Professionally filmed video footage of METALLICA performing the song "Fuel" on May 19 at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts can be seen below.

METALLICA was joined in Foxborough, as they will be on most of the rest of the North American leg of the "WorldWired" tour, by VOLBEAT and AVENGED SEVENFOLD.

The North American run 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.

British metal band Kill II This has released a video for their new track, “Sleeper Cell”. Speaking about the new song, guitarist and producer Mark Mynett said, “We’re having a blast in Kill II This at the moment and we’re really proud of 'Sleeper Cell'. Stylistically it’s the result of the four of us each putting our own stamp on things. It still has that Kill II This sound but it feels really fresh.”

Vocalist Simon Gordon said, “With all the new material we're writing, we’ve really tapped into the energy and feel that Kill II This is known for, without simply reproducing what was done back in the day. We’re still using samples and technology in all the new songs and on 'Sleeper Cell' we’ve added pianos and strings. Once it all came together, we knew that was exactly what it needed. We’re working on an album but that’s a little way off yet, so we wanted to give people something to whet their appetites."

Kill II This features original members: Mark Mynett (guitar), Pete Stone (bass) and Jeff Singer (drums) as well as Simon Gordon (vocals) who sang on the City Of God side project with Mynett and Singer in 2005. The release of the new material coincides with the band’s forthcoming appearance at the Uprising Festival, which takes place on May 27th at De Montfort Hall in Leicester, UK.

Kill II This released four albums between 1996 and 2004, most notable were their Deviate and Trinity albums. The band built on this with extensive European tours including support slots for Slipknot, Machine Head, Megadeth and Fear Factory.

 

Cradle Of Filth backing vocalist / keyboardist Lindsay Schoolcraft is a featured guest on the song "Morning Light" from Dubai-based Ascendant's new album, A Thousand Echoes. The track is streaming below, go to this location to check out the album. Lindsay has posted a video message commenting on recording the song with the band.

A Thousand Echoes by ASCENDANT

For information on Ascendant go to this location.

Season Of Ghosts vocalist/mastermind Sophia has checked in with a long overdue update for her fans:

"I’m pretty sure all of you have been wondering about the future of Season of Ghosts, since The Human Paradox is two year old now. Good question.

As it always happens with music stuff, there has been all sorts of delays, the worst of which is my ongoing health issues. I might tell you more about this on another blog, but for sure it’s been the #1 reason why there’s not much new SoG material out there yet. I honestly did not have the mental or physical strength to compose, to sing or to even talk sometimes.

Also life happens and since I’m a person who seeks personal evolution, I’ve been working on new scenarios, exploring new possibilities, working towards several goals and there’s only 24 hours per day, so imagine. My average working time per day is 12 hours,but I can easily go to 15 hours, depending on the workload. Yes, I’m a workaholic, I’m very goal-oriented and never settle. So I freak when people ask me to 'chill' or 'calm down' or 'go have fun.' Balancing out the stress is really important and I’m guilty of openly neglecting this principle for at least eight years.

Achieving certain goals will allow me to nurture, protect and expand my art, therefore I’ve been focusing on said goals at the expense of music. After all, forcing myself to release a quick album just because I 'had to' would certainly end up in disaster. So I chose to take life one day at a time, in order to preserve my sanity and my music quality.

Things have recently taken a slight turn for the better and I have slowly amassed enough ideas, so the second album is finally taking shape, as a new entity. Like last time, I’m gonna let things flow intuitively and let the music in me find its perfect place. Every album I make has a certain dynamic, an identity that I don’t want to disrupt by overthinking about the current musical trends, or the marketability, or genre cliches. I’d lose my creativity plus I never cared about fitting into anything as a person, so I don’t care about fitting into any musical moulds and presets either. If it feels *right* I’ll do it, even if everyone is protesting against it. Because I *see* it in its final form, I see it into the future (and apparently I’m not very democratic when I work :P).

I don’t believe the coming album is gonna have a solid theme like The Human Paradox, but I won’t know until I sit down and let the stories come to me. Until then, please keep supporting me and Season of Ghosts on this creative journey. Your love has kept me alive all these years, even when I felt my existence falling apart. Thank you."

Currently working on new music for 2017, Season Of Ghosts took time out to work on something special for Halloween 2016 inspired by the Tim Burton movie, The Nightmare Before Christmas. Sophia checked in with the following update:

"You asked, we delivered! Season of Ghosts' version of 'Sally's Song'! Orchestrated and arranged by Zombie Sam. I'm under the impression that we made the song a liiiittle spookier..."

Season Of Ghosts is a groundbreaking music project, dedicated to the love for the unseen and film soundtracks, combining extreme rock and metal sounds, harsh electronics and powerful, compelling vocals, through the eerie spectrum of a Sci-Fi and horror movie.

Tracklisting:

"Nothing Disappears Without A Trace"
"Genesis - The Phoenix Syndrome"
"Time Travellers"
"Dream; Paralysis"
"The Human Paradox"
"[NE]: MESIS - The Kiss Of Justice"
"Beautiful Eternal Things"
"Dreaming In The Gray Lands"
"The Road To Acheron"
"Quantum - Through The Looking Glass"
"Reincarnation"
"There And Back Again"

Code Orange have unveiled their official music video for “Bleeding In The Blur”. The clip, directed by Max Moore, can be seen below.

Next month, Code Orange kick-off a run of European dates which will see the Pittsburgh, PA band supporting System Of A Down on their headline tour, and call into the UK's Download Festival. Tickets for all dates on Code Orange’s upcoming run are available here. Code Orange will then return to The States in July for a series of festival performances.

Forever tracklisting:

“Forever”
“Kill The Creator”
“Real”
“Bleeding In The Blur”
“The Mud”
“The New Reality”
“Spy”
“Ugly”
“No One Is Untouchable”
“Hurt Goes On”
“dream2”

“Kill The Creator” visualizer:

“Forever” video:

Helix frontman Brian Vollmer checked in on May 17th with a new update on the making of his forthcoming solo album, Get Yer Hands Dirty:

"Yesterday we finished off Get Yer Hands Dirty at Noble Studios in Toronto. Everyone is blown away by the results and it isn't even mixed yet! Just have to get Danko Jones to sing his part and then we should be away to the races. Cheryl Lescom was fantastic on her parts. She can scream where only dogs and little children with virgin ears don't fear to tread."

Check out some behind-the-scenes footage from the studio below.

Catch Helix live in concert:

July
22 - Rock & Roar - Kitchener, ON
23 - Voyageur Days - Mattawa, ON

August
2 - Canna Fest - Grand Forks, BC
27 - Great Canadian Kayak Challenge & Festival - Timmins, ON

November
4 - Club Regent Event Centre - Winnipeg, MB

After the release of their most recent album You Are Next, Dutch metal band Martyr played successful support slots in front of Saxon and Trivium. Now they have issued a lyric video for the song "Monster", which appears on You Are Next. This clip comes at the same time as the debut of You Are Next on 12" vinyl, which can be purchased here.

Martyr will celebrate their 35th anniversary this year in Amstelveen, Netherlands on September 22nd at Heavy Metal Maniacs Fest. Their complete live schedule is as follows:  

May
27 - Big Ass Metal Fest – Utrecht, Netherlands

July
7 - Dystopia Metalfest – Deventer, Netherlands
16 - Baroeg - Rotterdam, Netherlands (with Diamond Head)

August
18 - Festival T Zeeltje – Deest, Netherlands

September
8 - Olensfest – Olen, Belgium
22 - Heavy Metal Maniacs Fest - Amstelveen, Netherlands

 

 

 

LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe has reacted in horror at the news that at least 22 people were killed and more than 50 others injured after a reported explosion took place at an Ariana Grande concert at Manchester Arena in England on Monday.

Authorities are still investigating the incident, but it is believed that the attack was carried out by a lone suspect carrying a bomb.

Blythe took to his Instagram account to repost the news headline "Explosion, Panic And Death At Ariana Grande Concert In England", and wrote in an accompanying message: "I am so sick of reading headlines like this. We as a race, THE HUMAN RACE, have to do better than this.

"A music concert is supposed to be a place where people gather to forget their problems for a few hours, not somewhere to roll the dice with your life.

"At times like this, I think the only thing a normal person can do is try to be the best, most moral, human they can be- —in our jaded era, I believe this is more necessary than ever.

"For instance, this evening after I read this headline, I ran into a very loose acquaintance at the grocery store and mentioned the news. This person joked, 'Maybe they did it because it was an Ariana Grande show.' I was too shocked to even say anything — I utterly fail to find the humor in the fact that at least 19 people are dead and many more injured, whatever you may think of someone's music.

"I know nothing about Ariana Grande or any of her songs, but I can guarantee that people of many different races, religions and beliefs were at that show for the same reason — to have a good time. Some of them won't go home tonight. This is not fucking funny to me. This sort of jaded, joking mentality is evidence to me of the continual chipping away of our humanity by the pathetically low standards of our era. We are better than this, people. It's dehumanizing, just like the freakish and twisted beliefs that allowed this asshole terrorist to kill a bunch of people they didn't know.

"Everything you do and say has consequences, even if you don't believe that.

"Make sure you do your best to think and speak with a moral heart — maybe your kindness will prevent someone from going down a dark path. You never know who you may affect positively.

"My thoughts and prayers are with y'all in the U.K. tonight."

The crowd at the Ariana Grande concert was reportedly made up of mainly younger people.

Universal Music Group, parent company for Grande's record label, Republic Records, said in a statement: "We are deeply saddened to learn of tonight's devastating event in Manchester. Our thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by this tragedy."

With last year's triple album opus, Triangle, Swiss avant-garde metal outfit Schammasch gained wide international acclaim and defiantly raised the bar within the extreme metal scene. Doubtlessly one of the most daring, interesting and multidimensional bands of today's black metal oeuvre, their constant striving for artistic freedom makes them an important part of the genre's future, never bound by rules or limits.
 
This summer, Schammasch will extend their body of work by adding a new branch - the first in a line of shorter releases entitled The Maldoror Chants, entirely based on "Les Chants de Maldoror"; one of 19th century's darkest and most fascinating literary works which would later become part of the foundation of the surrealist movement. Having been an important lyrical influence for Schammasch since their second album, Contradiction, they have now decided to give this inspiration the space it deserves and, on the other hand, to give themselves the artistic space it would require.
 
Hermaphrodite, as the first of these releases will be called, shows a different side of the band's artistic repertoire with focus upon spoken word and atmospheric soundscapes rather than the "song by song" formula. A new approach to their visual aesthetic can be found in the artwork design as well, which presents a hand drawn illustration by Mexican artist / surrealist Héctor Pineda, whilst the layout was completely handled by vocalist/guitarist C.S.R's art project Saros Collective, which is also responsible for the audio production.
 
The Maldoror Chants: Hermaphrodite will hit digital and physical retailers on June 9th via Prosthetic Records. The album encompasses seven interlinking tracks over a 31-minute duration, presented as a deluxe CD digipak and strictly limited vinyl LP.

Schammasch, as always, dare to explore foreign grounds on The Maldoror Chants: Hermaphrodite, allowing themselves to drift into unfamiliar territory, which may be due to the fact that the band invested all their creative energy in successfully developing a philosophical manifesto during the last eight years, and is now willing to focus on another side of what art can be - strange.
 
Stay tuned for more material to be revealed leading up to the release of The Maldoror Chants: Hermaphrodite.

Tracklisting:

“Prologue”
“The Weighty Burden Of An Eternal Secret”
“Along The Road That Leads To Bedlam”
“These Tresses Are Sacred”
“May His Illusion Last Until Dawn’s Awakening”
“Chimerical Hope”
“Do Not Open Your Eyes”

(Photo by: Ester Segarra)

The creativity and productivity of German heavy metal trio Rage seems to have no limits. Only 14 months after the successful The Devil Strikes Again neckbreaker, Rage deliver their new, 23rd studio album, entitled Seasons Of The Black, out  on July 28th via Nuclear Blast. New single, "Blackened Karma" will be released on this Friday, May 26th. Listen to a snippet below:

"Our fans are getting Rage metal of the very first grade. We've been able to bring the band's typical trademarks into eleven new songs, and we're sticking to the course that we forged on the last album! This means hard and very catchy compositions that also sound thrash, aggressive and epic", says band leader Peavy.

Since the reorientation of 2015, the three band members have now fully adapted to each other and the lost harmony has been fully restored. "We are even better matched with each other," says Peavy. "We offer new ideas to each other like we’ve never done something else before! It also happened that we created a whole new song within just two hours from start to finish, from scratch! Regarding the production we were also able to prevent some complications, which had been an element of the last album due to a lack of experience. This time, everything worked perfectly."

Guitarist Marcos Rodriguez and drummer Vassilios "Lucky" Maniatopoulos have been long-time Rage fans from the very beginning. Their input also leaves its mark on their second album. "Marcos and Lucky well know the "classic" style-creating spirit of Rage so to speak, and on a personal level we all really like each other as well. This contributed to the possibility of continuing to develop and expanding the band’s spirit," the vocalist adds.

The stylistic connection between The Devil Strikes Again and Seasons Of The Black is also visually reflected in the artwork, once again created by graphic artist Karim König.

"We developed the idea together," says Peavy. “In this way we want to show that both albums belong together in their own way. I modelled the sonically inspired sculpture that dominates the cover on my own. As a basis, I used a very rare skull from my collection, which I poured myself and then re-modelled. Karim created the gloomy landscape with the Golgotha Hill."

The title song “Seasons Of The Black” will be the opener of the 11 track-album. “The song is very personal, it is about a failed life-long dream. Imagine being stamped to the ground and looking at the broken pieces of your existence. This sadly is a destiny that many people have to share. Most of the songs on the album include a very gloomy view of the world, so we thought “Seasons Of The Black” would be suitable for the entire album,” the vocalist, who founded Rage over three decades ago, sums up.

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

Studio trailer #1:

Studio trailer #2:

Studio trailer #3:

Rage live dates:

June
3 - Eichstätt, Germany - Open Air am Berg
10 - Starnberg, Germany - Food Rock Festival, Schlossberghalle
17 - Duisburg, Germany - Rage Against Racism (RAGE meets REFUGE)
29 - Gardelegen, Germany - Metal Frenzy

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

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

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

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

Rage lineup:

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

 

On May 17, the Swedish Court of First Instance (Patent and Market Court [PMD] at Stockholm District Court) ruled on the long-running case brought by founding ENTOMBED guitarist Alex Hellid, along with Nicke Andersson and Uffe Cederlund, against original ENTOMBED singer Lars-Göran "LG" Petrov regarding the trademark name "Entombed," finding in their favor on all points.

"Naturally we are delighted with the decision of the courts," Hellid, Andersson and Cederlund said in a statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET. "It's a great relief that this issue is now finally ruled on and we can return to focusing on giving people more ENTOMBED. We have discussed ideas and plans of what we want to do and look forward to working together on creating the best possible ENTOMBED for the future, both in the recording studio and in a live setting."

Hellid and Petrov have been embroiled in a legal battle over the ENTOMBED name for several years. In 2014, Petrov was reportedly awarded the right to use the band name in connection with future recording and touring activities, a decision which Hellid appealed without success. The guitarist then went on to register a trademark for spirits production under the "Entombed" name. This move did not sit well with Hellid's former bandmate, who filed a letter of protest against Alex's registration of the name, claiming that it could be confused with band activities. He also said that Hellid acted in "bad faith" when he registered name and that there was a desire to "deceive the public." Petrov's protest, however, found no favor with the Swedish Patent And Registration Office, which rejected his claims on the issue in a March 8, 2016 ruling.

In an interview with Revolution-Music.dk, Petrov defended his group's decision to release albums and tour under the name ENTOMBED A.D. in order to avoid a legal battle with Hellid who didn't want his former bandmates to use the ENTOMBED moniker: "It had to be done, because without an album you can't tour," he explained. "I mean, you can tour, but if there's seven years between albums, it's ridiculously long. So we did the right thing, and we did what bands should do, and still do — release an album and go on tour and headbang and have a good time with friends, and that's what it's all about."

He continued: "There was too much bullshit — crying and whining about things. It's just ridiculous.

"Some people are comfortable staying at home, but then just step aside and let us do our thing.

"We added two letters, but it's still the same band — [only] without people that wanna stay at home, or take millions of years [coming up with] a [new] riff."

Asked if he thinks the ENTOMBED name has been damaged as a result of the drama surrounding the split with Hellid and the decision to continue as ENTOMBED A.D., Petrov said: "Nah, not really. A thousand people have a thousand different opinions — good and bad. But we do what we felt was right. And we're out here touring, and that's the most important [thing], I think. And leave the childishness aside and play metal, basically."

ENTOMBED A.D.'s second album, "Dead Dawn", was released in February 2016 via Century Media.

A completely different version of ENTOMBED — featuring Hellid, Cederlund and Andersson — played the band's groundbreaking 1991 album, "Clandestine", in its entirety at Malmö Live in Malmö, Sweden in November 2016. Joining them at the show were Robert Andersson (vocals) and Nicke's half brother Edvin Aftonfalk (bass), both formerly of the Swedish death metal band MORBUS CHRON.

Two weeks earlier, the new Hellid-led lineup of ENTOMBED made its live debut on the Close-Up Båten cruise.

Professionally filmed video footage of SCOUR — the new extreme metal "supergroup" featuring Philip Anselmo (PANTERA, DOWN, SUPERJOINT) alongside members of CATTLE DECAPITATION and PIG DESTROYER — performing the PANTERA classic "Strength Beyond Strength" at SCOUR's first-ever concert, which took place on February 19 at One Eyed Jacks in New Orleans, Louisiana can be seen below. The clip was filmed by Mike Holderbeast, Carolyn Babauta, Ritchi Rooster, Steven W. Richardson and Justin Delong. The audio was recorded and mastered by Steven W. Richardson.

The self-titled debut EP from SCOUR was released last July via Anselmo's Housecore label. The six-track effort was mixed by Dave Otero (CEPHALIC CARNAGE, CATTLE DECAPITATION, COBALT, KHEMMIS) and was made available on CD and vinyl formats.

SCOUR recently officially recruited Adam Jarvis (MISERY INDEX, PIG DESTROYER) as its drummer.

Adam Jarvis's next gig with SCOUR will take place on June 14 at Saint Vitus in Brooklyn, New York.

Anselmo previously stated about his involvement with from SCOUR: "Doing the SCOUR project was a blast. The track 'Dispatched' was the first one I attacked, as it was the first one sent to me. Lyrically, I leave it to the listener to evaluate, as usual. The way I saw it, the songs were short, and extremely straight-forward, so I didn't want to clutter 'em up with too much. Therefore, I had to pick particular lyrics that seemed provocatively absurd enough, and to perform them as raw as deemed fit."

SCOUR is:

* Phillip H. Anselmo (PANTERA, DOWN, SUPERJOINT) - Vocals* Derek Engemann (CATTLE DECAPITATION) - Guitar* Chase Fraser (ANIMOSITY) - Guitar* John Jarvis (PIG DESTROYER) - Bass* Adam Jarvis (MISERY INDEX, PIG DESTROYER) - Drums

Rob Zombie performed WHITE ZOMBIE's 1994 album "Astro-Creep: 2000 – Songs Of Love, Destruction And Other Synthetic Delusions Of The Electric Head" live in its entirety at Chicago's Riot Fest last September. The set was professionally recorded and is currently being mixed by Rob's longtime collaborator Chris "Zeuss" Harris for a late 2017 release.

Rob posted a short preview of the upcoming album on his Instagram account. You can check it out below.

Zombie said last year that he had "many legit reasons" for not wanting to reform WHITE ZOMBIE, despite some fans' suggestion to the contrary.

The subject of a WHITE ZOMBIE reunion once again came up after Rob performed "Astro-Creep: 2000" live at Riot Fest.

As video footage of the performance made its way online, a WHITE ZOMBIE fan made an impassioned plea for Zombie to reform the group. The fan wrote in the comments section on Instagram: "Please, for the love of God, reunite WHITE ZOMBIE. The reasons you've given in the past for not wanting to do it… honestly make no sense. First you said that reunions are never good, and it's best to let sleeping corpses lie. Hello… GUNS N' ROSES? MISFITS? Reunions are beloved bands are totally welcomed and completely awesome. a white zombie reunion has zero chance of being bad.

"The second reason you have is that your crowds these days 'barely react' to the WHITE ZOMBIE songs. Well, maybe they would react more if those songs weren't abandoned. I can promise you that thousands of people still love and cherish those albums you need in the '80s and '90s. A WHITE ZOMBIE tour would be a huge success.

"I love you, Rob, but I gotta be honest.. I think the truth is that you just think you're too good to pick up the phone, call up Sean [Yseult, former WHITE ZOMBIE bassist and Rob's ex-girlfriend] and the guys… and get that ball rolling again. I don't know if there's some sort of Sean/Sherri [Moon Zombie, Rob's wife] jealousy thing that caused you guys to break up in the first place… I mean, it's kinda funny you broke up WHITE ZOMBIE but took the drummer with you… But either way… just do a WHITE ZOMBIE reunion. [You] have no legit reason not to."

Rob took notice of the fan's comment and personally responded via Instagram, writing: "[I am] always amazed at how people can speak with such authority on subjects they know zero about.

"I have many legit reasons [for not wanting to reform WHITE ZOMBIE]. Just because you don't know them does not mean they don't exist.

"Everything is not everybody's business."

Yseult was recently asked by rock journalist Mitch Lafon what her reaction was when she first found out Rob was pursuing a solo career after WHITE ZOMBIE's 1997 split. She said: "First of all, I knew that we were breaking up — it wasn't a big surprise — but it was a little bit of a slap in the face to me and Jay [Yuenger, former WHITE ZOMBIE guitarist] when we had our… After one year, we were supposed to be taking a break, and then we were gonna have a call and talk about getting back together and making a record. I knew that we weren't getting back together, but literally the next… Jay and I both said, 'We have more riffs. We'd love to write some more music.' And Rob kept saying, 'No, no, no. I think we're done.' And what are you gonna say? You can't tell the singer that he has to sing. [Laughs] Even though our manager told Jay and I that we should go on and continue on with WHITE ZOMBIE and get a new singer, we both refused that. But the slap in the face was that [Rob's] solo record came out, like, the next day, so he spent that year making a record, knowing that [WHITE ZOMBIE wasn't] gonna be a band again. So that was a little… you know… whatever. But, like, who cares? You know, really. I didn't care. I moved to New Orleans. I knew that we'd already broke up anyway."

WHITE ZOMBIE split up in 1997 and Rob Zombie went on to launch a successful solo career in 1998. He told The Pulse Of Radio that nowadays a lot of his audience isn't even familiar with the old WHITE ZOMBIE songs. "The crowds are really, really young and I've been noticing that with the set list too, because, you know, as the time has gone on, we've really worked the WHITE ZOMBIE material more out of the set, because we've been finding that it's not working like it used to," he said. "It seems like that those songs just seem now old to people and it's very strange."

CANDLEBOX paid tribute to Chris Cornell by performing the TEMPLE OF THE DOG song "Say Hello 2 Heaven" in the SOUNDGARDEN frontman's honor during CANDLEBOX's May 20 concert at Ohio Spring Fest in Toledo, Ohio. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube user "Staatsiebuckeyegirl").

In the days since Cornell's tragic death, a number of artists have paid tribute by covering his songs, including MEGADETH, DREAM THEATER, STONE SOUR, QUEENSRŸCHE, LIVE, THE PRETTY RECKLESS and HEART's Ann Wilson.

Cornell apparently committed suicide by hanging on Wednesday night (May 18) after SOUNDGARDEN played a show in Detroit.

Chris's wife Vicky and an attorney representing the Cornell family have questioned the results of a medical examiner's report that said the 52-year-old musician committed suicide.

In addition to SOUNDGARDEN, Cornell sang with AUDIOSLAVE and TEMPLE OF THE DOG, while also recording four solo studio albums and one live set on his own.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH was joined by Phil Labonte of ALL THAT REMAINS on stage on May 17 at Concrete Street Amphitheater in Corpus Christi, Texas for a performance of the DEATH PUNCH song "Wash It All Away". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

Labonte fronted FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH for eight concerts during the band's fall 2016 U.S. co-headlining arena tour with SHINEDOWN after DEATH PUNCH's regular singer, Ivan Moody, "fell ill" and stepped away from the road to receive treatment.

Prior to the "Wash It All" performance in Corpus Christi, Moody addressed the crowd, telling them: "This is the first show I play with DEATH PUNCH in six months in America. And about six months ago, I had a complete meltdown, and I'm willing to admit it. And luckily for me, my band understood and they told me to take some time to myself. Now here's the best part. They asked me, if there was one person that they would pick to front this band if I was dead, I picked one of my oldest, greatest friends and one of the greatest fucking singers in heavy metal today, Phil from ALL THAT REMAINS. Now while I was taking my vacation, I realized something. DEATH PUNCH isn't just about us — it's about you motherfuckers. So I'm gonna give credit where credit is due. Make some noise for my best friend and one of the greatest of all time. Phil, come on out here."

Labonte recently said that he was surprised by overwhelmingly positive reaction he got from FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH fans when he filled in for Moody. Speaking to Revolver magazine, Labonte explained how he came to be asked to sing for FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH as a temporary replacement for his longtime friend. He said: "[Around the] holidays, [I] usually kind of chill out. But right after Thanksgiving, I got a phone call, [saying], 'Hey, can you get on an airplane?' So I got the opportunity to help those guys out.

"We've known the guys in FIVE FINGER since before they were even a band — I've known Ivan since he was in MOTOGRATER — so the fact that I could jump in and help out my friends, it was really cool. It was a lot of fun — a really good experience."

Labonte went on to say that he was "a little surprised at how well the fans responded" to his addition to FIVE FINGER's touring lineup. He explained: "Especially with a band like FIVE FINGER, with a frontman like Ivan, I kind of expected some people to be, like, 'If it's not Ivan, I don't wanna hear about it,' and I didn't get that at all. It was nothing but love and message of support and messages from people saying, 'Thanks' and 'Good job,' pat-on the-back stuff, which is always really, really nice to hear that you're doing a good job for your friends. So it was a great experience."

KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque was interviewed by Metal Jacket Magazine the day after his May 16 performance in Zagreb, Croatia as a guest at a concert of Zele Lipovača, longtime guitarist of the Bosnian heavy metal band DIVLJE JAGODE. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the progress of the songwriting sessions for KING DIAMOND's long-awaited follow-up to 2007's "Give Me Your Soul … Please" album:

Andy: "I can't really say that we have started working on it yet, but it's coming. So as soon as we have some time, we're gonna start working on new songs."

On the KING DIAMOND songwriting process:

Andy: "What [KING DIAMOND singer and namesake and I] do is we both have our studios, so we send files [to each other], and if there's something that needs to be changed, we just talk about it and have it changed."

On the status of KING DIAMOND's much-anticipated DVD:

Andy: "We're actually still working on it, because we have a few options — different shows and stuff — so we have to make a decision which one is the best. And it's hard to know that before you start working on it. And you know the picture and the sound — that combination — have to match, of course, and when you see the whole thing, [you go], 'Okay, that show is really good.' So we're still working on it. And I have no release date; I'm sorry about that. We just want it to be really, really good."

KING DIAMOND's November 2015 concerts in Philadelphia and Detroit during the "Abigail In Concert 2015" tour were filmed for the band's forthcoming DVD. The massive, multi-camera shoot was directed by Denise Korycki, who has previously worked with CANNIBAL CORPSE and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE).

KING DIAMOND received a Grammy nomination in the "Best Metal Performance" category for the track "Never Ending Hill" off "Give Me Your Soul … Please".

"Give Me Your Soul ... Please" entered the Swedish national chart at position No. 28. The CD also landed at No. 58 on the Danish chart. The effort sold 4,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 174 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Frontiers Music Srl has announced the signing of legendary rockers NAZARETH. The band's brand new studio album will be released in 2018. The current lineup of NAZARETH consists of Jimmy Murrison (longest-serving guitarist in the band's history), Lee Agnew (drummer since Darrel Sweet's death in 1999), Pete Agnew (founding member, on bass) and new singer Carl Sentance (who joined the band in 2015 after Dan McCafferty had to retire due to illness). Pete Agnew says: "With Carl as our brand new singer and Frontiers as our brand new record company, the buzz surrounding us right now is the same as it was when we went in to record our very first album. Can't wait for the sparks to fly!" Originally coming together as THE SHADETTES in 1968 in Dunfermline, Scotland, the entity known as NAZARETH came together in spring 1970 and released their eponymous debut album in 1971. The band came to prominence after the release of the Roger Glover (DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW) produced "Razamanaz" in 1973. Two more successful releases, "Loud 'N' Proud" and "Rampant", followed before the release of "Hair Of The Dog" in 1975, which was an unqualified success. The title track was a staple of '70s rock radio and the ballad "Love Hurts" is a worldwide hit. NAZARETH mantained a solid sales history during the '80s, particularly in Germany, where "Dream On" became a hit single. A tribute of note to the band came in 1993 when GUNS N' ROSES covered "Hair Of The Dog" on their "The Spaghetti Incident?" album. To date, NAZARETH has recorded 23 studio albums, earning them platinum, gold, and silver awards around the world. Their latest release, "Rock N' Roll Telephone" was released in 2014 and generally hailed by music critics as another masterpiece in a long line of them from the band.

EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee has paid tribute to Chris Cornell, saying that SOUNDGARDEN's combination of "bluesy soulful wailing and the dark, heavy music changed what metal was to me."

Cornell died last Wednesday night (May 17) by apparently hanging himself after a concert in Detroit. The homages to the late musician began moving from social media to the concert stage, where a number of acts covered SOUNDGARDEN songs during their sets.

Writing on her Facebook page, Lee said: "Chris Cornell was one of my favorite vocalists of all time. When we were recording [EVANESCENCE's debut album] 'Fallen', I would sit in the car in the studio parking lot every morning before going in and warm up my voice to 'Fell On Black Days'. I loved how deeply soulful he was — it was such a beautiful and unique combination between his bluesy soulful wailing and the dark, heavy music. It was so much cooler than just screaming, which would have been the more obvious match to the music. That's what made it special. They changed what metal was to me. Expanded the boundaries...

"There have been way too many tragic, early deaths in the music industry lately. Why are we so lost? Cornell moved and inspired so many people. SO many...

"For now, my thoughts are here: No one is immortal. Everyone feels the pain. No one has a perfect life. We have to remember our fragility — that of the people we love, look up to, even our enemies. You never know what people are really going through on the inside, so we must take extreme care. And love the best we can, while there's still time.

"'I'm only faking when I get it right...' Oh, how I've always related to that line. Knowing you felt that way made me stronger.

"Farewell to another hero. Thank you for sharing your heart, your search light soul with us."

Chris's wife Vicky and an attorney representing the Cornell family have questioned the results of a medical examiner's report that said the 52-year-old musician committed suicide.

In addition to SOUNDGARDEN, Cornell sang with AUDIOSLAVE and TEMPLE OF THE DOG, while also recording four solo studio albums and one live set on his own.

A moment of silence in Chris Cornell's memory was held at this year's Billboard Music Awards, whick took place last night (Sunday, May 21) at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas.

IMAGINE DRAGONS frontman Dan Reynolds made an emotional speech about the late SOUNDGARDEN frontman's life and legacy, saying: "Although tonight is a time to celebrate the music and artists of the past year, it's also a time to recall a member of our community we lost this past week, SOUNDGARDEN and AUDIOSLAVE's Chris Cornell was a true innovator. A musical architect and pioneer on the cutting edge of the Seattle grunge movement. He was a prolific songwriter, a legendary performer, a singer who had a voice for the ages, and a philanthropist — whose Chris And Vicky Cornell Foundation helped so many children around the world.

"Even though Chris is gone, his legacy endures," Reynolds continued. "We send our respects as well as our love to Chris's family at this time. Please join us in a moment of silence to remember Chris Cornell."

Cornell apparently committed suicide by hanging on Wednesday night (May 18) after SOUNDGARDEN played a show in Detroit. He was 52 years old.

In the days since Cornell's tragic death, a number of artists have paid tribute by covering his songs, including MEGADETH, DREAM THEATER, QUEENSRŸCHE, STONE SOUR, LIVE, THE PRETTY RECKLESS and HEART's Ann Wilson, while LINKIN PARK dedicated their appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" to him.

While the surviving members of SOUNDGARDEN have not yet issued a public statement about Cornell, drummer Matt Cameron posted a brief message on Facebook, saying, "My dark knight is gone… Thank you for the incredible outpouring of kindness and love."

In addition to SOUNDGARDEN, Cornell sang with AUDIOSLAVE and TEMPLE OF THE DOG, while also recording four solo studio albums and one live set on his own.

Extreme metallers ARCH ENEMY will release their tenth studio album, "Will To Power", on September 8 via Century Media Records.

Commented guitarist Michael Amott: "After many months of writing and recording in the studio, we are delighted to have finally completed work on our tenth studio album, 'Will To Power'. We are looking forward to sharing new music with you soon. We are equally excited to announce the first leg of our 'Will To Power' world tour... Can't wait to play new and old songs for our fans. See you all soon!"

"Will To Power" will mark the second ARCH ENEMY album since the departure of longtime singer Angela Gossow and addition of her replacement, former THE AGONIST frontwoman Alissa White-Gluz. It will also be the first ARCH ENEMY disc to feature guitarist Jeff Loomis (ex-NEVERMORE), who joined the band in late 2014.

ARCH ENEMY bassist Sharlee D'Angelo recently told Metal Wani about the band's upcoming follow-up to 2014's "War Eternal": "On 'War Eternal', there was a certain desperation about that album. But I still can feel it when I listen to it, maybe because I was involved in it. Having lost a longtime, very important member of the band and introducing someone else, a new face into the band, and you wonder, that's even more, like, 'Okay, we have a new album. I wonder what people will like about it, or if they will like it at all.' There's a few nerves there. In the process of recording that album, writing and recording, there was so much going into… There's something desperate and very dense about that album. Now, we know we did it. We're still here; people have accepted the change and embraced Alissa and everything as well. Things are better than they were before, so now you have a completely different vantage point and starting point, for that matter."

He continued: "This album is a bit more open in that sense. It sounds more open and some of the songs I would say, dare I use the word 'epic'. [Laughs] It's different, yes, we can do a lot more now than we could… We just don't have to cram as much metal as possible in the most sort of 'energetic' way. We can do it in other ways as well. Don't be scared, I'm not saying everything will be slow; that's not what is happening. It's extremely ARCH ENEMY, but within what it is ARCH ENEMY, we have gone out to explore new worlds. It will be some of the same and also some new stuff."

Amott told Rock Hard magazine in January that Loomis — who was the main songwriter in his former band NEVERMORE — has not contributed to the songwriting on the group's new disc.

Back in December, Loomis told Metal Wani that he would "probably just be doing solos" on ARCH ENEMY's upcoming album. He explained: "If you look at it, ARCH ENEMY is Michael Amott — it's his band, it's his baby, and he is the main songwriter in the band. I did submit a few songs, and I don't know if they'll make it or not. But I definitely will be playing solos on it."

He continued: "I love being in the band. I am fan of the band. I love the music, and I love playing in front of thousands of people with that band. But we'll see what happens. It's kind of the same thing if you can think the same way with NEVERMORE; me and Warrel [Dane, vocals] were the main writers in that band, and we had a revolving door of guitar players. But pretty much, it was me and Warrel that did a lot of it. Steve Smyth wrote a little bit, Tim Calvert wrote for 'Dreaming Neon Black', but most of it, eighty percent, was me and Warrel. So each band has their own chemistry and their way of doing things."

ARCH ENEMY's "As The Stages Burn!" DVD was released on March 31 via Century Media. The set contains video footage of the band's largest stage production to date from their performance last summer at the Wacken Open Air festival in Wacken, Germany.

"1992", a brand new song from MR. BIG, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's ninth studio album, "Defying Gravity", which will be released on July 7 via Frontiers Music Srl. The effort will be available at traditional retail and all digital service providers, as will a deluxe edition version with CD and bonus DVD that features music videos and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of the new album. The album will also be made available on vinyl in the coming months.

"Defying Gravity" deftly showcases that patented MR. BIG blend of crunch and melody, from the freight-train ride of opening cut "Open Your Eyes" to the harmony-laden wonderment of "Damn I'm in Love Again" to the grateful/wistful nostalgia of "1992" (recalling the days when the band was flying high atop the singles charts with their international No. 1 smash "To Be With You") to the barnburning slide-blues closer, "Be Kind". Overall, "Defying Gravity" is prime evidence that the only thing MR. BIG remains tethered to is their ongoing pursuit of achieving creative excellence. Original members Eric Martin (lead vocals), Paul Gilbert (guitars), Billy Sheehan (bass) and Pat Torpey (drums) reunited with producer Kevin Elson (who was behind the boards for the band's 1989 self-titled debut, 1991's "Lean Into It" and 1993's "Bump Ahead") for an intensive six-day recording session in Los Angeles. While Torpey was unable to perform some of the songs on "Defying Gravity" due to a recent diagnosis of Parkinson's disease, Matt Starr has been filling in for him on a majority of the album. Starr also been touring with the band for the past couple of years, with Torpey able to play a couple of songs at each stop. "It was great to get back in the studio with our original producer, Kevin Elson," says Gilbert. "Kevin recorded all of our original classic albums from the '80s and '90s, and we immediately felt that magic chemistry with him on 'Defying Gravity'. We basically played live in the studio.

"Over the years, we've all had a chance to experiment with every recording technique possible, but it's still always the best just to play together as a band. Most of my guitar solos were tracked live with the band. I've worked hard on my improvisation in the last few years, and it really paid off on this record… both melodically and on the face-melting stuff." MR. BIG is gearing up for the launch its latest worldwide tour, which starts May 31 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the Potowatami Casino. "2017 is filling up quickly with tour dates all around the world," proclaims Gilbert. "I can't wait to play the new songs, and, of course, our favorites from the old days, like 'Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy', 'Just Take My Heart', 'Green Tinted Sixties Mind', 'Wild World' and 'To Be With You'." "Defying Gravity" track listing: 01. Open Your Eyes02. Defying Gravity03. Everybody Needs a Little Trouble04. Damn I'm In Love Again05. Mean To Me06. Nothing Bad (About Feeling Good)07. Forever And Back08. She's All Coming Back To Me Now09. 199210. Nothing At All11. Be Kind

Photo credit: William Hames

The official lyric video for the song "Chasing Dragons" from ADRENALINE MOB — the band featuring Russell Allen (vocals; also of SYMPHONY X) and Mike Orlando (guitar) — can be seen below. The track is taken from the group's third studio album, "We The People", which will be released on June 2 via Century Media. The follow-up to 2014's "Men Of Honor" is the first ADRENALINE MOB release to feature the band's new drummer Jordan Cannata and bassist David Zablidowsky (of TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA).

ADRENALINE MOB stated about "Chasing Dragons": "Dealing with the growing opiate abuse issue that is having worldwide implications, the video reveals the horrible statistics that highlights this growing problem."

"We The People" will be available for purchase as a special edition CD digipak, gatefold 2LP+CD, and on all standard digital and streaming music platforms.

"We The People" track listing:

01. King Of The Ring02. We The People03. The Killer's Inside04. Bleeding Hands05. Chasing Dragons06. Til The Head Explodes07. What You're Made Of08. Raise 'Em Up09. Ignorance & Greed10. Blind Leading The Blind11. Violent State Of Mind12. Lords Of Thunder13. Rebel Yell

You can pre-order "We The People" from iTunes.

As the title "We The People" indicates, there's a political side to ADRENALINE MOB. Throughout their years as a musicians and songwriters, they hadn't stayed silent on matters significant. Whether they were masked in metaphor or flatly conspicuous, they've always poured their feelings into song. It was, as Orlando puts it, a form of catharsis. So, as they were watching the presidential campaigns, feeling the negativity — the constant bickering and finger pointing — they knew ADRENALINE MOB's next venture would be affected. In fact, the first song Orlando began writing for "We The People" was the politically charged rocker "Blind Leading The Blind". "The title track is very much inspired by the past election year," confirms Allen. "It touches on our society, here in America. The album title is a reflection of our times. The songs have certain particular stories that stand on their own. Many of them are also driven by the climate we live in today and some are about having a good time, being free and loving rock 'n' roll. All the tracks have a personality and character to them."

ADRENALINE MOB will embark on a 30-date U.S. tour on June 16 in Poughkeepsie, New York. Support on all dates will come from the Canadian band THE WILD!

German industrial metallers 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.

In March 2012, during the "Made In Germany" tour, Swedish director Jonas Åkerlund shot two acclaimed RAMMSTEIN concerts at the Palais Omnisports arena in Paris in front of 17,000 rabid fans. Featuring 22 songs (128 minutes) from the band's entire repertoire, the resulting film is not only the most spectacular collection of imagery about the most successful German rock band of our time, but also a masterpiece of music cinema, capturing RAMMSTEIN's energy as a unique visual and sonic experience. "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!).

On Sunday, May 21, Brazilian/American metallers SEPULTURA celebrated the world premiere of their documentary, "Sepultura Endurance", at the Regent theater in Los Angeles. A screening of the film was followed by a question-and-answer session with the band, as well as the "Sepultura Endurance" director Otavio Juliano.

You can now watch video footage of the discussion below.

"Sepultura Endurance" shows the journey from SEPULTURA's humble rural beginnings to decades spent on the international stage, giving an in-depth look into how the band continues to thrive in a changing metal landscape. Crammed full of rare archival footage, and featuring interviews with legends like Lars Ulrich (METALLICA) and Scott Ian (ANTHRAX), and younger artists influenced by SEPULTURA, like SLIPKNOT's Corey Taylor, "Sepultura Endurance" is the definitive document of the band's myths, struggles and heart.

"I'm very happy and excited that the SEPULTURA movie is finally done," comments SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser. "It is an amazing achievement from the director Otavio Juliano and the producer Luciana Ferraz from the Interface Films. Otavio followed the band on the road, on the studio and collected amazing statements from many people who are or were a part of this fantastic history. 'Sepultura Endurance' shows a story of this Brazilian band who conquered the world, suffered the ups and downs of a unique career that are still going strong. He filmed the historical show we did in Sao Paulo in 2015 for the celebrations of the 30th-year-anniversary tour and that's the central line of the whole history, our music! Through the music, we tell this story. We invite you to enter this time machine and explore the SepulHistory with no dramas or sensationalism."

"Sepultura Endurance" director Otavio Juliano states: "I had been filming the band SEPULTURA for the better part of 2010-2016, a time of tension and triumph for the band celebrating 30 years. Nothing has been off limits. The band gave me complete access, every door was open, I was never asked to leave.

"'Endurance' is an honest portrait of SEPULTURA: part concert film, part testimonial to the power of music, part intimate insider hang and great archival footage. Ultimately, the film is a testament to the endurance required to make a documentary for almost seven years, taking itself 800 hours of footage to complete. When you're filming cinema verite style, you're following the story as it's unfolding and you don't know the destination. 'Sepultura Endurance' has been a great journey."

Igor Kupstas of O2 Play comments: "This has been a passion project for Interface and it sure is a passion project for us at O2 Play. We are not only proud worldwide distributors of this amazing film but also metal fans, proud of SEPULTURA's work for the last 30 years. We are extremely happy with this partnership with Alamo Drafthouse Cinema and the Regent theater and to release 'Sepultura Endurance' first in Los Angeles, land of cinema and rock and roll, is a great honor. O2 Play is a Brazilian distribution company with a global approach, and, as part of O2 Filmes (production company of 'City Of God') we want to bring more and more of our culture to the theaters and platforms abroad."

Greek extreme metal veterans Rotting Christ have posted time-lapse video of Kata Ton Daimona Eaftou album artwork created by Evangelina Atzoletaki. Check it out below.

In the clip below, the band performs the title track of their 2013 album, Kata Ton Daimona Eaytoy, live in San Jose, Costa Rica on December 1st, 2016.

Peaceville Records presents the early works of Rotting Christ, commencing with the 1993 classic album Thy Mighty Contract, available now on 180gm heavyweight vinyl, featuring an eight page booklet with thoughts and reflections from the band penned by Cult Never Dies author Dayal Patterson, and including rare images. Also available is a special old school shirt design from the early era of the band, featuring the iconic Satanas Tedeum demo artwork.

Order here.

Tracklisting:

Side A
“The Sign Of Evil Existence”
“Transform All Suffering Into Plagues”
“Fgmenth, They Gift”
“His Sleeping Majesty”

Side B
“Exiled Archangels”
“Dive The Deepest Abyss”
“The Coronation Of The Serpent”
“The Fourth Knight Of Revelation”

Inspired by the overwhelming response to previous release "Unbreakable" and the outpouring of support at live shows and fan demand for more new music, OF MICE & MEN has surprise-released its second new song, "Back To Me". Like "Unbreakable", "Back To Me" was recorded with Grammy-nominated producer Howard Benson (IN FLAMES, ALL THAT REMAINS), mixed by Grammy winner Chris Lord-Alge (DEFTONES, MUSE) and mastered by Chris Athens (DRAKE, OZZY OSBOURNE). The video for "Back To Me" chronicles the band's past few weeks — a frenzied whirlwind that saw them release an "Unbreakable" video that's already amassed 1.7 million views and deliver a string of electrifying, show-stealing performances at Las Rageous, Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, Northern Invasion and, most recently, Rock On The Range. "'Back To Me' is a very meaningful song for us," says vocalist/bassist Aaron Pauley. "When going through major life changes, whether it's loss or growth, it's incredibly easy to feel like you've lost a part of yourself — and like you'll never be yourself again. I've come believe that we can never truly lose ourselves. I believe we persist through these changes, and that if you can discover, tap into, and ignite your true passions, you'll always be able light the way back to you. We really wanted to put out 'Back To Me' as the follow up to 'Unbreakable', because we wanted to reassure and encourage ourselves and others to press on when times get tough. 'Let hope be everything that you need...'" Next comes an international tour that kicks off June 8 at the Greenfield festival in Switzerland and includes stops at the Download festival in the U.K., In.Fest in Milan, Nova Rock in Austria and more. Los Angeles-based fans can catch the band — Aaron Pauley, guitarist Alan Ashby, drummer Valentino Arteaga and guitarist Phil Manansala — performing alongside RISE AGAINST on July 13 at the Shrine Auditorium. "Unbreakable" and "Back To Me" are OF MICE & MEN's first new releases since the departure of vocalist Austin Carlile, whose ongoing battle with Marfan syndrome forced him to leave the band at the end of last year.

Formed in 2000, Resistance are a Los Angeles based Heavy Metal band delivering a full on metal assault from a broad range of influences. The band signed with Finland's Lion Music in 2004 and released two critically acclaimed albums: Lies In Black (2004) and the conceptual metal masterpiece Patents Of Control (2007). In 2015, the band returned with the Battle Scars EP, and most recently inked a deal with No Remorse Records, which will release their brand new studio album, Metal Machine. First reviews describe the album as "US power metal for fans of Metal Church and Liege Lord".

 

Metal Machine was produced and engineered by Dan Luna, Bill Metoyer and Resistance, and was is mixed and mastered by Neil Kernon. The album cover artwork was painted by Dusan Markovic. Metal Machine will hit the streets on June 27th and will include eight songs, including cover version of the Scorpions classic "Blackout".

 

Metal Machine tracklisting:

"The Metal Machine"
"Hail To The Horns"
"Rise And Defend"
"Some Gave All"
"Time Machine"
"Dirty Side Down"
"Heroes"
"Blackout"

For information on Resistance go to their official Facebook page here.

LIVING COLOUR paid tribute to Chris Cornell by performing the SOUNDGARDEN song "Blow Up The Outside World" on May 19 at the final show of the group's New Zealand/Australia tour at Astor Theatre in Perth. Singer Corey Glover, guitarist Vernon Reid, bassist Doug Wimbish and drummer Will Calhoun played an emotional cover of the 1996 "Down On The Upside" number, welcoming fans to join in during the song's chorus.

Reid had always been a huge fan of SOUNDGARDEN, and LIVING COLOUR had previously performed "Blow Up The Outside World" throughout 2001-2003 after the track was banned from radio play after the World Trade Center terrorist attacks.

Cornell apparently committed suicide by hanging on Wednesday night (May 18) after SOUNDGARDEN played a show in Detroit. He was 52 years old.

In the days since Cornell's tragic death, a number of artists have paid tribute by covering his songs, including MEGADETH, DREAM THEATER, QUEENSRŸCHE, STONE SOUR, LIVE, THE PRETTY RECKLESS and HEART's Ann Wilson, while LINKIN PARK dedicated their appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" to him.

While the surviving members of SOUNDGARDEN have not yet issued a public statement about Cornell, drummer Matt Cameron posted a brief message on Facebook, saying, "My dark knight is gone… Thank you for the incredible outpouring of kindness and love."

In addition to SOUNDGARDEN, Cornell sang with AUDIOSLAVE and TEMPLE OF THE DOG, while also recording four solo studio albums and one live set on his own.

LIVING COLOUR's sixth studio album, "Shade", will be released on September 8 via Megaforce Records. The follow-up to 2009's "The Chair In The Doorway" was recorded with producer Andre Betts.