Multi-national rock actn Blues Pills have released the official music video for the song "I Felt A Change" today. It was directed by Johan Bååth (Avatarium, Dregen) who is best known for his work with cult director Jonas Åkerlund (Rolling Stones, U2, Ozzy Osbourne, Metallica) and shot by well known Backyard Babies drummer Peder Carlsson.

Blues Pills have released their new album, Lady In Gold, via Nuclear Blast. A new video trailer can be found below. Just as its successful predecessor, Lady In Gold, was once again produced by Don Alsterberg (Graveyard, Division Of Laura Lee, José González, Jerry Williams).

Tracklisting:

“Lady In Gold”
“Little Boy Preacher”
“Burned Out”
“I Felt A Change”
“Gone So Long”
“Bad Talkers”
“You Gotta Try”
“Won’t Go Back”
“Rejection”
“Elements And Things”

"Little Boy Preacher" lyric video:

“Lady In Gold” video:

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

Trailer #3:

Trailer #4:

Trailer #5:

Legendary bay area thrash metal giants, Testament, have unveiled of the cover art for their upcoming 12th album, The Brotherhood Of The Snake, which will be released on October 28th via Nuclear Blast.

The Brotherhood Of The Snake was recorded under the watchful eyes of producer Juan Urteaga (Exodus, Machine Head), guitarist Eric Peterson and singer Chuck Billy and is currently being mixed and mastered by well-known metal producer Andy Sneap (Accept, Megadeth).

Commented Peterson in another interview: "It's very diverse, but it's very epic. There's nothing on there that breeds commercial. And I think for thirty years of recording music and trying different formulas and stuff, I think we've found a formula that is very metal. I think for the metal fan that is looking for something for the nook and crannies… not just your normal, 'Oh, it's got a thrash beat and a riff.' There's a lot going on here."

In another interview, the songwriter stated: "It's different. This one is more thrash. I mean, this has got some of the fastest stuff that we have ever played. Usually, we have one or two thrash songs, and then we have some mid-tempo, and then we have a slow, heavy one, and then up-tempo kind of stuff. Half of the new record is thrash, which we've never done before."

He continued: "It's kind of like Demonic and The Gathering, but a little bit wiser, I think. Chuck's not singing so death. I mean, he does some death stuff but he's singing more like he did on the last record and then with the craziness of The Gathering or even heavy stuff like Demonic."

Testament will support The Brotherhood Of The Snake on their European run with Amon Amarth this fall. Dates to be announced soon. The band will embark on their summer festival run next week including some chosen club shows beginning July 13th in Hungary.

Live dates:

August
4 - Rijssen, Netherlands - Lucky & Co
5 - Wacken, Germany - Wacken Open Air
18 - Dinkelsbühl, Germany - Summer Breeze
19 - Hamburg, Germany - Elb-Riot
20 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
21 - Saint-Nolff, France - Motocultor Fest
27 - Istanbul, Turkey - 100% Metal Fest Headbangers

(Photo - Stephanie Cabral)

Lacrimas Profundere will release their first concept album, Hope Is Here, on August 12th via Oblivion / SPV. The video for the title track can be seen below:

“We’ve never done a concept before and it was quite a challenge, but once Rob (Vitacca - vocalist) started writing the story and got totally buried in it, there was simply no going back,” explains guitarist Oliver Nikolas. “When you’ve got a concept you have to arrange it like a film, you have to follow certain moods and really think about where to put the faster, harder pieces and where the slower and sadder moments best fit in,” continues the band’s founder. “We’ve never worked together so hard and so well as a unit,” explains Oliver.

In the past, Lacrimas Profundere worked separately on the songwriting, practicing in short stints in the rehearsal room. On Hope Is Here they worked intermittently for three months perfecting the pre-production at the Engine Studios, allowing the material to take shape – letting their visions develop and grow. “One of the challenges we set ourselves was that every single note should hit the listener as hard as possible, inescapable,” Oliver Nikolas explains. “We feel we’ve finally reached the next level.”

Indeed: with Hope Is Here the guys drag you out of your comfortable world, deep into a forest – to a boy who lives there. Alienated at home for years. The dangers, the emotions, the sudden twists. Feel his freedom. Taste his dirt in the deep dark woods that our parents warned us from in all those good night stories. Enjoy the trip!

Tracklisting:

“The Worship Of Counting Down”
“My Halo Ground”
“Hope Is Here”
“Aramis”
“A Million Miles”
“No Man's Land”
“Pageant”
“You, My North”
“Awake”
“The Path Of Broken Homes”
“Timbre”
“Black Moon”

Trailer #1:

Trailer #2:

In the new video below, guitarist Gus G. (Ozzy Osbourne, Firewind) performs a play-through of his solo track "What Lies Below" and explains the song's parts in detail. The clip was filmed and edited by Panagiotis Kountouras, with intro graphic courtesy of Patric Ullaeus.

Conversely, check out the official video for "What Lies Below":

Gus G. will embark on the Operation Domination co-headlining US tour with renowned shredder, Angel Vivaldi, kicking off on August 31st in New York, NY. Tour dates are listed below. Check out a new tour trailer:

Gus G. states: "I'm very excited to return to the US this fall to finally hit more markets and play for the fans that were left out on my recent spring mini-tour. Teaming up with a talented player like Angel Vivaldi seemed like a great opportunity. We're both stoked to bring the Operation Domination tour to the American audiences and we will be performing our own individual sets, but also collaborating on stage together as well. We will have a great band with us that features James Paul Luna (Holy Grail) on vocals, Alex Bent (ex-Battlecross, Testament) on drums and Jake Skylyr on bass. The setlist will once again be a mixed bag including songs from my solo works, Firewind, Ozzy material but some surprises as well. These shows are not to be missed. See you soon."

Vivaldi further adds: "For me this tour perfectly summarizes the evolution of modern guitar playing. To be able to share a stage with a force such as Gus is both inspiring and refreshing. I cannot wait to see the looks on people's faces when they see what we have planned! I'm also really excited to dip into music from all my releases including the upcoming re-recordings from The Speed Of Dark: Revisited, coming out this year. After the recent tragic events in Orlando, I'm going above and beyond to make this tour a much needed celebration of love, inspiration and positive energy. I have some exciting tricks up my sleeve that I'm anxious to unleash on this run. It’s going to be a party!"

Tour dates:

August
31 - New York, NY - The Studio At Webster Hall

September
1 - Philadelphia, PA - The Voltage Lounge
2 - Cambridge, MA - The Middle East
3 - Leonardtown, MD - Park Rock @ St. Mary’S Fairgrounds
6 - Winter Park, FL - The Haven
7 - Tampa, FL - Orpheum
9 - Stafford, TX - The Pub Fountains
10 - Ft. Worth, TX - The Rail Club
12 - Hollywood, CA - The Whisky
15 - Las Vegas, NV - Vamp’D Rock Bar
16 - Costa Mesa, CA - Tiki Bar
17 - San Diego, CA - Brick By Brick
20 - Salt Lake City, UT - Metro Bar
21 - Denver, CO - Herman’S Hideaway
22 - Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mewes
23 - Iowa City, IA - Gabe’S
24 - Berwin, IL - Wire

Firewind recently announced a return to European stages, which sees the group play some summer festival events as well as a European/UK tour in November, featuring a best-of set from the band’s rich catalogue.

Tour dates:

November
9 - Wolverhampton, UK - Slade Rooms
10 - Glasgow, UK -Audio
11 - Manchester, UK - Club Academy
12 - Sheffield, UK - Corporation
13 - London, UK - Underworld
15 - Vosselaar, Belgium - Biebob
16 - Paris, France - Petit Bain
18 - Aschaffenburg, Germany - Colos-Saal
20 - Budapest , Hungary - A38
21 - München, Germany - Feierwerk
22 - Vienna, Austria - Szene
24 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix/Rockpalast
25 - Breda, The Netherlands - Mezz

Firewind festival dates:

August
6 - Ostrava, Czech Republic - Ostrava v Plamenech

Firewind are currently working on new material for an upcoming studio album release, expected later in the year.

In December 2015, three bands with three different stylistic approaches to aggressive music, but a common outlook on the world, came together to create a collective piece of work - The Depression Sessions. Those three bands were Thy Art Is Murder, The Acacia Strain and Fit For An Autopsy and on August 12th, Nuclear Blast Entertainment will release the results of this experience both digitally and on limited edition vinyl.

The official lyric video for the Fit For An Autopsy track "Flatlining" from The Depression Sessions can now be enjoyed by all.

A pair of in-studio videos chronicling the making-of this release can be seen below.

The Acacia Strain recently made the track "Sensory Deprivation" available for download on all major digital music platforms. Receive the song, along with "They Will Know Another" by Thy Art Is Murder, as an instant download now when you pre-order the album digitally via iTunes and Amazon.

In regards to this achievement, the parties involved have released the following collective statement: "After months of heavy touring, a cold NJ background set the tone for a dark, honest, and moody record. We gave some nods to the bands we grew up listening to and took some new risks in our own songs. More importantly, this record is a statement of community. We live in a very competitive and selfish world, and it this is proof it doesn't have to be like that. It's the friendships you make along the way, between the artists you share the stage with that you'll take away with you long after the shows are over. Support your peers; the whole music scene will be better for it. Thank you for listening."

Check out a lyric video for the first single "They Will Know Another" by Thy Art Is Murder below. The song, as well as their cover of Rammstein's "Du Hast", are the last pieces of music the band recorded before the departure of vocalist of CJ McMahon.

The Depression Sessions was produced, engineered, mixed and mastered by Will Putney. All the bands tracked in December 2015 at Graphic Nature Audio in Belleville, NJ. Cover art was created by Dan Bradley with a layout by Forefathers.

Tracklisting:

Thy Art Is Murder – “They Will Know Another”
The Acacia Strain – “Sensory Deprivation”
Fit For An Autopsy – “Flatlining”
Thy Art Is Murder – “Du Hast” (Rammstein cover)
The Acacia Strain – “Black Hole Sun” (Soundgarden cover)
Fit For An Autopsy – “The Perfect Drug” (Nine Inch Nails cover)

Studio video #1:

Studio video #2:

“They Will Know Another” – Thy Art Is Murder:

Pre-order the limited edition clear with red splatter vinyl at the Nuclear Blast shop.

Iberian extreme metal act Noctem has debuted "Through The Black Temples Of Disaster" - the first single from their new album Haeresis - due out September 30th via Prosthetic Records in North America, The UK and Europe, and through Art Gates Records in Spain.

Haeresis consists of ten brutally punishing tracks which conceptually delve into the dark history of Noctem's home country of Spain. Complimenting cover artwork, as seen below, was completed by Seth Siro Anton (Septicflesh, Moonspell, Behemoth) and depicts an epic and grotesque display of obscene torture extracted from the Spanish inquisition (1.500 A.C.).

Haeresis tracklisting:

"Through The Black Temples Of Disaster"
"Auto-Da-Fé"
"The Submission Discipline"
"Blind Devotion"
"The Dark One"
"Haeresis"
"Whispers Of The Ancient Gods"
"Conjuring Degradation And Morbidity"
"The Paths Of The Lustful Abandon"
"Pactum With The Indomitable Darkness"

Noctem, consisting of Beleth (vocals), Exo (lead guitars), Ethell (rhythm guitars), Varu (bass) and Voor (drums), self-recorded and produced Haerisis earlier this year at Firework Studios in Valencia before sending it to Sweden's Necromorbus Studio for mixing and mastering by Tore Stjerna (Watain, Valkyrja).

The band collectively proclaimed; "This record is proof that a band like us can keep evolving with time. It looks, sounds, smells and tastes different from anything we've ever done while keeping our original essence in every track. We're sure that any fan of extreme metal will be satisfied with this new opus."

Catch Noctem live:

October
27 - Salamanca, Spain - Nave Bunker (with Negura Bunget, Antagonist Zero)
28 - Madrid, Spain - Sala Silikona (with Negura Bunget, Antagonist Zero)
29 - Zaragoza, Spain - CC Vadefierro (with Negura Bunget, Antagonist Zero)
30 - Barcelona, Spain - Sala Monasterio (with Negura Bunget, Antagonist Zero)

"Finished up drums today on the new album," says Wednesday 13. "We had the honor of having (former Journey drummer) Deen Castronovo guest on a track. This album is gonna be so sick, you're all gonna love it."

Wednesday 13, who mixes punk rock and metal with kitschy horror imagery and who is formerly one-half of The Murderdolls braintrust, is back on the scene and there is lots of activity taking place in his blood-spattered world.

Wednesday 13 will embark on a tour this fall, traversing North America in September and October. One-Eyed Doll will serve as direct support for the entire tour. The Things They Carried will appear from September 8th through October 8th, while Gabriel And The Apocalypse will join the tour October 9th through October 22nd.

Wednesday 13 will perform two shows in London at the Garage on October 28th and 29th to celebrate the 10-year anniversary for his 2006 album Fang Bang. There is also a special show on Halloween Night at the world-famous Whiskey A Go Go with Michale Graves.

In addition to this heavy duty touring schedule, Wednesday 13 has entered the studio with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris to work on the seventh Wednesday 13 album, Condolences, which is the follow up to 2015's Monsters Of The Universe. Zuess has also worked with Wednesday 13 and guitarist Roman on the 2010 Murderdolls album, Women & Children Last.

Condolences is slated for an April 2017 release.

"I can't tell you how excited we are to work with Zuess again," Wednesday 13 says. "We've been talking about it for years and now we're gonna finally make it happen. We had such a great time working with him on the Murderdolls album a while back. This will be our heaviest album to date and I can't wait to see what we come up with working alongside Zuess."

Wednesday 13 will release a live DVD later this year titled Almost Dead: LIVE. The release will feature live, acoustic, and backstage footage from the past few years' worth of touring in the UK and from the Monsters Of The Universe Tours in Europe.

Tour dates:

September
8 - The Pin - Spokane, WA
9 - El Corazon - Seattle, WA
11 - Falls Venue - Idaho Falls, ID
13 - Pub Station - Billings, MT
14 - Sunshine Studios - Colorado Springs, CO
15 - Marquis Theater - Denver, CO
16 - Gabes - Iowa City, IA
17 - Diesel Lounge - Chesterfield, MI
18 - The Agora Theater - Cleveland, OH
19 - Emerson Theater - Indianapolis, IN
20 - Skully's Music Diner - Columbus, OH
22 - Rockpile - Toronto, ON
23 - Rockpile - Toronto, ON
24 - The Brass Monkey - Ottawa, ON
25 - Harmony House - Webster, NY
27 - Marlin Room at Webster Hall - New York City, NY
29 - Brighton Bar - Long Branch, NJ
30 - Tubby's Nightclub - Duncannon, PA

October
1 - Hard Rock Cafe - Philadelphia, PA
2 - Shock Fest - Sinking Spring, PA
4 - G|Boones - Boonesboro, MD
5 - Amos' Southend - Charlotte , NC
6 - V Club - Huntington, WV
7 - The Concourse at The International - Knoxville, TN
8 - Ground Zero - Spartanburg, SC
9 - Purgatory at The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
11 - Jack Rabbits - Jacksonville, FL
12 - Sidebar Theater - Tallahassee, FL
13 - The State Theatre - St Petersburg, FL
15 - The Korova - San Antonio, TX
16 - Dirty Dog Bar - Austin, TX
20 - Juggernaut Lounge - Gallup, NM
21 - Club Red - Mesa, AZ
22 - Vampd - Las Vegas, NV
28 - The Garage - London, UK
29 - The Garage - London, UK
31 - Whisky A Go Go - West Hollywood, CA (with Michale Graves)

SPRAYGUN WAR, the new project featuring BUCKCHERRY singer Josh Todd and guitarist Stevie D., is working on a full-length album to follow the band's recently released debut EP.

Issued on June 10, "Into The Blackness" was described in a press release as a departure from BUCKCHERRY's sound, featuring strong electronic and hip-hop elements.

During an August 8 appearance on the SiriusXM satellite radio show "Eddie Trunk Live", Todd explained how SPRAYGUN WAR came together. "Stevie and I have a long relationship," he said. "We knew each other way before BUCKCHERRY was even started. He was one of the first guys I met when I moved to Hollywood, and we worked together, and then we were roommates. So we've been friends for a long, long time, and we've always had a passion for electronic music.

"I got to write with [DJ] Muggs from CYPRESS HILL after [BUCKCHERRY's] 'Time Bomb' [2001] record; we did a few collaborations, and two of them made it on to his solo record 'Dust', and I really got a taste of it back then."

He continued: "I was just walking through a parking lot one day out on the road — Stevie and I hang out a lot on our days off — and I was just, like, 'Man, I need somebody to make me beats. I need to find a beatmaker, and all the beatmakers are giving their stuff to these young pop stars, and I want some cool beats that I can work on.' And I'd kind of fallen out of touch with Muggs. So Stevie was, like, 'I can make beats.' And I go, 'Okay. Make me a beat.' And then we just started writing. And the first song was 'Turn Out The Lights' that we wrote, which is on the EP, and after that song, we were just off to the races; we were just really enjoying it."

SPRAYGUN WAR has only played one show so far — on June 9 as part of a release party for "Into The Blackness" at Forgotten Saints in West Hollywood, California — but there are already plans for more dates in 2017. "[The EP release] was just a little show," Todd said. "We only had the EP of songs, and we only got to rehearse once. We're gonna be doing ShipRocked, and so we're gonna do a show on ShipRocked in January, and we already have three more songs, and by then we'll have a few more, and it'll be a nice set. And we're gonna have fun."

"Into The Blackness" track listing:

01. OMG02. Booty Big And Wide03. Turn Out The Lights04. El Sicario05. Fury

Todd recently told Australia's Rolling Stone that BUCKCHERRY is working on an EP to follow last year's "Rock 'N' Roll" album.

Karl Sanders of South Carolina-based extreme technical death metallers NILE was interviewed on a recent edition of the "Neckbreaker" podcast. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below (starting around the one-hour, 53-minute mark).

Speaking about how the licensing rates for streaming music are threatening the livelihood of songwriters and artists, Karl said: "Well, the digital medium is the newest way to completely rip off the artist. We don't get paid for that shit. I mean, you're talking about a hundredth or a thousandth of a penny if — and I say 'if' with big capital letters — if you can actually collect, but you can't. Because chasing the digital trail is damn near impossible. So you can't get paid. You're not getting paid, despite what they fucking say. And there's legislation in front of Congress. You can't get fucking paid. You're not gonna get paid. So we're very thankful for the fans that actually go and buy physical product, 'cause those are the fans that are keeping metal alive."

Asked about Spotify's previous attempts to demonstrate how the company can help with exposure to bands' concerts and merchandise, Karl said: "They can go fuck themselves. I call bullshit on that. It's exploitation — complete exploitation. They're using that to generate revenue for themselves, not for us. And if they were giving exposure to us, they could have very well given that to Joe Schmoe and his group from down the street where I live. But no, they play a NILE or a CANNIBAL CORPSE, or a whoever, they play that name so they would collect the money from it. So them and their exposure can go fuck themselves."

NILE's latest album, "What Should Not Be Unearthed", was released in August 2015 via Nuclear Blast. Produced by NILE and mixed by Neil Kernon, the CD's artwork was handled this time by Michal "Xaay" Loranc.

HELLYEAH frontman Chad Gray says that people constantly calling for a PANTERA reunion are "assholes" for seemingly forgetting that Vinnie Paul Abbott "watched his brother get tragically murdered in front of him."

Speaking about the inspiration for the title of HELLYEAH's new album, "Unden!able", Gray told Revolver magazine: "As an artist — or whatever you do — you wanna be respected for your work. But even after all the records we've done, there's still the stigma of PANTERA and MUDVAYNE and everyone wanting the reunions and all this shit, so it was like, 'Is what we're doing not good enough?” I think it was this unspoken headspace that we had going into this new record, and when I was writing the song 'Be Unden!able', I came up with the line, 'If you're tired of being denied, be undeniable and dot your I's on the bottom.' And dotting your I's on the bottom is an exclamation point. So I think the name 'Unden!able' kind of validates what HELLYEAH does."

Asked if the "Unden!able" title is also meant to discourage all the calls for reunions, Chad said: "Tragically, even if Vinnie wanted to, PANTERA can never do a reunion. You can't do a reunion without a member of a band. I think that people forget the emotional aspect of this: Vinnie" — who played drums in PANTERA and is now a member of HELLYEAH — watched his brother get tragically murdered in front of him, and what's on their mind? They wanna see a PANTERA reunion. I'm not trying to call people out as assholes, but people are kind of assholes. They forget that he had to live this."

Gray also addressed the possibility of a reunion of his former band MUDVAYNE, which has been dormant since 2010. He said: "With MUDVAYNE, it is what it is. I'm tired of stringing people along. I still talk to the guys; we're cool. But for many reasons, MUDVAYNE doesn't exist anymore. Someone posted that 'MUDVAYNE 201?' thing online [hinting at a possible MUDVAYNE reunion] and they shouldn't have done that, because it's fucking with MUDVAYNE fans emotionally, which isn't fair. I don't want to wind people up, but who am I to say that can never happen again? But I'm certainly not gonna say that it can."

Vinnie Paul has consistently shot down any talk of a hypothetical PANTERA reunion, telling Brazil's Wikimetal back in 2014: "The bottom line is they call it a reunion, and that means to bring the original members back, and we can't bring Dime back, and he was such a huge part of PANTERA. I don't wanna damage or tarnish the legacy of him or the band. We had 14 amazing years together and it's time for everybody to move on. And I have definitely moved on in my life. I don't live in the past. I like to live for today and what's coming up tomorrow, and I love what we're doing with HELLYEAH. And that's my focus and that's my goal, man."

"Dimebag" Darrell Abbott was co-founder and lead guitarist for PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, Dimebag and Vinnie Paul formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by Nathan Gale. He was 38 years old.

MUDVAYNE released five albums between 2000 and 2009, with the first three going gold and launching this such as "Dig", "Not Falling", "Happy?" and "Fall Into Sleep".

Legendary bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION) kicked off his solo tour Tuesday night, August 9 at Rams Head On Stage in Annapolis, Maryland. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

The trek was originally set to begin on March 2 in San Jose, California, but was postponed after he 64-year old icon underwent dual knee-replacement earlier in the year. The "Voice of Rock" is performing a selection of music from his extensive career, including songs from TRAPEZE, DEEP PURPLE, HUGHES/THRALL and BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION as well as his solo material. Backing Hughes on this tour are guitarist Søren Andersen and drummer Pontus Engborg. The tour will make stops in cities such as Detroit, Michigan and Chicago, Illinois before wrapping up at the legendary Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California on September 3. British blues songstress Joanne Shaw Taylor has been tapped to open the shows.

Hughes recently completed his first solo album in eight years for a tentative November release. Joining him during the sessions for the follow-up to 2008's "First Underground Nuclear Kitchen" were Andersen (guitar), Engborg (drums) and Lachlan "Lachy" Doley (keyboards).

"It's possibly the heaviest record I've ever made," said Hughes. "I don't want to confuse it with horns-up heavy; it's not metal. But it's definitely fucking heavy. It's dense. It's dark. There's some aggression on this record. Every bloody track is begging to be played live."

Songtitles set to appear on Hughes's new album include "Let It Shine", "God Of Money" and "Steady", with RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith, a regular Hughes collaborator, making a guest appearance.

Hughes was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on April 8 as part of the Mark III lineup of DEEP PURPLE. He spent key years of his career as the beloved bassist and vocalist of the group, appearing on the classic albums "Burn", "Stormbringer" and "Come Taste the Band". Hughes and other members of DEEP PURPLE were in attendance to receive the honor.

On August 3, Backstage Axxess conducted an interview with WARRANT guitarist Erik Turner. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.

Speaking about WARRANT's plans to record the follow-up to 2011's "Rockaholic" album, Erik said: "We just officially signed our second option with Frontiers Records, so it's on. We're gonna start recording the new record in December. And we tentatively have Jeff Pilson, from DOKKEN fame and FOREIGNER, it looks like he's gonna be producing; we're just talking to him now. We're writing songs. We probably have around ten songs demoed; we need to write a bunch more. And we're excited about making the new record."

Asked how diminishing music sales in the streaming age have affected WARRANT's desire to make new music, Erik said: "Well, nobody sells millions of records, but we started out playing music 'cause we can't help it. We just love writing music, recording music, playing music. And that's what we love doing, and we still love doing that. So that, first and foremost, is why we continue to make CDs and digital downloads and whatever they are. And the other thing is that it is a great way to keep the WARRANT name out there and alive and [it helps] with our touring. We do about fifty shows a year every year, and touring has been very good to us. So we love going out playing shows."

At the helm for "Rockaholic" was mega-producer Keith Olsen (OZZY OSBOURNE, WHITESNAKE, SCORPIONS), while the mixing duties were handled by Pat Regan (KISS, DEEP PURPLE, TED NUGENT).

WARRANT solidified its current lineup in 2008 when ex-LYNCH MOB vocalist Robert Mason joined the four original WARRANT members: Turner, bassist Jerry Dixon, drummer Steven Sweet and guitarist Joey Allen.

Former WARRANT singer Jani Lane suffered from "acute ethanol poisoning" when he died in August 2011 at a Comfort Inn motel room in Woodland Hills, California. The singer had battled alcoholism for years and also had a history of alcohol-related arrests.

The official lyric video for "Golden Age", a brand new song from STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet, can be seen below. The song is taken from Sweet's seventh solo album, "One Sided War", which will be released on August 26 via Rat Pak Records. Backing Michael on the record are WHITESNAKE guitarist Joel Hoekstra, EVANESCENCE drummer Will Hunt, bassist John O'Boyle and East Coast shred-master Ethan Brosh.

"One Sided War" showcases a full plate of hard rock and classic metal riffs that Michael Sweet has come to be known for throughout his illustrious musical career.

The album, which was recorded at Spirithouse Recording Studios in Northampton, Massachusetts, is available for pre-order at this location.

"Musically, it's my heaviest solo album," Sweet said. "It's not thrash metal but there are definitely some songs on there that will pop out at you. There are some songs that have a bit of the IRON MAIDEN / DIO feel to them, as well as some songs that have a little bit of a VAN HALEN influence to them. It's a very guitar-oriented, hard rock/metal album with lots of melodies and hooks." The fast and furious opener "Bizarre" ignites the album's pace with its lightning fast riffage, soaring vocals and blazing guitar solos. Tracks like "Can't Take This Life", "One Sided War", "Golden Age", "I Am" and "Comfort Zone" keep the metal fires ablaze, while songs like "Radio", "One Way" and "You Make Me Wanna" bring the hard rock vibe to the forefront.

"One Sided War" features only one ballad, "Who Am I?", a heartfelt, passionate song that reminds us of the softer side of Michael's talents. Closing out the disc is a bonus track; it's a different version of the song "Can't Take This Life", a duet between Michael and 16-year-old up-and-coming female vocalist Moriah Formica.

An EPK that talks about the CD and contains samples of "Bizarre" and "Radio" is available below.

"One Sided War" track listing:

01. Bizarre02. One Sided War03. Can't Take This Life04. Radio05. Golden Age06. Only You07. I Am08. Who Am I09. You Make Me Wanna10. Comfort Zone11. One Way Up12. Can't Take This Life (bonus track; feat; Moriah Formica)

Sweet is best known as the singer, guitarist, songwriter and producer for Christian rock pioneers STRYPER, who have sold over ten million albums worldwide. In addition to STRYPER, Sweet has had a successful solo career, and he served as the guitarist and co-vocalist for the legendary classic rock band BOSTON from 2007 to2011. The future remains bright for a man who has endured heartbreaking tribulations throughout his life and career, including the 2009 passing of his wife of more than 22 years, Kyle. In 2010, Sweet remarried to Lisa Champagne-Sweet, a woman he describes as "a Godsend and the one who fits perfectly by my side." Sweet continues to record and tour with STRYPER, as well as touring and recording as a solo artist.

Following nine months of touring in support of their critically acclaimed album "High Country", Austin, Texas metal luminaries THE SWORD returned to the studio to experiment with a stripped-down acoustic presentation of the LP's songs. The result, produced by bassist Bryan Richie and mixed by J. Robbins, is "Low Country", which will see a worldwide release on September 23. The album features cover art by Richey Beckett.

To support "Low Country", THE SWORD will be heading out as direct support for OPETH from September 29 to October 26. Bracketing the OPETH tour will be ten headline shows. The first leg, set to take place between September 23 and September 28, will feature RUBY THE HATCHET as support. The second leg, October 28 through November 1, will feature C AVERAGE as support.

"High Country" debuted at #14 upon release in August 2015. The band hit the road immediately following the release, doing an extensive tour of Europe, followed by two full American/Canadian tours and a tour of Australia.

"Metallica: Back To The Front", the definitive story of METALLICA's classic 1986 album "Master Of Puppets" and the tour that followed its release, hits bookstores and online sellers on September 13. A very special Collector's Edition of the book will be available two weeks earlier on August 30 through Metallica.com and MoonriseMedia.net.

"Metallica: Back To The Front" includes an extensive interview with Ray Burton, father of late METALLICA bassist Cliff Burton, who tragically died in a September 1986 bus accident during the European leg of the "Damage Inc." trek.

A one-minute video clip in which Ray Burton can be seen flipping through his copy of "Metallica: Back To The Front" can be seen below.

Says METALLICA: "Two years in the making, we're beyond excited to finally share it with you.

"To refresh your memories, we teamed up with acclaimed award-winning author Matt Taylor ('Jaws: Memories From Martha's Vineyard') and you all jumped in to assist us in putting the pieces together by sending your photos, videos, stories and mementos. We hit the storage lockers, attics and basements to fill the book with hundreds of never-before-seen images pulled from our personal archives and have been involved every step of the way to bring you the complete story.

"The deluxe edition comes in a sleek case that includes a hardcover, clothbound, limited edition copy of the 276-page book and a portfolio containing a 1.25" x 1.25" piece of an original roadcase used to ship the band's equipment to Denmark for the recording of the album and on the tour that followed its release.

"Matt sat with us for exclusive, intensive interviews and we dug deep in our memory banks for stories, anecdotes, tidbits and tales from the studio, the road and beyond.

"A huge thanks to the people who were a part of our history at that time who sat with Matt, including record producer Flemming Rasmussen and the man who mixed it, Michael Wagener. Matt also tracked down the entire 'Master Of Puppets' road crew, including John Marshall and members of the bands who toured with us, ANTHRAX and ARMORED SAINT. Our booking agent, tour promoters and managers, Cliff Burnstein and Peter Mensch, all were overly generous with their time and recollections. FAITH NO MORE guitarist Jim Martin and drummer Mike Bordin and DIAMOND HEAD's Brian Tatler spoke with Matt about their memories of those crazy times. Of course, you, the fans who were at those shows gave us an amazing view of your memories and experiences. Finally, we're honored that Cliff Burton's dad Ray sat down for an extensive interview.

"As we continue to celebrate 30 years of 'Master Of Puppets', in honor of the release of the book we've teamed up with ESP Guitars to give Fifth Members [members of the METALLICA fan club] a chance to win a very limited-edition 'Master Of Puppets' guitar. Now you can customize Metallica.com with the new 'Master Of Puppets' skin.

"If you're in the mood to hear some live music all eleven shows from the 2006 summer tour (those of you counting note that was the 20th anniversary of the release of the album!) featuring live performances of the entire album are now available on CD in the Met Store.

"Keep watching [Metallica.com] and on social media for sneak peeks of the book, videos with us chatting about the making of and other fun and games as we'll be celebrating all throughout August.

"Oh, one more thing. We're pretty sure that some of you will wonder about the remastered versions of 'Master Of Puppets' we told you were in the works. They still are! As we keep digging in the vaults, we're finding more and more music and video so that we can bring you an even bigger, more comprehensive, no stone-unturned version of the album. As always, [Metallica.com] is the place for more info as we have it!"

"Master Of Puppets" was released on February 24, 1986 and was the first album METALLICA recorded after signing a major label deal with Elektra Records.

The set only reached No. 29 on the Billboard album chart but has sold over six million copies in the U.S. since.

It is the last record to feature bassist Cliff Burton, who was killed later that year in a tour bus crash.

Several songs from the album are still staples of METALLICA's live set, including "Battery", "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)" and the title track.

Many fans consider it METALLICA's finest album, a fact that the band acknowledged by playing it in its entirety on a European tour in 2006.

LED ZEPPELIN will release an expanded version of its 1997 "BBC Sessions" on September 16. The updated set, retitled "The Complete BBC Sessions", was produced by Jimmy Page and features eight previously unreleased tracks — including "I Can't Quit You Baby", "You Shook Me" and the only recorded performance of "Sunshine Woman".

"The Complete BBC Sessions" will be available in multiple formats from Atlantic/Swan Song on September 16: * Deluxe Edition (3CD) – Remastered original album plus a third disc of unreleased audio.* Deluxe Edition Vinyl (5LP) – Remastered original album, plus a fifth LP of unreleased audio, on 180-gram vinyl* Digital Download – Remastered album and unreleased audio will both be available.* Super Deluxe Boxed Set (3CD/5LP)– This collection includes: * Remastered album. 2 CDs, each in a replica sleeve.* Unreleased audio on CD in a separate card sleeve.* Remastered album on 180-gram vinyl.* Unreleased audio on 180-gram vinyl.* High-def audio download card of all content at 96kHz/24 bit.* 48-page book filled with photos of the band, the recording locations, BBC memorabilia, and session information.* High-quality print of the original album cover, the first 20,000 of which will be individually numbered.

A video trailer for the Super Deluxe edition of "The Complete BBC Sessions" is available below. "BBC Sessions" was originally released in 1997 and has been certified double platinum by the RIAA. "The Complete BBC Sessions" builds on that collection with a third disc that boasts eight unreleased performances. In addition, the set includes extensive session-by-session liner notes written by Dave Lewis. For the first time ever, it provides accurate details and notes about all of the band's BBC sessions. Musical highlights on this new collection include the debut of a long-lost radio session that has achieved near-mythic status among fans. Originally broadcast in April 1969, the session included three songs: "I Can't Quit You Baby", "You Shook Me" and the only recorded performance of "Sunshine Woman". Also included are two unreleased versions of both "Communication Breakdown" and "What Is And What Should Never Be". Separated by two years, the performances vividly demonstrate the young band's rapid evolution over a short period of time. Jimmy Page spoke about the band's growth in an interview with Guitar World. "The 'BBC Sessions' show in graphic detail just how organic the group was," he said. "LED ZEPPELIN was a band that would change things around substantially each time it played…We were becoming tighter and tighter, to the point of telepathy." Speaking with Wall Of Sound, John Paul Jones added: "We'd been on the road a lot by the time those sessions were recorded. The albums were always the starting point of the music, and then we'd take it out and expand it on the road. Then we'd come straight off the road into those BBC studios." Recalling the BBC experience in an interview with Mojo, Robert Plant said: "The whole thing was very quaint: the politeness of the audience, the technicians fumbling about, proper hallowed low-key introductions. Like there was some sort of holy moment about to occur." "The Complete BBC Sessions" CD track listing Disc One

01. You Shook Me02. I Can't Quit You Baby03. Communication Breakdown04. Dazed And Confused05. The Girl I Love She Got Long Black Wavy Hair06. What Is And What Should Never Be07. Communication Breakdown08. Travelling Riverside Blues09. Whole Lotta Love10. Somethin' Else11. Communication Breakdown12. I Can't Quit You Baby13. You Shook Me14. How Many More Times Disc Two

01. Immigrant Song02. Heartbreaker03. Since I've Been Loving You04. Black Dog05. Dazed And Confused06. Stairway To Heaven07. Going To California08. That's The Way09. Whole Lotta Love (Medley: Boogie Chillun/Fixin' To Die/That's Alright Mama/A Mess of Blues)10. Thank You Disc Three

01. Communication Breakdown *02. What Is And What Should Never Be *03. Dazed And Confused *04. White Summer05. What Is And What Should Never Be *06. Communication Breakdown *07. I Can't Quit You Baby *08. You Shook Me *09. Sunshine Woman * * Previously Unreleased

The cover artwork for "Who You Selling For", the third studio album from THE PRETTY RECKLESS, can be seen below. The disc will be released on October 21 via Razor & Tie.

"Who You Selling For" is the band's anticipated follow up to "Going To Hell", which spawned the biggest rock song of 2014 in "Heaven Knows" and a total of three #1 Mainstream and Active Rock hits. The first single from the new album, "Take Me Down", premiered worldwide July 15 on iHeart Radio and impacted at rock radio four days later on July 19, quickly climbing to #7 on the chart.

Produced by longtime collaborator Kato Khandwala, "Who You Selling For" is an arresting collection of rock tunes that expand the band's sound to encompass soulful, bluesy undertones, written by frontwoman Taylor Momsen and guitarist Ben Phillips. This raucous 12-track collection puts Momsen's dark lyrics and raw, charismatic vocals on full display while the band delivers at full intensity with a level of musicianship that raises the bar. Formed in 2009, THE PRETTY RECKLESS released their debut album, "Light Me Up", in 2010 scoring legions of fans worldwide, but it was their sophomore record "Going To Hell" that positioned the band to become the first new artist to breakout of rock in years, debuting in the Top 5 on Billboard's Top 200. Achieving three #1 Rock hits — "Heaven Knows", "Fucked Up World" and "Follow Me Down" — was a feat that has not been accomplished by a female fronted group since THE PRETENDERS in 1984, nearly a quarter of a century ago. Despite feeling the physical and emotional demands from their epic two-year run supporting "Going To Hell", Momsen and Phillips jumped right into writing the songs for the new album. "We had so much we wanted to say, it was like shaking a can of soda on tour, and then when we started writing we cracked the seal," says Momsen. "The touring life is very isolating. You look at the world through a bus or airplane window. But music is the healing factor. It's the one thing that is grounding and a true companion through the forest. It saved us — again." With "Who You Selling For", the band continues to take bold steps forward, cementing their place at the forefront of rock. The deeply personal album features a diverse set of standout tracks, from the blistering hard rock of "Oh My God" to the classic southern rock of "Back To The River". Lead single "Take Me Down" features Taylor's distinctively smoky voice rolling over '60s-tinged rock guitar. The band will hit the road this fall in support of the album and will run through major U.S. cities such as Chicago, New York and Nashville before wrapping on December 6 in Los Angeles. Tickets go on sale to the public Friday, August 12 at 10 a.m. local time.

SERPENTINE DOMINION, the new band featuring KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, CANNIBAL CORPSE frontman George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher and ex-THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER drummer Shannon Lucas, will release its self-titled debut album on October 28 via Metal Blade.

"Serpentine Dominion" track listing:

01. Intro02. The Vengeance In Me03. Vanquished Unto Thee04. Divide, Conquer, Burn, And Destroy05. Sovereign Hate06. On The Brink Of Devastation07. Jagged Cross Legions08. Prelude09. This Endless War

The song "The Vengeance In Me" can be streamed below.

The origins of SERPENTINE DOMINION can be traced back to 2009's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, which boasted a lineup that included KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, CANNIBAL CORPSE and THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER. During that fateful summer, Dutkiewicz made a proposition to Fisher: "George, I want to write you a record." On the Mayhem fest tour, Lucas, who performed with THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER through 2012, was tapped to record drums on the album. Between 2009 and 2016, CANNIBAL CORPSE and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE released three albums each, so scheduling time to work on SERPENTINE DOMINION was no easy feat — but when their rigorous schedules allowed, SERPENTINE DOMINION began to come together, with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE vocalist Jesse Leach penning the lyrics, which touch on corruption within the government, religion, big business, and other timely issues. Ultimately, though, this debut is a pure passion project; it was written and recorded simply for why musicians get into music in the first place: fun.

"Serpentine Dominion" pre-order formats:

* CD* 180g black vinyl* olive-green marbled vinyl (limited to 300 copies!)* dark red marbled vinyl (limited to 200 copies!)* dark khaki marble vinyl (USA; limited to 250 copies!)* red/black marble vinyl (USA; limited to 250 copies!)

Dutkiewicz in 2013 spoke to Decibel magazine about how SERPENTINE DOMINION came together. He said: "When [KILLSWITCH] toured with CANNIBAL CORPSE and BLACK DAHLIA on the [Rockstar Energy Drink] Mayhem [Festival], I was just hanging out with George one night, and I was like, 'Dude, if I wrote you a bunch of songs to sing over, would you do it?' And he was like, 'Fuck yeah, man!'" he said.

Asked if this was material he had sitting around that he thought George would be good for, or if these were songs that were written specifically for George to sing, Adam said: "They were written specifically for him. He's one of my favorite singers of all time, and I thought there wouldn't be any harm in at least asking him. Once he said yes, it was like, 'Alright — let's go!'"

Regarding the musical direction of the new project, Adam said: "It's not straight death metal — there's some melodic elements in there — but it's much faster and more aggressive than KILLSWITCH is. And the drums are blazing, so Shannon is probably one of the only guys on the face of the earth who could pull this off."

Fisher told "The Jasta Show" last year that KILLSWITCH ENGAGE singer Jesse Leach ended up writing all the lyrics for SERPENTINE DOMINION. He explained: "I originally was going to write stuff [for the new band], and you know what? [Writing lyrics has] just never been my thing, and we were getting down to when I was supposed to go up there [and lay down my vocals]. And [Adam] just said, 'Look, I'll ask Jesse to write some stuff.' So he wrote it, and I just said I don't want no pro-religious crap 'cause I ain't about all that. Anyway, so it's more just about like getting revenge against corrupt motherfuckers and shit like that."

He continued: "And so [Jesse] wrote a bunch of lyrics and Adam arranged a lot of it, and then when I went up there, we recorded it in his bedroom of his house. And, basically, I would be, like, 'No, wait. We've gotta change this, fix that.' Maybe we'd tweak a word or take a word out or take a couple words out or take some lines out. We just basically fucked with it, you know? And I went up two [or] three different times [to work on the vocals]."

Laser's Edge has released expansive details for the incoming second studio album by New York City-based progressive quintet Edensong, issuing the album's cover art, tracklisting, and an extensive video trailer featuring clips of music from throughout the album.

Capturing over seventy minutes of new music, Edensong's Years In The Garden Of Years is even more ambitious than its predecessor, and will be sure to appeal to fans of both progressive rock and classic metal. The concept album features an extended song cycle on themes of time, each song a different scale and perspective.

Given its subject matter, it therefore seems fitting that this project took the band over five years in the studio to complete. The melodies are more memorable, the riffs more powerful, the flute playing more inventive and propulsive. The songs prominently feature immersive new textures, from lush keyboard and orchestral arrangements to esoteric percussion from around the world, such as hang drum and Balinese gamelan.

Years In The Garden Of Years is mastered with audiophile precision by Grammy winning engineer Bob Katz, and the deluxe CD release features stunning original cover art and booklet illustrations from beloved surrealist painter Dan May.

Years In The Garden Of Years is to be released on September 30th through Laser's Edge, Edensong's first title for the progressive music powerhouse. Pre-orders for the album, additional audio samples, and more on the album will released shortly.

Years In The Garden Of Years tracklisting:

“Cold City”
“Ent Times In Retrospect”
“In The Longest Of Days”
“The Hollowed”
“Down The Hours”
“Chronos”
“Generations”
“The Atman Apocalypse”
“Regenerations”
“Yawn Of A Blink”

Trailer:

Edensong recently made a return to live performances and plans to play extensively in support of the Years In The Garden Of Years. The band has plotted a record release show in NYC October 2nd, with Laser's Edge kin Infinite Spectrum, with additional dates to be announced.

(Photo - Waxenvine)

Bloody Hammers have released a video for the track “Lights Come Alive”, featured on their new album, Lovely Sort Of Death, out now via Napalm Records. Watch the new clip below.

"This album is certainly the darkest album I've ever recorded", states Bloody Hammers mastermind Anders Manga, who stays on the dark path to the nether world and opens the seven gates with Lovely Sort Of Death.

Lovely Sort Of Death tracklisting:

“Bloodletting On The Kiss”
“Lights Come Alive”
“The Reaper Comes”
“Messalina”
“Infinite Gaze To The Sun”
“Stoke The Fire”
“Ether”
“Shadow Out Of Time”
“Astral Traveler”
“Catastrophe”
 
Deluxe Edition Bonus CD:
“Altar Of Fear”
“The Shrine”
“Halloween”
“At Dawn They Sleep”

“Lights Come Alive” video:

“Messalina”:

“Bloodletting On The Kiss” video:

“The Reaper Comes” video:

Fomats:

Limited 4 Panel Digipack CD
1LP Gatefold edition
Strictly Limited 4 Page Digipack & Bonus CD - 300 worldwide
Strictly Limited 1LP Gatefold & Bonus CD - 200 worldwide

Anders Manga on Lovely Sort Of Death: "We live high on a mountain with a steep treacherous driveway so when any snowfall happens, we're stuck for days. Luckily, as a result of all the isolation, my songwriting mood ended up much more on the darker side than previous records. The songs are heavy, but not always heavy. I wanted to create more atmosphere than before. It's a stylistically varied record, which I'm very proud of. I used the Moog more on this album, which blends well with the heavy guitar fuzz tones. It's definitely my favourite album so far in every way."

Bloody Hammers are a duo who hail from the mountains of Transylvania County, NC. The project and first self-titled release was originally formed as a studio only project with vocalist/songwriter, Anders Manga producing and recording all instruments. Soon Anders decided to take the project from the studio to a real band by recruiting his wife Devallia to play keyboards and other local musicians for live shows.

In late 2013 Anders was approached by one of Europe's largest rock and metal labels, Napalm Records. In 2014 Napalm released Bloody Hammers' third official album titled Under Satan's Sun. Through the snowy winter of 2015, Anders began writing again, but this time took a much darker and atmospheric direction. For the first time he added thick Moog sounds along with his normal fuzzed-out guitar, with more atmospheric keys provided by Devallia. They emerged from the winter with Lovely Sort Of Death, their darkest album yet.

(Photo - Bloody Hammers Facebook)

Polish prog masters Riverside have just released a special 5.1 mix version of their current, sixth studio album, Love, Fear And The Time Machine (2015) via InsideOutMusic.

The release comes as CD+DVD digipak with (slightly modified) artwork by Travis Smith with the following tracklisting:

Disc 1 / CD: Love, Fear And The Time Machine Album
“Lost (Why Should I Be Frightened By A Hat?)”
“Under The Pillow”
“#Addicted”
“Caterpillar And The Barbed Wire”
“Saturate Me”
“Afloat”
“Discard Your Fear”
“Towards The Blue Horizon”
“Time Travellers”
“Found (The Unexpected Flaw Of Searching)”

Disc 2 / DVD-AV: Love, Fear And The Time Machine Album

Day Session:
“Heavenland”
“Return”
“Aether”
“Machines”
“Promise”

Video Clips:
“Love” (Trailer)
“Fear” (Trailer)
“Time Machine” (Trailer)
“Found” (Video Clip)

The bonus DVD is a hybrid disc (DVD-AV), which has a DVD-Audio and a DVD-Video session on the same disc. The DVD-A portion (audio only) contains the main album and "Day Session" as high resolution 24bit lossless stereo versions as well as the main album as MLP lossless 24bit 5.1 surround version. The DVD-V portion contains the main album and the "Day Session" as high resolution 24bit lossless stereo versions as well as the main album as high resolution 24bit DTS 5.1 surround version and 4 videos (the three album teasers and the promotional video clip for "Found").

The 5.1. CD+DVD Digipak release can be ordered here.

Meanwhile, Riverside continue to be productive and have just announced the release of a complementary instrumental album entitled Eye Of The Soundscape, on October 21st via InsideOutMusic. The release again features cover artwork by Travis Smith (see above) and features 13 experimental and highly atmospheric compositions, which showcase Riverside's ambient electronic side.

Eye Of The Soundscape compiles all the special instrumental Riverside tracks previously used as bonus material for the Shrine Of New Generation Slaves and Love, Fear And Te Time Machine albums, alongside rare cuts as well as 4 new songs ("Where The River Flows", "Shine", "Sleepwalkers" and "Eye Of The Soundscape") into a massive playing time of +100 minutes, which will be available as 2CD-Mediabook, 3LP (with both CDs as bonus) or Digital Download.

But read what Riverside's Mariusz Duda had to say about the upcoming release: "I had a feeling that the sixth Riverside album might be the last chapter of a story. That the future releases might have a different sound, a different character... Unofficially, I called our latest three albums "the crowd trilogy". Each subsequent title was longer by one word - four, five, six. Six words was long enough as a title and I thought that was the one to finish it off with...

“Before we started a new chapter, perhaps a "new trilogy", I had an idea to release a complementary album. An album in between. An album we had always wanted to record. It wouldn't be just new music but in our case and in such configuration it would definitely be a new quality because we hadn't released such an album before.

"For years, we have accumulated a lot of material, a part of which was released on bonus discs. I know that some of our listeners still haven't heard those pieces and do not realise that Riverside, basically right from the start, have been experimenting with ambient and progressive electronic music. And that's always been a part of our music DNA.

“So I presented the idea to the rest of the band and the decision was unanimous. We decided to make a compilation of all our instrumental and ambient pieces, and release it this year as an independent album. Some of the songs would be re-mixed to make them sound better, but most of all, we'd add new compositions.

“At the beginning of the year, we locked ourselves in the studio and we started to compose. We even published a picture on our facebook page, in which Grudzień is holding a small keyboard as a joke. That was that recording session. We were working with smiles on our faces, genuinely excited, knowing that this time it wasn't just a bonus disc or an addition to something "bigger" but a fully fledged, independent release with that kind of music, full of space, trance, melodies and electronics. The day before I got a text message from Grudzień, "I really can't wait for this release, I have always had a dream for Riverside to release such an album."

More details about Eye Of The Soundscape to follow soon.

Amanda Somerville has checked in from the airport in Chicago readying for a flight to Europe for two Avantasia shows in Spain and Belgium. In this new video update, Somerville shares news that she has signed a contract to record a new Trillium album.

 

 

 

 

AMARANTHE, the cutting-edge Swedish pop-metal outfit with the triple-lead-vocal attack, will release its new album, "Maximalism", on October 21 via Spinefarm Records.

The follow-up to 2014's "Massive Addictive" is described in a press release as "a hyper-modern, metallic beast of a record" containing "12 new tracks that fully live up to the 'bigger, bolder' promise of the title." "Maximalism" was produced once again by Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, EPICA, DELAIN) and mastered by Svante Forsback (RAMMSTEIN, APOCALYPTICA, DRAGONFORCE). Refusing to be pinned down by genre or convention, AMARANTHE have consistently pursued the less travelled path, blending different sounds and styles to create a signature hybrid approach, and "Maximalism" sees their collective wide-angle vision laid out with greater skill and conviction than ever before. From the locomotive power of "Faster" and "Fury" through to the more measured drama of "Limitless" and "Endlessly" (a solo tour de force for singer Elize Ryd), this is AMARANTHE ramping up both the energy and the emotion, and generally pushing everything to the max. Says AMARANTHE lead guitarist Olof Mörck: "'Maximalism' is our manifesto to the world!

"We are genuinely thrilled with the new material, definitely our most diverse collection to date. Our trademark 'bleeding edge' modern metal remains intact, of course, but fused with an even broader range of genres than before…

"There's everything here, including stadium rock, innovative pop and danceable super-hits.

"Expect these tunes to enter your mind on a permanent basis!"

"Maximalism" track listing: 01. Maximize02. Boomerang03. That Song04. 2105. On The Rocks06. Limitless07. Fury08. Faster09. Break Down And Cry10. Supersonic11. Fireball12. Endlessly In support of "Maximalism", AMARANTHE will embark on a headline European tour in October/November, with SONIC SYNDICATE and SMASH INTO PIECES guesting on all shows.

Dallas trio True Widow have released a video for the track “Theurgist”, featured on their fourth album, Avvolgere, due out this September 23rd on CD/2xLP/DLX 2xLP/Digital via Relapse Records. Pre-order the album at this location.

“We invited out friend Mats Ek over from Sweden to make a couple of videos for the new record. We wanted this one to be pretty simple. Just us playing the song with no story line,” explained singer/guitar player D.H. Phillips of the new clip. “As for making it something worth watching we wanted it to be psychedelic but in an organic way. We attached several prisms to the lens of the camera and put the camera on a spinning sculpture base. Mats took it home and lost his mind editing the footage with the instruction to make it as crazy as possible. He did good.”

The forthcoming LP perfects the formula that 2013's Circumambulation established: Avvolgere rocks and rolls with serene, rounded climaxes and steep, jangling choruses that engulf the listener with waves of downbeat, saccharine melodies and mesmerizing distortion. True Widow's signature alternation between male and female vocals helps further blur the boundaries between the heft of stoner rock, the droning atmosphere of shoegaze, and the twangy catchiness of blues and indie rock. It's both concise and circuitous - the album takes you on a journey that you can't ever quite predict or expect. Avvolgere is True Widow sounding more infectious and consummate than ever before.

The first single from the album, “Entheogen”, is streaming below and is available as an instant download with digital pre-orders (at above link).

The band recorded Avvolgere with Matt Pence, who recorded their 2013 release, Circumambulation, at his Echo Lab studio in Argyle, Texas earlier this year.

Avvolgere tracklisting:

“Back Shredder”
“Theurgist”
“F.W.T.S:L.T.M”
“The Trapper & The Trapped”
“O.O.T.P.V”
“Entheogen”
“To All That He Elong”
“Sante”
“Grey Erasure”

“Entheogen”:

The band have also announced their first round of US dates in support of the new album, with the tour launching on October 13th in Phoenix.
 
October
13 - Phoenix, AZ - Last Exit
14 - Los Angeles, CA - The Echo
15 - San Francisco, CA - Brick & Mortar
17 - Portland, OR - Holocene
18 - Seattle, WA - Highline
19 - Boise, ID - Neurolux
20 - Salt Lake City, UT - Urban Lounge
22 - Denver, CO - Larimer Lounge
23 - Kansas City, KS - Riot Room
24 - Norman, OK - The Opolis

November
3 - New Orleans, LA - Zeitgeist
4 - Birmingham, AL - Syndicate Lounge
5 - Orlando, FL - Will’s Pub
7 - Atlanta, GA - The Earl
8 - Charlotte, NC - The Station
9 - Nashville, TN - The End
11 - Richmond, VA - Strange Matter
12 - Baltimore, MD - Metro Gallery
13 - Philadelphia, PA - Johnny Brenda’s
14 - Boston, MA - Great Scott
15 - New York, NY - Market Hotel
17 - Pittsburgh, PA - Cattivo
18 - Cleveland, OH - Malhall’s
19 - Chicago, IL - Empty Bottle
20 - Detroit, MI - El Club
21 - Louisville, KY - Zanzabar
 
Lowlands open dates from October 13th - 24th.

(Photo: Stephanie Hageman)

German folk/power metal heroes Winterstorm are set to release their fourth studio album, Cube Of Infinity, on August 19th via NoiseArt Records. A new video for the album track “Timeshift” is streaming below.

The album artwork was created by guitar player Michael Liewald. The band states: "Just like in the album itself the cover artwork centres the Cube Of Infinity. It combines myth and darkness to an epic structure of metal. Hard riffs and hard edges. We, Winterstorm, tried to upgrade our style with new elements. In our opinion the result is the best and hardest Winterstormalbum so far. Old and new fans can be looking Forward to (will be pleased about) the upcoming storm!"

Tracklisting:

“Infectious”
“Pacts Of Blood And Might”
“In Clarity”
“Secrets And Lies”
“Effects Of Being”
“Through The Storm”
“Cube Of Infinity”
“Frozen Awakening”
“Timeshift”
“Hymn Of Solitude”

“Timeshift” video:

“Pacts Of Blood And Might” lyric video:

Album teaser:

“Through The Storm” lyric video:

Cube Of Infinity shows that Winterstorm by far haven't reached the end of their journey. Once more, their highly diversified songs lure the listeners into a Fantasy World that becomes a thrilling adventure thanks to the high quality of the musical background. Catchy rhythms, enthralling melodies, and elating refrains make Cube Of Infinity a model of how power metal should sound in the year of 2016 they will fascinate not only fans of bands such as Blind Guardian, Rhapsody, and Orden Ogan.

Winterstorm again skillfully succeed in uniting folk elements and power metal to form a unique and kitsch-free mixture of their own. Cube Of Infinity is in schedule to offer a cooling summer storm in the heat of August, drying the sweat of fans with a huge portion of passion and fresh wind.

Atlanta-based rock band Kickin Valentina has released a new video for the single “Alone”, from their debut album Super Atomic, released on Danish label Mighty Music.

“Kickin Valentina is a live band, so when we decided to put out a new video, we knew we wanted to show what this band is like on stage. We went through a bunch of footage and put together a fun compilation of live and fan clips,” states bassist Chris Taylor.

The band recently completed a successful European tour, and are taking a short break to finish writing and demo new music for their next release planned for the spring of 2017.  They are currently booking shows for the US and internationally for the rest of 2016 and 2017.

Kickin Valentina has been busy touring America and opening for artists as diverse as Buckcherry, Queensryche, Pop Evil, Fozzy, Skid Row, Red Dragon Cartel, Sebastian Bach, Doro, Eve to Adam, Faster Pussycat, Nonpoint, Kix, LA Guns, and Cilver to name a few. In May 2016 Kickin Valentina embarked on their first European tour performing in Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and Denmark (Nordic Noise Festival). In addition to their own headlining shows, they have also performed at a variety of music festivals including Rock Fest (WI), Farm Rock (IL, TN & GA), Soundwave (MD), Rock n Skull (IL), Wolf Fest (CO), Skull Fest (NE), Summer Rock Party (IL), and Outskirts 53 Music & Bike Fest (GA).

Kickin Valentina were nominated for – and won – the prestigious 2014 GA Music Award for “Rock Band Of The Year”, and in 2015 they won the GA Music Award for “Video Of The Year” for their single “Wrong Way”.

Check out the brand new tour video for the single "Alone":

Kickin Valentina lineup:

Joe Edwards - Vocals
Heber Pampillon - Guitar
Chris Taylor - Bass
Jimmy Berdine - Drums

Dio Disciples featuring special guest Tim "Ripper" Owens performed at Wacken Open Air 2016 in Wacken, Germany on August 6th. Pro-shot video of their set is available below. The clip below features the following songs:

"Kill The King"
"Holy Diver"
"I"
"The Last In Line"
"Egypt (The Chains Are On)"
"Stargazer"
"Rainbow In The Dark"

Over 75,000 fans were rocked at the Wacken Open Air music festival in Germany this weekend as the late Ronnie James Dio reunited with his bandmates via hologram. The surprise performance took place at the end of Dio Disciples' set to close the world's largest annual live heavy metal event. Dio Disciples features members of the Dio band, which last performed with Ronnie in 2008 before he passed away two years later, leaving a void in the rock community. Eyellusion, a hologram entertainment company focused on the live music market, created the hologram and produced the groundbreaking performance.

Fan-filmed video footage has surfaced and can be seen below:

Almost one year in the making, Eyellusion's Ronnie James Dio production represents the world's first rock hologram performance and the first time a hologram has been accompanied by a live band in a traditional concert setting. The Wacken Open Air Festival marked the debut of the Ronnie James Dio hologram, which features the singer's actual live vocals and will be toured globally in 2017, with further details to be announced.

Read an exclusive interview about the Ronnie James Dio Hologram and EyeIlusion here.

"When I first experienced the full production of Ronnie performing with his band as a hologram, I couldn't believe my eyes and ears," said Wendy Dio, who manages Dio Disciples and is also a member of the Eyellusion team, supporting industry relations. "With Eyellusion, we have been able to get Ronnie back up on stage where he belongs, ensuring that his music and memory live on. I want Ronnie's fans around the world to share this experience."

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

"At first I did not know what to think or to expect. But after I got over the initial surprise, it felt like Ronnie was still with us. It was wonderful, sad and emotional," stated David James of California, a fan present for the performance at Wacken Open Air.

"I have watched quite a few hologram clips online and nothing can compare to the performance here tonight at Wacken - this was the most realistic of all. Amazing! Ronnie James Dio and metal will live forever," added Anna Lorenz, a 25-year-old fan from Germany, also in attendance.

"Eyellusion is creating the best hologram content and live music productions for a completely new concert experience," said Jeff Pezzuti, CEO of Eyellusion. "We're taking every step to capture the excitement and energy that comes from seeing your favorite band perform live. That means when the lights go down in the venue, the amps are loud, the band sounds great and the pyro is blinding. We are creating an entirely new way for fans to experience their favorite music."

Touring remains a viable revenue stream for many artists as music industry business models continue to evolve. However, it is not always financially or physically feasible to get to every market where there is demand. Further, massive loyal fan bases still exist for artists that are no longer able to tour or that can only do a set number of dates within a year. Eyellusion is expanding touring opportunities for emerging and established acts alike. In addition to unique shows based around digital recreations of artists, Eyellusion can stream live holographic performances of one show to many locations, opening global possibilities to play new markets and venues.

"The economics of making music are changing, with tours being more important than ever," said Wendy Dio. "For artists who have been blessed with legions of fans around the world, the question is how to continue meeting the demand for your music. At the same time, newer acts are thinking about how to build a following and reach more people. Today, all artists need to find new, modern ways to connect with fans and Eyellusion is supporting those efforts."

Eyellusion's hologram and live production focus spans a range of genres, including rock, country, pop, EDM and more. Key team members include Wendy Dio, who supports industry relations, veteran rock manager Todd Singerman and Pat DiNizio of the Smithereens, who support artist relations, and Kenny Aronoff, world renowned live and studio drummer, who supports business development and technical live production efforts. Chad Finnerty at Digital Frontier FX is Eyellusion's exclusive content creation partner, working directly with clients to help bring every project vision to the live stage. Legendary Hollywood digital effects executive Scott Ross advises Eyellusion on overall content production.

"Holograms represent a major opportunity for live music and fan engagement, but they have to be done right," said Pezzuti. "We believe we've cracked the code on delivering the highest quality hologram-based events, creating the ultimate live music experience that keeps fans coming back. The Eyellusion team's unmatched production capabilities and deep music industry ties bring crucial industry knowledge to our collaboration with artists as we work toward a shared vision of creating unforgettable shows. We can't wait to see music fans everywhere on the road."

For more information, visit EyellusionLive.com and follow Eyellusion @eyellusionlive on Instagram and Twitter.

Veteran hard rock singer Frank DiMino has released the second video from his current Old Habits Die Hard album. "Never Again" reunites the singer with Angel guitarist Punky Meadows, who makes a cameo appearance. The video was shot over two days in and around Frank's adopted hometown of Las Vegas, including the famed Bootlegger Bistro. Additional filming was done in North Carolina.  For the premiere of the video DiMino teamed up with the popular outlet Classic Rock. The video can be viewed below.

The video is basically a tribute to Mad Max racing throiugh the desert with a Dark Angel watching over a young, turbulent couple. It stars 2015 Miss Nevada United States Amanda Gibson and actor Mark Justice whose film credits include Bleach (Eric Roberts) and The Immortal Wars (Tom Sizemore). It was directed by Paul Gervasi from the feature film Cherri Future and whose music video credits include Melissa Manchester, Katja Rieckermann (Rod Stewart), and production for Lady Gaga’s “G.U.Y.”
 
Of the video, Frank says, "Doing the new video for 'Never Again' was great!  Our director Paul Gervasi and all the actors made it easy for me. Having Punky in the video was the icing on the cake. Job well done by all.”

 
DiMino's Old Habits Die Hard was released in July of 2015 through the Frontiers Music srl label and features collaborations with former ANGEL bandmates Punky Meadows and Barry Brandt, as well as Paul Crook (Meat Loaf, Anthrax), Oz Fox (Stryper), Eddie Ojeda (Twisted Sister) and Rickey Medlocke (Lynyrd Skynyrd, Blackfoot) amongst others.
 

DiMino recently commented on reuniting with his Angel bandmates for the Vegas Rocks! Hair Metal award show and the future:

“It's been one month since the Vegas Rocks! Hair Metal Awards and I had such a great time seeing and hanging out with all the guys. It started Saturday when Barry and I went to pick up Punky and Felix at the hotel and we drove over to meet Gregg at Ron Mancuso's studio, The Hideaway, where we did the Eddie Trunk Podcast. As soon as it started a very weird thing happened... we all slid into 'Angel mode' and bonded all over again. The five of us grew up and went through a special time in our lives together so we were working our way through a lot of good feelings and emotions. Even though we have always kept in touch, it had been 35 years since all of us were together in one room. By the time Sunday came, it felt like 35 years had never passed. Then doing the red carpet and being backstage with all the bands and musicians it felt especially great being there as Angel. Getting the award from Sally Steele and Vegas Rocks Magazine and having it presented to us by Eddie Trunk was the topping on a great weekend that manager Peter Kalish worked very hard to help put together. Great ride, next stop... who knows?”