The official video for the song "Retribution" from Jeff Scott Soto can be seen below. The track is the title cut of his new album, which was released on November 10 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Co-written and produced together with Jeff Scott Soto alumni Howie Simon, "Retribution" is Jeff's sixth proper solo studio album in a style that fans have come to know and love from the legendary singer over the years.

Jeff Scott Soto's career spans over thirty years. He was first introduced to the public as the vocalist for guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen's iconic first two solo albums before going on to front esteemed hard rock band TALISMAN. He is also one of the vocalists for the wildly popular TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, the lead vocalist for super group W.E.T. (featuring JSS alongside members of ECLIPSE and WORK OF ART), and creative visionary for the more metal leaning Soto, among many other musical activities he has been involved in. He also held a stint fronting Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers JOURNEY and was one of the vocalists for the officially sanctioned QUEEN tribute QUEEN EXTRAVAGANZA. His incredible voice has led to many an artist inviting him to do guest lead vocals or background vocals on their albums, including, but not limited to, STRYPER, Joel Hoekstra, SAIGON KICK, Fergie Frederiksen, Lita Ford, STEELHEART, and more.

In 1994, he released his first solo outing, "Love Parade", followed by the acclaimed "Prism" (2002), "Lost In The Translation" (2005), "Beautiful Mess" (2009) and "Damage Control" (2012).

"Retribution" track listing:

01. Retribution02. Inside/Outside03. Rage Of The Year04. Reign Again05. Feels Like Forever06. Last Time07. Bullet For My Baby08. Song For Joey09. Breakout10. Dedicate To You11. Autumn

* Vocals and keyboards recorded and engineered by Jeff Scott Soto at The Man Canyon, Agoura Hills, California* Guitars and bass for "Reign Again" recorded and engineered by Andy Zuckerman at The Institute Of Noise, Los Angeles, California* Drums recorded by Edu Cominato at Daga Music Studios, Brazil* Mixed and mastered by Adriano Daga at Daga Music Studios, Brazil.

Band members:

Jeff Scott Soto - Vocals, KeyboardsHowie Simon – Guitar, Bass (except on "Reign Again" and "Song For Joey")Edu Cominato - DrumsAugust Zadra - Guitar on "Reign Again"Stephen Sturm - Guitar on "Reign Again"Carlos Costa - Bass on "Reign Again"Paul Mendonca - Guitar, Keyboards, Bass on "Song For Joey"

Marilyn Manson's music video for the song "KILL4ME" can be seen below. The clip once again features an appearance by the shock rocker's close friend, actor and fellow musician Johnny Depp.

"KILL4ME" is taken from Manson's latest album, "Heaven Upside Down", which was released on October 6. On the disc, he reunites with producer and film composer Tyler Bates following an epic collaboration on Manson's critically acclaimed 2015 release, "The Pale Emperor".

As previously reported, MARILYN MANSON has recruited Juan Alderete (THE MARS VOLTA) as the band's new bassist following the recent departure of Jeordie White (a.k.a. Twiggy Ramirez).

Alderete, who gained recognition in the '80s as a member of RACER X, made his live debut with Manson on November 5 at Ozzfest Meets Knotfest in Devore, California.

Manson fired White late last month after the musician was publicly accused of rape by his former girlfriend, Jessicka Addams of the riot grrrl band JACK OFF JILL.

White later responded to the accusations, saying that he did "not condone non-consensual sex of any kind." He added that he would be "taking some time" to spend with his family and focus on maintaining his several years of sobriety.

Manson suffered an "excruciating" injury at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom on September 30, resulting in a broken fibula that forced him to cancel two weeks of tour dates.

Frontiers Music Srl will release the new album from PRETTY BOY FLOYD, titled "Public Enemies", on December 1.

The second track from the upcoming release, "We Got The Power", can be streamed below. "Public Enemies" is exactly what'd you expect from these seasoned Sunset Strip veterans — a fun record meant to be played at maximum volume to help you forget about your worries, of which we all have plenty these days. PRETTY BOY FLOYD's Kristy Majors says: "Staying loyal to our 1980s roots, 'Public Enemies' is a true follow-up to the classic 'Leather Boyz With Electric Toyz'." Not too long ago, when rock was about having a good time, letting your hair down and creating chaos and anarchy, four guys got together in Hollywood and formed a band. New York City guitarist Kristy Majors hooked up with West Coast frontman Steve Summers and laid the foundation for their dream band. They worked, wrote songs and played and played and played. The band chose the name PRETTY BOY FLOYD because it seemed to describe them — four tough teens armed with guitar licks and teenage angst who set out to conquer the world.

As the new millennium rolled in, new music fans began to wonder what they had missed back in the heyday of '80s and early '90s sleaze rock. A whole new breed of young fans who weren't born when the band first emerged began to discover their music. The original fans from back in the day and the new fans found common ground — a love of PRETTY BOY FLOYD's music, sleazy shows, and fun times. Never mind what the critics think, or what trends may have come and gone. Having outlasted many of the critics who cried "they'll never make it," PRETTY BOY FLOYD continues to record and tour the world winning over news fans both young and old. "Public Enemies" track listing:

01. S.A.T.A.02. Feel The Heat03. High School Queen04. Girls All Over The World05. American Dream06. We Can't Bring Back Yesterday07. We Got The Power08. Do Ya Wanna Rock09. Run For Your Life10. Shock The World11. Paint It On12. 7 Minutes In Heaven13. Star Chaser14. So Young So Bad PRETTY BOY FLOYD is:

Kristy Majors - Guitar, Background VocalsSteve Summers - Lead VocalsJK Famous - Bass, Background VocalsJimmy Mess - Drums, Background Vocals

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS have selected one-time "The X Factor" contestant Jeff Gutt as their new vocalist. Gutt, who was a runner-up in season three of the reality television music competition show created by Simon Cowell, was announced as the band's latest singer during a SiriusXM special earlier tonight (Tuesday, November 14) hosted by Eddie Trunk.

Gutt originally auditioned for STONE TEMPLE PILOTS in September 2016 and was officially named the band's new singer in May 2017. He has spent the last year secretly writing and recording new material in Redondo Beach, California with bandmembers Dean DeLeo, Robert DeLeo and Eric Kretz.

Robert DeLeo said that he first found out about Gutt while he was on the road with the HOLLYWOOD VAMPIRES. "We were playing Pine Knob — I don't know what it's called now; I know it as Pine Knob — up in Detroit, which is where [Jeff is] from," the bassist said. "And after the show, there was a musician who said, 'Hey, man, you should check this guy out.' And that's where I kind of heard of him first — it was through that guy. And it just happened that it came together like that."

Regarding how he came to try out for STP, Jeff said: "I had heard about [the audition process], but I was on tour in the Middle East with my band at the time, so I was, like, doing my own thing, and that was everything that I had going on. And then when I got back, I was driving and I heard… I can't remember what song it was, but a STONE TEMPLE PILOTS song came on the radio. So I called my buddy in New York who knows everybody in the music industry, and I was, like, 'Hey, did they ever find a singer?' And he was, like, 'You know what? I'll send 'em your stuff right now.' And three days later, I got a call."

Gutt said that he felt like he had the STP gig "before I even got in the room [with the other guys], to tell you the truth, just because if you don't feel that way, you're probably not gonna get it. You have to be confident," he explained. "I mean, not cocky confidence, but I know my shit, I know what I'm doing. I've studied my craft. I've studied [original STONE TEMPLE PILOTS singer] Scott [Weiland] and the people Scott studied, and other singers of the era. I've really put in a lot of time into that, and if you're not willing to do all of that, you're not gonna be on the level to even be around these guys."

Jeff went on to say that becoming STONE TEMPLE PILOTS' new frontman feels like "joining LED ZEPPELIN, because, to me, they're my LED ZEPPELIN."

A November 2016 article from Entertainment Tonight claimed Gutt was chosen to front STONE TEMPLE PILOTS before the end of last year, but a band representative shot down the report, claiming at the time that "no final decision" had yet been made.

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

Gutt will make his live debut with STONE TEMPLE PILOTS tonight at a special invitation-only concert for SiriusXM listeners at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, California.

The full concert will premiere at 3 p.m. on Friday, November 17, exclusively on SiriusXM and can be heard on Howard Stern's Howard 101 channel as well as on Lithium, channel 34. It will also be available via SiriusXM.com.

A recording of Gutt singing with STONE TEMPLE PILOTS during soundcheck for The Troubadour concert can be heard below.

A new STONE TEMPLE PILOTS single, titled "Meadow", has already been serviced to radio and will make its online debut on Wednesday.

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

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

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS revealed last month that they found "somebody that fits the bill" as the band's new lead singer, but did not announce who he was.

STP last performed live, with Bennington on vocals, for a one-off reunion concert in California in March 2016.



New STP Vocalist Speaks!
Wanna know who the new lead singer in Stone Temple Pilots is ... ?

Posted by SiriusXM VOLUME on Tuesday, November 14, 2017

Warner Music will release IRON MAIDEN's "The Book Of Souls: Live Chapter" on November 17 worldwide (through BMG in the USA). This live recording comprises fifteen songs captured during "The Book Of Souls World Tour", which covered thirty-nine countries across six continents during 2016 and 2017, and was seen by over two million fans. "The Book Of Souls: Live Chapter" will be released physically in CD, deluxe CD and vinyl audio formats, with the concert film available to stream free online or as a digital download.

You can now watch "The Book Of Souls: Live Chapter" using the YouTube playlist below.

Produced by Tony Newton and IRON MAIDEN founder member and bass player Steve Harris, the album is based on this year's setlist and is a faithful record of the epic show, including six songs from "The Book Of Souls", the band's most recent studio album, along with many other classics and fan favorites.

Steve comments: "We spent a huge amount of time working on this as I wanted to get it as close to the MAIDEN live experience as I possibly could and to represent our fans from different parts of the world. This meant listening to literally hours upon hours of tapes from every show, to select material and construct a sound that would run consistently across the whole album and capture the excitement of a new country like El Salvador alongside such regular favourites as Donington or Wacken."

MAIDEN manager Rod Smallwood adds: "'The Book Of Souls' world tour was a huge undertaking, not least for Bruce [Dickinson, vocals] who started the tour singing in public for the very first time since recovering from throat cancer. He also piloted Ed Force One, upgraded last year from a Boeing 757 to a 747 so we could go further and faster to visit some fantastic cities and fans all round the world. This year continued that excitement bringing us our most successful North American and U.K. tours ever. It was a very special tour in a great many ways so we felt we wanted to document it for both ourselves and for our fans. Steve has done an incredible job putting together this set from cities around the world and we've made sure the deluxe CD will be available in a matching book format to 'The Book of Souls' release." The full track listing and the cities they were recorded in is as follows:

01. If Eternity Should Fail - Sydney, Australia02. Speed Of Light - Cape Town, South Africa03. Wrathchild - Dublin, Ireland04. Children Of The Damned - Montreal, Canada05. Death Or Glory - Wroclaw, Poland06. The Red And The Black - Tokyo, Japan07. The Trooper - San Salvador, El Salvador08. Powerslave - Trieste, Italy09. The Great Unknown - Newcastle, UK10. The Book Of Souls - Donington, UK11. Fear Of The Dark - Fortaleza, Brazil12. Iron Maiden - Buenos Aires, Argentina13. Number Of The Beast - Wacken, Germany14. Blood Brothers - Donington, UK15. Wasted Years - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil The album will replicate "The Book Of Souls" original formats and be issued as a limited edition deluxe 2CD hardcase Book, a regular 2CD album, a triple black vinyl LP, and digital download in high resolution audio (48khz/24 bit) including Mastered for iTunes (MFiT) version. A digital download of the concert film will also be available to purchase following its free online premiere.

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY will release its new album, "No Cross No Crown", on January 12 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment. It will be made available on CD, digital, vinyl, and cassette formats.

In advance of the disc's release, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY has unveiled part one of a multi-part blog series. In the clip below, the band discusses how it feels "to be back."

In 2014, after nearly a straight decade traversing the globe as a guitarist with New Orleans supergroup DOWN, Pepper Keenan reconnected with the core CORROSION OF CONFORMITY trio of Woody Weatherman, Mike Dean and Reed Mullin to hit the road hard. "Reed called me and mentioned maybe playing a couple shows," Keenan recalls. "I said, 'Let's just go to Europe and see if it works.' So we went to Europe and then ended up going back four times in one year... We toured for a year and then started tracking about ten or eleven months ago." Recording in North Carolina with longtime producer John Custer, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY cut "No Cross No Crown" in about forty days over the course of a year. "We took our time and didn't put any pressure on ourselves," Keenan says. "I'd go up from New Orleans and we'd do four or five days at a time, just hacking away at it. It was fun because we did it like a demo, but in a studio. We were writing and putting it on tape at the same time. We took what parts we thought were great from the old days and weren't scared to go backwards. It kinda wrote itself that way." Some of these new jams sound like could've easily been on "Wiseblood" or "Deliverance", two of CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's most revered records. On "No Cross No Crown", beefy Southern stompers like "The Luddite", "Little Man" and "Forgive Me" are interspersed with melancholy guitar interludes like "No Cross", "Matre's Diem" and "Sacred Isolation" — just like SABBATH used to do in the '70s. "We started doing that on 'Deliverance'," Keenan points out. "My theory on that is that if you're trying to make a record flow, you need to break it up a little. When you need a breather, write an interlude. I like writing those mellow pieces just to space things out and make the next thing come in heavier." The album's iconic title comes from a recent tour stop in England. "We were playing this old church from like the 1500s that had been turned into a performing arts center," Keenan recalls. "The dressing room had stained glass windows and one of them showed this poor fella being persecuted. Underneath it said, 'no cross no crown.' So I just took that idea. We're not trying to be on a soapbox, but we used it as a catalyst to write songs around." Which is to say that "No Cross No Crown" has a lot less to do with politics or religion than its title implies. "I think everyone needs to get away from that mindset in general," Keenan offers. "It just seems to be a mess out there nowadays. We need to get back to being humans and taking care of each other and simple things like that. For us, the terminology 'no cross no crown' is a theme. It's mentioned in like three songs throughout the album. We just weaved it through as we went." "No Cross No Crown" stands as irrefutable proof of CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's ability to overcome. "CORROSION OF CONFORMITY and the prior records I've done with them didn't just go away," Keenan observes. "It's an honor to be back out there and have an opportunity to do it again in a real way and not some washed-up reunion thing. Even before we wrote the record, we were out there for a year seeing there was a demand for it and that there was a void that we could fill. That's been CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's deal from day one. We're not chasing anybody around. We're not gonna worry about what the new trends are. CORROSION OF CONFORMITY is CORROSION OF CONFORMITY." "No Cross No Crown" track listing:

01. Novus Deus02. The Luddite03. Cast The First Stone04. No Cross05. Wolf Named Crow06. Little Man07. Matre's Diem08. Forgive Me09. Nothing Left To Say10. Sacred Isolation11. Old Disaster12. E.L.M.13. No Cross No Crown14. A Quest To Believe (A Call To The Void)15. Son And Daughter

The song "Cast The First Stone" can be streamed below. In advance of the release of "No Cross No Crown", CORROSION OF CONFORMITY will join BLACK LABEL SOCIETY for a mammoth North American live takeover. The tour begins December 27 in Denver, Colorado and will wind its way through nearly four dozen cities, the journey coming to a close February 27, 2018. Additional support will be provided by EYEHATEGOD and RED FANG on select shows.

Photo credit: Dean Karr

Legendary American thrash metal band EXHORDER is back and has signed a worldwide management deal with All Independent Service Alliance (AISA) .

The new EXHORDER lineup features founding members Vinnie LaBella (guitar) and Kyle Thomas (vocals) along with Jason Viebrooks (HEATHEN) on bass, Marzi Montazeri (ex-SUPERJOINT RITUAL, PHILIP H. ANSELMO & THE ILLEGALS) on guitar and Sasha Horn (FORBIDDEN) on drums.

LaBella commented: "Over our 30-year history, we have obviously had more than our fair share of struggles. Struggles that have broken us apart on several occasions. Whether those struggles were internal, external or both, no matter the situation, we always find are way back to one another. How? Why? It took me 30 years to realize it's because the relationships run too deep, the songs are timeless, and the fans are ageless. It's meant so much to us and so many others. And it's for these reasons EXHORDER can't be broken, even by the hands that created it. Like it or not, love it or hate it, EXHORDER is forever and it's my duty, my honor and privilege to do it again!"

Thomas added: "It would probably be best to never say never for the rest of my life, because I thought that this could not happen again. However, here we are one more time!

"I am extremely pumped to take the stage yet again with EXHORDER to bring to life some of the most classic songs in thrash metal and hardcore history. We will put everything into it as always, doing our best to see to it that no one will ever walk away from an EXHORDER show dissatisfied. We're back!"

2018 will be extremely exciting for the band, as EXHORDER will play its first shows in the U.S. in February and is planning on taking summer festivals by storm! The band will perform its legendary first album, "Slaughter In The Vatican", and sophomore album, "The Law", in their entirety on Friday, February 9 and Saturday, February 10, respectively, at the St. Vitus Bar in Brooklyn, New York. EXHORDER will also play a homecoming show in New Orleans at Southport Hall on February 12.

EXHORDER relased two albums in the early 1990s through the Roadrunner label — 1990's "Slaughter in the Vatican" and 1992's "The Law" — before breaking up, with Kyle going on to form FLOODGATE (and also briefly appearing live as the vocalist for TROUBLE). Thomas subsequently spent time fronting PITTS VS PREPS, which he described as "center[ing] around the truest sound of heavy metal in the realm of old JUDAS PRIEST and IRON MAIDEN."

EXHORDER is cited by many as the originators of the riff-heavy power-groove approach popularized by PANTERA.

Poland's Metal Mind Productions re-released the two albums from EXHORDER in May 2008. Each limited-edition digipack title (limited to 2,000 copies) was made available on golden disc, digitally remastered using 24-bit technology.

Due to personal circumstances, guitarist extraordinaire Santiago Dobles (AGHORA, CYNIC, DOBLES ENSEMBLE) will not participate in future live performances with veteran Dutch extreme metallers PESTILENCE.

Santiago contributed some excellent solos to PESTILENCE's upcoming album, "Hadeon", which will be released in March 2018 via Hammerheart Records. For now, this ends Santiago's involvement in PESTILENCE, but don't be surprised to see him guest on a future recording.

Replacing Dobles in PESTILENCE's current lineup is Calin Paraschiv. Calin hails from Romania and also plays in another project (NECROVILE) with current PESTILENCE drummer Septimiu Hărşan.

PESTILENCE's Patrick Mameli states: "Calin is the right man for the job, a skilled and professional guitarist ready to tour across the world.

"Rehearsing together with Septimiu is a big plus, so the choice was an easy one to make."

PESTILENCE will kick off 2018 at the end of January with a month-long tour under the "Fight The Plague" banner.

"Hadeon" is described in a press release as "an all-out death metal attack, featuring thirteen tracks that combine PESTILENCE's old-school roots, its progressive trademark and a killer production, which will appeal to both old and new fans."

In July 2014, Mameli announced that PESTILENCE was "on a permanent hold" while he concentrated fully on his new NEUROMORPH project, which he said would be "more brutal, more crazy, more tech, more futuristic and more death" than his longtime outfit. Two years later, he revived PESTILENCE, initially claiming that the band would only play live shows and not record any new material.

PESTILENCE is:

Patrick Mameli - Lead guitar/Vocals Calin Paraschiv - Lead guitar Tilen Hudrap - Bass Septimiu Hărşan - Drums

Live music's premier hologram production company Eyellusion has announced new and updated dates for "Dio Returns: The World Tour". Originally scheduled to kick off in Helsinki, Finland, the tour featuring Ronnie James Dio reuniting via hologram with his DIO bandmates will now begin in Bochum, Germany on December 6. The tour will make stops in Poland, Spain, Romania, United Kingdom, Netherlands and Belgium before the end of 2017.

Tour dates: Dec. 06 - Matrix Bochum - Bochum, GermanyDec. 07 - Die Kantine - Cologne, GermanyDec. 09 - Progresja - Warsaw, PolandDec. 13 - Bikini Barcelona - Barcelona, SpainDec. 14 - Teatro de las Esquinas - Zaragoza, SpainDec. 15 - Escenario Santander - Santander, SpainDec. 17 - Arenele Romane - Bucharest, RomaniaDec. 19 - O2 Academy Islington - London, United KingdomDec. 20 - Poppodium 013 - Tilburg, NetherlandsDec. 21 - Trix - Antwerp, Belgium

Dates initially announced for Finland, Sweden and Norway are being rescheduled for a larger run through Scandinavia in 2018. The "Dio Returns" tour will also make stops throughout Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, France, Germany, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, United States, Venezuela and other countries, with more dates to be announced.

The Ronnie James Dio hologram will perform throughout the show, treating fans to an alternating setlist that will feature songs such as "Rainbow In The Dark", "We Rock", "Neon Nights", "King Of Rock And Roll", "Man On The Silver Mountain", "Heaven And Hell", "Holy Diver" and more. The "Dio Returns" tour will feature Ronnie's actual live vocals, with the DIO band playing live, featuring Craig Goldy on guitar, Simon Wright on drums and Scott Warren on keyboards, along with Bjorn Englen on bass. Veteran metal vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST) will also perform, with singer Oni Logan (LYNCH MOB) also joining on select dates.

A new promotional video for "Dio Returns" can be seen below.

The hologram of Ronnie James Dio made its debut at last year's Wacken Open Air festival in Germany. The surprise appearance of the heavy metal icon during DIO DISCIPLES' set closed out the massive metal event which was attended by more than seventy-five thousand fans.

Englen told "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show" last month that "Dio Returns" will see him and his bandmates perform "quite a few songs with the hologram — probably, I would say, about half or maybe more than half. And then the rest of them are gonna be without the hologram, with 'Ripper' Owens and Oni Logan singing," he said. "So it's gonna be the DIO DISCIPLES. And the hologram is gonna be in the middle of the stage, but I don't wanna reveal too much. It's quite a large… it needs quite a bit of space onstage, so hopefully most of the venues are gonna be able to accommodate that, as far as the places that haven't been booked yet. But we're excited about it. It's gonna be great."

According to Englen, the tour will consist of shows "at theaters and large clubs. And as long as the stage is big, we can do it. It has to have a certain width," he explained.

Regarding what is involved in planning a tour like this, Englen said: "We have to do some choreography, as far as where to be and what song and all that stuff. All the music is live, and we obviously have to play to a click track — or Simon does — so that we're synced with Ronnie's vocals. Other than that, we play the songs like we normally play them. We've just gotta make sure the arrangements are the same, and they usually are — we haven't done many changes to the songs since the DIO days. So they're the same anyway."

Asked if he finds it "haunting" to perform with a Dio hologram, the bassist said: "You know, we're not really looking at it while we're playing. Looking at it after, I think it's just a nice thing. Some people wonder, 'Is it creepy?' or that kind of a thing. We're excited. We feel good about it. It's done really well, and it's with live vocals — you know, you get that live feel and everything — and they've done a really nice job as far as the content and the photography and all that stuff. I think a lot of people are gonna be — even the people that have been negative about it, or pessimistic — are gonna be positively surprised."

ROBERT PLANT & SENSATIONAL SPACE SHIFTERS kick off their 2017 dates on Thursday night (November 16) in Plymouth, England. According to The Pulse Of Radio, Plant, who's riding high on the success of his newly released Top 20 album "Carry Fire", spoke frankly about the new songs, telling "PBS NewsHour": "Well, there's a lot of preparation and there's a lot of, I guess you would probably call it soul-searching to make sure, with time being so precious, that it's not a wasted journey... it's bridled. It's contained more. It's a good place to go, and it's a bit of a surprise."

December 10 will mark a decade since LED ZEPPELIN's 2007 one-off reunion concert in London. Plant reflected on the glory days of the band when they barnstormed their way across the globe. "Those bands in those days, y'know, barely out of my teens, and the guys I was playing with were the most amazing players," he said. "And it was all about energy, all about expression, garish sometimes. In that environment then, everything was so exaggerated, but it lasted just as long as it lasted. And then it — for me, it just dissolved."

He went on to explain that there was not formal planning behind ground that LED ZEPPELIN broke throughout the 1970s. "We didn't know what on Earth we were doing," he said. "We were just doing gigs, and the gigs got bigger, and the crowds got bigger, and we had more fun. To be the guy up at the sharp end, what I call it, as a singer, was a bit of a labor, was a bit of a toil... I don't wear a girl's blouse anymore, but I'm still desperately switched on to the music that surrounds me. So, with ZEPPELIN, I think I was just playing it out. Interesting to see now. I just wonder how he felt at the end of the night, that guy, when I look at him."

"Carry Fire" was released on October 13 via Nonesuch/Warner. The follow-up to 2014's "Lullaby And… The Ceaseless Roar" was produced by Plant in the west of England and Wales, at Top Cat studio in Box, Wiltshire with additional recordings at Real World and Rockfield studios.

OPERATION: MINDCRIME, the band led by former QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate, will release "A New Reality", the third and final of a concept album trilogy exploring international politics, the world economy and social ethos, on December 1 via Frontiers Music Srl.

The official lyric video for the song "Under Control", taken from "A New Reality", can be seen below.

"A New Reality" track listing:

01. A Head Long Jump02. Wake Me Up03. It Was Always You04. The Fear05. Under Control06. The New Reality07. My Eyes08. A Guitar In Church?09. All For What?10. The Wave11. Tidal Change12. The Same Old Story

The cover artwork can be seen below.

"The whole OPERATION: MINDCRIME project was really a group effort," Tate told the Chicago Tribune.

"I wanted to have an open-door policy where really great players could come in, contribute and also do other projects. I just called all the people I really respect that I've met over the years, asked them to be part of it and gave them all the material I've written.

"We did one really massive session and recorded everything. I've just been finishing it over the years."

OPERATION: MINDCRIME recorded and released the first part of the trilogy, "The Key" in 2015 and followed it a year later with "Resurrection".

"Resurrection" continued to track Tate's protagonist, H, as he plowed ahead in his quest to bring a project called The New Reality to fruition. "I wanted it to be what happens next, of course," Tate explained to Billboard. "The first part was kind of set up where you see a little bit about what's going on with the characters; the second one is what actually happened, then how do the characters get out of it."

Among the musicians who have contributed to the OPERATION: MINDCRIME project are keyboardist Randy Gane; guitarists Kelly Gray and Scott Moughton; DISTURBED bassist John Moyer; and drummers Brian Tichy (OZZY OSBOURNE, WHITESNAKE) and Simon Wright (AC/DC, DIO).

"I love storytelling. I like telling stories with music," Tate told the Chicago Tribune. "It's something that I just grew up with, listening to the ALAN PARSONS PROJECT's 'Tales Of Mystery And Imagination' and PINK FLOYD's 'The Wall' and 'The Dark Side Of The Moon'.

"They were fantastic albums that told stories that really got under my skin and influenced me. It's what I enjoy."

Music Theories Recordings/Mascot Label Group has announced the signing of '90s progressive metal adventurers GALACTIC COWBOYS. The band's reunited original lineup — lead vocalist Ben Huggins, drummer/vocalist Alan Doss, guitarist/vocalist Dane Sonnier and vocalist/bassist Monty Colvin — will release its first album in seventeen years, "Long Way Back To The Moon", on November 17. They descended upon Doss's studio in Houston, Texas in early 2016 to write and record.

A new GALACTIC COWBOYS song "Next Joke", taken from "Long Way Back To The Moon", can be streamed below.

GALACTIC COWBOYS has always been a musical enigma. Hailing from Houston, Texas, the band combined melodic thrash, progressive metal, and BEATLES-esque harmonies into a genre of its own creation. Blending these considerable musical chops with a quirky sense of humor, the band quickly distinguished itself from anyone else in the world, garnering fans amongst some of music's biggest stars. Their first time around, though, they were the right band at exactly the wrong time. On this outing, they shoot for the moon again, and celebrate the journey back. The COWBOYS' most notable fanbase became other musicians—an exclusive club that included other 1990s musical misanthropes such as JELLYFISH, KING'S X and Kevin Gilbert. Reflecting both the musicality and diversity of the band, GALACTIC COWBOYS toured with two hard rock/metal legends, ANTHRAX and DREAM THEATER.

Said former DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy: "The GALACTIC COWBOYS were (and still are) one of my favorite bands to emerge from the '90s. Great songwriting, killer players and euphoric harmonies. They were always criminally underrated and overlooked, which led to their premature demise in 2000. My last seventeen years have had a hole in my musical palate without them and I couldn't be happier at the announcement of their return! Welcome back boys... I missed you!"

The eleven new tracks (and two bonus tracks) included on "Long Way Back To The Moon" harken back to the COWBOYS' iconic songs, but are infused with a contemporary hard rock sound. In the tradition of ALAN PARSONS PROJECT, Steven Wilson and PERIPHERY, the album is completely organic: engineered, produced, mixed, and mastered by the band — even all the artwork. One trapping of contemporary production set aside by the band was an over-reliance on studio trickery — no Pro Tools, drum triggers or even vocal tuning. Just real music by real musicians.

The album's sound is alternately heavy, whimsical, charging, and crunching, combining inescapable atmosphere with the drive of a band on a mission. Old fans will feel at home, but hard rock fans who have never heard GALACTIC COWBOYS before will also be instantly hooked. As with all GALACTIC COWBOYS albums, the songs are emotional in topic, and often including a large dose of ironic humor. Each song is performed, sung, and written with intense passion.

Said Colvin: "It was an absolute pleasure getting back together with the guys to record this album. I think we've all grown as musicians and as people since we first got together in '89, and I think our fans will really love this new stuff."

The song "Zombies" is a tongue-in-cheek study on finding love on the last day of human existence, blended with social commentary regarding modern society's obsession with its electronic screens. Timely topics continue with "Next Joke": from kids' sports in which everyone gets a trophy to Disney telling kids to wish upon a star and all their dreams will come true, our unrealistic expectations have set us all up for failure: the joke is on us. "Internal Masquerade", the album’s first single, examines the turmoil endemic to the human experience and the difficulties in keeping self-generated darkness at bay, themes revisited in darker "Blood In My Eyes".

A special treat for fans both old and new is "In The Clouds", the album’s leadoff track and also the first GALACTIC COWBOYS song ever written. Penned in 1989 by Doss and Colvin after the demise of their previous outfit, THE AWFUL TRUTH, the song explores leaving the banal confines of this world behind and ascending to a higher plane of existence. It's also the song Huggins sang to earn his spot in the band!

Said Sonnier: "We can't wait for everyone to hear this, and it's great to be back. Back from the Ranch on Mars and onward to the moon."

LINKIN PARK will release a live album, "One More Light Live", on December 15. Recorded live on the band's "One More Light" world tour, it features 16 songs, including "Crawling", "Numb", "What I've Done", "Heavy" and the title track of the band's latest studio album, "One More Light".

"One More Light Live" will arrive five months after the passing of singer Chester Bennington, who died on July 20 after committing suicide at the age of 41.

LINKIN PARK says in a statement: "We dedicate this live album to our brother Chester who poured his heart and soul into 'One More Light'.

"After we finished recording the album, we joked with Chester that — since he had delivered so many stunning performances in the studio — he had set the bar extra high to produce that alchemy on stage each night. Not surprisingly, he welcomed the challenge.

"The shows we played together during the early summer of 2017 were extraordinary. Chester shared with us that he felt this was the best tour we had ever done. The camaraderie and joy we experienced on stage reflected our deep connection with each other, with our fans, and with the music.

"Every night before walking out onto the stage, we would huddle, get focused, and share whatever last-second remarks popped into our heads. Chester always took it upon himself to turn the name of the city where we were playing into a first-rate run. This was our ritual. Best of all, it was a moment to express our gratitude that we were living our dream.

"Chester never forgot to express his appreciation to our crew — the men and women who traveled the world with us, making our dream into reality night after night. Without them, these shows would not have been possible.

"Chester was uniquely passionate, uncommonly generous, sensitive, optimistic, funny and kind. With his voice, he turned pain into catharsis, authenticity into art, and passion into connection. His dedication to bringing these songs to life was triumphant.

"For those of you who attended this tour in person, we thank you. For those who could not, we hope this live album gives you a glimpse into how magical these shows were for the six of us."

"One More Light Live" track listing:

01. Talking To Myself02. Burn It Down03. Battle Symphony04. New Divide05. Invisible06. Nobody Can Save Me07. One More Light08. Crawling09. Leave Out All The Rest10. Good Goodbye (feat. Stormzy)11. What I've Done12. In The End13. Sharp Edges14. Numb15. Heavy16. Bleed It Out

Bennington had been open with the press and public about his struggles with depression, drugs and alcohol, which landed him in rehab twice around 2006.

LINKIN PARK paid tribute to Bennington on October 27 with an emotional three-hour show that featured numerous guests joining the band onstage at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.

Among the artists who performed with the band throughout the show were BUSH's Gavin Rossdale, Jonathan Davis of KORN, Alanis Morissette, the instrumental members of NO DOUBT, Oli Sykes of BRING ME THE HORIZON, BLINK-182, M. Shadows and Synyster Gates of AVENGED SEVENFOLD and many more.

LINKIN PARK has yet to announce whether the band intends to continue without Bennington.

Fan-filmed video footage of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's November 9 concert at Stadium Live in Moscow, Russia can be seen below.

As previously reported, lyrics from the FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH song "Wash It All Away" were used to criticize the United States in an op-ed essay written by a top aide to Russian president Vladimir Putin. In the piece, penned by Putin adviser Vladislav Surkov for the state-run news channel RT, Surkov writes, "The line 'Done with all your hypocrisy' sounds like a prophecy, a verdict, and as the motto of a new era."

According to The Moscow Times, Surkov linked the 2016 presidential election that led to U.S. president Donald Trump's victory and an ongoing sexual harassment scandal in the U.S. with a widespread desire among Americans to "wash it all away." He quoted the song a second time, writing that a "strong hand" will lead the confused crowds from "all of the chaos and all of the lies."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Zoltan Bathory responded to news reports of his group's lyrics being used in Surkov's editorial by first noting that the band happened to be touring Russia at the time, then speaking fondly of the group's Russian fans. He added, "I can tell you, between the people there is NO hate, there is NO cold war here. So let's NOT make one."

He continued, "I grew up on this side of the Iron Curtain in communism . . . so I have ACTUAL memories of the cold war. Even back then, though we were told by the communist media that America was the 'enemy,' nobody, and I mean nobody sane, actually believed that."

Bathory, who came to the U.S. from Hungary, told The Pulse Of Radio not long ago that he's a strong proponent of the capitalist system. "I came to this country without speaking English and I didn't have anything, and here I'm sitting with you, doing this interview today," he said. "So I have the right to say, like, hey, you know, doesn't matter what circumstance you were born in, you have a shot in this system. The capitalist system will give you a fair shot."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has confirmed a December 1 release date for its greatest-hits collection, "A Decade Of Destruction", and has released one of two new tracks included on the album, a song called "Trouble".

The hits collection and an already completed new studio album are part of a deal to settle a legal dispute and close out the band's contract with its label, Prospect Park. The new studio LP will be released in spring 2018.

Kamelot recently wrapped up their final shows for the Haven album, in Russia, Greece and Israel respectively. The band has posted the following update:

"Wow, what an epic final Haven tour!! Russia, Greece and Israel have been incredible. Packed venues and great fans, what a pleasure to play in front of such amazing crowds! We will be back very soon!!

Now stay tuned Kamelot Nation because exciting times lie ahead. The new Kamelot album is on its way, will be released Spring 2018. Lots of good news are coming including new dates for the new album tour. Make sure to follow us!! North American tour has already been announced, check out our page for info.

Thanks to opening bands Kobra And The Lotus, support Sunburst, and to guest singers Kobra Paige, Polina Psycheya and Hel Pyre for being with us on this tour. You totally rocked! Big thanks to our crew as well, their work must not be forgotten!

Back to working on new album now. Rock on, see you soon!!"

Fan-filmed video from Kamelot's Moscow show on November 9th is available below. Kobra And The Lotus vocalist Kobra Paige was a special guest for these shows.

In a new interview with Rock Overdose, Kamelot mastermind Thomas Youngblood talks about their next album, the band’s creation and more.

Asked how the writing for the new album is going, Thomas responds: “Going great, slow but really good. It harkens back to th Ghost Opera days a bit with Haven elements. I am excited!”

On if he has ideas about a theme for the new album, and if it will be a concept album or not, Youngblood says: “Can’t say yet, that is a secret.”

Read the full interview at Rock Overdose.

Kamelot, Delain, and Battle Beast will tour North America in April/May 2018.

Tour dates:

April
16 - Louisville, KY - Mercury Ballroom
17 - Charlotte, NC - Filmore Underground
18 - Silver Springs, MD - The Filmore
20 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza
22 - Montreal, QC - Metropolis
23 - Toronto, ON - The Opera House
25 - Albany, NY - Upstate Concert Hall
26 - Pittsburgh, PA - Carnegie Music Hall
27 - Chicago, IL - Concord Music Hall
28 - Minneapolis, MN - The Cabooze
29 - Des Moines, IA - Wooly's

May
1 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theater
2 - Salt Lake City, UT - Complex
4 - San Jose, CA - City National Civic
5 - Anaheim, CA - Grove Anaheim
6 - Phoenix, AZ - Marquee Theater
8 - Dallas, TX - House of Blues
9 - Houston, TX - House of Blues
11 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
12 - Orlando, FL - House of Blues
13 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution

Dave Grohl (FOO FIGHTERS, NIRVANA) joined GUNS N' ROSES on stage last night (Tuesday, November 14) at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma to perform the song "Paradise City". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

After one of the first shows on GUNS N' ROSES' "Not In This Lifetime" tour in April 2016, singer Axl Rose tweeted his gratitude, crammed full of emoji and exclamation points, at Grohl, who lent the then-injured GN'R singer the throne he had used on a FOO FIGHTERS tour one year earlier.

"Not In This Lifetime" is the most popular and highest-grossing global tour of 2017, according to Pollstar.

About seventy people travel with the show in addition to the truck drivers; that number goes upwards of five hundred, including the local workers, by show date once catering, security, etc. are factored in, according to the tour's production manager, Dale "Opie" Skjerseth.

GUNS kicked off its long-rumored and long-awaited reunion tour in April 2016 with a club show in Hollywood and appearances in Las Vegas and at California's Coachella festival.

The "Not In This Lifetime" tour features classic lineup members Slash (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass) and Axl Rose (vocals) backed by guitarist Richard Fortus, drummer Fank Ferrer, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and new second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

Photo credit: Katarina Benzova

Arkaik will kick off a near month-long US tour supporting the gore metal miscreants in Exhumed tonight. The journey will commence in San Diego, California and run through December 8th in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. 

 
Arkaik will be touring in support of their Nemethia full-length, out now and streaming via Unique Leader. Their most ambitious studio album to date was produced, engineered, and mixed by Zack Ohren (Immolation, Fallujah, Suffocation, Decrepit Birth et al.) at Sharkbite Studios in Oakland, California, and features guest appearances by Joe Haley of Psycroptic, Arde Ostowari formerly of Burning The Masses, Stephen Paulson of the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, and former Arkaik guitarist Craig Peters, as well as Gabe Seeber from The Kennedy Veil and Decrepit Birth (live) performing drums for the entire album. The cover art and booklet was designed by visionary artist Tyler Space, who worked with the band on their previous release, Lucid Dawn.

Stream the album via the Bandcamp player below:

Nemethia by Arkaik

For all tour dates, head to this location.

BraveWords is premiering the new, official video for “Payback” by Black Water Rising. The video serves up dark, gritty horror with hard rock. It pays homage to the classics of the genre while adding some gruesome innovations of its own.

“Payback” comes from BWR’s new album, Electrified. Electrified promises to be more riff-heavy than BWR’s previous albums, featuring hooks and catchy choruses to pull you in, all while retaining a musical identity of its own. The album is available via Pavement Entertainment and can be found in digital and retail outlets everywhere.

Black Water Rising is a collection of soul-baring, angst-ridden, riff-heavy material proudly anchored in the foundations of traditional hard rock. Their monster guitar riffs, soaring melodic vocals, and big hooks make them the epitome of no frills riff rock. Lyrically, the band strives to shed light on the socially and politically dark times we live in. BWR aims to bring a fresh sound while keeping the hard rock scene alive.

Black Water Rising is:

Rob Traynor - Vocals/Guitar
Mike Meselsohn - Drums
Oddie Mclaughlin - Bass
Dennis Kimak - Guitar

Toto have announced a February 9th worldwide release date via Legacy Recordings for their brand new Greatest Hits package, titled 40 Trips Around The Sun.

The 17-track album features three previously unreleased recordings: "Spanish Sea", "Alone" and "Struck By Lightning" alongside newly remastered classic tracks worked on by Elliot Scheiner & Gavin Lurssen and his team. The core Toto members, Steve Lukather, David Paich, Steve Porcaro, Joseph Williams re-entered the studio earlier this year to work on this release. Fans can pre-order the album here.

While going through the Sony vaults, the band uncovered several unfinished tracks that featured both Jeff and Mike Porcaro, one of which is now "Spanish Sea".

“This track is originally from the Isolation sessions” Steve Lukather commented. “It’s one that didn't make it and we had to re-write it including creating a new chorus. Thanks to modern tech we were able to play once again with not only our 20 something selves but with our dear brothers Jeff and Mike Porcaro reminding us just how deep their groove was. Bittersweet... Many stories, laughs and a few tears on this one. It’s classic Toto with an excellent solo and I kept my old 1985 melody solo Dave wanted me to do... Old meets new but since legendary pal Al Schmitt cut the tracks and Bob Clearmountain mixed...it sounds like it was done 2 weeks ago not 30 + years ago!”

All fans who pre-order the album beginning today will receive "Alone" as an instant-grat track. You can listen to the song below.

“Alone is a brand-new song” Lukather remarked. “This one was written with just the four of us really writing together and no one else in the room with us. We wanted to start with an ‘up’ song in terms of groove for the album. The lyric is darker but we are older guys now ands have lived life. The good, bad and ugly... we have lived it all and in the end we are all alone anyway. Proud of this piece and it just sort of organically happened.”

The third new track on 40 Trips Around The Sun, "Struck By Lightning", began with David Paich. “I had the opening riff in my head for months,” Paich said. “Joe and the guys helped flesh this one out. I love the heavy arrangement and Luke’s solo on it is an all time great!”

Beginning on February 11 in Helsinki, the band will begin the first leg of their worldwide 40 Trips Around The Sun tour in support of their 40th anniversary. 36 shows in Europe have been announced to date. The tour will be the band’s most extensive run in years and is expected to hit the US later in 2018. More shows will be announced shortly.

Few ensembles in the history of recorded music have individually or collectively had a larger imprint on pop culture than the members of Toto. As individuals, the band members can be heard on an astonishing 5000 albums that together amass a sales history of a half a billion albums. Amongst these recordings, NARAS applauded the performances with more than 200 Grammy nominations. Toto has over 400 million streams on Spotify alone along while views on YouTube far exceed over a half billion.

With close to 40 years together and literally thousands of credits, including the biggest selling album of all time: Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and accolades to their names, Toto remains one of the top selling touring and recording acts in the world. They are the benchmark by which many artists base their sound and production, and they continue to transcend the standards set by the entire music community, being simply synonymous with musical credibility. Their repertoire continues to be current via high profile usage on broadcast television. They are pop culture, and are one of the few 70’s bands that have endured the changing trends and styles to a career enjoy a multi-generational worldwide fan base.

40 Trips Around The Sun tracklisting:

"Alone"
"Spanish Sea"
"I'll Supply The Love"
"I'll Be Over You"
"Stranger In Town"
"99"
"Struck By Lightning"
"Pamela"
"Afraid Of Love"
"I Won't Hold You Back"
"Jake To The Bone"
"Stop Loving You"
"Lea"
"Hold The Line"
"George Porgy"
"Rosanna"
"Africa"

"Alone":

Tour dates:

February
11 - Helsinki, Finland - Icehall
12 - Tallinn, Estonia - Nordea Concert Hall
14 - Stockholm, Sweden - Fryshuset
16 - Oslo, Norway - Spektrum
17 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Forum
19 - Hamburg, Germany - Mehr! Theater
21 - Dusseldorf, Germany - Mitsubishi-Electric Hall
22 - Munich, Germany - Olympiahalle
24 - Berlin, Germany - C-Halle
25 - Leipzig, Germany - Haus Auensee
27 - Prague, Czech Republic - Forum Karlin
28 - Krakow, Poland - Tauron Arena

March
2 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer
4 - Sofia, Bulgaria - National Palace Of Culture
5 - Skopje, Macedonia - Boris Trajkovski Sports Hall
9 - Zagreb, Croatia - Dom Sportova
10 - Milan, Italy - Mediolanum Forum
12 - Zurich, Switzerland - Hallenstadion
13 - Stuttgart, Germany - Porsche Arena
15 - Lille, France - Zenith
17 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Ziggo Dome
18 - Brussels, Belgium - Forest National
20 - Offenbach, Germany - Stadthalle
22 - Geneva, Switzerland - Arena Geneva
23 - Bologna, Italy - Unipol Arena
25 - Marseille, France - Dome
26 - Toulouse, France - Zenith
27 - Lyon, France - Halle Tony Garnier
29 - Luxembourg City, Luxembourg - Rockhal
30 - Paris, France - La Seine Musicale

April
1 - London, UK - Royal Albert Hall
2 - Manchester, UK - Bridgewater Hall
4 - Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street
5 - Dublin, Ireland - Vicar Street
7 - Belfast, Ireland - Waterfront Auditorium
8 - Glasgow, Scotland - SEC Armadillo

Tickets are available now from livenation.co.uk.

The Poodles have released their music video for "It's No Good", the second single from the upcoming album Prisma, in virtual and physical stores early 2018.

"We took on the challenge to do our version of an iconic song from a different genre", says lead singer Jakob Samuel. “Depeche Mode is such an influential band and their darker 90s stuff is really cool!” he continues.

"The choice to do a heavy rock version of 'It’s No Good' stems from the simple fact that everyone liked the song”, guitarist Henrik adds. "It is a dark, epic song about broken relationships, which is always and interesting theme to explore."

"We wanted to add an explosive element that would catch the listener’s ear and develop the hypnotic groove of the song into something more modern sounding, says Kicken, drummer of the band. “People are going to be surprised when they hear it!” he adds.

Listen to "It's No Good" here, watch the video below:

The Poodles have released seven full-length studio albums and one live album over the past ten years and had discussed the possibility of doing an album featuring songs from other artists for several years. They finally decided that it was time.

The title, Prisma, is meant to reflect the difference in perspective that the band brings to the songs on the album. The decision was made early to stay away from genres close to the band’s own, but other than that, any song could come into question for making the cut.

In collaboration with up-and-coming producer, Dino Medanhodzic at Radionica Studios, the band came up with a slate of songs that span some 40 years of music, from the 1970s up to the 2010s. The deciding factor was the quality of the song where a strong hook and a driving riff were key ingredients.

Fans of Elton John, Fleetwood Mac, Depeche Mode, Blondie, and The Swedish House Mafia are in for a treat, as The Poodles put their unique stamp on classic tracks by these and other artists.

Prisma is out in virtual and physical stores on January 26th. More album details to follow.

Mike Portnoy says that has "no desire or interest" to play with DREAM THEATER again.

Portnoy, who co-founded the legendary progressive metal outfit more than thirty years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mike Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE, STEVE VAI).

Mike has spent the last few months playing shows throughout the world with his SHATTERED FORTRESS project. He is joined by an all-star prog lineup for the tour, including Ross Jennings on vocals, Eric Gillette, Richard Henshall and Charlie Griffiths on guitar, Connor Green on bass and Diego Tejeida on keyboards. Together, they are performing DREAM THEATER's "12 Step Suite" in its entirety, as well as a a couple of other classics. "12 Step Suite" documents Portnoy's battle with alcoholism, and is an ensemble of five songs recorded by DREAM THEATER from 2002 to 2009, with titles that reflect his struggles: "The Glass Prison", "This Dying Soul", "The Root Of All Evil", "Repentance" and "The Shattered Fortress".

Asked by Australia's Triple M radio station how he feels about the fact that DREAM THEATER has been performing some of the songs from the "12 Step Suite" on its recent tours, Portnoy said (hear audio below): "Well, look, I left the band and they're free to do whatever they want. I have no control over that. It feels weird to me when I hear that they're performing some of those specific songs, 'cause they're very personal to me. 'A Change Of Seasons' I wrote for my mom, who died in a plane crash. So you don't get more personal than that. So when I hear these stories of them performing a song like that now, or performing one of my '12 Step' songs, it's just strange. But, obviously, I can't stop them and I can't expect them to do it or not do it — that's their prerogative — but, for me, it's a little strange. But it is what it is."

According to Portnoy, he is "on very good terms" with his former DREAM THEATER bandmates John Petrucci (guitar) and Jordan Rudess (keyboards). "We stay in touch and send each other nice e-mails and texts, and I've even gotten together with both of them," he said. "So, yeah, I stay in close contact with those two guys."

Pressed about whether he hopes that he could one day play with DREAM THEATER again — possibly at a one-off celebration show similar to the band's 2004 gig where they invited original vocalist Charlie Dominici and ex-keyboardist Derek Sherinian to perform with them in Los Angeles — Portnoy said: "I have no hopes of it, I have no desire or interest at this stage, and I don't think they do either.

"When we did that 15th-anniversary show [for DREAM THEATER's debut album, 'When Dream And Day Unite'], I was the one that reached out to Derek and I was the one that reached out to Charlie," he continued. "I even reached out to [former keyboardist] Kevin Moore for that. So I think I was always the sentimental one in the band that did that kind of stuff. I personally don't think there's anybody in the band these days that would extend an invite like that. I think that's just those guys' personality and my personality — that's the difference."

Portnoy, who celebrated his fiftieth birthday on Cruise To The Edge this past February, said that it was always part of his master plan to perform "12 Step Suite" in its entirety live on stage with DREAM THEATER. However, his exit from the band made that impossible.

KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch has paid tribute to Chuck Mosley, saying that the ex-FAITH NO MORE singer and his former bandmates "were a huge part" of KORN's "everyday lives" in the early 1990s.

Mosley died last week at the age of 57. He sang on FAITH NO MORE's first two albums, 1985's "We Care A Lot" and 1987's "Introduce Yourself". He was fired from the band and replaced by Mike Patton, who remains the group's singer to this day.

In an Instagram post earlier today (Monday, November 13), Welch wrote: "I remember living in a tiny apartment in Burbank, California, living with most of the guys who would later form KORN. They were in their funk rock band called L.A.P.D. I was just hanging out drinking beer trying to figure out life. They were so into the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS and FAITH NO MORE, and I wanted nothing to do with those bands. Little did I know that FAITH NO MORE would grow on me so much that it changed my whole outlook of what metal could sound like. I remember Fieldy [KORN bassist] waking the whole house up every single day singing the background vocals for the song 'We Care A Lot' by FAITH NO MORE. Every morning he would scream, 'whoa whoa uh oh!' Drove us all crazy, but looking back now, it's a funny memory. FAITH NO MORE with Chuck Mosley were a huge part of our everyday lives back then.

"Guys, we need to learn from all this. We are losing too many people to the disease of addiction. It's a plague that's sending the angel of death to wipe so many of our people out and it's got to stop!

"Please, get help with whatever you're struggling with. Initiate conversations with the Lord every day.

"Religious people make prayer out to be some holier than thou thing, but all it is, is talking to God like a friend. Face to face. Heart to heart.

"RIP Chuck Mosley, I'm so grateful that you and your family came to see us a couple months ago at our show."

After he was fired from FAITH NO MORE, Mosley sued his former bandmates over ownership rights and they eventually settled out of court. Years later, he reconciled with FAITH NO MORE, reuniting with them onstage in 2010 and making further live appearances with the group in 2015 and 2016.

Following his initial departure from FAITH NO MORE, Mosley briefly fronted BAD BRAINS and launched a series of solo projects, including the funk metal band CEMENT.

Lyrics from a FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH song have been used in an essay from a Russian presidential aide arguing that the West is suffering from "a crisis of hypocrisy."

Putin adviser Vladislav Surkov penned a cryptic column for the state-run news channel RT on Tuesday in which he quoted words from the FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH track "Wash It All Away".

"The line 'Done with all your hypocrisy' sounds like a prophecy, a verdict, and as the motto of a new era," Surkov wrote.

According to The Moscow Times, Surkov went on to link the 2016 presidential election that led to U.S. president Donald Trump's victory and an ongoing sexual harassment scandal in the U.S. with a widespread desire among Americans to "wash it all away."

He later quoted the FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH song again, writing that a strong hand will lead the confused crowds from "all of the chaos and all of the lies."

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH guitarist Zoltan Bathory responded to news reports of his group's lyrics being used in Surkov's editorial by pointing out that he and his bandmates "just happened to be in Russia at the moment. We had a fantastic show at the Stadium in Moscow yesterday," he wrote. "The energy of the crowd was incredible.

"We love our Russian fans just as much as they love us... They are at the airport when we arrive, follow us all over Europe, all the way to America, even to South America... We see their faces and we see their sewn-together half-Russian-half-American flags everywhere... We are family... Music unites.

"I can tell you, between the people there is NO hate, there is NO cold war here," he continued. "So let's NOT make one.

"I grew up on this side of the Iron Curtain in communism... so I have ACTUAL memories of the cold war. Even back then, though we were told by the communist media that America was the 'enemy,' nobody, and I mean nobody sane, actually believed that. We loved American music, American culture and the American people. We understood the difference between propaganda and reality.

"Just as I ran into some Iranian kids in the elevator as they were taking photos, they actually said, 'Please don't believe the media. They are lying to you! We don't hate America.' And they tried to explain that regular (especially younger) people don't feel that way whatsoever.

"The media needs to be responsible with their words — choosing ratings over peace is irresponsible.

"So let's tone down the hysteria and try harder with that dialogue."

According to The Moscow Times, Surkov played a leading role in shaping the current Russian political landscape during President Vladimir Putin's first two terms in office. He has also written poetry and lyrics for the rock group AGATA KRISTI.




Ha... Another one in Bloomberg.... The title reads: "How U.S.-Russia Diplomacy Went Heavy Metal - In the new Cold...

Posted by Zoltan Bathory - Official on Friday, November 10, 2017

California Christmas is anew album from former Dio guitarist Tracy G and guitarist Miachel Beatty, available as a CD and digital download. The tracklist is available below.

"Enter The King"
"MCHNY"
"Thankful Christmas"
"We Three Kings"
"A Christmas Prayer"
"California Christmas"
"Merry Christmas Dear"
"California Lullaby"
"Joy To The World"

Purchase the album via Tracy G's online shop here.

After a successful Latin America tour, Helloween has just started their European Tour in Switzerland and Germany. The band has uploaded a new behind the scenes video, complete with English subtitles, dubbed "The Hype Is Real And Party Is On!"

Helloween have announced North American dates for their Pumpkins United World Tour.

Says the band: “Indeed, the North American Helloween fans had to be very patient. Reading about Pumpkins United’s touring schedule and sold out shows in Latin America, Europe & Asia, but yet any shows in the upper half of the American continent... but your constant demands were heard! We proudly announce the Pumpkins United shows in the USA & Canada!”

Tickets at this location.

North American dates:

September
7 - Las Vegas, NV - House Of Blues
8 - Los Angeles, CA - The Palladium
10 - Chicago, IL - Concord Music Hall
12 - Montreal, QC - Metropolis
14 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
15 - New York City, NY - Irving Plaza

Current dates are listed below:

November
14 - O2 Academy Brixton - London, United Kingdom
15 - Zénith Paris La Villette - Paris, France
18 - Medionlanum Forum - Milan, Italy
20 - 013 - Tilburg, Netherlands
24 - Ruhr Congress - Bochum, Germany
25 - Tipsport Aréna - Prague, Czech Republic
26 - Aegon-arena - Bratislava, Slovakia
28 - Hala Koło - Warsaw, Poland
30 - Black Box - Helsinki, Finland (Sold Out)

December
2 - Partille Arena - Partille, Sweden
4 - Tempodrom - Berlin, Germany
9 - Wiznik Center - Madrid, Spain
14 - Arena Armeec Sofia - Sofia, Bulgaria
15 - Romexpo - Bucharest, Romania

March
18 - Zepp - Sapporo, Japan
21 - Zepp Bayside - Osaka, Japan
23 - Zepp - Tokyo, Japan
24 - Zepp - Tokyo, Japan
25 - Zepp - Nagoya, Japan

Helloween’s “Pumpkins United” track is available via Helloween.org as a free download. Watch a lyric video below:

Pre-order the 10" vinyl single (to be released on December 8th) here.

During an interview on November 5 at 92Y in New York City, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich spoke about how important achieving independence by owning all of the band's master recordings — including both music and long-form videos — has been in having a long and successful career.

"[METALLICA's longtime managers, Q Prime founders] Cliff [Burnstein] and Peter [Mensch] were smart enough to anticipate that the primary carrot at the of that journey for the first 20 years or whatever was the masters," he said. "The masters. The recording tapes. The records. So if you can get ownership of your own records… And I know that sounds a little odd. People go, 'Well, who owned them before?' Well, guess who owned them. The record companies owned them. The record companies, basically… they gave you money to make a record, then they own the records, and then they own them, sort of, in perpetuity. So Peter and Cliff said, 'Let's gun for getting our masters back.' And at that time, there was really nobody that had that — maybe [Bruce] Springsteen, Prince, one or two other artists at that level. But that was what we went for. So lo and behold, we ended up getting our masters back. So when METALLICA became our own record company five, seven years ago, all of a sudden our whole business model changed, because now we have to sort of run all of this ourselves."

He continued: "So we have our setup in Northern California and have a lot more people in Northern California than we used to and a lot of people to manage there and have some great people that all live under the umbrella of what we call HQ, and that's our record company and our touring entity and some management stuff there, and our managers, Q Prime, are here in New York and have a big office, and then we have people in L.A. and stuff."

Back in 2012, METALLICA regained control of its entire back catalog and launched its own label called Blackened Recordings. They have since been using this imprint to launch a massive reissue campaign.

"From a business point of view, it fits in with the way everything else does, which is the word 'autonomy,'" Lars explained during the 92Y interview. "I mean, we try to be free, we try to be autonomous, we try to make decisions not based on anything other than what's right for METALLICA and for how we see our own path. And it's a combination of… half the time you feel like you're sort of steering it, and the other half the time you feel like you're just hanging on as it's kind of steering itself."

Ulrich, who has lived in the San Francisco Bay Area — the technology hub of the United States — for more than three decades, added: "The one thing that you hear a lot from a lot of these tech people… People sit there and go, 'Well, you know, the guys at Apple must know what iPhone 25 looks like, because they certainly look that far ahead.' I can tell you from knowing some of these people, they don't know what iPhone 11 looks like, okay? Because everything in that world is that you have to be ready for what the other guy's gonna do or that's gonna come and ambush you, so you have to be ready to change your business model at any time. And any of those people in that world will tell you that that's the primary M.O., really.

"And so what we try to do in our little world is try to… Nobody really knows… The demise of the music business has come and gone and now it's kind of the Wild West. So whenever you make a record, you have to be prepared to just move in whatever ways feels right at that very moment, because six months from now or 12 months from now, the business may look diffferent. So you always have to be ready to just hang on as the beast is steering itself through some of these different dynamics."

The European leg of METALLICA's "WorldWired" tour kicked off in Copenhagen, Denmark on September 2 and ran through November 3. After a break, the trek will pick up again on February 1, 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal, and continue through May, finishing up in Helsinki, Finland.

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame band is touring in support of its tenth studio album, "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", which came out in November 2016.

Geezer Butler says that he has been "enjoying the retirement," nine months after BLACK SABBATH finished "The End" tour on in the band's hometown of Birmingham, England, closing out the quartet's groundbreaking 49-year career.

"I'm not in a hurry to do anything," the bassist told Billboard. "I'm traveling a lot, seeing the places (the band) only stayed for one night and going back and spending some time there. We've recently moved house this year and I'm going to be building my home studio, but it's taken me ages. Next year I'll see if I can get back into music."

A founding member of BLACK SABBATH, Butler is also the lyricist of such SABBATH classics as "War Pigs", "Iron Man", "Paranoid" and others.

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

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

On November 17, a documentary focusing on SABBATH's last-ever concert, "The End", will be made available in home video and audio packages, featuring footage of the entire historic show.

"The End" will be released as DVD/CD and Blu-ray/CDs set, a double-CD collection, a three-LP 180-gram vinyl package and a limited collector's edition.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, SMASHING PUMPKINS mainman Billy Corgan defended NICKELBACK and its chief songwriter, frontman Chad Kroeger, in a new interview with the "Joe Rogan Experience". After Rogan took a shot at the Canadian rockers, like so many people tend to do, Corgan responded: "I don't know enough about their world, but I don't think there's anything wrong if that's who you want to be. Pop, to me, is predicated on satisfying. I've said many times, pop is porn. It's porn, they want to get you off. It's just how they're going to get you off. I'm not that concerned with getting you off. I'm just not. It's just not in my DNA. I was never that guy."

Corgan also called Kroeger "an incredible songwriter."

Kroeger told The Pulse Of Radio not long ago that keeping NICKELBACK's fans happy is more important to the band than anything else. "We don't feel pressure from the label or management or anything like that," he said. "We set the bar pretty high, you know, for ourselves and our fans because they're always in the forefront of our mind when we're creating new stuff, and we love giving our fans what they want. It's tough because picking out a Nickelback fan's tricky, you know, 'cause they're all over the map and they all like something different. So trying to keep all of them happy, it's a challenge."

Corgan himself is doing the promotional rounds for his new solo album, "Ogilala", and has hinted at a reunion of the original SMASHING PUMPKINS taking place in 2018.

NICKELBACK will return to Las Vegas for the first time in seven years next February, when the band launches a five-night run at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The engagement will be NICKELBACK's only North American dates of 2018.

The quartet released its ninth studio album, "Feed The Machine", this past summer and recently completed a 45-city North American tour.

According to TMZ, former FAITH NO MORE singer Chuck Mosley is suspected to have died of a heroin overdose after syringes were found next to his body.

Mosley's body was found last Thursday (November 9) by a friend and his longtime partner, Pip Logan, in their Cleveland home. Logan told the police she last saw Chuck earlier that day around 11 a.m. She and the friend returned just before 8 p.m. to find Mosley's lifeless body on the living room floor.

Cleveland police say they found two syringes, a baggie and a spoon with residue by Chuck's body.

The singer's family issued a statement saying that Mosley "lost his life… due to the disease of addiction."

An official toxicology report could take weeks.

Mosley sang on FAITH NO MORE's first two albums, 1985's "We Care A Lot" and 1987's "Introduce Yourself". He was fired from the band and replaced by Mike Patton, who remains the group's singer to this day.

After he was fired from FAITH NO MORE, Mosley sued his former bandmates over ownership rights and they eventually settled out of court. Years later, he reconciled with FAITH NO MORE, reuniting with them onstage in 2010 and making further live appearances with the group in 2015 and 2016.

Following his initial departure from FAITH NO MORE, Mosley briefly fronted BAD BRAINS and launched a series of solo projects, including the funk metal band CEMENT.

FAITH NO MORE issued a statement in which the bandmembers described Mosley as "a reckless and caterwauling force of energy who delivered with conviction and helped set us on a track of uniqueness and originality that would not have developed the way it had had he not been a part."

NICKELBACK's music video for the song "The Betrayal (Act III)" can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's ninth album, "Feed The Machine", which was released in June via BMG.

NICKELBACK leader Chad Kroeger told Music Choice about "Feed The Machine": "This album is definitely heavier, as a whole, than a lot of our previous records. We've gone back to some pretty crunchy roots, and we're happy about that. I mean, we're always stretching off in different directions and trying different things, but we definitely went with more of an aggressive sound on this record."

Kroeger called "The Betrayal (Act III)" "probably one of the hardest and heaviest songs we've ever put out… It is quite heavy; there's a lot of screaming that goes on in that chorus," he said. "I think we've all tasted a little betrayal in our days and it is not a flavor that I think any of us liked to swallow."

As previously reported, NICKELBACK will return to Sin City in February 2018 for an impressive five-night run at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. MONSTER TRUCK will open all five shows. The limited run is made even more special with the announcement that these shows will be NICKELBACK's only North American dates scheduled in 2018.

The Las Vegas shows are scheduled for February 23, 24, 27 and March 2 and 3, 2018.

Following its Vegas run, NICKELBACK will embark on the international leg of the "Feed The Machine" tour throughout the remainder of 2018.