Supertramp founding member and King Crimson songwriter Richard Palmer-James has released his debut solo album, Takeaway. An English songwriter & guitarist, Richard is best known for having written lyrics to several songs by the progressive rock group King Crimson in the early 1970s.

Says Richard, “Having spent the last few decades writing words for other people to sing, and thus being obliged to comply with the ambitions and sensibilities of others, I wanted to present a collection of songs that are uncompromisingly my own.

“I've been trying them out in club and pub appearances as a singer/songwriter, and they seem to work, but I'm very curious to see what sort of reaction this album production, which was realised with the indispensable help of a few talented colleagues from the Munich music scene, might elicit.

“The recordings differ stylistically from most of the stuff I worked on as a hired hand - probably because I enjoy playing acoustic instruments and writing pieces which involve storytelling.”

Richard Palmer-James got his start in the music business playing in various Bournemouth bands: The Corvettes, The Palmer-James Group (formed with Alec James), Tetrad, and Ginger Man, all of which also included John Wetton on bass and vocals. He was a founding member of Supertramp; he played guitar, sang vocals and wrote the lyrics for their self-titled debut album under the name Richard Palmer and co-wrote the lyrics of the song “Goldrush”, a song written during his days in the band and finally recorded on their 2002 album, Slow Motion.

Richard wrote lyrics for three of King Crimson's albums: Larks' Tongues In Aspic, Starless And Bible Black, and Red. He did not participate in any of King Crimson's recordings, but worked with John Wetton and David Cross after Robert Fripp disbanded the group in 1974.

Richard has lived in Munich since the early 1970s. He worked in Munich on the composition and production of music for films and TV until his activities as a lyricist – for such diverse acts as King Crimson, La Bionda, Mireille Mathieu and Haddaway, among others – took priority, resulting in over 400 published titles. In the 90's, however, he returned to playing guitar regularly, and with the help of the resonator guitar and mandolin began to rediscover in blues and folk music the sources of his musical inspiration.

In 1978 Richard was visited by John Wetton and W.J. Hutcheson, who were his bandmates in Tetrad, and they recorded as Jack-Knife an album with the German drummer Curt Cress in 10 days called I Wish You Would. He also wrote the English lyrics for the Italo Disco inventors La Bionda.

In 1997 he released a CD with former bandmate John Wetton under the title Monkey Business, a compilation of unreleased material including some songs that were recorded for the first time in studio, like a King Crimson tune called “Doctor Diamond”. In 2015 I Wish You Would and Monkey Business were released together as a twofer and that continues to be available here.

Today Richard makes his living mainly as a lyricist and performing on guitar live. In support of his new album, Richard Palmer-James will be playing showcase concerts in the UK and Germany.

 

 

Comatose Music has formed an unholy alliance with Texas born death metal monstrosity, Desecrate The Faith.

Rising from the infernal flames of Houston in 2012, they soon released their successful debut Disfigured Arrangement in 2014, then followed up with tours in America and Europe. Now Desecrate The Faith is set to return with their punishing sophomore full length Unholy Infestation.

Complete with unrelenting blasphemies, Unholy Infestation brings technical style riffing along side merciless blast beats and putrid guttural vocals. With bestial tracks like "Malignant Divinity" and "Angel Eater”, Desecrate the Faith is unleashing a demonic entity that fans of all death metal can feast upon.

Be on the look out for this sacrilegious offering of godless brutality scheduled for release in March 2017.

Founder of the legendary Wishbone Ash (one of Britain’s most enduring and best loved melodic rock acts), Martin Turner takes to the road with his 19-date UK Written in the Stars Tour during November/December.   
 
Vocalist & bassist Martin Turner, who was the main composer and creative force of Wishbone Ash, and his band, will perform tracks from his 2015 album release Written in the Stars as well as a selection of much-loved Wishbone Ash classics.  Formed in 1969 by Turner and Steve Upton, Wishbone Ash forged a unique musical identity that produced some of rock music's best loved works, influenced numerous successful bands and resulted in millions of album sales.
 
Martin says, “We had such a great reception from audiences at our recent Written in the Stars shows in the UK, Poland and Germany, we can’t wait to return to UK stages next months. I’m overwhelmed by the emotional connection audiences continue to make with the classic Wishbone Ash music which has been a backdrop to so many people’s lives – mine included. The material from the recent “Written in the Stars” album, which is in the same ballpark melodically and musically, has been very well received wherever we have played.”

Tour dates:

November
2 - Bilston, UK - Robin 2
4 - Bathgate, UK - Dreadnought Rock
5 - Aberdeen, UK - Krakatoa
6 - Carlisle, UK - Old Fire Station
10 - Bristol, UK - The Tunnels
11 - Dartmouth, UK - The Flavel
12 - Great Torrington, UK - Plough Arts Centre
13 - Penzance, UK - Acorn
16 - Worthing, UK - Pier
17 - Dagenham, UK - Roundhouse
18 - Deal, UK - Astor
19 - Farncombe, UK - Music Club
22 - Bromsgrove, UK - Artrix
24 - Southport, UK - The Atkinson
25 - Grimsby, UK - Yardbirds
26 - Doncaster, UK - Leopard

December
1 - Twickenham, UK - Eel Pie Club
2 - Porthcawl, UK - Planet Rockstock
3 - Leicester, UK - Y Theatre

Martin Turner also confirms his involvement in the compilation of Wishbone Ash: The Vintage Years – a definitive 32-disc CD boxed set spanning the period 1970 – 1991, scheduled for release by Snapper Music during 2017/18. This promises to be the deepest anthology of Wishbone Ash’s classic period to date and is being compiled with full co-operation and involvement of all key members of the definitive classic line-ups – Martin Turner, Steve Upton, Ted Turner, Andy Powell and Laurie Wisefield. The content will dig deep into the archives and already many live and studio multi-track masters have been uncovered, largely from Martin Turner’s personal archive.
 
In spring 2017, Martin will release a live DVD/CD recording from the Written in the Stars tour, filmed earlier in 2016 at the Citadel, St.Helens.
 
For more information visit Martinturnermusic.com.

(Martin Turner live photo by John Price)

London metallers Exist Immortal have released a video for their new single, “Erode”, taken from their new album, Breathe, out October 28th via Primordial Records. The new clip can be found below.

Breathe, the follow up to their debut 2014 release Darkness Of An Age, features eleven tracks of genre-spanning, hook-laden melodic metal, which are both unique and imaginative in their approach and execution.

Since releasing Darkness Of An Age in 2014, the band has been working tirelessly, expanding their reach and building a solid, dedicated following. Performing at a range of festivals, countless tours, and sharing the stage with some of the biggest names in the underground, from SikTh and Heart Of A Coward, to Fallujah and Circles.

At the beginning of October they took to the stage at this year’s Euroblast Festival and will now head back out on the road for their UK headline tour. Kicking off on release day, Exist Immortal will play eight shows across the country, including a night in the capital at The Black Heart, Camden, on November 1st.

Breathe tracklisting:

“Saviour”
“In Hindsight”
“Invisible Lines”
“Misconduct”
“Follow Alone”
“Erode”
“Escape”
“Lucid”
“Breathe”
“Release”
“Chi”

“Erode” video:

“Follow Alone” video:

Tour dates:

October
28 - Merthyr, UK - Belle Vue
29 - Southampton, UK - Firehouse
30 - Basingstoke, UK - Sanctuary
31 - Bristol, UK - Mothers Ruin

November
1 - London, UK - The Black Heart
2 - Leicester, UK - Jumpin’ Jacks
4 - Edinburgh, UK - Opium
5 - Workington, UK - Lounge 41

Andorran prog/melodeath riff-masters Persefone have revealed the cover art and tracklisting for their upcoming fifth album, Aathma, which includes (amongst others) a 20 minute title track.

Aathma, set for release on February 24th via ViciSolum Records, will feature Cynic's Paul Masvidal, appearing on the song "Living Waves", as well as
doing spoken vocals on the intro of the album.

The cover was created by none other than Travis Smith, who shouldn't need further introduction. Smith also did the cover art for Persefone's last album.

Aathma tracklisting:

“An Infinitesimal Spark”
“One Of Many…”
“Prison Skin”
“Spirals Within Thy Being”
“Cosmic Walkers”
“No Faced Mindless”
“Living Waves” (feat. Paul Masvidal)
“Vacuum”
“Stillness Is Timeless”
“Aathma”
Part I. Universal Oneness
Part II. Spiritual Bliss
Part III. One With The Light
Part IV. …Many Of One

Tour dates:

April
7 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz
8 - Madrid, Spain - Changó
9 - Murcia, Spain - Garaje
11 - Milano, Italy - Barrio's Cafe
12 - München, Germany - Backstage
14 - Paris, France - La Boule Noire
15 - Nantes, France - La Ferrailleur
16 - London, England - Underworld Camden
17 - Essen, Germany - Turock
18 - Hoofddorp, Netherlands - Podium Duycker
19 - Nijmegen, Netherlands - Merleyn
20 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
21 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Forbrændingen
22 - Stockholm, Sweden - Göta Källare

Persefone lineup:

Marc Martins: Vocals
Carlos Lozano: Guitars
Miguel Espinosa: Keyboards, vocals
Tony Mestre: Bass
Sergi Verdeguer: Drums
Filipe Baldaia: Guitars

Fan-filmed video footage of POISON singer Bret Michaels and his solo band performing on October 1 at the Downtown Jonesboro BBQ Festival in Jonesboro, Arkansas can be seen below.

Bret recently said that he is hopeful POISON will tour with DEF LEPPARD in 2017.

The multi-platinum "hair metal" rockers haven't done any major touring since taking part in the 2012 "Rock Of Ages" trek with LITA FORD and DEF LEPPARD. Since then, Michaels has been focusing on his solo career and last year released the video for "Girls On Bars", his rock-and-country-crossover track which was written with Grammy Award-winning songwriter Luke Laird.

Bret told NorthJersey.com: "I'm beyond thankful for Rikki [Rockett, drums] and C.C. [DeVille, guitar] and Bobby [Dall, bass]," he said. "These guys are an important part of my life and I'm hoping that POISON and DEF LEPPARD can tour together next spring."

Bret originally mentioned the prospect of a POISON-DEF LEPPARD tour in a July interview with The Salt Lake Tribune. LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen later told the 106.9 The Eagle radio station that he knew nothing about the proposed pairing. "I think that was made up — I think it was Bret Michaels's wishful thinking," he said. "[That was] first I've heard of it. I actually heard that as well, and it's, like, 'No!' But, yeah, we are gonna be touring, but we haven't got anything set in stone yet at all."

POISON and DEF LEPPARD first hit the road together back in 2009, and then again three years later.

POISON appeared at the 2013 Indy 500 Miller Lite Carb Day, but has otherwise been mostly playing private shows, including one in January 2015.

Avulsed have released this unboxing video for the mega boxset edition of their forthcoming Deathgeneration double album. Commemorating the band's 25th anniversary and featuring 16 guest vocalists in 16 out of the 18 songs, the album will also be released on 2CD, 2x12"LP & 2Cassette editions on November 1st via Xtreem Music.

To celebrate their 25th anniversary, Avulsed decided to commit to a very ambitious project, with the double album including 18 of their best songs from all their albums, EPs and demos. Instead of just doing a dull compilation with original songs, the band wanted to do a "no fillers, just killers" release showing the evolution that the songs have suffered during all these years where the band's sound has been getting heavier and songs have got slight mutations through the times.

But to make this release even more interesting, Avulsed will have very special guests from other bands singing in most of the songs. They are: Peter (Vader), Barney (Napalm Death), Tomas Lindberg (At The Gates), Sven (Aborted), Antti Boman (Demilich), Chris Reifert (Autopsy), Per Böder (God Macabre), Anton Reisenegger (Pentagram Chile), Kam Lee (ex-Massacre), Rogga Johansson (Paganizer), Mike Van Mastrigt (ex-Sinister), Ville Koskela (Purtenance), Will Rahmer (Mortician), Ludo (Supuration), Johan Jansson (Interment) and Paul Zavaleta (Deteriorot).

Cover artwork was once again created by the awesome Juanjo Castellano, who worked on the two latest Avulsed cover arts.

Tracklisting:

“Amidst The Macabre” (instr.)
“Stabwound Orgasm”
“Breaking Hymens” - guest: Per Boder (God Macabre/Mordbrand)
“Sweet Lobotomy” - guest: Chris Reifert (Autopsy)
“Burnt But Not Carbonized” - guest: Antti Boman (Demilich)
“Daddy Stew” - guest: Snencho (Aborted)
“Addicted To Carrion” - guest: Will Rahmer (Mortician)
“Dead Flesh Awakened” - guest: Rogga Johansson (Paganizer)
“Powdered Flesh” - guest: Ludo Loez (Supuration/S.U.P)
“Gorespattered Suicide” - guest: Mike Van Mastrigt (ex-Sinister/Neocaesar)
“Nullo (The Pleasure Of Self-mutilation)” - guest: Johan Jansson (Interment/Moondark)
“Exorcismo Vaginal” - guest: Paul Zavaleta (Deteriorot)
“Carnivoracity” - guest: Anton Reisenegger (Pentagram Chile/Criminal)
“Sick Sick Sex” - guest: Ville Koskela (Purtenance)
“Devourer Of The Dead” - guest: Tomas Lindberg (At The Gates)
“Horrified By Repulsion” - guest: Kam Lee (ex-Massacre)
“Blessed By Gore” - guest: Bongo (Necrophiliac)
“Red Viscera Serology” - guest: John McEntee (Incantation)

Song snippets:

Guest guitar solos video:

Studio report video:

Don't forget to support Avulsed during the pre-orders campaign for their new album, learn more at this location.

Sweden’s The Moth Gatherer have released a video for “Probing The Descent Of Man”, a track from their second full-length album, The Earth Is The Sky, released last year via Agonia Records. The video, directed by Albin Sköld (Illusive Illustration) and recorded at the band's rehearsal space in Sweden earlier this year, can be found below.

Trackslisting:

“Pale Explosions”
“Attacus Atlas”
“Probing The Descent Of Man”
“Dyatlov Pass”
“The Black Antlers”
“In Awe Before The Rapture”

“Probing The Descent Of Man” video:

“Attacus Atlas” lyric video:

“The Black Antlers”:

“Pale Explosions”:

The release of Roth Brock Project’s self-titled debut album is scheduled for November 4th via Frontiers Records srl. The track “If That's What It Takes” is streaming below.

The Roth Brock Project is the exciting artistic union between guitarist John Roth (Winger, Starship, Giant) and singer Terry Brock (Strangeways, Giant, Leroux). The pair first met in 2009 while working on Giant's Promise Land record. They soon developed a unique songwriting chemistry and musical bond which all these years later has led to their debut release. Powerhouse vocals and thundering guitars are at the forefront of this stellar collaboration from two of rock's most seasoned and underrated veterans.

John Roth landed his first gig at the age of 19, with Southern boogie rock legends Black Oak Arkansas in 1986, and soon found himself in demand for recording and touring with the likes of Jimi Jamison (R.I.P.) of Survivor, and '80s rock legends, Winger. Terry Brock's first job in the music business was as a vocalist on the Kansas album Drastic Measures in 1983, which was soon followed by a tour with the Steve Morse Band and two albums with Strangeways (who were signed to BMG/RCA Records). Terry is currently on tour with Louisiana's Leroux, while John is on tour with Starship featuring Mickey Thomas.

"The Roth Brock Project is the kind of record I've been wanting to make for a long time!” says John Roth. “Guitar-driven high energy rock with stellar vocals is the first thing you'll hear when you put this album on, so get ready to crank it up! Stay tuned for news on the Roth Brock Project debut record release date, as well as the premier of our first single and video, "Young Gun”!”

Roth Brock Project tracklisting:

“Young Gun”
“What's It To Ya”
“Young Again”
“If That's What It Takes”
“I Don’t Know Why”
“Distant Voices”
“We Are”
“Fighter”
“My City”
“Never Givin' Up”
“Reason To Believe”

“If That's What It Takes”:

“Young Again”:

"We Are":

Lineup:

Terry Brock: Lead and Background Vocals
John Roth: Guitars, Bass, Keys, Lead and Background Vocals
Scott Trammell: Drums, Percussion

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich was interviewed on a recent episode of the Norwegian-Swedish television talk show "Skavlan". You can now watch video footage of his appearance below. Asked how he can still stand his bandmates after being in METALLICA for 35 years, Ulrich said: "The worst part, actually, was, I guess, around fifteen years ago in that movie ['Some Kind Of Monster'], the stuff that was documented. After the first twenty years, there were a few bumps in the road, and we realized that we'd actually never really talked to each other; we'd never really, sort of, spoken about how we were feeling about what was going on. We had been so busy and things had been moving so fast that we never slowed down long enough to take a temperature check of how everybody was doing."

He continued: "So our bass player, Jason [Newsted], left, and that was the first domino in a lot of strange stuff that happened. And for about two years, it was kind of shaky and we were going through some issues. But on the other side of that, [since] 2003, it's been fine. We got some help. There was a gentleman named Phil that came in, I guess you'd call him a psychiatrist or a team mobilizer, whatever. He came in and we talked to each other and him for about two years, while we were still working and making progress. And that helped us a lot. And since, it's been ten, twelve years now, we're all fine. We talk to each other, we're civil, we understand each other's breaking points. And we have learned… It only took twenty, thirty years, but we've learned to listen to each other. The word 'empathy' was not in the vocabulary for the first couple of decades, but it's a big part of what we deal with now, and just hearing each other out and trying to understand somebody else's point of view. And I also think there's a lot more trust now in each other. We realized that we really need each other. METALLICA is better as a collective than it is if it's just a bunch of autonomous, single-minded guys going at it."

METALLICA's tenth studio album, "Hardwired...To Self-Destruct", is scheduled for a November 18 release via Blackened Recordings. The long-awaited follow-up to 2008's "Death Magnetic" consists of two discs, containing a dozen songs and nearly 80 minutes of music.

"Hardwired...To Self-Destruct" was produced by Greg Fidelman with frontman James Hetfield and Ulrich. The band recorded the disc at its own studio.

Instead of a previously announced bonus disc of demos, the deluxe edition of the album will now feature a number of cover songs that the band has recorded over the past few years, including a medley of Ronnie James Dio songs, IRON MAIDEN's "Remember Tomorrow" and DEEP PURPLE's "When A Blind Man Cries".

The deluxe version will also feature a live set recorded at Rasputin's in Berkeley, California on Record Store Day 2016 and a live version of the new song "Hardwired" recorded last month at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

Japanese promoter Hayashi International Promotion (H.I.P.) conducted an interview with SLIPKNOT members Corey Taylor (vocals) and Shawn "Clown" Crahan (percussion) prior to the band's August 14 concert at The Forum in Inglewood, California. You can now watch the chat in three parts below.

Speaking about how SLIPKNOT's summer tour with MARILYN MANSON came about, Taylor said: "Obviously, there was a mutual respect there. We were fans of his when he started. And he was one of those artists that was pushing the boundaries musically, energetically [and] artistically. I mean, he was someone who was so cutting edge and yet so rough, you know what I'm saying? It was something that, we were almost kindred spirits in that way; we've always put a lot of emphasis on marrying the art with the music and that kind of pagan vibe. So, for us, it was almost like two old dogs sniffing each other's ass. But at the same time, over the years, we've both taken risks, we've both come a long way, we've taken our hits, and we've stood back up. So putting this tour together was… it just kind of made sense in a lot of ways."

SLIPKNOT's early November appearance at Knotfest Japan will likely to be the band's last show in support of its latest album, ".5: The Gray Chapter", which was released in October 2014.

".5: The Gray Chapter" was officially certified gold on August 31 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for sales of more than 500,000 copies. The certification came six months after RIAA started including on-demand audio and video streams and a track sale equivalent in gold and platinum album award.

".5: The Gray Chapter" capped a very turbulent period for the masked rockers in which they dealt with the death of Paul Gray and the firing of drummer Joey Jordison, both longtime members and songwriters. Gray died in 2010 from a drug overdose, while Jordison was let go in December 2013, just before SLIPKNOT began recording the new album.

The identities of their replacements were officially revealed in 2015 to be drummer Jay Weinberg and bassist Alessandro "Vman" Venturella.

Scott Ian has defended Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons's decision not to resurrect KISS's original lineup, explaining that "those guys know what's right for their band."

During a brand new interview with Florida's 99 Rock radio station, the ANTHRAX guitarist was asked if he thinks Stanley and Simmons should reunite with former KISS members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. He responded: "Look, I'm a lifelong fan of that band. But the bottom line is, and what people need to understand is, look, it's Gene and Paul's band. They are the guys that have worked their asses off since 1973 to keep that band, that business moving forward all the way into 2016 and still on the level that they're doing it."

He continued: "I know a lot of fans get pissed off — 'Oh, those guys are being dicks' or whatever — and it's, like, you have no idea. You have no idea what it takes to make a band last that long at the level that KISS is. So it's their band and it's their decision.

"As a fan, I would love to see Ace Frehley play one more time in KISS. And I'm gonna be completely honest, and this is no knock on Peter, but the last time I saw them with Peter, on the KISS/AEROSMITH run, like thirteen years ago or something, whenever that was, the tempos were terrible; everything was just way too slow. So if that's the case, no, I don't wanna see that; I wanna see stuff played at the right tempo. If [Peter] could play it at the right tempo, then more power to him, and I would love to see that; of course I would. But, you know, it's not my band. It's Gene and Paul's band, and those guys know what's right for their band; they've proven it. Stop questioning Gene and Paul."

Rumors of a KISS reunion with Frehley gained strength earlier this year when Stanley reconnected with his former bandmate for a cover of FREE's "Fire And Water" for Ace's solo covers set, "Origins Vol. 1". Stanley subsequently dismissed the speculation, saying that "It doesn't need to, and won't, lead anywhere in terms of… Why would we change the [current KISS] band? The band is great. KISS is great the way it is. And it's great to be in contact and texting and speaking with Ace. He's in great shape. Psychologically, you know, he's clean and sober, and he's one of a kind. He can be a strange apple, but that's what makes him so cool. And I'm glad I took up the opportunity to be on his album and also shoot a video with him."

ANTHRAX is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "For All Kings", which sold 34,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 9 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Kevin McGowan of the "Shortlife" podcast recently conducted an interview with guitarist John Ricci of veteran Canadian metallers EXCITER. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On how the reunion of the original EXCITER lineup — Ricci, drummer/vocalist Dan Beehler and bassist Allan Johnson — came about:

Ricci: "They approached me. After the previous band broke up, my plan was to just take a year off, put my equipment in storage and just decide what my next move was gonna be. One day, where I work, a music shop in Bells Corners [in Ottawa], in walks Dan Beehler, walks in the store. And as soon as I saw him, I knew exactly why he was there. 'Cause we hadn't really spoken in about twenty years. Not that we didn't wanna speak to each other; we had no need to speak to each other. So he came up to me and said, 'Look, we know what's happened with the other EXCITER. I just wanted to let you know' that him and Allan are totally supportive of whatever I decide to do, and if I would consider getting back together with them, they'd be more than excited to do so."

On how he felt when he found out Dan and Allan were interested in reuniting with him:

Ricci: "I was shocked, because I had no idea they even felt that way. So I said to Dan, 'Give me about a week, 'cause I'm not really sure. I've gotta just make a decision.' But after about three days, I thought to myself it would be great if the original band was back together. Because when I was touring around the world with the other EXCITER, the fans and other musicians would come up to me and say, 'You know, you guys are really, really good, but we still prefer the original band.' I heard that over and over and over. And I'd say, 'I'm not with the original band. This is EXCITER the way we are today.' So it took me about three days to make a decision. So I thought, 'Okay, for sure, let's just get back together and just pick up where we left off.'"

On the response to the EXCITER reunion so far:

Ricci: "When we made the announcement on the Internet and our web site and on Blabbermouth, my e-mails didn't stop for, like, 48 hours. I mean, I had managers, agents, the fans, other bands that we know congratulating us on the reunion. And then the show offers started to come in. I mean, we haven't stopped playing since we reunited; we've been to South America, like, three times. We played the Sweden Rock Festival and Bang Your Head!!! festival. We did two nights in Osaka, Japan and so on and so on."

On the differences between how the EXCITER members communicate in 2016 compared to how it was in the 1980s:

Ricci: "We're much older and we don't… There's no big disagreements, and we don't bicker at each other. We would have, like, twenty-five years ago. But we don't really care about… If someone has a difference of opinion, we're not gonna hold a grudge; we just talk it out, like most marriages, you know. And then everything is fine. And then we just keep on partying and playing our music. We're sort of in this comfort zone now."

On whether there are plans for EXCITER to release a new studio album:

Ricci: "We are writing songs. Last year, we said we'd have it out this year, which is not gonna happen. But maybe next year we'll have it out."

The original EXCITER lineup recorded three classic albums in the 1980s — "Heavy Metal Maniac" (1983), "Violence & Force" (1984) and "Long Live the Loud" (1985) — before Ricci left he group and was replaced by Brian McPhee.

EXCITER's latest album, "Death Machine", which featured Ricci as the sole remaining original member, was released on October 29, 2010 via Massacre Records.

Former SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo spoke to NorthJersey.com about his involvement with California hardcore thrash favorites SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and the reunited classic lineup of the North Jersey horror-punks MISFITS.

"I'm a big fan of SUICIDAL and it's an honor for me to play with [singer] Mike Muir and the band," Lombardo said.

"When I first received a call from a mutual friend saying that Mike was interested in me playing some shows, I said, 'absolutely.'

"With the MISFITS, I knew it was something very special," he continued. "You can't imagine how musically satisfying it was. With the West Coast punk of SUICIDAL and the East Coast punk of the MISFITS, I've just been blown away."

Lombardo made his recorded debut with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES on the band's latest album, "World Gone Mad", which came out at the end of September.

"They wanted me to be myself and their music is very drum friendly with some amazing structuring and vocals and lyrics," Lombardo said about the effort. "They gave me the freedom to do what I wanted and I gave the songs what I felt they needed."

Dave added that playing SUICIDAL's classic songs live "brings back some really good memories. I remember driving the van on one of our early SLAYER tours and me and [late SLAYER guitarist] Jeff Hanneman would listen to their first record and switch off singing the lyrics."

Muir said in a recent interview that Lombardo added a new dimension to the SUICIDAL TENDENCIES musical approach. "It's interesting, because a lot of people, obviously, associate [Dave] with the SLAYER sound," he said. "On some of the SUICIDAL songs, it's different musically, and you can see how really a tremendously diverse drummer that he is. I think some of the songs, obviously, people that love his drumming, they're gonna hear it and they're gonna really, really, I think, enjoy it. He's really excited about it. He's getting to play some different kind of things, and it just brings a whole different intensity and rhythmic feel to the band. And he's definitely got the Cuban thing going on, that Latin flavor, where he gets to do a little bit more in SUICIDAL than he did in SLAYER. I think you hear it and you definitely know it's Dave, but it definitely takes us to another level."

On the topic of what it was like working with Lombardo at the first MISFITS reunion concert, Jerry Only said: "Obviously there's a little transitional period for Dave coming from a thrash-metal background with SLAYER or even SUICIDAL TENDENCIES. Dave is molding into this '50s atomic-punk band. He needs to learn the fine elements of our songs. When he gets that, we'll be good. Because Doyle [Wolfgang Von Frankenstein] was, like, 'Dave really doesn't know our material but he wasn't a fanboy.' That was one of the things I liked about him. So if we move forward as a unit and start writing new albums with somebody like Dave, we've got a drummer who's from a different place; we might add a different element into our mixture. You feel him build the energy level. I like playing with him. And he's a nice guy."

According to Billboard, FOO FIGHTERS have settled their lawsuit against the world-famous 328-year-old insurance market Lloyd's Of London on claims related to several shows canceled during the band's 2015 world tour. Because it was dismissed with prejudice, the FOO FIGHTERS are barred from re-filing the case on the same claim. Terms were not disclosed.

FOO FIGHTERS' lawsuit was filed in June in Los Angeles against Lloyd's Of London, along with several insurance companies and the insurance broker responsible for securing the policies, Robertson Taylor. The suit alleged the companies "failed to pay amounts that even they appear to recognize are due and owing" on insurance claims the band made for the scrapped concerts.

Some of the shows were called off after frontman Dave Grohl broke his leg on June 12, 2015, during a show in Gothenberg, Sweden. The injury resulted in the cancellation of seven shows. Three of those dates were mentioned in the suit: two shows at London's Wembley Stadium and one at Edinburgh's BT Murrayfield Stadium.

After his leg was treated, Grohl went on to perform 53 concerts, mostly while seated on a makeshift "throne" onstage.

The lawsuit stated: "After paying certain amounts owed under the Cancellation Policy for four of the canceled performances, [the insurers] began searching for ways to limit their payment obligations on the other three performances."

The complaint also alleged that Grohl's insistence on carrying out the tour saved insurers "tens of millions of dollars in claim payments" that would have been owed had they canceled the entire trek.

The second part of the FOO FIGHTERS' complaint was focused on four shows canceled in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris last November, alleging, "FOO FIGHTERS reasonably expected that the Terrorism Policy would provide them coverage for the four November 2015 performances ... [the insurers] have engaged in a seemingly never-ending series of requests for increasingly irrelevant information."

The suit claimed that seven months later, the insurers "have not paid or offered to pay a single penny of Foo Fighters’ terrorism coverage claim."

The FOO FIGHTERS were seeking damages, punitive damages to cover London Market Insurers' and Robertson Taylor's "despicable" conduct, and attorney's fees.

FOO FIGHTERS are currently on hiatus for probably the rest of 2016 after touring extensively last year.

One of the Nameless Ghouls from Swedish occult rockers GHOST was interviewed by the 93.3 WMMR radio station prior to the band's September 18 performance at the Rock Allegiance festival in Chester, Pennsylvania. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On GHOST's new EP, "Popestar", which includes covers of songs from bands like ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN and EURYTHMICS along with a new track called "Square Hammer":

"In between the last two records, we also did what we refer to as a covers EP, which at that point was more like a fun excuse to do something with Dave Grohl. This time around, we went into the studio recording the full-length album [2015's 'Meliora'] with the intention of adding extra material, because when it comes time to release an album, it's always favorable if you have additional material, because there are so many partners that demand extra material — one [song] for Japan and one for Best Buy and one for that, and one for that, and an exclusive there. So we had a little bit of a dilemma, because the ['Meliora'] producer, he was, like, 'I'm gonna record the album. No covers.' 'Okay. All right.' But we thought we were gonna be done recording ['Meliora'] by the end of the year, 2014, so we thought, 'Well, we're gonna have all spring [of 2015]. It's gonna be great. So we can do B-sides, basically.' The ['Meliora'] recording took until May [2015], to get it mixed and all that, so we had no choice but to just leave the B-sides out. There was no time [to get them recorded]. So we had to struggle a lot with all the different partners, to grease them up to the point of feeling loved without exclusive material. But that also ended up being, like, 'Oh, we've got all these kind of cool ideas of covers that, sooner or later, might be good to record to prolong the pain of [the album cycle]. And we love it, but, obviously, if you don't like the band, we would prolong it. And also, at that point, we had an additional song that would have gone very well together with the album called 'Square Hammer'. So when we finally saw a little window of time, it was, like, 'Yeah, let's record 'Square Hammer' and I guess those four songs will be some sort of B-side to that.' 'Okay, then it's an EP.' All right, we ended up doing sort of an EP again with covers on it. That was, basically, the background story for it. It was never planned to be necessarily another covers EP. I wouldn't promise that it's gonna be a tradition."

On the humor in GHOST's music and presentation, despite the band's somewhat dark image:

"Yes, I think that that is also one thing that we've never tried to make a secret of — the fact that even though we have a lot in common… we have many things in common with bands that definitely sound a lot more aggressive than we do, like black metal bands… Our image is definitely more black metal than it is new street metal, whereas our music is not, obviously. But I think that one of the main differences between us and the more extreme black metal bands is that… If you go to a… They're very close friends of mine, so this is very well meant… But if you go to a WATAIN concert, for example, or bands like that — there are several bands like BEHEMOTH, also very good friends of ours — personally, we have a lot in common, but we do our job very differently, and our aim to please definitely feels like it's very different. When you go to a show like that [WATAIN], it's supposed to feel like you're basically taking an acid bath in hell, and a lot of people in the crowd definitely look like they are. And I love that too, but our intention was never to have that sort of 'uncomfort.' There are aggressive elements [in GHOST's music], and the further we go in our career, we add more highs and lows. So nowadays, we have a song like 'Mummy Dust', for example, which is usually a song that has a little bit more moshpitting than, I guess, 'He Is' has. But, for us, it's always been very important to have a very, very varied-tasting seven-course meal, sort of, whereas… With no negativity in it, but I'm saying that most metal bands don't; it's supposed to be a little bit more of a straight, hard, rough pummel. And I think that that is sometimes what puritans might shun away from [in GHOST's music]. So it's not for everyone. It's fine."

On GHOST's plans for 2017:

"After this, we're done in November, we're gonna go back home and start pre-producing the new record. And January-February, we're gonna tour Europe. So the same show that we're doing here [in the U.S.], we're gonna do there, the new one. And I think we're done after that, touring. Unfortunately, I don't think we'll have the time to go to some of these places that we haven't done so far on this touring cycle, like Australia, Japan and another run to South America. I don't know… Since we wanted to go down there, we've said that March-April would be the time for us, but we cannot do it too extensively, because we really need to go to record the album. So springtime is probably [the time] to record a new album, and [for the] new album to come out next fall, and then [after that we will] restart [the whole touring cycle]."

Interview (audio):

MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil made an appearance in priestly garb while flanked by three naughty nuns at the September 30 opening of the haunt attraction Fright Dome in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Fright Dome has taken over all five acres of the Adventuredome theme park at Circus Circus, transforming it into an interactive, twisted and horrific experience featuring haunted houses, scare zones, rides and more.

FrightDome has been ranked as one of the top 10 haunted attractions in the nation by USA Today's 10Best and recognized as one of the nation's best haunted attractions by Travel Channel.

"As we kick off our 14th year here on the Las Vegas Strip I am truly humbled by the overwhelming success of Fright Dome," said Jason Egan, owner and creator. "This year has been a whirlwind for myself and my team, from launching a new feature film to creating another haunted attraction in Boston. Through it all our fans are the ones that keep us going. The support that we have received over the years is incredible and I hope it continues for years to come."

Fright Dome is open from 7 p.m. to midnight until October 31 on select nights. General admission tickets start at $36.95 with additional fast pass upgrades starting at $20 allowing express line entry for all six haunted houses.

Created from the mind of hauntrepreneur Jason Egan, Fright Dome at Circus Circus has been horrifying the masses since 2003. Egan's extensive years in the industry and passion for all things terrifying culminate to make Fright Dome one of the top haunted attractions in the nation year after year. Over the years, Fright Dome has become a mecca for horror-loving celebrities, including the late Michael Jackson, Stevie Wonder, Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, Paris Hilton, Marlon Wayans, Kevin Hart, Dana White, David Copperfield and many more. Spread throughout five acres, this haunted theme park features dark, fog-filled attractions complete with ghoulish and gore-clad professional actors, six haunted houses, extreme scare zones, 25 rides and attractions and much more. Not appropriate for children under 12, Fright Dome includes roaming scare actors, high-powered strobes, multi-colored lasers and live shows nightly.

For more information, visit frightdome.com.

UP: Fright Dome Opening Night Black Carpet - 9/30/16 https://t.co/GZYfAuSS6t

— IraKuzmaPhotos (@IraKuzmaPhotos) October 1, 2016

The reunited Dokken - singer Don Dokken, guitarist George Lynch, bassist Jeff Pilson and drummer “Wild” Mick Brown - played their first and only US show of their reunion tour at Badlands Pawn Guns Gold And Rock ‘N’ Roll in Sioux Falls, South Dakota on September 30th. Eighteen year-old rocker Gabbie Rae was direct support on the night. Pro-shot footage her covers of Motörhead's "Ace Of Spades" and Heart's "Barracuda" are available below.

Pro-shot footage of Dokken performing their classic "Breaking The Chains" and "Alone Again" on the same night can be viewed below.

Dokken performed the following set on the night:

“Tooth and Nail”
“The Hunter”
“Unchain the Night”
“Just Got Lucky”
“Don’t Close Your Eyes”
“When Heaven Comes Down”
“Breaking the Chains”
“Into the Fire”
“Dream Warriors”
“Kiss of Death”
“Will the Sun Rise”
“Heaven Sent”
“Alone Again”
“Mr. Scary”
“It’s Not Love”

Encore:
“In My Dreams”
“Paris is Burning”

The show was filmed for possible home video release.

On October 9th, The Dead Daisies played Loud Park in Japan. The band has since uploaded a video highlight reel (which can be seen below), and commented: "Japan was really kick ass! The people were great, the city of Tokyo was great, and Loud Park rocked big time. We surely want to come back. Here's a recap of what went down during... Domo arigatou!"

Remaining 2016 tour dates are as listed:

November
4-9 - Kiss Kruise - Cozumel, Mexico
12 - Lemon Tree - Aberdeen, United Kingdom
13 - Classic Grand - Glasgow, United Kingdom - SOLD OUT
14 - Corporation - Sheffield, United Kingdom
15 - Riverside - Newcastle, United Kingdom
16 - Picturedrome - Holmfirth, United Kingdom
18 - Diamond Live Lounge - Doncaster, United Kingdom
19 - Academy 2 - Birmingham, United Kingdom - SOLD OUT
20 - Concorde 2 - Brighton, United Kingdom
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

December
2 - Planet Rockstock - Trecco Bay, United Kingdom
3 - Knust - Hamburg, Germany - SOLD OUT
4 - Paradiso Nord - Amsterdam, Netherlands
5 - Matrix - Bochum, Germany
7 - Colos-Saal - Aschaffenburg, Germany
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

Legendary singer-songwriter and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Marty Balin, best known as lead singer and founder of Jefferson Airplane and hit song maker of Jefferson Starship, has one more award to add to his career, a Lifetime Achievement / Special Merit Award from The Recording Academy. 

Unfortunately, Marty Balin was unable to attend the ceremony and celebration, recorded at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles during Grammy Week. He had planned on being able to properly acknowledge the prestigious honor by performing with his fellow Band members but could not attend due to a critical health issue. Marty publicly wants to acknowledge the Academy and all of the fans around the world. “I was at great loss to not be able to join my fellow band members at this special event. I humbly share that the Life Time Achievement Award was Life itself," he said. 

Marty will receive the award (in absentia) when, in collaboration with Great Performances, The Recording Academy® presents "Grammy Salute to Music Legends™," a special all-star concert offering a primetime spotlight for The Academy's 2016 Special Merit Awards recipients. It will air this Friday, October 14th from 9–11:30 p.m. on PBS. (Check local listings.) Previously held during Grammy® Week, this is the first time The Recording Academy has celebrated the Special Merit Awards with a television special.

Mr. Balin thanks The Recording Academy for such an honorable award. He said, “Being recognized for dedicating a life-time to a musical craft that has brought so many people happiness, makes life fulfilling,” he said.

This year's Lifetime Achievement Award honorees alongside Jefferson Airplane are Ruth Brown, Celia Cruz, Earth, Wind & Fire, Herbie Hancock, Linda Ronstadt, and Run DMC. John Cage, Fred Foster and Chris Strachwitz are Trustees Award honorees; and EMT and Dr. Harvey Fletcher are Technical GRAMMY Award recipients. Also being honored is Phillip Riggs, this year's recipient of the Music Educator Award™.

Up until Mr. Balin’s hospitalization, he had been enjoying the release of his new CD, Good Memories, a newly recorded tribute celebrating the 50th anniversary of Jefferson Airplane. This compilation spans the Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship hits. The double-disc album features all new acoustic-driven arrangements, and was released at the beginning of 2016. That was closely followed up by the release The Greatest Love, a new album of original material. Balin – who is known as “The King Of Love Songs” – had said at the release time that “It’s my message of love to my fans.” 

As one of the original owners of The Matrix, a renovated former pizza shop became a nightclub in San Francisco from 1965 to 1972. It was one of the keys to what eventually became known as the "San Francisco Sound" in rock music. The Matrix opened August 13th, 1965 showcasing Jefferson Airplane, which singer Marty Balin had put together as the club's "house band."

Balin’s distinctive voice, style, and memorable songs include Billboard top chart hits “Miracles,” “Hearts,” “Atlanta Lady,” “Count On Me,” and “Runaway,” as well as many album, radio, film, and television soundtrack classics, such as “Comin’ Back To Me,” “Today,” and “Volunteers.” From his classic hits with Jefferson Airplane and Jefferson Starship, to new songs from recent albums and current studio sessions, a variety of Marty’s musical styles are represented in each live performance. 

In addition to music, Marty has also enjoyed painting. His works can be found at his gallery in Saint Augustine, Florida, and at galleries throughout the United States.

The Swedish sleaze/punk influenced metal outfit known as Sister, who hail from Stockholm, Sweden, has been working hard during the last ten years earning the reputation of being one of the best live acts out there. Now, Sister is back with their new record, Stand Up, Forward, March! due out November 25th via Metal Blade Records. The album was recorded in the city of rock ‘n' roll - Upplands Vaasby, Sweden - by Sister and producer Jona Tee of H.E.A.T., mixed by Tobias Lindell (Avatar, Crash Diet, Mustasch, Europe, Hardcore Superstar) and mastered by Christian Schneider at Scandinavian Mastering.

Sister's Cari Crow comments: "Our intention with this release was not only to record an album, but the best album so far. The Sister vibe with the aggressive music and raw sound is all there together with a bigger sound and choruses that will blow you away. This is by far the best Sister album so far and there is no doubt that this one will take the band to new heights! The first single 'Carved In Stone' was written by Tim Tweak and Cari Crow, together with producer Jona Tee. This was one of the last songs that were written for the album but we all understood right away that this might be the leading track."

Preorders are available at Metal Blade.

Tracklisting:

“Destination Dust”
“Carved In Stone”
“Lost In Line”
“Trail Of Destruction”
“Carry On”
“Unbeliever”
“Let It Bleed”
“Liberation Song”
“Dead Man’s Dirt”
“Endangered Species”
“Piece Of Shame”

“Carved In Stone” video:

After Stand Up, Forward, March!'s release, Sister will head out on a European tour with Noise Pollution as direct support. 

Dates:

November
29 - Hannover, Germany - Lux
30 - Frankfurt, Germany - Das Bett

December 
1 - Munchen, Germany - Backstage
2 - Burglengenfeld, Germany - VAZ Pfarrheim
3 - Oberhausen, Germany - Ruhrpott Metal Meeting
6 - Barcelona, Spain - Sala Boveda
7 - Madrid, Spain Sala Lemon
8 - Montpellier, France - Black Sheep
9 - Lenzburg, Switzerland - Met-Bar
10 - Vercelli, Italy - Occifine Sonore
13 - Paris, France - Le Klub
14 - London, UK - The Underworld
15 - Roeselare, Belgium - De Verlichte Geest
16 - Berlin, Germany - Maze Club
17 - Copenhagen, Denmark - High Voltage

Cruz Del Sur Music has announced the forthcoming release of Beheading Tyrants from Swedish heavy metal journeymen Quicksand Dream on November 11th. The band's first release since 2000's Aelin: A Story About Destiny, is best described as epic metal with heaping portions of doom.

Don't expect Manowar-syle epic metal here though. Rather, imagine a crossover between Sabbath Bloody Sabbath and mid-‘80s Manilla Road. That epic vibe resides not only in terms of heaviness, but also in terms of an atmosphere rife with introspective elements and a sense of impending tragedy. The bass lines assume the role of leader of the dance, perfectly matched by vocalist Göran Jacobson's sympathetic interpretation and by a clever use of guitars, with some great solos and diligent rhythmic work. 

It's no surprise that it took Quicksand Dream took 16 years to provide the follow up of Aelin. In some ways Beheading Tyrants is an album from the past; one without the trappings of a band giving in to the urge to follow a specific style's features, but rather to offer something personal to a dedicated audience.

Tracklisting:

“Daughters Of Eve”
“Cloud Of Screams”
“The Shadow That Bleeds”
“The Girl From The Island”
“White Flames On Black Water”
“To Kill Beneath The Sun”

“The Girl From The Island”:

Mexico's AlterEgoMedia.TV recently conducted an interview with former PANTERA and current HELLYEAH drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott. You can now listen to the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On what he's listening to at the moment:

Vinnie: "I just heard the new METALLICA track ['Hardwired'], and it's slammin', man — it sounded great. The new KORN track ['Rotting In Vain'] is great. The bands that all started it back in the day seem like they're really getting back to their roots, and that's what it's all about. And I think the thing that a lot of new metal bands miss out is they get a little too technical and they get a little too involved in the Pro Tools and that kind of aspect of the studio. And sometimes it's just too much, to me — it's too fast, it's over-busy. It doesn't really have a song value to it; it's more of a musician value. So that's what I like about what we do with HELLYEAH. It's very musician-based, and it's very song-oriented. The song is the most important thing at the end of day; [that's] what it's all about."

On how he felt when he first played without his brother, late PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, for the first time:

Vinnie: "It was very special. We were hoping that the fans would react to it, and they did. It was a new adventure for all of us. I mean, I'd never played in a band before without my brother. It took me a while to really have to learn how to deal with that, and these guys [in HELLYEAH] really helped me through it, and I appreciate them. And HELLYEAH has gone a long way since then. This is just the beginning. It's a roller coaster ride, like every other band I've ever been a part of, and the success that we're achieving now is what we've strived for from the very beginning."

HELLYEAH's fifth album, "Unden!able", was released on June 3 via Eleven Seven Music. The effort marks the first time HELLYEAH's current lineup — Abbott, singer Chad Gray, guitarists Tom Maxwell and Christian Brady, and bassist Kyle Sanders — has recorded together as a unit.

During a brand new interview with the "Talking Metal" podcast, OZZY OSBOURNE bassist Rob "Blasko" Nicholson spoke about the possibility of a new solo album from the BLACK SABBATH singer once the legendary heavy metal band has completed its "The End" tour in early 2017. Asked if he has any insight on the long-awaited follow-up to 2010's "Scream", Blasko said: "Nothing other than what [Ozzy has] already said in the press. So he seems to be hinting at his continued enthusiasm to want to do that. 'Cause he's, like, 'Well, SABBATH's stopping, but I'm not stopping.' So we'll see. But I anticipate that something will start to brew when he's, sort of, kind of come down and had some time to acclimate at being at home for a minute, and then he'll probably wanna go back in and start to whip up some songs and see where that goes."

Ozzy told Metro back in August that he was "playing around with some song ideas" for his next solo album. He added: "Once BLACK SABBATH is off the road, I will be heading into the studio with my band to get the songs recorded. Once it's all in the can, you can be sure to see me back on the road again."

Ozzy's wife and manager Sharon Osbourne recently told Rolling Stone that the 67-year-old singer will carry on as a solo artist after BLACK SABBATH's farewell tour comes to an end. "We'll continue until Ozzy finishes, and Ozzy won't be long behind them when he calls it a day," she said.

"It's not going to be within the next year, but it's coming up," she said. "I don't want Ozzy singing 'Crazy Train' at 75. I think it's best you go out before you hit that 70 and go out on top."

Ozzy told Billboard that he is not planning on hanging it up once SABBATH has retired from touring. "I just get on with it," he said. "I'm not stopping, Terry [BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler] is not stopping; we're just stopping SABBATH. We're not gonna sit in our rocking chairs and look at our scrapbook. We'll still be involved in the music scene; that's what we’ve always done. It's been the best thing that ever happened to me."

Ozzy told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that he wanted to keep performing for fans as long as he could. "I don't wanna stop, you know," he said. "It's been the biggest love affair of my life. When you reach a certain age in rock 'n' roll, people think, 'Well, this has got to be his last tour,' or 'This has got to be his last tour,' or 'You've got to come next Tuesday 'cause he ain't gonna do it after that.' You'll know when I've come off the road permanently. I mean, you'll know!"

Ozzy has not released an all-new solo album since "Scream", having spent the last few years touring with BLACK SABBATH and recording that band's "13" album.

Epic Records president Sylvia Rhone told Billboard in August 2015 that Osbourne was working on a "really special album." She added, "It's going to be amazing. It's something Ozzy has never done before that he's always wanted to do."


Listen to "TM 629 Kyng and Zakk Sabbath" on Spreaker.

Massachusetts hard rockers EXTREME are putting the finishing touches on the long-awaited new album for an early 2017 release. Speaking to Metalholic, EXTREME singer Gary Cherone stated about the progress of the writing and recording sessions for the follow-up to 2008's "Saudades de Rock": "First thing is, we apologize to our fans. To get us in the same room has been a difficult thing. But we have more than enough material for a record. We've been recording [and] finishing up some writing. It's really whittling it down. It's been a while since we've put out new music. We're not gonna compromise it. We're definitely overdue."

Regarding the musical direction of the new EXTREME material, Cherone said: "There will be, like all EXTREME records, familiar elements, but also stuff… Over the years, when Nuno [Bettencourt, guitar] and I write, we're affected by our environment and music changes throughout the years, so those elements… There will still be some new elements to the band as well. Hopefully that always happens; you always wanna grow and evolve and move on. But the guitars will be there, the harmonies will be there, the songs, the hooks, the lyrics… There'll still be elements of the past, but certainly new elements [as well]."

Gary added that EXTREME is taking a break from touring until the album is completed. "I don't really wanna play another show until there's new material," he explained. "I know there'll be some festivals and some offers coming our way, but the band's determined to finish some music up for the fans. We owe it to 'em."

EXTREME's first studio album in thirteen years, "Saudades de Rock" (pronounced "sow-dodge") was released in August 2008 on Open E Records and distributed by Fontana. The European version of the CD included a bonus track, the "Americocaine" demo from 1985, the very first studio recording of EXTREME.

2015 marked the 25th anniversary of EXTREME's classic album "Pornograffitti", the definitive album of the band's career. To mark the anniversary, "Pornograffitti Live 25 / Metal Meltdown" will be released October 14 by the award-winning production company Rock Fuel Media in association with Loud & Proud Records as part of their four-part "Metal Meltdown" DVD series. The concert film captures the Boston band performing "Pornograffitti" in its entirety.

EXTREME released a live CD and DVD, "Take Us Alive", in May 2010 in the U.S. via Frontiers.

Metal Wani's Sandra Yeomans conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt of Swedish progressive metallers OPETH on October 5 at Massey Hall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On when he decided that OPETH had to take a different musical direction prior to the recording of 2011's "Heritage" album:

Mikael: "It wasn't so much of a decision; it was more of a result of the music, I guess. The music normally comes before there's a voice on there, and I try to adapt the type of vocal style to what the music sounds like. And if you do a ballad, it kind of makes sense that perhaps you shouldn't be screaming over it, unless you have some great idea what you're gonna do with it. But the songs came out like that. I did make an attempt to write heavy songs right before the 'Heritage' record, and I didn't feel it, if you know what I mean. So I scrapped those and went into the 'Heritage' thing. And everybody [in the band] was on the same page. It was great. It was time for us to do that. And I hadn't been a massive consumer of any really heavy contemporary music, and it felt a bit like… Ironically, a lot of people called us sellouts when we did the 'Heritage' record, but I actually felt like if we did another record like what we had done in the past, it would [have been] just to cater to the career that we had built up. At the end of the day, it doesn't matter so much what people call it. But it was so… I love music a lot, and I would hate for it to become corrupted by other things. So that's the thing that is most important to us — that we love what we're doing. And we didn't love the stuff that we wrote prior to 'Heritage' — meaning, not the record before 'Heritage'; I wrote stuff in between 'Watershed' and 'Heritage' that I just felt like, 'This is not it.' And once we came up with the songs for 'Heritage', it was, like, 'Yeah, this is cool. This is new and exciting.' And that's how it's been since."

On how the saturation of the heavy metal scene will affect the genre's future:

Mikael: "I think that type of… The metal scene being saturated, even if I think it's true, I don't think it's suffering at all from it. It goes in waves, it seems, or in circles. All of sudden, a retro sound is popular again and everybody's, like, 'This is so fucking cool,' because it sounds like BLACK SABBATH. Which I think is cool. Or the prog thing— you know, what's it called? The 'djent' thing. I don't know where it's going to go, but I believe it's probably gonna go in the direction where I don't necessarily would want to listen to, to be honest. I like the old… I'm always talking about old music, and you have to forgive me for that. I am very nostalgic about it. But I also think it was so much easier back in those days with the identities of bands — the bands that I grew up with — it was so easy to tell them apart. There was a lot of bands, but not as many as today."

OPETH's new album, "Sorceress", debuted at No. 24 on The Billboard 200, having shifted 16,000 equivalent album units in the week ending October 6.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

"Sorceress" was released on September 30. 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. The band spent twelve days recording at the countryside venue among its serene and inspiring surroundings.

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman is putting the finishing touches on a new solo album for a 2017 release via Prosthetic Records. The follow-up to 2014's "Inferno" was recorded in part at Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in California with engineer Paul Fig (ALICE IN CHAINS, RUSH, DEFTONES) and is described by Friedman as "a way more intense version" of its predecessor: "deeper, sadder, happier and more aggressive."

Regarding the recording process, Friedman told Guitar World magazine: "This is going to be my thirteenth record and I think I've finally found the way to do it properly. I spend a lot of time writing and demoing. So by the time I'm playing it for real in the studio, I can play all of the stuff, and it's really easy to ad-lib out of it and do cooler things than I had originally intended. When you have a good demo, it's so much more easy, fun and painless to go in the studio and bang out the real tracks."

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

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

"Inferno" was recorded primarily in Los Angeles with engineer Chris Rakestraw (DANZIG, CHILDREN OF BODOM) and was mixed by Jens Bogren (OPETH, AMON AMARTH). The album also includes notable guest appearances by several artists influenced by Friedman, including CHILDREN OF BODOM frontman Alexi Laiho, SKYHARBOR mastermind Keshav Dhar and David Davidson, as well as Friedman's first songwriting collaboration with Jason Becker since the pair played together in CACOPHONY, the pioneering duo of guitar mayhem.

"Parabellum", a brand new song from Polish death metal veterans VADER, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's new studio album, "The Empire", which will be released on November 4 via Nuclear Blast. The cover artwork for the CD was created by acclaimed artist Joe Petagno, who has previously worked with PINK FLOYD, LED ZEPPELIN, MOTÖRHEAD, MARDUK, ILLDISPOSED and SODOM.

VADER mastermind Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek states: "Here is the cover art for 'The Empire' created by Joe Petagno himself! The whole design includes many details connected to the main theme influencing me before and during the process of recording: war and the 'cold crisis' around us today... There are also links to couple of famous movie series, which influence the generations and erupt with violence, hate and 'imperial tendencies'... Is this just a fantasy or maybe a sign of the 21st century generation? You have to answer that in your own... and the future will show us how real that feeling is."

"The Empire" was produced, mixed and mastered by Wojtek and Slawek Wiesawski at Hertz Studios in Bialystok, Poland.

"The Empire" track listing:

01. Angels Of Steel02. Tempest03. Prayer To The God Of War (album version)04. Iron Reign05. No Gravity06. Genocidius07. The Army-Geddon08. Feel My Pain09. Parabellum (album version)10. Send Me Back To Hell

In a 2014 interview with Radio Metal, Wiwczarek spoke about the fact that VADER has been in existence for more than thirty years. He said: "On one hand, I was a bit surprised at how fast time is flowing, because we've been an active band for so many years and I didn't feel that way. It feels like I just started a year ago or something. [Laughs] There was plenty of hard work but so many albums recorded, so many fans, so many countries visited, so I'm kind of proud that although we came from Poland and knew hard times, we still did it as if we couldn't be stopped, thanks to our passion. Actually, passion was a fuel for us to break through all these problems in the past. We just love what we do. We love music. We love metal. We did it for thirty years, and we still have fans who really want to see us and waiting for us every year. That's the best. That's the biggest success for us."