Amanda Somerville will return with another Trillium album, entitled Tectonic, on June 8th. The artwork and tracklisting can be found below. First single and pre-orders coming soon.

Tracklisting:

"Time To Shine"
"Stand Up"
"Full Speed Ahead"
"Hit Me"
"Fighting Fate"
"Nocturna"
"Fatal Mistake"
"Shards"
"Cliché Freak Show"
"Eternal Spring"

The reunited original lineup of Canadian thrash metal pioneers EXCITER — guitarist John Ricci, drummer/vocalist Dan Beehler and bassist Allan Johnson — is preparing to enter the studio to begin recording its first album in more than three decades.

"We just went into pre-production," Beehler told Canada's The Metal Voice in a new interview (hear audio below). "It's taking a long time, because, like a lot of other bands, we don't work on it every day. And with the live shows, rehearsing for that, it's taking a while, but it's getting there. And we're pretty excited about it — we like the material — and as soon as we're done with the pre-produciton, we're gonna go in and start recording it. So I'm sure at some point next year it'll be out."

Regarding the musical direction of the new EXCITER material, Beehler said: "It's hard to say — we're really close to it — but so far I think it's a combination of the [first] three [albums]. It just feels so right to write it. I know the pressure's on us all over the world to make sure that the album is as good or close to those first three, but we're the guys who wrote it, and coming back together all these years [later], it just feels natural to write it. And hopefully everybody will like it when it does come out."

The original EXCITER lineup recorded three classic albums in the 1980s — "Heavy Metal Maniac" (1983), "Violence & Force" (1984) and "Long Live the Loud" (1985) — before Ricci left he group and was replaced by Brian McPhee.

EXCITER's latest album, "Death Machine", which featured Ricci as the sole remaining original member, was released in October 2010 via Massacre Records.

Ricci, Beehler and Johnson reunited as EXCITER in 2014 and have been playing sporadic shows ever since.

Germany’s Jaded Heart have released a new teaser for their new album Devil's Gift, out on March 30th via Massacre Records. The clip includes a snippet of the album track "Phoenix", and can be found below.

The  album was mixed and mastered by Erik Mårtensson, Thomas Ewerhard is responsible for the cover artwork. Pre-order the album here.

Tracklisting:

"Wasteland"
"The Enemy"
"Set Free"
"Scream Of Anger"
"Tears Of Our World"
"Phoenix"
"One World"
"Story Of My Life"
"Coming Home"
"Conspiracy Of Science"
"Final Moment"
"Black Days" (Digipak Bonus)
"Flying High" (Digipak Bonus)

Teaser:

"One World" lyric video:

"Wasteland" video:

(Photo - Markus Hillgärtner)

Green Druid, the new gods of crushing psychedelic doom, have released a visualizer for "Ritual Sacrifice", featured on their debut album, Ashen Blood, out now Watch the clip below.

Brooding. Atmospheric. Isolationist. With weighty riffs summoning the Lovecraftian horrors of the cosmos, Green Druid's music entrances listeners with tales of the Old Blood and of dismal worlds too soon forgotten. Ashen Blood features seven monumental tracks totaling over an hour of mind-altering doom.

"While our first EP - and foray into the world of doom - could be viewed as us learning the ins and outs of the genre, Ashen Blood is where we really started to hone in on our own voice," comments guitarist Graham Zander. "Taking influence from the dark fantasy landscapes of games like Dark Souls and Bloodborne, we strove to create a truly doomed psychedelic experience."

Rounded out by vocalist/guitarist Chris McLaughlin, bassist Ryan Skates and drummer Ryan Sims, Green Druid have been growing in power from the shadows, ready to unleash it on the world with their full-length debut.

Tracklisting:

“Pale Blood Sky”
“Agoraphobia”
“Dead Tree”
“Cursed Blood”
“Rebirth”
“Ritual Sacrifice”
“Nightfall”

“Ritual Sacrifice”:

“Rebirth”:

“Agoraphobia”:

“Pale Blood Sky”:

Former Megadeth guitarist Jeff Young recently launched his new East Meets West Project featuring Japanese vocalist Maki Oyama. While they work on new material, Oyama has released her live acoustic cover of the Loudness classic "Crazy Doctor", which can be found below along with her previously released cover of Loudness' "In The Mirror".

Back in February, East Meets West Project posted their long distance cover of One Ok Rock's "Kanzen Kankaku Dreamer". Check it out below.

Young recently checked in with the following update:

"We recorded the full sketch arrangement of the new/first East Meets West Project original song today. Even more than I hoped for... don't ya just love it when a plan Finally falls together? Everyone on the team was cool and things flowed real groovy. Much thanks to all involved!

Studio excerpts coming to Patreon asap. This tune is a barn burner!"

Maki Oyama - Vocals 
Jeff Young - Guitar 
Jeff Tortora - Drums

Former White Empress bassist Chela Rhea Harper has released a song with her long standing side project, Sarasvati. She has checked in with the following update:

"Our good friend Manfish Inc. just posted this incredible time lapse painting inspired by our latest single. Take a moment and watch an amazing artist at work."

Harper previously issued the following backgrond information on the song:

"We began writing this song on January 31st. It's been an interesting, emotional journey... full of unexpected turns and unforeseen circumstances. It's hard to put into words where the push came from, but we decided to release this as a standalone.

This song is not a part of our upcoming album. The album process has seen many setbacks, ups, and downs. We completed recording it quite some time ago, but as fate would have it, circumstances continued to push the release date ahead. With that said, we felt it was important to share something with you now. This song has a lot of emotions attached to it. It's been a very challenging month. Creative healing is a true gift. So thank you for listening and allowing that process to happen. We hope you enjoy it too."

Music and Lyrics: Joe Waller, Chela Rhea
Clean vocals: Chela Rhea, Joe Waller 
Harsh vocals: Joe Waller 
Guitars/Bass: Joe Waller 
Drums: Matthew Paulazzo
Mixed and Mastered: Roman Ra Arsafes 
Artwork: Chela Rhea

Miracle's new album The Strife Of Love In A Dream, out now via Relapse Records, is available for streaming in full below.

This is the union of two artists with rich and unique trajectories in music. Steve Moore as one half of the progressive post-rock duo Zombi, composer of contemporary horror soundtracks including The Guest and The Mind’s Eye and solo producer of masterful synthesizer music cruising the hinterland of new-age kosmische, galactic disco and bakelite infused techno. Multi-instrumentalist Daniel O’Sullivan has explored the omniverse with a myriad of art rock luminaries including Ulver, Grumbling Fur, Æthenor, Sunn O))), Guapo, Mothlite and This Is Not This Heat. His solo career has seen him embark upon a bricolage of neo-classical composition, electroacoustic music, and luminous psychedelic songcraft.

On The Strife Of Love In A Dream (a title borrowed from the early renaissance allegorical novel ‘Hypnerotomachia Poliphili’), a haunted jukebox plays the soundtrack to a silvery universe of sulphurous canyons, lunar gardens and prismatic megastructures. A gothic psychodrama drawing on visions of the distant past and near future. Reconciling polarities of the arcane and the hypermodern, the sacred and the profane, the small and the infinite, the phantasmic and the familiar, paranoia and clarity.

Physical orders are available via Relapse.com here and digital downloads are available here.

Tracklisting:

"The Parsifal Gate"
"Light Mind"
"Night Sides"
"Sulfur"
"The Seventeen Nineties"
"Dreamours"
"Mind Environment"
"Angelix"

Album stream:

"Light Mind" video:

After meeting on a U.S tour in 2006, Moore and O’Sullivan slowly concocted a strange brew of spiralling, hypnotic poptones resulting in the Fluid Window EP, released through London based label House Anxiety. In 2013, they followed with their debut album Mercury on legendary IDM and footwork imprint Planet Mu. Mercury’s astral footprint being a composite of many shared subliminal influences from a 1980’s upbringing on both sides of the Atlantic. Anthemic power ballads, devotional canticles and glinting synth-pop vortices through the looking glass. The marrying of Moore’s grainy lattice of synthesized environments with O’Sullivan’s oblique arrangements and vocal histrionics - troubled, elliptical sentiments animated by choral rounds and lush harmonies created an unnerving yet approachable diaspora. Now five years on, The Strife Of Love In A Dream is upon us. A song cycle of eight moons, punctuated and propelled by the thundering drums of A.E. Paterra (the other half of Zombi).

“I’m pursuing a confluence of identities in order to cultivate a self obliterating totality.” - DOS

The most immediately remarkable aspect of this record is its contrarian nature. This collage aesthetic is worn very much on its sleeve and yet through this a unique language is derived. Steve Moore’s grid like environments are twisted out of shape by O’Sullivan’s cubistic multi-persona. The combination of warped synth pop and literary gothic has been attempted before and yet here Miracle have produced a sonic portal sounding like nothing else on planet earth.

O’Sullivan cites Max Ernst, Cordwainer Smith, Kate Bush (specifically The Dreaming), Madame Blavatsky, Olaf Stapledon, Hildegard von Bingen, Roxy Music (specifically For Your Pleasure), Richard Wagner, James Joyce, the gnostic Nag Hammadi library, Alan Moore, J.G Ballard, The Upanishads, The Golden Bough, Henri Michaux, Dimethyltriptamine, Nicholas Roeg, Agatha Christie, Glenn Danzig, August Strindberg (specifically Inferno), Robert Graves (specifically The White Goddess), Austin Osman Spare, Madonna, Leonora Carrington, Robert Anton Wilson, Georges Bataille, Lao Tzu and Walt Disney as inspiration for the album.

Like the allegory it borrows it’s title from, TSOLIAD is a journey through parallel environments and dreams within dreams from verdant Arcadian gardens to brutalist multi-storeys to black treacly netherworlds. O’Sullivan narrates our protagonist’s journey down into the perilous fathoms of consciousness. A rare juxtaposition to hear a proposal for spiritual nourishment clothed in darkly infectious pop music.

(Photo - Alexander Brown)

In just over two weeks, Attacker will be returning to Pyramid Sound in Ithaca, NY to record four new songs for their upcoming EP entitled Armor Of The Gods with renowned producer/engineer Alex Perialas (Anthrax, SOD, Overkill, Testament, Vio-lence) This is fitting for the band since it's the 30th Anniversary of The Second Coming album which was produced and engineered by Perialas.

The EP will also feature two live tracks recorded at the Up the Hammers Festival in Athens, Greece in May of 2017. The live tracks were mixed by Tom Beaujour at Kaleidoscope Sound in Union City, NJ on March 6th, 2018.

The EP will see a late July 2018 release on Metal On Metal Records, Attacker's home since 2013's Giants Of Canaan and 2016's Sins Of The World.

Finnish metal band Bloody Falls is set to release their debut album Thanatos on April 27th via Inverse Records. The band also unleashed a music video for the track “My Halo Of Flame”.

The band was formed at summer 2017 by a group of crazy individuals that had one thing in common, play music and share the heavy metal madness with others. The band is influenced from a variety (as usual) of heavy metal bands. Take all this knowledge, variety, different cultures and add a personal touch of creativity to get this result. The bands place of origin comes from Valkeakoski, Finland, with a little twist. Tanawat comes from the tropical jungles of Thailand and Stavros from the salty, garlicky Rhodes, Greece. The song creation mostly comes from Stavros, but reaches the audiences ears after a long surgical procedure of dismembering and being put back together countless times from the entire band. Then just add the spark and it's alive and ready to go out. Kinda like Frankenstein's monster without the ugly part.

"We like to think that our music style is unique, fresh and brings something different to the genre. With the debut album, Thanatos (2018), we are going to enter the music industry with a (head)bang."

Tracklisting:

“We Rise Again”
“My Halo Of Flame”
“Amongst The Living Dead”
“Nocturnal”
“Thanatos”
“New Empty”
“Cry For Freedom”
“Die With Honor”
“Defiance”
“Virtual Reality”

“My Halo Of Flame” video:

(Photo by: Mikael Björkman)

To wrap up the 18-month long tour and promotional campaign for The Ghost Parade album, Gabriel and the Apocalypse release a music video for "Behind The Sun." The video closes the chapter on this highly acclaimed and commercially successful album, as the band plans on entering the studio to record a brand new studio album for 2019 in the near future. To also celebrate the end of the album cycle, the band will hit the road with Mushroomhead in late April.

 

The audience is used to seeing Gabriel and the Apocalypse operate on level 10. Their high-energy stage show electrifies audiences, as do their edgy, thought-provoking music videos, like "Beauty Under Glass" and "Thrill of the Kill." The new video "Behind the Sun" is a complete 180 from what we are used to seeing from the band. The video showcases the other side of the group and proves they aren't a one-trick pony by any means. Using a cold and snow covered setting, the band takes on a somber side and direction to give the audience an amazing journey.

"Behind the Sun" represents the closing of a chapter to The Ghost Parade, not only for the record but on a personal level. "I opened myself up so much for that record," says vocalist Lindy Gabriel. "I was in such a raw emotional state and, through it all, I believe I became a stronger person with a thicker skin. My mind is a clean slate now and I am ready and excited to dive into the new record."

Look for Gabriel And The Apocalypse on tour across the US.

(Photo by: Scott Gaster)

Guitarist Gus G. has released a new video, in which he performs the solo from the Eagles classic "Hotel California". Check it out below:

Gus G. is set to release his new solo album, Fearless, on April 20th. Fearless is the successor to 2015’s Brand New Revolution and marks the Firewind mastermind’s first release since exiting Ozzy Osbourne’s band in 2017. On Fearless, Gus joins forces with vocalist/bassist Dennis Ward (Pink Cream 69, Unisonic) and drummer Will Hunt (Evanescence, Black Label Society).

Pre-order this new effort exclusively at this location.

“Dennis and I have collaborated very closely for a number years, he produced the current Firewind album Immortals, among other things. We’re on the same musical wavelength and simply continued our cooperation after the Firewind production,” Gus describes his relationship with the multitalented German-American. “I sent him demos of and ideas for my new songs and once we had enough material and started to think about vocalists, Dennis suggested recording the album as a trio. A lot of people don’t realise that Dennis is not only a brilliant songwriter, bassist and producer, but also an excellent singer. I immediately liked his suggestion because this would be very different from everything else I’ve done before.”

It was only a short step from the enlistment of drummer Will Hunt. Gus: “Will was at the very top of my wish list. Fate smiled on me because we played at the Frankfurt music fair 2017 during my tour with Steve Stevens, and Will stayed at the same hotel. So I approached him, we talked for a while and he agreed. Last August he came to the studio and recorded the drum parts for the whole album within two and a half days. A real pro with a great groove and an awesome punch.”

Which applies not only to Hunt and Ward, but of course also to Gus G. himself, who once again proves to be a phenomenal guitarist on Fearless, presenting technical skills which exclude all possibility of doubt and a compositional talent that allows his fellow musicians to shine.

Hard-as-nails metal tracks such as the opener "Letting Go’, "Mr Manson", which is driven by a dark bass/guitar riff, and the subsequent melodic "Don't Tread On Me" immediately propel the new album into the desired direction. At the same time, the three instrumental songs give listeners an idea of the outstanding talent of the 37-year-old.

“A lot of fans have asked me to record more instrumental tracks. Voilà, here they are,” grins Gus. Last but not least, the successful cover versions of the Dire Straits classic "Money For Nothing", which surprises with an unusual change of key after the noteworthy intro, deserves a mention. But it’s certainly not the only surprise that this amazing album holds in store.

Tracklisting:

"Letting Go"
"Mr Manson"
"Don't Tread On Me"
"Fearless"
"Nothing To Say"
"Money For Nothing"
"Chances"
"Thrill Of The Chase"
"Big City"
"Last Of My Kind"

Bonus tracks on digipak/vinyl:

"Little Ain't Enough"
"Aftermath"

"Letting Go" video:

Gus G. has announced European tour dates, set to begin in April. The drummer for the tour will be Edguy’s Felix Bohnke.

Dates:

April
6 - Copenhagen - Pumpehuset
7 - Helsingborg - The Tivoli
13 - Malmo - KB
14 - Goteborg - Sticky Fingers
15 - Stockholm - Debaser
17 - Full Metal Cruise

May
8 - Hamburg - Knust
9 - Aschaffenburg - Colos-Saal
10 - Munchen - Backstage
11 - Essen - Turock

Dutch destroyers Death Alley have launched a video for their latest single “Headlights In The Dark” today. The song is taken off their new album Superbia which was released last Friday through Century Media Records.

 
The band comments, “How would you feel, if you saw the danger coming right at you, bright as headlights in the dark, but you’re the only one seeing it...?”

 
Video director David Fitt explains, “For the very first time in my work I feel like I’ve taken a stance regarding a very actual subject. When Death Alley told me that their song was about little made-up truths you convince yourself of, I created this character so obsessed with himself he started building his own delusional reality. Almost instantly this story of a man became linked with men’s behavior towards women, and how they convince themselves of their own self-righteousness. This story is definitely some kind of Weinstein aftermath in which I attempted to inject a bit of joy & humor; because oh boy do we need a laugh these times.”

Brazilian all-female thrash group NERVOSA will release its third full-length album, "Downfall Of Mankind", on June 1 via Napalm Records. The disc was recorded at Family Mob Studio in São Paulo with Argentinian producer Martin Furia, who worked as a sound engineer on some of NERVOSA's European tours, as well as for bands like DESTRUCTION and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, and produced recordings for EVIL INVADERS and SISTERS OF SUFFOCATION, among others.

Bassist/vocalist Fernanda Lira comments on the new CD: "We're really happy about this new album. It's a way more mature and aggressive record and we can definitely say it's our favorite so far!"

"Downfall Of Mankind" features guest appearances by João Gordo (RATOS DE PORÃO), Rodrigo Oliveira (KORZUS) and Michael Gilbert (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM).

"Downfall Of Mankind" track listing:

01. Intro

02. Horrordome

03. Never Forget, Never Repeat

04. Enslave

05. Bleeding

06. ... And Justice For Whom?

07. Vultures

08. Kill The Silence

09. No Mercy

10. Raise Your Fist!

11. Fear, Violence And Massacre

12. Conflict

13. Cultura Do Estupro

14. Selfish Battle (bonus track)

NERVOSA is currently touring Europe with VENOM INC. and SUFFOCATION.

In a 2016 interview, Fernanda told AntiHero Magazine that NUCLEAR ASSAULT was "the band that made me want to have a thrash metal band. I don't think I was even born when they were released," she said. "I was born into a very metal environment, because my dad was a metalhead. My earliest memories involved metal. When I was six or seven, I had collections that my dad used to record on tape. He would put on from KISS to SUICIDAL TENDENCIES to WARLOCK. So since I was very young, I was used to listening to metal. And because my dad is older, he was really into the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal. So I started listening to metal from these bands of the 1980s. That's my favorite school. All the bands I love, and my favorite albums, are from the 1980s. It's something natural. My dad showed me them, and when I started looking for bands' discographies, I would start from the beginning, and naturally the albums from the 1980s. And, of course, with the exception of death metal, my favorite albums are from the 1990s. But it was just sort of natural, it's just that sound, probably because I'm very influenced by what my dad used to listen to. All the classic albums are from the old school, and I'm really influenced by these schools."

She added: "What I think we do is we take these influences we have from the bands of the 1980s, which are the bands that made me want to have a thrash metal band, and taught me how to write metal songs, we take that and mix… like the quality of technology of today and new albums from old bands like TESTAMENT and CANNIBAL CORPSE, and put it all together."

NERVOSA is:

Fernanda Lira - Vocals, Bass

Prika Amaral - Guitars, Backing Vocals

Luana Dametto - Drums

Legendary Greek black metallers Varathron have launched a music video for the track "Into The Absurd", taken from the band's forthcoming studio album Patriarchs Of Evil, due out on April 27th via Agonia Records. Preorders can be found at Agonia Records.

Co-founded in 1988 by Stefan Necroabyssious, the band's vocalist and sole original member, Varathron has been on a steady release schedule since 2004's Crowreign. The latter album introduced Haris (drums) and Achilleas C. (guitars) to the band, who were later joined by Sotiris (guitars) and Stratos (bass), and who together established a new, well-bonded line-up of an already established Hellenic black metal act, considered as one of the forefathers of the genre, next to Rotting Christ and Necromantia.  

Having previously described Patriarchs Of Evil as "heavy, dark and full of melodies that will revive past memories", Varathron elaborates on the successor to Untrodden Corridors Of Hades (2014), now that the recordings have come to an end: 

"The time has come to deliver our new opus Patriarchs of Evil. A sinful sip of this unholy communion will lure you into an astral journey of absurd dimensions - with an awakening smell of the old era. This album is one of the finest pieces Varathron has ever unleashed. We promise a true heavy, blasphemous and unique masterpiece with Necroabyssious delivering his best performance ever. With glorious riffs, profound melodies and a solid rhythm section, this dark testament is to delve into. The time of the rejuvenation has come!! WE ARE FOREVER IMMORTAL!!

"Varathron are proudly spreading the Mediterranean plague since 1988! 30 years have passed and we continue to worship darkness and preach the unholy word! Patriarchs of Evil is not just a new album, it is a celebration and one of our greatest creations. Behold the 8 hymns!".

Patriarchs Of Evil was recorded, mixed and mastered over the course of 2017 by Achilleas Kalantzis  (aka Achilleas C.) at Crown Audio Conspiracies, except for drums which were recorded at Infinite Loop Music Studio. Both studios are based in Varathron's hometown of Ioannina, Greece. The album's artwork and layout were designed by Juanjo Castellano. New band photos were taken by Evi Savva.

Album formats:
- Digipack CD with slipcase and 16 pages booklet.
- Black gatefold LP.
- Picture disc gatefold LP (with insert, patch and poster) limited to 200 hand-numbered copies.
- Yellow with black splatter gatefold LP (with insert, patch and poster) limited to 125 handnumbered copies.
- "30 years" zipper hoodie.
- T-shirt.

Tracklisting:

“Tenebrous”
“Into The Absurd”
“Luciferian Mystical Awakening”
“Saturnian Sect”
“Remnants Of The Dark Testament”
“Hellwitch (Witches Gathering)”
“Orgasmic Nightmares Of The Arch Desecrator”
“Ourobors Dweller (The Dweller Of Barathrum)”

“Into The Absurd” video:

 

"Tenebrous":

Trailer:

Issa's brand new album, Run With The Pack, will be released on April 20th. Pre-order the album here.

Run With The Pack is Issa's fifth studio album, another quality outing of classic melodic rock/AOR with huge vocals, layers of keyboards and massive guitars. Reminiscent of bands such as Heart and Saraya, with a 21st century production and great songwriting and arrangements, this time Issa goes in a heavier and more rocking direction. Run With The Pack also offers a special treat in the form of a duet with Deen Castronovo (Revolution Saints, The Dead Daisies, ex-Journey) on the beautiful song “Sacrifice Me”. A video for the song can be found below.

Issa says. “I really can't wait for everybody to hear this album, it's been a real labour of love. This album has taken me back to my roots. The feel of the songs are just what got me into music in the first place. The album has got it all - edgy, dark and full of attitude on one hand, but also the classic larger than life ballads which I love so much. I've been very privileged to sing a duet with Deen Castronovo and there are some really great songwriters who contributed to the record! When I get asked what my favourite song is I really don't know... you decide!!!!"

Helped by producer, and keyboard player, Alessandro Del Vecchio (Hardline, Jorn) and some killer musicians such as Simone Mularoni (DGM) on guitar, Marco Di Salvia (Kee Of Hearts) on drums, Andrea “ToWer" Torricini (Vision Divine) on bass, Issa has crafted a superb album which offers soaring and instantly likeable hooklines, solid guitar riffs and a crisp sound. This album is going to be a 2018 Melodic Rock Album of the Year contender!

Run With The Pack tracklisting:

"Am I Losin’ You"
"Run With The Pack"
"Sacrifice Me"
"How Long"
"The Sound Of Yesterday"
"Come Back Again"
"Talk To Your Heart"
"Bittersweet"
"Closer To You"
"Irreplaceable"
"Everything To Me"

"Sacrifice Me" video:

"Come Back Again" video:

Lineup:

Issa Oversveen - vocals
Simone Mularoni - guitars
Alessandro Del Vecchio - keyboards
Andrea “ToWer" Torricini - bass
Marco Di Salvia - drums

Tobias Sammet (EDGUY, AVANTASIA) joined Geoff Tate on stage at OPERATION: MINDCRIME's February 6 concert at Colos-Saal in Aschaffenburg, Germany to perform the QUEENSRŸCHE classic "Jet City Woman". Fan-filmed video footage of Tobias's appearance can be seen below.

Tate was one of the featured singers on AVANTASIA's seventh album, "Ghostlights", which was released last year via Nuclear Blast. Geoff could be heard in the song "Seduction Of Decay", which was described by Sammet as "a seven-and-a-half minute-monster." He added about Tate's performance in the track: "I am speechless! Geoff has made it a killer; [it] reminds me of his 'Rage For Order' era.

"I grew up with QUEENSRŸCHE," he continued. "Geoff influenced a lot of us singer people, and listening to that track, I know why."

Sammet previously said about his decision to enlist Tate to sing on the latest AVANTASIA album: "I have been fortunate enough to meet many amazing classic metal vocalists. Whenever we've talked about our influence as vocalists, the name Geoff Tate was brought up.

"Throughout his incredible career of more than thirty years, Geoff has constantly explored new territory as an artist and vocalist, while he has always managed to maintain this distinctive signature vocal sound that makes him stand out.

"His contribution [to 'Ghostlights'] sounds nothing but amazing, and you will immediately know why the man had such a huge impact on vocalists and fans around the globe! Enchanting, unique, amazing, progressive in the purest sense of the word!"

Tate joined AVANTASIA for several shows in Europe last summer. He later told 99.1 CJAM-FM's "The Signals Of Intuition" about the experience: "I sang three songs, and it was fantastic. [They're] great, great band, and working with Tobi was fantastic. He's become one of my favorite people. [Laughs] He's got a great sense of humor — an absolute great sense of humor — and doesn't take himself too seriously. And one thing I really like about him is he's very giving and open to other musicians, which is kind of different than my experience, 'cause a lot of musicians are a little bit insecure and they worry about people showing them up — they're kind of competitive. And he's not like that at all — he'll just hand you the stage and go, 'Okay, go. I'll be over here.' [Laughs] And just let you go to town and do your thing. He's not worried about being showed up or anything like that; it's not entered into his mind, I don't think. He's just a very open, giving, expressive human being who is just purely wonderful. I really appreciated that, because there's nothing worse than having somebody trying to tie your hands behind your back and say, 'Okay, do it, but here, balance on one foot.'"

L.A. GUNS has announced the addition of guitarist Johnny Monaco (ENUFF Z'NUFF) to the group's ranks. He joins L.A. GUNS as the replacement for Michael Grant, who was fired from the band earlier in the month.

L.A. GUNS released a statement on March 7 saying that Grant was leaving the group "to pursue other interests, including his solo project, MICHAEL GRANT & THE ASSASSINS." A short time later, L.A. GUNS guitarist Tracii Guns revealed in an Instagram post that he "wasn't involved in [Grant's] departure from the band." He added: "People come and go, and I'll miss him badly in the band."

During an appearance on Eddie Trunk's SiriusXM show on March 19, Grant said that the stated reason for his L.A. GUNS exit in the press release was "not true at all. I was actually fired out of nowhere and given absolutely no reason. So I pieced together my own conclusions [as to why I was let go] — with those kinds of details, that's all you can do. And I'll let the crowd, the audience do some basic emotional math. If Tracii Guns is sad about my departure, if [drummer] Shane Fitzgibbon is sad about my departure, if [bassist] Johnny Martin is sad about my departure, that only leaves one person who's not," apparently referring to singer Phil Lewis.

According to Grant, he found out that he was being kicked out of L.A. GUNS via a phone call from the band's manager. "The only reason that I was given was, 'It's time. It's time,'" he said. 'And I was just, like, 'Okay.' I wasn't resistant. I didn't fight. I wasn't like a crying little girl. I was just, like, 'All right. If that's how you guys want it.' And then I proceeded to text the rest of the members in the band, like, 'Did you know anything about it?' And no one knew too much about it. Tracii said he had fought for me for about an hour."

Grant said that L.A. GUNS tried to appease him by making "it seem like I left just to make it seem like it was my decision and that things didn't get dragged in the mud." He added: "When you've invested five years in something and not even given the respect of, 'Hey, man…' If the real reason was to support MICHAEL GRANT & THE ASSASSINS, it should have been, like, 'Hey, man, giving you a call. You should go off on your own. We're gonna support you.' But it wasn't like that at all. I was fired for absolutely no reason. I was given zero reason, no courtesy call, nothing."

Tracii and Lewis reunited in 2016 under the L.A. GUNS banner and released arguably the most critically praised album of their catalog, "The Missing Peace".

L.A. GUNS released a new CD, DVD and Blu-ray, "Made In Milan", on March 23 via Frontiers Music Srl.

During a recent interview with BUILD Series, JUDAS PRIEST guitarist Glenn Tipton — who revealed in February that he has Parkinson's disease — discussed joining the band on stage during a March 20 concert in Newark, New Jersey, his first public performance since announcing his retirement from touring. "It's just amazing to get, first of all, support from the band," Glenn said. "The texts and emails 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."

Tipton also discussed the group's new album, "Firepower", and their decision to work with two producers — Tom Allom, who previously produced seven classic PRIEST studio albums, and Andy Sneap, who has since gone on to join the band as a touring guitarist. "It just worked beautifully," he said. "Right from the word go, it was great. It could have been a case of too many cooks, but it wasn't. They just hit it off straightaway. [It] was the most enjoyable album we've ever recorded. The vibe and everything was just great."

Although he no longer tours with JUDAS PRIEST, Tipton recalled the pain of assembling the group's live set lists. "It's very difficult," he said. "It's one of the most difficult things to do, because you name any track and you leave it out, and you disappoint somebody. We try and just give a good representation across the board of where the band's at, where we've been and where we're going. You can soon tell if the order is wrong or what one sticks out like a sore thumb. It's just experimentation. Then when we get a new album out, some of the old favorites have to go as well for the new songs. It just happens — it evolves. That's all I can say. You never really get it right. That's why you usually have to make some tweaks [after] the first few shows."

Tipton also touched on the fact that, throughout JUDAS PRIEST's fifty-year history, the group has never shied away from being described as heavy metal. "There was a period in time where a lot of bands dropped the tag 'heavy metal' because they thought it was unfashionable. We've always been proud to be a heavy metal band," he said. "If you consider tracks like 'Eat Me Alive' and 'Last Rose Of Summer', the difference couldn't be more extreme, but it's still to us heavy metal, it's still JUDAS PRIEST-style heavy metal. It can be what you want it to be. There's no rules. That's how we always looked at it. If there are rules, they can be broken. We're proud that we're a heavy metal band, and we've flown the flag for years as a heavy metal band and always will."

Tipton joined JUDAS PRIEST in Newark during the group's three-song encore, featuring the tracks "Metal Gods", "Breaking The Law" and "Living After Midnight".

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.





Nothing could have made me happier than to see this! Welcome back Glenn! Amazing set from Judas Priest.Posted by Erik Luftglass on Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Veteran U.S. death metallers MALEVOLENT CREATION have inked a deal with Hammerheart Records. The group's new album is tentatively due later this year. There are also plans for MALEVOLENT CREATION to embark on a tour where they will play a set consisting of songs from their first five albums.

Hammerheart will gradually reissue all MALEVOLENT CREATION albums on LP, deluxe 2-CD, MC and as merchandise. This includes MALEVOLENT CREATION's first three albums for Roadrunner, the LPs for Pavement/Artic and all records released in the 21st century.

Hammerheart owner Guido Heijnens is also the manager for MALEVOLENT CREATION. All worldwide bookings are now taken care of by Eternal Rock.

MALEVOLENT CREATION's forthcoming 13th album will feature the band's current lineup, consisting of founding guitarist Phil Fasciana alongside new additions Lee Wollenschlaeger (vocals, guitar), Phil Cancilla (drums) and Josh L. Gibbs (bass).

Fasciana stated about MALEVOLENT CREATION's latest incarnation: "After receiving so many great videos and songs from singers wanting to take over the vocal position after the departure of original vocalist Bret Hoffman, I finally have found the right man for the job.

"I received a few songs from Lee Wollenschlaeger and his solo project IMPERIAL EMPIRE and was so impressed that after a lot of conversations and hearing his own compositions and demos of him singing MALEVOLENT CREATION songs, I could not deny his talent.

"The demo song posted below is one of his songs that I really liked and told him we could work with his song for the next MALEVOLENT CREATION album and let people hear our new vocalist and his talent. He is also playing guitar in the band, which makes us now a four-piece.

"To prove my commitment to him that he is now the vocalist, I posted this demo song that he wrote and that is being re-recorded as we speak so he can re-write the lyrics and I can lay down a couple guitar solos for this song.

"We will be posting some more music with Lee Wollenschlaeger singing MALEVOLENT CREATION songs, and between the music i have written for the next album and his music, as well as our bassist and drummer who both write music as well, we now have a band that is dedicated to record the heaviest MALEVOLENT CREATION album yet."

MALEVOLENT CREATION's new lineup:

Phil Fasciana - Guitar

Lee Wollenschlaeger - Vocals/Guitar

Phil Cancilla - Drums

Josh L. Gibbs - Bass

MALEVOLENT CREATION's latest album, "Dead Man's Path", was released in 2015 via Century Media.

Swedish death metallers AMON AMARTH are "halfway through writing" material for their next album.

The follow-up to 2016's "Jomsviking" will mark the band's recording debut with drummer Jocke Wallgren, who joined AMON AMARTH two years ago.

Speaking to Australia's Heavy magazine on Saturday (March 24), AMON AMARTH bassist Ted Lundström said (see video below): "We're halfway through writing the new album, and the new stuff sounds amazing, so we're really stoked to get back into the studio as soon as possible."

Asked if the new AMON AMARTH music sounds like a progression from "Jomsviking", Ted said: "We're always trying to take it to the next step, but in the end, even when we [say], 'We're gonna do something really different,' it will still end up sounding like AMON AMARTH anyways. We're doomed — we're always gonna sound like this."

"Jomsviking" debuted at No. 19 on The Billboard 200, having shifted 21,000 equivalent album units in the week ending March 31, 2016. The disc was released via Metal Blade in North America and Sony Music internationally. The first concept record in AMON AMARTH's storied career was produced and mixed once again by Andy Sneap (JUDAS PRIEST, MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, ACCEPT).

AMON AMARTH enlisted a session drummer, Tobias Gustafsson (VOMITORY, CUT UP), during the recording sessions for "Jomsviking", following the departure of longtime drummer Fredrik Andersson.

Lundström previously described Wallgren as "a super-solid drummer" who is "very professional" and "very on-the-spot all the time." He added: "It is much easier to play if you have a drummer who is [tight]. It makes our lives easier."

According to Deadline, David Costabile, who stars in Showtime's original hit drama series "Billions", has been tapped to play MÖTLEY CRÜE's manager Doc McGhee in the film adaptation of the group's biography, "The Dirt - Confessions Of The World's Most Notorious Rock Band".

The movie, which is being helmed by "Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa" director Jeff Tremaine, will also reportedly star Daniel Webber ("The Punisher") as frontman Vince Neil, Douglas Booth as bassist Nikki Sixx, Machine Gun Kelly as drummer Tommy Lee, and Iwan Rheon ("Game Of Thrones") as guitarist Mick Mars. Playing rock and roll legend Ozzy Osbourne in the film will reportedly be actor-comedian Tony Cavalero, while Rebekah Graf ("The Amityville Murders", "Lycan") will play actress Heather Locklear, ex-wife of Tommy Lee.

"The Dirt" is being produced by LBI Entertainment's Julie Yorn and Rick Yorn, along with Erik Olsen and Amanda Adelson, who wrote the script. Netflix will distribute the project, which was previously at Focus and before that at Paramount.

Neil previously told Las Vegas Magazine that "The Dirt" movie script stays "pretty close to 'The Dirt', so if you've read 'The Dirt', it's really something to look forward to."

Asked how it struck him that he would be seeing an actor playing him on screen, Vince said: "That's gonna be strange. It's funny, I saw the table read of the last script. They have these different actors playing each person, and even just the table read of the script was weird when the Vince guy was talking. [Laughs] It wasn't the guy that's gonna play me, but it was just kind of weird hearing somebody say your words. It's a bit of a trip."

SONS OF APOLLO — the progressive metal supergroup featuring former DREAM THEATER bandmates Mike Portnoy and Derek Sherinian, as well as bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, THE WINERY DOGS), guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (GUNS N' ROSES) and vocalist Jeff Scott Soto (JOURNEY, TALISMAN, W.E.T.) — has released a new digital EP, "Alive / Tengo Vida". The six-track release includes a Spanish-language version of the group's current single, "Alive", as well as acoustic renditions and radio edits of the song in both English and Spanish.

"Alive / Tengo Vida" track listing:

01. Alive

02. Alive (radio edit)

03. Alive (acoustic version)

04. Tengo Vida ("Alive" Spanish version)

05. Tengo Vida ("Alive" Spanish version - radio edit)

06. Tengo Vida ("Alive" Spanish acoustic version)


A music video for "Tengo Vida" is due to premiere next week.

The release of "Alive / Tengo Vida" precedes SONS OF APOLLO's upcoming tour dates in Mexico and South America, after which the group will hit the road in North America for a month-long tour. From there, SONS OF APOLLO will spend much of the summer performing at European festivals, including Germany's Wacken Open Air, France's Hellfest and Belgium's Graspop Metal Meeting. The group will continue to tour Europe in the fall, including a special performance alongside an orchestra at the Ancient Theatre in Plovdiv, Bulgaria on September 22. That night, the band will perform two sets — one of which, says Portnoy, will be a "very special covers set" — and record the show for a future live CD/DVD.

SONS OF APOLLO's debut album "Psychotic Symphony" was released last October via InsideOut Music. It sold around 5,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release, earning the band the top position on Billboard's Heatseekers chart, which focuses on top-selling albums by new or developing acts, defined as those who have never appeared on the top 100 of the Billboard 200.

DRESS THE DEAD, the band featuring ex-FORBIDDEN guitarist Craig Locicero and WITCH MOUNTAIN singer Kayla Dixon, has released the official lyric video for the song "Promises And Kisses".

Dixon was announced as DRESS THE DEAD's new vocalist in January. She joined the band as the replacement for former THE HAUNTED frontman Peter Dolving, who left DRESS THE DEAD in March 2017. The split happened only three months after DRESS THE DEAD — whose lineup also includes Mark Hernandez on drums, James Walker on bass and Dan Delay on guitar — played its first two shows at Slim's in San Francisco, California as the support act for DEATH ANGEL.

Kayla made her live debut with DRESS THE DEAD at the January 20 benefit concert for VIO-LENCE singer Sean Killian at The Midway in San Francisco, California.

Said Locicero: "Back when my last band was coming to a close, I immediately wrote a pile of new riffs and the music came in a creative flurry. Never thinking about what I was doing, just riffing. Some of it was heavy, aggressive and thrashy while other things were more melodic and, in some cases, very beautiful.

"One of the first things that poured out was the clean intro to 'Promises And Kisses'. It sounded like water to me. Rain, oceans, rivers and storms in my head.

"When I first approached Peter Dolving about helping me form DRESS THE DEAD, 'Promises And Kisses' was in the first batch of riffs. Once Mark, James and Dan got involved, our sound quickly started developing into something pretty cool and unique. We felt the potential was farther reaching than originally anticipated.

"Peter eventually came to the Bay Area and we put our heads together with Robb Flynn [MACHINE HEAD] for the recording. Peter had the outline of something special and we were all excited. Unfortunately, when we played 'Promises And Kisses' for other people, some of them didn't connect to the emotion he was conveying. They only thought of him only as the singer from THE HAUNTED. Their minds were already made up.

"Once Peter unexpectedly left the band a couple of months later, he made it clear he wanted us to continue to play the three songs we wrote together. Easier said than done. I told him only if we could find somebody who could do them justice. One came close, but nobody made it their own until Kayla Dixon.

"'Promises And Kisses' was the first song that Kayla auditioned with back in October. She sent me a demo two days after we spoke and added elements that Peter's original version didn't have. Kayla took liberties with it and the result was amazing. She takes 'Promises And Kisses' to another level. Commanding and vulnerable at the same time. It sounds perfect coming from her female point of view.

"Kayla has the rare ability to do what the greatest singers can. She not only writes her own lyrics and melodies, but expounds and re-imagine others' songs to make them her own.

"Once we got Kayla into the studio with Robb, the real magic happened. Robb suggested she sit down and think about what these songs meant to her. Most importantly, he captured an amazing performance. Kayla was pretty much limitless in the studio. As a result, everything she recorded has a tangible connection. What we've been writing since then is equally as strong.

"We feel we must give Peter the deserved credit for his artistry. The stuff that made me want to be in a band with him in the first place. He set the bar so high that we couldn’t find the right person to replace him. Not until Kayla Dixon walked through our door and rocked us to the core.

"Nobody saw it coming.

"Dolving left us some almost impossible shoes to fill until Kayla came in and stomped down her own footprint."

Dixon said that she first learned about DRESS THE DEAD after "a mutual friend reached out" to her. "One of my first thoughts was, 'I don't know if I'm ready or even at an appropriate talent level to be replacing someone like Peter Dolving for these guys,'" she said. "I'd battled with the idea in my head for several months before finally reaching out. I had listened to and loved '1969' but what really hit me hard was when I heard the other songs that are still unreleased that they sent me. I had no idea how musically diverse this band would turn out to be!"

Gene Simmons says that he "had nothing to do" with KISS's recent attempt to trademark the phrase "The End Of The Road." An application from KISS was filed on February 8 to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, which — should it be accepted — means that the band could use it in connection with "live performances by a musical band." As it stands now, no official farewell tour has been announced.

During a question-and-answer session as part of the KISS bassist/vocalist's "Vault Experience" event this past weekend in New York City, Simmons was asked about the "The End Of The Road" application and what it means for the band's future.

"I had nothing to do with that," Gene said (see video below). "I really don't know who stuck it on there, and I don't know if it's a fan or somebody in the band. I would tell you the truth. I literally don't know anything about it. KISS is playing some big outdoor shows in Spain in July. Around there, the GENE SIMMONS BAND is playing, headlining some festivals and stuff like that. We're very lucky. I have a ball doing it, playing obscure songs like 'I' and 'She's So European', stuff we've never played before. So I get to have a great time. But as regards to your [question], I have no idea."

Simmons's KISS bandmate Paul Stanley recently confirmed that he was behind "The End Of The Road" trademark application, telling journalist Michael Cavacini: "It's not the first trademark that's been filed. I thought it was a terrific name, and I was surprised nobody had used it before. I wanted to make sure that when we used it, and there will be a time that we do, I imagine — I wanted to be sure that we own it and it's ours. When we wanted to go out and do the 'Hottest Show On Earth' tour, Ringling Bros. came to us and said, 'You can't do that.' It set off a light and bell for me. We've always had slogans or sayings that are synonymous with us, and this was another. Everything does end, in one form or another. When it's my time, I want to go out in style, and I want to go out guns blazing. So, when I came up with this idea, I thought let's make sure we tie this up."

KISS had once before publicly announced its plans to call it quits nearly 20 years ago. Stanley later said that the band's tumultuous "Farewell Tour" in 2000 was nothing more than an attempt by the group to "put KISS out of its misery" after years of ego clashes and disagreements over songwriting credits between the band's original members.

Stanley has repeatedly said that the band could one day continue without him and bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons, explaining in an interview: "Once the original [KISS lineup] was no more, it just became clear to us that, in some ways, we're much more a sports team. We don't fall into the limitations of other bands, because we're not other bands. So, yeah, at some point, I'd love to see somebody in the band in my place, and it's because I love the band."

Back in January, Stanley said that he wasn't sure "about the idea of KISS coming to an end. We've built something that's so iconic, and I think it transcends any of the members so I can certainly see me not being there, seriously." He also spoke about his reasons for wanting to spend less time on the road. "I don't want to go leave home," he said. "I have a family and I have children and, honestly, I think my primary responsibility is to be a dad, and I don't want to miss out on that. And certainly, as we got older, we know that life is finite and I pick and choose what I want to do at this point."

On June 1, Bludgeon Riffola/Mercury/UMe fires the first salvo in DEF LEPPARD's projected four-volume career-spanning box set series, when the appropriately dubbed "Volume One" appears in multidisc LP and CD collections. The collection arrives in time for this summer's highly anticipated DEF LEPPARD co-headline tour with JOURNEY.

This first volume of the band's complete recorded output comes in both limited-edition 180-gram heavyweight vinyl and CD box sets, each featuring DEF LEPPARD's first four studio albums — along with some choice bonus live and studio material — all spread across 8LPs and 7CDs, respectively.

The "Volume One" collection includes bonus material, including "Live At The LA Forum 1983", originally released as a bonus disc in the deluxe CD version of "Pyromania", making this the first-ever vinyl offering of the complete show. This 2LP version comes with a new sleeve and inner bags.

"Rarities Volume 1" has been specially compiled by Joe Elliott, containing rare B-sides and recordings from DEF LEPPARD's early years, all in a newly commissioned sleeve. Finally, rounding out this collection is the 7-inch vinyl single and 3-inch CD of DEF LEPPARD's original, self-titled EP.

The fiery "Volume One" collection contains all of DEF LEPPARD's iconic 1980s recordings with reproductions of the original packaging in both formats, plus the added bonus of a replica 7-inch single and 3-inch CD of the band's original independent EP, the self-titled "The Def Leppard E.P.".

Each album in the box set was mastered by longtime band producer/soundmaster Ronan McHugh and cut by Greg Moore.

Housed in rigid boxes, the "Volume One" collection also contains a hardback book with rare photos by longstanding band confidant Ross Halfin and liner notes by Classic Rock's Paul Elliott. DEF LEPPARD bandmembers Joe Elliott, bassist Rick Savage, drummer Rick Allen, and guitarist Phil Collen have all also contributed their personal introductions to the collection.

"Volume One" is an extraordinary early chronicle of a band whose global impact only continues to grow. DEF LEPPARD have a cumulative sales tally of over 100 million albums worldwide, not to mention putting on consistently sold-out world tours. DEF LEPPARD recently authorized their entire recorded catalog for access on streaming and download platforms, a move that resulted in a nearly 400 percent surge in catalog sales on the first day alone, as well as appearances in the iTunes Top 10 charts in over 30 countries worldwide.

"Volume One" kicks off with DEF LEPPARD's 1980 debut album "On Through The Night", which immediately put the rock world on notice that the band were destined for big things, having charted at No. 15 in the U.K. and No. 51 in the U.S. Produced by Tom Allom (JUDAS PRIEST, BLACK SABBATH), "On Through The Night" features many of the band's live favorites ("Rock Brigade", "Hello America"), along with updated versions of early singles ("Rocks Off"). The album achieved platinum status in 1989, and the version included here is the rare Australian gatefold-sleeve version.

Released in 1981, "High 'N' Dry" was DEF LEPPARD's second platinum album and the first to be produced by Robert "Mutt" Lange (AC/DC, FOREIGNER). It reached No. 26 in the U.K. and No. 38 in the U.S., having garnered much impactful FM airplay with the propulsive "Let It Go" and one of the band's most popular signature tunes to this day, "Bringin' On The Heartbreak".

"Pyromania", released in 1983, saw the band become indisputable rock legends. It was the first record to feature guitars by Phil Collen, who had replaced Pete Willis. The album contains massive MTV hits "Photograph" and "Rock Of Ages", as well as fist-pumper "Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)". "Pyromania" reached No. 2 in the U.S. and went diamond, with over 10 million album sales.

DEF LEPPARD released "Hysteria" in 1987, the band's best-selling record to date having sold over 25 million copies worldwide. It went to No. 1 in the U.K., U.S., and Australia, and is also the band's second album to achieve diamond status in the U.S.. Notes Collen: "Not many people even get platinum albums anymore! Going diamond is going 10 times platinum in America, which is a huge deal — and we've got two of those. We're really pleased that we got them. It's pretty cool that we've achieved that."

Produced by Mutt Lange, "Hysteria" took over three years to make, ultimately featuring seven charting singles (including No. 1 smash "Love Bites" and "Pour Some Sugar On Me"), and has been rightly nicknamed as "heavy metal's 'Thriller'." Clocking in at just over 62 minutes, "Hysteria" was then one of the longest albums ever issued on a single vinyl record — but for this special box set release, it has been made into a double LP for maximum sound-quality purposes.

DEF LEPPARD's collective vocal prowess is but one of the many things that helped cement their unparalleled standing in rock history, as Joe Elliott explains: "The way we did our harmonies was based on the multitracking abilities of a band like QUEEN, but we took what they did to the next level. QUEEN maybe tripled or quadrupled their backing vocals — but we did it like 20 times! We wanted it to sound like the quality of QUEEN but have the size of SLADE. The way we did it gave us a unique sound. And that's the whole point of an album, really — capturing a band's unique dynamics." Adds Phil Collen: "The American bands had beautiful vocals, with all those wonderful harmonies. But we added a bit of a punk ethos in there with ours, where it became a bit more charming and anthemic with screaming and shouting. And that was a very British thing, I think, that made us different from a lot of the American bands."

For the full track listing, click here.

RUSH has released the official lyric video for the title track of the band's landmark album "A Farewell To Kings" — the fifth studio LP originally released in 1977, which introduced the radio hit "Closer To The Heart", album tracks "Madrigal", "Cinderella Man", as well as enduring fan favorites with "Xanadu" and "Cygnus X-1". The clip was created by Adam Jones of ALJ Innovations and features original artwork by Hugh Syme and illustration by Fantoons.

"A Farewell To Kings" was released last fall in a lavish and expanded edition.

"A Farewell To Kings - 40th Anniversary" is available to fans in four distinct configurations, including (1) Super Deluxe Edition, (2) three-CD Deluxe Edition, (3) four-LP Deluxe Edition, and (4) the Deluxe Digital Edition.

The Super Deluxe Edition includes three CDs, one Blu-ray Audio disc and four high-quality 180-gram vinyl LPs. The set encompasses the Abbey Road mastering studios 2015 remastered edition of the album for the first time on CD; a complete RUSH concert recorded in February 1978 at London's Hammersmith Odeon, newly mixed by longtime RUSH engineer and original "A Farewell To Kings" producer Terry Brown from the multi-track live tapes; four newly recorded cover versions of songs from the original album by DREAM THEATER, BIG WRECK, THE TREWS and Alain Johannes; and an instrumental studio outtake of the spacey sound effects the band has creatively titled "Cygnus X-2 Eh". The Hammersmith show features, for the first time ever, over thirty-four minutes of unreleased performances including a complete "2112" suite, "Lakeside Park", a drum solo and "Closer To The Heart". The Super Deluxe Edition's audio content on its CDs is duplicated on its vinyl discs. Meanwhile, the Blu-ray audio disc contains a brand new 5.1 Surround mix of the album by four-time Grammy-nominated Surround Sound producer Steven Wilson, along with three original 1977 promo videos from a newly found two-inch quad video master significantly improving the video quality for "Closer To The Heart". The Super Deluxe package also includes an elaborate new fortieth-anniversary cover treatment by longtime RUSH creative director Hugh Syme, who has also created a new piece of artwork for each of the album's six songs, and an extensive twelve-thousand-word liner notes by Grammy-winning rock historian Rob Bowman.

The Super Deluxe Edition of "A Farewell To Kings - 40th Anniversary" also includes several exclusive items, including a unique King's Ring, with custom velvet pouch and neck chain; two lithographs with original artwork by Hugh Syme; a special twelve-inch turntable mat featuring distinctive artwork by Hugh Syme; and a reproduction of RUSH's original 1978 "A Farewell To Kings" tour program.

"A Farewell To Kings - 40th Anniversary" second configuration was released in a three-CD Deluxe Edition, with the newly reasserted "A Farewell To Kings" album, the Hammersmith Odeon show, the four new cover songs, "Cygnus X-2 Eh" outtake, Hugh Syme's song-specific artwork and Rob Bowman's liner notes.

The third configuration is offered as an audiophile 180-gram four-LP Deluxe Edition featuring the same audio content as the three-CD edition with double-gatefold packaging, thirty-two-page vinyl-size booklet, the special twelve-inch turntable mat, along with Syme's artwork and Bowman's liner notes.

The fourth configuration, the Deluxe Digital Edition, features the original album as disc 1, the complete Hammersmith concert unedited as disc 2, and the four covers songs plus the "Cygnus X-2 Eh" outtake as disc 3.

According to Billboard, METALLICA's latest album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", has landed at position No. 2 on this weekend's Billboard 200 chart, following sizable sales generated from a concert ticket/album sale redemption offer with the band's upcoming U.S. and Canada tour. (The redemptions count as sales.) The disc, which arrived in November 2016, shifted approximately 65,000 equivalent album units in the week ending March 22.

Unlike XXXTentacion's "?", which topped this weekend's chart, METALLICA's No. 2 showing is driven by traditional album sales, as 63,000 of its 65,000 units were in pure sales.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

When METALLICA bundled "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct" with tickets to its North American stadium tour last year, the band worked with WMG to remind fans to download the album, pushing it back up to No. 2 on the Billboard 200.

According to Billboard, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct" is METALLICA's 12th album to sell at least a million copies since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991.

In total, the group has sold 58 million albums in the U.S. in the Nielsen Music era, and owns the overall top-selling album of that span of time: its self-titled 1991 release, with nearly 17 million sold.

Who Brought The Dog, the solo project launched by The New Black guitarist Fabian "Fabs" Schwarz featuring BraveWords scribe Carl Begai and The New Black drummer Philipp Klinger, have issued the following update:

"Hey folks, check out the new Who Brought The Dog song 'Hidden And Hollow'. It’s about the slow destruction of a relationship.... and the 'blue pill' in the song is not Viagra! If you’re a nerd you’ll get the reference. Musically, this song has everything including choirs, tubular bells..... and a banjo. Seriously."

Who Brought The Dog have released two songs for free via Bandcamp. "I'm With The Banned" is an anti-bullying, anti-racism, anti-sexism, anti-Trump rant, "Three Days" is a cancer survivor song, lyrics written by Carl and Canadian rocker Bif Naked.

The download is free, but anyone interested in supporting Deutsche Krebshilfe / German Cancer Aid (www.krebshilfe.de) can make donations on Bandcamp. Please add the code AK 49006511 to your PayPal transaction.

The Singles by Who Brought The Dog

Who Brought The Dog recently released a new video for the song "Mouth". Check it out below.

Carl: "Here's a fun video for a serious song about the posers out there who live on big talk, big money, big make-up and empty words, with nothing useful to offer anyone. Dedicated to the Donald Trumps and Kylie Jenners of the world."

Fabs: "The video features the last appearance of my gorgeous white guitar, which was severely damaged in a bizarre gardening accident a couple weeks before the shoot. Her final act of awesome was to make a dream of mine come true by throwing a guitar like a real cool motherfucker."

Swedish bashers Morgana Lefay, who have been silent for years, have been confirmed to play the Karlslundsfestivalen in their home town of Bollnäs, Sweden this summer. Organizers have issued the following update:

"It's finally done! And with the record in hand, it would have almost been easier to get The Ramones here, but now... the rumors have been been around online for a couple of years: 'Have they put down?' and 'Is it over?' from small fanzine in the deepest forests of Chile to large warehouses in the States like Rolling Stones. No one's had a clue. Until now today!"

Karlslundsfestivalen takes place on June 29th and 30th at Langnäsparken. Go to this location for information and updates.

In addition, Morgana Lefay have confirmed their first ever performance in Greece. On October 21st they will play in Athens at the Kyttaro live club with German metal veterans Sacred Steel. Event information (in Greek) can be found here.

Strapping Young Lad founder Devin Townsend recently decided to "take a break" from the Devin Townsend Project. Following his announcement that he has put the Devin Townsend Project on indefinite hiatus while he works on other projects, two members of DTP have teamed up with a couple of members of Townsend's former group, Strapping Young Lad, to form a new band. Joining drummer Ryan Van Poederooyen and guitarist Brian "Beav" Waddell (who played bass in DTP) are bassist Byron Stroud, second guitarist Jed Simon and vocalist Jon Howard.

The new band is now officially known as Imonolith. They are now active on social media via Facebook and Instagram. Check both pages for information and updates.

The band has checked in with the following update:

"Ryan Van Poederooyen completed some of the Imonolith drum tracks yesterday for our first album. All we can say is we're beyond lucky to have an A-List producer, engineer and mixer in Jay Van Poederooyen. Yesterday, Ryan said, without a doubt in his mind, he got the best sounding drum sound out of ANY recording he's ever done. Hands down. No question. RVP's Sonor drums and Sabian cymbals sounded simply incredible. The whole band was beyond stoked. Jay said it's the best drum sound he's dialled up in his career to date. That's saying something! Natural drums, NO SAMPLES! It was a great start to the recording. Today we're on to Jed's guitars. Stay posted for more pics and updates as we go along. Thanks for the support and stay posted!"

Band lineup:
-Jon Howard (Threat Signal) - Vocals
-Jed Simon (Vimic, Strapping Young Lad, Scar The Martyr) - Guitar
-Brian "Beav" Waddell (Devin Townsend Project) - Guitar
-Byron Stroud (Strapping Young Lad) - Bass
-Ryan Van Poederooyen (Devin Townsend Project) - Drums

Photo by LIM SANG Photography