METALLICA performed the song "Now That We're Dead" on last night's (Monday, May 15) episode of "The Late Show With Stephen Colbert" on CBS. You can now watch the band's appearance below.

This was not be the first time that METALLICA has appeared on a talk show hosted by Stephen Colbert. The band previously sat down for an interview and performed on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" in September 2013.

"Now That We're Dead" is taken from METALLICA's latest album, "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", which came out in November.

The North American leg of METALLICA's "WorldWired" 2017 tour kicked off in Baltimore on May 10 and is hitting stadiums in 25 cities before winding down in mid-August. Support on the quartet's first North American trek since 2009 is coming mainly from AVENGED SEVENFOLD and VOLBEAT, with GOJIRA taking over for the latter group for the last six shows.

The first European leg of "WorldWired" kicks off on September 4 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and stretches through November. After a break, the trek will pick up again on February 10, 2018 in Bologna, Italy, and continue through May, finishing up in Helsinki, Finland.

INVIDIA, the new band featuring former and current members of FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH and SKINLAB, has officially announced the addition of Evan Seidlitz as the newest member of the band, replacing vocalist Travis Johnson on the upcoming "Screaming Black Curse" tour with ALL HAIL THE YETI and supporting act BROKEN RAIL. Seidlitz is no stranger to the frontman spotlight, known for his work in VYCES, THROWN INTO EXILE and GRIMACE. Though Johnson is leaving to fully invest in his role as bassist of IN THIS MOMENT, the band is very excited to begin this new journey with Seidlitz and has no doubts that fans will be pleased with what he has to bring to the table.

When asked about Johnson's departure, INVIDIA stated: "We respect Travis's choice to honor his commitment to IN THIS MOMENT but it left us in a tough spot. It's hard for us as well — Travis is family and is part of the INVIDIA story.

"We are beyond happy that Evan was interested and fits in so well in the INVIDIA camp. He's a guy we all know well and the band as well as the fans are in great hands.

"We sincerely hope you will all welcome Evan to the fold like we have and come see us on tour this summer!"

Johnson added: "It was a really tough choice for me to step back from fronting INVIDIA. I love singing and am so proud of 'As the Sun Sleeps'. INVIDIA is family to me. I mean, I just can't be in two places at the same time and I had to honor my commitment to IN THIS MOMENT.

"I can't imagine a better fit than Evan. It was actually a suggestion I had brought up to the band.

"I truly hope all of the IN THIS MOMENT fans who have supported INVIDIA welcome him to the band.

"It's a tough one knowing someone else is singing my tunes but I can't see myself holding INVIDIA back."

Seidlitz said: "When Matt Snell called me up and asked me to join INVIDIA full-time, I didn't have to think very long about it before I said, 'Yeah, let's do it.' I knew I could no longer keep a commitment with VYCES.

"The guys in VYCES as well as Travis have been nothing but supportive in my decision.

"Travis did a wonderful job on the album vocally and I look forward to singing these songs every night on tour."

The tour will begin on May 17 in Los Angeles at the Whisky A Go Go and wrap up on June 4 in Fullerton, California.

May 17 - Los Angeles, CA @ Whisky A Go GoMay 18 - Las Vegas, NV @ Adrenaline May 19 - Kingsburg, CA @ Bullfrogs may 20 - Anderson, CA @ Firehouse LoungeMay 21 - Eugene, OR @ Wow HallMay 22 - Seattle, WA @ El CorazonMay 23 - Spokane, WA @ The CheckerboardMay 24 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Liquid JoesMay 25 - Colorado Springs, CO @ Black SheepMay 26 - Kansas City, MO @ The Riot RoomMay 27- Oklahoma City, OK @ Thunder AlleyMay 28 - Houston, TX @ BFE Rock ClubMay 30 - Fort Worth, TX @ The Rail ClubJune 01 - Austin, TX @ The Rock HouseJune 02 - El Paso, TX @ The Rock HouseJune 03 - Tempe, AZ @ Yucca Tap RoomJune 04 - Fullerton, CA @ Slidebar

INVIDIA's debut album, "As The Sun Sleeps", was released on March 31 via SPV.

Photo credit: Fred Morledge / PhotoFM.com

Rocket88 announces the first in-depth study of one of England’s most enigmatic and engaging bands, Time Flies: The Story Of Porcupine Tree.

The second book by Rich Wilson, author of the acclaimed Lifting Shadows, the authorized biography of Dream Theater, Time Flies describes the genesis of Porcupine Tree from founder Steven Wilson’s bedroom through their entire seventeen year career and ten studio albums.

Drawing on original and archive interviews with band members, friends and people connected to Porcupine Tree, this unauthorized biography offers a perfectly complete critical look at arguably the UK’s last great prog rock band.

The book will be published in the fall, but fans can register now - and get the chance to have their names printed in the book - only at porcupinetreebook.com.

One Book, Two Editions - The book will be available in two versions, both produced to the highest standards. The Classic edition will be a 300+ page hardback presented in a choice of four different cover designs. The Signature edition will come in a specially designed presentation box, be signed and numbered by the author, and include 3 previously unseen, numbered, 10x8 photographs which will be exclusive to the book.

Professionally filmed video footage of METALLICA performing the song "Motorbreath" on May 12 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania can be seen below.

The North American leg of METALLICA's "WorldWired" tour will hit stadiums in 22 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 The New Coliseum Presented By NYCB in Uniondale, New York on Wednesday (May 17).

Support on the trek is coming from Danish/American rock and rollers VOLBEAT and popular California act AVENGED SEVENFOLD.

Polish extreme black/death metallers, Hate, released their new album, Tremendum, on May 5th via Napalm Records. An official drum playthrough video for the album track “Indestructible Pillar” can be seen below:

Tremendum is available as CD Digipak and LP Gatefold. Order here.

Tracklisting:

“Asuric Being”
“Indestructible Pillar”
“Svarog's Mountain”
“Numinosum”
“Fidelis Ad Mortem”
“Into Burning Gehenna”
“Sea Of Rubble”
“Ghostforce”
“Walk Through Fire”
“Hearts Of Steel” (Bonus Track)

“Walk Through Fire”:

“Numinosum” video:

“Asuric Being” lyric video:

Hate lineup:

Atf Sinner - Guitar, Vocals
Pavulon - Drums
Apeiron - Bass (live)
Domin - Guitar (live)

Brazilian metallers Almah, led by ex-Angra singer Edu Falaschi, have released the latest video from their new album, E.V.O, which is out now via Pride & Joy Music (Europe), Test Your Metal (North America) and King Records (Japan). Watch the new clip for “Pleased To Meet You” below:

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

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

Tracklisting:

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

“Speranza” video:

“Age Of Aquarius” lyric video:

Album stream:

Almah is:

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

(Photo - Danillo Facchini)

With its new theatrical piece, Solveig, female-fronted American band Seven Spires is about to pull off a major coup in the ever-growing symphonic metal scene. This debut album, which is to be released worldwide on August 4th via SAOL, indeed succeeds in establishing as of now the four-piece orchestra as an essential figure of tomorrow's extreme soundscape. The first video from the album, for the song "The Cabaret Of Dreams”, can be viewed below.

Fans can get their hands on special versions of the album with all sorts of exclusive perks by taking part in the Seven Spires' Go Fund Me campaign.

The wide stylistic range embraced by Seven Spires' art of musical storytelling relentlessly attests of the outstanding abilities of the band's members. Going astray from melancholic power metal to melodic death metal with fierce forays into black metal, the quartet's versatility never fails to make a deep impression on the listener. Their signature blend of melody, theatrics and high-caliber musicianship is tastefully bittersweet, chaotic at times and comforting at others.

Solveig tells the story of a lost soul and his journey through a Demon's sunless neo-victorian underworld. Despite small glimmers of hope, it is a grim tale with a heavy focus on escapism, death and decadence. The love for Romantic composers and epic film scores the four young graduates/students of the prestigious Berklee College of Music have shows in their ambitious and emotionally moving dramatic vision.

Frontwoman Adrienne Cowan leads the band with an iron will and a golden voice. She employs a combination of her classical training and self-taught extreme vocal techniques to "deliver every bit of recorded promise live". Therefore, the strict operatic singing that is often found in the symphonic corner of metal is more of a spice than a staple for Seven Spires.

The band ventured to Gate Studios in Wolfsburg, Germany to put the finishing touches to Solveig in the company of the illustrious Sascha Paeth (Avantasia, Kamelot, Rhapsody), who stated that Seven Spires is "one of the few new real personalities in metal". As a matter of fact, a band that has been sharing the stage with big names such as Arch Enemy, Amaranthe and Apocalyptica - among many others - in its first three years of existence has to be taken seriously in the challenging environment of the current metal scene.

Solveig tracklisting:

“The Siren”
“Encounter”
“The Siren” (Reprise)
“The Cabaret Of Dreams”
“Choices”
“Closure”
“100 Days”
“Stay”
“The Paradox”
“Serenity”
“Depths”
“Distant Lights”
“Burn”
“Ashes”
“Reflections”

“The Cabaret Of Dreams” video:

SikTh will release their new album, The Future In Whose Eyes?, on June 2nd via Millennium Night, the newly created label imprint from Snapper Music, home of Peaceville Records and Kscope. The band have released a new single and video (streaming below) for the track “Golden Cufflinks”.

When introducing the new song, vocalist and lyricist Mikee W Goodman states, "The song is very melodic and is a very different type of song for SikTh fans to hear. Even though there are extremely aggressive moments on the new album. This song has a real epic and melodic feel to it."

Produced and directed by Goodman, the video acts as a commentary to and the causation of the ongoing sanitization of many towns and cities, something many music fans around the world will be able to relate to.

"When I wrote the lyrics for “Golden Cufflinks”, they were initially inspired by the amount of live music venues that are being closed and a feeling that rock culture is in decline," Goodman said. "The venue which sticks out to me the most is the famous London Astoria. Some of the best SikTh shows were in the LA2 and main Astoria. I went a lot as a fan as well. So when that was closed and knocked down to make way for Crossrail, it really was a sad and defining moment in rock history for me and many others."

He furthers, "I think places of such rich history and cultural importance should be protected and preserved. I see this happening across the country and world — so many other venues being shut down and how scenes and golden eras come and go. How we have to move along or do it seems."

The singer finishes, "You see the business men buying up cities to turn them into the most profitable and bland form. It follows a similar theme from our song “Bland Street Bloom” from Death Of A Dead Day. This happens in many cities; it is not just about London. 'Golden Cufflinks' is a reflection and commentary of this kind of happening."

 
The "Golden Cufflinks" single is available to purchase

Pre-order the following formats at this location:

- Digipak CD
- Mediabook 3xCD hardcover set with page booklet, bonus instrumental disc, and bonus "Re-Imagined" disc.
- Black Vinyl (180 gram)
- Orange Splatter Vinyl (Limited to 500)
- Purple Splatter Vinyl (Limited to 500)

Tracklisting:

“Vivid”
“Century Of The Narcissist?”
“The Aura”
“This Ship Has Sailed”
“Weavers Of Woe”
“Cracks Of Light”
“Golden Cufflinks”
“The Moon’s Been Gone For Hours”
“Riddles Of Humanity”
“No Wishbones”
“Ride The Illusion”
“When It Rains”

“Vivid” lyric video:

“No Wishbones” lyric video:

Napalm Records premieres its fourth DVD compilation of their finest metal and rock hymns! The Realm Of Napalm Records, Vol. IV DVD will be released as a 6-page digipack including a bonus audio CD of the most recent Napalm Records hits. A video trailer for the upcoming release can be found below.

The set includes special material from doom patrons AHAB, hardcore heroes Walls Of Jericho, thrash metal giants Warbringer and street punk's finest Toxpack. The hottest video clips from Napalm Records including a bonus audio CD will be released worldwide (excl. US/Canada) via Napalm Records on May 26th. 26 videos, 16 singles, one package.

Throwback and throw down with this synthesis of senses! You've got Myles Kennedy's Alter Bridge, power metal chart breakers Hammerfall (pictured above) and Powerworlf, heavy Californian groove from DevilDriver, fresh and funky progressive tunes from Jinjer, the reggae rock power pack Skindred, heavy metal titans Civil War, symphonic sweetness of Xandria and Visions Of Atlantis and to top it all off Kamelot’s feature "Liar Liar" with Arch Enemy’s Alissa White-Gluz.

DVD tracklisting:

Alter Bridge - “Show Me A Leader”
Hammerfall - “Hammer High”
Powerwolf - “Army Of The Night”
Kamelot - “Liar Liar” (feat. Alissa White-Gluz)
Delain - “Suckerpunch”
Devildriver - “Daybreak”
Otep - “Zero”
W.A.S.P. - “Scream”
The Answer - “Solas”
Grave Digger - “Healed By Metal”
Jinjer - “Words Of Wisdom”
Skindred - “Volume”
Moonspell - “Extinct”
The Agonist - “The Moment”
Serum 114 - “Wilde Zeit”
Civil War - “Tombstone”
John Garcia - “Kylie”
Megaherz - “Einsam”
Monster Magnet - “The Duke Of Supernature”
Alestorm - “Drink”
Xandria - “Nightfall”
Serenity - “Follow Me”
Visions Of Atlantis - “Winternight”
American Head Charge - “Let All The World Believe”
Adept - “Dark Clouds”
Greenleaf - “A Million Fireflies”

Bonus CD tracklisting:

Xandria - “Call Of Destiny”
Walls Of Jericho - “Reign Supreme”
Draconian - “Rivers Between Us” (feat. Daniel Änghede)
Warbringer - “Remain Violent”
The New Roses - “What If It Was You”
Gloryhammer - “Rise Of The Chaos Wizards”
Black Mirrors - “Funky Queen”
AHAB - “Like Red Foam (The Great Storm)”
Skalmöld - “Niðavellir”
Nervosa - “Hostages”
Diabulus in Musica - “Earthly Illusions”
Evil Invaders - “Raising Hell”
Be´lakor - “An Ember’s Arc”
Drescher - “Unten”
8kids - “Blitzschlag”
Toxpack - “Willkommen im Klub”

Get your copy here.

The Interbeing has released the second single / video from their upcoming album, Among The Amorphous. The song, called "Deceptive Signal", is the follow-up to the comeback single "Sins Of The Mechanical". The new album Among The Amorphous will be released worldwide on June 23rd through Long Branch Records as CD, LP, download and stream. Watch the video for "Deceptive Signal" below.

Singer Dara Corcoran talks about "Deceptive Signal": "'Deceptive Signal' is the second track on our coming concept album about The Interbeing's struggle with his creators. In this song The Interbeing hears a signal and is drawn to it, but it turns out to be a trap made by his creators."

"To realize the visual storyline, we contacted the gifted Jeb Hardwick and flew him in to Copenhagen to shoot the ambitious video. The countless hours playing in a green screen studio and post-production really paid off. Jeb did an amazing job creating this other dimension with us and The Interbeing in it."

Among the Amorphous is an album that lifts the bar in regards of storytelling and songwriting in the world of technical metal. The songs have a sinister David Lynch feel to them, while the massive sections of polyrhythmic Meshuggah-inspired sonances envelop the listener. In conclusion, the soundscape peaks with great evoking choruses that would even get Devin Townsend's stamp of approval. The Interbeing plunges into a futuristic music journey in which Dara Corcoran's constant shifting between growls, whispering, chanting and grand melodies makes this album one of the most ambitious albums in Danish metal in many years.

Among The Amorphous is mixed by the producer Jonas Haagensen and mastered by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios (Volbeat, Pretty Maids).

Tracklisting:

"Spiral Into Existence"
"Deceptive Signal"
"Sins Of The Mechanical"
"Borderline Human"
"Purge The Deviant"
"Cellular Synergy"
"Enigmatic Circuits"
"Pinnacle Of The Strain"
"Sum Of Singularity"
"Among The Amorphous"

Pre-orders can be placed here.

"Sins Of The Mechanical":

The Interbeing lineup:

Dara Corcoran - vocals
Torben Pedersen - guitars, vocals
Boas Segel - guitars, programming
Jacob Hansen - bass
Kristoffer Egefelt - drums

Dobermann have released a lyric video for "Radioactive", featuring former Guns N' Roses guitar player Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal on lead guitar. 

"Radioactive" is  the second single from Dobermann's new album Pure Breed, produced by renowned Guano Apes and H Blockx producer Fabio Trentini, and released last March via Wild Mondays Music / Horus Music UK The video can be seen below:

The video for the title track, "Pure Breed", is also available:

Visit dobermannweb.net for further details.

 

Aggressive shock metal band salems Lott have posted an acoustic cover of the KIX classic "Don't Close Your Eyes", taken from the 1988 album Blow My Fuse.

Aficionados and devotees of Salems Lott will have a great deal of awesome new music to look forward to this May as the band prepares to release its second record, Mask Of Morality. This is not your lame, tame “let’s follow what everybody else is doing” style of music. Rather, it’s a head snapping, jaw-dropping, in your face mix of speed metal, death, glam, prog, classical elements, as well as shock and awe replete with power that is charting the course of an otherwise new era of rock.

“The themes of Mask Of Morality convey unbridled resentment, trans valuation, and greatness, as well as struggle/suffering and collectivism vs. individualism among other themes” says, lead guitarist Jett Black. “We live in a society replete with a system of values that are generalized and have become a norm which needs to be followed by one and all without questioning it, which is basically immoral.”

“The values of empathy, altruism, compassion, equality and pity, unanimously viewed as "good" today, when left unchecked can become just as easily corrupt, dangerous and authoritative,” asserts Black.

Mask Of Morality will be released in two parts.  Part 1 containing three songs to be released in May and Part 2 to be released later in the summer.

The first single “When Heaven Comes Down” can be heard via the dark animated lyric video below:

In the clip below, Canadian vocalist/guitarist/producer Devin Townsend reveals his process for writing song lyrics to Prog Snob:

In a new interview with Ultimate Guitar, Townsend revealed his #1 guitar fetish and how he approached production on the latest Devin Townsend Project album, Transcendence:

On his guitar fetish: "The gear I use live now is a Kemper and an Axe-Fx, a couple of wireless units and all my switching is done by MIDI. I used to have a fetish and still do: I've got a '65 Fender Champ and an old Tele and a bunch of boutique pedals. But I've got so many things I've got to think about in my life that at least now, my rig is five cables and I can fly with it. I don't have to stress about it and I've got so many things to stress about that it sounds great to me right now not to have to stress about my gear. And it sounds pretty good, man."

On Transcendence: "Nolly (producer Adam 'Nolly' Getgood) wasn't necessarily there for the production but engineering and mixing. I really thought the sound he had was kind of hip and much more current than where I have my skill sets sonically. There's a cool sound he has with a lot of compression and he's really got good ears and he's a great person and I really enjoyed working with him. So I thought, 'You know what? Let's make this one sound a little hipper and little less like I'm up my own ass. Maybe make it sound like we're not in our mid-40s now or something.'"

The Devin Townsend Project will play at this year's ARTmania Festival, which is held in Transylvania, Romania between July 28th and 29th. Go to this location for ticket information.

To celebrate their 25th anniversary, oriental metal pioneers Orphaned Land have released a digital compilation of special versions of some of their most popular songs and previously unreleased material, titled Orphaned Land & Friends.

Frontman Kobi Farhi comments: “We are very proud to release these amazing collaborations we did with amazing different and various musical heroes of ours such as Steven Wilson, Erkin Oray or Yehuda Poliker. Not to mention that cover we did with friends for Pearl Jam or that amazing Piano cover Moran Magal did to our ORwarriOR song "From Broken Vessels". These tracks were released only as bonus tracks on our previous albums’ limited editions and some songs were never released officially. Many people were not aware of these amazing versions and we believe that Orphaned Land & Friends' is something you should all know!”

You can find all streaming and download links here.

A live video for “M I ?” featuring Steven Wilson can be seen below:

Orphaned Land is:

Kobi Farhi - Vocals
Chen Balbus - Guitars
Idan Amsalem - Guitars
Uri Zelcha - Bass
Matan Shmuely - Drums

Get ready to be pulverized by Vancouver old-school death metal force Assimilation. BraveWords is premiering the new video for the track for “Remotion Of The Succubus”, taken from their Laws Of Power debut; released in March. Enjoy and headband to the fullest!

The band comments: "Not to sugar coat it, this song is about my ex-girlfriend. It is about realizing that you are in a toxic relationship, and doing what is best for both of you, and removing yourself from it. It has to be done ruthlessly, there is no way to be nice about it. It is like chopping off a diseased limb so that your whole body can continue to live. Short term pain for long term gain. I think a lot of people have gone through something like this, and I see people in toxic relationships every day. I am just glad I had the foresight to see the problem and remove myself from it. Hopefully someone else can fix their situation with the help of this song. Or at least bang their head off, whatever comes first."

Like a force of nature, the voice of singer and founding member Jesse Jardine’s vocal attack leaves the listener penetrated by high shrieks, and pummeled by mids and lows. Lead guitarist Matt Chanway brings his neo-classical shred style into the fold to melt off any remnants of what used to be your face. Shiloh Anderson holds the low end down with his finger/slap hybrid style, and Stephen Shaw brings his experience and ferocity as the entity that keeps this   juggernaut from flying off the rails.   

With The Laws Of Power, the four Canadians make it clear: there are still bands well versed in the art of original uncompromising death metal, something that is hard to find these days.

 

Ursinne, the old school death metal project helmed by Dave Ingram (Hail Of Bullets, Echelon, Down Among The Dead Men, Bolt Thrower, Benediction) and Jonny Pettersson (Wombbath, Ashcloud, Henry Kane, SYN:DROM), are streaming the track “Talons”, featured on the band’s debut album, Swim With The Leviathan, out on August 20th via Transcending Obscurity Records. Listen to “Talons” below.

Ursinne recently announced an addition to their ranks in the form of bass player Sonia Nusselder (pictured above), former member of Ecocide, Deamension, and most recently Shade Of Hatred and Sepiroth, who will join the band on their second release, somewhat off in the future.

Swim With The Leviathan tracklisting:

“Devil May Care”
“I, Serpentine”
“Bullet Bitten”
“The Chimes Of Midnight”
“Talons”
“Underworld”
“Hollow Hearse”
“Something Wicked This Way Comes”

“Talons”:

Swim With The Leviathan (Death Metal) by URSINNE (International)

The album will also include four cover versions, some featuring guest vocalists including Massacre’s Kam Lee. More details to follow.

Los Angeles rockers BLACK VEIL BRIDES have completed work on their fifth album for a tentative mid-September release. The follow-up to BLACK VEIL BRIDES' 2014 self-titled effort was produced by John Feldmann at his Southern California studio.

Speaking to Front Row Live at last night's (Sunday, May 14) inaugural "Strange 80s" benefit concert at the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles, California, BLACK VEIL BRIDES guitarist Jake Pitts stated about the band's upcoming disc (see video below): "We're pretty used to being in the studio. [Fellow BLACK VEIL BRIDES guitarist] Jinxx [a.k.a. Jeremy Miles Ferguson] and I have our own studio. That's what we live for. If we're not touring, we're always in the studio. We'd done a record with John Feldmann previously, so this time, going in with him, we have a relationship with him, we know how everything works. It was really, really painless and we just gelled really well together and made the album."

Jinxx added that BLACK VEIL BRIDES entered the studio in November 2015, about a month after performing at the Aftershock festival at Gibson Ranch just outside Sacramento, California. "We just got off tour and we just went straight in the studio with Feldy. And every day we had a new track or two; we were just writing up a storm. And we're pretty stoked with the turnout."

Asked how the members of BLACK VEIL BRIDES continue to challenge themselves every time they go into the studio, Jake said: "For me, I think it's just, as far as songwriting, trying to outdo ourselves and not putting out the exact same thing. So many bands just play the same kind of riffs and breakdowns and everything, and everything sounds the same, so it's just trying to create something that sounds different, even from what we've done, but still not get too far off track and make fans be, like, 'What the hell are you doing?' and 'I don't like this anymore.' But try to get a bigger fanbase but make everybody happy at the same time. So we try to mix it up with heavy stuff, the ballads, the radio rock kind of stuff, and just kind of give the albums a little bit of everything for somebody."

Added Jinxx: "And I feel like we've matured a lot as writers as well as a band, and we just went back and sought out our influences growing up — our favorite bands growing up, our favorite albums. And that's what we did. And me and him [Jake] sat down and we just wrote riffs based on that. Basically, what we enjoyed, what influenced us growing up, what made us wanna pick up a guitar and play, and that's what we put into this album. And we're super stoked to share that with the world."

GOLDFINGER frontman John Feldmann previously helmed BLACK VEIL BRIDES' 2013 effort "Wretched And Divine: The Story Of The Wild Ones".

A new BLACK VEIL BRIDES song called "The Outsider" was released last December and can be streamed below.

BLACK VEIL BRIDES released its first-ever concert DVD and Blu-ray, "Alive And Burning", in July 2015. The cover artwork for the set was designed by the band's longtime friend and previous album cover illustrator Richard Villa.

BLACK VEIL BRIDES' fourth, self-titled album was helmed by producer Bob Rock, whose resume includes LPs by METALLICA, MÖTLEY CRÜE, THE CULT and many others.

After launching a video clip for the song "Blood, Tears, Dust", Italian heavy rockers LACUNA COIL are revealing the full story of their two conceptual videos with their latest clip for the song "You Love Me 'Cause I Hate You". Like "Blood, Tears, Dust", the video was directed and edited by Cosimo Alemà and produced by the production company Borotalco.

Says LACUNA COIL's Cristina Scabbia: "The videos we shot with Cosimo Alemà are exactly what we wanted to deliver visually, especially if connected with a record like 'Delirium'. The darkness, the intensity, the script itself are taking the viewer to the dimension we wanted to be transported to. 'You Love Me 'Cause I Hate You' and 'Blood, Tears, Dust' are tightened together in a twisted story that I like a lot as there is so much that can be defined with each one's imagination. Interpreting different characters was also exciting, an interesting challenge I hadn't faced until then. I hope the viewers can capture the magic we breathed while we shot them."

Adds LACUNA COIL's Andrea Ferro: "Every age has its form of storytelling, and video clips have been a huge part of our culture. Talking with Cosimo and our label, we decided to create something to bring back the artistic quality video clips used to have. We put our love for cinema into our video for the song 'You Love Me ‘Cause I Hate You', as you will see there is a clear inspiration from TV series like 'True Detective' and also a certain 'Twin Peaks'/'Resident Evil' vibe. We wanted the viewers to contemplate the story and question what it really means. There is also a tight connection with the previous video for the song 'Blood, Tears, Dust' as both clips should be considered almost as one single piece. The videos clearly explore the main theme of our latest album, 'Delirium', and all its madness and symbols. It's been a really great and challenging experience to be on the set for several days and work in 'cinema style' for the very first time to create something completely new for LACUNA COIL."

Ferro recently told the Impact metal channel that LACUNA COIL fans will have to wait at least a couple of years for the follow-up to "Delirium". "Next year's gonna be twenty years of LACUNA COIL, so first we're preparing some surprises for next year, and then after that maybe we'll start working on a new record," he said. "So I don't think there will be a new record at least until 2019."

Scabbia and Ferro revealed to the Brazilian metal channel Heavy Talk earlier in the year that they were planning "something special" to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of the release of their self-titled debut EP.

LACUNA COIL will join Dutch symphonic metal giants EPICA on the North American leg of the band's "The Ultimate Principle" tour. The month-long September trek marks the band's first U.S. tour dates in over a year, as they continue to support "Delirium". Joining LACUNA COIL and EPICA on "The Ultimate Principle" tour are INSOMNIUM and ELANTRIS.

LACUNA COIL in December released a new song called "Naughty Christmas". The front cover and font were all created by bassist Marco "Maki" Coti-Zelati. "Delirium" entered The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 33 with first-week sales of just over 13,000 units — nearly all from pure album sales. The set followed the No. 27-peaking "Broken Crown Halo", which also opened with around 13,000 copies back in 2014.

A special deluxe version of MÖTLEY CRÜE's multi-platinum fourth studio album, "Girls Girls Girls", will be released on August 25 to coincide with the LP's thirtieth anniversary. The set will be offered in various exclusive bundles. Sign up at www.motley.com now to receive all updates on this release and additional surprises from the band coming up.

A trailer for the "Girls Girls Girls" special deluxe edition is available below.

A product of the '80s Hollywood Sunset Strip, MÖTLEY CRÜE was the quintessential L.A. hair metal band. Their string of hit albums and crossover songs on radio and MTV was only matched by their over-the-top live show, mounting legal bills, and alarming drug use. By 1987, the band was dancing on a fine line between real life or death. MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx told the "In The Studio" show what he remembered about the Billboard No. 2-charting album. "We were a mess," he said. "I know we didn't go overseas, because the management said, 'You guys go, and somebody’s not coming back. Or if they do, they're coming back in a body bag... We were operating like a punk band! We were completely out of control."

MÖTLEY CRÜE's last studio album was 2008's "Saints Of Los Angeles", which was followed by a 2009 "Greatest Hits" compilation.

A tour film about MÖTLEY CRÜE's final shows, "The End", came out last fall, and a film adaptation of the band's 2001 autobiography "The Dirt" is still said to be in the works.

Sixx told SiriusXM's "Debatable" about MÖTLEY CRÜE's decision to call it quits after one last show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles following an eighteen-month tour that saw the group performing to packed houses all over the world: "MÖTLEY CRÜE was never really meant to stay together. I mean, I'm surprised it lasted as long as it did. It was wired like a bunch of Rottweilers or like a gang. And there's all these Type A personalities and different issues within the band that made it really magical. But maturity and that doesn't necessarily work together, and I think that it was kind of cool that we sat down together and said, 'Hey, man, let's just let this thing go.'"

Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR), Scott Ian (ANTHRAX) and members of BLACK VEIL BRIDES are among the musicians who took part in the inaugural "Strange 80s" benefit concert on Sunday, May 14 at the Fonda Theater in Los Angeles, California.

Hosted by Finn Wolfhard of the Netlfix hit "Stranger Things", "Strange 80s" featured performances by Finn and a rotating cast of rock stars and celebrities covering the timeless anthems of the '80s.

Video footage of Taylor singing the Prince songs "Let's Go Crazy" and "1999", as well as the JUDAS PRIEST classic "Electric Eye", can be seen below.

All proceeds will go to Sweet Relief Musicians Fund to provide financial assistance to career musicians and music industry workers in need due to illness, disability or age-related problems.

In addition to a full concert of musicians and actors covering anthems of the '80s, "Strange 80s" featured a silent auction offering exclusive, big-ticket items and experiences.

Sweet Relief was founded by singer-songwriter Victoria Williams in 1993. Victoria, while on a career-making tour with Neil Young, was forced to drop off mid-schedule after experiencing unexplained debilitating symptoms. A long and painful diagnostic process revealed she had multiple sclerosis. After her diagnosis, a group of friends assembled an all-star album of Victoria's songs, "Sweet Relief", which alleviated much of her medical debt. Vic, knowing that there were many musicians like her — unable to afford medical expenses and compromised in their ability to work — donated some of her proceeds from the album to found Sweet Relief Musicians Fund. The name of the fund derives from a song of Victoria's, "Opelousas (Sweet Relief)", and the fact that sweet relief is provided in the form of financial assistance to many musicians who would otherwise be in untenable predicaments.

"C'est La Vie", 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 streamed 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

"Castaways", a new song from RADIATION ROMEOS, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's self-titled debut album, which will be released on June 2 via Frontiers Music Srl. RADIATION ROMEOS is a new band formed by Parramore "Perry" McCarty, best known for being the frontman of legendary U.S. metal act WARRIOR and famed BILLY IDOL guitarist Steve Stevens's solo project ATOMIC PLAYBOYS (in fact, the inspiration for the name RADIATION ROMEOS came from a line in the song "Atomic Playboys").

Musically, the band moves in a melodic hard rock direction with solid, metallic edges thanks to the production of Michael Voss (PHANTOM 5, CASANOVA, MICHAEL SCHENKER), who also contributed to the songwriting. In the studio, Parramore sang all vocals with Dag Heyne handling guitars, Jogi Spittka on bass, and Gereon Homann laying down the drum work with gusto! Perry says: "RADIATION ROMEOS started when producer Michael Voss contacted me in San Diego through Facebook. A few days later, we had the record agreement with Frontiers, so the RADIATION ROMEOS album was soon under way.

"Our goal was to write great melodic rock songs. The album 'spans the globe' from the title track, power-rockin' 'Radiation Romeos', to some songs with a bit more grit like 'Castaways'. All the way to a beautiful ballad, 'Like An Arrow'. Something for everyone, if you will…

"The recording was so much fun and exciting for me. I couldn't wait to get up the following day to work on the next song!

"Michael is a wonderfully professional person with endless talent and the musicians super-cool guys and top players!" Parramore McCarty's career in music started when Robbin Crosby of RATT gave him his start singing in cover bands. His first major label album was "Fighting For The Earth" on Virgin Records in 1985 for the legendary heavy metal band WARRIOR. Steve Stevens's ATOMIC PLAYBOYS followed in 1989 on Warner Bros. Records. Then he returned to WARRIOR and also started gigging in the L.A. area with METAL FREQS and MONSTER TRAXX. "Radiation Romeos" track listing:

01. Radiation Romeos02. Ocean Drive03. Bad Bad Company04. Mystic Mountain05. Like An Arrow06. Promised Land07. Castaways08. Ghost Town09. Til The End Of Time10. On The Tight Rope11. Monstertraxx RADIATION ROMEOS is:

Parramore McCarty - vocalsDag Heyne - guitarsJogi Spittka - bassGereon Homann - drums

ICED EARTH mainman Jon Schaffer has confirmed that he and BLIND GUARDIAN frontman Hansi Kürsch are working on material for the long-awaited third album from their side project DEMONS & WIZARDS.

DEMONS & WIZARDS was launched in 1997 and has released two full-length albums so far: 2000's self-titled effort and 2005's "Touched By The Crimson King". The latter was partially based on the "The Dark Tower" series of books (written by Stephen King) in which the Crimson King is the main antagonist.

In a brand new interview with Metal Wani, Schaffer revealed that songwriting sessions for the follow-up to "Touched By The Crimson King" have officially begin, but cautioned that "it's gonna take some time. [Hansi] did work up two songs that I sent him of vocal melodies and cadences and I still have to fly him into the sessions and move him around and experiment with him and stuff and see how it's feeling," he said. "We're gonna take our time, but at least now we're actually doing it. So I would hope that next year we'll have it out. I hope that we can get the songwriting all dialed in in this calendar year in between the holes — he's busy, I'm busy — but at least we're actually moving forward with it for the first time in twelve years or whatever."

"Touched By The Crimson King" was released in Japan in September 2005 with the following bonus tracks: "Lunar Lament", "Wicked Witch" (slow version) and "Spatial Architects". The CD also includes the "Terror Train" video. The disc featured an appearance by ICED EARTH/HALFORD drummer Bobby Jarzombek.

Schaffer said in a 2009 interview that he felt "Touched By The Crimson King" was a bit rushed and he was determined to do things differently next time around. "We had this window of opportunity where we had to get it done and we kind of let time dictate the schedule instead of our feelings, and that was probably a mistake," he explained. "I mean, I'm proud of that record and it sold killer and it's a good album, but I think Hansi and I are capable of a lot more, especially when we get back to the root reasons of why we did this thing together."

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

BLIND GUARDIAN will release a new concert album titled "Live Beyond The Spheres" on July 7 as a 3-CD and 4-LP box via Nuclear Blast. The set will include material recorded at various shows during the band's European tour in 2015. It will contain old classics, new tracks as well as songs that were very rarely performed during BLIND GUARDIAN's live shows.

This Friday, May 19th, international metal superstars DragonForce will release their new studio album, Reaching Into Infinity, via Metal Blade Records in the US and Cadence Music Group / Universal Music in Canada.

The band have released a video for the album track “Ashes Of The Dawn”, which is available for streaming below:

The new album will be available in the following formats:

- special CD/DVD edition
- 2LP (limited to 1000 copies; sides A and B: translucent purple vinyl, sides C and D: fluorescent green vinyl)

* exclusive bundles with a shirt, plus digital options are also available.

The special edition of the album comes with a multi-angle bonus DVD, the first taster of which can be seen below in the form of “Operation Ground And Pound” live at Woodstock Poland. Reaching Into Infinity details follow.

Standard Edition:

“Reaching Into Infinity”
“Ashes Of The Dawn”
“Judgement Day”
“Astral Empire”
“Curse Of Darkness”
“Silence”
“Midnight Madness”
“WAR!”
“Land Of Shattered Dreams”
“The Edge Of The World”
“Our Final Stand”

Special Edition with multi-angle Bonus DVD:

Disc 1 - CD
“Reaching Into Infinity”
“Ashes Of The Dawn”
“Judgement Day”
“Astral Empire”
“Curse Of Darkness”
“Silence”
“Midnight Madness”
“WAR!”
“Land Of Shattered Dreams”
“The Edge Of The World”
“Our Final Stand”

Bonus Tracks
“Hatred And Revenge”
“Evil Dead

Disc 2 - Bonus DVD - DragonForce Live at Woodstock Festival Poland 2016
“Holding On”
“Heroes Of Our Time”
“Operation Ground and Pound”
“Holding On” (Multi-angles)
“Heroes Of Our Time” (Multi-angeles)
“Operation Ground And Pound” (Multi-Angles)

"Curse Of Darkness”:

“Operation Ground And Pound” (Live at Woodstock):

Rapid Fire Interviews:

Pt. 1:

Pt. 2:

DragonForce will give North American fans their first taste of new songs starting July 7th, when the band hits the road for a summer tour. Dates are listed below:

July
7 - San Francisco, CA - Slims
8 - Los Angeles, CA - The Roxy
9 - Mesa, AZ - Club Red
11 - San Antonio, TX - The Rock Box
12 - Dallas, TX - Gas Monkey
14 - St Louis, MO - Fubar
15 - Chicago, IL - Chicago Open Air
17 - Detroit, MI - El Club
18 - Washington DC - Rock & Roll Hotel
20 - New York, NY - Highline Ballroom
21 - Boston, MA - Brighton Music Hall
22 - Bangor, ME - Rise Above Festival
23 - Montreal, QC - Corona
24 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
26 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade ("Heaven")
27 - Orlando, FL - The Beacham
28 - Tampa, FL - Orpheum
 29 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room

DragonForce have revealed the dates for the UK leg of their Reaching Into Infinity World Tour. The 10-date tour kicks off in Glasgow on October 4th, ending in Tunbridge Wells on October 15th.

“The UK is still one of DragonForce's favourite place to tour, and we can’t wait to bring the epic-ness back home!” says guitarist Herman Li.

UK tour dates:

October
4 - Glasgow, Scotland - The Garage
5 - Newcastle, England - Riverside
6 - York, England - Fibbers
7 - Sheffield, England - Corporation
8 - Manchester, England - Sound Control
11 - Birmingham, England - O2 Academy 2
12 - Cardiff, Wales - Globe
13 - London, England - Electric Ballroom
14 - Portsmouth, England - Wedgewood Rooms
15 - Tunbridge Wells, England - Forum

AC/DC singer Brian Johnson and LED ZEPPELIN frontman Robert Plant joined Paul Rodgers for an encore performance of Barrett Strong's 1959 classic "Money (That's What I Want)" earlier tonight (Sunday, May 14) in Oxford, England. Fan-filmed video footage of their appearance can be seen below.

The gig at the New Theatre Oxford was part of Rodgers's "Free Spirit" tour, which is celebrating the music of his first band, FREE.

Plant and Johnson were recently seen filming an episode of Johnson's "A Life On The Road" television series.

Brian, who was born in Dunston, Gateshead, joined AC/DC in 1980 as lead vocalist and his first album with the group, "Back in Black", is one of the most successful albums of all time, selling over 22 million copies in the U.S. alone.

Brian has maintained his thick Geordie accent despite splitting his time between Florida, where he has had a home for the last four decades, and London.

AC/DC postponed the last ten dates of its North American tour last year after doctors told Johnson he faced a total loss of hearing if he did not stop touring immediately. AC/DC completed the tour last summer, with GUNS N' ROSES singer Axl Rose as a "guest vocalist" and Johnson apparently not returning to the group.

Johnson said in an open letter to fans that he intends to solve his hearing problem and continue recording and touring, although he pointedly did not say whether he would be rejoining AC/DC.

The vocalist wrote: "My entire focus is to continue medical treatment to improve my hearing. I am hoping that in time my hearing will improve and allow me to return to live concert performances. While the outcome is uncertain, my attitude is optimistic."

Alice Cooper was rejoined by three members his original band — bassist Dennis Dunaway, drummer Neal Smith and guitarist Michael Bruce — for a special performance earlier tonight (Sunday, May 14) in Nashville. The legendary rocker's concert at the Tennessee Performing Arts Center's Andrew Jackson Hall included a five-song set by the quartet who were inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2011. The encore, "School's Out", saw Cooper, Dunaway, Smith and Bruce joined by the rest of Alice's current band — guitarists Ryan Roxie and Tommy Henriksen, plus bassist Chuck Garric and drummer Glen Sobel.

Dunaway, Smith and Bruce appear on Cooper's forthcoming album, "Paranormal", produced again by longtime collaborator Bob Ezrin and due on July 28 via earMUSIC.

In addition to performing on "Paranormal", Smith, Bruce and Dunaway were involved in the songwriting for the new record. "I wrote three songs [with them] for the new album," Alice said. "Dennis brought in two songs, Mike brought in a song. There's one song called 'I Wanna Be A Genuine American Girl'. It was gonna be 'I Want A Genuine American Girl', and I went, 'No, no, no. I Wanna Be A Genuine American Girl! It's really a tough song, so it's this guy going, 'I've gotta paint my nails, I've gotta do my hair.' [Laughs]"

Cooper last year released a special seven-inch single containing two songs he sang in 2015 with the surviving members of the original ALICE COOPER band. The set, which took place in October 2015 at Dallas music store Good Records, brought Cooper together onstage with Dunaway, Bruce and Smith for the first time since 2011, when they staged a pair of performances coinciding with their induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as well as their appearance on Cooper's "Welcome 2 My Nightmare" LP. Guitarist Ryan Roxie, a member of Cooper's current band, stepped in for Glenn Buxton, who died in 1997.

Swedish death metal supergroup THE LURKING FEAR played its second-ever concert Saturday night (May 13) at Sticky Fingers in Gothenburg, Sweden. Fan-filmed video footage of the show can be seen below.

THE LURKING FEAR will release its debut album, "Out Of The Voiceless Grave", on August 11 via Century Media. The disc is being recorded at Welfare Sounds in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The band said in a statement: "We are in the middle of wrapping everything up in the studio and have just started the mixing process for the 11 tracks we recorded. It's sounding nasty and raw, just the way we want it! The record is called 'Out Of The Voiceless Grave' and that title sums up what the album and actually band are all about. Our idea is that you get a glimpse of the horrors spewing out from our metal grave of interstellar death. The album is basically our Vortex spawn, a beast with eleven heads, all ready to devour you! We are very pleased with how it sounds right now, as the guys at Welfare Sounds understood our concept immediately and have managed to capture some pure death metal filth on tape!" Featuring members/ex-members of illustrious and influential acts like AT THE GATES, THE HAUNTED, SKITSYSTEM, DISFEAR and GOD MACABRE, THE LURKING FEAR is not just another retro all-star project, but a real band of five death metallers who organically got together in order to celebrate the metal breed closest to their roots as well as their hearts. THE LURKING FEAR is:

* Tomas Lindberg (AT THE GATES) - Vocals* Jonas Stålhammar (THE CROWN) - Guitar* Fredrik Wallenberg (SKITSYSTEM) - Guitar* Andreas Axelsson (DISFEAR, TORMENTED, EDGE OF SANITY) – Bass* Adrian Erlandsson (AT THE GATES, THE HAUNTED) – Drums

Citing common inspiration by bands like AUTOPSY, POSSESSED, early DEATH, REPULSION, early MORBID ANGEL, SLAUGHTER, BATHORY, early SLAYER and MASTER/DEATH STRIKE, THE LURKING FEAR previously stated about the band's formation: "We are a death metal band. Not your average new wave of old-school death metal band. We play death metal from the heart with pure emotional impact and a focused artistic vision. This is the music we live and breathe. Always have, always will. "We have all played in various other bands for over 25 years and we just want to spew out the music that we want to hear. When we get together, this is what comes out of naturally, because we share the exact same reference points. We love 'Seven Churches' and 'Mental Funeral' for the exact same reasons. "We want our death metal ugly, twisted and possessed. We miss the urgency, intensity and 'realness' in a lot of the modern death metal. Therefore, it is natural for us to stray away from the streamlined sounds of today, but rather focus on bringing sheer, natural weirdness and horror back to the table…"

Decrepit Birth performed the Death classic "Crystal Mountain" with guest vocalist Joe Arellanes of Solanum at The Starlite Lounge in Sacramento, CA on May 11th. Video courtesy of Capital Chaos TV is available below.

Decrepit Birth's current lineup includes founders Bill Robinson (ex-Suffocation) on vocals and Matt Sotelo on guitars, together with Sean Martinez (ex-Rings Of Saturn, ex-Decapitated) on bass and Sam Paulicelli (ex-Abigail Williams, ex-Goatwhore) on drums.

Decrepit Birth are joining Cryptopsy on the Devastation On The Nation tour, also featuring Rivers Of Nihil, The Zenith Passage, The Kennedy Veil, and Visceral Disgorge. Rounding out this cataclysmic assemblage are musical extremists Seeker and Gloom.

Tour dates:

May
19 - Manchester, NH - Bungalow
20 - Hartford, CT - Webster Underground
21 - Brooklyn, NY - Saint Vitus Bar
22 - Clifton Park, NY - Trickshots
23 - Toronto, ON - Hard Luck
24 - Reading, PA - Reverb
25 - Baltimore, MD - Maryland Deathfest (Cryptopsy & Decrepit Birth only)
26 - West Columbia, SC - New Brookland Tavern
27 - Atlanta, GA - The Drunken Unicorn
28 - Fort Worth, TX - The Rail Club
29 - Laredo, TX - The Cold Brew (RON & TZP only)
30 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar
31 - Austin, TX - Grizzly Hall

June
2 - Mesa, AZ - Club Red
3 - Upland, CA - Gideon's Hall
4 - Santa Cruz, CA - The Catalyst
5 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
6 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Music Hall
7 - Denver, CO - The Roxy Theatre
8 - Kansas City, MO - The Riot Room
9 - Berwyn, IL - The Wire
10 - Dayton, OH - Oddbodys
11 - Montreal, QC - Foufounes Électrique

For information and updates on Decrepit Birth go to this location.

Chris Annunziata of 90.3 WMSC FM's "The Metal Teddy Bear Experience" conducted an interview with Mikael Åkerfeldt of Swedish metallers OPETH prior to the band's May 7 show at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey with GOJIRA and DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT in support. You can listen to the full chat via the SoundCloud widget below. A few excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On vaping with MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine:

Mikael: "I was pretty drunk at the time. We were touring with them on Gigantour [in 2006]. I think Dave took a liking to me a little bit. Every now and then he would not say 'hi' to me, depending on his mood, but we talked a lot. He's a good guy, a fun guy to talk to, contrary to what a lot of people think about him that he's a big narcissistic type of guy who's just moody as hell. Yeah, he could be a bit moody, but he's fun. What happened was I got to his dressing room, or their dressing room. I can't remember what I was doing there, to be honest. He was smoking this thing and I had never seen it. He was, like, 'Do you want a hit?' And the other guys too, like the crew, some people in there, and I was, like, 'Yeah, I'll try it.' But it's not for me. I don't smoke weed and that kind of stuff. I got really high, actually. I haven't tried anything. I'm Swedish. We drink beer. I'm a wine guy. I never tried all the classic-type drugs. I never tried anything."

On whether OPETH will ever play their 1996 "Morningrise" album in full:

Mikael: "I'm not into those kind of things. We've done those things a couple of times. It's all right, I guess. It would probably be fun. There's only five songs on that record because of that long track [the 20-minute-plus 'Black Rose Immortal']. We tried to make the record clock in at 66 minutes and 6 seconds, but we fucked it up during the mastering and it came in at 66 minutes and 7 seconds. We tried. You never know. I would probably say no to those kind of things. That was a long time ago. Those albums to most of our fans, they never reached that type of 'classic' status. I think the general public would probably prefer we would play an album that's a bit more well-known."

On whether he goes back and listens to older OPETH songs:

Mikael: "Yeah, like I said, we did listen to 'Black Rose Immortal' to see if we wanted to play it. We do that every now and then, but mostly, it sounds dull, but for research, what we could pull out that we haven't played that we could play. We could play all the songs, of course, but what would work? There's still a couple of songs from our catalog that we never played live, mostly from the newer records. But yeah, we do every now and then. We sometimes pick a song, like 'We haven't played this.' We'll rehearse it so everyone knows it, then last minute, most often we're like 'Ah, fuck it.'"

On a possible future collaboration with drummer Mike Portnoy [ex-DREAM THEATER, THE WINERY DOGS, TRANSATLANTIC]:

Mikael: "It's mostly him. I would say he's a bit of a workaholic. He's a friend of mine now. He's a cool guy, a great drummer, of course. I'd love to do something with him. Initially, when he brought it up, he wanted to do something really heavy, but I've been doing that for a really long time, and I was like, 'It's not really interesting for me. I want to do something else.' So it all depends. We talked about collaborating on the record for the project I had with Steven Wilson [PORCUPINE TREE] called STORM CORROSION, but we ended up with no drums. We didn't need a lot of drums for those songs. We just had bits and pieces here and there. I don't think that would be enough for Mike. You never know. It's one of those things that every time we meet or every time we're on e-mail, we talk about it a little. It hasn't materialized. We don't have any ideas on what that should be. Generally, I'm the type of musician that tries to put everything I want to into OPETH, so I don't really need for side projects. Him, he's with, of course he was with DREAM THEATER before, he has TRANSATLANTIC, WINERY DOGS, he was with ADRENALINE MOB, lots of different bands, lots of different styles. We try to bring everything into OPETH, which leaves me quite content. I don't have too much that I can't explore within the band."

OPETH's twelfth album, "Sorceress", was released last September. For the band's first effort for Nuclear Blast via OPETH's imprint label Moderbolaget Records, the group returned to Rockfield Studios in Wales, also home to pivotal releases from QUEEN, RUSH and JUDAS PRIEST, where the Swedes had tracked "Pale Communion" in 2014 with Tom Dalgety.