Negură Bunget's new album, ZI (English for 'Day' or 'Say') is the second part of the group's ambitious Transilvanian Trilogy, released on the heels of 2015's celebrated album, TAU (English for 'Your' or 'Thy'), a record accurately hailed as "earthshaking" as it focused on unique native, natural landscapes and the mystique, legends, lore and meanings behind them. The new album will be out September 30th via Prophecy Productions. A new video for "Stanciu Gruiul" is streaming below.

The band recently released stunning, ten minute long "album film", titled simply, ZI. The artistic short, beautifully shot in the Transylvanian forests, blends excerpts from each of the album’s six tracks. View ZI now, below:

In creating its most luminescent recording to date, Negură Bunget has further immersed itself in the traditions and practices of local Transilvanian inhabitants, exploring their connection with nature, and the way this relationship has shaped spiritual horizons. Within this framework, ZI closely examines the core of the most important traditions and rituals connected with the well-being of this community. Life events such as funeral ceremonies, soil tillage, and human growth and evolution (i.e. youth to teen to man to warrior, through to outcast) are spotlighted, in what is undoubtedly some of the most heady, thinking-man's metal produced in recent memory.

Musically, ZI builds upon the hallmarks of Negură Bunget's impressive catalog; the juxtaposition and interweaving of grim black metal elements, ambient soundscapes and acoustic counterparts based on native Romanian folk music, giving life to panoramic atmospheres, intensity and power unequaled in the band's rich discography.

An impressive musical statement and crucial bridge between root-bearing beginning and impending finale of the trilogy (scheduled to be released in early 2018), ZI is a mystical, tension-building recording that mirrors the size and scope of the deep forest fog for which the band is named.

The album was recorded at Negura MUSIC studio January-June 2016. Produced and mixed by Negură Bunget and Mihai ‘Mtz' Neagoe. Mastering by Alin Luculescu. Cover design by Daniel Dorobanțu. Outfit design by Anita Ramona.

Tracklisting:

“Tul-ni-că-rînd” (Horn-ing)
“Grădina stelelor” (Garden of Stars)
“Brazdă dă foc” (Furrow of Fire)
“Baciul Moșneag” (The Old Shepherd)
“Stanciu Gruiul” (Stanciu Gruiul)
“Marea Cea Mare” (The Vast Sea)

Bonus CD (only artbook)

“Tul-ni-că-rînd” (remixed version by Daniel Dorobanțu)
“Brazdă dă foc” (remixed version by Silent Strike)
“Schimnicește” (remixed version by Tibor Kati & Ionuț Cârja)
“Baciu moșneag” (remixed version by Adrian “Oq” Neagoe & Tragacanth)

Bonus DVD (only artbook)

ZI - album short film
“Tul-ni-că-rînd” - visual
“Stanciu Gruiul” - visual

The album will be available in the following editions:

- CD digipak with extra hard cover
- Gatefold LP (180g vinyl, white) incl. special vinyl mastering, poster, printed inner sleeves and PVD protection sleeve (500 copies)
- 2CD+DVD Artbook, hardcover, 28x28 cm, 72 pages with additional artwork, texts and English translations of the lyrics plus bonus CD with two songs and bonus DVD with three videos (1.000 copies)
- the band are also offering some custom handmade editions through their fundraising campaing, where they build a box on your suggestions

Pre-orders:

- custom editions, signed versions, here.
- regular editions, here.

"Stanciu Gruilu" video:

“Tul-ni-ca-rind” video:

The band will present the new album live, along with a special anniversary set in a complex tour plan that will spread over the second part of 2016 and all over 2017, with some support for the crowdfunding campaign they have set-up in order to help accomplish their goals. They will start in September with a European tour.

Find the band’s live itinerary at this location.

International metal project Them, consisting of stellar musicians from around the globe, has unveiled a lyric video for the track “Dead Of Night”, which is taken from the upcoming debut albumSweet Hollow” - to be released on 30th September via Empire Records.

Them was originally formed in 2008 by vocalist Troy as a King Diamond tribute band, performing for three and a half years with over 20 shows including performances with Mike Wead and Hal Patino from King Diamond. After returning from several other projects, Troy started to create a concept idea in 2014 and molded a story, band, album and show around it. The result is the band's debut concept album Sweet Hollow, which offers top-notch heavy metal and chronicles the bizarre journey of a man caught between unfortunate circumstance and unspeakable evil.

Tracklisting:

“Rebirth”
“Forever Burns”
“Down The Road To Misery”
“Ghost In The Graveyard”
“The Quiet Room”
“Dead Of Night”
“FestEvil”
“The Crimson Corpse”
“Blood From Blood”
“The Harrowing Path To Hollow”
“Salve”
“When The Clock Struck Twelve”

“Dead Of Night” lyric video:

Lineup:
Troy Norr "KK Fossor": Vocals (Coldsteel)
Mike LePond: Bass (Symphony X)
Kevin Talley: Drums (Suffocation)
Markus Ulrich: Guitars (Lanfear, Septagon)
Markus Johansson: Guitars (Sylencer)
Richie Seibel: Keyboards (Lanfear)

Swedish pop metallers performed at Namba Hatch in Osaka, Japan on September 21st supporting Helloween. Fan-filmed video from the show is available below.

Amaranthe are gearing up for the release of their new album Maximalism. The record is due out via Spinefarm Records on October 21st. Amaranthe embark on a headline European tour in October/November with Sonic Syndicate and Smash Into Pieces guesting on all shows. US and UK tour dates will be revealed shortly.

September
30 - St. Petersburg, Russia - Zal Ozhidaniya

October
1 - Moscow, Russia - Red
2 - Ekaterinburg, Russia - Teleclub
25 - Hamburg, Germany - Klubsen
26 - Nijmegen, Netherlands - Doornrosje
28 - Vosselar, Belgium - Biebob
29 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix
30 - Geiselwind, Germany - Music Hall    

November
1 - Frankfurt, Germany - Nachtleben (acoustic)    
3 - Paris, France - Le Petit Bain
5 - Lyon, France - Le Ninkasi Kao
6 - Marseille, France - Le Moulin Club
8 - Bilbao, Spain - Santana 27    
9 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz 2
10 - Madrid, Spain - Arena

THE PRETTY RECKLESS's music video for the band's scorching single "Take Me Down" can be seen below. The track, which recently landed No. 1 on the Rock Radio chart, marking the band's fourth consecutive No. 1 single, is the first single from THE PRETTY RECKLESS's highly anticipated third studio album, "Who You Selling For", due out October 21 on Razor & Tie. The "Take Me Down" video, shot by Meiert Avis, sees frontwoman Taylor Momsen and the band at Water Music Studios in Hoboken, New Jersey, where the album was recorded. Avis has directed videos for artists such as Bob Dylan, Iggy Pop, U2 and Avril Lavigne, among many others throughout his illustrious career, spanning over four decades. The video, shot in black and white with subtle glimpses of red, shows Momsen in top form with her voice as powerful as ever. The '60s-tinged rock guitar and Taylor's soulful, smoky delivery makes "Take Me Down" a complete, blistering track that further cements the band at the forefront of rock.

Asked if "Who You Selling For" is autobiographical, singer Momsen told the Baltimore radio station 98 Rock: "Well, I think all of our records, in one sense, are autobiographical. I mean, I write them, so I'm writing about my experiences and my life and what I have observed and what I know. So I think this coming record is the next evolution of the band, so we're really excited for everyone to hear it. It's very diverse and eclectic, I guess is a good word to describe it. But, of course, it's personal. I mean, I write it."

Regarding whether there are any topics that are "off limits" during the songwriting process, Taylor said: "No. If you limit yourself, you immediately are stunting yourself. You can't limit yourself when it comes to writing. There's nothing that you don't explore."

"Who You Selling For" was produced by THE PRETTY RECKLESS's longtime collaborator Kato Khandwala. The songs were written by Momsen and guitarist Ben Phillips.

Momsen recently told Kerrang! magazine about "Take Me Down": "It's a classic rock 'n' roll tune, which was inspired by the Robert Johnson story of going to the crossroads and selling his soul for rock 'n' roll — which I kind of did in one way. [Laughs] I gave my life to the music; I gave everything else up for it. And it's a simple story about giving your life to something you love so much and you need it so bad that you're willing to sell your soul for it."

THE PRETTY RECKLESS will hit the road this fall in support of the album, beginning October 20, playing major markets in the U.S. before wrapping up on December 6 in Los Angeles.

KORN's new song "A Different World" can be streamed below. The track is slated to be the next single from the band's upcoming album, "The Serenity Of Suffering", following the current Top Five track "Rotting In Vain". "A Different World" also features a guest appearance from SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor.

KORN singer Jonathan Davis spoke about getting Taylor to appear on the track. "We were trying to figure out who we wanted to collaborate with, and I'm like, 'You know, that's the one, that's the guy,'" he said. "And I texted him, I'm like, 'Do you want to be on a new KORN track?' He's all, 'Hell yeah! When and where, what do I do?' So he did great on the song. I already did my parts, I'm like, 'Do what you do, man.' And I like the way he did it, the approach: he starts creeping in underneath the song, you can start slowly hearing his voice under mine, and it crescendos up into the middle part where he sings, and then it's just full-on at the end, so the song came out great."

Taylor said that he became involved in "A Different World" after receiving "a phone call, like, 'Hey, do you wanna do this?' And I was on the plane the next day. I flew in, and I hadn't even heard the music. I was, like, 'Yeah.' 'Cause as a fan and as a friend, it was just something that we had been talking about for years. And all the stars aligned and I got to do this track. And it is heavy, dude. It is so righteous. People are gonna lose their minds.

"This whole [new KORN] album, and I'm gonna brag now, because I've heard eleven songs of this, it is such a great throwback to the first three KORN albums and mixed with that maturity that they have now. Like, it's, really, really heavy. People are gonna lose their minds. It's that good."

Due on October 21, "The Serenity Of Suffering" marks the band's return to Roadrunner, which previously released 2010's "Korn III - Remember Who You Are" and 2011's "The Path Of Totality".

The cover art for "The Serenity Of Suffering" was created by acclaimed artist Ron English. It depicts a teenage KORN fan at a dystopian acid-nightmare funfair who is clutching a disembowelled and skeletal version of the doll who adorned 1999's "Issues".

KORN has hit the road this fall with co-headliners BREAKING BENJAMIN for the "Nocturnal Underground Tour". The trek kicked off on September 24 in Fargo, North Dakota and will run through late October.

"Sorceress", the twelfth album from Swedish progressive metallers OPETH, can be streamed in its entirety using the SoundCloud widget below. Due on September 30, the band's first effort for Nuclear Blast via OPETH's imprint label Moderbolaget Records is proof chief architect Mikael Åkerfeldt has a near-endless well of greatness inside. From the album's opener "Persephone" to "The Wilde Flowers" and "Strange Brew" to the album's counterpart title tracks "Sorceress" and "Sorceress 2", OPETH's new full-length is an unparalleled adventure, where visions cleverly and secretly change, colors mute as if weathered by time, and sounds challenge profoundly.

For "Sorceress", OPETH 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. The result is nothing short of a powerful and intriguing record that will add yet another layer to the band's celebrated career.

"The new album 'Sorceress' is our twelfth studio album since our beginnings in 1990," says Åkerfeldt. "I find it difficult to understand that we've been going on for twenty-six years, let alone that we've made twelve records now, all of which I am very proud of. 'Sorceress' is no exception.

"I love this album, as does the whole band. I wrote the music during five-six months and we spent only twelve days recording it at Rockfield studios in Wales.

"I find that once again we've taken a step forward. Or sideways, Or backwards. Somewhere!? It's different! It's extremely diverse. And if I may say so myself, extremely good. I feel the right to say that since I like to think I know this band better than anyone on the planet. Also, I always manage to detach myself from the record and listen as a fan.

"It's a fine little record. My favorite in our discography right now. Of course. That's how it should be, right? It's both fresh and old, both progressive and rehashed. Heavy and calm. Just the way we like it. Hopefully there'll be others around the globe sharing this opinion. It was a joy to make it. A fucking joy to record it, and a sheer joy listening to it. So there you have it!" "Sorceress" track listing:

01. Persephone02. Sorceress03. The Wilde Flowers04. Will O The Wisp05. Chrysalis06. Sorceress 207. The Seventh Sojourn08. Strange Brew09. A Fleeting Glance10. Era11. Persephone (Slight Return)

OPETH's North American headline tour kicked off with a performance at Ozzfest Meets Knotfest on September 24 in San Bernardino, California. The tour, with THE SWORD as support, will continue through October 26 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

Band photo credit: Stuart Wood

DEFTONES have announced that they have partnered with San Diego's Belching Beaver Brewery to create a new beer called Phantom Bride IPA — a hoppy West Coast style India Pale Ale loaded up with Mosaic, Amarillo, Simcoe, and Citra hops, all handpicked by DEFTONES frontman Chino Moreno. "Really excited to see our Phantom Bride IPA hit the shelves," said Chino. "As a huge beer connoisseur, it was a privilege collaborating with Belching Beaver on the flavor profiles and coming out with a beer that I would put right up with any of my favorites. Good stuff!" The beer ships from the brewery to distribution outlets in Washington, Oregon, Nevada, Hawaii, and California today and will be available to retailers and consumers where all great craft beer is sold, including BevMo!, on October 3. Phantom Bride IPA will be available on draft and in 22-oz. bottles. It is brewed and bottled by Belching Beaver Brewery, Vista or Oceanside, California. San Diego County. The beer is named after the multiplatinum, Grammy Award-winning alt-rock band's latest single "Phantom Bride", from their current album "Gore", which is currently Top 10 at Rock Radio.

Lucky fans in the Fullerton, California area will get a chance to taste the Phantom Bride IPA on tap for a limited time at a special kick-off event on October 5 starting at 8 p.m.

When: October 5Where: Slidebar122 E Commonwealth AveFullerton, CA 92832Time: 8 p.m. *band will not be present at this event DEFTONES is vocalist/guitarist Chino Moreno, guitarist Stephen Carpenter, keyboardist/samplist Frank Delgado, drummer Abe Cunningham and bassist Sergio Vega.

Long-running German metallers GRAVE DIGGER have set "Healed By Metal" as the title of their new album, due on January 13, 2017 via Napalm Records.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Healed By Metal02. When Night Falls03. Lawbreaker04. Forever Free05. Call For War06. Ten Commandments Of Metal07. The Hangman's Eye08. Kill Ritual09. Hallelujah10. Laughing With The Dead

Digipack bonus:

11. Kingdom Of The Night12. Bucket List

Check out the cover artwork below.

The band is currently supporting fellow Germans BLIND GUARDIAN on a North American tour.

GRAVE DIGGER's last CD was "Exhumation - The Early Years", a 35th-anniversary album containing re-recorded versions of the band's "absolute classics with a dynamic and powerful sound of 2015," according to a press release.

In a 2014 interview with Metal Blast, Boltendahl stated about GRAVE DIGGER's longevity: "This is the kind of music that I wanted to do when I was 12. When I was 18, I wanted to be a metal star. I worked hard for that, and I've always believed in the music I make. We've always gone our own way through the metal scene, and that's what has allowed us to be here. We are here, stronger than ever!"

Boltendahl also credited GRAVE DIGGER's strong work ethic for giving the band the inspiration to keep going, even in the hardest of times.

"We are Germans; we are very hard-working guys," he said. "We have a very straight kind of thinking, so if we start with something, we really want to carry on with it until the end. That's the magic of GRAVE DIGGER; we're always working hard. Our career goes up and down, we have good times and bad times, but we never think about stopping. We always want to give people the best we can do."

GRAVE DIGGER's last collection of all-new material, "Return Of The Reaper", was released in July 2014 via Napalm Records. The CD was recorded at Principal Studios (KREATOR, IN EXTREMO, GRAVE DIGGER) in Senden, Germany.

Vocalist Joe Lynn Turner, best known for fronting Ritchie Blackmore's RAINBOW during that band's creative peak in the 1980s and later as the frontman for Yngwie Malmsteen, has been called The Man With The Golden Voice, and it's easy to understand why; nearly everything Turner records sounds blessed by the gods of hard rock. His commanding presence, powerhouse range, and emotional resonance has made him the go-to vocalist for a number of artists. Now some of this session work is collected on a brand new collection of studio recordings called simply "The Sessions" and released on October 7 via Deadline Music. The CD release contains superb, supercharged versions of rock classics from "Lunatic Fringe" to AC/DC's "Back In Black", THE DOORS' "Riders On The Storm" to QUEEN's "Fat Bottomed Girls". The album also features guest appearances by Michael Schenker (UFO), Steve Lukather (TOTO), Steve Morse, Phil Collen (DEF LEPPARD), Brad Gillis (NIGHT RANGER), and more!

"The Sessions" track listing:

01. Stone Cold (with Vivian Campbell)02. Lunatic Fringe03. Let the Music Do the Talking (with Al Pitrelli, Carmine Rojas & Pat Torpey)04. Mirror Mirror (with Icarus Witch)05. Hellraiser (with Steve Lukather, Billy Sherwood, Jay Schellen & Paul Taylor)06. 14 Years07. Dance The Night Away (with Reb Beach)08. Back in Black (with Phil Collen)09. All Shook Up (with Michael Schenker)10. Babe I'm Gonna Leave You (with Jeff "Skunk" Baxter, Tony Franklin & Doane Perry)11. All Day and All of the Night (with Brad Gillis, Rudy Sarzo & Simon Wright)12. Bloody Well Right (with Dave Kerzner)13. The Seeker (with Leslie West)14. Jungle Love (with Steve Morse)15. Two Minutes To Midnight (with Richie Kotzen)16. Fat Bottomed Girls (with Reb Beach)17. Riders On The Storm (with Tony Kaye & Steve Cropper)

Buy the CD at this location.

Joe Lynn Turner recently slammed Ritchie Blackmore for the guitarist's decision to go out and perform classic DEEP PURPLE and RAINBOW material with a new group musicians instead of reforming RAINBOW with a more "authentic" lineup.

Regarding why he thinks Ritchie has chosen to go out with a whole new RAINBOW lineup instead of bringing back some of the musicians who played on the band's classic records, Joe said: "The first thing I think I can say is that he's been misguided by people around him. That's what I really believe. I believe he's been misguided, and I believe he trusts these people and I think that he made a mistake doing this."

He continued: "I wanted an authentic reunion. I wanted guys from Doogie [White] and Graham [Bonnet] and [bassist] Bob Daisley and [drummer Bobby] Rondinelli, and all these guys, and I wanted to have a RAINBOW extravaganza, because there are a lot of fans that love RAINBOW that still haven't even seen RAINBOW, and this would be the ticket for them — you know, maybe a two-hour extravaganza. So I guess the people, his advisers or whoever, could not sell him that particular [idea], or maybe they never even told him that. I actually have a feeling that he was not full of the information at the time, because certain things have come to pass that sort of indicated that he didn't know about it, to me."

Joe was the singer of RAINBOW between 1980 and 1984 and he sang on the album "Difficult To Cure", which featured the band's most successful U.K. single, "I Surrender".

During Turner's time with RAINBOW, the band had its first USA chart success and recorded songs that helped define the melodic rock genre.

Vocalist Fabio Lione has announced his departure from the Italian metal band RHAPSODY OF FIRE.

In a post on Facebook, Lione stated: "Dear all, fans, promoters, colleagues. I anticipated this to all band members in the last [three to four] months and now I sadly announce my final decision to part ways with RHAPSODY OF FIRE.

"Ain't no words to describe what this band represents to me, and I'm proud to have been part of such a big chapter of the power metal bible.

"It's time for me to write a new chapter of my life, as a musician and as a man.

"I wish RHAPSODY OF FIRE all the best, may their magic go ahead stronger than ever.

"Thank you Alex and Holzy, for this 20 years, ..Thanks you, Roberto, for your friendship and Alessandro for your sincere attitude and honesty."

Lione joined RHAPSODY OF FIRE in 1995, just after the "Eternal Glory" demo and before the release of the band's debut album, "Legendary Tales". He has made a total of eleven full-length studio albums with the band.

Fabio's new band, ETERNAL IDOL, will release its debut album, titled "The Unrevealed Secret", on December 2 via Frontiers Music Srl. Lione is joined in the group by the experienced Italian guitar player Nick Savio (ex-HOLLOW HAZE), young vocal rising star Giorgia Colleluori, Camillo Colleluori (both also from HOLLOW HAZE) on drums and Andrea Buratto (SECRET SPHERE, HELL IN THE CLUB) on bass.

During Monday's (September 26) Town Hall event at SiriusXM's New York studios, METALLICA revealed that the song "Murder One" from its forthcoming "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct" LP is a tribute to late MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy Kilmister and uses many of his songtitles in the lyrics.

"MOTÖRHEAD had a lot to do with METALLICA sitting here right now," METALLICA frontman James Hetfield said, according to Rolling Stone. "But just Lemmy as an entity, as kind of a father figure, he helped us a lot. He was unafraid. And he was a character. And he was himself. And we all respected that so much. He did his own thing to the last breath. No matter who you are, how could you not be inspired by that?"

"In the summer of 1981, I followed MOTÖRHEAD around on tour," METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich addd . "That was what made me want to be in a band. When I came back to Southern California and called up James and said, 'Listen, we've got to give this a shot,' ... MOTÖRHEAD is the catalyst."

Shortly after Lemmy's passing, Ulrich penned a lengthy tribute to the MOTÖRHEAD mainman in which looked back on the influence Lemmy had not just on METALLICA but also on him personally.

"I was down at [Lemmy's] 70th party [on December 13, 2015 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood], and I got a chance to sit with him for about ten minutes, just him and me. I told him that his obligation to the rock and roll community was to live forever because his birthday party was like a hard-rock class reunion," he wrote in part. "Everybody was there because Lemmy's one of the few people we can all agree on who is just the coolest guy ever. We would all show up. I told him it was his obligation to live forever, because he was the reason we could all get together and celebrate hard rock and celebrate MOTÖRHEAD and see familiar faces because we're all so scattered now. Obviously I could tell that he was in deteriorating health but we had a close bond, one that didn't necessarily need to be reaffirmed or articulated. The less we said the more we knew the connection was there."

Lars added: "Whenever METALLICA played L.A., [Lemmy] would always come and watch us, and whenever MOTÖRHEAD was up here, we'd always go and see them play. We probably crossed paths 50 to 100 times in the last 20 years, and he came and played with us onstage multiple times. It was a bond that deep and it goes back to the crazy summer of 1981.

"I will always appreciate and forever cherish all the great times we had together, but especially those early days. We were so vulnerable, so moldable because a significant part of who we've become, both in the band and as people, is directly due to not just him but all the rest of the people who were inspired and drank from the same bottles and shared the same stories and same space. His spirit will always live in us."

MOTÖRHEAD won the "Best Metal Performance" Grammy in 2005 for its cover version of the METALLICA song "Whiplash".

At a 1995 gig at the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood, members of METALLICA celebrated Lemmy's 50th birthday by taking the stage as a wigged tribute band dubbed the LEMMYS.

In a 2011 interview with Metal Insider, Lemmy said: "You can't top METALLICA. They're really a fucking excellent band. I'm delighted that they said that I was one of their influences. Like, they have all of their influences, and you can't hear the influences in them, which is great. They've become their own people, and that's great. I like them a lot. I've spent a lot of time with those boys."

In their 26 years together, the only thing as steady as Opeth's quality has been their growth. 2011's Heritage signaled the most tectonic shift, with Sweden's premier progressive death metal act suddenly vaporizing the bear-roar vocals and leaning all the way into their prog side. 2014's Pale Communion continued the adventure masterfully, and this Friday's Sorceress, Opeth's 12th studio album, is—spoiler alert—equally stellar.

Fuse spoke with 42-year-old vocalist/guitarist/songwriter Mikael Åkerfeldt about why he's never written lyrics in Swedish, seriousness vs. fun in metal, and exactly how unamused his daughters are with his stardom.

Fuse: Congratulations on Sorceress. Have you felt the need to beckon fans along as your sound has changed, or are you not really fussed with it, just leave them to pick up the trail or leave it?

Mikael Åkerfeldt: I'm not really bothered. I mean, I love our fans, what can I say? We've been around for 26 years and I'm not sure how many fans have been there since the beginning. Overall we have respect for them, but it kind of ends when it comes to what we're gonna do on the creative side. We just do what we want to do, basically. It's been the same since the beginning, and I figure that's our style. We don't necessarily use this band to try to gain popularity or to be successful. That's nice, of course—it's easy for me to say that now that I'm fairly successful, but we've never done music for that reason. I don't really care what fans think, but I love it if they like it.

There a big divide in metal between being serious and being fun. Your albums have always been pretty straight-faced, but at your shows you seem to be having a great time, you're chatty, there's a lighter atmosphere in the room. Is that dichotomy something you've looked at over the years?

I've been exposed to that quite a few times. I've been forced in photo sessions to look serious—and equally I've been forced to look like, "Give us a funny face." And I don't like either. When we're playing live, I want it to be fun, because I get tense. I'm a bit nervous when I walk up onstage, and that type of talk works as a means for me to calm down. And somehow everybody calms down. It feels like if I say something stupid onstage, it kinda brings it from those types of superstar, hero type figures that some people think we are, to just being a couple guys onstage, which makes me much more comfortable.

Besides, if we get rid of that type of rock-star thing, they will forgive us for fucking up onstage too [laughs]. But for sure, to answer your question, yes, I've seen that type of distance between the serious metal people who would never smile because it's not cool enough, and the other side.

Do you see Opeth on one side or the other?

We're somewhere in between, I guess. We don't really think too much about it. The music is always gonna be serious. There's some humor on the records, I guess, musically and in the artwork, at least on the later records. The music is very serious for us. I don't make fun, ha-ha type music. I've never been interested in that type of stuff. But you mix it up a little bit.

Do you ever write lyrics in Swedish and translate them?

I don't think I've written a lyric in Swedish ever, to be honest. I might have tried back in the day at some point, to write something that I fully understood in Swedish, and then translate it into English, but it didn't come out right. My lyrics overall, I guess they're quite pretentious at times, but I don't feel so pretentious when I write in English. If I write in my native tongue, it's like, "Oh my god, who the fuck do I think I am?" So it's very difficult for me. And I might write equally stupid and cringe-worthy lyrics in English, but at least I'm not completely aware of it, because it's not my first language.

But I think most Opeth fans would agree that in this band music comes first and lyrics second. Of course, part of the music is what I'm singing—if I'm having a vocal line, it's helpful if the lyric I'm singing is good. I think our fans who have English as their native tongue are quite forgiving. I might have like grammatical errors or write something superbly pretentious and stupid, and they're like, "Aww, it's fine, he's Swedish, they don't know better."

The Gothenburg bands, you guys and Meshuggah sucked me into metal as a kid. I always wondered how and why you were all writing songs in English in the early '90s.

Swedish...I mean, our language is... you know, the fucking Muppets made fun of Swedish forever, the Swedish Chef and all that stuff. These bands you mentioned, we're all pretty much the same age, born in the '70s and grew up with metal and fell in love with metal. And every single band we listened to, it didn't matter if they came out of Germany or from Switzerland or Sweden, everybody was singing in English. So I don't think anybody really even discussed whether we're gonna sing in Swedish or in English. It was a set decision before anybody even talked about it: The lyrics are gonna be in English. And Swedish people are generally quite known for speaking English quite well. When I went to school, ages ago now, I started learning English in second or third grade—third, I think—and same for everybody from my year. So everybody's quite advanced.

So this one's called Sorceress. Do you have an iconic sorceress in your head?

Not an iconic one. In the U.S., touring back in the day, I used to pick up '60s [and] '70s horror films from Amoeba Records, especially, in L.A., pick these DVDs up for fairly cheap. So I used to watch those, but it was the whole imagery of that, and that word resonated with me for some reason once I wrote it in a lyric. I figured that's a good title, actually. But I wouldn't say I have a particular sorceress in mind, it's more of a collective word for...I don't want to say evil women, but I'll say evil women anyway.

You're playing Radio City Music Hall in New York this weekend, the day after the album drops. That's a prestigious place.

It is. I mean, we're doing some of those prestigious places, and we've done some in the past, too. I think it's cool. That's actually a decision from the management—they want to book us into these venues as a promotional tool to a certain extent, but also what happened as we played Royal Albert Hall and stuff like that, it kind of opens the gate for bands like us, if you know what I mean. We have, if I may say so myself, pioneered some of these venues when it comes to more heavy music, and after us there's a shitload of bands coming in. I'm pretty sure we're gonna see that more and more. Not just Radio City Music Hall, but especially Sydney Opera House, which was difficult for us to get. We asked them before and they said no, like, "Bands of your kind don't play the Opera House." But now they've somehow said yes.

Do you have a different feeling when you're backstage there or when the show's getting close? Do you feel out of place at all, is it just another show?

I always feel out of place. But that's a paradox, because those posh, nice venues, they usually have shit dressing rooms. Like, tiny fucking shit dressing rooms you can barely get in with the whole band. And once you step out onstage it's all beautiful, but backstage it's usually quite miserable.

Do you mean you only feel out of place at these fussier venues, or in general?

No, all venues. But I feel out of place on the subway. I'm perhaps not normal that way. But, yeah—I don't feel I belong anywhere, really.

What are some situations people might be surprised to know you find uncomfortable?

Well, the stage is one. Oh, there's one place I feel actually comfortable, in my home, of course. Or in my girlfriend's home, and in the studio. I love being in the studio. But onstage, not comfortable really. Backstage, on the tour bus where there's lots of people, especially if you're on tour and there's lots of people who know who I am, I get uncomfortable. But I also get uncomfortable where there's lots of people who don't know who I am, so I guess...[laughs]. I think I might I have to go to some therapy.

What do your daughters think of your music?

They're indifferent. They don't necessarily like my music—I think my youngest daughter said it bluntly, like, "I don't like your music." Ah, I love you too.

My older daughter I think is secretly proud. She usually checks out which song is the most popular on Spotify, the song that has the most plays, or whatever. But none of them are interested in our music, really. I brought them out to shows, festivals, and I can be onstage and I have them get a seat on the side of the stage so they can watch. And then I start playing, and I feel like, "Okay, we're doing well, it's sounding good, Daddy's cool." And I look over to them and they're just looking down into their cell phones. They don't think I'm cool at all. And they think my music sucks. But I make good pancakes.

Did you ever think about being a parent and a musician at the same time, what it would be like?

No, it was a scary thought. When I was younger and I was a musician, I felt like a kid, or I felt childish, because I didn't have much education to fall back on, I didn't have a good job, I didn't make any money. So I felt like a child for longer than the people in my school. Having kids felt a bit like on the same level as going to Mars, pretty much. But then my best friend had a child, which is my godson, actually, and that set off, as it usually does, it kind of set off a trend. I saw that he was fucking more miserable than I was, and I figured, if he can do it, I can have kids. And lo and behold.

SOUNDGARDEN guitarist Kim Thayil says that the band has "rough demos of a dozen or so songs" for the follow-up to 2012's comeback album, "King Animal". The group started work on a new record last year, but took a break while frontman Chris Cornell toured last fall and earlier this year in support of his latest solo effort, "Higher Truth".

Speaking to "Whiplash", the KLOS radio show hosted by Full Metal Jackie, Thayil said about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the next SOUNDGARDEN record (hear audio below): "Right now, there are some other projects that are taking up bandmembers' time. Matt's [Cameron, drums] got some PEARL JAM touring and projects. Matt and Chris [Cornell, vocals] together, of course, are working on this TEMPLE OF THE DOG [reunion] thing.

"Over the past year, we've had a number of songwriting and jam sessions, SOUNDGARDEN, getting together to simply exchange ideas and document and record them. So we have some rough demos of a dozen or so songs. We'll continue to do this as everyone's schedule lightens up and opens up. And hopefully by next year we'll find ourselves in the studio fleshing out these ideas."

Thayil also talked about how SOUNDGARDEN's creative process for making a new album has changed from when the band first achieved success.

"The most exciting thing was having the new material be as fresh, and to add to the new material with the individual musical experiences we've acquired over the past decade or so," he said. "That kept everything with the same songwriting and personnel dynamic, that's augmented that personal dynamic with these new ideas and new music and new experiences that we've acquired over the past decade or so."

he continued: "With any relationship — with family or loved ones or boyfriend and girlfriend — sometimes after a period of time, you grow apart; you grow apart when you're together, you grow apart when you're away. But after this long period of time, we're still sort of where we're at with each other, and that's been a very positive thing. Probably because over those years when the band was not together, we were all still in touch and all still sharing similar social circles and the same friends, so we were always constantly doing things together and running into each other. It was just a matter of getting the four of us all on the same page and willing to put our nose to the grindstone and do the work that was required to keep the SOUNDGARDEN machine going the way it was when we split in the late '90s. I think the added maturity and growth is probably a bonus as well."

SOUNDGARDEN reunited in 2010 after a 13-year layoff, touring and then eventually writing new material that became the basis for "King Animal", its first new studio album in 16 years.

In addition to "King Animal", SOUNDGARDEN has issued a live CD, a greatest hits compilation and a two-disc collection of B-sides, outtakes and rarities.

"Whiplash" airs every Monday night from 10:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m. on the Los Angeles radio station 95.5 KLOS. The show can be heard on the KLOS web site at 955klos.com or you can listen in on the KLOS channel on iHeartRadio. Full Metal Jackie also hosts a nationally syndicated radio program, which can be heard all over the country.

To see a full list of stations carrying Full Metal Jackie's show and when it airs, go to FullMetalJackieRadio.com.

X Japan drummer/founder Yoshiki Hayashi recently spoke to South China Morning Post about the band's forthcoming English language - their first - and the award winning We Are X documentary. Following is an excerpt from the story:

Though X Japan have been performing around the world since reuniting in 2007, Hayashi admits they are not widely recognised outside of Asia. That may change now, as the new album will be sung in English – breaking down the language barrier that critics believe has stopped the band reaching a wider audience.

“There are still a lot of challenges ahead. I don’t know how many people in the West are ready for artists such as us, coming from the East. There are still walls between the East and the West, a culture barrier. Being an artist from Asia, to go overseas and to perform in Western countries, it’s not easy.”

He reckons X Japan is helping pave the way for the next generation of Asian artists.
“We want to break that wall for new artists so they can become popular anywhere in the world.”

Go to this location for the complete report.

Drafthouse Films has announced today that they will release Stephen Kijak's We Are X in New York and Los Angeles on October 21st, followed by nationwide expansion. Since its premiere at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival--where it was awarded the Special Jury Prize for editing--the film has continued to garner critical acclaim due to its remarkably candid portrayal of its enigmatic subject, Yoshiki, leader of the Japanese band X Japan.

Since then, We Are X  has played to sold-out audiences on the festival circuit, including at the 2016 SXSW Film Festival and was the most tweeted about topic during the week of SXSW only after the festival's keynote speaker, President Barack Obama. Audiences at both the Sundance and SXSW screenings were treated to exclusive performances by Yoshiki, and similar eventized concert presentations of the film are planned for its theatrical release.

"You will not believe the trials and tribulations that the arena-filling, mega-band X Japan have faced in their 30 year career," says Drafthouse Films founder Tim League. "This documentary will leave you equally breathless and uplifted.  It is the best music doc of the year, and we are honored to bring it to American audiences."

"After spending two years making this film, we are really delighted that the uniquely experienced Tim League, Tom Quinn and Drafthouse Films will be masterminding its theatrical life in the U.S.," says John Battsek of Passion Pictures. "Their passion and commitment to the film mirror ours and we are excited to work with them through the film's release."

From the production team behind the Oscar-winning Searching for Sugar Man comes We Are X, a transcendent rock & roll story about X Japan, the world's biggest and most successful band you've never heard of...yet.

Under the enigmatic direction of drummer, pianist, composer and producer Yoshiki, X Japan has sold over 30 million singles and albums combined--captivating such a wide range of admirers as Sir George Martin, KISS, Stan Lee, and even the Japanese Emperor--and pioneered a spectacle-driven style of visual rock, creating a one-of-a-kind cultural phenomenon.

Chronicling the band's exhilarating, tumultuous and unimaginable history over the past three decades--persevering through personal, physical and spiritual heartache--the film culminates with preparations for their breathtaking reunion concert at New York's legendary Madison Square Garden. Directed by acclaimed documentarian Stephen Kijak (Stones in Exile, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man), We Are X is an astonishingly intimate portrait of a deeply haunted--but truly unstoppable--virtuoso and the music that has enthralled legions of the world's most devoted fans.

The film was produced by John Battsek of Passion Pictures, producer of two Academy Award winning documentaries (Searching For Sugar Man, One Day in September).

Guitarist and composer Steve Vai is among the inductees for this year's class of the Long Island Music Hall Of Fame. This year's class of inductees also includes legendary music executive Charles Koppelman, singer/songwriter Garland Jeffreys, film composer Carter Burwell, hip-hop performer Big Daddy Kane, legendary songwriters/instrumentalists Santo & Johnny, early jazz specialist/bandleader Vince Giordano, and Westbury Music Fair, now the NYCB Theater at Westbury. The LIMHOF will also present the 2016 Harry Chapin Award to Steven Van Zandt for his dedication to music education on Long Island and across the country. Additionally, LIMHOF honors the 2015 and 2016 Music Educators of Note — Long Island public or private school educators who have demonstrated an exceptional and long-term commitment to music education, as well as Long Island music students.

All of the inductees were selected from LIMHOF's evolving and growing list of involved people, artists, groups and entities that were born, raised, were founded, or have resided on Long Island for a significant portion of their career or existence.

On Thursday, November 3, 2016, the sixth induction awards ceremony and fundraising gala with a star-studded red carpet event will take place at The Space at Westbury, 250 Post Avenue, Westbury, New York.

In addition to tributes, performances and introductions by the class of inductees, the induction ceremony will host a variety of celebrity appearances, musical performances and visits from former inductees.

"On behalf of myself and the entire Board of Directors of the Long Island Music Hall Of Fame, we are thrilled to have a new class of inductees join a long list of incredible people who have made their mark on the music industry," said Joe Jankowski, executive director of the Long Island Music Hall Of Fame. "This induction ceremony is set to be one of our best yet and as always, we have quite a few surprises up our sleeves."

"I am very pleased that the Long Island Music Hall Of Fame has chosen The Space at Westbury for its prestigious induction ceremony. We look forward to hosting this extraordinary event," said Cyrus Hakakian, founder and owner of The Space at Westbury.

General seating starts at $95 ($75 presale) and are available through Ticketmaster. Premium VIP table seating and sponsorships are available, which includes an exclusive VIP pre-induction awards dinner party, performances, and awards ceremony.

STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor has confirmed to Matt Pinfield in a new interview that the band has written and demoed eighteen songs for its sixth studio album, with plans to hit the studio in January for a likely mid-2017 release.

"I am so stoked," Corey said. "Oh, my god. We're gonna go in in January to record for a couple of months [and] hopefully get it out late spring, early summer of next year. And it'll be the first album that we're doing with [Johny] Chow, our bass player, and Christian Martucci, our new guitar player. And it is fantastic. I mean, we've already got eighteen songs written. And it is some of the best material we've ever written. It is so good, and it is such a great amalgam of all of these different styles that we just absolutely love. It's got a little bit of the heavy, like we like to do, but it's also way more hard rock — way more rock 'n' roll and hard rock than heavy. I mean, there's even a little bit of punk in there. And there's an energy there that is gonna decimate and blow away a lot of stuff that comes out next year. That's how excited I am."

The recording sessions for the next STONE SOUR album will take place at Sphere Studios in Los Angeles. "We're gonna record it the old-fashioned way," Taylor explained. "We're gonna get us all in the room. We're gonna record it together; we're gonna have that energy bouncing off of each other. It's gonna be a modern throwback, let's put it that way, and it's gonna destroy people."

He continued: "We're gonna co-produce ourselves with a good friends of ours named Jay Ruston, who has done a lot of work with a lot of different people. He has produced and mixed STEEL PANTHER, ANTHRAX [and] a bunch of different other people. He also mixed the two 'House Of Gold And Bones' albums that we put out, and he mixed the two covers EPs that STONE SOUR put out as well. So we have a great relationship with him, and he's somebody we really trust and we absolutely love to work with. So we're really looking forward to going in with him and really making a kick-ass rock 'n' roll album."

Corey added: "We're really excited, man. Just the demos alone are so good that it's just, like, 'Dude, this is gonna destroy!'"

STONE SOUR, has released two EPs of cover songs — "Meanwhile In Burbank…" and "Straight Out Of Burbank" — and was slated to issue a third, titled "No Sleep 'Till Burbank", but those plans now appear to have been scrapped.

STONE SOUR last year named Christian Martucci as the permanent replacement for Jim Root, who was dismissed from the band in late 2013 after he decided to sit out the group's last tour in order to begin working on the new SLIPKNOT album. Martucci was recruited to play on that tour and was confirmed as a permanent member in March 2015 in a Facebook post.

Root did not speak kindly of STONE SOUR in interviews after he was fired, saying, "Some of the guys in STONE SOUR, I think they just want to be a radio band and write strictly for radio and try to be more of a poppy rock band. And that's not really what I'm into. There's at least one guy in the band that's only concerned about money. I really have no desire to associate with people like that anymore."

Root played on all five STONE SOUR studio records to date, including 2010's "Audio Secrecy" and the band's last collection of original music, "House Of Gold And Bones", a double concept album which was released in two parts in 2012 and 2013.

Interview (audio):

According to Billboard, "Popestar", the new EP from Swedish occult rockers GHOST, sold 21,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The effort landed at position No. 1 on both Billboard's Top Rock Albums and Hard Rock Albums charts.

Meanwhile, the new GHOST original song "Square Hammer", which is featured on "Popestar", has entered multiple Billboard charts, including Hard Rock Digital Song Sales at No. 7 (3,000 downloads sold), No. 33 on the Mainstream Rock Songs airplay chart, No. 36 on Rock Digital Song Sales and No. 41 on Hot Rock Songs.

"Popestar" was released on September 16. The effort includes covers of songs from bands like ECHO & THE BUNNYMEN and EURYTHMICS along with "Square Hammer".

"Popestar" was helmed by English producer Tom Dalgety, who has previously worked with ROYAL BLOOD and KILLING JOKE, among others.

A Nameless Ghoul told myROCK about GHOST's new EP: "The EP will sort of connect with 'Meliora', so it's not [going to feature] a new Papa [Editor's note: In a parody of the Catholic Church's tradition of papal succession, GHOST singer Papa Emeritus is purportedly replaced by a new Papa for each GHOST album.], it's not a new album; it's gonna be like an extension of 'Meliora'. That is gonna prolong the tour. So we're gonna do an American tour in the fall, and then we're gonna come back to Europe in the beginning of next year and do a bigger, sort of final 'Meliora' show. And in between now and then, we will work on the new album, and after the European tour in the beginning of [2017], we're gonna go into the studio and record a new album."

GHOST kicked off the "Popestar" U.S. tour on September 16, with dates scheduled through November 12 in Brooklyn, New York.

Sharon Osbourne says that she and Ozzy have worked out their issues after he had an extramarital affair earlier in the year.

Sharon spoke about the state of her marriage during an appearance on last night's episode of "Conan".

The couple reportedly split up earlier this year after his infidelity, but Ozzy has since been in therapy for sex addiction.

Asked by host Conan O'Brien if she and Ozzy "worked it out and talked about it," Sharon replied: "It wasn't as easy as that, but we worked it out."

"It's tough, you know, when you're an addict," Sharon added. "He likes too much alcohol, he likes too much drugs, he likes too much sex. Everything is too much, so it's tough for somebody that suffers with that."

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Ozzy last month apologized to the women with whom he has had extramarital sexual relationships and admitted to undergoing therapy for sex addiction. Ozzy's statement came out in the wake of the first interview given by Michelle Pugh, the celebrity hairstylist whose four-year affair with the BLACK SABBATH singer was discovered by Sharon and nearly ended their 33-year marriage.

In an interview with People, Pugh revealed: "When I say he gave me the greatest love of my life, I mean it. He made me feel like the most beautiful and worshipped woman in the world." She added that Ozzy was "unhappy" in his marriage and that she connected with the singer on an "emotional level."

The response issued by reps for Ozzy said: "Over the last six years, Ozzy Osbourne has been dealing with a sex addiction. He is sorry if Ms. Pugh took their sexual relationship out of context. He would like to apologize to the other women he has been having sexual relationships with." The statement added: "Ozzy has gone into intense therapy. Ozzy is mortified at what his behavior has done to his family. He thanks God that his incredible wife Sharon is at his side to support him.”

Ozzy reportedly pursued Pugh for a year after she first colored his hair in late 2011.

Sharon reportedly learned of Ozzy's affair by having a private investigator look into his activities. A source told In Touch that Sharon "found out that Ozzy was spending a lot of money. She wanted to know what he was buying and who he was buying it for. The investigator discovered that he was basically living a double life."

Ozzy is in the midst of a year-long farewell tour with SABBATH and has also reportedly been working on a new solo album.

Ozzy's cheating may also have legal ramifications. His four-year affair with Pugh may end up costing his daughter, Kelly Osbourne, a decent chunk of change. Michelle has filed a lawsuit against her for defamation, intentional infliction of emotional distress and public disclosure of public facts. The former "Fashion Police" co-host tweeted Michelle's phone number after news of the fling first broke and wrote, "Anyone looking for cheap chunky LOW-light and blow out and a blow*** call..." Michelle is seeking an unspecified amount in compensatory and punitive damages as well as "other relief."

"The Hunt", the new video from Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based melodic death metallers THE AGONIST, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's upcoming album, "Five", which will be released on September 30 via and Napalm Records. The CD was recorded with producer Mike Plotnikoff, who has previously worked with BUCKCHERRY, OTEP, HALESTORM, DROWNING POOL, THEORY OF A DEADMAN, 3 DOORS DOWN, FEAR FACTORY, FLYLEAF and SKILLET, among others.

"Five" track listing:

01. The Moment02. The Chain03. The Anchor and The Sail04. The Game05. The Ocean06. The Hunt07. The Raven Eyes08. The Wake09. The Resurrection10. The Villain11. The Pursuit of Emptiness12. The Man Who Fell to Earth13. The Trial14. Take Me to Church (HOZIER cover) (bonus edition only)

Said THE AGONIST guitarist Danny Marino: "We are so anxious to release this record to our fans and the rest of the world!

"This album represents another shift in the evolution of THE AGONIST!

"Vicky [Psarkis, vocals] and I went even deeper into what makes a song really connect.

"I'm very proud of everyone's hard work making this the most diverse and interesting record for us to date!

"It was a great learning experience working with Mike Plotnikoff and fully immersing ourselves in the recording process 24/7.

"Just as much as we are excited to release this album, we are psyched to get back out on the road and connect directly with our fans! Europe gets the first taste before we unleash on North America this November with EPICA." Psarkis added: "Being in THE AGONIST for over two years now and after releasing my debut album with the band and numerous tours, I can say that 'Five' is the record where I believe that we finally found our sound!

"There's a certain confidence that comes with experience and there's something about being fully comfortable that can take your approach towards songwriting to a whole other level.

"Working on the lyrics and vocals on this album was an incredibly natural process.

"Halfway into the pre-production, we realized that a lot of our songs seemed to be telling a story and hearing the album in its entirety is like escaping into our world."

Norwegian rockers KVELERTAK have released the official music video for "Svartmesse", from their celebrated new LP "Nattesferd" which arrived this past May. The clip, which was directed by Torjus Førre Erfjord of Raindog Films, can be seen below.

The band commented on the videos creation, stating: "It's made by our good friend Torjus Førre Erfjord who has previously made the videos for 'Blodtørst' and 'Evig Vandrar'. As well as featuring his own unique style of animation, this video has a darker and more sinister tone that goes hand in hand with the lyrics of the song."

Next month KVELERTAK will embark on a Nordic headline tour which gets under way October 13 in their home country of Norway. Following the Nordic dates, KVELERTAK will then embark on a headline tour of Europe which gets under way November 16 in Berlin and features support from SKELETONWITCH.

Recorded live in Oslo, Norway's Amper Tone Studio, "Nattesferd" was produced by KVELERTAK and mixed/engineered by Nick Terry (LINDSTRØM, TURBONEGRO, THE LIBERTINES). It is the first of KVELERTAK's albums to be recorded in their home country of Norway. "Nattesferd" follows 2013's "Meir" which made a stunning international impact, earning the six-piece numerous "Best of 2013" honors.

KVELERTAK is Erlend Hjelvik (vocals), Vidar Landa (guitar), Bjarte Lund Rolland (guitar), Maciek Ofstad (guitars), Marvin Nygaard (bass) and Kjetil Gjermundrød (drums).

Gary Moat - the man at the back is now at the front. The Heavy Pettin' drummer is now the driving force of Burnt Out Wreck, and very much in control of the fire that's burning.

Gary has just signed to TRHRC through Cherry Red, the paper is inked and the music flowing. He has also signed to Eddie Levy at The Chelsea Publishing Company Ltd. TRHRC, Martin Darvill, Daniel Earnshaw and Gary are very excited at the signing and look forward to the album's release in February 2017.

The remaining members for Burnt Out Wreck are now being finalized, the band as it stands now is Gary Moat on vocals and Adrian Dunn on lead guitars.

The new album is co-produced by Gary Moat and Steve Rispin (Asia, Inglorious) at his  Liscombe Park Studio, mastered by Pete Maher (U2, The Killers, Jack White, Rolling Stones etc) and is set for a February 2017 release.

This new album is going to be a storming slice of classic hard rock and is guaranteed to start 2017 in some serious rock 'n' roll style.

"So today I have signed a new worldwide record contract with The Right Honourable Recording Company Ltd through Cherry Red and a new worldwide publishing contract with Chelsea Music Publishing Company Ltd. I am very very excited and honoured to be working with them. The album is set for release February 2017. Thanks for all your support and kind words, it was worth the wait… It is a crazy experience to be doing this again but I am loving it!" - Gary Moat.

Ripple Music has announced the release of Sabbath Highway, the debut EP from San Francisco Bay rockers, The Watchers.

Gathering together an impressive cast of seasoned players with vocalist Tim Narducci and bassist Cornbread (SpiralArms, White Witch Canyon), Orchid drummer Carter Kennedy and guitarist Jeremy Von Eppic (BlackGates, The Venting Machine) The Watchers is an out-and-out super group of musicians’ musicians and a fitting addition to Ripple Music’s ever growing roster.

"We're very excited to be a part of the Ripple family,” explains Tim. “We love their approach and the fact that they have a true footing in the underground heavy rock, doom and metal scene. Todd and Pope’s passion for their bands and roster is contagious and beautiful. We see a great relationship ahead!"

After peddling some killer and powerful riffs earlier in year on their Evel Knievel-inspired video for “Today”, the band returns with the title track from Sabbath Highway ahead of the EP’s official release on November 4th.

Tracklisting:

“Sabbath Highway”
“Requiem Intro”
“Call The Priest”
“Today”
“Just A Needle”

“Sabbath Highway”:

“Today” video:

For fans along the West Coast you’ll also be able to catch The Watchers live as they take to the road throughout October for a short tour with fellow label mates, Zed.

Tour dates:

October
13 - Ash Street Saloon - Portland, OR
14 - Skylark Café - Seattle, WA
15 - Black Forest - Eugene, OR
20 - The Viper Room - Los Angeles, CA
21 - Til Two Club - Sand Diego, CA
22 - Dive Bar - Las Vegas, NV

The Watchers:
 
Tim Narducci - Vocals
Jeremy Von Eppic - Guitars
Cornbread - Bass
Carter Kennedy - Drums

One of the original pre-second-wave black metal bands, Root (formed in 1987 by iconic vocalist Jiri 'Big Boss' Valter), from the Czech Republic, are going to release a new studio album, Kärgeräs - Return From Oblivion, on November 25th via Agonia Records. Pre-orders are currently available here.

In contrast to Bathory and Venom, Root took the black metal genre in a more refined direction, featuring Big Boss' chartacteristic clean vocals, dark sound and an epic approach altogether. Nowadays, Root is often recognized as an epic heavy/black metal act, or as the band simply puts it - a dark metal band.

The new album, Kärgeräs - Return From Oblivion, will be different from their 2011's offering, Heritage Of Satan, says the band: "As always in our history as a band, we aim to deliver a unique album, something that will stand out and shine its own light in our discography. Expect dark metal at its best, along with some surprising elements. We've recorded one fully acoustic song and one entirely instrumental. Overall, the album will include ten new tracks that will differ from our previous records.”

Kärgeräs - Return From Oblivion will be Root's tenth full-length album. Lyrically, it will be a concept album, and looked at from that perspective, it'll continue the story begun by their 1996 release under a similar yet shorter title, Kärgeräs, that presents a tale of a proud nation.

The album artwork was hand-painted by Thomas Bruno. The painting started off as a portrait at first, but after the band's decision to use it as cover, the mystical tree, ravens and other elemnts where added. Recording, mixing and mastering took place at Shaark Studio in South Moravia. Big Boss produced the album.

Tracklisting:

“Life Of Demons”
“Osculum Infame”
“Moment Of Fright”
“The Book Of Death”
“Black Iris”
“Moment Of Hope”
“The Key To The Empty Room”
“New Empire”
“Up To The Down”
“Do You Think Is It The End?”

Available formats:

- Digipack CD with 28 pages booklet
- Black LP
- Red LP with A2 poster*
- Transparent red/black splatter LP with A2 poster and patch**
- T-shirt (2 versions)

* handnumbered and limited to 222 copies
** handnumbered and limited to 100 copies

Since 1987, Root is led by founder and vocalist Big Boss - a controversial, yet valued musician, producer, writer and lyricist. He's one of the oldest and most characteristic black metal singers; one of the very few, who possesses an operatic range of vocals. Over the years, Root has maintained a strong underground following, while Big Boss rose up to become a cult figure in the black metal genre, guesting on albums by leading metal artists, most notably Moonspell and Behemoth. Root has performed hundreds of shows worldwide, sharing the stage with bands such as Mercyful Fate, King Diamond, Cradle Of Filth, Apocalyptica, Moonspell, Behemoth, Impaled Nazarene, Nifelheim, Anathema, Sodom, Desaster, Pungent Stench, Master, Destroyer 666, Master´s Hammer, Enslaved, Testament, Marduk, Napalm Death, Krabathor, Hypnos and many other.

Rogue Male have just announced a new contract under management company Agentur EAM. The 1983 band are making their return in a big way.

Rogue Male was the brain child of Belfast-boy Jim Lyttle. The first incarnation of the band came into being in late 1983 when Jim decided to put together a band that would mix punk aggression with a rock/metal style, it was ground breaking and original making them one of the first crossover punk/metal bands that later became part of the NWOBHM. After a series of lineups, a stable touring band was produced; Jim Lyttle (guitar/vocals), John Fraser-Binnie (guitar), Kevin Collier (bass) and Steve Kingsley (drums) who was later replaced by Danny Fury. This line-ups’ live performances gained the attention of several record companies.

By the time they released their first album, First Visit, on the Music For Nations label in 1985, Kevin Collier had been recruited as a replacement for Clark on bass. It is this lineup that shook the rock world with its combination of futuristic imagery and blisteringly raw metal with a punk twist. Cover shoots for international magazines soon followed as well as a slot on the ECT (Extra Celestial Transmission) television show on Channel 4 in 1985.

Steve Kingsley was replaced shortly after the end of this strenuous road work and was replaced by Danny Fury on drums. However, this was only after a second album, Animal Man, was recorded in 1986 with session king Charlie Morgan holding the sticks.

Rogue Male began to be described as ‘thinking man’s metal’ and the ‘most dangerous band since the Sex Pistols’. They were attributed in the UK rock and metal press as ‘the next big thing’ and were ‘Album Of The Month’ worldwide in top rock/metal journals.

Sadly it was not to be; during what became six years of expensive legal battles with their management, Rogue Male disbanded in 1987.

In 2007 both Rogue Male albums were re-released by independent Polish label Metal Mind and immediately gained worldwide attention once again.

In 2010 Jim Lyttle and Johnny Fraser-Binnie got back together again. "I have not wavered and never will; it's a way of life for me, music keeps me alive, especially Rogue Male music."

Updates to follow.

The release of Roth Brock Project’s self-titled debut album is scheduled for November 4th via Frontiers Records srl. The track “Young Again” 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”

“Young Again”:

"We Are":

Lineup:

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

Indian metal artist Demonstealer, who also fronts Demonic Resurrection, has released a new lyric video for the song “Where Worlds End”. The song is featured on his latest album, This Burden Is Mine, and features George Kollias (Nile) on drums along with Ashwin Shriyan (Demonic Resurrection) playing bass, and ex-Demonic Resurrection guitarist Daniel Kenneth Rego playing a guest solo.

The lyric video was created by Abhishek Goswami of Minimalist Studios. Watch below:

This Burden Is Mine was released independently on March 22nd via Demonstealer's Bandcamp page. Artwork was created by Michal 'Xaay' Loranc (Behemoth, Vader, Nile, Demonic Resurrection).

“From Rubble And Ruin” video

Album lineup:

Demonstealer - Vocals/Guitars/Keys
Ashwin Shriyan - Bass
George Kollias - Drums

Due to overwhelming demand, FM’s Indiscreet 30 album will see a formal commercial release on November 4th. A new video trailer can be found below.

Thirty years after the release of their now classic debut album, FM decided to record a modern-day version of Indiscreet. FM were asked many times to consider re-recording the tracks on the album using today's modern technology and recording techniques to give the songs the "FM sound" of today.

Over the years, Indiscreet has deservedly won the reputation of being an iconic album for the band. FM always steered clear of the idea of re-recording it, but while in the studio recording the follow-up to their most recent release, Heroes & Villains, FM decided to put down a backing track to the song "That Girl" to see how it would feel with the huge sounds they were getting at the time. It gave the song a new dynamic and power that was not possible to achieve with '80s recording technology.

“We played it back the following morning and decided it would be great to hear all these classic songs with this new lease of life,” says bassist Merv Goldsworthy. “We are not trying to recreate the original, but this is our interpretation played by FM as we are today with the sound of FM 2016.”

In addition to the re-recording of the original album, Indiscreet 30 also features seven bonus tracks, including brand new song "Running On Empty" and a new recording of "Let Love Be The Leader".

Indiscreet 30 was produced by FM, recorded at Tremolo Studios and Coal House Studios, Staffordshire and mixed by Jeff Knowler.

Tracklisting:

“That Girl
“Other Side Of Midnight”
“Love Lies Dying”
“I Belong To The Night”
“American Girls”
“Hotwired”
“Face To Face”
“Frozen Heart”
“Heart Of The Matter”

Bonus Tracks:

“Let Love Be The Leader”
“Running On Empty”
“Rainbow's End”
“Shot In The Dark”
“Bad That's Good In You”
“Love & Hate”
“That Girl” (Acoustic Version)

Trailer:

The band will be honoring pre-orders received to date for delivery on October 28th as originally announced. The album will also be on sale during the band’s tour dates commencing October 28th at Wakefield Warehouse 23. For the Warrington Parr Hall show on Saturday October 1st, pre-orders will be taken at the merchandise stand.

Tour dates:

October
1 - Parr Hall - Warrington, United Kingdom
28 - Warehouse 23 - Wakefield, United Kingdom
29 - Rescue Rooms - Nottingham, United Kingdom
30 - River Rooms - Stourbridge, United Kingdom

November
11 - Razzmatazz 3 - Barcelona, Spain
12 - Sala Chango - Madrid, Spain
13 - RCA Club - Lisbon, Portugal
18 - Cardiff University Students' Union - Y Plas - Cardiff, United Kingdom
19 - Islington Assembly Hall - London, United Kingdom
 -  WinterStorm - Troon, United Kingdom

March
10 - HRH AOR - Pwllheli, United Kingdom

FM lineup:

Steve Overland - lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Merv Goldsworthy - bass, backing vocals
Pete Jupp - drums, backing vocals
Jem Davis – keyboards
Jim Kirkpatrick - lead guitar, backing vocals

In June 2016, legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore made many long held dreams come true for his fans as RITCHIE BLACKMORE'S RAINBOW played three concerts in Europe, two in Germany and one in England. The two German shows at Loreley and Bietigheim were caught on camera to produce "Memories In Rock - Live In Germany", which will be released via Eagle Rock Entertainment on DVD+2CD, Blu-ray+2CD, and digital formats on November 18. A deluxe version (DVD, Blu-ray and 2CD in a 48-page hardback photobook), along with a 3LP version (180-gram vinyl), will be available as an import on December 2.

This film captures the long-awaited return to rock music for Ritchie Blackmore. The setlist, combining classic tracks from both DEEP PURPLE and RAINBOW, was exactly what the fans had wished for. Filmed in high definition, this jaw-dropping set includes "Catch The Rainbow", "Mistreated", "Since You Been Gone", "Black Night", "Spotlight Kid", "Smoke On The Water", "Stargazer", "Perfect Strangers", and more! As a bonus all formats (barring the 3LP) also boast a quartet of tracks recorded on an alternative night: "Spotlight Kid", "Man On The Silver Mountain", "Long Live Rock ‘N' Roll", and "Stargazer".

The band line-up for this incredible show featured Ritchie Blackmore (guitar); Ronnie Romero (vocals); David Keith (drums); Bob Nouveau (bass); Jens Johansson (keyboards); Candice Night (backing vocals); Lady Lynn (backing vocals).

"Memories In Rock - Live In Germany" track listing:

CD Disc 1

01. Highway Star02. Spotlight Kid 03. Mistreated 04. 16th Century Greensleeves 05. Since You Been Gone 06. Man On The Silver Mountain 07. Catch The Rainbow 08. Difficult To Cure (Beethoven's Ninth) 09. Perfect Strangers 10. Stargazer

CD Disc 2

11. Long Live Rock 'N' Roll 12. Child In Time / Woman From Tokyo 13. Black Night 14. Smoke On The Water

Blackmore spoke to the Dutch radio station Radio Veronica about what made him decide to play the recent RAINBOW comeback shows. He said: "Besides money, I heard the [new RAINBOW] singer, Ronnie [Romero, who is originally from Chile but now settled in Madrid, Spain], singing on YouTube. Candy [Ritchie's wife, Candice Night] had played it to me. She said, 'What to do you think of this guy?' And I don't go on the computer very much; I'm too old for that stuff. And Candy is often going on YouTube or whatever, and she said, 'He's singing some of your old songs, the RAINBOW songs.' And I heard them, and I went, 'Wow! This guy is really good. He's exciting.' And there had been some talk about reforming RAINBOW with David Coverdale and a few others — Glenn Hughes… Although they are friends of mine, I wasn't urgently involved in it. I was hesitating for probably a good part of a year before I kind of decided I wasn't gonna do it — until I heard this singer. As soon as I heard the singer, he had such a good voice, so much vitality, and that excited me. I thought, 'Wow! He's singing all the old songs, but he's doing it so well — old hard rock.' It was exciting to hear."

Asked if he enjoyed the three RAINBOW comeback shows so far, Ritchie said: "I enjoyed especially the last one in England. The first two were a little bit intense, because we hadn't played together… we hadn't done a lot of rehearsing, so the first two shows were a bit hectic and chaotic. But the last one in Birmingham was… obviously, we'd played two shows at that point, and that seemed to work, to me. And it was great to see all the old people… I mean, it was so weird how… I think it was twenty thousand people… It sold out in fifteen minutes. And I kind of wondered who they thought was playing, 'cause when I got to the auditorium, it was so vast that I thought, 'Maybe somebody else is playing this show tonight.'"

Regarding whether it was difficult for him to put together a setlist for the first three RAINBOW comeback shows, Ritchie said: "No. [It was] very easy, in a way. We had about fifteen songs that were very obvious songs to play, like 'Catch The Rainbow'. And we incorporated a few DEEP PURPLE songs — 'Black Night', 'Smoke [On The Water]', 'Highway Star' — of which some of the fans said, 'Why did you do those DEEP PURPLE songs?' And I would say, 'Why not?' And they said, 'Well, we thought it was just gonna be RAINBOW. We would prefer to hear [more] RAINBOW songs.' Which I thought was kind of ironic again. I'm thinking, 'Wow! We just threw three songs in by DEEP PURPLE when they wanted more [RAINBOW].' And I noticed when they clapped, they weren't clapping so hard for DEEP PURPLE [songs]. They said, 'We hear that every year,' 'cause [the current lineup of] PURPLE goes around [on tour]. So the next time, if we go out and we do anything, I would do probably ninety-five percent RAINBOW songs; that's what they seem to want to hear. And it didn't occur to me. I just naturally assumed they wanted to hear everything."