Finnish bashers Stratovarius have checked in with a new update on bassist Lauri Porra's current activities:

"You can now stream Lauri's Entropia: Concerto For Electric Bass And Orchestra from classiclive.com. The piece was premiered at the Siblelius Concert Hall on 12.2.2015. The orchestra is Sinfonia Lahti and it is conducted by Jaakko Kuusisto."

Check out the full performance here.

Porra has just released his third instrumental solo album, Flyover. It features some great Finnish musicians and also the Bratislava Symphony Orchestra. Check it out and order from here. They deliver internationally.

Check out the video for "Momentary Loss Of All Hope" from Flyover, directed by Pekka Hara."

The Flyover tracklist is as follows:

"Rhapsody Of Consequences"
"Dislocated"
"Momentary Loss Of All Hope"
"My Umbrella"
"The Prisoner"
"Seriously Disturbed"
"Disco II"
"Perfect Senses"
"Flyover"
"The Swan"

Stratovarius recently updated their schedule with festival for Europe in 2015. More dates are expected to be announced soon. Their schedule is currently as follows:

June
28 - Tuska Open Air - Helsinki, Finland

July
11 - Sotkamon Syke 2015 - Vuokatti, Finland
30 - Wacken Open Air - Wacken, Germany

August
1 - Ostrava - Ostrava, Czech Republic

Exclusive: Whitesnake’s David reveals the late Jon Lord wanted Deep Purple bandmates to work together again

David Coverdale has revealed that he and former Deep Purple bandmate Ritchie Blackmore discussed the possibility of getting back together after the death of Jon Lord in 2012.

And although the idea didn’t come to fruition, it may have informed Coverdale’s decision to record an album of his Purple-era tracks with Whitesnake.

The singer – who fronted the MkIII and IV version of Purple from 1973 to 1976 – confirmed the launch of The Purple Album yesterday, describing it as "a huge thank you from me to Deep Purple for the opportunity I was given over 40 years ago.”

Coverdale says in the latest edition of Classic Rock, on sale now: “The tragic loss of Jon made me finally realise that life is too fucking short to hold animosity, bitterness and resentments.

“So I decided to reach out to Ritchie to share the sense of grief and loss of Jon with him, and to express my gratitude to him for bringing me on board Deep Purple.

“During the conversation we did discuss the idea of getting back together in some way, which was Jon’s wish.”

He says he didn’t pursue the idea because “After several discussions with Ritchie’s manager I felt I didn’t share their vision of the project. I sincerely wished them well and respectfully withdrew.”

But Coverdale adds: “During this time I pulled out the albums and started messing around with some of the songs – rearranging ideas, adding a new bit here and there.

“The bonus for me was I rediscovered my love for that time and the work all of us achieved together. Magical times.”

Looking back on his stint with Purple, he reflects: “I felt I had to prove myself. I knew I had been given an incredible opportunity and didn’t want to blow it.

“But, my God, I was so young and naive. Thrown in at the deep end to sink or swim. The two sci-fi lyrics I wrote for Mr Blackmore, Burn and Stormbringer, I’d never written like that before. But then again I’d never been given music like that before.”

Burn and Stormbringer both appear on Whitesnake’s The Purple Album, released on May 18 in the UK (May 15 in Europe, May 19 in North America).

Wolfpakk have released a lyric video for the track “Running Out Of Time”, featured on their third album, Rise Of The Animal, out today (February 27th) in Europe, and March 31st in North America.

The follow-up to Wolfpakk (2011) and Cry Wolf (2013) again has many contributions from high-class musicians to make this a very special album once again.

Guest vocalists and musicians:

Michael Kiske (ex-Helloween, Unisonic)
 Marc Storace (Krokus)
 Don Dokken (Dokken)
 Andi Deris (Helloween)
 Joe Lynn Turner (Rainbow, Rated X)
 Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake, Dio)
 John Norum (Europe)
 Axel Rudi Pell
 Al Barrow (Magnum)
 Bob Daisley (Rainbow, Ozzy Osbourne, Black Sabbath)
 Chris Slade (ex-AC/DC)
 Simon Philips (ex-Toto)

 

 

Rise Of The Animal tracklisting:

“Riders Of The Storm”
“Sock It To Me”
“Monkey On Your Back”
“Highlands”
“Black Wolf”
“Somewhere Beyond”
“Running Out Of Time”
“Grizzly Man”
“High Roller”
“Rise Of The Animal”
“Universe”

"Sock It To Me" video:

 

Quality fan-filmed video footage of British/American rock legends UFO performing on February 25 at Alte Seilerei in Mannheim, Germany can be seen below.

UFO released a new album, "A Conspiracy Of Stars", on February 23 in Europe (March 3 in the U.S.) via Steamhammer/SPV. The band consisting of Phil Mogg (vocals), Paul Raymond (keyboards, guitar), Vinnie Moore (guitar), Andy Parker (drums) and Rob De Luca (bass) recorded almost a dozen new songs, produced and mixed in the Kentish town of Deal by Chris Tsangarides, renowned for his work with acts such as JUDAS PRIEST, THIN LIZZY and GARY MOORE.

"A Conspiracy Of Stars" was made available as a digipak (including poster and bonus track), jewel case, vinyl double LP and for download.

Says the band about the new CD: "'A Conspiracy Of Stars' is another successful combination of those typical UFO elements with fresh, contemporary ideas. We're confident that not only our longstanding supporters will get their money's worth, but that younger rock fans will also enjoy the album. We look forward to seeing you on tour!"

"A Conspiracy Of Stars" presents UFO's current lineup for the first time: along with the original members Phil Mogg (vocals), Paul Raymond (keyboards, guitar) and Andy Parker (drums), lead guitarist Vinnie Moore has been a permanent member of the group since 2003, American bassist Rob De Luca joining the fold in 2012. De Luca is not only a brilliant instrumentalist but has also contributed two of the album tracks as a songwriter. The majority of the new material was composed by Vinnie Moore, the album also features a song by Paul Raymond and a collaboration between Raymond and De Luca. The lyrics were penned by frontman Phil Mogg.

"A Conspiracy Of Stars" breathes that typically British easy-going confidence for which this band has been known for over 45 years. A strong release consisting of eleven songs which combine everything that the group surrounding frontman Phil Mogg stands for: meaty riffs, distinctive hooks, diverse songwriting, intelligent lyrics and that generally laid-back attitude which we have associated with UFO from the start.

Digipak 01. The Killing Kind02. Run Boy Run03. Ballad Of The Left Hand Gun04. Sugar Cane05. Devils In The Detail06. Precious Cargo07. The Real Deal08. One And Only09. Messiah Of Love10. Rolling Rolling11. King Of The Hill (bonus track) Jewel Case 01. The Killing Kind02. Run Boy Run03. Ballad Of The Left Hand Gun04. Sugar Cane05. Devils In The Detail06. Precious Cargo07. The Real Deal08. One And Only09. Messiah Of Love10. Rolling Rolling

LP

Side 1

01. The Killing Kind02. Run Boy Run03. Ballad Of The Left Hand Gun

Side 2

01. Sugar Cane02. Devils In The Detail03. Precious Cargo

Side 3

01. The Real Deal02. One And Only03. Messiah Of Love

Side 4

01. Rolling Rolling02. King Of The Hill (bonus track)

IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain was interviewed earlier this week in the studios of the 98.7 The Gater radio station in West Palm Beach, Florida. Asked for a health update on IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson, who recently underwent a seven-week course of chemotherapy and radiology to treat a small cancerous tumor at the back of his tongue, Nicko said (see video below): "We were all blown away when we heard the news. But the great thing is [Bruce is] in great hands back home in England, not only with his family, but his oncologists and all the people that are working with him. They were all very positive, as Bruce has been, through the whole thing."

He continued: "Obviously, it's a blow for everybody to hear the news. Last week, the official announcement was made, after he finished his treatment. And all of that treatment went exceedingly well. And from not having spoken to Bruce for a couple of weeks, but talking to our manager, he was in amazing spirits, considering the brutality of the radiology, and he had three chemo sessions. So it's been pretty hard, as you can imagine. And he's apparently doing very well. He was in the office Wednesday last week, and apparently he went out. He goes down the pub… although he can't taste his beer. He said, 'At least I know it's a Trooper [IRON MAIDEN's official beer]. I've got the bottle in my hand.' [Laughs] I said, 'Does it still work?' 'Oh yeah!' [Laughs]"

McBrain added: "So, just to let everybody know, from what we can gather, he's really in great hands, and he's doing extremely well. So we expect him to have a full recovery in the next couple of months. And then, watch this space, really. We have made an album. The album was ready to go this year… and it still is. When I was 'was,' we were planning on going out and doing some work around the album, which now, we're all just holding on, and once Bruce is up and running, hopefully in the next couple of months, we'll… You never know when this might happen. You just never know, do you? [Laughs]"

IRON MAIDEN has yet to make an official announcement about a new studio album, but the band's members have reportedly been spotted in Paris, France in recent months, along with their longtime producer, Kevin Shirley, who is said to have helmed the new effort.

MAIDEN's 15th studio album, "The Final Frontier", sold 63,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 4. The CD featured 10 tracks that had an average running time of seven minutes and 40 seconds, with the shortest song, "The Alchemist", clocking in at four minutes and 29 seconds, and the longest, "When The Wild Wind Blows", lasting ten minutes and 59 seconds.

IRON MAIDEN's previous album, 2006's "A Matter Of Life And Death", opened with 56,000 units to land at No. 9. This was a notable increase from the 40,000 first-week tally registered by its predecessor, 2003's "Dance of Death" (which debuted at No. 18 on The Billboard 200 chart), and that of "Brave New World", which moved 38,000 copies in June 2000 to land at No. 39 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"The Final Frontier" was IRON MAIDEN's fourth U.K. No. 1 album. The band previously topped the chart in 1982 with "The Number of the Beast", in 1988 with "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son" and in 1992 with "Fear of the Dark".

Symphonic metal masters KAMELOT will release the follow-up to their acclaimed 2012 album "Silverthorn" worldwide (excluding Asia) via Napalm Records as part of an exclusive licensing deal through the band's Kamelot Music LLC. Titled "Haven", the CD will be made available on May 5 in North America and May 8 in the rest of the world.

"Haven" will be available to pre-order in multiple exclusive and limited bundle packages at the Napalm Records American and European webstores starting Thursday, February 26.

A 25-second preview clip of "Haven" is available below.

"The 'Haven' album has an undertone of a world going insane," says KAMELOT guitarist Thomas Youngblood.

"There is a gray cloud that is forming over our world. We are here to find that silver lining with an album that is both dark and melancholy yet uplifting and giving the listener a 'Haven' in a world gone mad.

"We are really proud of the song elements and diversity on 'Haven'."

Adds vocalist Tommy Karevik: "The songs run the gamut from dark and melancholy to uplifting and melodic elements."

KAMELOT keyboardist Oliver Palotai states: "'Haven' has an aggressive edge to it that is the representation of the band as The Revolutionary Change in the storyline."

Produced by Sascha Paeth and mastered by Jacob Hansen, "Haven" is a massive album that is sure to please critics and fans alike. Guest musicians on the CD include Alissa White-Gluz (ARCH ENEMY), Troy Donockley (NIGHTWISH) and Charlotte Wessels (DELAIN). The breathtaking cover and artwork was created by Stefan Heilemann and additional art/layout was done by Gustavo Sazes.

Following the release of "Haven", KAMELOT will embark on a massive world tour, starting with North America in April/May, followed by European shows in the summer and with the "Haven" European tour in September/October.

"Haven" track listing:

01. Fallen Star02. Insomnia03. Citizen Zero04. Veil Of Elysium05. Under Grey Skies06. My Therapy07. Ecclesia08. End Of Innocence09. Beautiful Apocalypse10. Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy)11. Here's To The Fall12. Revolution13. Haven

Exclusive bonus CD track listing (available only with the limited mediabook and deluxe earbook):

01. End Of Innocence (Piano Version)02. Veil Of Elysium (Acoustic Version)03. Fallen Star (Orchestral Version)04. Here's To The Fall (Orchestral Version)05. My Therapy (Orchestral Version)06. Fallen Star (Instrumental)07. Insomnia (Instrumental)08. Citizen Zero (Instrumental)09. Veil Of Elysium (Instrumental)10. Under Grey Skies (Instrumental)11. My Therapy (Instrumental)12. End Of Innocence (Instrumental)13. Beautiful Apocalypse (Instrumental)14. Liar Liar (Wasteland Monarchy) (Instrumental)15. Revolution (Instrumental) "Silverthorn" sold 5,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 79 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Poetry For The Poisoned", opened with around 6,100 units in September 2010 to enter the chart at No. 74.

"Silverthorn" was released on October 30, 2012 in North America, October 26, 2012 in Germany and October 29, 2012 in the rest of Europe via Steamhammer/SPV. The CD marked the band's first release with Tommy Karevik, the Swedish vocalist who previously fronted SEVENTH WONDER (a group that he is still a member of).

AEROSMITH singer Steven Tyler revealed to RollingStone.com that he recently cut what he calls a "dark, smoky backroom rendition" of the band's classic track "Janie's Got A Gun" for "Jane Got A Gun", an upcoming American action-drama western film directed by Gavin O'Connor and written by Brian Duffield. The film stars Natalie Portman as Jane Hammond, Ewan McGregor as John Bishop, Joel Edgerton as Dan Frost, and Rodrigo Santoro as Fitchum. The film is produced by Handsomecharlie Films, Scott Pictures, Boise Schiller Film Group, and Straight Up Films. It was shot in Santa Fe, New Mexico and is scheduled for a September 4 release. "Janie's Got A Gun" was written by Tyler and AEROSMITH bassist Tom Hamilton and was the second single from the band's "Pump" album in 1989. It peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1990, and also made it to No. 2 on the Mainstream Rock Tracks chart.

Tyler — who in October 2014 signed with Larry Rudolph and Rebecca Lambrecht of Rudolph's ReignDeer Entertainment (BRITNEY SPEARS, MILEY CYRUS) for management — is said to be in the early stages of planning a solo album.

The singer told The Pulse Of Radio in 2013 that his plans to go out on his own should not be a cause of concern for AEROSMITH fans. "I'm just doing a solo record because I think it's kinky, you know, to go write a song with Johnny Depp," he said. "I think it's ridiculous to go, you know, write a bunch of songs that I started five years ago and never finished. It feeds my passion, you know. But, no, the band's not breaking up. Me doing a solo record doesn't mean the band's not working on a record, you know what I mean? But I get that in the press one has to hear that from one lead singer of one AEROSMITH."

According to TMZ.com, original KORN drummer David Silveria is suing his former bandmates, claiming that his 2006 exit from the group was merely a hiatus and that he was rebuffed when he tried to return to the band. Silveria says he still has ownership interest in KORN, and is asking a judge to force the band to reveal how much money they've made since he left so that he can get his rightful share.

Silveria is said to be particularly upset over the fact that KORN welcomed back guitarist Brian "Head" Welch two years ago but wouldn't do the same for him.

Silveria told Rolling Stone magazine in December that it is "wrong" for his former bandmates to play KORN's self-titled debut album without him on their current tour, saying that he had "just as much of a creative input as any of [the other] guys while writing and making [the] record." KORN plans to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its first album by performing the record in its entirety at select gigs. Silveria explained, "I feel like it was wrong to go play this record without me, because I was just as much of a creative input as any of these guys while writing and making this record. So I think it was wrong to do it without me, but it's not really weird. They've been playing and touring years without me. I just think they should've asked me to come play the tour."

Silveria was the second member of KORN's original lineup to depart, leaving in late 2006.

Welch exited the group in 2005 and continued working as a solo artist until rejoining KORN in 2013. Silveria retired to Huntington Beach, California and opened a restaurant.

KORN singer Jonathan Davis told The Pulse Of Radio that he believed Silveria had lost his passion for playing music, saying, "He really didn't like playing drums. The first two albums, I think, he really enjoyed playing drums and then after that he just lost his love for playing drums. It happens."

Silveria surfaced in 2013 to answer fan questions on his Facebook page, during which he gave the current version of the group a little bit of a slam while emphasizing how important he was to the group's original sound and even how they came together. Asked if he had heard the KORN single, "Never Never", Silveria replied, "For all the fans asking the answer is no I have not heard a new KORN song. All I can say is I'm sure it's not funky and groovy like the original KORN. I don't even need to hear it to know that." Silveria added, "I am a funky groove drummer and Ray [Luzier, current KORN drummer) is a heavy metal drummer. That's why KORN will never sound as unique as we used to . . . KORN lost their groove."

Silveria claimed he wasn't "talking crap" about his former group, but then went on to say, "Until they have the real 'funky drummer' it's just not gonna groove the way it could. I've made it clear that I would come back and restore the groove."

In other comments at his Facebook page, Silveria took credit for bringing Davis and Welch into the band, as well as getting them their management, saying, "None of them want to admit it was me . . . There are a lot of things I did for the band that they don't like to admit I did."

The drummer in February 2013 pleaded guilty to a charge of allegedly driving under the influence. In exchange, prosecutors dropped the hit-and-run charge in connection with the March 2012 incident in which the 42-year-old musician — who played with KORN for 13 years — rear-ended another car on his way to breakfast in Huntington Beach, California.

Silveria was sentenced to three years of informal probation, a three-month first offender program, and he was ordeded to attend a M.A.D.D. victim impact panel.

He recently joined a new band called INFINIKA, which has released a debut album called "Echoes And Traces".

TOOL singer Maynard James Keenan says that songwriting sessions for the band's next album are "progressing nicely" and expects that the material will be ready for him "to begin writing melodies and content 'soon."

It's been nine years since TOOL released its last album, 2006's "10,000 Days", although apparently the quartet have spent a good chunk of the past year finally getting down to business.

In a new post on TOOL's official Facebook page, Maynard writes: "I've been making regular trips to L.A. to check on the writing progress of my TOOL brethren. Things are progressing nicely. Slowly, but definitely progressing. Nothing is recorded yet, but the guys are confident that the pieces are coming together swimmingly and will be ready for me to begin writing melodies and content 'soon.'"

He adds: "I'm as anxious to get this album completed as everyone else. But as history will show, you can't rush these gents. Patience is Gold in this Sound Mine. In the meantime, as always, other things are simultaneously occurring. Life is too short not to create something with every breath we draw."

TOOL guitarist Adam Jones revealed last July that lawsuits involving a former friend of the band and an insurance company had been putting a drag on the group both creatively and financially since 2007.

The ex-friend claimed that he was owed money for artwork he had given the group, while the insurance firm — which was supposed to protect the band against such claims — sued the band for "technicalities" regarding the case.

(Thanks: NJthrasher)

BLACK STAR RIDERS members Ricky Warwick, Damon Johnson and Scott Gorham recently took part in a question-and-answer session and acoustic performance at the studios of the U.K. digital radio station Planet Rock. Check out video footage below.

BLACK STAR RIDERS' second album, "The Killer Instinct", was released on February 24 via Nuclear Blast. The follow-up to 2013's "All Hell Breaks Loose" was recorded in October at a studio in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Nick Raskulinecz (RUSH, FOO FIGHTERS, ALICE IN CHAINS, MASTODON).

"The Killer Instinct" was released in different formats: CD, limited 2-CD digibook, limited gatefold black vinyl and limited gatefold clear vinyl (available for mail orders only). BLACK STAR RIDERS frontman Ricky Warwick stated about the "The Killer Instinct" artwork: "It's a bit of a continuation from 'All Hell Breaks Loose'. People will see the link. It's very rock and roll. It's going to look cool." Ricky Warwick stated about the album title: "Life's not fair, never has been, never will. Sometimes you have to live with a killer instinct just to survive in the ongoing pursuit of happiness. Because nobody can do for you what you should be doing for yourself."

The energy in the studio from a year of touring, and BLACK STAR RIDERS gelling as a creative force has resulted in a truly powerful sophomore effort. From the Irish-tinged rock of "Soldierstown" to the balls-out twin guitar riffing of "Sex, Guns & Gasoline", rom the dirty groove of "You Little Liar" to the acoustic "Blindsided", this is a band coming of age. Said BLACK STAR RIDERS guitarist Damon Johnson: "Nick Raskulinecz came riding out of the sunset like a Viking warrior, with his record collection and arsenal of killer guitars and amplifiers and proved to be the world-class producer we had heard so much about. Indeed, the rumors are all true. There's no doubt that Ricky and I had written a sizable number of songs, but Nick patiently walked through the full song list with the entire band and made sure we focused on the material to best represent BLACK STAR RIDERS in 2015." BLACK STAR RIDERS will head out on a co-headline tour of UK and Ireland with EUROPE throughout March 2015.

BLACK STAR RIDERS were one of the first signings to Nuclear Blast Entertainment by Monte Conner — the A&R guru who signed acts such as SLIPKNOT, MACHINE HEAD, SEPULTURA, and RUSH to Roadrunner. Nuclear Blast Entertainment is a new U.S. partnership co-founded by Conner with Nuclear Blast owner Markus Staiger.

"All Hell Breaks Loose" sold around 2,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The effort landed at position No. 5 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.

BLACK STAR RIDERS last year parted ways with bassist Marco Mendoza and replaced him with Robbie Crane (RATT, VINCE NEIL, LYNCH MOB).

Interview:


Performance:

The twelfth trailer for NIGHTWISH's new full-length album, "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", can be seen below. The clip sees the NIGHTWISH bandmembers explain the themes and inspirations for the CD. NIGHTWISH keyboard player and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen comments: "There's a kind of scientific approach to a lot of things on the album. Songs like 'Shudder Before The Beautiful', 'Endless Forms Most Beautiful', 'The Greatest Show On Earth' and 'Alpenglow' all somehow reflect the bliss of existence. It's temporary character. Evolution… Maybe you could even talk about the poetic nature of science. Natural science and its paradigm seem to represent something cold and boring to a lot of people. Hopefully we can illustrate with this album — that science can even be something profoundly spiritual." Adds drummer Kai Hahto: "It's a perfect theme to an album. Like, how did we come to be? And when our time here is done, what kind of mark do we leave? It's a pretty amazing theme."

NIGHTWISH's new video, "Èlan", can be seen below. The clip was shot in Finland at various locations between September and November 2014, and it was directed by Ville Lipiäinen.

Commented Tuomas Holopainen: "The long-awaited NIGHTWISH music video 'Élan' is finally here. Inspired by the untold stories of abandoned places around Finland, the video was nearly a year in the making and features some of the most loved Finnish actors and actresses. And also the legendary NIGHTWISH symbol, a snowy owl (Bubo Scandiaca in Latin) called 'Urho' ('Braveheart')."

Regarding "Élan", Holopainen said: "'Oh, while I live to be the ruler of life, Not a slave. To meet life as a powerful conqueror, and nothing exterior to me will ever take command of me.' This beautiful quote from my hero Uncle Walt [Walt Whitman] was the starting point for writing 'Élan'.

"The underlying theme of the song is nothing less than the meaning of life, which can be something different for all of us.

"It's important to surrender yourself to the occasional 'free fall' and not to fear the path less travelled by."

NIGHTWISH's new full-length CD, "Endless Forms Most Beautiful", will be made available on March 27 in Europe and March 31 in the U.S. via Nuclear Blast.

The "Élan" four-track single, which arrived on February 13, features the album version of the title cut, a radio edit and an alternate version of "Élan", as well as the non-album bonus track "Sagan".

The cover artwork for "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" was created by the band's longtime collaborator Toxic Angel. Famed evolutionary biologist and atheist writer/leader Richard Dawkins appears as a guest on the effort.

Longtime NIGHTWISH drummer Jukka Nevalainen sat out the recording sessions for "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" due to health issues; Kai Hahto (WINTERSUN, SWALLOW THE SUN, TREES OF ETERNITY) replaced him.

"Endless Forms Most Beautiful" features eleven new songs and will be released in different formats: * Standard CD* Digibook (including instrumental CD)* 2LP (vinyl in gatefold) in different colors* Earbook (including instrumental and orchestral CD)* Earbook (deluxe version including bonus vinyl)* Download Pre-order your copy here.

The "Endless Forms Most Beautiful" title came from Charles Darwin's "The Origin Of Species" book, where he wrote: "There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one; and that, while this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved." Singer Floor Jansen, who officially joined the band in 2013, made her live debut as the frontwoman of NIGHTWISH on October 1, 2012 at Showbox Sodo in Seattle, Washington.


"Èlan" video:

Christian hard rockers STRYPER entered SpiritHouse Recording Studios in Northampton, Massachusetts earlier in the month to begin recording their new album, "Fallen", for a late 2015 release via Frontiers.

An audio sample of one of the new STRYPER songs can be streamed in the video clip embedded within the Facebook post below.

STRYPER guitarist/vocalist Michael Sweet wrote: "Clint Lowery of SEVENDUST sent me this opening riff idea and it's epic! Yeah, STRYPER is wimpy :-."

Regarding the musical direction of the new STRYPER material, Michael Sweet told Eddie Trunk's SiriusXM satellite radio show, "Eddie Trunk Live": "It's gonna be… I don't wanna scare any fans away or anything, but it's gonna be the heaviest album we've done. Not in the sense that it's gonna be thrash metal or anything like that. It's definitely got a little bit of a darker vibe to it lyrically and musically. Some of the songs are tuned down — not like the modern Drop B stuff; I'm talking like the E dropped to D, 'Unchained' VAN HALEN kind of stuff. And it's just got a heavy sound to it. And I think when people hear it, in a good way, they're gonna go, 'That's STRYPER? What?' I think they're gonna be shocked."

Asked if there are still any religious references in the new STRYPER lyrics, Sweet told Canadian journalist Mitch Lafon: "Absolutely. Some of the words themselves are actually taken from the Bible, so that's still there. The lyrics are definitely on the bold and powerful side. They're not like the lyrics of old.

"A lot of our lyrics, I read back through the lyrics, and at times I'm a little embarrassed because they were just so repetitive and shallow at times — just real simplistic 'Rock, rock rock. Jesus, Jesus.' These lyrics are definitely a lot deeper. I'm pulling from the Bible at times."

He continued: "There's a song about God creating the heavens and the earth. It's called 'Let There Be Light'. And it's about in the beginning, and it's taken right from Genesis. There's a song about the Devil; it's called 'Fallen'. It just talks about how when the Devil, when he was Lucifer, an archangel in heaven, when he walked, he was the angel of music, and when he walked, there was music. It tells the story in that song of, basically, about how he's fallen, and why, and how. It's a real powerful song.

"I've got a song called 'Big Screen Lies' that's about how the film industry portrays Christians as complete buffoons one million percent of the time. And that's just not the case. It is sometimes, but those buffoon Christians don't represent all of us."

KILLER BE KILLED, the new band comprised of Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, ex-SEPULTURA), Greg Puciato (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN), Troy Sanders (MASTODON) and Dave Elitch (ex-THE MARS VOLTA), played its first-ever club show this past Tuesday, February 24 at 170 Russell in Melbourne, Australia. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

Elitch was unable to perform with KILLER BE KILLED at the event due to scheduling conflicts with his other band, ANTEMASQUE. Filling in for him is CONVERGE drummer Ben Koller.

Sanders spoke to TeamRock about KILLER BE KILLED's first-ever concert, which took place on February 21 as part of this year's edition of Australia's Soundwave festival in Melbourne. He said: "It's very rare that you play your first show with a band. For me, my last first show with a band was 15 years ago with MASTODON. So it's a pretty rare moment. So it was a very positive anxiety. Just like, 'Okay, I wanna be good and play proper.'"

He continued: "My personal favorite moment was just the first note of the first song, looking around and seeing a bunch of my friends and idols. I grew up — before I toured and met THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN and SEPULTURA — I was listening to CONVERGE, who had been our drummer today. I don't know… It's quite a pure camaraderie that organically fell into place to create what happened with my band today. So, on a personal note, it was very satisfying and just a little overwhelming. Pretty rare. Very rare."

Sanders added: "I think it went way better than you could ever expect. I don't know… We just practiced four times, and then you just jump into a scenario where there is a few thousand people in front of you. And it turned out that a lot of them were singing the lyrics and really into the tunes and knew the songs. So [it was] way better than we ever expected."

Troy also talked about how KILLER BE KILLED went from coming together to write music to actually playing a gig. He said: "There was kind of three little phases of this band, KILLER BE KILLED. The first one was the idea of all getting together and writing music. The next step was to try to get together and record music, which happened in September of 2013. We had 21 days that we were all collectively off tour together. We came together in September of 2013 and recorded a record. In 2014, it came out. So the third and final step was: 'Could you ever play a show?' We kind of discarded that. [We thought], 'We'll probably never play a show.' But this was offered to us. THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SOULFLY and MASTODON were all off tour at the same time. We said, 'We should go for it. It's probably the first and only shows we'll ever play.' Maybe we'll play dozens more. You don't know. But we never expected to play a show. So today was very, very special. I should probably go get a tattoo of today, of what this means."

He added: "It's really rare to find a group of dudes that you just jam with for all the first reasons, as if you're 13 joining your first band. You're gonna hang out with cool people, you're gonna play music that you love, and that's it. No pressure of, 'This record's gotta be better than the next.' No, 'People are gonna think this, that.' Just get together, write some riffs. 'You like it?' 'Yes.' 'I like it?' 'Yes.' Record it. Have fun. Extremely simple. Very grass roots."

Speaking to The Metal Review about the drummer change, Puciato said: "ANTEMASQUE confirmed at the same time we did. We didn't know what day we we're going to be on, and then it just became an issue whether we wanted to still do it or not, which we obviously did. Then it was, if ANTEMASQUE have a good slot, if we have a good slot, I didn't want to shuffle the band around to a shittier time slot just to accommodate Dave playing in both bands. ANTEMASQUE for Dave is a much bigger commitment; they're playing a lot of shows all the time. If he needs to do that, that's fine with me. Ben from CONVERGE is a fucking animal, so it'll be cool to play with him."

KILLER BE KILLED's self-titled debut album sold around 5,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 58 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released on May 13, 2014 (one day earlier internationally) via Nuclear Blast Entertainment, the CD was produced and mixed by Josh Wilbur, whose credits include work with GOJIRA, LAMB OF GOD, HATEBREED, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ESCAPE THE FATE, P!NK and STEVE EARLE. Cover art and packaging was executed by Ryan Clark of Invisible Creature Design, the Grammy-nominated design firm whose clients include ALICE IN CHAINS, FOO FIGHTERS, CHRIS CORNELL, DEVILDRIVER, MONSTER MAGNET, WOLFMOTHER and DEMON HUNTER.

MAIDEN UNITED, the acoustic IRON MAIDEN tribute project featuring Damian Wilson (THRESHOLD, HEADSPACE) and Ruud Jolie (WITHIN TEMPTATION), will release a new album, "Remembrance", on May 22 on CD, red 12-inch vinyl and as a digital download.

The cover artwork for the album can be seen below. "Remembrance" track listing:

01. Strange World02. Charlotte The Harlot03. Killers04. Remember Tomorrow05. Burning Ambition (ft. Bob Verschoyle)06. Futureal (feat. Blaze Bayley)07. Aces High08. Prowler (feat. Paul Di'Anno)09. Still Life '15 Contributing musicians:

* Damian Wilson (THRESHOLD, HEADSPACE) - Vocals* Ruud Jolie (WITHIN TEMPTATION) - Guitar* Joey Bruers (UP THE IRONS) - Bass* Stef Broks (TEXTURES) - Drums* Huub van Loon (DEARWORLD, BARRY HAY) - Piano* Thijs Schrijnemakers (ORGEL VRETEN) - Hammond* Perttu Kivilaakso (APOCALYPTICA) - Cello on "Still Life"* Mike Coolen (WITHIN TEMPTATION) - Drums on "Prowler"* Marco Kuypers (CLOUDMACHINE) - Piano on "Prowler"* Bob Verschoyle (GYPSY'S KISS) - Vocals on "Burning Ambition"* Paul Di'Anno (IRON MAIDEN) - Vocals on "Prowler"* Blaze Bayley - Vocals on "Futureal" "Strange World" was released as a two-track single on CD and iTunes on January 30. Single track listing:

01. Strange World (album version)02. The Evil That Men Do (alternate version feat. Wudstik on vocals) "Strange World" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. MAIDEN UNITED is an IRON MAIDEN tribute project which performs classic MAIDEN songs in new acoustic arrangements. "Remembrance" is the third full-length album released by this project. MAIDEN UNITED's debut album, "Mind The Acoustic Pieces" (2010), was an acoustic re-imagining of the entire classic IRON MAIDEN album "Piece Of Mind" with new arrangements. The second album, "Across The Seventh Sea" (2012), contained tracks from different MAIDEN albums. "Remembrance" can be pre-ordered at www.MaidenUnited.com.

The second in a series of webisodes leading up to the release of "Rivals", the comeback album from COAL CHAMBER, the reformed '90s alt-metal band fronted by current DEVILDRIVER singer Dez Fafara, can be seen below. Due on May 19 North America via Napalm, the band's first CD in over thirteen years was recorded in part at Audiohammer studio in Sanford, Florida with producer Mark Lewis (DEVILDRIVER, CANNIBAL CORPSE).

Comments Fafara: "This record was over 13 years in the making, and I promise this record won't disappoint and will be worth the wait!

"'Rivals' is solid through and through, there's maturity and growth in the music while still maintaining the true COAL CHAMBER sound and delivering track after track of killer tunes!

"We had a great time working together on this record and I hope you all enjoy it as much as we do!" "Rivals" track listing:

01. I.O.U. Nothing02. Bad Blood Between Us03. Light in the Shadows04. Suffer in Silence05. The Bridges You Burn06. Orion07. Another Nail in the Coffin08. Rivals09. Wait10. Dumpster Dive11. Over My Head12. Fade Away (Karma Never Forgets)13. Empty Handed14. Worst Enemy

The "Rivals" cover artwork can be seen below.

COAL CHAMBER will embark on a North American headlining tour in the spring of 2015. Support on the trek — which kicks off on March 6 in Tempe, Arizona and runs through April 12 in Dallas, Texas — will come from FILTER, COMBICHRIST and AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE. COAL CHAMBER is offering an exclusive VIP Package for every date on the tour. It includes a meet-and-greet with the band, exclusive t-shirt, exclusive poster, souvenir laminate and early entry (where applicable).

Bassist Nadja Peulen returned to COAL CHAMBER in November 2013 following the departure of Canadian musician Chela Rhea Harper, who joined the band in late 2011 and toured with the group for nearly two years.

COAL CHAMBER rose to prominence with a gold-certified debut album in 1997 that established the group as one of the most promising bands on the then-emerging, so-called "nu metal" scene.

Peulen replaced Foss in 1999 during Rayna's pregnancy for almost 12 months while the band was on the road supporting its second album, "Chamber Music". Rayna came back to the band after her pregnancy leave and recorded COAL CHAMBER's third album, "Dark Days". Shortly after recording "Dark Days", Rayna quit the band and Nadja was recruited for the touring cycle that followed the CD's release. The band broke up during the "Dark Days" tour in 2002 and reunited nine years later.

MOTÖRHEAD recently returned to the studio to begin work on its 22nd studio album for a late 2015 release.

A couple of new video clips and photos from the sessions can be seen below.

MOTÖRHEAD's song "Heartbreaker" was nominated in the "Best Metal Performance" category at this year's Grammy Awards.

MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy Kilmister, 69, in 2013 suffered a haematoma (where blood collects outside of a blood vessel), causing the cancelation of a number of the band's European festival shows. He was also reportedly fitted with a defibrillator because of heart problems.

The reissue of MOTÖRHEAD's 21st studio album, "Aftershock", was made available on August 26, 2014 via UDR/Motörhead Music. The CD was helmed by longtime producer Cameron Webb (MEGADETH, DISTURBED). The expanded edition contains a bonus live CD — also recorded by Webb — consisting of live material comprised from the band's historic appearances in early 2014.

"Aftershock" sold 11,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 22 on The Billboard 200 chart.