock Festival, this stellar set that was captured there makes for a new live album that will blow GBB (and heavy rock fans in general) away!

Tracklisting:

CD-DVD/Blu-Ray:

“Eyes Of The World”
“All Night Long”
“S.O.S.”
“Stand In Line”
“Will You Be Home Tonight”
“Jet To Jet”
“Night Games”
“Suffer Me”
“Dancer”
“Desert Song”
“Island In The Sun”
“Since You Been Gone”
“Assault Attack”
“Lost In Hollywood”

“Jet To Jet” video:

Lineup:

Graham Bonnet - Vocals
Beth-Ami Heavenstone - Bass
Conrado Pesinato - Guitars
Mark Zonder - Drums

The Wacken Open Air festival in northern Germany is constructing its very own beer pipeline to quench the thirst of its tens of thousands of head-banging visitors, reports The Local Germany.

The tiny town of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein is already prepping for its annual heavy metal fest in August, which will see its current population of about 1,800 people balloon to more than 75,000.

In anticipation of all the beer to be drunk, the fest is building its first ever beer pipeline to transport the average 400,000 litres of brew consumed each year to the concert grounds. And the pipeline system will be speedy enough for bartenders to draw six beers per second.

“With this, the grounds will not to have need to have any heavy trucks distributing beer barrels,” said Wacken fest founder Holger Hübner on Tuesday.

The new pipeline is being built above all because it “is sustainable and it protects the ground” from aforementioned trucks with barrels, says spokeswoman Frederike Arns.

Check out the video below, and read more at thelocal.de.

Napalm Records premieres its fourth DVD compilation of their finest metal and rock hymns! The Realm Of Napalm Records, Vol. IV DVD will be released as a 6-page digipack including a bonus audio CD of the most recent Napalm Records hits. A second video trailer for the upcoming release is now available. See two trailers below.

The set includes special material from doom patrons AHAB, hardcore heroes Walls Of Jericho, thrash metal giants Warbringer and street punk's finest Toxpack. The hottest video clips from Napalm Records including a bonus audio CD will be released worldwide (excl. US/Canada) via Napalm Records on May 26th. 26 videos, 16 singles, one package.

Throwback and throw down with this synthesis of senses! You've got Myles Kennedy's Alter Bridge, power metal chart breakers Hammerfall (pictured above) and Powerworlf, heavy Californian groove from DevilDriver, fresh and funky progressive tunes from Jinjer, the reggae rock power pack Skindred, heavy metal titans Civil War, symphonic sweetness of Xandria and Visions Of Atlantis and to top it all off Kamelot’s feature "Liar Liar" with Arch Enemy’s Alissa White-Gluz.

DVD tracklisting:

Alter Bridge - “Show Me A Leader”
Hammerfall - “Hammer High”
Powerwolf - “Army Of The Night”
Kamelot - “Liar Liar” (feat. Alissa White-Gluz)
Delain - “Suckerpunch”
Devildriver - “Daybreak”
Otep - “Zero”
W.A.S.P. - “Scream”
The Answer - “Solas”
Grave Digger - “Healed By Metal”
Jinjer - “Words Of Wisdom”
Skindred - “Volume”
Moonspell - “Extinct”
The Agonist - “The Moment”
Serum 114 - “Wilde Zeit”
Civil War - “Tombstone”
John Garcia - “Kylie”
Megaherz - “Einsam”
Monster Magnet - “The Duke Of Supernature”
Alestorm - “Drink”
Xandria - “Nightfall”
Serenity - “Follow Me”
Visions Of Atlantis - “Winternight”
American Head Charge - “Let All The World Believe”
Adept - “Dark Clouds”
Greenleaf - “A Million Fireflies”

Bonus CD tracklisting:

Xandria - “Call Of Destiny”
Walls Of Jericho - “Reign Supreme”
Draconian - “Rivers Between Us” (feat. Daniel Änghede)
Warbringer - “Remain Violent”
The New Roses - “What If It Was You”
Gloryhammer - “Rise Of The Chaos Wizards”
Black Mirrors - “Funky Queen”
AHAB - “Like Red Foam (The Great Storm)”
Skalmöld - “Niðavellir”
Nervosa - “Hostages”
Diabulus in Musica - “Earthly Illusions”
Evil Invaders - “Raising Hell”
Be´lakor - “An Ember’s Arc”
Drescher - “Unten”
8kids - “Blitzschlag”
Toxpack - “Willkommen im Klub”

Get your copy here.

German dark rockers, End Of Green, have found their very own standpoint in the cosmos of music and have once again lacerated their lesions for their upcoming effort, Void Estate. End Of Green come from a world of their own; no other band is able to visualize isolation in the midst of beauty with such ear-piercing power and after 25 years of agony they release opus number nine - out on August 18th via Napalm Records.

So what else should one expect from Void Estate? Inside of a maze of goth, doom, metal, doleful alternative and deep-rooted pain, they are desperate to find hope. Michelle Darkness sings touching and intimate dirges about aging, loss and loneliness. Every note is clutched by wistfulness and somewhere in these lofty melodies glimmers a spark of optimism; A redeeming ray of hope sheltered in melodic hook lines.

Watch the first album teaser below. The album artwork was created by Oliver Merkle.

Void Estate tracklisting:

“Send In The Clowns”
“Dark Side Of The Sun”
“The Door”
“Head Down”
“Crossroads”
“The Unseen”
“Dressed In Black Again”
“Mollodrome”
“Worn And Torn”
“City Of Broken Thoughts”
“Like A Stranger”
“Leave This Town” (Bonus Track)

Void Estate available formats:

- 2CD Digipak (CD+DVD)
- 2LP Gatefold
- Digital Album

The 2CD digipak comes with a DVD and very special End Of Green acoustic show at PBHF Club in Berlin 2016. Get your hands on these exclusive End Of Green pre-orders here.

The DVD tracklisting reads as follows:

“Demons”
“Hurter”
“Under The Sway”
“Let Sleeping Dogs Lie”
“Slaves”
“Goodnight Insomnia”
“Final Resistance”
“Pain Hates Me”
“Crossroads” (Calvin Russel Cover)
“Dying In Moments”
“Ghostdance”
“Weakness”
“Head Down”
“Death In Veins”
“Tragedy Insane”
“Sunday Mourning”
“Nice Day To Die”

Teaser:

End Of Green will be busy touring Germany in October and November. Don't miss this chance to see this five-piece live on the road:

October
20 - Berlin, Germany - Columbia Theater
21 - Leipzig, Germany - Werk 2

November
3 - Aschaffenburg, Germany - Colos Saal
4 - München, Germany - Backstage
9 - Nürnberg, Germany - Hirsch
10 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix
11 - Hamburg, Germany - Knust
18 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn

End Of Green lineup:

Michelle Darkness (Vocals, Guitar)
Kirk Kerker (Guitar)
Lou Siffer (Drums)
Sad Sir (Guitar)
Rainier Sicone Di Hampez (Bass)

Norwegian rock band, Pristine, featuring lead singer Heidi Solheim, are streaming the track “Sophia”, featured on their upcoming, fourth studio album, Ninja, out on June 23rd via Nuclear Blast. Listen to the song below.

Commented Heidi Solheim: "We are extremely excited to share the new music with old and new fans! The music on Ninja was written as a result of a very fun and adventurous 2016 where we got to meet a lot of great people. Inspiration is our creative fuel. Hope you will enjoy the record and see you on the road!"

Tracklisting:

“You Are The One”
“Sophia”
“The Perfect Crime”
“The Rebel Song”
“The Parade”
“Ghost Chase”
“Ninja”
“Jekyll & Hyde”
“Forget”
“Ocean”
“California” (Live)
“No Regret” (Live)

“Sophia”:

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

“You Are The One” video:

Brendon Small — the mastermind behind the metal band DETHKLOK — has been teasing a new chapter of his popular GALAKTIKON saga for months. After spending the past two years writing and recording new material and dropping random hints throughout the media and at appearances, the wait is over. This year, marking the tenth anniversary of his breakout DETHKLOK release, "The Dethalbum", Brendon Small will reveal his upcoming high-stakes intergalactic extreme rock/metal album, "Galaktikon II: Become The Storm", to the masses. The album will be released via physical and digital retailers on August 25 (Megaforce Records/MRI), with digital pre-orders set to become available next Friday, June 2. Take a 360-degree hyperspeed trip through the galaxy and hear a clip of brand new "Galaktikon II: Become The Storm" music, below. "Galaktikon II: Become The Storm" follows the space-age theme of 2012's original GALAKTIKON album, with a conceptual storyline and a heavier, darker, more brutal sound. In addition to Brendon Small on vocals and guitar, the album will feature acclaimed musicians and DETHKLOK alum Bryan Beller (bass; THE ARISTOCRATS, Dweezil Zappa, Steve Vai) and Gene Hoglan (drums; TESTAMENT, DEATH, DARK ANGEL). "Galaktikon II: Become The Storm" was co-produced by Small and Grammy-nominated producer/engineer Ulrich Wild, who also worked behind the board on the DETHKLOK albums. With these names behind the project, it should come as no surprise that "Galaktikon II: Become The Storm" is a welcomed transformation and expansion of the sound that put Brendon Small on the musical map. With uncapped time and creativity on their side, Small & Co. were able to reach above and beyond what fans have come to expect as of now. "Galaktikon II: Become The Storm" proves to be Small's most commanding release yet. "This record is a combination of all the sounds I've been making throughout my creative life," says Brendon Small. "It's as heavy as I want it to be and melodic as I want it to be — it's the bigger, darker record I wanted to hear. And what a way to celebrate my ten-year anniversary of making metal with Gene, Bryan and Ulrich, some of the best in the industry. I'm excited to have it live inside listeners' heads and let their imaginations take over!" Albatross Funnybooks recently announced Galaktikon!, a six-issue series of comic books launching this August based on the original GALAKTIKON album. The series will be written by Brendon Small and five-time Eisner Award winner and Albatross founder Eric Powell. Powell will also be contributing cover art with interior art by Steve Mannion of Fearless Dawn and Spook House.

Dead Asylum will release sophomore album Death Always Wins on June 2nd. On the follow-up to 2013 debut General Carnage, the Vancouver, Canada band has sharpened the songwriting to a fine point and bolstered its established muscular attack with a harder rhythmic punch and an even deadlier arsenal of riffs. BraveWords is premiering the album a week ahead of its release. Check it out now:

With an unexpected combination of thrash and melodeath elements reminiscent of the Gothenburg Sound (At The Gates, Arch Enemy), Dead Asylum's Death Always Wins is one killer listen. The songs on Death Always Wins range from thrashy headbangers, to technical compositions, and chantable, heavy metal anthems. While it might seem like their sound covers the spectrum of metal, everything is tied together by brutal dual vocals and melodic leads. Lyrical themes include revolution and political uprising, the apocalypse, and-as the band name alludes-twisted facets of the human psyche. The band's famously intense live shows are about to get fiercer when the new material is left beaten and bloodied on the stage.

Death Always Wins was tracked at Jam Factory Studios in Port Coquitlam, BC; recorded and edited by Roger Mowat; and mix/mastered by Chris Holmes. Pierre-Alain (3mmi Design) was responsible for the album art.

Tracklisting:

“Defiance”
“Death Always Wins”
“Between Me And The Grave”
“Bury The Living”
“Forgotten Sacrifice”
“Bred To Die”
“Welcome”
“Inmate 666”

Drummer Samantha Landa in many ways defines Dead Asylum's unbridled energy and inability to ever just stand still. Landa performed with Brazilian thrashers and Napalm Records artist Nervosa for three months throughout North America and Europe in 2016, including on a tour package that also featured Destruction, Flotsam & Jetsam, and Enforcer. And all the while ran her online business from the road.

Previously, Landa even served as a Pool Girl on the annual 70000 Tons of Metal cruise.

Dead Asylum will hit the road for the American SaniTOURium Tour, beginning in August. Confirmed dates thus far can be found below.

“Death Always Wins” lyric video:

“Forgotten Sacrifice” video:

QUEEN's Brian May has commented last night's terrorist attack on an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England that caused the deaths of twenty-two people, several of them children. Speaking with NME, the guitarist said (see video below): "I woke up this morning and saw the news of Manchester. And the first thing I did was tweet about it, just to say… express my grief and my sympathy with the people. I mean, there were mums there that we're seeing online that didn't even know if their child was alive or dead. It's the most terrible thing. To me, it's almost impossible to imagine the kind of hatred that has to exist in someone if they would bomb children."

According to May, however, an appropriate response to such a despicable and horrendous attack is not to immediately strike back against the jihadi terrorists.

"I'm afraid I regard everything as an opportunity," he said. "Out of tragedy comes knowledge and realization. And, to me, 9/11 and all these terrible disasters are an opportunity to re-evaluate ourselves, and I think we failed to do that in 9/11, and we went on bombing people. [Prime minister] Tony Blair [and Tory leader] David Cameron still have this attitude that you can solve a violent situation by violence. I don't believe that. I believe we have to sweep all that away and start again.

"If we really think that we can solve this kind of violent behavior by being violent ourselves and being racist and reacting in that way, then we are in for the most terrible tragedy for the world now, because this is how it escalates," he continued.

"To me, you have to break the cycle of violence and you have to treat horrific events with compassion, strangely enough. And I don't mean compassion for the person who did the bombing. I mean, you have to look at the world and say, 'What part do we play in the world?' Of course we have to tighten up security."

QUEEN and "American Idol" finalist Adam Lambert are scheduled to perform at the Manchester Arena on December 9, and May said the show will go ahead as planned. "We won't cancel, because life has to go on," he said. "That's what they want, these people — they want to ruin our lives. They wanna stop us making music, dancing, being happy — of course they do — and we have to stick to what we believe in, which is that life is to be lived. So, no, we wouldn't cancel. And, of course, you have to look at security. But what you have to do much more importantly is look at the underlying causes: Why does the world hate us that much? There are reasons. And I believe we should dismantle everything that's gone before and start again."

The Manchester Arena attack was carried out by 22-year-old Salman Abedi.

Abedi, a British-born son of Libyan refugees, was a lone male suicide bomber who detonated an improvised explosive device.

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield has commented on the passing of Chris Cornell, calling it a "sad story" that "makes you realize that there is a darkness that anyone and everyone can find and feel."

Cornell apparently died on May 17 after SOUNDGARDEN played a show in Detroit.

Chris's wife Vicky and an attorney representing the Cornell family have questioned the results of a medical examiner's report that said the 52-year-old musician committed suicide.

Speaking to Mistress Carrie of the Worcester/Boston, Massachusetts radio station WAAF, Hetfield stated about Cornell's tragic death (see video below): "Well, it does make you hug those around you, for sure — bandmates, family that's out here, family at home. It makes you realize that, you know, there is a darkness that anyone and everyone can find and feel that they're trapped in. And when you're there — and at least I know the depth of my darkness at times — it is difficult when you're in that space to even fathom that there's someone there that can help you or has been through that before. Sometimes you're at such a loss…

"I can't… obviously can't explain what he was going through, but we all have our darknesses," he continued. "And check in with each other — check in with each other. Let each other know how you're doing.

"Yes, it's a sad story, and there's a lot of sad stories recently, especially in the grunge world, losing a lot of people," Hetfield added. "And for us, [losing] Lemmy and all of the things that have been happening in the last couple of years, it just makes us feel even more grateful to be out here doing what we're doing."

Cornell will be laid to rest on Friday, May 26 in Los Angeles. Confirmation came from his attorney Kirk Pasich. Cornell's body was flown from Michigan to Los Angeles on Sunday, and the singer will be buried at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. The funeral will be private.

A full autopsy and results of toxicology tests are pending, although Cornell's wife has said he may have taken more of an anti-anxiety drug than he was prescribed. His family issued a statement Friday questioning whether his death by hanging was intentional and if "substances contributed to his demise."

SOUNDGARDEN had been working on material for their seventh studio album and had plans to record it later this year.

The band reunited in 2010 after a 13-year hiatus, first touring and then writing and recording "King Animal", their first new studio album in 16 years.

In addition to SOUNDGARDEN, Cornell sang with AUDIOSLAVE and TEMPLE OF THE DOG, while also recording four solo studio albums and one live set on his own.

The private funeral for SOUNDGARDEN singer Chris Cornell, who passed away last week, will be held on Friday, May 26 at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

Ahead of Friday's service, Cornell's remains were cremated yesterday (Tuesday, May 23), as a small group of family and friends stood by, including his brother Peter, his wife Vicky, and his friends Linda Ramone and singer J.D. King, according to TMZ.

After 3 p.m. local time on Friday — following the private ceremony — the public is welcome to visit the gravesite, Cornell's attorney told Variety. Information about larger public memorials was still undecided at press time.

The 52-year-old was pronounced dead early Thursday morning after being found unresponsive in his Detroit hotel room on Wednesday night. SOUNDGARDEN had played a show earlier that evening.

A full autopsy and results of toxicology tests are pending, although Cornell's wife has said he may have taken more of an anti-anxiety drug than he was prescribed. His family issued a statement Friday questioning whether his death by hanging was intentional and if "substances contributed to his demise."

SOUNDGARDEN had been working on material for their seventh studio album and had plans to record it later this year.

The band reunited in 2010 after a 13-year hiatus, first touring and then writing and recording "King Animal", their first new studio album in 16 years.

In addition to SOUNDGARDEN, Cornell sang with AUDIOSLAVE and TEMPLE OF THE DOG, while also recording four solo studio albums and one live set on his own.

Former FOO FIGHTERS guitarist Franz Stahl criticized late SOUNDGARDEN and AUDIOSLAVE singer Chris Cornell (pictured) for committing suicide — in comments that Stahl later walked back. According to The Pulse Of Radio, Stahl's initial Facebook post read: "Wow…I find it very sad as a father to see all these sad eulogies for your fallen kept rockstars where the real sadness is what so selfishly was left behind… his children. They are forever now without a father… a pillar of love… safety… strength… guidance."

Stahl continued: "Now, I loved SOUNDGARDEN… but AUDIOSLAVE was fucking lamesville… but does all that really matter to his kids? They just wanted to see your face when you got home… to hear your voice… to feel your hugs… to borrow the fucking car to go to In-N-Out Burger. Thanks Dad…"

Stahl later deleted that post and sent a message to Alternative Nation in which he said: "I've been inundated with hate and harm and it cuts deep... I'm no stranger to what some of us deal with in life… a fatherless upbringing… suicide in my family and my own depression… With that said… Upon reading the news, I was initially overwhelmed with sadness, then it became anger however unwarranted. In that moment, I just blurted it out… said things and posted it."

He added: "It was, however, insensitive and wrong on many levels and since deleted. People close to me know 'not that person, and well… how can you walk that back."

Stahl was a member of FOO FIGHTERS for two years in the late 1990s, although he never appeared on any albums.

He joined the band in 1997, having previously played with FOO FIGHTERS leader Dave Grohl in the punk band SCREAM, but exited prior to Chris Shiflett joining the group in 1999.

Chris Cornell's wife, Vicky, has penned a letter to the late SOUNDGARDEN and AUDIOSLAVE frontman, who died last week at age 52.

Cornell was pronounced dead early Thursday morning after being found unresponsive in his Detroit hotel room on Wednesday night. SOUNDGARDEN had played a concert at the Fox Theatre earlier that evening.

Vicky's letter, which was posted on Billboard, reads as follows:

"To my sweet Christopher,

"You were the best father, husband and son-in-law. Your patience, empathy and love always showed through.

"You had always said I saved you, that you wouldn't be alive if it were not for me. My heart gleamed to see you happy, living and motivated. Excited for life. Doing everything you could to give back. We had the time of our lives in the last decade and I'm sorry, my sweet love, that I did not see what happened to you that night. I'm sorry you were alone, and I know that was not you, my sweet Christopher. Your children know that too, so you can rest in peace.

"I'm broken, but I will stand up for you and I will take care of our beautiful babies. I will think of you every minute of every day and I will fight for you. You were right when you said we are soulmates. It has been said that paths that have crossed will cross again, and I know that you will come find me, and I will be here waiting.

"I love you more than anyone has ever loved anyone in the history of loving and more than anyone ever will.

"Always and forever, your Vicky."

A full autopsy and results of toxicology tests are pending, although Cornell's wife has said he may have taken more of an anti-anxiety drug than he was prescribed. His family issued a statement Friday questioning whether his death by hanging was intentional and if "substances contributed to his demise."

The private funeral for Cornell will be held on Friday, May 26 at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

Ahead of Friday's service, Cornell's remains were cremated yesterday (Tuesday, May 23), as a small group of family and friends stood by, including Vicky, his brother Peter, and his friends Linda Ramone and singer J.D. King, according to TMZ.

Chris is survived by Vicky and three children, a daughter named Toni, a son named Christopher and a daughter named Lillian from his previous marriage to former SOUNDGARDEN manager Susan Silver.

Chris Cornell's wife Vicky pens letter to late husband: "I will fight for you" https://t.co/jxpg5NpDGz pic.twitter.com/bdNzvrWdT7

— billboard (@billboard) May 24, 2017

KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch says that Chris Cornell's death hit him hard, explaining that he can't stop thinking about the SOUNDGARDEN frontman's children.

The 52-year-old Cornell was pronounced dead early Thursday morning after being found unresponsive in his Detroit hotel room on Wednesday night. The band had played a concert at the Fox Theatre earlier that evening.

A full autopsy and results of toxicology tests are pending, although Cornell's wife has said he may have taken more of an anti-anxiety drug than he was prescribed. His family issued a statement Friday questioning whether his death by hanging was intentional and if "substances contributed to his demise."

Speaking to the Z93 radio station at last weekend's Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, Ohio, Welch stated about Cornell's passing (see video below): "I've struggled with suicidal thoughts, I've struggled with depression for years, and so it just hit me hard and I can't shake it, thinking about it and his kids."

He continued: "I was talking to [fellow KORN guitarist] Munky earlier, and we have to communicate, man. We have to talk to people — to family or stranger or whatever, whoever, hotline, whatever we have to. 'Cause we all have to fight through this life, and it sucks sometimes to live — sometimes it's not easy."

Welch also acknowledged that Cornell's death affected him even more deeply because of his own battles with depression and suicidal thoughts.

"I think all of us in KORN, to some degree, have struggled with those kinds of things — at least depression," he explained.

"I never met any of the guys in SOUNDGARDEN, but the other guys in the band have," he added. "And our management is close with some people that really… like, ALICE IN CHAINS and stuff like that. It' just so close to home. But we're gonna honor him, we're gonna look to the future and we're gonna celebrate him and make some positive out of it."

The private funeral for Cornell will be held on Friday, May 26 at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

Ahead of Friday's service, Cornell's remains were cremated yesterday (Tuesday, May 23), as a small group of family and friends stood by, including his brother Peter, his wife Vicky, and his friends Linda Ramone and singer J.D. King, according to TMZ.

After 3 p.m. local time on Friday — following the private ceremony — the public is welcome to visit the gravesite, Cornell's attorney told Variety.

Chris is survived by Vicky and three children, a daughter named Toni, a son named Christopher and a daughter named Lillian from his previous marriage to former SOUNDGARDEN manager Susan Silver.

Kyle McGinn of Dead Rhetoric recently conducted an interview with vocalist Shagrath (real name: Stian Tomt Thoresen) of Norwegian symphonic black metallers DIMMU BORGIR. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

Dead Rhetoric: Do you feel that the new DVD ("Forces Of The Northern Night") was a milestone for the band, being able to do the live recording with a full orchestra and choir?

Shagrath: "It's definitely a career highlight so far. Especially if you check out the earbook edition, it comes with a huge 48-page booklet with both of the shows. For me, this is a power statement of what we are able to do. I'm really glad it was released so we can share it with the rest of the world. So that the people who were not a part of the shows are able to see it in their living room and be a part of it. I'm very proud of it."

Dead Rhetoric: In one of the press releases, I believe the term pinnacle was used to describe the release. In that regard, where do you go from here?

Shagrath: "To the moon, I guess. [Laughs] I think 'Forces Of The Northern Night' puts an end to an era for the band. There were a lot of songs on there related to the 'Abrahadabra' album. So now we are starting with a blank page — we have a new album, and it has a different approach. We did not use an orchestra for the new record. So it's a new start with different things… Where we take it from here? Only time will tell, you know."

Dead Rhetoric: You mention a new album — how much progress has been made at this point towards it?

Shagrath: "We have completed the new album. I've spent almost three years creating it. It is done and complete. Right now, we are focusing on the other aspects around the release. We hope that it will be out in the fall."

Dead Rhetoric: So it's completely done and finished. What are you working on going towards its release?

Shagrath: "We are focusing on all the details. There's a lot of work that needs to be done in the future… music videos and preparation for live shows, and world touring [plans]. All sorts of different aspects around the release. There's a lot of hard work in front of us."

Dead Rhetoric: Can you give any sort of hints as to the direction outside of having no orchestra this time around?

Shagrath: "It's still really grand and epic, of course. I can't reveal too many details since it's so early, but what I can say about it is that it includes a lot of elements DIMMU BORGIR is known for. You can hear references from 1993 up to today. It's been 25 years and it's a tribute to DIMMU BORGIR, so to speak. It has all the elements we are known for, and the song structures are really well arranged. The production is nice, it's very atmospheric and there is a huge choir on the record. It also has more primitive elements — straight-forward, primitive black metal elements. It's quite catchy, and each song is different from each other but it all has a riddle between them. We are very happy with the results and can't wait to share it with everyone."

Dead Rhetoric: That's great, I'm really looking forward to hearing it. It's been a long time since there's been new material…

Shagrath: "It's been a long time, and I know a lot of people have been complaining about that. But it's not like we've been lazy or anything like that. We can only do one thing at a time. It's been seven years since the last record, but we don't want to be that hamster-wheel-type of band where we release albums every year. We want to give the fans an honest, authentic, great product and this takes time. On top of that, we have toured the world in connection with the previous album. There's a lot of things happening behind the scenes that people don't realize."

Dead Rhetoric: Going back to the live album, YouTube is a major source where people watch things at this point. Do you feel when you create something like this, do you feel you need to do something extra or make it spectacular in some way so that you don't just have people viewing a stream of different clips on YouTube?

Shagrath: "If [they] watch DIMMU BORGIR on YouTube, I just feel sorry for them. They don't have the right sound quality, the right picture quality. If you want something real, you should buy the real product and support the artists. Buy physical editions — it's very important for the survival of bands for the future. I know that things have changed a lot because of the Internet, but watching music videos on YouTube is not the right way to experience DIMMU BORGIR. If you want to maximize the experience, buy the real product."

Read the full interview at Dead Rhetoric.

"Forces Of The Northern Night" was released on April 14 via Nuclear Blast. The set contains two of the band's live performances: their legendary show in Oslo, presenting DIMMU BORGIR on stage with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and a bombastic choir, as well as their entire performance at Wacken Open Air festival in 2012 in Wacken, Germany with almost a hundred musicians on stage.

DIMMU BORGIR's most recent touring lineup included Geir Bratland (APOPTYGMA BERZERK, THE KOVENANT) on keyboards and Terje Andersen (a.k.a. Cyrus; SUSPERIA) on bass.

Chris Cornell seemed to be under the influence of drugs during his last-ever performance, says his longtime front-of-house engineer and tour manager.

The 52-year-old SOUNDGARDEN frontman was pronounced dead early Thursday morning after being found unresponsive in his Detroit hotel room on Wednesday night. The band had played a concert at the Fox Theatre earlier that evening.

Ted Keedick, who worked with Chris for the last decade, told TMZ: "Chris was out of character from note one of the show. I've never heard or seen him that way before, at least if we did not cancel a show… I'd never heard his voice that way before. He was having serious control problems."

Keedick told TMZ that he was positioned in the middle of the audience with his mixing board, and at one point during the concert he was so concerned he phoned someone backstage and asked what was wrong with Chris.

Keedick added that Chris seemed "high" and "fucked up," but not depressed.

As previously reported, the Detroit Police Department revealed some of the details of Cornell's final moments. A police report obtained by The Detroit News revealed that Cornell went to his hotel about fifteen minutes after the band's concert on Wednesday night. His bodyguard, Martin Kirsten, had worked on Cornell's computer for a bit and gave him two doses of the prescription anti-anxiety medicine, Ativan.

At 11:35 p.m., he was on the phone with his wife. Then at 12:15 a.m., concerned because he was slurring his words and sounded groggy, she called and asked Kirsten to go check on her husband.

After talking to Cornell's wife, Kirsten walked two doors down and found the room door locked. Hotel security stated they could not let him into the room because he was not registered to that room. At this time, Kirsten kicked in the door and went to the bedroom door and had to kick that door open as well.

He found Cornell on the bathroom floor with blood running from his mouth and a red exercise band around his neck." Hotel medic Dawn Jones was on the scene by 12:56 a.m., she untied the band from around Cornell's neck and began CPR on the singer, who was not breathing.

A short time later, an EMS Unit arrived on the scene and an emergency medical technician also tried to perform CPR. By 1:30 a.m., Cornell was pronounced dead by a doctor on the scene. Homicide detectives also arrived to investigate while an officer called Vicky Cornell to report on her husband's death.

Later that day, the medical examiner pronounced his death a suicide. The family believes that if Chris took his life, he did not know what he was doing, and that drugs or other substances may have affected his actions.

#Detroit finally back to Rock City!!!! @soundgarden #nomorebullshit pic.twitter.com/BqXx9veFoD

— Chris Cornell (@chriscornell) May 18, 2017

Professionally filmed video footage of METALLICA performing the song "For Whom The Bell Tolls" on May 21 at the Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, Ohio can be seen below.

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame band is touring in support of its tenth studio album, "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", which features the current single "Now That We're Dead".

The North American leg of METALLICA's "WorldWired" trek will hit stadiums in 20 more cities before ending in mid-August. METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone that the band was genuinely surprised to learn they could still play stadiums, saying, "It was like, 'Holy fuck, people really still care about this band in ways that you stopped taking for granted literally decades ago. It was very inspiring and kind of eye-opening."

He added: "Full stadium runs can sometimes be a little intimidating. There's all these things to worry about like, 'You should really try to play maybe only on the weekend,' and, 'Where do you play on Tuesday?' and some of those practicalities can get a little bewildering. We just threw caution to the wind. Doing a stadium run seemed like the perfect thing on the back of how well this record has been received and all the good will that's out there in METALLICA's world right now."

The next stop on the tour is St. Louis, Missouri on June 4.

HEADCAT (formerly THE HEAD CAT), the high-energy, "take-no-prisoners" combo featuring former MORBID ANGEL frontman David Vincent, Slim Jim Phantom (THE STRAY CATS) and Danny B. Harvey (ROCKATS, 13 CATS, LONESOME SPURS), has posted its cover version of an old public domain song called "T For Texas". The track, which features Vincent on bass and vocals, was recorded live in the studio a few months ago.

In other news, HEADCAT will play the following shows:

Jun. 21 - Come And Take It Live - Austin, TexasJun. 23 - El Corazon - Seattle, WashingtonJun. 24 - Dante's - Portland, OregonAug. 02 - Knust - Hamburg, GermanyAug. 04 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, Germany (7:15 - 8:00 Beer Garden Stage)Aug. 05 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, Germany (7:50 - 8:35 W.E.T. Stage)

Vincent stepped into HEADCAT as the replacement for Lemmy Kilmister, the iconic MOTÖRHEAD leader who passed away in December 2015 at the age of 70.

Said HEADCAT in a statement: "After the success of the HEADCAT show last December in Berlin, the two surviving members of HEADCAT, Slim Jim Phantom and Danny B. Harvey, have decided to continue the band they started with Lemmy Kilmister over 17 years ago. They will be playing three shows next month in the USA and a handful of European shows in late summer.

"In the meantime, here's the answer to the question we're sure is on everyone's mind: The bass and most the vocal duties will be handled by former frontman and bassist from MORBID ANGEL, David Vincent. David's powerful baritone voice and thunderous bass playing is very complimentary to both Danny B.'s guitar style and Slim Jim's drumming. Different than Lemmy but true to HEADCAT's vision and direction.

"Rockabilly and death metal??? As Lemmy Kilmister, Danny B., Slim Jim and our fans have always tried to tell to you, 'It's All Rock'n'roll'!

"LONG LIVE ROCK 'N' ROLL"

The latest HEADCAT album, "Walk The Walk...Talk The Talk", was released on July 5, 2011 through Niji Entertainment Group, the record label Wendy Dio and her and late husband Ronnie James Dio formed before his untimely passing.

HEADCAT was formed in 2000 after recording an Elvis Presley tribute special to which all band members contributed.

Slim Jim Phantom (drums, percussion), was born in Brooklyn and listened to his parents' jazz records. At the age of ten he took up the drums although he always says that the drums chose him. He is an exceptional drummer who cemented his place among rock royalty long time ago and inspires and excites audiences worldwide.

Danny B. Harvey (guitar, piano) is Texas-born and also discovered his love for music very early. He started playing the guitar at the age of six and even got a full scholarship to study classical guitar. He developed a finger picking guitar style that's very unique and based on his idols Merle Travis and Chet Atkins but also a result of his classical-technique education.

David Vincent released his debut outlaw country single, "Drinkin' With The Devil", on March 14 on seven-inch vinyl via Chicken Ranch Records. The song, which features a guest appearance by Danny B. Harvey, was recorded with legendary producer Gene "Machine" Freeman at The Machine Shop in Austin, Texas.