TNT frontman Tony Harnell has checked in with the following update:

"Hello friends, it's been awhile! Hope you're all having a fantastic summer. Just wanted to send out a short note to you all.

TNT is working away in the studio and things are going well. I'll be back in Norway next week laying down vocals and writing with Ronni. We will announce our new record deal and approximate new album release date soon. We've also brought on a new worldwide agency and will be announcing tour dates for next year. More specifics coming soon on all the above!

As for me, I'm working on a few things of my own including two solo shows on December 16th At Chrome in Waterford, NY and December 17th at The Loft at  The Chance Theater in Poughkeepsie, NY. Ticket links will go out in the next few days for both shows.

Also in my next email to you I hope to announce an exciting new project...or two. 

Love to you all!"

TNT announced back in May that that Tony Harnell and guitarist Ronni Le Tekrø will start writing new material together for the first time in over 10 years and that the Norwegian/American band plans to enter the studio to start recording new music this summer. The new lineup will be announced soon.

"We're happy to be working together creatively again and hope our fans are as excited as we are," says the pair. "We're already booking shows in the US and across the world in 2017 and also hope to play in as many countries as possible over the next couple of years. Hopefully many countries that we haven't been to in a long time or perhaps ever. Stay tuned for more news soon."

On September 30th intercontinental modern / dark rock outfit Darkhaus will release their sophomore full-length album When Sparks Ignite via SPV Records GmbH.   The album is available for preorder via the Amazon widget below.

The album features 12 new ear-catching tracks of edgy guitars, atmospheric textures, and the unmistakable hooks and passionate melodies, which the band has become internationally recognized for.
 
"Artistically speaking, we instinctively continued where we left off with our last release, Providence.  So with this new album, we further embellish on our own unique brand of emotionally captivating dark-stained modern rock ", states bassist / lyricist Gary Meskil (also leader of the legendary hardcore group Pro-Pain).  
 
Like their debut album My Only Shelter, all of the new songs were written in Florida, where the group finds the right amount of solitude to creatively flourish. This process is especially important to producer / lead guitarist Rupert Keplinger (a multi-Gold/Platinum artist and songwriter whose work with chart-topping artists such as Eisbrecher, Peter Maffay, Laith Al-Deen, Oomph! and others is well documented).  "Each band and or artist I work with has their own recipe for success, and in my opinion, Darkhaus has found just the right combination of ingredients" claims Rupert.   
 
"Everything is covered, from loud, fast rock-tracks to piano ballads - yet today we are more direct and more intense, sometimes even calmer and more mature. Probably even bolder", adds lead singer / frontman Ken Hanlon, who not long ago strummed  his acoustic guitar in the pubs of his Scottish homeland  yet quickly becoming the new, great voice of dark rock.
 
After playing a multitude of high profile shows over the last 2 years (with notable acts such as Subway To Sally, Eisbrecher, Lord of the Lost, Letzte Instanz) and having gained a sworn and loyal community of fans at important scene-specific events  (M'era Luna, Amphi Festival, Wave-Gotik-Treffen, Castlerock and more), the band will soon be set to embark on a headlining tour of Europe  (see dates attached) in  support of their new release When Sparks Ignite, an intoxicating chain reaction of sonic emotion which is sure to spread quickly and globally.

Tracklisting:

“All Of Nothing”
“The Last Goodbye”
“Feel My Pain”
“Second Chance”
“After The Headache”
“Helpless”
“Devil’s Spawn”
“Oceans”
“Lonesome Road”
“To Live Again”
“Tears Of Joy”
“Bye Bye Blue Skies”

Tour dates:

October
12 – Munchen, Germany – Backstage Club
13 – Frankfurt, Germany – Nachtleben
14 – Dresden, Germany – Tante Ju
15 – Koln, Germany – MTC
16 – Leipzig, Germany – Moritzbastei
19 – Hannover, Germany – Lux
20 – Berlin, Germany – Maze
21 – Hamburg, Germany – Logo 
22 – Stuttgart, Germany – ClubCann
23 – Oberhausen, Germany – Kulttempel

November
9 – London, UK – O2 Islington Academy 2
10 – Bristol, UK – Exchange
11 – Cardiff, UK – Fuel Rock Club
12 – Cheltenham, UK – 2 Pigs
13 – Edinburgh, UK – La Belle Angele
14 – Doncaster, UK – Diamond Live Lounge
15 – Oxford, UK – The Wheatsheaf

(Photo by: Brian David Braun)

   

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions have signed grindcore deviants Triple Cripple and are set to release their new album entitled Nursing Home For Retired Hookers September 30th on CD and Digital formats. Below is the official description:

“Horror Pain Gore Death Productions welcome Triple Cripple to the roster with the vile new album Nursing Home For Retired Hookers! Hailing originally from Slovakia and currently residing in New York, Triple Cripple unleash a relentless attack of putrid and disgusting, catchy Pogo Grind. Nursing Home For Retired Hookers is a 14 track vicious assault of blasting, intense grindcore that spews a massive load of sheer brutality, speed and groove... not for the faint of heart!”

Tracklisting:

“Wheelchair Swingers Party”
“3X Day”
“Electric Bum Fight”
“No Wifi In Heaven”
“Eyeball Pingpong”
“Portal”
“This Is Lucifer”
“Deflowered By Ron Jeremy”
“Jackhammer Colonoscopy”
“Acid Pudding”
“Jazz Jack Rabbit”
“Bin Laden Is Dead”
“Straight To Hell”
“Nursing Home For Retired Hookers”

“Jackhammer Colonoscopy”:

Preorder the CD at Horror Pain Gore Death or the digital version on Bandcamp.

The ILS Group (ILS), a leading distribution and label services company dedicated to bringing independent artists and labels to a major audience, has announced the release of Slaves On Dope’s latest release Horse on September 23rd to be marketed and distributed globally by ILS through its partnership with the Universal Music Group.

Formed in 1993 by Jason Rockman and Kevin Jardine in Montreal (Québec), Slaves On Dope somewhat eschewed the grunge music explosion of the time for a new and heavier metal sound.  The band relocated from their native Montreal to Los Angeles quickly signing with Ozzy Osbourne’s Divine Recordings. The subsequent release, Inches From The Mainline, helped the band reach a much larger audience through radio airplay, retail sales, and live appearances including the Ozzfest and the SnoCore Tours alongside Ozzy Osbourne, Pantera, Godsmack, Incubus, Disturbed, Linkin Park, QOTSA, Fear Factory, Soulfy and more. 

After over 23 years together, Slaves On Dope return with Horse, an album that will redefine what the world thinks of the band by enlisting the likes of Darryl McDaniels (Run DMC), Bill Kelliher (Mastodon), H.R (Bad Brains) and Lee-la Baum (The Damn Truth). The cover art is an original painting created especially for the release by Marvel Comics artist Marco Rudy. Horse is the next chapter in the story that is Slaves On Dope.

“It was a dream come true to collaborate with members of Run DMC, Mastodon and Bad Brains. These are all bands we have idolized and respected forever. It speaks volumes to the passion for creating and giving back!” --Jason Rockman

Tracklisting:

“Electric Kool-Aid”
“Health Food & Heroin”
“Freebasing”
“K-Hole”
“Script Writer” (featuring Darryl McDaniels)
“Interplanetary Mission” (featuring Bill Kelliher)
“Liquid Sunshine” (featuring HR)
“Codependency” (featuring Lee-La Baum)
“P&P”
“Disco Biscuit”

Greek rockers DangerAngel recently signed with MelodicRockRecords for the release of their hard hitting brand new studio opus All The King’s Horses, set for release on September 30th.

All The King’s Horses is a major step forward for the band in terms of both production and songwriting. And along with the usual high energy, in your face performance from the guys, this combination makes this an album that will put the band firmly into the minds of all hard rock fans worldwide.
 
This time around, the production has been undertaken by the band, with new engineer for the mixing and mastering process. The songs are more powerful, heavier and more complex in their structure. The music has evolved, the lyrics have evolved, using the previous album as the stepping stone to the end that the band had in mind more than 4 years ago. This new album will be the defining moment for DangerAngel.

An exclusive limited special edition of the album will be available direct from MRR, featuring a bonus DVD that will include the band’s new videos recorded for this album plus an Official Bootleg Live set, recorded in Athens, May 7th, 2016.

Tracklisting:

“To Kill A Saint”
“Dia De Los Muertos”
“Dead In The Water”
“Who You Are”
“Call My Name”
“Best Of Me”
“All The King’s Horses”
“Speak To Me”
“Will You Follow”
“How About Right Now”
“Devil’s Waltz”
“Hollow Men”

“Who You Are” video:

“Dia De Los Muertos” lyric video:

“Will You Follow” video:

Brazilian metallers Almah, led by ex-Angra singer Edu Falaschi, have unleashed a new lyric video for the song “Age Of Aquarius”, taken from their brand new album, E.V.O, which will be released on September 23rd worldwide via Pride & Joy Music (Europe), Test Your Metal (North America) and King Records (Japan).

E.V.O is the fifth studio album from Almah, it was recorded in São Paulo, Brazil at IMF studios by Tito Falaschi and mixed and mastered by Damien Rainaud (Fear Factory, Dragonforce) at Mix Unlimited in Los Angeles, California. It is a concept album and the main idea is based on evolution of people’s mind and soul during so-called Age Of Aquarius - the new era that the world is about to live. The author of the concept, Edu Falaschi, touches different subjects connected to the main idea, creating very positive lyrics and the whole album’s atmosphere.

Musically, E.V.O brings a fresh and powerful sound with typical modern and heavy Almah’s touch but this time one will be able to realize that it also has a direct connection with the Angra’s Rebirth (the first Angra’s album with Edu's voice). The compositions are pleasant travel between the modern power metal, contemporary rock and prog metal. The vocal lines on E.V.O are very powerful, classic and the voice has a higher pitch comparing to the previous Almah’s records. It’s very melodic, clean and into the bel canto style.

Tracklisting:

“Age Of Aquarius”
“Speranza”
“The Brotherhood”
“Innocence”
“Higher”
“Infatuated”
“Pleased To Meet You”
“Final Warning”
“Indigo”
“Corporate War”
“Capital Punishment”

Almah is:

Edu Falaschi – vocals
Marcelo Barbosa – guitars
Raphael Dafras – bass
Diogo Mafra – guitars
Pedro Tinello - drums

(Photo - Danillo Facchini)

Faith No More, who released We Care A Lot (Deluxe Band Edition) last Friday, are sharing video of the band’s full 1986 I-Beam performance.

Audio from two of the songs performed that January 13th evening, “The Jungle” and “New Beginnings,” are included on the reissue. The original 10-song album, which has been re-mastered by Maor Appelbaum via the original reels Bill Gould unearthed in his basement, is enhanced with nine bonus tracks including demo versions (taken from the original 8-track tapes) of “Greed,” “Mark Bowen,” “Arabian Disco” and “Intro,” live versions of “The Jungle” and “New Beginnings” and new mixes, via Matt Wallace, of “We Care A Lot,” “Pills For Breakfast” and “As The Worm Turns.” Liner notes from keyboard player Roddy Bottum and behind-the-scenes photos are included with the physical release.

We Care A Lot originally arrived in November 1985 via Maximum RocknRoll editor Ruth Schwartz’s Mordam Records. The seminal album, boasting the timeless title track, which can still be heard daily on radio stations worldwide, confounded music fans and critics alike.

“When strangers ask what Faith No More is I’ve always said, ‘well, it’s kind of an art band…’ I say that mostly to distance us from the hard rock world that we’re often times lumped into. I mean, hard rock, sure, that was part of it, but our roots most definitely and pointedly stem from a specific freakout art time and place in San Francisco, a time that no longer exists. In 1982, the hippies mingled with the punks, the artists hung out with the musicians, the dance people and the punks were one and the Satanists and the sexual pioneers… all part of the same scene,” Bottum explains, colorfully setting the scene for the original inspiration for the band and We Care A Lot. “That weird SF window provided a platform from which we were free to express and cultivate a really uniquely odd sound experience. In Los Angeles, no one really cared much, but SF was always super supportive, encouraging us, directly and not, to get our collective freak on.”

“We felt like it was time to take the next step,” adds drummer Mike Bordin. “We raised as much money as we were able and booked time at Prairie Sun Studios just north of San Francisco. I can’t remember how long it took us to record the album, but not a lot, maybe a few days. The songs were sharp from having played most of them at various shows.  Very stripped down, basic as could be.  The place was on a farm in chicken country (Petaluma). Hard work, but a ton of fun too.”

We Care A Lot (Deluxe Band Edition) tracklisting:

“We Care A Lot”
“The Jungle”
“Mark Bowen”
“Jim”
“Why Do You Bother”
“Greed”
“Pills For Breakfast”
“As The Worm Turns”
“Arabian Disco”
“New Beginnings”
“We Care A Lot” - 2016 Mix
“Pills for Breakfast” - 2016 Mix
“As The Worm Turns” - 2016 Mix
“Greed” - Original Demo
“Mark Bowen” - Original Demo
“Arabian Disco” - Original Demo
“Intro” - Original Demo
“The Jungle” - I-Beam, SF, 1986
“New Beginnings” - I-Beam, SF, 1986

We Care A Lot (Deluxe Band Edition) is available now on CD, Digital, and Vinyl.

UK prog-metal stalwarts Deadly Circus Fire are parting ways with vocalist and longtime member Adam Grant.

Not a band to be derailed, they still have a busy schedule ahead which includes playing the prestigious Euroblast festival in Cologne, Germany, alongside Animals As Leaders, Born Of Osiris and Veil Of Maya, as well as a full European tour.  

Auditions to fill the vocalist position are now open; do you have what it takes to sing for Deadly Circus Fire?

Guitarist Save comments. "After over 7 years together, it's with sadness we have to announce that Adam has taken the decision to leave Deadly Circus Fire to follow a different path in his life. There are no hard feelings between us. We respect his decision and we thank him for all he has done for the band. It's hard to explain how we really feel, but all we can say is that Deadly Circus Fire is still alive and a new chapter is about to start. If you think you have what it takes to be part of the DCF family get in touch with us to receive the audition pack. We will be starting auditioning for the position ASAP!"

Famed for beautiful melodies with sinister undertones and crushing riffs that weave into creative arrangements and bold songwriting, Deadly Circus Fire are a must listen for fans of Tool, Mastodon and Deftones. With two releases under their belts, and tour miles racked up with the likes of Skindred, Crossfaith and Aliases, the band are poised to take the next leap when they start working on their new album. The new member will be fully involved creatively and have the opportunity to take this band to to the heady heights they have always been destined to reach.

Contact DCF.audition@gmail.com to receive an audition pack now.

Sharon Osbourne has told U.K.'s The Sunday Times magazine that her husband Ozzy cheated on her with five women in five different countries. She also revealed that the BLACK SABBATH singer had been unfaithful for several years before seeking therapy for sex addiction.

She said: "The shit that's been going on with my husband recently, it's been going on for about five years but people are talking about it now. We've survived everything, drink, drugs and now it's women.

"Somehow drugs and drink is more acceptable I think. When it's somebody that has a sex addiction, it's embarrassing. He's come out and admitted it finally. It's very, very hard. It's been going on for at least six years."

Sharon announced in May that she had split with her husband after he was alleged to have been involved with celebrity hairstylist Michelle Pugh.

Ozzy later claimed their marriage was back on track, but Sharon said she remained uncertain whether she could trust him.

Sharon told The Sunday Times that Pugh was a "bunny boiler" and said: "When you're fucking a load of women, one of them is going to want more. That's the one that's going to get you."

Sharon also said her husband had been having intensive therapy for sex addiction.

She added: "He really wants to work on it. Today, we'll see."

Ozzy issued a statement earlier in the month in which he apologized to the women with whom he has had extramarital sexual relationships and admitted to undergoing therapy for sex addiction. Ozzy's statement came out in the wake of the first interview given by Pugh, who claimed to have had a four-year affair with the BLACK SABBATH singer.

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

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

Ozzy is in the midst of a year-long farewell tour with SABBATH.

In a brand new interview with Metro, Ozzy Osbourne was asked for his plans for after BLACK SABBATH completes its "The End" tour in early 2017. He said: "I'm currently playing around with some song ideas. I have a few things jotted down, and once BLACK SABBATH is off the road, I will be heading into the studio with my band to get the songs recorded. Once it's all in the can, you can be sure to see me back on the road again."

Ozzy's wife and manager Sharon Osbourne recently told Rolling Stone that the 67-year-old singer will carry on as a solo artist after BLACK SABBATH's farewell tour comes to an end. "We'll continue until Ozzy finishes, and Ozzy won't be long behind them when he calls it a day," she said.

"It's not going to be within the next year, but it's coming up," she said. "I don't want Ozzy singing 'Crazy Train' at 75. I think it's best you go out before you hit that 70 and go out on top."

Ozzy told Billboard that he is not planning on hanging it up once SABBATH has retired from touring. "I just get on with it," he said. "I'm not stopping, Terry [BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler] is not stopping; we're just stopping SABBATH. We're not gonna sit in our rocking chairs and look at our scrapbook. We'll still be involved in the music scene; that's what we’ve always done. It's been the best thing that ever happened to me."

Ozzy told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that he wanted to keep performing for fans as long as he could. "I don't wanna stop, you know," he said. "It's been the biggest love affair of my life. When you reach a certain age in rock 'n' roll, people think, 'Well, this has got to be his last tour,' or 'This has got to be his last tour,' or 'You've got to come next Tuesday 'cause he ain't gonna do it after that.' You'll know when I've come off the road permanently. I mean, you'll know!"

Ozzy has not released an all-new solo album since 2010's "Scream", having spent the last few years touring with BLACK SABBATH and recording that band's "13" album.

Epic Records president Sylvia Rhone told Billboard in August 2015 that Osbourne was working on a "really special album." She added, "It's going to be amazing. It's something Ozzy has never done before that he's always wanted to do."

Former NEVERMORE and current ARCH ENEMY guitarist Jeff Loomis confirmed to Sweden Rock Magazine that he auditioned for MEGADETH for the first time when he was only 16 years old but was deemed too young and inexperienced at the time by MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine. "I had another opportunity [to try out for MEGADETH] back in 2008," he revealed. "During the 2005 [edition of MEGADETH's] Gigantour [which featured NEVERMORE on the bill], Glen Drover was playing in the band and he didn't want to be in the band anymore. Around 2008 I believe it was when I was just entering the studio to record my very first solo record, when I got a phone call from Dave. He was, like, 'Jeff, it would be great if you could come out and play two live shows with us. We kinda need you. Glen can't make the shows.' I was, like, 'Man, Dave, I'm right in the middle of recording.' I literally just entered the studio and was about to track the first song of my first solo album. I said I just couldn't do it. Right there and then I kinda blew it. I mean, the next day I think they had another guitarist who was Chris Broderick. So, yeah, I had another opportunity, but it was my fault. I blew it and there you go — that was it! [laughs]

Asked if there were any other bands that he tried getting into over the years, Jeff said: "I auditioned for Ozzy Osbourne before Gus G. got the gig. I actually flew down to Los Angeles and played five songs for Ozzy and Sharon. I jammed with the band and Ozzy basically just watched from the couch with Sharon. He's, like, 'Fucking bloody fantastic guitar playing, man! That's fucking amazing!' Then Sharon came up to me and said, 'Jeff, how old are you?' I'm, like, 'I'm 38.' 'Oh, okay. Thank you.' Right then and there I kinda knew that they were looking for a younger guy. I thought for sure I had the gig, though, 'cause I nailed all the songs. A month later, I heard Gus G. got the gig, so I was a little bit upset about that. It would've been cool to have been Ozzy's last guitar player. That would've been kind of a legacy thing, but, unfortunately, I didn't get the gig."

Loomis came in at No. 61 on Sweden Rock Magazine's 100 greatest hard rock/metal guitarists of all time, as voted by the readers.

Jeff joined ARCH ENEMY in 2014 — three years after his exit from NEVERMORE.

The rescheduled dates of AC/DC's North American tour — which are the band's first concerts here with GUNS N' ROSES singer Axl Rose on lead vocals — kicked off Saturday night, August 27 at the Greensboro Coliseum in Greensboro, North Carolina.

The setlist for the show was as follows:

01. Rock Or Bust02. Shoot To Thrill03. Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be04. Back In Black05. Got Some Rock & Roll Thunder06. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap07. Rock 'N' Roll Damnation08. Thunderstruck09. High Voltage10. Rock 'N' Roll Train11. Hells Bells12. Given The Dog A Bone13. If You Want Blood (You've Got It)14. Live Wire15. Sin City16. You Shook Me All Night Long17. Shot Down In Flames18. Have A Drink On Me19. T.N.T.20. Whole Lotta Rosie21. Let There Be Rock

Encore:

22. Highway To Hell23. Riff Raff24. For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)

Video footage of the performance can be seen below.

The "Live Wire" airing marked the first time since 1982 that AC/DC performed the song, which originally appeared on the band's 1975 album "T.N.T.".

AC/DC guitarist and sole founding member Angus Young recently said that he has not made a decision yet regarding the band's future once the current "Rock Or Bust" tour cycle ends. Following the 2014 retirement of his brother and co-founder Malcolm Young due to dementia, Angus also dealt with the exit of drummer Phil Rudd later that year because of legal problems, and more recently the departure of singer Brian Johnson because of hearing loss and bassist Cliff Williams's decision to retire after the tour ends.

Angus was asked by Rolling Stone whether he had given any thought to his or the band's future, replying, "At this point, I don't know. We were committed to finishing the tour. Who knows what I'll feel after? When you sign on and say, 'I'm gonna do this and that,' it's always good to say at the end of it, 'I've done all I said I would do.'"

Asked if he thought Williams's decision was brought about by Johnson's departure, Angus said, "Cliff made it known before we'd even started touring — this would be his last. Besides myself, Cliff has been there the longest, since 1977. Cliff and Brian are in the same age bracket. They like to go out, hit the pubs. They had the bond."

Williams made his decision to retire public earlier this year, telling Gulfshore Life, "It's been what I've known for the past forty years, but losing Malcolm, the thing with Phil and now with Brian, it's a changed animal. I feel in my gut it's the right thing."

Williams told The Pulse Of Radio he never imagined back in his early days with the group that their career would last 40 years. "Didn't really think about it," he said. "Not that longterm thought process went into it. It was just doing it at the time and we were just on the road all the time and doing it and doing it and doing it, and it was just like, not really thinking that far ahead."

Assuming neither Rudd nor Johnson return, Williams's exit means that Angus will be the only member remaining from the lineups that recorded classic albums like 1979's "Highway To Hell", 1980's "Back In Black" and 1981's "For Those About To Rock...We Salute You".

Video footage of former RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE singer Joe Lynn Turner performing on August 21 at the Curtain Club in Dallas, Texas can be seen below. Backing Joe at the concert were Steve Brown (TRIXTER) on guitar, Sean McNabb (QUIET RIOT, DOKKEN) on bass, Matt Starr (ACE FREHLEY, MR. BIG) on drums, and Eric Ragno (THE BABYS, LONDON) on keyboards.

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

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

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

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

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

Blackmore was joined at the recent RAINBOW gigs by LORDS OF BLACK singer Ronnie Romero, STRATOVARIUS keyboardist Jens Johansson, BLACKMORE'S NIGHT drummer David Keith and bassist Bob Nouveau (a.k.a. Robert "Bob" Curiano, ex-BLACKMORE'S NIGHT).

Fan-filmed video footage of DOWN's August 26 performance at the Psycho Las Vegas festival in Las Vegas, Nevada can be seen below.

Philip Anselmo recently shot down speculation that DOWN was done after the band was forced to cancel a number of shows earlier in the year because he was filmed giving a Nazi salute and shouting "white power" at a California concert.

During a question-and-answer session on June 26 at the Diamond Pub Concert Hall in Louisville, Kentucky, Anselmo said about DOWN's current status: "I think between myself, [bassist] Patrick Bruders and one James Bower [drums] from EYEHATEGOD… We haven't seen much of Pepper [Keenan, DOWN guitarist], because he's obviously been busy with C.O.C. That's the freedom that rock and roll brings. So, yeah, we're all kind of doing our own things, but we always come back together because BLACK SABBATH, TROUBLE and SAINT VITUS bring us back together, and that's where we started from, you know what I'm saying?"

Anselmo performed the PANTERA classic "Walk" at the January 22 "Dimebash" event at the Lucky Strike Live in Hollywood, California in honor of his former bandmate, late PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. As he left the stage, he made a Nazi-style salute. He appeared to say "white power" as he made the gesture, but he later claimed he was referring to drinking white wine as part of an "inside joke."

The singer apologized for the incident and wrote an open letter to the organizer of the French festival Hellfest in which he said it was not the right time for DOWN to tour. He also revealed that he was suffering from a recurring knee injury and needed rehabilitation.

Besides Hellfest, DOWN was scheduled to play at the Download festival in the U.K.

The band was dropped from the bill by Dutch festival FortaRock in February.

Keenan offered his take on what transpired, telling Metal Wani DOWN was "far from done" after the controversial incident. "You know, DOWN didn't do anything wrong," he said. "I mean, we were just guilty by association on that one. That was Phil's mistake. I've spoken to Phil and told him to get his shit together, and he is. He knows he made a mistake and was being stupid."

He continued: "I've known the guy [most of my life]. He's not what that whole thing framed him to be at all. But, yeah, there's definitely a future for DOWN. I wouldn't throw all the shit we've done, beautiful music we've done on one stupid moment that was caught on camera, and he apologized for. [So we are] far from done."

MEGADETH forced to cancel its concert in San Salvador, El Salvador due to a severe rainstorm.

The Dave Mustaine-fronted outfit managed to get through only two songs — "Hangar 18" and "The Threat Is Real" — at Estadio Jorge "Mágico" González Friday night (August 26) before heavy rain forced them to leave the stage and call off the show as a security measure.

Mustaine later took to Twitter to thank the MEGADETH fans for coming to the gig and apologize for not playing a full set. He wrote: "San Salvador, thank you for coming. I'm sorry the rains came and we could only play two songs. I guess we'll be making this show up too!"

As previously reported, MEGADETH canceled its show in Paraguay a week ago (Saturday, August 20) after five songs when fans broke through the barricades protecting the stage, leaving several of them injured.

MEGADETH has just completed a South American tour in support of the band's latest album, "Dystopia", which came out in January. The band will play several shows in Mexico this week before kicking off another U.S. run on September 20 in Casper, Wyoming.

In addition to Mustaine, MEGADETH's current lineup includes longtime bassist David Ellefson, Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, best known for his work with ANGRA, and former SOILWORK drummer Dirk Verbeuren.

Greek/Swedish melodic death metallers NIGHTRAGE will enter Zero Gravity Studios in Athens with producer Terry Nikas in less than a week to begin recording their seventh album. An early 2017 release via Despotz Records in 2017.

Says the band: "The NIGHTRAGE sound is evolving and we are ready to take it to new exciting and creative heights. We cannot wait to unleash this out into the world!"

NIGHTRAGE recently announced the addition of Magnus Söderman on guitar and Lawrence Dinamarca on drums.

NIGHTRAGE's sixth studio album, "The Puritan", was released in April 2015 via Despotz Records.The CD marked vocalist Ronnie Nyman's recorded debut with NIGHTRAGE after he performed with the band on its Japanese and Russian tours.

"The Puritan" was produced by Daniel Bergstrand (MESHUGGAH, DEVIN TOWNSEND, SOILWORK) and George Nerantzis at Dugout Productions in Uppsala, Sweden.

NIGHTRAGE was founded in 2000 in Greece by Marios Iliopoulos and his close friend, Gus G., who departed after the band's second album, "Descent Into Chaos". During the band's 16-year career, NIGHTRAGE has released six studio albums and toured across Europe, the U.S., Canada and Asia while employing various musicians from AT THE GATES, EVERGREY, DARK TRANQUILLITY, AMARANTHE and FIREWIND.

NIGHTRAGE is: Marios Iliopoulos - GuitarRonnie Nyman - VocalsAnders Hammer - BassMagnus Söderman - GuitarLawrence Dinamarca - Drums

Photo credit: Soile Siirtola

Swedish adventure metallers, Twilight Force, have released a video for their track “Powerwind”, featured on their new studio album, Heroes Of Mighty Magic, out today (August 26th) through Nuclear Blast. Find the new video below.

Heroes Of Mighty Magic tracklisting:

“Battle Of Arcane Might”
“Powerwind”
“Guardian Of The Seas”
“Flight Of The Sapphire Dragon”
“There And Back Again”
“Riders Of The Dawn”
“Keepers Of Fate”
“Rise Of A Hero”
“To The Stars”
“Heroes Of Mighty Magic”
“Epilogue”
“Knights Of Twilight's Might”

“Powerwind” video;

The Lore Of Chrileon:

"To The Stars" lyric video:

“Battle Of Arcane Might” lyric video:

Southern Welsh rockers Buffalo Summer have released a video for “Neverend”, a track from their brand new album, Second Sun, a bubbling-fresh selection of songs produced by Barrett Martin (Screaming Trees, REM, Queens of The Stone Age, Walking Papers), out now via UDR Music.

The video for "Neverend" was directed by Sofia Costa and Elena Andres Costa of Costa Sister Productions. Vocalist Andrew Hunt states, “”Neverend” is a song about being in a dark place but reaching for the light. This is a track that talks about following your dreams through all the up's and down's... the determination and drive of your own mind, to be a leader and not to follow."  

Buffalo Summer are the latest 'future legends' to sign with the home of legends, UDR Music. Proudly proclaiming that they 'bring the soul from the coal', Buffalo Summer bristle with the warm, rich old-school tones of groups such as Led Zeppelin, The Black Crowes, Jack White and Deep Purple, and their reputation as one of the most electric new live rock bands in Europe has seen them share gigs with the likes of Duff McKagan, Ugly Kid Joe, Soundgarden and Black Sabbath.

Tracklisting:

“Money”
“Heartbreakin' Floorshakin'”
“Make You Mine”
“Neverend”
“As High As The Pines”
“Light Of The Sun”
“Levitate”
“Into Your Head”
“Little Charles”
“Priscilla”
“Bird On A Wire”
“Water To Wine”

“Make You Mine” lyric video:

EPK:

Buffalo Summer is:

Andrew Hunt: Vocals
Johnny Williams: Guitar
Darren King: Bass
Gareth Hunt: Drums

GUNS N' ROSES' North American "Not In This Lifetime" summer stadium tour reportedly sold over one million tickets, with the band being presented a special plaque for the occasion after concluding the trek on Monday in San Diego, California.

According to Page Six, GUNS N' ROSES celebrated the end of the tour by partying with some 200 guests at Hollywood's Roosevelt Hotel, where it was reported that "Axl Rose and Slash were accompanied by scantily clad models to the rooftop for pizza." Rose was also "seen on the roof sitting on the hotel's giant sign." Then "at 5 a.m. the band ordered up 50 egg sandwiches before Rose turned in for the night."

Live Nation exec Bob Roux predicted the company would sell one million tickets for the 25-show tour, roughly 90 percent of what was available. He added that some less well-attended shows were the result of the band playing cities it wanted to play, rather than sticking to the highest population centers that would better guarantee sellouts.

GUNS N' ROSES' "Not In This Lifetime" stadium tour features classic lineup members Slash (guitar), Duff McKagan (bass) and Axl Rose (vocals) backed by drummer Frank Ferrer, guitarist Richard Fortus, keyboardist Dizzy Reed and new second keyboardist Melissa Reese.

Drummer Steven Adler performed with GUNS N' ROSES at two shows early last month and at the second Dodger Stadium concert on August 19. Adler joined GUNS for "My Michelle" and "Out Ta Get Me" at all three dates.

Guitarist Izzy Stradlin remains the last member of the classic band to keep his distance from the current reunion, with unconfirmed reports suggesting that he was approached about the reunion, but did not wish to tour and/or was not happy with the money he was offered.

Photo credit: Katarina Benzova

Iron Maiden lands on Billboard’s Hot Tours recap at #2 just behind Coldplay, with the final counts reported from its own trek through Europe that included headlining dates and festival appearances at 32 cities in 24 countries during a 10-week span.

The European tour was the final leg of the band’s Book Of Souls World Tour that played in six continents from February 24th through August 4th. Overall ticket sales from the tour reached $54.6 million from 47 reported shows with 816,721 tickets sold during the 23-week run.

Included in this week’s tally for Iron Maiden are 13 concerts from the band’s final stretch through Europe that added $19.5 million in revenue to the tour’s overall box office counts. Among these final shows, the highest gross was logged at Ullevi Stadion in Gothenburg, Sweden. With a crowd of 54,507 in attendance and $4.1 million in ticket sales, the June 17th performance ranks as the Book Of Souls Tour’s highest-grossing single engagement worldwide.

Iron Maiden’s The Book Of Souls World Tour concluded on August 4th when the band performed at Wacken Open Air in Germany, marking the end of the trek that began in late February and touched down on six continents.

In a video recap, which can be found below, the members of Iron Maiden share memories from the tour and thank fans for coming out to the shows.

Iron Maiden Manager Rod Smallwood stated: “We decided to finish the tour at Wacken as it is the ideal way to end this magical tour playing to 80,000 core metal fans at this legendary metal festival. Wacken has become such as international event with many thousands of fans from many other countries around the world joining and celebrating with the German fans so it is perfect for the final show of a memorable tour. Everywhere we’ve played the fans have been amazing and the reaction to the new songs and stage show has been phenomenal. The band has loved every minute on stage.”

London-based progressive metal band Haken are set to begin their headlining Affinitour in North America next week. The tour kicks off in Chicago, IL on August 30th and concludes in Portland, OR on September 21st, with a stop at major US festival ProgPower in Atlanta on September 10th. New Jersey prog outfit Thank You Scientist joins the group on this 19-date trek.

In advance of the tour, the band have released the album track "1985" which can be heard below:

The band had this to say about the upcoming tour: "After last year's success in North America, we've been eager to get back and play to our amazing fans over there and also travel to new territory in Texas, Arizona and the west coast. To make things even more exciting, we're taking one of our favourite bands out with us - Thank You Scientist. If you haven't heard these guys, you've been missing out!"

Tour dates:

August
30 - Chicago, IL - Reggie's
31 - Niagra Falls, NY - Rapid's Theater

September
1 - Toronto, ON - Mod Club
2 - Montreal, QC - Club Soda
3 - Quebec City, QC - L'Imperial
4 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
6 - New York, NY - Marlin Room
7 - Philadelphia. PA - Founday
8 - Frederick, MD - Café 611
9 - Canal Club - Richmond, VA
10 - ProgPower USA - Atlanta, GA
12 - Southport Music - New Orleans, LA
13 - Gas Monkey Bar & Grill - Dallas, TX
14 - Rockbox - San Antonio, TX
16 - Joe's Grotto - Phoenix, AZ
17 - Complex - Los Angeles, CA
18 - Brick & Mortar - San Francisco, CA
20 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA
21 - Ash Street Saloon - Portland, OR

Wound Collector is the brainchild of Peter Verdonck, a renowned Belgian saxophonist and composer who has earned his stripes in performances all across the globe with Thelema Trio, Manngold De Cobre, The Rhythm Junks, De Pandoering and many more. Yet his heart truly beats for death metal.

On a quest to combine this passion for death metal with his favoured instrument he teamed up with Ben Van Peteghem (In Vain, Sadistic Embrace) on drums, Guy Van Campenhout (Notti Del Terrore, Angeli di Pietra) on guitar and Kurt Hermans (Herfst, Angeli di Pietra) on bass. Each of whom brings considerable experience in various metalbands.

On July 10th and 11th, Wound Collector entered Blackout Studio in Brussels to record two promo tracks. A lyric video for one of the tracks, “Worship Of The Aton”, can be seen below.

Lyrically this song revisits ancient Egypt. The astonishing beauty of queen Nefertiti is known worldwide, her infamous husband, pharaoh Echnaton, not as such. He entered monotheism and usurped all political power, thus leading himself and his entire family into being murdered. All Wound Collector songs are historically inspired and delve deep into the pain mankind inflicts upon oneself.

(Photo - Wound Collector Facebook)

Due on September 2nd, Classic Filth is a triple disc set combining the Peaceville era trilogy of releases from the UK’s premier extreme metallers. One of the most infamous and notorious names in metal, Cradle Of Filth shock, excite, disgust and inspire in equal measures across 30 tracks of darkness and debauchery.

First on the menu is the band’s ninth studio album from 2010, Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa. Described at the time by Cradle's infamous frontman Dani Filth as “without doubt the fastest and most brutal album we've created to date,” this is a relentless gothic horror themed slay-ride of fervour and perversion; yet amidst the orchestral melodrama and lush, cinematic production, there sits stalwart a ravening beast of furious riffing, flesh ripping vocals and monstrous, unstoppable percussion.

Originally released as a companion piece to Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa, the Evermore Darkly release features new tracks, reworkings and rarities, including the exclusive track "Thank Your Lucky Scars", plus a special remix of album track "Forgive Me Father", courtesy of Rob Caggiano from Anthrax. Also featured are tempered demo versions of Darkly, Darkly… songs, along with a choice cut from the band's orchestral project which eventually manifested as Midnight In The Labyrinth, in the form of a haunting, classic reworking of fan-favourite, "Summer Dying Fast".

Closing the circle of this trilogy is the band’s 2012 opus The Manticore And Other Horrors. This, Cradle Of Filth’s tenth studio full-length, can be likened to a bestiary, a collection of stories on Monsters; personal demons, Chimeras, literary fiends and world-enslaving entities. The album itself possesses an altogether new atmosphere for the band, incorporating a heavier, faster NWOBBM punk vibe that is both current and cruel, blended with ornate orchestration and the quirky immediateness of 2000's acclaimed Midian opus.

Order your copy now at this location.

In other news, Cradle Of Filth have been in the Czech Republic working on the follow-up to 2015's Hammer Of The Witches album, which could have a Victorian horror theme.

Leader Dani Filth tells TeamRock: "I'm looking at something based on Victorian horror. We've already written about 50% of material, but we're collating all our ideas. We've got a big pool of riffs."

"I often wait until the others have done their parts. I've made the mistake of writing stuff which then dictates the way that the songs have to go for everybody else – or you get into the studio and we've got way too much material and we've spread ourselves too thinly. So we're hoping to have the majority of the album written, and then I'll be locked away in my garret composing lyrics between now and December, when I go on tour with Devilment."

Read more at TeamRock.com.

The new Cradle Of Filth album is expected to be released in September 2017. Stay tuned for updates.

Rockshots Records has announced the signing of Black Yet Full Of Stars.

Black Yet Full Of Stars is a brand new act coming out to delight your ears with their fresh progressive and power metal, blended together with bombastic orchestral arrangements, hard hitting guitars and a powerful voice.

Their self-titled album has been produced, mixed and mastered by Stefano Morabito (Fleshgod Apocalypse, Hour Of Penance) at 16th Cellar Studios, Black Yet Full Of Stars will be released on October 22nd via Rockshots Records.

More detailed news, tracklisting, and first single will be revealed on September 15th.

“Tempesta” instrumental excerpt:

The Sixx:A.M. camp has checked in with the following update:

"Ready for new music? Sixx:A.M. has released brand new acoustic versions of 'Prayers For The Damned' and 'Rise' Listen to them now on Spotify here."

Sixx:AM have released a lyric video for “Prayers Of The Damned”, the title track of their latest album, out now via Eleven Seven Music.

A four-minute Sixx:A.M. clip entitled The Damned Of Scandinavia, courtesy of RockSverige.se, is available below. It features highlights from the band's recent tour through Sweden, which included stops at the Sweden Rock Festival and Gröna Lund.

Godz Ov War Productions will release Kingdom's third album, Sepulchral Psalms From The Abyss Of Torment. 

A press release states: “Hailing from Poland, Kingdom are a literal juggernaut of blackened death metal supremacy. Theirs is a sound that's immediately familiar - traces of classic Krisiun, Angelcorpse, and Black Witchery weld together their iron fist - but it's done with such bazooka-blown panache, the attack instantly becomes theirs and theirs alone. The power-trio planted their roots with 2008's Unholy Graveyard debut and especially 2013's Morbid Priest Of Blasphemy, but their latest Sepulchral Psalms From The Abyss Of Torment detonates and then destroys with a nuclear power like no other. Unremittingly cruel and ceaselessly merciless, track after track after track, Kingdom flay the listener alive with a strike/recoil/strike-again arsenal that's simply devastating to behold. Armed with a powerful production that properly balances clarity and crush, Sepulchral Psalms From The Abyss Of Torment is a swift 'n' scorching 35 minutes that'll soon put Kingdom atop the black/death scene!”

Tracklisting:

“Sepulchlar Psalms”
“Monolith Of Death”
“Forsaken Tribe”
“Kaplica Ducha Zgniłego”
“Abyss Of Torment”
“Black Rain Upon The Mountain Of Doom”
“Whispering The Incantation Of Eternal Fire”
“Cromlech” (Darkthrone cover)

“Black Rain Upon The Mountain Of Doom”:

New band Zap has released a digital single called “Air Traffic Control” via Steve Vai's Favored Nations label. The band is made up of Emmy-nominated composer Sean McKee, who is also collaborating with Jon Anderson from YES on a concept album project, Ike Willis, the voice on numerous Frank Zappa albums, and Grammy-nominated bassist Chip Z'Nuff (Enuff Z'Nuff, Missing Persons, Adler's Appetite).

“Air Traffic Control” started as a 60-second piece that was commissioned by Lee Abrams (co-founder of XM Radio) to have McKee write a piece of music in the style of Frank Zappa, and produce a video to commemorate the 20th anniversary of his passing. McKee wrote and performed all instruments, including recording the keyboard parts using a then-prototype Lineage MIDI guitar from Inspired Instruments.

Besides being a musician, McKee is known as a pioneer in the field of image processing, creating technology used for new movies and classic film restorations, along with 2D to 3D conversions, with the technology he led development on being used daily in Hollywood. For several years, one of his clients was Gail Zappa, Frank's widow, and he worked on restoring film elements from Frank's archive, and also helped to recover lost video masters that Gail hadn't seen in years.

According to McKee, “When I heard the news of Gail's passing last October, I was deeply saddened, she was very kind to me, and an incredibly smart woman who pioneered the concept of artists' retaining the rights to the master recordings. I decided to take the 60 second piece and finish it as a proper song, as a memorial to Gail and tribute to Frank, who was a big influence on my playing.”

McKee crafted the song starting from the existing 60 second guitar solo, building a complete song around it, similar to methods Zappa incorporated. He then asked Ike Willis to sing on the track and add another guitar solo. Die hard Zappa fans will also notice a lyrical reference to the infamous 'White Zone'.

McKee continues, “The original solo I wrote is what ends the song, and Ike takes the first guitar solo. If you close your eyes, you can see Frank and hear the lineage. When Frank got sick, he asked Ike to carry on his music, and while this is a new, original song, his playing and voice carries the torch for both the legacy fans as well as a new generation of listeners.”

McKee then asked Chip Z'Nuff to play bass on all parts except for the bass under the solos, which McKee had recorded originally. The end result is a modern interpretation and homage to a timeless and unique style.

Watch the video:

(Photo - Zap Facebook)

Danish debutants Junkyard Drive are already well-known to Danish and Northern European rock fans for their energetic live performance and with a newly signed record deal, the guys are ready to show the world what they are made of with the first single from the coming album, Sin & Tonic, set to be released in the beginning of 2017.

The album is mixed and produced by Soren Andersen (Glenn Hughes, Mike Tramp, Dead Dasies, Electric Guitars), recorded live in Medley Studios in Copenhagen and displays the essence  

 A video for the single ”Drama Queen" can be seen below:

Junkyard Drive lineup:

Kris - Lead Vocal
Birk - Lead Guitar/Backup Vocal
Benjamin - Rhythm Guitar/Backup Vocal
Mikkel - Bass
Claus - Drums/Cowbell

Austrian folk metal band, Drescher, will release their new album, Steinfeld, on November 18th via Napalm Records. Pre-orders details will be announced soon.

Steinfeld means “field of stones”, but is it as heavy as it sounds? Oh yes, it is! This is something really extraordinary. Ushering in a new kind of music, a new style and a new experience Drescher’s music provides it’s listener with authentic Austrian metal in both language and sound. As long as they’ve been cranking their amplifiers, Drescher has produced genuine tunes driven by the music within.

Steinfeld tracklisting:

“A bissl Glick”
“Adrenalin”
“Unten”
“Guade oide Zeit”
“Regen”
“Es reignt Bluat” (Slayer Cover)
“Olles ok”
“Endlich leben”
“I will di ausbliatn sehn”
“Der Held”
“Die Marie” (Bonus Track)
“Vater vergib mir” (Bonus Track)

Drescher lineup:

Bernd Wograndl - Vocals & Guitar
Gernot Engel - Guitar (acoustic & electric)
Filip Rado - Accordion
Roland Engel - Bass
Sigi Meier - Drums