Former BLACK SABBATH keyboardist Geoff Nicholls died this morning after a long battle with lung cancer. He was 68 years old.

Nicholls's passing was confirmed by SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi, who wrote about his former bandmate: "I'm so saddened to hear the loss of one of my dearest and closest friends Geoff Nicholls. He's been suffering for a while now with lung cancer and he lost his battle this morning. Geoff and I have always been very close and he has been a real true friend to me and supported me all the way for nearly 40 years. I will miss him dearly and he will live in my heart until we meet again. Rest in peace, my dear friend."

Added SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler: "Very sad to hear of old friend and SABBATH keyboard player Geoff Nicholls passing. RIP Geoff."

Said SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne: "Geoff Nicholls was a great friend of mine for a long time. He will be greatly missed. I'm very saddened at the news."

Nicholls, who played keyboards on all of SABBATH's albums between 1980 and 1995 and toured with them, was reportedly in remission from cancer at the time of his death but succumbed to the side effects of chemotherapy. Nicholls's first appearance on a SABBATH album was on 1980's "Heaven And Hell". Although his main role with SABBATH was on the keyboard, Nicholls also played some rhythm guitar at concerts. In addition to not always being credited as a full member of the band, Nicholls rarely appeared on stage during SABBATH shows and would instead play on the side of the stage or backstage.

Nicholls's involvement with the band ended when Adam Wakeman (a member of Ozzy Osbourne's solo band) was chosen to play keyboards during SABBATH's 2004 and 2005 tours as part of Ozzfest.

Nicholls also played keyboards with former BLACK SABBATH singer Tony Martin in his band TONY MARTIN'S HEADLESS CROSS and performed on both of Martin's solo albums.

Martin said: "Saddened to hear of the passing of Geoff Nicholls... keyboard player and friend from SABBATH. Safe journey, mate."

Before joining BLACK SABBATH, Nicholls was member of the NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) band QUARTZ, whose 1977 debut album was produced by Iommi. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Geoff played lead guitar for the Birmingham band JOHNNY NEAL AND THE STARLINERS.




I'm so saddened to hear the loss of one of my dearest and closest friends Geoff Nicholls. He's been suffering for a...

Posted by Tony Iommi on Saturday, January 28, 2017

In a brand new interview with The Metal Gods Meltdown, SEPULTURA frontman Derrick Green was asked if he gets bothered by the fact that some people still seem to favor the Max Cavalera era of the band over the albums that he has made with the group. "I definitely have learned to let it go over my head," he responded (hear audio below). "I mean, people have a right to have their choice of what they feel is the best or what they enjoy or what they relate to. This is something I completely understand. The people that grew up with listening to that time period when he was in the band [feel a strong connection to that music], so I can understand that."

He continued: "I was a fan before I got in the band. I have total respect for the past of what was done in the past with SEPULTURA, and I'm grateful for that. At the same time, I feel there's a lot of new fans that we've been able to capture, and even some old fans. And I think it's a wonderful thing that we've been building and working on, and it's gotten to the point where there's a really good mix of people that just wanna hear the songs played well and with passion and with heart. And so I believe we've been able to do that and maintain that, with respecting ourselves and loving what we do, and I think people see that live."

Green added: "It doesn't really bother me, because I respect everyone's opinion. I truly love what I do, so I can't be that down about it. I feel there's a huge level of accomplishment that we've been working on with SEPULTURA."

Max recently slammed the current lineup of SEPULTURA, implying in an interview that the band hasn't written any high-quality material since his exit from the group more than two decades ago. "Tell me one great song they have written since I left," he told Metal Rules. "Name one great album they have put out after that. I haven't seen anything. I don't know one name of one song as popular as 'Roots Bloody Roots'. So, it just tells me like whatever they are doing, I don't know how they keep on going. I don't think it's working at all. But somehow they keep on going, somehow. It's crazy to me."

In 1996, Max left SEPULTURA after the rest of the band fired his wife Gloria as their manager.

The current SEPULTURA lineup — featuring Green, guitarist Andreas Kisser and bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. alongside Eloy Casagrande on drums — released its new studio album, "Machine Messiah", on January 13 via Nuclear Blast.

Vintage Rock 's Junkman conducted an interview with drummer Nicko McBrain of British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN on January 22 at the 2017 NAMM show in Anaheim, California. You can now watch the chat below (captured and edited by Mike Thoman).

Speaking about MAIDEN's plans for 2017, Nicko said: "The big year was last year, really. 2016 was the year around the world with [MAIDEN's new-and-improved branded private tour plane Boeing] 747. It kicked off in February last year and went through to August. We decided after we did the six months — mostly everywhere; we played a new territory, went to China and El Salvador, places like that, [for the] first time, which was immense — but we decided that we really didn't do a British tour. 'Cause we haven't done a full British tour in years. So the idea was, well, okay, let's go back to Germany, do a few shows over there, kind of get us back into playing before we hit the British tour. So I think we're doing five or six shows in Germany. Antwerp [Belgium] is the first gig [on] the 22nd of April. Off we go through Europe, back to England, do twelve or thirteen dates… I'm not sure exactly how many shows we're doing… probably twelve or thirteen. And after that, we come over here [to the U.S.] and we kick off."

He continued: "The reason we're doing [a U.S. tour this summer] is because the first part of 'The Book Of Souls' tour, I think we did seven or eight shows in America… My memory may be wrong… You can go, 'No, you did ten…' We didn't really do an American tour. We did four shows up in Canada, and I think we did ten total before we went across the water. So it was decided, 'Let's come back,' so we've got a six-week tour of the States. It starts June the 3rd and it finishes the 22nd of July. So that's a nice little jaunt across the U.S. for us. And that's it — that's it for MAIDEN for this year."

Support on MAIDEN's U.S. tour will come from GHOST. There will also be some further bands added to the show at San Bernardino.

"The Book Of Souls" is MAIDEN's first ever double studio album and their most successful chart-wise to date, debuting at the No. 1 spot in over 40 countries around the world and No. 4 in the U.S.A.

Fan-filmed video footage of QUIET RIOT's January 28 performance at The City Center in Champaign, Illinois can be seen below.

Last October, QUIET RIOT announced Seann Nicols (a.k.a. Sheldon Tarsha; formerly of ADLER'S APPETITE) as its new vocalist. The band recently spent time in the studio with Seann recording a full-length album of all-new material, to be released later this year on Frontiers Music Srl.

Vocalist Jizzy Pearl (LOVE/HATE, L.A. GUNS, ADLER'S APPETITE, RATT) left QUIET RIOT at the end of 2016 to concentrate full time on his solo career.

Drummer Frankie Banali revived QUIET RIOT in 2010, three years after singer Kevin DuBrow's death, along with veteran bassist Chuck Wright, who played on several of the tracks on the classic QUIET RIOT album "Metal Health", and guitarist Alex Grossi. The group went through two vocalists — Mark Huff and Scott Vokoun — before settling on Pearl in 2013.

During an appearance on "Trunk Nation", Eddie Trunk's new show on SiriusXM channel Volume (106), Banali stated about Pearl's departure from QUIET RIOT: "I don't want people to think that all of a sudden this just happened and there was some breakup. Everything happens for a reason."

He continued: "Jizzy gave notice several months ago. It was decided that it was beneficial to both sides of the equation to continue out the year — financially, [with] consideration for Jizzy, and for me, being able to do the dates that were contracted. So I think it worked out for everyone."

Banali added: "I was actually going to go public [with Jizzy's exit] a week before [QUIET RIOT's appearance on] the [Monsters Of Rock] cruise, and then all of a sudden I came to the realization that if I go public before the cruise, I'm gonna be sequestered on a ship for four days, and the only people that are there are fans and press. And so I didn't want those dates, those two QUIET RIOT shows, to revolve around who's leaving and why; I wanted people to concentrate on the music. But as soon as we docked, 'Boom!' But it was already in place. I mean, I was gonna do it a week before."

Banali also talked about QUIET RIOT's latest addition. He said: "His name is Seann Nicols, and he was with ADLER'S APPETITE a number of years ago. But he was off my radar because for the last, I think, two or three years, he had gone back to the university to get a degree in business, so he had been off the grid. And Alex Grossi [QUIET RIOT guitarist] told me that I should check him out, so I checked him out. And I sent him a non-disclosure agreement to sign, and we went ahead about seeing if it could work, if he could sing the catalog."

He continued: "I think one of the reasons we've had such a turnover of singers is because Kevin [DuBrow, late QUIET RIOT singer] was the complete package in every sense of the word. But Seann is really, really good. And I ended up signing a deal with Frontiers Records to release a new album in 2017. And come to find out that Seann writes some great lyrics and great melodies."

Even though Seann didn't make his live debut with QUIET RIOT until this month, Banali was confident that the singer would be more than up to the task. "I don't do anything by chance," the drummer said. "If the QUIET RIOT movie [the 'Quiet Riot: Well Now You're Here There's No Way Back' documentary] should tell you anything about me, it's that I don't leave anything to chance."

The Pearl-fronted QUIET RIOT recorded six new songs for an album called "10", which was released digitally on iTunes and Amazon.com in June 2014, but Banali pulled the songs from both download stores shortly after putting the effort on sale and hasn't made them available again. He later explained that his decision to remove "10" from iTunes and Amazon.com was motivated in part by the fact that he couldn't find a record label that would properly promote the album. In addition, he said that the system that brought us classic rock music has been forever altered by the times and the promotional and marketing engine that is broken, no longer effectively exposing music from the labels through radio and to the masses.

When it comes to crossing genre lines from hard rock and heavy metal to rap and hip-hop, plenty of bands have made successful crossover hits from Jay Z and LINKIN PARK to PUBLIC ENEMY and ANTHRAX. But in recent years as some of these iconic collaborations have fallen to the wayside, a new era of fresh rhyming, hard-hitting, headbanging power has risen from those ashes… coming from young stars who have already seen their share of fame: rapper Sky Katz and metal band UNLOCKING THE TRUTH. And their new single "Rockstar" is sure to leave fans of genre-bending with a whole new level of appreciation!

With the teen years being most closely associated with growing, learning, and coming into one's own while breaking through boundaries, Sky and UNLOCKING THE TRUTH have certainly already accomplished these feats in leaps and bounds not only in their personal lives but in their incredible journeys as young musicians. Adding to these enormous feats is their effort to merge two genres often seen as opposing, and bring an incredible amount of diversity both musically and culturally. "Rockstar" encapsulates the hard-hitting, in-your-face elements of metal and hip-hop that have made both genres incredibly popular and successful since their origins began with attitude, speed, and a fierce message. In it, over heavy riffs and an intense rhythm section, Katz raps, "Which one of y'all done called my name, fresh on the scene with the ball and chain // A hundred MCs and they all the same, so Sky turned Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame," with a tough grit not usually reserved for her 12-year-old stature, continuing, "I might roll through the city in a big ol' truck, four big wheels and a grill up front // Pull up to the show all you see is us, if we ever had beef man I wish ya luck." The song heightens with Sky and UNLOCKING THE TRUTH's Malcolm Brickhouse belting refrain, "I got rock and roll it's all in my soul with the real hip hop that's 'bout to explode, if you hear them shots cops on patrol that's me, turning to a rockstar!" in a fervid mix of volition that could easily be seen as a theme for extreme sports or the toughest cage-match brawl.

Hailing from Long Island, New York, hip-hop pioneer and BMI recording artist Sky Katz has been hitting the ground running in the music industry since discovering her talent and passion for rapping at the age of 5. Sky has kept the momentum up ever since with her dynamic, witty, and energetic style with an old-school chemistry. Fueled by her insatiable thirst to bring back old-school hip-hop and make a mark in the industry with influences from hip-hop greats like Nicki Minaj, Drake, Nas, Rakim, and many more in the game, Sky Katz has honed her craft with a very appealing presence and has garnered a very good buzz and following that continues to expand through anyone who discovers her. With her recent appearance on "America's Got Talent", she wowed the panel judges (and audience) with her single "Fresh". Her single "Haters" (a revamp of Biz Markie's "Just A Friend") came shortly after, which received critical acclaim and positive reception worldwide. Following the performances, she obtained thousands of followers from across the globe on her Instagram and YouTube pages, and is currently focused on driving her career forward.

UNLOCKING THE TRUTH is Malcolm Brickhouse (vocals/guitar) Alec Atkins (bass), and Jarad Dawkins (drums). Founding members Brickhouse and Dawkins met each other at a birthday party in 2005. Sharing similar tastes in music, they decided to create a band. As the metal duo's street performances started gaining attention, Brickhouse and Dawkins felt they needed a bassist but none of their friends were musicians, so they taught their pre-school friend, Alec Atkins, how to play the bass guitar from scratch. These street performances in Times Square and around New York City led to people recording and uploading videos of them to YouTube, which garnered a lot of attention through social media. The trio have since appeared on national television, including NBC's "The Tonight Show", ABC's "The View", CNN, Fuse, BET, Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" and more. In 2014, they were the youngest group to perform at Coachella. They've performed at the Afropunk Fest, SXSW and were the youngest band to play at the 2014 Vans Warped Tour. They have also performed at the high-profile music festivals Heavy Montreal and Bonnaroo. The trio have supported music legends such as GUNS N' ROSES, MOTÖRHEAD, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, LIVING COLOUR, MARILYN MANSON and more while also earning spots in commercials for Airheads, AT&T, Beats by Dr. Dre, Maybelline and Verizon. In 2014 the band signed a contract for five albums with Sony Music Entertainment, but in 2015, they successfully negotiated their release from the contract. Their full-length debut album, "Chaos", was released on June 17, 2016 via TuneCore, and a feature-length documentary film about the band, titled "Breaking A Monster", came out in 2016.

With "Rockstar", Sky Katz and UNLOCKING THE TRUTH bring a whole new element to the hip-hop/metal crossover with not only a youthful exuberance but a new breath of life that is sure to bring a younger generation who may be accustomed either genre to look more deeply and discover something new.

Coming off a very successful U.S. tour and the release of its first studioalbum in ten years, "Black Dawn", the time has come for founding member and world-renowned drummer Carmine Appice to re-energize and rebuild CACTUS, the band once heralded by critics as America's answer to LED ZEPPELIN. Appice has announced two new members to the legendary band's lineup: bassist Jim Caputo and guitarist Paul Warren. Caputo replaces bassist Pete Bremy, who has left CACTUS to pursue other projects. Warren, best known as lead guitarist for Rod Stewart, Tina Turner and Joe Cocker, will be the band's new guitarist for touring, taking over for founding member Jim McCarty. McCarty, who remains a writing and recording member of CACTUS, is unable to tour with the band due to health reasons. Lead vocalist extraordinare Jimmy Kunes and harmonica wizard Randy Pratt, both of whom joined when the band re-grouped in 2006, remain in the lineup. "Nearly five decades after I formed this band, the time has come to reinvent CACTUS once again," says Appice, who also still drums for VANILLA FUDGE, THE APPICE BROTHERS and THE PLATINUM ROCK ALL STARS. Adds Appice: "The music remains the same; CACTUS is still 'hot and sweaty,' and the quality of the band's musicianship is as strong as ever." "I saw the original CACTUS live a few times, and they absolutely killed it," says Warren. "That was one of the great bands of the era, and they are still a great band, today. I am excited, and honored, to playwith such a historic band!”

Warren, who has his own successful solo band, is a native of Detroit who considers Jim McCarty one of his biggest musical influences. "Filling in for Jim McCarty will be a challenge. Not only is he a founding member, he is a brilliant guitarist — one of the best to ever come out of Detroit. Jimmy could never be replaced. I plan to honor, and pay homage to his work with CACTUS while still bringing some of my own 'Detroit attitude' to the legendary music of this band." Caputo has worked in a myriad of national touring acts, including the Appice brothers' "Drum Wars" show, which includes both Carmine and his brother, Vinny.

After a few years of complete inactivity, CACTUS returned in 2016 with "Black Dawn", a new studio album and its first in almost seven years. Featuring the blistering riff-rock that the band built its reputation on, "Black Dawn" is classic CACTUS with a fresh new energy that the band has not had since its heyday in the early 1970s.

CACTUS has had a long and turbulent history. Formed in 1970 from the ashes of VANILLA FUDGE by Carmine Appice and Tim Bogert, the initial lineup also featured McCarty and vocalist Rusty Day. (Appice and Bogert had originally planned a new band with Jeff Beck which was put off until 1973, because of Beck's near-fatal car crash in 1969.) Jim McCarty had come from MITCH RYDER & THE DETROIT WHEELS and was playing with THE BUDDY MILES EXPRESS. Tim and Carmine also found vocalist Day in THE AMBOY DUKES with Ted Nugent. Together, the four musicians formed CACTUS, named after the peyote cactus, which provided a key ingredient in mind-altering drugs.

While CACTUS saw success from the start and soon built a loyal fan base, by early 1973, the band had collapsed mainly due to lack of real support from its label, and the fact that Beck was now ready play with Carmine and Tim. It would not be until 2006, three decades after the tragic death of Rusty Day, that the group reformed with Pratt and Kunes. When Tim Bogert was forced into retirement after a serious motorcycle accident, Pete Bremy jumped in both in CACTUS and VANILLA FUDGE.

Photo courtesy of CACTUS Facebook page

"We Are All Sainted Sinners", the new video from SAINTED SINNERS, the band featuring former ACCEPT singer David Reece, can be seen below. The song is taken from SAINTED SINNERS' self-titled debut album, which will be released on February 24 via El Puerto Records. The group's lineup is rounded out by guitar player Frank Pané, keyboardist Ferdy Doernberg (AXEL RUDI PELL) and the dynamic rhythm section of the two former PURPENDICULAR members Malte Frederik Burkert (bass) and the Hungarian drum maestro Berci Hirleman.

Said Pané about the "We Are All Sainted Sinners" video: "It was lots of fun filming this clip as it was actually the first-ever performance together on stage as SAINTED SINNERS. The location at Spectrum in Augsburg is a great stage to rock, and I think you can see in the footage how good we felt performing as a band. It was a very busy, but successful day for the band with a cool first video clip as the final result, which shows the essence of rock 'n' roll."

Added Reece: "For me, it's a perfect single because all of us have a choice to make each and every day about how we want to treat each other and ourselves. But seriously, for most nothing feels so good like being bad."

Expressing the "pure essence of rock'n'roll", was the ambition that paired five well-known and experienced musicians together in early 2016, to create and play the music which is deeply inside their hearts and in their blood. The love for rock legends, such as DEEP PURPLE, LED ZEPPELIN, RAINBOW, WHITESNAKE, UFO, BLACK SABBATH, VAN HALEN and many others, built the cornerstone for the music of the new founded five-piece called SAINTED SINNERS.

"The idea first started with me thinking about forming a band where I can follow my natural taste of music without compromises. I was writing music and then basically formed the band around who would fit the direction it was going", remembered Pané, whose first step was to contact his former bandmate Reece. "Being one of my alltime-favourite singers, he was my obvious choice. It just clicked immediately and so we agreed to lead the band together as we trust and respect each other."

"Sainted Sinners" track listing:

01. Knight Of The Long Knives02. Beauty In The Beast03. Maybe She's Got Balls04. We Are All Sainted Sinners05. Blue Lightning Man06. The Love That I Have Found07. Did You08. In Need09. Evangeline10. Shine Diamond Girl11. Truth Is A Lie

The eleven tracks on "Sainted Sinners" were written and produced by Pané and Reece, partly recorded at Sound Design in Germany with Robbie Hochwind during mid-summer 2016, as well as in early fall 2016 by Mario Percudani at the Tanzan Music Studios. The final mastering was done by Daniele Mandelli at Tanzan Music Studios in late fall 2016. "I feel a very strong sense of pride! I feel it's a great representation of who I and we are", summarized Reece, who called the eleven tracks colorful. "Concerning the logistic distance between everybody and the fact that we just started as a band, it's a very promising debut with many albums to follow", rejoiced Pané.

On January 13th, German metal legends Accept finally delivered their new live package, Restless And Live. This set not only includes the entire show that Accept played at Bang Your Head!!! Festival 2015 on Blu-ray/DVD, but also two live CDs with different recordings from their most recent European tour. The video for “Shadow Soldiers” can now be seen below.

With this package, the band enter the charts worldwide These are the current chart entries:

#1 - Germany (DVD Charts)
#1 - Sweden (DVD Charts)
#5 - Switzerland (DVD Charts)
#5 - Austria (DVD Charts)
#9 - Germany
#10 - US (Hard Music)
#13 - UK (Rock Charts)
#18 - Holland (DVD Charts)
#30 - US (Top Rock)
#42 - Finland
#73 - France
#81 - Switzerland
#93 - Belgium
#117 - US (Top Current Albums)

Restless And Live is available in the following formats:

- Blu-ray+2CD-DIGI (Live @ Bang Your Head!!! 2015)
- DVD+2CD-DIGI (Live @ Bang Your Head!!! 2015)
- 2CD-DIGI (Blind Rage - Live In Europe 2015)
- Earbook (Blu-ray + DVD + 2CD, 36 pages)
- 4LP Box (Blind Rage - Live In Europe 2015; black sleeved + poster + 12″ photo card)
- 4LP Box (Blind Rage - Live In Europe 2015; red / white sleeved + poster + 12″ photo card)
- Deluxe Earbook (+ lanyard)

Order Restless And Live now.

Restless And Live tracklisting:

Blu-ray / DVD:
“Stampede”
“Stalingrad”
“London Leatherboys”
“Restless And Wild”
“Dying Breed”
“Final Journey”
“Shadow Soldiers”
“Losers And Winners”
“200 Years”
“Midnight Mover”
“No Shelter”
“Princess Of The Dawn”
“Dark Side Of My Heart”
“Pandemic”
“Fast As A Shark”
“Metal Heart”
“Teutonic Terror”
“Balls To The Wall”

CD1:
“Stampede”
“Stalingrad”
“Hellfire”
“London Leatherboys”
“Living For Tonite”
“200 Years”
“Demon’s Night”
“Dying Breed”
“Final Journey”
“From The Ashes We Rise”
“Losers And Winners”
“No Shelter”
“Shadow Soldiers”
“Midnight Mover”

CD2:
“Starlight”
“Restless And Wild”
“Son Of A Bitch”
“Pandemic”
“Dark Side Of My Heart”
“The Curse”
“Flash Rockin’ Man”
“Bulletproof”
“Fall Of The Empire”
“Fast As A Shark”
“Metal Heart”
“Teutonic Terror”
“Balls To The Wall”

“Shadow Soldiers”:

"Fast As A Shark”:

 

 

(Photo - Daniela Adelfinger)

Stockholm, Sweden’s Mindshift have unleashed a new lyric video for the song “My Revenge”, and joining the band on guest vocals is none other than Björn “Speed” Strid of Soilwork.

The song depicts the magnitude of oppression that humanity has imposed upon our home, the Earth. “My Revenge” is the second single off the band’s latest album, Horizon, which was released worldwide via Eclipse Records in 2016. Watch the new video below.

“‘My Revenge’ is about the earth itself that is taking revenge on humanity for what man has done to it. The lyric video focuses upon this, displaying images from around the world that show different examples of how we are destroying our home, Planet Earth,” says vocalist Johan Lund. “We wrote the song from the point of view of Planet Earth, as if it were speaking to all humanity and warning us of the environmental problems we as a species have created.”

EXTREME guitarist Nuno Bettencourt revealed during an interview with BackStory Events at this past weekend's NAMM show in Anaheim, California that the band is hoping to release the long-awaited follow-up to to 2008's "Saudades de Rock" album in late spring or early summer. He added: "We're excited about it, as bands are. We're very excited about it."

Asked what fans can expect to hear from EXTREME's forthcoming disc, Nuno joked: "Just a bunch of, you know, stuff that people don't want anymore — memorable hit songs. You know, just those sorts of things. Good riffs, great songs — the shit that nobody listens to anymore."

EXTREME singer Gary Cherone told Metalholic last October that fans of EXTREME will be pleased with the musical direction of the band's new material. He said: "There will be, like all EXTREME records, familiar elements, but also stuff… Over the years, when Nuno and I write, we're affected by our environment and music changes throughout the years, so those elements… There will still be some new elements to the band as well. Hopefully that always happens; you always wanna grow and evolve and move on. But the guitars will be there, the harmonies will be there, the songs, the hooks, the lyrics… There'll still be elements of the past, but certainly new elements [as well]."

A live package celebrating EXTREME's "Pornograffitti" album was made available last October. Titled "Pornograffitti Live 25 / Metal Meltdown", it includes a DVD, Blu-ray and audio CD recorded at the band's show at the Las Vegas Hard Rock Casino on May 30, 2015, where they performed the record in full.

Sinner to release new album "Tequila Suicide" on March 31st on AFM Records on March 31st. Produced by Mat Sinner, co-produced, mixed & engineered by Dennis Ward, the album features Tom Naumann & Alexander Scholpp on guitars. Francesco Jovino on drums, plus special guests Sascha Krebs, Kolinda Brozovic, Gus G, Ricky Warwick, Pete Lincoln, Neil Witchard and Magnus Karlsson. Cover by Sledgehammer Graphix

Tracklist:
01. Go Down Fighting
02. Tequila Suicide
03. Road To Hell
04. Dragons
05. Battle Hill
06. Sinner Blues
07. Why
08. Gypsy Rebels
09. Loud & Clear
10. Dying On A Broken Heart

* bonus track on Digipak
11. House Of Rock *
12. Monday Morning *
13. I Am *

SINNER „Tequila Suicide“ Tour
(with Special Guest „THE UNITY“):
04.03. Esslingen - ROW Komma
12.05. Wetzikon (CH) - Hall Of Fame
13.05. Memmingen - Kaminwerk
14.05. Essen - Turock
16.05. Nürnberg - Hirsch
17.05. Aschaffenburg - Colos-Saal
18.05. Mannheim - 7er Live Club
19.05. Markneukirchen - Framus & Warwick Music Hall
20.05. Hamburg - Knust

Twin dual harpists Camille And Kennerly are back with a cover of the Metallica classic, “Enter Sandman”. Check out the new video below:

Some of Camille And Kennerly’s previous videos can be seen below:

“The Trooper” (Iron Maiden):

“Ice Queen” (Within Temptation):

“Carry On Wayward Son” (Kansas):

"Silent Lucidity" (Queensrÿche):

“One” (Metallica):

“Nemo” (Nightwish):

Norwegian prog metallers Leprous are streaming a video for “Contaminate Me” from their very first live DVD/CD/LP package, Live At Rockefeller Music Hall, released back in November via InsideOut Music. Watch the new clip below.

Recorded live at a hometown show in Oslo on June 4th, 2916, Live At Rockefeller Music Hall is available on various formats, including a limited DVD+2CD Digipak, standalone DVD, 2CD Jewelcase, Gatefold 3LP + 2CD & as Digital Download audio.

Live At Rockefeller Music Hall tracklisting:

“The Flood”
“Foe”
“Third Law”
“Rewind”
“The Cloak”
“Acquired Taste”
“Red”
“Slave”
“The Price”
“Moon”
“Down”
“The Valley”
“Forced Entry”
“Contaminate Me”

Additionally, the DVD contains the following bonus materials:

Behind The Scenes
“Slave” (Lyric Video)
“Restless” (Video)
“The Cloak” (Video)
“The Price” (Video)
Leprous At Rockefeller 13 Years Earlier

“Contaminate Me” video:

“Third Law” video:

“Slave” video:

European dates with Devin Townsend Project and Between The Buried And Me:

January
28 - Antwerpen, Belgium - Trix * No BTBAM
30 - Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg - Rockhal
31 - Paris, France - Bataclan

February
1 - Bordeaux, France - Rockschool Barbey
3 - Madrid, Spain - La Reviera
4 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 2
5 - Marseille, France - Le Moulin
7 - Milan, Italy - Live Club
8 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
9 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn
10 - Munich, Germany - Backstage
12 - Zagreb, Croatia - Tvornica Club
13 - Budapest, Hungary - A38
14 - Vienna, Austria - Arena
16 - Prague, Czech Republic - The Roxy
17 - Leipzig, Germany - Täubchenthal
18 - Kraków, Poland - Kwadrat
19 - Warsaw, Poland - Stodola
21 - Hamburg, Germany - Grünspan
22 - Aarhus, Denmark - Voxhall
23 - Göteborg, Sweden - Pustervik
25 - Bergen, Norway - Blastfest
26 - Oslo, Norway - Sentrum Scene
28 - Helsinki, Finland - The Circus

March
1 - Seinajoki, Finland - Rytmikorjaamo
3 - Stockholm, Sweden - Berns
4 - Malmö, Sweden - KB
5 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Amager Bio
7 - Berlin, Germany - Columbia Theater
8 - Dortmund, Germany - FZW
9 - Tilburg, The Netherlands - 013
10 - Amsterdam, The Netherlands - De Melkweg

UK tour with Devin Townsend Project and Tesseract:

March
12 - Bristol, UK - Colston Hall
13 - Manchester, UK - Academy
14 - Glasgow, UK - Barrowlands
16 - Birmingham, UK - Institute
17 - London, UK - Hammersmith Eventim Apollo
17 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City

Australia’s Rebel Wizard overcome genre boundaries with their most recent full length offering as mastermind NKSV coalesces his black and thrash metal roots with swatches of NWOBHM and epic power metal to form Triumph Of Gloom. The album track, "Ease Of Wretchedness And Wonder”, is available for streaming below.

The album will be re-released by Prosthetic Records on February 24th and will include a previously unheard bonus track, "Defenders Of The Gloom".  

Tracklisting:

"On The Unknown Self They Weep"
"Where We Surrender Completely To The Miserable Shaman"
"Trampled By Wolves And Sheep"
"Ease Of Wretchedness And Wonder"
"A Spell Of Sorrow To Relieve The Curse Of Triump"
"Eat The Warlock"
"Sorcerery"
"Hemorrhage Wonders"
"Defenders Of The Gloom" (bonus track)

"Ease Of Wretchedness And Wonder”:

"Trampled By Wolves And Sheep" video:

Pre-orders are now available including the first ever vinyl pressing, limited to 300 copies on blue / burgundy / black swirl variant. North American customers should click here, while European purchasers should visit this location.

MOTIONLESS IN WHITE has debuted "Eternally Yours", a new song from the band's forthcoming Roadrunner debut, "Graveyard Shift". "Eternally Yours" is available at all DSPs. "Graveyard Shift" will arrive everywhere May 5. "Eternally Yours" features fan-designed single artwork and follows the previously released single "570", the music video for which has received over 2.6 million views on the band's official YouTube channel. Both tracks will appear on "Graveyard Shift", with official pre-orders for the album launching in the coming weeks. MOTIONLESS IN WHITE commented on the release, stating: "Today we are elated to release to you our new track 'Eternally Yours'. We are incredibly proud of this song, much like our previous single '570', we feel it embodies the heart and soul of MOTIONLESS IN WHITE. Demonstrating many aspects of the evolution of the band thus far, while standing firm on the foundation we have built with our preceding records. It is collectively one of our favorite tracks of the bands entire discography."

The band continued: "While having previously planned to release our forthcoming album, 'Graveyard Shift', in the winter of 2017, we are also very happy to announce that after much discussion and planning with our new label home, Roadrunner Records, May 5th 2017 will be the moment we finally get to unveil to you what we have worked so hard on throughout all of 2016.

"Knowing how much passion and care has gone into the creation of this album, we can assure you that it will be worth the wait. Until then, please enjoy 'Eternally Yours' and all of what's to come along the way to May 5th." Currently on the road co-headlining "The End Is Here" tour with FALLING IN REVERSE and ISSUES, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE has been performing both "Eternally Yours" and "570" live to capacity crowds.

The tour is set to continue through mid-February where it will eventually conclude with a performance on February 12 at the House of Blues in San Diego, California.

This spring MOTIONLESS IN WHITE is set to perform at an array of U.S. festivals, including Welcome To Rockville (April 29-30), Fort Rock (April 29-30), Carolina Rebellion (May 7), Northern Invasion (May 13-14), and Rock On The Range (May 19-21). The band will then head overseas this summer for a European run of festivals, including Download (June 9), Graspop Metal Meeting (June 16-18) and more. Founded in 2005, MOTIONLESS IN WHITE has won over audiences worldwide with its aggressive music and arresting imagery. The band — currently comprising lead singer Chris Motionless, guitarists Ryan Sitkowski and Ricky Horror, bassist Devin "Ghost" Sola and drummer Vinny Mauro — has proven a ferocious and inventive live act, earning an increasingly fervent fan following via countless headline shows, festival sets, and tours alongside such iconic acts as SLIPKNOT, LAMB OF GOD and A DAY TO REMEMBER.

Fan-filmed video footage of BLACK SABBATH's January 24 concert at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland, United Kingdom can be seen below.

BLACK SABBATH is bringing its storied career to a close in its native England, with seven shows booked there in January and February. The last two, on February 2 and February 4, will take place in SABBATH's hometown of Birmingham and will likely be their final shows.

Asked if he has regrets about anything that transpired during SABBATH's nearly five-decade career, singer Ozzy Osbourne told Kerrang! magazine: "You're talking about my fucking diary! I've made a fucking idiot of myself so many times. I don't drink anymore. I haven't drunk for four years, I haven't got stoned for four years, but back in the day when I did get stoned, I was constantly making a fucking idiot of myself, falling on my arse or some crazy fucking thing."

Guitarist Tony Iommi said: "You always think there's loads of things you could've done, but would you be where you are now if you'd done them? I could say, 'Oh, I wish I hadn't done all those drugs in the early days,' but there must have been a reason, somewhere along the line, why you do these things, so you learn something and go on to the next stage. I can complain about things, but there's been a reason for it."

Stated bassist Geezer Butler: "It's hard to say because I believe in fate, and the whole thing has been guided by something else beyond us. There are things I could be unhappy about — the way we got ripped off in the '70s and stuff like that — but it's all worked its way out. Things happen for a reason, I really believe that, and there's nothing I can change about anything, so I don't really regret anything. And we've always maintained our friendship. It's almost like friends going on tour together. We went through such a lot together; we've got really strong bonds together."

BLACK SABBATH played its last show ever in the U.S. on November 12 at AT&T Center in San Antonio, Texas. The gig took place nearly five years to the day that the legendary act announced their reunion.

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

They regrouped again in late 2011 for a new album and tour, although Ward dropped out after just a few months. The remaining trio issued the "13" album in 2013 and backed it with a successful world tour — despite Iommi being treated for lymphoma since 2012.

Gene Hoglan's highly anticipated second DVD, "The Atomic Clock: The Clock Strikes Two", is due to be released on February 3 and will feature the Clock himself breaking down some of his favorite beats, telling stories and playing along with tracks from several of his most legendary projects, including STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, TESTAMENT and DEATH. In advance of next week's release, Hoglan is revealing what many extreme music fans may consider the most anticipated playthrough from the DVD, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD's "Skeksis" from their Billboard-charting 2005 release "Alien". Check it out below. Hoglan recalls the original "Skeksis" writing and recording sessions: "Devin [Townsend] and I wrote the tune in late summer, early fall of '04, at this shabby downtown Vancouver rehearsal space that kinda represented where we were both at mentally in our lives. I remember him mentioning that he'd love to have an ALMIGHTY PUNCHDRUNK (one of my all-time favorite bands whom I've also drummed for) feel and vibe to whatever was about to come out of us. To me, that meant to include, 'the PUNCHDRUNK beat', which is this great, samba-esque, Latin-feel beat (that I am sure has a name, I'd love to know it) which PUNCHDRUNK proudly stole from the legendary Canadian band THE SMALLS. I'm sure you've all heard it a time or two. "Dev and I played around the beat the whole song, getting closest to it in the chorus, then really sinking into it in the last minute or so, in the part I refer to as the 'girl fight' part, because that's what it sounds like Dev is saying there. It is such a fun beat to play, and a real satisfying denouement to the song. A moment of crowning glory to a ruling tune. The version on the new DVD is a completely re-envisioned mix, where the vocals and samples are absent, really bringing out the rhythm guitars and basic tracks." Filmed in high definition on a dozen cameras, with studio-mastered audio, this DVD offers a chance to see Gene Hoglan play like never before. Though certainly inspirational for any level of musician, "The Atomic Clock: The Clock Strikes Two" is not only for drummers. Gene's easygoing, approachable attitude is readily apparent as he happily tells the viewer stories from his career, chatting as if with old friends about days in the studio or on the road. An impressive roster of high-caliber musicians also weigh in over the course of the feature, offering stories about Gene and their experiences working with him. Interviews include Scott Ian and Frank Bello of ANTHRAX, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD/REVOCATION's Ash Pearson, Jason Bittner of SHADOWS FALL, Chuck Billy, Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson of TESTAMENT, and more. Featured tracks:

* TESTAMENT: "Rise Up", "Native Blood"* GALAKTIKON: "On My Way"* MELDRUM: "Walking Point", "A Toast To Romance"* STRAPPING YOUNG LAD: "Skeksis"* DEATH: "Overactive Imagination", "The Philosopher" This DVD provides a glimpse into the philosophies, techniques, and history of one of metal's most influential musicians of all time. "The Atomic Clock: The Clock Strikes Two" was recorded at The Warehouse Studios Vancouver, Canada. The DVD was edited by Leon Melas and directed by Rob Shallcross and Leon Melas, with co-direction from Hoglan. All audio was produced, engineered and mixed by Rob Shallcross with audio mastering from Greg Reely.

Alice Cooper and Lzzy Hale (HALESTORM) joined BEASTO BLANCO, the band fronted by long time ALICE COOPER bassist Chuck Garric, on stage last night (Thursday, Janaury 26) at The Basement East in Nashville, Tennessee to perform the Cooper classic "School's Out". Alice also sang "No More Mr. Nice Guy" with BEASTO BLANCO, whose lineup includes his daughter Calico. Check out video footage below.

A couple of years ago, Lzzy recalled meeting Alice Cooper in a record store and providing the iconic singer with some decidedly un-rock 'n' roll drugs. "They were antacids," she told Playboy.com in a 2013 interview. "I ran into him in L.A. He was shopping for CDs with his daughter Calico, and I saw him there and I ended up talking to him and realized I had actually met Calico years ago when we were in Philly — she was dating some guy we were playing with. So anyway, Alice is really quiet and while we were talking he was looking at my keychain. On my keychain, I have this little pill carrier that I carry my earplugs in, and he taps on it and says, 'Do you have any Pepcid AC in there because I got major heartburn,' and I just happened to have Pepcid AC, not in the pill box but on me, because my dad at the time was working at the Pepcid AC factory. So that's my story about giving Alice Cooper drugs."

She added: "He's a great dude. I ended up being a prop in his show; he had me handing out these huge balloons during 'School's Out' where I'd toss them to the crowd and he'd stab them and confetti would go everywhere, and I stayed up to sing with him. He's a really nice guy, really laid back, and his entire crew is like family since they've been working for him for like 20 years. So when you're with him, it's a good experience."

Calico originally joined BEASTO BLANCO as a backup singer but now splits vocal duties with Garric.

"She and I are Bonnie and Clyde, the Natural Born Killers," Garric told the Nashville Scene. "Entertainment is the key to what we do. The music is important, but at the same time, when you come to a show, I need people paying attention."

MEMORIAM, the new Birmingham, United Kingdom-based death/grind metal band featuring Karl Willets (BOLT THROWER) on vocals, Frank Healy (BENEDICTION, CEREBRAL FIX) on bass, Scott Fairfax (CEREBRAL FIX) on guitar and Andy Whale (BOLT THROWER) on drums, will release its debut album, "For The Fallen", on March 24 through Nuclear Blast Records. It will contain eight tracks, including "War Rages On", "Resistance" (both featured on "The Hellfire Demos I") and "Surrounded (By Death)" (featured on "The Hellfire Demos II"). The album's impressive artwork was created by Dan Seagrave (BENEDICTION, DISMEMBER, HYPOCRISY, SUFFOCATION).

The second trailer for "For The Fallen", in which the members of MEMORIAM talk about the band's name and the title of the album, is available below.

Seagrave stated about the "For The Fallen" artwork: "Starting from the band's thoughts on visualizing a kind of funeral procession with a theme of combat, war and in conjunction with the title 'For The Fallen', as with all my works, I then attempt to make the information evolve in my mind's eye, and allow imagination to take over those elements but retaining the core concept. The painting thus depicts a funeral procession moving through a long-wartorn cityscape. Twisted shards of towers and buildings. A cathedral facade stands defiantly, yet riddled with destruction and decay. At closer insp,ection the structures all seem to be infected with an element of natural decomposition, as if organically inclined to fade with the demise of the season, the season itself lost in a timeless void. The figures appear as remnants of once soldiers, now strange in their gathered mass, drawn forwards by the drifting momentum of the procession. Unaware of their emaciated state they follow the commander. The commander's elongated appearance is tattered and almost creature-like, with the combat-style elements and gasmask falsely presenting as a costume. The procession appears almost ghost-like, ancient and serene, slowly moving through this eerie place as if forever. Far in the background there might still be a war happening, but perhaps in another time. As we view a sublevel of reality, lost in the present, captured in light, where the war had passed through and we are left in a ghost biology, where chemicals and history meet to create an inescapable surrealism."

To give a first taster of what to expect from this highly-anticipated record, the first single from "For The Fallen", "Reduced To Zero", can be streamed below.

Willetts stated about the track: "'Reduced To Zero' is a comment on the times that we live in. In a world that is dominated by fear, hatred and intolerance, the song is a direct result of Brexit and Trump and the general rise of right wing nationalistic xenophobia."

Pre-order "For The Fallen" now digitally and receive "Reduced To Zero" instantly.

"For The Fallen" track listing:

Digi

01. Memoriam02. War Rages On03. Reduced To Zero04. Corrupted System05. Flatline06. Surrounded (By Death)07. Resistance08. Last Words

LP

Side A

01. Memoriam02. War Rages On03. Reduced To Zero04. Corrupted System

Side B

01. Flatline02. Surrounded (By Death)03. Resistance04. Last Words

MEMORIAM was primarily developed to fill the void that was left following the tragic death of Martin "Kiddie" Kearns, the drummer from BOLT THROWER, back in September 2015. BOLT THROWER subsequently placed all activity on hold for the foreseeable future which gave Karl Willetts an opportunity to develop a new project with friends that had expressed interest in forming a band for some time.

MEMORIAM is an old-school death metal band, maintaining the standards set by their previous bands, focusing on the themes of death, loss and war. Initially, the bandmembers got together to play covers of songs that had influenced them throughout their careers within the death metal scene. However, it soon became apparent that the new songs that they created were of a superior standard.

Photo credit: Gobinder Jhitta

British metal legends JUDAS PRIEST have announced the reissue of their tenth studio album, "Turbo". The album has been remastered and will be released via Sony Music on February 3 on three CDs (the original album and two bonus discs) as well as one-LP 150-gram vinyl.

Originally released in 1986, "Turbo" features all the hallmarks of classic PRIEST on tracks such as "Turbo Lover", "Parental Guidance" and "Locked In".

Included on disc 2 and 3 of the CD reissue is, previously unreleased, "Live in Kansas City", a live recording from the band's 1986 "Fuel For Life" tour in support of "Turbo".

The song "Rock You All Around The World", recorded at the above-mentioned concert, can be streamed below.

JUDAS PRIEST says: The '80s is considered to have been the best decade for heavy metal — JUDAS PRIEST roared through it and at the half way point went into unchartered territory with 'Turbo'. Always believing that metal should have no boundaries, PRIEST challenged themselves taking on board new technical inventions to create fresh ideas and push their sound forward. The combined songs show another side of PRIEST's range of creativity that captures a theme and energy infused with the over the top sensibilities of that era. The 'Fuel For Life' tour certainly encapsulated the decadence of the times! 'Turbo' remastered and accompanied by a pedal to the metal live recording from Kansas reveals PRIEST on high octane — raising fists and devil horns to the next level."

Disc One - Turbo: Remastered 01. Turbo Lover02. Locked In03. Private Property04. Parental Guidance05. Rock You All Around The World 06. Out In The Cold07. Wild Nights, Hot & Crazy Days08. Hot For Love09. Reckless

Disc Two - Live At The Kemper Arena, Kansas City

01. Out In The Cold 02. Locked In 03. Heading Out To The Highway 04. Metal Gods05. Breaking The Law06. Love Bites 07. Some Heads Are Gonna Roll 08. The Sentinel 09. Private Property 10. Desert Plains 11. Rock You All Around The World

Disc Three - Live At The Kemper Arena, Kansas City

01. The Hellion 02. Electric Eye 03. Turbo Lover 04. Freewheel Burning 05. Victim Of Changes 06. The Green Manalishi (With The Two-Pronged Crown) 07. Living After Midnight 08. You've Got Another Thing Coming 09. Hell Bent For Leather

Purchase the set at this location.

SKID ROW will enter the studio at the end of next month to begin recording its first new music since 2014's "Rise Of The Damnation Army - United World Rebellion: Chapter Two" EP. The effort will mark the band's first release with the South African-born, British-based vocalist ZP Theart (DRAGONFORCE, TANK, I AM I), who joined SKID ROW in December 2015.

SKID ROW guitarist Scotti Hill told EVH Gear Discussion at this past weekend's NAMM show in Anaheim, California (see video below): "We're getting ready to go back in the studio with the band. We have a new singer, ZP Theart. People would know him from the band DRAGONFORCE. And he is a brother, and he's a great singer; he sounds great with us. And we'll be starting some recording in the end of February."

Despite having played sporadic shows with SKID ROW for a year, Theart wasn't officially announced as the band's new frontman until earlier this month.

Theart said in a statement: "[SKID ROW's] music was the soundtrack to the largest part of my younger years and many a crazy adventure. Now I get the chance to re-live all of them for a hour and a half every night! I am beyond honored to be given this opportunity. Think I'm a bit jealous of my actual self."

Theart's involvement with SKID ROW was exclusively reported by BLABBERMOUTH.NET on December 31, 2015. He stepped into the group following the departure of Tony Harnell, the TNT frontman who joined SKID ROW in April 2015 as the replacement for Johnny Solinger, the band's singer for fifteen years.

SKID ROW guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo told News-Press.com that Theart has been doing a great job on the road.

"He's come in," the guitarist said, "and he's a really great source of positive energy. He knew all of our songs coming in, and he knew them well. He started singing the crap out of all of them, and we were all very impressed."

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach claimed in some recent interviews that his manager had been in talks with the band's manager about a reunion but that those conversations suddenly stopped. He told Vanyaland in December: "I don't know really why, but it's taken a turn in the other direction, unfortunately. I'm really so busy that it's beyond comprehension. I would love to do that, but if it doesn't happen, I've got a lot of other things on my plate to tackle. So whatever happens, happens, but it's not even up to me whatsoever at all — it has nothing to do with me — it's just me. [Laughs]"

The official trailer for "The Great Momentum", the new album from the Austrian symphonic metal act EDENBRIDGE, is available below. The disc will be released on February 17 through SPV/Steamhammer.

Like its predecessor "The Bonding" (2013), "The Great Momentum" was produced by guitarist/composer Lanvall and again mixed by Karl Groom (THRESHOLD) at his Thin Ice Studio in Surrey, England. The mastering was taken care of by Mika Jussila (STRATOVARIUS) at the renowned Finnvox Studios. Among the featured guests on the album are vocalist Erik Martensson (ECLIPSE, W.E.T., NORDIC UNION) and the Junge Philharmonie Freistadt orchestra. In addition, EDENBRIDGE will introduce on their upcoming release their new drummer Johannes Jungreithmeier, whose powerful style has contributed to the recording's great dynamism and who is set to tour Austria and Vietnam with EDENBRIDGE next February and March. Says Lanvall: "We're really happy to present our toughest and at the same time most bombastic album in 'The Great Momentum'. I am confident that my enthusiasm for this record will be confirmed by our fans' reactions." "The Great Momentum" will be released in the USA and Canada as a 2CD digi (bonus CD with instrumental versions), 2LP gatefold (golden vinyl), download and stream.

"The Great Momentum" track listing 01. Shiantara (5:51)02. The Die Is Not Cast (5:15)03. The Moment Is Now (4:21)04. Until The End Of Time (4:36)05. The Visitor (5:54)06. Return To Grace (5:13)07. Only A Whiff Of Life (3:44)08. A Turnaround In Art (7:32)09. The Greatest Gift Of All (12:18)

EDENBRIDGE is:

* Sabine Edelsbacher: Lead Vocals* Lanvall: Lead & Rhythm Guitars, Bass, 6 & 12 String Acoustic Guitars, * Nylon Guitar, Piano & Keyboards, Hammered Dulcimer, Bouzouki* Dominik Sebastian: Lead & Rhythm Guitars, Nylon Guitar* Johannes Jungreithmeier: Drums

Progressive rockers URIAH HEEP have been put in the unprecedented situation where they have to forced to cancel their shows in February due to an important medical procedure that vocalist Bernie Shaw needs to get done.

Shaw explains: "I have had a medical issue for some time that has needed urgent attention. But, due to our continuous touring schedule, I have not been able to address this. Unfortunately, it has come to a head and now I need to get this procedure done urgently to prevent the risk of further complications. This means that we are forced to cancel our European run in February which, as any URIAH HEEP fan knows, is totally against our nature. I can only apologize to all our fans on behalf of myself and the band and we will be back to play for you very, very soon."

The band and management fully support Bernie on this and we cannot wait to have him back on stage with them to continue to play to their fans around the world.

Affected dates:

Feb. 11 - Leiden, Netherlands @ Gebr. De NobelFeb. 12 - Weert, Netherlands @ BosuilFeb. 13 - Lucerne, Switzerland @ Konzerthaus SchüürFeb. 14 - Bern, Switzerland @ BierhubeliFeb. 16 - Milan, Italy @ Live ClubFeb. 17 - Modena, Italy @ Vox ClubFeb. 18 - Florence, Italy @ ViperFeb. 19 - Merano, Italy @ BolzanoFeb. 21 - Barcelona, Spain @ RazzmatazzFeb. 22 - Madrid, Spain @ ButFeb. 23 - Bilboa, Spain @ Santana 27

Refunds for tickets are available from the agents and outlets where originally purchased.

URIAH HEEP's last album of all-new material, "Outsider", came out in 2014.

Canadian rock act DANKO JONES will release its new album, "Wild Cat", on March 3 through eOne in Canada and AFM/Bad Taste in the rest of the world.

After having reached their highest chart positions to date in a handful of territories with their previous album, "Fire Music", and having been awarded gold and platinum singles in Sweden, DANKO return with "Wild Cat", once again produced by Juno Award-winning producer Eric Ratz.

The song "My Little RnR", taken from "Wild Cat", can be streamed below.

With "Fire Music" (2015), the predecessor to "Wild Cat", DANKO reached their highest chart positions to date in Germany, the Netherlands, Austria and Finland and also charted in another handful of key territories. The first single, "Do You Wanna Rock", peaked at No. 5 on the Active Rock radio charts in Canada, making it their highest charting single in Canada in their career. The song also received massive airplay around the globe. DANKO JONES has never felt more vibrant or hungry than they are on "Wild Cat". The 11-track album is a raw representation of the band's collective musical history and influences, and without a doubt their most solid album yet.

Celebrating 20 years in the rock n'roll game in 2016, DANKO JONES have an impressive resume to show for the past two decades. In addition to sold out headline tours across Canada and the European continent they have also toured the US, Brazil, Japan, Australia and South Africa and done extensive collaborations with a vast number of great artists. The Canadian trio has spent months on the road with GUNS N ROSES, MOTÖRHEAD and VOLBEAT and opened up for THE ROLLING STONES and OZZY OSBOURNE. The band's frontman and namesake was recently featured as a guest vocalist on the VOLBEAT track "Black Rose", one of the most streamed songs on their latest album and he also joined Mike McCready (PEARL JAM), Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES), and Barrett Martin (SCREAMING TREES) for a session with THE LEVEE WALKERS where he sang on two tracks. The "Wild Cat" world tour starts off with two shows in Finland in February and a series of shows in Europe in March and April. A Canadian tour and more European dates will be announced shortly, with other territories to follow.

ARCH ENEMY will release a new live DVD, "As The Stages Burn!", on March 31 via Century Media. The set contains video footage of the band's largest stage production to date from their performance last summer at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany. This performance marks the pinnacle of a highly successful album campaign in support of "War Eternal". It all began in March of 2014 when the band announced new vocalist Alissa White-Gluz as well as the video for the album title track, "War Eternal". This debut track went on to become the bands most successful video in their career, surpassing 20 million views on YouTube. The release of the "War Eternal" album also saw ARCH ENEMY reaching their highest U.S. and German chart positions to date while going on to play over 200 shows in over 40 countries around the world. In late 2014, Jeff Loomis (ex-NEVERMORE) joined ARCH ENEMY during the world tour with KREATOR and in 2015 they played arenas as direct support for NIGHTWISH.

A performance clip of the song "War Eternal", taken from "As The Stages Burn!", can be seen below.

ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott told Spark TV about "As The Stages Burn!": "I think this is the perfect album cycle to document. It's a fresh new ARCH ENEMY, and we just spent two years on the road or more, and, yeah, we just wanna put it out there kind of as a document of this time. And the show at Wacken was really special as well. We put a lot of effort into the production and had our biggest show to date. And that'll be the main part of the DVD, I guess, but there's gonna be a lot of other stuff as well, and it'll be like a live album, DVD, Blu-ray and all that stuff. We have a lot of other cool shows filmed as well, and parts of those might very well be a part of the DVD. But, you know, Wacken was just a great opportunity; it's the biggest heavy metal festival in the world."

ARCH ENEMY will celebrate the release of "As The Stages Burn!" with a number of European shows with special support from LACUNA COIL and THE HAUNTED.

Regarding the progress of the songwriting sessions for ARCH ENEMY's follow-up to "War Eternal", Michael said: "There's plenty of ideas floating around, and there's even some simple demos and stuff like that, but we haven't really seriously gotten into the songwriting process yet. But there's a lot of ideas. But we've been spending so much time on the road, and we're not really the kind of band that writes music on the road. I mean, we might come up with a little riff idea or a melody, or something like that, or a lyrical idea, but it's easier to put it together at home when you take some specific, dedicated time to write and put together music. It's a different kind of focus that you need, I think. You wake up in a different city every day, and it's a different life, and it's a little bit hard to focus on things like that."

Added Loomis: "I think the writing process is gonna be awesome between us. It's just like Mike said — we really haven't had a lot of time to sit down together yet, but I think that time is gonna be coming soon."

Regarding the expectations for ARCH ENEMY's next album, Alissa said: "I think that for all of us, with any new album, or even just with any show, it's always a challenge to do better than the last time. And I think that we all love 'War Eternal' and it's always gonna be super special to us, but we still wanna do better this time. It's just a matter of always keeping very, very high standards and being critical on yourself but in a constructive way, so that you can always produce good music and good performances. I don't think any of us are complacent when it comes to the quality of music that we've put out. I don't think we have any specific ideas in mind for things that we have to achieve within the album, but we have a really strong lineup here that's capable of putting together a really solid album. So we're all pretty excited about it… Let's not forget also that we have Jeff here for the writing process of this album, which we didn't have with 'War Eternal', so right there we have a whole new world to explore. So that's pretty exciting too."

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN have released an official live video for the song "Wasted Years", filmed on six continents during the band's "The Book Of Souls" world tour. Check it out below.

IRON MAIDEN's hugely successful "The Book Of Souls" world tour will return to North America for an extensive series of arena and amphitheater shows in summer 2017. The mammoth tour opened in Florida last February playing fourteen sold-out shows in the U.S.A and Canada along with a further 58 concerts in 34 other countries around the globe.

First night reviews from Ft. Lauderdale called it "a full-throttle, devil-may-care performance that thrilled a sold-out BB&T Center" (Sun Sentinel) with Revolver magazine reporting how the band's legendary mascot Eddie dominated the Maya-themed stage: "From a walking zombie towering over band members during the set, to being featured on a host of back-drops and huge blow-up figures — the quintessential symbol was omnipresent for the entire show” including Eddie having his heart literally ripped out of his chest and hurled into the crowd by singer Bruce Dickinson!"

Support on the trek will come from GHOST. There will also be some further bands added to the show at San Bernardino.

IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris commented: "We are really looking forward to returning to North America for a full tour. We had always planned to go back there and to the U.K. as last year, due to the global nature of the tour and the period it took, we just didn't have time to cover them properly and we do still like to get to fans in as many places as possible! "So this year we're able to reach many more cities in America, including a return to places MAIDEN haven't played for many, many years like Lincoln Nebraska, Minneapolis, Oklahoma City and Oakland, California. We also welcome playing in Brooklyn for the first time. "We will, of course, be bringing the full production with us, including all the Eddies and the Maya-themed stage sets. There's been a great reaction from everyone to this tour's theme, people really seem to love it. We're still deciding on the final setlist and we'll work that out once we get into rehearsals. Most of our North American fans haven't seen the show yet so as we want to give them the same 'Book Of Souls' live experience that we took around the world, it's unlikely we'll change much. And of course we know our fans appreciate us playing a lot of the older songs too, so we will continue to do that!" "The Book Of Souls" is MAIDEN's first ever double studio album and their most successful chart-wise to date, debuting at the No. 1 spot in over 40 countries around the world and No. 4 in the U.S.A.

British epic power metallers DRAGONFORCE are putting the finishing touches on their new album for a tentative spring release.

Speaking to Alto Music at this past weekend's NAMM show in Anaheim, California, DRAGONFORCE guitarist Herman Li stated about the band's follow-up to 2014's "Maximum Overload": "Crazy enough, we've been in hiding — we didn't post anything online, on Facebook or Twitter — but we've been hiding making an album. So we're actually almost finished with another one already. People can expect it in spring this year. We're just putting the final touches to the new album now."

DRAGONFORCE's forthcoming effort will mark the band's third full-length studio release with singer Marc Hudson, who joined the group in 2011 following the departure of original frontman ZP Theart (now in SKID ROW).

Asked if it was difficult to find a new vocalist who could help DRAGONFORCE retain its core sound while enabling the band to move forward, Li said: "To be honest, yeah, it is really difficult to find a singer that can sing old stuff and new stuff at the same time. So it took quite a while for us to find Marc. And he had never been in a band before professionally; he was just, like, in a band of friends, like starting out. It took a while to get into the groove of the thing, but now he's completely, you know, doing it. He's really awesome now."

Li also talked about DRAGONFORCE's more varied musical approach on the last couple of albums compared to the band's earlier efforts. He said: "The first few albums, they were fast all the way through, and we really kind of tried to show that, yeah, we can do really melodic, really fast high-speed songs. And now we actually branched out and added more elements. And it actually made it easier for the solo sections — to not just play over fast beats all the time. We held back for so many years — concentrated on the speed and all that — [and] now adding the other elements is actually kind of refreshing, to combine the two together."

DRAGONFORCE's new album was once again recorded primarily at Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden with producer Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with OPETH, THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT, AMON AMARTH, KATATONIA, SOILWORK and SYMPHONY X, to name a few.

DRAGONFORCE released a comprehensive career-spanning "best-of", "Killer Elite - The Hits, The Highs, The Vids", last July through Spinefarm. The 22-track set contains two hours and 30 minutes of music, featuring both studio and live material, with promo clips added to the deluxe set.

Members of Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, the Electric Light Orchestra and Pink Floyd have made it onto to the prestigious Birmingham Post Rich List 2017.

Ozzy Osbourne and family - sitting at a wealth of £135m ($169 million US) - have made it onto the Rich List at #35

Led Zeppelin legend Robert Plant is at the #41 position with a wealth of £105m ($132 million US).

Electric Light Orchestra legend and future Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer Jeff Lynne checks in at #75 with £85m ($106 million US).

Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason rounds off the list at #50 with £80m ($100 million US) in wealth.

Check out the entire list here.