POWERMAN 5000's new single, "Sid Vicious In A Dress", can be streamed below. The song is taken from the band's upcoming album, "New Wave", which will be released on October 27 via Pavement Entertainment.

"New Wave" is POWERMAN 5000's eleventh official release since forming in 1992 and continues the strides and success, from their platinum-selling album "Tonight The Stars Revolt!" to their most recent chart-topping single in 2014, "How To Be A Human".

POWERMAN 5000 vocalist Spider One stated about "Sid Vicious In A Dress": "I suppose at its simplest it's a twisted love song, but really it's about loving what hurts you, what is bad for you. Staying when you should run. Over the years, Sid Vicious has become the poster child for chaos and self-destruction. I just took that and put it in the form of a beautiful girl. The title of the song kind of says it all."

Regarding the overall sound of the follow-up to 2014's "Builders Of The Future", Spider One said: "We went a bit dirtier on this one. Ripped it up more than the last couple of records. One of the goals was to recreate the noise of the live show. Keep in the chaos."

On the topic of the new album title, Spider said: "New Wave? Are we a new wave band? Well, I would say that we have always had more in common with DEVO than DIO."

POWERMAN 5000's legacy continues to push the boundaries of rock, metal, industrial, rap and punk to create innovative and groundbreaking releases time and time again. With songs like "David F**king Bowie", "Cult Leader" and "Sid Vicious In A Dress", the new album is sure to please longtime fans, as well as turn the heads of many more to come.

"New Wave" track listing:

01. Footsteps And Voices02. Hostage03. Sid Vicious In A Dress04. David F**king Bowie05. Cult Leader06. No White Flags07. Thank God08. Die On Your Feet09. Get A Life10. Run For Your Life

"Builders Of The Future" sold around 4,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 63 on The Billboard 200 chart. Issued in May 2014, the CD was released through POWERMAN 5000's partnership with T-Boy Records, a co-venture with Universal Music Enterprises founded by veteran rock manager Andy Gould.

"Rat Hole", the new video from VIXEN frontwoman Janet Gardner, can be seen below. The track, which was inspired by Gardner's frustration with health care insurance companies, is taken from her self-titled debut solo album, released last week via Pavement Entertainment.

"Janet Gardner" is a collaboration between the singer, who works days as a part-time dental hygienist, and her husband, guitarist/producer Justin James, who has previously worked with STAIND, COLLECTIVE SOUL and TYKETTO.

"It sort of happened honestly," Gardner told Billboard. "We set up a studio in our new house (in Connecticut) and we were both down there fiddling around, and eventually we started to exchange ideas. We probably had written about five songs and thought, 'This is working pretty good. What are we gonna do with this?'" Gardner and James initially thought about another group or duo name. "Then we said let's call it my solo album. Why not? I've never done one. Even though it is a really strong collaboration, let's call it that."

Gardner described her solo debut to Unrated Magazine as "a very diverse collection of music. Justin and I combined forces with hard rock influences from the last four decades," she said. " If you like the seventies, the song 'The Good Or The Bye' is the song for you. If you like the eighties, 'If You Want Me', 'Candle' and 'Hippycrite' are for you. If you like the nineties, you might dig 'Your Problem Now' and 'The Grind', but they all have a common thread that is simply our sound together."

Regarding how the songwriting process for the album compared to that in VIXEN, Gardner said: "Every creative relationship is different. Justin and I are married, so we obviously have tons of trust in one another. No one has any expectations of us, so we have a lot of freedom to do whatever we want. With VIXEN, we have an established musical style, so there is always that 'Is this right for VIXEN?' question looming over the writing process, but we have known each other for years, so it's very comfortable to present ideas."

"Janet Gardner" track listing:

01. Rat Hole02. Hippycrite03. If You Want Me04. Candle05. Your Problem Now06. Let It Be Over07. Lost08. The Grind09. Best Friend10. The Good Or The Bye

Photo credit: Jon Gregory

Colorado metallers JAG PANZER have released the official lyric video for their cover of "Foggy Dew", an Irish folk song about the 1916 Easter Rising. The track is taken from the band's new album, "The Deviant Chord", which will be released on September 29 via SPV/Steamhammer.

The "Foggy Dew" lyric video was once again created by JAG PANZER guitarist Mark Briody, who said: "'Foggy Dew' was a song I grew up with. My father used to sing it often. He also told me stories of the Easter Rising in Ireland, the same stories his father told him.

"It was a challenge to record a classic song that has already been covered many times. But I think we were able to bring a different flavor to the song."

For JAG PANZER, team spirit is more important than anything else. Without team spirit, Briody would no longer see any reason for continuing the band. "We're like a family, we've all known each other for many years," he says and looks back at the years between 2011 and 2013 when JAG PANZER were on the brink of calling it a day. "Two bandmembers quit and there was little interest in hiring new people and starting over. Introducing new musicians would have been tough, so we decided to disband." But then the American power metal act's strong fan base made itself heard, causing the spark to be rekindled. Briody explains: "We had a lot of interest in our early albums, so my bandmates soon noticed that people were still listening to JAG PANZER, that the audience was still there. We started talking on the phone more and more. Some excellent gig offers arrived so we decided we should get back together."

"The Deviant Chord" is a veritable metal manifesto, consisting of ten awesome songs featuring all those typical JAG PANZER strengths that the band's fans have come to appreciate. Together with band members John Tetley (bass), Harry "The Tyrant" Conklin (vocals), Rikard Stjernquist (drums) and Joey Tafolla (lead guitar), who has returned to the fold, Briody has recorded an album that impresses in every respect and that benefits from the outstanding qualities of all five band members.

"John does our 'quality control,' meaning that he makes sure every song we do is the best it can be. Harry is a musical genius. He's been singing since we were kids, he's very skilled in vocal arrangements and vocal recording techniques. This skill makes him a very big contributor in the songwriting. Rikard is all about drumming. He's been drumming since he was a small child and has never stopped. He grew up living all around the world and he has always been in a band. Joey is the classic lead player in every sense of the world. He has amazing skill on the guitar plus an outstanding stage presence. His playing makes every song better." "The Deviant Chord" will be available as a CD digipak (including poster) and double LP colored version as well as for download and streaming. The cover artwork was created by Serbian artist Dusan Markovic and reflects the album's haunting atmosphere perfectly. Briody gives also some hints: "Fans of both science fiction and real-life scientists should look closely at the new JAG PANZER album as the band has placed a few hidden tributes in the album art!"

There can be no doubt: the spark has rekindled the fire in JAG PANZER and it's burning brightly. Briody says: "The mood in the band is very focused. This album was the first time we did multiple demos for every song. So everyone has been very involved in every step. Each band member got to see a song grow and change with time. That's very exciting for us. And we're all excited to unleash 'The Deviant Chord' unto the world."

"The Deviant Chord" track listing:

01. Born Of The Flame (4:00)02. Far Beyond All Fear (3:49)03. The Deviant Chord (5:37)04. Blacklist (4:19)05. Foggy Dew (3:20)06. Divine Intervention (3:30)07. Long Awaited Kiss (6:16)08. Salacious Behavior (4:07)09. Fire Of Our Spirit (4:37)10. Dare (5:17)

AVENGED SEVENFOLD is continuing to expand its latest album, "The Stage", into an evolving body of work by adding a series of new tracks over the course of several months. Today sees the release of the album's latest addition, AVENGED SEVENFOLD's rendition of "God Only Knows" by THE BEACH BOYS. The track follows the recent release of AVENGED SEVENFOLD's version of MR. BUNGLE's "Retrovertigo", the band's first-ever Spanish-language recording, "Malagueña Salerosa", and a rendition of "Runaway", the 1961 song made famous by Del Shannon. The band recorded all four tracks with producer Joe Barresi (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, TOOL).

"We love the idea of putting out music in a non-conventional way," AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows told Billboard. "We also love making albums, so this allowed us to do both. This was all put into motion when we made the original recording for 'The Stage', so it all feels cohesive; We put out 'The Stage' and let it sink in for seven months, and now we can add to that piece of work. This way, throughout the cycle you'll be able to hear new music while going back to the original album.

"The idea of turning an album into a living piece of art and adding new installations is really intriguing," he continued. "It expands the journey."

Shadows added that AVENGED SEVENFOLD took inspiration from the way hip-hop and pop artists have taken to surprise and random releases of new material, sometimes with little or no notice, and sometimes simply releasing individual songs not related to any particular album or other project.

"We told all the kids we were going to evolve the record... It was just a matter of how," Shadows said. "Obviously it works in the (pop) mainstream a little better than it does in rock 'n' roll. You look at what Kendrick Lamar or Drake are doing, or any hip-hop or pop act. Their streaming numbers are through the roof. And you look at rock, and they're just not there. But we want to get new stuff out to people. We don't have the answers to all the big questions in the music industry, but we do have control of keeping ourselves artistically satisfied, and this just seemed fun to us."

"The Stage" was released at the end of October with almost no promotion beforehand.

M. Shadows recently confirmed to Kaytie of the Razor 94.7 radio station that AVENGED SEVENFOLD will embark on a full North American headlining tour in January and February 2018. The trek, which will be announced in September, was originally "supposed to happen this summer until we got that call from METALLICA, so we decided to put it on hold," the singer explained.

On September 29, Metal Blade Records will release two classic TESTAMENT albums on vinyl for the first time in the USA: "Low" and "The Ritual". Pre-order your copies now at this location.

"Low" (translucent gold 180-gram vinyl, single jacket, 2-sided insert; limited to 1500 copies):

Side A

01. Low02. Legions (In Hiding) 03. Hail Mary04. Trail Of Tears05. Shades Of War06. P.C.

Side B

07. Dog Faced Gods08. All I Could Bleed09. Urotsukidoji10. Chasing Fear11. Ride12. Last Call

"The Ritual" (white 180-gram vinyl, single jacket, 2-sided insert; limited to 1500 copies):

Side A

01. Signs of Chaos02. Electric Crown03. So Many Lies04. Let Go of My World05. The Ritual06. Deadline

Side B

07. As the Seasons Grey08. Agony09. The Sermon10. Return to Serenity11. Troubled Dreams

TESTAMENT's latest album, "Brotherhood Of The Snake", was released last October via Nuclear Blast. The cover was once again created by renowned artist Eliran Kantor, who also handled the art for the TESTAMENT's previous album, 2012's "Dark Roots Of Earth", and worked with bands like HATEBREED, SOULFLY and KATAKLYSM in the past.

"Brotherhood Of The Snake" was recorded under the watchful eyes of producer Juan Urteaga (EXODUS, HEATHEN, MACHINE HEAD), guitarist Eric Peterson and singer Chuck Billy and was mixed and mastered by British metal producer Andy Sneap (ACCEPT, ARCH ENEMY, CRADLE OF FILTH, KREATOR, MACHINE HEAD, MEGADETH).

Billy recently told Metal Wani that TESTAMENT's goal is to release the follow-up to "Brotherhood Of The Snake" in 2018.

TESTAMENT will embark on a European tour in the fall. Support on the trek will come from ANNIHILATOR and DEATH ANGEL.

"Isolation", the new video from British doom metal mavens WITH THE DEAD, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's second album, "Love From With The Dead", which will be released on September 22 via Rise Above Records. Comprising tracks recorded during two separate sessions with celebrated studio guru Jaime Gomez Arellano, the new material represents the first fruits of the band's recently retooled lineup. Joining former CATHEDRAL/NAPALM DEATH frontman and Rise Above Records boss Lee Dorrian and ex-ELECTRIC WIZARD/RAMESSES bassist/guitarist Tim Bagshaw are bassist Leo Smee and drummer Alex Thomas, who replaces the departed Mark Greening.

Formed in 2014 by Dorrian and Bagshaw, the band coalesced in a monetary burst of spontaneity and shared fury, resulting in the release of their eponymous debut album in 2015: one of that year's most widely acclaimed releases and a welcome shot in the arm for fans of merciless, unrelenting sonic despair.

For those who flinched at the sheer, unforgiving brutality of WITH THE DEAD's first record, the songs on "Love From With The Dead" are liable to cause major emotional trauma. Darker, denser, more despondent and sickeningly heavy in numerous senses of the word, this is an album that re-establishes doom as a genre that embraces the extreme and not just some cozy, nostalgic reimagining of the early '70s. "Love From With The Dead" grimly extinguishes the light of hope and hammers home the hatred and futility that plagues our brief and brittle lives. "The thinking was that the first LP was meant to be the heaviest we could possibly make, but then what do you next?" Lee muses. "Well, the only thing you can do is make the next one even heavier. So that was the ambition and the intention, to make it even more crushing. But to be able to do that you have to be crushed yourself. This last couple of years have been quite soul-destroying. There's been a lot of personal shit going on, and during this whole process so much fucking bad shit has happened in my personal life and other people's personal lives. Everything you hear on this LP, the angst is very real. I've never felt so disillusioned with life and the world around me, not since the first CATHEDRAL album." He continues: "I'm fifty next year and you're supposed to mellow out when you get older, but why? I don't feel like mellowing out. The world's getting worse, the atmosphere is getting heavier, people treat each other like shit and there's so much negativity, how are you supposed to chill out when all that's going on? I'm in a privileged position to be able to be in a band like this, so why fuck around? The band's called WITH THE DEAD and it's a doom band, why would you want to mellow out? It's got to be pure nihilism or nothing." "Love From With The Dead" track listing:

01. Isolation02. Egyptian Tomb03. Reincarnation of Yesterday04. Cocaine Phantoms05. Watching the Ward Go By06. Anemia07. CV1

The official lyric video for the song "Radio Silence" from STYX can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's sixteenth studio album, "The Mission", which arrived on June 16 via the band's label, Alpha Dog 2T/UMe.

Dr. Tony Phillips is a scientist and researcher that launches weather balloons one hundred and eleven thousand feet to the edge of space to measure ionizing radiation in the stratosphere. He is also a major STYX fan. Back in April, Dr. Phillips and his team of students launched a weather balloon with both the CD and LP of "The Mission" attached to the payload. His team recorded the entire ascent of the package to one hundred and eleven thousand feet. They launched it near the Sierra Nevada Mountains. For nearly three hours the balloon ascended. Then it popped and the payload packages tumbled back to earth for nearly twenty minutes. A parachute deployed and the package landed safely. On this mission, the payload and the music landed in a Joshua Tree forest in Nevada. Amazingly, the CD and LP survived the landing. As far as we know, this is the only time a vinyl LP has gone this high into the atmosphere, exposed to the elements and returned safe and sound. Chuck Berry's "Johnny B Goode" is on golden disc within Voyager 1. The British band BLUR recorded "Far Out", which was played on Beagle 2 when it landed on Mars in 2003. The space atmosphere boundary is at three hundred and twenty-eight thousand feet. To document this exciting collaboration between science and rock 'n' roll, STYX's label (UMe) and the band created a time lapse lyric video for the song "Radio Silence" that traces the entire ascent and descent within four minutes. The video constantly has the new STYX CD in full view as it rises until you can see the curve of the earth and the black of space then the balloon pops and tumbles back. The vinyl LP would not fit on the payload. Dr. Phillips and his team attached it underneath. They poked a hole in the jacket and ran a string through the vinyl LP's center hole. It tangled from the bottom and can be seen shortly after the balloon pop in the video. "The Mission" chronicles the trials, tribulations, and ultimate triumphs of the first manned mission to Mars in the year 2033. The disc was recorded over a two-year period at Blackbird Studios, The Shop and 6 Studio Amontillado in Nashville and features the six-man STYX team: guitarist/vocalist Tommy Shaw, co-founding guitarist/vocalist James "JY" Young, keyboardist/vocalist Lawrence Gowan, original bassist Chuck Panozzo, drummer/percussionist Todd Sucherman, and bassist Ricky Phillips. The new music was created to reflect the viewpoint of the six-person crew enlisted for the maiden voyage of Khedive, the first entry in a new fleet of nuclear-powered interplanetary spacecraft underwritten by the Global Space Exploration Program (or GSEP, for short). The Khedive team consists of The Pilot, a fully hands-on, seat-of-the-pants born leader; a First Officer who serves as the team's big-brother figure; an Engineer who is skeptical of every phase of the mission but remains confident in his own abilities to make the best of any technical situation; and a Top-Shelf Trio of science, astrophysics, and survivalist experts. Photo credit: Jason Powell

Southern Californian rock trio RADIO MOSCOW has released the lyric video for its new single, "New Beginning". The track is featured on the band's upcoming similarly titled album, "New Beginnings", due out on September 29 via Century Media. "New Beginnings" was recorded at Lost Ark Studio in San Diego with Mike Butler, produced by the band's own Parker Griggs and mastered by Mark Chalecki at Little Red Book Mastering. The album's cover artwork, as seen above, was created by artist Courtney Cole and photographer Dana Trippe, with lettering coming from Robin Gnista.

"New Beginnings" will be released as regular black and limited-edition colored LP+CD (including a poster designed by Robin Gnista) as well as on CD, and all digital/streaming platforms.

"New Beginnings" track listing:

01. New Beginning02. Deceiver03. Woodrose Morning04. Driftin'05. No One Knows Where They've Been06. Last To Know07. New Skin08. Pacing09. Pick Up The Pieces10. Dreams

Formed in 2003, the power trio led by Stratocaster genius Parker Griggs carved their own sonic niche fusing crunching, heavy BLACK SABBATH-style chords with fiery "Hendrixian" solos and a raw intensity that is addictive and captivating. From the self-titled debut back in 2007, which was produced by BLACK KEYS' Dan Auerbach, over to last year's "Live! In California", RADIO MOSCOW proved to be not just a cheap time machine but a direct descendant from the golden age of rock 'n' roll.

RADIO MOSCOW is:

Parker Griggs (vocals, guitar)Anthony Meier (bass)Paul Marrone (drums)

AZONIC, the duo featuring BLIND IDIOT GOD founder Andy Hawkins on guitars and Tim Wyskida (KHANATE, BLIND IDIOT GOD) on timpani, concert bass drum and gong, will release its second album, "Prospect Of The Deep Volume One", on Friday, October 27 via Indivisible Music. The cover artwork was created by Seldon Hunt and can be seen below.

During BLIND IDIOT GOD rehearsals, Hawkins was inspired by Wyskida's more improvisational approach to imagine new possibilities for the next AZONIC LP. A standard drum set did not lend itself to the long-tone music of AZONIC, so Hawkins acquired two timpani and a concert bass drum and Wyskida committed to an improvisational duo of guitar and orchestral percussion.

This new material was recorded with Bill Laswell (MOTÖRHEAD, WHITE ZOMBIE) at BC Studio last November. The facility was selected for its enormous tracking rooms, which are ideal for the high-volume, long-tone qualities of this music. The recording is highly evocative, rich in tone, focused wide and with an immense scale.

"Prospect Of The Deep Volume One" includes two side-length pieces, "Oblivion Of The Deep" and "The Argonaut's Reckoning", on the vinyl LP, and a third bonus piece, "Voices Of The Drowned" on the CD.

"'Prospect Of The Deep' is a natural progression for AZONIC," Hawkins explains. "Adding orchestral percussion to the wide-angle sonic signature extends depth and the time scale. The result is oceanic in proportion, a relentless power changing the boundaries between states of matter and the musical landscape itself. It was a long time coming, but the wave has broken." Wyskida adds: "Getting away from a drum kit and behind an old, gargantuan concert bass drum, timpani and gong opened up a wide range of possibilities: longer sustains, lower tones, pitch bending — and they can better withstand a heartless assault."

Randy Blythe from LAMB OF GOD (in a piece for Talkhouse) wrote: "Andy Hawkins once again shows that he is a guitar player of prodigious talent, wrenching an astonishing array of sounds from his instrument…" And rock critic Hank Shteamer blogged: "Wyskida is one of the rare heavy drummers I've heard, and especially one of the rare double-bass drummers I've heard, who can pummel while also caressing the time, coaxing out its little microdetails."

Brendon Small — the mastermind behind the metal band DETHKLOK — will release his new high-stakes intergalactic extreme rock/metal album, "Galaktikon II: Become The Storm", on August 25 via Megaforce Records/MRI. You can now listen to the entire disc in the YouTube playlist below.

Brendon Small says: "I'm very excited for people to finally hear this record. It's chock full of exactly what I wanted it to have — unrestrained story, melody, and heaviness. I'm blown away at the positive response to this project already and I can't wait for your imaginations to go wild."

"Galaktikon II: Become The Storm" follows the space-age theme of 2012's original GALAKTIKON album, with a conceptual storyline and a heavier, darker, more brutal sound. In addition to Brendon Small on vocals and guitar, the album will feature acclaimed musicians and DETHKLOK alum Bryan Beller (bass; THE ARISTOCRATS, Dweezil Zappa, Steve Vai) and Gene Hoglan (drums; TESTAMENT, DEATH, DARK ANGEL). "Galaktikon II: Become The Storm" was co-produced by Small and Grammy-nominated producer/engineer Ulrich Wild, who also worked behind the board on the DETHKLOK albums. With these names behind the project, it should come as no surprise that "Galaktikon II: Become The Storm" is a welcomed transformation and expansion of the sound that put Brendon Small on the musical map. With uncapped time and creativity on their side, Small & Co. were able to reach above and beyond what fans have come to expect as of now. "Galaktikon II: Become The Storm" proves to be Small's most commanding release yet. "This record is a combination of all the sounds I've been making throughout my creative life," says Brendon Small. "It's as heavy as I want it to be and melodic as I want it to be — it's the bigger, darker record I wanted to hear. And what a way to celebrate my ten-year anniversary of making metal with Gene, Bryan and Ulrich, some of the best in the industry. I'm excited to have it live inside listeners' heads and let their imaginations take over!"

Release week is full of activities, including a free in-store signing of issue #1 of the Galaktikon! comic at the legendary Meltdown Comics tonight (7522 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles). Onsite, attendees will also be able to purchase merchandise and pre-order "Galaktikon II: Become The Storm". Then tomorrow, on release day at 10:30 p.m., Hollywood Improv (8162 Melrose Ave, Los Angeles) will present a special Baked Comedy and Music Galaktikon II: Become The Storm Record Release Party, hosted by Brendon Small and comedian Steve Agee. Further appearances and performances will be made by ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian, vocalist Pearl Aday, seasoned session musician Mike Keneally, SURVIVOR's Walter Ino, musician Joe Travers, and comedian Tom Lennon. The show is 18+ to enter and tickets are $15. Brendon will also take part in a Reddit AMA on Saturday, August 26 at 1:00 p.m. Pacific time. Brendon will answer fan questions and discuss "Galaktikon II: Become The Storm" and other projects.

Eden's Curse have dedicated their re-recording of the Steelheart classic, “We All Die Young” - made famous by the fictional band Steel Dragon in the Mark Wahlberg and Jennifer Anniston movie Rock Star - to the band's late guitarist, Kenny Kanowski.

Bassist Paul Logue commented: "Kenny and I talked online around ten years ago when we first recorded the song. He loved our version and I was very fortunate to meet him in person this past April in Milan at the Frontiers Rock Festival. When I introduced myself to him, he immediately knew who I was and the name of the band and gave me a big kiss for recording the song - he was quite a character! I told him we had re-recorded the song for the tenth anniversary and he was really looking forward to hearing the new version. Sadly he never will. Our thoughts and prayers go to Kenny's family and band mates in Steelheart. RIP brother.”

To celebrate the 10th anniversary of their debut album, Eden's Curse will release Revisited - a two disc set featuring the debut album re-recorded in it's entirety and a bonus DVD, Live In Glasgow - The Official Bootleg, tomorrow (August 25th) worldwide via AFM Records.

Paul Logue explains: "The first album really was the foundation for all that was to follow and ever since Nikola joined the band we have been inundated with fan requests to re-record the older material and whilst it would be great fun, it would also be the same amount of work as recording a brand new album. In actual fact, that is one of the main reasons we recorded the live album, Live With The Curse, so the fans could hear Nikola's voice on the older songs. However, it did not stop the flow of requests - in fact it made it worse! So, with this pivotal tenth anniversary coming up, we thought it would be a good idea to do it and AFM agreed. It's turned out really great and given the older songs that little bit of freshness. It's not to out-do what went before but to pay homage to a very important record in our career.”

The debut re-recordings were mixed by Pete Newdeck (Eden's Curse, Tainted Nation, Grim Reaper) and Mastered by Harry Hess (Harem Scarem).

Coupled with the re-recorded debut album is the Live In Glasgow - Official Bootleg DVD which is the Live With The Curse live album recording show in it's entirety. Filmed at The Classic Grand in Glasgow on November 28th, 2014, the release mark's the band first official live DVD release, albeit in a bootleg form.

"The footage is absolutely excellent,” states bassist Logue. "We did not intend to film a DVD, but the audio recording company brought two cameras along to capture the show and when we saw the results we were really surprised! We put out four videos on You Tube to promote the live album and the fans kept asking to see the full show on DVD. So, here it is! We've called it a 'bootleg' because it wasn't recorded on 6 cameras, e.g one above the drummer and one on the keyboard player - like we would do for a proper DVD release. However, beyond that is looks and sounds great! We WILL do a DVD in the future but in the meantime this give our fans across the world something to enjoy time and time again and it makes 'Revisited' a very special package indeed,” he adds.

Revisited is the ultimate package for Eden's Curse fans old and new and a fantastic introduction to the band's music. It's a true celebration of the record that started it all, from the guys who carry the legacy forward. Over 60 mins of music and 100 mins of film make Revisited a must have for all Eden's Curse and melodic metal fans.

Check out a video trailer below, and order yours today from AFM Records.

“Fly Away”:

“Fallen King”:

Arch Enemy have revealed the second single, "The Eagle Flies Alone", taken from their forthcoming album, Will To Power, due out on September 8th via Century Media. You can pre-order physical and digital formats here.

Band leader Michael Amott comments: "Strangely enough, this is a song I wrote in sunny Mexico last year, but fear not - Arch Enemy hasn't gone Mariachi on you! On the contrary, this song is steeped in classic metal and melancholic Scandinavian atmosphere. Lyrically, this is an anthemic warcry to all fellow individualists around the heavy metal world. We shot the video with our director Patric Ullaeus in Sweden on the coldest outdoor shoot I can recall ever doing! The end result was totally worth it, it turned out beautifully. I guess sometimes you really have to suffer for the art!"

Will To Power promises to be the ultimate statement of heavy metal supremacy and will mark the first album the band have recorded with their current line-up - Alissa White-Gluz (vocals), Michael Amott (guitars), Jeff Loomis (guitars), Sharlee D’Angelo (bass), and Daniel Erlandsson (drums). The album was co-produced by Amott and Erlandsson, while being mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren.

Will To Power's captivating cover artwork was designed by Alex Reisfar.

Michael Amott commented on the artwork: "It was a pleasure working with Alex Reisfar on the Will To Power cover artwork, he immediately grasped the concept and atmosphere we were looking for with this album. We talked about the double edged sword that is human ambition, how it can be outstandingly creative and beautiful but can also be turned into something dark and powerful. Alex proceeded to masterfully paint a strong image that evokes a lot of feelings. The human skull as a central focal point, the flesh sort of falling off into the circular pattern. The snake ouroboros weaving in and out of the mouths and throats of the severed heads of a wolf, a goat and a vampire bat... All representing self determination and a predatory, almost parasitic will to power.”

Tracklisting:

“Set Flame To The Night”
“The Race”
“Blood In The Water”
“The World Is Yours”
“The Eagle Flies Alone”
“Reason To Believe”
“Murder Scene”
“First Day In Hell”
“Saturnine”
“Dreams Of Retribution”
“My Shadow And I”
“A Fight I Must Win”

Råpunk EP:

“Warsystem” (Skitslickers cover)
“Armed Revolution” (Skitslickers cover)
“Spräckta Snutskallar” (Skitslickers cover)
“The Leader (Of The Fuckin’ Assholes)” (Skitslickers cover)
“Nitad” (Moderat Likvidation cover)
“When The Innocent Die” (Anti-Cimex cover)
“City Baby Attacked By Rats” (Charged G.B.H. cover)

“The World Is Yours” video:

“The Leader (Of The Fuckin’ Assholes)” (Skitslickers cover):

Arch Enemy are adding more dates to their headlining international Will To Power Tour this fall in support of their new release, Will To Power. The first leg of the tour will trek across Eastern Europe from September 15th until October 11th with support act Jinjer. The band are excited to announce the final dates of the second round for the Will to Power Tour, which will take place from January 12th until February 14th 2018 across Western Europe, UK and Scandinavia and feature support from Wintersun, Tribulation and Jinjer.

Check out Alissa’s video greeting:

Will To Power Tour 2017 with Jinjer

September
15 - Innsbruck, Austria - Music Hall
16 - Linz, Austria - Posthof
17 - Ljubljana, Slovenia - Cvetlicarna
18 - Belgrade, Serbia - Dom Omladine
20 - Bucharest, Romania - Quantic Club Open Air Stage
21 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Universiada Hall
22 - Athens, Greece - Piraeus 117 Academy
23 - Thessaloniki, Greece - Principal Club Theater
25 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Majestic Music Club
26 - Warsaw, Poland - Progresja
27 - Vilnius, Lithuania - Loftas
29 - Riga, Latvia - Melna Piektdiena
30 - Tallinn, Estonia - Rock Cafe

October
1 - Helsinki, Finland - The Circus
3 - Minsk, Belarus - Re:Public
4 - St. Petersburg, Russia - Aurora *
6 - Novosibirsk, Russia - Otdyh *
8 - Yekaterinburg, Russia - Tele Club *
10 - Moscow, Russia - Yotaspace *
11 - Samara, Russia - Zvezda *

* without Jinjer

Will To Power Tour 2018 with Wintersun, Tribulation, Jinjer

January
12 - Munich, Germany - Tonhalle
13 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn
14 - Prague, Czech Republic - Forum Karlin
15 - Zurich, Switzerland - Komplex
17 - Milano, Italy - Alcatraz
18 - Lyon, France - Transbordeur
19 - Barcelona, Spain - Razzmatazz
20 - Madrid, Spain - La Riviera
22 - Toulouse, France - Le Bikini
23 - Paris, France - Bataclan
24 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix
26 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle
27 - Geiselwind, Germany - Music Hall
28 - Tilburg, Netherlands - O13
29 - Hamburg, Germany - Große Freiheit
31 - Malmö, Sweden - KB

February
1 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller
2 - Stockholm, Sweden - Arenan
3 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Trädgarn
5 - Berlin, Germany - Huxleys
6 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
7 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
9 - Glasgow, UK - O2 ABC*
10 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City*
11 - London, UK - Koko*
13 - Manchester, UK - O2 Ritz*
14 - Bristol, UK - O2 Academy*

* without Jinjer

Tickets for all shows are available here.

California death metal legion The Kennedy Veil will release their newest full-length, Imperium, on October 20th via Unique Leader Records. The eight-track offering was produced, mixed, and mastered by Zack Ohren (Animosity, Suffocation, All Shall Perish) at Castle Ultimate Productions, features guest appearances by Trevor Strnad of The Black Dahlia Murder, Sven de Caluwé of Aborted, and Dickie Allen of Infant Annihilator, and comes swathed in the cover art of Robert Cook.

Stream "Flesh Of The Sun", featuring The Black Dahlia Murder's Trevor Strnad, via the YouTube clip below:

The occult has been a construct within civilizations all over the world, varying in degree and modernity, but always present. Each individual culture derives its occultism from the dark myths that permeate within its subconscious hive mind. America as a culture - as an experiment - has been volatile since day one. Plagued by a history of genocide, slavery, and corruption, its burgeoning occult is in its fragile yet violent infancy. Imperium highlights themes of this encapsulation: That is, fear, myth, despair, and humanity's inclination toward utter corruption.

Taking influence from a purer, more ancient evil of European descent, The Kennedy Veil has incorporated symphonic, blackened themes that parallel the lyrical aesthetic. Moving one step away from the more technical side and two steps into a deeper, darker, more blackened aggression. 

Issues the band: "We are beyond excited to bring you our newest and greatest interpretation of darkness and intensity: Imperium. This album shows our maturation not only as musicians but as individuals seeking truth amongst a never before seen landscape of obfuscation and evil. These eight songs came from our hands to warn of the oncoming desolation our culture is awaiting. We give you Imperium. A new chapter in The Kennedy Veil tome. Nowhere is safe."

Imperium tracklisting:

"Godslaughter"
"Legacy Left"
"Hunted To Extinction"
"Draconian"
"Last Born"
"Flesh Of The Sun"
"Dawning Of Wrathful Deities"
"Seething Rot"

"The world of metal has become flooded with your quintessential 'tech' bands," says drummer Gabe Seeber. "It seems to me that many metal bands of today put so much focus on cramming as many notes as possible into songs, and playing the most difficult riffs with less focus on song structures as a whole. Without taking anything away from the obvious creativity and talent of today's generation of death metallers, we in The Kennedy Veil are aiming to harken back to a more primal and aggressive form of the genre." 

The opening lyric of the forthcoming Unique Leader release, Imperium, simply states, "reclaim death." "To us, it is a statement," Seeber continues, "a statement of remaining true to what the genre was built from, while still bringing our own ideas of modern death into the fold. We really focused more on structure with this release, and I think those who have heard our previous works, will notice that immediately."

The Kennedy Veil has recruited bassist Tyler Hawkins and Monte Bernard as the new frontman moving forward, and are taking influence from a purer, more ancient evil of European descent. "Lyrically, I drew from the current culture of our nation's short but bloody history," Barnard notes. "In such a short time this political experiment has not only uncovered, but proudly enacted some of mankind's most hideous acts. This album draws from these events, highlighting a theme of universal evil hiding under the surface of all races, cultures, and peoples."

Imperium will be somewhat of a departure from the band's previous effort, Trinity Of Falsehood, taking one step away from the "technical" side and two steps into deeper, darker, more blackened aggression. Guitarist Casey Childers said of their new direction, "I feel like this album is taking us back to riffs and memorable song structures. We really focused on stepping our writing game up and worried less about over the top technicality and speed. The new album shows a lot more depth and experimentation than our previous work."

Spanish heavy metal band, Vhäldemar, have revealed the artwork (created by Warbanner) and tracklisting for their upcoming fifth album, Against All Kings, scheduled for release on November 7th on CD and 12" LP format via Fighter Records.

The album was recorded at Chromacity Studios during the first half of this year. Details below.

Tracklisting:

“Metalizer”
“Old King's Visions (Part V)”
“Against All Kings”
“Eye For An Eye”
“I Will Stand Forever”
“Vulcano”
“Howling At The Moon”
“The Last To Die”
“Walking In The Rain”
“Rebel Mind”
“Titans In D Minor”

“Old King's Visions (Part V)” video:

German metallers, Die Apokalyptischen Reiter, will release their new album, Der Rote Reiter, tomorrow (August 25th) via Nuclear Blast Records. A music video for the album track “Die Freiheit Ist Eine Pflicht” is available for streaming below.

Der Rote Reiter was produced by the band and co-producers Alexander Dietz (Heaven Shall Burn) and Eike Freese (Deep Purple, Kai Hansen) at Chameleon Recording & Chemical Burn Studios.

Tracklisting:

“Wir Sind Zurück”
“Der Rote Reiter”
“Auf Und Nieder”
“Folgt Uns”
“Hört Mich An”
“The Great Experience Of Ecstasy”
“Franz Weiss”
“Die Freiheit Ist Eine Pflicht”
“Herz In Flammen”
“Brüder Auf Leben Und Tod”
“Ich Bin Weg”
“Ich Nehm Dir Deine Welt”
“Ich Werd Bleiben”

“Die Freiheit Ist Eine Pflicht” video:

“Auf Und Nieder video:

Album teaser:

“Der Rote Reiter” video:

Trailer:

Arizona death metal unit, Gatecreeper, have shared a new video for “Stronghold”, off the 2016 full-length Sonoran Depravation. The video features footage from the Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, better known as “Jonestown”, on November 18th, 1978.

Additionally, Gatecreeper begin their European headline tour in two weeks. The tour commences on September 8th in Finland and runs until September 22nd in Netherlands. Support provided by Ratlord on select dates. The band also is set to perform at HOCO Fest 2017 on August 31st and provide direct support for Cannibal Corpse and Power Trip in the US throughout November and December.

Gatecreeper tour dates:

August
31 - Tucson, AZ - HOCO Fest 2017

September (with Ratlord)
8 - Helsinki, Finland - Waiski *
9 - St. Petersburg, Russia - Les *
10 - Moscow, Russia - Shagi *
13 - Budapest, Hungary - Robot
15 - Siegen, Germany - Vortex
16 - Kassel, Germany - K19
17 - Bristol, UK - The Exchange
18 - London, UK - Black Heart
19 - Glasgow, UK - Audio
20 - Leeds, UK - Temple of Boom
22 - Schoonebeek, Netherlands - JC Goeroe

* Gatecreeper Only

November (with Cannibal Corpse, Power Trip)
3 - Jacksonville, FL - Mavericks at the Landing
4 - Pensacola, FL - Vinyl Music Hall
5 - Birmingham, AL - Saturn
6 - Memphis, TN - New Daisy Theatre
8 - Dallas, TX - Trees
9 - Houston, TX - White Oak Music Hal
10 - McDade, TX - Sound on Sound Fest
12 - Mesa, AZ - Club Red
13 - Santa Ana, CA - The Observatory
14 - San Francisco, CA - Slim’s
15 - San Francisco, CA - Slim’s
17 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
18 - Portland OR - Hawthorne Theater
19 - Boise, ID - Knitting Factory
20 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Complex
22 - Denver, CO - The Summit Music Hall
24 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
25 - Detroit, MI - St. Andrew’s Hall
26 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Ballroom
28 - Boston, MA - Royale
29 - New York, NY - Stage 48
30 - Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts

December (with Cannibal Corpse, Power Trip)
1 - Richmond, VA - The Broadberry
2 - Wilmington, NC - The Muse
3 - Greensboro, NC - Arizona Pete’s
5 - Louisville, KY - Diamond Pub Concert Hall
6 - Nashville, TN - Exit/In
7 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade (Heaven)
8 - Tampa, FL - The Orpheum

December
10 - Oklahoma City, OK - 89th Street Collective
11 - Albuquerque, NM - Sister

(Photo - Haley Rippy)

It takes an incredible amount of instrumental skill and songwriting talent to be able to truly leave a mark within the realm of symphonic metal. And Toronto’s Operus will undoubtedly be garnering a lot of attention once their debut album is released on October 13th. The sound of the band is a cross breed of a metal band and a travelling theatre troupe that come together to produce a unique sound and thrilling live show.

The album can be pre-ordered at this location.

"Cenotaph is a commemoration of writers and poets who never gained the recognition and or lived to see the impact of their work," explains the band. "The concept and inspiration for the title of the album is taken from a statue in Budapest located opposite of Vajdahunyad Castle, Anonymous, the unknown chronicler at the court of King Béla III. The lyrical concepts are not that of any one specific idea but rather a mosaic of different stories and legends which are meant to paint images in the minds of the listener, much like the tales laid by the quills of writers long ago."

​Formed by six professional musicians - David Michael Moote (Vocals), Rob Holden (Guitar), Oscar Rangel (Guitar/Backing vocals), Robin Howe (Cello/backing vocals), Wojciech Sokolowski (Bass/Backing vocals) and J.J. Tartaglia (Drums) - Operus' depth comes from the vast musical experience each member brings with them. From extensive studio time, to worldwide performances in metal bands, symphonic/chamber orchestras and the stages of musical theatre.

​The combined musical knowledge in Operus comes from decades of intense dedication to music with University and Masters Degrees, Royal Conservatory of Music certifications and the first hand knowledge from performing in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. Samples of the band’s all-encompassing sound can be sampled via the YouTube videos below.

​Other experiences from the band members include well known bands such as Trans-Siberian Orchestra (Robin Howe), Annihilator (Oscar Rangel), Skull Fist (J.J. Tartaglia), Eclipse Eternal (Wojtek Sokolowski) and leading roles in professional productions such as Jesus Christ Superstar (David Michael Moote).

"Musically, the concept of Cenotaph has a very cinematic sound to it that emphasises the classical elements of the band, such as the cello and the classical guitar. Vocally, Cenotaph moves between intimate textures such as the ones heard in ‘Wretched Play’ and big ensemble arrangements form choirs to accents with screams such as the ones in the title track. The album is packed with counterpoint sections in each song, rather than using the most common approach to music as is harmony."

​Operus has come for all metal heads and music lovers around the globe.

Cenotaph tracklisting:

“Silver Spell”
“Steel Against Steel”
“Colosseum”
“Sands Of Time”
“Fate's Pantomime”
“Wretched Play”
“Cenotaph”
“Maya & The Wolf”
“La Catedral”
“The Return”

Operus is:

David Michael Moote (Vocals)
Rob Holden (Guitar)
Oscar Rangel (Guitar/Backing vocals)
Robin Howe (Cello/backing vocals)
Wojciech Sokolowski (Bass/Backing vocals)
JJ Tartaglia (Drums)

Los Angeles melodic metallers, Ninth Circle, return to the studio in the last week of August to record to follow-up to Pure Steel Record’s Legions Of The Brave, which was the band’s third album.

“We’re excited to finally be entering the studio this month”, expresses bassists Frank Forray. “It’s been a long and sometimes bumpy road to get here. Thankfully we are here with the band intact and that’s important to making this current record.”

Frank gives his insights to what it took to get the band in the studio this time around, “It was about year ago that we started preparing and rehearsing so we could begin recording. The goal was to enter the studio in February of this year with then drummer Jim Standerfer. Schedule-wise, we were running a bit behind and then he informed us that he was no longer going to be in Ninth Circle. So then, as it so frequently happens, Dennis [Brown] and I have a quick conversation to pick a direction. That direction was to reach out to Dave [Davis] and see if he was interested in coming back to the band.”

After contacting Dave, Frank explains how things progressed from there, “Dave had been on the sidelines for just about year and we had seen him at some shows, which is always good, and he was excited about the opportunity to rejoin as were Dennis and I!”

“The next batch of songs are really powerful; shorter, to the point and melodic! We had put a couple of them into our last few shows to road test them and the crowds have been very responsive to the new songs.”

Dennis adds, "It has been great working with Dave again. We outlined a plan when he returned and it has kept us focused. We're all locked in and you can hear it in the songs.”

“We are also really excited to be heading back into the studio with producer Jeff Prentice (Predator, Outland, The Seeds) at the helm once again and Rich Wentzel helping us out with drum production. They’re a great team and really capture the core of Ninth Circle!”

Frank continues, “Stay tuned for updates from the studio as I am sure Dennis will be leading the charge of keeping everyone informed with video updates.”

(Photo - Jack Lue)

Portland, OR extreme metal band Worws will release its new album, Truth To Power, on September 22nd. The follow-up to the band's 2016 debut, Laylines, the impending LP delivers pulverizing crossover that combines grindcore, powerviolence and d-beat with a fever-pitch intensity. The new song, "Belfast”, is available for streaming below.

“‘Belfast’ is a war cry against the hanging clouds of crooked politicians and societal woes of a failing system, throwing a wrench into the American political climate," says Worws vocalist Tony Meuser. "Trying to break down the way we're taught to think and taking it further by calling out the dysfunction we all stand behind in the name of Capitalism."

Worws' raw sincerity, take no prisoners live show and D.I.Y. work ethic has earned the band a vast loyal following and shows alongside scene stalwarts such as OFF!, Trap Them and Today Is The Day. Formed in 2015, the band established a sharp-edged sound and focused modus operandi, attacking societal wrongs and ignorance. With Death, The Wipers and Slayer reigning over their record collections alongside contemporaries such as Ceremony and Defeater, Worws has waded their way through the oppression of the working class and are here to fight.

Pre-order Truth To Power at this location

Tracklisting:

“Belfast”
“Lot Lizards”
“Standing In Place”
“Love To Hate”
“Truth To Power”
“Sheltering Hands”
“Lights Out”
“Consumer Bachelor”

“Belfast”:

Legendary Detroit hard rockers, Madam X, have signed a deal with EMP Label Group, who will release their long-awaited sophomore release, Monstrocity, on October 31st, (October 27th in Europe) on CD and digital, with a limited edition vinyl release planned for November.

Produced by Madam X at Metro 37 Studios in Rochester Hills, MI, and mixed by Michael Wagener (Megadeth, Metallica, Ozzy Osbourne), with additional mixing by Mark Slaughter, Monstrocity is a hard-hitting classic metal/rock record sure to serve as a proper return to form for Madam X, and a kick in the ass for fans old and new.

Formed in 1981 by sisters Roxy and Maxine Petrucci, Madam X recruited bassist Chris “Godzilla” Doliber and vocalist Bret Kaiser, who released their classic, Rick Derringer produced, Jet Records debut, We Reserve The Right, in 1984, spawning the hit single “High In High School”. Four years later, after Roxy departed to join future arena rock superstars Vixen, and original vocalist Kaiser was briefly replaced by an unknown Canadian vocalist named Sebastian Bach, Madam X disbanded, and would remain mostly inactive until 2014, when the original lineup reunited at the Sweden Rock Festival.

Fast forward to 2017, when the Petrucci sisters collaborated with vocalist Mark Slaughter on a Lemmy Kilmister tribute track for their VIP Aftershow project, Slaughter who introduced Roxy to EMP Label Group head of A&R Thom Hazaert, who released a 12” “Kilmister” single for Aftershow, and the conversation soon shifted to the upcoming Madam X release.

Says Hazaert, “When I connected with Roxy and we were working on The Aftershow stuff, and she told me they were working on a new Madam X record, I was extremely excited at the prospect of releasing it. After a brief courtship, we made the decision to put it out together, and I can honestly say I’m still excited. Madam X is such a kickass Rock band, I was always a huge fan of their first record, and to be able to release its follow up over 30 years later is just insane.”

Adds drummer Roxy Petrucci, "Hell may not be pretty but good things will find their way out.!! It takes a huge pair of metal balls to sign a band like Madam X, David Ellefson and Thom Hazaert at EMP put their love of metal first, and crushed it by signing Madam X! Raw and flawed, Monstrocity will be unleashed onto the world in fall 2017! Long live rock n roll but immortalized in metal!"

The album features 12 hard-hitting slabs of rock, including the pummelling title track “Monstrocity”, “Resurrection”, “Nitrous”, and an updated version of their 1984 hit, “High In High School”.

More details to follow.

Dave Mustaine has once again responded to people making assumptions about his character based on hearsay.

The MEGADETH frontman has gained a reputation as one of the most divisive personalities in metal — particularly in the years following his expulsion from METALLICA in 1983.

But the 55-year-old musician has a much simpler explanation for the perception that he is hard to work with.

"I look at it like this — the ultimate form of revenge is to speak the truth and I try to be really honest in what I do, how I play, and who I work with," he tells Ultimate Guitar in a new interview.

"I don't lead people on. If I don't like you, you're going to know it.

"I think that's one of the things that the music business really needs — someone who will shoot straight.

"We don't all need a participation trophy. There's a first place and everyone else is last place. You know what I mean?

"When I was a kid, if I would have signed up for little league just to get a trophy like everyone else does, I wouldn't have done it.

"I think a lot of it comes from what is the award for achievement for things that we do."

Mustaine went on to discuss the interpersonal dynamics and organization culture within MEGADETH, which has gone through more than a dozen lineup changes in the past thirty-four years.

"Some people want fame, some people want fortune," he explained. "All bands have ever broken up over power, property, prestige or pussy — the dreaded four P's. You can't get away from it. It's just how it is.

"A band is together for a while and it’s just like that movie 'Spinal Tap'. People say that's a comedy and I love the comedic value of it, but the bummer is how true to life it is.

"There are so many things that happen in that movie that happen every day and it's not funny if it's happening to you but when it's happening to somebody else, it's hilarious. Like where they say, 'We're going to do 'Spinal Tap Mach 2',' or, 'We're going to have a make-over' or, 'There's somebody already in the organization' — all these things, we've experienced all those things [in MEGADETH].

"The label tried to change our logo, they tried to change our music, and then we had a band member's wife try to get into managing us. 'Spinal Tap' lives. Every day."

Mustaine previously defended his reputation in a 2016 interview, saying that it was a "bummer" when strangers approached him and said that they expected him to be an "a-hole."

Speaking to with "Elliot In The Morning", he said: "Let's not kid ourselves. Unfortunately, there's a terrible lie out there about me and my reputation, how difficult I am to work with, and… it's B.S.

"I don't care about it. I think it's kind of a bummer, though, sometimes when people, for the first time, come up to you. It's such a pregnant pause when people will meet you and go, 'God, you know, I heard you were such an a-hole,' and you just kind of look at them, like, 'Uh-huh.'

He continued: "This reminds me of when I was a kid and my first dance. I went up to a girl and I asked her to dance, and she said 'no,' and I walked away and I thought, 'Screw you! You don't know what you're missing.' And I figured I would commence to destroy her reputation in school.

"I'm kidding, of course, but that's kind of what we do when we get any kind of rejection; we make the other person out to be really horrible."

MEGADETH recently toured North America with MESHUGGAH and will play arenas later in the year as the support act for German hard rock veterans SCORPIONS.

Lars Ulrich was featured in a recent installment of The Wall Street Journal's "My Tech Essentials" in which the METALLICA drummer talked about his devotion to Apple products and the blistering speed of evolution when it comes to tennis-racket technology, among other topics.

He said: "My favorite app is Flight Radar 24, which is sort of live air traffic. You can see anywhere in the world how many airplanes are airborne, where they're flying to, where they're from, where they're going, what altitude they're at. I drink tea, get cracked out on caffeine and sit and watch. If you look over central Florida, there's a UA 234 from San Francisco to Orlando and it's got 12 minutes left. It's at 8,800 feet going 331 miles an hour. It's a Boeing737. The tail number is N12218. It may have something to do with my compulsive, crazy energy."

Ulrich also doubled down on his claim that one of the biggest misconceptions people have about METALLICA is that the band doesn't care about technology. He told The Wall Street Journal: "I travel with several iPod Classics. I'm a big believer in both Apple Music and Spotify and use both, but my iPod Classics have my whole music library on them, and ten percent of the time, I listen to stuff that's not available on the streaming services. I took one out yesterday because my wife and I were listening to some old BUDGIE songs and she wanted to hear 'Crash Course in Brain Surgery', from the album 'In For The Kill!' and that was not on Apple Music."

He continued: "I'm an Apple addict. I'd say that my family owns north of thirty Apple products. One product that's not Apple: the Panasonic KX-T7633-B, a landline telephone. I like a landline phone at home. It probably has to do with the fact that I live on a hill and have shitty cell service."

The first European leg of METALLICA's "WorldWired" tour kicks off on September 2 in Copenhagen, Denmark and stretches through November. After a break, the trek will pick up again on February 1, 2018 in Lisbon, Portugal, and continue through May, finishing up in Helsinki, Finland.

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame band is touring in support of its tenth studio album, "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", which came out last November.

In a brand new interview with Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King spoke about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2015's "Repentless" album. He said (hear audio below): "We do have six to eight [new] songs [partially recorded], for sure. A couple of 'em are lyrically done, a couple of 'em got leads. They were all recorded at the 'Repentless' sessions, so unless the lyrics change the arrangement, they don't need to be recorded again. So all I really gotta do is write five… I don't know… maybe four or five more songs and get a whole bunch of lyrics together. Half the work's done for the next record, so, in my book, that's exciting. To where 'Repentless' was an incredibly daunting effort, this one should be a lot more laid back."

Asked if SLAYER has any plans or timeline on when they would like to release the next studio album, King said: "It depends on touring — getting time to rehearse, getting time to make up new stuff. We haven't even done Australia on this run yet at all. We're hitting Japan finally later this year. But if things go well, I'd like to record next year. But timelines change all the time."

King also talked about what his life would be like without SLAYER. He said: "I'd probably have some shitty job that I hate, thinking about killing myself every day because I hate my life. Fortunately, I don't have to do that. My life's rad; I've got the best job in the world, and luckily, I never had to think about what I would do without this. Hopefully I never have to, because I like doing this, I like what we're playing, we've got a great relationship with the fanbase, and it's fun. I love doing this."

Asked if he still enjoys touring nearly four decades into SLAYER's career, King said: "Once we get in the States and we've got a bus and we pretty much drive everywhere, I like it a hell of a lot better than having to fly. It sounds, like, 'Oh, flying's not good enough for you. First class — oh, you want better than that.' It's, like, no, I don't wanna sit around in fucking airports. You've gotta check in your bags, you've gotta wait for the plane, you've gotta fly, hopefully you're on time. And then you've gotta wait for your bags again. I'd just rather drive overnight and sleep to the next city. So it's a lot easier for us in the States. I mean, in South America, we fly everywhere and that's just how it is. You don't take buses anywhere in South America, 'cause you play so far away. And European summer festival-slash-headline runs, sometimes they book you in such a manner that they don't even think about how you're gonna get to the next show. We've had to charter planes just to make the next show. And, again, I don't mean to belittle charter planes — charter planes are badass and it was an awesome experience — but when am I supposed to sleep? [Laughs]"

SLAYER's August 5 concert at the Forum in Inglewood, California was reportedly filmed for a forthcoming DVD.

"Repentless" was released in September 2015 via Nuclear Blast. The disc debuted at No. 4 on The Billboard 200 with first-week sales of 50,000 equivalent album units.

Swedish death metallers AMON AMARTH are preparing to begin writing material for their eleventh studio album. The follow-up to 2016's "Jomsviking" will mark the band's first release with drummer Jocke Wallgren, who officially joined the group last September. Prior to that, Jocke had been sitting behind the kit for all shows on the band's "Jomsviking" world tour.

Speaking to Antihero Magazine's Matt Mills at this year's Bloodstock Open Air festival, AMON AMARTH guitarist Johan Söderberg stated about the band's plans for the coming months (hear audio below): "After this summer, we're done touring with this album. That's when we're gonna start to write stuff for the next one."

Asked if AMON AMARTH is the kind of band that works on new music while on tour, Söderberg said: "We actually never wrote anything on the road before. But on this summer run we have now, we actually just bought a little computer and sound interface that we actually can write on tour if we feel like it. But we haven't really started [yet]."

"Jomsviking" debuted at No. 19 on The Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 21,000 equivalent album units. Released on March 25, 2016 via Metal Blade in North America and Sony Music internationally, the first concept record in AMON AMARTH's storied career tells a tragic tale of love and revenge, backed by the Swedes' trademark melodic, anthemic metal, which was produced and mixed once again by Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, ACCEPT). The epic original story is set in the world of the Jomsvikings, the legendary order of mercenary Vikings.

Outspoken conservative rocker Ted Nugent claims that Facebook is "lying" about the number of his followers on the popular social media platform, insisting that he has more than seven times the fans than the officially reported figure.

Nugent currently has three million and three hundred thousand Facebook followers — a respectable statistic compared to the number of Facebook fans attracted by most other rock artists.

But the musician, who has been described by some as a right-wing lunatic with a soft spot for conspiracy theories and a knack for off-color humor, believes that Facebook is intentionally underreporting the number of users of the social media juggernaut who regularly flock to his Facebook page.

Speaking to Doug Podell of Detroit's radio station 94.7 WCSX, Nugent said (hear audio below): "Right now, Facebook claims that I have three and a half million Facebookers. I've got people deep, deep into government Internet security that admit that Facebook is lying. I have over twenty-five million Facebookers."

Ted illustrated his claim using a specific example. "Last week I posted a meme that just identified something real simple, that there's gonna be a civil war… It was a joke — that somebody is talking about a civil war and one side has eight trillion rounds of ammo and the other side can't choose the proper bathroom," he said. "It's a joke, you goofball! I mean, didn't anybody ever watch Richard Pryor's movies? I mean, c'mon! So people went crazy with that. But I had almost twenty million hits. Now you don't get twenty million hits if you've only got three and a half million followers. Do you hear me? [Laughs] So I've got tens of millions and I thank them all."

Nugent credited his social media etiquette for his high number of Facebook followers, explaining: "I'm not an electronic, technology guy, but every night we have these danger-zone get-togethers backstage, [and] every night people are saying that there's no better Facebook on the planet that is more fun, more involved and where the host of the Facebook comes on and communicates openly and absolutely unguarded than the Ted Nugent Facebook. So I'm real proud of that, because my happiness comes from communicating with people and optimizing the good while we do our best to get rid of the bad and the ugly. And that identifies my Facebook."

Ted went on to call himelf "a communicating maniac. I really believe that open communication is the ultimate system by which people can understand each other, share ideas and experiences," he said.

Nugent made headlines in April when he got to spend some time in the Oval Office with President Donald Trump. Nugent and fellow Detroit-bred musician Kid Rock were joined in the White House by Sarah Palin, the former Alaskan governor and GOP vice presidential nominee, who posted photos of the visit on social media the following morning.

Interview (audio):