On August 11th, EMP Label Group will release Desolation, Motograter's sophomore album, produced by Ahrue Luster (Ill Nino/ex-Machine Head) and mixed by Joshua Wickman (Within the Ruins, KING 810). The album was engineered by Luster, Wickman, and Jon Berrier, and recorded at Illustrious Productions, Dreadcore Productions, and BlackPlate Productions.

Art for Desolation was created by Mister-Sam Shearon, who has created covers for comic books and graphic novels including Clive Barker’s Hellraiser, Judge Dredd, The X-Files, Mars Attacks, KISS, and Clive Barker’s Books of Blood as well as artwork for some of the biggest names in rock music, such as Godhead, Ministry, Rob Zombie, Iron Maiden, Powerman 5000, Biohazard, American Head Charge, Rammstein, Fear Factory and Kill Devil Hill.

Desolation marks the band’s first full-length album since the 2003 Elektra/No Name self-titled release featuring Ivan Moody (Five Finger Death Punch) on vocals (Motograter is now fronted by James Anthony Legion (Deadform/The Breathing Process).

Tracklisting:

“Parasite”
“Dorian”
“Victim”
“Paragon”
“Bleeding Through”
“Misanthropical”
“Daggers”
“Portrait Of Decay”
“Locust”
“Rise (There Will Be Blood)”
“Shadows”

Israeli/Norwegian prog-rockers Subterranean Masquerade have signed with the Swedish label Vicisolum Records (Persefone, Loch Vostok) for a 2-album deal, starting off with the newly finished album Vagabond, set for release on September 1st. The band features members of Orphaned Land and Green Carnation, and is one of the most exciting ethnic-influenced prog-artists to emerge from the underground layer these days. It's prog-rock, but it's also psychedelic ‘70s metal. It's "Jesus Christ Superstar" but it's also Israeli folklore and traditional heavy metal - all wrought through the grinder and delivered perfectly by a bunch of very talented musicians.

The album was mixed by Christer Andre Cederberg (Anathema, Tristania, etc.) and mastered by Tony Lindgren at Fascination Street Studios, which has secured the final crunchy approach in the sound, so all parameters are met for ultimate quality.

Tomer Pink (guitars) on the signing: 

“We all at Subterranean Masquerade are very excited to be a part of the Vicisolum family and together with them bring our music to the world. We can't wait for you to hear our new album and see you all at our shows.”

 

Frontiers has had an ongoing successful working relationship with the one and only Jeff Scott Soto for many years now, so when JSS put a band in front of them and told them they HAD TO HEAR IT, they turned up the volume, leaned back, and awaited what would soon wash over their ears.

What immediately stood out was the way the singer had such a commanding presence of the hard rock songs that were being performed. So, a conversation was started and a deal has been struck. Frontiers Music Srl now introduce the world to Animal Drive, a young and driven hard rock band founded in Zagreb, Croatia in 2012 by singer Dino Jelusic, who is the primary writer and driving force behind the band's sound. Dino was chosen by the late, great Paul O'Neill to tour as a featured vocalist on Trans-Siberian Orchestra's most recent US tour, which is how he crossed paths with Soto and which would ultimately lead to them becoming labelmates.

Animal Drive's lineup is completed by guitarists Ivan Keller and Alen Luke (who unleash a ferocious twin guitar attack on the listener), Damjan Milekovic on bass, and Adrian Boric on drums. Influenced by legendary bands such as Whitesnake and Skid Row with progressive rock and metal elements from Dream Theater thrown in the mix, Animal Drive take their listeners on a wild ride of hard rock bombast.

Dino says: "I am more than delighted and excited to be part of Frontiers' machine, the label that Animal Drive's music can relate to in so many aspects, from classic rock, progressive metal, heavy metal, hard rock... Our music contains everything that Frontiers holds right now, and some of the bands that are our biggest influences are signed to the label, which makes us even more excited. Can't wait to share material we have been working on for almost a year now, and can't wait to kick ass!"

The band's debut album is expected to be released in late 2017/ early 2018 with a tour in support of the release to follow.

Former Anthrax singer, Neil Turbin (Deathriders), recently spoke with Destruction frontman Schmier in Los Angeles for Canada’s The Metal Voice.

On lyrical themes on the band’s new album, Under Attack: “One song is about the backing track situation in playing live, a lot of bands go out there and don't play live anymore, they have backing track running through the vocals, through tape, it's fake. It's an important matter right now cause many fans don't know this. Fans go to the show and say hey you were so great tonight but it was playback, it's f#$! cheating the fans to have playbacks, if you cannot do it live, don't do it."

When will Destruction begin writing and recording a new album: “We have learned last year that overworking new material is not good for the spirit and for the creativity, so we will start writing an album next year. We finish this tour, I think 2018 we start writing, then release 2019 or so, maybe earlier."

Advice to bands touring South America: “I think the most important thing is you need to trust promoters and you need all the money upfront. Bands go down there, they don't get paid and they are stranded with no money, no flight tickets. The advice I can give is get your fees before you fly over or at least 50% of the money so you have something in your pocket to go back home."

(Photo - Destruction Facebook)

Melodic metal act, All But One, have released a video for “Persistence”, a track featured on the band’s debut album, Square One, out now via Lifeforce Records. Watch the clip below, and order the album at this location.

Tracklisting:

“Square One”
“Persistence”
“For The Waiting Good”
“Coloured in Vivid”
“Hope Fuel”
“Little White Lies”
“The Reaper, The Sower”
“Fire Sale”
“Serenity”

“Persistence” video:

Album stream:

“Coloured In Vivid” lyric video:

“Little White Lies” video:

With members of Alestorm, Heaven Shall Burn and Lifeforce Records' very own When Our Time Comes, All But One have a brand new message to deliver. Their powerhouse debut album tastefully fuses the worlds of pop and metal music, combining accomplished melody with masterful guitar and fearsome breakdowns.

All But One was born as a passion project of Alestorm guitarist Máté Bodor. After catching the attention of an elite group of likeminded musicians, what began as a side project evolved into what will undoubtably become a formidable force in the rock music industry.

All But One are a product of professionalism, uncompromising passion and an unstoppable hunger to succeed.

(Photo - Kornél Györgyei)

Full format details and a slightly delayed release date have been announced for Mr. Big’s new album, Defying Gravity, pushing it back from the previously announced street date of July 7th.

The album will be available on CD, LP, deluxe CD/DVD, and digitally on July 21st, and a deluxe Collector’s Edition box set will be available on August 18th which includes deluxe CD/DVD, LP, poster, numbered lithograph, t-shirt, sticker. The box set is strictly limited to 500 copies worldwide.

Defying Gravity deftly showcases that patented Mr. Big blend of crunch and melody, from the freight-train ride of opening cut "Open Your Eyes" to the harmony-laden wonderment of "Damn I'm In Love Again" to the grateful/wistful nostalgia of "1992" (recalling the days when the band was flying high atop the singles charts with their international #1 smash "To Be With You") to the barnburning slide-blues closer, "Be Kind”. Overall, Defying Gravity is prime evidence that the only thing Mr. Big remains tethered to is their ongoing pursuit of achieving creative excellence.

Original members Eric Martin (lead vocals), Paul Gilbert (guitars), Billy Sheehan (bass) and Pat Torpey (drums) reunited with producer Kevin Elson (who was behind the boards for the band’s 1989 self-titled debut, 1991’s Lean Into It and 1993’s Bump Ahead) for an intensive six-day recording session in Los Angeles. While Torpey was unable to perform some of the songs on Defying Gravity due to a recent diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, Matt Starr has been filling in for him on a majority of the album. Starr also been touring with the band for the past couple of years, with Torpey able to play a couple of songs at each stop.

“It was great to get back in the studio with our original producer, Kevin Elson,” says guitarist Paul Gilbert. “Kevin recorded all of our original classic albums from the ‘80s and ‘90s, and we immediately felt that magic chemistry with him on Defying Gravity. We basically played live in the studio. Over the years, we’ve all had a chance to experiment with every recording technique possible, but it’s still always the best just to play together as a band. Most of my guitar solos were tracked live with the band. I’ve worked hard on my improvisation in the last few years, and it really paid off on this record…both melodically, and on the face-melting stuff.”

Defying Gravity tracklisting:

“Open Your Eyes”
“Defying Gravity”
“Everybody Needs A Little Trouble”
“Damn I’m In Love Again”
“Mean To Me”
“Nothing Bad (About Feeling Good)”
“Forever And Back”
“She’s All Coming Back To Me Now”
“1992”
“Nothing At All”
“Be Kind”

DVD contents:

“Defying Gravity” (music video)
“Everybody Needs A Little Trouble” (music video)
Making of Defying Gravity (video)
Making of “Everybody Needs A Little Trouble” (video)
Track by track interview

“Everybody Needs A Little Trouble” video:

"1992":

The Making of "1992”:

Trailer:

Catch Mr. Big live on tour:

June
14 - Lexington, KY - Manchester Music Hall
16 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey Live
17 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
19 - Kansas City, MO - Knuckleheads Saloon
22 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre
23 - Agoura Hills, CA - Canyon Club
24 - Pasadena, CA - The Rose

(Photo - William Hames)

For over 25 years now, Germany’s leading gothic metal act, Crematory, have enthralled their countless fans at home and abroad. Since the band was founded in 1991, they have released twelve studio albums, in addition to a number of live recordings, singles, EPs and compilations.

The music is based on brute guitar riffs and hard-as-nails drum grooves, replete with sinister keyboard hooks and that mix of growls and clear vocals - some in English, some in German - that is so typical of this band.

Crematory will release a new CD+DVD, Live Insurrection, on September 8th. It's the whole show from the prestigious german Bang Your Head Festival 2016 in Germany, also including four videoclips on the DVD from their latest album, Monument.

Tracklisting:

CD
Intro
“Misunderstood”
“Fly”
“Greed”
“Tick Tack”
Instrumental
“Haus mit Garten”
“Ravens Calling”
“Pray”
“Everything”
Instrumental
“Shadowmaker”
“The Fallen”
“Höllenbrand”
“Die So Soon”
“Kommt näher”
“Tears Of Time”

DVD

Live:
Intro
“Misunderstood”
“Fly”
“Greed”
“Tick Tack”
Instrumental
“Haus mit Garten”
“Ravens Calling”
“Pray”
“Everything”
Instrumental
“Shadowmaker”
“The Fallen”
“Höllenbrand”
“Die So Soon”
“Kommt näher”
“Tears Of Time”

Monument videoclips:
“Misunderstood”
“Ravens Calling”
“Haus mit Garten”
“Everything”

Crematory tour dates:

July
1 - Mülheim, Germany - Castle Rock Festival
7 - Erfurt, Germany - From Hell
8 - Berlin, Germany - Biesdorfer Parkbühne
15 - Vizovice, Czech Republic - Masters of Rock
31 - Burgas, Bulgaria - Summer Chaos

September
9 - Deutzen, Germany - NCN Festival

Belgium’s Evil Invaders will release their new album, Feed Me Violence, worldwide on September 29th via Napalm Records. The band have released a video for the new song, “Mental Penitentiary”, available for streaming below.

Vocalist/guitarist Joe commented on the track: “One of the faster songs on the record and definitely one of the coolest tracks we've written so far! Pretty intense lyrics, which are definitely worth checking out! The mid tempo part in the middle gives a nice contrast with the fast shit that's happening before and after. Making this video was compulsive endless lunacy! Fortunately only the camera guy got injured...”

Feed Me Violence will be available as regular jewel case edition, a 1LP gatefold edition, and digitally. Pre-order will be available shortly.

Tracklisting:

“Mental Penitentiary”
“As Life Slowly Fades”
“Suspended Reanimation”
“Broken Dreams In Isolation”
“Feed Me Violence”
“Oblivion”
“Shades Of Solitude”
“Anger Within”
“Among The Depths Of Sanity”

“Mental Penitentiary” video:

After touring extensively all over Europe in support of their latest efforts Pulses Of Pleasure (2015) and In For The Kill (2016), make sure to meet Evil Invaders live, starting with Graspop Metal Meeting this weekend.

Death metal overlords Dying Fetus have shared the latest single off their impending eighth studio album, Wrong One To Fuck With. Listen to the song “Die With Integrity” below.

The band will be on tour throughout the year starting with Summer Slaughter alongside The Black Dahlia Murder, The Faceless, Oceano and more. The tour kicks off July 27th in Reading, PA and runs through August 26th in Cleveland, OH. Following a quick break, Dying Fetus will head overseas on the Wrong One To Fuck With Europe 2017 Tour. The tour runs October 13th through November 18th and features support from Psycroptic, Beyond Creation and Disentomb. A complete list of tour dates can be found here.

June 23rd will see the worldwide release of Wrong One To Fuck With via Relapse Records on CD/2xLP/Digital. Physical pre-orders and bundles are available via Relapse.com here and digital downloads can be pre-ordered via Bandcamp here.

Dying Fetus once again raise the bar of sonic extremity with their eighth studio album and first new material in over five years, Wrong One To Fuck With. The seasoned veterans manage to further stretch their creative and technical boundaries across 10 complex tracks of pulverizing death metal, filled with more dynamic intricacies, brutal breakdowns and varied vocal patterns than ever before. Now over 25 years into their distinguished career, Dying Fetus cement their legacy with Wrong One To Fuck With and uphold their position as the most dominant force in death metal today.

Tracklisting:

“Fixated On Devastation”
“Panic Amongst The Herd”
“Die With Integrity”
“Reveling In The Abyss”
“Seething With Disdain”
“Ideological Subjugation”
“Weaken The Structure”
“Fallacy”
“Unmitigated Detestation”
“Wrong One To Fuck With”

“Die With Integrity”:

“Panic Amongst The Herd” video:

“Fixated On Devastation” live video:

Teaser:

(Photo - Scott Kinkade)

California death metal merchants, Carnifex, have released a live video for "Dark Heart Ceremony”, from last year's Slow Death ahead of Warped Tour. The band will spend the entire summer performing as part of the annual festival and this clip demonstrates the type of live fury with which the band takes the stage. It is certainly a taste of what's to come this summer. You've been warned.

"The stage is where everything about our music comes to life," said vocalist Scott Ian Lewis about the clip. "The love, the hate, the pain, everything is on display. This video captures those moments both on stage and in the crowd and so much more."

The footage in this live clip was shot by Enlighten, a creative studio, at The Glasshouse in Pomona, California.

The band’s live itinerary can be found at this location.

German heavy metal trio, Rage, have released a second official video trailer for their upcoming 23rd studio album, Seasons Of The Black, out on July 28th via Nuclear Blast. Parts 1 & 2 are available for streaming below.

Seasons Of The Black is available for pre-order. You can purchase it in the following formats:

- 2CD-Digibook
- CD
- 2LP (black) in gatefold

NB Mailorder Exclusive:
- 2LP (NB anniversary green) in gatefold
- Digibook + belt bag

Get your copy here, or get the digital version of the new album here.

Tracklisting:

“Season Of The Black”
“Serpents In Disguise”
“Blackened Karma”
“Time Will Tell”
“Septic Bite”
“Walk Among The Dead”
“All We Know Is Not”
“The Tragedy Of Man - Gaia”
“The Tragedy Of Man - Justify”
“The Tragedy Of Man - Bloodshed In Paradise”
“The Tragedy Of Man - Farewell”

Avenger Revisited (Bonus CD):
“Adoration”
“Southcross Union”
“Assorted By Satan”
“Faster Than Hell”
“Sword Made Of Steel”
“Down To The Bone”

These bonus tracks originate from the time when Rage was still called Avenger.

Peavy comments: "It was really nice to re-record the songs from my first years of being a musician! I remember quite well how the songs were created. I always thought that it's a pity that most of the people don't know these songs, just because they were released with another band name. For me it was always clear that these songs are kind of timeless and when we played them together it was really awesome! Back then, we couldn't realise our ideas as good as today. When you listen to the new recordings you will recognize how fantastic these songs really are!"

Seasons Of The Black was recorded in February / March 2017 at Megafon Studios (Burscheid, Germany) and at Soundchaser Studios (Zandhoven, Belgium). Its production was handled by Rage, whilst the renowned Dan Swanö (Marduk, Opeth, Katatonia) took care of the mix and mastering at Unisound Studios (Grefrath, Germany).

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

“Blackened Karma” video:

Studio trailer #1:

Studio trailer #2:

Studio trailer #3:

Rage live dates:

June
17 - Duisburg, Germany - Rage Against Racism (RAGE meets REFUGE)
29 - Gardelegen, Germany - Metal Frenzy

July
2 - Barcelona, Spain - Rock Fest
6 - Ballenstedt, Germany - Rock Harz Open Air
16 - Vizovice, Czech Republic - Masters of Rock
21 - Ternopil, Ukraine - Faine Misto Festival

August
3-5 - Wacken, Germany - Wacken Open Air
10 - Villena, Spain - Leyendas Del Rock
12 - Kortrijk, Belgium - Alcatraz Festival
13 - Königs Wusterhausen, Germany - Zombie Rock Festival

September
2 - Zons, Germany - Zons Rockt (RAGE meets REFUGE)

December
23 - Burglengenfeld, Germany - VAZ, X-Mas Dynamite Night

Rage lineup:

Peter "Peavy" Wagner - lead vocals, bass
Marcos Rodriguez - guitars, vocals
Vassilios "Lucky" Maniatopoulos - drums, vocals

Back on May 5th, Dutch death metallers God Dethroned released their new album The World Ablaze, worldwide via Metal Blade Records; it can be ordered here. A full album stream is available below.

The World Ablaze tracklisting:

“A Call To Arms”
“Annihilation Crusade”
“The World Ablaze”
“On The Wrong Side Of The Wire”
“Close To Victory”
“Konigsberg”
“Escape Across The Ice (The White Army)”
“Breathing Through Blood”
“Messina Ridge”
“The 11th Hour”

Album stream:

"Annihilation Crusade" video:

“The World Ablaze” video:

“On The Wrong Side Of The Wire” video:

Live dates:

June
22-24 - Grafenhainichen, Germany - With Full Force

July
13-15 - Neukirchen-Vluyn, Germany - Dong Open Air

August
10-12 - Schlotheim, Germany - Party.San Open Air

December
2 - Dresden, Germany - Skullcrusher

God Dethroned lineup:

Henri Sattler - vocals/guitars
Mike Ferguson - guitars
Jeroen Pomper - bass
Michiel van der Plicht - drums

Yesterday (Monday, June 12th), Devin Townsend attended the Metal Hammer Golden Gods ceremony in London, where he was named “Riff Lord”, an award previously given to the likes of Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine, Queen’s Brian May and Motörhead’s Phil Campbell. To celebrate, a brand new lyric video for the track “Offer Your Light”, taken from the Transcendence, is available for streaming below.

Says Devin: “"Hey all! Well heck, I guess I won an award for being a guitar guy... sweet! All those years of social ineptitude has manifested in an ability to play 32nd notes. Take that, dad!

“To celebrate, we are doing a lyric video for a track I had been encouraged to release when the album first came out, but decided to go with another one instead. As it turns out, people seem to really like this song, so have at 'er! Here's a kind of rockin, kind of straightforward track from Transcendence called “Offer Your Light”, written essentially about trying to look at the positive amidst the ever increasing sea of neurosis-inducing bullshit the world keeps spewing at us.

“I’m in the beginning stages of writing new music now, and I hope this finds a home in your listening world for the next 4 minutes or so... best part is; there's no guitar solo!

“Lots of love, Devin 'riff-lord' Townsend (apparently!)”

Southern California progressive blackened death metal outfit WITCH CASKET has released the video for "Hatred Index", the title track of its upcoming album. The clip was filmed in Los Angeles with director Matt Eskew. WITCH CASKET lead vocalist Drogoth said: "We wanted to do something fairly simple for our first video with footage of the band performing. This is to give people a look into how the band presents itself and what to expect when seeing the band performing in a live setting. The next video that's currently in production will be a much more cinematic endeavor."

"Hatred Index" is the second song to be made available by WITCH CASKET, following the release of a lyric video for the track "That Damn Devil" earlier this year. The "Hatred Index" album will be released in late 2017.

WITCH CASKET was formed in 2013 when ex-SOTHIS guitarist Colin "Nylock" Cameron and guitarist Neal Tiemann started working on writing songs together in Nylock's Los Angeles studio. Once a majority of the songs had been written, ex-SOTHIS vocalist Adam "Drogoth" McCarthy was brought on to handle writing lyrics and recording vocals.

Originally formed simply as a studio project, all musical instrumentation was composed and executed by both Nylock and Tiemann. The album in its entirety was also produced; engineered, and mixed by Nylock himself in both his personal Hollywood studio and Los Angeles-based Unfriendly Studios where he is the lead engineer and co-founder, along with Metal Sanaz. The album was completed with this lineup. However, towards the end of the recording process, Tiemann departed the project to focus on writing for and touring with established SoCal metal band DEVILDRIVER. As completion of the "Hatred Index" album approached, live rehearsals were started with the addition of ex-SOTHIS guitarist Robert "Scathe" Enriquez and drummer Kaspars Lucey-Grinbergs.

According to Ekstra Bladet, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich has been awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Dannebrog.

The Order of Dannebrog is an Order of Denmark, instituted by Christian V in 1671. In the beginning, only noblemen could be decorated, but in 1808 Frederik VI changed the requirements so non-nobles could be rewarded for "true merit."

Today the Order is given to Danish citizens who have merited the special decoration.

The Order of Dannebrog is a white enameled silver cross, edged in red, with a crown and the monogram of the reigning monarch. It carries an inscription "God and King."

Ulrich received the honor on May 26.

In a 2016 interview, Lars spoke about how his Danish upbringing relates to METALLICA's need to always challenge itself creatively. "Being Danish, I've always had, I think, a fairly easy relationship with being contrary," he explained. "I think a lot of Danish people are quite contrarian and like to challenge things and like to… If somebody says, 'Let's go left,' then Danish people will pull off and just go, 'Let's go right.' I certainly have a bit of a contrarian kind of attitude in me that, I think, comes certainly significantly from being Danish, and I think METALLICA has always enjoyed floating around in our own little bubble, being outsiders, living in our own world, being contrary and a little bit opposite of what everybody else embraces. We've never been a big part of a movement, of a fad, of a wave. We never particularly felt like we fit into anything, and METALLICA has always, I think, enjoyed an element of contrary energy."

Lars recalled in a 1995 interview that he "grew up in as open an upbringing as you can imagine... I was very independent. I had nothing tying me down. At the same time, anything I wanted I had to get it myself."

He added: "Even though tennis was his main source of income, my dad was also writing about jazz in the papers in Copenhagen. Miles Davis and Ornette Coleman were always playing in the stereo around the house. Later it was THE DOORS and Jimi Hendrix."

Joe Bonamassa’s new release, Live At Carnegie Hall - An Acoustic Evening, will be available on  on June 23rd on 2CD, 3LP, 2DVD and Blu-ray via Mascot Label Group. A video for “The Valley Runs Low” from the upcoming release can be found below, and pre-orders can be made at this location.

Last year, on January 21st and 22nd, Joe Bonamassa performed two unique all-acoustic shows at the iconic Carnegie Hall in New York City. Both performances were filmed and made into Joe Bonamassa Live At Carnegie Hall - An Acoustic Evening.

An evening of extraordinary music with new arrangements of favourite songs as well as brand new, never-before-heard songs. It will be released on Double CD, Double DVD, Blu-ray and 3 LP Vinyl on June 23rd. The video pieces include 104 minutes of feature film, over 45 minutes bonus features and all are sold in beautifully designed packages that are perfect for a music lover’s collection.

The concert was part of a special all-acoustic tour and featured an all-star ensemble of world-class musicians. Acclaimed Chinese cellist and erhuist Tina Guo, whose repertoire stretches from classical to heavy metal; and Hossam Ramzy, the Egyptian percussionist and composer, who has performed on dozens of film soundtracks and records, including on Jimmy Page and Robert Plant’s No Quarter: Unledded Tour. Reese Wynans (piano), Anton Fig (Drums) Eric Bazilian (mandolin, hurdy-gurdy, saxophone, acoustic guitar, vocals), and three Australian backing vocalists, Mahalia Barnes, Juanita Tippins, and Gary Pinto round out the band.

Says Bonamassa: “Despite being among the most ambitious things I’ve done - I played with a 9 piece acoustic band - It came out great. It was a typical Joe freak show.”

“The Valley Runs Low”:

“Woke Up Dreaming”:

“Drive”:

“Song Of Yesterday”:

Trailer:

GUNS N' ROSES performed a cover version of the AC/DC classic "Whole Lotta Rosie" during the Axl Rose-fronted band's June 7 concert at Letzigrund Stadion in Zurich, Switzerland.

Prior to launching into the song, Axl told the crowd: "When we play this song, nobody really knows that I… When I'm singing this song, I actually, in my head, I see this little dog of ours with me on stage, 'cause she's always so fucking happy. Before we came to the show today, she passed away. So we'll dedicate this to her. Kind of the whole show for me in mind has been for Rosie."

Rose did a string of European and North American concerts with AC/DC in 2016, mostly to fan and critical acclaim.

It is unknown whether Rose will continue singing with AC/DC. The band's future remains in doubt after the band completed its world tour in support of 2014's "Rock Or Bust", a cycle that saw a massive turnover in the group's personnel. Guitarist and sole original member Angus Young has not yet indicated whether the group will continue recording and touring.

In March 2016, AC/DC's singer of 35 years, Brian Johnson, had to leave the band's North American tour after doctors told him he might lose his hearing, while 40-year bassist Cliff Williams announced his retirement at the rescheduled trek's conclusion.

The lineup that completed the tour consisted of Williams, Angus Young, Rose, Chris Slade on drums and Angus's nephew Stevie Young on guitar.

GUNS will come back to North America for at least another 15 stadium dates this summer, starting on July 27 in St. Louis and ending on September 8 in San Antonio.

"This Is The Moment", the new video from Sweden's KRYPTONITE, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's self-titled debut album, which will be released on August 4 via Frontiers Music Srl. Sometimes musicians are put together who only know each other from afar via their respective recordings, but something clicks and triggers a magical moment. That's exactly what happened when Jakob Samuel from THE POODLES met up with producer Alessandro Del Vecchio on the heels of a concept created by Frontiers president Serafino Perugino. Together, they set off to work on a new band that could offer lyrical concepts that are deep and intelligent with music that operates within the genres they excel in. And most importantly, has a great energy and impact. Samuel, Del Vecchio and Perugino handpicked each musician to be part of their vision for a strong lineup of young and hungry Swedish musicians that would be ready to go out there and kick some ass. Pontus Egberg, formerly of THE POODLES and now the bass player for KING DIAMOND and TREAT, was the first one to enter the picture, followed shortly thereafter by Robban Back of MUSTASCH (and ex-ECLIPSE). The choice of guitar player fell to the young and immensely gifted Mike Palace. Mike showed his huge talents as a writer and performer on his band Palace's debut album and on several songs he has already written for the label. The recording and writing sessions flowed freely and the songs came naturally. This band will truly set a standard for what fans perceive as melodic hard rock in today's climate. It is classic, but modern at the same time, groovy and cool.

American metallers FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH have vowed to continue their European tour, one day after they played an abbreviated concert in Tilburg, The Netherlands during which singer Ivan Moody threatened to leave the band.

Said the group in a statement: "Those who have followed 5FDP from the beginning can tell you there has always been an element of danger and unpredictability in our music and in our shows. That's rock 'n' roll. When you do over 150 shows in a year, you will inevitably have a few derailments, but the train always keeps on moving. Last night in Tilburg was one of those instances, but as they say, you aren't a race car driver if you don't wreck a car or two.

"We can't wait to put on amazing shows tomorrow night at Nova Rock all the way to our just-announced winter tour all over Europe. See you all on the race track....bring a helmet…"

A friend of Moody, Tommy Vext (DIVINE HERESY, SNOT), handled lead vocals for FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH for the first song of the group's set in Tilburg before Ivan joined his bandmates for the remainder of the concert.

At one point, Moody told the audience they were seeing his last show with the band, although it now appears that his comment was meant in jest.

This is not the first time FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH has been forced to cut short a show due to issues involving the band's lead singer. Last November, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH walked off stage in Worcester, Massachusetts because Moody was unable to perform.

Moody previously had an onstage meltdown during a May 2015 show in Memphis. The incident was blamed on his abuse of alcohol and drugs. He entered rehab after that.

The official lyric video for "Clear The Way (December 13th, 1862)", a brand new song from ICED EARTH, can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "Incorruptible", which will be released on June 16 via Century Media. The cover artwork for the disc (as well as additional illustrations to every song) was created by David Newman-Stump from Skeleton Crew Tattoo (pencil illustrations) and Roy Young (colors).

"Incorruptible" track listing:

01. Great Heathen Army (5:21)02. Black Flag (4:56)03. Raven Wing (6:25)04. The Veil (4:47)05. Seven Headed Whore (3:00)06. The Relic (Part 1) (4:59)07. Ghost Dance (Awaken The Ancestors) (6:35)08. Brothers (4:45)09. Defiance (4:08)10. Clear The Way (December 13th, 1862) (9:30)

"Incorruptible" will be available in the following formats:

* Deluxe CD digipak with extensive booklet, fold-out poster and slipcase (only available in Europe)* CD digipak (only available in the USA)* Strictly limited artbook with 36-page booklet with introduction, additional artworks, sketches and comments by Jon Schaffer to each individual song, CD and double 10" vinyl, worldwide limited to only 3000 copies* Deluxe 2LP version in various vinyl colors (see below for exact color split) with gatefold sleeve, 4-page lyric sheet, 180-gram vinyl, black anti-static inner sleeves, etching and 12-page LP-booklet with artworks to each of the 10 songs* Standard CD jewel case* Digital download / stream

The 2LP version of "Incorruptible" is offered in the following vinyl colors:

* Black vinyl: unlimited and offered through all retail channels* Dark-green vinyl: limited to 200 copies, exclusively available in the U.K.* Yellow vinyl: limited to 200 copies, exclusively available in France* Clear vinyl: limited to 100 copies, exclusively available at Century Media's European online store* Lilac vinyl: limited to 200 copies, exclusively available at Nuclear Blast* Silver vinyl: limited to 200 copies, exclusively available at EMP* Transparent-red vinyl: limited to 500 copies, distributed through RED in the USA* White vinyl: limited to 300 copies, exclusively offered in the USA through F.Y.E.* Transparent-orange vinyl: limited to 200 copies, exclusively sold by ICED EARTH on tour

The artbook version of "Incorruptible" will be offered in the following vinyl colors:

* Transparent-red vinyl: main version, available through all retail channels* Clear vinyl: limited to 100 copies, exclusively available at Century Media's European online store* Golden vinyl: limited to 200 copies, available at various online stores* Black vinyl: limited to 200 copies, available at various online stores* Silver vinyl: limited to 200 copies, exclusively available at Nuclear Blast* Transparent-orange vinyl: limited to 200 copies, exclusively sold by ICED EARTH on tour

Regarding how "Incorruptible" compares to previous ICED EARTH albums, guitarist and main songwriter Jon Schaffer told Metal Wani: "They're all kind of their own thing, but I have a very strong gut feeling about this, and so does everybody in the band, that this is one of the really special ones. So I put it up there with 'The Dark Saga' [1996], 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' [1998], 'Dystopia' [2011] — it's in that league of records — so it's really gonna be something special, man. I know musicians always say that, but there is something going on here, so it's cool. We're all very excited about it."

On the topic of the concept for the lyrics on "Incorruptible", Schaffer said: "There is no concept on this record; it's just ten individual tracks not related to each other. Actually, on 'Plagues Of Babylon' [2014], it was only the first six that were related to the 'Something Wicked' story; it was like a zombie apocalypse within the 'Something Wicked' framework. But this album, it's just ten individual songs. We have one called 'Clear The Way', which is about the Irish Brigade at the Battle Of Fredericksburg — very tragic, actually — but that's a big epic, like ten minutes; and then we have one called 'Black Flag', which is a pirate song. It's quite a… I think I pulled it off pretty well with the lyrics, to be able to tell such a big story in a very short amount of time. I think it's gonna be a highlight of the record. And then on [the last European] tour, [we opened] the show with a new song that will be the opener on the album — it's called 'Great Heathen Army' — that's got a Viking kind of a vibe to it. So there's a lot of different things, and none of it's really related. There's one called 'Raven Wing'… I can't really think of all of them righ now… 'Seven Headed Whore' — that's one that's actually pretty brutal; it's like a total kick in the balls. But, you know, there's a lot of varied emotions on this, and it's cool stuff, man."

Asked about singer Stu Block's contribution to "Incorruptible", Schaffer said: "Well, he came at the end of… for about the last month or so of pre-production… maybe a little bit more… five weeks… and we worked on his vocal parts. We do it like Stu and I normally do it. Some of the stuff we write together. I mean, I write the musical arrangements and do all that — he doesn't play any instruments — but he comes in… At the end of the writing process is when we focus on his parts. And the lyrics that we worked on together, on a song called 'Brother', which is about our brotherhood, [between] Stu and I and within the band… We've gone through a lot of shit together and we've had a lot of great times together, but the bond is very strong, and that's clear. So it's just a song, really, for us. And then he wrote the lyrics for 'The Great Heathen Army'. I'm trying to think… I can't think of 'em, man; I have to look at the list [of songs]. But usually, he goes to an area and works, and I go in my area and work. And, like I said, on some songs we collaborate sometimes. On this one, the only we did was 'Brother'… We work in the way we always work. And it's a very cool chemistry."

ICED EARTH took a break from touring in 2015, primarily due to Schaffer's second cervical fusion surgery.

Longtime ICED EARTH drummer Brent Smedley returned to the band for the current recording and touring cycle. Smedley had to step down due to personal family reasons in 2013 shortly before the recording of "Plagues Of Babylon".

Proto-metal legends BLUE CHEER's debut album, "Vincebus Eruptum", will be released on Limited Edition Hybrid SACD by Marshall Blonstein's Audio Fidelity.

Rock and roll had grown louder and wilder by leaps and bounds during the '60s, but when BLUE CHEER emerged from San Francisco on to the national rock scene in 1968 with "Vincebus Eruptum", they crossed a line which most musicians and fans hadn't even thought to draw yet. The album features a heavy, thunderous blues sound, which would later be known as heavy metal. It also contains elements of acid rock, grunge, experimental rock, blues rock, stoner rock, and garage rock.

A commercial and critical success, "Vincebus Eruptum" peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard 200 albums chart and spawned the top-20 hit cover of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues".

The album has been held in high regard by many rock critics who regularly praised the band's "sound and fury" as one of the founding movements of heavy metal. No band could summon so much power with just three people. "Vincebus Eruptum" is still the BLUE CHEER album to own; it was their simplest and most forceful musical statement.

"Vincebus Eruptum" track listing:

01. Summertime Blues 02. Rock Me Baby 03. Doctor Please 04. Out Of Focus 05. Parchment Farm 06. Second Time Around

Produced by Abe "Voco" KeshMastered by Kevin Gray at Cohearent AudioSACD Authoring: Stephen Marsh at Marsh Mastering

For more information, visit www.audifidelity.net.

DIRKSCHNEIDER — the band fronted by former ACCEPT and current U.D.O. singer Udo Dirkschneider — will release "Live – Back To The Roots - Accepted!" on August 4 in Europe and August 18 in the USA as a DVD/2CD, Blu-ray/2CD and gatefold triple vinyl in two different colors.

After putting out the live double CD last year, fans were asking for a visual output, so finally, in December 2016, the show in Brno, Czech Republic was recorded for that purpose. Besides many classics from Dirkscheider's ACCEPT era, there's a cover version of Frank Sinatra's "My Way" as a bonus track on the CD and vinyl.

Track listing digipak:

CD1

01. Intro02. Starlight03. Living For Tonite04. Flash Rockin‘ Man05. London Leatherboys06. Midnight Mover07. Breaker08. Head Over Heels09. Neon Night10. Princess Of The Dawn11. Winter Dreams12. Restless And Wild13. Son Of A Bitch14. Up To The Limit

CD2

15. Wrong Is Right16. Midnight Highway17. Screaming For A Love-Bite18. Monsterman19. T.V. War20. Losers And Winners21. Metal Heart22. I'm A Rebel23. Fast As A Shark24. Balls To The Wall25. Burning26. Outro27. My Way (Bonus)

Blu-ray:

01. Intro02. Starlight03. Living For Tonite04. Flash Rockin' Man05. London Leatherboys06. Midnight Mover07. Breaker08. Head Over Heels09. Neon Night10. Princess Of The Dawn11. Winter Dreams12. Restless And Wild13. Son Of A Bitch14. Up To The Limit15. Wrong Is Right16. Midnight Highway17. Screaming For A Love-Bite18. Monsterman19. T.V. War20. Losers And Winners21. Metal Heart22. I'm A Rebel23. Fast As A Shark24. Balls To The Wall25. Burning26. Outro

Dirkschneider spent the last year and a half touring under the DIRKSCHNEIDER banner, performing classic ACCEPT songs for the last time. The trek, which was originally supposed to conclude with the band's North American run in January/February, has now been extended through early 2018.

In a message on the DIRKSCHNEIDER Facebook page, Udo explained his decision to continue touring as DIRKSCHNEIDER, saying: "Originally it was our plan to go back to touring with U.D.O. in 2017. But we have received an incredible number of emails and letters from fans begging us to continue with DIRKSCHNEIDER, and as there are still so many (ACCEPT) songs left to be sung, we have decided to bow to your demands!

"During the last tours with DIRKSCHNEIDER, the audience had a lot of fun, and we as a band also had the time of our lives on stage. In fact, a whole lot of people in countries all over the world have been knocked out by these shows. Just check out all the media (especially from the U.S., where we have just finished a five-week tour) and you will read the caption 'tour of the year' multiple times…

"We are thrilled by the idea of continuing and we are really looking forward to seeing you all again live on tour!

"Oh, we nearly forgot to tell you about possibly the most important point of all: From October 2017 on, DIRKSCHNEIDER will tour with an almost completely NEW setlist. Of course, it will still contain only ACCEPT hits, but this time with many different songs compared to the last tours."

DIRKSCHNEIDER released a live album called "Live - Back To The Roots" in October via AFM Records. The effort, which was recorded on April 2, 2016 at Kaminwerk in Memmingen, Germany, was made available as two-CD digipak and gatefold three-vinyl in four different colors (black, gold, silver and clear).

In addition to Udo, the DIRKSCHNEIDER band on the recent tours included his son Sven Dirkschneider on drums, Fitty Wienhold on bass, Andrey Smirnov on guitar and Kasperi Heikkinen on guitar. Kasperi has since left the group and was replaced by Bill Hudson.

Belgium's busy-as-a-beaver death metal sickos ABORTED have recorded two new tracks for you, which are going to be released under the title "Bathos" as a limited 7" vinyl EP and digitally.

The 7" version will be released on July 7th! If you want to check out the two tracks first, then visit the streaming/download platform of your choice on June 30th, because both tracks will be online by then already!

"Bathos" is a fine example of what ABORTED have managed to achieve by hard work, staying focussed, excellent musicianship and the unwavering belief in what they are doing by offering two prime tracks of relentlessly raging, barbaric and horror-laden insane brutal death metal.

The 7" version of "Bathos" can be pre-ordered directly at CM Distro as of today! Pre-order your copy here.

It's available in the following vinyl colours:
Black vinyl: limited to 700 copies
Transparent-red vinyl: limited to 100 copies, exclusively available at CM Distro
Clear vinyl: limited to 200 copies

"Bathos" tracklist:
Side A
1. Bathos
Side B
2. Fallacious Crescendo

EMPEROR frontman Ihsahn (real name: Vegard Sverre Tveitan) will enter Sonic Attic Studio in Notodden, Norway next week to begin recording his new solo album. Laying down the drum tracks on the follow-up to last year's "Arktis" disc will be Tobias Ørnes Andersen, who has previously played in the Norwegian bands SHINING and LEPROUS.

"Arktis" was recorded at Ihsahn's studio in Notodden, Norway and was mixed in Sweden by Jens Bogren (OPETH, KATATONIA). The album featured guest appearances from Einar Solberg (LEPROUS), Matt Heafy (TRIVIUM), Jorgen Munkeby (SHINING) and renowned Norwegian author Hans Herbjornsrud. Graphic elements for "Arktis" once again were provided by award-winning Spanish designer Ritxi Ostariz.

Asked if he follows today's black metal scene and what his opinion is on it, Ihsahn told Metal Jacket Magazine last year: "I don't really follow anything. [Laughs] I guess that was my problem, even at the start. I must admit that it was always my colleague Samoth [guitar] from EMPEROR who had the big network and connections and everything. And I've been kind of tagging along and focusing on doing the music and writing lyrics and all that."

He continued: "It's kind of paradox. I mean, this whole black metal scene, with all these rules and kind of fashion police [laughs] coming out from this very individualistic and free-thought type of philosophy. So, for me, I think, in my own mind, what I do now musically is still black metal. For me, it comes from the same source. So, to me, black metal is not a type of guitar sound played at this or this speed with screeching vocals. For me, black metal is an attitude and an atmosphere. For me, Diamanda Galás' 'Plague Mass' is just as black metal as any BATHORY album."

In 1983, Star Licks Productions created a series of instructional videos featuring well-known musicians demonstrating their unique musical styles and techniques. The portfolio debuted with a wide-ranging group of players including Steve Lukather of Toto, Black Sabbath’s Tony Iommi, guitarist Albert Lee, and acclaimed guitarist/educator Wolf Marshall.

In one of the videos, Queen’s Brian May discussed his equipment and techniques, and demonstrates a number of his guitar solos. He covers both famous and lesser known Queen songs, including “Brighton Rock”, “Tie Your Mother Down”, “Somebody To Love”, “It's Late”, “Dead On Time”, “Put Out The Fire”, “It's A Hard Life”, “Keep Yourself Alive”, “Jesus”, “Father To Son” and “Crazy Little Thing Called Love”.

Watch a clip featuring “Tie Your Mother Down” below.

The programme was produced and directed by Mark Freed and Robert Decker, and recorded at Sarm West, London, England. The video was originally released in 1983 and later reissued in 1993/4.

Note from Brian: “Mark initially came to me with an idea for making audio cassettes of guitarists explaining their techniques. It seemed a good one and we arranged to meet and make it happen. But I said ... if we’re going to the trouble of recording this stuff, why not film it as well, and make it into a Video Cassette ?! So we made a ‘pilot’ video, and people liked it, and this became the template for a whole collection of videos which, I think, stand up very well to this day. Maybe we should do an update?!”

Subscribe to Brian May’s channel here.

Queen + Adam Lambert Tour Dates 2017:

June
23 - Phoenix, AZ - Gila River Arena
24 - Las Vegas, NV - T-Mobile Arena
26 - Los Angeles, CA - Hollywood Bowl
29 - San Jose, CA - SAP Center

July
1 - Seattle, WA - Key Arena
2 - Vancouver, BC - Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena
4 - Edmonton, AB - Rogers Place
6 - Denver, CO - Pepsi Center Arena
8 - Omaha, NE - CenturyLink Arena
9 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
13 - Chicago, IL - United Center
14 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
17 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre
18 - Toronto, ON - Air Canada Centre
20 - Detroit, MI - The Palace of Auburn Hills
21 - Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
23 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
25 - Boston, MA - TD Garden
26 - Newark, NJ - Prudential Center
28 - New York, NY - Barclays Center
30 - Philadelphia, PA - Wells Fargo Center
31 - Washington D.C. - Verizon Center

August
2 - Nashville, TN - Bridgestone Arena
4 - Dallas, TX - American Airlines Center
5 - Houston, TX - Toyota Center

November
1 - Prague, Czech Republic - O2 Arena
2 - Munich, Germany - Olympiahalle
4 - Budapest, Hungary - Sportarena
6 - Lodz, Poland - Atlas Arena
8 - Vienna, Austria - Stadhalle
10 - Bologna, Italy - Unipol Arena
12 - Luxembourg, Amneville - Galaxie
13 - Amsterdam, Netherlands - Ziggo Dome
17 - Kaunas, Lithuania - Zalgiris Arena
25 - Dublin, Ireland - 3 Arena
26 - Belfast, Ireland - SSE Arena
28 - Liverpool, England - Echo Arena
30 - Birmingham, England - Barclaycard Arena

December
1 - Newcastle, England - Metro Radio Arena
3 - Glasgow, Scotland - The SSE Hydro
5 - Nottingham, England - Motorpoint Arena
6 - Leeds, England - First Direct Arena
8 - Sheffield, England - Motorpoint Arena
9 - Manchester, England - Arena
12 - London, England - 02 Arena
15 - London, England - The SSE Arena, Wembley

During a recent interview with Rock Feed, Ghost frontman/founder Papa Emeritus (Tobias Forge) revealed he would be hitting the studio in August with a new batch of Nameless Ghouls to record the band's next album:

"Come August 14th, it's not gonna be a big day for mankind but it's going to be a big week for myself because I'm going into the studio and we're going to start recording the new album. The rest of the fall is going to be recording. While it's not going to be a big event for all y'all, it's going to be a big event for us."

Check out the interview below, featuring Forge dressed as a Nameless Ghoul.

In a new interview with CBS Philly Forge discussed the history and nature of the band, which is more of a solo project at the end of the day. An excerpt from the story is available below.

Forge: "I started writing songs for it in 2006. There has been about 10 to 15 people now going in and out of the band so, there’s been a lot of rotation. It’s never really been a band in the classic sense in that you have someone who plays his or hers instrument and that she or he is the only person in the world that can make it sound like that. People have a tendency to want to feel that they’re very important for something. If it’s not crucial that they’re there, there will also be a little bit of a friction there."

Go to this location for the complete story.

American rock act CKY has debuted a third new single today titled "Head For A Breakdown". This is the final song fans will hear from the band before the release of the new LP, "The Phoenix". CKY released "Replaceable" a couple of weeks ago, and "Days Of Self Destruction" (featuring Brent Hinds) before that.

"'Head For A Breakdown' seemed to write itself," says CKY vocalist Chad I Ginsburg. "In a sense, it's a song about taking things too far when you darn right know it won't end well but you do it anyway. Go figure. The mid solo section is an epic break unlike any we have done in the past. Very proud of this song."

In addition to all pre-orders now being live, all three tracks are also available as instant-gratification tracks on iTunes, meaning fans who pre-order the album on iTunes will receive the tracks as instant downloads.

"The Phoenix" will be released on June 16 via eOne Music. The all-new LP will be the first release since CKY put out "Carver City" in 2009. The disc was engineered and mixed at Rancho De La Luna, the highly regarded recording studio in Joshua Tree, California.

The cover art for "The Phoenix" can be seen below. The band commissioned chandelier maker and artist Adam Wallacavage to create a one-of-a-kind piece for the cover.

CKY has tour dates booked all summer highlighted by a return to the 2017 Vans Warped Tour. This is the band's first time returning to the Warped Tour since 2000.

Chad I Ginsburg steps into the frontman role with charisma, charm, and bravado, confidently delivering a diverse performance as he claims a position that was clearly rightfully his to own. He's joined in enduring partnership and musical and personal chemistry by fellow CKY co-founder, Jess Margera, the drummer whose extracurricular work in projects like THE COMPANY BAND (with guys from CLUTCH and FIREBALL MINISTRY) expanded CKY's horizons as much as Ginsburg's solo work has as well. The duo returned to their primary project refreshed and reenergized, with bassist Matt Deis (ex-ALL THAT REMAINS), who first joined CKY in 2005.

GUNS N' ROSES, METALLICA and DEFTONES have all personally invited CKY on tour, cementing a legacy as a hard-charging live act. CKY built a worldwide fanbase of dedicated acolytes, friends, and supporters, lovingly dubbed the CKY Alliance, with a broader group of musicians, athletes, and other creative types in the CKY family, both literally and figuratively.

"We're grown adults now with an eagle-eye perspective on who we are, what we do, and how to do it right," Ginsburg declares, with matter-of-fact certainty. "None of us are out there in the clouds. We're pretty well-grounded people that have an honest perspective on where we're at."

"The Phoenix" track listing:

01. Replaceable02. Days of Self Destruction03. Unknown Enemy04. Head For a Breakdown05. The Other Ones06. Wiping Off The Dead07. Lies From You08. Better Than Get Even