Video footage of GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna performing his solo song "Don't Comfort Me" at the studios of the Worcester/Boston, Massachusetts radio station WAAF can be seen below. The track is taken from Erna's second solo album, "Hometown Life", which was released on September 30 via BMG.

Erna told the WRIF radio station about "Hometown Life": "As people knew that, or learned that [my first solo album, 2010's] 'Avalon' was quite the departure from what I do in GODSMACK, this is pretty much another departure from what I did with 'Avalon'. This one's a lot… It's not as earthy and tribal as 'Avalon' was; it's a little bit cleaner production — kind of…. if I was to describe it, maybe more of a masculine Adele style. But there's a lot of different genres on here too; there's little hits of country or blues and jazz or contemporary, like some rock vibes at times. There's just a little bit of everything, and I love that about this record. I love that I didn't have to get handcuffed to one genre of music."

Regarding the differences between writing for GODSMACK and his solo project, Sully said: "I just write. I constantly write. If I'm home, I'm either writing on an acoustic or on my piano, and I can immediately identify if this melody or this riff or this kind of arrangement is gonna be better for GODSMACK or just better for my own thing on the side. So I separate them instantly and I make little folders and just kind of revisit them when it's either time to write for GODSMACK or write for the solo stuff."

Asked what his daughter thinks of his new album, Sully said: "I played her some stuff when I was putting it together and starting to mix some of the rough forms of it, and and she likes it a lot; she thought it was cool. She liked 'Your Own Drum' and she liked 'Different Kind Of Tears' a lot. And it's funny, because those songs are kind of inspired by her and her age group in general — just hoping that they'll be leaders and not followers and let 'em run to the beat of their own drum and things like that. So it was interesting that those are the ones that kind of singled out. But she likes my music. She's certainly into a lot of different styles of music, and she's got a very wide variety of stuff she listens to for as young as she is. So, yeah, she has great taste in music, but she listens to everything. As you see them grow, and as a parent, you're looking at their life through the eyes of a child. And there's just things that are really interesting, and they're getting to that stage now as teenagers where they're very challenging years; she's starting high school and you can easily go down the right path of the wrong path. So it's been a very interesting couple of years for me so far watching this whole teenage age develop."

For "Hometown Life", Sully worked with the same musicians from "Avalon" with the exception of percussionist Niall Gregory. On two of the songs — "Different Kind Of Tears" and "Your Own Drum" — Sully collaborated with Nashville-based tunesmith Zac Malloy, who has also written for Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw, Jake Owen, SKILLET and Daughtry.

On November 21, Josh Rundquist (a.k.a. That Drummer Guy) conducted an interview with drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, THE WINERY DOGS, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, METAL ALLEGIANCE). You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.

Asked about his decision to leave DREAM THEATER in 2010 while he was on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD, Portnoy said: "I needed to do what I did because I couldn't have lived with myself wondering, 'Well, what if?' I didn't wanna wonder what could have happened because I was too scared to take that leap of faith. So I had to [do it]. And believe me, everyone was shocked and hurt, but nobody was more hurt than me. That was the hardest thing I'd ever done, but it was 25 years of blood, sweat and tears, 24-7, I lived and breathed every moment of my 25 years for that band and the fans. So it wasn't like I jumped ship after five weeks; it was 25 years — three times the length of THE BEATLES' or LED ZEPPELIN's careers. So there was plenty of time there, and there will always be a legacy of what I created in DREAM THEATER that will be there forever for the fans to like. But I needed to explore other things in my life in order to be happy and fulfilled."

He continued: "I always follow my heart. To me, I'm not gonna follow my wallet or even follow my mind. My mind probably would have said, 'Well, the rational thing is to ride this out into the sunset the rest of your life and be financially set and have your audience. And you can play the same venues the rest of your life.' You know, that's the safer way. But I needed to follow my heart. And it's not just that move six years ago. Every decision I make, I'm following my heart. I follow with what's gonna make me happy — not just that decision, but every decision I make is based on that. If you're not gonna be happy, then it's not worth doing anything."

Portnoy revealed a few years ago that he tried to rejoin DREAM THEATER, only to be rebuffed. He explained the move in a 2015 interview by saying: "I was doing whatever it would take to keep peace and keep things going smooth. And at that point, they were just only speaking through their lawyer. But it's a 25-year relationship coming to an end, so, obviously, it goes very, very deep, not only personally and emotionally, but also legally, and all the red tape that's involved with something like that. So it was a tough time, a tough period, and, luckily, we all got through it. But, yeah, I don't wish that kind of stuff on anybody in a band. It's tough."

Portnoy's replacement in DREAM THEATER is Mike Mangini, who has previously played with ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME and Steve Vai.

Ireland's Overdrive recently conducted an interview with former GUNS N' ROSES and current SIXX:A.M. guitarist DJ Ashba. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

Overdrive: Looking back over the past few years with your commitment to GUNS N' ROSES and Nikki's [Sixx] with MÖTLEY CRÜE, it must have been very stressful to commit to SIXX:A.M. amidst the demands of touring and promo stuff, to mention your own personal life. Did it feel like a tremendous weight had been lifted off your shoulders when you finally departed from GUNS N' ROSES?

Ashba: It really does feel like a humongous weight has been lifted off my shoulders, for sure. That was as huge responsibility for me being in GUNS N' ROSES, and, to be honest, I didn't really know just how big that weight was going to be. I learned a lot from my time with GN'R and am very grateful for it all. I experienced something for six whole years that money can't buy and I was able to take away a huge amount of self-growth and an insight into the workings of a huge band like that. I didn't for one moment, anticipate that along with such a great gig, was going to be so much criticism, as well as a lot of praising and a lot of everything! The whole experience really made me grow thick skin real quick [laughs] and be aware of my surroundings. Looking back on that whole experience, I took away so much, to which I apply to my everyday life, as well as my role in SIXX:A.M. I feel that it's overall made me a better business person and I'm very grateful for it.

Overdrive: In keeping with GUNS N' ROSES, have you seen any of the "reunited" live shows recently?

Ashba: No, I have not. I would love to see that show. I could not be happy for them that Slash and Duff [McKagan] are back with Axl [Rose]. I would actually love to see the whole original lineup back on stage together and that's the fanboy in me talking. [Laughs] But as the band they are now, I guess we'll take what we can get for now. I'm extremely happy about the fact that those guys have sorted out their differences and can give the fans a chance to witness that chemistry that we all know so well from the early days.

Overdrive: If you got the call to jump back into GUNS N' ROSES, or even to fill in for Izzy [Stradlin] for a couple of shows, would you do it?

Ashba: To be honest, I think they are doing great without me, and really, I don't see myself going back to GUNS N' ROSES ever again. Those days are over for me. I'm having a blast doing what I'm doing with SIXX:A.M. and couldn't be happier with the way things have panned out for me. My heart is totally committed to all things SIXX:A.M. right now and I'm very excited about the prospect of touring and writing more music with Nikki and James [Michael].

You can read the entire interview at Overdrive.

An arrest has been made in connection with the death of former 3 DOORS DOWN guitarist Matt Roberts, who overdosed on prescription drugs three months ago.

According to Fox 6 News, Alabama physician Dr. Richard Snellgrove was indicted on November 16 for allegedly providing drugs to the 38-year-old musician.

The site adds Snellgrove allegedly prescribed five different drugs — including methadone, hydrocodone, loraxepam and fentanyl — with different names, all intended for Roberts.

"There's no satisfaction in seeing a doctor arrested," Matt's father, Darrell Roberts, said. "I don't have any bitterness, no anger, nothing like that towards the doctor, but I'm also aware this is a serious issue in the medical community all over the United States."

Matt Roberts was found dead on August 20 at a hotel in West Bend, Wisconsin, where he was scheduled to perform at a charity event for veterans.

West Bend police say the cause of death was determined to be a prescription drug-related overdose.

A founding member of 3 DOORS DOWN, Matt left the band in 2012 to concentrate on his health after experiencing circulation problems that were exacerbated by the group's heavy touring schedule. He was replaced by Chet Roberts (no relation).

Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal of Metal Assault recently conducted an interview with guitarist John Petrucci of progressive metal masters DREAM THEATER. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Metal Assault: Before you announced this tour, it was made clear that it was going to be "The Astonishing" tour and you'd play this whole album. It's not like you were hiding anything from fans that expected the older material. Considering that, what's the response been like from the audiences on the first leg?

Petrucci: "Yeah, in the beginning we tried to be as clear as we possibly could. This show is kind of like what PINK FLOYD did with 'The Wall', where we're only presenting this show. So, from beginning to end, once it's done, it's done. There are no encores, no other songs. The response was really great. We started in Europe, then we did the U.S., and it was amazing. Coming back through now and going to some of the places that we didn't go to in the spring, now in the fall, like down south and in Texas and things like that, we're definitely getting people who are repeat viewers who saw it the first time around and were kind of begging us to play some older stuff as well, just for the fun of the experience. We actually agreed and started doing that the other night in Canada City. So, for the remainder of the shows that we have until December 5th, we actually broke our protocol and we now do an encore with a few older catalog DREAM THEATER songs. It's a fun added element to close out the tour, because this is the last of 'The Astonishing' run that we're going to be doing, for now."

Metal Assault: With this kind of an album and a show, as you said earlier, you've been playing venues that do broadway musicals and things like that. Do you think there would ever be a possibility of you doing that kind of adaption for this album?

Petrucci: "Oh yeah, there have been many levels of this whole project from the very beginning. I imagined it first as a DREAM THEATER show, and then of course as a DREAM THEATER album, but beyond that, there's a video game that is in development, there's a novel that is in development. And one of the other things is that, yes, it would fit perfectly, I think, adapted as a musical, in the same way that THE WHO did that successfully with 'Tommy', and GREEN DAY more recently with 'American Idiot' on Broadway. So yeah, that would be amazing. It's a whole different world from the rock and metal scene, so it's a different group of people to have to make those relationships with, but that's something that we're pursuing and I would love to see that. I think it would be totally awesome."

Metal Assault: Writing music for a concept album like this with such a story and all these different characters and emotions, I'm sure it allows you to express yourself more as a musician, as compared to a typical album that you would otherwise right. Would you agree with that?

Petrucci: "You know, I think they're all musically expressive. It's always an 'anything goes' attitude that DREAM THEATER has when we write, but I guess this one may be expanded that a little more because we were going outside of ourselves and trying to picture what these different characters might be thinking and where the story was taking place. Of course it's all fictional, so we were kind of creating these different worlds. So, it did expand our mind creatively. But I would say that emotionally, musically and spiritually, it's always been something that's a part of all our albums. Even when we go in to write the next one, we'll have just as open-minded of a spirit. Whether it's more straight-ahead, more traditional DREAM THEATER, heavier, or whatever it turns out to be, it'll still be a reflection of who we are as musicians, as creative people, and it'll always come from that genuine place, which I think is really, really important. People pick up on that and appreciate it."

Read the entire interview at Metal Assault.

Kyle McGinn of Dead Rhetoric recently conducted an interview with LEAVES' EYES frontman Alexander Krull and new frontwoman Elina Siirala. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

Dead Rhetoric: In terms of [original LEAVES' EYES singer] Liv's [Kristine] departure, was it unfortunate that it ended up in this big Internet mess?

Alexander: "That was not the plan at all. We made a statement together with the band, with Liv and Elina, presenting her as the new vocalist in the band. Then it turned out that suddenly rumors were spread — the statement was attacked by our former vocalist as well, which was very disappointing for us. It was not a decision made from one day to another, or planned behind anyone's back. Not at all. It [the statement] was coming up as a process, as things happened. After our personal separation [between Krull and Kristine, who are married and have a son, Leon], everything was solved. The personal side was solved, and the band side was solved — actually in a peaceful way. But then, it happened that someone else popped up, in the personal life of Liv, and was affecting the band. Her therapist was affecting her side of life, and also the band. We were really surprised with what was said to us: no more tours, no more interviews. We were, like, 'What's going on now?" It was not very nice to see what was happening. Speaking for myself, and not for Tosso [LEAVES' EYES guitarist Thorsten Bauer], we supported her ever since she started her career. I was there when the label signed her, I was always on her side — as manager, producer, and songwriter. Then you see this — I'm a little bit surprised at how fast it can go, as someone goes there and manipulates, and does stuff like that. On the other side, we were really, really lucky to find someone like Elina in that situation. We had the band meeting — Liv had told us that a tour like this would be her suicide, or whatever. There was no way that we could continue [with her]. We had to cancel everything or we had to find someone else, who could fill this huge role. Not just to fill in the big shoes of Liv Kristine, but someone who is their own character — charisma, strength, a great singer… also looking great [laughs] — the whole package. She had to be suited for the band. Because it is a band — not a solo project. It was never 'a project of the ATROCITY guys with Liv Kristine.' In the beginning we had that going on, and we had to tell everyone that it was a full band. We had other band members coming and going — it's obviously a very important role, and we had to find someone who could not only fill her shoes, but also be refreshing and give us new possibilities in the music. It's all about the music. It's about the philosophy behind the lyrics, and the concept of the band. Not the gossip that's going on about 'Alex replacing his former wife with a new chick' — bullshit like that. That was not at all happening — even Liv wanted to be part of looking for a new singer — it was not about private stuff. But we said, no, we will continue the band ourselves, so of course, it's up to us who we want to work with in the future. It just so happened that we found Elina, and for both sides, I think it was very lucky. Also, it was a matter of time — we had to decide whether we would cancel Indonesia, European festivals/tours, and this [North American] tour as well… or we might have the opportunity to go on."

Dead Rhetoric: So Elina, what do you feel that you bring to the band?

Elina: "I think, first of all, like Alex said, I don't see myself as replacing Liv, because that's not possible. I think we are very different — as characters, as singers, and as performers. I think, hopefully, I bring something new, in terms of vocals — our styles are different. Maybe performance-wise — the voice is always going to dictate what you do with the music, so I think the future songs are going to show this more. We are still performing the old repertoire at the moment. I can just be myself, I'm not trying to copy anyone but just do everything as myself and hope people like it."

Dead Rhetoric: With the controversy that was stirred up, was there a sense that people didn't quite grasp the size of the role that you [Alex] played in the band, or your involvement with the lyrical concepts/production/etc?

Alexander: "We are always involved in the music and the lyrical concepts so we want to keep going with that, of course. I just think, when you are in the music business for a long time, and you see in other bands too, that people work more in the background that you think. It's not like it's one person doing everything [laughs]. I understand — if I think back, I remember there was a band called IRON MAIDEN. Suddenly they had a new singer, and I was a die-hard band back then. This guy was called Bruce Dickinson, and I was like, 'Who is this? It's the SAMSON singer. Okay…does it work?' Then 'The Number Of The Beast' came out… I don't have to say anything about that, right? [Laughs] It's a good example, I think. On the other side, I still love 'Killers' the most! So I understand if people stick to whatever their favorite album is, because music is often connected to private life. Maybe you met your first love and you found LEAVES' EYES, or you had a bad time and the music helped you, or you were just in a certain phase of your life and you were really into the band and you have great memories. That will always be there. But for the future, maybe the best thing is still to come."

Read the entire interview at Dead Rhetoric.

Former LEAVES' EYES singer Liv Kristine has given her first interview since parting ways with the group earlier in the year.

Kristine and the remaining members of LEAVES' EYES have offered different accounts of the circumstances behind their split, with LEAVES' EYES claiming the decision to part ways was amicably made in January and Liv saying she was dismissed from the group three months later. Her former bandmates then attempted to back up their claims by posting the the minutes of a band meeting that was held in early April in which they revealed that Liv had gotten engaged to her therapist after her marriage to LEAVES' EYES' co-vocalist Alex Krull broke down.

Speaking to Spain's Empire Zone online magazine, Kristine stated about her former bandmates' decision to publicize private details of her personal life: "I really disliked that. What's the meaning of this? First of all, I found it utterly unprofessional to post a band protocol I had never seen. It was neither signed by me, nor does it tell the whole truth. What the hell is going on? This is the property of the band, not of the rest of the world. Yes, it really hurt."

She continued: "I never thought any of my ex-band members would find it reasonable and cool to talk about my son and my private situation in interviews, and then post the bullshit on all LEAVES' EYES' pages. This doesn't make the situation for the band and their new singer any better. To me, it was a shock. I wonder what's the point in attacking me privately?

"The most important thing is the safety of my son. That's why it upset me so much.

"I have stayed away from press for months now. This is my first interview after the breakup on both personal and professional level early this year.

"LEAVES' EYES should concentrate on their career and be professional instead of being destructive.

"I just had to stop caring. The best way is to ignore the negative, to accept the past and concentrate on the positive.

"I love LEAVES' EYES music, what we once had together. However, I will be moving on for sure and I am not taking negative influences from anybody. This is also what I can say to any singer being a replacement for somebody who was there first."

Kristine also talked about how she has dealt with all the negativity that came out of her split with LEAVES' EYES and her determination to move forward.

"I am so glad and relieved that my life has gained new daily life structure and there's a brand new positive feeling towards my own situation," she said. "I can't deny it — times have been utterly complicated and tough. What a year! I have been busy finding a new home, having temporary different jobs to settle financially after I had to leave LEAVES' EYES. Moreover, it has been of vital importance for me to find my own way and accept what happened in the past.

"Life is a never-ending learning process. Experience is everything, next to a loving heart.

"I have tried to define 'love' and 'passion' through experience and I am so grateful for this new chance.

"In my opinion and own experience, you are alive when you feel real and honest love.

"I am living much more in this very moment with my son and all the wonderful, special people around me. I also would like to thank my fans for being a constant, steady strength and platform for me."

LEAVES' EYES guitarist Thorsten "Tosso" Bauer defended the band's decision to go public with the details of the band's split with Kristine, telling Russia's Rock Cor: "When Liv and Alex split up personally early January, Liv wanted to leave the band right away. But Alex convinced her to stay with the band and they both made a very good agreement with each other for their private life and business. So the band situation seemed to be solved at that point of time. But since February her new fiancé/therapist tried to interfere in a lot of band matters. He talked very bad about LEAVES' EYES and that shows, tours and interviews shouldn't happen without him anymore. Her fiancé/therapist even told Liv to step aside from the band. In March, things went far beyond after Liv moved to her engaged therapist and it became very clear to everybody in the band that we will go separate ways in the future. Liv also wanted to be involved in picking the new singer for LEAVES' EYES. We told her that we want to decide ourselves who will be our new singer in the band. So there has nothing been happening behind anybody's back.

"Beginning of April, we had a band meeting to talk about how things go on. In the meeting, we decided together to go separate ways immediately. Liv told us she is not able to fulfill her touring commitments with the band anymore for personal reasons. Moreover, Liv's lawyer wrote in a letter to Alex that a further cooperation including the live shows with the band is not possible for Liv anymore. So Liv was relieved not having to play any future shows with LEAVES' EYES. As a result of the meeting, we also set up a press statement together with Liv, to inform the fans and media. To the surprise of everybody, this first press statement we set up together was attacked soon after by several additional posts and statements from Liv. Suddenly other people and 'trolls' started to spread nasty rumors and lies on the Internet. That was the reason for the confusion and anger in April."

LEAVES' EYES' new singer is Elina Siirala, a Finnish vocalist who lives in London, England.

The band's latest EP, "Fires In The North", was released in Europe on October 7 and was made available in the U.S. on November 4 via AFM Records. The title track is a brand new song, featured in a regular and an acoustic version. In addition, the EP includes three songs from the band's latest album, "King Of Kings", in new versions, featuring Siirala. The cover artwork was created by Stefan Heilemann.

Guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt and guitarist Fredrik Åkesson of Swedish progressive metallers OPETH recently spoke to Guitar World magazine about the band's twelfth album, "Sorceress", which was released at the end of September.

"It's got a little bit of everything," Åkerfeldt said of the album's musical direction. "There are some progressive moments, some jazz moments, some acoustic things. And even though it's not a death-metal record, it's still got some really heavy moments in there as well."

As for whether or not fans will see those heavy moments as being heavy enough? Åkerfeldt laughed and said, "At this point, I think we could probably write the heaviest song we've ever written, and unless I scream on it, people would still complain."

Asked if he believes there will be complaints with "Sorceress", Åkerfeldt said: "Oh, yeah! Of course! And that's fine. I mean, I can understand it. But it also kind of makes me a little bit sad that some OPETH fans don't think it sounds like OPETH if we take away the screams. At least that's what I hear the most. Like, 'When are you gonna scream again?' That seems to be the biggest problem with people when it comes to the heaviness of OPETH. I don't think it has so much to do with the music."

"It's a delicate thing for a lot of people, apparently," added Åkesson. "But I don't spend a lot of time on the Internet reading comments and stuff anyway. What matters to me is when we walk onstage and I see the people that look happy. That's what's most important. Because there's always gonna be the internet trolls hanging around." He laughed. "Although sometimes it's kind of funny to read the comments. Some people are quite creative!"

"It's like I said about people being afraid of change," Åkerfeldt concluded. "In music, if you get used to a certain sound in a band and you like that sound, you don't really want it to be different. I mean, there are shitloads of bands that haven't changed in 40 years. And, to me, it seems like those bands have a bunch of records, and the ones that people listen to are fucking old. Anything they do that's more recent, nobody really wants to hear it. Even if it's the same sound. So you can't win, really. I mean, if we would have never changed, and kept all the ingredients from the first album intact and were still doing that 20-odd years later, I'm not sure if people would be any happier. But that's not even an issue, because that's not gonna happen. Because the essence of OPETH isn't death-metal vocals. The essence of OPETH is change."

For the band's first effort for Nuclear Blast via OPETH's imprint label Moderbolaget Records, the group returned to Rockfield Studios in Wales, also home to pivotal releases from QUEEN, RUSH and JUDAS PRIEST, where the Swedes had tracked "Pale Communion" in 2014 with Tom Dalgety.

FOREIGNER turns 40 in 2017! To get the celebration started early, the band — Mick Jones (lead guitar), Kelly Hansen (lead vocals), Jeff Pilson (bass, vocals), Tom Gimbel (rhythm guitar, sax, vocals), Michael Bluestein (keyboards), Bruce Watson (guitar) and Chris Frazier (drums) — has some exciting plans for their fans during the remainder of 2016. On Record Store Day's Black Friday event on November 25 — the same month the band entered Atlantic Records studio to record their first album in 1976 — FOREIGNER will release a 10-inch vinyl EP, "The Flame Still Burns" via Rhino Records. The highly collectible EP features a brand new recording of the title track, a song Mick Jones wrote for the film "Still Crazy". "The Flame Still Burns" was performed by a fictional band in the film and went on to win the prestigious Ivor Novello Award for songwriting. However, this electric version has never been officially recorded by FOREIGNER until now. The EP also contains a live version of "Juke Box Hero" and the original 1977 recordings of "Feels Like The First Time" and "Long, Long Way From Home".

A new video for "The Flame Still Burns" can be seen below. FOREIGNER has been universally hailed as one of the world's most popular rock acts with 10 multi-platinum albums and 16 Top 30 hits that continue to propel sold-out tours and album sales, now exceeding 75 million. Also on October 26, they embarked on a brand new journey into the literary world with "A Foreigner's Tale", Mick Jones' first-ever official biography that will be made available in various formats, including a limited edition. Produced in conjunction with Rocket 88 Books, "A Foreigner's Tale" tells the story of FOREIGNER in the words of founder, guitarist and producer Mick Jones and is sumptuously illustrated throughout. It will only be sold via ForeignerBook.com where fans can register their interest in the book and be sure of getting a copy when it is published in 2017. Registration is not a commitment to buy, but will ensure fans get the information on the book first, a pre-order discount and the chance to have their name printed in the book. "The Flame Still Burns" EP track listing: 01. The Flame Still Burns02. Feels Like The First Time03. Long, Long Way From Home04. Juke Box Hero (live)

Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON have finished recording the follow-up to 2014's "Once More 'Round The Sun". Once again, MASTODON worked with famed producer Brendan O'Brien, who first collaborated with the band on their 2009 groundbreaking concept album "Crack The Skye".

MASTODON recorded the new disc in Atlanta before moving to Los Angeles for the mixing stage. An early 2017 release is expected.

MASTODON bassist and vocalist Troy Sanders tells Metal Hammer: "We've got it in the bag. We're just putting a timeline together of when and where. So that's all coming together now. So 2017's going to be an incredibly busy and fruitful year in the world of MASTODON MASTODON. I'm fortunate to be able to say that. I'm very excited for what the New Year will bring."

Regarding the musical direction of MASTODON's next album, guitarist Bill Kelliher told GuitarMania: "It's a little bit of the same as the last album, but I think it goes even deeper in certain areas — a couple of more psychedelic parts, a little more technical parts. There are a couple of new places we haven't gone before. So it's just kind of a continuation of the last record to me, but even deeper."

"Once More 'Round The Sun" sold around 34,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on June 24, 2014 via Reprise Records.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, A PERFECT CIRCLE guitarist Billy Howerdel revealed at a live interview with singer Maynard James Keenan on Monday night (November 21) in Los Angeles that A PERFECT CIRCLE will tour next year and has been working on new songs. Keenan concurred, adding that the band will also perform at the Hollywood Bowl on May 7, 2017. Howerdel was moderating the discussion with Keenan, who is doing a book tour in support of his new memoir, "A Perfect Union Of Contrary Things".

A PERFECT CIRCLE has been largely inactive on the recording front for more than a decade, with only a new song titled "By And Down" surfacing on a hits collection in 2013.

The band did some touring from 2010 through 2013, but has not played live since.

In a 2013 interview, Howerdel said about the possibility of a new studio album: "I've got 75 percent of the foundation of [the next] A PERFECT CIRCLE record ready to go. I think that all will change once Maynard gets involved and he has more time to focus on it."

Howerdel launched a band called ASHES DIVIDE after A PERFECT CIRCLE went on hiatus, while Keenan got his PUSCIFER project up and running and has devoted the most time to that over the past few years. TOOL has also been working on music for a new album but that effort is not likely to surface anytime soon, if ever.

Los Angeles glam-metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER partnered with VRLIVE, a virtual reality broadcast network, to offer fans a 360-degree virtual reality live stream of their concert from The Roxy Theatre in Los Angeles on Tuesday, November 22. You can now watch the performance below. STEEL PANTHER's new album, "Lower The Bar", will go on sale February 24, 2017. For the fans that can't hold back their PANTHER urges, pre-orders are now available at the band's web site, iTunes, and Amazon with deluxe bundle packages now exclusively available at SteelPantherRocks.com.

"Lower The Bar" is STEEL PANTHER's fourth studio album and is the follow-up to their 2014 chart-topper "All You Can Eat", which debuted at #1 on Billboard's Top Current Comedy chart and #24 on their Top 200 Album chart.

To celebrate this historic moment in rock n' roll history and as a thank you their "fanthers," the band has released "She's Tight", the music video for the new album's first single. "She's Tight" is STEEL PANTHER's "sexified" version of the CHEAP TRICK song and promises the skin that was left out of the 1982 hit. Cameos in the video include CHEAP TRICK's Robin Zander, Bobbie Brown, Paris Michael Jackson (the late singer's daughter) and Tony Palermo (PAPA ROACH).

"CHEAP TRICK was one of my favorite bands when I was younger. I'm so proud to have recorded this track for our new album and also to have Robin Zander himself sing with me on the song. It's like a dream come true," said Starr.

For the uninitiated, STEEL PANTHER was formed in 2000 and is Michael Starr (lead singer), Satchel (guitarist), Lexxi Foxx (bass) and Stix Zadinia (drums). Hailing from Los Angeles, the epicenter for rock n' roll in all its debauchery and glamour, STEEL PANTHER has established themselves as the world's premier party band, melding hard rock virtuosity with parody and criminally good looks. STEEL PANTHER have three full-length albums, toured across the world, enjoy platinum-level YouTube status and have, to their name, high-profile television appearances such as "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", "Larry King Now" and "FOX NFL Sunday".

Professionally filmed video footage of SYMPHONY X's entire August 14 performance at this year's edition of the Bloodstock Open Air festival, which was held at Catton Hall in Walton-on-Trent, England, can be seen below.

SYMPHONY X's ninth studio album, "Underworld", was released in July 2015 via Nuclear Blast Records.

"This new one is about the song, really crafting each one on its own, to be as strong as it could be," said SYMPHONY X guitarist Michael Romeo, chief writer in the band, and proprietor of The Dungeon, the tricked-out studio in which the album was crafted, newly equipped with the latest in technology required to execute the band’s famous symphonic and orchestrated touches.

"Musically, 'Underworld' has things reminiscent of the bands previous albums but this one definitely has its own individuality," he continued. "Every element added was in service of the song, so the album flows and becomes a total listening experience from start to finish. Every song is to the point and fine-tuned, with us paying a lot of attention to the hooks, voices, riffs, and keeping the interest and the energy high for the entire record. It is heavy and aggressive as fuck when it needs to be, yet soaring and emotional at other times. I think the balance is just right. It had to have all the elements of what we normally would do, just tweaked up a notch and really fine-tuned."

Michael added: "You know, industry people have talked about how we'll never see a complete album again, and that idea. I wanted to defend the reputation of the album, and really try to make 'Underworld' worth listening to as a whole record. It's what I love about great individual songs, but still an album experience.

"I don't want to sound like I'm preaching, but it was a point we wanted to make. It was about the progression of the whole record. It speeds up here and then it dips down here. It all makes sense together, it all works together and it all flows together."

Although "Underworld" is not a concept album, Michael said, "Like the last couple of records, there's a theme that carries through, without it being storytelling.

"We try to find something to key in on and get the juices flowing, and here the goal was to find something a little dark but with emotional content. I started looking at Dante, and Orpheus in the underworld, where he's going to go to Hades or hell to save this girl. So there's the theme of going to hell and back for something or someone you care about."

Heavily inspired by the Italian poet Dante Alighieri, "Underworld" draws on the themes from "Divine Comedy" most notably the part on "Inferno". As homage to Dante's use of the number 3 and its multiples, the band utilized this motif in its music either in a lyrical or melodic context. The first song on the album is a three-syllable, three-note melodic phrase, and in the verses there are three references to three songs on the bands third album, "The Divine Wings Of Tragedy". "There's cool shit like this all over the record," Romeo reported.

For the "Underworld" cover art, SYMPHONY X went with their established illustrator Warren Flanagan (Watchmen", "The Incredible Hulk", "2012") who similarly tapped into the "secret knowledge" vibe Michael and band embedded in the record.

"Warren went with the masks, similar to the first record," explained Romeo. "But when I discussed with him Dante and the underworld, he did his own research and designed a little symbol for each of the nine circles of hell. So there are these little geometric symbols that mean something. That's just what he does. He gets in there and finds these things that maybe no one really besides us knows what it means and yet it has meaning."

The sold out KISS Kruise VI set sail out of Miami to Cozumel and Grand Cayman on November 4th and ran until November 9th. Fan-filmed video of the band performing "Mainline" and "All The Way" can be viewed below:

CBR.com is reporting that decades after KISS last appeared within the pages of a Marvel comic, previously unseen pencil art featuring the group has surfaced, rendered by none other than veteran fan-favorite artist Neal Adams. The 1979 piece was drawn by Adams as part of an intended sequel to Marvel’s second but ultimately final full-length comic featuring the band, and is the first (and so far, only) known drawing by the legendary artist of the likewise-legendary rock ‘n roll group.

Gene Simmons who is also a longtime devoted comics and Neal Adams fan issued the following statement to CBR.com:

"Neal Adams' art, was on a level most of the other guys could only dream of. From Magnus Robot Fighter, to Green Arrow and the X-Men. Now, a newly discovered, and previously unknown (to me) great piece of art by Neal Adams depicting KISS."

Go to this location for the complete report.

Italian atmospheric rock/metal group Devotion have released an official video for "Scent Of A Story," a track from Pavement Music release Words And Crystals.

Words And Crystals was released digitally through Pavement Music on February 26th. The album is available from Amazon, iTunes, and other online retailers. 

Born in late 2005 from the underground scene of Vicenza Italy, Devotion immediately started to write songs and play gigs in the European scene. Over the course of the next 10 years they released various albums independently that lead them to opening slots on European tours with Deftones, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Meshuggah, along with EE National TV coverage, such as All Music and Rock TV. In the same period they had also been selected to contribute to the soundtrack for the All Points Bulletin video game (Realtime Worlds/EA Games).

Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn has written a new folk song, entitled “Bastards”. Check out a rehearsal video below.

“Bastards” lyrics:

Yesterday I told my sons "sometimes the bad guys win"
And that it made me scared about the world that we live in
But I had to reassure them that it wouldn’t be for long
Sons we have to be ourselves
We have to be strong

I said “sons you are the future, so let this be a lesson”
There may come a day you have to fight off their aggression
Cause fear and hatred won today, the darkness ate the light
But both you look in my eyes, “it’ll be all right”

In every step you take,
I'm with you all the way,
Cause I would die for you
And do what’s right for you
In hopes that when I’m gone
You’ll carry on these words I wrote for you

Til then…
I’ll sing

Stand your ground
Don’t let the bastards grind you down
Be bold, be strange
Don’t let their fears make you afraid
There’s hope, they’ll change

Today I looked out to the world, thought "what a bloody mess!”
They stripped our morals from us, put 'em under house arrest
"Liberty" and "country" are the words they need to speak
A little “god” a little “freedom”, if we don’t agree we're weak

And every politician stood there idle and so smug
Empowering the racists and 2nd Amendment thugs
Wall St and the billionaires, thinking they’re so smart
Saying “vote with your wallets, instead of with your hearts!”

But we wont go away!
You won’t forget our name!
The p***y generation, the PC and the brave
The protesters that slink along the streets of misery

And so…
I’ll sing

Stand your ground
Don’t let the bastards grind you down
Be bold, be strange
Don’t let their fears make you afraid
There’s hope, they’ll change

No, no, no, no, no

So give us all your fa***ts, all your ni***rs and your s***ks
Give us all your mu***ms, the so-called ter****sts
We welcome them with open arms, put ‘em in our mix
We’re better off together, embrace our difference

Remember there is love!
Our words can stop their guns
Forget the rednecks
Living in the past
Were never going back now, we've reached critical mass

And so…
I’ll sing

Stand my ground
Won’t let the bastards grind me down
I’m bold, I’m strange
Won’t let their fears make me afraid
There’s hope, they’ll change

There's a big difference between video game-inspired metal and actual "video game metal". Machinae Supremacy proves that difference, owning the title with an 8-bit power metal onslaught that sounds like it could have been the symphonic soundtrack to your favorite ‘80s Nintendo game. Hailing from Sweden, Machinae Supremacy have quickly risen up the ranks over the course of the last decade, amassing a global fanbase. Their webography, a free music catalog on their website, has racked up over 10 million downloads and counting, to date.
 
After releasing several independent albums and following with five albums released through international metal label Spinefarm Records, Machinae Supremacy have taken matters back into their own hands with the upcoming release of their new album, Into The Night World, hitting stores on December 16th via their own Hubnester Records, in collaboration with Swedish music company BD Pop. Preorders will be available via iTunes soon.

Vocalist Robert Stjärnström states, "Going back to being independent has truly sparked our creativity and energized us in the most amazing way. Into The Night World is in some ways more simplistic than our last album, but somehow it manages to be both more playful and more sophisticated. There is still a story, but all of that is encapsulated in pure, straight-forward songs, each with its own separate, parallel meaning and purpose."

Tracklisting:

“My Dragons Will Decimate”
“Into The Night World”
“Twe27ySeven”
“Remember Me”
“Space Boat”
“Stars Had To Die So That You Could Live”
“Beast Engine”
“Dream Sequence”
“Sid Metal Legacy”
“The Last March Of The Undead”

“My Dragons Will Decimate”:

Following the release of their album, Machinae Supremacy will embark on their very first U.S. tour. Beginning at MAGFest in Washington, DC on January 7th, the band will be joined by Urizen and Danimal Cannon for several dates hitting eastern and central portions of the country through January 21st. Psychostick and Knight Of The Round will join select dates. 

Confirmed dates:

January
7 – Washington, DC – MAGFest*
9 – Brooklyn, NY – Saint Vitus Bar*
10 – Pittsburgh, PA – Cattivo*
11 – Warren, MI – The Ritz*
12 – Crest Hill, IL – Bada Brew* (with Psychostick)
13 – Valparaiso, IN – Big Shots* (with Psychostick)
14 – Dayton, OH – Rockstar Pro Arena* 
16 – Clarksville, TN – The Warehouse
17 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
18 – Jefferson, LA – Southport Hall
19 – Houston, TX – BFE Rock Club
20 – Austin, TX – Grizzly Hall
21 – Dallas, TX – Trees

*with Knight Of The Round

Machinae Supremacy has kept busy outside of the average cycle album and touring. The band have performed songs from Final Fantasy soundtrack catalog alongside the Royal Philharmonic in Stockholm, appeared in an official Ice Hockey World Championship TV commercial, and produced the original soundtrack to the video game Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams together with video music legend Chris Hülsbeck.

David T. Chastain and Leather Leone performed live together for the first time in over 25 years on October 8th at Bogart's in Cincinnati, Ohio. This special performance was shot on video along with the CJSS Last Show On Planet Earth 2 concert. 

(Photos by: Greg Thomas)

David says, "We are posting these videos so the fans around the world who couldn't make the show will have access to them for free and before they get bootlegged. We made sure to include Chastain favorites such as ‘Ruler Of The Wasteland’, ‘Angel Of Mercy’, and ‘For Those Who Dare’ as well as CJSS fan favorites ‘World Gone Mad’ and ‘Metal Forever’. This was just a four camera video shoot and the audio is basically a direct off the soundboard mix. Due to a scheduling conflict we were only able to rehearse with Leather one night before the show so there are a few mistakes here and there. However all things considered it is a good portrayal of the show. We just felt it was important to document this event."

“Ruler Of The Wasteland”:

“Angel Of Mercy”:

“Black Knight”:

Look for continued updates on Facebook.

Los Angeles, CA-based heavy metal band Lightning Strikes recently signed a worldwide deal with Pure Legend Records, a division of Pure Steel Records, for the release of their forthcoming eponymous debut album. A video for "Death Valley" featuring former Black Sabbath vocalist Tony Martin is streaming below.

“All can say is that we are excited to be part of the Pure Legend Records roster worldwide,” states founder / drummer, Karpis Maksudian. “We can’t wait to get this album out to all the metal heads who appreciate classic heavy metal.”

For their debut, Lightning Strikes enlisted a trio of guest players, keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Kiss), as well as Tony Martin (Black Sabbath) and Japanese visual kei star Noah (Avanchick) on lead vocals.

Lightning Strikes was mixed by Roy Z (Judas Priest, Bruce Dickinson, Helloween) and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (Halford, Yngwie Malmsteen, Anvil).

Tracklisting:

“Victim”
“Can’t Cross The Rainbow”
“301 A.D. (Sins Of Our Father”
“Fear”
“Death Valley”
“Bermuda Triangle”
“Doki No Sakura”
“Kamikazi”
“Stay With Me”
“Our Lady”
“We Don’t Rock Alone”

“Death Valley” featuring Tony Martin:

Line-up
Nando Fernandes (Hangar) – vocals
Rob Math (Leatherwolf, Player) – guitars
Cat Tate (Snew, Red Again) – bass
Karpis Maksudian – drums

German groove/death metal band, Inquiring Blood, are streaming the track “Hell Commander”, from their upcoming sophomore album, Morbid Creation, due for release on December 16th via Kernkraftritter Records (distributed by Alive). Listen to the new song below.

Tracklisting:

“Japanese Knife Assassin”
“Hell Commander”
“Death Row”
“Three Feet To Carnage”
“Death And Decay”
“Voices”
“Suffocation”
“Horsekiller”
“The Swarm”
“Stabbed By Mirror Shards”
“Nuclear Massacre”
“Faceless”

“Hell Commander”:

Bristol, UK based rockers, The Vigil, have released their new single, “All You've Done, with a new video directed by legendary photographer Steve Gullick (streaming below). The track is taken from the bands forthcoming album, Save Our Souls, out this Friday, November 25th.

Save Our Souls was produced by Nigel Pulsford from the band Bush. “All You've Done” is typical of the huge sound of The Vigil, with classic riffs and pounding drums, the band are writing songs that will sound just as great in ten years time as they do today.

Save Our Souls tracklisting:

“All You've Done”
“Black Arrow”
“Nothing Sacred”
“Do You Feel Alive”
“Hell To Pay”
“Liar's Chair”
“Find A Way”
“No One Wins”
“Absinthium”
“Feeding Time”
“Know What You Are”
“Turn The Tide”

“All You've Done” video:

In the run up to the release of Save Our Souls, The Vigil will be supporting Yashin on their final London date, November 25th at The Garage in London, England.

The Vigil has its roots going back to the late '90's when as kids Dom Mehigan (Bass) and Olly Smith (Guitar/ Vocals) would jam around each other's garages choosing to focus on original songs rather than the Britpop of the day or covers. With a sound more in tune with their influences of Nirvana, Everclear, Smashing Pumpkins, and digging deep into the US underground with acts such as 7 Year Bitch and '80's punk rock like the Dead Kennedys and Fugazi. The Vigil enlisted Jamie Davenport on drums and Robbie Schuck on the six string, and the line up was complete.

Having performed together under various names and guises, The Vigil moved to Bristol, integrating into that scene and supported some impressive bands, such as their early heroes Everclear, Therapy?, The Datsuns and Puddle Of Mud. Following a great reaction from the crowds, they knew they had to make an album. They began looking for a producer and realised lead guitar was an important element to the overall sound they wanted to achieve. On learning that Nigel Pulsford from the multi platinum selling British rock band Bush had moved to nearby Bath, they got in touch.

To the bands delight Nigel was interested in working with them as their producer, as well as offering to play lead guitar on the album. "Nigel is by far my favourite lead player from the '90's alt rock explosion with such an interesting approach and texture that isn't your standard rock guitar licks" says vocalist  Olly. "Making the album was a really exciting time, some days we would have Royal Blood in the next room over and The Pixies were in the studio after us we knew we were in the right place. The album is the out pouring of our entire musical journey from when we were kids to the present day, the struggle, the moments of triumph and most of all, the expression of a sound that we've longed for in other bands that we have tried our best to deliver. We are very happy with how it has turned out and it will hopefully allow us to build on the sound and make another album."

With their debut album ready to be released through their own Fever Dog Records, and their new video directed by legendary rock photographer Steve Gullick, plus album artwork created by esteemed concert poster artist Jackknife, The Vigil are ready hit your stereo.

The Vigil are:

Olly Smith: Guitar & Vocals
Dom Mehigan: Bass
Robbie Schuck: Lead Guitar
Jamie Davenport: Drums

Figueres, Spain-based thrash metal band, Violblast, will release their Conflict album this Friday, November 25th, via Suspieria Records. A full album video preview can be found below.

Thrash metal full of rage, speed and technique, an album that will be an absolute shock for the fans of this style. This video preview shows what this work is made of and it will take Violblast to a higher level.

Tracklisting:

“Deep Into Darkness”
“Conflict”
“Wielders Of Fear”
“Sings Of A Murder”
“Invisible Death”
“Reprisal”
“Paths Of Aggression”
“Bearing Witness”
“Individuality”

Preview:

Australia’s Boris The Blade will release their second album, Warpath, via Siege Music on January 27th. A video for the album’s title track can be seen below.

Having just completed a homeland tour supporting deathcore heavyweights Suicide Silence, the band are preparing to take on the world with this international release plus US and European tours which are soon to be announced.

Named after an arms dealing gangster, Melbourne’s Boris The Blade have earned a worldwide reputation of Australia’s most heavy act.

The release of their debut EP Tides of Damnation in 2011 on RTD Records / Siege Of Amida marked the beginning of the band's rapid ascent to the top tier of the Australian brutal music scene. The EP debuted at #1 on the iTunes metal chart followed by a series of national tours including Parkway Drive, all within the band’s first six months of existence.

The success of the EP was followed up with further extensive touring with Obey The Brave, All Shall Perish, Thy Art Is Murder and Bleeding Through on their final Australian tour.

2014 saw Boris The Blade sign with Siege of Amida / Century Media for the worldwide release of their debut LP The Human Hive. This was followed by 2016 EP Tides of Damnation released via Century Media.

2017 will see Boris The Blade release their new album Warpath via Siege Music. More details to follow.

Ripple Music has announced the worldwide signing of UK stoner/doom rockers Poseidon to their ever growing roster of top-notch heavy bands.

Having gestated for almost a year in the guts of East London, Poseidon rise to the fore. With their seeds rooted firmly in the dense sounds of 70's rock andd metal, and having spawned from bands including the now defunct Light Bearer, the band bring together a sound that celebrates the vastness of the sonic landscape. From a rage of aggressive riffs, barked vocals and elemental drums to swimming rhythms and earthy melodies, Poseidon invoke the catastrophic nature which occupy both ends of their musical spectrum and dive head first into the abyss of the melancholic.

Raza Khan on signing to Ripple: “A chance to sign to a label of this realm and reputation, doesn't come everyday. Poseidon are honoured and humbled to become part of the Ripple family, alongside such luminaries as Wo Fat, Mos Generator and Mothership. We couldn’t imagine better people to work with than Todd and Pope, and we cant wait to unleash the first Poseidon release next year!”

Poseidon bring a whole new dynamic to their heavy rock, with pulverizing heavy riffs, moments of stark, barren beauty, and mixture of Neurosis-ish drone and nuclear test site volume. Poseidon are currently writing their debut studio album, set for a 2017 release.​

Having already stormed major festivals such as DesertFest London, Bloodstock Open Air, and Hard Rock Hell, and having shared the stage with the likes of Mastodon, Orange Goblin and Electric Citizen, Poseidon aims to take their critical success to new heights on their upcoming debut for Ripple Music. 2017 will surely see Poseidon back on the road again, and at the forefront of the heavy rock and metal world.

Stay tuned for more news coming soon.

Poseidon is:

Raza khan - drums
Matt Norris - guitar
Matthew Bunkell - bass/vocals
Jamie Starke - guitar

French heavy metal pioneers, Nightmare, will release their new album, Dead Sun, this Friday, November 25th, via AFM Records. An official teaser video can be found below.

The album has been arranged in France by the band’s long time friend and producer Patrick Liotard together with Joost Van Den Broek (The Gentle Storm, Epica), produced and mixed by Joost Van Den Broek at Sandlane Studios in The Netherlands, and recorded at Noise Factory Studio in Belgium with Gerald Jans behind the desk.

Cover artwork for Dead Sun was created by Julien Spreutels (Epysode).

Tracklisting:

“Infected”
“Of Sleepless Mind”
“Tangled in the Roots”
“Red Marble & Gold”
“Ikarus”
“Indifference”
“Dead Sun”
“Seeds of Agony”
“Inner Sanctum”
“Serpentine”
“Starry Skies Gone Black”

Teaser:

“Serpentine” video:

“Ikarus” video:

"Woohoo, UK, it's fair to say that we all delivered. You and us. Big time," says The Dead Daisies. "This is rock 'n' roll: packed houses, loud singing and a lot of energy going back and forth. Awesome! Here's the crazy first week in fast forward for you to enjoy... see ya tonight in Norwich, stage time 9:45pm. Make sure to say hi at the signing."

Catch The Dead Daisies live on tour:

November
22 - Waterfront - Norwich, United Kingdom
23 - Electric Ballroom - London, United Kingdom
25 - Tivoli - Utrecht, Netherlands
26 - Biebob - Vosselaar, Belgium
28 - Z7 - Pratteln, Switzerland
29 - Magazzini Generali - Milan, Italy
30 - Backstage Halle - Munich, Germany - SOLD OUT

December
2 - Planet Rockstock - Trecco Bay, United Kingdom - SOLD OUT
3 - Knust - Hamburg, Germany - SOLD OUT
4 - Paradiso Nord - Amsterdam, Netherlands
5 - Matrix - Bochum, Germany
7 - Colos-Saal - Aschaffenburg, Germany - SOLD OUT
8 - Le Trabendo - Paris, France
10 - Sala Caracol - Madrid, Spain
11 - LA2 Apolo - Barcelona, Spain
13 - Omega Live - Toulon, France
14 - Transbordeur - Lyon, France
16 - New Age - Treviso, Italy
17 - Container - Grottammare, Italy
19 - Szene - Wien, Austria
20 - Bluesiana - Velden, Austria

Trans-Siberian Orchestra kicked off their 2016 Winter Tour at the Covelli Centre, Youngstown, OH. Fan-filmed video of the entire show is available at this location. Some clips from the set are available below.

The video below takes you behind the scenes with the production crew building the lavish TSO set and the musicians rehearsing before hitting the stage.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra recently announced the release of The Ghosts of Christmas Eve as an audio package. In addition to the tracks already familiar to and loved by TSO fans from the 2001 multi-platinum DVD and long running PBS fundraiser of the same name, this new album version contains a special bonus track, “Music Box Blues (Daryl Pediford Tribute New York 2004).” Additionally, to more closely mirror the tale as presented on tour, The Ghosts of Christmas Eve also contains “Christmas Dreams” and “What Child Is This” from The Lost Christmas Eve.

The enchanting rock opera follows the journey of a young runaway who breaks into an abandoned vaudeville theater seeking shelter from the cold on December 24th. Once inside, the teen is discovered by the theater’s caretaker who uses the ghosts and spirits from the building’s past to turn her life around.

The Ghosts of Christmas Eve, which will be released on CD and as a digital audio album via Atlantic Records/Rhino Entertainment on October 21st, plus on vinyl in November to coincide with TSO’s 2016 Winter Tour.

The Ghosts of Christmas Eve 2016 Winter Tour is set to hit 61 cities across North America beginning on November 17 and concluding, after 105 shows, with special New Year’s Eve performances in Seattle and Cleveland (click here for a full itinerary).  Debuted last year to rave critical and fan reviews, the rock opera features such enduring fan-favorites as "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24”, "O’ Come All Ye Faithful”, "Good King Joy”, "Christmas Canon”, "Music Box Blues”, "Promises To Keep”, and "This Christmas Day”. 2016’s tour will see an all new second set containing some of TSO’s greatest hits and fan-pleasers. TSO is pleased to announce that each concert ticket purchased online will include a digital audio copy of The Ghosts of Christmas Eve with the bonus track: “Music Box Blues (Daryl Pediford Tribute New York 2004)”.

TSO’s record-setting “rock theater” tours sell out venues year after year and have solidified the group’s tours as must-attend, multi-generational, holiday traditions. Since 1996, TSO has cemented itself as one of the world’s biggest rock acts, by playing approximately 2,000 shows for nearly 13 million fans, with tour grosses of more than $580 million, and selling in excess of 10 million albums and DVDs. In 2009, Billboard magazine placed TSO at No. 25 on its “Top Touring Artists of the Decade.”

2015 was another landmark year for TSO, with their hit tour and the release of the chart-topping new album, Letters from the Labyrinth (TSO’s third Top 10 album debut in a row, it spent six weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Rock Chart). 2015’s tour hit 60 cities across North America and played to more than 850,000 people while grossing more than $41 million in just 45 days.

As in all previous years, $1 to $2 of every ticket sold benefits select local charities. To date, in excess of $13 million has been distributed to worthy charities all across North America.

The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve tracklisting:
“O’ Come All Ye Faithful/ O Holy Night” (Instrumental)
“Good King Joy”
“Christmas Dreams”
“Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” (Instrumental)
“Christmas Canon”
“What Child Is This?”
“Music Box Blues”
“Promises To Keep”
“This Christmas Day”
"Music Box Blues Live (Daryl Pediford Tribute New York 2004)” - Bonus Track

For more information on TSO’s Winter Tour, visit this location.

QUEEN drummer Roger Taylor says it is "quite possible" that the band will record new music with "American Idol" finalist Adam Lambert.

Lambert, Taylor and guitarist Brian May first shared the stage during "American Idol" in May 2009 for a performance of "We Are The Champions". They teamed up again in 2011 at the MTV European Music Awards in Belfast, Ireland for an electrifying eight-minute finale of "The Show Must Go On", "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" and in the summer of 2012, Lambert performed a series of shows with QUEEN across Europe as well as dates in Russia, Ukraine and Poland. They have since completed several tours and performed at some of the biggest festivals in the world.

Speaking to Planet Rock, Taylor said about QUEEN's plans to release more music (see video below): "If we do anything in the future, I'd like it to be something new. I don't know how new it would sound, but I think if Brian could come up with a song or two which we felt, sort of, fitted, you know."

Asked if there is a chance that QUEEN could release new material, Taylor said: "It's quite possible. We're really enjoying… We've just come back from the Far East — well, a month ago now — which was phenomenal. It's great to know that there's still a demand, and we do love playing with Adam Lambert, who is an incredible singer and a lovely man."

May previously described Lambert as the only singer the band had found capable of filling the shoes of iconic frontman Freddie Mercury, who died in 1991 of complications from to AIDS. "Adam is the first person we've encountered who can do all the QUEEN catalogue without blinking," said May. "He is a gift from God." Taylor echoed the guitarist's sentiments, adding: "[Adam's] incredibly musical, and we certainly take anything he says quite seriously."

Lambert, for his part, downplayed the Mercury comparisons, saying: "There's never going to be another, and I'm not replacing him. That's not what I'm doing. I'm trying to keep the memory alive, and remind people how amazing he was, without imitating him. I'm trying to share with the audience how much he inspired me."

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and PROPHETS OF RAGE bassist Tim Commerford recently gave an interview to TeamRock in which he offered up his reaction to the stunning news that Donald Trump won the 2016 U.S. presidential election over Hillary Clinton.

"I'm still digesting it," he said. "I'm still gripped on the television screen, and I haven't even put it all into perspective yet. I'm as shocked as most people in this country are. I've been talking to my sons today, and it's scary times — it's mind-boggling how many people voted for him, and just how fucked up the whole system is. It's messed up and it's sad.

"I hear so many people right now, like, 'Oh, you know, he's going to change the country,' and blah blah blah, and all this bullshit. But the fact of the matter is the reason people voted for him is the 18% decrease in taxes. That's it, that's what it's all about — it's all about money. People want more money, and that's the reason why things like this happen. That's why it went down this way, and that's why we have a very scary situation here. I was saying this when they were running — and I've heard other people say it too — that he's like Adolf Hitler. He is Adolf Hitler. He's fucking Adolf Hitler. And He. Is. Scary. All of us should be really scared, and all of us should be prepared for the worst."

He continued: "Another facet of his election is racism. We had an African American President, and there's a lot of racist folks in America who were pissed about that. So, they went out and voted for the white guy. They're not going to vote for the woman, and they don't care about Latinos; they're racist. So, we have a money-driven, racist, white, fucking world that we live in, that puts money-driven, white, racist Presidents in office. That's the way it is. It's racism — it's white people. I believe that white people were the reason why Trump was elected President, because white people didn't want an African American, or a woman. It was white people who put him in office.

"I fear for immigrants. I fear for Muslims. I fear for my children. The scary thing is, when you have children you tell them ‘Hey, look, don't be a bully. Don't say fucked up things about women, don't be a racist, don't do these things'. And here we have a person who's doing these things that our children get to see. And you just hope 'Oh, he's going to get rejected at the polls', and that's going to drive that point home to my children that you just can't be like that — but then that guy gets elected. And it makes it super hard to explain that to your children, and then your children go on, and become adults, and they have a different philosophy engrained in them. So that's really my biggest fear — what this is going to do to the mentality of future adults."

Trump shocked the political establishment and the world by becoming the 45th president in one of the biggest upsets in U.S. political history. He won with 289 electoral votes compared to 218 for Hillary Clinton. 270 were needed to win.

While many rock artists had been against Trump, artists like STAIND's Aaron Lewis, Kid Rock and FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's Zoltan Bathory had thrown their support behind the real estate magnate, who has no previous governing experience.

On November 9, former DEATH/MASSACRE and current OBITUARY bassist Terry Butler gave an interview to Mammoth Metal TV in which he offered up his reaction to the stunning news that Donald Trump won the 2016 U.S. presidential election over Hillary Clinton. Asked for his opinion of the president-elect, Butler said (see video below): "Well, you know, I kind of like it the way… I mean, I know he says things… He says things like a guy in a bar would say. I'm on the road a lot and I hear this kind of talk all the time backstage. He says stupid things. Hillary's actually done stupid things that actually hurt and has killed people. And with Hillary, you're gonna get four more years of Obama, and I don't want that."

He continued: "I understand everyone's concerns about Trump, you know… building a wall [along the Mexico-U.S. border]. But hey, what's wrong with protecting your borders? In this day and age, there's people that wanna kill you and everything about you. If you don't believe in their religion, or you don't look the way they do, or do what they want you to do, they're just gonna kill you. We see it all the time, you know — Paris, the Bataclan, Brussels airport… I can name hundreds of incidents. What's wrong with protecting your borders? I don't have a problem with that at all. So… we'll see. It's gonna be interesting, definitely. [Laughs]"

Butler added: "I mean, [Trump] gave a good speech, and hopefully the Democrats work with him. 'Cause we're all Americans. Let's work together, and whatever, and not be divided, you know. We'll see."

Trump shocked the political establishment and the world by becoming the 45th president in one of the biggest upsets in U.S. political history. He won with 289 electoral votes compared to 218 for Hillary Clinton. 270 were needed to win. Clinton, however, is handily winning the popular vote, despite losing the overall election.

While many rock artists had been against Trump, artists like STAIND's Aaron Lewis, Kid Rock and FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's Zoltan Bathory had thrown their support behind the real estate magnate, who has no previous governing experience.