In the new video footage below from Sick Drummer, drum legend Dave Lombardo (Slayer, Misfits, Dead Cross) performs “War Inside My Head” with Suicidal Tendencies on October 1st at the 1st Bank Center in Broomfield, CO.

Lombardo will be performing next week (December 12th - 15th) on late night talk show, Late Night With Seth Meyers. Lombardo will be sitting in with The 8G band, Monday through Thursday.

Says Dave: “Very excited to perform on Late Night with Seth Meyers next week in New York City. You can catch me on the show Dec 12 thru 15th.”

Megadeth have confirmed that they will perform on Late Night With Seth Meyers next Thursday, December 15th. The show airs at 12:35 / 11:35 Central, on NBC.

Bruce Kulick played 10 KISS songs on Tuesday night (December 6th) at Ultimate Jam Night's tribute to KISS at the world famous Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California.

Live video footage shot by Johnny Angel of “I Still Love You“ with Bruce Kulick, Debby Holiday, Matt Starr, Jorgan Carlsson and Alex Kane can be seen below, along with more footage from the night.

Kulick, also known for his membership in Grand Funk Railroad, was a member of KISS from 1984 – 1996 during its so-called “no makeup” era. His performance of 10 KISS songs at Ultimate Jam Night was the most played in one show since his inclusion in the band.

Over 50 artists including Ace Frehley bassist Chris Wyse, LA Guns guitarist Michael Grant, Gov’t Mule bassist Jorgen Carlsson, Autograph vocalist Simon Daniels, drummer Jason Sutter of Marilyn Manson, guitarist Nikki Stringfield of the Iron Maidens and Ira Black of Westfield Massacre performed tunes from KISS’ entire career.

After almost three years from the release of their last album, The Attraction Of Opposites (May 2014), Ravenscry have announced the release date for their third studio album, The Invisible. The Concept album will be released on February 24th. The Invisible will be distributed on all the digital platforms worldwide (except for Japan) by Audioglobe, and the physical format will be available worldwide (except for Japan) thanks to the brand new agreement signed with Plastic Head.

The new album was recorded between June and September 2016 at the Ravenstudio (instrumental parts) and at the Big Bang Studio (vocal parts), it is now through the mixing process, which is being done by Roberto Laghi (In Flames, Diablo Swing Orchestra, Entombed), who already worked on the mix of The Attraction Of Opposites. The master will be done by Jacob Hansen (Amaranthe, Delain, Epica, Primal Fear) at the Hansen Studios in January.

The Invisible is the first Ravenscry concept album. Unlikely the previous ones the composing process has been very different, as the band stated: “Creating a story and giving it a soul with music is an extraordinary job and it is fascinating, but also very hard. We got through a lot of issues and deep human emotions, digging inside every single one of us in search for the right sensations in order to translate them into music. We had an incredible amount of material to work on; we had to take some hard decisions, mainly based on the emotions we wanted to give to the listener, song by song, guided by the story. This way of working got us very deeply into what we were doing. These months have been extremely hard, but we are very satisfied about the results and we can’t wait for you to listen to it!”

The Invisible talks about a young library assistant, Coral, who lives and works in a small town in Colorado; but she is not born there, she grew up in an orphanage. Coral spends all her day between books and archives, that is probably because it is her passion, but also because she is not that great in communicating with other people. One day she finds a book with a peculiar picture, which reminds her of distant memories. From this moment on her life changes, because she starts a journey, inside and outside herself, without knowing where this will bring her and without knowing what she will find at the end of it. A risky trip, which could lead to nothing… or to everything.

It is a complex journey, as you can see also from the tracklisting below, which takes place among full songs (in parentheses), interludes and words written by the characters of the story. It is a plot that has to be listened in its fullness to be completely understood.

The artwork of The Invisible was designed by Mario Sànchez Nevado, also known as Aègis Strife. He is an illustrator and a storyteller, he has in his curriculum exhibitions at the MoMa and at the New York Guggenheim, but also many other international rewards of his work.

Tracklisting:

“The Entanglement”
Whispered Intro
“Hypermnesia”
Coral (as seen by others) - The librarian talks about Coral
“The Mission”
Monsters Inside - The director of the institute talks about Coral
“The Invisible Revolution”
The teacher talks about Coral part 1
“The Deepest Lake”
The grandmother talks about Coral
“More Than Anything”
The teacher talks about Coral part 2
“Nothing But A Shade”
Nora talks about Martin
“Oscillation”
In Collision
“The Magic Circle” - Martin talks with Coral part 1
“Flux Density”
“Overload” - Martin talks with Coral part 2

Musically speaking, Ravenscry renewed its style again, accepting the challenges due to the composition of a concept album, but without renouncing to their distinctive sound. There are a lot of heavy riffs and peculiar vocal line, but be ready to listen to something different, showing clearly that the band is always up to going through the creative research.

The single extracted from the new album will be “Oscillation”; it will come with an official video, which will be shot in mid-December with Max Valerio, eclectic and visionary director and photographer.

Progressive black metallers Code are streaming their new song, "Brass Dogs". It is the first song to be revealed from the band's upcoming Lost Signal EP. The EP is set to be released on January 25th via Agonia Records, on vinyl and digital formats. Listen to the song below.

In the summer of 2015, Code spent some time in a studio in England to experiment with tracks from their back catalogue of four albums. The idea was to re-visit past works from a different angle and Lost Signal is the result.

The EP features three songs from their most recent album Mut (2015), performed with a strong metallic approach. It also features three further songs, one from each of the first three albums performed in a more subtle and introspective style similar to that seen on the Mut album. The result is a release that alternatively emphasizes the subtlety and heaviness of the band's sound and provides a chance to hear these songs in a completely new way.

The songs featured on the EP are:

"On Blinding Larks" (from Mut)
"Cocoon" (from Mut)
"Affliction" (from Mut)
"The Rattle of Black Teeth" (from Resplendent Grotesque)
"The Lazarus Cord" (from Augur Nox)
"Brass Dogs" (from Nouveau Gloaming)

“Brass Dogs”:

Trailer:

Produced and mixed by the band themselves, this is the sound of Code exploring the dichotomy within their music and producing a release of rich power, melody and dynamics.

Available formats:

- Transparent 12" LP limited to 389 copies
- Transparent 12" LP with black splatter limited to 111 copies
- Digital

Pre-orders: vinyl / digital

Code lineup:

Aort - Guitars
Andras - Guitars
LORDt - Drums
Syhr - Bass
Wacian - Vocals

US hard rockers Cage9 have released a video for "Oscuro", a track from their new album, Illuminator, out now worldwide via David Ellefson's EMP Label Group. The new video can be viewed below.

Panama to LA transplants Illuminator have long been an underground favorite, touring America repeatedly both as Cage9, and as the backing band for Powerman 5000, and releasing numerous independent albums that found huge success in Japan and South America.

Illuminator was produced by vocalist/guitarist Evan Rodaniche, who is also responsible for producing new albums for Powerman 5000 and Lacey Sturm.

Tracklisting:

“Open The Sky”
“Gallows”
“Starry Eyes”
“Everything You Love Will Someday Die”
“Oscuro”
“Black Horse”
“Death Of A Dragon”
“Aleatoricsism”
“Birds Of Prey”
“Martyr”
“Ghost”
“Illuminator”
“Take Back Tomorrow”

“Oscuro” video:

Cage9 is:

Evan Rodaniche - vocals / guitar
Brian Sumwalt - drums
Leslie Wyatt - bass
Matt Borowski - guitar

Asia's new live album, Symfonia - Live In Bulgaria 2013, will be released on February 24th. Available on 2CD/DVD, Blu-Ray, and MP3 (audio only) the album was recorded during a special show on September 21st, 2013 during the Sounds Of The Ages Festival at the magnificent Second Century Roman Theater in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. On some of the songs during the band's set, Asia was joined by The Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Levon Manukian.

The show was then aired on Bulgarian National TV the following December 30th, 2013 and it is now presented in its entirety to the fans as a powerful witness of the line-up featuring original members John Wetton, Carl Palmer, Geoff Downes along with Sam Coulson on guitar.

Says John Wetton: "The show in the glorious Roman Theater of Plovdiv, with orchestra, along with the massive Sweden Rock Festival and the shows in the UK and the show European tour thereafter, were the first dates of the new chapter of Asia-and in my opinion, the band has never sounded better."

The album tracklisting includes:

CD1:
“Sole Survivor”
“Time Again”
“Face On The Bridge”
“My Own Time”
“Holy War”
“An Extraordinary Life”
“Days Like These”
“Open Your Eyes”
 
CD2:
“Only Time Will Tell”*
“Don't Cry”*
“Heroine”*
“The Smile Has Left Your Eyes”*
“Wildest Dreams”*
“Heat Of The Moment”*

*Performed with the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra
 
DVD / Blu-Ray:
“Sole Survivor”
“Time Again”
“Face On The Bridge”
“My Own Time”
“Holy War”
“An Extraordinary Life”
“Days Like These”
“Open Your Eyes”
“Only Time Will Tell”*
“Don't Cry”*
“Heroine”*
“The Smile Has Left Your Eyes”*
“Wildest Dreams”*
“Heat Of The Moment”*
Interview Segment

*Performed with the Plovdiv Philharmonic Orchestra

Asia lineup:

John Wetton - Lead Vocal and Bass
Geoff Downes - Keyboards and Backing Vocals
Carl Palmer - Drums
Sam Coulson - Guitars

 

 

Journey and Asia are joining forces for a string of live dates in 2017. With 12 shows currently scheduled, the trek is set to launch on March 5th at Yakima Valley SunDome in Yakima, WA, and wrap up on April 4th at Nutter Centre in Dayton, OH.

“Asia is honoured to be asked to share the stage with Journey,” says Asia lead singer and bassist John Wetton, who has been fighting cancer since 2015 after the band finished its last US tour. “On a personal note, this couldn’t have come at a better time for me; I remain determined and my road to a full recovery continues.  I look forward to seeing everyone on the tour next year.”

Tour dates:

March
5 - Yakima, WA - Yakima Valley SunDome
16 - Spokane, WA - Spokane Arena
18 - Eugene, OR - Matthew Knight Arena
20 - Boise, ID - Taco Bell Arena
21 - Bozeman, MT - Brick Breeden Fieldhouse
24 - Fargo, ND - Fargodome
27 - Green Bay, WI - Resch Center
28 - Madison, WI - Alliant Energy Center
31 - Fort Wayne, IN - Allen County War Memorial Coliseum

April
1 - Evansville, IN - Ford Center
3 - Moline, IL - iWireless Center
4 - Dayton, OH - Nutter Center

In a brand new interview with Ireland's Overdrive, AVENGED SEVENFOLD guitarist Synyster Gates was asked what he thought of METALLICA's idea to produce and release a video for every track on the band's latest album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct". He said: "Yeah, that was a stroke of genius. There's nothing like having some healthy competition. We really strive to think outside the box, by taking the standard approach the then twisting it a little all the while trying something new. Then METALLICA comes along and just up the bar again with their promo. We're a little jealous. [Laughs]"

He continued: "To be honest, I personally feel that this is a great time within the music industry as it's forcing people to try unorthodox approaches to what is traditionally a tired model. The business model of the past simply does not apply to the way things are conducted these days. Just take bands like METALLICA and us also — we are really excited about approaching things from a different angle and not afraid to try different things."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's latest album, "The Stage", came out less than two months ago. The group made the album available at midnight on October 27 with almost no promotion beforehand, save for the arrival of a new song one week earlier.

The surprise release of the disc, which was announced the night it went on sale, earned the lowest sales of an AVENGED SEVENFOLD album in eleven years — less than half the tally of its previous two efforts.

"The Stage" is a 71-minute, 11-song concept album centered around the theme of artificial intelligence and inspired by the work of Carl Sagan and Elon Musk. Instead of a science fiction storyline, however, "The Stage" takes what a press statement called "a futurist's look at the accelerated rate at which technology's intelligence is expanding and what that means — good and bad — for the future."

The album's epic 15-minute-plus closing track, "Exist", features a guest appearance by award-winning astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, giving a spoken-word performance he penned specifically for the album.

The marketing plan and launch of the album, the band's first for Capitol Records, was months in the making, starting with the projection of the band's logo, the Deathbat, on buildings in cities around the world. The campaign even included some misdirection, as the group had its friend Chris Jericho "accidentally" leak a fake album title and release date.

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman has finished laying down his guitar tracks on the follow-up to his 2014 album "Inferno" for a tentative early 2017 release via Prosthetic. The new disc is currently being mixed by Swedish producer Jens Bogren, who performed the same duties on "Inferno" and has also worked with such acts as KREATOR, SEPULTURA, DRAGONFORCE and PARADISE LOST.

Marty says: "So far five songs are done. Jens is knocking them out of the park. He is super fast and knows my sound, as you can hear on 'Inferno'."

Regarding the musical direction of Friedman's new album, the guitarist states: "This time it's even more ambitious than that album was, a bit more dense, and, with any luck, more exciting for those of you who will hear it."

He adds: "There will be 11 or 12 songs in total. Sometimes a song you really love doesn't make it to the album because it doesn't fit nicely in the sequencing. Either way, we're pushing 60 minutes, so it won't be a short album."

Marty's new CD was recorded in part at Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in California with engineer Paul Fig (ALICE IN CHAINS, RUSH, DEFTONES) and was previously described by Friedman as "a way more intense version" of its predecessor: "deeper, sadder, happier and more aggressive."

Like "Inferno", Friedman's upcoming album will feature several guests, including prog-thrashers MUTOID MAN, Jørgen Munkeby of the Norwegian avant-garde jazz-metal outfit SHINING and Jinxx of Los Angeles theatrical rockers BLACK VEIL BRIDES.

Regarding how the collaboration with Jinxx came about, Friedman told Guitar World: "I'm a big fan of Jinxx and BLACK VEIL BRIDES. He came to my show in L.A. in 2015. Right after that, I was told that he plays violin. I didn't even know that! Then light bulbs went off. I thought now's the chance to really turn some heads by doing something that's a little bit, well, a lot, unexpected to my fans and his fans."

DIO DISCIPLES singer Tim "Ripper" Owens has responded to Vivian Campbell's recent claim that the band has "zero credibility" as a Ronnie James Dio tribute project despite the fact that the group is fully supported by Ronnie's widow/manager, Wendy.

Cambell, along with drummer Vinny Appice and bassist Jimmy Bain, was part of the original DIO lineup, which reunited in 2012 alongside singer Andrew Freeman to form LAST IN LINE.

When LAST IN LINE formed, the intent was to celebrate Ronnie James Dio's early work by reuniting the members of the original DIO lineup. After playing shows that featured a setlist composed exclusively of material from the first three DIO albums, the band decided to move forward and create new music in a similar vein.

Asked by Eric Blair of "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show" at last month's Bowl 4 Ronnie bowling party in Studio City, California why he thinks Vivian seems to have such an issue with DIO DISCIPLES, Owens said (see video below): "I've gotta be honest, I really don't give a shit what he does. I don't know how much money they [LAST IN LINE] donate to the cancer foundation — I imagine they do, because [Vivian] had cancer; I would hope he does — but the main reason we're [DIO DISCIPLES] doing it is... I mean, listen, [DIO DISCIPLES is] the least-paying thing that I do. We do it to raise money and do this and to keep Ronnie's fans happy and keep him out there. If that's why they're [LAST IN LINE] doing it, if they're all not really taking money from it and if they're all putting money into the cancer foundations and raising awareness, that's fantastic [and] it's good for 'em."

He added: "Listen, I don't care. I think the more people that celebrate Ronnie James Dio, the better. I don't know much about Vivian, and I knew nothing about Vivian before [his involvement with] Ronnie, so… You know what I mean? Listen, he's fantastic, and those [early DIO] records are amazing. But let's all just celebrate Ronnie."

DIO DISCIPLES guitarist Craig Goldy told Blair at the same event that he didn't understand why Vivian was still so bitter three decades after his exit from DIO. "I don't know what happened between those two [Ronnie and Vivian], but I can't imagine that it was that vile for [Vivian] to hang on to that," Craig said. "I mean, some people just hold a grudge. And I love Vivian Campbell's music. And I don't know… For all I know, Vivian Campbell might be a wonderful human being who just happens to be one of those guys who holds on to a grudge. That's all it seems like — he just seems determined to hold on to a grudge."

Campbell, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma in 2013, recently dismissed persistent Internet speculation that his decision to launch LAST IN LINE was somehow financially motivated. He explained: "It's so difficult to get the economics of it to work. I'm not even talking about making money — I'm talking about not losing money.

"We are not doing this for money, believe me! There's fuck-all money in this. [Laughs] I get plenty of money in my day job with DEF LEPPARD. This is a passion project, this is very much a labor of love, and I'm very excited to do it."

In addition to Goldy, Owens, Oni Logan (LYNCH MOB) and Joe Retta (SWEET, HEAVEN & EARTH) on vocals, DIO DISCIPLES features former DIO members Simon Wright on drums and Scott Warren on keyboards. They are joined by Bjorn Englen (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) on bass.

DIO DISCIPLES is billed as a "celebration of the music and legacy of the greatest singer in the world, Ronnie James Dio." The band also notes that "we could NEVER replace Ronnie and that is NOT our intention. There will only ever be one Ronnie James Dio!"

Campbell was fired from DIO in 1986 after a contentious business disagreement with Ronnie James Dio and band management.

Ronnie James Dio died on May 16, 2010 from gastric cancer at the age of 67.

Bobby Blotzer has refuted Warren DeMartini's claim that the drummer has been expelled from the RATT partnership and therefore no longer has an interest in the band's name.

At the end of last month, three members of RATT's classic lineup — DeMartini, singer Stephen Pearcy and bassist Juan Croucier — issued a press release claiming that they had taken control of the band's name after a judge ruled against Blotzer with respect to whether 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. The judge furthermore decided that the corporation WBS, Inc., of which Blotzer and DeMartini were thought to be the sole shareholders, and which Blotzer had claimed owns the RATT name and brand, 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: Pearcy, Croucier, DeMartini and Blotzer.

Under a 1985 written Ratt Partnership Agreement, the name/trademarks are the property of the partnership and can only be transferred with the unanimous approval of all partners. Thus, the judge ruled that in 1997 when Blotzer, DeMartini and Pearcy purported to transfer the trademarks to WBS, the transfer was invalid since Croucier, who was still a partner, was never advised of, and therefore did not consent to, the transfer. Therefore, the judge said, the partnership still owned the RATT name.

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.

On December 3, Blotzer — who has been touring the U.S. for the last year with his own version of RATT, featuring a rotating cast of musicians, including vocalist Josh Alan (ex-SIN CITY SINNERS) — and his attorney Drew Sherman addressed the latest legal developments in the RATT camp during an interview with Canadian journalist Mitch Lafon.

Despite the fact that a judge ruled that the four-way RATT partnership — and not WBS — still owned the band name, Sherman says that no judgment has been entered either against or in favor of Blotzer. "Essentially, WBS owns the name," the attorney said. "They — meaning Stephen, Juan, Warren — whatever they're going out as, they do not have permission to [go out as RATT]. So right now they're infringing the trademarks of RATT owned by WBS.

"The ruling that we have, there are many legal strategies that will be employed in order to change and bring to the court's attention various other pieces of evidence as well as prior rulings," he continued. "So it's a long time before this is done. We're not even at the appeals part yet, because there's no judgment to appeal. So there's a lot of time. Status quo will remain, and WBS owns the marks."

Insisting that his current band is still called RATT because "there is nothing else to call it," Blotzer said that he "made the decision as half owner of the [RATT] name" to start playing live shows as RATT without any other members of the band's classic lineup. He explained: "WBS owns the name. I'm 50% of WBS, Inc. and still am. WBS, Inc. still owns that name right this moment. That's not changed.

"We've had tremendous, great success with this band out here," Blotzer said, referring to his current version of RATT. "I mean, we're headlining big gigs. It's doing really well. I'm very proud of that. So I think [Warren, Juan and Stephen] seeing this kind of success, now all of a sudden, from not liking each other or talking, [they're now in] collusion together and they decide that they're gonna do this at this point, and there you have it. They're making their move, and they don't have the name RATT."

Asked if his decision to change the name of his new band from BOBBY BLOTZER'S RATT EXPERIENCE to simply RATT was an attempt to boost the group's marquee value or something else, the drummer said: "Well, there's a little bit of both of that in there. The band was so good that I wanted to bring it to bigger venues to people. And the way to do that was, obviously, to use what was mine. And that was half of that name. I called Warren, and, of course, he wouldn't answer the phone; I can't e-mail him. We have this corporation, but yet I can't even get in touch with him, so I was getting in touch with him through our old manager. And I'm saying, 'Listen, dude, have you heard this thing that I'm doing? Because I'm gonna take it out. I wanna play bigger gigs, and I'm taking it out as RATT. And I want you to come with me and do this.' And he wanted no part of it. I don't think he even wanted to go on the road. His reasoning was he's not going unless it's the original band. But the problem with that is all you do is complain about how bad Stephen is, and how hard he is to work with and deal with, and [how difficult it is] to even get [Stephen] into a freaking van to get to the gig. I think he was using that [excuse] knowing that they were not going to rejoin unless they got [ownership of] the name [back]. So it was completely stalemated by both of those sides — Warren and those two guys."

Sherman also addressed the fact that Pearcy, Croucier and DeMartini recently announced that they will perform — as RATT — at next year's edition of the M3 Rock Festival, set to take place on Friday, April 28, 2017 and Saturday, April 29, 2017 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. He said: "They do not have permission to play the M3 [as RATT], they do not have permission to advertise is as such. And I'll just say this: right now, to throw that out there, to make these announcements, these press releases, without having a [court] judgment, I would say is very ill-advised. And I'll leave it that for now."

Before wrapping up the interview, Blotzer spoke about the fact that his new lineup of RATT has already gone through several changes since it was first announced more than a year ago, with Alan as the sole other remaining member of the original September 2015 group. "Well, listen, I wanted to say this straight up," he explained. "This is the reality, and it's the truth. You know what the star of this band is? [It's] not me, and it's not Warren, and it's not Stephen. The star of this band is the RATT catalog, 'cause that's what people wanna hear. These guys all… There's no plans for anybody to go anywhere, but if anybody has to go, they've gotta go. But everybody's having a good time. I mean, tonight is like the 68th show. We've been busting balls this year, and we've got a lot of shows booked for next year. We plan to keep going, and that's all I can say at this point. People are just loving it, and I'm appreciative that people are behind it."

Blotzer's version of RATT recently announced the addition of Mitch Perry (TALAS, HEAVEN, STEELER, MSG, LITA FORD) and Stacey Blades (L.A. GUNS) on guitar and Brad Lang (Y&T) on bass.

In should be noted that DeMartini's September 2015 lawsuit against Blotzer — in which the guitarist claimed that the drummer was falsely advertising his RATT "tribute band" as the real thing — is still pending in California state court.


Listen to "1on1 Mitch Lafon - 282 Bobby Blotzer" on Spreaker.

According to a new tweet from SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan, the band is several days into a writing and demoing session with the group's current touring lineup, which includes the South African-born, British-based singer ZP Theart (DRAGONFORCE, TANK, I AM I). Bolan says: "Things are going amazing!"

Even though SKID ROW has been playing shows with Theart since the beginning of this year, guitarist Dave "Snake" Sabo recently stopped short of calling him the band's official new frontman.

"We haven't even discussed it yet," Sabo told News-Press.com this past October. "We just said, 'This feels really good and let's just do it.' It's who we are right now."

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.

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 a few months ago 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 earlier in the 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."

Day 4- writing/demos. Things are going amazing! @OfficialSkidRow @sNAKEsABO @ScottiHill @RobHammersmith @ZPTofficial #batsstudio #newmusic

— Rachel Bolan (@rbolanbass) December 3, 2016

SOUNDGARDEN frontman Chris Cornell has confirmed that the band hopes to record the follow-up to 2012's comeback album, "King Animal", early in 2017 with the goal of releasing the disc later in the year.

During a December 5 appearance on "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, Cornell was asked if there are any plans for the band to tour and release new music anytime soon. He responded (hear audio below): "Well, it'll be in 2017 — both those things, hopefully, will happen — barring any, sort of, unforeseen thing, which I don't… I don't see any reason why those two things won't happen. The next thing that I am committing myself to concentrating on a hundred percent is the next SOUNDGARDEN album."

SOUNDGARDEN guitarist Kim Thayil told The Pulse Of Radio that the band has come up with a lot of material but still wants more. "We've gotten together at least three times for these weeklong sessions of songwriting and jamming and rehearsing, so we've probably got a good dozen or so songs that are sort of demoed," he said. "And once we get maybe another eight or nine songs and we have a good body of work there, we'll start kind of going through it to see what we really enjoy playing. Then we'll get into the studio to make that record. We hope to do that sometime soon in 2017."

Work on a new record started in 2015, but SOUNDGARDEN took breaks while Cornell toured his "Higher Truth" solo effort and drummer Matt Cameron hit the road with PEARL JAM.

SOUNDGARDEN reunited in 2010 after a 13-year layoff, touring and then eventually writing new material that became the basis for "King Animal", its first new studio album in 16 years.

Meanwhile, released last month was a deluxe 25th anniversary edition of SOUNDGARDEN's third studio album, 1991's "Badmotorfinger". Thayil told The Pulse Of Radio that working on the reissue has given him a newfound appreciation for the LP. "This is a loaded album," he said. "Everything here is great. Almost everything on the album, we continue to play live because it's fun to play and they're audience favorites. So it was always perhaps my third or fourth favorite SOUNDGARDEN album, but right now it's occupied a space at the top, you know, followed by perhaps 'Superunknown'."

The limited-edition seven-disc Super Deluxe edition consists of four CDs, two DVDs, and one Blu-ray audio disc, featuring 79 previously unreleased tracks, videos and mixes. Among those are 15 previously unreleased studio outtakes and "Live At The Paramount", SOUNDGARDEN's first-ever complete concert album recorded at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle on March 6,1992.

Released on October 8, 1991, "Badmotorfinger" spawned three singles, "Jesus Christ Pose", "Outshined" and "Rusty Cage", and became SOUNDGARDEN's first million-selling LP.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, METALLICA frontman James Hetfield says that the band is frustrated with the current state of ticket scalping — or the more legitimate "secondary market" sales — and would like to see more action taken to curb it. Speaking with The Canadian Press, Hetfield remarked: "There's always going to be someone who has an agenda. They're going to scoop up as many as they can. Technology can help for sure. It's hard to believe something more can't be done."

Hetfield added in a reference to ticket resellers: "There's legal scalping out there too, which is frustrating. 'Hey, wow, we just sold 10,000 tickets — and where did they go? To one place? Interesting.'"

METALLICA has just released its tenth album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", and plans to spend the next two years touring the world, so ticket scalping will be an issue.

Hetfield said about the problem: "We're aware of it and doing what we can. At the end of the day, the fans get screwed and we get screwed. It shouldn't happen. I would just say, 'Fans, beware. Be smart about it.'"

Hetfield told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that the business side of touring has gotten harder for the acts too. "For some reason, touring is really difficult, and that was the answer to, you know, 'everyone just download, you'll make your money on tour!'" he said. "And now, well, guess what, you don't. Groups are gonna, they have to join together as packages to go out, and it's a struggle, and I'm really grateful that I'm not a band starting out right now. It'd be very difficult."

"Hardwired... To Self-Destruct" went to No. 1 in 57 countries around the world after it was released on November 18.

METALLICA plans to tour extensively behind the new disc starting in early 2017.

BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi spoke to The Irish Times about his health, four months after revealing that his cancer was finally in remission.

"I went for a check four weeks ago and the doctor said that at the moment there is no activity where I had the cancer before, but there is activity in the throat," he said. "When I get back to England, I have to have an operation to remove this thing at the back of my nose. The doctors found a lump there and we don't know if it is cancer or what, but I feel okay at the moment."

Asked how his cancer diagnosis has changed his perspective on life, Iommi said: "I was knocked for six when the doctors told me that it was, that it was stage III cancer. It really did change my life as far as what I have to do now. I have to live what life I've got because I have been on the road nearly 50 years. I need to be at home more and I need to pay more attention to my friends and family."

Iommi went on to say that "the lowest moment" for him was being diagnosed. He explained: "You automatically wind yourself up saying, 'That's it then,' but that is not always the case. When they tell you, you think, 'Oh God.' That was a low time. I have had a few low times in my life like everybody has, but that was one that stuck in the head.

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

"It is very sad that we are going to finish touring, but I hope that we will do something else," Iommi told The Irish Times. "I'm not going to tour the world again, but it would be nice even if we did the occasional one-off show or an album."

Pressed on where there is a possibility of a new album, Iommi said: "We haven't talked about it. This is my view thinking it would be nice. At the moment, I think there is a call for a bit of time off, really. I think anything is possible. It is down to how everyone feels and if people want to do it."

Iommi recently told Ultimate Classic Rock that he plans to stay busy with music even after SABBATH plays its final shows. He said, "I'm not going to leave the music business. I still want to write and play and I'll be doing some TV for something over here in England called 'Guitar Star'. But I love the playing, I love gigs, I just can't travel anymore."

SABBATH played the last U.S. shows of its career last month, on November 8 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, November 10 in Houston, Texas and November 12 in San Antonio.

Thrash metal pioneers MEGADETH have been nominated for a 2017 Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" for the title track from their new album, "Dystopia". MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine stated about the latest nod: "Last time we were nominated, I was at the awards talking with Kenny G and I said how we'd been nominated a lot, but hadn't won it yet. He said, 'Don't feel bad — it took me 21 times to win my first one!'

"This has been such an incredible year for MEGADETH. With so many milestones, and so many individual and group awards, to now have this honor of being nominated again is the grand finale to the most perfect campaign.

"We are very appreciative and thankful to all of our peers and contemporaries that are voting for the 2017 Grammys." Also nominated in the "Best Metal Performance" category are BARONESS ("Shock Me"), GOJIRA ("Slivera"), KORN ("Rotting In Vain") and PERIPHERY ("The Price Is Wrong").

The 59th annual Grammy Awards will be held on February 12, 2017 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET.

The Grammys are voted on by approximately 13,000 Recording Academy members, who are comprised of artists, songwriters, producers and engineers. More than 21,700 recordings were submitted for Grammys consideration this year. For 2017 awards, music must have been released between October 1, 2015, and September 30, 2016, in order to be eligible.

Holland's FaceCulture recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt of Swedish progressive metallers OPETH. You can watch the full chat below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On attempting to balance the creative aspect of OPETH with touring demands:

Mikael: "I don't necessarily like that there's no equilibrium between the creative work and touring. Even in the middle of a creative process, there's always tours and plans, like, 'How are we going to present this live?' It's disturbing to me. I've changed a lot, I think, but it takes a long time for yourself to discover that. You do things just out of routine. You do the record, then you go on tour. I'm one of those guys who listens to signals, like if I start disliking something, there's a chance I walk away, not saying I'm going to split up or leave the band, but re-arrange the priorities. For me, of course, my private life has become more of a priority. It's always been a priority, but more so that I want to spend more time at home, and spend more time writing. The touring part gets in the way of that."

On having a "fearless" attitude toward songwriting:

Mikael: "Once the 'Heritage' record was done, we were excited about it. We're always excited about a new record, but that was a step sideways, or something completely different to what we've done before. We were excited to see how that would go down. I guess we still wanted some type of gratification that we can do these things and still maintain our crowd. Yes, we did, but we also got a lot of people who didn't like it. Then, it becomes a priority. It's about proving them that yes, it does work and proving it's still OPETH. It's always been difficult for me ever since I had my children to leave and go away on tour and come back home. When the kids are really young, you come back and they are shy and don't recognize you, which as you could imagine, is horrible. Now my kids are older, but still, when we went on the U.S. tour and I explained to them, 'I'll be away for quite a long time,' and they are holding the tears back, even when they are 12 and 9, like they are now. Besides, I wasn't fully convinced that I wanted to go. There was a lot of things working against that decision, but I went out and did my job."

On if his children understand what he does for a living:

Mikael: "Yes, but they're indifferent. I think they're indifferent to what I do. They're not indifferent to the fact that I'm away. With time, they'll probably understand that I did this not for my own ego — part of it is for my ego and what I want to do — but I also do it for them. There is a big paradox, a massive paradox about doing something for someone that you love so much. You love your children, which also means you're going to be away from them. But they understand to a certain extent, they're used to it, but it's still horrible. I can't put it any other way. It's still horrible going away from them. I hate it."

On how making a new album means he'll have to leave his children to go on tour:

Mikael: "It almost stops me from wanting to get on with the creative side because I know the toll that comes with the press trips and the pressure, and you have to get everything done within time, and you have to work on a deadline, then you have to go on tour. So yes, it's bittersweet to come up with what you think is great music knowing that with this music, there's a chance it might make you even more in demand and popular. There's bigger demands and offers you can't refuse and that kind of stuff. It's weird. But like I said, I listen to what I feel inside. I've become better at saying 'No,' much to the agony of our management and perhaps the record label and the people we work with, who are also doing this for a living, who are also supporting their families by being away and working. I'm not so afraid, like an offer that comes up might be great, but I can turn it down now knowing it's not the end of the world, even that exact same offer might come back at a time where it's more convenient to go out. I also stopped the long touring cycles. We tried to keep it around three weeks. With that said, the first tour was five and that was one of the offers I couldn't say no because BLACK SABBATH were playing their last show in Los Angeles and we were asked to support them. It's like, 'You can't say no to that.' They're my favorite band; they're the reason why I started. The money was also good and we were going to be there anyway a week or two later, so I said yes. That ended up being a long tour. It's very easy to be manipulated to thinking you're doing the right thing or doing what you decided on, but then, it's like oh my God, you're back on the same old tracks. If I'm going to do this, it's part of the job, simple as that. I just want to scale it down a little bit and do less shows."

On how he felt once the band's new "Sorceress" album was completed:

Mikael: "I noticed two things: First, I was really happy with my vocals for two reasons: One, because I thought they sounded great. Secondly, because I managed to detach myself from the vocalist. I didn't listen to me, I listened to a singer. That's important for me. I don't want to hear myself in the mix, but I think I did a good job singing on the record. The songs, like I love change, but it doesn't have to be a massive change on each record or song, but there was change on this record. There was a couple of songs that I felt I've never done before, I've never done anything similar to that before. We can also jump between genres of music and make it sound genuine, like if we're trying to play something that's supposed to sound a bit jazzy, for instance, we can do it. It doesn't sound like a bunch of metal guys trying to play jazz, not that we have full-on jazz anyway. If it's psychedelic rock, it sounds like a psychedelic rock song, and if it's heavy, it sounds heavy, and it sounds real as far as I'm concerned. I don't think a lot of bands have the strength that we do; we can jump between genres and make it sound genuine."

"Sorceress" was released on September 30 via Nuclear Blast and the band's imprint label Moderbolaget Records.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, DISTURBED frontman David Draiman said in a new interview with Billboard.com that it's "strange" to be competing against Beyoncé in the "Best Rock Performance" category at this year's Grammy Awards. DISTURBED is nominated for its live performance of "The Sound Of Silence", while Beyoncé is up for her track "Don't Hurt Yourself", which features Jack White.

Draiman remarked: "I have mad respect for all the artists in this category, including and especially Jack White. Is it strange [to be up against Beyoncé]? I think the reason you asked the question is because it is. It definitely stands out — like, one of these things is not like the other, you know? But what are you going to do?"

The other nominees in the category include TWENTY ONE PILOTS for "Heathens", David Bowie for the title track from his "Blackstar" album and ALABAMA SHAKES for a live rendition of their song "Joe".

Draiman added that the relative lack of rock categories at the Grammys, as compared to the pop, rap and country genres, is what has led to such a varied group of nominees. He explained: "If you look at every other genre, there are so many categories and sub-categories. For rock, this is all we've got, so everything ends up being jammed into these four categories."

He added: "Is it diverse? Absolutely. It's too diverse! When you can have, with all due respect, a Beyoncé and a DISTURBED in the same category, something has gone wrong. Not taking anything away from her whatsoever, we're just very different from each other."

Draiman told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that he wasn't even sure where his band fit into the modern metal scene. "I don't know that the metal that we were spawned from really exists anymore," he said. "Bands like IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, METALLICA, BLACK SABBATH, none of the bands which are called metal, or which are really referred to nowadays as metalcore, are really anything like these bands. So I don't even know that we fit in what is called metal today."

"The Sound Of Silence", a cover of the SIMON & GARFUNKEL classic, appears on DISTURBED's 2015 album "Immortalized" — although their Grammy nomination is for the band's performance of the song on "Conan".

DISTURBED's last Grammy nomination was in 2009, when it was up in the now-retired "Best Hard Rock Performance" category for "Inside The Fire".

Washington State quintet, The Drip,recently announced their debut full-length of merciless, grindcore ferocity, titled The Haunting Fear Of Inevitability. New track "Anathema" is streaming below.

Guitarist Bobby Mansfield commented on the new track: "The process of becoming a monster and the path of the dark arts and occult that lead to it. A crushing track from our new record."

Fusing together the rawest elements of crust, powerviolence, d-beat, and grind, The Drip rips and ravages through thirteen frenzied tracks, full of slaughterhouse riffage, lightning fast blastbeats, and pulverizing breakdowns. Produced by Joel Grind of Toxic Holocaust and mastered by Brad Boatright (Skeletonwitch, Gatecreeper, Weekend Nachos), The Haunting Fear Of Inevitability is a new declaration of intensity that is sure to set the underground ablaze.

The band commented on the impending release, "The Haunting Fear Of Inevitability represents our progression, and continues to blur genre lines, and define our sound. Laying down the ground work for our future material to come."

January 13th, will see the worldwide release of The Haunting Fear Of Inevitability via Relapse Records on CD/LP/Digital formats. Physical and digital preorders and bundles are available via Relapse.com here and digital also via iTunes, Amazon (widget below), Google Play, and others.

The Haunting Fear Of Inevitability tracklisting:

“Blackest Evocation”
“Anathema”
“Gruesome Poetics”
“Dead Inside”
“Covered In Red”
“Terror War Industry”
“Painted Ram”
“Wretches”
“In Atrophy”
“The Answer”
“Exile”
“Consigned To Fate”
“Bone Chapel”

"Anathema":

“Painted Ram”:

The Drip lineup:

Shane Brown - drums
Brandon Caldwell - vocals
Bobby Mansfield - guitar
Talon Yager - bass
Blake Wolf - guitar

 

 

(Photo - Orion Landau)

Y&T has shared the first teaser clip for the band’s documentary On With The Show. Head to documentary’s Kickstarter page that showcases the teaser video and also a message from the documentary team.

Y&T frontman Dave Meniketti has announced the Meniketti Wines website . If you're of proper age to buy alcohol and you'd like to know when these fine wines become available, drop by the new site and sign up to receive email updates. The 2014 vintage Contagious Chardonnay and two different 2014 Forever Pinot Noirs should be ready by late January.

Y&T will ring in the New Year with a show at Ace Of Spades in Sacramento, CA on New Year’s Eve.

For more on Y&T’s tour schedule, head to the band’s official website.

Metal Blade Records has announced the worldwide signing of Chicago-based metal/hardcore unit, Harm's Way. Currently writing the follow-up to 2015's Rust, Harm's Way is expected to release their fourth full-length and Metal Blade Records debut in 2017.

Harm's Way comments: "We are very excited to be working with Metal Blade Records. Their longstanding history in the alternative music community speaks volumes. To join a roster of such highly influential artists is truly an honor. We look forward to the next steps we will be taking as a band on both personal and artistic levels."

Metal Blade Records CEO Brian Slagel adds, "Super excited to be working with Harm's Way! We welcome them to the Metal Blade family. I have been a fan since Chris Santos turned me onto them!"

Harm's Way has emerged from the wreckage of past genres to set a new standard in contemporary heavy music. With their latest offering, Rust, the four-piece brilliantly combines industrial repetition (ala Godflesh) with the aggressive attack of metal/hardcore. Rust continues down the path that Harm's Way started when they formed in 2006, before releasing 2009's Reality Approaches, 2011's Isolation, and several EPs. Fans can expect another seminal album with the group's upcoming, currently untitled record - which will surely raise the bar for heavy music once again.

Stay tuned for more news about Harm's Way coming soon.

(Photo - Vince Edwards)

Florida metallic doom trio Weltesser are streaming “Rats”, the fist single 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 “Rats” 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”

“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.
 
Tour dates:

December
17-18 - Orlando, FL - Florida Is Loud Fest (with Yautja, Knife Hits)

UK-based extreme metallers, Anaal Nathrakh, released their new album, The Whole Of The Law, via Metal Blade Records back in October. Today, the two-piece is launching the video for the album track, "We Will Fucking Kill You", which was directed and edited by the Widow Brothers, who interpreted the themes of the song and the cover artwork for the clip. Watch the new video below.

Anaal Nathrakh was created for one purpose - to be the soundtrack for Armageddon, the audial essence of evil, hatred and violence, the true spirit of necro taken to its musical extremes. Since 1999, they have gained a reputation for embodying precisely these things - and now, with their new record, The Whole Of Te Law, Anaal Nathrakh has reached the very height of their twisted powers. Order the album here.

Tracklisting:

“The Nameless Dread”
“Depravity Favours The Bold”
“Hold Your Children Close And Pray For Oblivion”
“We Will Fucking Kill You”
“..So We Can Die Happy”
“In Flagrante Delicto”
“And You Will Beg For Our Secrets”
“Extravaganza!”
“On Being A Slave”
“The Great Spectator”
“Of Horror, And The Black Shawls”
“Powerslave” (Bonus Track)
“Man At C&A” (Bonus Track)

“We Will Fucking Kill You” video:

“Extravaganza!”:

“Depravity Favours The Bold”:

Greg Lake, who fronted both King Crimson and Emerson, Lake and Palmer, has died aged 69.
One of the founding fathers of progressive rock, the British musician is known for songs including In The Court Of The Crimson King and I Believe in Father Christmas.
He died on Tuesday after "a long and stubborn battle with cancer", said his manager.
The news comes nine months after Lake's band-mate Keith Emerson died.
Keyboardist Emerson died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, coroners in the US said.
Lake's manager Stewart Young wrote on Facebook: "Yesterday, December 7th, I lost my best friend to a long and stubborn battle with cancer.
"Greg Lake will stay in my heart forever, as he has always been."
'Greatest music made for love'
Born in Bournemouth, Lake was given his first guitar at the age of 12 and took lessons from a local tutor called Don Strike.
He formed a close friendship with fellow student Robert Fripp, with whom he formed King Crimson in 1969.
Their debut album In The Court Of The Crimson King, featuring songs including 21st Century Schizoid Man, set a standard for progressive rock and received a glowing, well-publicised testimonial from The Who's Pete Townshend.
But their success was shortlived. Within a year, founding member Mike Giles quit and Lake refused to work with the band - although he stayed around long enough to sing on their critically-reviled second album, In The Wake Of Poseidon.

Finnish maniacs Corona Skies have released a video for “The Social Network”, a track from their new album, Fragments Of Reality, out now worldwide through Mighty Music (ex. Japan, via Bickee Music). The new video can be found below.

This six-piece - dubbed the bastard child of Dragonforce and Sonata Arctica - delivers a unique mix of smashing guitar riffs, hyper-skilled keyboard athleticism on rock solid rhythm section, completed with powerful multi-layered vocals. With the current lineup, the band has been around since 2009 and played dozens of shows in Finland.

Since releasing a self-financed EP in 2011, the band’s songwriting and musicianship have evolved into a whole new level which can be heard on the debut album, Fragments Of Reality. From ambient, atmospheric soundscapes to hard-shredding solos and huge orchestrations, the versatility of the album really emphasizes what this band is all about. Although the music itself cannot simply be described in terms of a single genre, some elements from classic hard rock, power metal, progressive metal and thrash metal are definitely there.

Tracklisting:

“Rite Of Passage”
“Big Boys’ Blues”
“The Social Network”
“Falling Sky”
“Delirium Disco”
“Business Suits You”
“Summer Bum”
“The Sea Of My Mediocrity”
“Only The Gods Are Lonely”

“The Social Network” video:

“Delirium Disco” video:

“Falling Sky” video:

Year The Goat will release their Song Of Winter EP on 7” gold vinyl, via Napalm Records on December 9th. A lyric video for “Song Of Winter” can be found below. Order your copy of the vinyl EP at this location.

Says the band: “"For many years Francoise Hardy has been part of our playlist while on the road. As soon as “Song Of Winter” played the thought that we really should do a cover of it at some point always presented itself. Lyrically we find it going very well with the theme of our first album and also with the one we’re planning at the moment. The B-side on the other hand lyrically draws more towards our second album, The Unspeakable. One could probably say that the wonderful and talented Francoise Hardy is helping us build a bridge between our last album and the one to come."

Tracklisting:

Side A:
“Song Of Winter”

Side B:
“Strange Shadows”

Nuclear Blast Records have released this new video, offering a look at the special version of the Nightwish live DVD/Blu-Ray/CD, Vehicle Of Spirit, out December 16th (Europe) and January 6th (North America).

After touring for a year and a half throughout almost every corner of the world and leaving fans of all nationalities breathless, the time has come for Nightwish to immortalize their Endless Forms Most Beautiful tour on DVD.

Vehicle Of Spirit features not only two full concerts, but also plenty of bonus material. Pre-order various formats here. A second trailer can be found below.

"The title Vehicle Of Spirit came from a friend of Troy's, who after seeing our show a few years ago defined Nightwish as 'A vehicle of spirit that defies category'. That beautiful description has followed us ever since, and felt like a perfect match as the DVD title," states keyboardist and songwriter Tuomas Holopainen.

Sold out arenas and spectacular shows with never before seen pyro effects, wind machines, video screens and of course Nightwish's incomparable melodies are the elements that made their latest tour so unique. Special highlights for the band have been two particular shows though:

The one in London, where they not only played their hymns such as 'Élan' and the majestic 'The Greatest Show On Earth' to more than 12,000 fans, but also welcomed the world famous scientist Richard Dawkins live on stage with them. Richard Dawkins´ works had a massive impact on the thematical orientation of their latest studio album Endless Forms Most Beautiful. Finland's Tampere show however was a home run for the band and never before Nightwish had such an immense stage production with them:

"I would say the main part of the DVD are those two shows, both Wembley and Tampere. Wembley is mentioned first due to its recognizability and legendary status. I remember the show being very special, both a goal achieved, and a starting point. The crowd was heartwarming. The presence of Richard Dawkins on stage was just mind-blowing. The overall experience was a once-in-a-lifetime thrill ride! The show in Ratina Stadion, Tampere, was a home crowd specialty (for 4/6th of the band) with the biggest stage production we've ever had. A lovely atmosphere throughout the concert, with many same faces in the front row as there were 15 years ago. Heartfelt."

When it comes to the fine artwork of the DVD, Nightwish decided to walk different paths this time and come up with a little alternative idea, as Tuomas explains:

"We didn't want to include a traditional band shot for the cover, as on the previous DVD release Showtime, Storytime. So we started brainstorming on different options and the idea of a classic silent movie era Hollywood visuals quickly came up. With those classic slogans the cover has a little tongue-in-cheek-touch to it, but it's still classy and eye catching in its simplicity and originality."

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

“Stargazers”:

“Alpenglow”:

“Shudder Before The Beautiful”:

Legendary New Jersey thrashers OVERKILL will release their new studio album, titled "The Grinding Wheel", on February 19, 2017 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was produced by OVERKILL and mixed by Andy Sneap (TESTAMENT, EXODUS, ACCEPT). The artwork was created again by Travis Smith (NEVERMORE, OPETH, SOILWORK, DEATH).

"The Grinding Wheel" track listing:

01. Mean Green Killing Machine02. Goddamn Trouble03. Our Finest Hour04. Shine On05. The Long Road06. Let's All Go To Hades07. Come Heavy08. Red White And Blue09. The Wheel10. The Grinding Wheel

The second trailer for "The Grinding Wheel", in which the members of OVERKILL talk about the album's lyrics, is available below.

OVERKILL frontman Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth recently told the Croatian metal portal NoiseEyes.com about the delay in getting "The Grinding Wheel" released: "It was simplicity. It was a matter of internal mix-ups. We thought we had the entire month of August to mix, when we really had none of the month of August to mix. When Nuclear Blast [OVERKILL's record label] called us, and said, 'Where's the music?' We said, 'Fifteen more days.' We were really close with the mix, but this was our first time working with [producer/mixer] Andy Sneap and he told us, 'Hey, man, it's close, it's 90 percent, but let's do another twelve days when I get back from a business trip. D.D. [Verni, bass], Dave [Linsk, guitars] and I discussed it, and asked: Do you take the great product? Or do you take the money? That's the way we thought about it. We took the dignity over the money with regard to pushing the release back. I always think of every record as your best opportunity to prove yourselves. If you go out pushing that record out, thinking it's 90 percent, then it fucking is 90 percent. It was a real simple mix-up with regard to time. We blame ourselves for 50 percent and Nuclear for the other 50 percent. No, 51 percent for them, 49 percent for us. [Laughs]"

Regarding the musical direction of the new album, Bobby said: "First and foremost, production. Andy has done some great work with different bands in the genre from ACCEPT to ARCH ENEMY. He's really the metal go-to guy. But we wanted to use his abilities, but we wanted to use them with regard to how we saw the record being. One of the things we saw in modern metal is a guitar tone that doesn't have a cohesive relationship with the drums. We wanted more organic drums to start with, and we wanted a guitar tone that came somewhere out of the high technology of the '90s. So it's really kind of a throwback with regard to our thinking, so if you're thinking a drum sounding like a drum and the guitars sounding more in the vein of 'Horrorscope' for us, where it wasn't just top end, but top end and low end with a little bit of mids carved out of them. I think that's the thing I noticed the most about it. "

He continued: "With regard to songwriting, we had done three records, 'Ironbound', 'The Electric Age' and 'White Devil Armory', that were for us, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. [Laughs] Or sisters! There's something about them where there was a formula that we were, I think in our opinion, neglecting some of the other tools that we've accumulated over the years. 'The Grinding Wheel' is much more diverse. There's an epic feel to some of the songs. There's a sludgy, slower feel. There is 'Our Finest Hour', which has been released, which could fit on one of those other three records but everything else doesn't seem like it would fit on these records. I think it's a wider OVERKILL, but press play when you get it. I think that's the best way for people to decide. Everybody has got to be a critic. That's the idea of being a music fan. I'm a music fan, but I'm also a critic. I love or I hate, or it's okay. It'd rather be loved or hated, not 'Ah, it's okay, whatever.'"

OVERKILL and NILE will join forces for a U.S. tour in February/March 2017.

NIGHTWISH singer Floor Jansen says that her recent derogatory comments about SLAYER were taken "out of context" and "used for pathetic 'shock purposes.'"

Last week TeamRock reported how Jansen called SLAYER "dreadful," "unbelievably boring" and "terrible" when asked to name the most metal album she owns.

She gave the original comments in Metal Hammer magazine's regular light-hearted feature "The Metal Test".

After SLAYER fans reacted angrily to her comments, Jansen took to her Instagram account to respond. She wrote: "Apparently I unleashed the fury upon metal earth when I was asked a question about the most metal album I own. Thinking SLAYER's music is not my thing doesn't mean I don't respect the band for what they are and what they've done. I just won't play it. As I can imagine they won't listen to mine either for that matter.

"The reactions this triggered online saddens me. We are all entitled to our own opinion. But this sentence about my metal albums was put out of context, blown up and used for pathetic 'shock purposes.' Does that mean I need to keep my mouth shut next time, no. Does it mean I need to be offended by so many whom I didn't offend? No... I don't like SLAYER. Shall we get over that now?"

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

Jansen, who officially joined NIGHTWISH in 2013, recently shot down speculation that NIGHTWISH's upcoming year-long break in 2017 has something to do with tension between members of the group. The vocalist also dismissed rumors that she will leave the band after welcoming her first child.

Professionally filmed video footage of METALLICA performing the song "Fade To Black" during their special intimate club show on November 29 at the Opera House in Toronto, Ontario, Canada can be seen below. Also available is a Banger TV report on the concert.

The band, which just released its tenth studio album, "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", donated the proceeds of the show at the 950-person venue to the Daily Bread Food Bank. The quartet also asked its fans to bring non-perishable food items, which were dropped off at the door.

Tickets, which were $25 for members of the band's fan club and $100 for the general public, sold out in minutes.

Benita Aalto, a spokesperson for Daily Bread, told CBC Toronto that the charity had no advance notice of METALLICA's plans but was thrilled when the news broke.

"This was a delightful surprise," she said.

According to TheStar.com, the Toronto concert saw METALLICA frontman James Hetfield playing the opening arpeggios to "Fade To Black" again "when the rattle of machine-gun fire on the PA signalled to everyone else in the room that 'One' was about to happen, a flub he good-naturedly acknowledged by reprising the intro yet again when the band returned to the stage for its encore."

"That song's so good, I just wanted to play it twice, you know?" he quipped.

"Hardwired… To Self-Destruct" debuted as expected at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 album chart on November 27, selling 291,000 copies in its first week of release. Both of the band's previous outings, 2008's "Death Magnetic" and 2003's "St. Anger", sold more copies in shortened sales weeks. "Death Magnetic" moved 490,000 copies in a three-day window, while "St. Anger" shifted 418,000 copies in a similar frame.

Hanging Garden's new music video for “Towards The Sun” is streaming below. The track features Mikko Kotamäki (Swallow The Sun) on guest vocals and is taken from the band's Hereafter EP.

“Today is independent Finland's 99th birthday. The attitudes and the general mood of public discourse is in a sad state, riddled with hate and xenophobia. Finland, as we wish you a brighter tomorrow, this song is dubbed “Towards The Sun”.”

Hanging Garden’s Hereafter EP is now available on CD digipak and digital via Lifeforce Records. A music video for the title track can be found below.

Tracklisting:

“Penumbra” feat. Mikko Kotamäki (Swallow The Sun)
“Sirkle Of Onan” feat. Victor Wegeborn (The Moth Gatherer)
“Hereafter”
“Where The Tides Collide” feat. Alexander Högbom (October Tide, Centinex)
“Towards The Sun” feat. Mikko Kotamäki (Swallow The Sun)

“Hereafter” video:

“Sirkle Of Onan” lyric video:

“Penumbra” lyric video:

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