IN THIS MOMENT has completed work on its long-awaited follow-up to 2014's "Black Widow" album for a tentative summer release via Atlantic. The new disc was once again recorded at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada with producer Kevin Churko, who has previously worked with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, HELLYEAH, PAPA ROACH and DISTURBED.

"We have an album done. It's done," IN THIS MOMENT guitarist Chris Howorth told Cutter of Razor 94.7 and "The Cutting Edge Countdown" (hear audio below). "There's gonna be a single released probably around the 21st of this month… But we have a whole new album ready to go. It's gonna be out over the summer. It's different and cool and I think it's a different step for us but that I think our fans are really gonna like."

Regarding the musical direction of the new IN THIS MOMENT material, Howorth said: "Stylistically, I think we went a little bit more raw, you know — like, not so much campiness like 'Sex Metal Barbie'. Not that there was anything wrong with that — we're always trying to experiment and do something different — but it's more serious, I guess, and a little more stripped down. There's still electronics and stuff, and it's still IN THIS MOMENT, but it's a little more stripped down, I guess, and maybe swampy and bluesy a little bit in certain elements, but still metal, you know, still us."

Chris also talked about the evolution of the IN THIS MOMENT songwriting process and how it has affected the band's new album. He said: "I've learned over the years. At the beginning of the band, it was all about the guitar riffs and the solos and shredding and trying to be metal as we could. I've kind of learned to open up to the song itself and particularly Maria's [Brink] vocal. That's the key selling point of the band, that's what everyone's listening to, so I don't wanna do anything to clutter that. So it's kind of like the guitars are there, but they're not there to be in the forefront; they're there to support the whole song. And that's what most of the new stuff is. But it's still guitar driven. That's IN THIS MOMENT."

IN THIS MOMENT kicked off the "Half God Half Devil" North American tour on April 7 at Milwaukee, Wisconsin's Eagles Ballroom. Support on the trek is coming from MOTIONLESS IN WHITE, AVATAR and GEMINI SYNDROME.

Howorth revealed last summer that he was diagnosed with acute arthritis in his neck and shoulders. His diagnosis came less than two months after IN THIS MOMENT was forced to cancel its European tour due to what was described at the time as an injury to Howorth's neck.

After receiving his diagnosis, Howorth said that he has accepted the fact that he will have to learn to live with the arthritis but insisted that he is "determined to continue writing and performing with my band."

Howorth co-founded IN THIS MOMENT with Brink over a decade ago. The pair remain the band's only original members.

Brink ruled out the possibility of IN THIS MOMENT touring with a replacement guitarist, calling Howorth "my partner, brother and one of my closest friends. I can't bring myself to do this tour without him. It simply would not be IN THIS MOMENT."


Listen to "Episode 10: In This Moment's Chris Howorth" on Spreaker.

On June 9th, symphonic black metal artists, Dawn Of Ashes, will release of their new album, Daemonolatry Gnosis. The first single from the album, “Guardians”, is available for streaming via the lyric video below.

Daemonolatry Gnosis is a diabolical musical milestone and Dawn Of Ashes' most brutal fusion of extreme symphonic black metal to date. Like Dawn Of Ashes' previous album, Theophany, Daemonolatry Gnosis was mixed and produced by Mick Kenney of Anaal Nathrakh. Features a cover of black metal legend Mayhem's “Freezing Moon”, as well as guest vocals from Cradle Of Filth's Lindsay Schoolcraft.

Tracklisting:

“The Initiation”
“Gods Of The Antinomian Path”
“Smash Thy Enemies”
“Guardians”
“Core Of The Black Sun”
“The Ritual”
“Augoeides”
“Sermon From The Horned God”
“I Am Nephilim”
“Rulership Of The Inner World”
“Magick For The New Aeon” (featuring Lindsay Schoolcraft)
“Freezing Moon”

“Guardians” lyric video:

Pre-order Daemonolatry Gnosis at this location.

In support of Daemonolatry Gnosis, Dawn Of Ashes will set out on a headlining North American tour called Fire Of The Phoenix with Projekt F. VIP packages are available and can be purchased here.

Tour dates:

April
27 - Los Angles, CA - Complex
29 - Sacramento, CA - Blue Lamp

May
1 - Portland, OR - Lovecraft
2 - Seattle, WA - Studio 7
4 - Boise, ID - The Eclypse
5 - Salt Lake City, UT - Club X
7 - Omaha, NE - Lookout Lounge
8 - Kansas City, MO - Riot Room
10 - Chicago, IL - Reggie's
13 - Toronto, ON - Coalition
14 - Montreal, QC - Piranha Bar
16 - Buffalo, NY - Evening Star Concert Hall
17 - Cleveland, OH - Phantasy
19 - Cincinnati, OH - The Venue Events Centre
20 - New York City, NY - Drom
21 - Wilmington, DE - Bar XIII
22 - Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery
23 - Richmond, VA - Fallout

Straight from the deepest, darkest recesses of the mind is born a partnership of musical aberration, crawling from the murk in the form of Canada's Fumigation and The Path To R'Lyeh. This brutal two-some have joined forces on the CDN Records-released split CD, aptly-titled Invasion.

The Path To R'Lyeh have released the new track “Dream Eater, which can be streamed below. Check out this new teaser trailer:

Invasion will be released on April 28th through CDN Records. Pre-orders can be made here.

Tracklisting:

Fumigation

“Arachnophobia”
“Forced Vaginal Harbourage”
“Earwigs & Earwax”
“A Beard Full Of Maggots”

“Arachnophobia”:

The Path To R'Lyeh

“Dream Eater”
“The Book Made Of Human Skin”
“Extra-Terrestrial Abomination”
“Y'ha-ntlei's Awakening”

“Dream Eater”:

Invasion by Fumigation & The Path to R'lyeh

Credits:

Artwork by Pzychopart
Layout by Yan Chatel

Fumigation guest vocals:

Track 1: Em Rodríguez (Green Lung Grinders)
Track 2: L-P Dugal (Ex-Fumigation / Accursed Creation)
Track 3: Tobin (Deamon / Deathrow Six)
Track 4: Corey Athos (Flesh Consumed)

All Music by Chris Humeniuk and Fumigation.
All Lyrics by Scott McConnery, L-P Dugal, Chris Humeniuk, Tobin, Jay Donelly
Drums tracked by Topon Das at "Apartment 2 Recording"

Engineered/Mixed/Mastered by Tom Hansen

The Path To R'Lyeh:

All music by Alain Harrison Cloutier
All lyrics by Yan Chatel
Guitars, Bass, and Drum Programming by Alain Harrison Cloutier
Vocals by Yan Chatel

Exterminating since early 2008, Fumigation is a five-piece death metal band from Ottawa, ON, Canada.

Today's metal scene lacks bands with a constant theme, or at least an interesting one. Through this void enters Fumigation "Your Death Metal Pest Control Specialists". The theme of insects, rodents and chemicals is entertaining, insightful, and humorous all at the same time. From phobias to infestations, harbourages to feeding habits, Fumigation will dissect the situation and select the best method of control. This method usually comes in the form of groove laden death metal.

Signed to CDN Records, Fumigation released their debut full length CD Integrated Pest Management in 2013. The band has been supporting large underground metal acts such as Vital Remains, Napalm Death, Malignancy, Revocation, Dehumanized, Incantation, etc. and have toured parts of Quebec and Ontario including participation in festivals. The band has also been featured on various Canadian and international compilations, Canadian and internet radio stations, blogs, mobile game apps, print magazines, and more.

Lineup:

Mat Desjardins: Drums
Jay Donnelly: Vox
Tom Hansen: Guitar
Chris Humeniuk: Bass
Matt MacIvor: Guitar

It is in the search of R'lyeh that the band took root. During this insane journey, no one could anticipate the meeting of the minds that now shapes The Path To R'Lyeh.

Having benefited for years from the lore of H.P. Lovecraft, it was felt that the metal scene was ready to contribute, once again, to the exceptional lore of this genius writer. The Path To R'Lyeh is not so much as a tribute as it is a willing contributor, aiming at adding to the world of Lovecraft as well as using its pillars to immerse the listener in a dark and mad place.

Quebec, Canada's The Path To R'Lyeh devotes themselves passionately and with abandon to prepare brutal, opaque and grim tales that will transport you into a nightmarish yet fascinating world where the holy does not exist and the wicked comes from distant worlds.

Lineup:

Alain Cloutier: Guitar
Milann Vaidya: Drum
Yan Chatel: Vocal
Jonathan Lattimore Desabrais: Guitar

Queen continue to release new lyric videos for their classic songs, this time for “Bohemian Rhapsody” featured on the band’s 1975 album, A Night At The Opera. Watch the new clip below:

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

Back by popular demand, Queen + Adam Lambert will rock North America this summer with a 25-city arena tour kicking off June 23rd in Phoenix, Arizona at Gila River Arena, followed shortly after with a special Los Angeles Hollywood Bowl performance, June 26th.

After wildly successful and sold out tours throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, Latin and North America, Brian May, Roger Taylor + Adam Lambert will debut a brand new show specially designed and created for this outing, bringing fans all their favorite Queen hits, like “Another One Bites the Dust”, “Bohemian Rhapsody”, “We Will Rock You”, “We Are The Champions”. The high-energy concert will bring their history alive in all its passion and glory, with stops in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Boston, Philadelphia and more, before wrapping on August 5th in Houston, TX at the Toyota Center. The tour is presented by Live Nation.

Tickets are on sale now through the Live Nation mobile app and at Livenation.com. Exclusive VIP Package offers available at VIPNation.com.

Since their first meeting on the final of American Idol in May 2009, Queen + Adam Lambert’s magical combination has been recognized worldwide with sold out shows in every part of the world.

Tour dates:

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

Queen guitarist Brian May has released a new teaser video for his book, Queen In 3-D, available on May 25th. Watch below.

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.

Queen will release their own edition of the classic board game, Monopoly, in May. A short message from Brian May follows:

“YES! It's true!! We've been very secretly developing Queen Monopoly for over a year. And it's due in a shop near you in May. I'm excited - it was a blast working on it - like making an album! We hope you love it!! Choose your weapons!!!”

Stay tuned for updates on the forthcoming game.

As Lions, featuring Austin Dickinson (son of Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson), released their debut full-length album, Selfish Age, on January 20th via Better Noise Records. The band performed the album track “World On Fire at YouTube Space London, and video of the performance, directed by Ryan Chang, can be seen below.

Selfish Age is the follow-up to As Lions’ debut EP Aftermath. Produced by award-winning producer David Bendeth (Of Mice & Men, Paramore, Bring Me The Horizon) and Kane Churko (Five Finger Death Punch, Disturbed, In This Moment), Selfish Age is an illustration of the band’s mission to create “the biggest, baddest hard rock we could, and on an almost cinematic scale.”

The album’s 11 dynamic tracks are a study in contrasts, with the epic and evocative “Aftermath”, the crushing “Deathless” which targets the internet culture’s obsession with image, “Bury My Dead”, a hard-hitting personal statement complemented by stately piano tinklings, and the electro-tinged title track, “Selfish Age”.

Comprised of Austin Dickinson on vocals, guitarist and keyboardist Conor O’Keefe, guitarist Will Homer, bassist Stefan Whiting and drummer Dave Fee, As Lions showcase an evolution in British rock.

Selfish Age tracklisting:

“Aftermath”
“The Suffering”
“Bury My Dead”
“Deathless”
“Selfish Age”
“White Flags”
“Pieces”
“World On Fire”
“One By One”
“The Fall”
“The Great Escape”

“One By One” video:

“Selfish Age” lyric video:

"Bury My Dead" lyric video:

“Aftermath” video:

Tour dates:

April
10 - Medford Armory - Medford, OR (supporting Shinedown)
11 - Eureka Municipal Auditorium - Eureka, CA (supporting Shinedown)
13 - Sacramento Memorial Auditorium - Sacramento, CA (supporting Shinedown)
14 - Silver Dollar Fairgrounds - Chico, CA (supporting Shinedown)
15 - Grand Sierra Resort & Casino - Reno, NV (supporting Shinedown)
17 - House Of Blues - Anaheim, CA (supporting Shinedown)
29 - Rockville Festival - Jacksonville, FL

May
5 - Carolina Rebellion - Charlotte, NC
13 - Northern Invasion - Somerset, WI
19 - Rock On The Range - Columbus, OH

June
17 - Graspop Metal Meeting - Dessel, Belgium
29 - Fat Lip Festival - Bristol, UK

Spring always brings excitement and new beginnings: Montreal's Karkaos will be reborn again through its new album, Children Of The Void. The band has checked in with the following update:

"We will be releasing this metal beast on May 26th in Montreal at Foufounes Électriques with Vehemall, No One Dead and the almighty Pronostic for a night of some of the best melodic metal in Quebec right now. We have been working hard for a long time to be able to give you an album that combines beautiful melodies to our own symphonic signature, groovy and brutal riffs to intensity as well as catchy choruses.

The album was recorded, mastered and mixed at the respected The Gridd studios, in collaboration with Silver Wings Studios. The artwork was made by the immensely talented Marcela Bolívar while the layout is done by our friend Fred Riverin from I Legion. We are proud to have been able to collaborate with guest artists Lindsay Schoolcraft from Cradle of Filth and Morgan Lander from Kittie."

Children of the Void official tracklisting:

"Babel"
"Skymaster"
"Kolossòs"
"Let The Curtain Fall"
"Pale"
"Children Of The Void"
"Rêverie"
"Tyrants"
"Where Mushrooms Grow"
"Lightbearer"
"The Beast"
"Bound By Stars"

Children of the Void is set for a Spring 2017 release, stay tuned for more details.

Karkaos is:

Viky Boyer - lead vocals
Samael Pelletier - guitar
Eddy Levitsky - bass
Sebastien Belanger-Lapierre - keyboards
Vincent Harnois - guitar/vocals
Justine Ethier - drums

For more information and updates go to this location.

LED ZEPPELIN's classic track "Immigrant Song" is featured in the first trailer for the upcoming third movie in Marvel Studios' Thor franchise, "Thor: Ragnarok", due in theaters on November 3.

"Immigrant Song" first appeared on LED ZEPPELIN's third studio album, "Led Zeppelin III", released in 1970 via Atlantic Records.

Official "Thor: Ragnarok" synopsis, per a Disney press release: "Thor is imprisoned on the other side of the universe without his mighty hammer and finds himself in a race against time to get back to Asgard to stop Ragnarok — the destruction of his homeworld and the end of Asgardian civilization — at the hands of an all-powerful new threat, the ruthless Hela. But first he must survive a deadly gladiatorial contest that pits him against his former ally and fellow Avenger — the Incredible Hulk!"

Following the appearance of ZEPPELIN's "Kashmir" in "Fast Times At Ridgemont High" (1982), almost two decades went by before the cult film "Almost Famous" (2000) showcased the ZEPPELIN tracks "Misty Mountain Hop", "The Rain Song" and three others, followed by "Immigrant Song" in "School Of Rock" (2003) and "Shrek The Third" (2007), and "Good Times Bad Times" in "The Fighter" (2010). More recently, "When The Levee Breaks" was featured in "Argo", while "What Is And What Should Never Be" appeared in "Silver Linings Playbook", followed by "Good Times Bad Times" in 2013's "American Hustle" and "When The Levee Breaks" in 2015's "The Big Short".

On April 2, Brazilian/American metallers SEPULTURA took part in an interview and live performance at the studios of "Metrópolis", the Brazilian show from TV Cultura. You can now watch video footage of their appearance below.

SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser recently revealed that the band is planning to embark on a special tour of Europe featuring groups with Latin connections.

Although the initial plan was to stage the trek in late 2017, it now appears that the tour will take place several months later.

"I don't know if I can talk too much about [our plans for this special tour], because we're just starting to put together some ideas, but we finally wanted to do something more Brazilian and Latin, trying to bring Brazilian bands to tour in Europe," Kisser told WSOU. "But let's see what happens. I think the possibilities are great. We have great possibilities for a really nice package — not only in Brazil, but then from Argentina and even the States that have Latin connections and heritage. That would be cool — something that we never really were able to put together. And it's kind of like an old dream. As a matter of fact, many bands really demand some kind of stuff like that. Some bands really felt that we could make a little more effort to bring them out, to take them out to Europe and the States and stuff. And I think now finally we get in this position and the situation that we are organized enough to do something like that and the momentum, I think, it's great. So I think early 2018, we're gonna start doing something like that in Europe and hopefully we can take that everywhere. It would be great."

SEPULTURA's latest album, "Machine Messiah", was released on January 13 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was produced by the band and Jens Bogren (SOILWORK, OPETH, KATATONIA, AMON AMARTH) of Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden. The CD's cover artwork was created by Filipino artist Camille Della Rosa.

BARDSPEC, the ambient project/band led by ENSLAVED composer/guitarist Ivar Bjørnson, will release its debut album, "Hydrogen", in June via By Norse.

Having launched at Roadburn in 2015, BARDSPEC has since evolved into a fully-fledged band, with Steve Austin on guitars/effects, David Hall presenting the live visual aspect of the project, and the layout created by Josh Graham (SOUNDGARDEN, NEUROSIS).

The official video for the song "Fire Tongue" — created by David Hall — can be seen below.

BARDSPEC combines stirring, hallucinatory synth-sounds with mercurial guitar effects and hypnotic rhythms that navigate illusory landscapes. Field recordings, and other found-sounds also drift and evaporate into the ether. Working intuitively with these elements and with sharpened senses, attuned to inner impulses, this is immersive music that can exist anywhere and anytime within the minds of the listener.

Whilst BARDSPEC might essentially be the same brain and personality making the music, compared to ENSLAVED, it is a widely different entity. Thematically and sonically, BARDSPEC is about minimizing, subtracting, and meditating upon the simplest essence of "things;" the single points exemplified through song titles like "Bone", "Salt" and so on, the basic elements and foundations that make up the whole. There is an element of "space" in the music and the artwork, as a representation of the inner workings of the mind and the subconscious.

BARDSPEC is inspired by the German masters TANGERINE DREAM, Klaus Schultze and Conrad Schnitzler, in addition to contemporary ambient music like Norwegian one-man-band BIOSPHERE and abstract modern electronic music like WHEN (Norwegian also), as well as the electronic/industrial-driven metal like GODFLESH. Ivar describes the appeal and trance-inducing aspects of such music to him. "I remember listening to Richard Burmer and his album 'Mosaic' from 1984," he says. "I thought I fell asleep but I was in a semi-lucid state where I still registered music — but not much else. At the end of side A there's an explosion so violent and extreme that I jumped two feet into the air and was totally shocked. The weird thing is, I couldn't remember it being there. When I revisited the music again, it was just a little 'thud.' I was just experiencing a trance so deep into the music that this deviation from the pattern and frequencies in the foregoing half hour of monotony totally shocked me. I loved it!" Roadburn festival will play host to a very special public listening session of "Hydrogen" by BARDSPEC, a chance for people to hear the album from start to finish in advance of the official release date. This event shall take place on April 21.

"Hydrogen" track listing:

01. Intro - Deposition02. Bone03. Fire Tongue04. Gamma05. Salt06. Teeth (bonus track) "Hydrogen" willl be released on June 23 across all formats. The six-panel CD digipak is available as limited first press to a thousand copies including bonus track "Teeth". The double gatefold LP is limited to five hundred copies on black vinyl, and the digital format also including the bonus track.

Rob Halford (JUDAS PRIEST) will guest on this Wednesday's (April 12) episode of Comedy Central's new comedy and music series "The Comedy Jam".

The eight-episode season features celebrities dishing on a cherished memory linked to an iconic song and then performing that song with the Comedy Jam Band in front of a live audience.

This week's episode will see Halford join forces with Jim Breuer to perform the PRIEST classic "You've Got Another Thing Coming".

A preview clip can be seen below.

Also on the April 12 episode, Mark Duplass and Kevin Cronin perform "Can't Fight This Feeling" by REO SPEEDWAGON, and Big Jay Oakerson and Lukas Rossi perform "Rebel Yell" by BILLY IDOL.

CC.com features preview clips and highlights from each episode, plus a web-exclusive after show, "The After Jam", hosted by show creator Josh Adam Meyers. Full episodes of "The Comedy Jam" will be available the day of premiere on the Comedy Central app and CC.com. Highlights and exclusives from "The Comedy Jam" will also be available in the CC app and the Comedy Central channel on Snapchat Discover. Fans can tweet about the series using the hashtag #ComedyJam.

"The Comedy Jam" was filmed at the Fonda Theatre in Hollywood. The eight-episode weekly series is based on the special that aired in August 2016 and was born from one of the hottest live shows in Los Angeles. Created by Josh Adam Meyers, "The Comedy Jam" is produced by Ugly Brother Studios and Tenth Planet and is executive-produced by Meyers, Mike Duffy, Tim Duffy and Joel Gallen. Gallen directed all eight episodes. Jordan Ellner, Gary Mann and Ryan Moran are the executives in charge of production for Comedy Central.

Fan-filmed video footage of LAST IN LINE's March 31 performance at The Chance in Poughkeepsie, New York can be seen below.

LAST IN LINE is the band featuring DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell alongside fellow founding DIO member Vinny Appice, plus singer Andrew Freeman, who has previously fronted HURRICANE and LYNCH MOB. Playing bass for LAST IN LINE is Phil Soussan (OZZY OSBOURNE, BEGGARS & THIEVES, Steve Lukather), who joined the group after original LAST IN LINE bassist Jimmy Bain passed away in January 2016 at the age of 68. He was reportedly suffering from lung cancer at the time of his death.

LAST IN LINE will enter the studio in September to begin recording its sophomore album for an early 2018 release via Frontiers Music Srl. Helming the disc once again will be Jeff Pilson, the veteran bassist and producer who has played with DIO, FOREIGNER, DOKKEN and T&N, among others.

Campbell told the "Trunk Nation" show on SiriusXM channel Volume (106) that the second LAST IN LINE album is "half written already." He added: "We started writing in January, and we have six songs on the go, and it sounds amazing — it's so, so good. So we're excited for that. We were hoping to get it out this year, but, unfortunately, due to my schedule with LEPPARD and Jeff Pilson's schedule with FOREIGNER… 'Cause Jeff produced the 'Heavy Crown' album for us, and we wanna work with him again on the next one. So we have to wait. It looks like September before we'll actually be able to start recording it, so it'll probably be an early 2018 release."

Official video footage of METALLICA performing the song "Confusion" live on March 1 at at Foro Sol in Mexico City, Mexico can be seen below.

METALLICA's music video for "Confusion" was directed by Claire Marie Vogel. The clip, in which one soldier's civilian life blurs into a battlefield, cuts back and forth between a woman fighting in a war zone and working in a mundane office.

"Confusion" is taken from METALLICA's latest album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", which debuted as expected at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 album chart in November, selling 291,000 copies in its first week of release. Both of the band's previous outings, 2008's "Death Magnetic" and 2003's "St. Anger", sold more copies in shortened sales weeks. "Death Magnetic" moved 490,000 copies in a three-day window, while "St. Anger" shifted 418,000 copies in a similar frame.

Nevertheless, the overall fan reaction to the new disc has inspired the band to release its next record sooner. Frontman James Hetfield told Italy's Linea Rock, "At least for now, we've booked out two years (of touring), at least. So I can't predict the future, but… I would like to make some new music sooner than eight years, for sure. (You get) such a pleasure and a joy of hearing your new music and having other people hear it. So we don't wanna wait that long."

The North American leg of METALLICA's "WorldWired" 2017 tour kicks off on May 10 in Baltimore, Maryland and will hit stadiums in 25 cities before winding down in mid-August. Support on the quartet's first North American trek since 2009 will come mainly from AVENGED SEVENFOLD and VOLBEAT, with GOJIRA taking over for the latter group for the last six shows.

German alcohol-soaked thrash metal act TANKARD will release its seventeenth studio album, "One Foot In The Grave", on June 2 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2014's "R.I.B. (Rest In Beer)" was recorded at Gernhart Studios in Troisdorf with producer Martin Buchwalter (DESTRUCTION, ACCUSER, PERZONAL WAR, SUIDAKRA).

The official lyric video for the song "Arena Of The True Lies" can be seen below. Also available is a trailer for "One Foot In The Grave", featuring footage that was filmed at a listening session for the album on February 17 at the Alte Liebe pub in Frankfurt, Germany.

"One Foot In The Grave" track listing:

01. Pay To Pray02. Arena Of The True Lies03. Don`t Bullshit Us!04. One Foot In The Grave05. Syrian Nightmare06. Northern Crown (Lament Of The Undead King)07. Lock`Em Up!08. The Evil That Men Display09. Secret Order 151610. Sole Grinder

This time, the album is going to have a serious streak, not only filled with humor but criticizing today's society. Even the traditional beer song "Secret Order 1516" displays some critical elements. But don't worry: fans of the typical TANKARD humor won't be disappointed! With songs like "Sole Grinder", the band hasn't forgotten their raison d'être. This song pays tribute to the band's manager Buffo (Gerre: "The funniest choleric person in Germany") in an ironic way.

The cover artwork for "One Foot In The Grave" was created by Patrick Strogulski, who is a student of Sebastian Krüger, the recent artwork designer of TANKARD. He also created the cover artwork for the "A Girl Called Cerveza" and "R.I.B." albums. With this, the iconic band mascot, the TANKARD Alien, celebrates his return after about 13 years of absence. The alien was born in 1989 with the "Alien" EP and has already graced five album covers. The TANKARD fan club "Maniac Aliens" is also named after it.

States TANKARD vocalist Andreas "Gerre" Geremia: "Mister Strogulski has once again created a real masterpiece and surpassed himself. Our first plan was that I would be on the cover instead of the alien... but, lucky me, it ended up being the alien..."

Death metal overlords DYING FETUS will release their eighth studio album, "Wrong One To Fuck With", on June 23 via Relapse.

On their first new release in over five years, the seasoned veterans manage to further stretch their creative and technical boundaries across ten complex tracks of pulverizing death metal, filled with more dynamic intricacies, brutal breakdowns and varied vocal patterns than ever before. Now over twenty-five years into their distinguished career, DYING FETUS cement their legacy with "Wrong One To Fuck With" and uphold their position as one of the most dominant forces in death metal today.

The first press of "Wrong One To Fuck With" on CD includes an expanded, deluxe packaging and the exclusive bonus track "Induce Terror".

DYING FETUS will embark on a European tour with HATEBREED this week.

Glenn Hughes has told Australia's Loud magazine that BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's much-anticipated fourth album will be released in "the middle of September."

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

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

Regarding how BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's resurrection came about, Hughes told Loud: "Joe and I have never fallen out. Let's just say that when the band broke up, Joe was very, very busy. He couldn't really do anything outside of the Bonamassa [solo band], which we knew going into BLACK COUNTRY. So when it became clear that Joe couldn't clear his schedule, we felt it would be appropriate to break it down for a while, and just go on with other things. And, of course, a year ago when I got inducted into the [Rock And Roll] Hall Of Fame [with DEEP PURPLE], Joe called me to congratulate me, and we talked for a while, had dinner and we discussed making a new BLACK COUNTRY album, which we've now done. And we've never been more friendlier; we've never been close as this, and long may that continue."

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

Gene Simmons was one of a number of artists who paid tribute to Chuck Berry on Sunday (April 9) at a public memorial before Berry's private funeral in Missouri.

During his seven-minute speech at the Pageant in St. Louis, Simmons said: "These shades are going to help me a lot because in back of them are real tears. He was breaking down barriers that nobody suspected. Chuck, he changed more little white boys and white girls lives than all the politicians with their big talk just by making them move. Just by grabbing a hold of them on the outside and the inside and changing their lives."

He added: "Look at what Chuck Berry and his music has done. I see white faces in the audience. When Chuck first started, that would never have happened. He broke down the barriers, made all kinds of people's hearts and minds open up to the idea that we all belong to the same people."

Shortly after Berry's memorial service, Simmons posted a note on the KISS Facebook page in which he wrote: "Sad but honored to have been invited to the Chuck Berry memorial event. The open casket was on view, but I couldn't bear looking. It would break my heart."

He continued: "For those of you too young to know, Chuck Berry was one of the founding fathers of rock 'n' roll and the architect of rock guitar playing. Without Chuck Berry, you wouldn't have had THE BEATLES, THE ROLLING STONES, Jimi Hendrix and many more."

Berry, who pioneered the rock genre with his unique storytelling and clever use of poetics, died on March 18 at the age of 90. He will undoubtedly be remembered for his signature two-note, guitar-bending lick, variations of which opened up his classic '50s hits "Johnny B. Goode", "Roll Over Beethoven", "Little Queenie", "Carol" and many more.

Frontiers Music Srl will release HAREM SCAREM's fourteenth studio album, "United", on May 12. The disc offers up eleven tracks of trademark HAREM SCAREM music from Harry Hess (lead vocals, keyboards), Pete Lesperance (guitars, bass, keyboards), longtime drummer Creighton Doane, and backing vocals from original sticksman and current RED DRAGON CARTEL singerDarren Smith (who will be playing live drums for the band on tour dates).

The "United" title track can now be streamed below. Frontman Harry Hess says: "This year will mark the thirtieth year of HAREM SCAREM and I can tell you that we are just as excited about writing and recording today as we were then. The brand new 'United' album is one of the best collection of songs we have ever put on one release and I can't wait for everyone to hear it!" HAREM SCAREM make it clear they still have something to say right from the start with the title track, "United", a chunky slice of guitar-driven melodic rock nirvana that kicks off their strongest studio outing since the early 2000s. From there, the album lifts off with well-crafted songs featuring big choruses with simple and addictive hook-laden earworms. Each track carries a power-rock-packed punch, swaggering riffs, and hooks to die for. Hess and Lesperance without a doubt show the world that their partnership still works, that they indeed are still "united." With sales of well over a million records in forty-three countries and twelve Top 40 hits around the globe, HAREM SCAREM has returned and is ready to dominate while touring the world in support of "United". "United" track listing: 01. United02. Here Today Gone Tomorrow03. Gravity04. Sinking Ship05. One Of Life’s Mysteries06. No Regrets07. Bite The Bullet08. Things I Know09. The Sky Is Falling10. Heaven And Earth11. Indestructible HAREM SCAREM is: Harry Hess - lead vocals, guitarPete Lesperance - lead guitarStan Miczek - bass guitarCreighton Doane - drumsDarren Smith - background vocals, live drummer

Singer Wattie Buchan of British punk legends THE EXPLOITED was taken to hospital on Friday, April 7 in Belgium while the band was on tour in Europe wih THE CASUALTIES and CODE RED.

According to a post on THE EXPLOITED Facebook page: "[Wattie] has a very serious heart condition and almost died.

"He wanted to thank all the fans at last [Friday night's] show and who turned up to support him and the band.

"Wattie would like us to continue the tour without him.

"We will still be playing our set with guest vocalists from THE CASUALTIES and others."

Wattie underwent a quadruple heart bypass surgery in 2014 after suffering a heart attack onstage. He was back on the road within a year. The singer told I Probably Hate Your Band in a December 2015 interview: "I thought I wouldn't be able to do gigs anymore, so I'm just glad I can still do gigs." He later told Tattoo.com about his heart procedure, "They cut my leg went right through my tattoo and put it back together," and added: "The most important thing in life is your health. If you don't have your health, you don't have fuck-all."

Founded in 1980 in Edinburgh by Buchan, THE EXPLOITED's last studio album, "Fuck The System", came out in 2003.




Just to let you guys know that Wattie was taken to hospital yesterday in Belgium.He has a very serious heart condition...

Posted by The Exploited on Saturday, April 8, 2017

Video footage of L.A. GUNS performing a new song called "Speed" on April 8 at Yost Theater in Santa Ana, California can be seen below. The current version of L.A. GUNS — which includes singer Phil Lewis and the band's co-founding guitarist Tracii Guns — has recorded a new album for a tentative June release through the Italian record label Frontiers Music Srl. The last time Lewis and Guns joined forces was back in 2000 with legendary producer Andy Johns for the making of what would become "Waking The Dead". Speaking with Express & Star, Tracii said: "With Phil and I in particular, we have a certain chemistry that's undeniable. And, you know, when you're at your loneliest, you wanna go home, right? So, we both felt like it was time to go home and be comfortable with that undeniable relationship that we have musically. I mean, right away, the first time we got back together and played, you know, it's so obvious, you can't deny it. At some point in your life, you can't deny what's real." Regarding the sound of the new L.A. GUNS material, Tracii said: "Phil's vocal style and his way of writing kind of offsets that balance of the heavy music, that's something that's possibly more mainstream or identifiable, so there's a lot of, you know, kind of typical sleazy L.A. GUNS, high-energy riff rock. There's a little bit of sloppy New Orleans, kind of sweaty, kind of bluesier stuff too. It's a big record." L.A. GUNS' present lineup is rounded out by Shane Fitzgibbon on drums and Johnny Martin on bass with Michael Grant on guitar as a touring member. On the topic of the decision to use the L.A. GUNS moniker for the new album, Guns told LA Weekly: "When you put Phil and I together, that's the sound of L.A. GUNS. There's no way around that. As much as I love certain other [former] members of the band, it's hard to say what their contribution to the overall sound of the band was — but Phil Lewis and Tracii Guns, the band's gotta be L.A. GUNS. It can't be anything else." Back in December, Phil announced that he was leaving the L.A. GUNS version that included drummer Steve Riley.

Melodic metal band PYRAMAZE will release its fifth album, "Contingent", on April 28 in Europe and North America through Inner Wound Recordings.

The official lyric video for the song "Kingdom Of Solace", taken from the new disc, can be seen below.

With "Contingent", PYRAMAZE has grown and matured into a band that is capable of satisfying their fans while simultaneously continuing to break new ground. The incorporation of modern cinematic film score elements mixed with progressive metal riffs and melodies will leave the listener breathless!

Huge, sweeping, hard-hitting, and poignant, "Contingent" is an epic post-apocalyptic conceptual piece inspired by current events, the human spirit to overcome struggle and diversity, and the brotherhood that lies therein.

The album was produced, mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen, who has previously worked with VOLBEAT, AMARANTHE, EPICA and EVERGREY, among others.

"Contingent" track listing;

01. Land Of Information02. Kingdom Of Solace 03. Star Men 04. A World Divided 05. Nemesis 06. Contingent - Part I: The Campaign 07. 20 Second Century 08. Obsession 09. Heir Apparent 10. Contingent - Part II: The Hammer Of Remnant 11. Under Restraint 12. The Tides That Won't Change 13. Symphony Of Tears

PYRAMAZE is: Terje Harøy - Vocals Jacob Hansen - Guitar, Bass Jonah W. - Keyboards Toke Skjønnemand - GuitarMorten Gade Sørensen - Drums

Swedish luciferian death metal overlords NECROPHOBIC have signed a deal with Century Media for the world excluding USA and Canada.

Formed in 1989, NECROPHOBIC belongs to the first wave of Swedish death metal bands. Ever since the release of its classic debut album, "The Nocturnal Silence" (1993), the band has issued a total of seven studio LPs, among them timeless masterpieces as "Darkside" (1997), "Bloodhymns" (2002) or the brilliant 2009 album "Death To All".

NECROPHOBIC was recently rejoined by guitarists Sebastian Ramstedt and Johan Bergebäck following the band's split with its axeman of five years, Fredrik Folkare.

Commented NECROPHOBIC drummer Joakim Sterner: "The last couple of years, Fredrik has been handling all the guitar parts as a single guitarist. He is a great guitar player, but he can't play two guitars live and to have two guitarists is an important part of our sound — especially live. The music is written for two guitars. It has been so in the past and it's still so today."

He continued: "Lately, I have also come to realize that me and Fredrik are too far from each other on the musical side. Our mindset and our musical roots are too different.

"NECROPHOBIC is very special in that way that it has very strict, call it rules, on how music shall sound, and not to sound, so with that in mind, along with that one guitar player was 'missing' live, I slowly started to think of this solution — to let Fredrik go.

"It's always hard to tell a person to go, especially since we have always got along very well on the personal basis. He's a great guy, but I had to set the band, and what's best for the band, in first place. There's no hard feelings between us. At least not from my side."

Joakim added: "Since some time back, a newborn relationship started with my old friends, and former bandmates, Sebastian and Johan, and that made this lineup change into reality.

"Sebastian was part of this band for fifteen years and Johan for ten years, so I'm really excited to have them back in the band again and I'm looking forward to what we will accomplish together, both live and on the songwriting terms."

Regarding his return to NECROPHOBIC, Sebastian said: "It's a great honor to be back! It feels like coming home.

"NECROPHOBIC has, by far, been the band where I can let my creativity flow the most. Joakim's vision and my way of writing songs has always fit together naturally.

"The funny thing is that me and Johan never really quit NECROPHOBIC. After years of working closely together, we, in the beginning of 2011, said that we needed a break, but it became longer than we expected.

"I do respect Fredrik's work in this band. He is a fantastic guitar player and his work with NECROPHOBIC, both as a guitar player and a producer, will not pass unnoticed.

"The time for a return is now and we will unite in forces stronger than ever."

Added Johan: "The time has come for me to reunite with the mighty force of NECROPHOBIC. Together we will bring forth the black flag and reclaim our position as a great live act. Join us when we venture into the eternal fire. See you out there."

NECROPHOBIC 2017 is:

Anders Strokirk - VocalsAlexander Friberg - BassJoakim Sterner - DrumsSebastian Ramstedt - GuitarJohan Bergebäck - Guitar

Millennial Reign are happy to announce their new line-up. Drummer Steve Nichols (Solitude Aeturnus) and bassist Neil Bertrand (When Angels Die) have come on board as full time members. The band has issued the following statement:

"We are very excited to have such talented heavy hitters join our line up. They will both add a completely new dimension to our overall sound. We have some great shows lined up with bands like HammerFall, Delain and label-mates Theocracy. The forthcoming album is nearly written and studio recording will begin this summer 2017. We look forward to seeing you on the road with our new members." 

Millennial Reign's live schedule is as follows:

April 
13-15 - Exodo Fest - Tlaxcala, Mexico

May 
13 - Trees - Dallas, TX (with HammerFall and Delain)

July 
28 - BFE Rock Club - Houston, TX (with Theocracy) 
29 - O'Riley's - Dallas, TX (with Theocracy)

Line Up:
James Guest - vocals
Dave Harvey - guitars
Neil Bertrand - bass
Steve Nichols - drums

For more information and updates go to this location.

The gritty southern metal groove chiefs known as Undercover Devil have premiered the official music video for “Burn It Black”. BraveWords is unleashing the track that combines attitude, infectious melodies and a true southern metal sound that hits you harder than a bottle of Evan Williams.

“We are excited to finally unleash this song as it basically gives an inside view into our overall sound. We are a groove based band. No Groove is no good. If you don't leave hummin' that chorus then you might want to re-evaluate your life. Everyone has those days when they want to just burn it all down. We are the soundtrack to your bad days.” -Undercover Devil

Undercover Devil is a 5-piece group from Malvern, Arkansas rooted in their music which highlights the authenticity of their sound. Fans of Down, Pantera, Crowbar will certainly raise an eyebrow and feel the relentless urge to head bang with the Devil.

Band manager Mark Müller from Extreme Management Group mentions, “These guys have a sound that reels you in, their roots are strong and they know how to put it all out there. We’re ecstatic to be working with Undercover Devil, they’ve put in tremendous work to get where they are and have a lot more coming.”

The debut album Burn It Black will be available worldwide through Rock Avenue Records USA on June 2nd.

'80s metal band INCUBUS (not to be confused with popular California rock band of the same name) has denied sending a cease-and-desist letter to METALLICA's legal team alleging that the heavy metal giants copied riffs from INCUBUS's songs.

BLABBERMOUTH.NET was one of the media outlets which were sent a copy of the supposed cease-and-desist letter earlier this week — after receiving e-mail notification of the letter's existence on March 24 — from someone claiming to be Brutal Records' Michael Howard, but chose not to publish the poorly worded document (see below) on the account that it appeared to be fake. Other news sites, however, did pick up the story and it quickly spread across the Internet, eventually catching the attention of the members of INCUBUS, who changed their name to OPPROBRIUM in 2000.

In the fake cease-and-desist letter, the person claiming to be Michael Howard accused METALLICA of lifting riffs from the INCUBUS track "Sadistic Sinner", from the cult metal band's 1988 album "Serpent Temptation", for inclusion in the song "Moth Into Flame" from METALLICA's "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct" disc. Confusingly, the March 24 e-mail alleged that "Sadistic Sinner" was copied in the METALLICA song "Spit Out The Bone", while riffs from another INCUBUS track, "Hunger For Power", ended up in "Moth Into Flame".

On Friday (April 7), the members of OPPROBRIUM released the following statement regarding the supposed cease-and-desist letter:

"It's been circulating that supposedly an individual is claiming that METALLICA copied one of our songs called 'Hunger For Power' and that this individual supposedly sent a cease-and-desist to METALLICA.

"To all OPPROBRIUM fans and METALLICA fans, we OPPROBRIUM would never send a 'cease-and-desist' to METALLICA. We OPPROBRIUM have nothing to do with this. We love METALLICA and we are fans of METALLICA ourselves.

"We do not know the reason why this news is spreading. We love METALLICA and are fans of METALLICA and would never do such a thing against METALLICA.

"This individual is claiming that he holds the rights to one of our song 'Hunger For Power', and it's not true. We OPPROBRIUM hold all the rights to all our songs.

"This individual is spreading lies behind our backs. We OPPROBRIUM are surprised concerning this, and are very sad.

"We OPPROBRIUM love METALLICA and would never do such a thing to METALLICA.

"OPPROBRIUM does not support this individual nor are we responsible for the actions taken by this individual.

"We OPPROBRIUM are on the side of METALLICA and not on the side of this individual that is spreading this lie.

"Thanks to all OPPROBRIUM and METALLICA fans, and please keep in mind that this individual is doing this on his own and we (OPPROBRIUM) have NOTHING to do with this. This is a very sad day for our band."

Dream Theater World conducted an interview with former DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy before THE NEAL MORSE BAND's April 1 concert in Malmö, Sweden. You can now watch the chat below.

Speaking about what it has been like giving up some of the creative control he had while he was a member of DREAM THEATER and adjusting to the more democratic environment of his more recent projects, Portnoy said: "I have a different take on what makes a band fun. To me, sometimes being in a band with four or five or six different chefs in the kitchen, it's a great creative process, but it's also incredibly frustrating. In all those years in DREAM THEATER, I very much had a lot of creative control, and John [Petrucci, guitar] and I produced the albums together and we wrote the music together, but then from that point, I had a lot of creative control. And there's something to be said for… The process is a lot easier that way."

He continued: "After I left DREAM THEATER, every band I've done — FLYING COLORS, THE WINERY DOGS, ADRENALINE MOB, METAL ALLEGIANCE, THE NEAL MORSE BAND now — every one of these bands are kind of democratic bands where everybody has creative input, and that's great 'cause you get a little bit of everybody in it, but it's also very frustrating. Every single aspect, there's like a hundred e-mails [going back and forth], and I'm in four or five different bands at a time, so every question for every band branches off to a million e-mails. So that's not fun; to me, that's not so much fun. It's a lot easier when you can make a decision and just move forward."

Despite the frustration that he sometimes feels as an equal member of a band, Portnoy says that he doesn't mind being part of a situation where everyone is involved in the writing and decision-making process.

"To be honest, after all those years with DREAM THEATER, I was very happy to be a team player for THE WINERY DOGS and FLYING COLORS," he said. "Actually, I'm very comfortable being a team player. I think I have this reputation of being a control freak, but no, I actually like working together. It just sometimes can be very frustrating and sometimes makes things take ten times longer than they need to."

Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than thirty years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mike Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE, STEVE VAI).

According to The Pulse Of Radio, A PERFECT CIRCLE guitarist Billy Howerdel revealed in a new interview with Tulsa Voice that he and singer Maynard James Keenan have been working separately on music for the band's first new album in 14 years. Howerdel explained: "So far I've just been working by myself. Literally, been in my room with no one else around working on these songs. I send mixes off to Maynard on a server and he's been working on them in his isolation. Then we're going to get together next month and combine where we're holding these ideas, then get in a room and get with the band, play them in a live setting and see what happens with the human element that comes into the picture."

Howerdel added that he and Keenan are going back and forth on the songs, saying: "He's sending me down different paths and has asked me to take out my scissors and cut them into different shapes and paste them back on a page. We can be in the same room but we just happen to be communicating about the same track — just in different parts of the country."

Howerdel said that the band's previous albums, including 2000's "Mer De Noms" and 2003's "Thirteenth Step", were done in the same fashion, although he admitted that he and Keenan have talked in the past about "working together somewhere in isolation for 10 days and just seeing what happens."

The guitarist told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that he prefers to let Keenan have complete control over the lyrics. "You know, I don't like necessarily knowing exactly what the songs are about, because they, you know, I'd rather just draw my own conclusions from them," he said. "It's always been better, to me, to do that. You realize the real meanings and sometimes they're not as — they don't have as much impact as what you thought it meant."

Last month, A PERFECT CIRCLE announced that it had signed a new worldwide recording deal with BMG Music. A new full-length album will be released later in the year.

The group, which toured in 2010 and 2011, launched its first full-fledged tour in six years on Thursday night (April 6) in Las Vegas. The schedule will include several festivals in late April and early May, closing at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles on May 7.

Corey Taylor says that STONE SOUR fans "are gonna freak out" when they hear the band's album, "Hydrograd".

While the first song from the disc is expected to be "leaked" later this month, the full-length follow-up to "House Of Gold & Bones" will arrive at the end of June.

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

Speaking to Kilpop, Taylor said about the making of the new STONE SOUR album (see video below): "Sphere Studios is one of the best studios I've ever worked at. All the people there are some of the best people I've ever worked with. And we captured lightning — not even in a bottle — in a jar that nobody's seen in a thousand years. It is so goddamn good. People are gonna freak out. It's so good."

STONE SOUR bassist Johnny Chow recently described "Hydrograd" as "a straight rock and roll album," adding that it's "a little bit of a departure" from the band's previous output. Speaking with Detroit radio station WRIF, Chow said: "This album is just a straight rock and roll album. There's some kind of FOO FIGHTERS-meets-CHEAP TRICK, but there's also groove-heavy stuff. It's not heavy in the way of SLAYER… It's just very groove-oriented, very melodic [with] big choruses. We've got some mellower songs on there too, which are equally just as amazing and have a lot of groove to them."

He added: "This album is a little bit of a departure from previous STONE SOUR albums. We think it's the best one yet."

Chow said that the group recorded a total of 18 songs, of which 14 or 15 will make the final track list. He also remarked that the band "recorded the whole album live," explaining, "We didn't do it piece by piece in Pro Tools and chop it up… We really were able to capture that raw, aggressive feel and tone."

"Hydrograd" is STONE SOUR's sixth full-length studio album.

STONE SOUR will play the Rock On The Range kick-off party on Thursday, May 18 at Express Live! in Columbus, Ohio. The event will start the Rock On The Range weekend, with METALLICA, SOUNDGARDEN and KORN headlining this year's festival.

STONE SOUR will also be special guests of KORN on the latter act's "Serenity Of Summer" trek, which starts on June 16 in Salt Lake City and wraps on August 2 in Cleveland.

Regarding where the title "Hydrograd" came from, Chow explained that it was Taylor's idea, adding: "It has to do something with him being in an airport, going to the wrong gate, but the gate he thought he saw said 'Hydrograd,' and it just always stuck with him for some reason — that word 'hydrograd.' So I don't know if it's an actual true word or not."



Corey Taylor talks about the new Stone Sour Album!
Kilpop Minute EXTRA! Corey Taylor talks about the new Stone Sour Album. Look for Ghost Hunting with Corey Taylor Coming Soon to Kilpop. kilpop.com

Posted by Kilpop on Friday, April 7, 2017

Clint Switzer and Paul Lagana of the "Music Mania" podcast recently conducted an interview with Y&T frontman Dave Meniketti. You can listen to the full chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the band's work ethic:

Dave: "We do a lot of work, there's no question about it. It keeps us busy. It keeps the band kicking butt. We wouldn't have it any other way. If we're off too many weeks in a row, it drives us crazy. We get stir crazy. It's like 'When are we going to play again? Come on!'"

On whether Y&T's longevity means more to him than commercial success:

Dave: "Oh yeah! There's something to be said for staying the course. We've definitely done that over our career. We've been one of those bands who have been lucky enough, of course, to be popular enough to keep our music going and to keep us touring and sell records. But we've always looked at ourselves and said, 'Okay, there's these bands who have come up, opened for us, and then surpassed us, but then a few years later, they're no longer together or something happened or any number of other things.' Where we just keep going. We keep going and it's a semi-uphill thing, rather than having the big peak and then the big drop. We just kept it going in a good fashion as far as the popularity of the band and the ability to keep doing what we're doing. How many guys can say 43 years into it that they still have fans that love to come out to shows and allow them to make money and stay alive and keep doing the same thing that they loved their whole life? That's a hard thing to do."

On whether he feels Y&T was an influence on bands like QUIET RIOT, POISON and RATT:

Dave: "As far as the L.A. scene, there's no question, even though we're not from L.A., we became popular down there from just hitting that market a lot and getting on Highway 5 and driving five hours and doing it two or three times a year when we first started out. We got to a point where we were headlining down there two shows a night, three nights in a row on the weekends when we would go down. A whole lot of the rock stars-to-be were in the audience, watching us. We did have quite an impact on the L.A. scene as it turned out, even though we were not living in L.A. and were not an L.A. band. That was gratifying to see. We still hear about it all the time from musicians."

On how their 1985 hit single "Summertime Girls" changed the course of Y&T's career:

Dave: "Well, it was a double-edged sword, wasn't it? We were happy to have the success of the single of 'Summertime Girls' and that was all good because it was all happening at a time when we were becoming more and more popular because of 'Black Tiger' and 'Mean Streak' and 'Earthshaker'. At the same time, it was frustrating for us to be pigeonholed as 'Y&T those are those guys with the 'Summertime Girls' song.' That was just one song of hundreds of songs that we had been responsible for that was quite different from most of the rest of what Y&T was all about. It's still like that to some degree, although we re-cemented among fans many years what Y&T was all about. It's still funny to hear that on occasion when somebody goes 'Those are those 'Summertime Girls' guys.' And we go 'Oh dude, you got to come to a show.'"

On how he feels knowing so many high-profile musicians respect Y&T:

Dave: "We've been a lucky bunch as far as having the respect from the guys who are our peers and the fans as well. That's been a good thing. I remember only two times in the last 30-something years or so people going 'Man, you should do something. You should go and punch somebody. Do something outrageous for god's sakes. Then you'd get out in the news and finally get a lot of press.' And it's like, 'If that's the way you got to do it, then nah, that's not what we'll do.' There's something to be said for being an outrageous style of personality or just a complete screw-up that no matter what you do, you're always going to do something dumb enough to get in the press. That's just not our style. We are what we are. We're just going to keep going with it."

As previously reported, Y&T is putting the finishing touches on its documentary, "On With The Show", to be released before the end of the year. The film is expected to be built out of the hundreds of hours of personal footage shot over the years. It is set to cover the band's earliest days of rehearsing in drummer Leonard Haze's grandmother's house, then move through the first two albums, touring with JOURNEY, BOSTON and QUEEN, to their big breaks with AC/DC, OZZY OSBOURNE and DIO.

Y&T's current lineup is rounded out by guitarist John Nymann, drummer Mike Vanderhule and bassist Aaron Leigh.

Y&T's live album, "Live At The Mystic", was released in November 2012 via Frontiers Records.

The band's first studio album in 13 years, "Facemelter", came out in Europe in May 2010 via Frontiers.

POISON's reunited original lineup — Bret Michaels, Bobby Dall, Rikki Rockett and C.C. DeVille — kicked off its North American tour with DEF LEPPARD last night (Saturday, April 8) at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire.

POISON's setlist was as follows:

01. Look What The Cat Dragged In02. Ride The Wind03. We're An American Band (GRAND FUNK RAILROAD cover)04. Something To Believe In05. Your Mama Don't Dance (LOGGINS & MESSINA cover)06. Guitar Solo07. Fallen Angel08. Unskinny Bop09. Drum Solo10. Every Rose Has Its Thorn11. Talk Dirty To Me12. Nothin' But A Good Time

Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

POISON's tour with DEF LEPPARD will wrap on June 25 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Prior to the start of the DEF LEPPARD trek, Michaels said: "I'm really looking forward to the POISON tour. It's going to be incredible playing all the hits and putting on a hell of a high-energy rock show for the three generations of awesome fans."

POISON and DEF LEPPARD first hit the road together back in 2009, and then again three years later.

POISON appeared at the 2013 Indy 500 Miller Lite Carb Day, but has otherwise been mostly playing private shows, including one in January 2015.

The band hasn't done any major touring since taking part in the 2012 "Rock Of Ages" trek with DEF LEPPARD and LITA FORD.

Rockett was recently declared cancer free after undergoing an experimental treatment. He was diagnosed with oral cancer back in 2015.

French metallers ETHS reunited with their original lead singer, Candice Clot, for a hometown show last night (Saturday, April 8) at at Le Moulin in Marseille. This was the first of two final concerts the band has decided to play before calling it quits, with the second one scheduled for April 30 at Le Trianon in Paris.

Fan-filmed video footage of the Marseille performance — which was reportedly professionally filmed for an upcoming DVD and Blu-ray — can be seen below.

Clot left ETHS for personal reasons in 2012 and was replaced by Rachel Aspe. Rachel's vitriolic vocals fit perfectly the pounding riff barrage of the band's modern metal style, which was demonstrated on the 2014 EP "Ex Umbra In Solem" and last year's "Ankaa" full-length.

ETHS commented: "These last few years, a number of ordeals slowly pushed us towards different musical yearnings while dulling the fun that we have had playing as a band.

"ETHS has always been about honesty and fun, but we have to face the fact that our hearts are not in there anymore. Therefore, we made the joint decision to call it quits —- in order to fully focus on our separate musical endeavors and to find our joy in music again.

"From the bottom of our hearts, we want to extend our deepest thanks to all the fans, old and new, who supported the band through thick and thin. Thank you also to all musicians, road crews, bookers, radio DJs, directors, graphic designers, photographers, producers, journalists, and all other professionals of the music business, who helped us out in one way or another along the way. We have experienced unforgettable moments thanks to all of you and we will cherish those times forever.

"We are excited to announce that we will reunite in our original lineup for last two remaining gigs, which will be dedicated to the memory of our two friends Mika Bleu and Ju Isilion, who passed away far too early. We will close our ETHS adventure in style!"

ETHS was founded in Marseilles and rapidly managed to conquer the covers of French music magazines following the wildfire success of their EPs "Autopsie" (2000) and "Samantha" (2002). Debut album "Soma" (2004) saw the band open for CHILDREN OF BODOM and CRADLE OF FILTH in France. With the follow-up, "Tératologie" (2008), ETHS demonstrated its experience and maturity grown out of playing hundreds of shows. When time came to release third opus, "III", the band took the challenge abroad by releasing four English versions of the original French songs on an international edition.

Rachel played her last show with ETHS on December 3, 2016 at Le Chabada in Angers, France.