German metallers NAILED TO OBSCURITY have inked a deal with Nuclear Blast. The band is currently writing material for a new studio album.

For more than ten years, NAILED TO OBSCURITY from Northern Germany has successfully developed its distinctive style, somewhere between melodic death metal and doom with progressive influences. Their underground debut, "Abyss…", exhibited these rare first glimmers, but their albums "Opaque" (2013) and last year's "King Delusion" especially showed a real evolution within their sound, allowing the band to take some huge steps. Their melancholic songs never fall short of the necessary brutality, and always create a distinct dynamic which mesmerises the listener who profoundly experiences every note and every word. This magic has already won over the fans of festivals such as Wacken Open Air, Summer Breeze and Party.San Open Air as well as those who attended their tour throughout Europe as main support to DARK TRANQUILLITY plus their appearances alongside renowned acts such as ARCH ENEMY and PARADISE LOST.

NAILED TO OBSCURITY said in a statement: "It's hard to find words that express how thrilled and proud we are to announce this signing. It goes without saying that Nuclear Blast with its rich history in heavy metal is one of the biggest — no, THE biggest — label in the scene and joining their incredible roster of so many legendary and influential artists is simply a dream coming true! We are grateful for this once in a lifetime opportunity and are looking forward to this collaboration which feels like the beginning of a new, exciting chapter in the history of NAILED TO OBSCURITY!"

NAILED TO OBSCURITY is:

Raimund Ennenga - vocals

Jan-Ole Lamberti - guitars

Volker Dieken - guitars

Carsten Schorn - bass

Jann Hillrichs - drums

Photo credit: Kerstin Bruemmer

"She Said", a brand new song from PENNYWISE, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Never Gonna Die", which will be released on April 20 via Epitaph. The legendary punk band's twelfth full-length is the first full album of new songs with singer Jim Lindberg, guitarist Fletcher Dragge, drummer Byron McMackin, and bassist Randy Bradbury in over a decade.

Produced by longtime PENNYWISE collaborator Cameron Webb (MOTÖRHEAD, NOFX, ALKALINE TRIO), "Never Gonna Die" came to life in the same space where the band penned classic songs with late bassist Jason Thirsk. With its quintessential power to merge the subversive and the celebratory, PENNYWISE has built the album on fast-paced anthems expertly engineered to inspire radical change, personal empowerment, relentless hijinks, and reckless fast times.

"Never Gonna Die" track listing:

01. Never Gonna Die

02. American Lies

03. Keep Moving On

04. Live While You Can

05. We Set Fire

06. She Said

07. Can't Be Ignored

08. Goodbye Bad Times

09. A Little Hope

10. Won't Give Up The Fight

11. Can't Save You Now

12. All The Ways U Can Die

13. Listen

14. Something New

Formed in the South Bay of Los Angeles — a neighborhood with a rich punk-rock history — PENNYWISE began in 1988. The band went on to amass an international following with their relentless touring and a melodic, high-energy sound fusing classic punk, surf punk, and blistering hardcore. Through the years, PENNYWISE has solidified its place in punk history with iconic songs like "Fuck Authority", "Alien" and "Bro Hymn" (their timeless ode to brotherhood and departed friends).

PENNYWISE has released 11 albums over the last three decades. Resolutely working outside the margins of the mainstream, the band has emerged as an enduringly vibrant staple on SoCal radio airwaves and the worldwide festival circuit.

TesseracT will release their new studio album Sonder this Friday, April 20th, via Kscope. Ahead of the album release, the band is streaming the new version of the song "Smile". Listen below, and read an exclusive interview with singer Daniel Tompkins at Billboard.

Sonder adds significant firepower to the band's arsenal, blending the harsh abrasiveness of One (2011) and progressive ethereal elements of Altered State (2013) with the accessibility of Polaris (2015). Sonder is streamlined, honest, and direct, with all the trademark TesseracT dreamy atmospherics and bending grooves. Sonder was recorded in the UK at 4D Sounds, Celestial Sounds and Project Studios, and engineered by the band and Aiden O'Brien, with mastering by Acle Kahney and cover artwork designed by Amos Williams.

Sonder will be released on CD and a 2-CD deluxe package featuring a binaural album bonus disc. Also available will be a Vinyl LP edition in multiple color variants as well as a Picture Disc (exclusive to the band's webstores). Digital album pre-orders will receive "Luminary" and "King" as instant downloads. The album is available for pre-order here.
 
For audiophiles, TesseracT have produced a binaural version which will be available exclusively as part of the 2-CD version. This version is a 360-listening experience designed by Klang: Fabrik for headphones listening.

Bassist Amos Williams explains, "The concept is to push past the restrictions of a stereo headphone mix and create an accurate '3D' space in which positioning outside of the normal Left Right axis can occur. This is something that every artist that uses in ear monitors on stage wishes to recreate; the real and accurate positioning of instruments. We immediately felt that this technology could be applicable to us in the studio. TesseracT loves to bring what it does in the studio to the stage, but this time it's experimenting with bringing a live element to the studio."

Sonder tracklisting:

"Luminary"
"King"
"Orbital"
"Juno"
"Beneath My Skin"
"Mirror Image"
"Smile"
"The Arrow"

"King" video:

"Luminary":

Building on their phenomenal success with worldwide tours in support of Polaris over the last two years, as both headliners and as special guests for the likes of Megadeth, Meshuggah, DevinTownsend Project, and Gojira, TesseracT area gearing up take Sonder to worldwide audiences beginning in North America in April. On this tour, they will be supported by Plini and Astronoid, with the first show in Boston on Apri 19th and the tour culminating at New York's Irving Plaza on May 24th.

Tickets on sale at this location

"North America is where TesseracT first took off and is always the leg of the album cycle that holds the most sentiment to me," said Williams. "There are a lot of good memories made and good friends discovered along those long and bumpy roads. This time we're lucky enough to share the road with two boundary pushing bands: Astronoid, a wall of euphoric noise who have a bright and noisy future ahead of them. And Plini, with his genre-defying effortless virtuosity. It’s going to be a fun tour for us, especially as we've got a bunch of new tunes to add to the set!"

Tour dates:

April
19 - Boston, MA - Paradise Rock Club
20 - Philadelphia, PA - TLA
21 - Baltimore, MD - Baltimore Sound Stage
22 - Greensboro, NC - Arizona Pete’s
24 - Tampa, FL - Orpheum
25 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
27 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Bar & Grill
28 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hall
29 - San Antonio, TX - Alamo City Music Hall

May
1- Albuquerque, NM - Sunshine
2 - Phoenix, AZ - Club Red
3 - Los Angeles, CA - Regent
4 - San Diego, CA - House of Blues
5 - Berkeley, CA - The UC Theatre       
7 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
8 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
9 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw Theater
11 - Edmonton, AB - Starlite
12 - Calgary, AB - Marquee         
14 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
15 - Denver, CO - Summit
16 - Lawrence, KS - Granada      
18 - Minneapolis, MN - Skyway
19 - Chicago, IL - Metro
20 - Detroit, MI - Majestic
22 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
23 - Montreal, QC - Club Soda
24 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza

(Photo - Steve Brown)

Joe Lynn Turner has canceled his previously announced tour dates while he recovers from the apparent heart attack he suffered last Friday.

The news of the singer's break from touring was revealed by his Finnish booking agent, Thomas Ståhl of Stahl Entertainment, who said in a statement: "Due to an unplanned medical procedure, Joe Lynn Turner is postponing all activities for the next few months as he is not allowed to travel or fly right now. We are working on rescheduling all club shows and will announce new dates as soon as possible, bought tickets is valid. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. No fear, only love and positive thoughts!"

The former RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE frontman's hospitalization was first reported by the Russian state news agency RIA Novosti, which quoted the press service of the Ministry of Health of Belarus as saying that the singer's condition was "stable" after he was treated at a Minsk facility for "myocardial infarction," commonly known as a heart attack. Turner's presence at the hospital was also reported by Belarus's most influential daily newspaper, the state-owned SB Belarus Segodnya.

According to the Russian news agency TASS, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health of Belarus said that Turner was transported by ambulance to the hospital and that he will continue to receive treatment at the facility.

Joe was the frontman of RAINBOW between 1980 and 1984 and he sang on the album "Difficult To Cure", which featured the band's most successful U.K. single, "I Surrender".

During Turner's time with RAINBOW, the band had its first USA chart success and recorded songs that helped define the melodic rock genre.

1990 saw Turner reunited with RAINBOW leader Ritchie Blackmore in a reformed DEEP PURPLE for the "Slaves And Masters" album.

The 66-year-old singer is married to Maya Kozyreva, a lawyer from Minsk.

Due to an unplanned medical procedure, Joe Lynn Turner is postponing all activities for the next few months as he is not...Posted by STAHL Entertainment on Monday, April 16, 2018

"House Of Doom", the brand-new song by CANDLEMASS, is the soundtrack of the game with the same name, which was co-designed by the legendary Swedish doom metal band.

The "House Of Doom" soundtrack, a new killer doom epic, will be released on May 25 as an EP with three bonus tracks via Napalm Records. A full-length album will be released in the fall.

In addition to the regular EP, there will be a 10-inch etched vinyl with an exclusive nine-and-a-half-minute-long version of the song "House Of Doom".

From April 27, fans playing the game will be able to win this exclusive limited vinyl.

"House Of Doom" is a five-reel video slot with 10 fixed paylines. It is a volatile game with a high payout. There are wilds, free(doom)spins and bonus scatter symbols (the Skull). Landing three skulls at the right moment triggers the Skulls Of Abyss bonus game, where hidden prizes can be won…

The "House Of Doom" soundtrack was written by CANDLEMASS bassist Leif Edling, produced by Marcus Jidell, mixed by David Castillo and mastered by Maor Appelbaum.

Edling said last fall that he was working on a new CANDLEMASS song that was "a part of something bigger, something really cool that will take the band on another adventure." He described the process as "very exciting and a new challenge for me as a songwriter."

CANDLEMASS's latest release, "Death Thy Lover", came out in 2016 as CANDLEMASS's special 30th-anniversary EP. The four-track effort featured singer Mats Levén, who joined CANDLEMASS in 2012 following the departure of Robert Lowe.

Greek epic/power metal force BATTLEROAR is currently putting the finishing touches on its fifth full-length album, "Codex Epicus". Due on June 15 via Cruz Del Sur Music, the follow-up to 2014's "Blood Of Legends" was recorded at Devasoundz Studios in Athens, Greece and will feature a guest appearance from someone very familiar to fans of epic metal: MANILLA ROAD guitarist/vocalist Mark Shelton. The cover artwork is being created by Vagelis Petikas of Revolver Design.


"The title symbolizes that in order to create something that will stand the test of time, something epic, you need to fight and struggle for it," says guitarist Kostas Tzortzis. "We drew our inspiration from the 'Codex', a book written by worthy men well before our time. We wanted to portray that after gaining knowledge from the 'Codex', you could now create music that is epic and fitting of the book."


"Codex Epicus" will mark the second BATTLEROAR album with vocalist Gerrit Mutz (also of SACRED STEEL). Mutz, who can also be heard on the band's 2017 split with long-running U.S. metal bastions OMEN, is described by Tzortzis as someone who "sings with great passion and strength." Asked to describe the sound of "Codex Epicus", the guitarist says BATTLEROAR fans should expect something even more bold and grandiose compared to "Blood Of Legends", along with some added wrinkles thrown into the mix.


"Musically speaking, the album has some new elements to present," says Tzortzis. "But, overall, it's definitely melodic, powerful, doomy and most certainly epic! We worked really hard on the songs and tried to come up with some new twists and turns while properly representing the history of BATTLEROAR."

BATTLEROAR will support "Codex Epicus" with extensive live shows across Europe.


Originally formed in 2000, BATTLEROAR's self-titled debut album was released in 2003. The band followed it up with "Age Of Chaos" in 2005 before joining Cruz Del Sur for the release of 2008's "To Death And Beyond..."

The sons of SLIPKNOT vocalist Corey Taylor and percussionist M. Shawn "Clown" Crahan have launched their own band.

Video footage of Griffin Taylor (vocals) and Simon Crahan (drums), along with their two bandmates, performing cover versions of SLIPKNOT's "The Devil In I" and "Dead Memories" in their rehearsal room can be seen below.

Corey told a Wisconsin radio station that being joined by his then-14-year-old son Griffin on stage last July to sing STONE SOUR's hit single "Song #3" was "surreal. A million things go through your head," he said. "First of all, he's a natural. He'd never done anything like that before. We didn't even practice on stage with him. He and I went through it acoustically backstage. He was 14 at the time. At 14, not only could he lean back on the adrenaline and fall in the pocket, but note-wise, he was so dialed in on it. And then had the presence of mind to be running around stage, going for it, and then at the end, he jumps up on my check-me-out box and takes a selfie with the audience. I would have never in a million years thought to do that. I'd never felt that kind of pride in my life, man. I was, like, 'Oh, you've got the Taylor curse now, dude. You're screwed.' [Laughs]"

He continued: "In one split second, I was up on stage and I'm playing guitar, and I was really just kind of backing him up on the choruses and stuff. But a million things are going through my head. I'm seeing him as a kid, I'm seeing him on his first day at school, I'm seeing him struggle with just trying to figure out who he is and stuff, and then all of a sudden — boom! — and there he is. And I'm like, 'Wow!'"

Asked if Griffin has always gravitated to music, Corey said: "No, man. When he was really young, he wanted to be a florist. And then he was just, like, 'Well, dad, I'm just gonna be a professional gamer.' And I was, like, 'Are ya? All right. Let's hear your rationale.' 'Well, you know, there are people that get paid to play video games.' And I'm, like, 'Hey, if you can do that, please, by all means, get in there.' And then he realized there's actual work [involved] and a lot of those gamers are actually programmers as well. And I'm, like, 'That means college.' And he was, like, 'Ugh.' My son's not the biggest fan of school."

In a 2012 interview, Corey said that the then-nine-year-old Griffin had "an incredible ear for singing," but he didn't think that his son would venture into a recording studio anytime soon. "He already has the bravado," Corey said at the time. "It is pretty crazy. He wants to be an adventurer. That's what he tells me. He runs around the house singing and writing songs. But he says he doesn't want to do anything in music. We'll see when he gets a little older."

Corey, however, added that he probably wouldn't mind it if Griffin eventually chose to pursue a different career path. "I'm honestly not trying to push him away from music, but I almost want him to do something else," Corey said. "I never, ever want him to suffer in my shadow. I never want him to be in a position where he's constantly compared to me. And it's not that I am so full of myself. It's because I have seen it through the years with everyone from Zowie Bowie to Frank Sinatra Jr. They live in [their fathers'] shadows, and I don't want him to go through that. I want him to be his own man and create something for himself."

Taylor went on to say that if his son did decide to eventually become a musician, he would support him wholeheartedly.

"You know me," said Corey. "If he does get into music, I'll be cheesed to death. I'll be, like, 'Yes!!!' front row center every show. I'll get up and play piano with him."

Corey had Griffin in 2002 with his first wife, Scarlett. The STONE SOUR and SLIPKNOT frontman also has a daughter named Angie, born in 1992.

Shawn Crahan said in a 2012 interview that he wanted his oldest son Gage to step in for him when he retires from SLIPKNOT. "My oldest boy, when I do skip, he's gonna take over my slot," Shawn said. "He was sitting on the stair in diapers wearing my mask with sticks while we were downstairs trying to learn how to be a band. So when I leave, it won't be like I died and my son came in and tried to fill my place. I'm gonna bail, but I'm gonna hand over the throne and say, 'Hey, I can't do it anymore. You do it. You're my blood.'"

Photo courtesy of Simon Crahan's Instagram





Hello everyone, @jeremiah_pugh_clyw is are new bass player and he’s sliding great and I sat down with him and talked with him so he could be in our band so welcome man it’s a honor... photo creds @chayceb1 A post shared by Simon Crahan Official (@simon_crahan) on Mar 23, 2018 at 4:55pm PDT

"Big Bang", the new single from QFT (QUANTUM FIELD THEORY), the solo project of internationally praised metal singer Linnéa Vikström, can be streamed below.

The Big Bang, space travel, black holes, singularity, aliens, stars colliding and the inevitable end of the universe: the solo debut from Vikström spans time from modern day science to the eternal, philosophical questions regarding the beginning, the end and life beyond our own planet.

As the singer for the Swedish symphonic metal phenomenon THERION, Linnea Vikström already has a worldwide fanbase. But when she makes her solo debut as QFT (QUANTUM FIELD THEORY), we get to meet a completely new side of the beloved vocalist.

"The first version of 'Big Bang' was very different from the version that made it to the record," she says. "There was a completely different verse which we decided to remove and instead we went with a new melody on the track. The first demo production was of a completely different character and after that first one, at least five other ones followed until we found a form and a production that felt right! 'Big Bang' is not only a song about the start of the universe, but also acts as a homage to the scientific method."

The upcoming album, "Live In Space", is a dynamic and musically diversified theme album about the universe, where the ten tracks are beautifully bound together by Linnéa's enormous vocal range and clear vision. The result is a detailed journey through space and time, that won't leave anyone unaffected. "Live In Space" is an album where both the music and the lyrics offers you much to discover.

Under the supervision of legendary Swedish sound engineer Lennart Östlund (ABBA, LED ZEPPELIN), "Live In Space" was basically recorded completely live. Together with the musicians Georg Härnsten Egg (drums), Jonathan Olsson (bass) and Mano Lewys (guitar), Linnéa Vikström only needed a few recordings per track. That the album — apart from some additional choirs — was recorded live can't be heard when you listen to the result. On the contrary, "Live In Space" sounds like the product of immense and costly studio sessions.

The official video for "That's My Jam", a new song from the Welsh "ragga metal" band SKINDRED, can be seen below. The track is taken from the group's seventh studio album, "Big Tings", which will be released on April 27 via Napalm Records. The disc was recorded at Peter Gabriel's Real World studio in the village of Box, Wiltshire, England,

Drummer Arya Goggin told Metal Hammer that the band wanted to write a song that would become a new "SKINDRED anthem — something that would played in rock clubs and get people onto the dancefloor. Musically heavy, but having a massive pop sensibility at the same time," he said. "Stylistically, it's something we have always done on all our records, but it's really hard to get the balance just right.

"The music video was so much fun to shoot — running around London getting as much footage as possible with a dancing cat! Trying not to get arrested while shooting. You then add the bad guy from 'Eastenders' into the mix and you've got a fun video!"

SKINDRED recently released a music video for its "Machine" single. The clip features actor and stuntman Neil Chapelhow, best known for his work in the films "Wonder Woman" and "Fantastic Beasts".


"Machine" features vocals by REEF frontman Gary Stringer and guitar by Phil Campbell of MOTÖRHEAD. The track was previously used as both the intro and outro theme to AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson's TV show "Cars That Rock".



”

Norwegian/Spanish hard rockers TNT have released their first "official" new single, "Tears In My Eyes". The track, which can be streamed below, is taken from their upcoming studio album, "XIII", due on June 8 via Frontiers Music Srl.

"Tears In My Eyes" is the second track from "XIII" to be made available to the public. Two weeks ago, "Get Ready For Some Hard Rock" was released to mixed reviews. A short time later, TNT guitarist Ronni Le Tekrø took to Facebook to defend the band's decision to offer "Get Ready For Some Hard Rock" as a first taste of the upcoming disc. He wrote: "The musical direction on the new album contains classic TNT songs and is generally very melodic. In that respect, 'Get Ready For Some Hard Rock' is kind of untypical for the album that mainly consists of melodic hard rock in the vein of '80s TNT, but we and Frontiers thought it would be a cool track as a teaser and a 'message' to rockers all over the world. This album is as diverse as 'Tell No Tales' and we are very happy about it. Look out for the first proper 'single,' 'Tears In My Eyes', coming [later this month]. It can't sound more TNT than that one! Haters and skeptics will be turned into LOVERS again."

Spanish singer Baol Bardot Bulsara made his live debut with TNT last November at the Oslo Spektrum on Oslo, Norway, where the band performed as the support act for the SCORPIONS.

Baol stated in a video message: "I'm very happy and very grateful to be here, to be a part of the TNT family now. This is a dream come true for me, actually, because I've been a fan of TNT since my teens. You could say I grew up listening to the band. So this is kind of a strange karma for me, you know. I just wanted to tell you that I'm here to continue with the legacy and hopefully see you all in the near future touring and having fun together."

"XIII" track listing:

01. We're Gonna Make It

02. Not Feeling Anything

03. Fair Warning

04. It's Electric

05. Where You Belong

06. Can't Breathe Anymore

07. Get Ready For Some Hard Rock

08. People, Come Together

09. Tears In My Eyes

10. 17th Of May

11. Catch A Wave

12. Sunshine

TNT announced in October that it was once again parting ways with American vocalist Tony Harnell.

Harnell rejoined TNT in May 2016, less than a year and a half after his previous departure from the group.

At the time of Harnell's latest exit from TNT, the band was said to be working on a new studio album for a 2018 release via Frontiers Music Srl.

Harnell previously quit TNT in January 2015 after a 15-month stint with the band.

British singer Tony Mills appeared on three studio albums from TNT: 2007's "The New Territory", 2008's"Atlantis" and 2010's "A Farewell To Arms".

Photo credit: Kenneth Baluba Sporsheim

German power metallers, Circle Of Silence, will release their new album, The Crimson Throne, on April 27th via Massacre Records. Pre-order the album here, and watch a new video for the track "Wild Eyes" below.

Tracklisting:

"Conquer The Throne"
"Race To The Sky"
"Destroyers Of The Earth"
"The Chosen One"
"Lionheart"
"The Crimson Throne"
"Into The Fire"
"A Kingdom Divine"
"Endgame"
"Possessed By Fire"
"Wild Eyes"

"Wild Eyes" video:

"The Crimson Throne" video:

"Lionheart" lyric video:

A Perfect Circle are streaming the new song “So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish”, featured on their new album Eat The Elephant, out on April 20th via BMG. Listen below.

“We all cope with the absurd in our own manner,” said Maynard James Keenan in reference to the new track. “The Italian side of me produces and shares wine with friends in order to feel grounded and connected in the midst of all the madness. But once the wine is gone, the drunk and sarcastic Irish side of me goes straight for the unreasonable jugular. #comedyfirstandalways”

A Perfect Circle made their Coachella debut last night, playing several new songs including the aforementioned “So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish”. “Eat The Elephant” and “TalkTalk”. In contrast to the festival set, the band plays an intimate outing at Santa Barbara’s Arlington Theatre tomorrow night before returning to the desert for a second performance. On the eve of Eat The Elephant’s release (Thursday, April 19th at 7:15 PM pacific), Maynard James Keenan and Billy Howerdel will answer fan’s questions in a rare Q&A (tune in via the band’s Facebook page. A Perfect Circle play “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” on Monday, April 23rd.

Eat The Elephant pre-orders, which offer instant downloads of “So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish”, “TalkTalk”, “Disillusioned” and “The Doomed”, are available here. The 12-song album is available in multiple formats including digital, CD, double gatefold 180-gram vinyl and a box set with both the vinyl and CD as well as a prism and custom playing card deck. In advance of Record Store Day, a limited-edition independent retail exclusive version of the LP on white 180-gram vinyl with alternate cover will also be available.

Eat The Elephant tracklisting:

"Eat The Elephant"
"Disillusioned"
"The Contrarian"
"The Doomed"
"So Long, And Thanks For All The Fish"
"TalkTalk"
"By And Down The River"
"Delicious"
"DLB"
"Hourglass"
"Feathers"
"Get The Lead Out"

"Disillusioned" video:

"TalkTalk":

"The Doomed" video:

Tour dates:

April
17 - Santa Barbara, CA - Arlington Theatre
18 - San Jose, CA - San Jose State University Events Center
20 - Las Vegas, NV - Las Rageous Rock Festival
22 - Indio, CA - Coachella

May
12 - Somserset, WI - Northern Invasion
15 - Omaha, NE - Baxter Arena
16 - Columbia, MO - Mizzou Arena
18 - Columbus, OH - Rock on the Range
22 - Birmingham, AL - Legacy Arena at the BJCC
25 - Pryor, OK - Rocklahoma
26 - Dallas, TX - BFD 2018 at Starplex Pavilion

June
1 - Nürburgring, Germany - Rock Am Ring
2 - Nuremberg, Germany - Rock Im Park
5 - Stockholm, Sweden - Fryshuset
6 - Oslo, Norway - Spektrum
8 - Aarhus, Denmark - Northridge Festival
9 - Helsinki, Finland - Sideways Festival
12 - Manchester, UK - O2 Apollo Manchester (Sold Out)
13 - London, UK - O2 Academy Brixton (Sold Out)
14 - London, UK - O2 Academy Brixton (Sold Out)
17 - Berlin, Germany - Zitadelle (Sold Out)
20 - Zurich, Switzerland - Halle 622
21 - Clisson, France - Hellfest
23 - Esch-Sur-Aizette, Luxembourg
24 - Dessel, Belgium - Graspop
26 - Paris, France - Olympia (Sold Out)
28 - Madrid, Spain - Download Festival Madrid
29 - Barcelona, Spain - Be Prog! My Friend Festival

July
1 - Verona, Italy - Rock The Castle

A Perfect Circle’s current line-up is Maynard James Keenan (Tool, Puscifer), Billy Howerdel (Ashes Divide), James Iha (Tinted Windows, Smashing Pumpkins), Jeff Friedl (Puscifer, The Beta Machine) and Matt McJunkins (Eagles of Death Metal, The Beta Machine).

(Photo - Tim Cadiente)

One of the most underrated metal acts of the ’80s, who delivered their Metallized masterpiece in 1986, made a rare live appearance in their home province of Quebec at Montreal's Club Soda in front of a sold out crowd. 

Sword performed:

“Outta Control”
“Dare to Spit”
“Until Death Do Us Part”
“The Treat”
“Life On The Sharp Edge”
“Took My Chances”
“Sweet Dreams”
“The End of the Night”
“Where To Hide”
“ Children of Heaven”
“The Trouble Is”
“Back Off”
“I’m In Command”
“Prepare To Die”
“Caught In The Act”
“Stuck In A Rock”
“Land of the Brave”
“State Of Shock”
“FTW”
“Stoned Again”
“Runaway”

Encore:
“Evil Spell”
“Spread The Pain”
    
Check out fan-filmed footage below:

Sword will release the long-awaited follow-up to 1988's Sweet Dreams later this year via the recently resurrected Combat Records, who will also reissue their 2016 album, Live At Hammersmith.

Swedish death/thrash metal band Nonexist have announced the release of a new EP.

Says vocalist/guitarist Johan Reinholdz: "In Praise Of Death - in praise of death metal that is. This EP is an homage, a tribute to this genre that has meant so much to me, going back my childhood. The 80's/early 90's old-school bands and the melodic death metal bands of the early/mid 90's bands in particular has inspired the music on this album. Therefore I want to thank these bands: Morbid Angel, Massacre, Merciless, Nihilst/Entombed, Carnage, Dismember, Death, Malevolent Creation, At The Gates, Carcass, Terrorizer, Dissection, Grave, Dark Tranquillity, Sepultura, Eucharist, Edge Of Sanity, Pestilence, Deicide, Bolt Thrower and Vader. Also thanks to these guys for excellent guest-performances: Mikael Stanne, Chris Amott, Markus Johnsson, Kalle Nimhagen and Alexander Wittbom."

Nonexist was formed in 2000 by Johan Reinholdz. Johan Liiva (ex-Arch Enemy) joined on vocals and Matte Modin (ex-Dark Funeral, Raised Fist) on drums and the debut album Deus Deceptor was released in 2002. A hiatus followed but Nonexist was resurrected in 2012 with the release of the album From My Cold Dead Hands. It was followed by Throne Of Scars (2015) and The New Flesh EP (2016), the latter presenting Reinholdz as the new frontman.

Nonexist's In Praise Of Death EP was recorded and mixed by Johan Reinholdz at Multipass Studios, Malmö, Sweden and will be released on all digital platforms on June 29th. An official promo video for the first single "A Meditation Upon Death", featuring Dark Tranquillity vocalist Mikael Stanne, can be seen below. The single will be out on April 27th on all digital streaming platforms.

Tracklisting:

"Cancerous Disembodiment" (guest vocals - Kalle Nimhagen)
"A Meditation Upon Death" (guest vocals - Mikael Stanne, second guitar solo - Chris Amott)
"Dead Black Embrace" (guest vocals - Markus Johnsson)
"Bloody Carnal Sorcery" (guest vocals - Kalle Nimhagen)
"Reduced To Ash" (guest vocals - Alexander Wittbom)

"A Meditation Upon Death" lyric video:

- Mastered by Markus Nilsson at Sunnanå Studio
- Cover photography by Johan Reinholdz
- Layout by Sofia Bennrup & Johan Reinholdz
- All music and lyrics by Johan Reinholdz

Nonexist:
Johan Reinholdz - guitars/bass/vocals

Live members:
Joakim Strandberg Nilsson - drums
Johan Aldgård - guitar
Linus Abrahamson - bass

(Photo - Olle Rundgren)

The official John Deeb-directed video for "Take You With Me", a new song from TREMONTI, the band comprised of Mark Tremonti on vocals/guitars, Eric Friedman on guitars, and Garrett Whitlock on drums, can be seen below. The track is taken from the group's fouth album, "A Dying Machine", which will be released on June 8 via Napalm Records. The disc was produced by Michael "Elvis" Baskette, who has helmed all previous TREMONTI albums along with ALTER BRIDGE's last four long-players.

From the militant drum assault of the album opener "Bringer Of War" to the instrumental closer "Found", "A Dying Machine" is TREMONTI's most-diverse musical offering to date. Songs like "From The Sky", "Throw Them To The Lions" and "A Lot Like Sin" are signature TREMONTI that fans have come to love from the trio. Tracks like "Trust", "The First The Last" and "Desolation" take the listener to new places sonically, all backed by Tremonti's signature vocal style.

"A Dying Machine" is the first concept album of Tremonti's career and the music is inspired by a story that came to Mark while on the last ALTER BRIDGE tour. During that time, the epic title track "A Dying Machine" was born. The story, which is being turned into a full-length work of fiction authored by Mark Tremonti and John Shirley, takes place at the turn of the next century where humans and fabricated beings called "vessels" are trying to co-exist. Tremonti and Shirley are working on finishing the novel to release alongside the record.

The track listing for "A Dying Machine" is:

01. Bringer Of War

02. From The Sky

03. A Dying Machine

04. Trust

05. Throw Them To The Lions

06. Make It Hurt

07. Traipse

08. The First The Last

09. A Lot Like Sin

10. The Day When Legions Burned

11. As The Silence Becomes Me

12. Take You With Me

13. Desolation

14. Found


TREMONTI will play a record-release show in Orlando on May 12 at the Social. They are also confirmed for Carolina Rebellion on May 4, the Lunatic Luau on May 5 and headline shows in Savannah on May 2 and Atlanta on May 7. The band heads over to Europe in mid-June for seven weeks of touring that includes dates as direct support for IRON MAIDEN alongside headline shows and European festival appearances.

TREMONTI's third album, "Dust", was released in April 2016 via Fret 12.

"Dust", which was recorded during same sessions as 2015's "Cauterize", featured Tremonti on vocals/guitars, Eric Friedman on guitars, Wolfgang Van Halen on bass and Garrett Whitlock on drums. Baskette produced "Dust".

Although Wolfgang Van Halen was part of TREMONTI's touring band in 2013 and played on "Dust" and "Cauterize", he sat out TREMONTI's tour schedule because of commitments with VAN HALEN.

TREMONTI recruited Tanner Keegan to play bass on its most recent tour.

TRAUMA, best known as the band that Cliff Burton played with prior to hooking up with METALLICA, has signed an exclusive global distribution deal with The Orchard/Sony. The group's new album, titled "As The World Dies", will be released on May 11.

With an eye on the past but focused on the future, "As The World Dies", produced by guitarist Joe Fraulob, is certain to be a landmark third album, staying true to TRAUMA's signature sound that came before but with a very modern edge.

TRAUMA, formed in 1980, is the band responsible for the much-sought-after classic '80s album "Scratch And Scream", featuring killer cuts like "The Day All Hell Broke Loose" and "Lay Low". Cofounder/vocalist Donny Hillier and longtime TRAUMA drummer Kris Gustofson have put together a monstrous lineup of amazing players. Guitarist Joe Fraulob is a former member of DANZIG; Steve Robello plays guitar in DUBLIN DEATH PATROL (the Bay Area supergroup formed by the singers of EXODUS and TESTAMENT), and was formerly with the group HEIST; bassist Greg Christian, the newest addition to TRAUMA, was a member of TESTAMENT.

"As The World Dies" consists of 10 tracks:

01. The Rage

02. From Here To Hell

03. As The World Dies

04. Gun To Your Head

05. Last Rites

06. Run For Cover

07. Asylum

08. Entropy

09. Cool Aid

10. Savage

Much like METALLICA, TRAUMA's first recorded appearance was as part of the compilation series curated by Metal Blade Records. "Metal Massacre II" (1982) featured "Such A Shame". The band shot a video for the song "The Warlock" in Santa Ana, California, not long before Burton left the group to join METALLICA.

Greek extreme metallers ROTTING CHRIST have been arrested in the Eastern European state of Georgia on spurious grounds involving charges of terrorism allegedly based on the band's name.

ROTTING CHRIST frontman Sakis Tolis relates the events in his own words: "We arrived in Georgia's capital Tbilisi very early in the morning of Thursday, 12th of April. After the regular document check at the border, my brother and I were stopped by the police on our way out from the airport. After some minutes, we were ordered to follow police to another area of the airport under the pretence of further questioning before entering the country. Instead, we had our passports and mobile phones taken away and were lead into a prison cell. When we were demanding to be told the reason for this arrest, we were simply told this information would be 'confidential.' Our lawyers informed us later that we are on a list of unwanted persons of national security that branded us as Satanists and therefore suspects of terrorism. Without previous warning and no official reason, we found ourselves in jail, locked into a small and rather dirty cell and without being permitted any contact to the outside world or legal representation or our embassy for 12 hours. Conditions were bad and no further information provided during this time. Luckily, only the names 'Tolis' were on the list and the other two band members started to work with the local promoter to extract us from prison and commence legal procedures. It took strong efforts and a complicated procedure to find a solution. Due to the hard work of the local promoter, who involved legal experts, journalists, and activists in Georgia, we were finally released. We are extremely grateful to everybody involved in this process. In the end, we were even able to perform our show and it turned out to be a fantastic night. We would also like to thank all our Georgian metal brothers for their overwhelming support!"

The members of ROTTING CHRIST were allowed to leave the country towards Armenia without any further complications.

ROTTING CHRIST is touring in support of "Their Greatest Spells", which came out on March 23 via Season Of Mist. This double-CD compilation features a best-of selection approved by Sakis Tolis as well as the new track "I Will Not Serve".

Guitarist Glenn Tipton rejoined his JUDAS PRIEST bandmates on stage Sunday night (April 15) at ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington to perform the concert's three-song encore: "Metal Gods", "Breaking The Law" and "Living After Midnight". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

Tipton — who revealed in February that he has Parkinson's disease — previously played the same three songs with JUDAS PRIEST on March 20 at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey. It marked his first public performance since announcing his retirement from touring. He later told BUILD Series about the experience of once again sharing the stage with his bandmates: "It's just amazing to get, first of all, support from the band. The texts and e-mails from all over world, and to hear the audience was very emotional. You don't like to see a grown man cry, but we did."

Asked if he is planning on making more live appearances with the group, Glenn told 105.7 WAPL: "I think so, yeah. As long as I'm capable of going on stage and doing my parts and doing it well. I love it — I love to be on stage with PRIEST, and I'll do it for as long as I can."

Tipton found out he had Parkinson's four years ago — after being stricken by the degenerative condition at least half a decade earlier — but only recently announced he was going to sit out touring activities in support of PRIEST's latest album, "Firepower". The guitarist, who is now 70 and has performed on every PRIEST LP since the band's 1974 debut set, "Rocka Rolla", is not quitting the band, but simply cannot handle the rigorous challenges of performing live. He is being replaced on tour by "Firepower" album producer Andy Sneap, also known for his work as the guitar player in NWOBHM revivalists HELL and cult thrash outfit SABBAT.

JUDAS PRIEST kicked off the "Firepower" world tour on March 13 at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

"Firepower" was released on March 9 via Epic.

The North American leg of the "Firepower" tour will wrap on May 1 in San Antonio, Texas.

Swedish metallers ENTOMBED A.D. have entered the studio to begin recording their third album for a tentative late 2018 release.

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

Last fall, vocalist Lars-Göran "LG" Petrov spoke to Finland's Rauta about ENTOMBED's decision to release change its name to ENTOMBED A.D. in order to avoid a legal battle with ENTOMBED guitarist Alex Hellid who didn't want his former bandmates to use the ENTOMBED moniker.

"[ENTOMBED and ENTOMBED A.D. are] the same thing — just some minor complications on the way," he said. "But we are here and playing music and headbanging, and that's the most important. But it's the same. It's the same."

Petrov added that he and his bandmates "don't think about" the slight alteration in the group's name. "We just let it roll. As long as we are out, nobody can stop us."

Asked what inspires him to make music and write lyrics these days, Petrov said: "It's boring to sit at home. [Laughs] No, you can always be productive and be out on tour and have no sleep. But that all doesn't matter when you come to the show and you see your brothers in metal. Then it's all worth it."

On the topic of ENTOMBED's musical evolution over the years, Petrov said: "As you go on in life, you experience new things, you wanna try out other things, and ENTOMBED has always tried to do that. Maybe more than for our own good sometimes, but now we're just going straightforward and we just do it again — over and over again. And as long as you don't get tired of it, you just continue. If you get tired of it, you should quit. You don't do it because… If you don't like it, step aside and let it roll."

ENTOMBED A.D. is:

Lars-Göran Petrov - Vocals

Nico Elgstrand - Guitar

Victor Brandt - Bass

Olle Dahlstedt - Drums

Guilherme Miranda - Guitar

Tracking drums and guitars ?#newalbum #deathmetal A post shared by Entombed.AD (@entombed.adofficial) on Apr 14, 2018 at 10:46am PDT

The Swedish Phenomena inspired AOR/melodic rock project Gathering Of Kings has released a brand new track titled "Saviour". The third single from the yet untitled debut album is written by Victor Olsson and will be released at the end of the summer. The album is being helmed by producer Thomas "Plec" Johansson, who has previously worked with Soilwork, The Night Flight Orchestra, Dynazty and Nocturnal Rites among others.

Line-up on "Saviour":

Apollo Papathanasio - vocals
Victor Olsson - lead guitar, backing vocals
Martin Sweet - rhythm guitar
Nalle Påhlsson - bass
Richard Larsson - keyboards
Jonas Källsbäck - drums
Tobias Jansson - backing vocals
Alexander Frisborg - backing vocals
Ron Dahlgren - backing vocals

The full-length album will include following artists:

Björn Strid - vocals (Soilwork, The Night Flight Orchestra)
Rick Altzi - vocals (Masterplan, Herman Frank, At Vance)
Tobias Jansson - vocals (Saffire)
Apollo Papathanasio - vocals (Spiritual Beggars, ex-Firewind)
Jens Westin - vocals (Corroded)
Victor Olsson - guitars (Saffire)
Stefan Helleblad - guitar (Within Temptation, Jono)
Martin Sweet - guitar (Crashdiet, Sister, Sweet Creature)
Erik Mårtensson - guitar (Eclipse, W.E.T, Ammunition)
Nalle Påhlsson - bass (Therion, ex-Treat)
Richard Larsson - keyboards (The Night Flight Orchestra)
Erik Wiss - keyboards (Cap Outrun)
Chris Laney - keyboards (Pretty Maids)
Jonas Källsbäck - drums (The Night Flight Orchestra)
Efrain Larsson - drums (Streamline, ex-Diamond Dawn)
Robban Bäck - drums (Mustasch, W.E.T, ex-Eclipse)

The album is being helmed by producer Thomas "Plec" Johansson, who has previously worked with Watain, Soilwork, Scar Symmetry, The Night Flight Orchestra, Nocturnal Rites among others.

The official single artwork was created by Pär Winberg.

"Out Of My Life":

"Forever And A Day":

 

On April 18th, Midnattsol vocalist Carmen Elise Espenaes will be hold a live Facebook chat between 6:30pm - 9:00pm CET. Go to this location for event information.

Midnattsol, featuring sisters Liv Kristine and Carmen Elise Espenæs, will release The Aftermath on May 25th via Napalm Records. A video for the album opener "The Purple Sky" can be found below.

The Aftermath relies much more heavily on folk influences lending atmospheric density to the melancholic symphonic metal compositions. It is a sumptuous and sensual affair and a shimmering highlight in the discography of this German / Norwegian team.

The Aftermath will be available in the following formats:

- 1 CD Digipack
- LP Gatefold, Black
- Digital Album

Pre-order here.

Tracklisting:

"The Purple Sky"
"Syns Sang"
"Vem Kan Segla"
"Ikje Glem Meg"
"Herr Mannelig"
"The Aftermath"
"The Unveiled Truth"
"Evaluation Of Time"
"Forsaken"
"Eitrdropar" (Bonus Track)

"The Purple Sky" video:

"Herr Mannelig!" video:

Teaser:

Lineup:

Carmen Elise Espenæs - Vocals
Liv Kristine Espenæs - Second Vocals
Alex Kautz - Guitar
Daniel Fischer - Keyboard
Stephan Adolph - Guitar

German icons have checked in with an update from the studio as work on a new album begins.

Back in July 2017, Rammstein performed at the Resurrection Fest and guitarist Richard Kruspe sat down for an interview about the band's next album and what the future holds for Rammstein.

Kruspe: "I just feel like, for some reason, that it's going to be the last record we do. That's a feeling. I can be wrong, but just at the moment, I feel like this is maybe the last shot we have, and I want to give two-hundred percent in that and make it as good as it can be. When I listen to the (new) stuff, there's so much potential and I'm very pleased about what we do at the moment, so I'm looking really forward to start recording maybe next year."

The Montebello Rockfest, the largest rock festival in Canada, was held June 22nd-25th, 2017 in Montebello, QC. Fan-filmed video of headliners Rammstein's complete show is available below.

Rammstein's setlist was as follows:

"Ramm 4"
"Reise, Reise"
"Hallelujah"
"Zerstören"
"Keine Lust"
"Feuer Frei!"
"Seemann"
"Ich Tu Dir Weh"
"Du Riechst So Gut"
"Mein Herz Brennt"
"Links 2-3-4"
"Ich Will"
"Du Hast"
"Stripped (Depeche Mode cover)

Encore:
"Sonne"
"Amerika"
"Engel"

CBS Los Angeles is reporting that American Head Charge frontman Cameron Heacock has been arrested after police say they found more than a dozen stolen guitars in his possession. A video report can be seen below.

Costa Mesa police say the 40-year old Heacock was pulled over Wednesday after allegedly driving a stolen van out of a Motel 6 on Harbor Blvd. in Costa Mesa, California. Detectives say the van was packed with stolen property. Authorities say the investigation led to a storage space where more stolen merchandise was discovered.

Thirteen guitars - among them a Gibson Les Paul and a Fender Stratocaster - and a motorcycle were among the items uncovered. Nine of the instruments were taken from Guitar Center in Fountain Valley, according to investigators. Employees say more than $10,000-worth of gear has been returned.

Police are working to find the owners of the remaining four guitars, as well as the other stolen property.

The Connecticut-based prog-metal outfit Soundscape have just posted a lyric video for their brand new song “Insatiable” which breaks today on  the Angel Thorne Music label (SRGILS/Caroline/Universal) and will be available on all online digital formats including Spotify, You Tube, and Apple Music (including MFiT). Rob Thorne (vocals), Todd Rose (guitar), Scott Waite (bass) and Lou Caldarola (drums) reactivated the band and began recording brand new songs last year.

“This song is all about addiction and the power it wields on both sides,” says vocalist Rob Thorne.  “As a father of three children, I see what’s going on around me - kids sitting in groups staring down at their phones not speaking to each other, kids choosing to Face Time in to a party instead of actually go. It’s weird. They’re addicted to the illusion that social media is a better experience than the world that’s happening right in front of them, and, honestly, I think it’s as scary as the opioid problem. That’s why we draw those parallels in the lyric video. And look at the companies that are profiting. Apple, Facebook, Verizon, Purdue Pharma... are they really making the world a better place? Really?”
 

The band’s guitarist Todd Rose put the cover design together after much discussion with Thorne and Caldarola. “We all feel pretty strongly that this is a unique time in human history. The artwork and the lyric video may be disturbing, but look around you. More people are plugged into their own virtual realities than the living, breathing world in front of them.”

Soundscape plans to release either an EP or LP later in 2018.

Fan-filmed video footage of RAINBOW's April 13 concert at Hartwall Arena in Helsinki, Finland can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Spotlight Kid

02. I Surrender (Russ Ballard cover)

03. Mistreated (DEEP PURPLE)

04. Since You Been Gone (Russ Ballard cover)

05. Man On The Silver Mountain

06. Perfect Strangers (DEEP PURPLE)

07. Sixteenth Century Greensleeves

08. Soldier Of Fortune (DEEP PURPLE) (Acoustic)

09. Difficult To Cure

10. All Night Long

11. Child in Time (DEEP PURPLE)

12. Stargazer

13. Long Live Rock 'N' Roll

14. Burn

The first new RAINBOW single since 1996, "Waiting For A Sign", was released in March. The song was penned by Ritchie Blackmore, with lyrics by his wife Candice Night and vocals from RAINBOW's current singer, Ronnie Romero, who is originally from Chile but is now settled in Madrid.

The latest incarnation of RAINBOW released two new studio recordings last year, but they weren't original compositions; one was an instrumental song called "Land Of Hope And Glory", which was a reworking of the 1902 British patriotic song of the same name from Edward Elgar's "Pomp And Circumstance March No. 1", while the other was a re-recording of the RAINBOW classic "I Surrender", which was written by Russ Ballard and was first released by RAINBOW in 1981.

"Waiting For A Sign" is included on "Memories in Rock II", which was released on April 6 via Minstrel Hall/Soulfood. The set also contains a double CD of the June 2017 U.K. RAINBOW concerts, a DVD containing over 80 minutes of interview footage with the band and crew, an additional backstage clip and a video for the 2017 studio version of "I Surrender".

Blackmore stepped away from his Renaissance-inspired brand of music with BLACKMORE'S NIGHT in 2016 to perform a handful of shows with a brand-new lineup of the band he had formed after quitting DEEP PURPLE.

Although Ritchie initially said that he had no plans to make a new RAINBOW album — explaining in early 2016 that he wanted to "just get back to playing the old songs one more time" — he revealed to Japan's Burrn! magazine that he changed his mind.

In addition to Blackmore and Romero, the current incarnation of RAINBOW includes STRATOVARIUS keyboardist Jens Johansson, BLACKMORE'S NIGHT drummer David Keith, bassist Bob Nouveau (a.k.a. Robert "Bob" Curiano, ex-BLACKMORE'S NIGHT), and backing singers Candice Night and Lady Lynn.

The two shows RAINBOW played in Germany in June 2016 were caught on camera to produce "Memories In Rock - Live In Germany", which was released in November 2016 via Eagle Rock Entertainment on DVD+2CD, Blu-ray+2CD, and digital formats.

After Ritchie left DEEP PURPLE for the final time in 1993, he reformed RAINBOW for one album (1995's "Stranger In Us All") and one tour, ending things in Denmark in 1997.

DENNERS TRICKBAG, the band featuring legendary MERCYFUL FATE and KING DIAMOND guitarist Michael Denner, has entered the studio to finalize its second album.

DENNERS TRICKBAG's debut disc was released in September 2013.

Denner previously said about DENNERS TRICKBAG's formation: "I got the idea one evening when I was sitting at home philosophizing about whom I would rather play with if I had a free choice within the heavy metal world I've found myself in for so many years. I called these four guys up, and they all said yes.... The condition was that the music had to be tough progressive '70s heavy with a lot of guitar solos — and everyone was totally involved in the idea."

He added: "If bands like MOUNTAIN, THREE MEN ARMY, MONTROSE, TEMPEST, BOXER, JERICHO and CAPTAIN BEYOND are among your favorites, then this band will be right up your alley!"

DENNERS TRICKBAG has undergone a couple of lineup changes since the release of its debut album, including the loss of singer Lars Berthelsen.

DENNERS TRICKBAG 2018 is:

Frederik Presley - Vocals

Michael Denner - Guitar

Flemming Muus - Bass

Bjarne Holm - Drums

Denner joined forces with fellow MERCYFUL FATE guitarist Hank Shermann to release the DENNER / SHERMANN full-length album, "Masters Of Evil", in June 2016 via Metal Blade Records.

LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia joined EPICA on stage last night (Saturday, April 14) at the latter band's 1000th show at 013 in Tilburg, the Netherlands to perform the Dutch symphonic metal group's song "Storm The Sorrow". Fan-filmed video footage of her appearance can be seen below.

LACUNA COIL and EPICA joined forces for a month-long U.S. tour last September. Joining them on "The Ultimate Principle" trek were INSOMNIUM and ELANTRIS.

EPICA guitarist Mark Jansen said last week that "it won't take long" for the band to begin writing material for the follow-up to 2016's "The Holographic Principle" album.

EPICA's latest release was "The Solace System" EP, featuring six songs which were created during the sessions for "The Holographic Principle".

LACUNA COIL celebrated the 20th anniversary of its debut by playing a very special show, dubbed "Nothing Stands In Our Way", on January 19 at London, England's O2 Forum Kentish Town. The unique extravaganza, which included visual effects, circus artists and enhanced stage production, was professionally filmed and recorded for future release.

LACUNA COIL is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Delirium", which came out in 2016.

GHOST has set "Prequelle" as the title of its new album, due on June 1 via Loma Vista Recordings. The disc was recorded last year at Artery studios in Stockholm with producer Tom Dalgety (OPETH, ROYAL BLOOD) and was mixed in January at Westlake Studios in West Hollywood, California with Andy Wallace (NIRVANA, SLAYER).

The official video for the disc's first single, "Rats", can be seen below.

"Prequelle" track listing:

01. Ashes

02. Rats

03. Faith

04. See The Light

05. Miasma

06. Dance Macabre

07. Pro Memoria

08. Witch Image

09. Helvetesfönster

10. Life Eternal

"Prequelle" marks the introduction of GHOST's new leader, Cardinal Copia, who made his live debut with the band on April 6 at a private, three-song acoustic performance in Chicago.

The last Papa, Papa Emeritus III, was forcibly taken from the stage during the final show of the band's "Meliora" tour cycle last fall, with Papa Zero arriving to announce the beginning of "the Middle Ages." Of course, all the Papas — except the elder Zero — and Cardinal Copia are the same man, GHOST founder and vocalist Tobias Forge.

Forge's new alter ego will play his first full live show with GHOST on May 5 as the Swedish band kicks off a run of North American dates in Riverside, California.

Forge told Revolver about "Prequelle": "It is loosely themed around the concept of death and doom. It's a themed album around medieval times, but it's definitely clinging onto a lot of very current things. The Black Death [plague] is a great example of a turning point for a whole civilization. Complete villages were annihilated. Most people knew very little, so all of it was God or the Devil — and about their faith being questioned: Why are we being stricken down by this great scourge? It must be because of our not fearing God enough and all this superstitious bullshit.

"There's a lot that you would recognize today in online mannerisms," he continued. "In many ways, we've gone back a few steps because now it's closer to how it was back in the old days when people were standing at the square and all of a sudden, it's like in Monty Python's 'Life Of Brian': 'Stone him! Ra! Ra! Ra!' Public trials are very unsupervised and extremely swift and speak to the most primordial parts of us."

In a separate interview with Metal Hammer, Forge talked about the musical direction of "Prequelle", saying: "It's a very bright-sounding record. And it's a very heavy record, I'd say, but not from a Metal Hammer point of view, meaning all metal through and through. But it's a heavy record with a heavy theme. I think the overall ambience is very serious.

"Technically, a GHOST song could just be piano and vocals but it could also be full pounding, heavy-thrashing hard rock," he added. "I'm not in any way comparing us to them but I guess our modus operandi is a little like what QUEEN did — just decide to play really good songs and not focus too much on sticking to a recipe."

Forge last year revealed his identity while responding to a lawsuit filed by four former members of GHOST, who accused him of cheating them out of their rightful share of the profits from the group's album releases and world tours.

The official lyric video for the song "Messiah" from RIOT V, the band featuring members of legendary metal pioneers RIOT, can be seen below. The track is taken from RIOT V's upcoming album, "Armor Of Light", which will be released on April 27 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was produced by Chris "The Wizard" Collier (METAL CHURCH, FLOTSAM & JETSAM, SLIPKNOT, KORN), while the cover artwork was created by Mariusz Gandzel (CRYSTAL VIPER).

The new songs promise to please fans of the "Thundersteel" era of RIOT, as longtime Mark Reale music collaborator Donnie Van Stavern undertakes a lot of the writing as he did on "Thundersteel", "The Privilege Of Power" and the latest offering, "Unleash The Fire".

Hardly any other metal act has such a long and absorbing history behind it. Since the quintet formed in 1975, they have been hit by several severe strokes of fate during their long career. Three deceased members — Rhett Forester (R.I.P. 1994), Guy Speranza (R.I.P. 2003) and Mark Reale (R.I.P. 2012) — have left their mark on the four decades of RIOT's band history.

Since their legendary debut album, "Rock City" (1977), RIOT has released numerous heavy metal classics, including "Fire Down Under" (with classics like "Swords And Tequila"), their masterpiece "Thundersteel" (1988) and the unforgotten "The Privilege Of Power" (1990).

After the death of Mark Reale and the departure of Tony Moore, Todd Michael Hall (from Michigan), completed the lineup of RIOT, which changed its name to RIOT V and moved forward under the auspices of the two long-term members and main songwriters Donnie Van Stavern (bass) and Mike Flyntz (guitar). With the critically acclaimed "Unleash The Fire" (2014), a pure power metal jewel once again underlined the musical importance and influence of the quintet.

Many artists name-check RIOT as an important influence of their musical career and have paid tribute to the power metal godfathers on multiple occasions. The list is long and includes several well-known acts such as HAMMERFALL ("Flight Of The Warrior"), Luca Turilli's RHAPSODY ("Thundersteel"), AXEL RUDI PELL ("Warrior") and newcomers such as NIGHT DEMON ("Road Racin'"), ALPHA TIGER ("Flight Of The Warrior"), SAVAGE MASTER ("Swords And Tequila") and STALLION ("Rock City").

"Armor Of Light" track listing:

01. Victory

02. End Of The World

03. Messiah

04. Angel's Thunder, Devil's Reign

05. Burn The Daylight

06. Heart Of A Lion

07. Armor Of Light

08. Set The World Alight

09. San Antonio

10. Caught In the Witches Eye

11. Ready to Shine

12. Raining Fire

Guitarist Richie Sambora rejoined BON JOVI on stage Saturday night (April 14) at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland, marking his first performance with the band since 2013. Also appearing with the group was bassist Alec John Such, who hadn't played with BON JOVI since a one-off performance in 2001. They performed several crowd favorites, including "Livin' On A Prayer", ''You Give Love A Bad Name" and "It's My Life".

Sambora, who joined BON JOVI in 1983 and co-wrote most of the group's iconic hits over the following three decades, hadn't shared the stage with the band since he left the "Because We Can" tour five years ago. Such was fired from the group in 1994, reportedly because of his poor live performances.

Radio personality Howard Stern inducted BON JOVI with a profanity-laced speech during which he joked that Jon Bon Jovi single-handedly "destroyed the ozone layer in the 1980s with hairspray."

"I'm very proud to be inducted with these guys," said Sambora during his acceptance speech. "If I wrote a book, it would be [called] 'The Best Time I Ever Had'."

"I've been writing this speech many days, in many ways — some days, it's the thank you speech, some days the fuck you speech," Jon Bon Jovi said. "It's about time — that has been the theme of my weekend. I thank my lucky stars for the time I got to spend with each of you," he said, looking at his bandmates. "Tonight the band that agreed to do me a favor stands before you so I can make this reality a dream."

Backstage after his band was inducted into the Rock Hall, Jon was asked by a reporter if Richie is coming back to BON JOVI. "I think Richie's got his own career," he replied. "Maybe you'll have to ask him." He tossed it over to Sambora, who replied: "If he asks me..."

In addition to BON JOVI, the 33rd annual Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame class inducted the MOODY BLUES, THE CARS, DIRE STRAITS, Nina Simone, and early influence gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe.

The event took place at Cleveland's Public Auditorium, with an edited version of the ceremony airing May 5 on HBO at 8:00 p.m.





#rockhall2018 A post shared by nareif (@nareif) on Apr 14, 2018 at 6:07pm PDT

It’s my life & it’s now or never - @BonJovi takes over the Induction stage #rockhall2018 pic.twitter.com/LoeccbdGdS— Rock Hall (@rockhall) April 15, 2018