Dave Meniketti, the guitarist and vocalist for iconic Bay Area rockers Y&T, says he is completely opposed to fans paying for meet-and-greets, explaining that "we should be paying [them]."

During an appearance on the latest episode of the "White Line Fever" podcast, Meniketti said he would never entertain a practice that has become an increasingly significant part of the touring economy.

"Some bands will charge for meet-and-greets or they'll charge for some special types of meet-and-greets," Meniketti said (hear audio below). "I don't like to do that. I think that's gouging the fans. I think that's a little too much of trying to get every last dollar out of everybody, dollaring people to death. I don't like that whatsoever. To me, your fanbase is golden. They're the people that are keeping us going. They're the people that love the music."

He continued: "Why do we want to charge them to meet us? That, to me, seems like the most bizarre thing you can do and too opportunist. That's not my thing. They pay for a ticket. Come see us live, that's what's going to keep us alive. Buy a t-shirt, something like that. But don't pay to see me. My God. I should be paying you guys. I'm happy to shake a hand, take a picture or listen to a story or something like that. In fact, more than happy. It makes us all feel good. It makes us feel connected to our fans."

Y&T, rounded out by guitarist John Nymann, drummer Mike Vanderhule and bassist Brad Lang, is currently putting the finishing touches on an as-yet-untitled documentary biopic.

Y&T's live album, "Live At The Mystic", was released in November 2012 via Frontiers Records.

The band's first studio album in 13 years, "Facemelter", came out in Europe on May 21, 2010 via Frontiers.

After releasing their self-titled debut in 2014, Wovenwar has now entered the studio to record the follow-up to this highly successful album, for a late summer/early fall release via Metal Blade Records.

Wovenwar comments:

"Recording for the second Wovenwar album is officially underway with the drum tracking being completed and the process moving into the guitar tracking phase. Several months’ worth of demos have been condensed into eleven new songs we are very proud of. The process found us expanding upon our melodic sound with a darker and more aggressive approach - utilizing elements restrained on our debut but familiar to our cumulative history. Nolly Getgood (Periphery) is onboard to handle mixing duties. We look forward to hearing how his versatile talents elevate our sound and direction. We're looking to have the recording process wrapped up in the next couple months and hope to have the album out sometime late summer/early fall. Until then please keep up with us on all band socials for updates."

Wovenwar features the talents of Jordan Mancino (drums), Nick Hipa (guitar), Phil Sgrosso (guitar) and Josh Gilbert (bass) of San Diego, California based metal act As I Lay Dying, and Shane Blay (vocals) of Oh, Sleeper. Their self-titled debut landed at #36 on the Billboard Top 200 charts.

German rockers Zodiac have just returned from successful shows with Monster Truck. But as they say, “there’s no rest for the wicked”. July 29th marks the birth of the brand new and fourth Zodiac full length album, Grain Of Soul, set to be released worldwide via Napalm Records.

The album was recorded and mixed by Arne Neurand (Guano Apes, Subway To Sally, The Intersphere) at Horus Sound Studio in Hannover, Germany. The mastering duties were handled by Grammy Award winning Jean-Pierre Chalbos (Gojira, Kavinsky) at La Source Mastering in Paris, France.

Prior to kicking off a European headline tour in support of the album in September/October Zodiac will be playing two exclusive record release shows in Germany.

July
29 - Münster, Germany - Skater’s Palace
30 - Berlin, Germany - Privatclub

Upcoming summer festival dates:

May
21 - Bully-les-Mines, France - Bully On Rocks Festival

June
24 - Hamburg, Germany - Hamburg Harley Days

August
17-20 - Dinkelsbühl, Germany - Summer Breeze Festival

More news about Zodiac’s Grain Of Soul and the upcoming European tour soon.

Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley will release Origins Vol. 1, a collection of 12 newly recorded classics from his formative years featuring some of the biggest names in rock and roll, on April 15th. Ace discusses the upcoming release in this new video from Louder Noise:

On the new album, KISS frontman Paul Stanley joins Ace on Free's hit "Fire And Water”. This collaboration marks the first time that Ace and Paul appear on the same studio recording since KISS' 1998 reunion album Psycho Circus. Other guests include Lita Ford singing and playing lead on The Troggs staple "Wild Thing”, Rob Zombie guitarist John 5 playing guitar alongside Ace as he sings his classic KISS composition "Parasite" for the very first time, as well as Jimi Hendrix's "Spanish Castle Magic”, and Pearl Jam's Mike McCready also plays guitar with Ace as he finally sings his KISS Alive! mainstay "Cold Gin”. "White Room" is also an iTunes instant gratification track, meaning fans who pre-order the LP on iTunes will receive the Cream cover song instantly.

Tracklisting:

"White Room" (Cream)
"Street Fighting Man" (Rolling Stones)
"Spanish Castle Magic" feat. John 5 (Jimi Hendrix)
"Fire And Water" feat. Paul Stanley (Free)
"Emerald" feat. Slash (Thin Lizzy)
"Bring It On Home" (Led Zeppelin)
"Wild Thing" feat. Lita Ford (The Troggs)
"Parasite" feat. John 5 (KISS)
"Magic Carpet Ride" (Steppenwolf)
"Cold Gin" feat. Mike McCready (KISS)
"Till The End Of The Day" (Kinks)
"Rock and Roll Hell" (KISS)

"Emerald" feat. Slash:

"White Room”:

Pre-order physically via the Amazon widget below. Pre-order digitally here.

 

 

Upcoming Ace Frehley tour dates are listed below. Ace is joined on the road by Richie Scarlet (rhythm, guitar and vocal duties), Chris Wyse on bass and vocals (The Cult), Scott Coogan on drums (Nikki Sixx’s Brides of Destruction).

Tour dates:

April
7 - Danville, VA - Carrington Pavilion
9 - New Hope, PA - Havana New Hope
11 - New York, NY - BB King's Blues Club
12 - New York, NY - BB King's Blues Club
13 - Huntington, NY - The Paramount
15 - Wilkes Barre, PA - The F.M. Kirby Center
16 - Poughkeepsie, NY - The Chance

Click here for all ticket info. Additional dates to be announced.

In the YouTube clip below, Frehley chats with Elliot In The Morning about his upcoming album, Origins, Vol. 1, his next book, his relationship with Gibson, and more.

Talking about his next book, the follow-up to 2011’s No Regrets: A Rock 'N' Roll Memoir, Ace reveals: “I’ve got a couple of chapters written and I have several notes for other chapters that are gonna be included, so I'm thinking hopefully getting it finished by the end of this year and out next year."

He continues: “Everybody does have an Ace story, in most cases, and it's actually good for me, because my memory isn't what it used to be.”

Listen to the interview below:

Reformed Swedish death metallers Centinex are well in the middle of the recording process of their next full-length album and follow-up to 2014's come-back record, Redeeming Filth. Surprisingly reunited in 2014 after a nearly eight-year hiatus, the band dosen't want the fans to be kept waiting another near-decade. The new album is titled Doomsday Rituals and today Centinex has revealed its cover artwork, made by Bahrull Marta of Abomination Imagery.

Doomsday Rituals is being currently recorded at Wing Studios with Centinex's guitarist (and Demonical's vocalist in one), Sverker Widgren.

As commented by the band's founder and mastermind, Martin Schulman: "Musically the album is a natural follow-up to Redeeming Filth. Heavy riffing, deep brutal vocals, everything from slow via mid-tempo to faster stuff, a perfect mix of the early 90's Florida and Stockholm sound.”

While working on new live shows, Centinex has also announced the following festival appearances in Europe and North America:

May
27 - Baltimore, OR - Maryland Deathfest

July
2 - Barcelona, Spain - Move Your Fucking Brain Extreme Fest
9 - Scharnstein (Bäckerberg), Austria - Sick Midsummer Fest

August
18 - Barth, Germany - Barther Metal Open Air

October
29 - Turku, Finland - Turun Kuolema II Festival (headlining with Angelcorpse)

Originally formed back in 1990, the band’s current lineup includes Martin Schulman (Demonical) on bass, Sverker Widgren (Demonical, Diabolical) on guitars, Alexander Högbom (October Tide, Spasmodic) on vocals and Kennet Englund (Interment, Centinex 1999-2003) on drums.

More news on the band's new album Doomsday Rituals will be revealed soon.

TMZ are reporting that Michael Jackson's family is worried that his daughter Paris, due to boyfriend Michael Snoddy’s Pantera-inspired tattoo featuring the Confederate flag.

Members of the family tell TMZ: “Michael Snoddy's arm tattoo proudly displaying the Confederate flag is highly offensive and ironic, since Paris' dad was black.”

Snoddy, a drummer with the band Street Drum Corps, is a little out of step, as some Southern states are removing vestiges of Confederate symbols from public view.

Paris, who's been dating Snoddy for a few weeks, doesn't seem to mind, but her family thinks the fact that his tat was strategically placed for all to see is an omen about his feelings toward African Americans.

Read more at TMZ.com.

 

I've been wanting this tattoo since middle school! @thetattooprincess knocked it out of the park! Thanks @jst_good_ole_boy for all your help! #CowboysFromHell #southernpride

A photo posted by Michael Snoddy (@michaelsnoddy) on Nov 30, 2014 at 4:55pm PST

 

 

LINKIN PARK is taking a new approach to writing its upcoming seventh album, the band revealed in a brand new interview.

LINKIN PARK entered the studio last November to begin work on the follow-up to 2014's "The Hunting Party", and has already accumulated "a mountain of material," DJ Joe Hahn told Billboard.com.

Guitarist Brad Delson added: "It's been a real just organic flow and I'm really excited about the music that's being created."

LINKIN PARK singer Mike Shinoda said that the band is trying to do things differently this time around.

"The thing that’s notable to me is that we're approaching the process backwards, for us," he said.

"Usually the music comes first and the words come second, even if it's 30 minutes apart that's usually what happens — the music inspires the words. And in this case, it's mostly the words and melodies first, no track."

Delson added: "We've focused almost exclusively on songwriting, not on sound, not on genre, not on arrangement, on words and melodies. And that's something [producer] Rick [Rubin] has always told us to do years past and we never listened because we started always track first. Now we're writing songs and now we're just starting to get into the style of that."

LINKIN PARK has not yet confirmed a producer for its upcoming album.

The band has been mostly off the radar for the past year, ever since an early 2015 tour in support of "The Hunting Party" had to be scrapped when frontman Chester Bennington injured his foot.

Bennington also brought his two-year stint as vocalist for STONE TEMPLE PILOTS to an end in late 2015 so he focus more of his energies on LINKIN PARK.

The moderator of TOOL's official web site recently visited the band's rehearsal loft and offered an update on the progress of their long-awaited new album. He wrote: "At this stage of the writing/arranging process... there are only a couple of 'shorter' songs left to complete (?), along with a segue or two or three." He added, "Of course, we need to keep in mind any changes that might be needed to accommodate the vocals, etc., once all of the arrangements are finished."

The instrumental members of TOOL have traditionally worked out all the music and arrangements first before having singer Maynard James Keenan come in and start working on vocals. Guitarist Adam Jones told The Pulse Of Radio how the band puts its songs together. "We've got lots of material," he said. "Our strongest thing is jamming. But grouping stuff together — and that's kind of how we work, you know, we jam and then you kind of go, 'Wow, this works with this really well' — and then you jam those two things and see if you can get 'em to work."

Jones revealed in 2015 that the band had finally settled a complicated lawsuit that had dragged on for eight years, setting back the band's recording plans.

Singer Maynard James Keenan's other band, PUSCIFER, released its third studio album, "Money Shot", last October.

Canadian death metal veterans, Gorguts, will release their new 1-track EP, Pleiades’ Dust, on May 13th via Season Of Mist. The EP artwork was created by renowned Polish artist Zbigniew M. Bielak. A new excerpt, “Besieged”, is streaming below.

Luc Lemay comments: "As our Pleiades’ Dust EP consists out of a single long narrative composition, it was not written with the intention of being edited in segments. As the storyline proceeds in chapters though, I was able to isolate this part called “Wandering Times” which will give the listener a good idea of the composition aesthetics which are present throughout the whole piece. The lyrics tell the story of the 'House of Wisdom', which is referring to a library that was based in Baghdad sometime between the 8th and the 13th century. There much of the intellectual activity of the Middle Age took place while Europe was stuck in the Dark ages after the fall of Rome. Many scientific discoveries were made at the time such as algebra, optics, astronomy, and many more... Without the translation movement that brought this library to life, we would have never had the Renaissance that we know. It is a story about curiosity, beautiful minds and sadly, about how man destroys great discoveries and achievements."

Cover artist Zbigniew M. Bielak adds: "As a child I was fascinated by the Middle East. My uncle used to work on civil engineering contracts in Libya and Iraq, so we kept receiving exotic, mosque-graced postcards throughout the otherwise lacklustre eighties behind the Iron Curtain. I have a genuine affection towards the region’s architecture, climate and aesthetics, therefore it was a pleasure to illustrate Luc Lemay’s new concept album, which is a tribute to the scientific heritage of the Islamic Golden Age. Although the pun of the album title was not intended – as much as NASA supercomputer Pleiades today, Baghdad’s Bayt al-Hikma – The House of Wisdom, epitomized the Middle East’s scientific sophistication. Boasting the largest library of the medieval world, this vibrant multicultural research and educational centre, drew in learned scholars including those of Jewish, Christian or Buddhist origin to translate, preserve and further develop important works of scholarship from across Europe and the Middle East whilst the Occident regressed into Dark Ages. Spanning from the 8th century of our calendar to its symbolic ending with Genghis Khan's grandson’s bloody Siege of Baghdad in 1258, resulting in obliteration of the House of Wisdom, The Golden Age of Islam left the world much indebted also to its numerous original contributions in diverse fields. From astronomy and medicine, to humanities and mathematics, Islam's heritage helped pave the way for the rise of the West to its present prominence. The mind-bending intricacy of Gorguts’ aural landscapes portrayed in this single, over thirty minutes long piece of almost classically structured music, lends an aptly dramatic narrative to the story of a leading civilization abruptly returned to dust."

“Wandering Times”:

Gorguts are currently on their European tour, where they are joined by Psycroptic, Dysrhythmia, and Nero Di Marte. The trek will run until April 17th. Remaining dates are listed below.

Tour dates:

April
6 - Brescia, Italy - Circolo Colony
7 - Wiesbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
8 - Oberhausen, Germany - Kulttempel
9 - Aarhus, Denmark - Royal Metal Fest
10 - Hamburg, Germany - Headcrash
11 - Warszawa, Poland - Proxima
12 - Bratislava, Slovakia - Randal
13 - Budapest, Hungary - Durer Kurt
14 - München, Germany - Backstage
15 - Praha, Czech Republic - Nova Chmelnice
16 - Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser
17 - Drachten, Netherlands - Iduna

(Gorguts band photo - Jimmy Hubbard)

MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson recently stopped by the Guitar World studios to talk about and play his five favorite MEGADETH bass riffs. Check out the clip below.

As previously reported, Ellefson will visit Terra State Community College in Fremont, Ohio on April 15 at 6:30 p.m. for a book-signing event.

Part of the college's April celebration of jazz and American music, this event is free and open to the public and will be held in the Recital Hall in the Bordner Arts and Health Technologies Center.

Ellefson is the author of several books, including "My Life With Deth" and "Making Music Your Business...A Guide For Young Musicians". "My Life With Deth" will be available for purchase the night of the signing.

Asked what advice he would give to young, aspiring musicians, Ellefson told the KBAD 94.5 radio station in Sioux Falls, South Dakota: "I got rolling when I was, like, eleven, twelve years old, picking up the bass guitar, putting bands together, playing in the region, playing around. For me, I had to leave here, I had to get out of here, in order to go find the elusive success, which, fortunately, I found in Hollywood, California. There was a school there called Musicians Institute, which is still there, and that was really the hub. And, of course, I told my parents, 'I might go to school.' But what I really wanted to do was form something like MEGADETH. And I [met] Dave Mustaine [MEGADETH mainman] right after I moved there, and against all odds, he and I have become successful."

He continued: "Be committed to what it is you wanna do. My first thing is, man, play with everybody; play with as many different people as possible when you're young. As you get older and your career goes on, you will start to focus and define your style and your sound. And from there, you try to get really united, like I did with Dave. I mean, he and I have hung together pretty much most of the MEGADETH career."

Ellefson added: "Jason Newsted, when he was in METALLICA, had a great saying. He said, 'A fist packs a much harder punch than four or five fingers individually. So the impact of people staying together as a team is really, really important in your career."

Ellefson is known for his unique, hard-hitting style of bass playing and unwavering dedication to his musical craft.

He has engraved a vast musical hallmark as a bassist, songwriter, record producer, clinician and author. Together with MEGADETH, he continues recording and world concert tour activity.

Academically, Ellefson holds a bachelor's degree in business marketing and continues to lecture on a variety of music- and business-related topics.

Seven years have passed since the birth of Vredehammer, and this is celebrated by the recent release of their second full-length album, Violator, definitely their heaviest and most powerful release yet. A new lyric video for the album track “Ursus” is streaming below.

With their debut album Vinteroffer, Vredehammer instantly made themselves known as a force to be reckoned with in the Norwegian metal scene. One album in and the band was already nominated for “Metal Album Of The Year” through the Norwegian Grammys. They also toured Europe as direct support for the mighty Satyricon, as well as together with Keep Of Kalessin and Vreid.

The references may not be obvious in Vredehammer’s latest release but there is certainly an underlying vibe.

Per Valla specifies: ”With Violator I wanted to take a step back and focus on the feeling I used to get from listening to bands like Metallica, Pantera and Megadeth. This resulted in an album that isn't really focused on speed and aggression, but rather groove and power. It will be interesting to see how such an album will be received these days, when a lot of the focus seems to be on speed for many of the extreme metal bands out there today.”

Tracklisting:

“Light The Fucking Sky”
“Spawn Tyrant”
“Violator”
“Deadfall”
“Ursus”
“Cyclone”
“Blodhevn”

“Light The Fucking Sky”:

“Cyclone”:

 
”Vinteroffer was a good release, but our new album Violator takes our music to a whole new level when it comes to writing really powerful and well-composed songs. I feel confident that this album will be one to remember.” - Per Valla

French heavy metallers Lonewolf will release their new album, The Heathen Dawn, on May 20th via Massacre Records. The album’s title track is streaming below.

The album was recorded with Xavier Sindt at Microclimat Studio, and was mixed and mastered by Charles Greywolf at Studio Greywolf. Péter Sallai of Mortpaintgraphics created the album's cover artwork:

Tracklisting:

“A Call To Wolves”
“Wolfsblut”
“Demon's Fire”
“Keeper Of The Underworld”
“When The Angels Fall”
“Until The End”
“Rise To Victory”
“Heathen Dawn”
“Into The Blizzard”
“The Birth Of A Nation”
“Song For The Fallen”
“I Choose The Dark” (Digipak Bonus)
“Mother Faith” (Digipak Bonus)

“The Heathen Dawn”:

German epic melodic metal band, Human Fortress, have released a video for the track “Thrice Blessed”, featured on their new album, out now via AFM Records. The clip can be found below.

Two years after the group had returned to the style of their successful first releases from the early 2000’s with Raided Land – and also introduced new vocalist Gus Monsanto (ex-Timo Tolkki’s Revolution Renaissance, ex-Adagio) - Human Fortress continues right where they left off.

Songs such as the catchy title track, power metal hymns (“Rise Or Fall”, “Vicious Circle”) or the slightly modern - but not less epic “Thrice Blessed” will amaze every fan of the Hannover-based band. But Thieves Of The Night additionally could appeal very well to worshippers of Virgin Steele’s ��80s/’90s classic releases, Kamelot and Avantasia.

Tracklisting:

“Amberstow”
“Last Prayer To The Lord”
“Rise Or Fall”
“Thieves Of The Night”
“Thrice Blessed”
“Hellrider”
“Just A Graze”
“Vicious Circle”
“Smite On The Anvil”
“Dungeons Of Doom”
“Gift Of Prophecy”
“Alone”

“Thrice Blessed” video:

“Thieves Of The Night” video:

Michael Schenker’s Temple Of Rock will release On A Mission: Live In Madrid on CD, DVD and Blu-ray on April 27th in Japan, April 29th in Europe, and May 6th in North America via Inakustik. The set was recorded on November 19th, 2015 at Joy Eslava in Madrid, Spain. A video trailer can be found below.

Besides the Double CD, Blue-ray and DVD-version there is also a Limited Edition Collector's Box available. It is limited  to 5000 copies worldwide and provided with an individual serial number.

A summery follows: What on the surface might appear to be a platitude, is a serious invitation for the fans of the “Mad Axeman” and one they are happy to take him up on. Where else could aficionados of high-class guitar rock see such an emotional and energetic show? And one featuring a lineup that leaves connoisseurs of the international music scene rapturously clicking their tongues in appreciation.

During their world tour of 2015/2016, the lineup set up their Temple Of Rock in the Joy Eslava theatre in central Madrid. Michael Schenker and his crew chose this unique location with care for the recording of this concert. The musicians clapped along with the fans as they sung along to hits old and new with great enthusiasm. All musical phases of Michael Schenker's career were included and the evening became a joyful party as well as a clear message of how positively Michael Schenker's music can enrich the listener's life.

Michael Schenker played various guitars, including for the first time his new double-neck Flying-M with 2 necks, each with 6 strings, with each neck tuned differently.

Tracklisting:

Disc 1
“Ocean Odyssey” - Intro
“Doctor Doctor”
“Live And Let Live”
“Lights Out”
“Where the Wild Winds Blow”
“Natural Thing”
“Before The Devil Knows You're Dead”
“Victim Of Illusion”
“Lovedrive”
“Coast To Coast”
“Vigilante Man”
“Rock My Nights Away”

Disc 2
“Saviour Machine”
“Too Hot To Handle”
“Only You Can Rock Me”
“Lord of the Lost and Lonely”
“Rock You Like A Hurricane”
“Rock Bottom”
“Horizons”
“Attack Of The Mad Axeman”
“Communion”
“Blackout”

Disc 3:
“Searching For Freedom” – Outro

Bonus Material:
- Rehearsal
- Before The Show
- Soundcheck
- Individual interviews with each band member

Musicians:

Michael Schenker – Guitar
Doggie White – Vocals
Wayne Findlay – Guitar, Keyboard
Francis Buchholz – Bass
Herman Rarebell – Drums

Trailer:

More info and audio clips at this location.

Schenker has put together a very special show, Michael Schenker Fest, for this year’s Sweden Rock festival, taking place June 8th - 11th in in Sölvesborg, Sweden.

Michael Schenker Fest will feature three original MSG singers - Gary Barden, Graham Bonnet and Robin McAuley. Also on board is Ted McKenna (drums), Chris Glen (bass) and Steve Mann (guitar / keyboards). Combined, these men are responsible for such albums as Michael Schenker Group (1980), Assault Attack (1982) and Save Yourself (1989). Expect to hear a multitude of classic tracks.

Michael Schenker Fest will take place on June 11th at Sweden Rock Festival. More festival details at this location.

The Defiants will release their self-titled debut album on April 15th. The new track, “Runaways”, is streaming below. The Defiants is a new band put together by Paul Laine, Bruno Ravel and Rob Marcello - three fabulous musicians, all with ties to the great hard rock band Danger Danger.

Best known for being Danger Danger's frontman for a 12 year stint from 1992-2004, which included four studio albums, Paul Laine is now coming back to work with his former bandmates Bruno Ravel and Rob Marcello, who are the other two pillars of The Defiants.

The guys got back together under suggestion of Frontiers' President, Serafino Perugino, who really wanted to offer the fans a chance to hear some new music from these guys. The resulting album is an extremely exciting affair which is going to please not only D2 fans, but also all the ones who are into the classic sound from the glory days of rock in the '80s and '90s.

Paul Laine says: "From the moment Bruno and I started writing together,we knew we had something special. It's been my experience that when the writing process is effortless, you've trapped lightning in a bottle...within the first 2 1/2 months, we had close to 40 ideas up on the board. I think it surprised both of us how intuitive we were of each others ideas. I'm very proud of this record, and it feels good to let loose on an album of complete stadium rockers. Rob Marcello, I consider to be one of the biggest talents in the world of modern guitar players. I love how much he shines on this record, and from track to track, I couldn't wait to hear what he had to say musically. On a personal note, it feels good to hit another musical and writing milestone with this album. It was very hard to choose the material for this record,and its exciting to know that there are still bullets left in the chamber that nobody has heard yet..."

Bruno Ravel adds: "I'm so stoked for you all to hear this record! It was so much fun to create, and that feeling will be very evident once you give it a listen. Paul and Rob poured every bit of themselves into these tracks, and their performances were just ridiculous! Add that to the aggressive killer drum pounding that only my good buddy, Van Romaine could deliver, and you have what equals a bonafide rock 'n' roll roller coaster! Strap yourselves in folks! And get ready for the ride!"

The Defiants is a glorious return to the "in your face" melodic hard rock that won millions of fans back in the '80s and '90s and is currently enjoying a well deserved revival in the 21st century.

The Defiants are set to appear live at the Frontiers Rock Festival in Trezzo (Milano), Italy on April 24th, where the band will perform classic tracks from Paul Laine's solo career, some Danger Danger hits (of course) and songs off The Defiants debut.

The Defiants tracklisting:

“Intro (For A Few Dollars More - Carillon's Theme)”
“Love And Bullets”
“When The Lights Go Down”
“Waiting On A Heartbreak”
“Runaway”
“Lil' Miss Rock'n'roll”
“Last Kiss”
“Save Me Tonight”
“Take Me Back”
“We All Fall”
“That's When I'll Stop Loving You”
“Underneath The Stars”

“Runaways”:

“Take Me Back”:

“Waiting On A Heartbreak”:

“Love And Bullets”:

The Defiants lineup:

Paul Laine - vocals
Bruno Ravel - bass guitar, guitars, keyboards
Rob Marcello - lead guitars

With: Van Romaine - drums

Germany’s Black Space Riders have released a video for "Starglue Sniffer”, a song from their forthcoming Beyond Refugeeum EP. Watch below:

Nine months after the release of Refugeeum, the internationally acclaimed fourth album by Black Space Riders comes a reprise: the Beyond Refugeeum EP, to be released May 13th via BSR/Cargo.

Vocalist/guitarist/keyboardist JE discussed the idea behind the EP: "We had deliberately kept back four songs, all original recordings, from the Refugeeum sessions in order to release them separately from the album because - as the cover artwork already may suggest - the material is different to the songs on Refugeeum. It's unlike what you might expect from this band. But you can still tell that it comes logically and quite unmistakably from the Black Space Riders. The songs are exalted, sometimes overwrought, vivid, and yet accessible. Much has happened in Europe and in the world since these songs were written at the end of 2014 and recorded in early 2015, but they seem to be even more contemporary and necessary than ever."

A track-by-track description follows:

"Welcome" is the band's first instrumental piece, a melodic, psychedelic jam that builds in intensity from quiet to very, very loud.

"Freedom at First Sight" is a crisp, catchy alternative hit that flirts with New Wave melodies and classic metal riffing.

"Droneland" evolves from a 70s Sequencer Ambient to a furious rhythm monster.

"Starglue Sniffer" is funky and dares to have beats and a "Prince-falsetto", before driving you on to the dance floor.

The EP is rounded off with two bonus tracks: "VRTX RMX" (a remix of "Vortex Sun") is atmospheric electric drone, and "Gravity" is the electro club remix of the band's 2014 hit "Give Gravitation To The People" that may and certainly will destroy or inspire one or another traditional rocker.

The Beyond Refugeeum EP will be be available from these national distribution partners:

Germany/Austria/Switzerland: Cargo Records
US/Canada: MVD Entertainment
UK: PHD (plastichead distribution)
BeNeLux: Suburban Records
Scandinavia: Border Music
Italy: Goodfellas

Visit the Black Space Riders store for CDs, vinyl, and more.

(Photo by: Hanno H. Endres)

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine was interviewed by Terrie Carr for the latest edition of "Box Of Rock" on WDHA-FM 105.5 FM, the rock music station licensed to Dover and Morristown, New Jersey. You can now watch the first part of the chat at this location.

Asked if it was fun to make MEGADETH's latest album, "Dystopia", after a period of uncertainty following the departures of drummer Shawn Drover and guitarist Chris Broderick in late 2014, Mustaine said: "Yeah, it was fun to make. It is fun with [the current lineup of] this band. We are having a good time. It's kind of renaissance for us in a way. We made a little bit of an adjustment with our management and some of the staff on our crew, made a couple of musician adjustments and, 'Voilà!' Here you are."

Mustaine also talked about the addition of MEGADETH's latest members, drummer Chris Adler (also of LAMB OF GOD) and Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, best known for his work with ANGRA. He said: "[There are a lot of] reasons to like and love these guys, besides their playing. They're very good to the fans. They're very decent men that have a lot of integrity.

"We love to play," he continued. "We're not going out and getting ripped and catting around and doing all kinds of crazy, dumb stuff that bands usually do. We're all about the performance. We're all about making the show better. We're all about preparing for what's next. We're already talking about revisiting the crazy 'Thrashing In The Snow' [sketch promoting a fake Christmas album that] we did on 'Fallon' a while ago. So, for whatever reason, it's kind of on our radar about doing something fun like that. Versus when you get out of the studio and it's, like, 'Man, I never wanna see that guy again.' So we're already thinking about what's next, what's the next fun thing that we can do. And while we're not in the studio, how do we continue to improve on ourselves as performers?"

Mustaine went on to credit his new bandmates for making his time on stage a bit more enjoyable. He said: I've got a big job. There's a lot of really super-talented frontmen out there, so for me to play guitar and be a frontman, it's two completely different attacks that you have to have. And I lean more on the guitar playing than I do the frontman part, but with Kiko and Chris being here now, we've been able to have so much… Like, I used to not talk in between songs; I barely would talk at all. And I'm talking now, because we're having fun. You know, before, it was like, 'I can't wait to get off stage.' And not because of the fans or anything like that. It's just that you're playing up on stage and three guys are getting along and one guy is not, and it goes on over and over and over again. It's like when you're a little kid and you pull one of the fly wings off. Not that you did that. Not that I did that either, but… [Laughs] You know, and you just realize you're going nowhere. I think right now, we may not know where we're going, but we're going there fast."

On April 8, Universal Music / Tradecraft / T-Boy Records will issue "Dystopia" as a limited-edition vinyl picture disc featuring the album's vivid dark and chilling artwork which takes the bands long-time mascot Vic Rattlehead to a whole new level and drops him into a bleak, futuristic dystopian universe. The "Dystopia" picture disc can be ordered individually at all participating retail and online outlets or at UMv as part of a specially priced pack with other picture disc titles including "Peace Sells…But Who's Buying?", "So Far, So Good…So What!", "Rust In Peace", "Countdown To Extinction" and "Youthanasia".

AEROSMITH frontman Steven Tyler has told Rolling Stone that the band will return to the road in 2017. "We're probably doing a farewell tour," he said. The singer added: "Look, there's two bands that still have the original members, us and THE [ROLLING] STONES. I'm grateful for that. Whether we do a farewell tour or go into the studio and do another record, I'm just excited about it."

In the meantime, Tyler will spend most of 2016 nurturing his solo career, including playing thirty solo shows between May and August leading up to the release of his debut solo album.

In May 2015, Tyler released his first country single, "Love Is Your Name", which reached No. 1 on the Billboard Country Streaming Songs chart. He followed it up with "Red White & You", which came out in January.

AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry seemed dismissive of Tyler's country debut, telling USA Today in an interview: "Hey, if I didn't know him when I heard the song I'd go, 'It's okay, next.' I'm not going to say anything else about that."

He added: "Steven is in Nashville doing whatever he's doing. He's got a [bleeping] rhinestone cowboy hat going 'Yippee ki yay.' I don't know what else to say about that."

Tyler's full-length country debut is tentatively due later in the year. The effort will be released via Dot Records, the legendary label that Scott Borchetta and his Big Machine Label Group revived in 2014.

The AEROSMITH singer's country album will feature songs that he has written and recorded in Nashville with writers like Paslay, Hillary Lindsey, Cary Barlowe and THE CADILLAC THREE's Jaren Johnston.

AEROSMITH guitarist Brad Whitford said last year that he was less than thrilled with Tyler's plans to devote most of 2016 to his country-tinged debut solo album. He said: "I guess he seems to think his solo career is going to go great guns and he doesn't seem to realize — in my opinion — that his fans around the globe want to see him in the context of AEROSMITH and don't really care for whatever he thinks he's going to do. I don't know if he gets that, but, hey — that's what he wants to do. I can't put a gun to his head."

"Cause For Alarm", a brand new song from San Francisco Bay Area metallers DEATH ANGEL, can be streamed below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "The Evil Divide", which will be released on May 27 via Nuclear Blast. The CD was once again recorded at AudioHammer studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, DEICIDE), who previously worked on 2010's "Relentless Retribution" and 2013's "The Dream Calls For Blood". Mastering duties were handled by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound in New York City. The cover artwork was created by tattoo artist Bob Tyrrell and can be seen below.

DEATH ANGEL guitarist Rob Cavestany said: "Both Mark [Osegueda, vocals] and I had been tattooed by Bob, and when the subject of album artwork came up, we approached him to create the design. We wanted an image that would represent the idea of 'The Evil Divide'; something beautiful, yet simultaneously wicked, hence the death moth. Bob realized our vision with mere pencil and paper, and now we proudly present to you the cover art for our eighth studio album, 'The Evil Divide'."

Osegueda told SFWeekly.com about working with Suecof again: "It's the third time we've used him, and we couldn't really be happier."

He continued: "This time, all the music was written and lyrics were written with the exception of one song, which I purposely saved to write on the spot.

"Sometimes you can get a great vibe from a studio and draw inspiration from that. That song came out great."

Mark added: "It's got the aggressiveness of the last two records, but our songwriting has improved dramatically. Really, it sounds like DEATH ANGEL should."

Regarding DEATH ANGEL's mindset going into the songwriting process for the upcoming CD, Osegueda told Rock Hard magazine: "When we started working with Jason Suecof for the last two records, 'Relentless Retribution' and 'The Dream Calls For Blood', we thought we were gonna do two records intense like that and kind of go back [to the more] melodic [direction of 1990's] 'Act III', but the last two records, we've been loving so much writing that style, and the crowds have been enjoying them so much.

"In our minds, even if we think we're being more brutal than we've ever been, it's inevitable that we are obsessed with melody, so there's always gonna be melody that separates us from, say, different thrash bands or extreme bands, because we always veer to a melody and catchy hooks. No matter how brutal we think we're being, we like to throw in hooks, so we're just gonna carry on how we're doing now and try to pick as many of the young punters there and keep our stronghold on the old punters."

"The Evil Divide" track listing:

01. The Moth02. Cause For Alarm03. Lost04. Father Of Lies05. Hell To Pay06. It Can’t Be This07. Hatred United, United Hate08. Breakaway09. The Electric Cell10. Let The Pieces Fall

Bonus:

11. Wasteland

+ "Making Of" DVD

DEATH ANGEL released "A Thrashumentary" in July 2015 via Nuclear Blast. The DVD was directed, shot and edited by Tommy Jones (KATAKLYSM, SOILWORK, LAMB OF GOD, CARCASS, TESTAMENT) of Videohammer Studios. The release also includes a full live album titled "The Bay Calls For Blood".

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Rob Zombie has weighed in on the strange situation regarding AC/DC and singer Brian Johnson. The band postponed the last ten dates of its recent North American tour after doctors told Johnson he faced "total hearing loss." Evidence has mounted that AC/DC may use GUNS N' ROSES singer Axl Rose as a "guest vocalist" when it reschedules the shows, with Johnson possibly not returning to the band at all.

Comedian Jim Breuer, a friend of Johnson, recently claimed that despite the singer being in AC/DC for 36 years, he still felt like a hired gun.

Zombie told The Pulse Of Radio that the situation seems like a difficult one from the outside. "That's a weird one," he said. "I feel bad for Brian Johnson. Being in a band for 38 years and still be the new guy is kind of odd but, you know, I'm not in AC/DC so I don't know the dynamic of it all, you know."

AC/DC reportedly began meeting with potential guest singers in Atlanta, during which Rose was also spotted in the city.

Not yet known is Johnson's future status with AC/DC. Johnson has fronted the group for 36 years, but it is not clear whether his hearing issue will prevent him from performing live with them again.

The rescheduled North American dates for AC/DC have not yet been announced. The band's next confirmed shows take place in Europe in May.

Rob Zombie's new disc, "The Electric Warlock Acid Witch Satanic Orgy Celebration Dispenser", arrives on April 29. The first single is "Well, Everybody's Fucking In A UFO".

Legendary guitarists Yngwie Malmsteen and Steve Vai performed Yngwie's classic song "Black Star" at the opening show of the "Generation Axe" tour, which kicked off last night (Tuesday, April 5) in Seattle. Fan-filmed video footage of their jam can be seen below.

"Generation Axe" is hitting the road for 26 performances in North America. Joining Vai and Malmsteen during the trek are Zakk Wylde, Nuno Bettencourt and Tosin Abasi.

"The 'Generation Axe' show is a unique performance of five fiercely talented guitar players coming together to create a six-string extravaganza that is sure to amaze and delight," commented Steve Vai.

Yngwie's new studio album is due this spring. He told Seymour Duncan about the CD: "I spent two years [working] on it, touring, recording, touring, recording. And that's much, much better, actually, in a way. Back in the day I would write the songs then rehearse them with some musicians, then go and do a backing track and we'd record it, mix it, learn the songs to go play them on tour, then do it all again. That way isn't necessarily conducive to making the best music, y'know what I mean? So in a very, very backhanded way, this weird twist of fate in the music industry has actually made it a more inspiring environment, for me at least. I can write anytime and record anytime. My recording studio is always open, 24 hours. I can just record when I want and it's a beautiful thing."

Asked what the new record sounds like, Malmsteen said: "It's a Malmsteen record. [Laughs] But I would say it's a little different. First of all, I do all the lead vocals on it. Any time I did lead vocals in the past, I was singing blues stuff. This time I decided to do lead vocals in my style of songwriting, so it's different in that way. It's a very hard-hitting album and some parts are very advanced, very complicated. But it's a broad record. It's definitely a must-listen-to!"

Yngwie released a live album, "Spellbound Live In Tampa", and a live DVD, "Spellbound Live In Orlando", a little over a year ago.

The CD and DVD, both of which are named after Malmsteen's latest studio album, 2012's "Spellbound", were issued on September 17, 2014.

On March 31st, the Rock Meets Classic History Of Rock Tour 2016 played the Big Box in Kempten, Germany. The tour features Andy Scott and Pete Lincoln (The Sweet), Steve Walsh (Kansas), Scott Gorham and Ricky Warwick (Thin Lizzy), Dan McCafferty (Nazareth), Midge Ure (Ultravox), Joey Tempest (Europe) and special guest Doro together with The Mat Sinner Band and the Bohemian Symphony Orchestra Prague. 

Fan-filmed video of Doro performing two Warlock classics and The Sweet's "Ballroom Blitz" with Andy Scott and Pete Lincoln can be viewed below:

Doro released her new single, “Love's Gone To Hell", on April 1st via Nuclear Blast. A video for the track can be viewed below.

Limited edition vinyl:

Side A
“Love's Gone To Hell”

Side B
“It Still Hurts” (duet with Lemmy Kilmister)

6-track maxi-single:
“Love's Gone To Hell” (radio version)
“Love's Gone To Hell” (single version)
“It Still Hurts” (duet with Lemmy Kilmister)
“Rock Till Death” (live)
“Save My Soul” (live)
“Love's Gone To Hell” (original demo version)

White Wizzard recently announced that the original high speed GTO EP lineup of James Paul Luna, James J Larue, Jon Leon and Tyler Meahl will be playing a reunion show at Frost And Fire, a metal festival on the weekend of October 7th - 9th in downtown Ventura, California.

They have now released a new single and video. See it here on their new official website. "Break Out" is fast and furious, etched with the signature White Wizzard sound and accompanied by a video directed by James J LaRue. 

 Founder member Jon Leon comments: “Having James J LaRue laying down leads for our new single 'Break Out' is just fantastic. He is a superb player and I am very excited to have him back in the band as a permanent member. He was there at the beginning when I started this and it's only fitting he returns to see the band into the future. The song is about staying true to yourself and questioning the Establishment - be that religion, the government or anything else which constrains the human spirit. Of course, in typical WW tradition, our video is a very tongue-in-cheek take on that message and we had a real blast making it!

We are further excited to be joining up with James Luna and Tyler Meahl to play Frost And Fire festival in Ventura Ca. We’d been talking about doing something together for some time now, however existing commitments had made it impossible, so it’s great that we can finally get together in October. We will perform the original High Speed GTO EP along with some other songs from that era, and maybe a couple of covers, and depending on how everything goes, we may look at doing more stuff together. White Wizzard is an evolving entity of myself and James J LaRue that will keep making music, while staying open to all possibilities and we are excited for the future, whatever that may hold."

James J LaRue adds: “I'm totally excited for the release of this new song and video. Jon was tireless getting the sounds he wanted, and I lost a lot of sleep animating and putting this video together. While I waited on video file renders, I was practising along with the original EP, getting a head start on having these songs PERFECT for everyone at Frost And Fire. A lot of my friends are playing that show. It's a very classic lineup all around. See you all in October!”

Check out White Wizzard's new website here.

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions are set to release the new album from death/thrash sci-fi slayers Mountain Grave entitled Massive Structural Collapse, April 29th on CD and Digital formats. Below is the official description:

“To boldly continue to go where no band has gone before... Mountain Grave return to Horror Pain Gore Death Productions with a masterfully crafted modern cosmic death/thrash dream! Weaving vicious riffs through multi-dimensional atmospheric terror at blistering speeds, Massive Structural Collapse effortlessly punches its way through your speakers and throws you in the cockpit to experience action packed interstellar insanity. This album marks the melding and also completion of the sound / story from The Ancient Disease EP, released back in 2012 on HPGD. Mountain Grave successfully combine the raw drama of Star Trek along with the warm cinematic impact of Star Wars, resulting in a fusion of extreme metal glory!”

Tracklisting:

“Approaching Thyone”
“The Final Dimensions Of Blight”
“Mechanized Colony”
“Surge Capacity”
“Lair Of The Wretcher”
“Primeval Affliction”
“Pursued By Wolves”
“Ebarru”

“Pursued By Wolves”:

Physical preorders are available at Horror Pain Gore Death while digital preorders can be found on Bandcamp.

The as-yet-untitled new album by Trap Them has been completed and is expected to be released worldwide this fall. Once again, the band enlisted unofficial fifth member Kurt Ballou (Converge, Skeletonwitch) at GodCity Studios in Salem, Mass. to capture their unrestrained and unapologetic darkened hardcore sound. Co-founder/guitarist Brian Izzi says, "We’re psyched on how the album came out and can’t wait for you all to hear it. More info on that soon."  

The group has also announced two headlining shows on the East Coast in May. Adds Izzi, "New year, new set list. We added a bunch of 'Darker Handcraft' songs to our set that we haven't played in a while. West Coast: It's been way too long and we're working on getting out there later this year. UK/Europe: Yep, Wokring on that too. See you all soon."

Upcoming shows:

May
5 – Worcester, MA – Ralph’s
7 – Brooklyn, NY – Saint Vitus

Trap Them's venomous 2014 release Blissfucker – the follow-up to their Prosthetic debut, Darker Handcraft saw the band co-headline the sold-out Deathwish Fest with Converge in addition to a handful of East Coast dates with Coliseum. Limited quantities of Blissfucker on 180-gram black vinyl and special edition gray vinyl (ltd. to 300 copies) are still available.

Vancouver, CA's Astrakhan have announced the upcoming release of debut full-length album, Reward In Purpose, on CD and vinyl formats. The follow-up to 2014 EP A Tapestry Of Scabs And Skin will be released June 10th on War on Music and Sunmask Records. A teaser video is streaming below.

Recorded by Jesse Gander and Mastered by Stu McKillop at Rain City Recorders, Reward In Purpose stands as a singular piece of music and is meant to be taken as it is; the whole is indeed bigger than the sum of its parts. This album explores the perceptions and experience of the band over the last few years together and culminates with the realization that the true reward for which we search with any passionate endeavor is ultimately a matter of experiencing the highs and lows that come with the pursuit of pure expression. It is simply a matter being occupied with something that matters to you.

Album artwork comes courtesy of Nick Patterson. Astrakhan vocalist/guitarist Rob Zawistowski created the design and layout.

Tracklisting:

“Omajod”
“Turgid Waters”
“Of Sage And Other Herbs”
“The Traveler”
“Hatchet”
“Rabbits”
“Microcosmic Design”
“Forgetfulness”
“Hand On The Stone”

Album teaser:

“Omajod” live at Vancouver Psychfest:

(Photo by: Amy Ray Photography)

With their mind melting eighth epos, Cult Of Luna & Julie Christmas brings you to the outer rim of the ever expanding boundaries of the cosmos - where the rules of man is not applicable and the cold, dark nothing envelops the harsh realities of the universe. Mariner will be released on April 8th via Indie Recordings. A full stream can be found below.

Mariner tracklisting:

“A Greater Call”
“Chevron”
“The Wreck of S.S. Needle”
“Approaching Transition”
“Cygnus”

Mariner stream:

Teaser video:

Since their beginnings in 1998, Cult Of Luna has released seven albums, been awarded the top rock/ metal award at the Swedish National Radio Awards and cemented their status as one of the true progressors of the metal genre, beknownst to most metal aficionados.

In 2013, the Swedes teamed up with Indie Recordings for the release of perhaps their most successful work to date in the shape of Vertikal I and Vertikal II. These cohesive pieces of work received worldwide appraisal and only pillared Cult Of Luna to even greater heights.

For their eight effort, the post-metal pioneers join forces with the talented Julie Christmas (Battle Of Mice, Made Out Of Babies) from Brooklyn, whom bring an even larger depth to Cult Of Lunas sound – powerfully displayed on Mariner.

Doom/sludge metal vets Sourvein will release their Metal Blade Records debut, Aquatic Occult, on April 8th worldwide. Featuring guest performances by Lamb Of God's Randy Blythe (vocals, organ), Amebix's Stig Miller (guitar), Corrosion Of Conformity's Reed Mullin (drums) and many others, the album is described by front-man T-Roy as the record he wanted to make at a time when his life was at its bleakest. A full album stream can be found below.

Aquatic Occult was produced by Mike Dean and mastered by Brad Boatright (Sleep, Yob). Pre-orders for Aquatic Occult are available now in CD, vinyl, and digital formats at Metal Blade.

Aquatic Occult tracklisting:

“Tempest (Of Desire)” (feat. Stig Miller) *
“Avian Dawn” *
“Ocypuss” (feat. Randy Blythe, Mike Dean) *
“Aquanaut” (feat. Dean Berry)
“Hymn to Poseidon” *
“Mermaids” *
“Urchins”
“In the Wind” *
“Cape Fearian” *
“Capsized” (feat. Dave Capps) *
“High Tide”
“Bermuda Sundown” (feat. Keith Kirkum)
“Coral Bones” *
“Oceanic Procession” (feat. Stig Miller, Randy Blythe on organ) *

* Reed Mullin on drums

Album stream:

"Avian Dawn" video:

"Aquatic Occult promises to be heavier than a two-ton anchor dropped into an antique porcelain bathtub - it's going to break things," comments guest vocalist Randy Blythe. "This record sees Sourvein at their most musical and focused of any recording to date."

"Finally man, finally, my years of hard work have paid off," says T-Roy, reflecting on the lengthy, gruelling trek that brought his band to Metal Blade's roster. He adds, "'Aquatic Occult' is going to bring the truth. The lyrics are reality to me; I don't write about cars or chicks or horror movies, I write about the sacrifice and struggle, all the stuff I saw growing up and what I see now. But I want it to be positive, to let people know that there is a way out of bad times and tough situations."

Sourvein lineup:

T-Roy - vocals/guitar
Lou Gorra - bass
Dig - drums

(Photo by: Tina Nocturnal)