Former FOO FIGHTERS guitarist Franz Stahl criticized late SOUNDGARDEN and AUDIOSLAVE singer Chris Cornell (pictured) for committing suicide — in comments that Stahl later walked back. According to The Pulse Of Radio, Stahl's initial Facebook post read: "Wow…I find it very sad as a father to see all these sad eulogies for your fallen kept rockstars where the real sadness is what so selfishly was left behind… his children. They are forever now without a father… a pillar of love… safety… strength… guidance."

Stahl continued: "Now, I loved SOUNDGARDEN… but AUDIOSLAVE was fucking lamesville… but does all that really matter to his kids? They just wanted to see your face when you got home… to hear your voice… to feel your hugs… to borrow the fucking car to go to In-N-Out Burger. Thanks Dad…"

Stahl later deleted that post and sent a message to Alternative Nation in which he said: "I've been inundated with hate and harm and it cuts deep... I'm no stranger to what some of us deal with in life… a fatherless upbringing… suicide in my family and my own depression… With that said… Upon reading the news, I was initially overwhelmed with sadness, then it became anger however unwarranted. In that moment, I just blurted it out… said things and posted it."

He added: "It was, however, insensitive and wrong on many levels and since deleted. People close to me know 'not that person, and well… how can you walk that back."

Stahl was a member of FOO FIGHTERS for two years in the late 1990s, although he never appeared on any albums.

He joined the band in 1997, having previously played with FOO FIGHTERS leader Dave Grohl in the punk band SCREAM, but exited prior to Chris Shiflett joining the group in 1999.

Chris Cornell's wife, Vicky, has penned a letter to the late SOUNDGARDEN and AUDIOSLAVE frontman, who died last week at age 52.

Cornell was pronounced dead early Thursday morning after being found unresponsive in his Detroit hotel room on Wednesday night. SOUNDGARDEN had played a concert at the Fox Theatre earlier that evening.

Vicky's letter, which was posted on Billboard, reads as follows:

"To my sweet Christopher,

"You were the best father, husband and son-in-law. Your patience, empathy and love always showed through.

"You had always said I saved you, that you wouldn't be alive if it were not for me. My heart gleamed to see you happy, living and motivated. Excited for life. Doing everything you could to give back. We had the time of our lives in the last decade and I'm sorry, my sweet love, that I did not see what happened to you that night. I'm sorry you were alone, and I know that was not you, my sweet Christopher. Your children know that too, so you can rest in peace.

"I'm broken, but I will stand up for you and I will take care of our beautiful babies. I will think of you every minute of every day and I will fight for you. You were right when you said we are soulmates. It has been said that paths that have crossed will cross again, and I know that you will come find me, and I will be here waiting.

"I love you more than anyone has ever loved anyone in the history of loving and more than anyone ever will.

"Always and forever, your Vicky."

A full autopsy and results of toxicology tests are pending, although Cornell's wife has said he may have taken more of an anti-anxiety drug than he was prescribed. His family issued a statement Friday questioning whether his death by hanging was intentional and if "substances contributed to his demise."

The private funeral for Cornell will be held on Friday, May 26 at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

Ahead of Friday's service, Cornell's remains were cremated yesterday (Tuesday, May 23), as a small group of family and friends stood by, including Vicky, his brother Peter, and his friends Linda Ramone and singer J.D. King, according to TMZ.

Chris is survived by Vicky and three children, a daughter named Toni, a son named Christopher and a daughter named Lillian from his previous marriage to former SOUNDGARDEN manager Susan Silver.

Chris Cornell's wife Vicky pens letter to late husband: "I will fight for you" https://t.co/jxpg5NpDGz pic.twitter.com/bdNzvrWdT7

— billboard (@billboard) May 24, 2017

KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch says that Chris Cornell's death hit him hard, explaining that he can't stop thinking about the SOUNDGARDEN frontman's children.

The 52-year-old Cornell was pronounced dead early Thursday morning after being found unresponsive in his Detroit hotel room on Wednesday night. The band had played a concert at the Fox Theatre earlier that evening.

A full autopsy and results of toxicology tests are pending, although Cornell's wife has said he may have taken more of an anti-anxiety drug than he was prescribed. His family issued a statement Friday questioning whether his death by hanging was intentional and if "substances contributed to his demise."

Speaking to the Z93 radio station at last weekend's Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, Ohio, Welch stated about Cornell's passing (see video below): "I've struggled with suicidal thoughts, I've struggled with depression for years, and so it just hit me hard and I can't shake it, thinking about it and his kids."

He continued: "I was talking to [fellow KORN guitarist] Munky earlier, and we have to communicate, man. We have to talk to people — to family or stranger or whatever, whoever, hotline, whatever we have to. 'Cause we all have to fight through this life, and it sucks sometimes to live — sometimes it's not easy."

Welch also acknowledged that Cornell's death affected him even more deeply because of his own battles with depression and suicidal thoughts.

"I think all of us in KORN, to some degree, have struggled with those kinds of things — at least depression," he explained.

"I never met any of the guys in SOUNDGARDEN, but the other guys in the band have," he added. "And our management is close with some people that really… like, ALICE IN CHAINS and stuff like that. It' just so close to home. But we're gonna honor him, we're gonna look to the future and we're gonna celebrate him and make some positive out of it."

The private funeral for Cornell will be held on Friday, May 26 at Hollywood Forever Cemetery in Los Angeles, California.

Ahead of Friday's service, Cornell's remains were cremated yesterday (Tuesday, May 23), as a small group of family and friends stood by, including his brother Peter, his wife Vicky, and his friends Linda Ramone and singer J.D. King, according to TMZ.

After 3 p.m. local time on Friday — following the private ceremony — the public is welcome to visit the gravesite, Cornell's attorney told Variety.

Chris is survived by Vicky and three children, a daughter named Toni, a son named Christopher and a daughter named Lillian from his previous marriage to former SOUNDGARDEN manager Susan Silver.

Kyle McGinn of Dead Rhetoric recently conducted an interview with vocalist Shagrath (real name: Stian Tomt Thoresen) of Norwegian symphonic black metallers DIMMU BORGIR. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

Dead Rhetoric: Do you feel that the new DVD ("Forces Of The Northern Night") was a milestone for the band, being able to do the live recording with a full orchestra and choir?

Shagrath: "It's definitely a career highlight so far. Especially if you check out the earbook edition, it comes with a huge 48-page booklet with both of the shows. For me, this is a power statement of what we are able to do. I'm really glad it was released so we can share it with the rest of the world. So that the people who were not a part of the shows are able to see it in their living room and be a part of it. I'm very proud of it."

Dead Rhetoric: In one of the press releases, I believe the term pinnacle was used to describe the release. In that regard, where do you go from here?

Shagrath: "To the moon, I guess. [Laughs] I think 'Forces Of The Northern Night' puts an end to an era for the band. There were a lot of songs on there related to the 'Abrahadabra' album. So now we are starting with a blank page — we have a new album, and it has a different approach. We did not use an orchestra for the new record. So it's a new start with different things… Where we take it from here? Only time will tell, you know."

Dead Rhetoric: You mention a new album — how much progress has been made at this point towards it?

Shagrath: "We have completed the new album. I've spent almost three years creating it. It is done and complete. Right now, we are focusing on the other aspects around the release. We hope that it will be out in the fall."

Dead Rhetoric: So it's completely done and finished. What are you working on going towards its release?

Shagrath: "We are focusing on all the details. There's a lot of work that needs to be done in the future… music videos and preparation for live shows, and world touring [plans]. All sorts of different aspects around the release. There's a lot of hard work in front of us."

Dead Rhetoric: Can you give any sort of hints as to the direction outside of having no orchestra this time around?

Shagrath: "It's still really grand and epic, of course. I can't reveal too many details since it's so early, but what I can say about it is that it includes a lot of elements DIMMU BORGIR is known for. You can hear references from 1993 up to today. It's been 25 years and it's a tribute to DIMMU BORGIR, so to speak. It has all the elements we are known for, and the song structures are really well arranged. The production is nice, it's very atmospheric and there is a huge choir on the record. It also has more primitive elements — straight-forward, primitive black metal elements. It's quite catchy, and each song is different from each other but it all has a riddle between them. We are very happy with the results and can't wait to share it with everyone."

Dead Rhetoric: That's great, I'm really looking forward to hearing it. It's been a long time since there's been new material…

Shagrath: "It's been a long time, and I know a lot of people have been complaining about that. But it's not like we've been lazy or anything like that. We can only do one thing at a time. It's been seven years since the last record, but we don't want to be that hamster-wheel-type of band where we release albums every year. We want to give the fans an honest, authentic, great product and this takes time. On top of that, we have toured the world in connection with the previous album. There's a lot of things happening behind the scenes that people don't realize."

Dead Rhetoric: Going back to the live album, YouTube is a major source where people watch things at this point. Do you feel when you create something like this, do you feel you need to do something extra or make it spectacular in some way so that you don't just have people viewing a stream of different clips on YouTube?

Shagrath: "If [they] watch DIMMU BORGIR on YouTube, I just feel sorry for them. They don't have the right sound quality, the right picture quality. If you want something real, you should buy the real product and support the artists. Buy physical editions — it's very important for the survival of bands for the future. I know that things have changed a lot because of the Internet, but watching music videos on YouTube is not the right way to experience DIMMU BORGIR. If you want to maximize the experience, buy the real product."

Read the full interview at Dead Rhetoric.

"Forces Of The Northern Night" was released on April 14 via Nuclear Blast. The set contains two of the band's live performances: their legendary show in Oslo, presenting DIMMU BORGIR on stage with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and a bombastic choir, as well as their entire performance at Wacken Open Air festival in 2012 in Wacken, Germany with almost a hundred musicians on stage.

DIMMU BORGIR's most recent touring lineup included Geir Bratland (APOPTYGMA BERZERK, THE KOVENANT) on keyboards and Terje Andersen (a.k.a. Cyrus; SUSPERIA) on bass.

Chris Cornell seemed to be under the influence of drugs during his last-ever performance, says his longtime front-of-house engineer and tour manager.

The 52-year-old SOUNDGARDEN frontman was pronounced dead early Thursday morning after being found unresponsive in his Detroit hotel room on Wednesday night. The band had played a concert at the Fox Theatre earlier that evening.

Ted Keedick, who worked with Chris for the last decade, told TMZ: "Chris was out of character from note one of the show. I've never heard or seen him that way before, at least if we did not cancel a show… I'd never heard his voice that way before. He was having serious control problems."

Keedick told TMZ that he was positioned in the middle of the audience with his mixing board, and at one point during the concert he was so concerned he phoned someone backstage and asked what was wrong with Chris.

Keedick added that Chris seemed "high" and "fucked up," but not depressed.

As previously reported, the Detroit Police Department revealed some of the details of Cornell's final moments. A police report obtained by The Detroit News revealed that Cornell went to his hotel about fifteen minutes after the band's concert on Wednesday night. His bodyguard, Martin Kirsten, had worked on Cornell's computer for a bit and gave him two doses of the prescription anti-anxiety medicine, Ativan.

At 11:35 p.m., he was on the phone with his wife. Then at 12:15 a.m., concerned because he was slurring his words and sounded groggy, she called and asked Kirsten to go check on her husband.

After talking to Cornell's wife, Kirsten walked two doors down and found the room door locked. Hotel security stated they could not let him into the room because he was not registered to that room. At this time, Kirsten kicked in the door and went to the bedroom door and had to kick that door open as well.

He found Cornell on the bathroom floor with blood running from his mouth and a red exercise band around his neck." Hotel medic Dawn Jones was on the scene by 12:56 a.m., she untied the band from around Cornell's neck and began CPR on the singer, who was not breathing.

A short time later, an EMS Unit arrived on the scene and an emergency medical technician also tried to perform CPR. By 1:30 a.m., Cornell was pronounced dead by a doctor on the scene. Homicide detectives also arrived to investigate while an officer called Vicky Cornell to report on her husband's death.

Later that day, the medical examiner pronounced his death a suicide. The family believes that if Chris took his life, he did not know what he was doing, and that drugs or other substances may have affected his actions.

#Detroit finally back to Rock City!!!! @soundgarden #nomorebullshit pic.twitter.com/BqXx9veFoD

— Chris Cornell (@chriscornell) May 18, 2017

Professionally filmed video footage of METALLICA performing the song "For Whom The Bell Tolls" on May 21 at the Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, Ohio can be seen below.

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame band is touring in support of its tenth studio album, "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", which features the current single "Now That We're Dead".

The North American leg of METALLICA's "WorldWired" trek will hit stadiums in 20 more cities before ending in mid-August. METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone that the band was genuinely surprised to learn they could still play stadiums, saying, "It was like, 'Holy fuck, people really still care about this band in ways that you stopped taking for granted literally decades ago. It was very inspiring and kind of eye-opening."

He added: "Full stadium runs can sometimes be a little intimidating. There's all these things to worry about like, 'You should really try to play maybe only on the weekend,' and, 'Where do you play on Tuesday?' and some of those practicalities can get a little bewildering. We just threw caution to the wind. Doing a stadium run seemed like the perfect thing on the back of how well this record has been received and all the good will that's out there in METALLICA's world right now."

The next stop on the tour is St. Louis, Missouri on June 4.

HEADCAT (formerly THE HEAD CAT), the high-energy, "take-no-prisoners" combo featuring former MORBID ANGEL frontman David Vincent, Slim Jim Phantom (THE STRAY CATS) and Danny B. Harvey (ROCKATS, 13 CATS, LONESOME SPURS), has posted its cover version of an old public domain song called "T For Texas". The track, which features Vincent on bass and vocals, was recorded live in the studio a few months ago.

In other news, HEADCAT will play the following shows:

Jun. 21 - Come And Take It Live - Austin, TexasJun. 23 - El Corazon - Seattle, WashingtonJun. 24 - Dante's - Portland, OregonAug. 02 - Knust - Hamburg, GermanyAug. 04 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, Germany (7:15 - 8:00 Beer Garden Stage)Aug. 05 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, Germany (7:50 - 8:35 W.E.T. Stage)

Vincent stepped into HEADCAT as the replacement for Lemmy Kilmister, the iconic MOTÖRHEAD leader who passed away in December 2015 at the age of 70.

Said HEADCAT in a statement: "After the success of the HEADCAT show last December in Berlin, the two surviving members of HEADCAT, Slim Jim Phantom and Danny B. Harvey, have decided to continue the band they started with Lemmy Kilmister over 17 years ago. They will be playing three shows next month in the USA and a handful of European shows in late summer.

"In the meantime, here's the answer to the question we're sure is on everyone's mind: The bass and most the vocal duties will be handled by former frontman and bassist from MORBID ANGEL, David Vincent. David's powerful baritone voice and thunderous bass playing is very complimentary to both Danny B.'s guitar style and Slim Jim's drumming. Different than Lemmy but true to HEADCAT's vision and direction.

"Rockabilly and death metal??? As Lemmy Kilmister, Danny B., Slim Jim and our fans have always tried to tell to you, 'It's All Rock'n'roll'!

"LONG LIVE ROCK 'N' ROLL"

The latest HEADCAT album, "Walk The Walk...Talk The Talk", was released on July 5, 2011 through Niji Entertainment Group, the record label Wendy Dio and her and late husband Ronnie James Dio formed before his untimely passing.

HEADCAT was formed in 2000 after recording an Elvis Presley tribute special to which all band members contributed.

Slim Jim Phantom (drums, percussion), was born in Brooklyn and listened to his parents' jazz records. At the age of ten he took up the drums although he always says that the drums chose him. He is an exceptional drummer who cemented his place among rock royalty long time ago and inspires and excites audiences worldwide.

Danny B. Harvey (guitar, piano) is Texas-born and also discovered his love for music very early. He started playing the guitar at the age of six and even got a full scholarship to study classical guitar. He developed a finger picking guitar style that's very unique and based on his idols Merle Travis and Chet Atkins but also a result of his classical-technique education.

David Vincent released his debut outlaw country single, "Drinkin' With The Devil", on March 14 on seven-inch vinyl via Chicken Ranch Records. The song, which features a guest appearance by Danny B. Harvey, was recorded with legendary producer Gene "Machine" Freeman at The Machine Shop in Austin, Texas.

The official lyric video for the song "Chaos Arcane" from GOATWHORE can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "Vengeful Ascension", which will be released on June 23 via Metal Blade Records. The band's seventh full-length was captured at Earth Analog in Tolono, Illinois with longtime soundman and comrade Jarrett Pritchard (1349, GRUESOME), breaking a four-album tradition of working with Erik Rutan.

"Working with Rutan was awesome," says GOATWHORE frontman Ben Falgoust. "We did some great records with him. But you come to a point where you're like, 'All right. Let's try something new.' It was part of trying to remove ourselves from a comfort zone and a risk thing we needed to take. Plus, we really wanted to hit the essence of where we are live and what better way to harness that than by having our live sound guy involved. Jarrett is knowledgeable with the studio stuff. He also knows how we sound coming out of a PA and we really wanted to get closer to that."

The resulting ten-track, forty-one-minute production — mixed by Chris Common (TRIBULATION, PELICAN) and mastered by Maor Applebaum (FAITH NO MORE, HALFORD, TODAY IS THE DAY) — marches in, clutches its listeners by the throat and refuses to loosen its grip until the abrupt conclusion of "Those Who Denied God's Will". A sonic manifestation of war, chaos, desolation, and emotional conflict, seamlessly bridging twenty years of the band's signature brand of audio venom, it's a record that finds its members at their most accomplished both individually and as a cohesive unit. Guitarist Sammy Duet's dense, sub nuclear riff work and possessed solo blitzes are at their most devastating, spiraling flawlessly and instinctually around drummer Zack Simmons's and bassist James Harvey's hammering rhythms, while Falgoust's distinctly commanding roar, his acidic prose, more enunciated than ever before, complimenting the apocalyptic proceedings.

"Each song is a representation of GOATWHORE. From day one until now. It really shows our evolution as a band," the frontman reflects."I don't think that this band has reached its peak yet. I mean, I think we're closer now than ever but we're still growing; we're still evolving."

"Vengeful Ascension" will be available on CD, vinyl (in multiple limited color variations), and digital formats. Various pre-order options are currently available at: metalblade.com/goatwhore. Stay tuned for the official "Vengeful Ascension" video clip, directed by James Foster, to be unveiled in the coming days.

While hardly a concept record in the traditional sense, "Vengeful Ascension" loosely revolves itself around Luciferian notions in title and spirit where the symbol of Lucifer serves not as a fiendish, all-destroying demon but rather an emancipator or guiding light. It's a theme of struggle and transcendence derived from John Milton's "Paradise Lost" epic, and one that has appeared, whether directly or indirectly, within GOATWHORE works of the past.

"There's that whole idea of Lucifer being the anti-hero," elaborates Falgoust. "He's cast out from this place in Heaven to the depths of nothing. He keeps trying to ascend to the top again but no matter what, there's always this significant force trying to destroy him at any point and banish him back to Hell. If you look at it from an everyday aspect in life, it's the idea of people, hitting the bottom of the barrel or you know, things just aren't going right in life... emotion plays a huge part in how people react. Whether it's based on love or hatred or sadness or whatever, there's always an aspect of emotion that drives people to an extent. So the whole idea of a 'Vengeful Ascension' is built on being at the bottom, working your way to the top, and realizing along the way that there are other facets to the journey aside from just pure retribution. Within negativity there can exist a positive angle as well."

"Vengeful Ascension" serves as the soundtrack to that luciferious rise straight off with the combative, ritualistic drum onslaught of opening hymn, "Forsaken". Wholly immersive, each track is alarmingly palpable in subject and corresponding execution. The tense, clandestine battery of "Chaos Arcane", based on HP Lovecraft's book "Nyarlathotep" — a story which attempts to recount the inexplicable sense of fear in expectancy of an unknown evil — conveys that sensation of impending doom through sound in a way only GOATWHORE can. "Mankind Will Have No Mercy", a pseudo tribute to BOLT THROWER, seethes under the weight of its own wartime sentiment, while the rapid-fire, punkish urgency of "Under The Flesh, Into The Soul", a first-person account of irrepressible resentment, sounds utterly enraged. And with an average runtime of just four minutes, no one song ever overstays its welcome.

"Vengeful Ascension" track listing:

01. Forsaken02. Under The Flesh, Into The Soul03. Vengeful Ascension04. Chaos Arcane05. Where The Sun Is Silent06. Drowned In Grim Rebirth07. Abandon Indoctrination08. Mankind Will Have No Mercy09. Decayed Omen Reborn10. Those Who Denied God's Will

The official lyric video for "Guys From God", a song from EZOO, the project featuring legendary singer Graham Bonnet (pictured; RAINBOW, MSG, ALCATRAZZ, GRAHAM BONNET BAND) and Italian axeman and producer Dario Mollo, can be seen below. The track is taken from band's debut album, "Feeding The Beast", which will be released on June 2 via earMUSIC. Grooving and stomping music, with the great feeling straight from the golden days of hard rock, EZOO features the immediately recognizable voice of Bonnet and Mollo's melodic and powerful guitars. While Mollo is well known for his collaboration with Glenn Hughes (VOODOO HILL) and his three albums with former BLACK SABBATH singer Tony Martin, you can claim that probably every rock fan has heard the biting and unique voice of Bonnet before.

The classic hit single "Since You Been Gone" (still played worldwide on the radio) from Ritchie Blackmore's RAINBOW album "Down To Earth" gave the band which, at the time, also featured two current DEEP PURPLE members Roger Glover and Don Airey, one of its biggest successes. Not to be forgotten, Bonnet also worked with the MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP and ALCATRAZZ, which launched the careers of Steve Vai and Yngwie Malmsteen.

Drawing on the experience of these two rich rock careers, the two leaders of EZOO obviously know how to rock. Nobody is free from a good dose of nostalgia, but the pair has created an album that catches the charm and the grandeur of the classic hard rock sounds but comes in a modern and contemporary guise.

The first time Mollo and Bonnet worked together was during a tour, as Mollo remembers: "In 2001 I received a call from Don Airey, who I know since the dawn of my career. He asked me to participate to an English tour with Graham Bonnet on vocals and Harry James and Chris Childs from THUNDER on drums and bass. I really enjoyed the tour so much that in 2004 we repeated the same experience with Graham, organizing an European tour with a new band that we called ELECTRIC ZOO. During the tour rehearsals, we recorded three RAINBOW songs."

Out of this very enjoyable experience the idea to record a new album started to grow, but it took quite a while to make it real.

"In 2007, I decided to record a new album with Graham and we started to write new material. This process took a very long time because I was very busy with my projects with Glenn Hughes (VOODOO HILL) and Tony Martin (THE CAGE) and Graham was busy too. A while ago, I received a call from Graham's manager telling me that he had listened to some of the demo songs and that it would have been criminal to not release this awesome material. We decided to add new songs and we recorded the now renamed EZOO album with some members from the ELECTRIC ZOO band, Roberto Gualdi on drums (of Italian prog legends PFM), Guido Block on bass and backing vocals on the RAINBOW songs and a new keyboards and bass player (Dario Patti) for the rest of the album."

As a special treat, "Feeding The Beast" contains new versions of RAINBOW classics "Eyes Of The World" and "Since You Been Gone" (written by Russ Ballard).

"Feeding The Beast" track listing:

01. You Are Your Money02. The Flight Of The Sapini03. C'est La Vie04. Guys From God05. Feeding The Beast06. Eyes Of The World07. Colder Than Cool08. Too High To Be Falling09. Motorbike10. Since You Been Gone11. Don't Look Back12. Coda

Vancouver rock act Aviator Shades are back with their debut video release “Burn It Down” from the forthcoming album This Is What We Do, produced by the legendary Mike Fraser (AC/DC, Aerosmith) and Danny Craig (One Bad Son, Default).

This Is What We Do will be the follow-up to their 2014 album Ready To Blow. Influences range from Thin Lizzy, Deep Purple, Whitesnake, and The Eagles.

The Burn It Down Western Canadian Tour began May 4th in Kamloops, BC and ended in White Rock, BC May 20th. A more complete tour is in the works for later 2017.

(Photo by: Dave Benedict)

The third of three webisodes featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the making of "Paris", the new concert DVD and Blu-ray from German industrial metallers RAMMSTEIN, can be seen below. Released on May 19, the set was recorded in March 2012 at the then-named Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris (now AccorHotels Arena) during RAMMSTEIN's "Made In Germany" tour, and was helmed by the band's longtime collaborator, Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund. Åkerlund has also worked with METALLICA, SATYRICON, MADONNA and THE PRODIGY, among others.

RAMMSTEIN will mark the launch of "Rammstein: Paris" with a visit to London to meet fans and sign copies of this long-awaited concert film, first shown theatrically and now available as a multi-format, lavishly-packaged release via Spinefarm Records. This rare event — only the second time RAMMSTEIN has undertaken a signing session of this type in the U.K. — will take place on Wednesday, May 24 at the historic Café De Paris in London's West End. Café de Paris3 Coventry St.LondonW1D 6BL Signing times:

6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Closest tube stations:

Piccadilly Circus / Leicester Square Fans will be able to queue outside the venue from 5 p.m. on May 24, and wristbands will be distributed to ensure entry.

"Rammstein: Paris" is available on DVD, Blu-ray, CD, LP and as a digital download.

21 years down the line, with the original lineup, the six East Berliners stand at the very apex of the rock world, achieving album and DVD sales in the millions, headlining festivals and major venues around the world and selling out shows in record time (the band's bill-topping appearance at New York's Madison Square Garden saw the 20,000 seats snapped up in just 20 minutes!).

MORBID ANGEL played a brand new song, "Warped", live for the first time last night (Tuesday, May 23) at the opening show of the band's North American tour at The Beacham in Orlando, Florida. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

In a recent interview with Orlando Weekly, MORBID ANGEL's current frontman, Steve Tucker, who is back for his third spell with the group, was asked if the band's current trek — which ends on June 27 in New Orleans — will see the band performing any songs from its recently completed new studio album. "Probably one or two new songs; the album's almost done, but we don't want to put out too much with YouTube putting it up the next day," Tucker explained. "The setlist will be different, too — in the past, we've covered all of MORBID ANGEL's discography, but this time we went with the discography between Trey [Azagthoth, guitar] and I. I'm really excited about the fact that every song we play is a song I was a part of. There are some MORBID ANGEL classics that aren't there, but we made our own classics."

MORBID ANGEL's new disc was recorded at Mana Recording in St. Petersburg, Florida with producer — and former MORBID ANGEL guitarist — Erik Rutan. Tentatively due in the fall via UDR Music, the LP will mark the band's first release with drummer Scott Fuller (ANNIHILATED, ex-ABYSMAL DAWN) who joined MORBID ANGEL last year following the departure of Tim Yeung. It will also be MORBID ANGEL's first album to feature Tucker since 2003's "Heretic".

Tucker told "The Metal Magdalene With Jet" show about MORBID ANGEL's approach on the upcoming album: "It was really just about writing music — it was just about writing a MORBID ANGEL album. Nobody said, 'Hey, we wanna go in this direction,' nobody said anything. I mean, there's obvious things there. I've said it before — I'm a death metal guy, so, for me, it's gonna be a death metal album; if I'm on it, it's death metal. So it was just about making a MORBID ANGEL album. It was really about coming in with something new, something fresh, but yet it still being MORBID ANGEL. Really, honestly, we didn't approach this any differently than any of the other albums I was involved in except for maybe [1998's] 'Formulas Fatal To The Flesh', which 'Formulas', Trey wrote all the music, all the lyrics and things like that. But this was done more similar to maybe [2000's] 'Gateways To Annihilation', where everybody had their contribution. Trey wrote a bunch of songs, I wrote songs, Scotty contributed some ideas. There was a lot of back-and-forth. In the end, it has to become a MORBID ANGEL song. And at this point, I feel that it's very much a MORBID ANGEL album."

MORBID ANGEL in January announced the addition of Dan Vadim Von (guitarist/frontman of the American death metal band VADIMVON) to the band's lineup on second guitar. He joined the group as the replacement for Norwegian guitarist Destructhor (a.k.a. Thor Anders Myhren), who left the band a year and a half ago.

MORBID ANGEL's first U.S. tour of 2017 features support from SUFFOCATION, REVOCATION and WITHERED.

Former MORBID ANGEL frontman David Vincent recently joined forces with several other musicians — including Yeung (drums) — to perform classic MORBID ANGEL songs under the I AM MORBID banner.

MORBID ANGEL's controversial 2011 album, "Illud Divinum Insanus", marked the group's first CD to feature Vincent since "Domination".

MASTODON's Brent Hinds married his girlfriend Raísa Moreno less than a month after proposing to her onstage during the band's April 28 concert in Birmingham, Alabama.

Pictures of the low-key wedding — which was attended by Raísa's mother and Brent's best man, Tom Cheshire — were posted on Hinds's and Moreno's Instagram accounts. "It was a great and beautiful day," Hinds wrote in a caption accompanying the photos.

Hinds was the sole remaining unmarried member of MASTODON, which recently completed a U.S. tour with EAGLES OF DEATH METAL and RUSSIAN CIRCLES.

MASTODON's latest album, "Emperor Of Sand", was released at the end of March. The follow-up to 2014's "Once More 'Round The Sun" was recorded at The Quarry Recording Studio in Kennesaw, just outside MASTODON's hometown of Atlanta, with producer Brendan O'Brien (PEARL JAM, NEIL YOUNG, AC/DC, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE), who first worked with MASTODON on their seminal 2009 album "Crack The Skye".

The video for “Like It Or Not”, the first video released off of the debut, self-titled album from Dark Sky Choir, can be seen below.  Written by Dark Sky Choir and produced by Fred Gorhau, this hard driving rock anthem features infectious guitar riffs, soaring vocals, a punchy rhythm section, and blistering guitar solos.

The video was filmed, edited and produced by Rob Shotwell at Traxx East Studios in South River, NJ during the recording of the album, which was engineered by Eric Rachel (Skid Row, Symphony X).

The record release party will take place on June 23rd at The Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ, and will be hosted by Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine of That Metal Show.  The show is being sponsored by WRAT and WDHA radio stations.  

Artwork for the project was created by legendary cover artist Ioannis (Deep Purple, Uriah Heep, Dream Theater, Dokken, Fates Warning, Skid Row, Sepultura, Yngwie Malmsteen).  The album will also feature guest appearances by Chris Caffery of Savatage, and Michael Pinnella of Symphony X.

Tracklisting:

“Death Of A Nation”
“Like It Or Not”
“Walking By Myself”
“Die Young (Maybe He Wanted To)”
“The End”
“Sails Of Charon”
“Cry For The Legions”
“Show No Mercy”
“Bedouin Caravan”

"Like It Or Not" video:

The Gloved ones have returned with a new music video in tow. Boston Gamers, Powerglove, with the help of Zenbeast Studios and Production in Boston, have put together for your viewing pleasure, “Kirby”.

Kirby is a famous Nintendo character who first appeared in 1992 in Kirby’s Dream Land for the Game Boy. He has starred in over 20 games and is a playable fighter in the famed Super Smash Bros. series. 

 

World Entertainment Inc. and Powerglove recently announced a new partnership with Knife Fight Media, who will manage the next album cycle, which will mark the band's return to video game themes. Instead of releasing an album all at once, the band will be releasing one track a month for the next 13 months, culminating with a box set released on the final month of the album cycle. 

Released on May 1st was "Mario Minor 2", check out the artwork below:

Following is a message from the band:

“Pay attention my supple lads, for the time has come for the long anticipated next chapter from the purveyors of video game metal. Behold the first track of PowerGlove’s new release, Continue?. Each month, I, Zebediah, master magician, will release Powerglove from their musty basements, so they may bestow upon you a new piece of pompous, penis-pummelling powermetal, infused with videogame nostalgia, and a hint of lime. Be wary, hold a keen eye, and clench firmly, because if you do not hear these songs, you shall forever miss the chance to join Powerglove in the halls of videogame Valhalla.”

On March 31st, "Kraid's Lair" was issued:

Hailing from the outer reaches of flavor country, the Powerglove woodwind quartet is the perfect choice for any bat mitzvah or funeral procession. Top scientists from Powerglove University in Prague have ascertained specific evidence from the children of Sanchez the Wise that Powerglove’s music is answer to domestic abuse, and gout. However, clinical trials, have yet to prove that Powerglove is in any way effective against dysentery. These four young men, full of bold and fresh flavor, as well as all requisite herbs and spices will dance for you until the siren call of the Great Mancuso beacons us home to the undying realms with the audacity of succulent ham.

In March of 2013, Powerglove posted a message to their fans saying that they have started working on “Continue?” the Video Game Themed follow up to 2010’s Saturday Morning Apocalypse, and are releasing that effort in 13 parts over the course of 2017 (a song a month). Powerglove are no strangers to taking a ridiculous and silly concept and translating it into metal excellence, and they can't wait to tour across the universe again and make their audiences headbang and laugh ‘till they soil themselves at the same time once again.

For further details, visit powergloveband.com.

 

On August 25th, French metal force Dagoba will release its seventh studio album, Black Nova, as a cooperation of Jive/Epic for France and Century Media for the rest of the world. The first single, "Inner Sun", is available for streaming below. The single is now available for download across all digital platforms.

Formed in 1997 and inspired by 90’s American metal greats such as Pantera, Machine Head and Fear Factory, Dagoba quickly expanded their furious sound with dark, symphonic and industrial elements culminating on what is to become their strongest album to date, Black Nova.

Shawter - singer, guitarist, composer and leader of Dagoba - helmed the recordings of Black Nova, which took place at Eagle Black, his own studio in Marseille, whereas Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Epica, Heaven Shall Burn) took care of mix and mastering. Black Nova sounds massive with rich dynamics, towering riffs, vigorous shouts and infectious melodic choruses all over the place. The equally powerful artwork was created by Seth Siro Anton (Septic Flesh).

Black Nova tracklisting:

“Tenebra”
“Inner Sun”
“The Legacy Of Ares”
“Stone Ocean”
“The Infinite Chase”
“The Grand Emptiness”
“Lost Gravity”
“Fire Dies”
“Phoenix et Corvus”
“Vantablack”

“Inner Sun”:

Dagoba is:

Nicolas Bastos - drums
Werther Ytier - bass
Shawter - vocals, machines
JL Ducroiset - guitar

On July 14th, Norwegian death metallers Execration will release their new album, Return To The Void, via Metal Blade Records. Today, the band premieres the title track as the first single/video (streaming below) and starts the pre-order for the album on digi-CD and vinyl.

"Coming off of two double 12" vinyl albums, the first clear goal for writing Return To The Void was to deliver the same kind of dynamic and shifting song-writing in a more condensed to-the-point package", comments Execration. Stripping songs down to their essential core has been a driving force while writing, and it shows - there is not a wasted moment on the album. Ticking it at 42 minutes - a perfect fit for the vinyl format - the album takes the listener through a whirlwind of thrash, death, black, and even heavy metal, fast and slow parts, and the trademark Execration shifts in mood, tempo, and atmosphere.

"As with the previous two albums, we wanted to capture the feel of a live performance, so all the basic tracks (drums, guitars, bass) were recorded live in our rehearsal studio in Oslo over the course of a weekend. Vocals, synths, and various effects where recorded the following weeks with assistance from Andreas Tylden (One Tail, One Head / Altaar). The album was then mixed and mastered by Tom Kvålsvoll of Kvålsonic Labs."

Thematically, the album takes off into outer space, the world of dreams, and philosophic musings on time and space. The album's seven songs and two instrumental tracks are permeated with the mysteries of the universe, both in lyrical content and concept, and in the music itself. This theme is further brought to life by the magnificent art of Zbigniew M. Bielak that adorns the front cover.

Return To The Void tracklisting:

“Eternal Recurrence”
“Hammers Of Vulcan”
“Nekrocosm”
“Cephalic Transmissions”
“Blood Moon Eclipse”
“Unicursal Horrorscope”
“Through The Oculus”
“Return To The Void”
“Det Uransakelige Dyp”

“Return To The Void” video:

Execration lineup:

Cato Syversrud - Drums
Christian Johansen - Guitar / Vocals
Jørgen Maristuen - Guitar / Vocals
Jonas Helgemo - Bass

(Photo - Carsten Aniksdal)

Germany’s Black Space Riders will enter the studio in mid-July to record new material. The thematic journey and musical cycle that covered the internationally acclaimed last album Refugeeum and the subsequent Beyond Refugeeum EP has been completed.

Singer/guitarist JE comments: "We have written a lot of interesting and new songs, too much material to fit on a classic double album. These are tracks that are flirting with different musical styles; we're looking outside the box. We will start recording in July and then we'll see what we're going to do with this giant pile of music. In the beginning of 2018 there will definitely be a new release from us. Watch out!"

Black Space Riders are:

JE - Lead Vocals, Guitars, Organ, Beats
SEB - Lead vocals
C.RIP - Drums, Percussion
SLI - Guitars
SAQ - Bass Guitar
HEVO - Additional Bass Guitar

A lyric video for “The Tides That Won’t Change”, a track from Pyramaze’s Contingent album is available for streaming below. The album is out now via Inner Wound Recordings.

With their milestone fifth album, Contingent, Pyramaze have grown and matured into a band that is capable of satisfying their fans while simultaneously continuing to break new ground. The incorporation of modern cinematic film score elements mixed with progressive metal riffs and melodies will leave the listener breathless! Huge, sweeping, hard-hitting, and poignant, Contingent is an epic post-apocalyptic conceptual piece inspired by current events, the human spirit to overcome struggle and diversity, and the brotherhood that lies there in. Produced, mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen (Volbeat, Amaranthe, Epica, Evergrey).

"Divided by oceans, bound together by brotherhood, we must become that which divides us.... we are Pyramaze, and we are the Ocean!"

Contingent tracklisting:

“Land Of Information”
“Kingdom Of Solace”
“Star Men”
“A World Divided”
“Nemesis”
“Contingent - Part I: The Campaign”
“20 Second Century”
“Obsession”
“Heir Apparent”
“Contingent - Part II: The Hammer Of Remnant”
“Under Restraint”
“The Tides That Won't Change”
“Symphony Of Tears”

“The Tides That Won’t Change” lyric video:

“Star Men” lyric video:

“A World Divided” video:

“Kingdom Of Solace” lyric video:

“20 Second Century” lyric video:

Pyramaze lineup:

Terje Harøy - Vocals
Jacob Hansen - Guitars, Bass
Jonah W. - Keyboards
Toke Skjønnemand - Guitars
Morten Gade Sørensen - Drums

Unleashing their new album The Immortalist on May 26th, Calgary, AB progressive death metal band Divinity are streaming the new album in full ahead of its release.

The band comments:

"We're very proud of our new album! Our dedication to song writing, recording and producing these 12 songs over the past 5 years has been a crazy musical journey and a huge learning experience that we will never forget. Our lyrical content and artwork is based on an original science-fiction concept story about a character who wakes up in a random field within an intricate crop circle with no memory of who he is or how he got there. The character is then thrown into a crazy adventure and eventually learns who he is and how to become immortal. There's so much more to the story but we don't want to give it all way just yet."

Preorders of the album at Divinity.ca, iTunes, and Amazon plus an exclusive digipak CD available on their website for those who want to support the band directly.

The Immortalist is a culmination of 5 years of hard work and dedication to their craft.  The album features 12 tracks that include their two previous EP releases The Immortalist, Pt. 1 – Awestruck and The Immortalist, Pt. 2 –Momentum with their 3rd EP The Immortalist Pt. 3 - Conqueror now finished completing the trilogy series for one huge full length album. All the tracks on the album are remixed and remastered by the talented Chris Donaldson (Cryptopsy, The Grid Productions) to make the songs more cohesive and work as a full-length album experience. This album also features Bjorn ‘Speed’ Strid of Soilwork on vocals for the song “D.M.T.”. Divinity is also offering fans an exclusive digipak CD available on their website for those who want to support the band directly.

The bands comments on release:

"Closure is such great thing! We’ve finished our third EP for The Immortalist trilogy concept and have decided to take all three EP’s and turn it into a full-length album."

Tracklisting:

“Manhunt”
“Atlas”
“Hallowed Earth”
“D.M.T.”
“PsyWar”
“Distorted Mesh”
“The Dead Speak From Behind”
“Lucid Creator”
“The Reckoning”
“All Seeing Eyes”
“Momentum”
“Conqueror”

"Atlas" video:

“Manhunt” video:

Album teaser:

Guitarist Ray Suhy of the bands Six Feet Under, Cannabis Corpse and ex-East Of The Wall is set to release Fulmination, his first release since 2015's fusion record Tessellations. Suhy returns this time with an explosive, instrumental metal EP. Fulmination will be released June 16th via Cessation Engine Records. Check out the video for new track "Cerulean" below.

Suhy explains how Fulmination came to be: "Fulmination has been a long time in the making. Creating an instrumental guitar record that was riff heavy and had interesting melodies and solo sections has been in the back of my mind for about 7 years now.

“The drums, which were performed by 19-year-old Victor Montanaro, had been sitting on my hard drive for about two years. Victor was perfect for this project. He was easily able to navigate all the shifting time signatures and adapt my programmed drums into his own parts. During some down time after recording the new Cannabis Corpse record and between Six Feet Under tours I decided to finish this thing up.

“The meaning of Fulmination is "an expression of vehement protest" or "a violent explosion". I felt it was the perfect title for the song and the EP overall. I use music to express the many things I feel each day and sometimes that expression is an angry and violent one when I'm trying to process all of the insane things that are happening in the world today. As artists, we can either let what's happening around us be very upsetting and stifling to our creativity or we can flip that around and use that energy in a cathartic and positive way. Fulmination was a great for me in that way.”

Fulmination is available for pre-order in a various formats here.

Fulmination tracklisting:

“Cerulean”
“Fulmination”
“Subjugation”
“Cess Pool”

"Cerulean" video:

Trailer:

The music coming back from commercial on That Metal Show, the song cranked up before third down at Dallas Cowboys games, the tune pumping behind the MTV promo, the powerplay song for the Dallas Stars, the intro music for the nationally syndicated Lex and Terry show, and songs heard on Gene Simmons Family Jewels, VH1, and absolutely loads of TV spots, radio ads, and even a movie soundtrack. That is Rivethead.

Heavy, grooving, and sometimes melodic metal, laced with the electronic elements of a sci-fi movie soundtrack. If the Blade Runner, Tron, and Mortal Kombat soundtracks were thrown into a musical blender with Metallica, Pantera, Korn, and Fear Factory, you’d get something pretty wicked. It might sound a lot like this. Drawing influences heavily from bands such as Static-X, Powerman5000, White Zombie, NIN, Ministry, and Rammstein, Rivethead is a hard-rocking quartet, born from the Dallas scene, which has gone on to national exposure through live gigs, radio, television, and film.

The new album, Fix Our Enemy, is out now. It features the single, "Start a Revolution!” which infuses stadium rocking metal with industrial filler, to create an up-tempo, mob inciting anthem.

Declassified Records has announced the newest album from progressive fusion legends BangTower entitled With N With Out is now also available in retail stores in Japan serviced by Marquee Distribution. The 13 track sophomore album, originally released late December, marks the first full-length CD since the internationally acclaimed 2010 debut release, Casting Shadows. 
 
Returning to the project are fretless bass guitar legend Percy Jones of Brand X, Grammy winner Neil Citron, L.A. Drum Guru Walter Garces, and musician/producer Jon Pomplin. In addition, the album also features several guest artists including drummers Frankie Banali of Quiet Riot and Rodger Carter of John 5 as well as fretless bassist Robertino “Pag” Pagliari of Ohm” Joan Fraley of The Rave, Chris Colovus, Josh Greenbaum and Justin Stone.
 
BangTower was designed from the beginning to explore new musical landscapes by bringing together artists from different musical specialties, disciplines and physical locations to create something exciting and exceptional. When numerous unavoidable and unexpected scheduling issues arose with the core members after production of the new record had started, the concept was expanded to include several other friends of the band as guest musicians to complete the record. The result turned out even better than anticipated and remained true to the BangTower ideal. 
 
By combining digital technology and traditional studio recording techniques, musicians from New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and Hawaii were able to collaborate, write and record intricate, soulful music with a distinctive and fresh personality that is can be enjoyed numerous times. Compositions that challenged each player's imagination and style by pushing the edge of their musical “comfort zone”, while remaining familiar and accessible to both the musician and non-musician fan alike. Although each piece of music is an exceptional stand-alone masterpiece, each track remains an integral part of the over-all context and feel of the album, and the BangTower project as a whole. 

Tracklisting:

“Hello I’m Here”
“PCH”
“Chipotle”
“Soul To Sole”
“Roger, Wilco N Out”
“Uncle Floyd”
“Kitty’s Real Groove”
“My Fathers Smile”
“McGown’s Pass”
“This Is My Town”
“6/8 Primate”
“Good Bye N Good Nite”
“Hair Of The Dog” (Digital bonus track)
“I’ll Be Home For Christmas” (CD bonus track)

The new limited edition CD of record With N With Out also contains a “bonus holiday track”. A new interpretation and arrangement of the winter classic “I'll Be Home For Christmas” featuring Percy, Walter and Neil, originally recorded in 2013.

Special “limited edition” autographed CD bundles and merchandise are also available from the official BangTower store located at Bandcamp.

Decibel Casualties, the new album from US titans Destructor, is set for release on June 9th via Pure Steel Records. A video trailer for the upcoming release is available for streaming below.

Dave Overkill (vocals, guitar) and Matt Flammalbe (drums) from the Ohio-based band have returned with sharpened steel. After the 2016 release, Back In Bondage, now the brand new album is ready. High speed and energy like in their early 20s is the one and only basis for the guys. Nick Annihilator (guitar) and Tim Hammer (bass) joined the legends and you can be sure that Destructor sounds fresher than ever before.

Tracklisting:

“Restore Chaos”
“Keep The Faith”
“Metal Spike Deep”
“We Are Ready”
“The Last Days”
“Firey Winds”
“Metal Till Death”
“In Hell”

Trailer:

Lineup:

Dave Overkill - vocals, guitars
Tim Hammer - bass
Matt Flammable - drums
Nick Annihilator - guitars

Norwegian progressive metallers ENSLAVED have finished recording their as-yet-untitled fourteenth album for a fall release via Nuclear Blast. The disc is currently being mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren (SOILWORK, OPETH, KATATONIA, AMON AMARTH) at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden.

According to ENSLAVED, they are "putting the final touches to an epic first leg of a European tour that will be announced shortly." The band adds in a Facebook post: "2017 will be the year we move forward with our sound and aim for more progressive and melodic horizons, adding an organic and old school-ish touch — and several courageous experiments. Exciting, right?"

ENSLAVED's new album was recorded at Duper & Solslottet Studios in Bergen.

The eye-catching cover and artwork is once again being created by renowned designer and painter Truls Espedal.

ENSLAVED mastermind Ivar Bjørnson recently stated about the band's new album: "I have never worked this hard to put together music for an album before. We are a tighter unit than ever before, which is obvious sonically. The concept conjured by myself and old war-brother Grutle is the strongest we have worked with. Finally, I am proud that we have taken more risks than ever before, and one in particular — and it is yielding awesome results. What does that mean? Stay tuned to find out!" ENSLAVED's thirteenth studio album, "In Times", came out in 2015.

STONE SOUR has released a Ryan Valdez-directed for the band's new track "Song #3". The clip, which shows the band going through several costume changes, can be seen below.

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

In other news, STONE SOUR has announced a 21-date European winter tour. The trek will kick off in Copenhagen, Denmark on November 15 and wrap up in Milan, Italy on December 15. Support on the tour will come from THE PRETTY RECKLESS with the exception of the Paris show on November 24.

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

"Hydrograd" was recorded at Sphere Studios in North Hollywood, California with producer Jay Ruston, who has previously worked with ANTHRAX and STEEL PANTHER.

The band tracked the album live in the studio, cutting a total of 18 songs from which 15 will make the CD.

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

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

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

"Welcome To The New Disaster", a new song from RIVERDOGS, the band featuring DEF LEPPARD and LAST IN LINE guitarist Vivian Campbell, can be streamed below. The track is taken from RIVERDOGS' comeback album, "California", which will be released on July 7 via Frontiers Music Srl.

Featuring original members Campbell, Rob Lamothe (vocals, guitars) and Nick Brophy (bass, vocals), along with drummer Marc Danzeisen, the band's fifth album is RIVERDOGS' first new music since the eight-song mini album, "World Gone Mad", came out in October 2011.

Mixing the soulful vocals of Lamothe with the edgy guitarwork of Campbell and solid rhythmic lines from Brophy and Danzeisen, the album marks a definitive return to the sound of their critically acclaimed 1990 self-titled debut album. On the making of the album, Campbell says: "When my friends at Frontiers suggested a RIVERDOGS album in the spirit of the original debut record, I jumped at the chance to make it. In my opinion, 'Riverdogs' was a highlight of my career with some of my best guitar playing and definitely a record that flew under the radar. Having a clear direction of exactly what kind of record to make really helped the four of us create the music and there was an intense collective focus throughout the entire process that never wavered. I really think that we hit the target in creating a record that has all the hallmarks, the integrity and the emotional strength of the original debut. The fact that we've all remained such close friends throughout all the years only added to the joyous experience that was the making of this record."

Adds Lamothe: "Going into this project, my goal was to enjoy the opportunity of making music with some of my best friends, to share this incredible experience with my family... and to create something that RIVERDOGS fans will probably think is pretty bloody awesome. Big guitars! Beautiful melodies! Words about crazy, complicated, real stuff! I feel like Nick, Viv, Marc and I all brought our 'A' games to the writing and recording sessions. That's way more important than money and awards and fame to me" Brophy sums up the writing process for the album: "In summer of 2016, I found myself in Los Angeles, reunited with three of my closest friends, about to begin a new RIVERDOGS album. Marc had arranged a rehearsal environment at a friend's house, which was to provide the creative atmosphere for writing new material. I stood there with bass in hand thinking, 'Okay, now what?' Little did I know that a few days later we would have six new RIVERDOGS songs and the album 'California' was born. The remaining six songs came, surprisingly, just as easily, a testament to the amazing talents of Vivian, Rob, Marc and the effortless way in which we work as a group. Our clear goal for this album was to remain true to the original RIVERDOGS sound and provide fans with a new set of songs which carry on the legacy of a truly remarkable band." RIVERDOGS formed in Los Angeles at the end of the '80s when flashy, glitzy hard rock ruled the day, but they were determined to avoid clichés and adopted an original sounding blues-rock style. Campbell of SWEET SAVAGE, DIO and WHITESNAKE fame at the time (soon to join and become a long-standing member of DEF LEPPARD and later, founding member of LAST IN LINE as well) was initially brought on board to produce the band's first demo, but was so impressed with the band that he actually became a member and played on the debut album. Soon after the release, Marc Danzeisen joined Rob, Nick and Vivian to complete the lineup. Though fans and critics gave the album a warm reception and high regard, the unfortunate and age old story of change of personnel at their record label came about and eventually led the band members to go their own ways, with Campbell settling into the DEF LEPPARD lineup and Nick Brophy becoming a respected engineer and producer. RIVERDOGS, with a revamped lineup, released two more records in 1993, "Bone" and "Absolutely Live", before going on an extended hiatus. They reconvened, with the original lineup, in 2003 to record new material and play a few reunion shows. Those new songs were recorded as demos, but only completed in the studio in 2011 when their last album, "World Gone Mad", was released.

Now, six years after their last studio album, RIVERDOGS have crafted "California", a record that truly recreates the magical sounds of their early days and that will surely be welcomed with open arms by fans both old and new. "California" track listing:

01. American Dream02. The Revolution Starts Tonight03. Something Inside04. Golden Glow05. You're Too Rock And Roll06. The Heart Is A Mindless Bird07. Searching For A Signal08. Welcome To The New Disaster09. Ten Thousand Reasons10. Catalina11. I Don't Know Anything

POWERFLO — the new band featuring BIOHAZARD's Billy Graziadei and former FEAR FACTORY bassist/guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers alongside Sen Dog from CYPRESS HILL, Rogelio Lozano from DOWNSET, and Brazilian drummer Fernando Schaefer — played its unofficial first live show for family and friends last night (Monday, May 22) at South Bay Customs in El Segundo, California. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below (courtesy of Chris Nicholas).

POWERFLO's self-titled debut album will be released on June 23 via New Damage Records. Those who preorder the album digitally will receive "Resistance" as an instant grat track. Both New Damage and PledgeMusic pre-orders include bundle options with various exclusive limited items, including snapback caps, rolling papers, signed vinyl, test presses, exclusive performances and more. Melding hip-hop, metal, punk, and rock into a potent offering, POWERFLO draws on its powerhouse resume to collectively smash boundaries. The album is produced by Josh Lynch and Billy Graziadei, mixed by Jay Baumgardner (GODSMACK, PAPA ROACH, HELMET) and mastered by Maor Applebaum (FAITH NO MORE, HALFORD, ADRENALINE MOB) at Maor Applebaum Mastering. Of the "Resistance" lyric video, Sen Dog commented, "We're here to make honest music. It's not about pleasing anybody or confirming anything. We're creating from a pure place. We worked our asses off. It's not a one-time thing. It's just the first POWERFLO album. There's much more to come..." Graziadei added: "Getting our music out there has been a while in the making but I'm looking forward to finally having POWERFLO in everyone's hands. We dropped a video for 'Resistance' first since it basically sums up how we all roll, living life on our terms! Our lives, our way, rising up against any force that stands against us. Next up, live POWERFLO in your face like a shotgun blast!" The origins of POWERFLO can be traced back over more than two decades as the members of the band would collaborate on numerous occasions. In addition to both CYPRESS HILL and BIOHAZARD appearing on the landmark platinum-selling "Judgment Night" soundtrack, Sen Dog delivered a cameo on BIOHAZARD's "State Of The World Address" in 1993, while Christian both guested on CYPRESS HILL's chart-topping 2000 double-album "Skulls & Bones", which Roy also guested on, and 2001's "Stone Raiders" in addition to performing with the group countless times. In 2015, longtime friend Roy played demos for Sen on a ride to the airport. The music immediately spoke to the rapper and thus POWERFLO was born.

Regarding how the name for the new project came about, Christian told The New American Media: "Basically, Sen Dog was spitting his game on some of the heavy riffs and shit. And he was, like, 'Do you like this?' And Roy, the other guitar player, said, 'Yeah. A power flow. That's good.' So that's where it kind of came from."

Graziadei has described POWERFLO's musical direction as a cross between IRON MAIDEN, BLACK SABBATH and CYPRESS HILL.

Band photo credit: Travis Shinn