Finnish metallers AMORAL will play their farewell show tonight (Thursday, January 5) at Tavastia in Helsinki, Finland. Guitarist Ben Varon stated about the band's choice to call it quits: "Honestly speaking, I had no idea that AMORAL will disband after [2016's] 'In Sequence' while writing, recording or mixing the album. The decision was made only after the album was done, when it became clear that proper touring would be almost impossible because of everyone's schedules etc. But I've gotta say that I find it very intriguing that an album that talks about synchronicity has all these elements that make it a perfect last album, without anyone planning it like that. I mean, starting with getting Niko [Kalliojärvi] back in the band, then asking Silver [Ots] to play on it as well. And having the final song on our last album be called 'From The Beginning', the longest, biggest song we've ever done, getting bigger and bigger towards the end, with the solos, choir, orchestra... with literally nowhere left to go from there. It all seems so 'coming full circle' to me, it's spooky. Looking back at it, it's almost like I subconsciously knew. And besides, seven is the perfect number of albums to be in a discography. A much more pleasing figure than six or eight."

Asked to elaborate on AMORAL's reasons for disbanding, Ben said: "Like I said, the thing that made me stop and start thinking if this whole thing even makes sense anymore or not was the fact that touring was becoming harder and harder to arrange. Ari [Koivunen, vocals] told us that he was going to be held up for most of the year with his theater works, and Juffi [Juhana Karlsson, drums] also made it clear that multiple, long tours were going to be a problem for him in the future. And I really didn't want us to become one of those bands that have tons of fill-ins in the lineup, different musicians for every tour. I believe a band should be a band, and that the audience wants to see the same lineup that they hear on the record. Meanwhile, I wanted to keep touring like before, if not more so. It made no sense to me to spend a year on writing, recording and putting all this energy on an album if we're not gonna tour heavily on it, bring the music to the people all around the world and promote the hell out of it. So that's how the idea started to sneek into my head, that maybe AMORAL has ran its course, and that it was time to start something new."

"In Sequence" was released in February 2016 through Imperial Cassette (Gordeon Music, GSA). The cover artwork for the follow-up to "Fallen Leaves & Dead Sparrows" was designed by Aki Siltala, who is also one of the most well-known tattoo artists in Finland.

Drummer Bobby Blotzer has once again said that his former bandmates cannot play any shows under the RATT name without him, but has insisted that his version of the band "still has the right to tour" as RATT until the court dispute is resolved.

Despite the fact that a California judge decided that the corporation WBS, Inc., of which Blotzer and guitarist Warren DeMartini were thought to be the sole shareholders, did not have ownership interest in the RATT marks and that the name and brand was still owned by the members who were part of the original RATT partnership agreement, the drummer says that there has been "no final judgment" in the case, clearing the way for him to continue playing concerts as RATT.

The judge's decision was part of a ruling against Blotzer with respect to whether bassist Juan Croucier had committed trademark infringement by using the RATT name and logo to advertise his band RATT'S JUAN CROUCIER back in the fall 2015,

Calling Croucier "the biggest liar I've known" and "a fat bug on the windshield that looks like Danny DeVito with a headband on," Blotzer disagreed with the judge's assertion that the bassist was illegally expelled from the business partnership controlling RATT's trademarks and claimed that he is legally free to play dates with his own version of the group, with six shows booked for 2017 so far.

With another hearing scheduled for later in the month, Blotzer attributed his former bandmates' sudden willingness to tour and record new music to what he claims has been an overwhelmingly positive response to the shows he has performed with his version of RATT, which currently includes singer Josh Alan alongside guitarists Mitch Perry (TALAS, HEAVEN, STEELER, MSG, LITA FORD) and Stacey Blades (L.A. GUNS) and bassist Brad Lang (Y&T).

"For five years I tried to rally these guys together, and NOW they're good to go on tour?" he wrote in a lengthy, rambling Facebook post. "I simply wanted to tour. They didn't. They didn't speak to each other 'till they saw the huge success we had this past year. We did 70 or so shows, and grossed more money on this tour than any tour RATT has done in 20 years past. I tried to keep the originals and the rest together. This isn't my undoing."

The drummer also made it clear that he is still legally permitted to tour under the RATT name, writing: "Until the court gives a FINAL judgment, everything stays status quo, i.e. WBS maintains ownership of the trademark RATT and still has the right to tour until this is resolved. This is why you have seen RATT out there on tour with me and the guys kicking ass all over after the summary judgment ruling."

He added: "[DeMartini, Croucier and singer Stepehen Pearcy] don't have a legal right or a court injunction to prevent RATT/us from touring or playing shows. However, anyone can send a cease-and-desist letter to anyone. As they did to the venue of our sold-out show on December 29th, putting enough fear and intimidation out that the venue stated, 'You can play if you don't fly the marks.' (Logo backdrop — like playing as a nameless band) Mind you, this took place 20 minutes before I was boarding my last (of three) flights on my way to venue. My response: 'F*ck that! No way!'"

The other RATT's current lineup includes Pearcy, DeMartini and Croucier alongside former QUIET RIOT guitarist Carlos Cavazo, who played on RATT's last studio album, 2010's "Infestation".

That version of RATT will embark on the "Back For More" tour later this year, with the first confirmed date being the previously announced appearance at the M3 Rock Festival, set to take place on Friday, April 28 and Saturday, April 29 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.




Hi Everyone! We made it through 2016. Hopefully all of you are great and fully intact. Happy 2017!! Now to share my...

Posted by RATT on Monday, January 9, 2017

RATT singer Stephen Pearcy says that the band has gotten "rid of the cancer" by taking control of the RATT name following a legal dispute with drummer Bobby Blotzer.

Currently based around the vocalist and fellow "classic-era" members Warren DeMartini and Juan Croucier with later-period RATT guitarist Carlos Cavazo (ex-QUIET RIOT), the group will make its first official return to the stage on February 11 at the Treasure Island Resort Casino in Welch, Minnesota.

A completely different version of RATT — led by Blotzer and featuring a revolving door of members — has been hitting stages across the country since the fall of 2015.

Back in November, a California judge decided that the corporation WBS, Inc. — of which Blotzer and DeMartini were thought to be the sole shareholders — did not have ownership interest in the RATT marks and that the name and brand was still owned by the members who were part of the original RATT partnership agreement.

In addition to claiming to have expelled Blotzer from the partnership following the latest court ruling, Pearcy, DeMartini and Croucier said that Blotzer could now only refer to himself as a "former member of RATT," as per the partnership agreement.

Speaking to Neil Jones of the "Star Radio Rock Show", Pearcy stated about Blotzer's legal defeat (hear audio below): "It's nice to not have these problems. The terrible thing was this person couldn't go out on his own, and he had to go out and play the music the rest of the guys [wrote]… our music. And it's great if you wanna make a living, you know, but to make it off our music and then claim that this band never… the original members never existed, or change the course of history, is just lunacy."

He continued: "Our audience is very smart. Our fans have been with us for a long time, and they're not stupid. Even worse and disrespectful to our fans, it wasn't mentioned that we weren't even playing; most of the people thought that it was Warren and I and Juan playing in [Blotzer's] project, this cover band. But it's good to say the dust has settled, the legalities are tightening down, and we just have to rebuild the brand, unfortunately. But it's there. We're taking it very carefully, methodically, down to every move every make, what shows we do. We're already talking about doing [a new] record, starting late in the year, and putting on the best show possible."

Asked if RATT's decision to move forward without Blotzer is tinged in any way with sadness that someone that he played with for most of his adult life would act in such a way toward his onetime bandmates, Pearcy said: "You know, it wasn't surprising, but how it got worse and worse and transpired and the stuff they were saying, it was really getting bad to where, collectively, the remaining surviving members had to step up, 'cause it was affecting our catalog and our reputation and our integrity. So, to not dwell on it much, we got rid of the cancer. It was really getting to be nonsense. And to this day, they're still feeding nonsense, regardless of what the court says, and the judgment, so it's kind of a terrible thing. But we're 'back for more' — aptly titled tour — and we're gonna go out there and beat some ass."

He added: "We're gonna actually go worldwide this time around. It's been a couple of years doing the RATT thing. We wanna go to Europe, we wanna go to South America, Australia, Japan… there's talks. And right now, we're talking about possibly doing a tour with somebody. So [there's] a lot going on."

Blotzer has filed a request for reconsideration, and a hearing has been scheduled for January 23 in a downtown Los Angeles federal courtroom.

Blotzer's lineup of RATT currently includes singer Josh Alan alongside guitarists Mitch Perry (TALAS, HEAVEN, STEELER, MSG, LITA FORD) and Stacey Blades (L.A. GUNS) and bassist Brad Lang (Y&T).

Australia's The Rockpit recently conducted an interview with NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

The Rockpit: So many are worried that this "year off" [that NIGHTWISH is taking in 2017] might be the end of [the band]. Can you put their minds at rest so we can get that one out of the way?

Floor: "Oh, what drama queens! Taking a goddamn year off! We've communicated all that there is to know about the year off. If people are still worried, please get a hobby. We're doing this because things are good. When you can leave things behind with a good feeling that everything's going to be fine when you come back after a year, that's a luxury — that's a good thing to have. Instead of worrying, people should say, 'Good for you. Take your time,' because in 2018 we have something great in mind for everyone, so please tell them not to worry."

The Rockpit: NIGHTWISH these days seem to just get bigger and bigger — one of the best-selling Finnish bands ever, bigger albums, bigger tours. What could be next for the band? You aren't going to give us any hints, are you?

Floor: "No! [Laughs] Sorry! All I can say it's going to be very cool and every NIGHTWISH fan will truly appreciate this."

The Rockpit: One question I have to ask you as I particularly loved them is, you've drawn the line under [your other band] REVAMP. Is that for good?

Floor: "Yes. Unfortunately, life unfolds as it does, and you can't do everything at the same time, and you can't do some things if you can't spend the time. So in a band like NIGHTWISH, with the intense touring that comes with it, and then to have another band that would deserve the same input, it's impossible. So it was already a band in between other things, and when we started to talk about taking this year off, I thought about REVAMP and thought it could go two ways — I could have a lot of time for REVAMP, but that would mean another album and another tour, which I've been doing non-stop for the last four or five years. So I thought it would be nice to do something else and then, of course, there was the drive to start a family life, to have a family and two bands is simply impossible. I had to make a tough decision."

The Rockpit: So in your time off with the family will you still be doing anything musically? Or just have a complete break and enjoy that experience?

Floor: "Well, the idea is to be home and really enjoy that special time with a newborn. But not to have music would be unnatural to me. In 2008, I wrote an album with Jørn Viggo Lofstad, the guitar player in PAGAN'S MIND, he and I wrote a rock album, but we were never able to release it, and we've picked up our ambition to do this. So without any tight planning, we might be able to fit that into the year off."

Read the entire interview at The Rockpit.

Jansen revealed in September that she was four months pregnant. The singer's partner is SABATON drummer Hannes Van Dahl.

Official video footage of METALLICA performing the song "Hardwired" live on Wednesday, January 11 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea can be seen below.

METALLICA's setlist for the show was as follows:

01. Hardwired02. Atlas, Rise!03. Sad But True04. Wherever I May Roam05. The Unforgiven06. Now That We're Dead (live debut)07. Moth Into Flame08. Harvester Of Sorrow09. Halo On Fire (live debut)10. The Four Horsemen11. One12. Master Of Puppets13. For Whom The Bell Tolls14. Fade To Black15. Seek & Destroy

Encore:

16. Battery17. Nothing Else Matters18. Enter Sandman

"Hardwired" is taken from METALLICA's latest album, "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", which came out in November.

As previously reported, METALLICA frontman James Hetfield and guitarist Kirk Hammett revealed in an interview with the Nerdist podcast that the band will cap its live schedule starting in 2017 at around 50 shows a year. Hetfield explained: "My body has told me to tell these guys that 50 shows a year is kind of what we can do, so make the best of those. And I think we all kind of agree in that. But 50 shows a year, that's pretty good. My body can handle that. Body, mind and spirit all need to kind of revitalize themselves at home, and days off for voices — things like that — so 50 shows a year, it goes pretty quick, I'm sure."

Hammett remarked that the band used to tour "for 10 out of 12 months in the past," playing five shows a week for 12, 15, 16 weeks in a row," to which Hetfield added, "And we came home, and we were divorced, girlfriends were gone, and we were addicted to a few substances, and we were fighting."

Hetfield recalled that METALLICA toured constantly in the first 10 or 15 years of its existence, saying, "We would go and play where no one else would play. We're the working man's band. We'd go to the C, D and E markets, you know, and people would be so appreciative."

Hammett candidly admitted in a 2012 interview with Rolling Stone that METALLICA has to tour pretty continuously in order to pay for the band's huge overhead, which includes their own studio, salaries for their staff and crew, and their live show production.

METALLICA has shows booked in South Korea, China, Singapore, Denmark, Mexico and South America over the next three months, but has yet to unveil its full 2017 tour plans, including its first North American tour in eight years.

The band's sole North American date so far is May 21 at the Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, Ohio.

The most shows METALLICA has played in a single year since 2010 is 75, with 45 last year and 43 the year before that.

Century Media Records has set February 24, 2017 as the release date of "Inception", the official prequel to 1988's classic debut "Refuge Denied" from the legendary U.S. metal act SANCTUARY. "Inception" contains presumed lost 1986 studio recordings, which guitarist Lenny Rutledge discovered recently and which were magically restored, remixed and remastered by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (QUEENSRŸCHE, HATEBREED).

The song "Die For My Sins", taken from "Inception", can be streamed below.

Rutledge comments: "'Die for My Sins' was always one of my favorite SANCTUARY songs to play live. On the 'Inception' version, we left off the intro and the song starts right into the main riff. I think this version has a real 'in your face' edge to it. I'm excited that after much effort we were able to restore these nearly destroyed master tapes. Now we can share the proper audio versions with all of our fans!"

Recorded in March of 1986 ("Soldiers Of Steel", "Battle Angels") at Triad Studios in Redmond, Washington and Studio One in White Center between April and July 1986, "Inception" offers such previously unreleased highlights as "Dream of The Incubus" and "I Am Insane" as well as several classic "Refuge Denied" songs that are burning with fervor and intensity. Apart from being expanded by art courtesy of Ed Repka, "Inception" is filled to the brim with tons of rare photos, flyers, early art designs, sketches plus detailed liner notes allowing you to delve deep into SANCTUARY's history.

"Inception" will be released as gatefold LP on 180-gram black and limited colored vinyl, including an extensive LP-size booklet, poster, and the album on CD as additional extra. Apart from that, it will be available as a special-edition CD digipak and digital album.

Rutledge comments: "I found the masters in my barn. The second floor of the barn is on top of our current recording studio and is very rough and open to the elements. The ground level is where we recorded the bulk of 'The Year The Sun Died'. We found the masters in an unknown box in the barn, full of water and just wasting away." Zeuss explains further how the "Inception" album was realized: "I got a call one day and Lenny said that he had discovered these tapes and had them transferred to digital. I was in the area and stopped over to check it out. The recordings were still in decent shape.

"We agreed that we wanted it to sound as good as possible without taking away from the original vibe and vision of what the band had back then.

"After a year of mixing on and off, we were able to resurrect these original demos.

"I hope everyone enjoys these recordings as much as I did working on them, especially being a huge fan myself." Lenny concludes: "For me personally, I just wanted fans to be able to hear proper versions of the demos. They had a certain energy that was captured during the early days, maybe even more so than 'Refuge Denied'.

"It's no secret that you can find these on the Internet, but the quality is horrible.

"I think most people are under the impression that these are remastered or re-recorded versions of 'Refuge…', but this is all a prequel!" "Inception" track listing:

01. Dream Of The Incubus02. Die For My Sins03. Soldiers Of Steel04. Death Rider / Third War05. White Rabbit (JEFFERSON AIRPLANE cover)06. Ascension To Destiny07. Battle Angels08. I Am Insane09. Veil Of Disguise

New York death metallers IMMOLATION will release their new album, "Atonement", on February 24 via Nuclear Blast.

The third trailer for "Atonement", in which guitarist Robert Vigna discusses how he writes and prepares songs for the recording studio, can be seen below.

"Atonement" was recorded at Millbrook Sound Studios in Millbrook, New York with longtime producer Paul Orofino, and mixed and mastered once again by Zack Ohren (ALL SHALL PERISH, DECREPIT BIRTH, SUFFOCATION). Cover art was created by renowned artist Pär Olofsson (IMMORTAL, THE FACELESS, EXODUS, ABYSMAL DAWN), along with additional artwork by the very talented Zbigniew Bielak (GHOST, ENSLAVED, PARADISE LOST, WATAIN).

A 360-degree visualizer video for the first single from the effort, "Destructive Currents", can be seen below.

Comments IMMOLATION vocalist/bassist Ross Dolan: "We are excited that everyone will finally get a preview of what the new record has to offer.

"'Atonement' is a very dark and haunting album, both musically and lyrically, commenting on the darker side of humanity and the world today. Each song on this album is unique in its own way, offering the listener a wide range of dark and sinister passages that I think really hone in on all the elements that make this band what it is.

"The sound of this record is exactly what we were hoping for, and we feel the production really gives these songs that massive sound and dark sinister feel they needed. Zack and Paul really nailed it with this one and made our tenth album our best-sounding record to date. We are all very proud of what we have created here, and we hope everyone else will enjoy these eleven songs as much as we think they will.

"The song 'Atonement' is about that blind fury and destructivnes of religious extremism regardless of where it comes from and under what religious banner it flies. The cover piece was inspired by a passage of lyrics from this song, and Pär managed to create a visual for those four lines that just blew us away. So needless to say, we are very pleased with the overall look and feel of the album, which also includes four amazing pieces of artwork done by the extremely talented Zbigniew Bielak.

"We chose the song 'Destructive Currents' as the first song to leak to the fans because it's a fast and aggressive song that gets right down to business. It's just dark and powerful, and I think it gives everyone a sense of whats in store for them with this release. Lyrically, the song deals with the herd/mob mentality and how it gets fed, manipulated and exploited by outside forces. These are the currents of deception, misinformation and destruction, which are designed to mislead people. So that's really the idea behind the song lyrically."

Pre-order a physical copy of "Atonement" by itself or in various bundles from the Nuclear Blast webshop.

"Destructive Currents" is now available as an instant download when you pre-order "Atonement" from iTunes and Amazon.

"Atonement" track listing:

01. The Distorting Light 02. When The Jackals Come 03. Fostering The Divide 04. Rise The Heretics 05. Thrown To The Fire 06. Destructive Currents 07. Lower08. Atonement09. Above All10. The Power Of Gods 11. Epiphany

Bonus track (CD only):

12. Immolation (re-recorded)

IMMOLATION is:

Ross Dolan - bass/vocalsRobert Vigna - guitarSteve Shalaty - DrumsAlex Bouks - guitar

IMMOLATION will support Max and Igor Cavalera on the second leg of the "Return To Roots" tour in February/March.

Fan-filmed video footage of EPICA's January 14 performance at MHP Arena in Ludwigsburg, Germany can be seen below.

EPICA is currently touring Europe with POWERWOLF and BEYOND THE BLACK.

EPICA's latest album, "The Holographic Principle", was released on September 30, 2015 via Nuclear Blast.

EPICA singer Simone Simons recently told Metal-Rules.com about the lyrical themes covered on "The Holographic Principle": "It isn't a concept CD as the story is not in a chronological order of events from beginning to the end. Some songs deviate from the idea.

"'The Holographic Principle' is, basically, that we are living in a hologram. With the new technology and virtual reality glasses we realize reality is generated so perfectly that you can no longer tell the difference, so can reality also be a hologram?"

Simone also talked about the production on "The Holographic Principle" and how important it is get the right sound when it comes to symphonic metal. She said: "I think the sonics would be equally important to any band, not just a symphonic metal band like us. Every band wants to songs to sound the best they possibly can on the CD. That is why you have to record parts a million times in order for them to come as perfect as possible.

"When it came time for recording my vocals, our producer said that he doesn't want to overdo it as we don't want to lose the emotion in my vocals. That is something you cannot fix in editing.

"Overall, production-wise, we went bigger, because we recorded with more instruments as we had a good budget to finance it. We were in the studio for about five months recording. The writing took about a year; we had 27 songs to choose from when we were done. Then we had to narrow it down to 18 songs, which we recorded and mixed. Twelve went to the CD and the remaining six are in the corner waiting patiently to be released."

Power metal band Cryonic Temple has signed a deal with Scarlet Records for the release of their new album Into The Glorious Battle. After nine years of silence the band is finally going to release their fifth album. Into The Glorious Battle is Cryonic Temple's first concept album, an exciting story taking place in the future, made of the most dynamic songs the band have ever composed, still deeply rooted in the power metal genre but also open to new influences and sounds, including mindblowing ballads. The album will be released on April 21st. 

Cryonic Temple was founded in 1996 in Dalarna, Sweden. Together with Orphan Gypsy and Sabaton they are considered the originators of the new power metal wave in the early 2000s. Through the years they performed at festivals suchs as Sweden Rock Festival, HeadBangers Open Air, Sabaton Open Air, Peace And Love, Gothenburg Metal Festival, Motala Metal Festival, 2000 Decibel and many more. Cryonic Temple have also opened for Uriah Heep, Saxon, Tad Morose, Civil War, Lion's Share and Paul Di’Anno. 

For information and updates on Cryonic Temple go to this location.

Acclaimed metal band, Arthemis, have signed a deal with Scarlet Records for the release of their new album, Blood-Fury-Domination.

Widely recognized as a ground-breaking live band, Arthemis’ career is marked by several amazing shows full of energy and true passion. The band performed at some of the biggest metal festivals in the world (Download Festival, Hellfest Open Air, Wacken Open Air, Bloodstock Open Air, Gods Of Metal, Hard Rock Hell, Hammerfest and many more) and toured relentlessly since day one, eventually becoming the ultimate road-warriors. But they have also delivered seven full-length killer studio albums (plus the astonishing Live From Hell - Live In The UK’, proving that when it's about time to forge a new studio release they always deliver power and glory and give all they got to give: blood, sweat, tears and fury.

Their brand new album, Blood-Fury-Domination, is absolutely over the top. Massive production, uplifting songs, sing-along choruses and a true wall-of-sound that mixes the deepest roots of metal with modern influences and hooks. Songs like “Undead”, “Black Sun”, “Into The Arena”, “Warcry” and “Blood Red Sky” prove them right and will resonate in your heads forever.

Blood-Fury Domination has been mixed by Simone Mularoni (DGM) and will see the light of the day on April 7th.  Stay tuned for updates.

Minneapolis, MN-based technical death metallists, Reaping Asmodeia, have released a music video for the track “Of Talons And Teeth”, from their new album, Impuritize, out via Prosthetic Records. The new clip can be found below.

Mixed and mastered by Zach Ohren (Fallujah, First Fragment), the Impuritize album combines sheer brutality with meticulous technicality to craft one of the finest extreme death metal albums of the year.

The album's artwork was created by Eddie Danger of Unlimited Visual (Born Of Osiris) and can be viewed below. A teaser clip featuring samples of some of the the album tracks is also available Stay tuned for pre-order details in the coming weeks.

Tracklisting:

“The Clemency Guise”
“Defenestration”
“Of Talons And Teeth”
“Hidebound”
“Carnal Declivity”
“Irreversible Evolution”
“Virulent Exposure”
“Collage Of Toxins”
“Ritual Of Ignorance”

“Of Talons And Teeth” video:

Teaser:

Reaping Asmodeia linup:

Steven Lane -Vocals
Alex Kelly - Guitar
Daniel Koppy - Drums
Roman Pinter - Bass

Florida-based metallic doom trio, Weltesser, are streaming “Living To Try”, a track from their upcoming album, Crestfallen, which will be released via Prosthetic Records on February 10th. The six track album will be streaming two weeks prior (January 27th) exclusively via the band's official Bandcamp page here. Listen to “Living To Try” below.

Self-produced and engineered by Dan Byers, Crestfallen clocks in at just over 30 minutes of sickening, metallic doom. Having shared the stage with bands such as Primitive Man, The Body, Jucifer, Celeste and many more, they quickly became the go-to unsigned band in Florida for nationally touring acts. Their sound is inspired by Dystopia, His Hero is Gone, and Laudanum, lending a humble maturity beyond three years.

The LP version will be available in “Dab Slab” clear yellow swirl limited to retail only, while a clear/black resin smoke colour will be made available from the band’s Bandcamp page and the Prosthetic web shop in the coming weeks.

Tracklisting:

“Regret”
“Guide”
“Living To Try”
“Terminal”
“Rats”
“Crestfallen”

“Living To Try”:

“Rats”:

Fueled by sour diesel and misery, Weltesser is comprised of Ian Hronek (Rotting Palms, Landbridge) Nate Peterson (Rotting Palms, Sky Burial) and Mike Amador (Landbridge), who formed the band in Saint Petersburg, FL over Sabbath worship and Monolord. Roughly a year after their inaugural demo release - a syrupy four track cassette.

Kreator have released a fourth trailer for Gods Of Violence, their upcoming 14th album, to be released on January 27th worldwide via Nuclear Blast Records. Watch all four trailers below.

The exclusive North American cover for Gods Of Violence was created by renowned artist Marcelo Vasco (Slayer, Machine Head, Soulfly, Hatebreed).

Gods Of Violence was recorded under the watchful eyes of producer Jens Bogren (Opeth, Amon Amarth, Katatonia) who also mixed the record at renowned Fascination Street Studios. Mastering was also completed at Fascination Street Studios by Tony Lindgren. Gods Of Violence will contain 11 tracks with a total running time of approx. 52 minutes.

The standard cover for Gods Of Violence, created by Jan Meininghaus, can be seen below.

Tracklisting:

“Apocalypticon”
“World War Now”
“Satan Is Real”
“Totalitarian Terror”
“Gods Of Violence”
“Army Of Storms”
“Hail To The Hordes”
“Lion With Eagle Wings”
“Fallen Brother”
“Side By Side”
“Death Becomes My Light”

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

Trailer #3:

Trailer #4:

“Satan Is Real” video:

“Gods Of Violence” video:

Kreator will be hitting the road soon with Sepultura, Soilwork and Aborted. Find out what fans can expect from the shows in the video below. Kreator’s complete live itinerary can be found at this location.

(Photo - Robert Eikelpoth)

Since 2002 and in a 2-year cycle, Marillion welcome their fans to a very special event: the Marillion Weekend. On three nights their fans dive even deeper into the Marillion world by meeting the band face-to-face and enjoying three different shows with different setlists consisting of full records played from start to finish, fan favourites and rarities.

In March 2015 the Marillion Weekend took place at Center Parcs, Port Zélande, The Netherlands. Thousands of fans from all across the world came together to be part of this incredible event. Marillion devoted their Saturday evening show to their brilliant album Marbles and performed all songs and a fine selection of encore tracks.

For the first time ever this impressive live show containing stunning projections and laser effects as well as the superb high definition sound will be available on 2CD, DVD and Blu-ray. Marbles In The Park will be released on January 20th. A new video trailer is streaming below.

Marillion’s music always aims at the greatest possible effect, with a huge sound expenditure they evoke fervour and passion. To hear Marbles in this live garment is a listening experience par excellence.

Trailer:

“Fantastic Place”:

“You’re Gone”:

Pre-order via the following links, or with the Amazon widget below:

* CD
* DVD
* Blu-Ray

 

 

Favored Nations Entertainment has announced the upcoming release of the all-female compilation "She Rocks, Volume 1". This collection of kick-ass guitar goddesses is produced by author and former Guitar World editor Brad Tolinski with iconic guitarist Steve Vai as executive producer, and showcases eleven female guitarists, each a virtuoso in her own right. From the legendary Lita Ford to Sarah Longfield's jazzy riffin', to Orianthi's melodic stylings and the all-out shredding of Nita Strauss, these players each contribute their own voice to this carefully curated collection. "She Rocks, Volume 1" compilation will be released on January 20 via Vai's own Favored Nations label, and in cooperation with the Women's International Music Network, hosts of the famed She Rocks Awards. The compilation will be celebrated at the 2017 She Rocks Awards, taking place that evening in Anaheim, California during the annual NAMM convention. These shredding songstresses cover the stage when it comes to style and personality; Ford is the quintessential guitar rock goddess with decades of top-shelf performances, Jennifer Batten made her name playing for Michael Jackson, Strauss has toured with Alice Cooper for the past year, and the list goes on! "Through the years women have become more and more interested in ripping it up on the guitar," said Vai. "It's amazing to watch. Favored Nations is very excited to be working with producer Brad Tolinski in creating a compilation of many of the women who are evolving the instrument in powerful ways. They are wildly raising the bar." Added Tolinski: "People always ask me about the future of the guitar, and in many ways, the artists on this album are the answer. They represent a new vision and a fresh sensibility." "She Rocks, Volume 1" track listing:

01. Orianthi - "Transmogrify"02. Yasi Hofer - "Cosmic Stars"03. Kat Dyson - "U Know What I Like"04. Sarah Longfield - "The Taxi Time Travel Task Force"05. Lita Ford w/ LEZ ZEPPELIN - "The Lemon Song"06. Jennifer Batten - "In The Aftermath"07. Nita Strauss - "Pandemonium"08. Steph Paynes - "The Sun At Her Eastern Gate"09. Nili Brosh - "A Matter Of Perception"10. Gretchen Menn - "Scrap Metal"11. Yvette Young - "Hydra"

Lita Ford's cover version of the LED ZEPPELIN classic "The Lemon Song" — which she recorded with the all-female ZEPPELIN tribute band LEZ ZEPPELIN — can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below.

Arjen Lucassen is working on a new Ayreon album, scheduled for release in 2017 via Mascot Label Group. He has checked in with the following update:

"This is Planet Alpha! Created by the amazing Yann Souetre for the artwork of the new Ayreon album. We'll be showing you more very soon..."

Vocalists confirmed for the new Ayreon album include:

- James LaBrie (Dream Theater) as The Historian
- Tommy Rogers (Between The Buried And Me) as The Chemist
- Simone Simons (Epica) as The Counselor
- Michael Mills (Toehider) as TH-1
- Floor Jansen (Nightwish) as The Biologist
- Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian) as The Astronomer
- Tobias Sammet (Edguy, Avantasia) as The Captain
- Michael Eriksen (Circus Maximus) as The Diplomat

As previously reported, Emperor’s legendary catalog has been reissued on CD and vinyl by Candlelight Records including: In The Nightside Eclipse, Emperial Live Ceremony, IX Equilibrium, Live At Wacken Open Air 20006/Live Inferno, and Prometheus – The Discipline Of Fire & Demise.

Manager Håkon Grav of Photograve Management has unveiled the official boxes (designed by Grav and Travis Smith) that the vinyl can be stored in.

“The boxes were designed as top-load to keep the records easy-access with such a heavy item,” Grav describes. “You pull the top off, and the LP spines are facing up.

The inner box has a V-notch carved into either side for easy-access in removing records from the box.

Each box contains two glued-together pieces of interlocked 1,5mm heavy board. That means all of the sides are protected by 6mm (1/4 of an inch) of heavy board stock with a small buffer of air between the inner and outer box.

The top and bottom were later fortified with removable pieces of hard-mounted foam for extra cushion along the spines.

The boxes are wrapped in the highest quality anti-scratch matte lamination coating, printed once with a full flood black then dried then printed again one-by-one with a silver-only print. This was done in order to achieve silver shading, as the artwork is not a full-flood 100% print and exists in various percentages of silver.

The outer box front-print is by Gustave Doré, as well as the four sides of the inner box. The art from the inner box came from files obtained from Stephen O'Malley - founding member of Sunn O))) and the main visual artist for Emperor during their heyday. I had access to his reference files from when he built the artwork for Anthems and IX Equilibrium, and these were (mostly) rejected art pieces from that period.

It was an expensive, laborious, and experimental (for us) process to achieve the correct user-friendly, easy-access, well-fortified structure with correctly laid out and displayed printing. It took more than a few tries.

The box build, style, and specifications were created specifically for this project. A collaboration between myself, Seempieces | Illustration & Design by Travis Smith, and the plant.”

1999’s IX Equilibrium is available on brown vinyl and CD:

2000 live album Emperial Live Ceremony is house in white vinyl and CD:

2001 album Prometheus – The Discipline Of Fire & Demise in on gray vinyl and CD:

Live At Wacken Open Air 2006 and Live Inferno are available on blue vinyl and transparent orange vinyl respectively:

The Eagles Of Death Metal documentary, Eagles Of Death Metal: Nos Amis (Our Friends), that chronicles the events before and after the tragic November 13th terrorist attacks at the Bataclan in Paris will debut on HBO in February. Directed by Colin Hanks (Tom Hanks’ son) and produced by Live Nation Productions and Company Name, the documentary will look at Jesse Hughes and Josh Homme’s relationship with each other, as well as with their fans. It also features the band’s return to Paris earlier this year when they performed with U2.

“Everyone’s face was looking at me,” Hughes remembers battling tears. “I saw fear take a hold of everyone in that theater.”

Check out the first trailer from the film below:

 

 

Guitarist Wolf Hoffmann of German/American metallers ACCEPT spoke to Metalholic about the band's upcoming follow-up to 2014's "Blind Rage" album, which will be released this summer via Nuclear Blast. Regarding the progress of the recording sessions for the new disc, Wolf said (hear audio below): "I think it's gonna sound awesome. We have [producer] Andy Sneap on board again. We've done about twelve or thirteen rough ideas. Some of 'em are actually pretty complete already. And it's now time to go to the next phase. I need to work out my guitar parts. Mark [Tornillo] has done a bunch of vocals already. So we're making progress. But, of course, it's still a long ways to go. But I think it's gonna be quite good, man; I'm having a good feeling about it. But, like I said, I'm not very objective at this point."

Wolf also talked about how the 2015 addition of guitarist Uwe Luis and drummer Christopher Williams has affected the sound of the new ACCEPT album. "Well, Christopher's drumming already has impacted the new record," he said. "He's awesome! He's a really talented drummer, and he's laid down some killer drum tracks. I'm very happy about that. That alone will make the album pop out quite a bit. So you're gonna hear him on this album, definitely. But, you know, it's not gonna change ever dramatically, because as long as Peter [Baltes, bass] and I sort of write the songs in the way that we do, it's always gonna sound very much like ACCEPT, and it's what we're going for. We don't really ever want any changes. 'Cause we're going for that consistent vibe in our songs. And the best compliment we sometimes give each other is when we finish a song and we say, 'Man, that sounds like 1982 all over again.' 'Cause we don't want it to sound any different at this point. We just want it to sound like it could have been written thirty years ago — only with a modern twist and a modern production and maybe better than ever, but the general vibe shouldn't be any different. We don't really wanna change at this point."

ACCEPT will release a new live set titled "Restless And Live" on January 13 via Nuclear Blast. This package will include the entire show ACCEPT played at 2015's Bang Your Head!!! festival in Balingen, Germany on Blu-ray/DVD plus two CDs.

MetalTalk's Mark Taylor recently conducted an interview with legendary hard rock vocalist Graham Bonnet (RAINBOW, MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, ALCATRAZZ, IMPELLITTERI). You can now watch the chat below.

Asked if it's true that he recorded his vocals on the classic RAINBOW song "I Surrender" before quitting the band in 1980, Bonnet said: "I started to record it, yeah. I did some backing vocals and quit after the backing vocals were done, because we had nothing else. And I looked at Roger Glover [RAINBOW bassist and producer], and I said, 'What else are you gonna do? I've done backing vocals. What else have you got?' 'We have nothing.' So I went back to L.A. And then they called me up a little bit later to say, 'We've got some more songs now.' I said, 'What's the point of me coming back now?' I said, 'I've decided to do something different.' [And they said] 'Well, look, if we get another singer in to do some of the songs you don't wanna do, we'll get somebody else to do those and you do what you wanna do, the songs you like.' And I said, 'No. That won't work — two singers.' So I just quit, believe it or not. What an idiot… I'm kicking myself now, because I should have stayed a bit longer. And I apologized for that to the band."

Pressed on whether he regrets leaving RAINBOW, Bonnet said: "Yeah, absolutely. 'Cause I was probably a bit too… My ego was taking me somewhere else. I was a bit too cocky. But in the end, it worked out okay."

In 1979, Bonnet auditioned for the frontman position in RAINBOW. With his James Dean image, the choice of Bonnet to replace Ronnie James Dio was subject to some questions. However, once the band heard Bonnet sing, they knew they had their man. With Bonnet at the mic, they recorded the "Down To Earth" LP, which became one of RAINBOW's most successful releases.

Graham moved on from RAINBOW in the early '80s to work on his solo career. He also played with MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, recorded several albums with ALCATRAZZ and had a short stint with IMPELLITTERI.

GRAHAM BONNET BAND's debut album, "The Book", was released on November 4 via Frontiers Music Srl.

France's Duke TV recently conducted an interview with vocalist/guitarist Mille Petrozza of German thrash metal veterans KREATOR. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the topic of terrorism as it relates to KREATOR's new album, "Gods Of Violence":

Mille: "The way terrorism works nowadays, as we saw in the [case of the] Bataclan [terror attack in 2015], it's random. It got to every… It got into the subcultural world, where it shouldn't be, because these people are not even terrorists, in my opinion; those people are just crazy. So you never know what's gonna happen next, but I think we should not be afraid of anyone — neither of terrorists, nor of what's gonna happen in the world of politics. We should enjoy life while we have it. And that's the message, if there is any, of the album."

On managing to stay relevant after making albums for more than thirty years:

Mille: "It's very hard, when you have thirteen albums that you have recorded in your past, to stay relevant. I think you always have to question yourself. You always have to ask yourself, is it really necessary to release another album, or did I say everything that has to be said, or had to be said? And when I wrote those songs for 'Gods Of Violence', I asked myself this question, of course. And sometimes I feel very insecure. When I start writing the riffs, I'm, like, 'Maybe I've done this before,' or, 'Maybe this is not good enough,' or, 'Maybe this is not strong enough,' but in the process you become more self-conscious."

"Gods Of Violence" will be released on January 27 via Nuclear Blast Records. The cover artwork for the disc was created by renowned artist Jan Meininghaus, who also made the limited-edition artwork for KREATOR's last album, 2012's "Phantom Antichrist", and has lent his talents to bands like BOLT THROWER, ACCEPT and OVERKILL in the past.

The exclusive North American cover was created by renowned artist Marcelo Vasco, who has previously worked with SLAYER, MACHINE HEAD, SOULFLY and HATEBREED.

"Gods Of Violence" was once again recorded at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden with producer Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with OPETH, AMON AMARTH, KATATONIA and SEPULTURA, among others.




North American cover (by Marcelo Vasco):



International cover (by Jan Meininghaus):

Ex-SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison says that only one member of his former band visited him in the hospital while he was battling a rare disease of the nervous system which left him unable to play the drums properly.

Jordison and the members of SLIPKNOT had been silent and evasive about the reasons for his dismissal from the band in December 2013, but Jordison finally spoke about it last year while accepting an award at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in London, England. He revealed that he had been struggling with the career-threatening neurological condition acute transverse myelitis, an inflammation of the spinal cord which damages nerve fibers, which ultimately led to Jordison losing the use of his legs.

In a brand new interview with Jay Nanda of AXS.com to promote Jordison's new band VIMIC, the drummer talked about his health issues and described the circumstances that led to him being diagnosed with this spinal-cord disorder.

"Basically, what it was is after a tour, I was getting… Actually, during the end of a SLIPKNOT tour, I was getting really ill, and I didn't know what it was," he explained. "My legs were starting to fail on me as I was playing, and it was scary, sitting up on stage with thousands and thousands of people right in front of me looking at me. And everyone thought I might be under the influence of something, and that was absolutely not the case whatsoever. And I'm sitting there and I'm trying to play my parts that come like second nature to me, that I have been doing for years and years and years with no problem. And it was freaking me out. And I was getting carried offstage, and all of a sudden I had to be carried onstage, all this stuff. My legs completely just dropped off pretty much the bottom of my body. And the scary thing was I had no clue what the condition is."

He continued: "So when I got back home after the tour… I made it through the tour, and I had to go into the hospital. It took 'em a little while to diagnose exactly what it was, and when we found out, it was, like, 'Oh my God! It makes total sense.' It's a weird, weird condition. But what I did is I kept myself positive, and I kept my eye on the prize. And no matter what, I'm, like, drumming is my gift, music is a gift, life is a gift, and I'm not going to not walk again. And it was tough, man, to get back this point. And the people that I had around me that surrounded me, with, like, my lady and all the trainers, all the people in the gyms that I went to… There was a ton of people — the doctors and all that stuff — that helped me get back, make me stronger than I've ever been. And I'm just more positive."

Jordison added: "That's the big thing about life — it just makes you appreciate exactly what you have when you come back from something like this, when some people just don't; they just don't. It's a weird thing. It's a rare thing. And when you get it back, man, you appreciate life so much more. And that's why I called the [upcoming VIMIC] record 'Open Your Omen'. I came back from it, and you really pay attention to what life is all about. I'll leave it that."

Asked why the other members of SLIPKNOT weren't more forthcoming with the press about Jordison's health issues and why they didn't try to be more accommodating while Joey was in the throes of his illness, the drummer responded: "That's a really great question, and that's a hard question to answer, as I know that everything is publicized right now, so I've gotta really watch my words.

"The thing is, I got visited in the hospital by one member of the band when they all knew I was in there. When someone's in the hospital — be it a family member or anyone that has something wrong with them — if you love 'em, then you visit them. I didn't get visited by anyone. And next thing you know, I got exited from the band. And I don't know why. I don't understand what the deal was."

He continued: "There's been a bunch of rumors and stuff, like, you know, why it was, and it is absolutely untrue. I have all the documents and pictures and photo albums that [cover everything that happened] like an encyclopedia — all the documents from being in there with this condition, to all my rehab, all the way to getting back with doctors, and getting back to what I'm doing. But, you know, it's okay. Life takes you down weird paths.

"I came back right after I got through with this, and I came back, and I did the festivals, and I killed it. I did great, and all that stuff."

Jordison added: "I didn't quit SLIPKNOT. I would never have quit SLIPKNOT, ever. I just want the fans to know that. It's important for everyone to know that. And I think people just move in different directions in life, and it's okay."

Joey last year claimed that he was fired from SLIPKNOT without a band meeting or "anything from management." He said: "All I got was a stupid fucking e-mail saying I was out of the band that I busted my ass my whole life to fucking create. That's exactly what happened and it was hurtful. I didn't deserve that shit after what I'd done and everything I'd been through.

"They got confused about my health issues and obviously even I didn't know what it was at first," he continued. "They thought I was fucked up on drugs, which I wasn't at all.

"I've been through so many things with those guys and I love them very much. What's hurtful is the way it went down was not fucking right. That's all I want to say. The way they did it was fucking cowardly. It was fucked up."

Despite the circumstances surrounding his dismissal from SLIPKNOT, Jordison praised the band's latest album, ".5: The Gray Chapter", which features his replacement, Jay Weinberg, as well as new bassist Alessandro Venturella. He said: "I listened to the whole record multiple times. And I think it's great. It's fucking cool and I'm glad they moved on."

SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor has explained that the band has gotten very comfortable with its current rhythm section. "It was interesting at first, but it's just gotten better and better with every show to the point where, you know, we feel very comfortable with them now, and they bring like a different kind of energy out of us, you know," he said. "So we kind of resigned ourselves to the fact that it would never be the same, but it's different, and sometimes different is okay."

Jordison was a founding member of the band, one of its main songwriters and drummer for SLIPKNOT for 18 years.

VIMIC will release "Open Your Omen" later in the year. Joey is joined in thegroup by singer Kalen Chase Musmecci, who has toured with KORN as a backing vocalist and percussionist, and Joey's former SCAR THE MARTYR bandmates Jed Simon (guitar), Kyle Konkiel (bass) and Matthew Tarach (keyboards). VIMIC also features guitarist Steve Marshall.

METALLICA will perform at the 59th annual Grammy Awards, set to take place on February 12 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California. The ceremony will be televised at 7 p.m. on CBS.

The band is up for a Grammy this year in the "Best Rock Song" category for the track "Hardwired", from METALLICA's latest album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", which came out last November.

Said METALLICA in a statement: "First, it was a total honor to be nominated, but now this?!!? We're beyond excited that we have been invited to perform on the 59th annual Grammy Awards telecast on Sunday, February 12, 2017.

"It's been three years since we were lucky enough to participate in the awards show when we last performed with world-renowned Chinese concert pianist Lang Lang and we're thrilled to be asked back.

"We have something very unique and special planned for this celebratory night, so tune in to watch on CBS-TV… Check those local listings for your timezone and keep watching here for more information."

METALLICA's nomination for "Best Rock Song" was a surprise since the band is not included in the "Best Metal Performance" category. But as a member of the group that lost the inaugural metal Grammy to JETHRO TULL, METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett takes it with a grain of salt. "Y'know, we've had such a crazy relationship with the Grammys, so when the Grammys do something like this we kind of like throw our arms in the air — 'Whatever. Whatever!'" Hammett told Billboard with a laugh. "But it's still an honor. It's still great to be recognized by the academy, and it's still fun to play the Grammys when we're asked. I think it's cool. I think it's funny we're in a different category, but we take it all in stride."

After METALLICA lost the 1989 "Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Recording" Grammy to JETHRO TULL, the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS), parent company of the Grammys, separated the two genres in 1990 by creating categories for "Best Hard Rock Performance" and "Best Metal Performance". METALLICA won the "Best Metal Performance" award the next year, for "One", and has earned nine so far.

When METALLICA's "Black" album won another "Best Metal Performance" Grammy in 1992, METALLICA's Lars Ulrich "thanked" JETHRO TULL for not releasing an album in that year.

METALLICA performed the song "Halo On Fire" live for the first time during the band's concert on Wednesday, January 11 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea. Check out professionally filmed video footage below.

"Halo On Fire" is taken from METALLICA's latest album, "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", which came out in November.

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield told the band's fan-club magazine So What! about the track: "'Halo On Fire', there's a juxtaposition in all of us, good, evil, and when does that come out, when does it show itself? Some people portray themselves as real saints, [and] the more their darkness is, the more they have to portray themselves as saints. So you're basically getting away from the real 'you,' like you're making up for all of this [stuff] that you think is really bad. I think also… what was that one show? 'Fifty Shades Of Grey'? I never saw it, but I saw some highlights of it where it was like, 'Oh, this guy is well accomplished and look at this guy.' And then he's got this basement of torture and horror all for his pleasure, and people [were] falling for it and wanting it. And then at the end of the day, they both bleed. It's not good for anybody."

Hetfield recently talked about the evolution of his lyric-writing approach, explaining: "I want to mature, I want to be happier in life — I think everyone kinda does — [and] at some point I had to turn around and embrace that anger that has been with me since youth. What I get to do is use it as a tool; I get to use music as a voice... to get whatever's spinning in my head out."

METALLICA has shows booked in South Korea, China, Singapore, Denmark, Mexico and South America over the next three months, but has yet to unveil its full 2017 tour plans, including its first North American tour in eight years.

The band's sole North American date so far is May 21 at the Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, Ohio.

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

Danny Worsnop, the newly returned frontman for U.K. metalcore pioneers ASKING ALEXANDRIA, will release his debut solo album, "The Long Road Home", on February 17 via the U.K.-based independent label Earache Records. The effort marks a slight musical departure from his previous work with ASKING ALEXANDRIA, now forging a deeper and often darker path through the British-born, Nashville-based musician's mind and displaying a truly stunning singing voice only hinted at in his previous work.

The official video for the track "Don't Overdrink It", taken from "The Long Road Home", can be seen below.

Longtime fans will see a much more personal and reflective side of Danny's, with brutally honest lyrical themes ranging from loss and heartache to Danny's past (and often public) struggles with drugs and alcohol. Backed by authentic, blues-soaked outlaw country, the album is also interspersed with a few more upbeat tracks, showing that Danny's ability to craft catchy melodies which will have listeners singing along in no time is still very much alive and well.

Worsnop comments: "It has been an emotional roller-coaster creating these songs, but the end result has left me humbled, proud, and more excited about a project than I ever have been in my life.

"Writing as deep and personal as I have on this record brought up a lot inside me from my years, allowing me to grow and move on from demons I didn't even acknowledge having.

"I've done everything in my power to keep this album honest and pure, and it gives me chills every time I hear it. I'm beyond proud of what I've made and cannot wait to share it with the world. These songs are a reflection of my soul, and I hope you all enjoy them. See you on the other side!"

"The Long Road Home" is available to pre-order now on limited-edition signed CD and colored vinyl, along with a range of merch bundles.

"The Long Road Home" track listing:

01. Prozac02. Mexico03. I Feel Like Shit04. Anyone But Me05. High06. I Got Bones07. Quite A While08. Don't Overdrink It09. I'll Hold On10. Midnight Woman11. Same Old Ending12. The Man

South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart (DRAGONFORCE, TANK, I AM I) has been officially named the new frontman of SKID ROW.

SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan made the lineup announcement during the band's January 14 concert at the Casino in Nova Scotia, Halifax, Canada.

Addressing the crowd before taking over lead vocals for SKID ROW's cover version of the RAMONES classic "Psycho Therapy", Bolan said (see video below): "I wanna make this announcement finally formal. He's been with us for a year, our new lead singer, ZP Theart.

"We're going in the studio soon to make a new record.

"We love this guy. He just lives too far away. We've gotta get him to move to the States, but that's coming down the road."

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

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

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

Despite the fact that fans have been clamoring for a reunion of SKID ROW's most popular lineup for nearly twenty years, Sabo told The Aquarian Weekly last year that SKID ROW had no intention of reconnecting with vocalist Sebastian Bach. "Happiness, to me, is my spirit and my soul is more important to me than having dollars in my wallet," he explained. "People may [not] believe that and that's okay. Anybody who knows me knows that to be true. I don't think you can place a price on happiness. We've been hit repeatedly over the years with, 'Why don't you do a reunion tour?' And you know what? I understand the question and I get it. I really do, and if I were on the outside, I'd be asking the same question, but no one feels comfortable with that idea."

Bach has publicly expressed his desire to reunite with his former bandmates, telling Loudwire last year: "I don't have any reason why not to do that. I have no animosity towards anybody in SKID ROW, and the fact that we're all, five of us, still alive in this world is a pretty amazing feat. So I would someday definitely like to hear the five guys who made those records play live together again. Yes, I would. 'Cause I'm a fan too." He added: "I'm up for it, if they are."

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

Behind-the-scenes video footage from MEGADETH's September 2016 concert at The Joint inside the Hard Rock Hotel And Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada can be seen below. The clip was filmed and uploaded by MEGADETH guitarist Kiko Loureiro, who officially joined the group in early 2015.

Kiko wrote on his YouTube channel: "With these videos, I wanna show you a little bit of life on the road, of what it's like living the dream of playing around the globe in a legendary band with great people and killer musicians.

"Not only I have the chance to play in amazing cities, but also we have the time to visit, enjoy and learn a lot about other cultures.

"Isn't it the perfect job?"

MEGADETH recently completed a month-long U.S. tour with AMON AMARTH, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, METAL CHURCH and BUTCHER BABIES.

The band is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Dystopia", which came out in January 2016.

In an interview with Jump Metal, Loureiro was asked what it has been like joining MEGADETH as the replacement for Chris Broderick. He responded: "Yeah, it has been great to work with [Dave] Mustaine, [David] Ellefson [MEGADETH bassist] and Chris Adler [LAMB OF GOD drummer, who appeared on the new MEGADETH CD and played select shows with the group]... It's amazing [to be part of MEGADETH]. It's a great opportunity, it's a great band, great guys, great music. I'm very honored to be in MEGADETH and that the guys have chosen me to be the guitar player. It's a band that always had a great spot for guitar players. They always had great guitar players since the beginning: Chris Poland, Marty Friedman, Chris Broderick... some great guitar players. So I'm honored to be part of this legacy."

Veteran Colorado metallers JAG PANZER have finished demoing all the material that will be included on their new album, tentatively titled "The Deviant Chord". The band plans to enter the studio in three weeks to begin recording the final disc, to be released later this year via SPV/Steamhammer.

JAG PANZER announced in August 2014 that it was looking for a new vocalist but has since been rejoined by the band's original singer, Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin. Conklin later wrote in an online post: "I never REALLY f-ing left. It's complicated!"

JAG PANZER performed at the 17th edition of the Keep It True festival in April 2014 at Tauberfrankenhalle in Lauda-Koenigshofen, Germany. The show marked the band's first appearance in Europe with guitarist Joey Tafolla.

JAG PANZER called it quits in July 2011, with guitarist Mark Briody explaining that they could not "move forward as a band."

Shortly before JAG PANZER's breakup, guitarist Christian Lasegue left the group to pursue his degree full time.

Issued on February 28, 2011 in Europe and on March 8, 2011 in the U.S. via SPV/Steamhammer Records, JAG PANZER's latest album, "Scourge Of The Light", sold around 500 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 117 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"The Scourge Of The Light" was mixed by Jim Morris at Morrisound Studios in Florida and was mastered at New York's renowned Sterling Sound.

METALLICA performed the song "Now That We're Dead" live for the first time during the band's concert on Wednesday, January 11 at Gocheok Sky Dome in Seoul, South Korea. Check out professionally filmed video footage below.

METALLICA's setlist for the show was as follows:

01. Hardwired02. Atlas, Rise!03. Sad But True04. Wherever I May Roam05. The Unforgiven06. Now That We're Dead (live debut)07. Moth Into Flame08. Harvester Of Sorrow09. Halo On Fire (live debut)10. The Four Horsemen11. One12. Master Of Puppets13. For Whom The Bell Tolls14. Fade To Black15. Seek & Destroy

Encore:

16. Battery17. Nothing Else Matters18. Enter Sandman

"Now That We're Dead" is both taken from METALLICA's latest album, "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", which came out in November.

As previously reported, METALLICA frontman James Hetfield and guitarist Kirk Hammett revealed in an interview with the Nerdist podcast that the band will cap its live schedule starting in 2017 at around 50 shows a year. Hetfield explained: "My body has told me to tell these guys that 50 shows a year is kind of what we can do, so make the best of those. And I think we all kind of agree in that. But 50 shows a year, that's pretty good. My body can handle that. Body, mind and spirit all need to kind of revitalize themselves at home, and days off for voices — things like that — so 50 shows a year, it goes pretty quick, I'm sure."

Hammett remarked that the band used to tour "for 10 out of 12 months in the past," playing five shows a week for 12, 15, 16 weeks in a row," to which Hetfield added, "And we came home, and we were divorced, girlfriends were gone, and we were addicted to a few substances, and we were fighting."

Hetfield recalled that METALLICA toured constantly in the first 10 or 15 years of its existence, saying, "We would go and play where no one else would play. We're the working man's band. We'd go to the C, D and E markets, you know, and people would be so appreciative."

Hammett candidly admitted in a 2012 interview with Rolling Stone that METALLICA has to tour pretty continuously in order to pay for the band's huge overhead, which includes their own studio, salaries for their staff and crew, and their live show production.

METALLICA has shows booked in South Korea, China, Singapore, Denmark, Mexico and South America over the next three months, but has yet to unveil its full 2017 tour plans, including its first North American tour in eight years.

The band's sole North American date so far is May 21 at the Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, Ohio.

The most shows METALLICA has played in a single year since 2010 is 75, with 45 last year and 43 the year before that.