California-based technical death metal unit Inanimate Existence have long since established themselves as one of the most gifted and ambitious bands in the genre. To date, the band has released three full-length albums, and continue to tour relentlessly as well. Today the band is happy to announce that they've signed with growing extreme metal label The Artisan Era. Currently, the group is hard at work crafting their fourth album which is planned for release this summer. In mid-June, Inanimate Existence will hit the road for a lengthy tour with fellow rising stars Reaping Asmodeia and Cyborg Octopus. Dates for The Unseen Self Tour follow below.

The band comments: 

"We are very excited to be a part of The Artisan Era roster for the release of our upcoming album. This is by far our most focused material, and in our opinion, hands down our best album to date. We couldn’t ask for a better label to work with for this release. Keep an eye out for us on tour."

Dates with Reaping Asmodeia and Cyborg Octopus:

June
16 – Sacramento, CA – Starlite Lounge
17 – Bend, OR – 3rd Street Pub
18 – Portland, OR – The Analog Café
19 – Seattle, WA – Studio Seven
20 – Vancouver, BC – Astoria Pub
21 – Nelson, BC – The Royal
22 – Spokane, WA – The Pin!
23 – Boise, ID – The Shredder
24 – South Lake Tahoe, CA – American Legion
25 – Las Vegas, NV – The Dive Bar
26 – Mesa, AZ – Club Red
27 – Santa Ana, CA – TBA
28 – Los Angeles, CA – Whisky A Go Go
29 – San Diego, CA – The Merrow
30 – Fresno, CA – Full Circle Brewery

July
1 – Monterey, CA – Planet Gemini 

"Forces Of The Northern Night", the highly anticipated double DVD from Norwegian symphonic black metallers DIMMU BORGIR, will be released on April 14 via Nuclear Blast. The set will contain two of the band's live performances: their legendary show in Oslo, presenting DIMMU BORGIR on stage with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra and a bombastic choir, as well as their entire performance at Wacken Open Air festival in 2012 in Wacken, Germany with almost a hundred musicians on stage. Both concerts present a spectacular sound scenario of raging black metal in front of an epic orchestral landscape plus the band's unique visuals.

The third trailer for "Forces Of The Northern Night" can be seen below.

DIMMU BORGIR's remarkable and atramentous stage show has long seemed like a natural evolution for fans, but much time, arrangements and commitment were necessary to put this gigantic production into reality and fill the stage with 90 minutes of mindblowing aural delight per night. The shows guide the fans through classics from the band's discography — from the majestic finisher "Mourning Palace" — which can be seen below (footage from the Wacken show) — to the stomping manifesto "Puritania" and the haunting "Gateways". "For us, this is the pinnacle of our career so far," says DIMMU BORGIR frontman Stian Thoresen (a.k.a. Shagrath). "As a band, we've always used a lot of symphonic elements in our music. But we haven't been able to use a real orchestra. We've had to use samples, synthesizers and so on, so this was a huge, awesome experience for us." In addition to the two concerts, "Forces Of The Northern Night" will include a bonus documentary feature.

DIMMU BORGIR's May 28, 2011 concert at the Oslo Spektrum in Norway, which is included on "Forces Of The Northern Night", featured a special setlist with 53 members of KORK (the Norwegian Radio Orchestra) and 30 members of the Schola Cantorum choir, who were musical guests on the band's ninth studio album, 2010's "Abrahadabra". The show was professionally filmed and was broadcast as part of a one-hour documentary in June 2011 on NRK (Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation), the Norwegian government-owned radio and television public broadcasting company and the largest media organization in Norway.

In an interview with Scuzz TV, DIMMU BORGIR guitarist Sven Atle Kopperud (a.k.a. Silenoz) stated about the experience of performing with an orchestra: "It was, of course, really special, especially since it was in Oslo, and a lot of people traveled in for the show from all over the world. And everything went great on stage for once. When you have a hundred people on stage, the percentage of something going wrong is definitely there, but it was really, really good."

He added: "You think your band is professional, then you play with an orchestra, and then you know, 'Oh, we're not so professional after all.'"

DIMMU BORGIR last year extended its partnership with Nuclear Blast.

The band's tenth album is tentatively due before the end of 2017.

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

"Curse Of Darkness", a brand new song from the multinational metal band DRAGONFORCE, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "Reaching Into Infinity", which will be released on May 19 via earMUSIC on CD, LP and a special-edition CD and DVD. The follow-up to 2014's "Maximum Overload" marks the band's third full-length studio release with singer Marc Hudson, who joined the group in 2011 following the departure of original frontman ZP Theart (now in SKID ROW). The bulk of the recording sessions for "Reaching Into Infinity" took place at Fascination Street studios in Örebro, Sweden with producer Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with OPETH, THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT, AMON AMARTH, KATATONIA, SOILWORK and SYMPHONY X, to name a few. The band also laid down tracks while touring their "Killer Elite" best-of album, utilizing Lamerluser Studios in London, U.K.; Dark Lane Studios in Witney, U.K.; as well as the band's own Evil1 Studios in Charleville-Mézières, France and Shredforce One Studios in California. "We were flying out, playing a festival, then back into the studio, then back out again," explains DRAGONFORCE bassist Frédéric Leclercq, who also handled the majority of songwriting on this album. "It was very intense and very tiring. I obviously played bass but also a lot of rhythm guitar, electric and acoustic, and lost my temper a few times. I think we all did at some point, because we wanted to deliver nothing but the best." For their seventh studio album, DRAGONFORCE have opened up their sound like never before, capturing the fierce, forlorn and fun with both menace and melody. "I think we have proven that playing fast was something we were good at, so this time I wanted to bring even more diversity into our music," Frédéric continues. "It's great to challenge ourselves instead of staying in a comfort zone, and I really wanted to experiment with Marc's vocals. I think people are going to be surprised at his brutality."

"Reaching Into Infinity" is DRAGONFORCE's first album to feature Gee Anzalone, the Italian drummer who has laid down an insanely impressive performance to provide the perfect backbone to the DRAGONFORCE sound, which, of course, still boasts the bands trademark crazy-fast solos, courtesy of guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman.

"The title of the album explains pretty much what we are trying to do with our music," Frédéric concludes. "Today's world is really crazy — there is fear of the future, uncertainty. But the power of music is infinite, and it can give strength and hope to people." The band will give fans their first taste of the new songs in a live setting at a very exclusive one-off show at Camden Town, London's Black Heart venue, on April 12.

Totman says: "This is going to be insane! We always like to kick things off with some intimate shows and this will be the smallest London show we've done since doing three consecutive weeks at The Barfly back in 2005. It's going to be a wild sweaty party!" "Reaching Into Infinity" will be available on the following formats:

Standard Edition 01. Reaching Into Infinity02. Ashes Of The Dawn03. Judgement Day04. Astral Empire05. Curse Of Darkness06. Silence07. Midnight Madness08. WAR!09. Land Of Shattered Dreams10. The eDGE OF THE wORLD11. Our Final Stand Special Edition with multi-angle Bonus DVD: Disc 1 - CD 01. Reaching Into Infinity02. Ashes Of The Dawn03. Judgement Day04. Astral Empire05. Curse Of Darkness06. Silence07. Midnight Madness08. WAR!09. Land Of Shattered Dreams10. The Edge Of The World11. Our Final Stand Bonus Tracks 12. Hatred And Revenge13. Evil Dead Disc 2 - Bonus DVDDRAGONFORCE Live at Woodstock Festival Poland 2016 01. Holding On02. Heroes Of Our Time03. Operation Ground And Pound04. Holding On (Multi-angles)05. Heroes Of Our Time (Multi-angeles)06. Operation Ground And Pound (Multi-Angles)

Metallica performed at Lollapalooza Argentina in Buenos Aires, Argentina on March 31st. Pro-shot video of the band’s performance of “One” can be seen below, while footage from the Buenos Aires tuning room can be found at this location.

On March 5th at Foro Sol in Mexico City, Mexico, Metallica performed "Dream No More" from Hardwired... To Self-Destruct live for the very first time; professionally filmed video of the debut can be seen below.

That same night, Iggy Pop joined Metallica on stage for a performance of The Stooges classic, “T.V. Eye”. Pro-shot video of the performance is available for streaming below; Iggy Pop opened for Metallica at all three of their shows at Mexico City’s Foro Sol venue.

Metallica’s next concert is scheduled for May 10th a M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, Maryland. The band’s complete live schedule can be found at this location.

Swedish classic/progressive rock supergroup THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA — featuring members of metal frontrunners SOILWORK and ARCH ENEMY — will release its third studio album, "Amber Galactic", on May 19 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was recorded at Handsome Hard Studio in Lund, Sweden. The album follows THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA's two previous releases, 2012's "Internal Affairs" and 2015's "Skyline Whispers".

The third trailer for "Amber Galactic" is available below.

Singer Björn Strid states: "'Amber Galactic' is a relationship drama set in space, the first classic rock space opera on double vinyl.

"As seasoned musicians, we're taking this project seriously, although we might come across as slightly retrofuturistic at times, there's no irony involved. It's just us trying to shape our future into a place where our race is led by female space commanders with pearl necklaces and a quasar sense of gravity.

"'Amber Galactic' is about setting free from genre boundaries and expectations that are put on people like us. We just want to create music that we would like to hear ourselves, but that isn't only for us.

"THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA is here to set you free, to invite you to enjoy music in whatever form it is presented.

"For this particular journey, we'd like you to follow us into space, but who knows where we'll go next! After entering the NFO universe, you won't ever be the same!" "Amber Galactic" will be available as a limited edition digipak CD featuring an alternate cover art (see below), 2LP vinyl (black and violet sparkle) and as digital download and stream via all known platforms. "Amber Galactic" track listing:

01. Midnight Flyer02. Star Of Rio03. Gemini04. Sad State Of Affairs05. Jennie06. Domino07. Josephine08. Space Whisperer09. Something Mysterious10. Saturn In Velvet11. Just Another Night (bonus track, limited-edition digipak, vinyl)12. Fly Tonight (Never Rewind) (bonus track, Japan only)

Strid previousy stated about the album: "'Amber Galactic' was made during late nights and way too early mornings, when sometimes, in the corner of your eye, you can catch a glimpse of another dimension, where all the women are heartbroken space commanders in evening gowns, the champagne is always free and the drugs won't hurt you.

"We wanted to create more than just a listening experience; instead we want it to be an alternative reality.

"We hope that after listening to 'Amber Galactic', you'll be wide-eyed, horny and slightly drunk."

Guitarist David Andersson added: "Musicianship in itself is not interesting, neither are the technical aspects of creating music. The ideas and visions behind the music are the only things really worthy of in-depth discussions.

"We've all reached a point where we can all pretty much play and sing whatever we want.

"We didn't talk much about chord changes or amplifiers during the recording sessions. But we spent a lot of time discussing Kierkegaard's concept of anxiety, different vintages of sparkling wine, the psychoacoustic aspects of modulation, the innate superiority of women and why a pearl necklace always look better when whoever wears it has a bored expression on her face."

When asked about the direction of THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA within the realm of classic rock, Strid explained with a chuckle: "Most other classic rock bands sound like weed or LSD — we sound like cocaine."

THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA is:

Björn Strid - VocalsSharlee D'Angelo - BassDavid Andersson - GuitarRichard Larsson - KeyboardsJonas Källsbäck - DrumsSebastian Forslund - Guitar, Percussion







Alternate cover art for limited-edition digipak CD:

New York death metal veterans SUFFOCATION will release their new album, "…Of The Dark Light", on June 9 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2013's "Pinnacle Of Bedlam" will mark the band's first release with new guitarist Charlie Errigo (formerly of PYREXIA) and drummer Eric Morotti (KILLITOROUS, BLIND WITNESS).

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Clarity Through Deprivation02. The Warmth Within The Dark03. Your Last Breaths04. Return To The Abyss05. The Violation06. Of The Dark Light07. Some Things Should Be Left Alone08. Caught Between Two Worlds09. Epitaph Of The Credulous

SUFFOCATION will embark on a U.S. tour with MORBID ANGEL and REVOCATION in late May.

SUFFOCATION bassist Derek Boyer told Metal Wani about how much room for experimentation there is in the band's music: "It's funny, because for the most part… For us, for example, we wanna stick to the tried-and-true format of SUFFOCATION. And we dabble a little bit with a couple of new elements, but it'd be really a shame if you reached too far and then lost your main audience that you've been working for so long. So I don't think there's a lot — maybe five percent, ten percent experiment. If you do any more than that… You can't just go put clean vocals and stuff like that. People are just gonna go, 'What the fuck?' Thirty years' worth of fans are, like, 'Fuck that!' So you can stray from the path a bit, but I think sticking to the main formula is probably most important and then just dabble a little bit."

"Pinnacle Of Bedlam" entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 58. The CD was released on February 19, 2013 via Nuclear Blast Records. The artwork was handled by Raymond Swanland.

"Pinnacle Of Bedlam"sold 3,200 copies in the United States during its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 152. The effort landed at No. 2 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"Pinnacle Of Bedlam" was produced by the band at Full Force Studios in New York with longtime collaborator Joe Cincotta. The mixing and mastering of the effort was handled by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (HATEBREED, ARSIS, SUICIDE SILENCE).

Photo courtesy of SUFFOCATION Facebook page

Having recently announced their signing to Prosthetic Records, Maryland-based technical death metal outfit Exist has announced their label debut, So True, So Bound, is scheduled for worldwide release on June 9th.  The self-produced album was mixed by Nolly Getgood (Periphery) and features eight forward-thinking tracks clocking in at just over 60 minutes. The album's artwork, featured above, was completed by Sebastian Jerke (Ahab, Zodiac). 

Guitarist/vocalist Max Phelps commented, "We were fortunate enough to work with a really great team throughout the entire process. Nolly crushed the mix, as expected, and we were fortunate enough to find an amazing visual artist, Sebastian Jerke, who wasn't afraid to jump down the rabbit hole with us, illustrating and adding some very specific concepts in his own beautiful style of painting". 

Formed in the late '00s by Phelps, who has cut his teeth as a touring member of Cynic and Defeated Sanity, in addition to acting as frontman for Death To All (touring tribute band to Chuck Shuldiner), the band is rounded out with bassist Alex Weber (Jeff Loomis), and guitarist Mathew Rossa. Drummer Hannes Grossman (Necrophagist, Obscura) lent his hand on the So True, So Bound recording, stating "Exist is hands down one of the most talented and musically interesting young bands out there. Deciding to record with them was a no-brainer."

Phelps added, "In absence of a drummer, Hannes Grossman stepped in as our session guy and fully delivered.”

Tracklisting:

“Take My Picture”
“Happily Ever After (For A Week Or So…)”
“So True: Imitation’s Flattery”
“So Bound: One Of The Herd”
“Peer Prejudice”
“To Sever The Strings”

One week prior to the album's release, Exist with kickstart a North American tour with Montreal-based progressive metal giants, Gorguts. Phelps will pull double duty on the run, as he will also be fronting for tourmates Defeated Sanity. No small feat for two such hard-hitting bands. 

On Tuesday, April 25th, We Are X, the transcendent and captivating rock 'n' roll documentary about one of the most successful bands in history, X Japan, arrives on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital HD from Magnolia Home Entertainment under the Magnet Label.

From director and acclaimed documentarian Stephen Kijak (Stones in Exile, Scott Walker: 30 Century Man), and produced by the Oscar-winning production team  behind  Searching for Sugar Man, We Are X profiles the blockbuster Japanese rock band X Japan and its enigmatic frontman Yoshiki - composer, classically trained pianist, drummer and the creative force behind the band's wild success.

Featuring interviews with Gene Simmons, Marilyn Manson, Stan Lee and more, We Are X dives into Yoshiki's life and X Japan's attempt to break into the American music industry. Supported by concert footage, band interviews and fan photos, the compelling film takes a look at X Japan's hardships and conflicts including suicide and cultism. Also spotlighting the band's triumphs, We Are X explores the group's phenomenal success, boasting more than 30 million albums and singles sold, countless sold-out concerts around the world, and fans in North America, Europe, Latin America and South East Asia.

Special features for We Are X include deleted scenes featuring Hello Kitty designer Yuko Yamaguchi and clips from Kitty Con, the New Economy Summit, Tateyama and the X Museum, as well as deleted interviews with members of X Japan. Extras also include seven interview vignettes with Yoshiki about We Are X, and two live performances, "Forever Love" and "Kurenai”, from X Japan's 1997 The Last Live concert at the Tokyo Dome. A tribute to the band with the "Born To Be Free" fan video featuring concert footage and global fan interviews is also included. The documentary will be available on Blu-ray and DVD for the suggested retail price of $29.98 and $26.98, and on Digital HD via iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Video and additional digital retailers on April 25th.

Synopsis - From the producers of the Oscar-winning film Searching for Sugar Man, comes We Are X, a transcendent rock and roll story about one of the biggest and most successful bands the world's never heard of... yet. Under the enigmatic direction of drummer, pianist, composer, and producer Yoshiki, X Japan has sold over 30 million singles and albums combined - captivating such a wide range of admirers as Sir George Martin, KISS, Stan Lee, and even the Japanese Emperor. An astonishingly intimate portrait of a deeply haunted - but truly unstoppable - virtuoso and the music that has enthralled legions of the world's most devoted fans.

Bonus Features:

- Deleted Scenes
- Deleted Interviews: Yoshiki, Toshl, Pata, Heath, Sugizo
- Yoshiki on We Are X
- “Forever Love" (From 1997's The Last Live Concert at Tokyo Dome)
- “Kurenai" (From 1997's The Last Live Concert at Tokyo Dome)
- “Born To Be Free" Fan Video

Bobby Kimball, the original singer of Toto, returns with a very special new studio album, We’re Not In Kansas Anymore. The new album will be released via Purple Pyramid Records on April 21st.

Says Bobby, “As artists and musicians we live our lives chasing a dream… the dream of expressing ourselves through the songs we create and sing. I surrounded myself with some of the best session players and songwriters in the business, and I feel you can hear and sense that when you listen to the music. To my fans… I hope that I delivered an album that can be part of a songbook for your life, as it is for mine. God Speed.”

Kimball's music remains unmistakable - melodious rock with polyphonic arrangements and a great sound, and his distinctive voice is simply inimitable. Re-teaming with producer John Zaika, WNIKA features stellar performances by drummer Joel Taylor, keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Black Country), Mitchel Forman and more.

Says John Zaika, “I produced and co-wrote a project with Bobby Kimball in 1999, All I Ever Needed. We've stayed in touch ever since. When the opportunity to write and produce a second project for this incredible singer and artist came along, I was excited to be involved. I knew it needed to have great songs, sound fresh, and stand out in today's music world. So, as a team, we pushed hard to create a project that crosses over genres without sounding disconnected. I sought out some of the best musicians in the industry, worked with top engineers to help fulfill the experience, and we created a wonderful team with myself, Bobby Kimball and Dave Barnett here at Future Memories Music.”

Tracklisting:

“Too Far Behind”
“On My Feet”
“Hey It’s Me”
“One Day”
“Flatline”
“Met Her For”
“Hold On”
“Scam”
“You’ll Be With Me”
“Some They Do”
“Your Not Alone”

Buy the CD here, or the digital edition here.

Italian folk/power metal band, Wind Rose, will release their new album, Stonehymn, on May 26th in Europe and North America via Inner Wound Recordings. A lyric video for the album track, “The Wolves’ Call”, is available for streaming below.

Having toured with bands like Wintersun, Eluveitie and Ensiferum, and with two successful albums under their belt, Wind Rose are ready to take things to the next level with the release of their third album Stonehymn, an album filled by the epic, powerful and folk inspired brand of power metal the band is known for.

Stonehymn was mixed and mastered by Simone Mularoni (DGM, Ancient Bards, Secret Sphere) and the artwork was created by Jan Yrlund (Apocalyptica, Korpiklaani, Tyr).

Stonehymn tracklisting:

“Distant Battlefields”
“Dance Of Fire”
“Under The Stone”
“To Erebor”
“The Returning Race”
“The Animist”
“The Wolves’ Call”
“Fallen Timbers”
“The Eyes Of The Mountain”

“The Wolves’ Call” lyric video:

Wind Rose are confirmed for Masters of Rock 2017, that takes place in Vizovice, Czech Republic July 13th - 16th. Other bands confirmed for the festival are Sabaton, Running Wild, Kreator, Edguy, Epica and more.

Cult Of Luna have released a video for “Owlwood” from their upcoming CD/DVD package of live recordings, entitled Years In A Day, and due for release on April 21st. Watch the new clip below.

The band states: “A few years ago we took the decision to keep touring to a minimum. The sole reason was to prevent us from burning out, to keep the flame and the passion burning. But the experiences on the road that we've shared for almost 20 years has been life changing for all of us. It has boned us together like brothers and we have been given the privilege to interact with incredible people all around the globe. So we thought it was time to release a special object related to the live aspect of Cult Of Luna and how we have progressed since the release of Fire Was Born eight years ago.”

Years In A Day will contain:

• A 2-hour DVD captured in Paris last year at La Gaîté Lyrique
• 2 live CD set from Roadburn Festival 2013 and 2016
• A 20-page booklet
• Download-code for HD video of the entire Paris show + audio files
• All combined in a stunning 10-inch vinyl sized trifold package
• Strictly limited to 7,000 copies only

Pre-orders at cultofluna.com.

Tracklisting:

DVD: Live at La Gaîté Lyrique, Paris
“The Sweep”
“Light Chaser”
“Owlwood”
“Echoes”
“I: The Weapon”
“Waiting For You”
“Marching To The Heartbeats”
“Finland”
“Back To Chapel Town”
“And With Her Came The Birds”
“Thirtyfour”
“Dim”
“Dark City Dead Man”

CD: Live At Roatburn 2013
“The One”
“I: The Weapon”
“Ghost Trail”
“Finland”
“Vicarious Redemption”
“Owlwood”
“In Awe Of”

CD: Somewhere Along The Highway Live At Roadburn 2016
“Marching To The Heartbeats”
“Finland”
“Back To Chapel Town”
“And With Her Came The Birds”
“Thirtyfour”
“Dim”
“Dark City Dead Man”

“Owlwood”:

“The Sweep” / “Light Chaser”:

Trailer:

On June 16th, Igorrr - the brainchild of French musician and eclectic composer Gautier Serre - will release their new album, Savage Sinusoid, via Metal Blade Records. On this record, electronic manipulations, accordion, saxophone, sitar, harpsichord, mandolin and strings sit comfortably alongside ruthless blastbeats, chunky riffs, death grunts and soaring operatic vocals - and as chaotic as this might sometimes seem, there is no lack of heart behind everything thundering from the speakers.

For a preview of Savage Sinusoid, a video for the first single, "ieuD", is available for streaming below. The album can be pre-ordered here in the following formats:

- Digipak CD
- pale skin clear vinyl (limited to 500 copies)
- cream/white splatter (limited to 200 copies - EU exclusive)
- golden yellow vinyl (limited to 100 copies - Bandcamp exclusive)
- tan-marbled vinyl (limited to 200 copies - US exclusive)

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

Savage Sinusoid tracklisting:

“Viande”
“ieuD”
“Houmous”
“Opus Brain”
“Probleme d'emotion”
“Spaghetti Forever”
“Cheval”
“Apopathodiaphulatophobie”
“Va te foutre”
“Robert”
“Au Revoir”

“ieuD” video:

To realize Savage Sinusoid as a completely sample-free record, Serre reunited with vocalists Laurent Lunoir and Laure Le Prunenec, along with drummer Sylvain Bouvier, and collaborated with more musicians than on any of his previous releases - one of those guests being Cattle Decapitation's Travis Ryan, who lends his vocals on "Cheval", "Apopathodiaphulatophobie" and "Robert".

While Savage Sinusoid draws from a plethora of genres, Serre has no intention of baffling or alienating potential listeners. As he explains: "I just want to make the music I love, without asking myself if it's gonna be too complex or too far from what people like. I want to make the music which has sense to me, with no restrictions, like a big party with metalheads, electronics nerds, classical and baroque-heads and gypsy violinists getting drunk and joining together to bring the best of every genre."

Igorrr will give European fans their first taste of new songs this spring/summer, with more shows to be announced soon.

Igorrr tour dates:

April
29 - Opera National Du Rhin - Strasbourg, France

May
5 - Circasismic Festival - Besancon, France

June
17 - Hellfest Open Air - Clisson, France

July
7 - What The Fest?!#2 - Vendargues, France
9 - UK Tech Fest - Winthorpe, United Kingdom
15 - Dour Festival - Dour, Belgium

August
11 - Brutal Assault - Jaromer, Czech Republic

October
17 - l'Aeronef - Lille, France

November
15 - La Maroquinerie - Paris, France

Belgian/Dutch modern metal outfit, Spoil Engine, have released a video for “Doomed To Die”, a track from the band’s new album, Stormsleeper, out on May 5th via Arising Empire/Nuclear Blast. Watch the new clip below.

Stormsleeper contains 10 songs (mixed and mastered at Fredman Studios). The cover artwork was created by Heilemania (Nightwish, Kreator, Legion of the Damned).

Tracklisting:

“Disconnect”
“Silence Will Fall”
“Doomed to Die”
“Weightless”
“Stormsleeper”
“Hollow Crown”
“Black Sails”
“The Verdict”
“Singing Sirens”
“Wastelands”

“Doomed To Die” video:

“Stormsleeper” video:

Spoil Engine have announced dates in Germany and the UK supporting Prong. Their schedule is as follows:

July
13 - Hamburg, Germany - Hafenklang
14 - Münster, Germany - Sputnikhalle
15 - Neukirchen-Vluyn, Germany - Dong Open Air
18 - Glasgow, Scotland - Audio
19 - Belfast, Northern Ireland - Voodoo
20 - Dublin, Ireland - Voodoo Lounge
21 - Manchester, UK - Rebellion
22 - London, UK - Underworld
26 - München, Germany - Free & Easy Festival
27 - Stuttgart, Germany - Keller Klub
28 - Weinheim, Germany - Café Central

Spoil Engine is:

Iris Goessens - Vocals
Steven 'Gaze' Sanders - Guitar
Kristof Taveirne - Bass
Matthijs Quaars - Drums
Bart Vandeportaele - Guitar

Death horde Cocyte turned heads with their Suffocate Now demo in 2011, quickly followed by the New Breath EP in 2012 and follow up Asylum 2013. The Belgian band is one that can be hard to pigeonhole, cited as too death metal to be a deathcore but too deathcore to be death metal... but whatever they may be labelled, the end result is always the same and is nothing short of devastation. With a steady release history augmented with regular appearances across a multidude of venues in major European cities, today’s incarnation of Cocyte is a well-focused outfit, polished and oiled an inch from its death. Testament to that is the band’s latest release and first full-length The Human Disease, mixed by Christian Carvin and mastered by Alan Douches (Carnifex, Suicide Silence, Cannibal Corpse, Nile). 

Guitarist Jimmy Maes comments on the theme running throughout the album. "We were leaning towards the story of humankind, the spirit of man, behaviour, etc. and this album turned into an absolute statement of the situation on earth. The Human Disease is what the man has in its core, a disease. During the album you can find a common thread, it's a story following the life of a man who describes many sides of humanity such as the relation between God and himself, the impact of religions on earth, the mental problems and darkest behaviours such as sexual assault, destruction of the land and our own kind, war, consumer society... Finally the story turns to a more positive note as our man finds a refuge in his spirit because our world is no longer worth it, he builds a sanctuary where he is completely satisfied and full of joy. But he is human after all, and slowly starts to destroy his sanctuary, like everyone else, he is infected by The Human Disease. This album is dark vision of the world but the conclusion is not a dead cause, we have hope in humanity, we can change, but it can't be done alone, people must wake up and become better."

Tracklisting:

“Ominous”
“We Are Divided”
“The Oppressed”
“Malevolent Urge”
“Hollow Cause”
“Mechanical Refuge”
“Behind The Mess Of The Soul”
“Shadows & Illusions”
“The Human Disease”
“Last Requiem” 

“The Human Disease” video:

“Malevolent Urge” lyric video:

At long last, Blood Feast is reborn into the metal underground with their third full-length album, The Future State Of Wicked, set for international release this Friday, April 14th, via by longtime fans Hells Headbangers. A full album stream is available below.

Blood Feast fans old and new will not be disappointed by The Future State Of Wicked, as the "holy trinity" of releases from the band’s early days – Kill For Pleasure (1987), the Face Fate EP (1988) and Chopping Block Blues (1990) – inform much of the new album. All the speed, brutality, and twists ‘n’ turns Blood Feast is known for are intact and in your face (nine of the ten songs being written by original guitarist Adam Tranquilli), yet updated with modern production. Joining Adam are vocalist Chris Natalini and bassist Tom Lorenzo, along with some new blood in Joe Moore (drums) and CJ Scioscia (guitar).

Blood Feast was formed by Adam Tranquilli, Gary Markowich (vocals), Kevin Kuzma (drums), and Lou Starita (bass) in 1985 as Blood Lust.  They quickly wrote and recorded their classic four-song demo, The Suicidal Missions. Shortly after, they became a five-piece with the addition of Michael Basden on guitar. The band was then approached by New Renaissance Records to contribute songs to their Thrash Metal Attack (“Menacing Thunder”) and Speed Metal Hell 3 (“The Suicidal Missions”). This prompted the name change to Blood Feast. New Renaissance then offered a record deal, which led to the recording of the classic Kill For Pleasure album and a US tour with Death Angel. The Face Fate EP quickly followed.

Shortly after writing and recording their proposed second album, Adam left the band. The remaining four members then re-recorded these songs, which became the album Chopping Block Blues. The band broke up shortly after the album's release in early 1990.

The five-man Blood Feast reunited for an appearance at the NJ March Metal Meltdown in 1999, but further activity was not to be. A second reunion began in 2007, albeit only with original members Tranquilli and Kuzma. Both Lorenzo and Natalini came on board in 2010, just in time for the band’s first appearance at Headbangers Open Air in Germany (they were invited back in 2013). During this stretch, Adam began writing new material, with the band even playing an early version of "INRI" at select shows.

The Blood Feast retaking its place in the metal ranks today began to take shape in March of 2014, with the addition of guitarist CJ Scioscia. When drummer Joe Moore joined a few months later, the unit was complete and immediately set to work on Adam’s stockpile of new material. Two of these songs (“Off With Their Heads” and “The Burn”) have become staples of the current live set. Such performances have become more frequent, culminating with an appearance at the True Thrash Fest 2015 in Osaka, Japan with Exciter, Hobb's Angel of Death, and Game Over and, most recently, Hells Headbangers' own festival Hells Headbash Part 2 in Cleveland, Ohio.

Now with a new generation of thrashers and metalheads holding records like Kill For Pleasure as their cherished cult classics, Blood Feast's return with The Future State Of Wicked could not be any more momentous and better timed. Exploding right out of the gates with the aforementioned evil-as-fuck thrashfest "INRI," The Future State of Wicked racks up one breathless, bloody attack after the next. In one sense, the spirit of '87 is alive and well in Blood Feast; their frenzied thrust is as rabid and red-eyed as ever, sounding like the crazed mania of men half their age. In another, perhaps more accurate sense, The Future State Of Wicked is suffused with the wisdom of the ages, the whole span of thrash and speed metal history since Blood Feast's original days on the frontlines, and it results in ten angry-yet-finessed slices of audial terror buttressed by well-rounded but never too-polished production.

Tracklisting:

“INRI”
“Off With Their Heads”
“Brethren”
“By The Slice”
“The Underling”
“Last Rites”
“Who Prays For The Devil”
“Nein”
“Remnants II”
“The Burn”

Album stream:

The Future State Of Wicked by BLOOD FEAST

Prosthetic Records has announced the newest addition to their ever-growing lineup, blackened crust punkers, Funeral Chic.

Hailing from the bustles of Charlotte, North Carolina, Funeral Chic were established in 2014 with the release of their self-titled EP in 2014. The quintet shortly thereafter recorded their debut full-length album, Hatred Swarm, with Rick Contes (Young And In The Way) at Birthwave Studio, while being mastered by Brad Boatright (Converge, Full Of Hell) at Audiosiege.

Hatred Swarm received critical acclaim amongst the underground metal/punk scene and saw Funeral Chic perform with acts including Joy, Of Feather & Bone, Young And In The Way, Nails, Power Trip, Oathbreaker, Full Of Hell, Homewrecker, Harms Way, Twitching Tongues and more.

Funeral Chic will begin recording their Prosthetic Records debut towards the end of 2017 and are currently plotting an early fall tour. Stay tuned in the coming weeks for more details on their new release and tour plans.

London, England-based metal wizards, Harbinger, are streaming the track “The End Of Time” (listen below), taken from their new Human Dust EP, set for release on June 16th via Basick Records.

Human Dust is the follow-up to Harbinger's ferocious debut EP, Paroxysm, which sees a vicious blend of eccentric technical metal riffs coupled with a surplus of twists and turns. Human Dust is not your typical metal record; it's a vitriolic but at times ethereal release, where no song is even slightly the same, yet Harbinger still possess a much-improved core sound, having cleverly incorporated vicious beatdowns, tasteful shredding and some seriously impressive guttural vocals.

Guitarist Ben Sutherland states: "We are incredibly excited to announce that we have signed to Basick Records for the release of our new EP Human Dust on June 16th. Basick have been putting out records by some of our favourite bands for many years, so it is an honour to join the roster and release our music with them! We feel our new material is much more mature, considered and precise than our previous EP Paroxysm, but we haven’t dropped any of the groovy riffs and heaviness that people have come to expect from us."

Having already made waves with appearances at UK Tech Metal Festival, and previously played shows with the likes of Monuments and Slaughter To Prevail, Harbinger’s year is only just getting started. An appearance at the special HellFest Warm Up Ride at the New Cross Inn on May 11th is already in the books, and they are definitely poised for more live shows this year.

More details to follow soon.

Sweden's death metal squadron, Demonical, has announced significant changes in its lineup, most prominently including the parting of ways with long-time singer and producer, Sverker Widgren. His boots will be filled by none other than Alexander Högbom, who already proven himself behind the microphone in the ranks of October Tide and Centinex.  

Demonical commented: "We have parted with vocalist Sverker Widgren due to various time- and priority related matters. As there are always two sides to every story and answers might differ depending on who you ask, we prefer to keep the more detailed reasons amongst the ones involved and not publically go into further explanations. However, in order to avoid any speculations we can inform you that there is no bad blood between any of us, we want to thank Sverker for all the years in the band and we wish him the very best of luck for the future.

“As the band has always operated under the motto “only the best is good enough”, we are thrilled to announce that one of Sweden’s premium death metal vocalists, Alexander Högbom (known from acts such as October Tide and Centinex) has joined us as our new permanent commander.

“In order to raise the flames even higher, we can hereby also reveal that after more than two years in Demonical on a session basis, guitarist Eki Kumpulainen and drummer Kennet Englund have both become full-time members of the band.

“With this determined and solid lineup we are very much looking forward to the upcoming Finnish shows next week, the summer tour across Eastern Europe during July as well as the album recording in the autumn.

“Yes that’s right, during the fall we will (finally) record our fifth full-length album for an early 2018 release. We have tapped an award-winning Swedish producer for the task and we are confident that the album - which summons bits and pieces from all our previous releases - will become an improved quality-related chapter for Demonical and push our Swedish Death Metal Darkness to a new level. The future looks more than victorious!".     

Alexander Högbom added: “It is with excitement and great honor I will shoulder Sverker Widgren’s position in Demonical. I have known the band for almost 10 years now and we have toured together all over the globe with my other bands both as support and vice versa. This is one more step for me into the chasm of Swedish Death Metal Darkness”.

Demonical will continue to spread their live-madness with a combined festival and club summer tour in July focusing on the eastern territories. Finnish black metal tyrants Author will join in as support, together with Stockholm death/black squad Angrepp as guests on selected dates.

The first show of the tour will be an exclusive German club show with Brazilian death giants Krisiun as headliners.

Upcoming shows:

April
21 - Pori, Finland - Baarikaappi
22 - Tampere, Finland - Varjobaari

July (with Author, Angrepp)
20 - Greifswald, Germany - Klex*
21 - Volyne, Czech Republic - Enter the Eternal Fire Fest
22 - Ostry Grun, Slovakia - Gothoom Open Air
23 - Cluj-Napoca, Romania - Hard Club
24 - Bucharest, Romania - Fabricia
25 - Sofia, Bulgaria - Live & Loud
27 - Timisoara, Romania - Daos Club
28 - Körmend, Hungary - Total War Fest  

* with Krisiun.

Lineup:
Alexander Högbom - vocals
Martin Schulman - bass
Eki Kumpulainen - guitars
Johan Haglund - guitars
Kennet Englund - drums

German metallers, Varg, will release a new EP, entitled Götterdämmerung, on April 14th via Napalm Records. A lyric video for the title track is available for streaming below.

For over ten years, Varg have wielded the sceptre of German Pagan metal, currently holding it tighter than ever in their bloody claws. The Wolfskult remains hearty as well, with thousands of devotees following the call of the wild and making the pilgrimage year after year to the band’s Wolfszeit Festival.

Varg’s fifth epos, Das Ende Aller Lügen, touched down in the Top 20 of the German Album charts. It’s clear that they are stronger than ever, but the band will not rest on their laurels. No, they’ve given their new Götterdämmerung EP their all; rapid flaring melodic death metal riffs, heartshaking singalongs and brutal lyrics that breathe fire and brimstone.

Pre-order the EP at this location.

Guitarist J. Geils, born John Warren Geils Jr., has died at age 71, reports Billboard.com.

Geils was found dead in his Groton, Massachusetts, home. He had lived in the town for 35 years. Groton police said officers responded to Geils' home around 4 PM, ET Tuesday (April 11th) for a well-being check and found him unresponsive. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

"A preliminary investigation indicates that Geils died of natural causes," police said in a statement.

As leader of The J. Geils Band, the group had 17 songs on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including 10 top 40-charting hits. The band's biggest single, "Centerfold”, spent six weeks at #1 and "Freeze-Frame" peaked at #4.

Geils formed The J. Geils Band in 1967 with Danny Klein, Magic Dick Salwitz, Stephen Jo Bladd and Peter Wolf (later Seth Justman joined) while studying mechanical engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. They released 11 studio albums before breaking up in 1985. The group would reunite on and off over the years following.

Read more at Billboard.com.

The first teaser and official poster artwork for the upcoming dramatically charged Rock & Roll Thriller — American Satan — have just been released. The movie featuring Andy Biersack (Black Veil Brides), Malcolm McDowell (A Clockwork Orange), John Bradley (Game Of Thrones), BooBoo Stewart (The Twilight Saga), Ben Bruce (Asking Alexandria), Mark Boone Junior (Sons Of Anarchy) along with Denise Richards, Bill Duke, WWE’s Bill Goldberg, Drake Bell, Larry King, Olivia Culpo and more, is slated for a theatrical release in the late summer of this year.

Written and directed by Ash Avildsen, produced by Sumerian Records & Films, American Satan follows the journey of a group of young men hailing from the US and England who drop out of college and move to Hollywood’s infamous Sunset Strip to pursue their dreams of becoming a Rock & Roll sensation. A full trailer will be released in the coming weeks, meanwhile the teaser can be viewed below.

For those of you in Southern California, there will be 250 tickets available to the public for the private industry screening of American Satan on April 18th at The Arclight in Hollywood. Tickets can be purchased at this location. The Arclight Hollywood is located at: The Dome Entertainment Centre, 6360 Sunset Blvd, Los Angeles, CA.

 

 

 

Formed in New York in 1987 and relocated in Florida in 1988, Malevolent Creation have produced some of the most powerful and devastating death metal of all time. Their albums feature some of the most groundbreaking playing and screaming ever.

Soon available again in exclusive limited edition digipacks and coloured vinyls, all wrapped up with the original amazing classic artwork drawn by the legendary Dan Seagrave, those three much sought after highly priced albums online are absolutely mandatory in any death/thrash metal connoisseur’s collection.

The Ten Commandments, Retribution and Stillborn are to be re-released via Listenable Records on May 26th in limited edition digipack and coloured vinyls.

More details and pre-orders coming shortly. Watch out for exclusive vinyl versions.

Swedish metallers, Night Viper, have inked a deal with Listenable Records.

Since the first whispers heard in 2014, the name of Gothenburg’s Night Viper has only gotten louder and louder. Thanks to a blistering debut on Svart Records and a reputation as one of the most energetic, exciting and downright headbangable live bands around, Night Viper is now a must see band for all metalheads.

After four European tours and unforgettable appearances at festivals such as Muskelrock, Roadburn and Hell Over Hamburg, they are now deadlier than ever.

The release of their new single, “Summon The Dead” in March 2017 signifies a new level of intensity for them and will lead them to their second full-length album, to be released on Listenable Records in fall 2017.

Listen to the band’s debut album below, or via Spotify.

Night Viper by Night Viper

Stryper frontman Michael Sweet is performing a solo acoustic show at the Narrows Center in Fall River, MA, on Friday, June 2nd, and the show will be filmed for a live DVD release. There will also be a meet and greet after the show, also due to be filmed.

Go to this location for more information. Click here for Swtt's complete tour schedule.

 

Ms. Mishap of The Vinyl Mishappenings recently sat down with Stryper guitarist Oz Fox to discuss 30+ years of battling the devil, and whether or not the original Stryper lineup will continue; an excerpt follows:

Stryper is going on a little bit of a break. Michael Sweet had hinted at some trouble within the band in his last interview, is this a reason for the time off?

Oz Fox: “Well it’s a number of things. A lot of it is Michael has a lot projects coming up that he wants to take time off to do, which is fine by me because I’ve got a lot of stuff going on here in town. As I get older in age, I kind of want to set myself up so that I’ll have more opportunities here in Vegas so that someday if I ever stop touring with Stryper, I can maybe stay here and work as a musician. He (Michael) definitely is going to be doing a second album with George Lynch. He also just released a solo album and wants to go out and tour that a little bit, and we (Stryper) are going to be playing on the Monsters of Rock Cruise the first week of February.”

Does that mean it will be the original lineup playing the Monsters of Rock Cruise come February?

Oz Fox: “As far as I know yes, but Tim (Gaines) our bass player is going through some personal issues and we're trying to let him work all of that stuff out. It’s no secret anymore, but he’s going through a divorce so we’re giving him time to work those things out. As far as I know, he’s looking like he’s on his way to making all of that stuff in his life correct and fixed, and then we’ll see where he stands after he’s all done with that; I know he wants to keep touring. It’s a very difficult thing to go through a divorce, it’s difficult for everybody. We’re very close to him and his wife, so it hurts us as much as it hurts them... as far as I know he’s going to be on the cruise with us. Then the only other thing I can say after that is there are plans to do another Stryper album, so we'll see how that goes later on.”

Do you think any of this will delay that new album?

Oz Fox: “I think there were plans to possibly get on it in January, it hadn’t been booked or anything. But once this whole thing started happening with Tim, we thought it was a better idea to just postpone everything. We decided to maybe wait until later on in the year. I think it’s good for us to just give him time to do his thing and deal with his issues, and then later on we can come back together after everything is already healed over.”

To read the complete interview, visit this location.

Fan-filmed video footage of GHOST's Apri 10 performance at Ancienne Belgique in Brussels, Belgium can be seen below.

As previously reported, GHOST frontman and founder Tobias Forge, who performs as Papa Emeritus, is being sued by four ex-members of the group. The quartet of former Nameless Ghouls have accused Forge of cheating them out of their rightful share of the profits from the group’s album releases and world tours.

The lawsuit, filed in the district court of Linköping, Sweden, where GHOST was originally based, claims that Forge solely controlled the band’s business affairs without input from anyone else in the group, while also carrying out management duties. The four musicians are asking the court to order Forge to disclose GHOST's revenues and expenses for the financial years 2011 to 2016 and reveal the company's assets as of December 31, 2016.

If Forge fails to act as ordered, the musicians are asking the court to force Forge to pay a penalty of approximately $22,000 or an amount that the court considers reasonable.

The lawsuit alleges that Forge has been collecting all revenues from sales of the band's merchandise and recordings since the band was formed in 2010, and has insisted that the "company" was not yet profitable while at the same time refusing to disclose financial statements.

The situation became dire in 2012, when the band members did not receive any compensation at all. Forge was finally pressured to pay them, which he did only sporadically while still claiming that the band was broke.

The four musicians were offered two separate contract proposals by Forge in 2016, which they rejected as "slave agreements." That may have led to Forge's wholesale firing of the band at the end of 2016.

Asked for his reaction to the lawsuit by Swedish outlet Corren, Forge said: "I can't comment on it because it is a legal process. The lawsuit will be answered fairly soon by my legal counsel."

EVERY TIME I DIE's Keith Buckley has uploaded a short clip of what appears to be a new song from THE DAMNED THINGS, his supergroup project also featuring ANTHRAX's Scott Ian, FALL OUT BOY's Andy Hurley and Joe Trohman, EVERY TIME I DIE's Josh Newton, and Rob Caggiano of VOLBEAT (and formerly ANTHRAX). Check out the video below.

Hurley recently revealed THE DAMNED THINGS has a new EP in the works. He told the "100 Words Or Less" podcast: "I recorded five songs for an EP with THE DAMNED THINGS. I don't think we'll be playing, ANTHRAX is still touring on their last record. EVERY TIME I DIE just put out their new record, uh, who else? Josh Newton, I think, has been playing lately. He tech'd for Joe for awhile. I'm not sure if he'll be back when we're back. So, you know, that's all over the place."

THE DAMNED THINGS released its debut album, "Ironiclast", in December 2010. After performing a few gigs together, the members took a hiatus and returned to their respective bands.

It's been more than four decades since the NEW YORK DOLLS first outraged mainstream critics and struck terror into the hearts of public guardians of taste and morality. In that time, the once-controversial quintet has been recognized as a seminal musical force and a key influence on the punk movement that came into being shortly after the DOLLS' breakup. Now, UMe celebrates the NEW YORK DOLLS' legacy with new limited-edition colored-vinyl editions of the band's two classic '70s LPs, "New York Dolls" and "Too Much Too Soon", out on May 5. The new vinyl releases, available in strictly limited editions of 500 each and exclusively available through uDiscover, are as flamboyant visually as the albums' musical contents. The self-titled disc boasts a unique opaque pink and black color scheme, while "Too Much Too Soon" has an equally audacious combination of opaque pink and clear. Both albums, which also feature their complete original cover art, are also available from UMe in standard black vinyl editions. With a classic lineup featuring frontman David Johansen, guitarists Johnny Thunders and Syl Sylvain, bassist Arthur Kane and drummer Jerry Nolan, the NEW YORK DOLLS served as a bridge between the edgy outrage of the VELVET UNDERGROUND and THE STOOGES and the raw aggression of the multiple generations of punk and hard-rock bands that would soon follow. In their original release, "New York Dolls" and "Too Much Too Soon" polarized audiences, embraced by a devoted core of kindred spirits and reviled by many mainstream listeners. "New York Dolls", produced in raw, hands-off style by Todd Rundgren, captures the band's love for raw, raucous rock 'n' roll and Brill Building teen-pop, with such landmark DOLLS anthems as "Personality Crisis", "Trash", "Jet Boy" and "Looking for A Kiss". It's now regarded as one of rock's greatest debut albums. "Too Much Too Soon", recorded with reclusive legendary producer Shadow Morton, was titled in acknowledgement of the band members' various personal indulgences. The album features a mix of such band originals as "Babylon", "Who Are the Mystery Girls?", "It's Too Late" and "Human Being", along with personalized covers of such tunes as the CADETS' "Stranded in the Jungle", ARCHIE BELL AND THE DRELLS' "There's Gonna Be a Showdown' and Sonny Boy Williamson's "Don't Start Me Talkin'". Although the NEW YORK DOLLS dissolved soon after "Too Much Too Soon", the band's ongoing influence, along with the patronage of DOLLS superfan Morrissey, led Johansen and Sylvain to assemble a new version of the band in 2004, leading to a series of tours and three albums of new DOLLS material. Despite that latter-day revival, "New York Dolls" and "Too Much Too Soon" remain the foundation of the NEW YORK DOLLS' rock 'n' roll legacy. Now they can once again be heard the way they were meant to be heard — on vinyl!

Fan-filmed video footage of POISON's reunited original lineup — Bret Michaels, Bobby Dall, Rikki Rockett and C.C. DeVille — performing on April 10 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada as part of its North American tour with DEF LEPPARD can be seen below.

POISON's setlist was as follows:

01. Look What The Cat Dragged In02. Ride The Wind03. We're An American Band (GRAND FUNK RAILROAD cover)04. Something To Believe In05. Your Mama Don't Dance (LOGGINS & MESSINA cover)06. Guitar Solo07. Fallen Angel08. Unskinny Bop09. Drum Solo10. Every Rose Has Its Thorn11. Talk Dirty To Me

POISON's tour with DEF LEPPARD will wrap on June 25 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Prior to the start of the DEF LEPPARD trek, Michaels said: "I'm really looking forward to the POISON tour. It's going to be incredible playing all the hits and putting on a hell of a high-energy rock show for the three generations of awesome fans."

POISON and DEF LEPPARD first hit the road together back in 2009, and then again three years later.

POISON appeared at the 2013 Indy 500 Miller Lite Carb Day, but has otherwise been mostly playing private shows, including one in January 2015.

The band hasn't done any major touring since taking part in the 2012 "Rock Of Ages" trek with DEF LEPPARD and LITA FORD.

Rockett was recently declared cancer free after undergoing an experimental treatment. He was diagnosed with oral cancer back in 2015.

A hologram of the late Ronnie James Dio made its U.S. debut this past February at the 28th annual Pollstar Awards at the The Novo (formerly Club Nokia) in Los Angeles, California. Created by Eyellusion, the appearance of the heavy metal icon took place during a performance by DIO DISCIPLES, which pays tribute to Ronnie and is fully supported by his widow/manager, Wendy.

The Dio hologram was first introduced at last year's Wacken Open Air festival in Germany.

During an appearance on the "Talk Toomey" podcast, Wendy spoke about plans for a tour featuring the hologram, which will showcase various eras of the legendary metal singer's career.

"We're getting prepared for that right now," she said (hear audio below). "We're making a new [hologram]. We're making, like, eight songs. So we're working on that. That should be ready by September, and we're hoping to go out and start touring in September on that."

She continued: "I feel that Ronnie was an innovator in music, and why not be an innovator in technology also? He tried to make a hologram in 1986. When we had the [DIO] 'Sacred Heart' tour, we did the big crystal ball with Ronnie's head in there talking, which was actually done with a rear projection, but we were always trying to do new things and exciting things. In fact, his personal [assistant] just called me a couple of weeks ago and he said, 'Hey, Wendy, I just found this interview that Ronnie did a long time ago, and they were asking Ronnie [if he had] plans to retire, and 'What will you do when you retire?' And he said, 'Well, I don't think I'll ever retire. I'll probably die on stage. Or if I don't, I'm sure Wendy will find something for me to do after.' [Laughs] So I thought that was quite funny."

Wendy, who manages DIO DISCIPLES and is affiliated with the Eyellusion team, also spoke about the response the hologram has gotten from Ronnie's fans and other musicians. "Some [reactions] are positive, some are negative," she said. "If you've actually seen it… I think the people that have actually seen it are very positive. We debuted it at Wacken last year in Germany for seventy-five thousand people, and they were all totally, totally blown away. And also, it's never been done before, because this is a live band — Ronnie's live band that he played with for the last seventeen years, with Ronnie, with a live track of Ronnie's. And it was so realistic; everybody was, like, crying, and it was very moving. And I think it's great for the fans that never saw Ronnie, that are able to come and see him. And for the ones that did see him that would love to see him again up on stage."

Hologram world tours have previously been announced, but never come to fruition. In 2015, it was announced that Whitney Houston would go on the road in holographic form, but a leak of a duet with Christina Aguilera, which suggested the hologram was not up to scratch, led to the withdrawal of the Houston hologram by her estate.

According to Wendy, it's only a matter of time before other rock legends return to life through holograms, the three-dimensional light projections that have opened new frontiers for the live music and other industries. "Absolutely," she said. "I think the company that we're working with is talking to a lot of different people. And I think it's the way of the future. It's like people were, 'Ooooh…' when the eight-track came out, 'Ooooh, what's this?' And then cassette. 'Oooh, what's this?' And digital, 'What's this? Oh, we don't wanna do that. We only want analog. We don't want digital.' But you know what? It's technology. And also, we're losing our legends day by day; we're losing the innovators of metal and hard rock music; we're losing 'em every day. What are we gonna do? I don't see a lot of bands coming up to take their place."

DIO DISCIPLES features former DIO members Simon Wright (drums), Craig Goldy (guitar) and Scott Warren (keyboards) alongside vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) and bassist Bjorn Englen (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN). They are joined by singers Oni Logan (LYNCH MOB) and Joe Retta (SWEET, HEAVEN & EARTH).

Goldy defended DIO DISCIPLES' decision to perform with the Dio hologram, saying: "We know how much the fans miss Ronnie and the special and unequaled element that he brought to his live performances. Being able to recreate that same kind of magic for his fans at Wacken was incredible. For so many years, Ronnie always invested big in his live shows as his way to give back to the fans, and that is exactly what we aimed to do with this latest performance. We can't wait to bring this experience to even more of his fans and perhaps even a newer generation when we bring this incredible live experience on the road."

Interview (audio):

James Hetfield says that Lady Gaga's "energy was very, very exciting" when METALLICA collaborated with the pop superstar at this year's Grammy Awards.

METALLICA's appearance with Gaga at the 59th annual event in Los Angeles on February 12 turned into something of a disaster when the Grammy sound crew did not turn Hetfield's mic on, forcing him to share the mic with Gaga after the first verse and chorus.

As a further humiliation, presenter Laverne Cox did not even introduce METALLICA by name. At the end of the song, a visibly angry Hetfield hurled his guitar at a road crew member while kicking over his mic stand.

Hetfield spoke about the Grammys mishap during an interview with journalist Claudio Vergara of the Chilean newspaper La Tercera, conducted before METALLICA's April 1 appearance at Lollapalooza Chile in Santiago. He said: "The actual show, live on TV, I was very angry, yes. All the rehearsals, everything was perfect; up to there, everything was working. But, you know, out of my control. Something happened… I don't know what happened. But the silver lining is that Lady Gaga and me were singing closer, and [there] was a little more collaboration. She's an amazing person — very talented."

He continued: "When we were asked to play the Grammys, we said, 'Of course,' we said, 'Yes.' But they need you to collaborate with somebody; they want to make it interesting. So I'm glad she was available to do it. She has a lot of integrity as an artist, [and she's] very creative."

Asked if he would perform again at the Grammy Awards in the future, Hetfield said: "Sure. Why not? I will have two or three microphones right next to each other, yes. [Laughs]"

Hetfield was also asked if he would want to collaborate with Lady Gaga again or another pop artist in some capacity. He responded: "No. But even just talking with her, being around her, her energy was very, very exciting. She has lots of ideas, and she likes to push the boundaries like we do. So it was a good fit."

Shortly after this year's Grammy Awards, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone that Gaga was the "quintessential perfect fifth member of this band," saying, "Her voice, her attitude, her outlook on everything is so awesome. [The performance] was so effortless and organic and she just has the spirit of hard rock and metal flowing through her veins. It comes really easy for her. There's nothing contrived; she just has this super warm, easy energy."

METALLICA was up for a Grammy this year for "Best Rock Song" for the track "Hardwired" from its new album, "Hardwired... To Self-Destruct", but lost to the late David Bowie's "Blackstar".

(Special thanks to Claudio Vergara of La Tercera for providing BLABBERMOUTH.NET with the original audio of the Hetfield interview.)