INVIDIA, the new band featuring former and current members of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, IN THIS MOMENT and SKINLAB, will release its debut album, "As The Sun Sleeps", on March 31 via SPV. The disc's title track can now be streamed below.

Stated INVIDIA guitarist Brian Jackson: "I'm really happy we decided to release 'As The Sun Sleeps'. This track is honestly one of my personal favorites and it's the absolute opposite of what we just released with our last single, 'Feed The Fire', which is more of a heavy rock, radio-friendly song. It shows that the record has to offer a very diverse range and can be on the heavier side of things. 'As The Sun Sleeps' is really guitar-riff-oriented with pounding drums and heavy breakdowns. I think the metalheads will be pleasantly surprised once they hear this track."

Fans may recognize vocalist Travis Johnson as the bassist from in IN THIS MOMENT as well as bassist Matt Snell as ex-member of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH. Guitarists Brian Jackson and and Marcos Medina have worked together in SKINLAB. Since forming at the start of 2016, INVIDIA has had one purpose — to create good rock music with no rules and an open mind, leading them to immerse in everything from "radio rock" to "Bay Area thrash" and all that lies in between. INVIDIA has allowed each of the members of the band to produce music in their purest form.

"As The Sun Sleeps" track listing:

01. Now Or Never02. Making My Amends03. Feed The Fire04. Rotten05. Marching Dead06. Smell The Kill07. Til Death08. Step Up09. Truth In The Sky10. The Other Side11. As The Sun Sleeps

"As The Sun Sleeps" was produced and co-written by Logan Mader (ONCE HUMAN, MACHINE HEAD). "I loved working on this album!" he said. "INVIDIA's sound has huge balls while maintaining a great sense of mass appeal with big hooks and heavy grooves. The guys are dead serious about making it all happen and very self-sufficient. Producing records like this makes my job fun and inspiring."

Regarding the vibe and feel of "As The Sun Sleeps", Mader said: "I would call it hard rock/metal with big balls. It's got big choruses. It's got big hooks. It also has a serious 'metal energy,' which is where we all come from in our musical backgrounds. There are some songs that fit the American active rock radio format. There are some songs with a modern-industrial-type feel mixed with a kind of a pop sensibility and big chorus. The other end of the spectrum is more of a groove metal which draws a little bit from that classic PANTERA vibe. It gives it that sort of heavy testosterone metal feel."

In an interview with Rich Inzinna and Paula Noto from "The S.I.R.E.N." radio show on iRadioUSA.com, Travis stated about how INVIDIA was formed: "This all came together super fast and super flawless. I guess stars kind of aligned, really. I put something up online and Brian hit me up. He said, 'Dude, I'd be totally down t do some work together,' and that kind of thing. And I was, like, 'You know what? I totally miss singing. And I'm totally down for that.'"

He continued: "The funny thing is, everybody that's involved in this project as of now has worked together at different times except for me and Brian. So it's almost funny. It was like this circle that was just missing a piece for it all to connect. So once me and Brian got together, the whole circle came together, and within six weeks, this whole record's done, completely recorded, everybody's in place. And it's almost super ironic the way it all came together."

Travis, who still plays bass in IN THIS MOMENT, added: "We're all super excited about this project. I'm stoked to be singing again. I love playing bass, obviously, but I've been a singer for a long fucking time. I just took a huge break, so it's good to be able to kind of get back into it and kind of have my cake and eat it too, and be on both sides."

INVIDIA is:

* Matt Snell (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH) - Bass* Travis Johnson (IN THIS MOMENT) - Vocals* Brian Jackson (SKINLAB) - Guitar* Darren Badorine - Drums* Marcos Medina (SKINLAB) - Guitar

Photo credit: Fred Morledge / PhotoFM.com

Fan-filmed video footage of HELLYEAH's March 7 performance at Brewster Street Icehouse in Corpus Christi, Texas can be seen below.

HELLYEAH's fifth album, "Unden!able", was released on June 3, 2016 via Eleven Seven Music. The effort marks the first time HELLYEAH's current lineup — vocalist Chad Gray, guitarists Tom Maxwell and Christian Brady, drummer Vinnie Paul and bassist Kyle Sanders — has recorded together as a unit.

"Unden!able" includes some guitar work from late PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. Dimebag's brother, Vinnie Paul, dug out a recording that the brothers did many years ago of the Phil Collins song "I Don't Care Anymore". The rest of HELLYEAH overdubbed their own parts on to the cover for the album.

HELLYEAH's previous album, 2014's "Blood for Blood", was the album metal fans and critics were waiting for HELLYEAH to make, based on the revered metal pedigree of the individual members. Such an artistic achievement — the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hard Rock album chart — meant the band set the bar incredibly high. HELLYEAH does not disappoint with "Unden!able". "We turned a corner with 'Blood For Blood' and we wanted to continue that path," Paul stated. "It's much heavier and darker, and we take it to another extreme."

STONE SOUR's singles "Bother" and "Through Glass" have been certified platinum (one million units; each unit is equal to 1 paid download or 150 streams) and gold (half a million units), respectively, by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America).

In February 2016, the RIAA began including on-demand audio and video streams and a track sale equivalent in determining which releases get the coveted album awards, a change that followed a similar tweak in 2013 to include on-demand streams for its Digital Single Award.

As part of the new rules, 1,500 streams count as an album unit. This move came on the heels of its 2013 alteration to its Gold Single award where it announced that 100 streams would count as a single download, and in January 2016 had upped that ratio to 150 streams in recognition of how streaming had grown.

"Bother" is taken from STONE SOUR's gold-certified 2002 self-titled album, while "Through Glass" originally appeared on the band's gold-certified 2006 follow-up, "Come What(ever) May".

STONE SOUR's sixth studio album, "Hydrograd", will be released in June, although an exact date has yet to be unveiled. The disc was recorded at Sphere Studios in North Hollywood, California.

Singer Corey Taylor has hinted that the band will leak a "heavier anthem tune" ahead of the album's release.

About the direction of the disc, Taylor told BBC Radio One: "This album is great because it's got elements of everything. It's got the heavy energy of the '80s, there's punk moments, there's hard rock moments, all the great amalgam of music. There's even jazz and hip-hop moments. It's really, really cool."

STONE SOUR's last full set of new material was the "House Of Gold & Bones" double album, which was released in two parts in 2012 and 2013.

"The Shadow Archetype", the new album from Swedish death metallers EVOCATION, can be streamed in its entirety below. The disc is being released today (Friday, March 10) via Metal Blade.

Featuring a cover and layout by Xaay (BEHEMOTH, NILE), "The Shadow Archetype" was recorded at three different studios. Backing vocals, mixing and mastering were done at Dugout Productions. Daniel Bergstrand handled the recording of backing vocals and mixing. George Nerantzis handled the mastering. Drums were recorded at Crehate Studios together with studio engineer Oscar Nilsson.

"The Shadow Archetype" also features veteran drummer Per Moller Jensen (THE HAUNTED, INVOCATOR) on session drums. Per sets a new death metal standard on the new EVOCATION album with his complex, yet groovy drumming, which we know well from his time in THE HAUNTED. Guitars, bass, and lead vocals were recorded by the band in their own studio, Acacia Avenue Recordings.

"We started recording the drums in late June 2015 and did the last recordings with vocals in June 2016. So, we spent roughly a year in the studio with 'The Shadow Archetype'," explains guitarist Marko Palmen. "In my opinion, the production is our strongest so far. It has all the elements I want in a production; raw brutality with a distinctive punch!"

"The Shadow Archetype" track listing:

01. Into Ruins02. Condemned To The Grave03. Modus Operandi04. Children Of Stone05. The Coroner06. The Shadow Archetype07. Blind Obedience08. Survival Of The Sickest09. Sulphur And Blood10. Imperium Fall11. Dark Day Sunrise

EVOCATION is:

Thomas Josefsson - vocalsMarko Palmen - guitarSimon Exner - guitarGustaf Jorde - bassPer Moller Jensen - session drums on the album

San Francisco Bay Area metallers TESTAMENT have teamed up with Rocket 88, an imprint of the established British book production company Essential Works, for the release of a book called "The Official Illustrated History".

According to a press release, "The Official Illustrated History" will offer "the full story of the Bay Area thrash kings as told by the band in their own words. Heavily illustrated with rare and candid photographs, memorabilia and using recently unearthed band archives from the halcyon days of heavy music in the early 1980s, this is the ultimate TESTAMENT book.

"From 'The Legacy' in 1987 through to 2016's 'Brotherhood Of The Snake', longtime members Chuck Billy, Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick tell TESTAMENT's incredible history in full detail and glorious color."

Said TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy: "Wow! It's hard to believe, but it's been thirty years since we released 'The Legacy'. And we've been talking about what a great trip it's been and wanted to put it on record. So we're creating a book with the Rocket 88 guys. We've dug up tons of photos and memories, and they'll all be in there. We're telling our own side of the story. Each and every one of us has a different version. I'm sure that's gonna be very interesting."

Those interested in the book can register at TestamentBook.com to receive updates on its progress, get your name printed in the book and receive a discount on the final price.

Asked in a 2012 interview with Powerline magazine what he would attribute TESTAMENT's longevity to, Billy said: "In the '90s, metal was kind of a bad word. Over the last ten, twelve years or so, there's been a lot more new generations of thrash-style music and it's getting more popular. It's just a new generation of that fan base. There's always gonna be a young rebellious teenager looking for something against the grain. And heavy metal's always been the answer, it seems like, or punk rock or something. I think bands like us kind of survived those '90s and are still creating music that doesn't sound like it's dated, or like a thirty-year-old band writing the same stuff. You always try to keep it new and different with every record we do. I think that's what kept us alive. And it just happens that there's a true spirit at heart still driving us."

"Half As Dead", a brand new song from DEMON HUNTER, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "Outlive", which will be released on March 31 through a partnership with Solid State Records. The disc, which is the band's eighth overall and the follow-up to 2014's "Extremist", is now available for pre-order here.

DEMON HUNTER has shared the track listing and the final two covers for "Outlive". The covers revealed here are exclusive to both retail and to this pre-order. The first cover is for the digital and CD versions. The second cover is for the double vinyl.

The band will also release a beautifully packaged "Outlive" box set that will certainly appeal to DEMON HUNTER's legion of diehard fans. The box set includes two bonus tracks, a behind-the-scenes DVD, photo cards, booklet, poster, bandana, a ring, and more. It is housed in a drawer-style box with metallic gold detail and is a true collector piece.

DEMON HUNTER will make a rare live performance this summer, appearing at Chicago Open Air, which takes place July 14-16 at Toyota Park in Bridgeview, Illinois. The band is scheduled to perform on Sunday, July 16.

"Outlive" track listing:

01. Trying Times02. Jesus Wept03. Cold Winter Sun04. Died In My Sleep05. Half As Dead06. Cold Blood07. One Step Behind08. Raining Down09. The End10. One Less11. Patience12. Slight The Odds

"Extremist", the band's most recent album, enjoyed a Top 20 debut on The Billboard 200 in 2014. "The Last One Alive", "Artificial Light" and "I Will Fail You" received an amount of airplay unprecedented in the band's storied career, a legacy that has seen the group sell over 600,000 albums in North America. Like the album before it, "Outlive" was produced and engineered by DEMON HUNTER guitarist Jeremiah Scott (LIVING SACRIFICE, THE SHOWDOWN) with additional production by the group's longtime collaborator Aaron Sprinkle (ANBERLIN, NEW FOUND GLORY). "Outlive" was mixed by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (ROB ZOMBIE, HATEBREED, QUEENSRŸCHE). DEMON HUNTER formed in Seattle in 2001. The lineup features singer Ryan Clark alongside co-founder Jonathan Dunn (bass), drummer Tim "Yogi" Watts (drums, since 2004), lead guitarist Patrick Judge (since 2008) and guitarist Scott (since 2011). Clark remains the primary songwriter, with increasing contributions from Judge. "Patrick's contributions to 'Outlive' unveil an exciting new path for the future of the band," promises the frontman. "He wrote the music for 'Cold Winter Sun' and it's absolutely one of my favorites from the record." DEMON HUNTER's dedicated supporters wear the group's symbol and lyrics on their shirts, vests, backpacks, and in many cases, on their skin. Based in both Seattle and Nashville, the group embraces brazenly transcendent melodies, without apology, while maintaining a defiant heaviness reminiscent of the most timeless of metal. A regular attraction at festivals, in theaters, and clubs, DEMON HUNTER has visited Europe, Australia, and South America, while touring North America several times. They were a headlining act on "Scream The Prayer", co-headlined with the band RED, played as direct support to IN FLAMES and introduced their fans to bands like AUGUST BURNS RED and HASTE THE DAY, who they took on tour with them early in their career. Put simply, DEMON HUNTER is an American metal institution.

"Remain Violent", the brand new Orie McGinness-directed video from Los Angeles-based thrash metallers WARBRINGER, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's fifth album, "Woe To The Vanquished", which will be released on March 31 via Napalm. The disc was produced and mixed by Mike Plottnikoff (FEAR FACTORY, IN FLAMES), mastered by Howie Weinberg (SLAYER, PANTERA), with cover art by Andreas Marschall (SODOM, BLIND GUARDIAN, OBITUARY).

"Woe To The Vanquished" track listing:

01. Silhouettes02. Woe To The Vanquished03. Remain Violent04. Shellfire05. Descending Blade06. Spectral Asylum07. Divinity Of Flesh08. When The Guns Fell Silent

Bonus 7" single track listing:

01. Evil Dead (DEATH cover featuring Chris Monroy of SKELETAL REMAINS) 02. Arc Lite (CORONER cover featuring Jadran "Conan" Gonzalez of EXMORTUS)

"Woe To The Vanquished" will be made available as:

* Regular jewel-case edition * 1LP gatefold edition (black and other colored editions)* Super deluxe wooden box warchest edition (CD, exclusive 2 track 7” single, flag, band logo dog tags) only available via the Napalm Records webstores in the U.S. and Europe — strictly limited to 500 copies!

WARBRINGER singer John Kevill, who is studying to be a history professor, explains the "Woe To The Vanquished" title: "The title 'Woe To The Vanquished' comes from early Roman history — before they were the huge empire they became. In 390 BC, a host of Gauls led by a warlord called Brennus attacked Rome, and captured all the city except the Capitoline Hill. From this hill, the defeated Romans made a bargain, they would pay 1,000 pounds of gold for the Gallic army to leave the city with no further bloodshed. The Romans bring the gold before Brennus, who uses his own scales to measure it. On the Gaul's scales, the Roman's thousand pounds of gold measured to be less, which led the Romans to complain that the scale was rigged (it probably was). Responding to this, Brennus speaks 'Vae Victis' (Woe To The Vanquished) and throws his sword on the counterweight. Because the Romans lost, they have to pay the rigged sum of gold as well as the weight of the sword, to add insult to injury. The irony here is that vowing this type of humiliation would never happen again, Rome went on to become an ancient war machine conquering and subjugating most of the old world. On the record, 'Woe To The Vanquished' is spoken in an ironic, mocking tone — the defeated are trampled and time marches on, uncaring, and forgets they ever existed."

He adds: "One of the great things about heavy metal as a genre is you can express tougher subject material than 'I met a (boy/girl) and it was (happy/sad).' I looked for the most monolithic evil I could find to write about with this destructive, intense music... and I did not have to look any further than reality. Forget Satan, that's a children's story. Real evil is in the hearts of men."

Hungarian neo thrash masters EKTOMORF are set to release their new DVD, titled "Warpath", on May 5th.

"Warpath" includes the band's entire gig from Wacken Open Air 2016 on DVD and CD, plus an amazing more than 60 minutes long, brutally honest and heavily entertaining behind-the-scenes documentary of Ektomorf’s tour life: "Live And Life On The Road". This is real as it gets! Audio mix was again handled by the band's longtime engineer Tue Madsen (Antfarm studios).

Tracklist DVD & CD:
01. Aggressor
02. Move On
03. Ambush In The Night
04. Holocaust
05. Black Flag
06. Evil By Nature
07. United Nations
08. Leech
09. Fuck You All
10. I Know Them
11. Outcast
12. Live And Life On The Road *
* Road Movie; on DVD only

Available for pre-order here:
http://shop.afm-records.de/ektomorf/

ME AND THAT MAN will release its debut album, "Songs Of Love And Death", on March 24 through Cooking Vinyl. Today, the band has released a new video for the album track "Cross My Heart And Hope To Die", which you watch below.

ME AND THAT MAN pairs BEHEMOTH founder, songwriter and singer Adam "Nergal" Darski with British/Polish rock musician John Porter. With the release of this side project, the duo puts away any pre-conceived ideas about what heavy music "should" be. The project draws heavily on blues, country and folk to make music as dark as if it was being screamed over shredding guitars. "Songs Of Love And Death" is a dark journey through sun-bleached, dusty plains, soundtracked by low-slung acoustic guitars and steeped in the rawest essence of rock and blues. The duo's debut will prove to be a revelatory affair for BEHEMOTH's huge global fan base, while simultaneously luring many more people into Nergal's artistic world. Fans of everything from Nick Cave, DANZIG, Leonard Cohen and Johnny Cash's American Recordings, through to the grim, frontier polemic of WOVENHAND will find countless mesmerizing moments on the album. "This album is not meant to turn ME AND THAT MAN fans into BEHEMOTH fans," Nergal notes. "If one day they follow, okay. Something like 'My Church Is Black' is a strong declaration, a song that naturally invites people from the extreme metal world, and perhaps they'll want to enter this world too. They might even like it. With ME AND THAT MAN, I'm telling simple stories in a simple way, not overloaded with metaphors and hidden meanings. It's just got to be as natural, organic and stripped down as it can be." He further explains: "With ME AND THAT MAN, the songs just come out in a very organic way. One would be bluesy, one would be more of a ballad, but put together they all made sense. I need ME AND THAT MAN to keep the balance, as the potential of my mother band seems limitless. It gets bigger and bigger, more advanced and more sophisticated... and darker ...and blacker. But ME AND THAT MAN is at the opposite pole, artistically speaking. With all the best art, once you have it in you, you have to release it, otherwise it becomes intoxicating and dangerous to your own system. This is how I deal with my emotions and my dark feelings and shadows. This is not happy music, but it's liberating." "This is a side-project, but I don't really know what it's going to grow into," Nergal concludes. The idea was just to get this music out to people. There's no hidden agenda. It is what it is, and if you like it, it's cool. If you don't, that's cool too. This is the battle we've already won." Plans are underway for a series of live dates in Europe around the release of the album and across the U.S. in April/May. Stay tuned for further details soon. "Songs Of Love And Death" features artwork by Daniel P. Carter and is available for pre-order now.

"Songs Of Love And Death" track listing:

01. My Church Is Black02. Nightride03. On The Road04. Cross My Heart And Hope To Die05. Better The Devil I Know06. Of Sirens, Vampires and Lovers07. Magdalene08. Love & Death09. One Day10. Shaman Blues11. Voodoo Queen12. Get Outta This Place13. Ain't Much Loving

"The Ski Mask Way", a brand new song from BODY COUNT, the metal band fronted by hip-hop legend, actor and director Ice-T, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "Bloodlust", which will be released on March 31 via Century Media Records.

Ice-T said: "I was noticing people on the streets showing off their expensive jewelry and money on social media. They are just making themselves a target for the robbers out there just watching their Instagram to see what they are flaunting. In L.A., they call Instagram 'Jacker’s Uber,' seeing what clubs people are at and livestream the robbers to their front door."

"Bloodlust" was recorded with producer Will Putney (MISS MAY I, UPON A BURNING BODY), who also helmed 2014's "Manslaughter". The new CD features guest appearances by Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, SEPULTURA), MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine and LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe. The effort also contains BODY COUNT's medley of the SLAYER songs "Postmortem" and "Raining Blood".

"Bloodlust" track listing:

01. Civil War (feat. Dave Mustaine)02. The Ski Mask Way03. This Is Why We Ride04. All Love Is Lost (feat. Max Cavalera)05. Raining Blood / Postmortem (SLAYER medley)06. God, Please Believe Me07. Walk With Me… (feat. Randy Blythe)08. Here I Go Again09. No Lives Matter10. Bloodlust11. Black Hoodie

Ice-T recently told Revolver magazine about "Bloodlust": "Making records is a very interesting process. You work really hard on something and finish it and then you'll be, like, 'Yo, that sounds like somebody else's record.' Or, 'Hey, didn't we just make that record three days ago?'

"One time we did two songs in a row and afterwards I looked at them and said, 'That's the same riff in each song.' So we had to pick one. But in the end, we came up with some very aggressive and cool music."

He added: "I like to start with hot metal tracks that you can listen to without a word on them and go, 'Wow, that was just like fire!’ The music tells me what the song is about, and that's when the words start coming to me. Then it's up to me not to fuck it up."

As for the choice of album title, Ice-T said: "Bloodlust is part of the human makeup. Murder is about as normal as love. It's in our nature to want to get violent and kill, but we know there are consequences. That's why we like violent movies, video games and combat sports. It's in our DNA. It's what we are."

"Manslaughter" sold around 3,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 102 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on June 10, 2014 via Sumerian.

BODY COUNT's current lineup includes guitarist Juan Garcia (a.k.a. Juan Of The Dead; AGENT STEEL, EVILDEAD), who made his live debut with the group in November 2013 at the Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, Texas.

Scottish folk/power metallers ALESTORM will release their fifth full-length album, titled "No Grave But The Sea", on May 26 via Napalm Records.

Says the band: "Oh wow! It's a new ALESTORM album! I hope all of you fellow humans and dogs like it; we think it's pretty gosh darn okay! It's also our first album to feature our grandiose guitarist Máté Bodor who brings his tasty and delicious solos and rifftacular riffing into the mix.

"This is the place in the press release where we would usually tell you this album is darker and heavier than our previous works, but that's probably not true. It is, however, full of epic songs about pirates, drinking, and pseudoscientific cryptogeography. I'm sure y'all will enjoy those things just as much as we do." "No Grave But The Sea" track listing:

01. No Grave But The Sea02. Mexico03. To the End of the World04. Alestorm05. Bar und Imbiss06. Fucked with an Anchor07. Pegleg Potion08. Man the Pumps09. Rage of the Pentahook10. Treasure Island

ALESTORM's last album, "Sunset On The Golden Age", came out in August 2014 via Napalm Records.

The official lyric video for the song "Echo Of A Scream" from ART OF ANARCHY, the band featuring CREED singer Scott Stapp alongside DISTURBED bassist John Moyer and ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, can be seen below. The track is taken from ART OF ANARCHY's sophomore album, "The Madness", which will be released on March 24.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Echo Of A Scream02. 1,000 Degrees03. No Surrender04. The Madness05. Won't Let You Down06. Changed Man07. A Light In Me08. Somber09. Dancing With The Devil10. Afterburn

Thal said in a recent interview with TeamRock that Stapp is thriving as ART OF ANARCHY's new lead singer, adding that the band is providing a healthy environment for Stapp as he continues his fight to stay sober. Thal explained: "The band, ART OF ANARCHY, is drug free. Me and the Votta brothers [guitarist Jon and drummer Vince] have never even smoked a cigarette, none of us drink, have never done drugs, never smoked pot or anything like that."

Thal continued: "So that's good, because the last thing you need on the road if you're trying to stay clean is a bunch of people doing that around you. Scott is doing well... It's great that he has a strong family and a lot of people that care and support and that were there to help him get out of that situation. Now he's better than ever."

The CREED frontman joined the band last year, following a highly publicized, drug-enhanced meltdown in late 2014, after which he entered rehab program and was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

Stapp told The Pulse Of Radio he was touring as a solo artist again when he was approached about joining. "I really wasn't looking for a band, but I was definitely curious," he said. "I wanted to see what it was all about. I love writing with talented people and I think that's really what made the decision for me, was to sit in a room with Ron, Jon and Vince and throw out ideas, trade ideas and realize, 'Hey, there's something that could come of this.'"

ART OF ANARCHY made its live debut on October 27, 2016 at the Gramercy Theatre in New York City and will embark on its first headlining tour in April.

ART OF ANARCHY released a self-titled debut album in 2015 that featured former STONE TEMPLE PILOTS singer Scott Weiland.

Weiland, whom STP parted ways with in 2002 and again in 2013, died in December 2015.

Thal joined GUNS N' ROSES in 2006 and stayed in the band for eight years, playing on the 2008 album "Chinese Democracy". He has also released a number of solo CDs.

Photo: Annie Atlasman

"Bemoan", a brand new song from Greek/Swedish melodic death metallers NIGHTRAGE, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's seventh album, "The Venomous", which will be released on March 31 via Despotz Records. The disc was recorded at Zero Gravity Studios in Athens with producer Terry Nikas.

Says the band: "The NIGHTRAGE sound is evolving and we are ready to take it to new exciting and creative heights. We cannot wait to unleash this out into the world!"

According to a press release, "The Venomous" "is a relentless tale of extinction, told with as much venomous aggression as there are intriguing and mesmerizing melodies. Memorable hooks and some of the catchiest choruses that metal has seen in decades does nothing to compromise the brutality and honesty that NIGHTRAGE is known for. The music is catchy and extreme. Lyrically, the album deals with the failure of mankind and how we as human beings are racing towards our own extinction."

NIGHTRAGE recently announced the addition of Magnus Söderman on guitar and Lawrence Dinamarca on drums.

NIGHTRAGE's sixth studio album, "The Puritan", was released in April 2015 via Despotz Records. The CD marked vocalist Ronnie Nyman's recorded debut with NIGHTRAGE after he performed with the band on its Japanese and Russian tours.

NIGHTRAGE was founded in 2000 in Greece by Marios Iliopoulos and his close friend, Gus G., who departed after the band's second album, "Descent Into Chaos". During the band's seventeen-year career, NIGHTRAGE has released six studio albums and toured across Europe, the U.S., Canada and Asia while employing various musicians from AT THE GATES, EVERGREY, DARK TRANQUILLITY, AMARANTHE and FIREWIND.

NIGHTRAGE is: Marios Iliopoulos - GuitarRonnie Nyman - VocalsAnders Hammer - BassMagnus Söderman - GuitarLawrence Dinamarca - Drums

Photo credit: Soile Siirtola

New Wave Of British Heavy Metal veterans TYGERS OF PAN TANG have released a music video for "Glad Rags", a song from their latest, self-titled album.

Says TYGERS OF PAN TANG founder/guitarist Robb Weir: "If you want hard rock, we do it. If you want melodic rock, we do it, but now is the time for TYGERS anthem rock.... We give you 'Glad Rags'. It's bigger than both of us!"

"Tygers Of Pan Tang" was released last October on LP, limited picture LP, CD and through all digital services.

Much has been written about the role the TYGERS played in the establishment of the movement and about the comings and goings within the band, but it is safe to say that the current lineup brings a creative stability and a shared camaraderie that will keep them together, playing live and making records for some time to come.

2016 began the signing of a new record deal with Scandinavia's premier rock and metal label Mighty Music, giving the band the opportunity to record the material they had written and honed in a burst of activity in late 2015. While the band were happy to produce themselves at The Blast Studio in Newcastle, they knew that the mix needed a fresh pair of ears.

Mighty Music CEO Michael H. Andersen recommended Søren Andersen of Medley Studio for the mix of the album. Having heard and been impressed by material recorded and mixed by Søren Andersen (Glenn Hughes, Mike Tramp), the TYGERS sought out his services. Søren was only too happy to work with a band whose credentials were so firmly established. For the mastering, Harry Hess of HAREM SCAREM fame was the perfect man for the job.

Leaving the music in his capable hands, next stop for the band was South America. Having no idea what reception they would receive they were overwhelmed by the fierce dedication of the fans in Brazil and Columbia, who, in many cases, had waited years for an opportunity to witness the live show. From South America to Europe without a breath and then on to North America where they headlined Chicago's Ragnarokkr Metal Apocalypse.

"Tygers Of Pan Tang" track listing:

01. Only The Brave02. Dust03. Glad Rags04. The Reason Why05. Never Give In06. Do It Again07. I Got The Music In Me08. Praying For A Miracle09. Blood Red Sky10. Angel In Disguise11. The Devil You Know TYGERS OF PAN TANG is:

Robb Weir - guitarJacopo Meille - vocalsMicky Crystal - guitarGav Gray - bassCraig Ellis - drums, percussion

SOUNDGARDEN singer Chris Cornell has released a new solo track called "The Promise". The song is the title track from the upcoming film starring Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale and French-Canadian actress Charlotte Le Bon, a love triangle drama set against the Armenian genocide.

"The Promise" premiered last fall at the Toronto International Film Festival and opens in theaters April 21.

Chris will donate his proceeds from the song to the International Rescue Committee. The International Rescue Committee responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic well-being, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster.

Chris's involvement in "The Promise" stemmed from his close friendship with the film's producer, Eric Esrailian. Having married into a Greek family, Chris had been exposed for years to stories about similar treatment suffered by the Greeks at the hands of the Turkish-ruled Ottoman Empire. "If it's something you or your family members went through, it's something you're faced with confronting on a daily basis," he said.

Immersed in these stories and after further research, he was inspired by the strength and perseverance of those who were affected by these tragic events. Chris aimed to help tell the story of the film, but also to connect it to the kind of brutality we still face today.

"The film and plot are your band mates and the song has to be true to the story and the characters in it," he added. "'The Promise', to me, is mainly about paying homage to those we lost in the Armenian Genocide, but it's also about shining a light on more recent atrocities. The same methods used in the Armenian genocide were used to carry out crimes against humanity in Bosnia, Darfur, Rwanda and right now in Syria on multiple fronts, contributing to a massive global refugee crisis. Unfortunately, the words 'never again' seem like just words when we recall these mass executions of the twentieth century, as well as renewed racism and prejudice around the world. Even in the U.S., the warning signs — isolating groups based on race and religion — are evident. We really need to tell these stories and keep telling them in as many different ways as we can. As humans, we have a tremendous capacity to trudge ahead in our lives and not look at the difficult and challenging moments… but I think it's important. Educating ourselves on the past is the best way to understand the present and avoid future atrocities by understanding and intervening. We must educate and stand as one to combat this fear and violence, and as citizens of the world, work to protect each other's human rights."

Directed by Academy Award-winning filmmaker Terry George ("Hotel Rwanda", "Reservation Road", "The Shore"), "The Promise" takes place in 1914. As the Great War looms, the mighty Ottoman Empire is crumbling. Constantinople, the once vibrant, multicultural capital on the shores of the Bosporus, is about to be consumed by chaos. Michael Boghosian (Oscar Isaac), arrives in the cosmopolitan hub as a medial student determined to bring modern medicine back to Siroun, his ancestral village in Southern Turkey where Turkish Muslims and Armenian Christians have lived side by side for centuries. Photojournalist Chris Myers (Christian Bale) has come here only partly to cover geo-politics. He is mesmerized by his love for Ana (Charlotte le Bon), an Armenian artist he has accompanied from Paris after the sudden death of her father. When Michael meets Ana, their shared Armenian heritage sparks an attraction that explodes into a romantic rivalry between the two men. As the Turks form an alliance with Germany and the Empire turns violently against its own ethnic minorities, their conflicting passions must be deferred while they join forces to survive even as events threaten to overwhelm them.

Cornell's most high-profile musical contribution to a movie was "You Know My Name", his theme to the 2006 James Bond film "Casino Royale". Cornell has also contributed songs or title themes to films such as "Great Expectations", "Machine Gun Preacher" and "12 Years A Slave".

The singer told The Pulse Of Radio he prefers to make his solo material sound as different as possible from SOUNDGARDEN. "Writing any of my solo records, there's always this effort to try to make it different than the band that I'm known for," he said. "Mainly just 'cause I've never — as a music fan, never really liked when those two lines get kind of smeared."

SOUNDGARDEN last month announced a North American tour that will kick off on May 3 in Atlanta, winding down on May 27 at the Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, Oklahoma.

Support on selected dates will come from THE PRETTY RECKLESS and THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN. This will be SOUNDGARDEN's first trek since a summer 2014 co-headlining run with NINE INCH NAILS.

SOUNDGARDEN has reportedly been working on material for its seventh studio album, which will follow up 2012's "King Animal".

French melodic thrash metal combo, Deficiency, have unveiled another extract from their upcoming album, The Dawn Of Consciousness, the follow-up of The Prodigal Child. Check out the video for “Newborn’s Awakening” below:

The Dawn Of Consciousness was recorded in summer 2016 by David Potvin (Dome Studio - Kronos, T.A.N.K.) and is coming worldwide later this month.

Deficiency musically goes further in melodic, aggressive and technical aspects of its songwriting. Heavy parts, modern patterns, furious leads or catchy chorus are meeting to join a thrash metal basis and to form an efficient alliance for fans of extreme music.

The Dawn Of Consciousness is a new concept-album describing men’s rebirth after chaos and the way they seize this second chance through six primitive emotions shared by every human being on earth : surprise, sadness, joy, anger, fear and disgust. The visual work designed by French artist Ludovic Cordelières (Rusalka Design) is a major piece to complement music and lyrics’ concept.

"Another Fail To Come”:

British doom metallers, My Dying Bride, made Bullhead City Circus theirs at Wacken Open Air 2015 in Germany. Video footage of the band’s full performance is now available for streaming below.

Setlist:

“Your River”
“A Kiss To Remember”
“Catherine Blake”
“Turn Loose The Swans”
“She Is The Dark”
“The Cry Of Mankind”
“The Thrash Of Naked Limbs”
“God Is Alone”

For 27 years, My Dying Bride from West Yorkshire, England have been the voice of the hopeless and broken, combining haunting sounds with crushing misery and melancholy. With their signature sound they've shaped the doom metal scene more than any other act, and integrated both soft violin melodies and violent death metal growls into their music, whilst always staying strictly loyal to themselves. Since the early nineties, the band's masterminds and founding members Andrew Craighan and Aaron Stainthorpe forged beautiful grief into twelve studio albums with songs of epic length.

However for their 13th release, the band is now bound for new horizons and proudly announces their signing to Nuclear Blast Records.

Singer and lyricist Aaron Stainthorpe comments: "It is with great pleasure that My Dying Bride can announce they will be joining forces with the formidable Nuclear Blast Records in early 2017 and have already begun working on material for the next LP and singles. It is no secret that Nuclear Blast have continued to expand greatly over the years, signing epic bands from all corners of the world and giving them the chance they deserve to make something of themselves in the ever expanding metal scene. And it’s time that My Dying Bride came along for the ride. We are hoping that this wedding between a very solid label and a well established act will bear fruit of mighty proportions in the exciting years to come. Cheers!"

Since My Dying Bride rarely leave their damp catacombs to perform live rituals, each show is a highlight in itself and on April 22nd, the Brits will expose their legendary album Turn Loose The Swans in its entire length at Roadburn Festival. Together with Shaun 'Winter' Taylor-Steels on drums and a special backdrop lighting, the band will haunt the Dutch stage and deliver a truly unique experience.

Italian experimental/atmospheric black metallers, Dawn Of A Dark Age, have released “Il Viaggio”, the lead track from the upcoming Spirit/Mystères album, out on March 17th. The track is available for streaming below.

The band recently announced the singer for the upcoming fifth chapter of the The Six Elements saga. For Spirit/Mystères the singer will be Luca Del Re from Selvans.

Band leader VK states: "I am very satisfied for the choice, because Luca Del Re is a complete musician and the amount of work required for Spirit/Mystères needs extremely diverse vocal flexibility. We have worked for over a year to realize this fifth chapter, and the result is are experimental but still close to the black metal tradition.”

VK continues: “The album was inspired by the story of Aleister Crowley, The Spirit Of The Desert, and Campobasso's Corpus Christi.”

Spirit/Mystères can be pre-ordered at this location. Artwork and tracklisting follow.

Tracklisting:

“Il Viaggio”
“Lo Spirito del Deserto”
“Il Cerchio di Fuoco”
“Corpus Domini”
“Il RItorno”
“Epilogo”

“Il Viaggio”:

Chicago-based technical/progressive metal group, Without Waves will release their new album, Lunar, on March 17th via Prosthetic Records. The album track, “Us Against”, is now available for streaming below.

Without Waves effortlessly create a rich fusion of extreme, progressive metal and cascading soundscapes with precision songwriting, showcasing blistering riffs and unorthodox time signatures paired alongside dreamy melodies and poetic chord structures. An important new addition to a new wave of young, progressive and urgent technical metal artists. Lunar will be available on CD, limited edition double LP (Clear Violet Splatter) and all digital platforms.

Tracklisting:

“Sewing Together The Limbs”
“Poetry In Putrid Air”
“Us Against”
“Never Know Quite Why”
“Victorian Punishment”
“EDMS”
“Lost Art”
“Fractals”
“Memento More”

“Us Against”:

“Never Know Quite Why” video:

“Sewing Together The Limbs”:

Without Waves will present their intense live show for the first time ever to Canadian crowds this spring as they venture across the border for a brief weekend jaunt from April 28th - 30th across Ontario. Full dates are as follows:

April
28 - Windsor, ON - The Windsor Beer Exchange
29 - London, ON - 765 Old East Bar & Grill
30 - Toronto, ON - Metal Church @ Coalition (Free Show)

Without Waves is:

Anthony Cwan - Vocals/Guitars
Zac Lombardi - Guitars
John Picillo - Bass
Garry Naples - Drums

Solidifying themselves as the undisputed kings of the grindcore underworld, Phobia return with their sixth full length album, Lifeless God, due on June 2nd via Willowtip Records. The album can be pre-ordered via the label website, or at Bandcamp.

Not straying far from the formula that they have been crafting for over 26 years, this is another chapter in Phobia's legacy of unrelenting speed. Tracked at Trench studios with engineer John Haddad, Lifeless God is 20 tracks of no bullshit, pure fucking grind that is punk as fuck, and never slows down.

This album also sees the return of Danny Walker on drums, Leon Del Muerte on guitar, and original member Bruce Reeves into the fold.

"This record is a true statement of living a self autonomous life… It’s also always awesome to work with this veteran phobia lineup, nothing can be short from brutal,” comments vocalist and founding member Shane “The Pain” Mclachlan.

Tracklisting:

“Out From The Ashes”
“Escalate To Madness”
“Killed It”
“Corpse Slayer”
“Damaged”
“Fuck Power Violence”
“Intimidator”
“Devotion”
“Human Default = Suck At Life”
“Everythings Vicious”
“Coward To Hate”
“Party In Hell”
“Tramatized”
“Outlaw Punks”
“Death To Freedom”
“Last Out”
“Torment Inside”
“New 4th Reich”
“From Where It Came”
“Lifeless God”

"Damaged":

Maryland/Pennsylvania-based grinding death metal band, Full Of Hell, will release their new album, Trumpeting Ecstasy, on May 5th via Profound Lore Records. The album’s opening track, “Deluminate”, is now available for streaming below. Pre-order the album at this location.

Full Of Hell have embarked on quite the journey leading up to the impending release of Trumpeting Ecstasy, an album which will see the band deliver their most punishing, virulent, and dynamic album to date.

With Trumpeting Ecstasy, Full Of Hell build upon their progression since Full Of Hell & Merzbow and the releases succeeding it (collaborative album with The Body and several EPs, one being the split 7" with Nails). This time the band decided to go into GodCity Studios with Kurt Ballou at the production helm to help achieve the intended vision of Trumpeting Ecstasy. The result being the best and strongest sounding Full Of Hell album, their most towering release to date.

Sky tearing and sonically cataclysmic, the aural deluge that is Trumpeting Ecstasy also features guest appearances by Aaron Turner (Sumac, Old Man Gloom, Mamiffer, Isis), Nate Newton (Converge, Old Man Gloom), Andrew Nolan (Column Of Heaven, The Endless Blockade), and Canadian singer/songwriter Nicole Dollanganger.

Artwork for Trumpeting Ecstasy was created by Mark McCoy.

Tracklisting:

“Deluminate”
“Branches Of Yew”
“Bound Sphinx”
“The Cosmic Vein”
“Digital Prison”
“Crawling Back To God”
“Fractured Quartz”
“Gnawed Flesh”
“Ashen Mesh”
“Trumpeting Ecstasy”
“At The Cauldron's Bottom”

“Deluminate”:

(Photo - Reid Haithcock)

Vangough is a three-piece, American progressive metal band. Their eclectic brand of songwriting straddles the line between the familiar and the volatile - a temperamental cocktail that invites both heavy metal fans and those seeking refuge from the beaten path. With an ever-growing catalog of acclaimed releases under their belt, Vangough continue to captivate their fanbase with the unexpected.

And now they will further their legacy with the release of their latest masterpiece, Warpaint, on March 17th. Check out the lyric video for "Knell" below. Pre-order the album here.

Warpaint, ferments their audacious songwriting style across seven formidable yet emotionally vulnerable songs. Spending over a year in production, this album represents the delicate inculcation of restraint, self-doubt and introspection that was afforded as a result of their recent touring efforts. Exposing the nakedness that we struggle to conceal, Warpaint is the story of embattled spirits.

Following on the heels of a raucous performance at the annual ProgPower USA music festival in 2014, Vangough set out on their first North American tour with one of their modern influences, Pain of Salvation. The following year saw Vangough hit the road once again, this time in support of progressive metal pioneers Fates Warning. Even with their limited touring experience, Vangough have been recognized by fans for delivering one of the most aggressive and powerful live performances in the genre.

As a live band first and foremost, Vangough is currently focused on hitting the road for their next American tour, in support of Warpaint, which releases March 17th.

Warpaint tracklisting:

“Morphine”
“Dust”
“The Suffering”
“Gravity”
“Till Nothing's Left”
“Knell”
“Black Rabbit”

“Knell” lyric video:

"Morphine" lyric video:

Teaser:

METALLICA performed its song "Dream No More" live for the first time ever Sunday night (March 5) during the band's concert at Foro Sol in Mexico City in Mexico City. Professionally filmed video footage of the track's live debut can be seen below.

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

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

"Hardwired... To Self-Destruct" consists of two discs, containing a dozen songs and nearly 80 minutes of music.

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

Each ticket purchased for the tour will come with a copy of METALLICA's new album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", available as a physical CD or a digital download. Various VIP packages are up for sale as well.

METALLICA has also announced the formation of its All Within My Hands Foundation, which will raise funds through ticket sales to support national, local and Bay Area charities selected by the band members, while continuing to donate to music education programs and local food banks.

Legendary metal band THE RODS has inked a worldwide deal with Steamhammer/SPV. The group — consisting of original members David "Rock" Feinstein (guitar, vocals), Carl Canedy (drums) and Garry Bordonaro (bass) — has always delivered a classic brand of metal and hard rock with strong influences that date back to 1970s.

Canedy says: "The third time's a charm! After two unsuccessful attempts, to work with Olly Hahn and Steamhammer/SPV, it's finally happening. THE RODS have signed a worldwide deal for their brand new album, 'Louder Than Loud'. This album, in my opinion, has some of the strongest RODS material in years. The title says it all!"

Olly Hahn, A&R and international product manager at Steamhammer/SPV, addds: "I remember when I saw an ad for the album 'Wild Dogs' in a German magazine back in 1982. I immediately had to have the album although I had no idea what I can expect music-wise. The cover was so awesome, and when I put the album on my turntable, I was blown away. Now, thirty-five years later, it's fantastic to say the following sentence: We're proud and happy to welcome THE RODS to our big Steamhammer family!"

THE RODS is a classic heavy metal trio that rocked its way through the '80s with classic albums like "The Rods", "Wild Dogs" and "In The Raw", featuring a powerful, raw energy that led them to share the stages with some of today's greatest metal bands, including JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN and METALLICA.

"Louder Than Loud" will be released later in 2017, to be followed by many live shows and festival appearances.

Frontiers Music Srl will release WARRANT's new studio album, "Louder Harder Faster", on May 12. The disc was recorded with producer Jeff Pilson, a veteran bassist who has played with DIO, FOREIGNER, DOKKEN and T&N, among others, and was mixed by Chris "The Wizard" Collier (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, PRONG, LAST IN LINE).

With a lineup featuring original members Erik Turner (guitar), Jerry Dixon (bass), Joey Allen (guitar) and Steven Sweet (drums) along with singer Robert Mason (LYNCH MOB, CRY OF LOVE), WARRANT is now stronger than ever. Mason's vocals remain a breath of fresh air and his swagger on the songs gives new life and a bright future to the band. "Louder Harder Faster", true to the band's roots, is full of rockers with some classic ballads thrown in and will surely send their faithful fans into a frenzy.

Turner says: "You can hear and feel the emotions of the last twenty-five-plus years of being in this band poured into 'Louder Harder Faster'. The fun and the frustrations, the pleasure and the pain... a whole lot of blood, sweat, tears and beers went into the making of this album. Love it or hate it, it's the real-fuckin'-deal, hundred-percent pure melodic hard rock handcrafted by five musicians who dedicated their lives to music when they were just little kids with big dreams."

Dixon adds: "'Louder Harder Faster' is truly one of our best records to date. It has all the classic WARRANT ingredients that people have come to know, plus a lot of extras that keep it in the modern realm of todays music. It's a perfect mix between balls and ballads.

"When we started this project over two years ago, we wanted to bring the listener back to the days of sitting in the living room and cranking up a record from start to finish.

"Making full records seems to be a lost art, [and] we hope in some small way that this album helps people find that art again."

Regarding how the "Louder Harder Faster" album title came about, Mason told "The Rock Brigade" podcast: "On stage, since probably '09, '10, '11… I don't remember when; maybe it was after our record [was released]. But as a thing to say between… It kind of just came out of my mouth one day — 'louder, harder, faster' — and I screamed it into the microphone and we started the next song. It was kind of one of those dumb things lead singers say to break up the dead air between songs in live shows. And it kind of stuck in my head and I started doing it. It was a thing I kind of started saying. And one day I had a riff in my hands and a guitar in my house, or in a hotel room, and then it turned into, 'Oh, guys, by the way, I wrote this song. It's called 'Louder, Harder, Faster'.' And I think I half-drunkenly said in a hotel bar one night, maybe three or four years ago, 'Oh, by the way, the record should be called 'Louder, Harder, Faster', 'cause I have this fucking song.' And, you know, that's what cocky lead singers say to their guitar players. And I think Joey Allen was, like, 'Yeah, yeah. Blah blah blah. I'll believe it when I hear it.' So there you go. When we came up with the songs for this record, it just kind of became obvious that that was the… If you're gonna name it after one of the songs, there you go."

"Louder Harder Faster" track listing:

01. Louder Harder Faster02. Devil Dancer03. Perfect04. Only Broken Heart05. U In My Life06. Music Man07. Faded08. New Rebellion09. Big Sandy10. Choose Your Fate11. Let It Go12. I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink (bonus track available on CD only)

Photo credit: Stephen Jensen / F3 Studios

Swedish classic/progressive rock supergroup THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA — featuring members of metal frontrunners SOILWORK and ARCH ENEMY — will release its third studio album, "Amber Galactic", on May 19 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was recorded at Handsome Hard Studio in Lund, Sweden. The album follows THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA's two previous releases, 2012's "Internal Affairs" and 2015's "Skyline Whispers".

Commented singer Björn Strid: "'Amber Galactic' was made during late nights and way too early mornings, when sometimes, in the corner of your eye, you can catch a glimpse of another dimension, where all the women are heartbroken space commanders in evening gowns, the champagne is always free and the drugs won't hurt you.

"We wanted to create more than just a listening experience; instead we want it to be an alternative reality.

"We hope that after listening to 'Amber Galactic', you'll be wide-eyed, horny and slightly drunk."

Guitarist David Andersson adds: "Musicianship in itself is not interesting, neither are the technical aspects of creating music. The ideas and visions behind the music are the only things really worthy of in-depth discussions.

"We've all reached a point where we can all pretty much play and sing whatever we want.

"We didn't talk much about chord changes or amplifiers during the recording sessions. But we spent a lot of time discussing Kierkegaard's concept of anxiety, different vintages of sparkling wine, the psychoacoustic aspects of modulation, the innate superiority of women and why a pearl necklace always look better when whoever wears it has a bored expression on her face."

When asked about the direction of THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA within the realm of classic rock, Strid explains with a chuckle: "Most other classic rock bands sound like weed or LSD — we sound like cocaine."

THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA is:

Björn Strid - VocalsSharlee D'Angelo - BassDavid Andersson - GuitarRichard Larsson - KeyboardsJonas Källsbäck - DrumsSebastian Forslund - Guitar, Percussion

Earlier in the week, Bobby Blotzer confirmed that former QUIET RIOT and ADLER'S APPETITE singer Seann Nicols (a.k.a. Sheldon Tarsha) will front his version of RATT when the band performs on March 18 at the Prairie Knights Casino & Resort in Fort Yates, North Dakota.

Nicols joined Blotzer's RATT as the replacement for Joshua Alan, who quit the band in January, explaining that he will be working and focusing on his original music this year.

A newly released recording of Nicols singing the RATT song "Shame Shame Shame" — from the band's 1990 album "Detonator" — can be streamed below.

Regarding how Seann landed the singer gig in his version of RATT, Blotzer wrote on Facebook: "In July [2016], when we were on the very successful RATT tour of 2016, and we had a few dropouts, I moved swiftly to a great array of awesome friends and great players — we never skipped a beat. Not a day or a show fell.

"When the other guys dropped, I asked our then-singer, 'Are you going too?', because the road might not be as easy as everyone thought it might be. I was apprised by a great buddy of mine that he knew of a ripping lead singer. I told our then-singer about him out of sheer honesty. And he replied to me as he did at every single show: 'No. You know how much I appreciate being in this, I'm in for THE LONG HAUL.'

"The last time I spoke to him was December 16th, Kentucky show.

"GREAT!

"We continued through the year with 35 more shows, give or take.

"This other lead singer guy sent me his voice singing over our RATT songs with [Stephen] Pearcy's voice pulled out and him singing in place. Well, fucking hell, I was quite astonished, to be honest.

"I stuck it out with the other singer [because] my word is real. But he knew there was someone in the wings. And the guy I met over the phone in July ended up with our fellow touring band guys in QUIET RIOT. Cool, way to go, I thought (also not knowing why our ex-bandmate Mr. Jizzy Pearl was gone from QUIET RIOT). But the music business is an incestuous small world.

"So, there you go.

"There is still a war waging but I'm not going to get into those specifics.I will, though, give you a little taste of what I was sent on the road in July 2016. I wish I had future vision then."

Blotzer, who had a spinal fusion surgery for the C6-C7 vertebrae in his neck four years ago, said that he will undergo lumbar spine surgery two days after his version of RATT performs at the Prairie Knights Casino & Resort.

The drummer also promised that he would "mop up [the] litigation" he is currently embroiled in with his former bandmate over the rights to the RATT name and that he would return to the road "with RATT around late June."

Blotzer has spent the last year and a half battling the other three members of RATT's classic lineup in court. At the same time, he has been hitting the road with his version of RATT, which, in addition to Alan, most recently included guitarists Mitch Perry (TALAS, HEAVEN, STEELER, MSG, LITA FORD) and Stacey Blades (L.A. GUNS) and bassist Brad Lang (Y&T).

According to Billboard, GODMACK's five-year-old cover of THE BEATLES' "Come Together" has landed at position No. 1 on Billboard's Hard Rock Digital Song Sales chart, with 11,000 downloads sold (up from a nominal amount) in the week ending March 2.

As a result of the track's 4,972 percent increase to 1.5 million U.S. streams, "Come Together" also entered the Hot Rock Songs chart at No. 11. In addition, the album that GODSMACK's version of "Come Together" appears on, "Live & Inspired", re-entered multiple charts, including Hard Rock Albums (No. 11) with 4,000 equivalent album units, of which 2,000 were pure sales.

The sharp increase in streams and sales is the result of a post on rock web site SocietyofRock.com spotlighting the song.

GODSMACK's video for "Come Together" was directed by Ian Barrett and features footage of the actual recording sessions for the song.

GODSMACK drummer Shannon Larkin stated about the clip: "We love the ['Come Together'] video! It was actually filmed while we were recording 'Come Together'. Normally, the song will be recorded, and then the band will go back in the studio, put their headphones on, and pretend they're recording for the music video. This was real. It wasn't staged or anything. It's really cool. We were in Boston in January, and there were two feet of snow on the ground. We were totally in that vibe at the studio. It was awesome."

Asked what he liked the most about the music video, Larkin said: "I totally like the fact it was done while we were really recording. That's a big deal to me because most people are faking it. I like that I had a BEATLES shirt on. I had no idea we were doing the video that day. Sully [Erna, GODSMACK frontman] had hooked it all up, and he didn't tell us. [laughs] I went to record the song, and they had video cameras there. He was like, 'We're going to film today!' We didn't know if it was going to be for a music video or a DVD. I just thought we're doing a BEATLES song, I'll wear my BEATLES apple shirt. I'm a huge BEATLES fan, by the way. Obviously, all musicians are. They were one of the first bands my mom had turned me on to at a very young age. I particularly like the later version when they all had beards. I had to be rocking a beard because it was wintertime in Boston. I tend to do that. I thought, 'Wow, man, I'm totally in BEATLES mode here."'

On the topic of what GODSMACK brought to the cover, Larkin said: "In 1978, AEROSMITH, who's obviously a huge influence on us as a Boston band, covered 'Come Together' on the 'Live! Bootleg' album. We listened to that version and the original. We knew AEROSMITH added modernity and more rocking sound to THE BEATLES' version. We wanted to bring it into the 2000s with a heavier guitar tone. Tony [Rombola, guitar] wrote a more chunking riff than the AEROSMITH version. We wanted to make it GODSMACK. We approached it like, 'If we wrote the song, what would it have sounded like today?'"

"Dystopia", a brand new song from BUSH, can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "Black And White Rainbows", which will be released on March 10.

Written, recorded and produced by Gavin Rossdale, "Black And White Rainbows" is the follow-up to 2014's "Man On The Run" and will arrive just prior to BUSH's headlining tour of North America, which kicks off May 4 in Dallas, Texas.

"I wanted to write a record about what it's like coming out of a cannon before you take off through these watershed times," Rossdale, who founded BUSH 25 years ago in London and produced "Black And White Rainbows", told Billboard. "I think it really is important to have the element of hope and repair and sunshine because it's such a divided world now. It's so divided and crazy and unstable and vulnerable. It's fallen at my feet as a lyricist to consider the position that we're in — and unfortunately chaos makes for really fertile ground to write from."

"['Dystopia'] was where the record takes a really interesting turn," according to Rossdale. "It's a real hybrid of stuff I like, using machines and analog stuff — the band plus machines," he explained. "I was just thinking of this dystopian world, this underbelly of frustration and fear and persecution and distrust just everything that's going on around us all the time. You have a president who half the country voted for and suddenly nobody voted for him. Nobody can make their mind up about him. So it's a very strange time, all the way around."

Among "Black And White Rainbows"'s highlights is the sweeping chorus of "Lost In You" and "People At War", which was written last summer in honor of World Refugee Day.

Gavin stated about "People At War": "Having seen the footage of innocent refugees forced to flee their homes and lives, culminating in the picture of the young boy, Aylan Kurdi, lying dead on the shore — the horror of that photograph, as a father, as a human being — was too powerful to avoid. It was the catalyst to write this song and to show empathy with the plight of the refugees."

When asked about the sound of the follow-up to 2014's "Man On The Run", the 51-year-old rocker told Metro: "My whole career I've been trying to make music that's a hybrid of rock and electronic. I'd say it's a textured, approachable and commercial record. People are going to fucking love it."

"Black And White Rainbows" track listing:

01. Mad Love02. Peace-s03. Water04. Lost In You05. Sky Turns Day Glo06. Toma Mi Corazon07. All The Worlds Within You 08. Nurse09. The Beat of Your Heart10. Dystopia11. Ray Of Light12. Ravens13. Nothing But A Car Chase14. The Edge of Love15. People At War

BUSH is comprised of Gavin Rossdale (vocals/guitar), Robin Goodridge (drums), Chris Traynor (guitar) and Corey Britz (bass).

Metal Talk recently conducted an interview with bassist Roger Glover of British hard rock legends DEEP PURPLE. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked about the meaning of the title of DEEP PURPLE's new album, "InFinite", which will be released on April 7 via earMUSIC, Glover said: "Well, it's whatever you think it is, really. We couldn't come up with a title for this album. Not that we were thinking about ending or anything, but we just left it up to the record company. And they came up with the title, mainly because [2013's] 'Now What?!' had a great image on it — a question mark — and it [was] very immediate. And they were looking for something like that. And they sent us an image of the inifinity symbol. And I went, 'That's a pretty good image.' I said, 'What are you gonna call it?' And they said, ''InFinite'.' 'Oh, okay. Decision made.' We don't read anything into it. And I think, actually, the way they made that symbol work, in the ice and stuff, is brilliant. We just thought, 'We give up. We can't do anything better than that.'"

Glover also spoke about the band's upcoming tour, "The Long Goodbye", which starts May 13 in Europe and includes a late-summer North American leg with ALICE COOPER and EDGAR WINTER. He said: "It's gonna be a long goodbye, because none of us can actually face the fact that we're gonna end at some point. The band's been going for a long time, and especially this lineup, and we're happy doing what we do. It's just the realization that... Paicey [drummer Ian Paice] had a little hiccup last year… We're all getting into that age where we're okay at the moment, but… 'Fragile' is not a word I'd like to use, although this morning I feel a little fragile. But, no, it's the realization… it's a wake-up call. The world tour is gonna go beyond this year, as far as we can tell, and it may go on another year. We don't know how long it's gonna be. We're just putting ourselves and our fans on notice that, don't expect us to be doing this when we're a hundred and ten."

In addition to Glover and Paice, DEEP PURPLE's current lineup features singer Ian Gillan, keyboardist Don Airey and guitarist Steve Morse. Airey joined in 2002, replacing Jon Lord on keyboards. Morse joined in 1994 as the replacement for Ritchie Blackmore.

Asked if he thinks this will be the final lineup of DEEP PURPLE, Glover told Metal Talk: "I think the last twenty-three years has been the most consistent period in the band's history. The only one change was [the addition of] Don, and that was a friendly change. Jon left. And so, yeah, I can't envisage… I mean, we don't envisage anything. We don't actually plan much for the future. The future will take care of itself — I kind of like that phrase. Steve said, 'I may not be the first guitarist in PURPLE, but I'd like to be the last.' Which is a lovely thing to say. And I feel the same way. I may not be the first bass player, but I'd like to be the last."