The second teaser for "The Shadow Theory", the new album from KAMELOT, is available below. Due on April 6 via Napalm Records, the follow-up to 2015's "Haven" features all the signature elements of KAMELOT and also sees the band step out to add new and industrial elements along while combining amazing emotions that harken to the band's earlier days. The group's epic new music is chock full of symbolism relating to how the band feels about the world and the current state of civilization.

KAMELOT founder and guitarist Thomas Youngblood states: "'The Shadow Theory' album is a psychological journey through the complexity of the human mind. We are subjected to stimuli constantly through media, technology, social experiments and AI. Can we still be social creatures in the near future? 'The Shadow Theory' is an album that is mixing many worlds, giving the listener an ecape within our own realities. This album was written and recorded over the entire year and we are really proud of the song elements and diversity on 'The Shadow Theory'."

"The Shadow Theory" was helmed by acclaimed music producer Sascha Paeth and mastered by Jacob Hansen. Guests on the album include Lauren Hart (ONCE HUMAN), Jennifer Haben (BEYOND THE BLACK) and Sascha Paeth. The amazing cover and artwork was created by Stefan Heilemann.

"The Shadow Theory" track listing:

01. The Mission
02. Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire)
03. RavenLight
04. Amnesiac
05. Burns To Embrace
06. In Twilight Hours
07. Kevlar Skin
08. Static
09. MindFall Remedy
10. Stories Unheard
11. Vespertine (My Crimson Bride)
12. The Proud and The Broken
13. Ministrium (Shadow Key)

A 2-CD edition is available with the digipak version and the following additional tracks:

01. Phantom Divine (Shadow Empire) (Instrumental version)
02. RavenLight (Instrumental version)
03. Amnesiac (Instrumental version)
04. Burns To Embrace (Instrumental version)
05. Kevlar Skin (Instrumental version)
06. The Proud And The Broken (Instrumental version)
07. The Last Day Of Sunlight (bonus)

Youngblood told Rock Overdose that the band's new material was harkening "back to the 'Ghost Opera' days a bit with 'Haven' elements."

Following the release of "The Shadow Theory", KAMELOT will embark on a massive world tour, starting in North America during April/May 2018, followed by European shows in the summer. The band will return to Europe in September/October 2018 for its biggest headlining tour to date.

The very first show of KAMELOT's fall 2018 European tour will take place on September 14 at 013 in Tilburg, The Netherlands.

Say the band: "Tilburg! KAMELOT returns to the Poppodium 013 to support their new album and to commemorate their very special relationship with the Dutch fans! There have been 10+ sold-out KAMELOT concerts there over the past few years. To thank you for your support, we are very pleased to announce we will be shooting this show as part of the band's long-awaited DVD! Don't miss this very special event!!"

"Haven" sold around 7,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD was made available in May 2015 via Napalm Records as part of an exclusive licensing deal through the band's Kamelot Music LLC.

The official video for the song "Disaster" from former EXODUS and current GENERATION KILL and FRAGILE MORTALS singer Rob Dukes can be seen below. The track is taken from Dukes's first solo EP, which was released in October via all digital music retailers. The effort features Scott Reeder (KYUSS, FIREBALL MINISTRY) on bass and special appearances from members of RUN-D.M.C. and SNOT.

Track listing:

01. My Whole Life (feat. Mikey Doling)
02. Hate Me (feat. Darryl "DMC" McDaniels)
03. All Lies
04. Disaster

Vocals: Rob Dukes (EXODUS, GENERATION KILL)
Guitars: Jon "Jonny Rod" Ciorciari (JRod Productions)
Bass: Scott Reeder (KYUSS, FIREBALL MINISTRY)
Drums: Craig Cefola (WHEELHOUSE JUNCTION)

All music was written by Dukes and Ciorciari
Produced and mixed by Ciorciari

Special guests:

Vocals: "Hate Me" - Darryl "DMC" McDaniels (RUN-D.M.C.)
Guitar solo: "My Whole Life" - Mikey Doling (SNOT)

Backing vocals:

"My Whole Life", "Hate Me" - Jon "Jonny Rod" Ciorciari
"Hate Me" - Sean Magaletta (POOIS)

Dukes, who fronted EXODUS for nine years, performed with the band during its July 8, 2017 concert in San Francisco, California. He sang several songs with the group on the second of EXODUS's two-night stint at The Chapel in what marked the band's first headlining Bay Area club shows since late 2013.

Dukes joined EXODUS in January 2005 and appeared on four of the band's studio albums — "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" (2005), "The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" (2007), "Let There Be Blood" (2008, a re-recording of EXODUS' classic 1985 LP, "Bonded By Blood") and "Exhibit B: The Human Condition" (2010).

EXODUS in June 2014 announced the departure of Dukes and the return of Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley joined his former bandmate Gene Simmons at the KISS bassist/vocalist's "Vault Experience" event on Saturday, January 27 at Walter Grace Vintage Guitars in Miami, Florida. Video footage of their appearance can be seen below (courtesy of Joe Pappalardo).

Gene began personally delivering copies of his new box set, "Gene Simmons - The Vault Experience: 1966-2016", last month.

At the Miami event, Gene met with each and every fan who came out, performed some of the tracks from "The Vault" and explained how they were written.

"Gene Simmons - The Vault Experience: 1966-2016" is a comprehensive box set of Gene's solo material that comes packaged in a safe. The set includes 150 previously unreleased songs spread over 10 discs, a leather-bound photo book, a Gene Simmons action figure, an "In Gene We Trust" gold medallion and a "surprise item."

Describing "The Vault" as "literally and physically the largest box set of all time," Simmons told the "Hair Jordan" show that it stands "three feet tall" and "weighs 38 pounds. You need two arms to wrap around it and two arms to pick it up. It has metal hardware, metal wheels. I'm really proud of it."

Simmons added the price is only $2000, and "there are only gonna be a few thousand made on Earth. After that, they will be gone and they will never be done again. It's not available in stores — no nothing. And I'm gonna be going around the world and hand-delivering it to the fans who buy it."

According to Gene, he will "take a year off and literally travel around the world and hand-deliver the box set to whoever gets it. And the reason for that is… I'm really doing this for myself. Imagine you dreamed as a young kid you'd be a broadcaster and you finally get there and the people that allowed you to get there are the fans, right? The people who listen to you every day. So, because you're so enormously rich and powerful, what you wanna do is you wanna put on the biggest party of all time, but if you're the only person there, it's not much of a party. So my experience is, I'm on stage, but there's a separation between the stage and the fans; there are security guards and I can't get close to them. And when you go through a hotel lobby or some place, there's always a security guard who's keeping the folks away. So what I'm gonna do is I'm gonna change all that and I'm gonna go myself, pay for my own flights, hotels, security, insurance — I'll do that — and I'm gonna be going around the world, yeah, even to New Zealand, and hand-delivering the box sets."

"Gene Simmons - The Vault Experience: 1966-2016" spans the rocker's entire musical career, from 1966 to 2016, and includes the first song he ever wrote at the tender age of 14. There are tracks co-written with Bob Dylan, songs with Eddie and Alex Van Halen from VAN HALEN (a band he says he "discovered"), Joe Perry, and a slew of other luminaries.

Video footage of CYHRA, performing acoustically at this year's Bandit Rock Awards, which was held on January 31 at the Hard Rock Café in Stockholm, Sweden, can be seen below.

CYHRA is the new band featuring vocalist Jake E (ex-AMARANTHE), guitarist Jesper Strömblad (ex-IN FLAMES), guitarist Euge Valovirta (ex-SHINING), bassist Peter Iwers (ex-IN FLAMES) and drummer Alex Landenburg (LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY).

CYHRA made its live debut on October 27 at Nosturi in Helsinki, Finland.

The band's debut album, "Letters To Myself", was released on October 20 via Spinefarm Records. The disc was recorded at Top Floor Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden.

CYHRA will support KREATOR and SABATON on their North American tour in February and March. CYHRA will join the trek in Portland on February 12.

Speaking to AntiHero Magazine, Jake stated about CYHRA's formation: "I have been friends with Jesper for a long time, probably ten years. We met for the first time when I was working for IN FLAMES as a pyro technician back in the day. That was also when I got to know Peter. We had been friends since then. I was considering to make a solo album, and I would say that I have no idea what I'm going to do, but I'm probably going to write some songs as well. And he asked me, 'Would you do the vocals on my solo album?' And I said, 'Of course. Would you be interested in playing guitar on whatever I'm doing?' And he said yes. And then we started to talk about what our solo albums, projects, whatever it was meant to be would sound like and when we were discussing that we just realized that okay, we want the same. We want to make the same album. So that's where it all came to be and then we decided to start writing songs together. So, we were actually talking over a cup of coffee on a Friday and then on Monday we actually sat down in the studio and we started working on the first song. So that was really, really good. And then when we were doing the same thing there, we didn't know what to do. But after a couple of songs, everything started to come together. Then Jesper said, 'Okay what are we going to do?' And I said that I had the perfect drummer for this band, and that's Alex Landenburg. I said that you are going to love this guy. And a couple of months later we all met, and Jesper and Alex became best friends instantly. And then Jesper said that it would be cool if Peter would like to join. And so we asked him and he was still the bassist for IN FLAMES, and he said, 'Yeah, absolutely, I will gladly jump on board of this ship. But just to let you know, I am going to still be a member of IN FLAMES as well.' We were cool with that and then things happened like they did. Peter eventually decided to part ways with IN FLAMES."

Regarding the CYHRA sound, Jake said: "It is hard to describe what we sound like because we've been writing for almost a year. We've been influenced by so many different bands. We are, of course, influenced by ourselves. Because like, as the main songwriter in all our different projects before, you know, like, Jesper has his touch of things, I have the touch on my side, and also the other guys. Of course, you will find similarities in our former bands. But I won't say that we have reinvented the wheel in any way, but it's still something that sounds really, really fresh and new, even though music is music. You could always probably find similarities. But I would not say that it sounds like old AMARANTHE, or that it sounds like IN FLAMES. But you could completely, you know, recognize yourself within these boundaries."

Indian metal veterans, Demonic Resurrection, have released a video for "Krishna - The Cowherd", a track from their fifth full-length album, Dashavatar. Order the album here, and watch the new clip below:

Dashavatar translates to 'the ten avatars of Vishnu', who is the 'the god of preservation' in Hindu mythology.

 

Lineup:

Demonstealer - Vocals/Guitars/Keys
Nishith Hegde - Lead Guitars
Ashwin Shriyan - Bass
Virendra Kaith - Drums

Pure Steel Records has announced the worldwide signing of American metal greats, Thrust. "This band brings to all of us an established brand of heavy metal which began on the streets of Chicago in 1981," says the label.

Over the years, Thrust have earned a tremendous fan following due their live performances as both headliner and as support act for Motörhead, Twisted Sister, MSG, and the mighty Judas Priest.

In 2017, the band began writing music for the forthcoming new album, Harvest Of Souls, that Pure Steel Records will soon unleash to metal fans around the world. Details on all will be forthcoming. In the meantime, watch a video for the new song "Sorceress" below.

Lineup:

Ron Cooke - guitars
Eric Claro - vocals
Angel Rodriguez - guitars
Ray Gervais - bass
Joe Rezendes - drums

Pure Steel Records has announced the worldwide signing of yet NWOBHM legends, Cloven Hoof. The band have begun to work on their new album, Immortal, which will see its release in late spring on CD, Vvnyl and digital download.

This album will be the follow up to 2017's Who Mourns The Mourning Star?. An album which has been a critical and commercial success. More details for Immortal, including the release date, tracklisting, and artwork, will be forthcoming.

Cloven Hoof came onto the metal world in 1979 and to this very day are still brandishing their no nonsense style of heavy metal that fans around the world have come to admire for all these years. They are one of the most influential bands of the NWOBHM movement. Throughout their illustrious career, the band have released two EPs and six full length albums.

In addition to this historic signing, Cloven Hoof will be headlining Germany's Sword Brothers Festival on February 24th, and will be part of the Bang Your Head!! Festival on July 12th-14th. Finally, the band will embark on its first ever tour of The United States beginning in September. Details forthcoming.

Says founding member Lee Payne: "Cloven Hoof are honoured to be signing to Pure Steel. We will be joining a growing number of great bands on this legendary label.
We look forward to working with Pure Steel on the follow up album to Who Mourns For The Morning Star. We promise to raise the bar even further with Immortal.

"The current Anglo-American lineup is the finest in the band's history and Pure Steel is the right label for Cloven Hoof because they are true metal to the bone! Here's to a successful partnership with many classic albums to come."

(Photo - ShankJay Graphics)

On February 16th, Swedish prog/extreme metal architects, Letters From The Colony, will guide listeners into their world of math metal, crushing death elements and virtuosic shoegaze moments, all united in their debut album, Vignette (Nuclear Blast Records). A second official trailer for the upcoming release is now available. Find two trailers below.

The album, which was mastered by Jens Bogren (Dimmu Borgir, Opeth, Paradise Lost), reaches a length of over 55 minutes. Vignette is now available for pre-order and you can get the physical editions of the new album here.

Tracklisting:

"Galax"
"Erasing Contrast"
"The Final Warning"
"This Creature Will Haunt Us Forever"
"Cataclysm"
"Terminus"
"Glass Palaces"
"Sunwise"
"Vignette"

"Terminus" lyric video:

"Erasing Contrast" video:

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

Trailer #3:

Letters From The Colony build upon the intersection between perfection and ordered chaos; the unbridled joy of experimentation and virtuosic instrument mastery and create their new niche compartment of technically challenging extreme metal. They deliver highly complex songs full of unbound aggression and progressive structures in the vein of Meshuggah, Opeth and Gojira, and also do not shy away from playing saxophone with a guitar or sampling the call of a deer into a track!

Letters From The Colony are:

Alexander Backlund - Vocals
Sebastian Svalland - Guitar
Johan Jönsegård - Guitar
Emil Östberg - Bass
Jonas Sköld - Drums

Midnattsol, now featuring former Leaves' Eyes vocalist Liv Kristine teaming up with her sister Carmen Elise, have completed work on their new album, entitled The Aftermath. It will be released via Napalm Records some time in 2018; details have yet to befinalized. Stay tuned for updates.

The band is extremely excited about the news: "Like we promised here is the news for you: LIV KRISTINE IS NOW AN OFFICAL SECOND SINGER IN MIDNATTSOL!! Some time ago we discussed with Liv that she would support us on our upcoming album as a special guest. Working together, we found out that not only the result is awesome - we also have a lot of fun together. The logical consequence was that we pick up Liv as a permanent member of the band. So she is now the official second singer in Midnattsol.

We have already recorded Liv as the second voice on some songs for the next album. Liv will also have her own parts in some songs, so these songs will be more like a duet of the two sisters. We think the results will blow you away. As Liv is now a permanent band member we plan to play upcoming concerts together with her. We are very happy and it means a lot to us to have such an amazing singer and fantastic person in our Midnattsol family."

The band released a first appetizer in form of the track snippet “Purple Sky”:

Midnattsol released their debut album Where Twilight Dwells back in 2005. The band quickly gained fans around the gothic, metal and rock scene alike and played numerous shows and summer festivals like Summer Breeze, Wave Gotik Treffen, Mera Luna, as well as support of In Extremo. Their second studio album Nordlys was released in 2008, followed up by their latest album The Metamorphosis Melody in 2011. After that the band decided to take a creative break, but now you can be sure that Midnattsol are fully back and ready more exciting news to come.

Italian power metallers Frozen Crown, signed to Scarlet Records, have released an official video for the song "Kings", taken from their debut album The Fallen King. It will be released on February 9th. It was released in Japan on January 24th. A previously released lyric video for "The Shieldmaiden" is also available below. 

Check out the band's official Facebook page here.

Frozen Crown are:

Giada "Jade" Etro - lead and backing vocals
Federico Mondelli - vocals, guitars, keys
Talia Bellazecca - guitar
Filippo Zavattari - bass guitar
Alberto Mezzanotte - drums

Former Elegy drummer Dirk Bruinenberg (Maiden United, Adagio) has reunited with ex-Elegy bassist Martin Helmantel in the band 7 Miles To Pittsburgh. Live footage from the Boerderij in Zoetermeer, Netherlands in December 2017 when they supported Tyketto is available below.

About 7 Miles To Pittsburgh.... in their own words:

"Martin Helmantel and long time friend Joris Lindner, residents of Eindhoven Rock City, had known each other for years and had always planned on writing and recording some musical ideas they had lying around for the hell of it. They were both eager to start something new. So they did, but they didn’t have vocals or melodies. Martin decided to see if he could get some help from his old friend Andrew Elt, see if he was interested in helping out…..initially, not really. Andrew was busy doing other things, and was caught off guard and at first, he declined. But, persistence on Martin’s behalf finally convinced him to give it a go. He was given carte blanche: 'Do what ever you want with the arrangements, just turn these ideas into songs!' So started the process of developing those rough sketches into finished paintings. The result of which you have before you now. We called the band 7 Miles To Pittsburgh. THAT was the hardest part!! Enjoy!"

Check out the band's official Facebook page here.

Elegy released seven albums between 1992 and 2002, touring with Stratovarius and Kamelot in their peak years during the State of Mind (1997) and Manifestations Of Fear (1998) album cycles.

During an appearance on the "Trunk Nation" show on SiriusXM channel Volume, guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen was asked if he has had any recent discussions with drummer Mike Portnoy and bassist Billy Sheehan about a possible new album from their THE WINERY DOGS project. "We didn't literally talk about, 'On this date, we're gonna do this or that.' But I think we all know at some point that we're all gonna do something together again," he said. "We didn't put anything on ice per se."

According to Richie, it was his desire to return to recording albums and touring as a solo artist that caused THE WINERY DOGS to go on hiatus. "I wanted to go back to what I was doing my whole life, which is making my music and my records," he said. "Ideally, I would have thought now would have been the perfect time to be in a WINERY DOGS cycle. 'Cause last year I did my [solo] record. But they have a new band," referring to SONS OF APOLLO, which features Portnoy and Sheehan alongside ex-DREAM THEATER keyboardist Derek Sherinian, guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (ex-GUNS N' ROSES) and vocalist Jeff Scott Soto (W.E.T., TALISMAN).

In 2016, THE WINERY DOGS completed a tour in support of their second album, "Hot Streak", which was released in October 2015 in North America via Loud & Proud Records.

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

THE WINERY DOGS' May 27, 2016 performance at Teatro Cariola in Santiago, Chile was professionally filmed and recorded for a DVD and Blu-ray, "Dog Years: Live In Santiago & Beyond 2013-2016", which was released last August via Loud & Proud.

THE WINERY DOGS reunited for its first live performance in almost a year in August 2017 during the "Ultimate Jam Night" at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California. The event honored ADRENALINE MOB bassist David "Z" Zablidowsky, who died in a tour accident.

Kotzen's 21st solo album, "Salting Earth", was released in April 2017 via his own custom label, Headroom-Inc.

SONS OF APOLLO's debut album, "Psychotic Symphony", was released last October by InsideOut Music.

Christchurch City, NZ based slamming death metal act Organectomy has signed with Unique Leader Records, and will re-issue their debut full length Domain of the Wretched through the label. Self-recorded by the band and featuring incredible artwork by Pedro Sena (Lordigan) Domain of the Wretched, which will see a May 11th street date, is a crushing mix of slam, tech death, sickening atmospherics, and a ferocious brutality unmatched by most bands today. It is immediately apparent why Organectomy have found themselves on top of the New Zealand extreme metal scene.   

The band commented on the signing, "We couldn't be more excited to be a part of the Unique Leader family, amongst a roster of what is indisputably some of the best bands in the world right now. Since we first started out we've admired and idolized so many of the bands on Unique Leader and have constantly strived to better ourselves in the hopes of one day reaching the same heights as them. Now that we're here we have no intention of slowing down. This is the start of a new era of Organectomy and Unique Leader will be the platform from which we unleash it upon the world. Expect bigger and better things from us as we move forth into this new chapter of slamming brutality alongside our new family in Unique Leader Records!"

Pre-orders for the re-issue of Domain Of The Wretched will be in the coming weeks.

Tracklisting:

“Eons Of Unyielding Darkness”
“Sanctum Of Deceit”
“Beckoning The Horrors Of The Depths”
“Intracranial Incubation”
“Carnal Bloodlust”
“Terror Form”
“Inherent Revulsion”
“Cascading Into Despair”
“Domain Of The Wretched”
“Entropic Decay”

Aegean Sorrow, the impending new full-length from Greek death/doom veterans On Thorns I Lay, will see release this March via Alone Records. In advance of its official unveiling, the band offers up the consuming sounds of "Olethros Part II" for public consumption.
 
Offers guitarist Chris Dragamestianos of the track, "'Olethros' speaks about the loneliness of the soul in this cruel world we are living in and its journey towards salvation to paradise. 'Olethros' is a perfect example of how On Thorns I Lay loves using acoustic guitar parts with melodies performed over Hammond keys. We also did it on the Crystal Tears and Future Narcotic albums and we will do it again in the future. The song continues with another trademark of our band: Beautiful double lead guitars over the rhythms and a great solo from our second guitar player. I really love this song; it's a very special one for me."

On Thorns I Lay's Aegean Sorrow will see release on CD and digital formats via Alone Records and on vinyl via The Vinyl Division on March 12th with preorders to be unveiled in the coming weeks.

Tracklisting:

“Intro”
“Aegean Sorrow”
“Erevos”
“In Emerald Eyes”
“Olethros Part I”
“Olethros Part II”
“The Final Truth”
“A Sign Of Sadness”
“Skotos”

"Olethros II":

“Aegean Sorrow” lyric video:

HighVolMusic recording artist Newmachine is wrapping up the recording of their sophomore effort due out late spring 2018. Final tracks are being recorded and then mixing/mastering begins. The new album titled 'Full Circle, is being recorded/engineered by Bo Davis with mixing by Chris Presnell, and mastering still to be determined. "We are looking at a few different mastering engineers, Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound, Anthony Focx who also happens to be signed to the same label as we are, and our label is reaching out to Maor Applebaum in L.A.. Maor did the new Snake Eyes Seven record and it is fantastic!" says vocalist Ashton Blake. 

Full Circle will contain ten tracks of high energy rock. Below is a demo clip from Sonic Recording Studio of the band working on the new track “Master of My Fate”.

Newmachine has also finalized their lineup with Ashton Blake (vocals), A.D. Zimmer (bass), Ryche Green (drums), Bo Davis (keys, B3), Steve Cummings (guitar), Lorenzo DelVecchio (guitar).

The band will be performing at 80's in the Park on February 16th-18th and then again on February 24th with Jefferson Starship at Center For The Arts Of Bonita Springs. A special guest will be on stage with Newmachine for the show on the 24th, details to follow.

Ontario based instrumental progressive metal act Divine Realm recently announced their forthcoming five-song EP, Nordicity. Set for release on March 2nd. Nordicity is an accomplished instrumental progressive metal release with a well-crafted sound that eschews tired clichés and simple structures in favor of passionate and eclectic songs that defy easy categorization. New track “Hanging Valleys” is streaming below.

Divine Realm guitarist Leo Diensthuber had the following to say regarding the new heights Nordicity reaches:

"I feel like out of all our releases, this one reflects us as players more than any other. This is the first release our longtime drummer Josh Ingram has actually played on, and I think people will be blown away by what he brings to each song. Also, a first, Marc Roy recorded/produced the entire EP, aside from post-production which was done by myself. With Tyler Brayton being our producer on Abyssal Light and Tectum Argenti, I feel like passing the torch to Marc cleared his mind to focus on what he really loves to do, which is create music and perform, both of which resulted in a complete cohesion between locking in with Josh's drum parts and taking the frontline in many sections. I think some of our strongest melodic sensibilities shine through on Nordicity, yet at the same time, I can hear my inner fifteen-year-old self, influenced by Chuck Schuldiner, Marty Friedman and others on parts of my solos/leads.

I made the decision on Tectum Argenti to give Marc half the guitar solos, and once again it was the best decision I could have made. Marc's instinct for melody/phrasing makes for some of the most memorable guitar parts that have ever made it on to a Divine Realm record."

Tracklisting:

“As The Crow Flies”
“Autumn”
“Whitewater”
“Revival”
“Hanging Valleys”

"Hanging Valleys":

Teaser:

German classic metal hybrid Pulver will release their self-titled debut 7” on April 20th via Gates Of Hell Records, a sub-label of Cruz Del Sur Music.

Recorded by Heiner Kunkel at Dreiklang Audio in the band's hometown of Aschaffenburg, the 7-inch was mixed at Big Snuff Studio in Berlin by Richard Behrens. The recording took place roughly a year after Pulver's 2016 formation, showcasing a band adept at harnessing the rawness of NWOBHM with the melody and power of traditional and progressive metal. 

"Our origin is pretty basic," notes vocalist David Fröhlich. "There isn't really a huge hard rock/heavy metal scene in a small city like ours, so everyone pretty much knew each other anyway. One day in late 2016, we decided to start jamming and pretty soon noticed that everything fits together quite well, so we continued until the point where we found the songs presentable enough to release a demo and here we are now!"

Pulver plans on following up the release of the 7” with the recording of their first proper full-length, along with other activities, according to Fröhlich. "We're gonna play a lot of shows, meet new people on the road and have some fun!"

Tracklisting:

Side A
“Howl”

Side B
“Salvation”
“Twilight Magic”

Progressive metallers DREAM THEATER are planning to regroup in late spring to begin work on material for the follow-up to 2016's "The Astonishing" album. "We're not gonna get into the studio until May," keyboardist Jordan Rudess told VintageRock.com at last weekend's NAMM show in Anaheim, California (see video below). "So, you know, it'll take some time to create it, and then once we've composed it all and recorded it all, and then to make all the packaging and all the stuff, and who knows? It'll probably come out, let's say, in a year or so, or maybe a little less. And we'll hit the road sometime after that. But May is the time when we're looking to get in the studio again."

Rudess also talked about the DREAM THEATER songwriting process, particularly as it relates to "The Astonishing", the wildly ambitious double concept LP which has been critized by some fans for being an overblown, self-indulgent exercise in excess.

"What's interesting in my career with DREAM THEATER is that when we set out to record an album, first of all, we always have a very strong concept of what it's gonna be before we start — we kind of envision the music, we envision the effect, we make a real plan and try to follow through with that," he explained.

"One of the things that happened with 'The Astonishing', which is our last album, which is kind of like a rock-opera thing, is that we actually had many more ideas than we used," he continued. "A lot of times we'll apply ourselves to the album knowing what we wanna do, and what we create is what happened. So there's not a lot… you know, you hear about bands, 'Oh, that song is on the cutting-room floor.' Or, 'We threw that one away.' 'That one didn't work.' 'The record company said this or that.' But with us, it's not usually like that. But for 'The Astonishing', we did have a lot of ideas that we didn't use — not because they were necessarily not good ideas, but because we were trying to really craft something that helped to tell the story. So maybe something just didn't work as well. So we have some things kind of in the can or whatever — they're nice ideas that weren't part of it."

DREAM THEATER guitarist John Petrucci hinted in a recent interview that the band's next album will be musically inspired by the "Images, Words & Beyond" tour, which saw the pioneering group celebrating the 25th anniversary of its milestone RIAA-gold-certified album "Images And Words".

DREAM THEATER's next studio album — its 14th — will be the band's first for Sony Music's progressive imprint InsideOut Music. The group spent the past 25 years recording under various labels in the Warner Music Group system, most recently Roadrunner Records, which released five albums by the band between 2007 and 2016.

MASTODON singer/bassist Troy Sanders spoke to HardDrive Radio about finally winning a Grammy in the "Best Metal Performance" category at the 60th annual Grammy Awards on Sunday (January 28) at Madison Square Garden in New York City. MASTODON got the nod for the song "Sultan's Curse" from its 2017 album "Emperor Of Sand", with the latter also being nominated for "Best Rock Album."

"It's pretty surreal," Troy said (see video below). "I think it's great, just because the attention that you get, not only us, but all five bands that were nominated for this 'Best Metal' category, it brings good attention to all of 'em, all those bands, us included. I truly feel that we're all in the same boat.

"We never started a band with the end result wanting to be a trophy or a Grammy Award [winner] — that's the furthest thing on your radar when you find some friends to start a band with. So it was unexpected to get to this point, but now that we have gotten here, to get that kind of recognition, I think it's nothing but positive."

It was the fourth and fifth time MASTODON had received Grammy nominations, having missed out on the three previous occasions — "Colony Of Birchmen" (2007), "Curl Of The Burl" (2012) and "High Road" (2015) — it had been up for the "Best Metal Performance" award.

Asked if he and his bandmates were disappointed when they failed to win the award in the previous years, Troy said: "We were nominated three times prior to [Sunday], and we did go to all three ceremonies, and when our name wasn't called, I felt no disappointment because I didn't have that expectation, being super optimistic all the time.

"I'm a part The Academy now, because once you're nominated, you're a part of it. And you get the voting sheets months prior to the Grammys, and you see that each category has hundreds and hundreds of options," he explained. "'Rock Album' of the year — there's, like, eight hundred rock albums that came out. 'Song' of the year — there's thousands of songs. So when all of that gets dwindled down to the five nominees, I really feel like that's incredible — just to be the five that were pulled out of this pool of hundreds. So I kind of feel that's a win right there, just to be nominated. I know it might sound kind of dorky, but I really feel that way.

"To have [our] name called [Sunday] night was unexpected and then this rush of bizarre emotions came over us — just because it was the furthest thing that we ever expected," he added. "It was a rush of awesomeness, really.

"But no, we weren't disappointed the previous three years. We were just kind of happy to be there."

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, MASTODON drummer Brann Dailor said backstage that the award was "huge for us and for heavy metal. It's one of the greatest genres with some of the most talented and skilled musicians playing it."

Prior to Sunday's event, Dailor told myStatesman that a MASTODON Grammy win would be "an exciting thing for heavy music. I feel like it's a cool thing for people in bands right now to see it as a possibility — that you can go from playing basements and VFW halls and booking your own tours and playing tiny clubs to winning a Grammy, that it's still a possibility and — quote unquote — the American Dream" he said.

The nominees in the "Best Metal Performance" category were as follows:

AUGUST BURNS RED - "Invisible Enemy"
BODY COUNT - "Black Hoodie"
CODE ORANGE - "Forever"
MASTODON - "Sultan's Curse"
MESHUGGAH - "Clockworks"

The Grammys are voted on by approximately 13,000 Recording Academy members, who are comprised of artists, songwriters, producers and engineers. More than 22,000 recordings were submitted for Grammys consideration this year. For 2018 awards, music must have been released between October 1, 2016 and September 30, 2017 in order to be eligible.

Former PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo spoke to The Void Report about his new project called EN MINOR. The band, which is influenced by the classic goth period of the '80s with artists like THE CURE and SISTERS OF MERCY, will release its long-completed debut album later this year via Anselmo's Housecore Records.

"It's way different— completely different," Anselmo said. "And I do mean from an absolute flip-flopping of genres, yes, it's absolutely different. But the more I think about it, the more I think that with certain bands I've done in the past… hell, PANTERA, DOWN, and others I could probably mention, but primarily and especially PANTERA and DOWN, we've done mellow songs before, we've done clean guitar songs before, we've done minor-key songs before. So there's been glimpses. I'm not saying production-wise it's going to be the same. EN MINOR is very stripped down. And there's a very free dynamic of instrument use. The odd sound is good. We're looking for that. It's something that we thrive on. Whether it be, oh, say… electronic sounds or organic sounds with bizarre instruments, that's great. Or even traditional instruments that I am definitely not known for at all. But it's stuff I've done all my life that people would never have guessed. A lot of these EN MINOR songs have grown up with me my entire life. Some of the first songs I have ever written."

Philip's solo project, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS, has just released its sophomore album, "Choosing Mental Illness As A Virtue", via Anselmo's Housecore Records in the U.S. and Season Of Mist in other parts of the world. The disc is the follow-up to PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS' debut, "Walk Through Exits Only", which came out in 2013 to mostly positive reviews.

Anselmo will undergo back surgery this week — the latest in a line of corrective procedures designed to helped him deal with the damage to his back, neck, and knees sustained over two decades of touring.

German hard rockers BONFIRE will release their new album, "Temple Of Lies", on April 13 via AFM Records.

Few German rock acts can look back at as long and successful a career as BONFIRE. Counting the predecessor — a group called CACUMEN, which was also founded by Hans Ziller and featured more or less the same lineup — the band has been around since 1972, has operated under its current moniker since 1986 and released more than two dozen albums. During the most successful phase of the career, BONFIRE was counted alongside the SCORPIONS and ACCEPT as among Germany's three internationally most acclaimed acts, celebrating major success all over Europe and worldwide. BONFIRE's trademarks are and have always been deeply melodic hard rock songs, driven by captivating guitars, grooving rhythms and haunting vocal melodies. All the features that came together so perfectly on their most popular releases "Fireworks" (1987), "Point Blank" (1989) and "Branded" (2011) are present on their current release "Temple Of Lies".

Thanks to new vocalist Alexx Stahl, who joined the fold two years ago, and a first-rate lineup on all instruments, the band's creativity explodes on "Temple Of Lies" and is bound to wow a younger generation of rock music fans, too.

"We were extremely lucky to find Alexx," offers Ziller in explanation of the group's current creative and musical high. "He's a team player who looks after his voice in a totally professional way and treats it like the important tool that it is. He doesn't smoke and prepares optimally for every show. In addition, Alexx is a really nice guy. Being at the helm of the band, I couldn't be happier to have him in the band.”

Ziller is just as enthusiastic about his rhythm section consisting of bassist Ronnie Parkes and drummer Tim Breideband ("they seem to have reinvented the groove"), and, of course, guitarist Frank Pané ("one of the most awesome musicians I've ever worked with"). Ziller: "With this lineup, we'll be able to increase the hardness level of our material whenever we feel like it. Numbers such as 'Temple Of Lies' and 'Stand Or Fall' wouldn't have been possible with previous lineups.”

It's not only the occasionally tougher pace that impresses on "Temple Of Lies" (produced by Hans Ziller at the Flatliners Recording Studios in Ingolstadt) from the first to the very last note, but also the album's diverse high-quality songwriting in general. The programmatic album title and expressive cover artwork prove that Ziller & Co. also live up to the responsibility as socially aware musicians, taking to task "the lies of our world and politicians."

"Temple Of Lies" track listing:

01. In The Beginning
02. Temple Of Lies
03. On The Wings Of An Angel
04. Feed The Fire (Like The Bonfire)
05. Stand Or Fall
06. Comin' Home
07. I'll Never Be Loved By You
08. Fly Away
09. I Help You Hate Me
10. Crazy Over You
11. Comin' Home (extended acoustic version) (digipak bonus track)
12. Friedensreich - Let The Madness Continue (director's cut) (digipak bonus track)

After eight years of touring with DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT, Canadian musician and producer Devin Townsend has decided to "take a break" from the group and focus on a number of other projects he has been "really wanting" to pursue for some time now. He said in a statement: "The band have been there with me through thick and thin and we've shared some pretty great moments. I can't say enough good things about them. And in the future, I'm sure we'll work again."

As for his plans for the immediate future, Townsend said: "I have four new albums I am currently working on. I am currently in the finishing stages one of the grandest and most overwhelming projects that I have been fortunate to do. It's certainly my favorite DVD release of them all and is a powerful moment, if I can say so myself. OCEAN MACHINE 'Live In Plovdiv' (tentative name). Mixing the orchestras, choirs, the 'by-request' set and the full OCEAN MACHINE album in that magnificent setting has been hugely rewarding. Seeing this spectacle come to life is a testament to this period of work and I can't wait for you to see and hear it."

Devin went on to explain his decision to put DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT on hiatus. "Life is short and I have a lot I need to say in some new and different avenues," he said. "I will certainly continue to play live in several new ways (starting next year) and I'm excited about some collaborative things that have also come up as well.

"I salute the band, the team and the audience for allowing us to do what we have done and the patience to accommodate my persistent morphing.

"As someone whose music is connected to his personal growth, I feel an obligation to follow this muse wherever it leads. To not do so would be in direct opposition to what it is I have fundamentally done for all these years."

DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT's latest album, "Transcendence", was released in September 2016. The follow-up to 2014's "Z2" double album (half of which was made up of the DTP full-length "Sky Blue"), it saw the award-winning Devin Townsend exploring a relatively new way of working, collaborating with the entire DTP band during the writing stages of the record.





Hey guys, Devin here.

So after 8 years of touring with DTP, I've decided to take a break from this band and focus on...

Posted by Devin Townsend on Wednesday, January 31, 2018

JOURNEY keyboardist Jonathan Cain will release his memoir, "Don't Stop Believin'", on May 1 via Zondervan. In the first book by a member of the band, Cain shares his personal story and path to faith as well as behind-the-scenes stories of his 36-year career with one of America's favorite, multi-hit rock bands, including his inspiration for co-writing "Don't Stop Believin'". The memoir was co-written with Travis Thrasher. Cain is represented by Darrell D. Miller of Fox Rothschild, and world rights were acquired by Zondervan acquisitions editor John Sloan.

"Jonathan Cain is a legendary musician, but more importantly, he is passionate about sharing his story in a way that inspires, entertains and uplifts his readers just like the music of JOURNEY," says David Morris, vice president and publisher, Zondervan Trade.

Cain is co-writer of the number one digital catalog song in history, "Don't Stop Believin'", as well as writer of "Faithfully" and co-writer of "Who's Crying Now", "Open Arms" and many more international hit songs.

In the memoir, Cain shares stories from his childhood growing up in Chicago and the lasting impact surviving a horrific school fire had on his life. Cain's love for music and his perseverance brought him to Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles where he discovered a wild rock scene before getting his big break. The memoir includes revelations about JOURNEY's history, including Steve Perry's decision to leave the band, chronicles the massive success along with some surprising failures and discusses the legacy Cain wants to leave through his music. Cain also shares about his marriage to pastor Paula White and what prompted him to release his first solo Christian album.

In 1976, Cain released his first solo record, "Windy City Breakdown". In 1979 he joined the band THE BABYS, and in 1980 joined JOURNEY, rounding out the songwriting genius behind the defining album "Escape". Cain's signature piano, synth playing and songwriting contributions with JOURNEY, THE BABYS and BAD ENGLISH have earned him many Billboard hits, multiple gold, platinum and diamond-selling records, a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame, and the best-selling catalog rock song in iTunes' history ("Don't Stop Believin'"). JOURNEY was named as the fifth best band in rock history in a 2005 USA Today opinion poll, was inducted to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2017 and continues today, selling out arenas worldwide.

Cain and JOURNEY guitarist Neal Schon feuded publicly on social media last summer after Cain and some of his other bandmates visited the White House in July, where they were photographed with President Donald Trump. (Cain's wife, Paula White, delivered the invocation at Trump's presidential inauguration.)

"Y'know, we just tolerate it," Cain told Billboard. "He just did an interview and aired his laundry again, so I'm like, 'Okay, whatever, dude...' The music is bigger than us, bigger than all this stuff and the fans are more important than all that stuff. So I'm not going there. I haven't even thought about it, to tell you the truth. I really haven't. I'm just out there for the fans. I'm out there for the legacy. We just got the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, so you want to live up to that and I think that's the spirit you go out with, not anything else. I'm just looking forward to making music again, music I love and I loved to help create."

BEHEMOTH frontman Adam "Nergal" Darski says that he is "very inspired" to make the band's new album.

The follow-up to 2014's "The Satanist" will mark BEHEMOTH's first effort since Nergal completed an LP and a short tour with ME AND THAT MAN, his blues, country and folk side project with British/Polish rock musician John Porter.

"From now on, my full energy goes on BEHEMOTH," Nergal tells Metal Hammer. "I am super-excited about the lyrics for the new record and it seems like I'll be writing most of it. I'm very inspired.

"When I was done with 'The Satanist', I was pretty much done with any music," he adds. "I was, like, 'I don't know if there's any more extreme metal music in me.' So I had to level out my energy with ME AND THAT MAN, and surprisingly, once I went back to the 'black metal cave' after that, I was more creative than ever. I couldn't stop making songs! Usually, I'm super-burnt-out [after an album cycle], but at this stage, not only am I still full of ideas, I feel like I'm on drugs! I feel pumped. I'm hungry."

Regarding what BEHEMOTH fans can expect from the band's next disc, Nergal says: "[2009's] 'Evangelion' was the most perfectly recorded and perfect sounding record, but then 'The Satanist' was something else. The new one is going to be something else once again, I'm sure about it. So when people tell me, 'You need to top 'The Satanist''… I don't need to top anything. I just want to make sure we take curves with our career. We're gonna take a different direction in order not to get stuck in the same pattern."

Before the release of BEHEMOTH's next studio effort, fans will receive a "massive" concert DVD and album recorded during "The Satanist" tour, according to Nergal. There will also be a video for another track off "The Satanist", to be included with the DVD.

BEHEMOTH will join forces with SLAYER, LAMB OF GOD, ANTHRAX and TESTAMENT for a massive North American tour in late spring and early summer.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS have released "Roll Me Under", the second single from their new, self-titled album, due out March 18. Like "Meadow", which arrived in November, the new track features the vocals of one-time "The X Factor" contestant Jeff Gutt, who made his live debut as STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' new vocalist during a SiriusXM special event at the Troubadour nightclub in Los Angeles.

Despite being one of the best-selling bands of the 1990s with platinum records and a Grammy to its credit, guitarist Dean DeLeo says: "We are thrilled about what lies ahead. The best way for us to honor our past is to keep making new music."

The band does just that on "Stone Temple Pilots". The first single "Meadow" (lyric video below) and "Never Enough" channel the gritty guitars and swaggering rhythms that STP perfected on "Core" (1992), "Purple" (1994), and "No. 4" (1999). "Roll Me Under" (available for streaming below) glides along a nimble bass line before slamming into the chorus, where Gutt's baritone digs in.

"'Roll Me Under' was one of the first songs I wrote for the album, and one of the first Jeff sang on too," STP bassist Robert DeLeo told Rolling Stone. "Those riffs have been kicking around in my head for years, and it felt like the right time to record and perform it."

Pre-order the album today at StoneTemplePilots.com and receive instant downloads of "Meadow" and "Roll Me Under". Exclusive bundles are also available on the site, including vinyl, t-shirt, and a limited edition, hand signed lithographs by the band. The album will also be released on vinyl on May 25.

When asked what to expect on the upcoming tour, Robert says: "With so much time and experience gone by in life, we feel compelled to dig back into a 30-year catalog and really try to reflect and choose what songs haven't been performed live. We want to give people who have come to see us in the past a chance to hear something they haven't heard before at previous STP shows. We want to celebrate this time in our lives with our performances."

"Stone Temple Pilots" track listing:

01. Middle Of Nowhere
02. Guilty
03. Meadow
04. Just A Little Lie
05. Six Eight
06. Thought She'd Be Mine
07. Roll Me Under
08. Never Enough
09. The Art Of Letting Go
10. Finest Hour
11. Good Shoes
12. Reds & Blues

Gutt, who was a runner-up in the reality TV music competition show's third season, originally auditioned for STP in September 2016 and became an official member of the band in May 2017. He spent most of last year secretly writing and recording new material with bandmembers Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo and Eric Kretz.

Robert DeLeo said that he first found out about Gutt while he was on the road with the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES. Robert explained: "We were playing ... up in Detroit, which is where [Jeff is] from. And after the show, there was a musician who said, 'Hey, man, you should check this guy out.' And that's where I kind of heard of him first."

Gutt recalled how he got to audition for the band, saying: "I can't remember what song it was, but a STONE TEMPLE PILOTS song came on the radio. So I called my buddy in New York who knows everybody in the music industry, and I was like, 'Hey, did they ever find a singer?' And he was like, 'You know what? I'll send 'em your stuff right now.' And three days later, I got a call."

Gutt added that he felt like he had the job before even trying out, explaining: "You have to be confident . . . I know what I'm doing. I've studied my craft. I've studied [original STP singer] Scott [Weiland] and the people Scott studied, and other singers of the era. I've really put in a lot of time into that, and if you're not willing to do all of that, you're not gonna be on the level to even be around these guys."

Gutt appeared on "The X Factor" in 2013, where he impressed the judges with his covers of songs like "Creep", "Dream On" and "Hallelujah".

STP had been without a vocalist since November 2015, when Chester Bennington — who joined the group in early 2013 — departed to spend more time with his main band LINKIN PARK. Bennington committed suicide last July.

Scott Weiland, who reunited with the group in 2010 after an eight-year hiatus but was dismissed in 2013, died in December 2015 of a drug overdose while on a solo tour.

MEGADETH's official music video for the song "Lying In State" can be seen below. The clip was filmed last fall with Brazilian award-winning director Leo Liberti during the band's South American tour.

"Lying In State" is taken from MEGADETH's latest studio album, "Dystopia", which came out in January 2016.

MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine said about "Lying In State": "'Lying In State' is actually a second part of 'Conquer Or Die'. These two parts were supposed to be sequenced together. So it goes 'Conquer Or Die… Lying In State'. And the 'Lying In State' part is a double entendre which I'm pretty familiar with doing. The 'lying in state' was a place where you… Once you die, you're lying in state for all to see. Or, right now, with people who are still upright, standing by the podium, lying in a position of state."

He added: "The song is about how it is here with almost every single politician. It talks about how I've seen the world change in the [56] years that I've been alive. I guess the double entendre came from watching a lot of these politicians, you just know when they're asked a question the answer is such spin, somebody that doesn't know shit is gonna go, 'Oh, I get it,' because they don't wanna say, 'I have no idea what he just said.' But for me, since I watch a lot of political pundits to try to get inspiration for songs, I see when people are spinning stuff. Then you've got John Kerry — his wife is the heir to Heinz Ketchup over here, so that dude's a billionaire. He don't need to be working! But then he comes out and says the Paris shooters should have been able to be justified for what they did like at Charlie Hebdo, and the world went nuts on him and then he back-pedalled it, and to me that's lying in state."

MEGADETH is tentatively planning to enter the studio in mid-2018 to begin recording its new album for a 2019 release. Mustaine revealed on Twitter that he is in the process of "collecting ideas" for the follow-up to "Dystopia".

MEGADETH's upcoming effort will mark the group's first release to feature drummer Dirk Verbeuren, who officially joined the group a year and a half ago.

"Dystopia" was MEGADETH's first album with Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, best known for his work with ANGRA.

"It's finally time to share with you some updates," says guitarist Shaun Glass. "First and foremost, as many of you have rightly suspected, Dirge Within has sadly come to an end. Being the creator and sole founding member of the band, I tried to resurrect and recreate something that once was. It takes more than one man to be a band, and when I recognized that, it was over. Experience has taught me that when you try to recapture the past, it's never the same. It was time to repent.

"Together with a group of new people, I have formed a new band, and it's definitely very METAL. It's all still in the very early stages, but the writing and creation of NEW music has been taking place in Chicago. We're not ready for a full reveal just yet, but we will reveal the lineup and details in due time, when there is music ready to share.

"It is an exciting time, and while I know that some will be disappointed to hear that the Dirge Within revival is no more, I want all of you to know that I appreciate each and every one of you. For all who have followed my journey through many musical projects, and to those who have joined me as a part of my past bands... REPENTANCE is upon you!"

Stay tuned for updates.

(Photo - Brian Lutz Photography)

HALESTORM is putting the finishing touches on its fourth album for a tentative mid-2018 release. The disc is being laid down at Dark Horse Recording studios just outside Nashville with Nick Raskulinecz, an acclaimed producer who has previously worked with RUSH, KORN, ALICE IN CHAINS and DEFTONES, in addition to having produced HALESTORM's third covers EP, "ReAniMate 3.0: The CoVeRs eP", which came out in January 2017.

During an appearance earlier this week on Eddie Trunk's SiriusXM show "Trunk Nation", HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale said that the band was "almost done" recording the follow-up to 2015's "Into The Wild Life" and that "it sounds awesome."

According to guitarist Joe Hottinger, HALESTORM will spend the next couple of weeks on the road with STONE SOUR before returning to the studio to finish the record. "We only have, like, two weeks left on it — just some vocals and candy stuff," he said.

As for the musical direction of the new HALESTORM material, Joe said: "It rocks. It's the heaviest stuff we've ever done." Lzzy concurred, adding: "We just don't like staying in the same lane, because, as you know, album cycles for rock right now, it's, like, three years is one album cycle, and you're a whole different person than you were in the beginning of it. So it's really hard for us to go back, so we just keep moving forward."

Hottinger went on to describe the recording process for HALESTORM's new album as "so different than the last three records. We went in last January with Nick, and we were, like, 'We don't know what to do. We don't have any songs or anything.' And he's, like, 'It's cool. It's cool.' That's his forte," Joe explained. "He did it with KORN, he did it with RISE AGAINST, on their new one, he did it with DEFTONES. This is what he does. He was, like, 'When was the last time the four of you got in a room and wrote together?' And we were, like, 'Wow, it's been a while.' And he was, like, 'Let's start there.' And we were, like, 'Okay.' So we would get a riff and we'd just start jamming, and he'd pop in [and go], 'That was cool. Do that again.' And we were, like, 'Okay.' And [we'd] just start building songs from nowhere. It was great."

Lzzy believes that the songwriting on the new HALESTORM album is a notch above all of the band's previous efforts, something she attributes to the group finding "our mojo again and just our place. And just sonically, I think it's gonna be the first time that you can actually hear what everybody brings to the table in our band instead of it just being kind of, like, 'Oh, okay, Lzzy sings and there's something going on in the background,'" she said. "Especially considering my little brother [Arejay Hale] as a drummer. Nick is like the drum whisperer. He just loves him, and he's such a drum nerd. He did the last two RUSH records, and he just brought some stuff out of Arejay that we were all in the control room, like, 'How did you get him to do that?' It takes a lot to surprise us with little bro, 'cause we know him so well. He's at a whole other level and he finally has a producer that has the patience and the… I don't know… I wanna say the psychological [laughs]… how to bring that out of him."

"Into The Wild Life" was criticized by some HALESTORM fans for veering too far into pop music territory.

"ReAniMate 3.0: The CoVeRs eP" featured an eclectic mix of songs from artists like METALLICA, SOUNDGARDEN, JOAN JETT & THE BLACKHEARTS, SOPHIE B. HAWKINS, TWENTY ONE PILOTS and WHITESNAKE.

DISTURBED appears to be back in the studio recording its first new music since 2015's "Immortalized" album.

On Tuesday, DISTURBED posted a photo of a recording console along with the caption: "Getting started… #disturbedones"

Prior to the arrival of "Immortalized", DISTURBED had been on hiatus since the fall of 2011, after completing the touring cycle for its previous studio effort, "Asylum", and issuing a rarities collection called "The Lost Children".

Singer David Draiman revealed a year ago that DISTURBED would record and release an acoustic EP before the band begins work on the follow-up to "Immortalized".

"Immortalized" became DISTURBED's fifth album to enter The Billboard 200 chart at No. 1 — a feat shared only with METALLICA and DAVE MATTHEWS BAND.

DISTURBED has been confirmed as one of the headliners of the 25th annual Rock Fest, set to take place July 12-15 in Cadott, Wisconsin.





Getting started… #disturbedones

Photo by Chop Em Down Films

Posted by Disturbed on Tuesday, January 30, 2018