“Wasted”, a track from Quiet Riot’s upcoming new album, Road Rage, is available for streaming below.

Led by drummer Frankie Banali, who is joined by veteran bassist Chuck Wright (who has been in and out of the band since 1982), guitarist Alex Grossi (who has been in the band since 2004), and new vocalist James Durbin, the band continues to be an unstoppable force in the rock 'n roll world. Road Rage is set for release on August 4th.

Road Rage was originally scheduled for release in the spring of 2017, but with the injection of newfound energy for the band with the addition of American Idol alumni James Durbin in the vocalist slot, the band decided to scrap the original sessions and record a new version of the album with the new and improved lineup. The results are everything Quiet Riot fans could have hoped for.

Musically, Road Rage offers exactly what you would expect from Quiet Riot. Arena ready hard rock with strong hooks and infectious riffs, along with maturity in the songwriting that only a band with such a history and pedigree can offer.

Road Rage tracklisting:

“Can't Get Enough”
“Getaway”
“Roll This Joint”
“Freak Flag”
“Wasted”
“Still Wild”
“Make A Way”
“Renegades”
“The Road”
“Shame”
“Knock Em Down”

“Wasted”:

“Freak Flag”:

Quiet Riot lineup:

Frankie Banali - drums
Alex Grossi - guitars
Chuck Wright - bass guitar
James Durbin - vocals

(Photo - Henry Lipatov)

German rockers, Kissin’ Dynamite, will unleash their first-ever live album, Generation Goodbye, on July 8th via AFM Records. It features the entire sold out Stuttgart, Germany concert from December 2016. Check out another live clip for “I Will Be King” below:

Generation Goodbye tracklisting:

“Generation Goodbye”
“Hashtag Your Life”
“If Clocks Were Running Backwards”
“Somebody To Hate”
“She Came She Saw”
“Highlight Zone”
“Masterpiece”
“Flying Colours”
“Under Friendly Fire”
“Larger Than Life”
“Utopia”

Digipak bonus tracks:

“Living In The Fastlane”
“Only The Good Die Young” (Acoustic)
“Ticket To Paradise” (Live In Cologne)
“I Will Be King” (Live In Cologne)

DVD:

Kissin‘ Dynamite Tour Documentary

Live Clips (Live In Cologne):
“Ticket To Paradise”
“I Will Be King”

Music Clips:
“I Will Be King”
“Six Feet Under”
“Money Sex and Power”
“DNA”
“Fireflies” (Lyric Video)
“Hashtag Your Life”

"She Came She Saw”:

“Masterpiece”:

The album can be ordered in various formats at this location.

(Photo - Kissin’ Dynamite Facebook)

Decibel Geek TV has uploaded video footage shot at Dokken’s July 7th show a Buffalo Rose In Golden, Colorado. Watch below.

Dokken’s setlist:

“Don't Close Your Eyes”
“The Hunter”
“Kiss Of Death”
“Into The Fire”
“Breaking The Chains”
“Dream Warriors”
“Just Got Lucky”
“Alone Again”
“Maddest Hatter”
“Too High To Fly”
“Will The Sun Rise”
“It's Not Love”
“In My Dreams”
“Tooth And Nail”

Dokken perform next at Balingen, Germany’s Bang Your Head!!! festival, taking place July 13th - 15th. Find Dokken’s live itinerary at this location.

Italian musician/composer Zombie Sam and Season Of Ghosts vocalist Sophia have teamed up to record a cover of the track "Unity" from the Assassin's Creed: Unity soundtrack. The piece was composed by Chris Tilton and used as background music in the Assassin's Creed: Unity game, released in 2014. Check out the track below, which is available for free download here.

Currently working on a new album for 2017, Zombie Sam has released a cover of the Black Veil Brides song "In The End" featuring vocalist Ryan Howell. Check it out below, download the track for free here.

Zombie Sam recently spoke with BraveWords scribe Carl Begai, discussing the new record and unleashing his debut album Self Conscious Insanity, a record that blended symphonic and industrial elements to create a unique calling card, in 2013. The outing yielded two official videos – “A Hallowed Tale” and “Woman In White” – that gave Zombie Sam a Tim Burton-esue identity to go along with the music and earned him a cult following. A lot has changed since then including his musical vision, meaning the fans clamouring for a sequel to Self Conscious Insanity should be prepared for a distinctive new take on an esablished theme.

“I don’t try to imitate anybody, I just try to compose what I feel,” Sam says. “A few years ago I had some health problems with my heart, and after that my life changed somehow and I started seeing things in a different way. It also affected the way I compose music, so that definitely had an influence on the songs for the new album. I also wanted to change my sound. People told me the first album was leaning more in an industrial direction like Rob Zombie or Marilyn Manson, and I didn’t want that. I wanted to create something unique, be more myself; not too serious, maybe even a bit funny.”

More rock than metal this time out, Zombie Sam’s new material is, ironically, reminiscent of two beloved Canadian bands: The Creepshow and Billy Talent. He agrees with the suggestion that if his music is going to wear a stamp it should read “Horror Rock”.

“You mentioned those bands to me and I thought ‘Holy crap, he’s right…’ The new Zombie Sam music doesn’t sound like those bands exactly but it is similar. I like the music from both Billy Talent and The Creepshow, I like the way they perform live, so I could learn somethings from artists like that. They have an amazing energy. My new music is going more in the direction of something like The Creepshow. I don’t want to be heavy metal and I think this new stuff is more rock. Some of the vocal lines even sound a bit like pop music even though it’s not. It’s definitely more horror rock.”

Go to this location for the complete story.

Zombie Sam released his previous album Self Conscious Insanity on June 4th, 2013 via Coroner Records.

Divinity Compromised, featuring guitarist Lothar Keller of doom stalwarts The Skull, came together in 2009 and have risen to become one of the Chicago area's premier metal bands. Formed by veterans of several notable Chicago groups, the band has carefully honed its sound and has evolved into a unique sonic experience which features a strong focus on melody and dynamics while retaining the signature heaviness mixed with symphonic elements for which the band has become known. 

Following the release of their 2013 debut, A World Torn, the band successfully brought the album's vision to live audiences both in the Chicago area supporting multiple national touring acts and throughout the US including the band's commanding performance of the entire album at the prestigious ProgPower XIV festival in 2013. 

Divinity Compromised's sophomore release, Terminal, is the culmination of the band's journey to this point. The release finds the band expanding their horizons in all directions, with topics both intensely personal and socially relevant, and songs featuring some of the heaviest and most somber moods the band has recorded yet. The album features over 56 minutes of new music, including the epic lead single and title track "Terminal". The song features the stirring guest vocals of Kayla Dixon (Helion Prime, Witch Mountain) which add a new dimension to the apocalyptic soundscape the band has employed in the past. 

The band is poised to bring their evolving vision to live audiences throughout 2017 and into 2018 in support of Terminal, due out July 28th on Qumran Records in America, and through No Dust Records in Europe.

For information and updates on Divinity Compromised go to their official Facebook page.

Parma, Italy-based modern progressive metallers, Avelion, have released a new lyric video for the song "Never Wanted", taken from their album, Illusion Of Transparency. Check it out below.

Avelion aims to overpower genre classification thereby creating a new form: modern metal mixed with progressive influences and melody becomes momentum and expression as a whole which reaches the listener directly.

Tracklist:

"Fading Out"
"Echoes and Fragrance"
"Burst Inside"
"Derailed Trails of Life"
"Falling Down"
"Innocence Dies"
"Waste My Time"
"Open Your Eyes"
"Ain't No Dawn"
"Never Wanted

Find the band on Facebook.

Avelion is:

William Verderi - Lead Vocals
Oreste Giacomini - Keyboards and Programming
Leonardo Freggi - Guitars
Danilo Arisi - Bass
Alessandro Ponzi - Drums

"Damn, Japan! That was one hell of a tour! Our trip to your beautiful country was short but all the more awesome! Not only have you guys been incredibly kind and generous, but you people can rock! Hands down, the shows we got to play here were just bursting with energy."

"Here’s what (vocalist) John Corabi has to say about the gigs in Tokyo and Osaka: 'It was an amazing experience coming back to Japan to play for some of the most loyal fans in the world. The crowds were unbelievable and we cannot thank you enough for all of your support and all the lovely gifts that you brought us! We will be back soon!'"

"Japan, cheers for coming out and partying with us big time! Check out the video below to recap this awesome week - we had an amazing time rocking with you and we’ll never forget our trip to Japan 2017."

In other news, The Dead Daisies have announced a monumental return to Woodstock Poland, featuring in a gripping headline performance at a special Concert For Freedom with The Gorzow Philharmonic Orchestra on August 3rd.

Founder & President of Woodstock Poland, Jurek Owsiak has the following thoughts on The Dead Daisies and their return to his festival: “Woodstock 1969 became an incredible spark which inspired all freedom thinkers of the world to face their biggest challenge yet - striving to achieve freedom, independence, truth, and try to build a true fraternity of people across the globe. For people in Poland, it became an inspiration to take a very important step on the road to regaining freedom and true independence. It was thanks to music, thanks to artists, who gave voice to our dreams which, 25 years ago, resulted in the creation of Polish solidarity and our Polish independence. We are so proud to say that it has been 23 years since we began to send the message of peace. It is especially important in such turbulent times as now.

“We are very grateful that thanks to artists like you, and amazing initiatives like The Dead Daisies and their songs about freedom, we are able to nurture and develop these everlasting ideals. The spirit of freedom permeates the globe, unstoppable like the wind, and it reminds us that despite the different skin colors or creeds we are all united by the ideals of Love, Friendship, and Music.”

In the middle of a world tour supporting the release of their new live album - Live & Louder, Doug Aldrich said the following: “We are very, very, excited to be involved in the Woodstock Festival again this year. We will be performing with a sixty-piece orchestra!! It has been a big dream to do that! The Dead Daisies set list is going to be a one off special in the name of Peace & Freedom just for this show. Can't wait!!”

Alongside the announcement, The Dead Daisies are releasing a new video today for “With You And I”, which was fittingly filmed at the band’s inaugural performance at the Woodstock Festival last summer. It features imagery in line with values that the world seems to have sadly forgotten.

Singer John Corabi: “I think the lyrics to "With You And I" are especially relevant at the moment, you can't turn the TV on and NOT see some sort of human decay anymore. We're battling each other in so many ways, it's disturbing. Be it political party differences, the struggle of black vs. white, religious differences, terrorism, famine, disease, pollution, climate change, etc. - nobody is working TOGETHER in any way to find answers to these issues, and communicate as adults!”

Remaining dates on The Dead Daisies' Live & Louder World Tour are as listed:

July
12 - Opera de Arame - Curitiba, Brazil (special guest to Richie Kotzen)
13 - Carioca Club - Sao Paulo, Brazil (special guest to Richie Kotzen)
15 - Vorterix - Buenos Aires, Argentina
16 - Vorterix Rosario - Santa Fe, Argentina
19 - Club Chocolate - Santiago, Chile
21 - El Plaza Condesa - Mexico City, Mexico

August
3 - Woodstock Poland - Kostrzyn, Poland
10 - Arcada Theatre - Chicago, IL
11 - Shelter at Saint Andrews - Detroit, MI
12 - Lee’s Palace - Toronto, ON
16 - House Of Independence - Asbury Park, NJ
17 - Highline Ballroom - New York NY
18 - Rams Head Live - Baltimore, MD
19 - Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
20 - The Basement East - Nashville, TN
23 - Gas Monkey - Dallas, TX
25 - El Rey Theatre - Los Angeles, CA
26 - House Of Blues - San Diego, CA
27 - Counts Vamp’d - Las Vegas NV

Lineup:

Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Dio) - guitars
John Corabi (Mötley Crüe, The Scream) - vocals
David Lowy (Red Phoenix, Mink) - guitars
Marco Mendoza (Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake) - bass
Brian Tichy (Ozzy Osbourne, Foreigner) - drums

SMOKE HOLLOW, the new band featuring KILL DEVIL HILL singer Jason "Dewey" Bragg and TEXAS HIPPIE COALITION bassist John Exall, will release its debut album, "Salvation", on July 28.

Formed in 2015, SMOKE HOLLOW plays what is described in a press release as "expertly crafted, contemporary good old-fashioned rockin' metal." The band's sound consists of "crushing drums, pounding bass, and enormous riffs with unforgettable melodies."

"Salvation" was produced by Chris "The Wizard" Collier, who has previously worked with LYNCH MOB, PRONG and KXM, among others.

Two songs from the upcoming disc, "Edge Of Tomorrow" and "Nowhere To Run", can be streamed below.

In a 2016 interview with Teenview Music, Exall stated about SMOKE HOLLOW: "We got together with these cats named Jason Williams and Ralf Mueggler and we started churning out some music and it really turned into something."

He continued: "We wanted to make sure it didn't sound like TEXAS HIPPIE COALITION and it didn't sound like KILL DEVIL HILL. It's got its own legs, man. It's going to be awesome. It's hard to describe because I get all excited! I get all tongue-tied about it!"

SMOKE HOLLOW is: John Exall - BassRalf Mueggler - DrumsDewey Bragg - VocalsJason Williams - Guitar

Jason "Dewey" Bragg photo credit: California Rock News

Thrash metal legends EXODUS were rejoined by their former singer Rob Dukes on stage during their July 8 concert in San Francisco, California. Dukes sang several songs with the band during the second of EXODUS's two-night stint at The Chapel in what marked the group's first headlining Bay Area club shows since late 2013. Also appearing with the band at Saturday's gig were former EXODUS guitarist Rick Hunolt as well as ex-EXODUS drummer Paul Bostaph (now in SLAYER).

Video footage of the entire concert can be seen below (courtesy of Walter Morgan).

Earlier in the week, EXODUS guitarist and main songwriter Gary Holt spoke to CBS SF about this weekend's dates. He said: "The first night is going to be [current singer] Steve Souza's first headlining show with EXODUS back in the Bay. We're going to put together a pretty varied setlist and try to pull out a couple of deep tracks. It's going to be really killer. The second night, we've got a few special guests lined up. It's going to be awesome. We have Rob Dukes coming up to sing some songs. I'm super stoked about that. Rick Hunolt is going to play a few songs and [HEATHEN guitarist] Kragen [Lum], who has been standing in for me [while I have been on tour with SLAYER], is going to play some songs. It's going to be a night to remember."

He continued: "Most of those songs are second nature to those who played on them. It's just a matter of getting it together. Hell, I need to call him, but I think we've even got Paul Bostaph coming up to play drums on a song. It's going to be a really cool night."

During an appearance on the latest episode of the "Talking Metal" podcast, Dukes was asked how he reconnected with his bandmates three years after his departure from the group.

"I'm gonna say it was about eight or nine months ago, Gary and I spoke," Rob revealed. "We reached out and we talked. It was the first time we talked in years. And it was nice, it was awkward. I hung up the phone with the feeling of… kind of like… just regret that we hadn't spoken sooner. Actually, a mutual friend had kind of put us in the realm of talking. [Our friend] had somehow convinced us that we should bury the bad blood and kind of just move on."

Dukes added that a famous rock group's internal dispute inspired him to make amends with his former bandmates. He explained: "I had read this little story… I don't remember where I read it, but Sammy Hagar had sent Eddie Van Halen a tweet saying, 'Happy birthday, dude. I hope all is well.' And then they asked him why he did that. He said, 'I don't wanna die with that stuff. I don't wanna go through my life with this nagging anger and resentment.' 'Cause when things end, nothing really ends good. Most things end badly; really rarely [do you say], 'Hey, this is so awesome. Let's just part ways.' That rarely ever happens. Usually things are amiss and things are not [as they should be]. And that's kind of how it was. I mean, I was at fault, I think they were at fault. I think we all kind of agreed that we all kind of have a part to play in this, and that's true. And I do too. And it took some [time] to see that. At first, it was anger and then resentment. Dude, I was losing five friendships, my job, my security that I had… my life I had grown accustomed to. So all that had played a part."

According to Dukes, he felt a sense of "relief" when he first spoke with Holt. "It was kind of what Sammy talked about — that [feeling of], 'Yeah, man, it's nice to not hold on to that,'" he said. "So it just kind of all went away; it really did. And I had spoken with Lee [Altus, EXODUS guitarist] a few times.

"Since I spoke with Gary, we pretty much stayed in contact pretty regularly," he continued. "And here's the thing: we've never talked music, we've never talked EXODUS, we've never talked… We didn't really hash out the past. We just both said, 'Look, I'm sorry for my part in all this.' And it was kind of nice. And Lee was the same way. So we talked for months. [Then] Tom [Hunting, EXODUS drummer] had called me a couple of months ago for the first time. We spoke. He was getting married and wanted me to come, but I couldn't make it. But, anyway, we just settled a lot of bad blood."

Dukes joined EXODUS in January 2005 and appeared on four of the band's studio albums — "Shovel Headed Kill Machine" (2005), "The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A" (2007), "Let There Be Blood" (2008, a re-recording of EXODUS' classic 1985 LP, "Bonded By Blood") and "Exhibit B: The Human Condition" (2010).

EXODUS in June 2014 announced the departure of Dukes and the return of Steve "Zetro" Souza, who previously fronted EXODUS from 1986 to 1993 and from 2002 to 2004.

In some of the first interviews after his split from EXODUS, Dukes slammed his former bandmates, claiming that he "didn't like the new music they were writing" and saying that "there was just no passion in it."

Rob addressed some of his negative comments during the "Talking Metal" interview, saying "it was like a divorce. It was an ugly divorce that no one was really happy walking away from. And as some divorces happen, later on you become okay with the people. And I didn't wanna go through my life with that resentment."

He continued: "Look, I lived with those guys for ten fucking years. We've been through a bunch of shit. Especially with Lee — me and Lee were really close. I was close with his family — not only his parents, but his brother. So the family side of it was hard to walk away from without… One, you feel disappointed, you feel bad, which can sometimes turn to anger and resentment, and then you talk shit when you don't really want to, 'cause you're just hurt. And when you are hurt, sometimes you lash out. And I know that I did that from time to time. I tried to take the high road, and I tried to just be grateful for the experience and move on with my life. And then there were times when I would just get overwhelmed with the emotions of, 'Fuck them!' Even though most of the time I didn't walk around like that. I just tried to live my life and tried to move on to something else and focus on where I was at. And I missed some of the times we had."

Dukes said that he was looking forward to spending time and performing with his former bandmates again.

"I am flying [to San Francisco] Thursday [July 6] and we're gonna rehearse and then I'm gonna join them on stage Saturday with Rick Hunolt too, which I'm so stoked to see that me and him are gonna be in the same hotel," he said. "Rick is one of the funniest people ever and so much fun to hang out with. So it'll be nice to be at the same hotel with Rick and a couple of other guys that are gonna be there. And it'll be fun, man. It's gonna be fun. I'm gonna go out there, settle some bad blood, go out there, have some laughs, play some songs. I'm sure it'll be a love fest, it'll be all good. And hopefully it won't be too weird. You know what I mean?"

Regarding how he expected Saturday's concert to play out, Dukes said: "I'm gonna go out by myself with the band and sing the songs that I wrote. That's basically what's gonna happen. There's songs that I wrote — I wrote 'The Ballad Of Leonard And Charles', I wrote 'Children Of A Worthless God'… there's a couple of others. And so I'm basically gonna go do those. And then they're gonna do their show [with Zetro] or whatever, and then, at the end, probably everyone will come up and sing 'Toxic [Waltz]' or something like that. I don't know exactly how it's gonna go, but in my imagination, that's kind of how I see it going… And hopefully when I go back there, it'll be just kind of like a soothing process of all that, of, 'Yeah, man. That was fun, and it's all good. I wish you the best. And let's move forward.' So that's it."

Photos courtesy of Rob Dukes and Kragen Lum

Fan-filmed video footage of ANTHRAX's July concert at De Pul in Uden, The Netherlands can be seen below.

Filling for regular ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante at the Uden show was Jon Dette. Benante is forced to miss certain shows on the band's tour due to his continuing battle with carpal tunnel syndrome.

Charlie told San Antonio Metal Music Examiner about his inability to make all the dates on ANTHRAX's tours: "Unfortunately, we're like athletes, and like athletes, they suffer from certain things. I suffer from carpal tunnel problems. But I try and do as much as I could when I can. So we still wanna keep the band… We don't wanna disappoint people. So that's why we do it that way."

Dette first stepped in for Benante during ANTHRAX's appearance at the Soundwave festival in 2013 and at a number of European shows in 2014.

To coincide with ANTHRAX's current European tour, the band has released a digital two-track single titled "Leftoverthrax", including cover versions of KANSAS's "Carry On Wayward Son" and THE WHITE STRIPES' "Black Math".

ANTHRAX's cover version of "Carry On Wayward Son" is a bonus track on the new expanded vinyl edition of "For All Kings".

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine has once again reiterated his belief that he is already in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Mustaine, who was a member of METALLICA for less than two years, from 1981 to 1983, before being dismissed and replaced by Kirk Hammett, was not inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with the band during the April 2009 ceremony at Cleveland, Ohio's Public Auditorium.

But Mustaine insists he has already gotten the nod because he is credited on the first two METALLICA albums and co-wrote half a dozen or so songs with the band which, inarguably, helped launch their career.

"I'm in there," he tells The Richmond Register in a new interview. "Anyone who thinks that METALLICA is in there and Dave Mustaine is not has got a short between their headphones. I'm there. As far as being there and standing on my own two feet and going into the head, taking a piss and saying that I own the house, no, not yet. But I'm sure at some point if it is meant to be, it will happen. I'm patient."

Mustaine also again spoke about the fact that MEGADETH finally won a Grammy Award for "Best Metal Performance" earlier this year after twelve nominations in the past twenty-six years.

"Having been nominated so many times for a Grammy and not getting it, it almost made me just irascible," Mustaine said. "Now that I have it, most people would be like, 'Oh, wow. I did it. It's so great.' But behind every mountain there's another mountain. I was looking at my Grammy Award. It says 'Presented To Megadeth For Best Metal Performance For Dystopia.' It would have been way cooler if it would have said 'Presented to Dave Mustaine.' I still have a target. I'm not giving up yet."

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich explained to The Plain Dealer that Mustaine was not included into the Rock Hall along with his former bandmates because "you've got to kind of cap it somewhere. Dave Mustaine never played on any METALLICA records. No disrespect to him. But there [were] half a dozen other people that were in the lineup in the early days. We thought... the fair thing to do would be to include anybody that played on a METALLICA record." He added: "Dave Mustaine was in the band for eleven months, predominantly in 1982... I'm not trying to play it down. I have nothing but respect and admiration for his accomplishments since."

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

STRYPER will enter the studio this fall to begin work on in its new album for an early 2018 release. Frontman Michael Sweet told Good Company in a new interview about the band's planned follow-up to 2015's "Fallen" (see video below): "We're gonna start recording a new album in October — we start pre-production — and we'll probably be done by before Christmastime, at the latest just after Christmas. It will come out — if I had to guess — probably around April."

Asked if he feels any pressure having to come up with an album's worth of material in such a short period of time, Sweet said: "I do, but I don't [start writing well ahead of time], actually. I procrastinate a lot. So if I'm traveling and I'm busy doing other things, I'll put off [until] two, three weeks before the album writing the album. I've done that on the last three albums — 'No More Hell To Pay' [2013], 'Fallen' and [2016 solo disc] 'One Sided War'. Those were all written just a few weeks before recording. It's not the way I like to do things, it's not the way things should be done, but I seem to be — for whatever reason — in that mindset. And hopefully for this new STRYPER album, I can break that. I wanna start writing in July, 'cause I'm gonna have some time to do that, and try to come up with a good number of ideas long before we start recording them."

STRYPER guitarist Oz Fox recently revealed that Tim Gaines was going through a divorce, forcing the band to take a hiatus and possibly consider a future without the bassist. "As far as I know, [Tim is] looking like he's on his way to making all of that stuff in his life correct and fixed, and then we'll see where he stands after he's all done with that, and I know he wants to keep touring," Fox told The Vinyl Mishappenings.

Michael told the WSOU radio station that STRYPER has "no plans of stopping," despite the latest setback. He explained: "I mean, we had considered it and thought, well, maybe we should, but then we realized, well, that's just fair to us, that's not fair to the fans. So we're gonna continue on for sure."

Sweet also said that it was "probable" that STRYPER would carry on without Gaines, explaining that "if we were to disband or dissolve or stop, it really wouldn't be fair to the fans, it wouldn't be fair to the other guys, and it's important to keep that in mind as well."

Gaines is no longer listed as a member of STRYPER on the band's official web site.

"Fallen" entered The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 43 with first-week sales of just over 10,000 units — nearly all from pure album sales. The set followed the No. 35-peaking "No More Hell To Pay", which was released in 2013.

Mike Portnoy says that he understands why his former bandmates in DREAM THEATER declined his invitation to join him in a performance of the group's "12 Step Suite" in its entirety for the first time ever on the Cruise To The Edge this past February. The music documents the musician's battle with alcoholism, and is an ensemble of five songs recorded by DREAM THEATER from 2002 to 2009, with titles that reflect his struggles: "The Glass Prison", "This Dying Soul", "The Root Of All Evil", "Repentance" and "The Shattered Fortress".

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

Asked in a new interview with Rockhok if it was his original intention to perform "12 Step Suite" with DREAM THEATER on Cruise To The Edge, Portnoy said (see video below): "That was never the plan. When I first came up with the fiftieth-birthday concert, or whatever, the invitation from Cruise To The Edge, and I started putting the… I invited FLYING COLORS, I invited TRANSATLANTIC, and I thought the right thing to do would be to invite the DREAM THEATER guys as well. So I did extend the invitation, at least to the couple of guys that I'm still friendly with. I wanted to give them first crack at joining me. They are friends of mine for a very, very, very long time, and we created the music together. So I, of course, extended the invitation to them first and foremost. And then once they said they were unavailable, that's when I put together this great band."

Portnoy added that he understood why his former bandmates declined the invitation to join him on Cruise To The Edge. "I think people might have misinterpreted it and might have started to think that there was a reunion brewing, so I can understand why they turned it down," he said. "And for selfish reasons, for myself, in a way, I kind of liked it as well, because if they had come, suddenly the focus would have been on that, and, really, it was supposed to be a celebration of my whole career, with all the different bands, celebrating my fiftieth birthday. So, in a lot of ways, it turned out okay."

Mike went on to say that he had no hard feelings toward DREAM THEATER. "I love those guys," he said. "And I always try to extend the olive branch and keep the friendship alive. I do my best with that."

Portnoy is playing shows throughout the world with his SHATTERED FORTRESS project. He is joined by an all-star prog lineup for the tour, including Ross Jennings on vocals, Eric Gillette, Richard Henshall and Charlie Griffiths on guitar, Connor Green on bass and Diego Tejeida on keyboards. Together, they are performing the "12 Step Suite" in its entirety, as well as a a couple of other classics.

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

In a brand new interview with the Dallas Observer, GHOST lead singer and founder Tobias Forge — who performs as Papa Emeritus and does the act's interviews disguised as a member of his backing band of Nameless Ghouls — spoke about being inspired by IRON MAIDEN, with whom his group is currently touring the United States.

"For me personally, they have been very influential musically," Forge stated about the Bruce Dickinson-fronted outfit. "I've always listened to them a lot growing up as a metal fan. Their live album, 'Live After Death', had — and still has — a great impact on me when it comes to work ethic. Going through that book that came with the record, watching all those dates. When I was a kid, I would sit there with a map book and pin out all the cities they played on that tour. It was like a hundred shows all over America. The show was so over the top, so it set a standard."

"MAIDEN was one of the big movers when it came to '80s heavy metal merchandise," Forge added. "All of our merchandise has always been inspired by bands like MAIDEN and the good ol' days of faithful RUSH t-shirts in parking lots outside of high school, with people smoking joints. That's the sort of idea I had about rock and roll merchandise. We didn't want to be worse. We wanted to look like those old, cool shirts, and that was the same with the logo."

Forge recently told the Albuquerque Journal that even as he is preparing to record GHOST's fourth studio album, he's thinking about the one after that. He explained: "It's a pick and mix of a lot of different ideas and stuff laying around, a lot of new stuff being added to the pile. Yeah, it's a constant thinking ahead, and now, already now, I'm thinking about album number five, because there are songs coming out now or coming up being written that I feel like that won't fit into the new album, so I'll put that one on to the next one instead."

Forge hinted at the lyrical themes of the next record, saying: "Having in mind that the previous record was about the absence of God or the absence of deities, this new one is going to be about the return of God. You know God's wrath cast upon the suffering humans, so it will be a little bit more biblical in that sense, which in turn makes it darker, a little bit more apocalyptic, I think."

GHOST will enter the studio in mid-August to begin recording the new LP, after it completes its current North American tour as support for IRON MAIDEN. The follow-up to 2015's "Meliora" is expected out sometime early next year.

"If everything goes to plan, by the end of the year we will have a new record recorded, mixed, mastered, delivered, and if nothing happens, we can still aim at an April release," Forge told the Dallas Observer. "The plan as of right now is to come back to America in April or May [of 2018]. We have a tendency to do American tours in April, so we like that tradition. It's a good one and we'd like to keep doing that."

STONE SOUR has released a video for an acoustic version of the band's new track "Song #3". The clip can be seen below.

"Song #3" is taken from STONE SOUR's latest album, "Hydrograd", which was released on June 30 via Roadrunner Records.

STONE SOUR singer Corey Taylor previously stated about "Hydrograd": "We have six singles on this album. I'm really excited. This album is great because it's got elements of everything. It's got the heavy energy of the '80s, there's punk moments, there's hard rock moments — all the great amalgam of music. There's even jazz and hip-hop moments; it's really, really cool. It's probably the coolest album I've made since the first SLIPKNOT album. I feel very confident making that statement because it's so good."

"Hydrograd" was recorded at Sphere Studios in North Hollywood, California with producer Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX and STEEL PANTHER. The band tracked the album live in the studio, cutting a total of 18 songs from which 15 made the CD.

Bassist Johnny Chow described the disc as "a straight rock and roll album" in an interview with Detroit radio station WRIF, adding, "It's just very groove-oriented, very melodic (with) big choruses. We've got some mellower songs on there too, which are equally just as amazing and have a lot of groove to them."

Chow called the record a "bit of a departure" from previous STONE SOUR albums.

STONE SOUR has had eight Top 10 songs on Billboard's Mainstream Rock Songs, dating back to "Bother" in 2002. The band has landed three top 10 albums on the Billboard 200 and has sold 2.1 million albums in the United States to date, according to Nielsen Music.

SEVENDUST has inked a deal with Rise Records. The band is tentatively scheduled to enter the studio in November with producer Michael "Elvis" Baskette (ALTER BRIDGE, SLASH) to begin recording the follow-up to 2015's "Kill The Flaw" album for a spring 2018 release.

In a new video message posted on the SEVENDUST Facebook page, guitarist John Connolly stated about the group's plans for the next disc: "We're kind of in demo mode right now. It's super preliminary. We're just working on demos and all that good stuff, kind of getting a direction, getting a vibe, getting a feel for the record. But we're gonna put a lot of time in and get you guys a record out next year that we'll be really looking forward to getting behind and touring."

He added: "We'll probably start pre-production and recording somewhere in the neck of September and October, and we'll be hopping in the studio in November to record a new record."

Connolly went on to say that he was "super, super excited to be working with" Baskette on the next SEVENDUST album. He said: "[It's] really exciting for me, 'cause I get to sleep in my own bed, [laughs] being that he's local here in Orlando."

SEVENDUST singer Lajon Witherspoon confirmed the Rise signing in a recent interview with The Washington Times. He said: "It is amazing. We have been sending music back and forth. Things are starting to come together. The magic happens when we all get in one room. It's like we are those 17-, 18- and 19-year-olds [again], doing what they love. And that's music."

Witherspoon also talked about SEVENDUST's longevity, saying: "We love each other, man. We're brothers. So we fight. Somebody will call somebody else a douchebag. At the end of the day, we look at how far we've come and realize it would be foolish for us to ever take this for granted. We have a family. And not just a family at home, the family that has grown up with us and supported us through the years. We can't let them down."

SEVENDUST last year received its first-ever Grammy nomination after two decades together as a band. "Thank You", the debut single from "Kill The Flaw", received a nomination for "Best Metal Performance".

SEVENDUST is comprised of Witherspoon, the dual-guitar attack of Connolly and Clint Lowery, and the driving rhythm section of Vince Hornsby on bass and Morgan Rose on drums.




Sevendust and Projected update

Posted by Sevendust on Thursday, July 6, 2017

Legendary shock rock band MENTORS has released a new album, titled "The Illuminaughty". MENTORS first rose to fame in 1985 when their raucous style of rock came to the attention of Tipper Gore's PMRC (Parents Music Resource Center) with their song "Golden Shower". This prompted reading of some of its lyrics on the Congressional floor, inducing uncontrollable laughter by those present.

The band consisting of El Duce (drums, vocals), Dr Heathen Scum (bass, vocals) and Sickie Wifebeater (guitar) released several albums and toured extensively.

In the mid-1990s, El Duce claimed — without any proof — that Courtney Love had offered him $50,000 to kill her husband, Kurt Cobain.

In 1997, El Duce met his untimely death, when he was struck by a train in Riverside, California. El Duce's death was officially declared a accident/suicide, although some conspiracy theorists say there is evidence of foul play, related to the alleged Kurt Cobain assassination offer.

MENTORS now features Dr Heathen Scum (bass, vocals), Sickie Wifebeater (guitar, vocals), Cousin "Cuz" Fister (guitar, vocals) and El Chapo (drums).

"The Illuminaughty" is the MENTORS' first release in eight years and continues with their brand of adult humor rock. The album is available now at CD Baby.

Next month, Icelandic death metal unit Beneath will unleash their third full length, Ephemeris. Recorded, mixed, and mastered by Fredrik Nordström (Arch Enemy, Dimmu Borgir, In Flames, At The Gates,) at the acclaimed Studio Fredman in the fall of 2016, Ephemeris features new recruit Mike Heller (Malignancy, Control/Resist, Fear Factory) at the drum stool. The result is nine tracks of relentless brutality; an odyssey through the forthcoming millenniums of exponential colonization of planets and galaxies by human induced technology; a world where technology has gone way beyond the frontier of the imagination.

Notes guitarist Unnar Sigurðsson: "Ephemeris is our very best release so far. We wanted to do an album more dynamic and natural than those before and we are extremely proud of the outcome. It has elements from all of us combined into something very different from the other releases."

Guitarist Jóhann Ingi Sigurðsson adds, "Ephemeris has been a demanding album for us personally and in many ways, it represents a turning point for the band. We've always pushed ourselves in ways that keep us invested and engaged in our music­, and on this album, that meant making big changes to our overall sound. There are songs that are a marriage of pure heaviness and brutality, while on the other spectrum there are some very challenging technical arrangements pushing the limits of our playing abilities. In the end, we ended up with an album that feels musically multidimensional and that we are extremely proud of."

Ephemeris will be released on August 18th via Unique Leader Records. A new lyric video for "Eyecatcher" is streaming below.

Tracklisting:

“Constellational Transformation”
“Eyecatcher”
“Ephemeris”
“Alignments”
“Guillotine”
“Cities Of The Outer Reaches”
“Medium Obscurum”
“Amorphous Globe”
“Multiangular”

"Eyecatcher" lyric video:

“Constellational Transformation”:

Ephemeris by Beneath

Styx is celebrating the 40th anniversary of The Grand Illusion by releasing a special bundle of The Grand Illusion vinyl and CD of their new album The Mission exclusively on the band’s official website, Styx World, starting today for $37.77. 
 
Released on 7/7/77 on A&M Records, The Grand Illusion has been universally embraced as one of the greatest progressive rock albums ever recorded. To celebrate this landmark anniversary, STYX and UMe have produced a limited edition pressing of The Grand Illusion on translucent green vinyl; featuring the hit songs, “Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)” and “Come Sail Away."
 
“40 years ago today, we captured magic on vinyl with the release of The Grand Illusion. What is additionally exciting to me is that I feel that we are heading for the skies for the second time with our new album The Mission.” – James “JY” Young 

 
The Grand Illusion is the biggest seller in the band’s catalog. It reached #6 on the Billboard “Top 200 Albums” chart, and spawned the smash hits "Come Sail Away," which reached #8 on Billboard’s “Hot 100” chart, and "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)," which made it to #29. The album has been certified triple Platinum by the RIAA, having sold over three million copies to date, and it was the first in the band’s groundbreaking string of releasing four multi-Platinum albums in a row.
 
The album’s iconic cover art by Alton Kelley and Stanley Mouse is modeled after Belgian surrealist René Magritte’s 1965 piece titled Le Blanc Seing, a.k.a. The Blank Check. “The album’s artwork has stood the test of time,” declares keyboardist/vocalist Lawrence Gowan. “It looks so engaging today, when I see that equestrian image mixed with the forest, the woman’s eyes, and the female face. It’s one of the great icons of rock history, and rock lore. I’m happy to see it continue to be celebrated.”
 
In this continued tradition, also enjoy the new Styx release, The Mission; recorded nearly 40 years later in this specially priced collector’s bundle.

 

BEAST IN BLACK, the Helsinki, Finland-based metal band led by former BATLE BEAST guitarist and main songwriter Anton Kabanen, has completed work on its debut album. The disc was produced by Kabanen and recorded primarily at his studio, Sound Quest Studio.

BEAST IN BLACK is working on securing a record deal for the release of the album, which is tentatively due before the end of the year.

Kabanen exited BATTLE BEAST in February 2015 due to what was described at the time as "insurmountable disagreements" with the other members of the band.

In a 2016 interview with Hungary's Hard Rock Magazin, Anton stated about his split with BATTLE BEAST: "To be honest, I'd prefer not to go into the truth how I see it, because probably it would only start an ugly and endless war of words. But at least to squeeze it into minimum without going into details, I can tell that hypocrisy, lying, opportunism and blackmailing was the name of the game. The whole thing was just wrong and twisted and there is no more BATTLE BEAST, if you ask me."

Kabanen admitted that it was "hard at first" to move forward after his departure from BATTLE BEAST "but the only solution was just to keep going." He added: "I got support from many dear people; fans, friends, collegues, family and etc. I'm grateful to everyone who stood by my side. My passion is to create music and I always do it with full heart and uncompromised. So I kept writing new songs and tried to focus in forming a new band/project that would consist of people whose musical professionalism matches — or surpasses — my expectations and of people who would be honest and loyal friends."

Regarding why he chose to keep the word "beast" in the name of his new band, Anton said: "I want to continue my vision which I originally started with BATTLE BEAST. Basically, it means writing my own songs with freedom, and the beast has already become an essential part of my life. It's something like Eddie of IRON MAIDEN."

Asked how he would compare the music and the overall vibe of his new band to that of BATTLE BEAST, Anton said: "The feeling in this group is totally different. And only in a good way. Everyone can be themselves and we enjoy each other's company and I believe people will feel and see it. In BEAST IN BLACK, the level of musicianship is much higher than in BATTLE BEAST. The band rehearsals, the album recordings and the communication is so much smoother. The music itself is not gonna be so different, but it's gonna be more powerful and heavy."

Video footage of BEAST IN BLACK performing a new song called "Go To Hell" at last year's Tuska festival in Helsinki, Finland can be seen below.

BATTLE BEAST singer Noora Louhimo told Metal Assault earlier this year that the band parted ways with Anton because he "wanted to do all the songs and make decisions on everything, and we weren't willing to do that. We wanted this band to be involved, and have everyone write songs if they want to."

BEAST IN BLACK is:

Anton Kabanen (BATTLE BEAST) - Guitar, VocalsYannis Papadopoulos (WARDRUM) - Lead VocalsKasperi Heikkinen (U.D.O.) - GuitarMáté Molnar (WISDOM) - BassSami Hänninen (BRYMIR) - Drums

Los Angeles-based label Sumerian Records has announced the signing of IN MOTIVE. The band — made up of longtime Sumerian artists Lee McKinney (guitar; BORN OF OSIRIS), Nick Rossi (guitar; ex-CITY IN THE SEA), Conor White (drums), plus newcomer Devin Barrus (vocals) — crafts a sound that ebbs and flows between progressive metallic intricacy and alternative infectiousness.

Check out the official music video for IN MOTIVE single "Revival" below as well as the stream for the song "The Disconnect".

In late 2015, longtime friends Nick and Lee found themselves both deep in writing mode for a new musical outlet. With a similar sound and goal in mind, they decided to collaborate. Conor joined the fold and the trio recorded multiple tracks with mutual producer Nick Sampson. On Halloween 2016, they uploaded one of the instrumental tracks on the Sumerian Records YouTube channel to see who would interlock seamlessly as a vocalist.

As the clip quickly cracked 140,000 views, one vocalist in particular stood out.

"Devin's voice was the perfect contrast to the instrumentation," comments Conor. "It was a subconscious thing. We just knew he would fit."

"He brought in a unique element that we never expected," adds Nick. "We wanted a singer whose voice you could identify with the band right off the bat. He was the best fit we could've ever found. Moreover, he felt the music the way we did."

Without telling a soul, the group finished tracking the collection of songs with Sampson in Michigan before heading to Bakersfield, California to track vocals with none other than hard rock legend Jonathan Davis of KORN. Both producers pushed IN MOTIVE to bend and break boundaries.

"We're super comfortable with Nick Sampson," says Nick Rossi. "He's really tight with us and even played bass on the record. We're all KORN fans, and working with Jonathan was just incredible. To be able to hang with him and get insights into what he's seen throughout his years in the industry and hear his opinion on our songs was unbelievable. He took our vision and helped us get to where we need to be."

That initial YouTube video turned into "The Disconnect" — a song powered by warm tones and an unforgettable refrain. Meanwhile, the first single "Revival" builds from intergalactic six-string soundscapes into an entrancing chant punctuated by falsetto and fire.

After playing with a developing IRON MAIDEN in the seventies and then moving to SAMSON (being instrumental in finding a very youthful Bruce Dickinson), Barry Graham Purkis became the figurehead of the newly emerging NWOBHM (New Wave Of British Heavy Metal) scene. This was done by creating an alter ego Thunderstick, a masked persona known not only for his wild style of playing his drums but doing so from inside a cage and terrorizing audiences. He went on to form his own highly theatrical band in the eighties. Fronted by a female rock 'n' roll wildchild, THUNDERSTICK the band was a perfect "beauty and the beast" combination, playing live and recording for five years until it folded in 1987. Never to be seen again until now.

THUNDERSTICK is back with a brand new studio album which remains true to the band's original "classic rock" style: "Something Wicked This Way Comes".

Says Thunderstick: "This is an album that is befitting of the THUNDERSTICK of another era, but screams relevance for today.

"The whole thing came about because of the tragic death of our former vocalist Jodee Valentine at just 55," he continues. "Jodee's passing hit me really hard and I wanted to do something in her memory. There are some songs that we were playing live first time around that had never been released, coupled with some new tracks that have been written purely for this album. A new lineup. A new album. A new era."

Scheduled for release the end of July, this is the classic THUNDERSTICK band format of female vocalist, two guitars, bass and drums and the first THUNDERSTICK album of new material in over three decades.

The CD album will be available for purchase via THUNDERSTICK's Facebook page and via Bandcamp.

Musicians on the album are: Thunderstick (drums), Martin Shellard (guitars), Dave Kandy Kilford (guitars), Rex Thunderbolt (bass) and Lucy V (vocals).

"Something Wicked This Way Comes" track listing:

01. Dark Night Black Light02. Don't Touch I'll Scream03. Go Sleep With The Enemy (I Dare Ya) *04. The Shining05. Encumbrance *06. Fly 'N' Mighty07. Lights (Take Me Away) 08. Blackwing09. Thunder Thunder '1710. I Close My Eyes *

All compositions by Barry Graham Purkis except * by Chang / Downs / Purkis / Shellard. All lyrics by Barry Graham Purkis.


SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES by THUNDERSTICK

Mulatschag TV recently conducted an interview with drummer Mario Duplantier of French progressive metallers GOJIRA. You can watch the full interview below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On whether he gets "bored" playing with other guitarists, including his brother Joe [also of GOJIRA]:

Mario: "[Laughs] I love to play with my brother because we have this osmosis together. It's easy for us to jam. We don't have to talk; he's an excellent guitarist and I love the way he plays. We have this synchronization together. I feel it's very unique. Yeah, I don't want to play with other guitarists."

On his upbringing in Ondres, France:

Mario: "[It's] by the ocean, the mountains. We grew up in a big house. Actually, you can see our house in the [GOJIRA] video clip called 'Low Lands'. You can see the house with the camera on the sky. You really feel the vibe. It's in the middle of the forest. We were just hanging outside all day long, no neighbors, so it was easy to make noise. When we started the band, it wasn't a problem. We got a [rehearsal] room, we could practice even in the night if we wanted. It's five minutes from the ocean. It's very close to the mountains. It's a very natural place."

On GOJIRA's long-delayed EP in support of the anti-whaling Sea Shepherd Conservation Society:

Mario: "We just wanted to put a spotlight on them, so Joe had this idea of doing an EP and selling the EP and all the money goes to them, to help them. Finally, we started working in the EP, but the hard drive crashed. We couldn't [finish] the project, but we're still working on it. The goal was to talk about them. They work, they fight for something very important, we feel. We respect them so much, so that was a goal."

On who he'd like to be in a side project with:

Mario: "METALLICA. [Laughs]"

On writing and recording the band's 2016 "Magma" album in their new home base of Brooklyn, New York:

Mario: "I went to Brooklyn to spend time with my brother to work on a new album every day, every day to be able to work on every detail of the band, the visuals, the video clips, the discussion around management, compositions, everything. I spent two years over there just working every day just working with him over there working on the new album, 'Magma'. It was an amazing experience, but for technical reasons, I went back to France for one year, but now I moved back with my family. Also we have an American passport because our mother was American, so it's easy for us to travel over there because we know it's a big deal to stay in America. With a passport, it's easier."

On whether he could picture a "cyborg" version of BLACK SABBATH appearing in 50 or 100 years:

Mario: "[Laughs] It's a bit crazy. I prefer not to think about it. We are already a bit overwhelmed… I don't know the word, but it's a bit too crazy, even myself, I cannot control myself on my phone, checking my Instagram. I'm a bit worried about myself sometimes. I'm a bit worried about the attention people [have] lost. You cannot really have a conversation sometimes without a phone ringing and that interaction through technology. It will be very important to find a balance, but it's not easy because phones are everything now. You can go so far with it, so I don't know how to control it. It's incredible and a nightmare at the same time. We are always nostalgic and old school. We resist a little bit, maybe not everyone, but me, I'm always resisting complaining about new technology. But maybe we should embrace it and accept and try our best to live with it."

"Magma" was released in June 2016 via Roadrunner Records.

Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH have tapped former JOB FOR A COWBOY and SCORPION CHILD drummer Jon Rice for their summer North American tour with SLAYER and LAMB OF GOD. Rice will be filling in for longtime BEHEMOTH drummer Inferno (real name: Zbigniew Robert Promiński).

Comments Inferno: "I am going to be a father for the second time in my life and it's going to happen in July of 2017. I therefore must apologize to all our fans for not being able to participate in the 2017 summer North American tour. I believe that Jon Rice, an amazing drummer, a truly experienced musician, and a good friend of ours, will flawlessly take over my drum throne for this short period and will set the stage on fire!"

One of extreme metal's most in-demand young drummers, Rice got his start with Pittsburgh thrashers CROWN THE LOST before joining JOB FOR A COWBOY in 2006. Rice played on JOB FOR A COWBOY's "Ruination" and "Demonocracy" albums before leaving to join Austin rockers SCORPION CHILD in 2013, where he provided drums on 2016's "Acid Roulette". Rice has also done touring stints with 1349, THE RED CHORD, REVOCATION and SIRENIA.

The six-week SLAYER, LAMB OF GOD and BEHEMOTH expedition will rage across North America beginning July 12 in Bemidji, Minnesota, winding up in Phoenix, Arizona on August 20. SLAYER and LAMB OF GOD will also play Wisconsin's Rock Fest (July 13) and Rock USA (July 15) festivals, and then meet up with BEHEMOTH at the Chicago Open Air festival on July 16.

BEHEMOTH is continuing work on the follow-up to 2014's "The Satanist" album for a tentative fall 2018 release.

Last year, BEHEMOTH completed a North American tour where they played "The Satanist" in its entirety.

Photo credit: Shane "Beetle" Mayer

ALTIMORE — Promoters of the Dollops of Doom festival canceled the three-day music event at the last minute after weather reports confirmed sunny skies and a pleasant breeze would move into the area over the weekend.

The event, which had been billed as “the most soul-crushing, dismal musical event of the year,” was initially slated to take place under heavy rains and thunderstorms, as organizers had hoped. That all changed over the past twelve hours, however, as a warm front rolled through the area, resulting in “the single most gorgeous day the city has ever seen.”

Gunnar Askelson, a spokesman for the festival, released a statement addressing the last-minute cancelation.

“Cataclysm would be the biggest understatement of the year. And I’m not talking about the band Cataclysm — they’re heavy as fuck,” said Askelson. “We’ve been preparing for this festival for months, and all we needed were some storm clouds and maybe even some brutal rains. All we got is sunshine with little to no humidity.”

Fans who already arrived at the festival before cancellation took cover from the sun in makeshift tents made out of battle jackets and branches removed from nearby trees.

“I was at the Doom Your Soul festival in Wichita in ’09, and a tornado literally careened through the campgrounds, sweeping up five people and hurtling them to their deaths. Now THAT was fucking metal,” said avid doom enthusiast Alicia Williams. “What we have here is the sort of sunny day that reminds me of summertime as a child — laughing endlessly, playing until dusk, and a seemingly endless supply of ice cream filling our happy bellies, giving our existence simple meaning and worth. I don’t need that kind of crap in my life.”

As the day progressed, bands fled the festival grounds, escaping what promised to become an enjoyable afternoon of music and frivolity. Outside of their tour bus, Graham Adams, manager of the band Lugubrious, commented on the perfect weather.

“The boys just didn’t feel the environmental conditions met the standards for maximum devastation,” said Adams. “We’re just going to pop in Requiem for a Dream and roll out to the next gig.”

Patrons of the festival were refunded the full cost of their tickets, and promoters are expected to reschedule the event during the bleak winter squalls of January.

Metallica’s Hardwired… To Self-Destruct album lands at #123 on the latest Billboard 200 album chart (dated July 15th). With another 4,000 copies sold in the latest tracking week, Hardwired… To Self-Destruct surpasses 1 million in total US sales, as its to-date sum rises to a little more than 1,004,000.

The former #1 set is the band's 12th album to sell at least a million copies since Nielsen Music began tracking sales in 1991. Some of Hardwired's sales were driven by a well-received concert ticket/album bundle sale redemption promotion with the band’s stadium tour.

In total, the group has sold 58 million albums in the US in the Nielsen Music era, and owns the overall top-selling album of that span of time: its self-titled 1991 release, with 16.6 million sold.

Upcoming Metallica North American tour dates in support of Hardwired… To Self-Destruct are listed below. Find the band’s complete live itinerary at this location.

July
7 - Miami, FL - Hard Rock Stadium*^
9 - Atlanta, GA - Suntrust Park*^
12 - Detroit, MI - Comercia Park*^
14 - Quebec City, QC- Festival D'Ete
16 - Toronto, ON - Rogers Centre*^
19 - Montreal, QB - Parc Jean-Drapeau*^
29 - Los Angeles, CA - Rose Bowl*+

August
4 - Phoenix, AZ - University of Phoenix Stadium*+
6 - San Diego, CA - Petco Park*+
9 - Seattle, WA - Centurylink Field*+
11-13 - San Francisco, CA - Outside Lands
14 - Vancouver, BC - BC Place*+
16 - Edmonton, AB - Commonwealth Stadium*+

* With Avenged Sevenfold
^ With Volbeat
+ With Gojira

Heavy rockers Tower Of Babel featuring guitar shredder Joe Stump (Raven Lord, Holyhell) and Csaba Zvekan (vocals) (Exorcism, Raven Lord, Metal Machine) will release their debut long player Lake Of Fire through Lion Music. The release date is scheduled July 20th and the band has released a lyric video for "Midnight Sun".

The record was produced by Zvekan and Stump and recoded at various places. Artwork was created by Gragoth.

Zvekan comments: “…‘Midnight Sun’ is a song about a very special person you would meet once in a lifetime hahaha. The music and vibe should go vintage metal like early Rainbow, Deep Purple and MSG."

Stump comments: “...The new Tower Of Babel lyric video for the track ‘Midnight Sun’, record comes out via Lion Music July 20th. Timeless old school hard rock/power metal heavily inspired by classic Dio-era Rainbow.”

Tracklisting:

“Dragonslayer”
“It’s Only Rock’n’Roll”
“Lake Of Fire”
“Addicted”
“Midnight Sun”
“Eternal Flames”
“Once Again”
“Stardust”
“Eyes Of The World”
“Lamb And The Wolves”
“Thoth”
“All Out Warfare”

"Midnight Sun" lyric video:

“I Wanna Swing Like Peter Parker”, a song from the upcoming studio release by Hell In The Club, entitled See You On The Dark Side, is available for streaming below. The album will be released on September 15th.

Beyond a shadow of a doubt, Hell In The Club is a killer hard rock/heavy metal band. Think of a playlist comprised of your favorite ‘80s hard rock bands like Mötley Crüe, Def Leppard, and the like mixed with the cream of the crop of ‘80s heavy metal like Ronnie James Dio, Helloween, and other giants of the era. Now, imagine if all those classic songs started to play over each other and overlap and merge with one another and you’ll start to have a sense of Hell In The Club’s sound. Familiar, yet wholly unique. Riffs, big hooks, catchy choruses, and gang vocals are the order of the day as they mix classic hard rock and modern sounds, heavy metal and party songs, fifties rock’n’roll and anything in between.

Of their new album See You On The Dark Side, lead vocalist Dave says, “The album sounds great, our best production with our most ambitious arrangements to date, but still with a rough and kickin' edge which has been our trademark since the beginning. As usual we've been melting all our inspirations and what we like in music and made a unique blend - pure 100% Hell In The Club - in these 11 tracks that contain a lot of different shades, melodies, power, heavy riffs, big choirs, sweet tunes and also a full swing/jazz orchestra this time!”

Bassist Andy Buratto had this to say about the new video, “We Are On Fire”: “The videoclip of “We Are On Fire“ is dirty, sweaty and powerful. It represents the actual status of Hell In The Club! Flames, Energy and Rock'n'roll. Yes indeed...we are on fire!”

Hell In The Club has staked a serious claim in the European metal scene based on a lot of hard work over the years. They’ve toured extensively in Europe and the UK with the likes of Crashdiet, Jettblack, Crucified Barbara, and appearances at Sonisphere Festival, Basin Fire Fest, Heineken Jammin’ Festival, and more. It should also be noted that Andrea (Andy) Buratto is also a member of Italian progressive metal legends Secret Sphere and vocalist Dave is also the singer for popular folk/power metal band Elvenking.

Tracklisting:

“We Are On Fire”
“The Phantom Punch”
“Little Toy Soldier”
“I Wanna Swing Like Peter Parker”
“Houston, We’ve Got No Money”
“A Melody, A Memory”
“Showtime”
“The Misfit”
“Withered In Venice”
“Bite Of The Tongue”
“A Crowded Room”

“I Wanna Swing Like Peter Parker”:

“We Are On Fire” video:

Italian vampire metallers, Theatres Des Vampires, have released a video for their new single, “Resurrection Mary”, taken from the band's latest album Candyland, out now via Scarlet Records.

This is how singer Sonya Scarlet describes the video: "“Resurrection Mary” has been inspired by a real ghost. Since the 1930s, several men have reported picking up a young lady while driving in the Chicago area. She is dressed in a white party dress and dancing shoes. When the driver gets close to the Resurrection Cemetery, the young woman asks to be let out, whereupon she disappears into the cemetery. With this video we wanted to give our own interpretation of the Ressurrection Mary story."

Watch the video below.

Tracklisting:

“Resurrection Mary”
“Delusional Denial”
“Parasomnia”
“Candyland”
“Your Ragdoll”
“Pierrot Lunaire”
“Photographic”
“Opium Shades”
“Seventh Room” (featuring Fernando Ribeiro)
“Autumn Leaves”

“Resurrection Mary” video:

“Morgana Effect” video:

Streaming below is official live footage of Danko Jones performing “I Gotta Rock” at Belgium’s Graspop festival on June 17. The song is featured on the band’s latest album, Wild Cat. Video by Jens De Vos/Panda Productions.

Danko Jones recently announced an extensive winter tour through Sweden, which includes a stop in Oslo, Norway. The complete schedule is available below.

November
24 - Karlstad, Sweden - Nöjesfabriken    
25 - Eskilstuna, Sweden - Lokomotivet
28 - Norrköping, Sweden - Arbis
29 - Oslo, Norway - Rockefeller
30 - Uppsala, Sweden - Katalin

December
1 - Huskvarna, Sweden - Folkets Park
3 - Örebro, Sweden - Frimis Salonger
6 - Linküping, Sweden - Konsert & Kongress
7 - Trollhättan, Sweden - N3
8 - Borlänge, Sweden - Liljan
9 - Karlskrona, Sweden - Circo
10 - Västerås, Sweden - Intiman    
13 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Pustervik
14 - Stockholm, Sweden - Strand
15 - Malmö, Sweden - KB
16 - Helsingborg, Sweden -Tivoli