Southern California metal veterans, Leatherwolf, have released the "Wolfman" video, including footage from the band's celebrated 2015 Keep It True festival appearance in Lauda-Königshofen, Germany.

The audio track was mixed by legendary producer/engineer Chris Tsangarides (Judas Priest, Thin Lizzy, Anvil) at Ecology Room Studios in Kent, England and mastered by Tom Baker (Judas Priest, Alice Cooper, Avenged Sevenfold) at Baker Mastering in Calabasas, CA. The clip can be seen below.

"Our bass player, Pat (Guyton), originally came up with the idea to do this video since we had a bunch of unused footage from Keep It True XVIII that just sat on the shelves so to speak", states drummer Dean Roberts. "A few months ago, we hooked up with Chris (Tsangarides) and gave him a song to do a test mix. We were blown away by what he came back with - he's just awesome! "Kill And Kill Again" off our debut album has always been a favorite of ours to play live so we got together with editor Michael Lyle and had him edit this cool "lupine" footage around the live visuals which makes for a pretty neat concept. I think the fans will get a kick out of it when they see it!"

In other news, Leatherwolf will be traveling to Europe later his summer to take part in the three-day 80's metal extravanganza, Hair Metal Heaven, which is set to take place August 25th - 27th at Hull City Hall in Kingston-upon-Hull, England. Other bands on the bill include TNT, House Of Lords, D-A-D, Hardline and Danger Danger.

States vocalist/guitarist Michael Olivieri: “We are extremely excited to make our return to the UK after almost three decades. The last time we played Britain was opening up for Vow Wow back in 1989 in support of Street Ready. Great memories! We can’t wait to finally rock for our British fans again who’ve been asking about gigs for years. See you in August!”

Hair Metal Heaven will mark the European live debut of new addition, guitarist Joey Tafolla (Jag Panzer), who officially joined original Leatherwolf members, Michael Olivieri and Dean Roberts, guitarist Rob Math, and long-time bassist Patrick Guyton in January.

On June 9th, Bury The Machines will release the Wicked Covenant EP, the follow-up to the 2016 full-length, Barbwalker. Featuring three new tracks, extreme multi-tasker John E. Bomher, Jr. (I Klatus, ex-Yakuza) explores the extent of his mechanical abilities and penchant for creating melodic, hypnotizing songs of depth and character. Seeing release on cassette, compact disc and digital formats, Wicked Covenant will see the dark of night through Long Beach, CA based label Midnite Collective. The EP will be available on CD, cassette, and digital formats.

Stream the track "A Victim's Tears" below. Pre-orders can be placed here.

In a modern culture of do-it-yourself ethics, viral videos and unfettered access to an endless amount of knowledge, Bury The Machines has sought to define a new niche in a body of people and artists hungry for fresh, unadulterated material. Mapping out the peaks and valleys of sonic waves, Bury The Machines discover a rhythmic groove and unique beauty amidst the uncountable tumultuous echoes of today's world wide web of noise. Breathing life into his machines, Chicago native John E. Bomher, Jr. masterfully conducts movements of immense weight acting as the heart to his cables, like veins, flowing with signals as blood pumping warmth and being into his body of mechanical, electronic appendages. Ultimately seeking to return the soul to machine-based music, John has created this project as a vessel of travel to take a listener from this world to one beyond, to where his ghosts and spirits rest, Buried with the Machines.

As a one-man solo incarnation, Bury The Machines has performed alongside Helen Money (Thrill Jockey), Glaare (ft. ex-Ancestors and current Buried At Sea, Deth Crux, Black Mare members), Endon and Spell (Canada). Readily available to engulf viewers in its sinister soundscapes, Bury The Machines is prepared for offers including local, touring support and one-off festival appearances. Submissions can be sent to booking@midnitecollective.com .

Tracklisting:

“Beneath My Wrath”
“A Victim's Tears”
“Waterweapon”

“A Victim's Tears”:

Wicked Covenant by Bury The Machines

Bury The Machines will be playing the following shows in support of the album release in June.

June
8  Long Beach, CA - Alex’s Bar (with Graves at Sea, Barghest, Recluse)
9 - Los Angeles, CA - Handbag Factory (with special guests)

Swedish death metallers Evocation have announced Janne Jaloma as their new drummer.

Comments guitarist Marko Palmén: "We are very proud to welcome Janne Jaloma as the new drummer of Evocation. Janne has previously made himself a name in the Gothenburg and UK scenes as a dedicated and hardworking drummer for bands such as Despite, Bloodshot Dawn and Deals Death. His technical skills as well as his groove are pure magic and the way he plays makes him a perfect fit for Evocation. Janne will make his live debut with Evocation on the release ritual scheduled for the 8th of April in Borås."

Janne Jaloma’s drum play-through for “Imperium Fall” from the band's latest album, The Shadow Archetype, can be seen below:

Evocation live:

April
8 - Borås, Sweden - Rockborgen

California-based extreme metal vets, Exhumed, performed “Open The Abscess” during their set at California Deathfest 2016. Pro-shot video, filmed by Frank Huang, can be seen below. “Open The Abscess” is featured on the band’s 1998 album, Gore Metal.

Exhumed have entered the studio to record their sixth studio album and follow-up to 2013’s Necrocracy. The album will be entitled Death Revenge and will see a late 2017 release via Relapse Records.

Founding member and guitarist/vocalist Matt Harvey commented on the new album: “We entered the studio April 1st with our buddy Jarrett Pritchard (Gruesome, Goatwhore) to start the process and no, this is not an elaborate April Fool's joke... All Guts, No Glory was more of a straight-up speeding attack, Necrocracy had a bit more focus on groove and incorporating some mid-paced stuff in there, and this one is gonna be a lot darker. It's a concept album, which is a first for us, so expect some new twists on our tried-and-true formula: one part late 80s death metal, half a cup of German / Canadian / Bay Area thrash, a dash of grindcore, crossover, and crust and the occasional, well-concealed, Hall and Oates rip-off.”

Additionally, Exhumed has announced new European tour dates for June. The band will also perform three exclusive sets this summer at Modified Ghost Festival II in Vancouver, BC, Maryland Deathfest and Hellfest in France.

The band’s entire catalog can be streamed via Bandcamp here.

Tour dates:

May
25 - Vancouver, BC - Modified Ghost Festival II
27 - Baltimore, MD - Maryland Deathfest

June
9 - Venlo, Netherlands - Grenswerk
10 - TBA
11 - London, England - Underworld
12 - St. Petersburg, Russia - MOD
13 - Moscow, Russia - Volta
14 - Kassel, Germany - Goldgrube
15 - Brussels, Belgium - Magasin4
16 - Clisson, France - Hellfest 2017
17 - Hengelo, Netherlands - Metropool
18 - The Hauge, Netherlands - Paard

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield says he will keep his opinion about President Donald Trump to himself, explaining that politics "polarizes people."

Hetfield made his comments during an interview with journalist Claudio Vergara of the Chilean newspaper La Tercera, conducted before METALLICA's April 1 appearance at Lollapalooza Chile in Santiago.

Asked how he views Trump's first two months in the White House, Hetfield said: "Everyone has an opinion about Donald Trump, I think. My opinion stays with me.

"I'm a singer and guitar player in a rock band," he continued.

"I hate politics. I don't wanna talk about politics. It's not important to me. What's important to me is connecting people with music. Politics, religion… things that sep… they separate people. They make people…

"I love talking about it and my thoughts, but I think it gets in the way of people getting to understand all of you."

Hetfield added: "I have no idea. I could probably sit down and like everyone on the planet, if you get to talk with them and understand them.

"But, yeah, politics, we try to stay away from that 'cause it polarizes people. If I sit here and say that I hate Trump or I love Trump, someone will think, 'Oh, I don't like his music anymore.' It's silly. So I like to keep it about music."

Asked if he thinks America under Donald Trump is a "new America," Hetfield responded: "It's always a new America when someone comes in. But it's about balance. You have far left, far right, and it goes back and forth to keep it balanced. In the middle is the best, we know that. In the middle… accepting everything, understanding everything. But it's not like that. People aren't like that. Humans aren't like that."

Both METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich and guitarist Kirk Hammett have voiced their dislike of Trump to different degrees, unusual for a band whose members have never spoken out much on politics.

Ulrich told Mexico's Las Estrellas television network about Trump's plan to build "a great wall" along the U.S.-Mexico border: "I don't think the world needs any walls. I think we need to bring people together. METALLICA travels all over the world, and through music we try to bring people together. So whether we're in Mexico or whether we're in Asia or whether we're in Europe or whatever, we encourage as many different people from as many different backgrounds to come together and share music and life and culture and all these experiences."

After Trump — one of the most polarizing figures to assume the office — was officially sworn in as the 45th president of the United States on January 20, a number of celebrities took to social media to share their thoughts, including Hammett, who urged fans to "defend democracy" and "reject American carnage."

In a series of tweets, the METALLICA guitarist was critical of Trump's inaugural address, which painted a bleak picture of life for some in the United States. "To say America is not great, that it lacks greatness, sets up a scenario for manipulation and control from others —pay attention, people!" Hammett wrote.

In October, Ulrich said he would consider moving back to his native Denmark if Trump were elected president.

"I am a hundred percent Danish citizen. I pay taxes in the U.S.A., but I can't vote in America," he said. "Yes, certainly sometimes I think about moving home to Denmark… If Trump becomes President and everything goes to shit, I might make my way to the airport and ask if I can get back in again."

(Special thanks to Claudio Vergara of La Tercera for providing BLABBERMOUTH.NET with the original audio of the Hetfield interview.)

In a brand new interview with Myglobalmind, guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen was once again asked about the status of THE WINERY DOGS, his power trio with drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB) and legendary bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, TALAS, DAVID LEE ROTH). He replied: "[There is] nothing [planned] at the moment, I don't foresee anything happening for a couple of years.

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

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

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

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

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

THE WINERY DOGS' May 27, 2016 performance at Teatro Cariola in Santiago, Chile was professionally filmed and recorded for an upcoming DVD and Blu-ray, tentatively due later in the year.

Sheehan told HNGN that THE WINERY DOGS was always committed to being more than just a one-off collaboration. "When we started working on the first record, the idea was that if we're going to do this we should do a band, and if we do a band, it should be a real band and we should plan this out for many years and look forward to our sixth record and all of that. And I was totally into that, because as a fan — and I'm a big fan of a lot of music and I've got a huge iTunes collection — I invest emotionally when I get into a record or a band. They become part of me; music is the most important thing in my life, so when I find a new band I like, in a way I'm invested emotionally, and I'm sure other fans do the same thing, and I know how heartbroken I am when a band puts out a record and then they don't tour or they put out a second record and they have a different guy in the band or I found out later that they all hate each other. It breaks my heart. [Laughs] A lot of bands I found out later that they hated each other, they had separate tour buses, they didn't talk to each other, and here I was thinking they're all friends and happy and when I listen to their music I imagine them all hanging out together and having a good time. So right from the beginning we said if we're going to do it we should do it for real. Because if people are going to invest in us, we don't want to scam them and let them think it's something that it's not — it's either really a band and we're really doing this or it would just be another side project, and none of us wanted that."

Kotzen's new solo album, "Salting Earth", will be released on April 14 via his own custom label, Headroom-Inc.

Photo credit: Julia Lage

Original AC/DC singer Dave Evans says that the band needs to make a new studio album to make its current lineup "legitimate."

In March 2016, AC/DC's singer of 35 years, Brian Johnson, had to leave the band's North American tour after doctors told him he might lose his hearing, while 40-year bassist Cliff Williams announced his retirement at the rescheduled trek's conclusion.

The lineup that completed the tour consisted of Williams, guitarist Angus Young, Axl Rose (GUNS N' ROSES) on vocals, Chris Slade on drums and Angus's nephew Stevie Young on guitar. Angus has not yet indicated whether he will continue with the latter three players, rebuild the group or call it a day.

During an appearance on "The Australian Rock Show" podcast, Evans was asked for his opinion on where Angus should take AC/DC next. The singer responded (hear audio below): "Well, I like the fact that the brand is still out there, 'cause that's all it is these days — it's just a brand. Angus is the only original member left, and a lot of the others are all gone too.

"If he wants to keep the AC/DC brand going, which he can do, 'cause he's still in the band, they need to settle on a new singer, whether it's gonna be Axl or not, and they need to record a new album, to make it legitimate," he continued. "That way, AC/DC as a brand, and Angus, will have a new record out.

"They've had many lineups along the way, AC/DC. They [were on] their third bass player and third drummer by the time I left the band. There's been a lot of lineups. There's been four singers now, including Axl. So it's been an revolving situation since the very original first lineup with myself and the other boys."

Evans added: "If they wanna keep the brand going again with a new lineup, with Angus, they need to record a new album and see how the fans take that."

Williams played his last show with AC/DC last September in Philadelphia, during the final gig of the band's North American tour.

The bassist's decision followed a string of personnel changes for the group that started with co-founding guitarist Malcolm Young's departure in 2014 after he was diagnosed with dementia. In 2015, drummer Phil Rudd was sentenced to house arrest after he was found guilty on a drug charge.

The 67-year-old Williams was the longest-serving member of the group after Angus. He joined the band in mid-1977 and made his debut on its fifth album, 1978's "Powerage", appearing on every record and tour since. Only Angus now remains from the lineups that made albums like 1979's "Highway To Hell", 1980's "Back In Black" and even 2008's "Black Ice".

Evans recorded AC/DC's first two singles, "Can I Sit Next To You Girl" and "Baby Please Don't Go", before leaving to join Newcastle glam rockers RABBIT.

Evans was replaced later in 1974 by Bon Scott, who sang on AC/DC's first six studio albums and became a legend himself after his death in 1980.

Interview (audio):

Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE have commenced work on material for their sixth album, tentatively due before the end of the year. The disc will be released through the band's new label home, Search And Destroy, the imprint launched in 2014 by Spinefarm and international artist management company Raw Power Management.

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's latest song, "Don't Need You", was released as a standalone single last November. Guitarist/vocalist Matt Tuck told Morgan Richards Interviews about the track: "The creative juices never stop, really; it's just getting opportunities during a touring cycle to put them down. So that three-week window that we had before we recorded 'Don't Need You' was the only time we had off this year where we were able to do anything. So, yeah, the creative juices never turn off; it's just finding the time to capture them and release them, let alone just demo them somewhat. But we had three weeks, we knew the tour was coming up, we thought, 'Let's do something cool to get everyone excited and refresh the vibe.'"

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's last studio album, "Venom", was released in August 2015. The CD marked BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE's first release since the departure of longtime bassist Jason James and addition of Mathias (formerly of REVOKER).

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE drummer Michael "Moose" Thomas took a temporary leave of absence from the band last year to spend time with his wife, as they awaited the birth of his first child. He has since been replaced on the road by Jason Bowld (PITCHSHIFTER, AXEWOUND).

Here we go again.#BFMV6

— Matt Tuck (@MattieValentine) April 6, 2017

Apocalyptic heavy music icons INTEGRITY have revealed the first snippet of new music from their upcoming album, "Howling, For The Nightmare Shall Consume", coming this summer via Relapse. The featured song is the album’s opening track, "Fallen To Destroy". Listen now and see all confirmed 2017 tour dates below.

"Howling, For The Nightmare Shall Consume" contains 11 tracks recorded and mixed at Developing Nations Studio in Baltimore with mastering handled by Brad Boatright (OBITUARY, TOXIC HOLOCAUST, FULL OF HELL).

INTEGRITY will perform its first concert of 2017 tomorrow at United Blood Fest in Richmond, Virginia. From there, the band will tour throughout Europe including the legendary Roadburn festival and Hellfest 2017. INTEGRITY will then bring its hardcore sound across the Pacific to Japan in October for four nights.

Photo credit: Sheep Tourdog

Finnish folk metallers ENSIFERUM recently entered the Astia studio in Lappeenranta, Finland to record their seventh full-length album, due in September via Metal Blade Records. The disc is being produced once again by Anssi Kippo, who has previously worked with CHILDREN OF BODOM, IMPALED NAZARENE and ENTWINE, among others.

ENSIFERUM bassist Sami Hinkka comments: "For this album, we wanted to catch our live energy on a totally new level with the best possible sound. So every song was played together while recording drums. Most of the bass lines were also taken from those live takes to guarantee the maximum groove. There are songs on the album we recorded without a click so get ready for some serious rocking, people!

"Since Anssi Kippo is such a studio wizard, he has synced his legendary Otari MTR-90mk2 2" 24 tape recording machine (recognizable, for example, from METALLICA's 'Nothing Else Matters' video) with his computer, so we will record drums, bass, rhythm guitars and lead vocals on tape, and the rest that can't fit on the tape, we'll record on computer. Also the mixing will be done the analogue way on tape to make sure that the sound will remain as raw, punchy and as unprocessed as possible.

"The second week is almost over and we are perfectly on schedule: drums, bass lines and half of the rhythm guitars are done.

"We are doing 12-hour-long days, so unfortunately this time there won't be 'beer of the week' or any fooling around video diaries, but there will be plenty of time for that after the album is done and the touring starts again."

Before the album's release, European fans will be able to catch ENSIFERUM at various festivals this summer.

THE MELVINS return with a double album, "A Walk With Love And Death", on July 7 via Ipecac Recordings.

The dual albums find the trio of Buzz Osborne, Dale Crover and Steve McDonald showcasing two distinct sides to the band's music: "Death", a proper MELVINS release, and "Love", the score to the Jesse Nieminen directed, self-produced short also titled "A Walk With Love And Death". A release date for the short has not been announced yet but a trailer has been made available.

"This was a huge undertaking," explained band ringleader Buzz Osborne. "All three things: the album, the soundtrack and the film are benchmarks for us."

Drummer Dale Crover added, "'A Walk With Love And Death' is one giant, dark, moody, psychotic head trip! Not for the faint of heart. You'll sleep with the lights on after listening."

The albums, which include guests Joey Santiago (THE PIXIES), Teri Gender Bender (LE BUTCHERETTES, CRYSTAL FAIRY) and Anna Waronker (THAT DOG), were self-produced with engineer Toshi Kosai.

A North American tour is in the works for this summer, with dates to be announced soon.

"A Walk With Love And Death" track listing:

"Love"

01. Aim High02. Queen Powder Party03. Street Level St. Paul04. The Hidden Joice05. Give It To Me06. Chicken Butt07. Eat Yourself Out08. Scooba09. Halfway to the Bakersfield Mall10. Pacoima Normal11. Park Head12. T-Burg13. Track Star14. The Asshole Bastard

"Death"

01. Black Heath02. Sober-delic (Acid Only)03. Euthanasia04. What's Wrong With You05. Edgar the Elephant06. Christ Hammer07. Flaming Creature08. Cactus Party09. Cardboro Negro

"A Walk With Love And Death" pre-orders will launch soon, with the collection available as a double-CD, on vinyl and digitally.

Photo credit: Dawn Laureen

Frontiers Music Srl will release JORN's brand new studio album, titled "Life On Death Road", on June 2.

Easily one of the greatest rock singers of the 21st century, Norway's very own giant Viking warrior Jorn Lande's vocals are resoundingly strong once again on his ninth original studio album, "Life On Death Road". This absolutely brilliant new album sees Lande attacking the microphone with rejuvenated vigor, accompanied by a new band and a bigger and stronger sound.

"Life On Death Road" took several months of hard work for the songwriting vision to come together. Jorn needed to take the music to a new level to push the concept of the band further than it has ever gone before. The result is a record that is deep, strong, full of groove and powerful with anthemic songs aplenty. Songs like "Man Of The '80s", "Love Is The Remedy", "Life On Death Road", "Insoluble Maze (Dreams In The Blindness)", and "The Slippery Slope (Hangman's Rope)" capture the essence of Jorn as a singer, songwriter and lyricist.

Jorn says: "It's easily one of the best albums I've ever recorded. This was all about putting the right people together for the right result, and about taking the necessary time to work more thoroughly and in depth with the material we chose for the album.

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

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

"'Life On Death Road' is an original album that is pretty much summing up the last 40-50 years of rock and metal and has become a hybrid modern heavy rock album without losing those tasty elements of a good aged wine. Regardless, we're all products of our time, and the feeling, soul and symbioses we've achieved for this album is a rarity in today's music world, so in that sense this album is a true old school sailors' 'tall ship adventure.' From start to finish, it took us nearly three years to finalize and I'm really proud to say that this album is the proof that classic albums can still be made."

The album also marks the debut of a new lineup of very experienced and gifted musicians around the Norwegian singer. On bass is Mat Sinner (PRIMAL FEAR, SINNER, KISKE/SOMERVILLE) who needs virtually no introduction to European heavy metal fanatics. On keyboards and production is Alessandro Del Vecchio (HARDLINE, REVOLUTION SAINTS), who already joined JORN for the recording of his last covers album, "Heavy Rock Radio" and was the glue that helped Jorn to create the feel and the direction for the new album. Francesco Iovino (PRIMAL FEAR) is on drums and Alex Beyrodt (PRIMAL FEAR, VOODOO CIRCLE) handles guitar. Truly a recipe for a roaring success!

Jorn had no desire to do "just another" JORN record. The aim was to do the best record possible and it took almost two years of writing, arranging, and producing before wrapping this all up. The performances are thunderous across the board and you can hear the urgency of these songs in Jorn's singing!

Jorn's catalogue is getting too long to include in brief overviews and his innovative and creative skills as a vocalist and music visionary have led to him selling millions of albums worldwide while being a frequent entrant on sales charts around the world, including Billboard. Worth a mention here though are his years fronting MASTERPLAN, whom he recorded three albums with. He has also recently collaborated with the world's biggest online gaming company, Riot Games, providing vocals for the virtual band "PENTAKILL" in the game "League Of Legends". Claimed to be the biggest-selling Norwegian musical export since the pop band A-HA, Jorn continues his rock crusade and there are no signs of him slowing down and "Life On Death Road" is a magnificent testament to his abilities!

"Life on Death Road" track listing:

01. Life On Death Road
02. Hammered To The Cross (The Business)
03. Love Is The Remedy
04. Dreamwalker
05. Fire To The Sun
06. Insoluble Maze (Dreams In The Blindness)
07. I Walked Away
08. The Slippery Slope (Hangman's Rope)
09. Devil You Can Drive
10. The Optimist
11. Man Of The '80s
12. Blackbirds

JORN is:

Jorn Lande - Vocals
Alex Beyrodt - Guitars
Mat Sinner - Bass
Alessandro Del Vecchio - Keyboards
Francesco Iovino - Drums

ICED EARTH will release its new album, "Incorruptible", on June 16.

The cover artwork for the disc was created by David Newman-Stump and Roy Young and can be seen below.

"Incorruptible" track listing:

01. Great Heathen Army02. Black Flag03. Raven Wing04. The Veil05. Seven Headed Whore06. The Relic (Part 1)07. Ghost Dance (Awaken The Ancestors)08. Brothers09. Defiance10. Clear The Way (December 13th, 1862)

Regarding how "Incorruptible" compares to previous ICED EARTH albums, guitarist and main songwriter Jon Schaffer told Metal Wani: "They're all kind of their own thing, but I have a very strong gut feeling about this, and so does everybody in the band, that this is one of the really special ones. So I put it up there with 'The Dark Saga' [1996], 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' [1998], 'Dystopia' [2011] — it's in that league of records — so it's really gonna be something special, man. I know musicians always say that, but there is something going on here, so it's cool. We're all very excited about it."

On the topic of the concept for the lyrics on "Incorruptible", Schaffer said: "There is no concept on this record; it's just ten individual tracks not related to each other. Actually, on 'Plagues Of Babylon' [2014], it was only the first six that were related to the 'Something Wicked' story; it was like a zombie apocalypse within the 'Something Wicked' framework. But this album, it's just ten individual songs. We have one called 'Clear The Way', which is about the Irish Brigade at the Battle Of Fredericksburg — very tragic, actually — but that's a big epic, like ten minutes; and then we have one called 'Black Flag', which is a pirate song. It's quite a… I think I pulled it off pretty well with the lyrics, to be able to tell such a big story in a very short amount of time. I think it's gonna be a highlight of the record. And then on [the last European] tour, [we opened] the show with a new song that will be the opener on the album — it's called 'Great Heathen Army' — that's got a Viking kind of a vibe to it. So there's a lot of different things, and none of it's really related. There's one called 'Raven Wing'… I can't really think of all of them righ now… 'Seven Headed Whore' — that's one that's actually pretty brutal; it's like a total kick in the balls. But, you know, there's a lot of varied emotions on this, and it's cool stuff, man."

Asked about singer Stu Block's contribution to "Incorruptible", Schaffer said: "Well, he came at the end of… for about the last month or so of pre-production… maybe a little bit more… five weeks… and we worked on his vocal parts. We do it like Stu and I normally do it. Some of the stuff we write together. I mean, I write the musical arrangements and do all that — he doesn't play any instruments — but he comes in… At the end of the writing process is when we focus on his parts. And the lyrics that we worked on together, on a song called 'Brother', which is about our brotherhood, [between] Stu and I and within the band… We've gone through a lot of shit together and we've had a lot of great times together, but the bond is very strong, and that's clear. So it's just a song, really, for us. And then he wrote the lyrics for 'The Great Heathen Army'. I'm trying to think… I can't think of 'em, man; I have to look at the list [of songs]. But usually, he goes to an area and works, and I go in my area and work. And, like I said, on some songs we collaborate sometimes. On this one, the only we did was 'Brother'… We work in the way we always work. And it's a very cool chemistry."

ICED EARTH took a break from touring in 2015, primarily due to Schaffer's second cervical fusion surgery.

Longtime ICED EARTH drummer Brent Smedley returned to the band for the current recording and touring cycle. Smedley had to step down due to personal family reasons in 2013 shortly before the recording of "Plagues Of Babylon".

Aficionados and devotees of aggressive shock metal band Salems Lott will have a great deal of awesome new music to look forward to this May as the band prepares to release its second record, Mask Of Morality. This is not your lame, tame “let’s follow what everybody else is doing” style of music. Rather, it’s a head snapping, jaw-dropping, in your face mix of speed metal, death, glam, prog, classical elements, as well as shock and awe replete with power that is charting the course of an otherwise new era of rock.

“The themes of Mask Of Morality convey unbridled resentment, trans valuation, and greatness, as well as struggle/suffering and collectivism vs. individualism among other themes” says, lead guitarist Jett Black. “We live in a society replete with a system of values that are generalized and have become a norm which needs to be followed by one and all without questioning it, which is basically immoral.” 

“The values of empathy, altruism, compassion, equality and pity, unanimously viewed as "good" today, when left unchecked can become just as easily corrupt, dangerous and authoritative,” asserts Black. 

Mask Of Morality will be released in two parts.  Part 1 containing three songs to be released in May and Part 2 to be released later in the summer.

The first single “When Heaven Comes Down” can be heard via the dark animated lyric video below:

The official video for the song "Dancing With The Wrong Girl" from BLACK STAR RIDERS can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's third studio album, "Heavy Fire", which was released on February 3 via Nuclear Blast.

BLACK STAR RIDERS' previous album, "The Killer Instinct", was released in 2015 to widespread critical acclaim and went on to score multiple radio playlists. A solid year of worldwide touring culminated in December 2015 in an U.K. arena tour alongside DEF LEPPARD and WHITESNAKE. 2016 saw BLACK STAR RIDERS return to the studio with "The Killer Instinct" producer Nick Raskulinecz (RUSH, FOO FIGHTERS, KORN), at his studio just outside Nashville. The resultant album is BLACK STAR RIDERS' most accomplished work to date. From the immediate riffs of album opener "Heavy Fire" to the instant hooks of first single "When The Night Comes In", from the dirty bass groove of "Thinking About You Could Get Me Killed" to the familiar and trademark dual guitars of Scott Gorham and Damon Johnson on "Testify Or Say Goodbye", this is an album that will further cement BLACK STAR RIDERS' reputation as one of the world premiere rock acts. "Angst, passion, power, glory, love, truth, lies, loyalty, questions that begged to be answered. There's a guitar army coming…and it's bringing the 'Heavy Fire'!" said frontman Ricky Warwick. "Not many new bands get to record three albums these days," added Gorham. "Without doubt, this is BSR's best album so far. We had a great time recording it and can't wait to play the new songs live." CD

01. Heavy Fire02. When The Night Comes In03. Dancing With The Wrong Girl04. Who Rides The Tiger05. Cold War Love06. Testify Or Say Goodbye07. Thinking About You Could Get Me Killed08. True Blue Kid09. Ticket To Rise10. Letting Go Of Me The limited-edition digibook CD will have above track listing plus the bonus track "Fade" Limited-edition gatefold vinyl and limited-edition picture disc

Side One

01. Heavy Fire02. When The Night Comes In03. Dancing With The Wrong Girl04. Who Rides The Tiger05. Cold War Love

Side Two

01. Testify Or Say Goodbye02. Thinking About You Could Get Me Killed03. True Blue Kid04. Ticket To Rise05. Letting Go Of Me

BLACK STAR RIDERS recently parted ways with drummer Jimmy DeGrasso. A replacement drummer has not yet been announced.

German power metallers PRIMAL FEAR are returning with a vengeance on June 2 with a brand new live album/home video, titled "Angels Of Mercy - Live In Germany", on Frontiers Music Srl.

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

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

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

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

The package will be released on CD/DVD and Blu-ray on June 2, with vinyl and a limited-edition special box set in the works as well.

Track listing: CD:

01. Countdown To Insanity02. Final Embrace03. In Metal We Trust04. Angel In Black05. Rulebreaker06. Sign Of Fear07. Seven Seals08. Angels Of Mercy09. The End Is Near10. Rollercoaster11. The Sky Is Burning12. Nuclear Fire13. When Death Comes Knocking14. Metal Is Forever15. Fighting The Darkness DVD / Blu-ray:

01. Countdown To Insanity02. Final Embrace03. In Metal We Trust04. Angel In Black05. Rulebreaker06. Sign Of Fear07. Seven Seals08. Let There Be Drums09. Angels Of Mercy10. The End Is Near11. Rollercoaster12. The Sky Is Burning13. Nuclear Fire14. When Death Comes Knocking15. Metal Is Forever16. Fighting The Darkness17. Running In The Dust Bonus features:

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

PRIMAL FEAR is:

Ralf Scheepers - VocalsMat Sinner - BassTom Naumann - GuitarAlex Beyrodt - GuitarFrancesco Jovino - Drums

In addition to co-creating Judas Priest's outstanding body of work, Rob Halford has also issued music outside of the beloved legendary Birmingham band - which is precisely what the new 14-CD boxset, The Complete Albums Collection, showcases. The set will be available on May 19th via Sony Legacy. Pre-order via the Amazon widget below

Included are four albums by the ferociously thrash-inspired Fight, as well as the lone album by the industrial-inspired 2wo (which featured guitarist John 5, and saw Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor serve as executive producer), plus seven titles from the solo band Halford, which saw the Metal God gloriously return to pure, unadulterated metal.

A complete listing of the titles included in The Complete Albums Collection are:

Fight:
K5: The War Of Words Demos (recorded 1992, released 2007)
War Of Words (1993)
Mutations (1994)
A Small Deadly Space (1995)

2wo:
Voyeurs (1998)

Halford:
Resurrection (2000)
Live Insurrection (2 CDs, 2001)
Crucible (2002)
Live In Anaheim (2 CDs; recorded 2003, released 2010)
Halford III: Winter Songs (2009)
Halford IV: Made Of Metal (2010)
Live At Saitama Super Arena (2011)

Tracklisting:

Disc 1
“Into The Pit” - Fight
“Nailed To The Gun” - Fight
“Now You Die” - Fight
“Life In Black” - Fight
“Kill It” - Fight
“Contortion” - Fight
“Forbidden” - Fight
“War Of Words” - Fight
“Psycho Suicide” - Fight
“Down ”- Fight
“Vicious” - Fight
“Beast Denies” - Fight
“Laid To Rest ”- Fight
“Jesus Saves” - Fight
“Dead Men Talk” - Fight
“For All Eternity” - Fight

Disc 2
“Into The Pit” - Fight
“Nailed To The Gun” - Fight
“Life In Black” - Fight
“Immortal Sin” - Fight
“War Of Words” - Fight
“Laid To Rest” - Fight
“For All Eternity” - Fight
“Little Crazy” - Fight
“Contortion” - Fight
“Kill It” - Fight
“Vicious” - Fight
“Reality, A New Beginning” - Fight

Disc 3
“Into The Pit” - Fight
“Nailed To The Gun” - Fight
“Freewheel Burning” - Fight
“Little Crazy” - Fight
“War Of Words” - Fight
“Kill It” - Fight
“Vicious” - Fight
“Immortal Sin” - Fight
“Little Crazy” - Fight

Disc 4
“I Am Alive” - Fight
“Mouthpiece” - Fight
“Legacy Of Hate” - Fight
“Blowout In The Radio Room” - Fight
“Never Again” - Fight
“Small Deadly Space” - Fight
“Gretna Greene” - Fight
“Beneath The Violence” - Fight
“Human Crate” - Fight
“In A World Of My Own Making” - Fight

Disc 5
“I Am A Pig” - 2wo
“Stutter Kiss” - 2wo
“Water's Leaking” - 2wo
“My Ceiling's Low” - 2wo
“Leave Me Alone” - 2wo
“If” - 2wo
“Deep In The Ground” - 2wo
“Hey, Sha La La” - 2wo
“Wake Up” - 2wo
“Gimp” - 2wo
“Bed Of Rust” - 2wo

Disc 6
“Resurrection” - Rob Halford
“Made In Hell” - Rob Halford
“Locked And Loaded” - Rob Halford
“Night Fall” - Rob Halford
“Silent Screams”- Rob Halford
“The One You Love To Hate” - Rob Halford
“Cyber World” - Rob Halford
“Slow Down” - Rob Halford
“Twist” - Rob Halford
“Temptation” - Rob Halford
“Drive” - Rob Halford
“Savior” - Rob Halford

Disc 7
“Resurrection”
“Made In Hell”
“Into The Pit”
“Nailed To The Gun”
“Light Comes Out Of Black”
“Stained Class”
“Jawbreaker”
“Running Wild”
“Slow Down”
“The One You Love To Hate” - Halford feat. Bruce Dickinson
“Life In Black”
“Hell's Last Survivor”
“Sad Wings”
“Saviour”
“Silent Screams”

Disc 8
“Cyberworld”
“The Hellion”
“Electric Eye”
“Riding On The Wind”
“Genocide” (1st Encore)
“Beyond The Realms Of Death”
“Metal Gods” (2nd Encore)
“Breaking The Law”
“Blackout”
“Tyrant” - Halford feat. Rudolf Schenker
“Screaming In The Dark”
“Heart Of A Lion”
“Prisoner Of Your Eyes”

Disc 9
“Betrayal”
“One Will”
“Hearts Of Darkness”
“Golgotha”
“Handing Out Bullets”
“Crystal”
“Fugitive”
“Wrath Of God”
“In The Morning”
“Rock The World Forever”
“Crucible”
“Heretic”
“She”
“Weaving Sorrow”
“Sun”
“Trail Of Tears”

Disc 10
“Painkiller”
“Rapid Fire”
“Heretic”
“Resurrection”
“Made In Hell”
“Golgotha”
“Into The Pit”
“Light Comes Out Of Black”
“White Heat Red Hot”
“Never Satisfied”
“Breaking The Law”
“Hearts Of Darkness”
“Handing Out Bullets”

Disc 11
“Diamonds And Rust”
“Hellion”
“Electric Eye”
“Riding On The Wind”
“Victim Of Changes”
“You've Got Another Thing Comin'”
“Heretic”
“Sun”
“Golgotha”
“One Will”

Disc 12
“Get Into The Spirit”
“We Three Kings”
“Oh Come, O Come, Emanuel”
“Winter Song”
“What Child Is This?”
“Christmas For Everyone”
“I Don't Care”
“Light Of The World”
“Oh Holy Night”
“Come All Ye Faithful”

Disc 13
“Undisputed”
“Fire And Ice”
“Made Of Metal”
“Speed Of Sound”
“Like There's No Tomorrow”
“Till The Day I Die”
“We Own The Night”
“Heartless”
“Hell Razor”
“Thunder And Lightning”
“Twenty-Five Years”
“Matador”
“I Know We Stand A Chance”
“The Mower”

Disc 14
“Resurrection”
“Made in Hell”
“Locked And Loaded”
“Drop Out”
“Made Of Metal”
“Undisputed”
“Nailed To The Gun”
“Golgotha”
“Fire And Ice”
“Green Manalishi With The Two-Pronged Crown”
“Diamonds And Rust”
“Jawbreaker”
“Cyberworld”
“Like There's No Tomorrow”
“Thunder And Lightning”

With the arrival of The Complete Albums Collection, metal fans will now have the definitive collection of Rob Halford’s stellar work outside of the mighty Judas Priest, all in one set.

 

 

On May 19th, Swedish epic doom metallers, Below, will release their new album, Upon A Pale Horse, worldwide via Metal Blade Records. The first single, "1000 Broken Bones", is available for streaming below.

Pre-order the album in the following formats at this location:

- Digipak CD
- 180g black vinyl
- silk gray-marbled vinyl (limited to 300 copies - EU exclusive)
- dim gray-marbled vinyl (limited to 200 copies - EU exclusive)
- transparent vinyl (limited to 100 copies - USA exclusive)

* digital options are also available.

Below comments: "With 'Upon a Pale Horse' we feel that we have found our sound. We have grown as songwriters and this album contains our fastest and slowest, shortest and longest, heaviest and most melodic songs to date. Making this album more diverse yet still staying true to the core of heavy riffs and melodies that is Below. We recorded 'Upon a Pale Horse' in Deep Blue Studios, the studio where we recorded our first EP, so in some sense it felt like we were returning to our roots."

Upon A Pale Horse tracklisting:

“The Plague Within”
“Disappearing Into Nothing”
“The Coven”
“Upon A Pale Horse”
“Suffer In Silence”
“Hours Of Darkness”
“1000 Broken Bones”
“We Are All Slaves”

“1000 Broken Bones”:

Below lineup:

Zeb - Vox
Hedman - Bass
Paud - Guitar
Berg - Guitar
Doc - Drums

(Photo - Below Facebook)

Ahoy sailors! Known for their excellent taste and passion for pirates in metal, Napalm Records welcomes a new band to their diverse and exciting artist roster and label family: Ye Banished Privateers have signed a worldwide record deal with Napalm Records. The band's third studio album, First Night Back In Port, is set to be released on June 30th.

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

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

Says the band about their recent signing with Napalm Records: "Spring has finally come to the Gulf of Botnia, and with the rotting ice we are now able to set sail with some extraordinary good news onboard. We are immensely proud to announce that our chaotic band of Pirates will be joining forces with Napalm Records, to release our next album First Night Back In Port. Lock up the taverns and hide away the Rum, June 30th in the year of our lord 1717 (2017), this Pandora's box of ear worms goes worldwide! Putting our pen and ink to the chart of Napalm Records means procuring the fire power to bring the forces of Europe to a total blockade. And by trading our royalties for rum and cherry beer, we estimate that we will save a fortune and a half in the years to come."

Give these pirates a warm welcome, sailors! With Ye Banished Privateers you are in for an adventure that will rock you like a schooner in storm and feed your lust for new horizons under the black flag!

New York City-based progressive quintetm Edensong, have released an official video for the expansive "In The Longest Of Days”, which hails from the band's intense Laser's Edge-released Years In The Garden Of Years album. The video can be seen below.

Expanding on the video, the band's James Schoen delves, “”In The Longest Of Days” is really the song that inspired the concept behind the album Years In The Garden Of Years. It was the first song I wrote from scratch for Edensong since the Fruit Fallen days and it remains one of my favorites, and one that flowed really easily for me. Conceptually, the song depicts a lifetime in the span of a single day; All our desires, aspirations, and struggles distilled into a solitary rotation of the earth on its axis.

“True to the concept, we filmed the video in the span of a single day, up in rural Vermont, where I felt the epic landscape could really complement the feel of the music. Once again, we teamed up with our good friend filmmaker Nick Fiore, and worked with an incredible local dancer Hanna Satterlee. Since just getting the guys in the band together for rehearsal can often be a challenge, I was quite nervous about our ability to pull all this off in a day (especially considering it was an outdoor shoot in Vermont in the middle of November) but things couldn't have come together more perfectly! Thanks, global warming! Both the song and the video shoot flowed pretty effortlessly, a rarity in my experience!"

Edensong's next confirmed performance will be on May 7th, when the band plays at RoSfest 2017 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania with Neal Morse, Anglagard, and many more. May 20th sees Edensong billed as one of the main headliners at Terra Incognita Festival in Quebec with Glasshammer, Universe Effects, and more. The band then converges with Imminent Sonic Destruction for their run of tour dates through Toronto, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Erie, and New York City May 22nd through 28th.

Tour dates:

May
7 - RoSfest - Gettysburg, PA (with Neal Morse, Anglagard, more)
20 - Terra Incognita Festival - Quebec City, QC (with Glasshammer, Universe Effects, more)
22 - Sneaky Dee's - Toronto, ON (with Imminent Sonic Destruction)
24 - The Firebird - St. Louis, MO (with Imminent Sonic Destruction)
25 - Martyrs - Chicago, IL (with Imminent Sonic Destruction)
26 - The Loving Touch - Detroit, MI (with Imminent Sonic Destruction)
27 - Sherlock's - Erie, PA (with Imminent Sonic Destruction)
28 - DROM - New York, NY (with Imminent Sonic Destruction)

Royal Hunt are celebrating their 25th anniversary with the release of a brand new live 2CD/DVD, Blu-Ray, and Digital set, entitled 2016, on May 12th. An official live video for “Wasted Time” can be seen below.

Following a tradition established after two successful anniversary long form video releases - 1996 and 2006 - it is time for a third one: 2016. Recorded with 9 HD cameras and top-notch audio equipment in Moscow's Izvestiya Hall during last year's world tour, the video shows “all-fab-things-Royal”: a high energy show in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd, an excellent set list, the band in top form, and a stunning stage production. Add a stellar audio recording and this package, celebrating Royal Hunt's 25th anniversary, is any hard rock fan's delight.

In keyboardist André Andersen’s own words: “25 years later Royal Hunt's still going strong… who could have imagined that? Not me, that's for sure… a quarter of a century?! Absolutely unreal. 13 studio albums, lots of special EPs and compilations, 5 live albums, literally countless shows/tours, and now the 4th DVD release. Lots of ups and downs along the way, yet we're still around, still able to do what we love doing the most - making music. I always felt that if you do it from your heart, if you stay true to yourself and work hard you'll be granted this sort of staying power…and yes, we're all extremely grateful to our fans for giving us an opportunity to create, to improve and to continue our musical journey. So, once again, push that “play” button, enjoy this video and rest assured, the best is yet to come!”

2016 tracklisting:

CD1:

Medley: “So Right So Wrong” / “Martial Arts”
“River Of Pain”
“One Minute Left To Live”
“Army Of Slaves”
“Lies”
“Wasted Time”
“Heart On A Platter”
“Flight”

CD2:

“May You Never (Walk Alone)”
“Until The Day”
“Half Past Loneliness”
“Message To God”
“Stranded”
Medley: “A Life To Die For” / “Epilogue”

DVD / Blu-Ray:

Medley: “So Right So Wrong” / “Martial Arts”
“River Of Pain”
“One Minute Left To Live”
“Army Of Slaves”
“Lies”
“Wasted Time”
“Heart On A Platter”
“Flight”
“May You Never (Walk Alone)”
“Until The Day”
“Half Past Loneliness”
“Message To God”
“Stranded”
Medley: “A Life To Die For” / “Epilogue”

“Wasted Time” video:

Trailer:

Lineup:

André Andersen - keyboards
DC Cooper - vocals
Andreas Passmark - bass
Jonas Larsen - guitar
Andreas Johansson - drums

Melbourne, Australia-based rockers, Mammoth Mammoth, have released a video for “Sleepwalker”, featured on the upcoming Mount The Mountain album. Find the video below.

Over the course of their career, Mammoth Mammoth have already left a stamp on the music scene and have proved to be one of Australia’s hottest and heaviest rock exports. Now the 4-piece band, well-known for their unique and energetic live shows which are fronted by the charismatic vocalist Mikey Tucker, unveil first details about the bands upcoming fourth studio album, titled Mount The Mountain, set to be released April 28th via Napalm Records.

Eleven power tracks that threaten to blow your mind, Mammoth Mammoth yet again deliver stompers that will lead us blindfolded into a hellish inferno of psyched-out riffs and debauched, fist-pumping anthems.

“We consider the writing of our albums not unlike working on a top fuelling drag car. We tinker around a bit, we strip the engine down to rebuild it by adding a couple new parts whilst taking some out, always trying to make it run faster and sounding louder, this time though we've added a bigger exhaust system and a shitload of nitrous… and a cup holder,” comments frontman Mikey Tucker on the upcoming release.

Mount The Mountain tracklisting:

“Mount The Mountain”
“Spellbound”
“Hole In The Head”
“Kickin’ My Dog”
“Procrastination”
“Sleepwalker”
“Epitome”
“Hard Way Down”
“Wild And Dead”
“Cold Liquor”
“I Cant Get You Out Of My Head” (Bonus Track)

“Sleepwalker” video:

“Spellbound” lyric video:

Mount The Mountain will be available as a CD Digipack, Digital Download and LP Gatefold.

Paul O'Neill, creator of the multi-platinum rock theater experience TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, has passed away from chronic illness. He was 61 years old.

The news of O'Neill's death was broken on the TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA Facebook page. The statement added: "[Paul] was our friend and our leader — a truly creative spirit and an altruistic soul. This is a profound and indescribable loss for us all."

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA formed in 1996 out of the ashes of the Florida power metal band SAVATAGE and started touring three years later, connecting with fans by releasing a series of rock operas, such as 1996's "Christmas Eve And Other Stories", 1998's "The Christmas Attic" and 2004's "The Lost Christmas Eve". Over the past 20 years, it has become a critically acclaimed, multi-platinum, musical powerhouse. The progressive rock group's record-setting "rock theater" tours sell out venues year after year and they have cemented their status as a must attend, multi-generational, holiday tradition.

2016 was another record-breaking year for TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA (TSO). Proving that it is more popular on the road than ever before, TSO's winter tour 2016 sold the most tickets per show in the group's history, with a total in excess of 927,000. The tour also set a record gross for TSO with a total of more than $56.9 million.

20 years since the band's first album, and since its historic touring debut, TSO has played in excess of 1,800 shows for more than 14 million fans, with tour grosses of over $625 million, and sold in excess of 12 million albums and DVDs. In 2009, Billboard magazine placed TSO at #25 on its "Top Touring Artists Of The Decade."

Barbara Caserta of Italy's Linea Rock recently conducted an interview with DEEP PURPLE bassist Roger Glover. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked if there is anything that he has envied about the other two bands that are considered to be part of the "holy trinity" of British heavy rock — BLACK SABBATH and LED ZEPPELIN — Glover said: "Not really. I didn't actually know much about BLACK SABBATH. I thought 'Paranoid' was a great single; I loved that. But the depths of the albums I never really got into. ZEPPELIN I heard before I joined PURPLE — just within a couple of weeks. And I loved it — that first ZEPPELIN album blew me away and changed my thinking about music, actually."

He continued: "The word 'heavy' was being used a lot in the mid-to-late '60s — heavy music. I mean, [Jimi] Hendrix and CREAM were, sort of, paving the way, if you like. I thought 'heavy'… The band I was in before PURPLE, we thought 'heavy' was just having more equipment and playing louder. It's not that. [Laughs] It's [not] the same old stuff but louder. But I'd suddeny realized, when I listened to ZEPPELIN, especially 'Dazed And Confused' and 'How Many More Times', 'heavy' didn't mean loud and big; it was an attitude. That was the key. And right on the heels of that came meeting DEEP PURPLE. So it was a meeting of disparate things that all of a sudden I actually got the knowledge of where I'm going a little bit as opposed to just shooting in the dark."

DEEP PURPLE's new studio album, "InFinite", will be released on April 7 via earMUSIC. The disc was tracked in February 2016 at a studio in Nashville, Tennessee and was once again helmed by Bob Ezrin, who has previously worked with KISS, PINK FLOYD, PETER GABRIEL, ALICE COOPER and KANSAS, among others.

"InFinite" will be the first album for Glover and singer Ian Gillan in their 70s. Gillan, the oldest member of the band, turned 71 last August. Glover became 71 in November. Paice is still several years younger at 68.

The band is rounded out by keyboardist Don Airey and guitarist Steve Morse. Airey joined in 2002, replacing Jon Lord. Morse joined in 1994 as the replacement for Ritchie Blackmore.

Jay Weinberg is "itching" to start work on new SLIPKNOT material, more than three years after he joined the band following the dismissal of previous drummer and founding member Joey Jordison.

Weinberg played on SLIPKNOT's last album, ".5: The Gray Chapter" and the subsequent two-year world tour.

SLIPKNOT is on hiatus now although several members of the group are beginning to write material for their next record.

During an appearance on the "Best Friends With Sam Pura" podcast, Jay — who is the son of Max Weinberg, drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E STREET BAND and one-time bandleader for Conan O'Brien — stated about his approach to the SLIPKNOT gig: "I'd be nowhere without a little bit of being in the right place at the right time, and a lot of that is sort of luck, I suppose. But luck doesn't mean anything unless you're gonna be able to… You can walk somebody to the door, but it's up to that person to kick the door in. That's everything. And that only comes with just tenaciously going at it every day. And every day, that's still kind of I got at things with. Especially, I feel like now, with the work we've done with SLIPKNOT over the last couple of years, I feel that even more so. We've done one record together, we've done a lot of touring together in support of that record, and now that we're going away and possibly turning our attention to making some new music, it's, like, now that ethos is more important than ever — to really dig even deeper than we did before and just continuing that process. I'm just, like, 'Fuck it! Let's just see what we come up with and how far can we can go.'"

SLIPKNOT's touring cycle in support of ".5: The Gray Chapter" ended in November, with singer Corey Taylor returning to his other band STONE SOUR this year.

According to Weinberg, the other members of SLIPKNOT won't be sitting idle for very long and there are already tentative plans for them to get together and begin work on new music in the coming months.

"I think it'd be logical process to start the process, kind of like how we did three years ago," he said. "I'm not sure, but I'm itching to get back to that. And I think a bunch of guys are really motivated and inspired to keep the momentum that we built over the last couple of years.

"As we've had a little mini studio on the road, we've kind of documented some song ideas, so there's already some things that are kind of brewing that are really interesting," he revealed. "But, yeah, I think we'll just see once we get into a room together and just start to throw stuff at the wall."

".5: The Gray Chapter" was released following a six-year hiatus during which founding SLIPKNOT bassist Paul Gray died and Jordison was dismissed.

One of last gigs of "The Gray Chapter" touring cycle saw SLIPKNOT performing its 2001 second LP, "Iowa", live in its entirety for the first time during the band's set at their annual Knotfest.

"Ever since I've been close to the band and we've been working together, everything has been very focused on just being the best band that SLIPKNOT can be and really focusing on the show and the music and doing some interesting stuff, like pushing ourselves and playing different material each night or something, or doing something where we play a whole album start to finish; that was a challenge, and we did it," Weinberg said. "Yeah, I think just keeping it fresh, keeping it exciting, and hopefully that'll translate into newer material hopefully soon."

".5: The Gray Chapter" sold around 132,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 1 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores in October 2014 via Roadrunner.

Gray died in 2010 from a drug overdose, while Jordison was let go in December 2013, just before SLIPKNOT began recording the last album.

Veteran thrashers SEPULTURA are putting together a special tour of Europe featuring bands 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.

"Actually, I think we're gonna postpone this idea for the beginning of next year," SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser tells WSOU in a new interview (hear audio below). "We're talking to have a better fresh start.

"We just came from Europe with KREATOR. It was an amazing tour; most of the shows were sold out, and it was such a nice package, with SOILWORK, and it was really intense and beautiful. And now we're going [on tour], of course, with TESTAMENT and PRONG in the States and Canada, and then we go back to Europe for the summer festivals. We have a few festivals for a month. We're gonna do a run in Europe and a few club shows."

He continued: "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. 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.

Geezer Butler has revealed that BLACK SABBATH has contemplated making a blues album as a follow-up to 2013's acclaimed comeback effort, "13".

The original lineup of SABBATH came together in 1969 with Butler, Ozzy Osbourne on vocals, Tony Iommi on guitar and Bill Ward on drums. That lineup recorded and toured through 1978, and periodically reformed through the '90s and 2000s for live work.

They regrouped again in late 2011 for a new album and tour, although Ward dropped out after a few months over financial issues. SABBATH has used Ozzy's regular touring drummer Tommy Clufetos since then for live work. RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Brad Wilk laid down the drum tracks on the album "13", which came out in June 2013.

Asked in a new interview with Music Radar if SABBATH has ever considered returning to its roots for a blues project, Butler said: "The follow-up to '13' was going to be a blues album, but the tour got in the way. It would take something like two or three years to do it properly, and we thought we might not all be here by that time, so it would be better to do this final tour first and then maybe we'll do a blues record later."

When the interviewer pointed out to Butler that it wouldn't take as long for SABBATH to make a blues album if it was done "jam style," Geezer said: "Probably not. You'd have to make it varied instead of doing ten tracks of the same old twelve-bar blues though. But even back in the 'Heaven And Hell' tour days, Tony would go up into his lead and we would just jam around blues riffs for eight or nine minutes. And every night was different. So that is a thought."

Iommi recently said that he wouldn't rule out BLACK SABBATH recording new material or playing a one-off event.

BLACK SABBATH finished its year-long "The End" farewell tour on February 4 in the band's hometown of Birmingham, England, closing out the quartet's groundbreaking 49-year career with an emotional 15-song set.

The band decided to make this tour its last because Iommi, who was diagnosed with cancer in late 2011 and is currently in remission, can no longer travel for extended amounts of time.

Asked if SABBATH's recording days are truly over, Tony said: "No, I don't think we've ruled anything out apart from me not wanting to tour any more on that scale, but who knows, we may do something. We haven't spoken about it. That's another thing — we haven't talked about anything, really, that's to do with what's going to happen afterwards. But I'm sure something can happen somewhere."

Iommi and Butler haven't announced any specific post-SABBATH plans yet, but Osbourne is reportedly at work on a new album, and already has a pair of solo shows scheduled for this summer.

Germany's Metal-Heads.de recently conducted a special interview with Brian "Head" Welch where the KORN guitarist was asked to comment on various albums and songs from the band's vast catalog. You can now watch the chat below.

While speaking about KORN's 1996 album "Life Is Peachy", which contains the song "Chi" — named after former DEFTONES bassist Chi Cheng — Welch was asked if KORN was still "close" with the members of DEFTONES. He replied: "No. When we see 'em, it's, like, 'Hey, bro, what's going on?' But we're not close with 'em. They just like to do their own thing. We would like to tour with 'em again one day, but I don't think they want to, so… But it's all good. When we see 'em, we just don't talk about touring. We're just, 'Hey, bro. How's the family?' Stuff like that."

Back in 2009, KORN bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and other musicians recorded an instrumental track called "A Song for Chi", with all proceeds going to Cheng, who was left in a coma following a 2008 car accident. Cheng died in 2013, having never been able to make a full recovery.

DEFTONES singer Chino Moreno told SPIN magazine last year that he felt his band was unfairly lumped in with all the other so-called "nu-metal" acts shortly after the release of the group's 1995 debut, "Adrenaline". "Obviously, our first record comes out — KORN had put out a record maybe a year before — and right away, we were being compared to that," Moreno said. "And then obviously this nu-metal moniker started to come to fruition here, but it was kind of putting us in the same [category]. Even as early as 'Around The Fur' [1997], I felt like we were taking a left turn from just being what people expected us to be. I kind of knew that we were taking things somewhere else and somewhere that opened our creativity up so we wouldn't be so easily pigeonholed in with everything else that was going on."

THE PRETTY RECKLESS singer Taylor Momsen was recently interviewed by the Albany, New York radio station Q103. You can now listen to the chat below.

Asked if she thinks it is time for another rock revival, Taylor said: "I do, and I think that it's coming. I think that it's starting and it's on its way there. I always say that music is kind of cyclical. I think right now we're kind of living in the '50s where it's very single-orientated. And then the '60s came in, the '60 and '70s, it was a renaissance of music, and in the '80s, it kind of went back to the pop-single genre where rock bands were bending towards the pop vein. And then the '90s came in with a giant 'F You', and that was kind of the last — in my opinion — the last big resurgence of rock and roll. So I think it's time. And hopefully we can be a part of that."

When pressed about which bands she thinks will also be part of this new rock revival, Taylor said: "SOUNDGARDEN. [They're not new], but they are making new music. Their last record, 'King Animal', was fantastic, and I hear that they've been back in the studio working on a new record. So I'm looking forward to hearing that. As far as new music, I kind of tend to listen to stranger things. Like there's a band called DIE ANTWOORD that I really love. They're more of a rap thing. But that's the cool thing about rock and roll — there's no limitations to it. It's the ultimate freedom. It includes rap, it includes the blues, obviously, jazz, country, hip-hop… all genres. That's why I love rock and roll so much — it's the ultimate freedom. And as a writer and as an artist, you have no limitations, and that's an amazing feeling to have — to know that you can go in so many places and not be limited."

THE PRETTY RECKLESS's third album, "Who You Selling For", came out last October. The disc was produced by the band's longtime collaborator Kato Khandwala.

THE PRETTY RECKLESS will continue to tour throughout the year in support of the album, hitting major markets and festival shows, including Rock On The Range, Carolina Rebellion and Rocklahoma in the U.S. as well as playing European and South American dates.