A teaser for "The End", the new video from Swedish metallers IN FLAMES, is available below. The full clip will make its online debut on Monday, September 19.

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

IN FLAMES guitarist Björn Gelotte described "The End" as "a fairly straightforward IN FLAMES song. Having said that, it's a really positive vibe [to] the song. It's not a slash-your-wrists kind of vibe; it makes you realize to just make sure you appreciate that moment."

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

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

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

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

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

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

IN FLAMES will release its new concert DVD, "Sounds From The Heart Of Gothenburg", on September 23 via Nuclear Blast. The set was recorded on November 7, 2014 at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden. IN FLAMES last year inked a new management deal with Tenth Street Entertainment, which also looks after MÖTLEY CRÜE and FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, among others.

IN FLAMES drummer Daniel Svensson announced last fall that he was leaving the band to focus on his family life. He said in a statement: "It's hard to leave what have become my second family, but now it's time for me to take care and spend more time with the most important people in my life — my wife and my three daughters."

IN FLAMES has not yet named a replacement for Svensson.

The official video for "Square Hammer", a brand new song from Swedish occult rockers GHOST, can be seen below. The track appears on the band's new EP, "Popestar", which is being released today (Friday, September 16). The effort, which consists primarily of covers, was helmed by English producer Tom Dalgety, who has previously worked with ROYAL BLOOD and KILLING JOKE, among others.

GHOST will perform "Square Hammer" on its upcoming North American tour. One of the Nameless Ghouls told SiriusXM: "We're very proud of it. We're obviously thrilled to be able to play something new. This is a short, to-the-point little gem right at the jugular."

"Popestar" track listing:

01. Square Hammer02. Nocturnal Me03. I Believe04. Missionary Man05. Bible

The EP cover artwork can be seen below.

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 won the Grammy for "Best Metal Performance" during the pre-telecast ceremony at the 58th annual Grammy Awards. GHOST was nominated for the song "Cirice" from "Meliora".

"Cirice" recently reached the Top 10 at rock radio, the first song from the band to get significant airplay in the U.S.

Swedish melodic metal band Narnia have released their new self-titled studio album worldwide and to coincide with its release the band have launched a new video/single for the track “Still Believe”.

On the new album, Narnia revisits their melodic roots but with an updated sound, creating a perfect blend; a powerful production by CJ Grimmark, mixed and mastered by Thomas “Plec” Johansson.

Tracklisting:

“Reaching For The Top”
“Still Believe”
“Highest Mountain”
“Set The World On Fire”
“Thank You”
“Who Do You Follow”
“Moving On”
“Messengers”
“One Way To The Promised Land”

“Messengers” video:

“Reaching For The Top” video:

During the years Narnia has been established as one of the leading forces in melodic, neoclassical metal, with a strong reputation of being a great live act that always delivers. And so it continues.. The fans are asking for more and the band is hungrier than ever.

Narnia tour dates:

September
23 - Scenen Sofiehof Underjord - Jönköping, Sweden
24 - Nalen Klubb (Alcazar) - Stockholm, Sweden
25 - iNTiMAN - Västerås, Sweden

November
5 - Blast Of Eternity - Neckarsulm, Germany
11 - Brainstorm Festival - Apeldoorn, Netherlands

Narnia lineup:

Christian Liljegren – Vocals
CJ Grimmark – Guitars, keyboards & backing vocals
Andreas “Habo” Johansson – Drums
Martin Härenstam – Keyboards
Andreas Passmark – Bass

The Gentle Storm vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen has posted the following update:

"My upcoming Dutch theatre tour features a 1980s theme. All of the songs were released during that decade. I will also talk about my '80s childhood and my first music idol: Madonna! She had the guts to go for what she wanted and I was a little girl with big dreams. This is my version of Prince's 'Little Red Corvette'." 

Tour dates are as follows:

September
30 - De Lievekamp - Oss (t)

October
1 - Schiller Theater - Utrecht (t) 
2 - Beauforthuis - Austerlitz (t) (m) 
6 - Podium Boxtel - Boxtel (t) 
8 - Verkadefabriek - Den Bosch (p) 
9 - Kantine Walhalla - Rotterdam (m) 
13 - Griffioen - Amstelveen 
14 - Deventer Schouwburg - Deventer 
15 - Flint - Amersfoort 
19 - Parkstad Limburg - Heerlen 
20 - Theater de Schalm - Veldhoven 
21 - Isala Theater - Capelle a/d IJssel 
22 - Schouwburg De Lawei - Drachten 
29 - Theater Hof 88 - Almelo 
30 - Stadsgehoorzaal - Kampen (m)

November
3 - Schaffelaartheater - Barneveld 
4 - De Vereeniging - Nijmegen 
5 - Cultuurcentrum Tiliander - Oisterwijk 
9 - Theater Speelhuis - Helmond 
10 - Theater De Tamboer - Hoogeveen 
11 - Theater de Purmaryn - Purmerend 
17 - Theater De Nieuwe Kolk - Assen 
18 - Theater Cultura - Ede 
21 - De Kleine Komedie - Amsterdam 
23 - De Kring - Roosendaal 
24 - Het Klooster - Woerden 
25 - Stadsgehoorzaal - Leiden

(t) = try-out 
(m) = matinee 
(p) = première

On August 25th, Esa Holopainen from Amorphis joined Anneke Van Giersbergen on stage to perform The Gathering's "Saturnine" and an acoustic cover version of Queen's classic song "Who Wants To Live Forever" at Semifinal in Helsinki, Finland. Fan-filmed video is available below.

After reissuing the Mercyful Fate albums In The Shadows and Time last month, on October 7th Metal Blade Records will make the Mercyful Fate albums Into The Unknown, Dead Again and 9 available again.

Into The Unknown will be released on 180 g black vinyl as well as on dawn-red-sky colored vinyl (ltd. 300) and orange-red marbled vinyl (ltd. 200). 'Dead Again' will be released on 180 g black vinyl as well as on blue-black marled vinyl (ltd. 300) and brown marbled vinyl (ltd. 200). '9' will be released on 180 g black vinyl as well as on burnt-orange-brown vinyl (ltd. 300) and melting-point-yellow vinyl (ltd. 200).

The vinyls are part of the Metal Blade Originals series that started earlier this year with the re-issues of the Slayer titles Show No Mercy, Hell Awaits, Haunting The Chapel and Live Undead.

Into The Unknown and 9 will be released with 400g heavy cardboard spine sleeves (inside out print), 60x60cm two-sided artwork posters and 250g inserts.

Dead Again will be released on 2-LP with 350g heavy cardboard gatefold sleeve (inside out print) and 60x60cm two-sided artwork posters.

Check out another new song ("Walk My Path") from the comeback album of Hobbs Angel Of Death, Heaven Bled, due out via Hells Headbangers on October 14th.

Heaven Bled by HOBBS’ ANGEL OF DEATH

Helmed by one relentless maniac named Peter Hobbs, Hobbs Angel of Death are one of the more unsung cult favorites of '80s metal. Hailing from Australia many years before it was cool to do so, the band released two classic demos in 1987, Angel Of Death and the telltale Virgin Metal Invasion From Down Under, before time came for the inevitable debut album. That album, 1988's Hobbs Angel Of Death, was released by Steamhammer during the label's glory years, and quickly found a devoted legion of fans enthralled to Hobbs' Kreator-meets-Dark Angel style of deathrash. With a unique charisma that was devilishly gleeful in a sense, Hobbs Angel Of Death sired the band's self-tagged "virgin metal," which worked in both connotations of the word. It would be many years before a follow-up, 1995's Inheritance, and the band broke up not long after.

Come 2002, however, Hobbs Angel Of Death would reform and play a number of European festivals and scattered tour dates over the next decade, but aside from the Hobbs Satan Crusade compilation of the two demos, no new material had yet arisen. But now, courtesy of longtime fans Hells Headbangers, the first all-new recording of Hobbs Angel Of Death in over two decades has finally come to pass. Titled Heaven Bled, this 12-song firestorm of thrashing death metal ("deathened" thrash?) proves that time has not dulled Peter Hobbs' passion one bit nor do the band once rest on their laurels. Much like Atomic Aggressor's Sights Of Suffering - which Hells Headbangers released in 2014 - Heaven Bled is undoubtedly infused with Hobbs' classic past, but is recast in a powerfully streamlined manner where the songwriting and execution take center stage and rawness and youthful enthusiasm are no longer the guiding principles. There's demonic fury in abundance, but it's tempered with the quiet confidence of age and wisdom, through which Hobbs loudly casts his incisive gaze on a whole host of subjects, each one more vitriolic (and catchier) than the next. Altogether, Heaven Bled is a timeless blend of extreme metals throughout the ages, sounding as fresh as Hobbs Angel Of Death's explosion onto the international scene in 1987. Hear for yourself with "Son Of God," the first track to be revealed from Heaven Bled, below.

A statement from Peter Hobbs reads: "With Hobbs' new album, I've tried to cater for a wider majority of metal lovers, giving a variety across the board with old-school feel and arrangements, but with a mature Hobbs Angel Of Death outlook. I'm sure many will find it an enjoyable album to listen to, showing my writing skills on the new album and giving back to the industry some of the great influences that have won me over the past lot of years. I've been fortunate enough to have met some of the greats I have the utmost admiration for, and it's an honor for me to hear it in return. I've met people through my travels, and especially one that I felt so overwhelming to hear that my now-cult album of 28 years ago actually saved someone from committing suicide, and they thanked me for my music, that it pulled him through that rough time! I know that I can't please everyone, but I have given this new album my heart and soul to accomplish another cult album in years to come!"

Tracklisting:

“II Mostro Di Firenze”
“Walk My Path”
“Final Feast”
“Suicide”
“Drawn & Quartered”
“Heaven Bled”
“Sadistic Domination”
“Son Of God”
“Depopulation”
“T.F.M.F”
“Hypocrites”
“Abomination”

“Son Of God”:

Heaven Bled by HOBBS' ANGEL OF DEATH

Preorders are being taken on Bandcamp.

 

Swiss hard rockers GOTTHARD are putting the finishing touches on their as-yet-untitled twelfth studio album at the Yellow House Studio in Lugano. The third disc with lead singer Nic Maeder was produced by Charlie Bauerfeind (HELLOWEEN, BLIND GUARDIAN) and Leo Leoni and will be released on January 13, 2017 on Musikvertrieb in Switzerland and internationally via PIAS.

"We were all very happy with the workflow and the result of the 'BANG!' production — so it was pretty clear that we wanted to give the great collaboration another shot!" GOTTHARD stated about working with Bauerfeind again.

Immediately after the new GOTTHARD album's release, the band will kick off the "25th Anniversary" European tour in Ravensburg with support from Danish hard rockers PRETTY MAIDS.

Says Leo: "25 years of GOTTHARD — that means 150 songs to choose from, not mentioning our new album — that's not going to be easy! However, we'll select only the best for a proper anniversary party!"

"25th Anniversary" tour dates:

Feb. 09 - DE - Ravensburg, OberschwabenclubFeb. 10 - DE - Regensburg, Airport ObertraublingFeb. 11 - DE - Ulm, Ratiopharm ArenaFeb. 13 - DE - Frankfurt, BatschkappFeb. 14 - DE - Hamburg, MarkthalleFeb. 15 - DE - Hannover, CapitolFeb. 17 - DE - Osnabrück, Hyde ParkFeb. 18 - DE - Oberhausen, TurbinenhalleFeb. 19 - DE - Freiburg, Zäpfle ClubFeb. 22 - IT - Milan, AlcatrazFeb. 24 - ES - Bilbao, Santana 27Feb. 25 - ES - Madrid, La RivieraFeb. 26 - ES - Barcelona, Razzmatazz 2Mar. 02 - DE - Munich, TonhalleMar. 06 - AT - Vienna, GasometerMar. 07 - DE - Nuremburg, LöwensaalMar. 08 - DE - Saarbrücken, GarageMar. 10 - DE - Balingen, Volksbankmesse

There won’t be a dry shirt left when the ultimate Swiss rock package GOTTHARD and KROKUS celebrate their joint stage debut at "Rock Monsters Of Switzerland", and that's before the festival season even started. With double headliners delivering a lot more than just double the speed, the Festhalle in Bern and the Samsung Hall in Zurich are lucky if more than the exterior walls will be left once the dust settles. These two "monster shows," as well as the night with KROKUS as very special guest in Lausanne, shouldn’t be missed by any means — it's going to be jam-packed, hot and damn loud!

Mar. 03 - Bern, FesthalleMar. 04 - Zurich, Samsung HallMar. 12 - Lausanne, Salle Metropole

GOTTHARD's 2012 album, "Firebirth", marked the band's first release with singer Nic Maeder, who was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, lived in Melbourne, Australia and grew up between Switzerland and "Down Under."

GOTTHARD's previous vocalist, Steve Lee, was killed on October 5, 2010 in what has been described as a freak road accident in Nevada.

British extreme metal pioneers BOLT THROWER have officially split up following the death of drummer Martin "Kiddie" Kearns a year ago.

The band's frontman, Karl Willetts, confirmed the split to Metal Hammer, saying: "Yes, I can confirm that BOLT THROWER are definitely over for good. There will be no reunion tours etc... no compromise."

BOLT THROWER issued a statement earlier in the week to pay tribute to Kearns, who died peacefully in his sleep last year after becoming ill at rehearsal. The statement indicated that BOLT THROWER wouldn't ever replace Kearns, but it didn't make it clear whether that meant BOLT THROWER would disband.

"When we carried his coffin to his final resting place, the BOLT THROWER drummer position was buried with him," the statement read. "He was, and will now forever remain 'the' BOLT THROWER drummer, our powerhouse and friend Martin 'Kiddie' Kearns."

BOLT THROWER released eight albums during its three-decade existence, the most recent being 2005's "Those Once Loyal".

Willets recently formed a new band called MEMORIAM alongside former BOLT THROWER bandmate Andy Whale and BENEDICTION members Frank Healy and Scott Fairfax.

Germany's Gun Barrel underwent a few line-up changes recently. Following the departure of vocalist Patrick Sühl last month, Thomale Nathan stepped into his shoes.

Now the dirty metal rock 'n' roll outfit has welcomed another new band member: Guitarist Heiwi Esser!

The band stated: "Heiwi 'Doc' Esser has joined our ranks on guitar! The composer and guitarist of Substyle, Shanai and Nathan/Esser will add yet another facet to Gun Barrel! His classic rock attitude matches us perfectly! Heiwi is an experienced musician and producer both in the studio and on stages worldwide, having supported bands like Slayer, Motörhead or In Extremo in the past."

Gun Barrel's line-up now consists of vocalist Thomale Nathan, guitarist Rolf Tanzius, guitarist Heiwi Esser, bassist Tomcat Kintgen and drummer Toni Pinciroli.
Gun Barrel's last album was 2014’s Damage Dancer

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS may have ended their worldwide search for a new singer, according to The Pulse Of Radio. There are rumors that the band has recruited Filipino musician John Borja to follow in the footsteps of the late Scott Weiland and LINKIN PARK's Chester Bennington as the third lead vocalist of the veteran rock act.

Although there has been no official confirmation that Borja has the job, he indicated on Facebook that he recently took a trip to the U.S. during the first week of September, while also posting a photo of himself with STP bassist Robert DeLeo and DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen, taken earlier this week in San Juan Capistrano, California. The latter two musicians currently play together in the blues project DELTA DEEP. What remains unclear is the nature of Borja's trip.

STP began its hunt for a new frontman with open auditions last February, continuing into the spring with a smaller series of private tryouts for a narrow group of finalists.

Guitarist Dean DeLeo told The Pulse Of Radio earlier this year that STP would not cut corners in its search. "You know, I promise you one thing: we're not gonna settle," he said. "This person has to be really, really great. You know, we had the fortune of being in a band with one of the greats — twice! You know, Chester included. So we're not gonna settle."

The band started its quest following the death last year of Weiland, who had been estranged from the group since 2013, and the end of a short-lived collaboration with Bennington that produced a five-song EP that same year.

Although the members of STP have not revealed the names of anyone who has auditioned for the band, Borja did reportedly try out, as did Toryn Green, who sang for the band FUEL from 2007 through 2010.

The official lyric video for the song "Sparta" from Swedish metallers SABATON can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's eighth studio album, "The Last Stand" which was released on August 19 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2014's "Heroes" was once again produced by Peter Tägtgren (PAIN, LINDEMANN, HYPOCRISY) and it "marks a brand new chapter in SABATON history," according to a press release.

The band comments on "Sparta": "The battle of Thermopylae is in many ways one of the most iconic last stands in history. King Leonidas and his 300 Spartans were certainly not as alone as portrayed in the famous movie '300', but in the end it was their sacrifice that would be remembered by the world to come. An amazing story of the Greek nation states which would rather die than lose their freedom."

SABATON bassist Pär Sundström previously stated about "The Last Stand": "We once again worked with Peter Tägtgren in his newly upgraded and top-class Abyss studio in Sweden to record, produce and mix the album. The mastering [was] done by Jonas Kjellgren who also works in the same building in nice Pärlby on the countryside of Sweden. Both 'Carolus Rex' and 'Heroes' were done in the same way and we [felt] very comfortable to return to the same place and people again. Fans will recognize the sound of the album as SABATON, but we really feel we took it a step forward this time."

The artwork for "The Last Stand" was created by Peter Sallaí, who has worked with SABATON since "Carolus Rex". Sundström explained: "We had the idea to make an image reflecting soldiers of different times representing the different historical battles we sing about on the new album. This only reveals a small part of the album topics though."

Stated SABATON vocalist Joakim Brodén: "The concept of a last stand has always fascinated me, and both me and Pär were 'all in excited' about the subject so it was an easy choice to make."

Added Sundström: "We have always several ideas for albums to work with. Since there are countless different views and angles of war, we will, unfortunately, never run out of ideas. We kinda felt that the last stand was something perfect for SABATON. Something we really wanted to do. 'Heroes' was a perfect theme and 'The Last Stand' is right down our alley too. It was exciting to do the research."

"The Last Stand" was made available in the following editions:

- CD+DVD-Digi (including a concert DVD)- CD- Box (including earbook, 2LP Pic, 12" photo card, 12" poster, three plectra)- 2LP (black, clear, gold, yellow/blue)- Special edition (SABATON tank + box)- Digital

"The Last Stand" track listing:

CD+DVD-Digi

CD

01. Sparta02. Last Dying Breath03. Blood Of Bannockburn04. Diary Of An Unknown Soldier05. The Lost Battalion06. Rorke's Drift07. The Last Stand08. Hill 323409. Shiroyama10. Winged Hussars11. The Last Battle

Bonus:

12. Camouflage13. All Guns Blazing

DVD - Live @ Stereolux, Nantes (France)

01. Intro (The March To War)02. Ghost Division03. Far From The Fame04. Uprising05. Midway06. Gott Mit Uns07. Resist And Bite08. Wolfpack09. Dominium Maris Baltici10. Carolus Rex11. Swedish Pagans12. Soldier Of 3 Armies13. Attero Dominatus14. The Art Of War15. Wind Of Change16. To Hell And Back17. Night Witches18. Primo Victoria19. Metal Crüe

CD

01. Sparta02. Last Dying Breath03. Blood Of Bannockburn04. Diary Of An Unknown Soldier05. The Lost Battalion06. Rorke's Drift07. The Last Stand08. Hill 323409. Shiroyama10. Winged Hussars11. The Last Battle

Earbook

CD:

01. Sparta02. Last Dying Breath03. Blood Of Bannockburn04. Diary Of An Unknown Soldier05. The Lost Battalion06. Rorke's Drift07. The Last Stand08. Hill 323409. Shiroyama10. Winged Hussars11. The Last Battle

Bonus:

12. Camouflage13. All Guns Blazing14. Afraid To Shoot Strangers

DVD - Live @ Stereolux, Nantes (France):

01. Intro (The March To War)02. Ghost Division03. Far From The Fame04. Uprising05. Midway06. Gott Mit Uns07. Resist And Bite08. Wolfpack09. Dominium Maris Baltici10. Carolus Rex11. Swedish Pagans12. Soldier Of 3 Armies13. Attero Dominatus14. The Art Of War15. Wind Of Change16. To Hell And Back17. Night Witches18. Primo Victoria19. Metal Crüe

Live CD - Live @ Stereolux, Nantes (France)

01. Intro (The March To War)02. Ghost Division03. Far From The Fame04. Uprising05. Midway06. Gott Mit Uns07. Resist And Bite08. Wolfpack09. Dominium Maris Baltici10. Carolus Rex11. Swedish Pagans12. Soldier Of 3 Armies13. Attero Dominatus14. The Art Of War15. Wind Of Change16. To Hell And Back17. Night Witches18. Primo Victoria19. Metal Crüe

2LP - 45 RPM

Side A:

01. Sparta02. Last Dying Breath03. Blood Of Bannockburn04. Diary Of An Unknown Soldier05. The Lost Battalion

Side B:

01. Rorke's Drift02. The Last Stand03. Hill 323404. Shiroyama

Side C:

01. Winged Hussars02. The Last Battle

Side D (Bonus):

01. Camouflage02. All Guns Blazing

British heavy metal legends SAXON will release "Let Me Feel Your Power", their tenth live album, on September 23 in Europe and October 7 in North America via UDR Music. The 16-track album was recorded in Munich, Germany during November 2015 and Brighton in January 2016, with bonus material from Chicago in September 2015.

A video trailer for "Let Me Feel Your Power" can be seen below.

"Let Me Feel Your Power" will be available in several formats, including DVD/2CDs, Blu-Ray/2CDs, digital download and a deluxe vinyl version which will also include the Blu-ray, DCD and CD (limited to 1500 copies).

"Let Me Feel Your Power" track listing:

01. Battering Ram*02. Motorcycle Man*03. Sacrifice*04. Destroyer*05. Power And The Glory*06. 20000FT*07. Devil's Footprint*08. Heavy Metal Thunder*09. Queen Of Hearts*10. Princess Of The Night*11. Wheels Of Steel*12. Denim And Leather*13. Crusader*14. Eye Of The Storm#15. Battalions Of Steel#16. Requiem#

*live in Munich#live in Brighton

Bonus Material (Live In Chicago):

01. Motorcycle Man02. Battering Ram*03. This Town Rocks04. Sacrifice05. Power And The Glory06. Solid Ball Of Rock07. Dallas 1 PM08. Heavy Metal Thunder09. Rock The Nations10. The Eagle Has Landed11. Wheels Of Steel12. Backs To The Wall13. Just Let Me Rock14. Strong Arm Of The Law15. 747 (Strangers In The Night)16. Princess Of The Night17. Crusader*18. Denim And Leather

*only available as video content; not available on CD or digital

In a 2015 interview with 100 Percent Rock magazine, SAXON frontman Biff Byford spoke about the difficulty of putting together setlist for the band's tours. He said: "Yeah, it is difficult with the setlist, because you can't play for as long as we'd like. It's difficult to please people, because you get quite a lot of new fans that come to concerts, they want to hear the old songs, and some of the guys that have been coming for years have heard the old songs too much and they want something new, so it's a nightmare.

"You can never please everyone and it's actually a bit stupid trying, really," he continued. "Just put some good songs together and promote the new album, and that's where to be, really."

Byford added that he is mostly proud of all SAXON has achieved in its forty-year existence.

"Have SAXON achieved everything I initially dreamed the band could? More or less," he said. "There were certainly countries we probably could have been bigger in. Australia's one of them, places like that. I don't think our management at that time really thought we'd ever be anything more than a British band, you know what I mean? I don't think their vision included the world.

"It is a shame, because I think 'Wheels Of Steel' and those albums could have been much more in people's minds outside Europe. I mean, America was all right, we did okay in America, but other countries could have gone better, I think.

"But I think we've achieved most everything, really. You know, we're still making great albums, so I suppose that's something."

Starting as a passion project of ex-GOD FORBID guitarist Doc Coyle and PHYLLOTAXIS singer-songwriter Ravi Orr, VAGUS NERVE became fully realized as a band in 2014 when they enlisted the talents of drummer Moe Watson (SHAI HULUD), bassist Aden Oxenreider (COSM) and guitarist Mike Gowen (MOTHER).

After a successful Kickstarter campaign, the atmospheric rock band is ready to take the next step. Everyone's hard work and dedication has been leading to this moment as the band announces the official release date of their debut EP, "Visceral" — Friday, September 30. Digital and physical pre-orders are available here.

VAGUS NERVE has also debuted its first music video for the song "Pull Me Out", directed by Douglas Henderson for Bold Creative Media out of York, Pennsylvania. Like the songwriting, music production, and album artwork before it, this video falls in line with the elegance and beauty that characterizes VAGUS NERVE.

Fan-filmed video footage of DIAMOND HEAD's September 10 performance at Raismes Fest in Raismes, France can be seen below.

DIAMOND HEAD's first album of new material in eight years was released on April 22. Titled "Diamond Head", the disc features an exciting new talent in singer Rasmus Bom Andersen.

In 2014, DIAMOND HEAD invited London-based, Danish-born Ras to join the band. Together they completed a European tour, which included appearances at Hard Rock Hell and Headbangers Open Air in Germany. The spark of creativity led the band to start working on the new album in January 2015.

Brian Tatler, founder of DIAMOND HEAD, said: "When we began talking with Ras about making a new record, he said we should write the songs as a band just like DIAMOND HEAD did at the beginning of our career. There's no substitute for writing together in the same room. We spark each other off and create something far bigger than we could have done individually."

Brian continued: "Ras has certainly renewed the energy within the band. I had no interest in doing another record, but after working with Ras on the European tour, that all suddenly changed. I wanted to make a record with him. He's a confident singer and he's not trying to fill anyone's shoes."

Speaking about the new DIAMOND HEAD album's musical direction, Brian said: "This new album has an echo of the early albums, but I always try to push our music forward somewhere new if possible."

Rasmus added: "All in all, this album was made with the band’s first fans foremost in mind, from start to finish. We wanted to write songs that would have ties to the best parts of the all the previous albums. We feel we have achieved what we set out to do and we hope everyone will hear and feel the DIAMOND HEAD spirit through this new eponymous record."

In general, the album lyrics focus on political and environmental themes, specifically warning that our world is in many ways leaning towards self-destruction. The opening and closing songs encapsulate these themes, while the body of the album explores subtopics in more depth, along with songs dealing with lighter subjects that aren't so heavy on the heart.

In a recent interview with EonMusic, Andersen recalled his "ruthless" approach to songwriting for "Diamond Head". He said: "I came in with some fresh ears, and almost like a producer, picked out the best bits. So when Brian said, 'Here's a lot of riffs, what do you think?' I was, like, 'That's fantastic, that's DIAMOND HEAD', or, 'That doesn't tie to DIAMOND HEAD, so let's run with these ones and see what else we can do.'

"I was quite ruthless. Brian came back to me after that conversation and said, 'That took a lot of balls for you to tell me that.' We ended up with this checklist to write this album according to."

Andersen added: "It really helped us to nail down what's going to make it to the album, and what's not going to make it to the album. It just made the politics of writing together as a band a really easy experience."

The second trailer for "Brotherhood Of The Snake", the twelfth album from San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans TESTAMENT, is available below. The CD will be released on October 28 via Nuclear Blast.

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

"Brotherhood Of The Snake" track listing:

01. Brotherhood Of The Snake02. The Pale King03. Stronghold04. Seven Seals05. Born In A Rut06. Centuries Of Suffering07. Neptune's Spear08. Black Jack09. Canna-Business10. The Number Game

"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).

Regarding the lyrical themes covered on "Brotherhood Of The Snake", Chuck told Metal Wani: "Well, it's kind of like a concept record. I know, going into it, the past records, I was writing songs that were more personal and there were topics that were kind of real — losing a family member or anything that's real; that's what we were kind of writing. And Eric really wanted to kind of get back to, 'Let's write some cool stories and cool words and cool lyrics.' And so I was, like, 'Okay, that's cool.' And then, I kind of, at the time, was watching a TV series; it was a show called 'Ancient Aliens' that was on once a week. And it showed a lot of the connection between aliens and religion. And it kind of got my attention, because there was different religions all around the world, different spots in the world, where there was always the same alien being with big heads and strange bodies and flying objects in the sky. And it kind of made me realize, wow, how, that many thousands of years ago, did they communicate and see these same things unless it was real, unless there's something about it. So it really made me think, maybe there is something to these aliens and our existence and religion and everything. And then I stumbled on to the 'brotherhood of the snake' and the story of that. And that was about a secret society over six thousand years ago that were out on a crusade just to dig down religions. And there was an alien king, Anu, who basically created mankind as a slave for them to mine the minerals and gold from our planet earth. So it was kind of, like, 'Wow!' From an 'Ancient Aliens' show to this… There's something there that we can kind of run on and get the lyrics going and tell the storyline about. So that kind of got the ball rolling."

Peterson told Kaaos TV about "Brotherhood Of The Snake": "The only difference on this one is we're trying to be a little bit more organic, and getting away from Andy's perfection sound, and get more of a looser… you know, still keeping the slickness of it, but trying to get a little bit more raw. So it's kind of a hard way to describe it. But we don't want it too perfect. And I didn't record four guitars; I did two this time. So there's a lot more air going on with the rhythms and stuff like that."

Asked whether the musical direction of TESTAMENT's new material is a throwback to the band's early albums or if it's more similar to the recent TESTAMENT records, Eric said: "More like the modern [TESTAMENT sound], but, you know, like I was saying earlier, having that more raw feeling. Of course, our influences have changed a lot. For me, I always get accused of listening to older stuff [and I am told that] I need to listen to more new stuff. But I always like to go back and listen to records from the '70s and the '80s. And I won't name the bands I listen to, but I listen to a lot of different stuff that has nothing to do with metal, because I hear things differently. I don't hear it, like… You know, like if I listen to [American blues rock guitarist] Joe Bonamassa or something, I'm not, like, 'Wow, I wanna sound like that.' I just kind of get ideas of key changes and the way he hits certain notes or whatever and apply it to what we're doing. And that's the same thing with anything."

TESTAMENT will promote "Brotherhood Of The Snake" by teaming up with AMON AMARTH for a European tour this fall.

Brant Bjork will release his new album, "Tao Of The Devil", on September 30 via Napalm Records. The CD is said to be "more focused" than its predecessor, 2014's "Black Power Flower", and boasts a more song-oriented and groovy stoner sound, with a healthy dose of '70s-style greatness.

The official lyric video for the song "The Greeheen", taken from "Tao Of The Devil", can be seen below. As the founder of KYUSS, the singer, guitarist and drummer might be the ultimate icon the desert rock scene has to offer — but despite all this praise and worship, Brant's only concern rests in supplying the planet with unpretentious laid-back rock, adorned with hefty jam-outs.

Bjork is backed on "Tao Of The Devil" by Bubba DuPree on guitar, Dave Dinsmore on bass and Ryan Güt on drums.

In a recent interview with The Obelisk, Brant stated about "Tao Of The Devil": "It's much different than the first LOW DESERT PUNK BAND record, 'Black Power Flower'. It's a lot different. Bubba and I did some collaboration, we wrote a handful of songs together. Bubba and I really focused on the production, we had a concept. We wanted to go with a, not lo-fi, but definitely not a hi-fi sound. So we kind of left it nice and raw. Seven tracks on the vinyl, then we have a bonus track for the CD, which is an edited down 14-minute kind of organized jam. Then we re-recorded 'Lazy Bones' and 'Automatic Fantastic' and 'Freaks Of Nature' because this band in particular has a very unique take on those tracks that I really dig and I wanted to document those because I have a feeling we probably won't be doing them forever. I did those and those will get a separate release within a ten-inch which will come with the vinyl in a box set kind of thing. I don't know; the label has some fancy ideas." "Tao Of The Devil" track listing:

01. The Greeheen02. Humble Pie03. Stackt04. Luvin'05. Biker No. 206. Dave's War07. Tao Of The Devil08. Evening Jam (bonus track) "Tao Of The Devil" will be made available as:

* 4-page digipak* 1LP gatefold* Deluxe fan LP edition:- 1-LP gatefold- 1-LP slipcase (3 Bonus Tracks)- 4-page digipak- Slipmat- A2 Poster

Instrumental tech metal architects Invoking The Abstract will release their debut full-length, Aural Kaleidoscopes, via Unique Leader on September 30th. Pre-Orders are now live at this location.

The album track “Requiem” is streaming below:

Aural Kaleidoscopes by Invoking the Abstract

Invoking The Abstract is a four-piece unit hailing from Columbia, South Carolina. Formed in 2010, guitarists Tyler Ivey and Evan Garner started composing music for their new project. After the release of their first EP in 2012, they joined forces with percussionist Ryan Meadows and bassist Joseph Carrabotta. The band recorded Aural Kaleidoscopes at The Basement Recording Studios with Jamie King (Between The Buried And Me, The Contortionist, Scale The Summit). Priding themselves on utilizing various approaches to rhythm, phrasing, and playing styles that conveys a sound that traverses genres, Invoking The Abstract's broad style, containing both soaring guitar solos and groovy mixed meters, creates a blend of catchy hooks accompanied by churning technical metal.

Comments the band, "Aural Kaleidoscopes is a diverse and precise album written to challenge us as musicians and composers. Each song is composed in a different key, none of which are repeated until the final track that transforms the keys into a serialist scale. Some songs are composed to freely flow from one to the next, as others stand alone as achievements in their own right, creating a partial concept album. This album is also our first experiment with completely instrumental arrangements leaving the interpretation of each piece to the listener."

 

 

Aural Kaleidoscopes tracklisting:

"Locus"
"Requiem"
"Sensory Substitution"
"Aural Kaleidoscopes"
"The Summit"
"Voiles"
"Mandatory Metamorphasis"
"Necropolis"
"Afterglow Eclipse"
"Celestial Born"
"Disharmonic Design"

Check out the band's play-through video for "Necropolis", as well as "Locus":

Multi-camera, semi-professionally filmed video footage of STUCK MOJO's December 26, 2014 reunion concert at the Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia can be seen below. The rap/metal pioneers' lineup for the show included Rich "The Duke" Ward on guitar, Bonz on vocals, Corey Lowery on bass and Frank Fontsere on drums. This marked the first time Rich, Bonz, Corey and Frank had shared the stage since 1998.

Speaking about why the reunion of STUCK MOJO's classic lineup fell apart less than a year after the Masquerade concert, Ward told "Talk Toomey": "We did the reunion show the day after Christmas [2014], which was kind of the homecoming, hometown Atlanta show, and then we did two shows in April [2015] — one in Charlotte, and then we did a festival in Virginia. The Charlotte and Virginia show were together, and it wasn't really until after the Charlotte show, I was, like, 'Ugh.' And all of us were the same way; we all kind of had the same [feeling about it]."

He continued: "There is a sense that people would like to frame this as a 'Rich-versus-Bonz' or 'Bonz-versus-Rich' thing, which it never has been. It's always been [that] we're a band and we make decisions as a band. Part of it was, too, that after the third show, which was the festival, Corey and I had spoken… Corey actually filled in on bass for us for FOZZY on a European run that we did, and it was great; we were getting along really good. And then Corey obviously got this offer to go play for SAINT ASONIA, and he says, 'Man, I don't really know what's going on schedule-wise now, because I'm the new guy, but I am in the band, and I'm kind of waiting on confirmation of what the touring schedule is gonna be looking like and stuff, but this is pretty much looking like my deal, my gig.' 'Cause we had asked him to do more FOZZY shows as well, 'cause it was a really cool thing, for he and I and Frank to be on stage again together. But he knew, I knew, everyone knew, with that lineup, the SAINT ASONIA thing was going to take off; there was no doubt that that thing was going to be one of the bigger releases, certainly of the year, and possibly it could be one of the bigger bands of the genre. So the idea that we were going to carry on with Corey was obviously not going to happen."

Ward added: "When Bonz leaves the band, as he has a few times, it isn't like we splinter off and it's, like, two guys go one way and the manager follows this guy. It's always [that] everybody else stays intact and then Bonz leaves. And the reason is… It's not because we don't like Bonz. Bonz is a great guy. As a matter of fact, he stayed at my house many times. My wife loves him, I love him, my dad loves him. He's a sweet man, and he's a great entertainer. I like being onstage with him, 'cause he's crazy, right? I mean, he's the real deal. And that's what makes him such a powerful frontman — that it's real. There's none of this performance that he's putting on, the show… What you see is what you get. And when I was in my 20s, dealing with that energy was… For me, I was crazy too. I mean, we were fighting all the time, and I don't even mean within the band; of course we did. I mean, all four of us, we were in a van for three hundred days a year, so we fought like cats and dogs, but we also fought as a gang against other bands and against fans. We were just living like wild dogs for years on the road, which was great, which is what made us a great live band, and at some point, when we started getting into our 30s, I think we all just started saying, 'Man, this kind of energy is going to get one of us killed.' And the joy was gone. Now, we'd walk off stage feeling like we were doing something special and unique, but the joy of making music was gone, because the relationships were so splintered and so fractured. And this was right when we were making the 'Declaration Of A Headhunter' record in 2000. And I just told the guys, I said, 'Man, I just don't wanna do this anymore,' and everybody else said, 'Dude, me either.' So Frank and I, and Dan Dryden, who was the bass player at the time, and the manager and the booking agent and all the crew guys decided that we were gonna do this SICK SPEED band, which basically was just STUCK MOJO but with a singer. And then we were also doing FOZZY, and it was the same guys in that band, same crew, same manager, except for Chris Jericho was singing. So we stayed together as a unit. Now, obviously, we had a couple of lineup changes over the sixteen years since 'Declaration Of A Headhunter', but the one commonality has always been that nobody ever left this organization to go play with Bonz and his solo band.

"For folks who are wanting to make this an issue of 'Rich versus Bonz,' it's, like, listen, everybody else was free to go play with Bonz, the same way I was free to go do another project with Bonz, or do STUCK MOJO with just Bonz and I. Like I said, it all came down to, we just couldn't do business together anymore. And it was all of those things that make him such a special and unique artist is the things that made us decide we just didn't wanna do it with him anymore. It just became difficult, it became strenuous. And again, there are some things that I don't wanna share because it's just stupid and I don't wanna throw anybody under the bus, but there were some legal things that were keeping us from being able to do certain tours and stuff. And it was at a place where we had to make a decision: Is this band wanting to move forward? 'Cause if it's going to move forward, we're gonna have to make a change."

Rich went on to say: "It was the same thing that happened to [2007's] 'Southern Born Killers', where I had written most of the album with the idea of Bonz being the vocalist. The same thing I did with 'Here Come The Infidels'. I had already written three or four songs, and we were already into the process. So I was married [to the idea of making a new STUCK MOJO album]… Once I'm sitting there on the side of the river with a pole in the water, I'm gonna fish. We're gonna make the record. And that's when we had a band meeting, and everyone sat together, including management and our agents, record company. 'What are we gonna do?' And we made a decision to move forward and just see what happens, and see if there's another guy out there. And I met Robby J, who is now the vocalist of the band, I met him online. The timing was just… it wasn't an accident. The day after we split with Bonz, I saw a video of him online. And it wasn't like I was on YouTube searching."

Ward added that while he still has tremendous respect for Bonz as a frontman and entertainer, they can simply no longer be in a band together. "The problem is that the great frontmen who can tap into that moment, into the burst, it's the same thing as… I mean, you see these frontmen throughout history, the ones who can't turn it off and have a real hard time leaving that on the stage are the ones where there's problems," he explained. "And I don't even have to bring the guys up; you can name the ten or fifteen frontmen or guitar players who you read about in the news all the time, because they can't leave that energy on stage. You've got guys like [Ronnie James] Dio and Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie, who are absolute maniacs on stage, who are just great — they have this thing — and when they come off stage, it's not like they're a different person, they just know how to bottle it. It's the same thing as a race car driver who gets in his car and drives 90 miles per hour to get a soda. It's, like, 'No, no. Wait until you're on the track.' It doesn't mean you can't drive fast, but you have to be able to…"

He continued: "If you want to be an artist, and being an artist means that you have to work — at least in a rock band — it means you have to work with other people. It's the same thing as there are people who can play on baseball teams, who can play in group sports, and then there's people who just need to play golf and tennis, because it's hard to play in a group environment because of what they carry. And I'm sure there are other guys who will be a great fit for Bonz."

STUCK MOJO's new album, "Here Come The Infidels", was released on June 24. The CD was once again produced by Andy Sneap, who has previously worked with MEGADETH, EXODUS, TESTAMENT, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and ACCEPT, among others.

In addition to Ward and Fontsere, "Here Come The Infidels" features STUCK MOJO's latest additions, vocalist Robby J and bassist Len Sonnier.


STUCK MOJO classic lineup reunion (2014):

It's been 15 years since the initial release of Brainstorm's milestone album Metus Mortis. The vinyl edition includes four bonus tracks and will be released as a gatefold 2-LP in 180 g, olive/black marbled (ltd. 200) and white/black marbled (ltd. 100; available only on tour, dates below). The album features a gatefold-sleeve, printed inner sleeves and a poster.

Metus Mortis tracklist:
“Metus Mortis”
“Blind Suffering”
“Shadowland”
“Checkmate in Red”
“Hollow Hideaway”
“Weakness Sows Its Seed”
“Into the Never”
“Under Lights”
“Cycles”
“Behind”
“Meet Me in the Dark”
“Strength of Will”
“Face Down” (Bonus)
“(E.O.C.) Cross Gods Face’ (Bonus)
‘Don't Wait for Me” (Bonus)
“Savage” (Bonus)

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

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

Says METALLICA in a new post on its web site: "Guess what?!? It's DONE! We have put the finishing touches on our next album, 'Hardwired…To Self-Destruct', and are looking forward to the next phase of unleashing it to the world, waking the monster that is METALLICA and hitting the road.

"As we were in the 11th hour of wrapping it up, it dawned on us that we have never shared with you in any sort of cohesive 'official' manner the extensive covers we have worked on since 'Death Magnetic'. While digging into the bonus options to complement the 12-song album with additional material, we realized that none of our versions of these songs from some of our favorite and most respected artists have been readily available on our very own Blackened Recordings. So with that said, we're here to tell you about some changes we've made to the deluxe versions of 'Hardwired...' in place of the previously announced 'Riff Origins'.

"The 2016 version of 'Lords Of Summer' from the studio in its full glory, as originally promised, is still included, but now we've added the 'Ronnie Rising Medley', originally only available only on the 'Ronnie James Dio - This Is Your Life' tribute album, along with the IRON MAIDEN cover of 'Remember Tomorrow' rounded out by DEEP PURPLE's 'When A Blind Man Cries'. And, by the way, all of these tracks have been recently remastered for optimum 2016 sound quality. Just for fun (and because there was room!) the special set we did at Rasputin's in Berkeley, California on Record Store Day 2016 to celebrate the reissues of 'Kill 'Em All' and 'Ride The Lightning' is here all remixed and mastered.

"Lastly we had such an amazing time being a part of the first weekend of events ever held at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis last month. It was an honor and a thrill to test out 'Hardwired' live there and we just had to commemorate the debut by including the recording from that night here."

Updated "Hardwired...To Self-Destruct" track listing:

Deluxe Edition (Digital Download & CD)

Disc One

01. Hardwired
02. Atlas, Rise!
03. Now That We're Dead
04. Moth Into Flame
05. Dream No More
06. Halo On Fire

Disc Two

01. Confusion
02. ManUNkind
03. Here Comes Revenge
04. Am I Savage?
05. Murder One
06. Spit Out the Bone

Disc Three (Bonus)

01. Lords of Summer
02. Ronnie Rising Medley
03. When a Blind Man Cries
04. Remember Tomorrow
05. Helpless (Live at Rasputin Music)
06. Hit the Lights (Live at Rasputin Music)
07. The Four Horsemen (Live at Rasputin Music)
08. Ride the Lightning (Live at Rasputin Music)
09. Fade to Black (Live at Rasputin Music)
10. Jump in the Fire (Live at Rasputin Music)
11. For Whom the Bell Tolls (Live at Rasputin Music)
12. Creeping Death (Live at Rasputin Music)
13. Metal Militia (Live at Rasputin Music)
14. Hardwired (Live in Minneapolis)

Deluxe Box Set (3LP + 1CD)

Disc One Side A

01. Hardwired
02. Atlas, Rise!
03. Now That We're Dead

Disc One Side B

01. Moth Into Flame
02. Am I Savage?
03. Halo On Fire

Disc Two Side C

01. Confusion
02. Dream No More
03. ManUNkind

Disc Two Side D

01. Here Comes Revenge
02. Murder One
03. Spit Out the Bone

Disc Three Side E (Bonus)

01. Lords of Summer

Disc Three Side F (Bonus)

01. Hardwired (Live in Minneapolis)

Bonus CD

01. Ronnie Rising Medley
02. When a Blind Man Cries
03. Remember Tomorrow
04. Helpless (Live at Rasputin Music)
05. Hit the Lights (Live at Rasputin Music)
06. The Four Horsemen (Live at Rasputin Music)
07. Ride the Lightning (Live at Rasputin Music)
08. Fade to Black (Live at Rasputin Music)
09. Jump in the Fire (Live at Rasputin Music)
10. For Whom the Bell Tolls (Live at Rasputin Music)
11. Creeping Death (Live at Rasputin Music)
12. Metal Militia (Live at Rasputin Music)

MR. BIG is currently putting together ideas for the follow-up to 2014's "...The Stories We Could Tell" album, tentatively due next year.

The band's drummer, Pat Torpey, told California Rock News on Tuesday (September 13): "Eric [Martin, MR. BIG singer] is always working on [new music]. He's always got some songs. But they have to go through the MR. BIG machine. And we also all are… I mean, Billy's [Sheehan, MR. BIG bassist] always got ideas. I'm always thinking about some concept or an idea. And we get together and throw it together and see how it works out, the same way we always do it. We haven't really started that process yet. But I know we're all doing it. We're cooking up the ingredients right now."

Torpey has had limited involvement with MR. BIG on the road since he was told he had Parkinson's disease in 2014. The band hired Matt Starr to fill in, but Torpey still sang on some tracks and added percussion on others.

The 56-year-old drummer told CrypticRock.com about his diagnosis: "What was really great about it is that I found out how many people really care about me and the great support system I have around me with the guys in the band, our management, and especially my wife. My wife is my guardian angel; she basically saved me. It was tough, but I am doing much better. I found a way, and I'm trying to do it every day."

MR. BIG has three shows scheduled for the end of this month:

Sep. 28 - Regency Ballroom - San Francisco, CASep. 29 - The Rose - Pasadena, CAOct. 1-5 - Monsters Of Rock - Los Angeles, CA (cruise)

"…Stories We Could Tell" was produced by Pat Regan, known for his work with DEEP PURPLE, WARRANT and KEEL. Formed in 1988, MR. BIG forged its place in hard rock history by combining trademark "shredding" musicianship with awesome vocal harmonies. The original lineup produced numerous hit songs that ranged across a wide array of rock genres, be it ballads, heavy metal, or blues rock. Their hits included "To Be With You" (Billboard Hot 100 number one single in 15 countries for weeks, in 1991, propelling the band the band to huge international success and record sales in the multi-millions), "Wild World", "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind" and "Just Take My Heart".

According to The Pulse Of Radio, SOUNDGARDEN singer Chris Cornell has composed the title track for an upcoming movie called "The Promise". The film, a love triangle drama set against the Armenian genocide, stars Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale and French-Canadian actress Charlotte Le Bon. It premiered this week at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Cornell discussed his approach to writing songs for movies at the film's premiere, saying: "I've done enough of them now. I know there's going to be difficult moments and there will be some moments where everything seems to come together . And then I realize 'That was awful,' and I'll start over from scratch. You know the problem I run into the most is, 'Am I the right guy for this? Is there a different guy who could tell this story better? And then I get the determination."

Cornell's most high-profile musical contribution to a movie was "You Know My Name", his theme to the 2006 James Bond film "Casino Royale". Cornell told The Pulse Of Radio at the time that he was initially surprised to even land the gig. "Normally with something like that, with a movie that big, they just go for a person that's, like, an international superstar at the time and it's sort of more of a convenient marketing thing," he said. "And with me, that's obviously not the case. You know, I do well here as a singer in a rock band, but not an international superstar. I'm not the next Madonna."

Other films that Cornell has contributed songs or title themes to have included "Great Expectations", "Machine Gun Preacher" and "12 Years A Slave".

Cornell is getting ready for a tour with TEMPLE OF THE DOG, the legendary Seattle supergroup featuring members of SOUNDGARDEN and PEARL JAM. The five-city trek begins on November 4 in Philadelphia.

The outfit is hitting the road to celebrate the 25th anniversary of its self-titled 1991 album. A deluxe reissue of the disc arrives on September 30.

STATUS QUO has announced that guitarist Rick Parfitt has been ordered to rest for the remainder of the year at the very least following on from his heart attack and associated complications following a QUO show in Turkey on June 14. This means, of course, that he will be unable to take part in the forthcoming "Last Night Of The Electrics" European tour, which commences in Vienna, Austria on October 12. Simon Porter, the band's manager, comments: "Although Rick is recovering well and is now able to lead a relatively normal day to day life, he is far from being fit enough to undertake the rigors of QUO's touring schedule. Perhaps now is the time to reveal that Rick 'died' for several minutes directly following his heart attack which resulted in mild cognitive impairments for which he continues to receive neuropsychological support.

"His medical team continue to be confident of a full recovery, but Rick's absolute priorities for the foreseeable future are for his health and well-being and to be able to see his eight-year-old twin children Tommy and Lily grow up.

"To this end, Rick may well have performed his last show with QUO, but no final decision will be made until next year. Regardless, it is his wish that the band continue to tour as planned and he will always be a part of QUO's numerous other off-stage activities. "Rick has given his full blessing for the band to continue to honor their touring schedule in order to not let down the fans. Until the end of 2016, STATUS QUO will continue to utilize guest musicians. Irish guitarist Richie Malone, who is currently playing with the band, will continue in this role at least until the end of QUO's European schedule which concludes in Paris on December 4th. Freddie Edwards, son of QUO bass player John 'Rhino' Edwards also stepped in for Rick during some of the summer shows." Rick will also use his convalescence period to compose songs for a long-overdue solo album which he plans to record early next year. In the meantime, both Rick and the band would like to thank the fans for their continued understanding and support.

Vocalist Amanda Somerville (Trillium, Avantasia) has checked in with the following update:

"After years of collaborating and two album releases, Sander Gommans and I have been asked quite a bit when we'll do something live with HDK. Well, we can finally give a definitive answer and it's one you'll probably like because of the now-familiarity with who's fronting it. I proudly introduce Phantom Elite Band - based on my lyric in 'Eternal Journey' from our last album, Serenades Of The Netherworld - with Marina La Torraca, who will be the live band for HDK, and they just released a brand new song. Check it out below."

Phantom Elite features intense and powerful vocals by Marina La Torraca (Avantasia live), in-your-face guitars by Ted Wouters and Goof Veelen, unique keys and orchestration by Erik van Ittersum (The Theater Equation), and furious groove-heavy drums by Eelco van der Meer (Stream Of Passion live). These young, talented, and experienced musicians present the lyric video for their debut track, "Siren’s Call"; watch it now.

Released in 2014, HDK's Serenades Of The Netherworld is the follow-up to the band's  2009 debut, System Overload. The tracklist is as follows:

"Revelation"
"Electric Soul"
"Mortal Zombie"
"Serenade Of The Netherworld"
"Return From Tomorrow"
"Let Life Be Done"
"Eternal Journey"
"Witness"
"Book Of Lies"
"Omega"

Audio samples and a studio report are available below:

HDK is:

Sander Gommans - guitars, bass
Amanda Somerville - vocals
Geert Kroes - vocals (Dead Man's Curse)
Koen Herfst - drums (Dew Scented)
Uri Dijk - keyboards (Textures)
Erik van Ittersum - keyboards

Guests:
Mark Burnash - bass (Trillium)
Paul Owsinski - guitar (Trillium)
Stephen Pursey - guest solo

FEAR FACTORY frontman Burton C. Bell has once again weighed in on the 2016 presidential election, saying that the American people should "do the right thing" by not letting controversial Republican candidate Donald Trump win the White House.

Bell told Metal Hammer magazine: "American politics is a pathetic disaster. It is worrying, as there's a lot of stupid Americans.

"Trump is like P.T. Barnum [American politician, showman, and businessman remembered for promoting celebrated hoaxes and for founding the Barnum & Bailey Circus], he's selling outrageousness: racism, bigotry, xenophobia, and people are buying it. It's the same reason people in the U.K. voted for Brexit, and we need to prevent that from happening in the U.S.

"People are going to have to wise up."

He continued: "I get it that people want to vote for their conscience, but what people forget about is that there's more to an election than who becomes President. There's the steps after that: appointing supreme court justices, senate and house elections, there's caveats being made to dictate what's going to happen in our lives, and that's going to be reflective of who becomes President. So if you want to vote for your conscience and vote for an independent, who is not going to win, I get it, but try doing the right thing by not letting Trump win.

"Hilary's [Clinton] no angel, but what politician is?

"Being an American is not enviable right now. It's a beautiful country with a lot of beautiful people, but there'a lot of ignorance and stupidity, and, unfortunately, they're the loudest people."

FEAR FACTORY's latest album, "Genexus", was released on August 7, 2015 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment.

The band recently completed a U.S. headlining tour on which it performed its classic second album, "Demanufacture", in its entirety.

Former SEPULTURA and current SOULFLY/CAVALERA CONSPIRACY frontman Max Cavalera will make a guest appearance on "Bloodlust", the upcoming album from BODY COUNT, the metal band fronted by hip-hop legend, actor and director Ice-T. Max's vocals will be heard in a song called "All Love Is Lost", according to a new tweet from Ice-T.

Due in 2017 via Century Media Records, "Bloodlust" is being recorded with producer Will Putney (MISS MAY I, UPON A BURNING BODY), who also helmed BODY COUNT's last effort, "Manslaughter".

Ice-T said: "With our last album, 'Manslaughter', we tested the waters and got a great response from the fans and critics. Now it's time to go kill it and make a more aggressive album and keep the BODY COUNT style intact.

"Will Putney is like a member of the band and has an excellent ear. He's a great producer because he captures the true essence of our band's sound. Once we are done writing the song, it's his job to step in and make it sound better. He helps move the record in the right direction.

"Once the record's done, we're going to shoot a lot of music videos and perform spot-dates on certain tests, etc."

"Manslaughter" sold around 3,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 102 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on June 10, 2014 via Sumerian.

BODY COUNT's current lineup includes guitarist Juan Garcia (a.k.a. Juan Of The Dead; AGENT STEEL, EVILDEAD), who made his live debut with the group in November 2013 at the Fun Fun Fun Fest in Austin, Texas.

Max just laid his Vocals on a new BC song ‘All Love Is Lost’ CRAZY! Bloodlust 2017 pic.twitter.com/Ttsz0qj7It

— ICE T (@FINALLEVEL) September 15, 2016

Glenn Hughes has told Classic Rock magazine that he isn't sure BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION will tour in support of the band's upcoming fourth album.

The supergroup, which features Hughes alongside drummer Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN, FOREIGNER), keyboardist Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, ALICE COOPER, BILLY IDOL) and blues-rock guitarist/vocalist Joe Bonamassa, is working on the follow-up to 2012's "Afterglow" effort after a near-four-year split that was caused by tensions between Bonamassa and Hughes.

But Glenn says that he will spend most of 2017 touring in support of his upcoming solo album, "Resonate", with no guarantee that there will be any live shows to promote BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's new disc.

Hughes tells Classic Rock: "[The new BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION album is] due to be recorded in January and will come out in May, but I'm not worried that 'Resonate' will get lost in the shuffle — not at all. It's more than strong enough to stand up in its own right."

He continues: "I have no idea whether there will be a tour from BCC. There may well be a chance of that, but, at this point, I'm not going to speculate as, being the mouthpiece of BCC, last time it was me that took a beating from the trolls when it didn't happen."

The war of words between Hughes and Bonamassa goes back to September 2012, when Hughes began telling journalists that Bonamassa's solo touring schedule was preventing BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION from touring and fulfilling its potential. He stated that if the situation didn't change, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's third album, "Afterglow", could be the group's last recording project.

"There were no handbags — all that happened was that Joe and I wanted different things," Hughes now tells Classic Rock, adding that "Joe and I have worked together on this forthcoming record more than any of the others. For the past week we've been inseparable."

Hughes' first solo album in eight years, "Resonate" will be released on November 4 via Frontiers Music Srl.

He tells Classic Rock: "I'm so proud of 'Resonate' and it certainly has legs. I'm going to spend a year touring it around the world. It's looking like I will play three tours of America in 2017. I'm going everywhere."

"Afterglow" sold 8,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 48 on The Billboard 200 chart.

2012's "2" CD from BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION opened with 8,000 units to land at No. 71.

BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION's self-titled debut album registered a first-week tally of 7,100 copies to enter the chart at No. 54.

LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler has weighed in on the 2016 presidential election, offering criticism of both major party nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump and saying that the decision is likely to come down to what some consider the lesser of two evils.

During a brand new interview with Chile's Radio Futuro, Adler stated (see video below): "The history of the tie-ins that Hillary has, I think that's a very scary thing. It seems like the Clintons and the Bushes have been running the United States into the ground for the last thirty years. But the [other] option is another North Korea option. [Editor's note: Adler is presumably referring to comparisons between Trump and North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un.] So it seems like you can't really win."

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