In addition to co-creating Judas Priest's outstanding body of work, Rob Halford has also issued music outside of the beloved legendary Birmingham band - which is precisely what the new 14-CD boxset, The Complete Albums Collection, showcases. The set will be available on May 19th via Sony Legacy. Pre-order via the Amazon widget below

Included are four albums by the ferociously thrash-inspired Fight, as well as the lone album by the industrial-inspired 2wo (which featured guitarist John 5, and saw Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor serve as executive producer), plus seven titles from the solo band Halford, which saw the Metal God gloriously return to pure, unadulterated metal.

A complete listing of the titles included in The Complete Albums Collection are:

Fight:
K5: The War Of Words Demos (recorded 1992, released 2007)
War Of Words (1993)
Mutations (1994)
A Small Deadly Space (1995)

2wo:
Voyeurs (1998)

Halford:
Resurrection (2000)
Live Insurrection (2 CDs, 2001)
Crucible (2002)
Live In Anaheim (2 CDs; recorded 2003, released 2010)
Halford III: Winter Songs (2009)
Halford IV: Made Of Metal (2010)
Live At Saitama Super Arena (2011)

Tracklisting:

Disc 1
“Into The Pit” - Fight
“Nailed To The Gun” - Fight
“Now You Die” - Fight
“Life In Black” - Fight
“Kill It” - Fight
“Contortion” - Fight
“Forbidden” - Fight
“War Of Words” - Fight
“Psycho Suicide” - Fight
“Down ”- Fight
“Vicious” - Fight
“Beast Denies” - Fight
“Laid To Rest ”- Fight
“Jesus Saves” - Fight
“Dead Men Talk” - Fight
“For All Eternity” - Fight

Disc 2
“Into The Pit” - Fight
“Nailed To The Gun” - Fight
“Life In Black” - Fight
“Immortal Sin” - Fight
“War Of Words” - Fight
“Laid To Rest” - Fight
“For All Eternity” - Fight
“Little Crazy” - Fight
“Contortion” - Fight
“Kill It” - Fight
“Vicious” - Fight
“Reality, A New Beginning” - Fight

Disc 3
“Into The Pit” - Fight
“Nailed To The Gun” - Fight
“Freewheel Burning” - Fight
“Little Crazy” - Fight
“War Of Words” - Fight
“Kill It” - Fight
“Vicious” - Fight
“Immortal Sin” - Fight
“Little Crazy” - Fight

Disc 4
“I Am Alive” - Fight
“Mouthpiece” - Fight
“Legacy Of Hate” - Fight
“Blowout In The Radio Room” - Fight
“Never Again” - Fight
“Small Deadly Space” - Fight
“Gretna Greene” - Fight
“Beneath The Violence” - Fight
“Human Crate” - Fight
“In A World Of My Own Making” - Fight

Disc 5
“I Am A Pig” - 2wo
“Stutter Kiss” - 2wo
“Water's Leaking” - 2wo
“My Ceiling's Low” - 2wo
“Leave Me Alone” - 2wo
“If” - 2wo
“Deep In The Ground” - 2wo
“Hey, Sha La La” - 2wo
“Wake Up” - 2wo
“Gimp” - 2wo
“Bed Of Rust” - 2wo

Disc 6
“Resurrection” - Rob Halford
“Made In Hell” - Rob Halford
“Locked And Loaded” - Rob Halford
“Night Fall” - Rob Halford
“Silent Screams”- Rob Halford
“The One You Love To Hate” - Rob Halford
“Cyber World” - Rob Halford
“Slow Down” - Rob Halford
“Twist” - Rob Halford
“Temptation” - Rob Halford
“Drive” - Rob Halford
“Savior” - Rob Halford

Disc 7
“Resurrection”
“Made In Hell”
“Into The Pit”
“Nailed To The Gun”
“Light Comes Out Of Black”
“Stained Class”
“Jawbreaker”
“Running Wild”
“Slow Down”
“The One You Love To Hate” - Halford feat. Bruce Dickinson
“Life In Black”
“Hell's Last Survivor”
“Sad Wings”
“Saviour”
“Silent Screams”

Disc 8
“Cyberworld”
“The Hellion”
“Electric Eye”
“Riding On The Wind”
“Genocide” (1st Encore)
“Beyond The Realms Of Death”
“Metal Gods” (2nd Encore)
“Breaking The Law”
“Blackout”
“Tyrant” - Halford feat. Rudolf Schenker
“Screaming In The Dark”
“Heart Of A Lion”
“Prisoner Of Your Eyes”

Disc 9
“Betrayal”
“One Will”
“Hearts Of Darkness”
“Golgotha”
“Handing Out Bullets”
“Crystal”
“Fugitive”
“Wrath Of God”
“In The Morning”
“Rock The World Forever”
“Crucible”
“Heretic”
“She”
“Weaving Sorrow”
“Sun”
“Trail Of Tears”

Disc 10
“Painkiller”
“Rapid Fire”
“Heretic”
“Resurrection”
“Made In Hell”
“Golgotha”
“Into The Pit”
“Light Comes Out Of Black”
“White Heat Red Hot”
“Never Satisfied”
“Breaking The Law”
“Hearts Of Darkness”
“Handing Out Bullets”

Disc 11
“Diamonds And Rust”
“Hellion”
“Electric Eye”
“Riding On The Wind”
“Victim Of Changes”
“You've Got Another Thing Comin'”
“Heretic”
“Sun”
“Golgotha”
“One Will”

Disc 12
“Get Into The Spirit”
“We Three Kings”
“Oh Come, O Come, Emanuel”
“Winter Song”
“What Child Is This?”
“Christmas For Everyone”
“I Don't Care”
“Light Of The World”
“Oh Holy Night”
“Come All Ye Faithful”

Disc 13
“Undisputed”
“Fire And Ice”
“Made Of Metal”
“Speed Of Sound”
“Like There's No Tomorrow”
“Till The Day I Die”
“We Own The Night”
“Heartless”
“Hell Razor”
“Thunder And Lightning”
“Twenty-Five Years”
“Matador”
“I Know We Stand A Chance”
“The Mower”

Disc 14
“Resurrection”
“Made in Hell”
“Locked And Loaded”
“Drop Out”
“Made Of Metal”
“Undisputed”
“Nailed To The Gun”
“Golgotha”
“Fire And Ice”
“Green Manalishi With The Two-Pronged Crown”
“Diamonds And Rust”
“Jawbreaker”
“Cyberworld”
“Like There's No Tomorrow”
“Thunder And Lightning”

With the arrival of The Complete Albums Collection, metal fans will now have the definitive collection of Rob Halford’s stellar work outside of the mighty Judas Priest, all in one set.

 

 

On May 19th, Swedish epic doom metallers, Below, will release their new album, Upon A Pale Horse, worldwide via Metal Blade Records. The first single, "1000 Broken Bones", is available for streaming below.

Pre-order the album in the following formats at this location:

- Digipak CD
- 180g black vinyl
- silk gray-marbled vinyl (limited to 300 copies - EU exclusive)
- dim gray-marbled vinyl (limited to 200 copies - EU exclusive)
- transparent vinyl (limited to 100 copies - USA exclusive)

* digital options are also available.

Below comments: "With 'Upon a Pale Horse' we feel that we have found our sound. We have grown as songwriters and this album contains our fastest and slowest, shortest and longest, heaviest and most melodic songs to date. Making this album more diverse yet still staying true to the core of heavy riffs and melodies that is Below. We recorded 'Upon a Pale Horse' in Deep Blue Studios, the studio where we recorded our first EP, so in some sense it felt like we were returning to our roots."

Upon A Pale Horse tracklisting:

“The Plague Within”
“Disappearing Into Nothing”
“The Coven”
“Upon A Pale Horse”
“Suffer In Silence”
“Hours Of Darkness”
“1000 Broken Bones”
“We Are All Slaves”

“1000 Broken Bones”:

Below lineup:

Zeb - Vox
Hedman - Bass
Paud - Guitar
Berg - Guitar
Doc - Drums

(Photo - Below Facebook)

Ahoy sailors! Known for their excellent taste and passion for pirates in metal, Napalm Records welcomes a new band to their diverse and exciting artist roster and label family: Ye Banished Privateers have signed a worldwide record deal with Napalm Records. The band's third studio album, First Night Back In Port, is set to be released on June 30th.

Ye Banished Privateers takes you 300 years back in time for an imaginary journey through the harsh life at sea during the early 18th century. With songs inspired by traditional Irish and Scandinavian folk music, acting and elaborate historical clothing the privateers tell a story about the rough sailor's life, lived on the other side of the law - and the fight against oppression and nationalism.

Together, the nearly 30 crew members take turns to go on tour and plunder, and with around a dozen sailors on stage no two shows are ever the same. The mix of rude folk and punk music invites you to dance and sing along, while the gripping ballads will make the toughest pirate heart soft.

Says the band about their recent signing with Napalm Records: "Spring has finally come to the Gulf of Botnia, and with the rotting ice we are now able to set sail with some extraordinary good news onboard. We are immensely proud to announce that our chaotic band of Pirates will be joining forces with Napalm Records, to release our next album First Night Back In Port. Lock up the taverns and hide away the Rum, June 30th in the year of our lord 1717 (2017), this Pandora's box of ear worms goes worldwide! Putting our pen and ink to the chart of Napalm Records means procuring the fire power to bring the forces of Europe to a total blockade. And by trading our royalties for rum and cherry beer, we estimate that we will save a fortune and a half in the years to come."

Give these pirates a warm welcome, sailors! With Ye Banished Privateers you are in for an adventure that will rock you like a schooner in storm and feed your lust for new horizons under the black flag!

New York City-based progressive quintetm Edensong, have released an official video for the expansive "In The Longest Of Days”, which hails from the band's intense Laser's Edge-released Years In The Garden Of Years album. The video can be seen below.

Expanding on the video, the band's James Schoen delves, “”In The Longest Of Days” is really the song that inspired the concept behind the album Years In The Garden Of Years. It was the first song I wrote from scratch for Edensong since the Fruit Fallen days and it remains one of my favorites, and one that flowed really easily for me. Conceptually, the song depicts a lifetime in the span of a single day; All our desires, aspirations, and struggles distilled into a solitary rotation of the earth on its axis.

“True to the concept, we filmed the video in the span of a single day, up in rural Vermont, where I felt the epic landscape could really complement the feel of the music. Once again, we teamed up with our good friend filmmaker Nick Fiore, and worked with an incredible local dancer Hanna Satterlee. Since just getting the guys in the band together for rehearsal can often be a challenge, I was quite nervous about our ability to pull all this off in a day (especially considering it was an outdoor shoot in Vermont in the middle of November) but things couldn't have come together more perfectly! Thanks, global warming! Both the song and the video shoot flowed pretty effortlessly, a rarity in my experience!"

Edensong's next confirmed performance will be on May 7th, when the band plays at RoSfest 2017 in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania with Neal Morse, Anglagard, and many more. May 20th sees Edensong billed as one of the main headliners at Terra Incognita Festival in Quebec with Glasshammer, Universe Effects, and more. The band then converges with Imminent Sonic Destruction for their run of tour dates through Toronto, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Erie, and New York City May 22nd through 28th.

Tour dates:

May
7 - RoSfest - Gettysburg, PA (with Neal Morse, Anglagard, more)
20 - Terra Incognita Festival - Quebec City, QC (with Glasshammer, Universe Effects, more)
22 - Sneaky Dee's - Toronto, ON (with Imminent Sonic Destruction)
24 - The Firebird - St. Louis, MO (with Imminent Sonic Destruction)
25 - Martyrs - Chicago, IL (with Imminent Sonic Destruction)
26 - The Loving Touch - Detroit, MI (with Imminent Sonic Destruction)
27 - Sherlock's - Erie, PA (with Imminent Sonic Destruction)
28 - DROM - New York, NY (with Imminent Sonic Destruction)

Royal Hunt are celebrating their 25th anniversary with the release of a brand new live 2CD/DVD, Blu-Ray, and Digital set, entitled 2016, on May 12th. An official live video for “Wasted Time” can be seen below.

Following a tradition established after two successful anniversary long form video releases - 1996 and 2006 - it is time for a third one: 2016. Recorded with 9 HD cameras and top-notch audio equipment in Moscow's Izvestiya Hall during last year's world tour, the video shows “all-fab-things-Royal”: a high energy show in front of a large and enthusiastic crowd, an excellent set list, the band in top form, and a stunning stage production. Add a stellar audio recording and this package, celebrating Royal Hunt's 25th anniversary, is any hard rock fan's delight.

In keyboardist André Andersen’s own words: “25 years later Royal Hunt's still going strong… who could have imagined that? Not me, that's for sure… a quarter of a century?! Absolutely unreal. 13 studio albums, lots of special EPs and compilations, 5 live albums, literally countless shows/tours, and now the 4th DVD release. Lots of ups and downs along the way, yet we're still around, still able to do what we love doing the most - making music. I always felt that if you do it from your heart, if you stay true to yourself and work hard you'll be granted this sort of staying power…and yes, we're all extremely grateful to our fans for giving us an opportunity to create, to improve and to continue our musical journey. So, once again, push that “play” button, enjoy this video and rest assured, the best is yet to come!”

2016 tracklisting:

CD1:

Medley: “So Right So Wrong” / “Martial Arts”
“River Of Pain”
“One Minute Left To Live”
“Army Of Slaves”
“Lies”
“Wasted Time”
“Heart On A Platter”
“Flight”

CD2:

“May You Never (Walk Alone)”
“Until The Day”
“Half Past Loneliness”
“Message To God”
“Stranded”
Medley: “A Life To Die For” / “Epilogue”

DVD / Blu-Ray:

Medley: “So Right So Wrong” / “Martial Arts”
“River Of Pain”
“One Minute Left To Live”
“Army Of Slaves”
“Lies”
“Wasted Time”
“Heart On A Platter”
“Flight”
“May You Never (Walk Alone)”
“Until The Day”
“Half Past Loneliness”
“Message To God”
“Stranded”
Medley: “A Life To Die For” / “Epilogue”

“Wasted Time” video:

Trailer:

Lineup:

André Andersen - keyboards
DC Cooper - vocals
Andreas Passmark - bass
Jonas Larsen - guitar
Andreas Johansson - drums

Melbourne, Australia-based rockers, Mammoth Mammoth, have released a video for “Sleepwalker”, featured on the upcoming Mount The Mountain album. Find the video below.

Over the course of their career, Mammoth Mammoth have already left a stamp on the music scene and have proved to be one of Australia’s hottest and heaviest rock exports. Now the 4-piece band, well-known for their unique and energetic live shows which are fronted by the charismatic vocalist Mikey Tucker, unveil first details about the bands upcoming fourth studio album, titled Mount The Mountain, set to be released April 28th via Napalm Records.

Eleven power tracks that threaten to blow your mind, Mammoth Mammoth yet again deliver stompers that will lead us blindfolded into a hellish inferno of psyched-out riffs and debauched, fist-pumping anthems.

“We consider the writing of our albums not unlike working on a top fuelling drag car. We tinker around a bit, we strip the engine down to rebuild it by adding a couple new parts whilst taking some out, always trying to make it run faster and sounding louder, this time though we've added a bigger exhaust system and a shitload of nitrous… and a cup holder,” comments frontman Mikey Tucker on the upcoming release.

Mount The Mountain tracklisting:

“Mount The Mountain”
“Spellbound”
“Hole In The Head”
“Kickin’ My Dog”
“Procrastination”
“Sleepwalker”
“Epitome”
“Hard Way Down”
“Wild And Dead”
“Cold Liquor”
“I Cant Get You Out Of My Head” (Bonus Track)

“Sleepwalker” video:

“Spellbound” lyric video:

Mount The Mountain will be available as a CD Digipack, Digital Download and LP Gatefold.

Paul O'Neill, creator of the multi-platinum rock theater experience TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, has passed away from chronic illness. He was 61 years old.

The news of O'Neill's death was broken on the TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA Facebook page. The statement added: "[Paul] was our friend and our leader — a truly creative spirit and an altruistic soul. This is a profound and indescribable loss for us all."

TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA formed in 1996 out of the ashes of the Florida power metal band SAVATAGE and started touring three years later, connecting with fans by releasing a series of rock operas, such as 1996's "Christmas Eve And Other Stories", 1998's "The Christmas Attic" and 2004's "The Lost Christmas Eve". Over the past 20 years, it has become a critically acclaimed, multi-platinum, musical powerhouse. The progressive rock group's record-setting "rock theater" tours sell out venues year after year and they have cemented their status as a must attend, multi-generational, holiday tradition.

2016 was another record-breaking year for TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA (TSO). Proving that it is more popular on the road than ever before, TSO's winter tour 2016 sold the most tickets per show in the group's history, with a total in excess of 927,000. The tour also set a record gross for TSO with a total of more than $56.9 million.

20 years since the band's first album, and since its historic touring debut, TSO has played in excess of 1,800 shows for more than 14 million fans, with tour grosses of over $625 million, and sold in excess of 12 million albums and DVDs. In 2009, Billboard magazine placed TSO at #25 on its "Top Touring Artists Of The Decade."

Barbara Caserta of Italy's Linea Rock recently conducted an interview with DEEP PURPLE bassist Roger Glover. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked if there is anything that he has envied about the other two bands that are considered to be part of the "holy trinity" of British heavy rock — BLACK SABBATH and LED ZEPPELIN — Glover said: "Not really. I didn't actually know much about BLACK SABBATH. I thought 'Paranoid' was a great single; I loved that. But the depths of the albums I never really got into. ZEPPELIN I heard before I joined PURPLE — just within a couple of weeks. And I loved it — that first ZEPPELIN album blew me away and changed my thinking about music, actually."

He continued: "The word 'heavy' was being used a lot in the mid-to-late '60s — heavy music. I mean, [Jimi] Hendrix and CREAM were, sort of, paving the way, if you like. I thought 'heavy'… The band I was in before PURPLE, we thought 'heavy' was just having more equipment and playing louder. It's not that. [Laughs] It's [not] the same old stuff but louder. But I'd suddeny realized, when I listened to ZEPPELIN, especially 'Dazed And Confused' and 'How Many More Times', 'heavy' didn't mean loud and big; it was an attitude. That was the key. And right on the heels of that came meeting DEEP PURPLE. So it was a meeting of disparate things that all of a sudden I actually got the knowledge of where I'm going a little bit as opposed to just shooting in the dark."

DEEP PURPLE's new studio album, "InFinite", will be released on April 7 via earMUSIC. The disc was tracked in February 2016 at a studio in Nashville, Tennessee and was once again helmed by Bob Ezrin, who has previously worked with KISS, PINK FLOYD, PETER GABRIEL, ALICE COOPER and KANSAS, among others.

"InFinite" will be the first album for Glover and singer Ian Gillan in their 70s. Gillan, the oldest member of the band, turned 71 last August. Glover became 71 in November. Paice is still several years younger at 68.

The band is rounded out by keyboardist Don Airey and guitarist Steve Morse. Airey joined in 2002, replacing Jon Lord. Morse joined in 1994 as the replacement for Ritchie Blackmore.

Jay Weinberg is "itching" to start work on new SLIPKNOT material, more than three years after he joined the band following the dismissal of previous drummer and founding member Joey Jordison.

Weinberg played on SLIPKNOT's last album, ".5: The Gray Chapter" and the subsequent two-year world tour.

SLIPKNOT is on hiatus now although several members of the group are beginning to write material for their next record.

During an appearance on the "Best Friends With Sam Pura" podcast, Jay — who is the son of Max Weinberg, drummer for Bruce Springsteen's E STREET BAND and one-time bandleader for Conan O'Brien — stated about his approach to the SLIPKNOT gig: "I'd be nowhere without a little bit of being in the right place at the right time, and a lot of that is sort of luck, I suppose. But luck doesn't mean anything unless you're gonna be able to… You can walk somebody to the door, but it's up to that person to kick the door in. That's everything. And that only comes with just tenaciously going at it every day. And every day, that's still kind of I got at things with. Especially, I feel like now, with the work we've done with SLIPKNOT over the last couple of years, I feel that even more so. We've done one record together, we've done a lot of touring together in support of that record, and now that we're going away and possibly turning our attention to making some new music, it's, like, now that ethos is more important than ever — to really dig even deeper than we did before and just continuing that process. I'm just, like, 'Fuck it! Let's just see what we come up with and how far can we can go.'"

SLIPKNOT's touring cycle in support of ".5: The Gray Chapter" ended in November, with singer Corey Taylor returning to his other band STONE SOUR this year.

According to Weinberg, the other members of SLIPKNOT won't be sitting idle for very long and there are already tentative plans for them to get together and begin work on new music in the coming months.

"I think it'd be logical process to start the process, kind of like how we did three years ago," he said. "I'm not sure, but I'm itching to get back to that. And I think a bunch of guys are really motivated and inspired to keep the momentum that we built over the last couple of years.

"As we've had a little mini studio on the road, we've kind of documented some song ideas, so there's already some things that are kind of brewing that are really interesting," he revealed. "But, yeah, I think we'll just see once we get into a room together and just start to throw stuff at the wall."

".5: The Gray Chapter" was released following a six-year hiatus during which founding SLIPKNOT bassist Paul Gray died and Jordison was dismissed.

One of last gigs of "The Gray Chapter" touring cycle saw SLIPKNOT performing its 2001 second LP, "Iowa", live in its entirety for the first time during the band's set at their annual Knotfest.

"Ever since I've been close to the band and we've been working together, everything has been very focused on just being the best band that SLIPKNOT can be and really focusing on the show and the music and doing some interesting stuff, like pushing ourselves and playing different material each night or something, or doing something where we play a whole album start to finish; that was a challenge, and we did it," Weinberg said. "Yeah, I think just keeping it fresh, keeping it exciting, and hopefully that'll translate into newer material hopefully soon."

".5: The Gray Chapter" sold around 132,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 1 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores in October 2014 via Roadrunner.

Gray died in 2010 from a drug overdose, while Jordison was let go in December 2013, just before SLIPKNOT began recording the last album.

Veteran thrashers SEPULTURA are putting together a special tour of Europe featuring bands with Latin connections.

Although the initial plan was to stage the trek in late 2017, it now appears that the tour will take place several months later.

"Actually, I think we're gonna postpone this idea for the beginning of next year," SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser tells WSOU in a new interview (hear audio below). "We're talking to have a better fresh start.

"We just came from Europe with KREATOR. It was an amazing tour; most of the shows were sold out, and it was such a nice package, with SOILWORK, and it was really intense and beautiful. And now we're going [on tour], of course, with TESTAMENT and PRONG in the States and Canada, and then we go back to Europe for the summer festivals. We have a few festivals for a month. We're gonna do a run in Europe and a few club shows."

He continued: "I don't know if I can talk too much about [our plans for this special tour], because we're just starting to put together some ideas, but we finally wanted to do something more Brazilian and Latin, trying to bring Brazilian bands to tour in Europe. But let's see what happens. I think the possibilities are great. We have great possibilities for a really nice package — not only in Brazil, but then from Argentina and even the States that have Latin connections and heritage. That would be cool — something that we never really were able to put together. And it's kind of like an old dream. As a matter of fact, many bands really demand some kind of stuff like that. Some bands really felt that we could make a little more effort to bring them out, to take them out to Europe and the States and stuff. And I think now finally we get in this position and the situation that we are organized enough to do something like that and the momentum, I think, it's great. So I think early 2018, we're gonna start doing something like that in Europe and hopefully we can take that everywhere. It would be great."

SEPULTURA's latest album, "Machine Messiah", was released on January 13 via Nuclear Blast. The disc was produced by the band and Jens Bogren (SOILWORK, OPETH, KATATONIA, AMON AMARTH) of Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden. The CD's cover artwork was created by Filipino artist Camille Della Rosa.

Geezer Butler has revealed that BLACK SABBATH has contemplated making a blues album as a follow-up to 2013's acclaimed comeback effort, "13".

The original lineup of SABBATH came together in 1969 with Butler, Ozzy Osbourne on vocals, Tony Iommi on guitar and Bill Ward on drums. That lineup recorded and toured through 1978, and periodically reformed through the '90s and 2000s for live work.

They regrouped again in late 2011 for a new album and tour, although Ward dropped out after a few months over financial issues. SABBATH has used Ozzy's regular touring drummer Tommy Clufetos since then for live work. RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's Brad Wilk laid down the drum tracks on the album "13", which came out in June 2013.

Asked in a new interview with Music Radar if SABBATH has ever considered returning to its roots for a blues project, Butler said: "The follow-up to '13' was going to be a blues album, but the tour got in the way. It would take something like two or three years to do it properly, and we thought we might not all be here by that time, so it would be better to do this final tour first and then maybe we'll do a blues record later."

When the interviewer pointed out to Butler that it wouldn't take as long for SABBATH to make a blues album if it was done "jam style," Geezer said: "Probably not. You'd have to make it varied instead of doing ten tracks of the same old twelve-bar blues though. But even back in the 'Heaven And Hell' tour days, Tony would go up into his lead and we would just jam around blues riffs for eight or nine minutes. And every night was different. So that is a thought."

Iommi recently said that he wouldn't rule out BLACK SABBATH recording new material or playing a one-off event.

BLACK SABBATH finished its year-long "The End" farewell tour on February 4 in the band's hometown of Birmingham, England, closing out the quartet's groundbreaking 49-year career with an emotional 15-song set.

The band decided to make this tour its last because Iommi, who was diagnosed with cancer in late 2011 and is currently in remission, can no longer travel for extended amounts of time.

Asked if SABBATH's recording days are truly over, Tony said: "No, I don't think we've ruled anything out apart from me not wanting to tour any more on that scale, but who knows, we may do something. We haven't spoken about it. That's another thing — we haven't talked about anything, really, that's to do with what's going to happen afterwards. But I'm sure something can happen somewhere."

Iommi and Butler haven't announced any specific post-SABBATH plans yet, but Osbourne is reportedly at work on a new album, and already has a pair of solo shows scheduled for this summer.

Germany's Metal-Heads.de recently conducted a special interview with Brian "Head" Welch where the KORN guitarist was asked to comment on various albums and songs from the band's vast catalog. You can now watch the chat below.

While speaking about KORN's 1996 album "Life Is Peachy", which contains the song "Chi" — named after former DEFTONES bassist Chi Cheng — Welch was asked if KORN was still "close" with the members of DEFTONES. He replied: "No. When we see 'em, it's, like, 'Hey, bro, what's going on?' But we're not close with 'em. They just like to do their own thing. We would like to tour with 'em again one day, but I don't think they want to, so… But it's all good. When we see 'em, we just don't talk about touring. We're just, 'Hey, bro. How's the family?' Stuff like that."

Back in 2009, KORN bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu and other musicians recorded an instrumental track called "A Song for Chi", with all proceeds going to Cheng, who was left in a coma following a 2008 car accident. Cheng died in 2013, having never been able to make a full recovery.

DEFTONES singer Chino Moreno told SPIN magazine last year that he felt his band was unfairly lumped in with all the other so-called "nu-metal" acts shortly after the release of the group's 1995 debut, "Adrenaline". "Obviously, our first record comes out — KORN had put out a record maybe a year before — and right away, we were being compared to that," Moreno said. "And then obviously this nu-metal moniker started to come to fruition here, but it was kind of putting us in the same [category]. Even as early as 'Around The Fur' [1997], I felt like we were taking a left turn from just being what people expected us to be. I kind of knew that we were taking things somewhere else and somewhere that opened our creativity up so we wouldn't be so easily pigeonholed in with everything else that was going on."

THE PRETTY RECKLESS singer Taylor Momsen was recently interviewed by the Albany, New York radio station Q103. You can now listen to the chat below.

Asked if she thinks it is time for another rock revival, Taylor said: "I do, and I think that it's coming. I think that it's starting and it's on its way there. I always say that music is kind of cyclical. I think right now we're kind of living in the '50s where it's very single-orientated. And then the '60s came in, the '60 and '70s, it was a renaissance of music, and in the '80s, it kind of went back to the pop-single genre where rock bands were bending towards the pop vein. And then the '90s came in with a giant 'F You', and that was kind of the last — in my opinion — the last big resurgence of rock and roll. So I think it's time. And hopefully we can be a part of that."

When pressed about which bands she thinks will also be part of this new rock revival, Taylor said: "SOUNDGARDEN. [They're not new], but they are making new music. Their last record, 'King Animal', was fantastic, and I hear that they've been back in the studio working on a new record. So I'm looking forward to hearing that. As far as new music, I kind of tend to listen to stranger things. Like there's a band called DIE ANTWOORD that I really love. They're more of a rap thing. But that's the cool thing about rock and roll — there's no limitations to it. It's the ultimate freedom. It includes rap, it includes the blues, obviously, jazz, country, hip-hop… all genres. That's why I love rock and roll so much — it's the ultimate freedom. And as a writer and as an artist, you have no limitations, and that's an amazing feeling to have — to know that you can go in so many places and not be limited."

THE PRETTY RECKLESS's third album, "Who You Selling For", came out last October. The disc was produced by the band's longtime collaborator Kato Khandwala.

THE PRETTY RECKLESS will continue to tour throughout the year in support of the album, hitting major markets and festival shows, including Rock On The Range, Carolina Rebellion and Rocklahoma in the U.S. as well as playing European and South American dates.

METALLICA's latest album, "Hardwired… To Self-Destruct", has jumped from No. 19 to No. 5 on The Billboard 200 chart this week, with 50,000 units (up 110 percent) and 48,000 in traditional album sales (up 120 percent). The gain is owed mostly to a concert ticket/album bundle sale redemption promotion with the band's stadium tour that went on sale on February 17. Redemptions of albums included with the purchase of a concert ticket register as a sale in the week the customer redeems/receives the album.

The Billboard 200 chart ranks the week's most popular albums based on their overall consumption. That overall unit figure combines pure album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

"Hardwired… To Self-Destruct" debuted as expected at No. 1 on The Billboard 200 album chart last November, selling 291,000 copies in its first week of release. Both of the band's previous outings, 2008's "Death Magnetic" and 2003's "St. Anger", sold more copies in shortened sales weeks. "Death Magnetic" moved 490,000 copies in a three-day window, while "St. Anger" shifted 418,000 copies in a similar frame.

"Hardwired... To Self-Destruct" consists of two discs, containing a dozen songs and nearly 80 minutes of music.

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

To commemorate the 30th anniversary of ANTHRAX's "State Of Euphoria" album, the band is planning to release an expanded reissue of the LP in 2018, featuring a bonus disc of demos and rehearsal recordings that were made during the pre-production stage of the "State Of Euphoria" studio process. Drummer Charlie Benante tells HardrockHaven.net in a new interview (see video below): "Yeah, it's gonna be a great package. I'm actually almost done putting it together. The only thing I don't have is good live stuff to go on it, but what can I do? But the bonus disc is gonna have… it has demos, actually, just guitar riffs that go into a rehearsal that go into basic tracks that go into the real songs. So it's the evolution of most of the songs."

He continued: "It's just funny, because that's the record that we really don't like that much, but after revisiting it, I started to pick out songs, and I'm, like, 'Oh, yeah, this is a good song.' 'Out Of Sight, Out Of Mind', I like that one. 'Schism' was another one. I think my least favorite one was probably 'Make Me Laugh'. But 'Now It's Dark' is on there. It's good."

In his 2014 autobiography, "I'm The Man: The Story Of That Guy From Anthrax", ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian was extremely critical of "State Of Euphoria", calling it "ANTHRAX slumming on autopilot." He explained: "The only songs we still play from that record are 'Be All, End All' and 'Antisocial', and that's not even our song. It's by the French band TRUST. 'Now It's Dark' was a cool song and I loved the lyrics about Frank Booth, the character Dennis Hopper played in David Lynch's brilliant movie 'Blue Velvet'. 'Finale' was good, too, and featured some of Charlie's fastest double-bass playing ever, but four songs don't make a great album. There was no consistency in the writing because the rest of the record was rushed. To me, 'State Of Euphoria' simply didn't hold up compared to the previous three ANTHRAX records."

He continued: "It really fucked with my equilibrium. I can't even listen to it, and when I think back about some of those songs, I feel sick. It felt like the first time we made a mistake as a band. Instead of following our creative instincts, we let the music business dictate what we were doing. I was sure it was only a matter of time until people started realizing how shitty 'State Of Euphoria' was.

"I actually got paranoid and neurotic and started to think we were becoming a joke because I had lost confidence in myself. I had always felt like I was in charge of making the right decisions for ANTHRAX, and I began to question my judgment in a big way. We were on a tour cycle for an album I hated, and we had to play soings from the album every night. That made me angry."

Ian added: "I think I was so thrown and self-conscious because we totally could have put our feet down and told the label we needed more time to finish the record. We even could have dropped off the IRON MAIDEN tour if we had to. We had said no to offers and demands many times before. We got greedy. That's all there was to it. The brass ring was hanging in front of us — a stadium tour with IRON MAIDEN — and we grabbed it."

ANTHRAX and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE kicked off "The Killthrax Tour" on March 29 at the Wellmont Theater in Montclair, New Jersey.

With ANTHRAX and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE rotating the closing slot over the course of the dates, the tour will criss-cross the continent, wrapping up in Boston on May 7. THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA is providing direct support on all dates.

DISTURBED' forthcoming acoustic record will include brand new material as well as reworked versions of songs from the band's catalog.

Singer David Draiman revealed in February that DISTURBED is planning to return to the studio later this year to record an acoustic EP before beginning work on the follow-up to 2015's "Immortalized" album.

Prior to the arrival of "Immortalized", DISTURBED had been on hiatus since the fall of 2011, after completing the touring cycle for its previous studio effort, "Asylum", and issuing a rarities collection called "The Lost Children".

During a press conference before DISTURBED's March 16 concert in Moscow, Russia, Draiman was asked if the band's forthcoming EP will include any freshly written compositions. He responded (see video below): "Well, we're still working on it. We haven't really set a timeframe in stone. We'd like to kind of have as much time as we need to get it to the point that we're as confident in it as we can possibly be, that we see the songs through to their fruition. And the answer to your question, yes, there will be new original material — original acoustic pieces — as well as acoustic versions of existing songs within the catalog."

The idea of DISTURBED doing an acoustic EP is not a foreign concept for the band. Draiman spoke a while back, saying DISTURBED has always wanted to put melody in its music. "There's a huge contingency of kids that want stuff that they can just bash their head open to, you know, and that's great," he said. "We provide that as well. But to us, when we make our music, it has to be fused with melody. The aggression and the power needs to be harnessed with hooks that stay with you."

An acoustic EP now could also capitalize on the success DISTURBED has had with its cover of SIMON & GARFUNKEL's "The Sound Of Silence", which has been a massive hit that has introduced the band to new audiences.

"Immortalized" became DISTURBED's fifth album to enter The Billboard 200 chart at No. 1 — a feat shared only with METALLICA and DAVE MATTHEWS BAND.

Professionally filmed video footage of METALLICA's April 1 concert at Lollapalooza Chile in Santiago can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Hardwired02. Atlas, Rise!03. For Whom The Bell Tolls04. Fuel05. One06. Now That We're Dead07. Moth Into Flame08. Harvester Of Sorrow09. Halo On Fire10. Motorbreath11. Sad But True12. Wherever I May Roam13. Master Of Puppets14. Fade To Black15. Seek & Destroy

Encore:

16. Fight Fire With Fire17. Nothing Else Matters18. Enter Sandman

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich said in a new interview with Chilean outlet Sonar FM that his relationship with frontman James Hetfield is "the best it's been" in their 36-year partnership. Ulrich explained: "I think it's the best it's been now. I think we know where each of us are, we know much more about who each other is, and we know how far we can push each other, and I think there's much more of a partnership going on than there used to be. Now we're not fighting to win an argument. We rarely argue over anything, and we try to see each other's point of view much more. It's called growing up."

The drummer added, "So it's in a very good place — much more mature than it's been forever, basically."

METALLICA nearly broke up in 2001 when bassist Jason Newsted left and Hetfield went into an extended rehab program amidst band infighting. The period was chronicled in the 2004 documentary "Some Kind Of Monster".

Ulrich was also asked by Sonar FM about METALLICA now self-funding its own record label, albums and other ventures. Ulrich replied, "Being autonomous and independent is a great position to be in because you never feel like you owe anybody anything."

The North American leg of METALLICA's "WorldWired" 2017 tour kicks off in Baltimore and will hit stadiums in 25 cities before winding down in mid-August. Support on the quartet's first North American trek since 2009 will come 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.

"The Great Tribulation", a brand new song from Chicago deathcore titans OCEANO, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's upcoming full-length album, "Revelation", which will be released on May 19 via Sumerian Records.

"Revelation" track listing:

01. Dark Prophecy02. Lucid Reality03. Path To Extiction04. The Great Tribulation05. Illusions Unravel06. Majestic 1207. Final Form08. The Event09. Human Harvest10. Revelation

Part of the first wave of American deathcore, OCEANO burst forth onto the scene with the release of 2009's "Depths", a pure and pummeling deathcore debut from the quintet. OCEANO established themselves as a force to be reckoned with in the heavy metal scene by way of constant touring and the release of three more bone shattering full-length albums via their former label Earache Records. OCEANO fans can expect a devastating display of heaviness blended with vast atmospherics for the group’s upcoming, currently untitled record that sees the band continuing to take strides forward with their writing and involved lyrical message.

OCEANO will hit the road this spring to headline "The Revelation" tour that kicks off on April 5 in Valparaiso, Indiana and wraps up on May 20 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Joining OCEANO on "The Revelation" tour are SLAUGHTER TO PREVAIL, AVERSIONS CROWN, SPITE and NO ZODIAC.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz has demoed more than a dozen tracks for the long-awaited new release from TIMES OF GRACE, his collaboration with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Jesse Leach. Speaking to Australia's Maniacs TV, Adam said: "We're in the middle of getting some ideas together. I've demoed thirteen songs, [and we've] done vocals for two. So I think [Jesse's] gotta write a bit more, and we need some time to sit down and actually go over some stuff and I think we'll have a record."

Leach, who said he had "a lot of sad lyrics" prepared for the next TIMES OF GRACE album, added that "we need to not tour for a little while so we can gather our creative energies" and complete work on the band's sophomore disc.

Jesse previously described the new TIMES OF GRACE material as "quite different than the first record."

TIMES OF GRACE's debut album, "The Hymn Of A Broken Man", was released in January 2011 via Roadrunner Records. The CD sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 44 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Leach told Lithium Magazine last summer that "the cool thing about TIMES OF GRACE is that it's another outlet for us, and moving forward with that project, it's gonna be even more different from KILLSWITCH. There's gonna be no quote-unquote metalcore sound going on. As a matter of fact, I'm planning on not doing much aggressive vocals at all."

Dutkiewicz and Leach originally worked together on KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's benchmark album, 2002's "Alive Or Just Breathing". That record has become definitive for an entire generation of American metal, with Leach's voice and uplifting lyrics serving as one of the key elements that propelled the album to "modern classic" status. Leach left KILLSWITCH ENGAGE shortly after "Alive Or Just Breathing"'s release but rejoined the group in early 2012 following the departure of his replacement, Howard Jones.

GOJIRA concluded the French leg of its "Magma" tour at the sold-out L'Olympia in Paris on April 1 and April 2. Fan-filmed video footage of the first concert can be seen below.

GOJIRA's latest album, "Magma" was released last June via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to 2012's "L'Enfant Sauvage" was recorded at frontman Joseph Duplantier's Silver Cord Studio in Queens, New York.

Asked if GOJIRA is happy with the fan response "Magma" so far, drummer Mario Duplantier told Distorted Sound: "Yeah, we are all really happy with it. The most important thing is that we are all happy with the album. We have no frustration, no regrets. We just feel that we needed to make this album. Maybe the next one will be different. We don't know yet, but this moment in our life was really special and this album is a perfect representation of that, and we love it. The reaction was amazing."

Mario also talked about Joseph's decision to incorporate more clean vocals into GOJIRA's songwriting, saying: "On one hand, we want to go deeper with this atmosphere, and Joe really needed to experiment with new things. He's 40 years old and he won't want to scream forever, and he is talented as an artist, so he needed to express this in his vocals. But with the next album, we have no idea — probably we will use clean vocals again, but it's too soon to tell."

THE FERRYMEN, the new project featuring guitarist Magnus Karlsson (MAGNUS KARLSSON'S FREE FALL, PRIMAL FEAR), vocalist Ronnie Romero (LORDS OF BLACK, RAINBOW) and drummer Mike Terrana (TARJA, RAGE, AXEL RUDI PELL, VISION DIVINE) will release its self-titled debut album on June 2 via Frontiers Music Srl.

The songs for "The Ferrymen" were written by Karlsson in Sweden during the summer of 2016. Once Romero was sent the music via their main bands' shared label home Frontiers, he immediately wanted to be part of the project. Terrana was the last piece of the puzzle and he recorded his drums in Italy, where he currently resides. The resulting album is a shot of adrenaline for all lovers of melodic metal! Musically, you can expect maximum melodic metal fusing the songwriting and epic structures of the great ALLEN/LANDE records (for which Magnus Karlsson was the main architect of the first three widely praised releases) with the Ronnie James Dio-esque vocal approach of Romero. (Let's not forget that Romero was hand-picked by DEEP PURPLE (1968-1976) and RAINBOW's legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore to be the lead vocalist for RAINBOW's recent reunion shows, so the Dio comparison is more than accurate!) Says Magnus: "When I wrote this record, having Ronnie singing, I had no limits in mind with the lyrics. Ronnie could sing everything and I am also very proud of the songs." Adds Romero: "I am used to working with LORDS OF BLACK in a certain straight style, but this record was very different and it was very exciting for me." "Overall, I think it is one of the coolest and grooviest records I've ever done," concludes Terrana, a drummer with more than a hundred records under his belt! With stunning artwork courtesy of Stan W. Decker and an outstanding mix courtesy of Simone Mularoni (of Italian prog metal masters DGM), "The Ferrymen" is an album which will take the metal world by storm in 2017. "The Ferrymen" track listing: 01. End Of The Road02. Ferryman03. Fool You All04. Still Standing Up05. Cry Wolf06. One Heart07. Darkest Hour08. How The Story Ends09. Enter Your Dream10. Eyes On The Sky11. Eternal Night12. Welcome To My Show

On June 9, Eagle Rock Entertainment will release the "Live In Birmingham 2016" 2CD by RITCHIE BLACKMORE'S RAINBOW. This is the first release for the audio of the 2016 British show which features performances of "Soldier Of Fortune" and "Burn" that weren't in the German shows. The amazing setlist also includes "Catch The Rainbow", "Mistreated", "Since You Been Gone", "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll", "Black Night", "Spotlight Kid", "Smoke On The Water", "Stargazer", "Perfect Strangers" and more! In June 2016, legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore made his much-anticipated return to rock music as RITCHIE BLACKMORE'S RAINBOW played three concerts in Europe, two in Germany and one in England. The two German shows at Loreley and Bietigheim were caught on camera to produce the concert film "Memories In Rock", which was released by Eagle Vision and Eagle Records in November 2016. This new 2CD set captures the full audio from the British show at the Genting Arena at the NEC, Birmingham. "Live In Birmingham 2016" track listing:

Disc One

01. Over The Rainbow / Highway Star02. Spotlight Kid03. Mistreated04. Since You Been Gone05. Man On The Silver Mountain06. Soldier Of Fortune07. Medley: Difficult To Cure (Beethoven's Ninth) / Drum Solo / Bass Solo / Band Jam / Keyboard Solo (inc Toccata & Fugue in Dm) / Difficult To Cure (Beethoven's Ninth)08. Catch The Rainbow Disc Two

01. Perfect Strangers02. Long Live Rock 'N' Roll03. Child In Time04. Stargazer05. Medley: Black Night / Woman From Tokyo / Black Night06. Burn07. Smoke On The Water

The band lineup for this incredible show featured Ritchie Blackmore (guitar); Ronnie Romero (vocals); David Keith (drums); Bob Nouveau (bass); Jens Johansson (keyboards); Candice Night (backing vocals); Lady Lynn (backing vocals).

Blackmore spoke to the Dutch radio station Radio Veronica about what made him decide to play the recent RAINBOW comeback shows. He said: "Besides money, I heard the [new RAINBOW] singer, Ronnie [Romero, who is originally from Chile but now settled in Madrid, Spain], singing on YouTube. Candy [Ritchie's wife, Candice Night] had played it to me. She said, 'What to do you think of this guy?' And I don't go on the computer very much; I'm too old for that stuff. And Candy is often going on YouTube or whatever, and she said, 'He's singing some of your old songs, the RAINBOW songs.' And I heard them, and I went, 'Wow! This guy is really good. He's exciting.' And there had been some talk about reforming RAINBOW with David Coverdale and a few others — Glenn Hughes… Although they are friends of mine, I wasn't urgently involved in it. I was hesitating for probably a good part of a year before I kind of decided I wasn't gonna do it — until I heard this singer. As soon as I heard the singer, he had such a good voice, so much vitality, and that excited me. I thought, 'Wow! He's singing all the old songs, but he's doing it so well — old hard rock.' It was exciting to hear."

Asked if he enjoyed the three RAINBOW comeback shows so far, Ritchie said: "I enjoyed especially the last one in England. The first two were a little bit intense, because we hadn't played together… we hadn't done a lot of rehearsing, so the first two shows were a bit hectic and chaotic. But the last one in Birmingham was… obviously, we'd played two shows at that point, and that seemed to work, to me. And it was great to see all the old people… I mean, it was so weird how… I think it was twenty thousand people… It sold out in fifteen minutes. And I kind of wondered who they thought was playing, 'cause when I got to the auditorium, it was so vast that I thought, 'Maybe somebody else is playing this show tonight.'"

Regarding whether it was difficult for him to put together a setlist for the first three RAINBOW comeback shows, Ritchie said: "No. [It was] very easy, in a way. We had about fifteen songs that were very obvious songs to play, like 'Catch The Rainbow'. And we incorporated a few DEEP PURPLE songs — 'Black Night', 'Smoke [On The Water]', 'Highway Star' — of which some of the fans said, 'Why did you do those DEEP PURPLE songs?' And I would say, 'Why not?' And they said, 'Well, we thought it was just gonna be RAINBOW. We would prefer to hear [more] RAINBOW songs.' Which I thought was kind of ironic again. I'm thinking, 'Wow! We just threw three songs in by DEEP PURPLE when they wanted more [RAINBOW].' And I noticed when they clapped, they weren't clapping so hard for DEEP PURPLE [songs]. They said, 'We hear that every year,' 'cause [the current lineup of] PURPLE goes around [on tour]. So the next time, if we go out and we do anything, I would do probably ninety-five percent RAINBOW songs; that's what they seem to want to hear. And it didn't occur to me. I just naturally assumed they wanted to hear everything."

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 first two trailers for "Amber Galactic" are 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:

"Roadburn Live" is ENSLAVED's first official live album, a split release between Roadburn Records and By Norse Music. The album was recorded during one of band's headlining shows at the renowned Roadburn festival 2015, an edition curated by ENSLAVED's guitar player Ivar Bjørnson.

Walter Hoeijmakers, Roadburn's artistic director, comments on the release: "It's no secret that there's a strong friendship between Roadburn and ENSLAVED. One of the most hard-hitting and progressive bands to come out of Norway, ENSLAVED has played a significant part in the festival's history — both musically and antically. Not only has ENSLAVED been our artist in residence, bringing side-projects such as The Armageddon Concerto (the ENSLAVED/SHINING collaboration), Dream Of An Opium Eater, and Trinacria To Roadburn, Ivar Bjørnson has also been our 2015 co-curator, along with WARDRUNA's Einar Kvitrafn Selvik, resulting in SKUGGSJÁ's first-ever performance outside of Norway. ENSLAVED's 2015 performances were the pinnacle of this enduring and artistic friendship, and showcased the massive influence the band has had on both Roadburn and the (underground) metal scene for the past two decades. To have these shows captured on vinyl is a dream come true for me, and I truly hope it's the same for anyone who was in attendance, or those who want to indulge themselves in the Northern magic of ENSLAVED."

"Roadburn Live" will be available as limited and exclusive Record Store Day color editions and as Roadburn/ENSLAVED-webshop gold edition including the original A3 Roadburn poster and color stickers.

An unpacking video of the exclusive Record Store Day clear edition of "Roadburn Live" (Europe only) can be seen below.

To celebrate the release, what better way than to hold a playback session with the members of ENSLAVED at the Roadburn festival 2017. Becky Laverty of Roadburn festival comments: "ENSLAVED and Roadburn share a history that is entwined and their 2015 performance on the main stage was such a fantastic milestone for both parties, that it makes perfect sense for the show to be released as a live album. As the album will be released during Roadburn 2017, it seemed fitting to invite attendees and the band alike to join us for a playback session at the festival as part of our popular side program."

"Roadburn Live" also features a brilliant layout created by highly respected artist and Roadburn's regular graphic designer Costin Chioreanu. The album was mixed by Iver Sandøy at Solslottet Studio and mastered by Jens Bogren (KREATOR, OPETH, SEPULTURA) in Fascination Studios. It is also the last official release with Herbrand Larsen on keys and vocals.

After celebrating their twenty-five year anniversary in 2016 showcasing a majority of older material, "Roadburn Live" displays songs mainly from the "newer" and more progressive era of ENSLAVED's career, with songs from "In Times", "Riitiir", "Isa", "Below The Lights" and "Monumension". Featuring guest appearances of Einar Selvik (WARDRUNA), Aðalbjörn Tryggvason (SÓLSTAFIR), Per Wiberg (OPETH, CANDLEMASS), and Menno Gootjes (FOCUS) on "Immigrant Song", the first cover song by ENSLAVED to appear on any record ever.

Grutle Kjellson comments on the album: "I'm generally not a huge fan of live albums. I like to be present at a show, to grasp the energy of the band, and to witness the sometimes magical symbiosis that occurs between the band and the audience. I am, however, a huge fan of the Roadburn festival! I consider this to be my all-time favorite, both as a musician and as a guest. Therefore, if ever ENSLAVED were to release a live album, it had to be from a Roadburn show! I hope you will enjoy listening to this piece of wax as much as we did recording it!"

"Roadburn Live" track listing:

01. Building With Fire02. Death In The Eyes Of Dawn 03. In Times 04. Daylight 05. Convoys To Nothingness 06. As Fire Swept Clean The Earth 07. Isa 08. Immigrant Song * * "Roadburn Live" exclusive song originally by LED ZEPPELIN

"Roadburn Live" lineup:

Ivar Bjørnson - guitars, keysGrutle Kjellson - vocals, bassArve Isdal - guitarsCato Bekkevold - drumsHerbrand Larsen - keyboard, keys

Legendary Canadian rockers Headstones are gearing up for the release of their new album Little Army, which will be issued this spring through Cadence Music. A preview is available below.

 

Headstones are posting an ongoing series of clips to promote the album dubbed Navigating The Music Industry. Enjoy...

 

 

 

Headstones are bringing everyone into the fold and giving them an exclusive behind the scenes look at the making of Little Army, produced by Hugh Dillon and Chris Osti. The band will be live streaming and posting through their social media accounts, from The Tragically Hip's Bathouse Studio in Kingston, Revolution Studio in Toronto, and Engine Room Audio in New York City.

"In true Canadian fashion, we trekked through a huge snow storm last year to meet the guys and hear the new songs. The enthusiasm in the room was incredible and the deal was cemented on the spot!" says Cadence Music Group President and CEO Iain Taylor.

Headstones frontman Hugh Dillon, also thrilled about this partnership says, "It's outstanding to see people in the music business who still give a shit about music, I haven't felt this way since Picture Of Health. It's exciting."

Check out some new behind-the-scenes footage below.

 

Headstones are one of Canada's most enduring and hardest rocking bands. Formed in 1987, the band's debut release Picture Of Health (1993) met with not just critical acclaim but was certified Platinum, selling in excess of 100,000 copies and spawning the singles "When Something Stands For Nothing", "Cemetery", "Tweeter And The Monkey Man" and "Three Angels". Kicking off a recording career that spans three decades, the band has since gone on to release seven studio albums and countless chart topping singles. Known for their intense and authentic performance style, Headstones remain true to their DIY aesthetic. At a time when style is often valued over substance, they craft hard hitting tunes with brutally honest lyrics and Little Army is no exception.

With Little Army, Headstones are again inclusive of their fans, sharing exclusive behind the scenes footage and real-time content. Using an old school approach while employing new school technology, Hugh and company recruit their army of fans to be a fly-on-the-wall of the recording and launch of Little Army.

Visit Headstones on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube for more.

Junkyard’s new album, High Water, will be released April 21st via Acetate Records. Eleven songs mark a triumphant return for Junkyard on their first official album in 26 years. To whet your appetite, the boys in the band have shared the song "Wallet", enjoy it now via the Soundcloud audio player below.

Vocalist and lyricist David Roach confesses all in "Wallet". "That song was inspired by a night I spent with a stranger on the eve of a tour," says the singer. "I met her at [Hollywood bar] Boardners and we went to her place. The next day I snuck off like a rat to go home and pack for the tour. After I left I realized I left my wallet and had to do the walk of shame to retrieve it. Similar incidents have occurred - before and since to me - and I'm sure, countless others."

While odds and sods have been released over the decades, High Water is a firm statement of the band's 2017, and onward, intent. As singer and founding member David Roach explains, in recent years, Junkyard had a blast playing "reunion" shows, which quickly turned into mini-tours through Spain and packed gigs across America. New songs began percolating, and Junkyard began writing.

"I had no grand illusions of a magnum opus, or that we'd try and recreate what we were 25 years ago," Roach states. "This album is not a departure; it's a rock 'n' roll record from Junkyard with songs about life, love, regret, addiction and memories."

Junkyard, who hit MTV and radio hard with their self-titled 1989 Geffen Records debut and singles "Hollywood" and "Simple Man”, cement the authenticity their first two records on High Water, such blunt songs as the soul-searching of "Cut From The Same Cloth," to "We Fuck Like We Fight" (politely abbreviated as "WFLWF" for the politically correct) going down as easy as an aged Kentucky bourbon.

The band members are straight ahead guys, but High Water has a few shades of meaning. Guitarist Tim Mosher explains: "It could be interpreted more than one way - like a "high water mark" or the old phrase come "hell or high water," or with the image of the bottle on our CD cover, the actual "high water," aka booze!" High Water also boasts writing and lead guitar credits from Brian Baker, a Junkyard founding member who played with the band more than 25 years, but now plays his trade full time with Bad Religion. On the road, Junkyard are joined by Jimmy James (The Hangmen), with founding member Pat Muzingo and bassist Todd Muscat, who joined the band in 1991, rounding out the lineup.

"The Junkyard sound is a pretty classic one: big guitars and drums with David spilling his guts on top," says Mosher, who produced the album. We wanted High Water to sound loose and live, so as far as production goes we weren't trying to re-invent the wheel, just deliver the songs in the best light we could, then mix in some big riffs and throaty vocals and that's 'Yard." Junkyard's classic sound got some help from a fan and friend on High Water: Charlie Starr from the band Blackberry Smoke wrote the dramatic, forthright statement "Till the Wheels Fall Off" specifically for Junkyard.

As for a theme running through High Water, Roach jokes "we're not that clever," but describes the album as "a rock 'n' roll record with a nod to punk rock and outlaw country rock." It's a sound that's both timeless and timely.

As always, Junkyard steer clear of politics: "I personally prefer to keep politics out of my rock. I understand it's a great platform, and maybe some feel it's your duty to use it to a purpose, but I just feel our music is just for escape."

The band-and it's legion of longtime fans-is excited that High Water brings back Junkyard as an ongoing concern. As one of the great guttersnipe L.A. bands of the late 80s - a storied crew that includes Guns N' Roses, Little Caesar, The Hangmen - Junkyard were proud to be part of "one of the last great rock n roll scenes" as they term it.

"I don't think we dated ourselves too badly in the beginning so a lot of our songs still have some relevance," said Roach. "Also, we were in hibernation a while, we weren't playing while a lot of our contemporaries were. It's not so much longevity as it was people who missed us 20 years ago finally have a chance to see us."

Mosher, who was a fan of the group before joining Junkyard in 2000, sees all angles of the Junkyard saga...

"Although it's been 17 years since I joined, I'm still 'the new guy,' so with High I wanted to give the fans something I would've wanted as a Junkyard fan--a proper 3rd album," said Mosher. "It was important to all of us that the record be a statement of intent that could connect with fans from back in the day as well as hopefully find new ones for whom this might be their first 'Yard record. It's a tall order, but we're up for it."

Tracklisting:

“Walk Away”
“Faded”
“Cut From The Same Cloth”
“Styrofoam Cup”
“Hellbound”
“W.F.L.W.F.”
“Don't Give A Damn”
“Hell Or High Water”
“Wallet”
“'Til The Wheels Fall Off”
“Kindness To The Dead”

Bonus tracks:

“The River”
“Rome Is Burning”
“Don't Give A Damn” (acoustic)
“Styrofoam Cup” (acoustic)
“Wallet” (live)

“Cut From The Same Cloth”:

Order the new album here. 2017 tour dates can be found at this location.

Junkyard lineup:

David Roach - Vocals
Tim Mosher - Guitar
Todd Muscat - Bass
Patrick Muzingo - Drums
Jimmy James - Guitar

Experimental death-noise band Full Of Hell have premiered another new track off of their forthcoming LP Trumpeting Ecstasy.  Today, you can stream the song “Crawling Back To God” which features guest vocals from Aaron Turner. Preorder the album at this location.

Full Of Hell have embarked on quite the journey leading up to the impending release of Trumpeting Ecstasy, an album which will see the band deliver their most punishing, virulent, and dynamic album to date.

With Trumpeting Ecstasy, Full Of Hell build upon their progression since Full Of Hell & Merzbow and the releases succeeding it (collaborative album with The Body and several EPs, one being the split 7" with Nails). This time the band decided to go into GodCity Studios with Kurt Ballou at the production helm to help achieve the intended vision of Trumpeting Ecstasy. The result being the best and strongest sounding Full Of Hell album, their most towering release to date.

Sky tearing and sonically cataclysmic, the aural deluge that is Trumpeting Ecstasy also features guest appearances by Aaron Turner (Sumac, Old Man Gloom, Mamiffer, Isis), Nate Newton (Converge, Old Man Gloom), Andrew Nolan (Column Of Heaven, The Endless Blockade), and Canadian singer/songwriter Nicole Dollanganger.

Artwork for Trumpeting Ecstasy was created by Mark McCoy.

Tracklisting:

“Deluminate”
“Branches Of Yew”
“Bound Sphinx”
“The Cosmic Vein”
“Digital Prison”
“Crawling Back To God”
“Fractured Quartz”
“Gnawed Flesh”
“Ashen Mesh”
“Trumpeting Ecstasy”
“At The Cauldron's Bottom”

"Crawling Back To God":

“Deluminate”:

Philadelphia's heavy psych quartet Ecstatic Vision has shared a full stream of their 2nd LP Raw Rock Fury before release this Friday via Relapse. Stream the album on Soundcloud.

 Additionally, Ecstatic Vision will perform two exclusive concerts with Eyehategod on April 15th and 16th. The band then heads to Europe at the end of the month on April 21st till May 20th. 

April 7th will see the worldwide release of Raw Rock Fury via Relapse Records on CD/LP/Digital. Physical pre-order and bundles are available via Relapse.com here and digital downloads can be pre-ordered by Bandcamp at this location.

Raw Rock Fury exhibits the band locking in on primordial, troglodyte Detroit rock grooves, krautian motorik sounds that recall the obscure one-time collaboration between NEU and the MC5, grimy harmonica flourishes that evoke Beefheart at his most savage, and the Hawkwindian, primal world heavy psych their debut expertly showcased. All of this is captured on four songs and 35+ minutes of the dirtiest sounding recordings since Kick Out The Jams. Do you miss the days when rock recordings were dangerous? If so, you must crave Raw Rock Fury.

Raw Rock Fury tracklisting:

“You Got It (Or You Don’t)”
“Electric Step”
“Keep it Loose”
“The Twinkling Eye”

“Electric Step”:

“You Got It (Or You Don’t)”:

Ecstatic Vision is:

Doug Sabolik
Michael Field Connor
Jordan Crouse
Kevin Nickles

(Photo - Michael Connor)

Lebanon’s leading heavy metal band Blaakyum have released a new lyric video for “Freedom Denied”, taken from their latest album Line Of Fear. Line Of Fear was released on CD (with one bonus track) and digital in June 2016.

The album theme emerged from the band's experiences with social and political oppression in Lebanon, from being jailed just for being into heavy metal to being ruled by a corrupt and violent government. All songs are about freedom of thought and artistic expression.

Blaakyum's sound is a unique blend of thrash, heavy and groove metal infused with Middle Eastern and Levantine folk music vibes. The band are the pioneers of "Middle Eastern Thrash" and they not only make thrash metal sound oriental but also make Middle Eastern musical elements sound Thrashy. The song "Freedom Denied" samples Middle Eastern folklore music and uses oriental percussions (tabla) as another thrash metal instrument. This unique thrashy tabla sound is also in the title track “The Line Of Fear” as well as on the genre-defying “Baal-Adon”.