The sold out KISS Kruise VI set sail out of Miami to Cozumel and Grand Cayman on November 4th and ran until November 9th. Fan-filmed video of the band performing "Mainline" and "All The Way" can be viewed below:

CBR.com is reporting that decades after KISS last appeared within the pages of a Marvel comic, previously unseen pencil art featuring the group has surfaced, rendered by none other than veteran fan-favorite artist Neal Adams. The 1979 piece was drawn by Adams as part of an intended sequel to Marvel’s second but ultimately final full-length comic featuring the band, and is the first (and so far, only) known drawing by the legendary artist of the likewise-legendary rock ‘n roll group.

Gene Simmons who is also a longtime devoted comics and Neal Adams fan issued the following statement to CBR.com:

"Neal Adams' art, was on a level most of the other guys could only dream of. From Magnus Robot Fighter, to Green Arrow and the X-Men. Now, a newly discovered, and previously unknown (to me) great piece of art by Neal Adams depicting KISS."

Go to this location for the complete report.

Italian atmospheric rock/metal group Devotion have released an official video for "Scent Of A Story," a track from Pavement Music release Words And Crystals.

Words And Crystals was released digitally through Pavement Music on February 26th. The album is available from Amazon, iTunes, and other online retailers. 

Born in late 2005 from the underground scene of Vicenza Italy, Devotion immediately started to write songs and play gigs in the European scene. Over the course of the next 10 years they released various albums independently that lead them to opening slots on European tours with Deftones, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Meshuggah, along with EE National TV coverage, such as All Music and Rock TV. In the same period they had also been selected to contribute to the soundtrack for the All Points Bulletin video game (Realtime Worlds/EA Games).

Machine Head frontman Robb Flynn has written a new folk song, entitled “Bastards”. Check out a rehearsal video below.

“Bastards” lyrics:

Yesterday I told my sons "sometimes the bad guys win"
And that it made me scared about the world that we live in
But I had to reassure them that it wouldn’t be for long
Sons we have to be ourselves
We have to be strong

I said “sons you are the future, so let this be a lesson”
There may come a day you have to fight off their aggression
Cause fear and hatred won today, the darkness ate the light
But both you look in my eyes, “it’ll be all right”

In every step you take,
I'm with you all the way,
Cause I would die for you
And do what’s right for you
In hopes that when I’m gone
You’ll carry on these words I wrote for you

Til then…
I’ll sing

Stand your ground
Don’t let the bastards grind you down
Be bold, be strange
Don’t let their fears make you afraid
There’s hope, they’ll change

Today I looked out to the world, thought "what a bloody mess!”
They stripped our morals from us, put 'em under house arrest
"Liberty" and "country" are the words they need to speak
A little “god” a little “freedom”, if we don’t agree we're weak

And every politician stood there idle and so smug
Empowering the racists and 2nd Amendment thugs
Wall St and the billionaires, thinking they’re so smart
Saying “vote with your wallets, instead of with your hearts!”

But we wont go away!
You won’t forget our name!
The p***y generation, the PC and the brave
The protesters that slink along the streets of misery

And so…
I’ll sing

Stand your ground
Don’t let the bastards grind you down
Be bold, be strange
Don’t let their fears make you afraid
There’s hope, they’ll change

No, no, no, no, no

So give us all your fa***ts, all your ni***rs and your s***ks
Give us all your mu***ms, the so-called ter****sts
We welcome them with open arms, put ‘em in our mix
We’re better off together, embrace our difference

Remember there is love!
Our words can stop their guns
Forget the rednecks
Living in the past
Were never going back now, we've reached critical mass

And so…
I’ll sing

Stand my ground
Won’t let the bastards grind me down
I’m bold, I’m strange
Won’t let their fears make me afraid
There’s hope, they’ll change

There's a big difference between video game-inspired metal and actual "video game metal". Machinae Supremacy proves that difference, owning the title with an 8-bit power metal onslaught that sounds like it could have been the symphonic soundtrack to your favorite ‘80s Nintendo game. Hailing from Sweden, Machinae Supremacy have quickly risen up the ranks over the course of the last decade, amassing a global fanbase. Their webography, a free music catalog on their website, has racked up over 10 million downloads and counting, to date.
 
After releasing several independent albums and following with five albums released through international metal label Spinefarm Records, Machinae Supremacy have taken matters back into their own hands with the upcoming release of their new album, Into The Night World, hitting stores on December 16th via their own Hubnester Records, in collaboration with Swedish music company BD Pop. Preorders will be available via iTunes soon.

Vocalist Robert Stjärnström states, "Going back to being independent has truly sparked our creativity and energized us in the most amazing way. Into The Night World is in some ways more simplistic than our last album, but somehow it manages to be both more playful and more sophisticated. There is still a story, but all of that is encapsulated in pure, straight-forward songs, each with its own separate, parallel meaning and purpose."

Tracklisting:

“My Dragons Will Decimate”
“Into The Night World”
“Twe27ySeven”
“Remember Me”
“Space Boat”
“Stars Had To Die So That You Could Live”
“Beast Engine”
“Dream Sequence”
“Sid Metal Legacy”
“The Last March Of The Undead”

“My Dragons Will Decimate”:

Following the release of their album, Machinae Supremacy will embark on their very first U.S. tour. Beginning at MAGFest in Washington, DC on January 7th, the band will be joined by Urizen and Danimal Cannon for several dates hitting eastern and central portions of the country through January 21st. Psychostick and Knight Of The Round will join select dates. 

Confirmed dates:

January
7 – Washington, DC – MAGFest*
9 – Brooklyn, NY – Saint Vitus Bar*
10 – Pittsburgh, PA – Cattivo*
11 – Warren, MI – The Ritz*
12 – Crest Hill, IL – Bada Brew* (with Psychostick)
13 – Valparaiso, IN – Big Shots* (with Psychostick)
14 – Dayton, OH – Rockstar Pro Arena* 
16 – Clarksville, TN – The Warehouse
17 – Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade
18 – Jefferson, LA – Southport Hall
19 – Houston, TX – BFE Rock Club
20 – Austin, TX – Grizzly Hall
21 – Dallas, TX – Trees

*with Knight Of The Round

Machinae Supremacy has kept busy outside of the average cycle album and touring. The band have performed songs from Final Fantasy soundtrack catalog alongside the Royal Philharmonic in Stockholm, appeared in an official Ice Hockey World Championship TV commercial, and produced the original soundtrack to the video game Giana Sisters: Twisted Dreams together with video music legend Chris Hülsbeck.

David T. Chastain and Leather Leone performed live together for the first time in over 25 years on October 8th at Bogart's in Cincinnati, Ohio. This special performance was shot on video along with the CJSS Last Show On Planet Earth 2 concert. 

(Photos by: Greg Thomas)

David says, "We are posting these videos so the fans around the world who couldn't make the show will have access to them for free and before they get bootlegged. We made sure to include Chastain favorites such as ‘Ruler Of The Wasteland’, ‘Angel Of Mercy’, and ‘For Those Who Dare’ as well as CJSS fan favorites ‘World Gone Mad’ and ‘Metal Forever’. This was just a four camera video shoot and the audio is basically a direct off the soundboard mix. Due to a scheduling conflict we were only able to rehearse with Leather one night before the show so there are a few mistakes here and there. However all things considered it is a good portrayal of the show. We just felt it was important to document this event."

“Ruler Of The Wasteland”:

“Angel Of Mercy”:

“Black Knight”:

Look for continued updates on Facebook.

Los Angeles, CA-based heavy metal band Lightning Strikes recently signed a worldwide deal with Pure Legend Records, a division of Pure Steel Records, for the release of their forthcoming eponymous debut album. A video for "Death Valley" featuring former Black Sabbath vocalist Tony Martin is streaming below.

“All can say is that we are excited to be part of the Pure Legend Records roster worldwide,” states founder / drummer, Karpis Maksudian. “We can’t wait to get this album out to all the metal heads who appreciate classic heavy metal.”

For their debut, Lightning Strikes enlisted a trio of guest players, keyboardist Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Kiss), as well as Tony Martin (Black Sabbath) and Japanese visual kei star Noah (Avanchick) on lead vocals.

Lightning Strikes was mixed by Roy Z (Judas Priest, Bruce Dickinson, Helloween) and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (Halford, Yngwie Malmsteen, Anvil).

Tracklisting:

“Victim”
“Can’t Cross The Rainbow”
“301 A.D. (Sins Of Our Father”
“Fear”
“Death Valley”
“Bermuda Triangle”
“Doki No Sakura”
“Kamikazi”
“Stay With Me”
“Our Lady”
“We Don’t Rock Alone”

“Death Valley” featuring Tony Martin:

Line-up
Nando Fernandes (Hangar) – vocals
Rob Math (Leatherwolf, Player) – guitars
Cat Tate (Snew, Red Again) – bass
Karpis Maksudian – drums

German groove/death metal band, Inquiring Blood, are streaming the track “Hell Commander”, from their upcoming sophomore album, Morbid Creation, due for release on December 16th via Kernkraftritter Records (distributed by Alive). Listen to the new song below.

Tracklisting:

“Japanese Knife Assassin”
“Hell Commander”
“Death Row”
“Three Feet To Carnage”
“Death And Decay”
“Voices”
“Suffocation”
“Horsekiller”
“The Swarm”
“Stabbed By Mirror Shards”
“Nuclear Massacre”
“Faceless”

“Hell Commander”:

Bristol, UK based rockers, The Vigil, have released their new single, “All You've Done, with a new video directed by legendary photographer Steve Gullick (streaming below). The track is taken from the bands forthcoming album, Save Our Souls, out this Friday, November 25th.

Save Our Souls was produced by Nigel Pulsford from the band Bush. “All You've Done” is typical of the huge sound of The Vigil, with classic riffs and pounding drums, the band are writing songs that will sound just as great in ten years time as they do today.

Save Our Souls tracklisting:

“All You've Done”
“Black Arrow”
“Nothing Sacred”
“Do You Feel Alive”
“Hell To Pay”
“Liar's Chair”
“Find A Way”
“No One Wins”
“Absinthium”
“Feeding Time”
“Know What You Are”
“Turn The Tide”

“All You've Done” video:

In the run up to the release of Save Our Souls, The Vigil will be supporting Yashin on their final London date, November 25th at The Garage in London, England.

The Vigil has its roots going back to the late '90's when as kids Dom Mehigan (Bass) and Olly Smith (Guitar/ Vocals) would jam around each other's garages choosing to focus on original songs rather than the Britpop of the day or covers. With a sound more in tune with their influences of Nirvana, Everclear, Smashing Pumpkins, and digging deep into the US underground with acts such as 7 Year Bitch and '80's punk rock like the Dead Kennedys and Fugazi. The Vigil enlisted Jamie Davenport on drums and Robbie Schuck on the six string, and the line up was complete.

Having performed together under various names and guises, The Vigil moved to Bristol, integrating into that scene and supported some impressive bands, such as their early heroes Everclear, Therapy?, The Datsuns and Puddle Of Mud. Following a great reaction from the crowds, they knew they had to make an album. They began looking for a producer and realised lead guitar was an important element to the overall sound they wanted to achieve. On learning that Nigel Pulsford from the multi platinum selling British rock band Bush had moved to nearby Bath, they got in touch.

To the bands delight Nigel was interested in working with them as their producer, as well as offering to play lead guitar on the album. "Nigel is by far my favourite lead player from the '90's alt rock explosion with such an interesting approach and texture that isn't your standard rock guitar licks" says vocalist  Olly. "Making the album was a really exciting time, some days we would have Royal Blood in the next room over and The Pixies were in the studio after us we knew we were in the right place. The album is the out pouring of our entire musical journey from when we were kids to the present day, the struggle, the moments of triumph and most of all, the expression of a sound that we've longed for in other bands that we have tried our best to deliver. We are very happy with how it has turned out and it will hopefully allow us to build on the sound and make another album."

With their debut album ready to be released through their own Fever Dog Records, and their new video directed by legendary rock photographer Steve Gullick, plus album artwork created by esteemed concert poster artist Jackknife, The Vigil are ready hit your stereo.

The Vigil are:

Olly Smith: Guitar & Vocals
Dom Mehigan: Bass
Robbie Schuck: Lead Guitar
Jamie Davenport: Drums

Figueres, Spain-based thrash metal band, Violblast, will release their Conflict album this Friday, November 25th, via Suspieria Records. A full album video preview can be found below.

Thrash metal full of rage, speed and technique, an album that will be an absolute shock for the fans of this style. This video preview shows what this work is made of and it will take Violblast to a higher level.

Tracklisting:

“Deep Into Darkness”
“Conflict”
“Wielders Of Fear”
“Sings Of A Murder”
“Invisible Death”
“Reprisal”
“Paths Of Aggression”
“Bearing Witness”
“Individuality”

Preview:

Australia’s Boris The Blade will release their second album, Warpath, via Siege Music on January 27th. A video for the album’s title track can be seen below.

Having just completed a homeland tour supporting deathcore heavyweights Suicide Silence, the band are preparing to take on the world with this international release plus US and European tours which are soon to be announced.

Named after an arms dealing gangster, Melbourne’s Boris The Blade have earned a worldwide reputation of Australia’s most heavy act.

The release of their debut EP Tides of Damnation in 2011 on RTD Records / Siege Of Amida marked the beginning of the band's rapid ascent to the top tier of the Australian brutal music scene. The EP debuted at #1 on the iTunes metal chart followed by a series of national tours including Parkway Drive, all within the band’s first six months of existence.

The success of the EP was followed up with further extensive touring with Obey The Brave, All Shall Perish, Thy Art Is Murder and Bleeding Through on their final Australian tour.

2014 saw Boris The Blade sign with Siege of Amida / Century Media for the worldwide release of their debut LP The Human Hive. This was followed by 2016 EP Tides of Damnation released via Century Media.

2017 will see Boris The Blade release their new album Warpath via Siege Music. More details to follow.

Ripple Music has announced the worldwide signing of UK stoner/doom rockers Poseidon to their ever growing roster of top-notch heavy bands.

Having gestated for almost a year in the guts of East London, Poseidon rise to the fore. With their seeds rooted firmly in the dense sounds of 70's rock andd metal, and having spawned from bands including the now defunct Light Bearer, the band bring together a sound that celebrates the vastness of the sonic landscape. From a rage of aggressive riffs, barked vocals and elemental drums to swimming rhythms and earthy melodies, Poseidon invoke the catastrophic nature which occupy both ends of their musical spectrum and dive head first into the abyss of the melancholic.

Raza Khan on signing to Ripple: “A chance to sign to a label of this realm and reputation, doesn't come everyday. Poseidon are honoured and humbled to become part of the Ripple family, alongside such luminaries as Wo Fat, Mos Generator and Mothership. We couldn’t imagine better people to work with than Todd and Pope, and we cant wait to unleash the first Poseidon release next year!”

Poseidon bring a whole new dynamic to their heavy rock, with pulverizing heavy riffs, moments of stark, barren beauty, and mixture of Neurosis-ish drone and nuclear test site volume. Poseidon are currently writing their debut studio album, set for a 2017 release.​

Having already stormed major festivals such as DesertFest London, Bloodstock Open Air, and Hard Rock Hell, and having shared the stage with the likes of Mastodon, Orange Goblin and Electric Citizen, Poseidon aims to take their critical success to new heights on their upcoming debut for Ripple Music. 2017 will surely see Poseidon back on the road again, and at the forefront of the heavy rock and metal world.

Stay tuned for more news coming soon.

Poseidon is:

Raza khan - drums
Matt Norris - guitar
Matthew Bunkell - bass/vocals
Jamie Starke - guitar

French heavy metal pioneers, Nightmare, will release their new album, Dead Sun, this Friday, November 25th, via AFM Records. An official teaser video can be found below.

The album has been arranged in France by the band’s long time friend and producer Patrick Liotard together with Joost Van Den Broek (The Gentle Storm, Epica), produced and mixed by Joost Van Den Broek at Sandlane Studios in The Netherlands, and recorded at Noise Factory Studio in Belgium with Gerald Jans behind the desk.

Cover artwork for Dead Sun was created by Julien Spreutels (Epysode).

Tracklisting:

“Infected”
“Of Sleepless Mind”
“Tangled in the Roots”
“Red Marble & Gold”
“Ikarus”
“Indifference”
“Dead Sun”
“Seeds of Agony”
“Inner Sanctum”
“Serpentine”
“Starry Skies Gone Black”

Teaser:

“Serpentine” video:

“Ikarus” video:

"Woohoo, UK, it's fair to say that we all delivered. You and us. Big time," says The Dead Daisies. "This is rock 'n' roll: packed houses, loud singing and a lot of energy going back and forth. Awesome! Here's the crazy first week in fast forward for you to enjoy... see ya tonight in Norwich, stage time 9:45pm. Make sure to say hi at the signing."

Catch The Dead Daisies live on tour:

November
22 - Waterfront - Norwich, United Kingdom
23 - Electric Ballroom - London, United Kingdom
25 - Tivoli - Utrecht, Netherlands
26 - Biebob - Vosselaar, Belgium
28 - Z7 - Pratteln, Switzerland
29 - Magazzini Generali - Milan, Italy
30 - Backstage Halle - Munich, Germany - SOLD OUT

December
2 - Planet Rockstock - Trecco Bay, United Kingdom - SOLD OUT
3 - Knust - Hamburg, Germany - SOLD OUT
4 - Paradiso Nord - Amsterdam, Netherlands
5 - Matrix - Bochum, Germany
7 - Colos-Saal - Aschaffenburg, Germany - SOLD OUT
8 - Le Trabendo - Paris, France
10 - Sala Caracol - Madrid, Spain
11 - LA2 Apolo - Barcelona, Spain
13 - Omega Live - Toulon, France
14 - Transbordeur - Lyon, France
16 - New Age - Treviso, Italy
17 - Container - Grottammare, Italy
19 - Szene - Wien, Austria
20 - Bluesiana - Velden, Austria

Trans-Siberian Orchestra kicked off their 2016 Winter Tour at the Covelli Centre, Youngstown, OH. Fan-filmed video of the entire show is available at this location. Some clips from the set are available below.

The video below takes you behind the scenes with the production crew building the lavish TSO set and the musicians rehearsing before hitting the stage.

Trans-Siberian Orchestra recently announced the release of The Ghosts of Christmas Eve as an audio package. In addition to the tracks already familiar to and loved by TSO fans from the 2001 multi-platinum DVD and long running PBS fundraiser of the same name, this new album version contains a special bonus track, “Music Box Blues (Daryl Pediford Tribute New York 2004).” Additionally, to more closely mirror the tale as presented on tour, The Ghosts of Christmas Eve also contains “Christmas Dreams” and “What Child Is This” from The Lost Christmas Eve.

The enchanting rock opera follows the journey of a young runaway who breaks into an abandoned vaudeville theater seeking shelter from the cold on December 24th. Once inside, the teen is discovered by the theater’s caretaker who uses the ghosts and spirits from the building’s past to turn her life around.

The Ghosts of Christmas Eve, which will be released on CD and as a digital audio album via Atlantic Records/Rhino Entertainment on October 21st, plus on vinyl in November to coincide with TSO’s 2016 Winter Tour.

The Ghosts of Christmas Eve 2016 Winter Tour is set to hit 61 cities across North America beginning on November 17 and concluding, after 105 shows, with special New Year’s Eve performances in Seattle and Cleveland (click here for a full itinerary).  Debuted last year to rave critical and fan reviews, the rock opera features such enduring fan-favorites as "Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24”, "O’ Come All Ye Faithful”, "Good King Joy”, "Christmas Canon”, "Music Box Blues”, "Promises To Keep”, and "This Christmas Day”. 2016’s tour will see an all new second set containing some of TSO’s greatest hits and fan-pleasers. TSO is pleased to announce that each concert ticket purchased online will include a digital audio copy of The Ghosts of Christmas Eve with the bonus track: “Music Box Blues (Daryl Pediford Tribute New York 2004)”.

TSO’s record-setting “rock theater” tours sell out venues year after year and have solidified the group’s tours as must-attend, multi-generational, holiday traditions. Since 1996, TSO has cemented itself as one of the world’s biggest rock acts, by playing approximately 2,000 shows for nearly 13 million fans, with tour grosses of more than $580 million, and selling in excess of 10 million albums and DVDs. In 2009, Billboard magazine placed TSO at No. 25 on its “Top Touring Artists of the Decade.”

2015 was another landmark year for TSO, with their hit tour and the release of the chart-topping new album, Letters from the Labyrinth (TSO’s third Top 10 album debut in a row, it spent six weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Rock Chart). 2015’s tour hit 60 cities across North America and played to more than 850,000 people while grossing more than $41 million in just 45 days.

As in all previous years, $1 to $2 of every ticket sold benefits select local charities. To date, in excess of $13 million has been distributed to worthy charities all across North America.

The Ghosts Of Christmas Eve tracklisting:
“O’ Come All Ye Faithful/ O Holy Night” (Instrumental)
“Good King Joy”
“Christmas Dreams”
“Christmas Eve/Sarajevo 12/24” (Instrumental)
“Christmas Canon”
“What Child Is This?”
“Music Box Blues”
“Promises To Keep”
“This Christmas Day”
"Music Box Blues Live (Daryl Pediford Tribute New York 2004)” - Bonus Track

For more information on TSO’s Winter Tour, visit this location.

QUEEN drummer Roger Taylor says it is "quite possible" that the band will record new music with "American Idol" finalist Adam Lambert.

Lambert, Taylor and guitarist Brian May first shared the stage during "American Idol" in May 2009 for a performance of "We Are The Champions". They teamed up again in 2011 at the MTV European Music Awards in Belfast, Ireland for an electrifying eight-minute finale of "The Show Must Go On", "We Will Rock You" and "We Are The Champions" and in the summer of 2012, Lambert performed a series of shows with QUEEN across Europe as well as dates in Russia, Ukraine and Poland. They have since completed several tours and performed at some of the biggest festivals in the world.

Speaking to Planet Rock, Taylor said about QUEEN's plans to release more music (see video below): "If we do anything in the future, I'd like it to be something new. I don't know how new it would sound, but I think if Brian could come up with a song or two which we felt, sort of, fitted, you know."

Asked if there is a chance that QUEEN could release new material, Taylor said: "It's quite possible. We're really enjoying… We've just come back from the Far East — well, a month ago now — which was phenomenal. It's great to know that there's still a demand, and we do love playing with Adam Lambert, who is an incredible singer and a lovely man."

May previously described Lambert as the only singer the band had found capable of filling the shoes of iconic frontman Freddie Mercury, who died in 1991 of complications from to AIDS. "Adam is the first person we've encountered who can do all the QUEEN catalogue without blinking," said May. "He is a gift from God." Taylor echoed the guitarist's sentiments, adding: "[Adam's] incredibly musical, and we certainly take anything he says quite seriously."

Lambert, for his part, downplayed the Mercury comparisons, saying: "There's never going to be another, and I'm not replacing him. That's not what I'm doing. I'm trying to keep the memory alive, and remind people how amazing he was, without imitating him. I'm trying to share with the audience how much he inspired me."

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and PROPHETS OF RAGE bassist Tim Commerford recently gave an interview to TeamRock in which he offered up his reaction to the stunning news that Donald Trump won the 2016 U.S. presidential election over Hillary Clinton.

"I'm still digesting it," he said. "I'm still gripped on the television screen, and I haven't even put it all into perspective yet. I'm as shocked as most people in this country are. I've been talking to my sons today, and it's scary times — it's mind-boggling how many people voted for him, and just how fucked up the whole system is. It's messed up and it's sad.

"I hear so many people right now, like, 'Oh, you know, he's going to change the country,' and blah blah blah, and all this bullshit. But the fact of the matter is the reason people voted for him is the 18% decrease in taxes. That's it, that's what it's all about — it's all about money. People want more money, and that's the reason why things like this happen. That's why it went down this way, and that's why we have a very scary situation here. I was saying this when they were running — and I've heard other people say it too — that he's like Adolf Hitler. He is Adolf Hitler. He's fucking Adolf Hitler. And He. Is. Scary. All of us should be really scared, and all of us should be prepared for the worst."

He continued: "Another facet of his election is racism. We had an African American President, and there's a lot of racist folks in America who were pissed about that. So, they went out and voted for the white guy. They're not going to vote for the woman, and they don't care about Latinos; they're racist. So, we have a money-driven, racist, white, fucking world that we live in, that puts money-driven, white, racist Presidents in office. That's the way it is. It's racism — it's white people. I believe that white people were the reason why Trump was elected President, because white people didn't want an African American, or a woman. It was white people who put him in office.

"I fear for immigrants. I fear for Muslims. I fear for my children. The scary thing is, when you have children you tell them ‘Hey, look, don't be a bully. Don't say fucked up things about women, don't be a racist, don't do these things'. And here we have a person who's doing these things that our children get to see. And you just hope 'Oh, he's going to get rejected at the polls', and that's going to drive that point home to my children that you just can't be like that — but then that guy gets elected. And it makes it super hard to explain that to your children, and then your children go on, and become adults, and they have a different philosophy engrained in them. So that's really my biggest fear — what this is going to do to the mentality of future adults."

Trump shocked the political establishment and the world by becoming the 45th president in one of the biggest upsets in U.S. political history. He won with 289 electoral votes compared to 218 for Hillary Clinton. 270 were needed to win.

While many rock artists had been against Trump, artists like STAIND's Aaron Lewis, Kid Rock and FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's Zoltan Bathory had thrown their support behind the real estate magnate, who has no previous governing experience.

On November 9, former DEATH/MASSACRE and current OBITUARY bassist Terry Butler gave an interview to Mammoth Metal TV in which he offered up his reaction to the stunning news that Donald Trump won the 2016 U.S. presidential election over Hillary Clinton. Asked for his opinion of the president-elect, Butler said (see video below): "Well, you know, I kind of like it the way… I mean, I know he says things… He says things like a guy in a bar would say. I'm on the road a lot and I hear this kind of talk all the time backstage. He says stupid things. Hillary's actually done stupid things that actually hurt and has killed people. And with Hillary, you're gonna get four more years of Obama, and I don't want that."

He continued: "I understand everyone's concerns about Trump, you know… building a wall [along the Mexico-U.S. border]. But hey, what's wrong with protecting your borders? In this day and age, there's people that wanna kill you and everything about you. If you don't believe in their religion, or you don't look the way they do, or do what they want you to do, they're just gonna kill you. We see it all the time, you know — Paris, the Bataclan, Brussels airport… I can name hundreds of incidents. What's wrong with protecting your borders? I don't have a problem with that at all. So… we'll see. It's gonna be interesting, definitely. [Laughs]"

Butler added: "I mean, [Trump] gave a good speech, and hopefully the Democrats work with him. 'Cause we're all Americans. Let's work together, and whatever, and not be divided, you know. We'll see."

Trump shocked the political establishment and the world by becoming the 45th president in one of the biggest upsets in U.S. political history. He won with 289 electoral votes compared to 218 for Hillary Clinton. 270 were needed to win. Clinton, however, is handily winning the popular vote, despite losing the overall election.

While many rock artists had been against Trump, artists like STAIND's Aaron Lewis, Kid Rock and FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's Zoltan Bathory had thrown their support behind the real estate magnate, who has no previous governing experience.

TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider was interviewed on a recent edition of "Larry King Now", the show hosted by legendary 82-year-old newscaster Larry King. You can now watch the chat below.

Snider found himself in the middle of controversy earlier this year when he asked his friend, U.S. president-elect Donald Trump, to stop using the 1984 TWISTED SISTER anthem "We're Not Gonna Take It" in his campaign. The singer — who got to know Trump personally after appearing more than once on "The Celebrity Apprentice" — said Trump was very gracious about the request and they're still friends, though they don't see eye-to-eye on anything socio-political.

"[During the campaign, Trump] started talking about the things that we never spoke about over dinner — about the wall, and about… all these different things," Snider explained in the interview which was taped earlier in the month. "And I was, like, 'Woah!' And my band was going, 'Hey…' Some of the guys agreed, some didn't agree, but I was, like, 'I'm not seeing eye-to-eye [with him] on this.' And then the line that [he crossed] for me was when he wanted to ban all Muslims. Now my grandfather was a persecuted Russian Jew who escaped, came to America and was granted asylum, basically. And because he was granted asylum by this great country, I'm here and living my dream."

He continued: "I called [Trump] up at that point and said, 'I need you to stop playing the song.' And he said, 'Okay.' And that's a class act — to ask permission, which nobody does, and then when asked to stop and I explained why, he stopped that night, and never used it again."

Asked if he thinks "the real" Donald Trump is "anti-gay, anti-abortion and pro-Second Amendment," Snider responded: "I absolutely do not. I'm pro-Second Amendment, but I'm pro women's right to choose. A lot of these philosophies… I mean, he was a Democrat [until] a few years back. He's a New York guy… I don't know what's going on."

Pressed on whether he was planning to vote for Hillary Clinton on November 8, Snider said: "I absolutely am. And again, it's one of those elections of… these are our choices: you either don't use our amazing right to vote and not vote at all, which I think is a mistake, or you pick one and you go with it."

Trump shocked the political establishment and the world by becoming the 45th president in one of the biggest upsets in U.S. political history. He won with 289 electoral votes compared to 218 for Hillary Clinton. 270 were needed to win. Clinton, however, handily won the popular vote, despite losing the overall election.

While many rock artists had been against Trump, artists like STAIND's Aaron Lewis, Kid Rock and FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH's Zoltan Bathory had thrown their support behind the real estate magnate, who has no previous governing experience.

Axl Rose has accused Donald Trump of "whining" after the president-elect demanded an apology from the cast of "Hamilton", the hit Broadway musical, for "harassing" vice president-elect Mike Pence at a performance Friday evening.

"'Hamilton cast harassed Pence,'" the GUNS N' ROSES singer tweeted. "Do you ever stop whining? An apology? Seriously?! You won, this is the job, Get on with it or get out of the kitchen."

Trump sent tweets on Saturday to object to an impassioned curtain speech by actor Brandon Victor Dixon, who called on the new administration to work on behalf of all Americans, including those "alarmed and anxious" that their "inalienable rights" may be infringed.

Dixon, who plays Vice President Aaron Burr in the Tony-winning multicultural musical about the founding fathers, thanked Pence for his attendance and urged the audience to be respectful.

"There's nothing to boo here, ladies and gentlemen, there's nothing to boo here," Dixon said. "We're all here sharing a story of love."

He then delivered this statement on behalf of the show: "We are the diverse America who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration will not protect us," Dixon said. "We truly hope this show has inspired you to uphold our American values and work on behalf of all of us."

Trump continued his Twitter war on "Hamilton" Sunday morning, repeating his demand for an apology for "very rude and insulting" treatment of Pence and adding an opinion about musical, saying he hears it's "highly overrated." The president-elect also sent out a tweet saying that the actors in "Hamilton" can't even "memorize their lines," but he quickly deleted it.

Dixon, however, responded directly to Trump, tweeting, "Conversation is not harassment, sir."

Pence called "Hamilton" a "great show" during an appearance on CBS's "Face The Nation" on Sunday. The vice president-elect said he would leave it to others to decide whether the speech to him was appropriate, but insisted that he "wasn't offended."

Meanwhile, Axl's fellow rocker Steven Van Zandt of the E STREET BAND called upon "Hamilton" creator and star Lin-Manuel Miranda to apologize to Pence for the speech.

"It was the most respectful, benign form of bullying ever. But bullying nonetheless. And by the way, human rights must be won, not asked for," Van Zandt wrote.

"Hamilton made a mistake. Audiences shouldn't have to worry about being blindsided like that. Theater should be sanctuary for Art to speak," he continued.

"Lin-Manuel is a genius. He has created the greatest play since West Side Story. He is also a role model.

"This sets a terrible precedent. Completely inappropriate. Theater should be a safe haven for Art to speak. Not the actors. He needs to apologize to Mike Pence… He was their guest. You protect your guests. Don't embarrass them. When artists perform the venue becomes your home. … It is nothing short of the same bullying tactic we rightly have criticized Trump for in the past. It's taking unfair advantage of someone who thought they were a protected guest in your home."

"A guy comes to a Broadway show for a relaxing night out. Instead he gets a lecture from the stage! Not a level playing field. It's bullying. You don't single out an audience member and embarrass him from the stage. A terrible precedent to set."

Van Zandt, however, made it clear that he did not endorse Pence or Trump's politics.

"Please don't misunderstand," Van Zandt said. "Everyone who is sane disagrees with his policies. This was not the time or place to do it is all I’m saying."

E STREET's Nils Lofgren disagreed with his bandmate, tweeting: "I don't see any [bullying] here. Bravo," He also added of Van Zandt's stance: "It is ok to disagree. The audience had the freedom to boo. The statement was truth to power... Any chance you get to speak truth to power right now, you have to take it."

MOTÖRHEAD guitarist Phil Campbell says that he nearly retired from playing music after the death of Lemmy Kilmister. He also admits it took him months to get over the shock of his bandmate's December 2015 passing, even though he knew Lemmy had been ill for months.

Campbell tells WalesOnline: "I knew Lem wasn't well. I knew the day would come at some point, but it happened so quickly.

"He was playing better in the winter, a few weeks before he passed away, than he was in the summer. I think I started to romanticize, thinking, was he really indestructible?

"When he got up on stage, he rocked like an 18-year-old. Even though it must have been paining him inside, he still did it. It was unbelievable."

He continues: "I had the call saying Lem was not very well at all, and telling us to fly over. But our manager called a day later saying he'd gone peacefully in his sleep. It was all pretty sudden."

Campbell describes the global outpouring of grief as "something else" and adds: "The first three months, personally, I was in shock. I knew MOTÖRHEAD had great support all these years, but the extent just blew my mind.

"After the first three months, I cried more. That was when Lem's death started to sink in and I really began to miss him. Reality kicked in and it was hard to take.

"It wasn't all about playing on stage with him — I miss not being able to call him up. He was such a knowledgable and funny guy. I spent more time with him than I did my wife and family."

The guitarist, who had to miss Lemmy's funeral due to his own ill health — something he says that he was "gutted" about — didn't discuss health issues with Lemmy. "We just talked about the next gig, next song, next album. Lem wanted to carry on and wanted to play.

"He didn't want to sit around the house waiting to die. He wanted to go out on a high."

One of Campbell's favorite memories of Lemmy took place on tour a few years ago. "He called me in my hotel room and said, 'Phil, come down to my room now,'" Campbell recalls. "I thought, 'What have I done wrong now?'

"I was expecting him to say, 'I listened back to last night's tape and you played like shit.' But he said, 'I just wanted you to know, never once in all this time have I regretted having you in the band. You're a good man, Phil.'

"I've been blessed for the life I had with him. I wouldn't have missed it for the world."

Campbell spent the last few months touring with PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS (formerly PHIL CAMPBELL'S ALL STARR BAND), the band he formed with his sons Todd, Dane and Tyla, plus vocalist Neil Starr.

"I was planning on semi-retiring after MOTÖRHEAD finished — but I can't see that happening now," he says. "We're going to have some fun with this. Getting back on stage has been good for me."

PHIL CAMPBELL AND THE BASTARD SONS will release their self-titled EP on November 18 via Motörhead Music.

Legendary hard rock vocalist Graham Bonnet (RAINBOW, MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, ALCATRAZZ, IMPELLITTERI) took part in a press conference at this past weekend's Hard Rock Hell festival at Camp HRH, Pwllheli, North Wales, Gwynedd. You can now watch the question-and-answer session below.

Speaking about the changes in the music industry over the course of the last few decades, Bonnet said: "Well, I think now, because it's the way it is, there's no longer [physical] albums, you can't go into a store and buy a [physical] album, the chart is not the same, everybody's downloading music, I think that's the most upsetting thing to people my age. 'Cause it's kind of, like, 'What the hell is happening? How do you sell your music?' But it's so different, and getting used to it is very hard."

Graham, whose GRAHAM BONNET BAND released an album, "The Book", on November 4 via Frontiers Music Srl, added that the music industry is dying "in a big way right now. And the only way to get through to people is to play live, so that's why everyone's going out and playing live. It's the only way to show that, 'This is what we're doing. This is what we are. This is the new band. This is the new song.' And it's the only way to do it. That's what we're doing right now."

Bonnet also talked about the state of the rock scene and the quality of the music that is being released nowadays. He said: "I think the music needs to develop more than it has done, because it's not going anywhere, to me. I haven't heard anything on the radio, or wherever, nothing new is being developed. All I hear is kind of a rehash of bands that I've heard before with a bit of distortion and a lot of noise going on. And people don't really sing — they have Auto-Tune, or whatever it may be. I want to hear something new, like the first time I heard Jimi Hendrix, the first time I heard QUEEN, the first time I heard THE BEATLES. When is it coming? It's got to come soon. Otherwise, we're gonna go around the circle and go down the shitter, I think. Because there's nothing new."

GRAHAM BONNET BAND features Bonnet on lead vocals, Beth-Ami Heavenstone on bass, South American sensation Conrado Pesinato on lead guitar, ex-ALCATRAZZ man Jimmy Waldo on keyboards, and Mark Zonder (known for his acclaimed work with WARLORD and FATES WARNING) on drums.

MÖTLEY CRÜE and SIXX:A.M. bassist Nikki Sixx has weighed in on underdog Donald Trump's stunning upset of Hillary Clinton in the U.S. presidential election, saying that "America's split, divided right down the middle."

Trump shocked the political establishment and the world by becoming the 45th president in one of the biggest upsets in U.S. political history. He won with 289 electoral votes compared to 218 for Hillary Clinton. 270 were needed to win. Clinton, however, handily won the popular vote, despite losing the overall election.

Speaking to Australia's Music Feeds, Sixx said: "I was in a hotel room [when I found out Trump had won the White House], and I was taken aback; I was very surprised.

"America's split, divided right down the middle.

"[Trump] isn't my choice. But, you know, the thing about democracy is that the people get to go out there and make a decision. And right now in America, there's rioting and protesting and people shouting, 'Not my president.' As long as I can remember, it's one of the most volatile times.

"Some of [SIXX:A.M.'s] music was, I guess, inspired by this energy that's going on here. But it doesn't have to be American-centric at all."

SIXX:A.M. singer James Michael told BBC News earlier in the year that 2016 was "one of the loudest, most volatile election years I can remember." He added: "There's a reason for that. There's a reason people like Donald Trump are getting so much traction. Because he's just saying things very loudly, very boldly. He's not being politically correct. And the reason people are reacting to that type of a voice is they're angry. They're scared on a global level and a personal level. It affects them right down to the dinner table."

Sixx added: "You have a lot of people rallying behind that campaign, who are clearly fed up, and clearly engaged and activated. But when you really look at the policies being offered to those people, they don't sync up.

"A lot of people who say 'I like Donald Trump because he speaks his mind,' are following someone who's not really going to act in their best interests. That's what we're reacting to."

He continued: "We are under siege. Politics has become reality television. It is ridiculous.

"We have presidential candidates not being presidential at all, saying the most ludicrous stuff and the media regurgitates it, over and over. It is nothing to be proud about. So how can people not stand up and say 'this is BS'?"

AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows was recently interviewed by the 101.1 WJRR radio station in Orlando, Florida. You can now listen to the chat below.

Asked about former label Warner Music's recent announcement that it plans to release a two-CD AVENGED SEVENFOLD collection called "The Best Of 2005-2013" without the band's involvement, M. Shadows said: "No, we're not promoting that at all. That has nothing to do with us. They, basically, saw the date that Chris [Jericho] put up, and, from what we understand, they are trying to undercut our new record, so they were trying to put it out the week before. And as childish as things can be behind the scenes with lawyers and stuff, as I'm sure you can imagine, this is childish on a whole new level. You're gonna try to put this record out right before our new record just to undercut us and try to confuse the casual fan, like, 'Is this the new record? Or is that the new record?' Or parents buying stuff for Christmas. So it's just really childish. It doesn't even have a good pick of songs. It's just kind of, like… It is what it is. And it's a record label, basically, digging themselves into a deeper hole, as far as I'm concerned, 'cause it doesn't look good to other bands who are potentially gonna sign there, and it doesn't look good to fans."

M. Shadows also spoke about AVENGED SEVENFOLD's upcoming headlining tour, which is slated to kick off in early 2017. He said: "The mindset on this one is gonna be what were people seeing in the '80s that was different, but making that sort of classic statement. So, what I mean by that is, we wanna do what the '80s did for you in terms of live shows and do that for this next generation by doing something completely different and off the wall, but on a very large scale. So instead of using the same tricks they were using back then, with the fire and the stage props, we wanna really try to make our own footprint here and do something very, very over the top. We hired some people that do the stuff for Cirque Du Soleil, a lot of digital image mapping, so a lot of different things that we're gonna try out on this tour on a very grand scale."

Warner Music sued AVENGED SEVENFOLD earlier this year for breach of contract. The suit seeks compensatory damages because the band is refusing to fulfill its agreement with the company. AVENGED SEVENFOLD released four studio albums through the label but sought to exit its contract, while Warner Music contended that the group owed the company a live CD/DVD.

At the end of 2015, AVENGED SEVENFOLD notified Warner Music that they would not render services to the label, citing Section 2855 of the California Labor Code, which limits the duration of personal-services agreements to seven years — the so-called seven-year statute.

To recover damages, Warner Music will have to show how much it would have earned had it released the band's latest album.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD released its seventh studio album, titled "The Stage", via Capital Records on October 28, becoming the first-ever rock band to issue an unannounced album in both digital and physical form. The quintet revealed that their album was out during their live-streamed performance from the rooftop of the Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood, California on October 27. The band give a 3D/360-degree live-streamed virtual reality performance, enabling fans around the globe to view the show.

The marketing plan and launch of the album was months in the making, starting with the projection of the band's logo, the Deathbat, on buildings in cities around the world.

The campaign even included some misdirection, as the group had its friend Chris Jericho "accidentally" leak a fake album title and release date.

"The Stage" debuted at No. 4 on The Billboard 200 album chart, selling 76,000 physical and/or digital copies in its first week of release. While the sales were decent for the current music business, they represent the lowest first-week total for any AVENGED SEVENFOLD album since "City Of Evil" in 2005. "The Stage" sold less than half as many copies in its first week as the group's two previous efforts, 2010's "Nightmare" and 2013's "Hail To The King".

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman spoke to LA Weekly about his decision to step away from a planned reunion of the band's "Rust In Peace" lineup — featuring Friedman and drummer Nick Menza — in early 2015, sixteen years after he initially left the group. He said: "I think anyone that has something as good as 'Rust In Peace' in their history doesn't want to revisit it unless you are going to top it. I didn't see any reason to mess with that. I didn't see a reunion being what it could be and what the fans deserved. If I were to revisit that, there would have to be a reason for me to do that beyond, 'Let's go back and do it again.' That's not a good enough reason."

MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine said in an interview that the "Rust In Peace" lineup reunion failed to materialize for a number of reasons, including a difference in vision for the group's new music. He said: "Marty had sent some e-mails saying, 'Oh, man, you know, the fans have this self-inflated importance of 'Rust In Peace' beyond what it really is. And I was, like, 'Huh?' So I didn't know if that was a backhand to the face of the fans or not, but he had basically said that if we were gonna do anything, it had to be better than 'Rust In Peace'. And he sent me over some links to some songs that he thought should be the direction that we were going in, and one of it was this J-Pop band with some Japanese girl singing, and I was, like, 'Uh-uh. This ain't gonna work.' More power to [Marty for being into that stuff]. Do what you want, Marty. He's a great guitar player. But I'm not gonna sing like a Japanese girl."

Friedman is putting the finishing touches on a new solo album for a 2017 release via Prosthetic Records. The follow-up to 2014's "Inferno" was recorded in part at Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in California with engineer Paul Fig (ALICE IN CHAINS, RUSH, DEFTONES) and is described by Friedman as "a way more intense version" of its predecessor: "deeper, sadder, happier and more aggressive."

Like "Inferno", Friedman's upcoming album will feature several guests, including prog-thrashers MUTOID MAN, Jørgen Munkeby of the Norwegian avant-garde jazz-metal outfit SHINING and Jinxx of Los Angeles theatrical rockers BLACK VEIL BRIDES.

Michelle Maher-Williams, the wife of EYEHATEGOD frontman Mike Williams, has launched a YouCaring fundraising page for her husband, who urgently needs a lifesaving liver transplant.

She writes on the site: "As many of you are aware, Michael has been battling health issues for the last 2+ years. What most of you don't know is just how serious it is. Michael is a very private person, and I respected that. Throughout this awful journey, only a handful of people were aware of his situation.

"As much as he hates the idea of asking for help, he needs your support now more than ever and has realized that his friends, family and fans deserve to know exactly what is going on with him and his health.

"I'm aware that there have been plenty of questions and concerns, as well as some grossly inaccurate assumptions, regarding his status. I will post a more detailed account in the near future to help you to understand his struggle a bit better. In the meantime, here's a general overview.

"In December 2014, while on tour with CORRECTIONS HOUSE, Michael was hospitalized in Texas. The ER doctor told him that his liver was failing and he wouldn't survive another year. He immediately returned to [New Orleans] and consulted with one of the best liver specialists in the country. Although he was diagnosed with cirrhosis of the liver, this doctor gave him the hope and encouragement that he needed to put up the fight of his life.

"Over the next year, thanks to changes in his diet and lifestyle, his liver function continued to improve. He was cleared to travel to Europe in June 2015 with EYEHATEGOD. The day after he got home, he was hospitalized for three weeks. After several more hospital stays, he seemed to stabilize. In April 2016, he was again cleared to tour with EYEHATEGOD. With only a couple of dates left of the tour, he was found unresponsive in his hotel room. He was rushed to the hospital in Kentucky and put on life support. A few days later, ever the fighter, he came out of his coma and was able to breathe on his own. Two weeks later, we returned to New Orleans to consult with his specialists. It was apparent that his liver just wasn't healing quickly enough to provide him with a life of quality. He would need a liver transplant. Thus began our journey to get him on the list. It was not an easy task by any means. He jumped through hoops, slashed red tape, and was subjected to a battery of interviews and tests, both physically and mentally. He consulted with therapists, nutritionists, radiologists, as well as cardiac, liver, kidney and infectious disease specialists, just to name a few. He submitted blood and urine specimens twice weekly.

"On October 10th, 2016, he was admitted to the CCU [Critical Care Unit], vomiting blood. Along with internal bleeding, it was determined that his liver and kidneys were failing. He was placed on life support and dialysis. Through sheer grit and determination, he was eventually able to function on his own. We were told that he would not be leaving the hospital without a new liver. His case was presented before the board and he was approved for the transplant list. He's been hospitalized ever since.

"We can't do this on our own anymore. The expenses are astronomical and overwhelming. Not only has our health insurance nearly tripled, but now we need to come up with our insurance deductible before the transplant occurs. We have a mountain of medical bills that need to be paid to ensure that his transplant isn't delayed. Since we live over an hour away from the hospital, we are required to rent an apartment nearby for 3-6 months after the transplant. His monthly prescriptions cost over $900. Mike hasn't been able to tour and I've taken a lot of time off in order to take care of him, so our income has plunged while our expenses have skyrocketed.

"Please help my lover get a liver! He's fought so hard to get this far.

"I will post updates as often as possible to keep everyone informed of his progress.

"If you are unable to donate at this time, please keep us in your thoughts and share, share, share! We thank you all."

Williams's tales of drug abuse, excess and struggles with the authorities have been well publicized over the years. The longtime New Orleans resident was arrested after Hurricane Katrina for drug possession, detoxed from heroin in prison and lived for a short time on former PANTERA frontman Philip Anselmo's property. Williams, who worked as an associate editor for Metal Maniacs in the 1990s and has written for numerous underground music magazines, published his first book, "Cancer As A Social Activity: Affirmations Of World's End", in 2005.

Williams was forced to miss more than a dozen EYEHATEGOD shows this past summer and fall due to his health issues. He was temporarily replaced by Anselmo two dates in August and LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe for eleven gigs in October.

SOIL frontman Ryan McCombs has weighed in on underdog Donald Trump's stunning upset of Hillary Clinton in the U.S. presidential election, saying that while he is "not a Trump fan," the real estate mogul is much a better choice than "the criminal he was running against."

Trump shocked the political establishment and the world by becoming the 45th president in one of the biggest upsets in U.S. political history. He won with 289 electoral votes compared to 218 for Hillary Clinton. 270 were needed to win. Clinton, however, handily won the popular vote, despite losing the overall election.

Speaking to Metal Underground before SOIL's November 9 concert in Bristol, England, McCombs said that he was "happy" with the election outcome, before elaborating (see video below): "I'm not a Trump fan. I think that's the thing that a lot of people get [wrong]. [If I say] I'm happy about the election, people think, 'Oh, he's a Trump fan.' I'm not, but you know what? He's not a career politician. He may not talk like a polished politician. He talks like you and I. He uses words like 'them' and 'they,' and then people wanna turn around and say he's being racist or whatever. He's just… He's not a polished career politician. And do I think he's great? No, not at all. But compared to the criminal he was running against? I couldn't be happier for the country. 'Cause that was an evil, evil woman. So I'm very happy with [the outcome]."

McCombs also addressed the fact that Trump's surprise election victory has raised concern among some world leaders after a string of controversial statements he made during his campaign. "I know a lot of people are scared — especially overseas," Ryan said. "The Democratic party has controlled the media in the U.S. for the past eight years. But if you really break [it] down, there's so much 'he's this' and 'he's that.' Find me something. Find me something other than somebody saying that about him. Find me something that actually comes from him. And that's where the arguments stops."

Ryan did admit, however, that he did not personally vote in the latest election, blaming it on the fact that "I moved just before this tour, and I forgot to set up the whole… Basically, it was too late for me to register in my new location. So I didn't end up voting."

SOIL recently commenced the songwriting process for a new studio album, tentatively due in late 2017.

The band's last disc, "Whole", arrived in August 2013 via Pavement Entertainment.

MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx says that he doesn't care for STEEL PANTHER, the American glam rockers from Los Angeles, California, mostly known for their profane and humorous lyrics, as well as their exaggerated onstage personas that parody the stereotypical 1980s "glam metal" lifestyle.

Despite the fact that STEEL PANTHER's look has been described as "the bastard offspring from an unholy union of POISON and MÖTLEY CRÜE circa 1989" and that they write "over-the-top hair-metal songs ripe with melody, muscle and machismo, fearlessly creating an amalgam of that maligned era's sound and embracing all its excesses and debauchery" (Isthmus), Sixx tells Australia's Music Feeds that he just can't get into STEEL PANTHER's music. "You know, it's not my thing," he says. "That's just me personally. I don't know. It doesn't feel… I guess a lot of people think it's funny and they're kind of a joke band and that's cool. But that's not my cup of tea. I kind of take my music a little more seriously."

Back in June 2015, STEEL PANTHER singer Michael Starr revealed in an interview that MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee "was pretty upset over the fact we poked fun at [MÖTLEY CRÜE singer] Vince Neil. He didn't like it. He just thinks we're just a joke, like a stupid joke band that shouldn't be playing with them. But all their fans like us."

Starr added that members of MÖTLEY CRÜE simply "take themselves a little too serious," except for Vince Neil, who "totally loves it."

"You know, he told me, 'Hey, Michael, when we retire, you can have all our fans,'" Starr said.

Before MÖTLEY CRÜE toured with POISON in 2011, Sixx famously said that his band would never hit the road with other groups from the "hair metal" era because he didn't want to be "attached to that kind of fake bullshit." He later explained his position by saying that MÖTLEY CRÜE "wanted to… separate from [bands like POISON]. And we had never planned on touring with any of the bands from that era. There was no animosity — it was just that we put a very clear line."

Punk rock icon Henry Rollins says that Donald Trump "went from grabbing pussies to being one" in the days following his election as the next president of the United States of America.

Rollins, whose outspoken views and activism work have made him one of punk's most political alumni, writes in the latest installment of his weekly column for alternative newspaper LA Weekly: "During the president-elect's acceptance speech, I noticed a difference in his tone and delivery. I don't think it was exhaustion or the adrenaline that was no doubt coursing through his veins after being elected to the country's highest office. Nor do I think it was surprise, even though every poll seemed to have gotten it wrong. I think it had just hit the president-to-be what a massive chunk of meat he had torn off.

"It was as if he had been punched in the solar plexus and rushed to the podium immediately afterward. Rather than elated or confident, he seemed stunned. This is understandable. I don't think he counted on getting this far and am not convinced he really wants the job.

"Donald Trump told his foaming fans at one rally after another that he would 'repeal and replace Obamacare.' He also said that he would build a wall on America's southern border and that Mexico would pay for it. He repeated until he was orange in the face that he would deport or arrest up to 11 million undocumented immigrants via a 'deportation force.' These were some of the 'yuger' arrows in his campaign quiver. Only days after winning the election, 'repeal and replace' was repealed and replaced by an openness to 'amend' the Affordable Care Act. The wall was walked back to fence and 11 million became 3 million.

"Word to Trump supporters: Your hero went from grabbing pussies to being one. Oh, the butthurt."

Rollins previously noted that Republicans wouldn't have stood for Trump's "racist and xenophobic" posturing during the Reagan era, and blamed cynicism towards Washington D.C. on the left and right for allowing a such a non-mainstream figure to emerge.

Back in August, Rollins spoke to the New Zealand TV show "Waatea 5th Estate" about what America might look like under President Donald Trump. He said: "I think you would have a country that would have an increasingly difficult time trying to get along with the European Union, such as it is, getting along with China, because we would become confrontational. [That's] not the way to deal with China, in my opinion. They play a longer game, their economy is run differently. They use sometimes confusion logic; there's some great writing about it. If Trump says, 'My way or the highway,' the Chinese will go, 'Okay, we're gonna collect on all that debt. And so we'll take that hotel and that whole skyline, that's ours today.'"

He continued: "I don't wanna get into any tough-guy chest puffing with any country; there's too many kids to get hurt and my country's economy can't sustain it. So if he wants to run a country like a failed businessman or like a corny reality show, I'm not in. And so under a Trump presidency, I think you'd have brown people, black people, Muslim people, gay people having potentially a dangerous or a very awful time in America."

According to The Pulse Of Radio, FOO FIGHTERS drummer Taylor Hawkins revealed in a new interview with Consequence Of Sound that the band's manager pressured the group to leave a song that Hawkins wrote off the FOO FIGHTERS' 2005 double album, "In Your Honor". Asked if he would want to write music for the next FOO FIGHTERS album, Hawkins replied: "I think it would be cool. I write when we have a double record. There is only enough room for Dave [Grohl] on a single record; let's leave the real writing to him. Our manager even wanted to take off the one song I ever wrote!"

Hawkins added: "I think they figured if there is one less Dave Grohl song, then there's one less chance of a hit. For the last few records, I've started singing backup vocals, so that’s become a new part and a relatively new space for me in this band."

Hawkins recently released his first solo album, titled "KOTA". The six-song EP is Hawkins' first-ever project under his own name, although in the past he has led bands like the COATTAIL RIDERS and THE BIRDS OF SATAN.

"KOTA" features Hawkins on lead vocals and almost every instrument, with a few additional yet-to-be-named guests.

The first single, "Range Rover Bitch", was inspired by Hawkins living in the same gated community as the Kardashians.

FOO FIGHTERS have been on hiatus since November 2015, but they performed at a private charity concert in Los Angeles last month and have begun booking European festival appearances for next summer.

Former ANTHRAX and current ARMORED SAINT singer John Bush has weighed in on underdog Donald Trump's stunning upset of Hillary Clinton in the U.S. presidential election, saying that "everyone just has to lighten up and respect everybody."

Speaking to California Rock News at last night's (Thursday, November 10) listening party for ARMORED SAINT's new live album, "Carpe Noctum", in Sherman Oaks, California, John said: "I don't know what's gonna happen. It's kind of a volatile time, and I'm kind of bummed about it — just the general feeling of the divison in America; it's obvious. It's pretty severe, and I hope we fix it quickly, you know, 'cause it sucks. I mean, I don't really care which way you wanna lean, you know. I have friends who are on the right, I have friends who are on the left, but we're still all just people. We're supposed to all just be Americans. I think everybody's just trying to have a happy life, and everyone should be entitled to that. I don't know if there's a savior, quite frankly. I think everyone just has to lighten up and respect everybody."

After ARMORED SAINT drummer Gonzo Sandoval publicly came out in support of Donald Trump earlier in the week, his bandmates released a statement via the group's Facebook page in which they distanced themselves from his views. They wrote: "Here at ARMORED SAINT, we all believe in freedom of speech. It's a right we all share and it's a right that is very precious. Everyone in America is entitled to it. By now, all of us who are engaged in social media are well aware of the brute tone of this freedom. It is celebrated in all of its beauty but also in its insidiousness.

"First in line of importance is that we strongly believe that religion and politics are a very sacred and personal set of beliefs that should remain inside the individual, especially when we're in a shared business with several people in a group. It is in our opinion that social media is no place for us to share what we believe in politically or ideologically.

"We make art and entertain. That's what we've always done and that's what we'll continue to do. The band's philosophy has always been from the observation point of view coupled with tongue-in-cheek irony. At this time of incredible polarization in our country, we choose to stay right here. Our goal is to not change the world. Our goal is to make music."

"Carpe Noctum" will be released in January. The disc features the band's 2015 Wacken Open Air festival set as well as their headlining show in Aschaffenburg, Germany.