On March 16, Norwegian extreme, melodic metallers SUSPERIA will return with their long-awaited first full-length studio album since 2009, titled "The Lyricist", via Agonia Records.

The official video for "The Lyricist" title track can be seen below.

The origins of SUSPERIA can be traced back to 1998 when Tjodalv, then occupying the drum seat with DIMMU BORGIR, and longtime friend Cyrus (ex-SATYRICON, OLD MAN'S CHILD) got together to share ideas and write songs. Clearly rooted and seasoned in the Norwegian black metal scene, SUSPERIA elevated its sound into more melodic areas of extreme metal, embracing and exploring a variety of musical avenues with ease.

On "The Lyricist", SUSPERIA has gone back to its black origin in many ways, one of which is a grimmer expression. The characteristic melodic twist the band is known for is still present, and an additional layer of variety has been added thanks to new vocalist, Bernt "Dagon" Fjellestad (whose stage debut with the band was made at last year's 70000 Tons Of Metal). From SUSPERIA's pragmatic point of view, the new album is a "good old-fashioned kick in the head, both old and new fans should find enjoyable".

Track listing:

01. I Entered
02. Heretic
03. The Lyricist
04. My Darkest Moment
05. Day I Died
06. Void
07. Feed The Fire
08. Whore Of Man
09. Come Alive

"The Lyricist" was recorded at three different studios in Norway between February 2015 and May 2016. The album was later mixed and mastered at Strand Studio (CHROME DIVISION, THE WRETCHED END, IN VAIN) by Marius Strand. Cover design and artwork was prepared by Vincent Fouquet. New band photos were shot by Espen Bakken.

SUSPERIA lineup:

Dagon - vocals
Tjodalv - drums
Memnock - bass
Cyrus - guitar
Elvorn - guitar

A new studio update from YEAR OF THE TYRANT, the new band featuring bassist Jason Viebrooks (GRIP INC., HEATHEN), guitarist Vinnie LaBella (EXHORDER) and drummer Sasha Horn (FORBIDDEN, HEATHEN) and former ANTHRAX singer Dan Nelson, can be seen below.

YEAR OF THE TYRANT is finishing up the pre-production on its first batch of tunes, to be made available later in the year.

Regarding how the band was formed, Sasha said: "Jason kind of put this together, and him and Vinnie go way back. And he knew the players he wanted, but we all get along great. It's kind of a family affair at this point."

Added Jason: "We've just gradually been building material, writing it together. We didn't really wanna say anything to anybody until we were ready to just basically suckerpunch you — you didn't see it coming; here we are.

"It's been amazing to finally play with these guys," he continued. "I played with Sasha when he did 70000 Tons Of Metal with HEATHEN a couple of years ago, and I clicked with him on a personal level and just jamming around on some riffs and stuff. I had a feeling that he was gonna be the guy to really gel and who we needed to have to come pull the whole thing together."

Nelson in 2012 settled a lawsuit he filed against ANTHRAX over the fallout from his departure from the veteran metal group. Details of the settlement were not made public.

The singer, who was in ANTHRAX for nearly two years — from late 2007 until July 2009 — filed a lawsuit in November 2011 claiming that Charlie Benante (drums), Frank Bello (bass) and Scott Ian (guitar) falsely stated in "numerous interviews" that he had "abruptly resigned" after getting sick, forcing a cancelation of a tour. The $2.65-million suit also alleged that Benante told BLABBERMOUTH.NET that Nelson "was a bully."

LaBella was a founding member of EXHORDER, the legendary New Orleans metal band cited by many as the originator of the riff-heavy power-groove approach popularized by PANTERA.

TESLA guitarist Frank Hannon is in the process of releasing "From One Place… To Another", a series of albums comprised of cover songs. The first of three albums to be issued in 2018, "From One Place… To Another Vol. 1", has just been made available. The disc features special guest appearances by Paul Jackson (BLACKBERRY SMOKE), Duane Betts (son of Dickey Betts of the ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND), Matthew and Gunnar Nelson (sons of Ricky Nelson), Roger Fisher (original HEART guitarist) and many others.

"The songs that I contributed to TESLA, 'What You Give', 'Gettin' Better' and 'Love Song', have always had an acoustic, country or bluesy vibe to them," says Hannon. "I love to sing and my father-in-law Dickey Betts encouraged me to step up to the microphone with guitar in hand. He sang many hits in the ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND and 'Blue Sky' is one of my all-time favorites."

You can check out the lyric video for Hannon's version of THE CHURCH hit "Under The Milky Way" below.

"I recorded the majority of the songs while on tour with TESLA in dressing rooms, hotels, buses and even bathrooms using a handheld recorder," continues Hannon. "I also went to friends' houses to capture performances and traded files over the Internet, bringing home the digital files to mix and embellish in my studio."

Frank will be on the road performing solo in the first half of 2018.

"I started this project a few years ago and it has evolved substantially with the help of my friends," declares Hannon. "What started as learning a few songs to sing turned into multiple albums of cover songs, tributes and collaborations with many inspirational artists."

Everyone from Lukas Nelson to THE CHURCH to JJ Cale are covered on "Volume 1", with an expansive scope of genres to be covered in the coming releases.

"Each song and album are very different from one another, as are my musical tastes," admits Frank. "From 'Blue Sky' to the most current song on the release, 'Sunrise In Texas', the music and even my voice go 'From One Place... To Another'. Needless to say, that album title has many meanings for me."

"From One Place… To Another Vol. 1" track listing:

01. Blue Sky feat. Duane Betts (Dickey Betts / ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND)
02. Call Me The Breeze feat. Paul Jackson of BLACKBERRY SMOKE (JJ Cale, made famous by LYNYRD SKYNYRD)
03. Under The Milky Way feat. Duane Betts (THE CHURCH)
04. Jim Dandy To the Rescue feat. Tommy Curiale & Alyson Kimball of JOHNNY WINTERS BAND
(Lincoln Chase, made famous by Laverne Baker & BLACK OAK ARKANSAS)
05. You're My Best Friend (John Deacon made famous by QUEEN)
06. Garden Party feat. Matthew & Gunnar Nelson (Rick Nelson)
07. SunRise In Texas (BLACKBERRY SMOKE, Michael Tolcher)
08. I Hear Ya Knockin' (Dave Bartholomew)
09. Joy To The World feat. Ron Keel (Hoyt Axton)
10. Four Letter Word (Lukas Nelson)

Finnish alt-rockers THE RASMUS have released a Eero Heinonen-directed music video for their new single, "Nothing". The clip was shot in Berlin, Cologne, Vienna, London, Amsterdam, Tokyo and Osaka in November 2017.

"Nothing" is taken from THE RASMUS's latest album, "Dark Matters", which was released October 6 via Playground Music Scandinavia. The disc was produced by the Swedish team The Family (Iggy Azalea, FIFTH HARMONY).

"The thinking behind our new songs was to create the kind of music we would like to listen to," THE RASMUS singer Lauri Ylönen explained. "We haven't abandoned our signature northern melancholy, but you can hear a wide range of influences in our new compositions.

"The new album is like a roller coaster with many different emotions and personal feelings. Our music is at times dark, speculative, melodic and sometimes even sad."

THE RASMUS released its first new single, "Paradise", in March 2017 after a five-year hiatus. The band also announced a PledgeMusic campaign, allowing access to an exclusive fan-only area, featuring album pre-order deals, updates from the band, behind-the-scenes footage and a variety of bonus content.

In 2012, after releasing three more albums, and multiple world tours, THE RASMUS members Ylönen, Pauli Rantasalmi, Eero Heinonen and Aki Hakala, took a break from their busy band schedule. During this period, Ylönen moved to Los Angeles, a change that resonates in many of the songs he has written since.

DELTA DEEP, the critically acclaimed blues-based band featuring Phil Collen (lead guitarist of DEF LEPPARD) and Robert DeLeo (bassist for STONE TEMPLE PILOTS), in addition to Debbi Blackwell-Cook (back-up vocalist for such artists as Michael Bublé and Gregory Hines) and Forrest Robinson (drummer for India.Arie, Joe Sample & THE CRUSADERS, TLC), has just released a concert CD/DVD, "East Coast Live", via Frontiers Music Srl. The set captures a magical night where all the stars fell into place at Daryl's House, the Pawling, New York club owned by Daryl Hall of HALL & OATES.

A performance video for the song "Whiskey", taken from "East Coast Live", can be seen below.

Collen initially started DELTA DEEP in 2012 after jamming at home over the course of a year with friend and relative Debbi Blackwell-Cook (Blackwell-Cook is the godmother of Collen's wife, Helen). What started as a casual pairing singing Motown and classic blues staples while Debbi frequently visited Collen's home quickly turned into much more. Collen, Helen and Debbi began writing original music which Collen and Debbi recorded in Collen's home studio. Later that year, a chance meeting re-acquainted Collen with Memphis native and enigmatic heavy metal, jazz, and R&B drummer Forrest Robinson. A friend suggested giving STP bassist Robert DeLeo a call. Sharing a loving affinity for soul, funk and the blues, DeLeo was the perfect fit. According to Collen: "We really wanted Robert in this band. He had the added firepower of being the premiere pioneer and most 'badass bass player' to come out of the alternative rock explosion."

Regarding DELTA DEEP's songwriting approach, Collen told OC Weekly: "The great thing about it is just being able to do your own music and not being jaded about things. I still get a buzz out of putting out new music and getting that artistic expression. We touch on everything in our songs, like slavery and other topics people aren't comfortable writing about because we have two black members and two white members. It's really all about artistic expression for us."

Philip Anselmo says that he will undergo back surgery next 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.

"I'm going under the knife next Wednesday [January 31]," the former PANTERA frontman tells Jack Antonio in a new interview (hear audio below). "I'm having a follow-up surgery that's gonna nip something that has been nagging me for the last fucking decade in the bud, and damn it, once this last little kink is ironed out, I'll feel a whole lot better, man. Which means a better me, [and] that means more work, more gigs, more ability to do gigs, and shit like that. So that's always wonderful."

Anselmo is feeling good about his chances of having a successful procedure, explaining that he knows his surgeon "well enough. He did the big surgery back in 2006, so we have a great relationship," he said. "He seemed to be very cognizant of exactly what I was talking about, very confident. He's a cool cat to put you at ease, man, about what's ahead of you."

According to Philip, the first surgery that he had more than a decade ago "was so complicated and so huge and just massive in general, the hoops that I had to jump through to have that initial surgery was crazy, man, comparatively. And I guess [the surgeon] knows me well enough," he said. "I can tell my doctor had a new — are you ready? — level, and I'm not sure about power, but he surely had a new level of confidence. I could tell. He had done it a million times. And all we were waiting for is a date, 'cause once you're okayed for surgery, you kind of get put on a list. Anyway, he bumped me up. He knew… I was, like, begging him. I'm, like, 'Doc, this is holding me back. This is holding things back.' So he got me in. And give me a month out of surgery. Like I said, it's [scheduled to happen] the last day of the month, next Wednesday. Give me a month after that, I'll be a new man."

Anselmo said that while all the surgeries have certainly helped, he was never completely cured from the physical damage he had done to his body.

"I think the only pain I have left is this one little nagging thing," he said. "I think once they zap that, shit… I guess I'll be closest to feeling as close to normal for the first time in decades.

"I've talked to everybody close to me and tried to explain to them that I'm gonna have to re-learn how to live life, man, on many, many different levels," he added. "It's interesting. But it's good. I look at it as a positive, because after a decade of the nagging thing, I'd hit a wall, and when I hit a wall, I get pissed off and I tend to hit back, and my way of hitting back is resenting my condition. Therefore I'm doing everything in my power to overcome, and I'm gonna do it, man, again. Watch."

In a 2005 interview with Revolver magazine, Anselmo said that the back problem has plagued him since the late 1990s when the lowest lumbar disc in his back was "ruptured — shattered from being onstage since I was 14 years old, jumping off the stage, off [PANTERA drummer] Vinnie's [Paul Abbott] drum set, going as crazy as possible."

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.

STONE SOUR guitarist Josh Rand "has checked into a treatment center" and will sit out the band's U.S. and Canadian tour dates in late January and early February.

STONE SOUR says in a statement: "Though [Josh] will be back as soon as possible, we ask you all to keep him in your thoughts. Until then, the rest of STONE SOUR will see you all on tour in January/February. Thank you."

STONE SOUR is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Hydrograd", which was released last June via Roadrunner Records. The disc was recorded at Sphere Studios in North Hollywood, California with producer Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX and STEEL PANTHER.

Rand told Hughes & Kettner that STONE SOUR's most recent tour has been "amazing." He said: "We've been doing it for 17 years, and now, this album, for whatever reason, it's really drawing people in. We're always going to have our core audience, but it's, like, we're growing. The band has consistently gotten bigger every album we've put out. For that, I'm very grateful.

"We've always evolved, and our fans have kind of grown with us growing — not only as musicians and artists, but as just people," he continued. "I think we've always done records that we 100 percent backed as far as the creativity side of it. We've never painted ourselves in a corner, even from the first album, which has allowed us the freedom to create whatever we want, and I think that by doing so, there's an honesty that I think that you hear in the records. The main thing, though, is I just think our audience has grown with us. Every record is a progression of the previous one, and we're not a band that puts out the same record over and over again. I think there's just a maturity over time, just like if you do in any industry or profession. The more you do it, the more comfortable that you become with it."

Norwegian epic black metal pioneers BORKNAGAR have parted ways with their longtime guitarist Jens F. Ryland. The band says in a statement: "We would like to thank and salute him for all the time we shared on and off stage the past 20 years. The very best of luck with all future endevours!"

BORKNAGAR is working on material for a new studio album, tentatively due in late 2018 or early 2019.

The band's latest disc, "Winter Thrice", was released in January 2016 via Century Media Records. Just like 2012's "Urd", the effort was mixed by Jens Bogren at Fascination Street Studios (OPETH, KREATOR, AMON AMARTH) and packaged in artwork by Marcelo Vasco (SLAYER, MACHINE HEAD, SOULFLY).

"Winter Thrice" featured contributions from four vocalists, including the return of original singer and ULVER mastermind Kristoffer Rygg, a.k.a. Garm, who guested on two songs.

Fan-filmed video footage of ex-QUEENSRŸCHE and current OPERATION: MINDCRIME singer Geoff Tate performing on January 24 at Poppodium Nieuwe Nor in Heerlen, The Netherlands can be seen below. Tate, who is celebrating the 30th anniversary of QUEENSRŸCHE's "Operation: Mindcrime" album on his current European tour, was joined for the performance of the song "Suite Sister Mary" by his 20-year-old daughter Emily, whose band TILL DEATH DO US PART is the support act on the entire trek.

Tate told "Totally Driven Radio" last month about his daughter: "We haven't sung together on stage since she was a little kid and joined me on [the QUEENSRŸCHE] album [and] tour called 'American Soldier', and she sang a song with me. And that was, like, 2009 or '10 — something like that. So she's all grown up now. And she has a band called TILL DEATH DO US PART, which is a fantastic band, and they've got a new album out, and they're gonna be opening the shows for us."

Asked if he tried to encourage his daughter to get involved in singing or steer her away form the music business altogether, Tate said: "She was really into music as a kid. And she came to me one day and she said, 'Can I play the music in your collection?' And I said, 'Yeah. Just take whatever you want.' And she took it all — she took all the albums I had and just went through everything. She got this A-to-Z history of rock and just absorbed it all. And then when she was nine, I asked her to sing this duet part with me on a song called 'Home Again' on the 'American Soldier' album. And it was great working with her; she really was a very eager learner. And then she went on the road and toured America with me on that tour. And then, you know, I didn't think anything past that; she didn't make any more moves as far as being a musician. And then about, I think it was last year, I was sitting in my living room reading the newspaper, and she walked in and she goes, 'Hey, you wanna hear my new CD?' And I thought she meant something she bought. [So I said], 'Oh, yeah, sure.' She tosses me the CD and I look on the cover and it's her face. I go, 'You made a CD?' [Laughs] She goes, 'Yeah. This is my first album. Listen to it and tell me what you think.' So I had no idea she was making this record — she didn't tell me about it. And so I put the record on and I was really surprised — it's great; it's really good stuff. So I'm having her come out and tour Europe with me this year, so I'm looking forward to that."

Geoff went on to say that he was "really happy" Emily made the TILL DEATH DO US PART album without seeking his input or even letting him know she was working on it. "It's her own stuff, it's her own art, and she didn't feel like she needed to ask my permission or my direction on it; she just followed her heart," he said. "And, to me, that's the most honest art there is — when you make it yourself. And she did that. She didn't come [to me] and say, 'Hey, can you write a song for me?' Nothing like that; it was all her. So it's really her own effort and her own viewpoints and her own perspective on the world, which I really respect."

"Operation: Mindcrime" is the third studio album of eleven that Geoff recorded with QUEENSRŸCHE. The concept album and rock opera is a story following Nikki, a recovering drug addict, who becomes disillusioned with the corrupt society of his time and becomes involved in a revolutionary group, acting as an assassin of political leaders. The certified platinum album was rated by Kerrang! as one of heavy metal's top 100 albums of all time.

QUEENSRŸCHE played "Operation: Mindcrime" in its entirety during the band's 1990 tour to promote the "Empire" album. The performance featured video, animation and guest singer Pamela Moore as the character Sister Mary.

Tate was fired from QUEENSRŸCHE in 2012. He has since been replaced by former CRIMSON GLORY singer Todd La Torre.

BODY COUNT, the metal band fronted by hip-hop legend, actor and director Ice-T, performed during the pre-telecast ceremony at the 60th annual Grammy Awards, which was held earlier today (Sunday, January 28) at Madison Square Garden in New York City.

BODY COUNT performed the song "Black Hoodie", which was nominated in the "Best Metal Performance" category at this year's event. Also nominated in the same category were MASTODON, MESHUGGAH, AUGUST BURNS RED and CODE ORANGE.

Although BODY COUNT didn't win the award (that honor went to MASTODON), Ice-T said in a pre-performance, red-carpet interview that he was surprised to hear about the nomination.

"[When I first heard about it] I'm, like, 'No. That's a joke. BODY COUNT? Are you serious?' Then they said, 'Now they want you to perform.' So we're going to perform at the pre. I'm, like, 'You've gotta be kidding me. The Grammys?' So we're just overwhelmed, we're excited."

"To be picked and nominated is still a great achievement for my band," he added. "We've been around over 20 years and we're happy to be here."

"Black Hoodie" is taken from BODY COUNT's latest album, "Bloodlust", which was released in March 2017 via Century Media Records.

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

George Lynch joined Don Dokken on stage at last night's (Saturday, January 27) "Ultimate 'NAMM' Night" event at the Hilton hotel in Anaheim, California to perform a couple of DOKKEN classics: "Kiss Of Death" and "Tooth And Nail". They were joined on stage by guitarist Ira Black, bassist Marten Andersson and drummer Phil Varone.

Video footage of the performance can be seen below (courtesy of Johnny Angel).

Last month, the classic lineup of DOKKEN — Don, George, bassist Jeff Pilson and drummer "Wild" Mick Brown — filmed a video in Los Angeles for a new song called "It's Just Another Day". The track, which will be featured on the band's forthcoming CD/DVD package, marks the the first new song by the classic DOKKEN lineup since the 1997 "Shadowlife" album.

Pilson wrote on social media that "It's Just Another Day" "came out amazing," adding that "it's amazing how much it sounds like vintage DOKKEN."

DOKKEN's classic lineup played its only U.S. show in September 2016 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota before embarking on a six-show Japanese run dubbed "Unleashed In The East".

DOKKEN's upcoming concert DVD will reportedly feature footage from two of the Japanese shows — including Tokyo — as well as the band's Sioux Falls gig. The band also recorded two acoustic remakes of a couple of the old DOKKEN songs, which also "came out really amazing," according to Pilson.

The 2016 Japanese tour featuring Pilson, Dokken, Lynch and Brown marked the first time in 21 years DOKKEN's classic lineup had hit the road.

Don told "The Classic Metal Show" that the main reason he doesn't want to continue with the classic DOKKEN lineup is that he "loves" the band he has now — which features Brown, alongside guitarist Jon Levin and bassist Chris McCarvill.

Photo credit: Jessica Chase

HELLYEAH is "halfway" done recording the follow-up to 2016's "Unden!able", the band has revealed.

Like the last two records, "Unden!able" and 2014's "Blood For Blood", the new disc is being recorded at The Hideout Recording Studio in Las Vegas, Nevada with producer Kevin Churko.

Speaking to Jose Mangin for Dean Guitars at this weekend's NAMM convention in Anaheim, California, HELLYEAH drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott said about the making of the band's sixth disc (see video below): "I'm gonna say we're getting close to about half way. We got in and really grinded a lot of music out, and it's amazing, man.

"Every record since 'Blood For Blood' has just been a big, gigantic mountain for us to build and build and this one has already reached a plateau that I know is gonna be… It's gonna top 'Unden!able'," he said.

According to Vinnie, HELLYEAH had to take a break from recording the new album because "a higher-paying customer" hired Kevin and The Hideout "and bumped us out for a month or two, so it kind of slowed us down a little, but we're gonna be getting back in soon."

HELLYEAH guitarist Tom Maxwell spoke in more detail about the musical direction of the band's new album. He said: "Every record that we've done, especially since 'Blood', we've kind of kept the tree growing, growing different branches here and there off the main root, and it's no different with this one. It's gonna be a little bit outside the box, there's gonna be some stuff that people haven't heard from us but will understand that we did it, because we're all over the board, as you know; we don't pigeonhole ourselves as just being full-blown heavy all the time. So it's gonna be a good record, when it comes out, eventually."

As for when fans can expect to see HELLYEAH back on the road, Vinnie said: "The deal is we keep having to turn [tours] down, because we can't get our studio scheduled to jive with what we wanna do. But I really believe by the end of this summer, we're gonna be back on the map, and definitely by fall — definitely by fall."

"Unden!able" marked the first time HELLYEAH's current lineup — Maxwell, Abbott, singer Chad Gray, guitarist Christian Brady and bassist Kyle Sanders — recorded together as a unit.

A "deluxe" edution of "Unden!able" was made last October via Eleven Seven Music as a CD/DVD Best Buy exclusive and CD and live audio digital deluxe. The physical package contains the fan-shot live concert DVD, "We're All In This Together". The digital package contains the live audio from the DVD.

"Unden!able" features three Top 10 U.S. Active Rock singles: "Human", "I Don't Care Anymore" and "Love Falls".

FOO FIGHTERS were honored with a Grammy in the "Best Rock Song" category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 60th annual Grammy Awards, which is being held tonight (Sunday, January 28) at Madison Square Garden in New York City. FOO FIGHTERS were nominated for the song "Run" from the band's 2017 album "Concrete And Gold".

The nominees in the "Best Rock Song" category were as follows:

METALLICA - "Atlas, Rise!"
K. FLAY - "Blood in the Cut"
NOTHING MORE - "Go To War"
FOO FIGHTERS - "Run"
AVENGED SEVENFOLD - "The Stage"

This afternoon's pre-telecast ceremony, which is handing out 75 of the 84 categories, is taking place at the Theatre At Madison Square Garden, with Paul Shaffer hosting and leading the WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS BAND, which opened with an instrumental take on THE ROLLING STONES' "Bitch", the first time they've played together since "Late Night With David Letterman" went off the air. The presentation is being streamed live on Grammy.com and CBS.com.

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.

Tonight marks the Grammy Awards' first return to New York City in 15 years. Madison Square Garden last played host to the Grammys in 2003.

MASTODON was honored with a Grammy in the "Best Metal Performance" category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 60th annual Grammy Awards, which is being held tonight (Sunday, January 28) at Madison Square Garden in New York City. MASTODON was nominated for the song "Sultan's Curse" from its 2017 album "Emperor Of Sand".

According to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, MASTODON drummer Brann Dailor said backstage that the award is "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."

Dailor also credited Atlanta fans for the band's 18 years of success.

"Our first show had hundreds of people and they came out to support us from the time we were playing the Parasite House to the Fox Theatre," he said.

Prior to tonight'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"

This afternoon's pre-telecast ceremony, which is handing out 75 of the 84 categories, is taking place at the Theatre At Madison Square Garden, with Paul Shaffer hosting and leading the WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS BAND, which opened with an instrumental take on THE ROLLING STONES' "Bitch", the first time they've played together since "Late Night With David Letterman" went off the air. The presentation is being streamed live on Grammy.com and CBS.com.

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.

Tonight marks the Grammy Awards' first return to New York City in 15 years. Madison Square Garden last played host to the Grammys in 2003.

Fan-filmed video footage of ANTHRAX singer Joey Belladonna performing the DIO classic "Holy Diver" with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE on January 27 at Sherman Theater in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania can be seen below.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE played in Stroudsburg as part of "KillThrax II", a co-headlining bill with ANTHRAX that also features HAVOK as support.

As with the inaugural "KillThrax" tour, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and ANTHRAX are rotating the show's closing slot on "KillThrax II".

Released in February 2016, ANTHRAX's latest album, "For All Kings", was called by some critics the band's strongest album to date. Its arrival followed a five-year period during which the band experienced a rebirth of sorts, beginning with ANTHRAX's inclusion on the 2010 "Big Four" tour with METALLICA, SLAYER and MEGADETH, and continuing with the 2011 release of comeback LP "Worship Music".

ANTHRAX will release its long-awaited live-in-concert DVD, "Kings Among Scotland", on April 27 via Megaforce.

The official lyric video for the song "Wargasm" from industrial metal veterans MINISTRY can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "AmeriKKKant", which will be released on March 9 via Nuclear Blast Records. The disc will feature guest appearances by DJ Swamp (Beck), Burton C. Bell (FEAR FACTORY), Arabian Prince (N.W.A.) and Lord Of The Cello.

Produced by mainman Al Jourgensen, recorded at Caribou Studios in Burbank, California between January and May 2017, and with striking artwork created by Mister Sam Shearon, the album's psychedelic, politically influenced and very much in-your-face nine tracks are rooted in Jourgensen's unadulterated anger for what’s happening in America today — the waning respect for the U.S. Constitution, the growing acceptance of one’s opinions replacing facts, the decline of our leaders' sense of morals, ethics and personal responsibility to the country and to their constituents, and the mad man in the White House.

"This album, 'AmeriKKKant', will provide FEMA-type relief for the devastation 'Hurricane Cheeto' has brought upon us," stated Jourgensen.

"AmeriKKKant" track listing:

01. I Know Words
02. Twilight Zone
03. Victims Of A Clown
04. TV5/4Chan
05. We're Tired Of It
06. Wargasm
07. Antifa
08. Game Over
09. AmeriKKKa

In 2016, Jourgensen announced plans to record a new MINISTRY studio album to follow 2013's "From Beer To Eternity", despite previously saying there would be no further MINISTRY records after the death of longtime guitarist Mike Scaccia in 2012.

MINISTRY guitarist Sin Quirin told Alamo True Metal about "AmeriKKKant": "After the last tour [in 2016] is when [Al] was talking about wanting to do another record. The process, it changes from record to record. Sometimes we show up with ideas already kind of formed, but for this record, it was a lot of writing on the spot. He was pretty open to just different ideas. He didn't really have any 'Okay, I want it to be like this. I want it to be like that.' We definitely brought slower ideas, if that makes any sense, as opposed to just playing a thousand miles an hour like some of our early records. It was a bit more experimental and we brought different instruments into this record that I don't think people will be expecting to hear from us. It's definitely stuff that I don't think people are going to be expecting from a MINISTRY record, but it was pretty organic in that sense that we would show up and bring ideas and start tracking and see what we ended up with at the end of the day. We brought a couple of ideas that were in very basic forms and then just jumped from there. It was something that we might have worked on months earlier. It starts off one way and then by the time you're done with the song, it's completely different, but it started from an initial idea. That was the way we went about doing this record. It wasn't, 'Okay, I want you to write like this. I want you to write like that.' It was, 'Let's see what you got. Bring what you have to the table.' It was pretty cool. For me, it was really cool that we got so many people involved in this album. Other times, it would be just a couple of people that were doing things in the studio. For this, Cesar [Soto, guitar] is on it, JB [John Bechdel] is on it, I'm on it, Al's over it. JB was saying there's a bunch of different things and other guest people that are on it as well. For me, Tony's [Campos, bass] on it as well, it felt more like a band effort, which was really cool."

Photo credit: Phil Parmet

AURI, the project featuring NIGHTWISH mainman/keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen and his wife, popular Finnish singer Johanna Kurkela, will release its self-titled debut album on March 23 via Nuclear Blast.

The disc's first digital single, for the song "Night 13", is now available.


"Auri" track listing:

01. The Space Between
02. I Hope Your World Is Kind
03. Skeleton Tree
04. Desert Flower
05. Night 13
06. See
07. The Name Of The Wind
08. Aphrodite Rising
09. Savant
10. Underthing Solstice
11. Them Thar Chanterelles

AURI begun its life with three people, united through their shared need to hear a kind of a music which can't be described by words alone. A magical kind of sound to be heard whilst falling down Alice's rabbit hole.

The first song born of this mindset, "Aphrodite Rising", appeared in 2011. And slowly the earth has cracked open again and ten more tracks have emerged out of the soil's dust.

Thus the trio was formed. Kurkela lent her unique voice, while Holopainen and English composer and multi-instrumentalist Troy Donockley (also of NIGHTWISH) cast their spells with various other instruments. Using selected guest musicians and friends, the album finally takes its ultimate form under the direction of sound engineer Tim Oliver, all within the pastoral splendor of Real World studios in Southern England.

Everything begins with a vision. A virtuoso imagination hovering auspiciously in the air, composed of multi-faceted fragments and ideas that gradually become more concrete, slowly taking shape and then finally forming out of the minds of their makers as a new project. Completely unexpected, it's just a natural, flowing process. This is just what happened with these three outstanding, internationally successful musicians who have created a musical gem in the form of AURI, which shines even brighter than the glittering Polar Star in the night sky. Kurkela, Holopainen and Donockley take their eponymous debut on a fairytale journey through time and space, far from here and now reminding us of the fantastic adventures of "Alice In Wonderland".

Comprehensive sound cascades full of magical and surreal moments that touch all senses await us; sometimes yearning and dreamy, then again rousing and intense. AURI celebrate a kind of epic-romantic ethno pop that seems to float in quaint spheres, which are intangible yet unleash multi-faceted sounds capes filled with powerful imagery. These sound cascades are based on Celtic traditional sounds, atmospheric-cinematic dream sequences, melancholic melodies and a touch of transfigured mysticism; beautiful instrumentation yielding an unfathomable depth.

AURI is the result of a shared passion. Everyone was involved in everything. However, Tuomas Holopainen does not want to reveal too much about the songs and their stories, "since the listener should bring their own story to the songs — after all, that's what makes the album so beautiful. It lives from the imagination of every single person!" says the composer. "But what I can tell you is that some of the content and the song lyrics are inspired by the Patrick Rothfuss books. Maybe people who know those books and those stories will recognise some parallels and certain scenarios, but believe me; the album equates to so much more."

If Tuomas describes "Auri" in his own words, he cannot help but smile. "Just a few days ago, we had this conversation within the band and we thought about the best way to describe it," he says. "Two terms came to our minds; rabbit hole music and celestial metal. Obviously, you can hear influences from folk music, Celtic music, soundtracks — all that music that we love and adore, but categorising the style is really impossible. I'll leave that to the listeners."

A tour is currently not planned but one thing is already certain: "This is definitely not just a one-album thing!" So sit back, close your eyes and let yourself fall into the depths. A world of wonder and miracles awaits you behind the mirrors.

AURI is:

Johanna Kurkela: Voices, viola
Tuomas Holopainen: Keys, backing voices
Troy Donockley: Acoustic and electric guitars, bouzouki, uilleann pipes, low whistles, aerophone, bodhran, keys, voices

Holopainen and Kurkela have been married since October 2015.

Photo by Tim Martindale

An official video of ROBERT PLANT & THE SENSATIONAL SPACE SHIFTERS performing the "Carry Fire" album track "Season's Song" can be seen below. The footage was filmed at the O2 Apollo in Manchester, England on November 30, 2017. It was directed by Ryan Mackfall and produced by Crashburn Media.

Available to own for the first time on DVD and Digital Video, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release ROBERT PLANT & THE SENSATIONAL SPACE SHIFTERS "Live At David Lynch's Festival of Disruption" on February 9. Filmed as part of David Lynch's inaugural Festival Of Disruption, one of Los Angeles's most anticipated cultural events, this concert took place at the Ace Hotel Theatre in October 2016, raising funds for the David Lynch Foundation.

Performing with SENSATIONAL SPACE SHIFTERS since 2012, Robert Plant continues to shift the musical goalposts, blurring the lines between rock, blues, folk and world music and finding new life in exotic beats and African rhythms.

With a set including a new take on beloved LED ZEPPELIN classics, stripped down versions of "Black Dog" and "Whole Lotta Love" are met with a rapturous response from the packed theater audience, with whom Plant enjoys a genuine rapport. Also included are "Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You" and "Going To California", alongside solo standouts "Turn It Up", "The Enchanter/Rainbow" and "Little Maggie".

This is a rare opportunity for fans to witness the legendary frontman as they've never seen or heard him before. This David Lynch-curated event aims to feature artists with "knowledge and mystery" — undoubtedly, Robert Plant has an abundance of both.

Proceeds from the sale of this DVD will benefit the David Lynch Foundation.

Track listing

01. Poor Howard
02. Turn It Up
03. Black Dog
04. Medley: The Enchanter / Rainbow
05. Babe, I'm Gonna Leave You
06. Little Maggie
07. Medley: Hoochie Coochie Man / Whole Lotta Love / Mona
08. Going To California

Bonus Features include:

01. David Lynch on Creativity
02. David Lynch on Meditation
03. David Lynch on Music

WHITESNAKE has released the official "video remix" for the song "Is This Love". The track is taken from the band's self-titled album, also known in some countries as "1987", which was certified multi-platinum and featured the smash single "Here I Go Again". The LP turned 30 last year and Rhino celebrated with four new versions, including an expansive boxed set.

"Whitesnake: Super Deluxe Edition" was made available on October 27 for $49.98. The 4-CD/DVD collection includes the original album with newly remastered sound, unreleased live and studio recordings, classic music videos, concert footage, a thirty-minute documentary, featuring a new interview with David Coverdale, WHITESNAKE's founder and lead singer. The music comes with a 60-page hardbound book that's filled with rare and unseen photos from the era, an extended essay based on new interviews with Coverdale, plus a booklet of the album's lyrics, handwritten by Coverdale. The audio is also available via digital download and streaming services.

Three other versions of "Whitesnake" are also available. A Deluxe Edition is available in both 2-CD ($19.98) and 2-LP ($29.98) versions, each including the newly remastered album expanded with a selection of unreleased bonus recordings. A single-disc version of the newly remastered album is also available.

This also marks the first release under a newly signed catalog deal with WHITESNAKE and Rhino Entertainment, the catalog division of Warner Music Group. This new deal includes both the North American and Japanese rights, marking the first time a substantial amount of the WHITESNAKE catalog will reside under Warner Music Group worldwide.

"It gives me great joy to finally have so much of my WHITESNAKE catalog all under the same roof with the Warner family and I'm thrilled to be now working with this tremendous team on a worldwide basis," said Coverdale. "I have great memories of being with Warner back in my days with DEEP PURPLE. Then when I was with Geffen, they were distributed by Warner, so it feels like coming home to now have WHITESNAKE there. This elaborate reissue is the perfect project to kick off the new relationship."

"WHITESNAKE is one of the all-time great rock n' roll bands, with David being an absolute icon as a vocalist and front man," said Rhino president Mark Pinkus. "We are absolutely thrilled to now have so much of the WHITESNAKE catalog with Warner on a global basis and are excited for the fans to see what great releases we have planned for the coming years."

Soon after its release in April 1987, "Whitesnake" became a huge success around the world, selling multi million copies. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard album chart and spawned four popular singles: "Still Of The Night", "Give Me All Your Love", "Is This Love" (which reached #2) and the #1 hit "Here I Go Again".

"Whitesnake: Super Deluxe Edition" comes with an entire disc of unreleased live performances featuring Adrian Vandenberg, Vivian Campbell and Tommy Aldridge, recorded during the band's 1987-88 tour. The music includes live versions of several tracks from "1987", plus WHITESNAKE classics "Slide It In", "Love Ain't No Stranger" and "Slow An' Easy".

An additional disc spotlights the creative process behind "Whitesnake" with a selection of elevent unreleased demo and rehearsal recordings, including early versions of nearly every song on the album called "87 Evolutions". The final disc introduces newly remixed versions the album's four singles, and includes rare radio mixes, as well as songs from "87 Versions", an EP released exclusively in Japan.

The DVD from "Whitesnake: Super Deluxe Edition" includes music videos for the four singles, all of which have been carefully restored and remixed in 5.1 Surround Sound for the first time ever. In addition, the DVD also features a new thirty-minute documentary about the making of "Whitesnake", a new promo video made especially for this set of the 1988 version of "Here I Go Again" and unreleased live footage from the 1987-88 tour.

"It was a lot of fun to do," Coverdale told Billboard of the "Whitesnake" reissue, "because I don't go back a lot. I kind of learn from the past to apply those lessons to the future and the present. But my gratitude for (the album) is beyond words. I've only ever gone into a studio to try to improve on the last record...There was no, 'Right, I'm gonna sell thirty-odd million fucking records!' It was amazing, just amazing, so it's great to revisit all of this."

"Whitesnake: Super Deluxe Edition" 4CD/DVD Track Listing:

Disc One: Original Album 2017 Remaster:

01. Still Of The Night
02. Give Me All Your Love
03. Bad Boys
04. Is This Love
05. Here I Go Again '87
06. Straight For The Heart
07. Looking For Love
08. Children Of The Night
09. You're Gonna Break My Heart Again
10. Crying In The Rain
11. Don't Turn Away

Disc Two: Snakeskin Boots [Live On Tour 1987-88]:

01. Bad Boys/Children Of The Night*
02. Slide It In*
03. Slow An' Easy*
04. Here I Go Again*
05. Guilty Of Love*
06. Is This Love*
07. Love Ain't No Stranger*
08. Guitar Solo – Adrian and Vivian*
09. Crying In The Rain*
10. Still Of The Night*
11. Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City*
12. Give Me All Your Love*

Disc Three: 87 Evolutions [Demos and Rehearsals]:

01. Still Of The Night*
02. Give Me All Your Love*
03. Bad Boys*
04. Is This Love*
05. Straight For The Heart*
06. Looking For Love*
07. Children Of The Night*
08. You're Gonna Break My Heart Again*
09. Crying In The Rain*
10. Don't Turn Away*
11. Crying In The Rain (Lil' Mountain Alternate Take Ruff Mix) *

Disc Four: 87 Versions [2017 Remixes]"

01. Still Of The Night - Remix*
02. Is This Love - Remix*
03. Give Me All Your Love - Remix*
04. Here I Go Again 87 - Remix*
05. Standing In The Shadows - 1987 Versions, Japanese Mini-Album
06. Looking For Love - 1987 Versions, Japanese Mini-Album
07. You're Gonna Break My Heart Again - 1987 Versions, Japanese Mini-Album
08. Need Your Love So Bad - 1987 Versions, Japanese Mini-Album
09. Here I Go Again - Radio Mix
10. Give Me All Your Love - Single Version

DVD:

01. Still Of The Night - Music Video, Restored and Remixed in 5.1
02. Here I Go Again 87 - Music Video, Restored and Remixed in 5.1
03. Is This Love - Music Video, Restored and Remixed in 5.1
04. Give Me All Your Love - Music Video, Restored and Remixed in 5.1
05. Documentary about the making of 1987 Album*
06. Here I Go Again - Purplesnake Video Jam*
07. Crying In The Rain - 1987 Tour Video Bootleg*
08. Band Intros - 1987 Tour Video Bootleg*
09. Still Of The Night - 1987 Tour Video Bootleg*

"Whitesnake: 30th Anniversary Edition" 2LP Track Listing:

Side One:

01. Still Of The Night
02. Bad Boys
03. You're Gonna Break My Heart Again
04. Straight For The Heart
05. Here I Go Again 87

Side Two:

01. Give Me All Your Love
02. Is This Love
03. Children Of The Night
04. Crying In The Rain
05. Don't Turn Away

Side Three:

01. Still Of The Night - 2017 Remix *
02. Is This Love - 2017 Remix *
03. Give Me All Your Love - 2017 Remix *
04. Here I Go Again 87 - 2017 Remix *
05. Looking For Love

Side Four:

01. Bad Boys/Children of the Night - Live*
02. Here I Go Again - Live*
03. Is This Love - Live*
04. Give Me All Your Love - Live*
05. Still of the Night - Live*

"Whitesnake: 30th Anniversary Edition" 2CD Track Listing:

Disc One: Original Album 2017 Remaster

01. Still Of The Night
02. Give Me All Your Love
03. Bad Boys
04. Is This Love
05. Here I Go Again 87
06. Straight For The Heart
07. Looking For Love
08. Children Of The Night
09. You're Gonna Break My Heart Again
10. Crying In The Rain
11. Don't Turn Away

Disc Two: Snakeskin Boots [Live On Tour 1987-88]:

01. Bad Boys/Children Of The Night*
02. Slide It In*
03. Slow An' Easy*
04. Here I Go Again*
05. Guilty Of Love*
06. Is This Love*
07. Love Ain't No Stranger*
08. Guitar Solo – Adrian and Vivian*
09. Crying In The Rain*
10. Still Of The Night*
11. Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City*
12. Give Me All Your Love*

* Previously unreleased

AVENGED SEVENFOLD will skip this year's Grammy Awards in apparent protest of the way the organization treats the rock and heavy metal genres.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD is nominated for a Grammy in the "Best Rock Song" category for "The Stage". It's the first-ever Grammy nod for the Southern California-based group comprised of singer M. Shadows, guitarists Synyster Gates and Zacky Vengeance, bassist Johnny Christ and drummer Brooks Wackerman.

Also nominated in the "Best Rock Song" category were METALLICA's "Atlas, Rise!", K.FLAY's "Blood In The Cut", NOTHING MORE's "Go To War" and FOO FIGHTERS' "Run".

Asked by a fan on Twitter how they feel about being nominated for a Grammy, the members of AVENGED SEVENFOLD responded: "Honored. Unfortunately, they have taken 'Best Rock Song' off the telecast this year so we won't be attending. Maybe next time."

In a December 2017 interview with the WRIF station, M. Shadows was critical of the Grammy organizers who continue to include heavy metal in the 70 categories that aren't televised during the performance-heavy broadcast.

"My whole thing was that metal… if you're getting the 'metal' award, they don't actually televise it, so no one sees it — it doesn't move the needle at all. And I think that's what the Grammys have to get that right.

"When you look at metal, it's probably one of the healthiest genres when you look at it in a worldwide perspective — every single country listens to metal," he continued. "And whether it's mainstream or not, it's irrelevant. People will watch your program if you're giving awards to bands that deserve it and it's actually on TV, and it helps those bands push the needle forward."

At the time of the WRIF interview, Shadows said that AVENGED SEVENFOLD was "fortunate to be in the 'rock' category" because "Best Rock Song" was among the categories that were still included on the telecast. "And I think that's the whole point — you wanna get nominated for a Grammy and you wanna get noticed by people and seen on TV," he added. "It helps everybody when the bands can get bigger. So the 'metal' award still is a problem because literally no one's gonna see those bands or know that they're nominated, and that's an issue. I think it needs to be on TV."

The winners of the 60th Grammy Awards will be revealed on January 28 in a two-part ceremony, with the majority of the 84 awards handed out in a non-televised event that afternoon while a dozen or so are doled out on the CBS awardscast that evening.

"You've gotta think there's 15 different categories for classical, there's, like, 17 categories for jazz," M. Shadows said. "It's a crazy thing that they have to try to balance. But I think metal, out of all the genres, is just misrepresented in a big way. And I think they can put that on TV and get some mainstream exposure for bands like MASTODON and MESHUGGAH. I think it's cool."

He then jokingly added: "If I ran the Grammys, it would probably go bankrupt."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD released a deluxe edition of "The Stage" on December 22. The new version feature seven additional studio songs plus four previously unreleased live tracks recorded during recent shows at the O2 Arena in London.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD is currently on a North American headlining tour with BREAKING BENJAMIN and BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE.

Honored. Unfortunately they have taken "Best Rock Song" off the telecast this year so we won't be attending. Maybe next time. https://t.co/GIotEyLCuK

— Avenged Sevenfold (@TheOfficialA7X) January 23, 2018

Maryland rockers CLUTCH have completed recording their new album at Sputnik Sound studio in Nashville, Tennessee with producer and engineer Vance Powell (THE WHITE STRIPES, RED FANG).

Powell tweeted late Friday night: "So, an hour or so ago, we wrapped tracking the new @clutchofficial record. I can't wait for you all to hear it. But unfortunately, you'll have to."

Guitarist Tim Sult recently told The Advocate that he was excited about finally working on the follow-up to 2015's "Psychic Warfare".

"They're my favorite songs," he said of the new material. "At this point, we probably have more songs than we've ever had before going into the studio. The material is a little heavier. It has a more doomed-out vibe and feel. We're going to record more live.

"It's our first time recording in Nashville," he added. "Who knows? We might end up with something that sounds like a Garth Brooks album."

Sult told Chimera about the CLUTCH songwriting process: "Everyone in the band has ideas for songs. Everyone in the band comes in with ideas for songs. We also just get together and jam out ideas as well — you know, squash out new ideas together. That's also another big part of why we've been able to go so long — because we're all equally artistically invested in the band. It's not like it's just one person's project that a couple other guys are going along with for a couple years and then are going to leave and go do something else."

According to Tim, he and his bandmates are "pretty much all on the same page" when it comes to deciding which ideas to flesh out into full songs. "If there's an idea that we can tell is really not the best idea for a song ever, it's just not really happening, we dump it immediately," he said.

"Since the beginning of [2017], we've been getting together and working on songs for the new album. I would guess that we probably only used like 10 to 20 percent of the ideas that we actually laid down at this point. It's great, because we have a great rehearsal stage. We have time to get together and jam. That's really what keeps us going — [the desire to] just continue to write new music."

"Psychic Warfare" debuted at No. 11 on The Billboard 200 chart after shifting 26,000 equivalent album units in the week ending October 8, 2015. The disc was released via CLUTCH's own label, Weathermaker Music.

So, an hour or so ago, we wrapped tracking the new @clutchofficial record. I can’t wait for you all to hear it. But unfortunately, you’ll have to..

— Vance Powell (@Vancalot) January 27, 2018

Armored Dawn is a promising heavy / power metal band from Brazil who will debut on AFM Records with their new album, Barbarians In Black, on February 23rd. The cover art and tracklisting can be seen below.

"Beware Of The Dragon"
"Bloodstone"
"Men Of Odin"
"Chance To Live Again"
"Unbreakable"
"Eyes Behind The Crow"
"Sail Away"
"Gods Of Metal"
"Survivor"
"Barbarians In Black"

After supporting Fates Warning on their latest European tour, Armored Dawn will now open for Saxon at the following shows:

February
27 - Tilburg, Netherlands
28 - Saarbrücken, Germany

March
1 - Hannover, Germany
2 - Frankfurt, Germany
3 - Dresden, Germany
 

Norwegian rock band, Pristine, featuring lead singer Heidi Solheim, have released a video for “Ninja”, the title track of their fourth studio album, out now via Nuclear Blast. Watch the new clip below.

Tracklisting:

“You Are The One”
“Sophia”
“The Perfect Crime”
“The Rebel Song”
“The Parade”
“Ghost Chase”
“Ninja”
“Jekyll & Hyde”
“Forget”
“Ocean”
“California” (Live)
“No Regret” (Live)

“Ninja” video:

“The Rebel Song” video:

“Sophia”:

“You Are The One” video:

Fan-filmed video footage of IN THIS MOMENT's January 26 concert at Revolution in Fort Lauderdale, Florida can be seen below.

IN THIS MOMENT is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Ritual", which was released last July by Atlantic Records in partnership with Roadrunner Records. The disc features a guest appearance from JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford on the song "Black Wedding".

"Ritual" was produced by IN THIS MOMENT's longtime collaborator — and multiple Grammy Award nominee — Kevin Churko (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, OZZY OSBOURNE).

Asked how the material from "Ritual" has been going over live, guitarist Chris Howorth told Fuel The Scene magazine: "The reception has been overwhelmingly good all across the board. It's kind of weird now… Because album sales are so different, with streams and everything, you don't really notice it, except for on the live front, you see the people showing up and singing the songs, and you know that they're getting it and hearing it. Otherwise, it's hard to kind of tell."

Added guitarist Randy Weitzel: "When we play a song for the first time, people are just sort of staring at you. But as tours go by, they start to get to know the lyrics and it livens up a little bit. So I think it's going pretty good."

Genre-destroying supergroup Legend Of The Seagullmen has premiered their new song, "Legend Of The Seagullmen". The track is from their self-titled debut album, set to be released February 9th via Dine Alone Records.

"'Legend Of The Seagullmen' is the song of an ancient power: a time of the Seagullgod King. His legend has been transmitted over generations spanning 400 thousand years, resulting in this furious ripping anthem. It takes at least four guitar players and an army of musicians to unlock the glory and when the blistering progressions find the pounding beat, you'll be immersed in the scriptures of a battle torn land." - David "The Doctor" Dreyer 

Legend Of The Seagullmen is comprised of Tool's Danny Carey on drums, Mastodon's Brent Hinds on guitar, director Jimmy Hayward (Jonah Hex) on guitar, David 'The Doctor' Dreyer on vocals, Zappa Meets Zappa's Peter Griffin on bass, and Chris DiGiovanni on synth, alongside the help of a few more rippers.
 
Joining forces to make cinematic psychedelic rock, the Seagullmen sing of ship wrecks and giant mutant squid, crafting conceptual rock 'n' roll hymns of epic proportions on their debut full-length. Pre-order the album here.

Legend Of The Seagullmen tracklisting:

"We Are The Seagullmen"
"The Fogger"
"Shipswreck"
"Curse Of The Red Tide"
"Legend Of The Seagullmen"
"The Orca"
"Rise Of The Giant"
"Ballad Of The Deep Sea Diver"

"The Fogger":

Germany's Metal Hammer magazine checks in with the following Judas Priest news:

"It’s Judas Priest, who were featured on the cover of the very first issue of Metal Hammer Germany in 1984. With their brand new album Firepower arriving, we proudly present you an exclusive 7-inch vinyl of our dear companions!

"Since it will feature ‘Firepower’, the title-song of the upcoming album, and a live version of ‘Breaking The Law’ from Wacken Open Air (the song has never been released live on a 7-inch before), this vinyl record is a rare collectible that you can’t purchase at the regular trade.

"But there’s more: Metal Hammer will physically release the title track ‘Firepower’ exclusively world wide, weeks before the Judas Priest album hits stores in March! Order your copy now and get the magazine and vinyl delivered to your home on the publishing day, February 14th."

Get it here. The package includes Metal Hammer issue 03/2018 + exclusive Judas Priest 7" vinyl.

Judas Priest could easily rest on their laurels at this stage of their highly successful and influential career. However, the legendary metal band - singer Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis - refuse to do so as evidenced by the arrival of their eighteenth studio album overall, Firepower, which can be pre-ordered here.

Set for release on Friday, March 9th via Epic Records, the album is comprised of fourteen tracks of pure and highly inspired metal. And to mark the occasion Priest has reunited with producer Tom Allom (the man behind the board for all of the band’s releases from 1979-1988, including such stellar classics as Unleashed In The East, British Steel, Screaming For Vengeance and Defenders Of The Faith) and with Grammy Award-winning producer Andy Sneap also helping to raise the sonic bar even higher.

“Tom Allom has got this classic metal thing,” explains Halford. “And Andy is a bit more of a ‘modern metal producer’ but his thinking is a little bit different to Tom’s. And I think to get this balance between that classic old school metal to what Andy’s world is was just a remarkable coalescence.”

“Tom Allom has been with us since 1979, so his knowledge of ourselves and our music in general is immense,” adds Hill.

And according to Travis Priest returned back to a recording method that worked incredibly well on the band’s earlier classics. “We went back to the organic way of recording where it’s all of us in a room and we got to play together.”

A PledgeMusic pre-order includes exclusive limited autographed colored vinyl, autographed vinyl test pressings, an exclusive Judas Priest t-shirt and an extremely limited number of Judas Priest autographed guitars. More details here.

Firepower tracklisting:

"Firepower"
"Lightning Strike"
"Evil Never Dies"
"Never The Heroes"
"Necromancer"
"Children Of The Sun"
"Guardians"
"Rising From Ruins"
"Flame Thrower"
"Spectre"
"Traitors Gate"
"No Surrender"
"Lone Wolf"
"Sea Of Red"

"Spectre" snippet:

"Lightning Strike" video:

"Firepower" snippet:

The Judas Priest: Firepower 2018 Tour will kick off on March 13th in Pennsylvania, and wrap up on May 1st in Texas and will feature the lineup of singer Rob Halford, guitarists Glenn Tipton and Richie Faulkner, bassist Ian Hill, and drummer Scott Travis. Support comes from Saxon and Black Star Riders.

There are few heavy metal bands that have managed to scale the heights that Judas Priest have during their 40 year career - originally formed during the early '70s in Birmingham, England, Judas Priest is responsible for some of the genre's most influential and landmark albums (1980's British Steel, 1982's Screaming For Vengeance, 1990's Painkiller, etc.) and for decades have been one of the greatest live bands in the entire heavy metal genre including an iconic performance at Live Aid in 1985 - they also brought metal to the masses by their appearance on American Idol in 2011 - plus Judas Priest were one of the first metal bands to exclusively wear leather and studs - a look that began during this era and was eventually embraced by metal fans throughout the world! And in 2017, the band was nominated for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Confirmed tour dates:

March
13 - Wilkes Barre, PA - Mohegan Sun Arena at Casey Plaza
15 - Youngstown, OH - Covelli Centre
17 - Uniondale, NY - Nassau Coliseum
18 - Washington, DC - The Anthem
20 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
22 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
25 - Ottawa, ON - The Arena at TD Place
27 - London, ON - Budweiser Gardens
28 - Oshawa, ON - Tribute Communities Centre
30 - Orillia, ON - Casino Rama
31 - Detroit, MI - Detroit Masonic Temple

April
3 - Milwaukee, WI - Riverside Theater
5 - Green Bay, WI - Resch Center
8 - Bloomington, IL - Grossinger Motors Arena
10 - Casper, WY - Casper Events Center
11 - Loveland, CO - Budweiser Events Center
15 - Kent, WA - ShoWare Center
17 - Portland, OR - Veterans Memorial Coliseum
19 - San Francisco - The Warfield
22 - Los Angeles, CA - Microsoft Theater
24 - Phoenix, AZ - Comerica Theatre
26 - Tulsa, OK - BOK Center
28 - Dallas, TX - The Bomb Factory
29 - Sugarland, TX - Smart Financial Centre

May
1 - San Antonio, TX - Freeman Coliseum

(Photo - Justin Borucki)

John 5 And The Creatures - comprised of guitarist John 5, bassist Ian Ross and drummer Logan Miles Nix - have just released their brand new live album, It's Alive!

It's Alive! is the first album released by the world-renowned guitarist to be featured on vinyl, and is also available to purchase with a stunning 24-page, full color tour book covering the John 5 And The Creatures tour journeys so far. It's Alive! was recorded spontaneously at the Sellersville Theater in Sellersville, Pennsylvania in April 2017.

It's Alive! is available to order in all versions here, including physical CD and LP, MP3's, etc. Stream the track "Season Of The Witch" below.

Tracklisting:

"Guitars, Tits And Monsters"
"Flight Of The Vulcan Kelly"
"Six Hundred And Sixty Six Pickers In Hell, CA"
"Here’s To The Crazy Ones"
"This Is My Rifle"
"Jiffy Jam"
"Hall Haw"
"Season Of The Witch"
"The Nightmare Unravels"
"Portrait Of Sydney Sloan"
"Triple D"
"Black Grass Plague"
"Behind The Nut Love"
"Making Monsters"
"Beat It"
"Now Fear This"
"Medley"

"Season Of The Witch":

It’s been one of the most asked questions of late, “When are John 5 And The Creatures next touring?” Well, wait no more. The Creatures will be touring from February to April with 40 dates to cover. The It’s Alive! tour will go from Florida to Washington and a lot of places in between; confirmed dates are as listed below.

February
1 - Orlando, FL - The Social
2 - Jacksonville, FL - 1904 Music Hall
3 - Atlanta, GA - Drunken Unicorn
5 - Asheville, NC - Orange Peel
6 - Greensboro, NC - Blind Tiger
7 - Virginia Beach, VA - Shaka’s
8 - Richmond, VA - Broadberry
9 - College Park, MD - Milkboy
10 - Sellersville, PA - Sellersville Theater
11 - Stanhope, NJ - Stanhope Theater
12 - New York, NY - Highline Ballroom
13 - Boston, MA - Middle East
14 - Syracuse, NY - Lost Horizon
15 - Pittsburgh, PA - Hard Rock
16 - Cleveland, OH - Beachland
17 - Westland, MI - Token Lounge
18 - Chicago, IL - Reggies
20 - Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews
21 - Indianapolis, IN - Vogue
22 - Newport, KY - Southgate House
23 - Lexington, KY - Manchester Music Hall
24 - Chattanooga, TN - Songbirds

March
29 - San Antonio, TX - Rock Box
30 - Dallas, TX - Trees
31 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar

April
2 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad
3 - Tucson, AZ - 191 Toole
4 - Mesa, AZ - Club Red
5 - San Diego, CA - Brick x Brick
6 - Los Angeles, CA - Whiskey
7 - Las Vegas, NV - Vamp’d
8 - Fullerton, CA - SlideBar
12 - San Jose, CA - Ritz
13 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge
14 - Fresno, CA - Full Circle Brewery
15 - Sacramento, CA - Harlows
17 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
18 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
20 - Portland, OR - Rock Hard PDX
21 - Tacoma, WA - Tacoma Guitar Festival

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Ever since forming 16 years ago, Irish trio God Is An Astronaut has reigned as one of the premier instrumental groups. With their fusion of intense rock instrumentation, ethereal and emotional soundscapes, awe-inspiring dynamics and transfixing melodies, each of the band's prior releases has offered a breath taking sonic journey.

Now, God Is An Astronaut are finally back with their ninth emotive opus titled Epitaph, set to be released on April 27th via Napalm Records. God Is An Astronaut's hotly anticipated album - covered in pain, sadness and melancholic beauty - both sees a progression in their sound while still remaining true to their ethos that helped define the band.

Pre-order here, and check out a teaser video below.

Fans may expect a continuation of 2015's Helios | Erebus, but a change in direction was unavoidable when real-life tragedies occurred involving people close to the band.Niels and Torsten Kinsella, twin brothers and co-founders of God Is An Astronaut, are joined again here by long-time drummer Lloyd Hanney. Amongst others, contributions also come from Jamie Dean on keys, Xenon Field on sound design, Jimmy Scanlon once again lends his talents on guitar and Brian Harris performs slide guitar on the song "Mortal Coil".This album, with its stylish and rich musical textures has in its building blocks references to the past, as with a lot of the band's work. When present experiences are pulled in to the mix you get something that will last well into the future, armed with music like this you are strengthened for that journey. Epitaph is an album that will move you deeply and call out to you to be revisited many times.

The cover artwork was painted by French artist Fursy and fits the melancholic mood beautifully.

Epitaph tracklisting:

"Epitaph"
"Mortal Coil"
"Winter Dusk/Awakening"
"Seance Room"
"Komorebi"
"Medea"
"Oisín"

Teaser:

Rockshots Records has announced the signing of Australia's Greystone Canyon for their upcoming debut album, While The Wheels Still Turn. The album is inspired by the band's love for old western cowboy films and the images these films conjure, the vast plains, endless horizons and the freedom of the Wild West.

Greystone Canyon will release the debut album on March 9th, in Europe and North American through Rockshots Records and via Hellfire Records in Australia on March 12th.

While The Wheels Still Turn was tracked at the splendidly named Goatsound Studios in Melbourne, Australia, and then mixed in Canada, making ‘the album a real rock n’ roll frequent flyer. Mixing duties were undertaken by none other than Grammy nominated producer Glen Robinson, who had engineered, mixed and produced legendary acts like Annihilator, Queensrÿche, and Voivod.

Inspired by the likes of Led Zeppelin, Alice Cooper, Ozzy Osbourne, Megadeth and King Diamond, While The Wheels Still Turn is an album that could not only sit well beside the works of those legends, but with the current tsunami of all things 70s and 80s inspired, Greystone Canyon are in the right place at the right time. We are travelling back to the future and they are the soundtrack.

As vocalist/guitarist Darren Cherry proudly states, “We really wanted to make an album similar to an old Ozzy Osbourne record where songs like ‘I Don't Know’ and ‘Goodbye To Romance’ can sit comfortably together. This is music from the heart and soul!”
 
An album teaser can be found below. Pre-order the album here.

Tracklisting:

"Keeping Company With The Dead"
"Astral Plane"
"In These Shoes"
"Cinco Cuerda Bandito"
"Take Us All"
"Sombrero Serenade"
"River Of Fire"
"Path We Stray"
"The Sun Sets"

Teaser:

Greystone Canyon is:

Darren Cherry - Vocals / Guitars
Richard Vella - Guitars
Dave Poulter - Bass
Luke Wilson - Drums