PEARL JAM guitarist Mike McCready joined original KISS axeman Ace Frehley on stage last night (Saturday, February 11) at the Neptune Theatre in Seattle, Washington to perform the KISS classic "Cold Gin". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

McCready, who made a guest appearance on Frehley's all-star covers LP "Origins Vol. 1", told Rolling Stone in a 2014 interview that KISS was a major influence on him when he was growing up. "'Black Diamond' blew my mind," he said. "Ace Frehley came onstage and did it with us at Madison Square Garden a few years ago, which was a total high watermark in my life. When I was 13, I never thought in a million years that I would even talk to him; I'd probably pass out. And here I am playing with him!"

He added: "Ace was their firecracker, their dynamite. He's what took them over the top with the feel he put into his leads. I really gravitated towards his vibrato. My lead for 'Alive' is based on 'She', and that's based on 'Five To One' by THE DOORS. I remember we were in Surrey, England. I thought about it like, 'I'm going to approach this like Ace did on 'She'.' And I remember the chord pattern that Stone [Gossard] wrote lent it to that kind of a descending pattern. So I kind for went with it. And then I improvised from there."

Rumors about Frehley's return to KISS gained strength last year after he teamed up with KISS lead singer Paul Stanley on a cover of FREE's "Fire And Water" in what was their first collaboration since 1998's "Psycho Circus".

Frehley's version of "Fire And Water" appears on "Origins Vol. 1", which received great reviews and landed in the Top 25 on the Billboard album chart.

According to ITV.com, thirteen people were injured when a truck crashed into a tour bus carrying THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN.

The band was on its way to a concert in Krakow, Poland when the incident occurred.

None of the musicians were seriously hurt, a police spokeswoman said, but they were taken to hospital for further tests.

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's tour bus was parked partly on the road and hard shoulder at the time of the crash.

The band's concert in Krakow on Sunday has been canceled as a result of the incident.

Earlier today, the venue Kwadrat in Krakow where tonight's concert was slated to take place released the following statement: "We regrettably inform that due to unexpected circumstances, today's THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN show in Krakow will not take place.

"At the moment, we are not able to inform you whether the show will get rescheduled and how the ticket purchaser should proceed, but we will release this info as soon as only possible."

It is not presently clear if the rest of the THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's tour will be affected.

They are next scheduled to play in Leipzig, Germany on Tuesday.

The New Jersey outfit recently announced it will go on indefinite hiatus following the tour cycle for its sixth album, "Dissociation", which came out in October via guitarist Ben Weinman's Party Smasher Inc. label.

Weinman said that the sheer intensity of THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's live shows wasn't a contributing factor in the band's decision to call it quits. "It's probably a fact that we couldn't do it when we're 60, but we're not stopping right now because we feel incapable, that's for sure," he told Noisey. "There's a reality that eventually, the type of show that we're doing wouldn't be realistic — I'm pretty much falling apart at the limbs at this point — but it doesn't matter, because when we play, we play. The rest of the world and anything else going on in our lives doesn't exist. I think that's what I'll miss the most, those moments. But there isn't any time in the very near future where we feel like we couldn't do this; we still feel excitement from it and still get that catharsis when we play because it's uninhibited free expression. But one of the reasons to stop now is because it's great to still feel that way and control our destiny."

During an appearance on yesterday's (Friday, February 10) edition of SEX PISTOLS guitarist Steve Jones's radio show, "Jonesy's Jukebox", on the 95.5 KLOS station in Los Angeles, MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine confirmed that he will attend this weekend's Grammy Awards.

MEGADETH is nominated for a 2017 Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" for the title track of "Dystopia". This marks the band's twelfth Grammy nomination in this category (including nominations in the discontinued "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category). The band is hoping to win its first Grammy at the 59th annual event, which will be held on February 12 at Staples Center in Los Angeles and broadcast on CBS at 8 p.m. ET.

Mustaine's former band, METALLICA, is scheduled to perform with pop superstar Lady Gaga at this year's Grammy Awards. The group is up for the Grammy Award for "Best Rock Song" for the track "Hardwired" from its new album, "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct".

Regarding MEGADETH's "Dystopia" nomination, Mustaine told the WRIF radio station in Detroit, Michigan: "I'm really, really excited. You know, it's hard, after getting nominated several times, to not become a little bit jaded, 'cause this is our twelfth nomination. It's great to be nominated — don't get me wrong; I love it — but it's also very bittersweet.

"A lot of people would question, 'Do I wanna go there again and not get chosen to win?'," he continued.

"I think it's great to be nominated, even if you don't win, because you get that recognition from all of your peers, and people get to see it that may not know who you are."

Mustaine added: "I do think that it's kind of a drag sometimes when people win that are so obvious that they weren't supposed to win. There have been some times over the years — not just the ones that I was in, but some other ones — where the bands won and they had nothing to do with metal. I think the most famous one was the JETHRO TULL one," referring to the time in 1989 when METALLICA lost the "Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Recording" Grammy to flute-driven progressive rockers JETHRO TULL.

MEGADETH recently completed a month-long U.S. tour with AMON AMARTH, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, METAL CHURCH and BUTCHER BABIES.

Ozzy Osbourne says that Tony Iommi has no equal when it comes to creating and playing riffs.

In an interview conducted by AVENGED SEVENFOLD frontman M. Shadows in the brand new issue of Metal Hammer, the BLACK SABBATH singer says: "People always say we invented heavy metal. But I like THE KINKS, [LED] ZEPPELIN and THE WHO – and I think we spawned from that.

"But I do think that Tony Iommi, for what it's worth, is the king of all demonic riffs. There's just no one to fucking touch him. Considering he had his fretboard fingers chopped off — to this day, I'm still amazed he knows he's touching the strings.

"He's amazing. He's one of these guys that you can give any instrument to and he'll come out of his dressing room playing something on it. It could be the bagpipes, or anything, really."

The full interview between M. Shadows and Ozzy can be found in the brand new issue of Metal Hammer magazine, which launched today (February 10).

Speaking to Absolute Radio at the 2015 Q Awards, Iommi was asked if he could imagine playing any instrument other than guitar. "As a matter of fact, I did play another instrument before," he replied. "I used to play an accordion — only because all my family had bloody accordions and drums and stuff. My father used to play an accordion and my uncles and cousins and all that, so I had one, of course. I wanted to have a guitar, but… Well, I wanted to play drums, but they wouldn't let me have any drums. As you can imagine, we were in a tiny little house, so a set of drums wouldn't have gone down very well. But, yeah, I took to the guitar. I loved the idea of playing guitar. And I played it a few years before I had my accident [resulting in Iommi losing the tips of the middle and ring finger of his right, fretting hand], which then changed everything for me. But I stuck with it and made it work for me."

Iommi also talked about the importance of writing music that comes from the heart as opposed to following a formula or constantly chasing commercial success. He said: "For me, playing and writing riffs and stuff has to come from within. I can't just sort of do something what I think people wanna hear. I have to feel it and do it how I feel. Same with solos — I have to play 'em from the heart as opposed to… I can't play a solo that's written down… note for note. I just can't do that. I have to play it how I feel it that day."

BLACK SABBATH finished its year-long "The End" farewell tour on Saturday night (February 4) in the band's hometown of Birmingham, England, closing out the quartet's groundbreaking 49-year career with an emotional 15-song set.

The band decided to make this tour its last because Iommi, who was diagnosed with cancer in late 2011 and is currently in remission, can no longer travel for extended amounts of time.

Portuguese metallers MOONSPELL filmed their February 4 concert at the Campo Pequeno arena in Lisbon, Portugal for their upcoming 20th-anniversary DVD. The show, which was witnessed by four thousand metalheads, saw the band performing three of its records live on stage: "Wolfheart", "Irreligious" and "Extinct".

Says MOONSPELL: "The show was filmed for a DVD release via Napalm Records and we believe these will make the Portuguese wolves' fans very, very proud.

"MOONSPELL broke their ticket sale recording for a headline show in Portugal, and four thousand rabid fans have attended this show, making impossible history happen for a Portuguese metal band."

MOONSPELL recently revealed it was working on a Portuguese-language EP about the 1755 Lisbon earthquake, also known as the Great Lisbon earthquake, which occurred in the Kingdom of Portugal. In combination with subsequent fires and a tsunami, the earthquake almost totally destroyed Lisbon and adjoining areas.

MOONSPELL vocalist Fernando Ribeiro told Spark TV: "I always was very fascinated about the apocalypse, the end of things, and we had this experience in the 18th Century, in 1755, and it really affected not only by the destruction and the death toll — it was very high, and it was probably one of the biggest earthquakes ever to occur on European soil — but it also influenced the way people looked at Gods, at religion, the way Europe changed. And it was tragic and traumatic, but the earthquake was the birth of a more modern Portugal, a Portugal that actually would enjoy a period of prosperity after, and the Portugal that was, before the earthquake, just going down and lost in vice and corruption and greed. So I think it makes for an interesting subject, and it makes it even more interesting if I do it in Portuguese, because it happened there."

Regarding the musical direction of the material that will appear on the new MOONSPELL EP, Fernando said: "It's not that gothic, I have to say. I think it's a more metal album. As the subject is an earthquake, it's definitely a little bit more brutal. But it still has the touch of MOONSPELL and it also has a more symphonic touch here and there. I'm not even really singing with my melodic vocals, just screaming."

Asked whether MOONSPELL would once again incorporate some of the oriental music elements — like they did on "Extinct" — on the upcoming EP, Fernando said: "I think it's a big influence in our music. And also, the idea behind this EP is to capture a certain feeling and a certain spirit of that time — people in the streets of Lisbon and people living their lives. And Lisbon, at the time, was a big metropolis, and it was populated by a lot of people — from Muslim people to people from Africa, new people from Brazil, Portuguese people, English people, French people… a lot of people, because Lisbon was the epicenter of many of the maritime dealing and commerce. So we are using these oriental things, because that was the stuff that people listened to in the streets as well, and that's important. We will not work with the same people as on 'Extinct', 'cause 'Extinct' is a full-on album, so we had more money to invest, etc. It's an EP, so it's lower budget, more modest production. But sometimes you just use your imagination. So I think that part, it's totally covered and it's going to be a bit different from 'Extinct', but it will have these feelings, definitely, on these new songs, because it's the feeling of the Portugal at the time as well."

"Extinct" was released in March 2015 via Napalm. The CD was completed at Fascination Street Studio in Örebro, Sweden with producer Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with KATATONIA, AMON AMARTH, OPETH and PARADISE LOST, among others.

BROTHER FIRETRIBE — the melodic rock maestros from Finland featuring NIGHTWISH guitarist Emppu Vuorinen — will release their fourth full-length album, "Sunbound", on March 24 via Spinefarm Records. Featuring twelve new pieces of music, including lead track "Taste Of A Champion" plus follow-up single/video for "Indelible Heroes", due out next month, "Sunbound" was mixed by Finnish studio-meister Mikko Karmila (NIGHTWISH, CHILDREN OF BODOM, STRATOVARIUS), and is the follow-up to 2014's "Diamond In The Firepit". Since first coming together for their "False Metal" debut back in 2006, BROTHER FIRETRIBE have flown the flag for a brand of music ("ultra-melodic West Coast AOR") that once strode the U.S. radio airwaves like a colossus, filling up arenas and providing the silky soundtrack to poolside summers and wind-in-the-hair coastal highway drives; music pioneered by some of rock music's most legendary names... However, BROTHER FIRETRIBE — that's vocalist Pekka Ansio Heino, keyboard player Tomppa Nikulainen, bassist Jason Flinck, drummer Hannes Pirila, plus Vuorinen himself — are not trying to hitch a DeLorean ride into the past; rather, their collective aim is to both celebrate and reinvigorate a musical style that is all about big hooks, strong melodies, soaring vocals and searing guitars, not to mention the desire to entertain on a grand and glorious scale. "Taste Of A Champion" —recently used as the theme for a major Finnish advertising campaign — packs all of the above qualities into an epic three-and-a-half minutes of "Rocky" soundtrack-style delight, setting the tone for an album that stands as the perfect antidote to long, lonely winter nights under the duvet. "Sunbound" track listing:

01. Sunbound02. Help Is On The Way03. Indelible Heroes04. Taste of a Champion05. Last Forever06. Give Me Tonight07. Shock08. Strangled09. Heart of the Matter10. Restless Heart11. Big City Dream12. Phantasmagoria13. Don't Cry For Yesterday (vinyl only)

ONSLAUGHT will become the first international thrash metal act to play in Lebanon on June 10. The band's appearance at The Station venue in Beirut will be a special climax to "The Force 30th Anniversary" world tour, which kicked off in November 2016 with dates in United Kingdom and Ireland.

Commented ONSLAUGHT guitarist Nige Rockett: "This is something really special for us and a huge honor for ONSLAUGHT to be invited to perform in Lebanon. We have no idea what to expect, but I know it's gonna be another crazy, amazing adventure."

Having recently returned from the hugely successful Latin America leg of the tour, where the band played nineteen shows in nineteen days across eleven countries, the band next head to Russia for two shows in St. Petersburg (Backstage club on March 17) and Moscow (Brooklyn Hall on March 18).

While in Brazil, ONSLAUGHT recorded a brand-new 360-degree, interactive promo video of a pre-tour rehearsal at Tellus Studios in Rio De Janiero, where it's rumoured that the band will record tracks for a new album in the not-too-distant future.

ONSLAUGHT released a concert CD/DVD, "Live At The Slaughterhouse", in February 2016 via AFM. The 13-song set captured two performances in the U.K. (Bristol and London) featuring the lineup of Sy Keeler (vocals), Nige Rockett (guitar), Leigh Chambers (guitar), Jeff Williams (bass) and Mic Hourihan (drums).

ONSLAUGHT's sixth album, "VI", was released in September 2013 via AFM Records. The follow-up to 2011's "Sounds Of Violence" was mixed by Thomas "Plec" Johansson (TIAMAT, SCAR SYMMETRY) at Panic Room studios in Skara, Sweden.

Iconic drummer and former member of DREAM THEATER, Mike Portnoy performed the band's "12 Step Suite" in its entirety for the first time ever on the Cruise To The Edge, which sailed out of Tampa, Florida on February 7. The music documents the musician's battle with alcoholism, and is an ensemble of five songs recorded by DREAM THEATER from 2002 to 2009, with titles that reflect his struggles: "The Glass Prison", "This Dying Soul", "The Root Of All Evil", "Repentance" and "The Shattered Fortress".

The February 10 concert, which was staged under the MIKE PORTNOY'S SHATTERED FORTRESS banner, featured the following setlist:

First set: LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT material

Drums: Mike PortnoyBass, chapman stick: Tony Levin Keyboards: Diego Tejeida Guitar: Eric Gillette

01.Paradigm Shift 02. Acid Rain 03. Universal Mind Second set: "12 Step Suite"

Drums: Mike Portnoy Bass: Conner Green Keys: Diego Tejeida Guitars: Richard Henshall, Charlie Griffiths, Eric Gillette Lead vocals on "The Glass Prison": Ross Jennings Lead vocals on "This Dying Soul": Daniel GildenlöwLead vocals on "The Root Of All Evil": Ted Leonard Lead vocals on "Repentence": Mike Portnoy Lead vocals on "The Shattered Fortress": Ross Jennings Backing vocals: all of the above vocalists, plus Eric Gillette and Charlie Griffiths

Portnoy, who also celebrated his 50th birthday on Cruise To The Edge, said that it was always part of his master plan to perform "12 Step Suite" in its entirety live on stage with DREAM THEATER. However, his 2010 exit from the band made that impossible, until now.

"I would love nothing more than to perform it with [DREAM THEATER]," he told The National Student. "But they've made it clear that they have no intention in reuniting at any point. So, life is short; this is going to be my 50th birthday and it just felt like the right time and place to finally play this music."

He continued: "I wrote all five of these songs with the intention of them being performed from start to finish, and I would have loved nothing more than to be doing it with DREAM THEATER. But it's obviously not on the cards for them. I can't sit around waiting for a reunion that may not happen."

Portnoy, who co-founded DREAM THEATER more than thirty years ago, abruptly quit the band in September 2010 while on tour with AVENGED SEVENFOLD. He has since been replaced by Mike Mangini (ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE, STEVE VAI). Portnoy later revealed that he tried to rejoin DREAM THEATER, only to be rebuffed.

Asked in a 2015 interview with Loudwire if it's true that he quit DREAM THEATER due to the fact that he wanted a five-year break from the band but the other guys in the group disagreed, Portnoy said: "Well, I mean, obviously, the fact that I left the band is a fact. But the five-year break thing is fiction. That's a… What is it called? Not a rumor… a myth… urban legend. The five-year thing is an urban legend. I never said five years. I just wanted to have a hiatus. Just 'cause we had been going 25 years — boom! boom! boom! — with no break. Write-record-tour, write-record-tour, and it was burning me out. It didn't mean I wanted to stop making music. One of the biggest misconceptions was, after I left DREAM THEATER, I went off and did, like, five different bands and side projects. Everyone was, like, 'We thought you wanted a break.' And it was, like, well, I didn't want a break from making music; I just needed a break from the DREAM THEATER camp. It was 25 years without a break in that camp, and I was just fried. I needed other people and other musical outlets in my life. But the five-year hiatus, I think… I had suggested hiatus of any length, it somehow got misinterpreted as a five-year… which, coincidentally, would have been now. So it would have been up by now, actually — if it was a five-year hiatus."

Portnoy was also asked whether it's true that he offered to return to DREAM THEATER shortly after quitting the band, but that his offer was rebuffed via DREAM THEATER's lawyer. He responded: "I'll just say that there was… Once I left, there was a tremendous amount of legalities and technicalities, so I'll just say that I was doing whatever it would take to keep peace and keep things going smooth. And at that point, they were just only speaking through their lawyer. But it's a 25-year relationship coming to an end, so, obviously, it goes very, very deep, not only personally and emotionally, but also legally, and all the red tape that's involved with something like that. So it was a tough time, a tough period, and, luckily, we all got through it. But, yeah, I don't wish that kind of stuff on anybody in a band. It's tough."

AC/DC guitarist Angus Young made a guest appearance with GUNS N' ROSES again Saturday night (February 11) in Sydney, Australia.

As he did the night before, Young joined the band to perform the AC/DC songs "Whole Lotta Rosie" and "Riff Raff".

GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan tweeted earlier in the week that Angus greeted him and his bandmates when they arrived in Sydney. In addition, Fernando Lebeis, who is part of GN'R's management team, posted a photo on Instragam of a nice flower arrangement with a "Welcome to Sydney!" card signed by Angus and the guitarist's wife Ellen. "I have missed these two, Angus and Ella. AC/DC Family," Lebeis wrote.

Young previously joined GUNS N' ROSES on stage in April 2016 at the Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival to perform the AC/DC classics "Riff Raff" and "Whole Lotta Rosie".

Rose replaced Brian Johnson last year for U.S. and European AC/DC dates after the longtime AC/DC singer was ordered off the road by doctors due to hearing issues.

The Australian leg of GUNS N' ROSES' "Not In This Lifetime" tour kicked off in Brisbane, and continues in Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

Angus Young por segunda noche consecutiva con Guns N' Roses Let There Be Rock! �� pic.twitter.com/EXFzRyWOks

— GunsN'RosesArg (@_gnrargentina) February 11, 2017

Roadrunner/604 recording group THEORY OF A DEADMAN has released a soulful cover of Sting's "Shape Of My Heart". THEORY OF A DEADMAN's take on the track, which originally appeared on Sting's 1993 album "Ten Summoner's Tales", is streaming on the band's official YouTube channel and is available at all DSPs.

"Shape Of My Heart" follows THEORY OF A DEADMAN's previously released cover of the late Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah". The song, which Cohen tracked for his 1984 album "Various Positions", was re-recorded by fellow Canadians THEORY OF DEADMAN prior to Cohen's passing to honor the profound impact and influence of his art. An official video for THEORY OF A DEADMAN's version of "Hallelujah" is streaming now on the band's official YouTube channel.

THEORY OF A DEADMAN is currently in London, England working on its sixth full-length album and the follow-up to 2014's "Savages". "Savages" made a spectacular debut, landing at No. 1 on Billboard's Hard Rock Albums chart and at No. 8 on The Billboard 200. "Savages" marked the band's second straight Top 10 debut on The Billboard 200 as well as their third consecutive No. 1 Hard Rock album. THEORY OF A DEADMAN is: Tyler Connolly (lead vocals, lead guitar), David Brenner (rhythm guitar), Dean Back (bass) and Joey Dandeneau (drums).

Behind Martin Rubashov, commonly known as the outgoing radio host Bollnäs-Martin on Bandit Rock radio in Sweden, is a shimmering, mysterious and beautiful pain that meets the listeners in his own music. On February 10, Martin Rubashov released the new single "Black Elk" featuring IN FLAMES' Anders Fridén as his guest vocalist. You can check out the song below.

"I was helping out during the recordings of IN FLAMES' 'Siren Charms' [album] in Berlin and got to sing on the song 'Dead Eyes', so I kind of felt like Anders owed me one!" Rubanov says, laughing. " I sent him the song, he said he was very fond of it and agreed to guest on it so it turned out to be a good duet."

The Indian medicine man Black Elk was an inspiration to Martin when he wrote the lyrics. Indigenous people around the world have always been oppressed and shunned throughout history and Martin applies it to the refugee situation of today. "Black Elk" is about survival and being on the edge of losing all hope, but finding strength and never giving up.

Rubashov released two prior albums via Despotz Records and has proven himself to be a bit of a one-man show as he plays almost all the instruments on his albums himself. He also gathers new instruments on his trips around the world.

"Black Elk" can be purchased on iTunes.

NEON COVEN, the new industrial rock band from Los Angeles, California, has released its debut EP, "Risen", via New Ocean Media. Recorded in Hollywood, the effort was produced by Jacob Bunton (LYNAM, ADLER), who also plays bass for the band. The EP consists of four tracks ranging from songs about survival and balance to emotionally charged anthems. NEON COVEN is comprised of Anthony Montemarano (vocals), Jacob Bunton (bass), Ace Von Johnson (guitar) and Kyle Cunningham (drums). The EP's title, "Risen", is a dedication to the fallen and broken who refuse to back down and give up on their dreams. "The idea behind music is to connect, create and inspire," states Montemarano. "Between life and death, we are always riding the quantum edge." "These songs reflect on the uncertainties of life and coming to grips with our own mortality," adds Bunton. "The only guarantee we have in life is that one day it will end. It's up to each one of us to create our own destiny and live life to it's fullest. The world is full of ups and downs, but I've always believed in the Rocky Horror quote 'if you can dream it, you can be it." "Risen" track listing: 01. Down02. No One Knows You're Dead03. Bleeding Love04. Queen Of Scars

ANTHRAX is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its classic album "Among The Living" by performing the LP in its entirety on a European tour.

Fan-filmed video footage of the entire first show of the trek, which kicked off on February 9 at the O2 Institute in Birmingham, England, can be seen below.

Despite the fact that "Among The Living" was ANTHRAX's third album (following 1984's "Fistful Of Metal" and 1985's "Spreading The Disease"), guitarist Scott Ian told Metal Hammer that the band wasn't being forced by the record company at the time to make any big commercial breakthrough. "We were under no pressure at all," he said. "We had no time limit for writing or recording. The way we worked back then, when there were enough songs for an album, then we'd go in and do it. We never wrote more than was necessary. In a way, I now regret that situation. We were on such a roll that perhaps someone should have persuaded us to carry on writing. Who knows what else may have come out? When you're in that zone, there's a lot to be said for staying in. I'm not criticizing what's on 'Among The Living', but we may have benefited from being a little less hasty in finishing up the writing side."

Regarding the recording process for "Among The Living", Scott said: "We had just come off the METALLICA tour in the fall of '86 when [METALLICA bassist] Cliff Burton was killed, and we had come off that tour obviously early because of the tragedy. And that's when we started recording that record, pretty much right after that. I feel like the energy just really jumps off that record; you fucking hear how pissed off we are playing our instruments on that record. There's a brutality on that album that you don't hear on the two records before 'Among The Living'. It was just the record of its time; it really was."

When ANTHRAX's "Among The Living" full-album performance at the 2014 edition of the Sonisphere festival was first announced, Ian said: "A long time ago in a galaxy far far away (1986, New York City) we wrote a record that at the time, we had no idea would become our 'signature' record. We had a song about the plight of the American Indian, we had songs about Stephen King characters (Randall Flagg from 'The Stand' and Todd Bowden from 'Apt Pupil'), we had a song dedicated to Cliff Burton and another about John Belushi's clichéd death. We had a song about Judge fucking Dredd and we had a song called 'Caught In A Mosh'. We had songs.'

He continued: "When 'Among The Living' punched the world in the face in 1987, it launched ANTHRAX into a high-speed trajectory that we could barely keep up with. Like going from 0-200 kph in 5 seconds flat. Our heads were spinning as fast as they were banging, and [nearly 30] years later, nothing has changed."

PureGrainAudio recently played a fun game of "Metal Or Not?" with LAMB OF GOD bassist John Campbell, who shared his thoughts on such subjects as "Star Wars" and condoms to Internet dating and more. Check out the clip below.

LAMB OF GOD released a new EP called "The Duke" on November 18 via Epic. The EP's title track, which was recorded during the sessions for the band's last album, "VII: Sturm Und Drang", was inspired by the plight of a LAMB OF GOD fan named Wayne Ford, who was diagnosed with leukemia in 2010 and died five years later at the age of 33. The EP includes another previously unreleased track that dates back to LAMB OF GOD's "Wrath" LP, the thrashy, heavy "Culling", which the band finished up especially for this EP, along with live recordings of three "VII: Sturm Und Drang" tracks.

"VII: Sturm Und Drang" was released in July 2015 via Epic in the U.S. and Nuclear Blast Entertainment in all territories outside of North America. The CD was once again produced and mixed by Josh Wilbur with engineering by Wilbur, Nick Rowe and Kyle McAulay, and was recorded at NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood, California and Suburban Soul Studios in Torrance, California.

German death metallers DISBELIEF will release a brand new album, "The Symbol Of Death", on April 21 via Listenable Records. According to a press release, the follow-up to 2010's "Heal" is "a monster. First, band founder and vocalist Karsten 'Jagger' Jäger's guttural signature has never sounded so intense and relentless, and the precise and bloodthirsty double-bass drums back up a colossal wall of thickly produced, face-melting guitars. Still, the band adds in a melodic flavor that never sounds obvious."

Jäger comments on the studio experience: "We recorded and mixed 'The Symbol Of Death' at Rombado Recordings in Essen, Germany. It was the first time for us in this studio, and the band is very satisfied with the result. The combination of the brutal side of DISBELIEF and the melodic, apocalyptic parts of the band are displayed here better than ever before. Many excellent riffs, some fast stuff, some mid-tempo songs, it's a great trip going through those twelve strong, raw and aggressive death metal songs."

Asked about the lyrical themes explored on "The Symbol Of Death", Jäger says: "'Rest In Peace' is personal and deals with my father dying of cancer and his fight against this crawling sickness that destroyed him slowly. The song 'One By One' is dedicated to [Austrian Nazi hunter and writer] Simon Wiesenthal and is looking into the minds of all the German people who survived the Nazi regime, knowing what was going on with the Jews, betraying and denying their best friends to save their own lives. Everyone who survived such experience had to live with that shame until the rest of their lives; that's justice. 'To Defy Control' is an anti-addiction song about the daily manipulations people have to go through."

The artwork for "The Symbol Of Death" was created by renowned artist Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with TESTAMENT, HATEBREED, SOULFLY and KATAKLYSM, among others. Jäger explains the concept: "The cover artwork shows two statues. They're blessing each other and betraying and stabbing each other in the back with the other hand at the same time, a hypocritical blessing."

DISBELIEF 2017 is:

Karsten "Jagger" Jäger - VocalsJochen "Joe" Trunk - BassAlexander "Alex" Hagenauer - GuitarDavid "Dave" Renner - GuitarFabian "Fab" Regmann - Drums

"Blasting Shit to Bits - The Final Show", a documentary film focusing on the final 2012 performance by Sweden's legendary grindcore outfit NASUM, will premiere at Copenhagen's Music Film Festival on April 27 to coincide with the band's 25th anniversary.

During its tenure, NASUM quickly rose to become one of the most influential acts of the extreme underground. When lead singer Mieszko Talarczyk disappeared and died in the devastating and tragic tsunami of 2004, NASUM instantly ceased to exist. An eight-year break followed before NASUM's surviving members (Anders Jakobson: drums, Jesper Liverod: bass/vocals, Urban Skytt: guitar, Jon Lindqvist: guitar/vocals) enlisted the help of ROTTEN SOUND vocalist Keijo Niinimaa and reunited to celebrate what would have been their 20th anniversary by embarking on a full world tour with the intent of ending NASUM "the way it was supposed to — exploding in a ferocious, blasting frenzy, not wither away at the mercy of tragedy."

Four and a half years after NASUM's last live performance, the band and filmmaker Michael Panduro will release a music film documenting the band's final, emotionally and sonically pulverizing show in front of a thousand fans at Stockholm's now-defunct Debaser Medis venue.

"Blasting Shit to Bits - The Final Show" features the full concert, along with interviews and retrospective footage.

Check out a short teaser below.

EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee has released a new solo single called "Love Exists". Featuring artwork by Jennybird Alcantara, the song is now available for purchase on Amazon, Google Play and Apple Music.

Lee stated about the inspiration for the track: "When I was in Italy filming the video for 'Speak To Me', I fell in love with a song I heard on the radio there, 'L'amore Esiste' by Francesca Michielin. It seemed to follow me everywhere, got under my skin and just wouldn't leave. I couldn't stop listening to it, over and over the whole way home. I started piecing together what the lyrics meant and wrote my own twist on them in English.

"I showed my idea to one of my dream producers, Guy Sigsworth, and somehow convinced him to come to New York and re-create the song with me. Dave Eggar contributed his lush string arrangement and we all just lived in this song for a week at Flux Studios on the Lower East Side.

"What an incredibly fulfilling experience it was to make this beautiful thing. And with such a talented, down-to-earth, and inspired team — with no rules or limitations beyond the ones we created. Guy pushed me in new ways and I learned a few things.

"It was a unique honor to work beside someone I admire so much on something that at the time had no plan, no album to go on, and made no sense other than how good it felt.

"It's easy to get bogged down by the 'point' sometimes, when what matters most in my opinion, in music-making, is following your heart. Finding a way to satisfy that deep need to express something that can't be said with words alone.

"Love is anything but simple. And it manifests itself in countless forms. It can be inconvenient. Painful. Easier to ignore than to trust. But we are still connected, despite how alone we feel sometimes.

"Can we be brave enough to love, knowing it's going to hurt? Can we drop our cynicism long enough to see beyond the frustrations, the discontentment, the fear of the unknown and the anger for all we can't control?

"Love is all around. Even in the darkest places. And it is worth everything.

"Look out, look in. Love exists."

Lee recently unveiled a solo album of children's music called "Dream Too Much". She also released a solo EP of covers.

She has not said for sure if and when EVANESCENCE will record a new album, which would be its first since 2011.

EVANESCENCE released a career-spanning vinyl box set containing all three official studio albums along with the rare, early demo album "Origin". Also included in the six-LP set is a disc collecting the band's legendary bonus tracks along with the first new EVANESCENCE studio recording in years, "Even In Death (2016)", a song that originally appeared on "Origin".

MISFITS guitarist Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein has released a snippet of "Run For Your Life", a track from his forthcoming sophomore release, "Doyle II: As We Die", due on May 5 via EMP Label Group in conjunction with Doyle's own Monsterman Records.

"As We Die" will be available with alternate artwork configurations, featuring art by legendary horror/comic/album cover artist Sam Shearon, known for his iconic works with Rob Zombie, IRON MAIDEN, Clive Barker, KISS, MINISTRY and RAMMSTEIN.

EMP/Monsterman will also release several limited-edition vinyl configurations, as well as a CD reissue, of Doyle's critically acclaimed "Abominator".

DOYLE, the current project of Von Frankenstein, with CANCERSLUG vocalist Alex "Wolfman" Story, and a current touring lineup rounded out by bassist Brandon Strate and drummer Brandon Pertzborn, continues the lineage of Doyle's former projects, pairing crushing metal riffs with ferocious punk rock swagger and the theatrical intensity one would expect from one of the reigning kings, and erstwhile creators, of horror-core.

Doyle is in the midst of the "Abominate The World" tour, which includes several dates in the U.K., Germany, Austria, Italy and Hungary, with U.S. dates to be announced.

HAUNT OF JACKALS, the band that featuring former LEATHERWOLF members Carey Howe and Geoff Gayer, along with solo recording artist Wreck Ignition, has released its debut album, "The Chosen". The disc was produced by Cameron Webb (MOTÖRHEAD, MEGADETH) in Orange County, California and is available on iTunes. You can listen to the effort at HauntOfJackals.com. HAUNT OF JACKALS began to take shape in 2015 after Howe and Gayer decided to launch a modern metal band which clearly showcased some of their newer hardcore metal influences. The duo teamed up with recording artist Wreck to deliver the vocal melodies and grinding verses, and added power drummer Dan Bruette and longtime colleague Pat Guyton (LEATHERWOLF) on bass.

According to a press release, HAUNT OF JACKALS "combines a unique blend of new hard and heavy power riffs on guitar with great vocal melodies and chanting big chorus sections. [It is] raw, powerful, new and fresh."

METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo has defended Lars Ulrich against online criticism of the the Danish skinsman's technical ability, saying that "the really great drummers have mad respect" for his bandmate's "unique style of playing."

Ulrich has been the butt of jokes for more than two decades after his drumming patterns were simplified, seemingly in response to the more mainstream nature of METALLICA's music, with some even suggesting that his actual ability has degraded over time.

However, Trujillo makes it clear in a new interview with Drum! magazine that admires Ulrich's playing, to the extent that he can bristle at those he perceives as less appreciative.

"I've played with the best drummers in rock, ranging from Josh Freese to Brooks Wackerman to even Dave Lombardo," Trujillo said. "And these guys respect Lars. They know he has a unique style of playing and production. Some drummers who don't have the kind of success Lars has had are quick to pass judgment. I don't know if it's jealousy or whatever. But the really great drummers have mad respect for him."

Robert also talked about what it's like being a part of a rhythm section with Ulrich, saying: "From when I joined the band, Lars has just grown better. The pocket has come a long way. That's why I feel that his ability to groove has blossomed even more on the new album. We're growing as a rhythm section. That's a beautiful thing, because I feel that the whole band, as a unit, is still challenging itself."

"Lars likes to play," Trujillo added. "By that I mean that he likes the drums to have a voice. It reminds me of the way Jaco [the great American musician/composer Jaco Pastorius] played: They both have a melodic quality that fits in really well with anybody they work with. There's a lot of personality in Lars's drumming. That's what makes it unique."

Ulrich said in a recent interview with the "Talk Is Jericho" podcast that he lost interest in showing his technical prowess around twenty-five years ago and began focusing more on improving his skill at keeping steady time. "Since around I guess the late '80s, the only thing that's really interested me is just doing the best thing for the song," he explained. "And sitting and doing the Phil Rudd four-on-the-floor [a technique where drummers strike the bass drum on every beat in the measure], when it calls for that, that's really what I love to do. And just to be able to make James's [Hetfield] riffs swing and to make it kind of bounce and to do all that type of stuff. I just turned a corner where I just stopped being interested in trying to do thirty-two paradiddles standing upside down backwards fucking Lombardo style. It's, like, let Lombardo be Lombardo and I'll kind of just do my own thing. But everybody goes through periods of that kind of thing, and I got mine out of my system pretty early. And, like I said, for the last twenty-five, thirty years or whatever, it's just been more about making it swing, and that's what I'm happy to do."

METALLICA's latest album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", debuted at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 album chart, selling 291,000 copies in its first week of release.

METALLICA will head out on a major world tour in support of the set later this year, with North American dates rumored to begin in late spring.

The official video for Norwegian singer Jorn Lande' cover version of the DIO classic "Rainbow In The Dark" can be seen below. The song was featured on Jorn's latest album, "Heavy Rock Radio", which was released last June via Frontiers Music Srl.

"Heavy Rock Radio" was described in a press release as "a unique album of covers of classics from artists and bands that have meant something special to [Lande], and helped forge this talented man's own unique style."

Through Jorn's extensive career, which includes more than 40 albums of mostly original songs, he has also recorded great versions of several rock classics such as THIN LIZZY's "Are You Ready", UFO's "On And On", DEEP PURPLE's "Perfect Strangers", and many more. Jorn also recorded a successful Ronnie James Dio tribute album, released in 2010. Every song Jorn covers is treated with the utmost respect and "Jorn-ized" accordingly. A good example is his heavy sounding version of "I Walk Alone", first released by Tarja Turunen (ex-NIGHTWISH).

"Heavy Rock Radio" is not an ordinary album of cover songs; it is truly a songbook of hits. Featured — among others — are great versions of the EAGLES' "Hotel California" and Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill", which gets the Jorn style treatment to become very powerful and epic, without losing its commercial touch. More great classics included are John Farnham's "You're The Voice", QUEEN's "Killer Queen", and two absolute melodic rock evergreen gems in JOURNEY's "Don't Stop Believin'" and FOREIGNER's "Rev On The Red Line".

The original concept of the album was to create a sort of jukebox of radio hits, but to avoid leaning too much on the pop side of rock, Jorn decided to blend the track listing with a few more up tempo rock tracks as well, such as "The Final Frontier" by IRON MAIDEN ("probably the closest you get to anything commercial with IRON MAIDEN," says Jorn), "Live To Win" by Paul Stanley (a song which was also featured on the popular television series "South Park"), and a few hard rock classics show up as well from DEEP PURPLE ("Stormbringer"), DIO ("Rainbow In The Dark") and BLACK SABBATH ("Die Young") to complete the mix.

Jorn says: "The most important thing was to treat these songs with respect towards the original versions. My goal was always to think that the original artist would be honored and find my version relevant. At the same time, my intention was never to try to compete with the original song and artist, but make it a strong alternative version to enjoy. At the same time, it is a well-deserved homage to these artists and bands who influenced me strongly, and I have wanted to record these songs for quite some time but was always too busy writing and recording my own songs to make it happen. Originally, I had a list of 40-50 songs I wanted to do, but I had to strip it down to about 15 songs before deciding on the final tracklist. This means that there are some unfinished business musically, and I will most likely record more of these songs in the future."

Jorn's catalogue is getting too long to include in brief press statements, and his innovative and creative skills have led to him selling millions of albums worldwide and being a frequent entry on sales charts around the world, including Billboard. Worth a mention is his years with MASTERPLAN, with whom he recorded three albums. Claimed to be the biggest selling Norwegian musical export, since the pop band A-HA, Jorn continues his rock crusade, and there are no signs of him slowing down yet.

The title "Heavy Rock Radio" came quite naturally, as the sound of this album feels like if it's tailor made for any rock radio station, and while Jorn's voice can be enjoyed on more than 40 albums in different rock and metal styles, this record is a special treat which will tide over all the fans waiting for the new original album which is being worked on at the moment.

"Heavy Rock Radio" track listing:

01. I Know There's Something Going On02. Running Up That Hill03. Rev On The Red Line04. You're The Voice05. Live To Win06. Don't Stop Believin'07. Killer Queen08. Hotel California09. Rainbow In The Dark10. The Final Frontier11. Stormbringer12. Die Young

Recording lineup:

Jorn Lande: VocalsTrond Holter: GuitarFrancesco Iovino: DrumsThomas Bekkevold: BassAlessandro Del Vecchio: Keyboards

Except as follows:

"Rainbow In The Dark"

Jimmy Iversen and Tore Moren - guitarNic Angileri - basWilly Bendiksen - drums

"Stormbringer"

Jorn Viggo Lofstad - guitarSid Ringsby - bassWilly Bendiksen - drums

Swedish metallers CIVIL WAR have announced the addition of American vocalist Kelly Sundown Carpenter to the group's ranks.

The band — which features former SABATON members Rikard Sundén (guitar), Daniel Mullback (drums) and Daniel Mÿhr (keyboards) — said in a statement: "We proudly present Kelly Sundown as the new voice of CIVIL WAR! He's known for his work with ADAGIO, BEYOND TWILIGHT, DARKOLOGY, EPYSODE, OUTWORLD, ZIERLER and touring singer for FIREWIND, [and] he brings experience and huge talent into our ranks.

"We are very happy to say that we found just the right person and powerful voice we've been looking for.

"Help us give the warmest welcome to Kelly. We are all very excited to write a new chapter in CIVIL WAR's history together!"

Singer Patrik Johansson quit CIVIL WAR last December, explaining in a statement that he was not able to tour more due to his "work and family situation."

CIVIL WAR's third album, "The Last Full Measure", was released on November 4 via Napalm.

Asked if the SABATON connection has made it easier for CIVIL WAR to get tours and recognition in the metal scene, Johansson told Sound The Charge! web site: "Of course, this whole SABATON thing has made it easier for us to achieve fame. No doubt about that. On the other hand, it is tough for us to convince the 'real' music fans that we actually are a good band since most of the real metal fans hate SABATON. So it's both good and bad."

"Oh My God", the new video from THE PRETTY RECKLESS, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's third studio set, "Who You Selling For", which arrived on October 21.

Asked what she means by the line "I wish I was black" in "Oh My God", THE PRETTY RECKLESS singer Taylor Momsen told TeamRock: "I don't wanna get too specific; it's not that simple. It's not just as simple as 'I wish I was black', it's 'I wish had soul and my music attacked.' It's going, 'I wish I had more to me than I feel like I do.'

Added guitarist Ben Phillips: "If you take that song literally, and I don't think people do when they hear it, but if you break it down and ask questions about it…" Taylor continued: "... it kind of rips away the whole point of the song, which is desperation."

Ben went on to say: "It's like 'Animals' by PINK FLOYD, when he says 'Big man, pig man,' it's not actually a pig man. If you asked him, 'Is there a pig man sitting in front of you?' the answer would be no. That was a really terrible analogy! But I think that song is desperate desire to be more than you are, and that lyric is interesting."

THE PRETTY RECKLESS recently broke a record set by 3 DOORS DOWN and saw its first four mainstream singles hit No. 1 on Billboard's rock chart. The band's song "Take Me Down" topped the chart, following in the footsteps of "Heaven Knows", "Messed Up World" and "Follow Me Down" from 2014's "Going To Hell" album. That broke the group's tie with 3 DOORS DOWN and put them in a position to tie or break the next record, five No. 1 singles, which is owned for now by Canada's THREE DAYS GRACE.

METALLICA played its third concert in Copenhagen, Denmark Thursday night (February 9) as part of what was initially supposed to be the final of a four-night stand at that city's Royal Arena. The first show was cut short on Friday night (February 3) when frontman James Hetfield took ill.

Hetfield was put on complete vocal rest the next day, forcing the band to postpone the second show on Sunday (February 5). METALLICA returned to the stage Tuesday night (February 7).

Fan-filmed video footage of last night's concert can be seen below.

As previously reported, METALLICA will perform with pop superstar Lady Gaga at the 59th annual Grammy Awards this Sunday night (February 12). The news about the collaboration, which had not been officially announced, broke on Monday night (February 6) after a Gaga fan saw the collaboration promoted on a TV commercial for the Grammys and tweeted about it.

It's not yet known which song METALLICA will play at the event, which will air live Sunday night from the Staples Center in Los Angeles at 8:00 p.m. ET on CBS.

The band had previously promised "something unique and special" for its Grammys performance. The group is up for the Grammy Award for "Best Rock Song" for the track "Hardwired" from its new album, "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct".

Following the Grammy Awards on Sunday, METALLICA will play an intimate show for around 3,000 or so fans at the Hollywood Palladium.

MEMORIAM, the new Birmingham, United Kingdom-based death/grind metal band featuring Karl Willets (BOLT THROWER) on vocals, Frank Healy (BENEDICTION, CEREBRAL FIX) on bass, Scott Fairfax (CEREBRAL FIX) on guitar and Andy Whale (BOLT THROWER) on drums, will release its debut album, "For The Fallen", on March 24 through Nuclear Blast Records. It will contain eight tracks, including "War Rages On", "Resistance" (both featured on "The Hellfire Demos I") and "Surrounded (By Death)" (featured on "The Hellfire Demos II"). The album's impressive artwork was created by Dan Seagrave (BENEDICTION, DISMEMBER, HYPOCRISY, SUFFOCATION).

The official lyric video for the song "Surrounded (By Death)" can be seen below.

Seagrave stated about the "For The Fallen" artwork: "Starting from the band's thoughts on visualizing a kind of funeral procession with a theme of combat, war and in conjunction with the title 'For The Fallen', as with all my works, I then attempt to make the information evolve in my mind's eye, and allow imagination to take over those elements but retaining the core concept. The painting thus depicts a funeral procession moving through a long-wartorn cityscape. Twisted shards of towers and buildings. A cathedral facade stands defiantly, yet riddled with destruction and decay. At closer insp,ection the structures all seem to be infected with an element of natural decomposition, as if organically inclined to fade with the demise of the season, the season itself lost in a timeless void. The figures appear as remnants of once soldiers, now strange in their gathered mass, drawn forwards by the drifting momentum of the procession. Unaware of their emaciated state they follow the commander. The commander's elongated appearance is tattered and almost creature-like, with the combat-style elements and gasmask falsely presenting as a costume. The procession appears almost ghost-like, ancient and serene, slowly moving through this eerie place as if forever. Far in the background there might still be a war happening, but perhaps in another time. As we view a sublevel of reality, lost in the present, captured in light, where the war had passed through and we are left in a ghost biology, where chemicals and history meet to create an inescapable surrealism."

"For The Fallen" track listing:

Digi

01. Memoriam02. War Rages On03. Reduced To Zero04. Corrupted System05. Flatline06. Surrounded (By Death)07. Resistance08. Last Words

LP

Side A

01. Memoriam02. War Rages On03. Reduced To Zero04. Corrupted System

Side B

01. Flatline02. Surrounded (By Death)03. Resistance04. Last Words

MEMORIAM was primarily developed to fill the void that was left following the tragic death of Martin "Kiddie" Kearns, the drummer from BOLT THROWER, back in September 2015. BOLT THROWER subsequently placed all activity on hold for the foreseeable future which gave Karl Willetts an opportunity to develop a new project with friends that had expressed interest in forming a band for some time.

MEMORIAM is an old-school death metal band, maintaining the standards set by their previous bands, focusing on the themes of death, loss and war. Initially, the bandmembers got together to play covers of songs that had influenced them throughout their careers within the death metal scene. However, it soon became apparent that the new songs that they created were of a superior standard.

Photo credit: Gobinder Jhitta

Simon Kirke's new studio album, "All Because Of You", can be streamed in its entirety using the YouTube playlist below. The disc is being released today (Friday, February 10) via The End Records and BMG.

Kirke recorded "All Because Of You" with EMPTY POCKETS over the course of four studio sessions at Chicago, Illinois's Empty Pockets Studios. With Kirke on lead vocals, drums, guitar, keyboards, and ukulele, his cohesion with EMPTY POCKETS (Josh Solomon, Erika Brett, Nate Bellon, Danny Rosenthal) would make you think they've been recording together for years. Kirke says: "I finally got a chance to record some of my best songs with a superb band — the EMPTY POCKETS. This CD has become one of the highlights of my career."

Fans of BAD COMPANY will be excited to learn that Track 3 on "All Because Of You" is a ukulele version of the 1975 BAD COMPANY classic "Feel Like Making Love", written by Simon Kirke (and named the 78th Best Hard Rock Song Of All Time by VH1!). The album also features guitarist Warren Haynes (ex-ALLMAN BROTHERS, GOV'T MULE), who guest stars on Track 10, "Trouble Road".

Regarding how the ukulele version of "Feel Like Making Love" came about, Kirke explains: "I was noodling on my ukulele playing 'Feel Like Making Love' just for fun and my fiancée Maria said, 'You should do that on stage...' I told her it was an iconic song of BAD COMPANY's, and she said, 'So? Do your own version... It's fun...' I played it to the EMPTY POCKETS and they loved it... so here it is." "All Because Of You" track listing:

01. All Because Of You02. Warm Gulf Water03. Feel Like Making Love04. Melting On Madison06. Maria07. Wind And The Rain08. Into The Light09. Friends In The Woods10. Lie With You11. Trouble Road12. Stay With Me

Born and raised in London, THE BEATLES perked a teenage Simon's interest in rock music, and he picked up the drums — leading to a gig with a local band called THE MANIACS, on which Simon supplied drums and lead vocals (something quite uncommon at the time). Simon worked out a deal with his parents after graduating high school, that if he couldn't "make it" as a drummer in a band within a two-year period, that he would begin a college career. Just a few months before the deadline, Simon landed a gig with a group called THE BLACK CAT BONES. The drummer befriended the group's talented guitarist, Paul Kossoff, who in turn convinced Simon to leave the group with him and begin a new outfit with singer Paul Rodgers. Soon ex-JOHN MAYALL'S BLUESBREAKERS bassist Andy Fraser signed on and FREE was officially formed in 1968. Mixing blues with hard rock, the group would prove to be quite influential, especially on the strength of their classic 1970 release "Fire And Water", and its strutting, anthemic hit single "All Right Now". When the band broke up, it didn't take Simon long to find another gig, joining Paul Rodgers in a new band, BAD COMPANY, which was quite similar stylistically to FREE. Joined by ex-KING CRIMSON bassist Boz Burrell and ex-MOTT THE HOOPLE guitarist Mick Ralphs, BAD COMPANY was the first group signed to LED ZEPPELIN's record label, Swan Song. Their debut album, 1974's "Bad Company", would go on to become one of hard rock's all-time classics, as it birthed such long-standing rock radio standards as "Can't Get Enough", "Ready For Love" and the title track, written by Paul and Simon himself. The group hails as one of the all-time top rock outfits. Simon Kirke is the only member of BAD COMPANY who's been in every lineup of the band.

AC/DC guitarist Angus Young made a guest appearance with GUNS N' ROSES Friday night (February 10) in Sydney, Australia.

Young joined the band to perform the AC/DC songs "Whole Lotta Rosie" and "Riff Raff".

"We're gonna bring out a friend of ours," GUNS frontman Axl Rose told the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, Angus Young!" Rose then poked fun at Young's T-shirt and jeans, quipping: "Here's something you never see. He didn't have his school uniform, but I'm wearing a school jacket."

GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan tweeted earlier in the week that Angus greeted him and his bandmates when they arrived in Sydney. In addition, Fernando Lebeis, who is part of GN'R's management team, posted a photo on Instragam of a nice flower arrangement with a "Welcome to Sydney!" card signed by Angus and the guitarist's wife Ellen. "I have missed these two, Angus and Ella. AC/DC Family," Lebeis wrote.

Young previously joined GUNS N' ROSES on stage in April 2016 at the Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival to perform the AC/DC classics "Riff Raff" and "Whole Lotta Rosie".

Rose replaced Brian Johnson last year for U.S. and European AC/DC dates after the longtime AC/DC singer was ordered off the road by doctors due to hearing issues.

The Australian leg of GUNS N' ROSES' "Not In This Lifetime" tour kicked off in Brisbane, and continues in Sydney on Saturday, before heading to Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth.

San Diego, California's PIERCE THE VEIL has unveiled the music video for the band's new single, "Floral & Fading". To celebrate the video, the band hosted a special release event last night in association with Spotify and KROQ at Paramount Drive-In Theatre in Paramount, California. The band held a question-and-answer broadcast on Facebook Live for fans worldwide, before an acoustic set and private screening of the video on the drive-in big screen for lucky winners, launching simultaneously with the worldwide premiere of the video online for fans around the world.

The video also had its broadcast premiere today with MTV, playing every hour on the hour on MTVU, MTVLive and MTV2.

"Floral & Fading" is taken from PIERCE THE VEIL's latest album, "Misdaventures", which debuted at position No. 4 on The Billboard Top 200 last year with 54,000 copies sold in the U.S. in its first week.

"We weren't really sure what kind of song we were making when we recorded 'Floral & Fading'," frontman Vic Fuentes explains. "It was sort of a studio experiment that ended up being one of my favorites on the album. It's a love song to my girl about ignoring all the Internet hate we got when we first started dating and focusing on each other instead."

PIERCE THE VEIL was recently nominated for "Best Underground Alternative Band" in the 2017 iHeart Radio Music Awards.

The band will kick off its headline "Rest In Space" tour on February 17, with dates scheduled through March 10, before hitting the road again in April for a string of festivals, including 98ROCK Fest in Tampa, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, Northern Invasion and Rock On The Range.

PIERCE THE VEIL is Vic Fuentes (rhythm guitar, vocals), Jaime Preciado (bass), Tony Perry (guitar) and Mike Fuentes (drums ).

Photo credit: Thomas Falcone

According to Billboard.com, WARRANT has recorded a remake of the classic Merle Haggard song "I Think I'll Just Stay Here And Drink" as the Professional Bull Riders' new "party anthem. The song will also appear on WARRANT's next album, "Louder Harder Faster", which will be released in April via Frontiers Music Srl.

"During the 2016 PBR World Finals, we were fortunate to have WARRANT headline Saturday night in Toshiba Plaza, and they put on an incredible show for our fans, said Sean Gleason, the CEO of PBR in a statement. "When we found out the band are PBR fans, we jumped at the chance to work together on a custom music project and to make them a featured act during the 2017 season."

The official video for "I Think I'll Just Stay Here and Drink" will be premiered at an official kickoff party at PBR St Louis in Ballpark Village on February 25, accompanied by a live performance. The clip was filmed Anaheim, prior to the PBR Built Ford Tough Series at the Honda Center last week.

"Creating a party anthem is what WARRANT loves to do and getting a chance to create one for the 'toughest sport on dirt' is a bonus," said WARRANT guitarist Erik Turner. "We're pumped up to rock PBR Bars and events all year long."

"Louder Harder Faster" was recorded with producer Jeff Pilson, a veteran bassist who has played with DIO, FOREIGNER, DOKKEN and T&N, among others, and is currently being mixed by Chris "The Wizard" Collier (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, PRONG, LAST IN LINE).

Speaking to "The Rock Brigade" podcast, WARRANT singer Robert Mason stated about the long-awaited follow-up to 2011's "Rockaholic": "Our songs are turning out really cool. I'm pretty freakin' proud of this. I'm about as proud of this, vocally and performance-wise, as I was… I mean, the 'Rockaholic' record I love — still do — but the CRY OF LOVE record that I did a bunch of years ago, I'm still fiercely proud of those vocal performances. And it's not a reflection about the songs or the style or anything like that. It's just… For my two seconds of being selfish, 'cause I'm a lead singer and that's what people expect of me anyway, I'm really proud of the vocal performances on this record. And, obviously, we all do our part."

On the subject of the new WARRANT album title, Mason said: "Here's the way that came about. On stage, since probably '09, '10, '11… I don't remember when; maybe it was after our record [was released]. But as a thing to say between… It kind of just came out of my mouth one day — 'louder, harder, faster' — and I screamed it into the microphone and we started the next song. It was kind of one of those dumb things lead singers say to break up the dead air between songs in live shows. And it kind of stuck in my head and I started doing it. It was a thing I kind of started saying. And one day I had a riff in my hands and a guitar in my house, or in a hotel room, and then it turned into, 'Oh, guys, by the way, I wrote this song. It's called 'Louder, Harder, Faster'.' And I think I half-drunkenly said in a hotel bar one night, maybe three or four years ago, 'Oh, by the way, the record should be called 'Louder, Harder, Faster', 'cause I have this fucking song.' And, you know, that's what cocky lead singers say to their guitar players. And I think Joey Allen [WARRANT guitarist] was, like, 'Yeah, yeah. Blah blah blah. I'll believe it when I hear it.' So there you go. When we came up with the songs for this record, it just kind of became obvious that that was the… If you're gonna name it after one of the songs, there you go."

Regarding the musical direction of WARRANT's new album, Mason said: "I wanted to come out with a record that… And I know it almost sounds pompous to say, so I really hope people take this in the right spirit. True fans maybe will. My initial vision for this was, musically and sonically, between the big-anthem, memorable, hooky kind of stuff of 'Cherry Pie' [1990] and then the little bit darker, little bit harder of 'Dog Eat Dog' [1992]. And it kind of like… Towards the writing of it, [Jerry] Dixon's [WARRANT bassist] got a real pop sense, I just wanna do rock and scream. I talked with Joey early on, and I'm, like, 'Dude, I want this thing to just crush. We're not getting any younger. How many more years can we do a real serious rock record before it's comical because we're 70?' You know, like, really?"

Turner spoke to the "Talking Metal" podcast last fall about how WARRANT's new material was shaping up. He stated at the time: "I would call it a cross between classic '70s hard rock and '80s hard rock that we're known for, from everything that I'm hearing from the demos. It's pretty rocking stuff, but it has that melodic sensibility. We all grew up on pretty much the same bands. Robert's heavily influenced by not only '80s rock bands but guys like BAD COMPANY, Paul Rodgers, Steve Marriott… So a little more grit, a little more blues, rock, I would say, with some good melodies… That's how I would describe it."

At the helm for "Rockaholic" was mega-producer Keith Olsen (OZZY OSBOURNE, WHITESNAKE, SCORPIONS), while the mixing duties were handled by Pat Regan (KISS, DEEP PURPLE, TED NUGENT).

WARRANT solidified its current lineup in 2008 when Mason joined the four original WARRANT members: Turner, Dixon, Allen and drummer Steven Sweet.

Former WARRANT singer Jani Lane suffered from "acute ethanol poisoning" when he died in August 2011 at a Comfort Inn motel room in Woodland Hills, California. The singer had battled alcoholism for years and also had a history of alcohol-related arrests.

"Endure And Survive", the new Rich Pembridge-directed video from British heavy metal vocalist Blaze Bayley (IRON MAIDEN, WOLFSBANE), can be seen below. The song is the title track of his ninth solo album, which will be released on March 3 via Blaze Bayley Recording. The disc was recorded at Birmingham, England's Robannas Studios and said to be "an exciting and enthralling sequel" to his 2016 release "Infinite Entanglement", which was the first of a trilogy of releases following a sci-fi concept and storyline.

"Endure And Survive" will be accompanied by a world tour totalling some 120 shows. The European leg of the tour takes place principally between February and June 2017. After a small number of summer shows, Blaze will then go to the United States and Canada during August-September. It's also planned to take the tour to Latin America in 2018.

Throughout this world tour, Blaze will be backed by his main recording and touring musicians, picked from British metal band ABSOLVA and including Chris Appleton (guitar, backing vocals), Martin McNee (drums), Karl Schramm (bass, backing vocals).

In addition to the established bandmembers as above from ABSOLVA, "Endure And Survive" also contains a talented array of collaborators: Luke Appleton (ICED EARTH, ABSOLVA) on backing vocals; Michelle Sciarrotta on nylon acoustic, backing vocals, voice actor; Jo Robinson on backing vocals; Mel Adams on backing vocals; Liz Owen on backing vocals; Thomas Zwijsen on nylon acoustic, Anne Bakker on violin, backing vocals; Corvin Bahn (Uli Jon Roth) on accordion; Aine Brewer (voice actor); and Rob Toogood (voice actor) on backing vocals.

The spectacular album artwork has been completed by Andreas Sandberg, with additional images from Christopher Steenstrup who is also working on a Blaze Bayley video game.

"Endure And Survive" was recorded between October and December 2016, produced by Blaze Bayley and Chris Appleton, mixed and engineered by Miguel Seco, mastered by Ade Emsley (IRON MAIDEN, TANK, PHIL CAMPBELL). As with the previous record, the songwriting has been a collaboration between Blaze, Chris Appleton and Michelle Sciarrotta.

"Endure And Survive" track listing:

01. Endure And Survive02. Escape Velocity03. Blood04. Eating Lies05. Destroyer06. Dawn Of The Dead Son07. Remember08. Fight Back09. The World Is Turning The Wrong Way10. Together We Can Move The Sun

Pre-orders for the new album are available now at www.blazebayley.net/webshop.

2014-2015 was a period of building momentum for Blaze, partly created by the highly popular release of the fifteenth anniversary edition of his debut solo record, "Silicon Messiah", as well as his "Soundtracks Of My Life" thirty-year compilation celebrating his career since he began singing with his first band WOLFSBANE, before catapulting to worldwide fame with IRON MAIDEN.

2016 saw a significant renaissance with the remarkable plaudits given to the "Infinite Entanglement" album from fans and critics alike. The year was also notable for Blaze's special guest performance with DISTURBED at the U.K.'s premier festival Download when the warmth and recognition from the crowd was as crystal clear as it was predictable given Blaze's reputation for connecting with audiences.