Swedish pop metal outfit Amaranthe kicked off their European tour on October 25th in Hamburg, Germany, and November 1st they played an exclusive acoustic show in Frankfurt, Germany at Nachtleben (acoustic). It was the only acoustic gig scheduled for the tour. Fan-filmed video is available below.

Remaining dates on the tour are as follows:

November
6 - Marseille, France - Le Moulin Club
8 - Bilbao, Spain - Santana 27    
9 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 
10 - Madrid, Spain - Arena
12 - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
13 - Graz, Austria - Explosiv
14 - Prague, Czech Republic - Meet Factory
15 - Budapest, Hungary - Barba Negra
16 - München, Germany - Backstage 
17 - Milano, Italy - Milan Live Club
19 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Majestic Music Club
20 - Vienna, Austria - Simm City

Amaranthe's new album, Maximalism, is a hyper-modern, metallic beast. It's the band's fourth record since first joining forces back in 2008; produced once again by Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Epica, Delain) and mastered by Svante Forsback (Rammstein, Apocalyptica, Dragonforce), it sees the Swedish/Danish sextet delivering 12 new tracks that fully live up to the "bigger, bolder" promise of the title. Maximalism is the follow-up to 2014's breakthrough Massive Addictive.

Refusing to be pinned down by genre or convention, Amaranthe have consistently pursued the less-travelled path, blending different sounds and styles to create a signature hybrid approach. Maximalism sees their collective wide-angle vision laid out with greater skill and conviction than ever before.

From the locomotive power of "Faster" and "Fury" through to the more measured drama of "Limitless" and "Endlessly”, (a solo tour-de-force for singer Elize Ryd), this is Amaranthe ramping up both the energy and the emotion, and generally pushing everything To The Max…

"Maximalism is our manifesto to the world," said lead guitarist Olof Morck. "We are genuinely thrilled with the new material, definitely our most diverse collection to date; our trademark 'bleeding edge' modern metal remains intact, of course, but fused with an even broader range of genres than before. There's everything here including stadium rock, innovative pop and danceable super-hits. Expect these tunes to enter your mind on a permanent basis!"

Maximalism tracklisting:

“Maximize”
“Boomerang”
“That Song”
“21”
“On The Rocks”
“Limitless”
“Fury”
“Faster”
“Break Down And Cry”
“Supersonic”
“Fireball”
“Endlessly”

Stephen Pearcy was rejoined by his former RATT bandmate Juan Croucier for several songs during the singer's October 30 performance at the Rock N Skull festival at The Tree Of Joliet in Joliet, Illinois. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

As previously reported, three members of RATT's classic lineup —Pearcy, Croucier and guitarist Warren DeMartini — performed as the "surprise band" on October 1 on the Monsters Of Rock Cruise West, also known as Monsterwood. Joining them on stage at the event were former QUIET RIOT guitarist Carlos Cavazo, who played on RATT's last studio album, 2010's "Infestation", and drummer Jimmy DeGrasso, who previously played with Y&T, WHITE LION and MEGADETH, among others.

The as-yet-unnamed band notably doesn't feature drummer Bobby Blotzer has been touring the U.S. for the last year with his own version of RATT, featuring a rotating cast of musicians, including vocalist Josh Alan (ex-SIN CITY SINNERS).

DeMartini filed a lawsuit against Blotzer last year, claiming that the drummer was falsely advertising his "tribute band" as the real thing. That dispute is still pending in California state court.

Blotzer and DeMartini are the only remaining shareholders in WBS, Inc., the company which manages the business and operations related to RATT.

Speculation about Pearcy, Croucier and DeMartini forming their own version of RATT to rival Blotzer's gained traction in August after they were photographed hanging out together at a Los Angeles birthday party. Bobby later dismissed the idea, telling Trunk in an interview: "Well, it's absurd. It ain't gonna happen. Warren can't do that. If Warren was to join up in that thing, he would be in competition with his own band and corporation — RATT, WBS… RATT. He would be kicked out on his rear end so quick… They'd have to call it something else; they couldn't call it anything but something else."

Three months ago, Pearcy told Canadian rock journalist Mitch Lafon that he was still friends with DeMartini and Croucier, adding that "Warren and I actually got together and wrote a song a while back, which is phenomenal… Who knows what will happen soon enough? We're just waiting for some dust to settle. I really can't say anything right now, but if the public has any positive message, it's being heard."

@Juan_Croucier pic.twitter.com/APChidkJAL

— STEPHEN PEARCY (@StephenEPearcy) November 1, 2016

STAIND frontman Aaron Lewis performed "That Ain't Country", the lead single from his new solo album "Sinner", on the November 2 episode of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert". You can watch video footage of his appearance below.

"Sinner" was released on September 16 via Dot Records. Produced by country legend Buddy Cannon (George Strait, Merle Haggard, George Jones), and recorded over 16 intense hours at Nashville's Blackbird Studios, the effort captures Lewis's mindset, a laid back soundtrack that is reminiscent of the genre's most honest and musically adventurous artists.

"I'd like to think that 'Sinner' is a newer take on classic, traditional outlaw country, Waylon and Merle and Willie, and Hank Jr. and Johnny Cash and all that stuff," says Lewis. "That was the music I heard a kid, and that's the country music that permeated my soul and stuck with me my whole life."

On "That Ain't Country", Lewis laments the current state of "country, if you call it that," and pines for the sound of his honky-tonk heroes. The Bocephus-styled musicality and Lewis's accessible vocals showcase the "pain, heartache and desperation," a bedrock of traditional country that is often missing from the airwaves today.

"Sinner" track listing:

01. Sinner (featuring Willie Nelson)02. That Ain't Country03. Whiskey And You04. Northern Redneck05. Mama06. Sunday Every Saturday Night07. Lost And Lonely08. Story Of My Life09. Stuck In These Shoes10. I Lost It All11. Travelin' Soldier

Drummer Steven Adler rejoined GUNS N' ROSES on stage again Saturday night (November 5) at River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina to perform one song: "My Michelle". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below. The previous night (Friday, November 4), Adler played "Out Ta Get Me" with the group at the same venue.

During the U.S. leg of GN'R's "Not In This Lifetime" tour, Adler played "Out Ta Get Me" and "My Michelle" on three separate occasions. Those shows marked Adler's first appearances with GUNS N' ROSES since 1990, although he performed with members of the band at their 2012 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Until he performed with the group on the summer tour, speculation about Adler having some sort of involvement in the GUNS N' ROSES reunion had been rampant ever since the band made it official with a surprise April 1 show at The Troubadour in Los Angeles.

Adler was reportedly going to appear at that gig until he was sidelined by a back injury.

The regular GUNS N' ROSES drummer for several years has been Frank Ferrer, who is also part of the current lineup that boasts classic lineup members Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan.

Adler was thrown out of GUNS N' ROSES in 1990 due to his heavy drug use, a problem he struggled with for years after his dismissal.

Izzy Stradlin, the rhythm guitarist who was also part of GN'R's classic lineup — as defined by the era of the rock band's debut album, 1987's "Appetite For Destruction" — has yet to appear with the reunited band onstage.

Back in July, Slash spoke of how things were going on the road. "We were all pretty positive that that would never happen so it's still sort of blowing our minds," Slash said during a radio interview. "It seems so surreal to me, but everybody's really getting along great and I think everybody's come a long way and it's all cool."

Adler said in October 2015 that he would be the last person to hear about his involvement in a GUNS N' ROSES reunion because Slash couldn't trust him to keep the information secret. "I've known for Slash thirty-what… thirty-nine years, and he knows that I would climb to the [highest] mountain and I would do, as Paul Stanley would say, 'shout it out loud,'" he said.

Adler told VH1 Classic's Eddie Trunk in a separate interview last year about the possibility of his involvement in a GN'R reunion: "I love those guys, and I always will, but Duff, he doesn't think I'm cool. And Slash, he doesn't believe that I have [two years] sober. He doesn't believe it. I don't know why, but they forget that at one time in their life, they were doing drugs and drinking and they were fucking up. They forget that they were like that too. Duff has got 20 years sober or more, Slash has got, like, 11 or 12 years sober, and I've got [two years]. So everybody gets it at a different time. I'm just thankful I got it."

TEMPLE OF THE DOG — the Seattle supergroup featuring SOUNDGARDEN's Chris Cornell, PEARL JAM's Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, and Mike McCready, and drummer Matt Cameron (who plays drums with both SOUNDGARDEN and PEARL JAM) — played the second show of a a sold-out run of live dates Saturday night (November 5) at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.

Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

TEMPLE OF THE DOG came together from the ashes of MOTHER LOVE BONE following the death from a drug overdose of its frontman Andrew Wood, Cornell's close friend and roommate. Cornell wrote future TEMPLE OF THE DOG songs "Say Hello 2 Heaven" and "Reach Down" to help process his grief, "but the songs didn't have any destination," he said. "I was compelled to write them and there they were — written in a vacuum as a tribute to Andy. My thought was that maybe I could record these songs with the remaining members of MOTHER LOVE BONE and that maybe we could release them as a tribute."

TEMPLE OF THE DOG's setlist for the second Upper Darby concert included several MOTHER LOVE BONE songs, as well as Cornell's first-ever solo single, "Seasons", from the 1992 "Singles" soundtrack. There were several other covers, including BLACK SABBATH's "War Pigs", LED ZEPPELIN's "Achilles Last Stand", David Bowie's "Quicksand", THE CURE's "Fascination Street", Harry Nilsson's "Jump Into The Fire", FREE's "I'm a Mover" and original PINK FLOYD frontman Syd Barrett's "Baby Lemonade".

The group will also perform shows throughout November in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle, marking the first time the band has toured since forming in 1990. All dates sold out immediately. This is the first time the band has toured since they released their storied and groundbreaking self-titled album over 25 years ago.

Setlist for the second Upper Darby concert:

01. Say Hello 2 Heaven02. Wooden Jesus03. Call Me A Dog04. Your Saviour05. Stardog Champion (MOTHER LOVE BONE cover)06. Stargazer (MOTHER LOVE BONE cover)07. Seasons (Chris Cornell song)08. Jump Into The Fire (Harry Nilsson cover)09. Four Walled World10. I'm A Mover (FREE cover)11. Pushin Forward Back12. Hunger Strike13. Quicksand (David Bowie cover)14. Heartshine (MOTHER LOVE BONE cover)15. River Of Deceit (MAD SEASON cover)16. Holy Roller (MOTHER LOVE BONE cover)17. Reach Down

Encore:

18. Man Of Golden Words (MOTHER LOVE BONE cover) (Cornell solo acoustic)19. Times Of Trouble20. Achilles Last Stand (LED ZEPPELIN cover)21. Baby Lemonade (Syd Barrett cover)22. Fascination Street (THE CURE cover)23. War Pigs (BLACK SABBATH cover)

Encore 2:

24. Missing (Chris Cornell song)25. All Night Thing

MOTHER LOVE BONE's Gossard and Ament began playing with McCready, and they brought in SOUNDGARDEN's Cameron to drum on demos. Because this was a collaboration, and a tribute, there was no commercial expectation for the TEMPLE OF THE DOG album. It would be, Gossard would later observe, "the easiest and most beautiful record that we've ever been involved with." Added Cornell: "TEMPLE was about making an album simply for the joy of doing it. We weren't concerned what anyone outside of our group of friends would think of it. It was the first and maybe only stress-free album that we all made." Gossard, Ament, and McCready were also simultaneously forming a new band, which more than six months later would be known as PEARL JAM. A singer from San Diego named Eddie Vedder, who was vying to lead the project, came into the studio to sing background vocals on three of the TEMPLE songs. When Cornell thought another song, "Hunger Strike", needed a duet, Vedder was enlisted. "Hunger Strike" became a hit single, peaking at No. 4 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

TEMPLE OF THE DOG performed live only a handful of times, most notably in Seattle, in November and December of 1990. Those shows have become some of the most legendary Seattle concerts of all time. Their 2016 shows mark the first time the band has ever toured. (Cornell joined PEARL JAM in 2014 at the Bridge School show and for two nights at PJ20 in Alpine Valley, Wisconsin, and the TEMPLE lineup played "Reach Down" and "Call Me A Dog" at Seattle's Benaroya Hall in January 2015.)

Official MetOnTour video footage of METALLICA performing the song "Harvester Of Sorrow" on October 29 at Parque Bicentenario in Quito, Ecuador can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Creeping Death02. For Whom The Bell Tolls03. King Nothing04. Harvester Of Sorrow05. Wherever I May Roam06. Moth Into Flame07. The Memory Remains08. The Four Horsemen09. Sad But True10. One11. Master Of Puppets12. Battery13. Fade To Black14. Seek And Destroy

ENCORE

15. Hardwired16. Whiskey In The Jar17. Nothing Else Matters18. Enter Sandman

As previously reported, METALLICA plans to make a video for every song on its new album, "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct". Drummer Lars Ulrich said in an interview with The Strait Times: "Now that YouTube is the world's biggest television station, we figured we may as well knock a video out for every song," adding, "The practicality of shooting 12 music videos is kind of crazy, especially when you're trying to promote your record, and you're all over the place, and trying to make sure it doesn't leak. It's crazy but, at the same time, fun."

METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett told The Pulse Of Radio that the band has to be in better than average shape physically to play the songs on the new record. "There's a physicality to our music that we cannot ignore, so we just kind of have to keep ourselves in a certain sort of physical sort of state where that, you know, we can't let ourselves get to a point where we can't play these songs, you know," he said. "That's just not allowed. You know, when we write this music, we have to make sure that we can play it and play it, you know, when we need to play it."

So far the band has revealed clips for the title track, as well as the tracks "Moth Into Flame" and "Atlas, Rise!"

The long-awaited follow-up to 2008's "Death Magnetic" is out November 18 and consists of two discs, containing a dozen songs and nearly 80 minutes of music.

Ulrich also said that METALLICA has done its best to keep up with the shifting fortunes of the music industry, explaining: "20 to 30 years ago, there was a right way and wrong way to do things, but now it's just what suits you the best because it’s a whole new game out there."

Drummer Steven Adler rejoined GUNS N' ROSES on stage Friday night (November 4) at River Plate Stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina to perform one song: "Out Ta Get Me". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

Adler previously played "Out Ta Get Me" and "My Michelle" on three separate occasions during the U.S. leg of GN'R's "Not In This Lifetime" tour. Those shows marked Adler's first appearances with GUNS N' ROSES since 1990, although he performed with members of the band at their 2012 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Until he performed with the group on the summer tour, speculation about Adler having some sort of involvement in the GUNS N' ROSES reunion had been rampant ever since the band made it official with a surprise April 1 show at The Troubadour in Los Angeles.

Adler was reportedly going to appear at that gig until he was sidelined by a back injury.

The regular GUNS N' ROSES drummer for several years has been Frank Ferrer, who is also part of the current lineup that boasts classic lineup members Axl Rose, Slash and Duff McKagan.

Adler was thrown out of GUNS N' ROSES in 1990 due to his heavy drug use, a problem he struggled with for years after his dismissal.

Izzy Stradlin, the rhythm guitarist who was also part of GN'R's classic lineup — as defined by the era of the rock band's debut album, 1987's "Appetite For Destruction" — has yet to appear with the reunited band onstage.

Back in July, Slash spoke of how things were going on the road. "We were all pretty positive that that would never happen so it's still sort of blowing our minds," Slash said during a radio interview. "It seems so surreal to me, but everybody's really getting along great and I think everybody's come a long way and it's all cool."

Adler said in October 2015 that he would be the last person to hear about his involvement in a GUNS N' ROSES reunion because Slash couldn't trust him to keep the information secret. "I've known for Slash thirty-what… thirty-nine years, and he knows that I would climb to the [highest] mountain and I would do, as Paul Stanley would say, 'shout it out loud,'" he said.

Adler told VH1 Classic's Eddie Trunk in a separate interview last year about the possibility of his involvement in a GN'R reunion: "I love those guys, and I always will, but Duff, he doesn't think I'm cool. And Slash, he doesn't believe that I have [two years] sober. He doesn't believe it. I don't know why, but they forget that at one time in their life, they were doing drugs and drinking and they were fucking up. They forget that they were like that too. Duff has got 20 years sober or more, Slash has got, like, 11 or 12 years sober, and I've got [two years]. So everybody gets it at a different time. I'm just thankful I got it."

Apparel maker Middle Of Beyond has just released an officially licensed IRON MAIDEN holiday sweater. Made of 100% acrylic, it is black, dark grey, light grey, red, tan, and white in color and is decorated with an Eddie central image and a repeat pattern. It can be purchased for $85 at this location.

"Ugly Christmas sweater" or "tacky Christmas sweater" parties have been a holiday staple for several years, but there have been very few places to actually buy these sweaters. That has since changed, according to Time magazine, which reports that vintage stores, the Salvation Army, and Goodwill are reaping the benefits of this craze, as are fast-fashion shops like H&M and high-end retailers such as Nordstrom.

The market for ugly Christmas sweaters is so large that several stores even exist solely for the purpose of selling the festive apparel.

"Ugly is the new beautiful this Christmas especially when it comes to sweaters," said Mindi Kahn of That Ugly Christmas Sweater Store in Dallas, Texas. "What was once considered a hipster holiday fad is now becoming a regular yuletide tradition."

According to the "Ugly Christmas Sweater Party Book: The Definitive Guide To Getting Your Ugly On", the popularity of parties celebrating the garish garments began around 2001.

Middle Of Beyond is an independently owned and operated company created by tattoo artist Ezra Haidet.

Former PANTERA and DOWN bassist Rex Brown has finished recording his debut solo, tentatively due early next year. The effort, which he describes as a "monster," will see him singing and playing guitar and bass on tracks inspired by his love of 1970s music.

Brown told U.K.'s Metal Hammer: "I had to get off that bus after 25 years or more. I reached a point where I wanted to take some time off, watch my kids grow, be at home and just find out what the next journey is.

"I went to Nashville last summer, and I have this good friend who sits in his bedroom and writes incredible stuff. I'd found this tape with about 80 different riffs, so we started piecing together these songs. I've been going back and forth to Nashville from maybe last September. I think the longest I was there was 11 days, getting a feel for the band.

"I'm enjoying playing music again — and that took a while."

Regarding the musical direction of his solo debut, Rex said: "It's a rock and roll record. It's not your standard fare or typical metal thing. I was always a big [LED] ZEPPELIN fan and even though it has its little fringes of it... It's a new journey that sounds like anywhere from FOGHAT to old Tom Waits. I'm a child of the 70s and I love those kind of songs.

"At this point I've hit every goddamned peak and valley that you want to hit. As an artist I don't want to be looked on as 'just that bass player from PANTERA.'

"There are other things in life that I want to do, and this is one of them. It's not just a fluke — we already have enough material for the next two, possibly three, records.

"I'm doing a solo record, I'm fucking singing on it and you're gonna dig it!"

After leaving DOWN in 2011, Rex went on play with KILL DEVIL HILL, which has released two albums so far: "Kill Devil Hill" (2012) and "Revolution Rise" (2013).

Brown's memoir, "Official Truth, 101 Proof: The Inside Story Of Pantera", was released in March 2013 via Da Capo Press.

"Barbarians (Prayers For The Blessed)", a new song from SIXX:A.M. — the band featuring MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx alongside guitarist DJ Ashba and vocalist James Michael — can be streamed below. The track is taken from SIXX:A.M.'s new album, "Vol. 2, Prayers For The Blessed", which will be released on November 18 via Eleven Seven Music. Written and recorded at the same time as "Vol. 1, Prayers For The Damned", released earlier this year, the album acts as a companion piece to the first chapter while simultaneously elevating the band's sound in every area.

From "We Will Not Go Quietly" to the operatic show stopper "Maybe It's Time" and groove-driven, radio-ready rocker "That's Gonna Leave A Scar", "Prayers For The Blessed" displays the many sides of SIXX:A.M.'s sound, something that the band was able to develop by ramping up the amount of time they spent out on the road.

"We really found ourselves onstage and it's influencing the way we write," says Sixx. "We started focusing on our music not only as songwriters and lyricists but also stayed conscious of what would transfer over live to the audience."

Regarding the decision to split the "Prayers" project into two separate albums, James told The Aquarian Weekly: "When we set out to make two records, it was very intentional. We didn't want this to fall into that category that a lot of albums do, where it actually sounds like you went into the studio to one record, you have a few extra songs, you figured you'd polish them up and then you have a double album. We've all fallen victims to those albums before. This was a very different beast. It was very intentional. We thought of this as one big record, but then in a lot ways, we knew that we were going to be releasing them separately, so we did treat them separately, so they would stand alone. But we put so much effort and thought and care into every single note of both records and we wrote them both at the same time, and then figured out where each song made sense, so I think 'Vol. 2' is absolutely as strong, if not stronger than 'Vol. 1'. There are some songs on there that are really career songs. So, in a way, while we're so excited about 'Vol. 1' and the response that we're getting, we're also chomping at the bit for people to sink their teeth into 'Vol. 2' as well."

In a separate interview with Lehigh Valley Music, James stated about the decision to release "Vol. 2" so soon after "Vol. 1": "We didn't want to wait too long in between because they’re definitely connected. Both volumes certainly stand alone and are very satisfying bodies of work, but when they are experienced together, another layer of SIXX:A.M. and another of the messaging will be revealed. So it was important that we didn’t release them too far apart because they are connected, but we didn't want to release them at the same time 'cause that's an awful lot of music to absorb. And as you know, SIXX:A.M. music is — it's pretty heavy and it's pretty complex and deals with very, sometimes, difficult subject matter. So we wanted people to have time to absorb the messaging and absorb the songs before we then dropped a whole other album on them. But the reason we decided to do two records is we wanted to provide a lot of new music for people. We also kind of felt like we were playing catch-up in a way. 'Cause for the last ten years, we haven't been able to tour very much at all, and so we felt like, in a way, we were making up for lost time." "Vol. 2, Prayers For The Blessed" track listing:

01. Barbarians (Prayers For The Blessed)02. We Will Not Go Quietly03. Wolf At Your Door04. Maybe It's Time05. The Devil's Coming06. Catacombs07. That's Gonna Leave a Scar08. Without You09. Suffocate10. Riot In My Head11. Helicopters

Polish black legends Christ Agony will release their new album, Legacy, on November 18th via Witching Hour Productions. The album track “Seal Ov The Black Flame” is streaming below.

According to a press release the album contains seven hymns summoning the old days, the atmosphere of the band’s first three albums. With Daray (Dimmu Borgir, Vesania, Hunter) behind the drums Legacy delivers crushing and excellent piece of black metal. The album was recorded in Studio 666 in Morag under the watchful eye (and ear) of Michal Grabowski. The cover art was designed by Black Team Media.

Legacy tracklisting:

“Conjuration”
“Sigillum Diaboli”
“Seal Ov The Black Flame”
“Black Blood Ov The Universe”
“Devil Worship”
“Coronation”
“Legacy Ov Sin & Blood”

“Seal Ov The Black Flame”:

Trailer:

Vulgar Devils will release their debut album Temptress Of The Dark on December 2nd via Pure Rock Records. New single "Devil Love" is streaming below.

Vulgar Devils is the latest signing of Pure Rock Records, but the members of the band are not unknown. The trio was founded by singer and guitarist Dave Overkill, known to be the head of the Cleveland power/thrash legend Destructor. As Vulgar Dave Overkill he has also been able to win an old bandmate, Matt Flammable, for the position of the drummer. The bass position finally is filled with Erin Lung (Venomin James).

Together they worship to the spirit of old times and open the gate to the early ‘80s, when the music and the musicians were still young. And so they play early ‘80s metal, that has been touched by ‘70s hard rock, and a lot of groove in a rough and rolling way. Mixed and mastered by Michael Kusch from the QuSound Studio Hagen Germany.

Tracklisting:

“Devil Love”
“Come And Get It”
“For The Kill”
“Forget About Tomorrow”
“Worlds End”
“Slump Buster”
“Temptress Of The Dark”
“Vulgar Devils”

"Devil Love":

Swedish heavy metal quintet, Lancer, will release their new album, Mastery, on January 13th via Nuclear Blast. A second video trailer for the album has been released, and can be found below.

The cover artwork was created by Dimitar Nikolov (Ross The Boss, Majesty). The final layout was done by Marcelo Vasco (Slayer, Machine Head).

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

“Iscariot” lyric video:

Hard rockers Monster Truck premiere their brand new music video for "For The People”, a politically empowering yet non-partisan track from their recent album, Sittin’ Heavy. Check out the animated companion video for the classic roots rock-inspired song advocating power to the people below.

Of the "For The People" video, Monster Truck lead singer/bassist Jon Harvey commented, "We wanted the video to capture a certain vibe. The song was intended to be a pseudo-protest and very roots rock and the 70s animation seem to speak to that. Besides nothing is cooler than hand-drawn animation. The illustrators and animators executed it perfectly."

The "For The People" video is illustrated by Brett Lamb, Leslie Supnet and Eric Kim and is animated by David Mayzis, Les Solis and Greg Zajac. The director is Kyle Griblin.

 
Monster Truck will return to the United States early next year and is already confirmed to tour their native Canada supporting Billy Talent beginning in February, 2017 and then to headline the United Kingdom in late March, 2017.

Tour dates:
 
February
16 - Abbotsford, BC - Abbotsford Centre
18 - Calgary, AB - Grey Eagle Event Centre
21 - Edmonton, AB - Shaw Conference Centre
22 - Regina, SK - Brandt Centre
23 - Winnipeg, MB - MTS Centre
26 - London, ON - Budweiser Gardens
27 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre

March
1 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
2 - Quebec City, QC - Centre Videotron
3 - Ottawa, ON - The Arena At TD Place
5 - Moncton, NB - Casino New Brunswick
6 - Halifax, NS - Scotiabank Centre
13 - Belfast, Northern Ireland - Limelight 2
14 - Dublin, Ireland - Academy 2
15 - Bristol, England - Marble Factory
17 - Birmingham, England - O2 Institute 2
18 - Manchester, England - Club Academy
19 - Glasgow, Scotland - King Tuts
21 - Nottingham, England - Rescue Rooms
22 - London, England - Electric Ballroom

Four years on from the release of their Anomalia album, Norwegian prog/black metal band, Khonsu, are set to release their new album, The Xun Protectorate, on November 18th. Listen to the second single from the album, “The Observatory”, streaming below.

The Xun Protectorate tracklisting:

“Desolation City” (Prologue)
“A Jhator Ascension”
“The Observatory”
“Liberator”
“Death Of The Timekeeper”
“The Tragedy Of The Awakened One”
“Visions Of Nehaya”
“A Dream Of Earth”
“Toward The Devouring Light”
“The Unremembered” (Epilogue)

“The Observatory”:

“Visions Of Nehaya” video:

“Making Of” footage:

In regards to the new album, the band states: “Hundreds of hours of work, resulting in 10 new experimental, progressive, and industrial tracks. And it sounds incredible!”

French heavy metal pioneers, Nightmare, will release their new album, Dead Sun, on November 25th via AFM Records. A music video for the album track “Serpentine” 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”

“Serpentine” video:

“Ikarus” video:

STARSET's new album, "Vessels", is due on January 20, 2017 via Razor & Tie. The sophomore release from the band, helmed by frontman Dustin Bates, is a data-stream rendered in sound where Bates becomes the deus-ex-machina in an age of information overload that is increasingly complex yet ultimately human. Fans received their first taste of the new album with the single "Monster" recently. Today, the song is available at all digital retailers and streaming outlets.

Last Friday, October 28, "Monster" made its debut via SiriusXM's Octane channel. The track was also posted to YouTube, and in less than a week amassed over 450,000 views in addition to the 550 million views they have already garnered from songs off the first album, supporting great anticipation for new music from STARSET. Look for its official video to be revealed in the coming weeks.

Produced by Rob Graves (HALESTORM, RED) and mixed by Ben Grosse (BREAKING BENJAMIN, FILTER), "Vessels" is the follow-up to STARSET's 2014 Razor & Tie debut, "Transmissions", a landmark album which sold in excess of a quarter million combined albums, streams and downloads, and propelled by singles including the unforgettable "My Demons" (which spent an unprecedented 43 weeks scaling rock charts). Bates approached "Vessels" with a singular intent on pushing boundaries, taking a bold step forward.

With over 300 shows logged to date, Bates and his helmeted-and-pressure-suited crew (bassist Ron DeChant, guitarist Brock Richards and drummer Adam Gilbert) have distinguished themselves touring with the likes of BREAKING BENJAMIN and IN THIS MOMENT, playing major U.S. rock festivals and four sold out performances in planetariums, becoming the first rock band to play live in the full dome entertainment environment. The band plans to tour extensively throughout 2017 with dates to be announced soon.

Thomas Zwijsen and Ben Woods have released this video, in which they cover Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson’s “Tears Of The Dragon”, arranged for two acoustic/classical/flamenco guitars by Thomas Zwijsen. The clip was recorded live at Edgetip Studio in Arnhem, Netherlands during the Master Guitar Tour 2016.

Remaining tour dates:

November
4 - The Guitar Villa - St. Niklaas, Belgium
6 - 't Schallemaaj - Ossenisse, Netherlands

(Photo - Robert Hucko)

AC Angry will release their new album, Appetite For Erection, on November 25th via Steamhammer / SPV worldwide. It will be available as a CD version (digipak) and a fine vinyl version - limited edition of only 500 copies. Watch a video for the title track, streaming below.

Alan Costa (AC Angry) comments: "After our well-received debut record, we decided to step up the game and deliver an even better, high-explosive monster of an album. We were absolutely happy with Black Denim, but we knew we could do better and top it! We focused on stripped down, catchy heavy rock 'n' roll tunes that will stick in your head forever by the first time you'll hear them! This album gives you the attitude to kick everyone's ass at any provocation. Convince yourself, put it on in your car, hit the gas pedal and feel the rush! The dirt is back in rock 'n' roll!"

 

 

Tracklisting:

"I Hate AC Angry"
"4TW"
"No Way To Go But Down"
"I Wanna Hurt Somebody"
"Appetite For Erection"
"Son Of A Motherfucker's Son"
"The Balls Are Back In Town"
"Take You Shake You Break You"
"Cry Idiot Cry"
"Testosterone"

"Appetite For Erection” video:

“Rosenkreuz (The Rose And The Cross)”, from the upcoming Luca Turilli’s Rhapsody release, Prometheus, The Dolby Atmos Experience + Cinematic And Live, is streaming below:

The latest album from Luca Turilli's Rhapsody, Prometheus, Symphonia Ignis Divinus, was chosen to be the first studio album in music history to be remixed in Dolby Atmos. Renowned producer/mixing engineer Chris Heil (Scorpions, David Bowi) mixed the entire masterpiece in Dolby Atmos - the mindblowing result will be submitted for the 2017 Grammy nominations. Prometheus, The Dolby Atmos Experience + Cinematic And Live will be released December 9th via Nuclear Blast.

Check out a video trailer:

Luca Turilli, responsible for composition and orchestra- and choir-arrangements states: "The new Dolby Atmos sound fits perfectly with Luca Turilli's Rhapsody music just as the Rhapsody music - emotional, visionary and cinematic in its nature - is perfect to showcase the potential of an amazing technology destined to revolutionize the field of immersive audio's experience. From a composer's point of view, Dolby Atmos is like the advent of a canvas with colors in three dimensional space. It enables me to place the band, orchestra and choir around me like I would in a real life situation, granting to the listener an emotional and breathtaking journey in a parallel dimension. Every instrument can finally breathe and live in three dimensions, turning the Dolby Atmos version of Rhapsody's music into a divine, musical experience of transcendence. No limits for creativity anymore. This new Dolby technology allows my heart and soul to finally express themselves with complete freedom and exciting force!"

But what actually is Dolby Atmos?

Cinemas discovered this new format and integrated loud speakers in their ceilings to place the listener into an 'acoustic honeycomb’.

"This novelty has now reached the home technology and we at Yamaha wanted to support the project of Luca Turilli's Rhapsody with an audio blu-ray-disc in Dolby Atmos“, Michael Geise from Yamaha explains. "It's a very thrilling challenge and makes this release a vivid and new experience. And since we are always looking for new contents, the cooperation with Luca Turilli was a great idea for us. Dolby Atmos is already included in our receivers and the customer can immediately use it - but so far only few releases support this new format and usually it is only available for films, not for music blu-rays. But now it is and we created a medium that could easily bring instruments to life, without any artificial effects. We had the know-how to turn this performance into a real live experience with our loudspeakers, receivers and the new sound bar that brings the musicians almost right into everyone's living room!"

Producer and mixer Chris Heil found Luca Turilli's Rhapsody almost by accident: "I heard excerpts from Prometheus, Symphonia Ignis Divinus in the studio right next to me and knew immediately that this was the material I wanted to use to showcase the potential of Dolby Atmos to the world. This kind of music is made for this format with its combination of band,orchestra and choir arrangements. I called Luca Turilli immediately to ask his permission to use the material and he immediately agreed.

The result of their two months long cooperation is a vivid combination of metal, filmscore and a wide variety of ethnic elements. "It is incredibly entertaining and inspiring to listen to the result. It's the first album in my 36-year career where I had to leave longer pauses between the tracks because you really need time to digest that bombastic sound. It's mindblowing," states Chris Heil. And Luca Turilli agrees: "Dolby Atmos will bring a revolution to the world of films and music and allows you to enjoy every release even more!"

Prometheus - The Dolby Atmos Experience (Audio Blu-ray) tracklisting:

“Nova Genesis (Ad Splendorem Angeli Triumphantis)”
“Il Cigno Nero”
“Rosenkreuz (The Rose And The Cross)”
“Anahata”
“Il Tempo Degli Dei”
“One Ring To Rule Them All”
“Notturno”
“Prometheus”
“King Solomon And The 72 Names Of God”
“Yggdrasil”
“Of Michael The Archangel And Lucifer's Fall Part II: Codex Nemesis”

This unique package will be completed by two brand-new live CDs, which were produced by Luca Turilli and Alex Landenburg, mixed by Christian "Moschus" Moos at Spacelab Studio (Grefrath, Germany) and mastered by Simone Mularoni at Domination Studio (San Marino).

"Cinematic And Live is the first live product to be released by my Luca Turilli's Rhapsody band and represents the live album I always dreamed of. It was recorded in Italy, France, Germany and Spain in 2012 and 2016 and it almost includes all the songs played by Luca Turilli's Rhapsody until now. We recently played our show number 100 and this important release represents the perfect celebration for these last years of live activity around the world. Cinematic And Live features songs from both the »Ascending To Infinity« and the »Prometheus« cinematic tours and it includes over 120 minutes of Rhapsody music: the newest songs, the old classics and some titles from my solo discography, too. The mix of Christian "Moschus" Moos and the mastering of Simone Mularoni were the cherry on the cake for this live album sounding really powerful, soulful and emotional like no others, with the important live atmosphere adding a new and exciting dimension to Luca Turilli's Rhapsody's cinematic music!"

Cinematic And Live tracklisting:

CD1
“Nova Genesis”
“Il Cigno Nero” [Reloaded]
“Rosenkreuz (The Rose And The Cross)”
“Land Of Immortals”
“Aenigma”
“War Of The Universe”
“Of Michael The Archangel And Lucifer's Fall” [Extract]
“Excalibur”
“The Ancient Forest Of Elves”
“Son Of Pain”
“Prometheus”
Drum Solo
“Knightrider Of Doom”
“Warrior's Pride”

CD2
“The Astral Convergence”
“The Pride Of The Tyrant”
“Tormento E Passione”
“Demonheart”
Bass Solo
“Warrior Of Ice”
“Of Michael The Archangel And Lucifer's Fall Part II - Of Psyche And Archetypes”
“Dark Fate Of Atlantis”
“Dawn Of Victory”
“Quantum X”
“Ascending To Infinity”
“Emerald Sword”
“Finale”

Prometheus, Symphonia Ignis Divinus was composed and produced once again by Luca Turilli, responsible as always of all the orchestral and choral arrangements. It was recorded and mixed at the Backyard Studios of Sebastian Roeder (Bonfire a.o.) and mastered by Christoph Stickel (Michael Schenker’s Temple Of Rock a.o.) at MSM studios.

Seven months of composition, three months of production, over 50 days of mix, two choirs, several special guests, including Ralf Scheepers (Primal Fear), Dan Lucas (Karo) and David Readman (Pink Cream 69). Including 70 minutes of epic music, sounding cinematic, bombastic and dramatic as never before, the new Rhapsody masterwork will lead the listener to an emotional and memorable journey between quantum gates, parallel dimensions, myths and legends hiding cosmic truths, ancestral secrets and spiritual revelations.

Riveting hard rockers The Dead Daisies have lined up the release of their captivating new single “A Song And A Prayer”, for today, November 4th on Spitfire Music / SPV. A short film, reflecting the poignant story behind the lyrics of “A Song And A Prayer”, the new single to be taken from The Dead Daisies’ much acclaimed new album Make Some Noise, which crashed into the album charts worldwide in August is streaming below.

Says John Corabi: “This song turned out to have a special vibe to it, very accessible, which is really cool. But the lyrics are rather dark. In the end it's about hope, it talks about all the troubles we're all going through - and that you have to be hopeful, that you will come out of it. Always look on the positive side, that's the message.” 

The Dead Daisies, who were recently special guests on KISS’ entire Freedom To Rock US tour, have just played their first ever USO headline tour for Servicemen and –women in South Korea. 

Today, November 4th, they commence performing with KISS on the KISS Kruise in Cozumel, Mexico, until November 9th.

The Dead Daisies, will then fly in to the UK to perform sold out shows starting November 12th.

The Dead Daisies are: Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Dio), John Corabi (Mötley Crüe, The Scream), Marco Mendoza (Whitesnake, Thin Lizzy), Brian Tichy (Ozzy Osbourne, Foreigner) and David Lowy (Red Phoenix, Mink).

   

TWISTED SISTER played what was being billed as the final U.S. concert of the band's career-ending round of dates, dubbed "Forty And Fuck It - The Final Tour", on October 22 at Badlands Pawn Guns Gold And Rock 'N' Roll in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Professionally filmed video footage of the "You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll" performance from the Sioux Falls show can be seen below.

"Having a band like TWISTED SISTER do their final U.S. show is unbelievable and we could not be more excited," said Chuck Brennan of Badlands Pawn. "Badlands Pawn is the perfect match for these types of shows as the sound, lights, video and intimacy is unparalleled."

Most of TWISTED SISTER shows in 2016 are featuring the core lineup of Dee Snider (vocals), Jay Jay French (guitar), Mark Mendoza (bass) and Eddie Ojeda (guitar), along with drummer Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS, ex-DREAM THEATER).

During a recent interview with Goldmine magazine, Jay Jay French talked about TWISTED SISTER's decision to call it quits. He said: "Whether you like it or not, once you reach a status of 'classic,' you really start to understand people — if you really truly want to understand why people like you. You can make new product, it's all well and good, but when someone spends 200-300 bucks for a ticket, they expect certain songs, they expect the songs played correctly, they expect you to be proficient, on time and professional — that's what an entertainer is. And I will tell you that the club scene taught us an enormous amount of discipline."

He continued: "You know, I can't emphasize it enough. Dee [Snider, TWISTED SISTER singer] became one of the greatest frontmen in the world because he learned how to do it on the club scene. We learned how to be great entertainers in the bars and we followed through. And I think the band just wants to say that we reached a point where we can't do it anymore in the manner that we feel we need to do it and we should probably be respected for that. Because I don't want to takes someone's money that I don't earn. And it's hard for some people to understand that. They want to keep you hermetically sealed in a jar with their memories forever. Which I get. I do get it. But I think at some point this year will be our last show, and I'll turn around to the other guys in the band and that'll be it."

TWISTED SISTER's movie, "We Are Twisted F***ing Sister!", was released on February 23 on DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, and digital formats, with an included two hours of bonus material and director commentary.

The official lyric video for the song "Love Falls" from HELLYEAH can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's fifth album, "Unden!able", which was released on June 3 via Eleven Seven Music. The effort marks the first time HELLYEAH's current lineup — vocalist Chad Gray, guitarists Tom Maxwell and Christian Brady, drummer Vinnie Paul and bassist Kyle Sanders — has recorded together as a unit.

HELLYEAH's previous album, 2014's "Blood for Blood", was the album metal fans and critics were waiting for HELLYEAH to make, based on the revered metal pedigree of the individual members. Such an artistic achievement — the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hard Rock album chart — meant the band set the bar incredibly high. HELLYEAH does not disappoint with "Unden!able". "We turned a corner with 'Blood For Blood' and we wanted to continue that path," Paul states. "It's much heavier and darker, and we take it to another extreme." The album also fosters a sense of community and the notion that "We're all in this together" among the metal community we are part of. The upside down "i" in the title is an exclamation point — a subtle indicator of how metal fans live their lives against the grain for their entire daily existence. "It doesn't matter how old you are — you are always a metal kid," Chad Gray declares, referencing himself and fans as one. With the 2007's self-titled debut, HELLYEAH broke the ice, introducing the world to a band comprised of familiar faces who played in influential bands with signature sounds. 2010's "Stampede" showed off a more pleasure-seeking side of HELLYEAH. 2012's "Band Of Brothers" was marked by internal change and further experimentation, while "Blood For Blood" found the band reaching the summit of brutality, creativity, and artfully mined piss and vinegar. "Unden!able" is the logical next step and it's frontloaded with songs that crackle with a palpable industrial aggro energy. As guitarist Maxwell succinctly says, "It's belligerent and brutal, with peaks and valleys that bring you up and down, emotionally and lyrically." One reason it's so belligerent and brutal? The time crunch that came along with crafting the album. The band spent 18 glorious but grueling months on the road in support of "Blood For Blood" and was given exactly two weeks (!!!) off before it had to start working on "Unden!able". The pressure and lack of recess awakened a sleeping giant within Maxwell. There was literally no time to waste and he marshalled his emotions for inspiration. Without any time to decompress, Maxwell, came out of the gates in sniper mode, admitting there was "no time for demo-itis!" He confessed, "I was pissed, agitated, and distraught. In the long run, it helped. There was so much intensity in the frustration." Paul notes that the band "took no time off so that we didn't get complacent. We knew there was a window of opportunity." It may not have been optimal at the time, but it yielded a maximized result. "We know we did great, broken ankles and all," he states. HELLYEAH's usual formula remained unaltered when it came to the recording process. They demoed at Paul's home studio in Dallas, Texas before writing and recording with Kevin Churko in Las Vegas. "Unden!able" hosts redemptive, but throttling songs that will "scratch your soul," according to Gray. "X" is fast, furious and "over the top," says Paul. "It is something that metal fans need." It's expected to become an instant fan favorite. Meanwhile, the more contemplative "Human" is HELLYEAH's version of a power ballad, with an emphasis on "power." It's moving yet it's monstrous. The title track surges with raw energy and industrial crunch. "Love Falls" is a rhythmic and sultry departure for the band, which measures pain and anger equally, while "STARTARIOT" is nothing short of a fist-pumping, fuel-burning heavy metal epic. "Unden!able" is a complete work, including the cover artwork inspired by Chad Gray and designed by William "Wombat" Felch, who the band discovered by his artistic interpretations of HELLYEAH songs on YouTube, and whom Paul labeled "like a new member of the band," is a definitive visual matching the album's sonic wrath. It's also emblematic of the metal community and the kids who find their kindred spirits in HELLYEAH. The eyes are the portal to the soul," Gray says. "There is more extremity, so I wanted it to represent looking into the eye of someone who is a member of the metal community being cast out. You always feel like a fighter. So we created this eye and the exclamation point [in the title] as the stamp on this madness. You are looking into the soul of a metalhead." Overall, there's a surging current of hunger in "Unden!able". The members have had success in the past, but they're not satisfied with all they have done. "It's all I know," Paul muses about what keeps him manning the kit and making new music, despite a career so illustrious that no one would fault him if he chose to hang up the sticks. "I could have quit and could be playing golf. Being a traveling musician? That fuels me. I have a true passion and belief in HELLYEAH and heavy metal music." Gray concludes, "We're all in this together. We are metal fans first and foremost. We play off each other every night with our metal family. As a metal kid, I'd go to shows because I needed the release. Being on the other side now, I need this as bad as the fans do. I need to hit that deck every day and give everything I can."

"Unden!able" track listing:

01. X02. Scratch A Lie03. Be Unden!able04. Human05. Leap of Faith06. Blood Plague07. I Don't Care Anymore08. Live Or Die09. Love Falls10. STARTARIOT11. Grave

TEMPLE OF THE DOG — the Seattle supergroup featuring SOUNDGARDEN's Chris Cornell, PEARL JAM's Jeff Ament, Stone Gossard, and Mike McCready, and drummer Matt Cameron (who plays drums with both SOUNDGARDEN and PEARL JAM) — kicked off a sold-out run of live dates Friday night (November 4) at the Tower Theater in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania.

Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

TEMPLE OF THE DOG came together from the ashes of MOTHER LOVE BONE following the death from a drug overdose of its frontman Andrew Wood, Cornell's close friend and roommate. Cornell wrote future TEMPLE OF THE DOG songs "Say Hello 2 Heaven" and "Reach Down" to help process his grief, "but the songs didn't have any destination," he said. "I was compelled to write them and there they were — written in a vacuum as a tribute to Andy. My thought was that maybe I could record these songs with the remaining members of MOTHER LOVE BONE and that maybe we could release them as a tribute."

TEMPLE OF THE DOG's setlist for the Upper Darby concert included several MOTHER LOVE BONE songs, as well as Cornell's first-ever solo single, "Seasons", from the 1992 "Singles" soundtrack. There were several other covers, including BLACK SABBATH's "War Pigs", LED ZEPPELIN's "Achilles Last Stand", David Bowie's "Quicksand", THE CURE's "Fascination Street", Harry Nilsson's "Jump Into The Fire", FREE's "I'm a Mover" and original PINK FLOYD frontman Syd Barrett's "Baby Lemonade".

The group will also perform shows throughout November in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles and Seattle, marking the first time the band has toured since forming in 1990. All dates sold out immediately. This is the first time the band has toured since they released their storied and groundbreaking self-titled album over 25 years ago.

Setlist for Upper Darby concert:

01. Say Hello 2 Heaven02. Wooden Jesus03. Call Me A Dog04. Your Savior05. Stardog Champion (MOTHER LOVE BONE)06. Stargazer (MOTHER LOVE BONE)07. Seasons (Chris Cornell solo song)08. Jump Into the Fire (Harry Nilsson)09. Four Walled World10. I'm a Mover (FREE)11. Pushin Forward Back12. Hunger Strike13. Quicksand (David Bowie)14. Heartshine (MOTHER LOVE BONE) / Holy Roller (MOTHER LOVE BONE)15. Reach Down

First Encore:

16. Man Of Golden Words (MOTHER LOVE BONE) / Comfortably Numb (PINK FLOYD)17. Times Of Trouble18. Achilles Last Stand (LED ZEPPELIN)19. Baby Lemonade (Syd Barrett)20. Fascination Street (THE CURE)21. War Pigs (BLACK SABBATH)

Second Encore:

22. All Night Thing

MOTHER LOVE BONE's Gossard and Ament began playing with McCready, and they brought in SOUNDGARDEN's Cameron to drum on demos. Because this was a collaboration, and a tribute, there was no commercial expectation for the TEMPLE OF THE DOG album. It would be, Gossard would later observe, "the easiest and most beautiful record that we've ever been involved with." Added Cornell: "TEMPLE was about making an album simply for the joy of doing it. We weren't concerned what anyone outside of our group of friends would think of it. It was the first and maybe only stress-free album that we all made." Gossard, Ament, and McCready were also simultaneously forming a new band, which more than six months later would be known as PEARL JAM. A singer from San Diego named Eddie Vedder, who was vying to lead the project, came into the studio to sing background vocals on three of the TEMPLE songs. When Cornell thought another song, "Hunger Strike", needed a duet, Vedder was enlisted. "Hunger Strike" became a hit single, peaking at No. 4 on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

TEMPLE OF THE DOG performed live only a handful of times, most notably in Seattle, in November and December of 1990. Those shows have become some of the most legendary Seattle concerts of all time. Their 2016 shows mark the first time the band has ever toured. (Cornell joined PEARL JAM in 2014 at the Bridge School show and for two nights at PJ20 in Alpine Valley, Wisconsin, and the TEMPLE lineup played "Reach Down" and "Call Me A Dog" at Seattle's Benaroya Hall in January 2015.)

Video footage of DELAIN's November 3 performance at Le Metronum in Toulouse, France can be seen below.

As previously reported, DELAIN and HAMMERFALL will join forces for a co-headline North American tour in the spring of 2017.

DELAIN will be touring on the heels of their recently released and critically acclaimed album, "Moonbathers". This tour will be the first time that DELAIN has played selections from the new album. Fans can expect all the DELAIN classics that they have come to love over the years as well. This will also be the first time that fans will be treated to a proper DELAIN headline show.

"Moonbathers", mastered by Grammy Award winner Ted Jensen, will satiate your hunger for the symphonic greatness, catchy hooks and a solid dose of metal that the band is known for. It showcases DELAIN from both their most extravagant and sensitive sides as they explore all things nocturnal through an especially varied set of tracks, including a surprising cover of classic rock legends QUEEN as well as a reappearance of Alissa White-Gluz (ARCH ENEMY) as a special guest on opening track "Hands Of Gold".

Asked what inspired the "nighttime" theme for DELAIN's "Lunar Prelude" EP and "Moonbathers" album, frontwoman Charlotte Wessells told Distorted Sound: "Even before we thought of the EP 'Lunar Prelude', we already knew the full album was going to be called 'Moonbathers', so for the EP we derived it out of that, as we knew we were going to do a selection of songs that are from the full album, and since we knew it was going to be called 'Moonbathers', that was the easy one. As for 'Moonbathers' itself, we had a lot of tracks on this record that were very dark, depressing, and even morbid on some tracks, and I always told myself as a lyricist… I always get really inspired to write songs when I'm really sad. If you listen to the tracks, it might sound like I'm a very depressed person, but that's not even true, I get inspired when I'm in a bad mood. When I'm happy, I'll go outside or run out, work out, you know? Different moods inspire me to do different things, but my general attitude to lyrics is that even when I'm writing about things that inspire me most, your darkest emotions, my approach has always been that if people listen to that, and have the same kind of emotions, they can relate to that. I want the lyrics to be a reflection of how that feels. However, I don't want to strengthen that negative emotion."

She continued: "For me, I've always told myself it's fine to write about difficult things and sad things, but there should always be a light at the end of the tunnel, a resolution or a way out, and to not make it hopeless. And the thing for myself is whenever I feel bad and I listen to music of artists I really like, listening to sad tracks actually makes me feel better, you know? It's a very funny thing, that you can find such comfort in such a dark place. I was kind of looking for a metaphor for that, and I was hesitant about 'Moonbathers', as the moon has been used so much for so many cultural outlets but for me the moon kind of remains the ultimate symbol of finding the light in the dark, the comfort in the night. So for me, thinking about the themes of the songs being dark and morbid, I thought that 'Moonbathers' was a good title for that. Yes, that's where it comes from. But, on the other hand, it's also about that comfort in the darkness."

DRAGONFORCE guitarist Herman Li joined guitar legend Tony MacAlpine on stage on October 28 at Alvas Showroom in San Pedro, California to perform two songs: "Tears Of Saraha" and "The King's Cup" from Tony's 1987 album "Maximum Security". Video footage of Li's appearance can be seen below.

Tony's band features Brazilian drumming powerhouse Aguiles Priester and bassist Bjorn Englen.

MacAlpine is widely known as a guitar virtuoso who is just as skilled on the keys. "Edge Of Insanity", one of his fourteen solo albums, is still considered as one of the top ten shred guitar albums of all time. Aside from his solo work, Tony has also been part of several rock supergroups, including PLANET X with Derek Sherinian and Virgil Donati, PSMS (Portnoy / Sheehan / MacAlpine / Sherinian), as well as the Grammy-nominated CAB with bassist Bunny Brunel and drummer Dennis Chambers. MacAlpine also spent seven years playing guitar and keys in Steve Vai's touring band.

Earlier this year, DRAGONFORCE began recording the follow-up to 2014's "Maximum Overload" album at Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden with producer Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with OPETH, THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT, AMON AMARTH, KATATONIA, SOILWORK and SYMPHONY X, to name a few.

DRAGONFORCE released a comprehensive career-spanning "best-of", "Killer Elite - The Hits, The Highs, The Vids", in July through Spinefarm. The 22-track set contains two hours and 30 minutes of music, featuring both studio and live material, with promo clips added to the deluxe set.

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman is one of seven people who were named Japan Heritage ambassadors to spur visits to regional cities ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics.

The ambassadors will promote history, culture and sites in regions registered by the agency as Japan Heritage through blogging and TV appearances.

The newly appointed ambassadors also include J-pop singer Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and kabuki actor Nakamura Tokizo.

A photo of Friedman at today's (Friday, November 4) press conference in Tokyo — where his ambassadorship was announced — can be seen below.

In July 1999, Friedman was onstage performing at Woodstock '99 in front of a sea of fans as the lead guitarist for MEGADETH. Since joining the band in 1990, Marty played a crucial role in their rise to stardom with his unorthodox style of virtuoso guitar playing, selling millions of records worldwide, and being nominated for multiple Grammy Awards. Just six months after Woodstock, in an unexpected move that shocked his friends, family, and especially his bandmates, despite platinum albums and sold-out tours, for reasons unknown, he suddenly quit the band and walked away from it all. Unbeknownst to his U.S. fans, Marty moved to Tokyo to pursue his love of Japanese pop music, and in the process, reinvented himself as a wildly successful Japanese TV celebrity! Marty has appeared on 700-plus television programs, commercials and motion pictures since then, and become was dubbed "the Ryan Seacrest of Japan" by Billboard magazine in the USA.

Friedman in 2014 spoke to Wondering Sound about his decision to leave MEGADETH in order to make the kind of music that he was passionate about: Japanese pop music, or J-Pop, which Friedman calls "embarrassingly happy."

"I found myself touring with MEGADETH, and in my hotel room I'd be blasting this Japanese music all the time. What's wrong with this picture?" he said.

As his interest in J-pop grew, Friedman started enjoying MEGADETH less. "I thought I was doing myself a disservice just playing the same old stuff and not really enjoying it," he told Wondering Sound. "Making money from fans who want to see you play when you're not into it didn't really sit right with me."

According to Marty, he simply outgrew metal, explaining that MEGADETH's music began to bore him, and he singled out the band's popular ballad "A Tout Le Monde" as an example.

"The melody's like duh duh duh duh, duh duh duh duh. It's kind of the same thing over and over again," he told NPR in a separate interview. "I'd go play the show at night with MEGADETH. And I'd be like, you know, what what I'm listening to is just so much more exciting than what I'm playing as my gig."

Friedman told his MEGADETH bandmates that he would leave the group at the conclusion of a 16-month-long tour, but "only stayed three more months." He explained to Wondering Sound: "It was just too much. I'm the kind of guy who can't fake it that well. It wasn't very nice, but I just couldn't go on anymore."

Focusing on the J-Pop genre, Friedman noted that going for the opposite of metal was the whole point.

"There's not a whole lot of happy music going on," he told NPR. "Especially in the heavy metal world, where everybody's just trying to out-lame each other, you know, with darkness and monsters and crap like that."

Marty's latest solo album, "Inferno", sold around 2,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 186 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on May 26, 2014 via Prosthetic Records (except in Japan, where the album was made available through Universal Music).




Today, I was inaugurated by the Japanese Government Agency of Cultural Affairs as an Ambassador of Japan Heritage. I`m...

Posted by Marty Friedman on Friday, November 4, 2016

"All Through The Night", the new video from IMPERIAL STATE ELECTRIC, the Swedish rock band led by THE HELLACOPTERS architect and ENTOMBED drummer Nicke Andersson, can be seen below. The song is the title track of IMPERIAL STATE ELECTRIC's fifth album, "All Through The Night", which was released on September 23 via Psychout Records. The follow-up to last year's "Honk Machine" was recorded in Andersson's studio The Honk Palace and was mixed by Frans Hagglund (SAMLING, LAST DAYS OF APRIL, THE HIVES).

A single featuring the new track "Read Me Wrong" was released as a 12-inch vinyl on May 13. It included two exclusive tracks, "I Know You Well" and "Just A Little Misunderstanding" (a THE CONTOURS cover).

The limited time period between "Honk Machine" and "All Through The Night" poses the question, and rightly so: how has the band found time and creativity to record yet another album? Nicke's answer is clear: "We play rock 'n' roll music. If it takes four years to make a rock 'n' roll record, then you have most likely over analyzed an art form that is more about gut instinct. It should feel and this record feels good."

According to a press release, IMPERIAL STATE ELECTRIC proves on "All Through The Night" "that they have raised their game another notch. Sure, they subscribe to the school of 'less-is-more' greats like CHEAP TRICK, THE CLASH, Tom Petty and the RAMONES, but somehow they manage to make this fresh and vital as opposed to retro and overdone. On 'All Through The Night', the band is everything and a little more than what you can ask of a rock album, whether the year is 1967, 1978 or 2016."

In a recent interview with RockYourLife.gr, Nicke stated about the songwriting process for "All Through The Night": "I write songs all the time. Not just for a specific album. The songs on 'All Through The Night' are the ones we decided would make a pretty decent album. Some songs are older and some were written a day before recording them."

He added: "I always write songs the same way: I sit down with a guitar and usually something comes out of it. I never try to write a certain type of song. I can't force it in any direction. You can, however, produce the song in certain ways. That's what we did with the title track, for instance, when we added strings and stuff. I like a lot different types of music and all of that gets filtered through my head, so to speak."

Swedish metallers IN FLAMES will release their twelfth studio album, "Battles", on November 11 via Nuclear Blast in all territories excluding North America and Scandinavia and Eleven Seven Music Group in the U.S. The CD was recorded in Los Angeles with Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson, who has previously worked with MOTÖRHEAD, BODY COUNT and SEPULTURA, among others.

"Battles" track listing:

01. Drained02. The End03. Like Sand04. The Truth05. In My Room06. Before I Fall07. Through My Eyes08. Battles09. Here Until Forever10. Underneath My Skin11. Wallflower12. Save Me13. Greatest Greed14. Us Against The World

The song "Save Me" can be streamed below.

IN FLAMES guitarist Björn Gelotte talked about how the recording process for "Battles" compared to that of its predecessor, 2014's "Siren Charms".

"'Siren Charms' had a very dark vibe to it," he explained. "We recorded it at a cold, damp and dark time during the year in Berlin so it gave it a certain melancholy to the record. Now recording in L.A. with the sunshine, it's a different energy. The writing process was different this time, too — that I would like for us to continue to explore. Also, working with Howard and his team was great. I got stressed taking a break for even five minutes because they were always ready to go for the next take and kept my energy up."

"I think being in California really affected this album in the sense that we had a studio in the house that we were staying at and the vibe was really relaxed which lent itself to productivity," added vocalist Anders Fridén. "It really helped having a producer who could make us focus on what we needed to accomplish and keep us on track."

"This was a very new approach for us because we've never let anyone else in the way we did with Howard," said Gelotte.

"Battles" sees the band making the hooks sharper, the riffs tighter and honing the overall attack in a way that parallels their legendary live shows in an unparalleled fashion.

"When people hear this album I think they're going to instantly know that it's the new IN FLAMES without us repeating the same song over and over, and that's something I'm incredibly proud of," Fridén said. He went on to downplay the changes in the band's sound, calling "Battles" "guitar driven, melodic… it's like they know what to expect. It's not like we're coming out with something completely different, but at the same time it's still new. If they already like IN FLAMES, they will like it — and if they don't like IN FLAMES already, they still might like it."

IN FLAMES drummer Daniel Svensson announced last fall that he was leaving the band to focus on his family life. He has since been replaced by Joe Rickard, who played on "Battles".