The official lyric video for the song "Mein Schwarzes Herz" from German metallers CALIBAN can be seen below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "Gravity", which will be released on March 25 via Century Media.

Produced by Benny Richter and guitarist Marc Görtz, as well as co-produced by Marcel Neumann, "Gravity" was recorded at Görtz's Nemesis Studio by the guitarist himself who mixed the album together with Klaus Scheuermann.

CALIBAN singer Andreas Dörner told Spain's Made In Metal about the making of "Gravity": "The recording process was like always. Marc started collecting ideas around April [2015] and worked everything out with our producer Benny Richter. I was collecting ideas for the lyrics as well and in the end we put all together.. When we started recording, we changed some parts, wrote new lyric lines and so on... the usual work during the recording process in the studio. It was very important for us, that everything's perfect. Sometimes it was exhausting, but it also made a lot of fun!"

He added: "It would be boring to say, 'It's our best album, best production, best everything and so on,' but we put a lot of energy, sweat and lifeblood in it and we are very happy with the result, the sound and songs of 'Gravity'. The songs are very powerful, aggressive, dark and on top they come with some nice melodies... but it's up to you if you'll like it or not!"

"Gravity" track listing:

01. Paralyzed02. Mein Schwarzes Herz03. Who I Am04. Left For Dead05. Crystal Skies06. Walk Alone07. The Ocean's Heart08. brOKen09. For We Are Forever10. Inferno11. No Dream Without A Sacrifice12. Hurricane

"Reclaim My Identity", a brand new song from Dutch metallers IZEGRIM, can be streamed using the SoundCloud widget below. The track is taken from the band's new album, "The Ferryman's End", which will be released on April 15 via Listenable.

Recorded at the prestigious Soundlodge studio in Germany, the ferocious new CD is the follow-up to the band's previous full-length releases, "Code Of Consequences" and "Congress Of The Insane".

Many bands are said not being able to top their earlier albums. "The Ferryman's End" proves that wrong in a very brutal manner, taking the catchy components of what made the band so successfully murderous on record as well as in the live environment and developing them further into extremely punishing barbarity.

IZEGRIM guitarist Jeroen comments: "With this new album, we aimed for more catchy songs, to-the­point songwriting, agression, viciousness and on top of that a better production. We went 'back to basics,' essentially to incorporate better structure and more power than ever before. This album sounds massive and most certainly a punch right in your face."

Lyrically, IZEGRIM vocalist/bassist Marloes steps into the shoes of a twisted and insane main character sitting on death row waiting to be executed. Every individual song is a journey further into the sick and disturbed brain of the murderer. During the very last act of terror, the Ferryman gets killed, leaving all souls of his victims to dwell forever.

Artwork duties were handled by Eliran Kantor (TESTAMENT, SATAN, HATEBREED, SOULFLY).

"The Ferryman's End" track listing:

01. White Walls02. Time To Run03. Endless Desire04. The Evil Within05. Absolute Necessity06. Reclaim My Identity07. Insanity Is Freedom08. Reflection Of Redemption09. Through A Glass Darkly10. Lost In Tranquillity11. The Ferrymans End

JUDAS PRIEST's tour in support of their 17th studio album overall, "Redeemer Of Souls", was one of the most extensive of the group's entire career — consisting of 130 shows in 33 countries, and offering a setlist that touched upon selections from nearly all of their classic albums. And now, fans can relive the live PRIEST experience once more, with the release of the new CD/DVD/Blu-ray, "Battle Cry", on March 25 via Epic Records.

Recorded live on August 1, 2015 at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival in front of an audience of 85,000, "Battle Cry" is available on a 15-track CD, with the entire show on Blu-ray and DVD (running over 94 minutes), as well as digital audio and video formats. The DVD and Blu-ray also contains three bonus tracks shot in Poland on December 10, 2015 at The Ergo Arena, Gdansk, Poland.

What makes the show's track listing so appealing is it balances new classics ("Dragonaut", "Halls of Valhalla", "Redeemer Of Souls") along with headbanging classics ("Metal Gods", "Electric Eye", "You've Got Another Thing Coming"), as well as key album tracks from yesteryear ("Devil's Child", "Beyond The Realms Of Death", "Jawbreaker").

"Battle Cry" CD track listing:

01. (Intro) Battle Cry02. Dragonaut03. Metal Gods04. Devil's Child05. Victim Of Changes06. Halls Of Valhalla07. Redeemer Of Souls08. Beyond The Realms Of Death09. Jawbreaker10. Breaking The Law11. Hell Bent For Leather12. The Hellion13. Electric Eye14. You've Got Another Thing Coming15. Painkiller

"Battle Cry" DVD/Blu-ray track listing:

01. (Intro) Battle Cry02. Dragonaut03. Metal Gods04. Devil's Child05. Victim Of Changes06. Halls Of Valhalla07. Turbo Lover08. Redeemer Of Souls09. Beyond The Realms of Death10. Jawbreaker11. Breaking The Law12. Hell Bent For Leather13. The Hellion14. Electric Eye15. You've Got Another Thing Coming16. Painkiller17. Living After Midnight Recorded live on August 1, 2015 at Wacken Open Air festival, Germany. Bonus tracks:

18. Screaming For Vengeance19. The Rage20. Desert Plains Recorded live on December 10, 2015 at The Ergo Arena, Gdansk, Poland.

A performance clip of "The Hellion/Electric Eye", shot at last year's Wacken Open Air festival, can be seen below.

Singer Simone Simons of Dutch symphonic metallers EPICA was interviewed on a recent edition of Australia's "Blood, Sweat And Metal" podcast. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.

Speaking about how the Internet has affected every aspect of the music business, Simone said: "I think it's a little bit the curse and the blessing of the Internet at the same time. And I don't wanna be pessimistic, but I think we have to go with what we have right now; I don't think you can go back in time."

She continued: "The Internet has improved a lot of things but also, for the music scene, has kind of made things worse. But, on the other hand, I don't like to complain too much; I just like to go forward. I try to use the Internet to do good, because nowadays you can promote yourself in a cheaper way than back in the day when you had to buy advertisements everywhere. So there are pros and cons to the Internet. And I have to say, I love the convenience of iTunes, 'cause I've got all the digital devices. I'm on the road… If I wanna buy a CD, I'll buy it on iTunes and then I have it everywhere. But that's legal downloading; I'm paying for the music."

Simone added: "When it comes to the illegal downloading, a lot of people don't see it as stealing, 'cause they do it from the comfort of their home [and] they don't realize how much time it takes to actually write the music that you can download in two seconds. I think it's the age nowadays where they don't see what goes on behind creating and writing, recording a CD; its value has kind of decreased in a way, or the respect for it… I don't know. It's a shame. Although the LPs, the physical product has been making a return, but that's not the younger generation; the younger generation wants everything digital. It's a shame. But I think that's just how things develop. It's the same with videos. Back in the day, you had the video tapes, then there were DVDs, and now you have Netflix, and nobody buys DVDs anymore. I used to pay twenty euros for one movie, and I pay eight euros a month in order to stream movies. Everybody has become so used to the convenience of how the media is being displayed and all these different forms of art. It's just a development of the modern age, and we have to go with it. But whenever I get the chance, I do like to explain that illegal downloading is really… it is really stealing, you know. You have to compare it to when you're actually walking into a CD shop and putting a CD in your pocket. But people don't… It doesn't get through their skulls that it's actual stealing. It's difficult."

EPICA recently completed a short North American run with support from MOONSPELL and STARKILL. It was the band's first North American tour in support of their latest album, "The Quantum Enigma", which hit the charts all over Europe and beyond.

EPICA is currently recording its next album for a tentative September release.

SANCTUARY and NEVERMORE singer Warrel Dane was interviewed on the latest installment of HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta's official podcast, "The Jasta Show". You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On his current relationship with ex-NEVERMORE guitarist Jeff Loomis (now in ARCH ENEMY):

Dane: "I rarely talk to Jeff. I saw him for about five minutes in Athens when ARCH ENEMY was playing. And he didn't know I was gonna be there. And I told all the people there: 'Don't tell him I'm coming to the soundcheck.' And the look on his face was like a deer in the headlights. But we don't hate each other. We're not enemies. We're still friends — friends that rarely speak to each other, unfortunately.

On whether NEVERMORE is "strategically" waiting for the right time to reunite:

Dane: "No. We've never even discussed that, any of us. But I'm not on bad terms with [ex-NEVERMORE drummer] Van Williams or Jeff Loomis. I'm just not sure… Jeff, especially, I don't even think he'd be interested in doing it. I mean, he's in a bigger band now… [Jeff is] sober now. I tried to get the whole band sober fucking years ago, and it was pretty much, 'Fuck you! I'm gonna do whatever I wanna do.' Not from him. Not from Jeff. [It came] from someone else in the band. And had that worked, if I had been successful and got the whole band sober, we'd probably still be together right now. But, you know, everything happens for a reason. And the new shit that I'm working on, the new original stuff with my solo band, makes me realize how lucky I am to have worked with so many great musicians and made so many great songs."

On the upcoming follow-up to his 2008 solo album "Praises To The War Machine":

Dane: "The title of the record is going to be 'Shadow Work', and, of course, I'll be using Travis Smith for the artwork again, because he always comes up with the most amazing shit every time I start. We go back and forth and talk to each other. He's really good at translating concepts into visual art. I think he's the best guy in the business, actually."

On the size of venues he plays with his solo band:

Dane: "Same ones I was playing with NEVERMORE, and bringing in more people. I think that when the band kind of split up, we got more popular. And maybe it's a nostalgia thing, but there were kids at these shows — I mean, 13-, 14-year-old kids — and older people too. Same kind of a deal with the SANCTUARY tour, where we saw parents bringing their kids."

SANCTUARY last year parted ways with guitarist Brad Hull and replaced him with Nick Cordle (ex-ARCH ENEMY, ARSIS).

The band's latest album, "The Year The Sun Died", was released in October 2014 via Century Media. The CD was recorded in Seattle at Soundhouse Studios with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris (SOULFLY, SHADOWS FALL, HATEBREED, MUNICIPAL WASTE).

Niclas Müller-Hansen of RockSverige.se recently conducted an interview with Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, SEPULTURA, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY). An excerpt from the chat follows below.

RockSverige.se: About the early days, are you a nostalgic person?

Max: Not really. From time to time there might be a YouTube video. It's fun to watch, but I'm not much for living in the past. I'm living right now. A lot of things I didn't feel good about, like the success of [SEPULTURA's] "Roots" [album], that people talk about. For me, it was the worst time of my life. I was drinking and taking a lot of drugs just to cope with it and it sucks. We got so famous that in Brazil I couldn't even go out. It's not for me, man. It's not what I'm here for. Once that died out and we split up and SOULFLY came, it was really cool and it put me back in a place where I belong. Some people might feel different and be longing for that, but I'm not one of those guys. I'm happy playing a small club full of fans. For me, that's the real metal. From time to time, exciting stuff happens, like in Belgium we met the mayor of Gent. His right-hand man was a big SOULFLY fan and he had a SOULFLY tattoo, so he called the venue and asked if I could come meet the mayor. We met the mayor and it was so cool. He was an older guy that spoke Portuguese, so we spoke a little bit. It was kinda surreal and totally like, "What the fuck is going on? Why am I meeting the mayor of Gent?" But I roll with it.

RockSverige.se: "Roots" is turning 20 years old this year and you're gonna play the whole album. Don't you just go, "Where did all the time go?"

Max: Yeah, but I think it's cool. We're doing the U.S. and maybe Europe too. We're looking at it right now. For me it's really interesting to do that with Igor [Cavalera, Max's brother and former SEPULTURA drummer]. First, because I've never played a whole record before. If it works, I told Igor we could do the 30th anniversary of "Arise" or whatever, so we really hope it's gonna work. Igor talks about showing some videos, so we're gonna try and see if that will work. We're looking for a bass player and we're gonna find someone cool to do it. I think it's gonna be cool. The whole record, properly played and properly done. I think the fans are really gonna like that.

RockSverige.se: We lost Lemmy recently. What did he mean to you?

Max: He was great. My relationship with him didn't start off good. We got off on the wrong foot. I was really young and SEPULTURA was opening up for them in Germany. We did a photo shoot and I came with wine and I was throwing it all over him. I was just being a total asshole. In my head, I thought that was rock and roll. I can see how he looked at me and just saw me as an arrogant asshole kid being drunk in the middle of the afternoon. Just being a fucking idiot. We got off on the wrong foot and then we went out on their last show all naked and ruined their show and he wanted to kill me afterwards. He told Gloria [Cavalera, Max's wife and manager], "This guy better not come near me." And I was like, "Ah shit, I pissed off one of my idols. How did that happen?" because I loved the guy and his music. The first time I met him was really cool. I was bugging him and he emptied a whole glass of whisky on my head. I thought that was the coolest thing and I just thought I'd been baptized and I was like, "Fuck yeah!" But he did it to push me away, like, "Let me play my machine." I didn't shower for a week. The greatest thing was at one of our shows in the U.K., right after Dana (Max's stepson who was killed in a car accident 1996) died. He had heard about it and came up to me and was really sorry for my loss and he also said, "By the way, everything is good between us. You're good in my book." I was like, "Cool. Finally." I didn't wanna be the guy that pissed off his idol. It was a funny relationship. I was real sad when he died.

RockSverige.se: Did he ever say if he liked your music?

Max: Yeah, he did an interview for a Brazilian magazine. And he said something that almost made me cry. How important I was for Brazil. "What he did for Brazil and coming out of Brazil like that is an amazing feat." And I thought it was so cool that it came from him. I didn't expect that. The guy from the magazine sent it to me and said, "You're gonna like this." That was cool and very nice.

Read the entire interview at RockSverige.se.

TESTAMENT singer Chuck Billy was interviewed on a recent edition of "The Classic Metal Show", which is heard live on Saturdays from 9 p.m. to 3 a.m. EST at TheClassicMetalShow.com. You can now listen to the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the progress of the songwriting sessions for TESTAMENT's follow-up to 2012's "Dark Roots Of Earth" album:

Chuck: "We have all the music complete, about three songs vocally complete, and I'm pounding away on the lyrics and patterns still for the rest of it. You know, we're knee-deep in it. We actually recorded a single two weeks ago, and Eric [Peterson, guitar] actually just finished his tracks and I'll probably track the vocals next week. [We're trying to] drop a single out for the tour [with SLAYER and CARCASS]. So people get kind of a taste of what direction it's going. And as soon as we finish the tour, we go immediately in the studio 'till June, because we have some stuff booked in June. So that's the window we'll be in there doing all the recording."

On how TESTAMENT members have developed as songwriters:

Chuck: "At some point, you really get comfortable with yourselves as musicians, artists and songwriters. And especially if you work with people for so long, it happens. Like anything you do in life. If you lift weights all your life, you're probably gonna be pretty strong. So it's kind of the same philosophy. You keep working with somebody, writing music and playing, and you really know their stronger points and weak points. It's a comfort thing, and I think that's what the music comes out as — it shows when you're writing it that it's just killer."

TESTAMENT's U.S. tour with SLAYER and CARCASS is scheduled to end on March 26 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

TESTAMENT has set "The Brotherhood Of The Snake" as the tentative title of its eleventh studio album, due later in the year via Nuclear Blast. The CD's projected title track, which has already been recorded, is expected to be made available in the coming weeks.

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman says that he doesn't like shaking hands with people because it hampers his ability to play his instrument.

The Japan-based axeman, who was a member of MEGADETH's classic "Rust In Peace" lineup, tells Metal Wani (hear audio below): "Yeah, I don't like shaking hands for a number of reasons, but it's not that I'm an asshole of anything. I'd much rather give someone a hug or pat 'em on the back or whatever."

He continued: "Shaking hands, if you're a guitar player, that's like my tool, and everybody's tool. And you get these big guys and they're very excited; they'll squeeze the crap out of your hand. And it's really kind of stupid. Guys come and they tell you that they've loved your playing for fifty years, or however many million years, and then they squeeze your hand so hard that you can't play guitar anymore. I just don't understand that. But, you know, it's a necessary evil, I guess. I just try to avoid it as much as I can."

Friedman added: "You play your instrument with your hands, so why not just bow like we do in Japan? I like that. And there's no germs. I mean, that's brilliant. But I love my fans more than anything, and if they must have a handshake, I give it to 'em. But when I'm doing things where I'm meeting two hundred people at a time, or a couple of hundred people every day, I definitely have someone prepare them not to shake my hand, because I've gotta go to work, and I can't do it. And it's really not because I'm an asshole; it's because I wanna play guitar the next day."

Other people who famously don't like shaking hands include Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump, Howie Mandel (who told People magazine last year that he hadn't shaken hands in eight years) and Gwyneth Paltrow.

Friedman's critically acclaimed 2014 solo album, "Inferno", sold around 2,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 186 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was the 53-year-old musician's first collection of material recorded for the U.S. market since 2003's "Music For Speeding". Among the guest collaborators that appear on the effort are CHILDREN OF BODOM's Alexi Laiho, REVOCATION's Dave Davidson, acoustic flamenco-metal hybridists RODRIGO Y GABRIELA and Friedman's pre-MEGADETH bandmate in CACOPHONY, Jason Becker.

BUTCHER BABIES frontwomen Heidi Shepherd and Carla Harvey were interviewed on a recent edition of the "Rise To Offend" podcast. You can now listen to the chat using the Spreaker widget below.

Asked what the most disappointing this has been about becoming singers in a heavy metal band after holding down other types of jobs in the past, Carla said: "Gosh, I don't think there's anything that's been disappointing. You have to understand that we've been metalheads since we were kids. The first time I heard METALLICA in the back of a kid's van when I was twelve or something, I was an instant metal fan. And so to be able to go out and live my dream and be a metal singer… I mean, how can that be in any way, shape or form disappointing."

Added Heidi: "You know, I think the only disappointing thing is that we're poor as shit. [Laughs]"

Carla: "That is true, but we were poor back then too, so… [Laughs]"

Heidi: "There's a whole misconception as to… [People think that] if you're a signed band, and you tour the world, and you have a lot of fans coming to shows, all of a sudden you're making a ton of money, [and] that's just not the truth. However, I'll give up the money I was making in radio, or anything else, or acting, and live my dream."

Carla: "You know, the one thing that, I guess, would be considered disappointing — and we've both experienced this — is that metal was a place for us, when we were kids, to go to, because we were misfit kids. And then as adults, when we became metal singers, we actually got a lot of shit for being pretty girls that sang metal, which was really odd to me, because, like I said, for me, when I grew up a misfit kid, metal was like this safe place for me, where all kids like me were at."

Heidi: "That's exactly how it was for both of us. Those are the kids that took me in when I was younger. And now it's like all of a sudden, now that we're actually working in metal, they don't wanna accept us, even though they did accept us when we were… It's kind of a mindfuck."

Carla: "But we don't let it affect us, really. We don't really care what anyone says. We do what we do and we love it, and we know who we are, and we know that we are diehard metal fans since we were little itty-bitty kids. So it's kind of like, 'Screw everyone.' But at the same time, it is just a little, like… What the hell?"

Heidi: "At the beginning of our career, I think we were, like, 'Wow! That sucks.' But now, we just… I mean, there are so many people that make it great for us that those few little trolls under bridges, it doesn't… I don't really care. [Laughs]"

BUTCHER BABIES' second album, "Take It Like A Man", was released in August 2015 via Century Media. The CD was produced by Logan Mader, who has previously worked with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, DEVILDRIVER, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY and GOJIRA.

Video footage of former MARILYN MANSON and current ROB ZOMBIE guitarist John 5 and his solo band THE CREATURES — Ian Ross on bass and Rodger Carter on drums — performing on March 8 at 12th and Porter in Nashville, Tennesee can be seen below. The hour-long concert features musical styles ranging from heavy metal to bluegrass, ending with a montage of iconic guitar riffs.

John 5's "Behind The Nut Love" tour continues in the Northeast, concluding in Londonderry, New Hampshire on March 20. John has had an illustrious career collaborating with chart topping artists such as LYNYRD SKYNYRD, Ricky Martin, and Rod Stewart. John has performed on critically acclaimed world tours with Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie. Later, John ventured into the world of film score composing for Rob Zombie's "The Lords Of Salem". In 2004 he branched out into a successful solo career and has since released eight studio albums.

John recently released a video for the song "Behind The Nut Love". Originally recorded for his 2005 album "Songs For Sanity", this new version of the track was recorded with John 5's band, THE CREATURES (Ian Ross and Rodger Carter), and is available anywhere digital music is sold. The clip was directed by Matt Zane and shows John 5 sitting in a high-backed chair with a rare 1950 Fender Broadcaster, amazingly playing behind the nut to emulate the sound of a lap-steel guitar.

John 5's new solo album, "Guitars, T!ts, And Monsters", will be released later in the year.

Christina Rowatt of Australia's The Void recently conducted an interview with Matt Pike of HIGH ON FIRE and SLEEP. The two-part chat, which features footage of SLEEP and HIGH ON FIRE at the Manning Bar in Sydney, can be seen below. This interview is also featured on the brand new "Riffing With Christina" podcast, which can be heard on iTunes.

Speaking about the early days of thrash metal in the 1980s, Pike said: "The difference between glam rock, [which is] what was going on then, and then what the thrash metal guys [who] were coming into that L.A. scene, in that Bay Area scene, and there's this competing force, 'cause it's still metal, but some are longhairs and some are just not wearing lipstick and they're concentrating on their riffs. That's where TESTAMENT came from, POSSESSED, DARK ANGEL, you know, SLAYER, METALLICA, ANTHRAX — all that kind of stuff was coming from their integrity of them not having anything."

Pike was also full of praise for MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine, whom he called "a fucking innovative guy for that era." He added: "I don't think METALLICA would sound like METALLICA without Dave Mustaine. I don't think a lot of people would be doing jugga-juggas if Dave Mustaine hadn't set that METALLICA thing up. I can tell by his playing. I know the songs that Dave fucking wrote in that band, and then you see him and what he does now… And, you know, there's certain albums that I like better than others, but probably because I was a kid when 'So Far, So Good... So What!' came along. And then nowadays, when I hear it, I'm an older man… It's still great, but it's not the one that I had the lust over when I was a metal kid."

HIGH ON FIRE's latest album, "Luminiferous", was released in June 2015 via eOne Music. The CD was recorded at Salem, Massachusetts' GodCity Studios with producer Kurt Ballou. It was the follow-up to the group's 2012 release, "De Vermis Mysteriis", an album hailed as "not for the faint of heart" by The New Yorker and "a fantastically constructed bloodbath" by Entertainment Weekly.

Former RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE singer Joe Lynn Turner says that he is still "scratching [his] head" about why Ritchie Blackmore has chosen to go out and perform the two bands' classic material with a new group musicians instead of reforming RAINBOW with a more "authentic" lineup.

Turner — who fronted RAINBOW from 1980 until 1984 and was a member of PURPLE from 1989 until 1992 — made his latest comments during an appearance on "Tom & Joe's Hard Rock N' Sports", insisting that "it would have been better for the fans" if Ritchie had gone along with Joe's idea of using well-known musicians who had previously played with Blackmore.

Joe said (hear audio below): "I was out there for over a year saying he was gonna do this. And nobody believed me — they called me delusional, they called me full of it… they called me all kinds of things. They called me a fool. Meanwhile, I'm talking to [Ritchie's] management and all of this is going down, and we were trying to put this together. But I have to say what happened was, I wanted an authentic reunion. I wanted original members of RAINBOW from any and every era. Meaning, like, Bob Daisley from MOTHER'S ARMY was in RAINBOW in the first… inception. Right? And I'd get Bob Daisley on bass. Or because we lost Jimmy Bain recently, etc. etc. I'd get Bobby Rondinelli back on the drums. Maybe we'd get Don Airey. Maybe even Roger Glover would show up. I wanted Doogie [White], Graham Bonnet, all these guys. I wanted a big kind of show for a RAINBOW reunion. Go out in style. I was talking to Rick Franks over at Live Nation; he had huge interest. I was talking to Universal Music Group; they were gonna put out box sets. We had all of this lined up. And [Ritchie] just blew it off. Now, you might ask why. I'm scratching my head about the same thing: why? There's a couple of reasons, and I won't go into it, because I don't wanna be disparaging to anyone, but you can only surmise it. But I thought it was pretty nasty the way I found out. I never even got an e-mail back from his management saying, 'Okay, we're not gonna be using you. We're gonna be using some unknown guys.'"

Joe went on to say that "an iconic player" like Ritchie deserves better than to be playing with what is essentially a "cover band." He explained: "I think it would have been better for the fans. I think it would have been authentic and better for the fans and nostalgic... So I don't know what the hell he's doing."

He added: "Look, I'm happy for Ritchie. I hope it works for him. Whatever. I'm very blessed and happy that I've got my own career. I'm very busy. So more power to him."

Turner saved some of his harshest comments for people who bashed him online for talking up RAINBOW's comeback before it became apparent that he was telling the truth. He said: "You know, you've got all these trolls online and you've got all these haters and you've got all these people who think the power of the Internet now gives them opinions, it gives them this power, makes them feel more important or something, and you're getting called delusional. But not one comment came back after he did return and he did playing rock [again] — regardless of [whether it was] with me or without me — and said, 'Joe Lynn Turner was right.' That's what pisses me off — that these same people couldn't come back and say, 'Hey, you were right all the while.' So you know what I do? I fluff it off. It comes right off my shoulder, man. I don't care about it. It don't bother me. You know, it really doesn't. It just amazes me what really is happening out there today, [with] all these opinions and things, and yet it turned out to be untrue. Fine. Now you see the truth. With me or without me."

Blackmore, 70, quit rock and roll in 1997 to form a medieval folk band called BLACKMORE'S NIGHT with then-girlfriend and now-wife Candice Night. Since then, BLACKMORE'S NIGHT has released ten studio albums, with the latest CD, "All Our Yesterdays", arriving last September.

Ritchie will perform RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE material at three shows this year in Europe. The U.K. concert will take place on Saturday, June 25 at the Genting Arena in Birmingham. The performance will be Blackmore's first U.K. rock show in over 20 years. The two concerts in Germany will take place at the Monsters Of Rock festival on Friday, June 17 at Freilichtbühne in Loreley and on Saturday, June 18 at Festplatz am Viadukt in Bietigheim-Bissingen.

Blackmore will be joined at the shows by LORDS OF BLACK vocalist Ronnie Romero, STRATOVARIUS keyboardist Jens Johansson, BLACKMORE'S NIGHT drummer David Keith and bassist Bob Nouveau.

Spain's RockMAP recently conducted an interview with drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, THE WINERY DOGS, AVENGED SEVENFOLD). You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On being named "best drummer" by various magazines and web sites:

Portnoy: "All the awards, to me, they're very flattering, but they're also intimidating, because they then put this expectation on me. I don't consider myself a great drummer. I consider myself just a music fan that's a very, very passionate artist, and the drums just happen to be my instrument. But every time I win one of these awards, it's nice, but I almost feel like, 'No! No!' I don't want people to think that I think I'm this great drummer, because, to me, I'm just a kid playing drums, and I love music. I don't even like doing drum solos live; to me, it's, like, 'Ehhh.' It doesn't really interest me."

On why he no longer does drum clinics:

Portnoy: "I stopped doing drum clinics about twelve, thirteen years ago. In the '90s, I did hundreds of them, and it was a good thing for me at that period of my life. But now, at this stage of my life, I have other interests. I'd much rather play with other musicians and make music and be a drummer in the context of a song. So these kind of drum festivals, I stopped doing them, just 'cause… I have no interest in playing drums by myself and doing drum solos and talking about technique. I'm just at a different phase in my drumming."

THE WINERY DOGS is the power trio featuring Portnoy, legendary bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, TALAS, DAVID LEE ROTH) and guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen (MR. BIG, POISON). The band's sophomore album, "Hot Streak", debuted at No. 30 on The Billboard 200 chart, having shifted 13,000 equivalent album units in the week ending October 8, 2015.

DOWN, the band fronted by former PANTERA singer Philip Anselmo, has pulled out of this year's Hellfest in France — two months after the incident when he made a "white power" gesture onstage at a concert.

Anselmo performed the PANTERA classic "Walk" at the January 22 "Dimebash" event at the Lucky Strike Live in Hollywood, California in honor of his former bandmate, late PANTERA guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. As he left the stage, he made a Nazi-style salute. He appeared to say "white power" as he made the gesture, but he later claimed he was referring to drinking white wine as part of an "inside joke."

Since then, the French government asked Hellfest organizers to remove DOWN from the festival's billing due to Anselmo's controversial behavior, but Hellfest refused, losing €20,000 (approximately $22,400) in subsidies as a result. Hellfest organizer Ben Barbaud even penned an open letter to a number of government officials claiming they were using Anselmo as a convenient tool to deny the festival money they had been wanting to withhold from Hellfest for years.

Now in a new letter to Barbaud, Anselmo explained that DOWN will not play any European festivals this summer and revealed that he is dealing with knee injuries which require him to undergo physical rehabilitation therapyand get a lot of rest.

Said Anselmo in his letter: "Dearest Ben, Philip H. Anselmo here, brother... First, and foremost, there is NO WAY I can possibly thank you enough for 'fighting the good fight' for me, and ALL of my bands, namely DOWN in this instance. Your love and backbone will never be forgotten, and from this point on through the rest of my fighting life, I owe you every ounce of praise!

"My AWFUL mistake has taken a toll on my reputation, and justly so! However I must point out, you damned well KNOW ME better than this drunken incident could ever describe.

"Hellfest is my heart!!!

"And my embarrassment is tremendous, because I only have LOVE for people all over this skirmishing earth.

"So, my brother, it fucking rips my heart into further pieces to let you know, I don't think I should do ANY Euro festivals this year.

"So PLEASE, I BEG YOU, give me this time to get my brain clear, and to come back (if you will have me back) next year my brother, I implore you! Plus, the re-emergence of the knee injuries have been plaguing me of late as well, so I must address this too, through physical rehabilitation and rest.

"Knowing my character, when I put my mind to something THIS DIRE, I come back 100 times better, and THAT'S what the mighty Hellfest deserves!!!

"My love for you and the rest of the gang that makes Hellfest THE TOPS goes on and on and on...

"Much love & respect - Philip H. Anselmo (and the H. stands for HEALING)"

The organizers of the Dutch festival FortaRock recently pulled DOWN from this year's event in light of Anselmo's actions. They explained in a statement: "We want to make clear that there is no room for racism or fascism on FortaRock."

Several notable musicians have come out and criticized Anselmo for his actions, including MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn, who uploaded an eleven-minute video response to the incident in which he called Anselmo a "big bully" and described Philip's behavior as "fucking wrong."

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich spoke to Rolling Stone about the band's plans for the rest of 2016, which include completing their long-awaited follow-up to 2008's "Death Magnetic" album.

"I think it will be a pretty in-your-face year, at least the back half of it," he said. "Obviously, we've gotta finish the new record now. But thankfully we're quite far along. Hopefully we should be able to knock that on the head this spring, I would guess. So we will be gearing up and playing shows and doing all that fun stuff again soon."

Ulrich revealed that the band spent about nine months working on the music for the new album. "Nowadays, we sit and go, 'That's a great piece of music,' and 'That's really cool,' and then we'll play it faster, then slower, then half a step down, exploring all these options," he said. "There are 75 different ways to play something, and you end up fucking driving yourself nutty."

METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett told Rolling Stone last month that the group was "moving at a pace that allows us to live our lives and not have our lifestyles change too much," adding that METALLICA had come up with ideas for "a bunch of songs, more than enough songs" but none were finished. He also said, "We're slogging away — but you know, it's metal. It's heavy."

Ulrich said last year that the band had written close to 20 new songs for its long-awaited tenth studio album, although he declined to offer a possible release date for the new CD.

Ulrich added that the band doesn't want to record in a way that feels "labored over and overthought."

Aside from touring, METALLICA has spent much of the eight years since the release of "Death Magnetic" on several other projects, including a music festival, collaborating on an album with the late Lou Reed and making a feature film.

Ulrich admitted to The Pulse Of Radio a while back that spending a tremendous amount of time writing and recording a new album was no longer a priority for the members of METALLICA, all of whom are in their 50s and have families.

According to U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine, Greek extreme metal veterans ROTTING CHRIST will play in South Africa in July under an assumed name to appease religious protesters.

The band is scheduled to perform in Johannesburg on July 1 and Cape Town the following night. The shows are being organized by Witchdoctor Productions, the company that puts on the country's Witchfest event, which was the target of protests last year.

In an interview set to be broadcast on TeamRock Radio's "Republic Of Rock" show this Sunday, March 13, Witchdoctor promoter Shaughn Pieterse says: "What we're going through is what the metal scene dealt with in the late '80s and early '90s, with religious folks challenging them and trying to stop the shows because they disagreed with the opinions and messages of the bands.

"It started early last year with Witchfest 2015. In order to host an event you've got to get certain certificates from the council. Every time we made a move to do everything by the book, the councils were getting shot down by so-called Christians and religious protesters.

"Every time we had to move venue we lost the deposit and you keep haemorrhaging money. But you have to make the show happen because if you don't then they've won. You have to take quite a knock to show that they can't stop you.

"It's started again with BEHEMOTH and more so with ROTTING CHRIST. But we even accommodated that and spoke to the band and they will be playing in South Africa under an alternative name so as not to offend people in that sense. ROTTING CHRIST was maybe a little bit too far for some people; it's really in your face."

There is no word yet what name ROTTING CHRIST will perform under for the South Africa dates.

In a 1998 interview, ROTTING CHRIST mainman Sakis Tolis was asked if he still thought that ROTTING CHRIST was a good name for his band, which formed in 1987. "It's not a strange question... it's a pain in the ass for us, you know?" he replied. "Maybe this name doesn't suit our music very well now, but we keep it to avoid disappointing our old fans, the ones who have followed ROTTING CHRIST all these years, and on the other hand, I think metal music needs extreme names, and this way we show our indifference towards any religion. So we keep this name, and if someone won't listen to the band [because of the name], we won't give a shit about him."

ROTTING CHRIST's latest album, "Rituals", was released on February 12 via Season Of Mist.

Coheed And Cambria have premiered their video for "Island". The official video features an unlikely friendship between two Time Square comic book superheroes busking - ahead of the premiere of the upcoming Batman V. Superman movie release. The video comes as the band is midway through an extensive and nearly sold out headlining tour and just a few months after the release of their eighth full length album, ​The Color Before The Sun.

Lead singer Claudio Sanchez is no stranger to comics - as Coheed and Cambria's latest  album marks a bold departure from the beloved The Amory Wars, a seven-album science fiction saga that also bore a comic book empire. Sanchez is also a staple of the comic book scene and a regular at San Diego Comic Con, inviting his fans to come out to signings. He felt it appropriate to create this video as an homage to both New York City and his favorite characters.

"When I think of these two iconic characters, I think of opposite attraction" says Sanchez. "I think of myself and my wife. How two opposite ends of a spectrum can create harmony and balance. In one way or another, these characters have been paired up with like-minded love interests, the Bat and the Cat... The Alien and the Amazonian... I wanted to bring the Dark and the Light together."

Coheed And Cambria are heading to Australia this May for their headline tour. Find ticket information at this location

Capturing the world’s attention with their trademark mix of momentous guitar riffs, wild percussion, formidable vocals and contagious hooks, Coheed And Cambria have cemented themselves as one of the most thrilling, notable, and distinctive acts of its era.

After traversing the outer limits of science fiction over seven acclaimed concept albums, Coheed And Cambria’s latest offering The Color Before The Sun marks the band’s first non - conceptual album and the first to be recorded live in the studio. Founder and songwriter Claudio Sanchez explores his emotions nakedly, plainly and unabashedly.

Coheed And Cambria continue their love affair with Australia by bringing their signature sound down under once again, serving up a selection of musical delights both new and old from their storied career spanning over two decades.

Dates:

May
5 - Sydney - Metro Theatre
6 - Melbourne - Max Watt’s
10 - Brisbane - Max Watt’s
11 - Adelaide - The Gov
13 - Perth - Capitol



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Frontiers Music Srl announce the newly signed partnership with the band Ten for the release of a new studio album in 2017. In addition, the label acquired the band’s full catalogue and will plan special releases in both physical and digital formats.

In April 1998, Frontiers released it’s first international release ever, that was from Ten and the album was the band’s official live album, Never Say Goodbye. That release paved the way for more successful releases, both for the label and the band.

Ten was also the very first band for Frontiers to make a dent in the national album charts. That happened with the band’s fourth studio album, Spellbound, which landed at #100 on the official album charts in Germany.

That record remains the band’s most successful release and part of a catalog including classy melodic hard rock masterpieces such as The Name of The Rose, Babylon and the awesome debut album, X. With a sound rooted in traditional British hard rock (think Whitesnake, Rainbow and UFO) and elements of American Arena Rock, Ten are now stronger than ever. As proof of this, the band’s latest lyric video for "The Dragon And Saint George" will be showcased at SXSW Film, Interactive media and Music Festival at Austin, TX on the 18th and 19th of March – enjoy the video below:

Singer and songwriter Gary Hughes says: “We are proud to return to Frontiers for a multi album deal that will secure both future and past legacies. It is a particularly poignant return, in that it brings Ten home to the label which began 20 years ago, releasing the Ten double live album Never Say Goodbye. The new studio album, that is to be recorded this year, promises to bear all the commercial trade marks of classic Ten with plenty of power too. In addition, Frontiers plans to reissue the entire Ten anthology in a 14-disc box set to be entitled Opera Omnia, the Latin phrase for Complete Works. Ten are returning home in many ways and the future longevity of the band and it's songs, is preserved for this new chapter in the bands ever evolving history.”



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MOTÖRHEAD guitarist Phil Campbell's ALL STARR BAND has released its cover version of the TINA TURNER classic "Nutbush City Limits". Check it out below.

ALL STARR BAND features Phil alongside his three sons: Todd, his eldest, and Dane from STRAIGHT LINES; and Tyler from THE PEOPLE THE POET.

"It's good to play gigs in new places," Phil told Birmingham Mail.

"We play great shows in large venues and we play great shows in smaller venues," he added. "I love the smaller shows, personally. It makes a nice change, for sure."

ALL STARR BAND's setlist is full of classic MOTÖRHEAD songs infused with covers of some of Phil's favorite bands, including BLACK SABBATH.

Asked what fans can expect when they see ALL STARR BAND, Campbell told Birmingham Mail: "It's a party atmosphere. You can expect good quality cover songs from a great band with a great singer. There [are] some MOTÖRHEAD songs, some other classics, and [it is] a great experience for everyone."

According to Phil, the ALL STARR BAND is looking to enter the studio in the coming months to record some of its own music. "We've been writing original material and, hopefully, there will be some concrete plans on that front for the future," he said.

Phil Campbell was the lead guitarist in MOTÖRHEAD for more than 30 years.

Fan-filmed video footage of THE CULT's March 5 performance at Vicar Street in Dublin, Ireland can be seen in the YouTube playlist below.

THE CULT's tenth studio album, "Hidden City", was released on February 5 via Cooking Vinyl. The follow-up to 2012's "Choice Of Weapon" was written by singer Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy and was produced by Bob Rock, who has previously worked with METALLICA and MÖTLEY CRÜE.

The final installment in a trilogy of recordings, completing 2007's "Born Into This" ("The Fall") and 2012's "Choice Of Weapon" ("Dark Night of the Soul"), "Hidden City" is a tightly woven series of experience and visions with underlying themes of redemption and rebirth threaded through THE CULT's visceral music.

THE CULT played its first show with new bass player Grant Fitzpatrick on October 28, 2015 at Stubb's Bar-B-Q in Austin, Texas.

THE CULT is Ian Astbury (vocals), Billy Duffy (guitars), John Tempesta (drums), Grant Fitzpatrick (bass), Damon Fox (keyboards, rhythm guitar).

Danish death metal veterans Illdisposed aren't only celebrating their 25th anniversary this year, they will also release a new album in less than three months.

Guitarist Jakob Batten comments: “On May 27th we will release our new album, Grey Sky Over Black Town, which will also mark our 25th anniversary as a band. It's one of the more oldschool albums of our career, showing that we didn't forget how to write grinding, crushing songs as well as mid-tempo grooviness. The cover artwork by Lasse Hoile is complimenting the dark atmosphere of the music and the lyrics. It's all packed with sheer brutality.”

Grey Sky Over Black Town will be released on May 27th via Massacre Records. Stay tuned for complete details.



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In celebration of their 50th anniversary, rock legends Scorpions have posted Part 1 of the documentary for the album Animal Magenetism. The band tells the story of the writing and recording of the album in the clip below:

One of the most iconic and influential hard rock bands of all-time, Scorpions, are back on the move. After last year’s massive sold-out world tour, the band is back to rock stages even harder. On their gigantic 50th Anniversary World Tour that kicked off in 2015, the group are returning to the US with an impressive, five-night run at The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and playing even more shows in cities around the globe.

The band’s first release via Century Media Records will be the Tour Edition of Return To Forever, which comes opulently stacked with two brand-new live DVDs and is bound to make fans’ hearts leap for joy. Apart from the standard album’s twelve tracks, the CD contains all seven bonus tracks, which to date, have only been released on special editions of the album. The live DVDs are even more expansive, offering generous bonus material. Look for it everywhere on April 22nd and pre-order here.

Included are two complete concerts from last year: The open air gig at the French Hellfest Festival, where they headlined in June, and their show at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York featuring an impressive guest performance on “No One Like You” by twelve-year-old guitarist Brandon Niederauer.

The brand-new fifteen-minute video documentary On The Road In America by Dennis Dirksen gets to the heart of the matter that the Scorpions are able to consistently attract new generations of fans, who are delighted by their songs, sound and shows. Shot during the current world tour in California and Las Vegas, it gives a voice to fans spanning from teenagers to rock ’n’ roll veterans. The film impressively shows how popular the Scorpions are in the US, and it’s touching to see fans burst into tears while taking photos with the musicians. One highlight is the story of the Ukrainian woman, who at the time used “Wind Of Change” as an impetus to emigrate to the US, and has been a dedicated follower of the band ever since. After all, the Scorpions have not only left their mark on history but continue to influence their fans’ biographies.

In an extensive track-by-track interview, Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker and Matthias Jabs offer a sneak peak into the band’s musical universe with anecdotes about the origin and meaning of the songs on Return To Forever. The Scorpions manage to blend new songs like “Going Out With A Bang”, “We Built This House” and “Rock’n’Roll Band” seamlessly with their fulminant repertoire of rock classics from “Big City Nights” and “Blackout” to “Still Loving You” and “Rock You Like A Hurricane”. This might also be the open secret allowing The Scorpions to continuously approach their live shows with so much freshness, passion and conviction. Fans can look forward to the upcoming gigs – especially because the Tour Edition of Return To Forever is a timely release as the perfect souvenir.

Tracklisting:

Disc 1:

“Going Out With A Bang”
“We Built This House”
“Rock My Car”
“House Of Cards”
“All For One”
“Rock 'N' Roll Band”
“Catch Your Luck And Play”
“Rollin' Home”
“Hard Rockin' The Place”
“Eye Of The Storm”
“The Scratch”
“Gypsy Life”
“The World We Used To Know”
“Dancing With The Moonlight”
“When The Truth Is A Lie”
“Who We Are”
“Crazy Ride”
“One And One Is Three”
“Delirious”

Disc 2 - Live in Brooklyn, NY - September 12, 2015:

“Going Out With A Bang”
“Make It Real”
“The Zoo”
“Coast To Coast”
70s Medley: “Top Of The Bill” / “Steamrock Fever” / “Speedy’s Coming” / “Catch Your Train”
“We Built This House”
“Delicate Dance”
Accoustic Medley: “Always Somewhere” / “Eye Of The Storm” / “Send Me An Angel”
“Wind Of Change”
“Rock'N'Roll Band”
“Dynamite”
“In The Line Of Fire”
“Kottack Attack”
“Blackout”
“No One Like You” Feat. Brandon Niederauer
“Big City Nights”
“Still Loving You”
“Rock You Like A Hurricane”

On The Road In America:

“We Built This House”
“Going Out With A Bang”
“We Built This House”
“Eye Of The Storm”

Return To Forever Track-By-Track Interview
Return To Forever Track-By-Track Interview

Disc 3 - Live at Hellfest, France - June 20, 2015:

“Going Out With A Bang”
“Make It Real”
“The Zoo”
“Coast To Coast”
70s Medley: “Top Of The Bill” / “Steamrock Fever” / “Speedy’s Coming” / “Catch Your Train”
“We Built This House”
“Delicate Dance” (Matthias Solo)
Accoustic Medley: “Always Somewhere” / “Eye Of The Storm” / “Send Me An Angel”
“Wind Of Change”
“Big City Nights”
“Dynamite”
“In The Line Of Fire”
“Kottack Attack”
“Crazy World”
“Rock'N'Roll Band”
“Blackout”
“Still Loving You”
“Rock You Like A Hurricane”

Return To Forever -  Interview
Return To Forever -  Interview

Scorpions have released a trailer video supporting their 2016 tour. Watch below:

The band now have the following dates scheduled:

March
12 - Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg - Rockhal
14 - Stuttgart, Germany - Schleyer-Halle
16 - München, Germany - Olympiahalle
18 - Dortmund, Germany - Westfalenhalle
19 - Mannheim, Germany - Sap Arena
21 - Hamburg, Germany - Barclaycard Arena
23 - Berlin, Germany - Mercedes Benz Arena
24 - Leipzig, Germany - Arena Leipzig
26 - Frankfurt, Germany - Festhalle
27 - Cologne, Germany - Laxness Arena

May
6 - Charlotte, NC ,United States - Carolina Rebellion
13 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
14 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
18 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
20 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
21 - Las Vegas, NV - The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
28 - Pryor, OK - Rocklahoma

June
1 - Monterrey, Mexico - Monterrey Arena
3 - México City, Mexico - Arena Ciudad de México
4 - Guadalajara, Mexico - Auditorio Telmex
18 - Hinwil, Switzerland - Rock the Ring
28 - Lisbon, Portugal - MEO Arena
30 - Bilbao, Spain - Arena Miribilla

July
3 - Madrid, Spain - Barclaycard Arena
14 - Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel - Menora Mivtachim Arena
29 - ORIPÄÄ, Finland - Rockin' The Runaway Festival
30 - NILSIÄ, Finland - Rockin’ The Rock Festival



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Canadian prog outfit, Heaven’s Cry, have completed their fourth album, Outcast. Self-recorded along with the assistance of Yannick St-Amand (Despised Icon, Beneath The Massacre), Outcast continues where their 2012 effort Wheels Of Impermanence left off, pushing the band to the forefront of today's modern progressive metal scene.

"The new record is done," reports guitarist Eric Jarrin. "We just got the final master a few days ago and it sounds great! The whole concept of this album revolves around the theme of the human race, which throughout history had to succeed in transforming and reinventing itself in order to survive every evolutionary step."

Scheduled for worldwide release on June 3rd via Prosthetic Records, Outcast will showcased live during three record-release shows in Ottawa, Montreal and Quebec. Additional support will be provided by Korealis and Hillward.

Dates are as follows:

June
3 - Ottawa, ON - Mavericks
4 - Montreal, QC - Piranha Bar
5 - Quebec City, QC - L'Anti



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After excessively touring with their recent album Berlin in 2015, Kadavar has cooked up a new and exciting project for 2016, to keep them and their followers busy during the winter-break. Together with long-time friend and collaborator Nathini van der Meer , who has created artwork and videos for them in the past, they are working on their first "Visual Album"- 12 short films accompanying each of the albums' songs, to be released once a month throughout the entirety of the year.

The first video, “Pale Blue Eyes”, can be seen below:

Lupus Lindemann wrote the song "Pale Blue Eyes" when Kadavar visited the Salton Sea on their first trip through the United States, playing the stage of the infamous "Range" at the Slab City Prom 2013. Slab City or "The Slabs" is a snowbird campsite in the Californian Sonora Desert 156 miles northeast of San Diego, where RV-people, outlaws and squatters from across North America formed a wild and lawless "city" from debris around the famous and colorful Salvation Mountain build by Leonard Knight in the 1980s.

There are no rules in the slabs (besides "Don't be an asshole") and during one of those memorable Slab City nights, the Kadavar guys found themselves dancing around the fire alongside this wild desert bunch, dressed in discarded ball-gowns, and watching the sunrise from atop the salvation mountain. This song, an ode about "a mysterious lady with pale blue eyes", is actually about cross-dressing drummer Tiger in his purple dress, looking so fine.

For the first video release of this visual album, Nathini van der Meer traveled back into the desert to find a real Slab City original - Mopard the Wizard of East Jesus - whom she followed on one of his walks through the desert. See pictures below:

Kadavar recently teamed up with Scion A/V Metal and Skybound Entertainment (The Walking Dead, Outcast) to release "Words Of Evil," a brand new, unreleased song.

Commented Kadavar singer Lupus: "Originally we had written the song for our album Berlin, but thought it would stick out too much and decided not to put it on the album. Nevertheless I think it is one of the best songs we've ever written. At least it is one of my faves. A lot of NWOHBM and straight to your face!"

Download the track via the Soundcloud player below:



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NoiseArt Records has announced the signing of After All, the flagship of the Belgian metal scene for more than 20 years. Tours with legends such as Anthrax, King Diamond, Sacred Reich, Fear Factory and even a show as support of Judas Priest certify an extraordinary career.

The new After All album, Waves Of Annihilation, will be released on June 10th. It skillfully fires on all cylinders and shows all the trademarks that have made After All a genuine thrash icon. Passionate energy meets creative songwriting. Guitarists Dries Van Damme and Christophe Depree deliver monster riff after monster riff – thrash fans will have tears of joy in their eyes. Vocalist Sammy Peleman shines once more with his unique and profoundly diverse voice, providing goosebumps especially in the clean sung choruses.

The band states: "Dear metal maniacs, we are both proud and stoked to announce that After All have signed a 3-album deal with NoiseArt Records. The new album Waves Of Annihilation is mixed, mastered and ready to be unleashed. In our humble opinion, the album contains some of the heaviest, fastest and most versatile stuff we have ever recorded. Prepare to be surprised… and floored!"

Waves Of Annihilation is After All’s ninth full-length album. As on the previous two, Dan Swanö once again delivered a crushingly heavy, yet open production. No loudness war on this one. The intriguing sci-fi artwork was provided by Ed Repka.

Stay tuned for more information.



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Buenos Aires, Argentina-based heavy metal band, Feanor, have inked a deal with Massacre Records.

Are you ready for epic stories, face-melting songs and an overall thrilling metal experience? Look no further, Feanor offers all this and more. The band has been around since summer 1996 and has released numerous successful and well praised demos/EPs and two studio albums.

Feanor are no strangers when it comes to live shows, and the common bond of friendship and never-ending passion for metal between the band and the fans makes Feanor an unstoppable force.

The band's upcoming album, We Are Heavy Metal, is the first record in the band's history that's sung entirely in English, and will be released later this year via Massacre.

Band lineup:
 
Sven D'Anna - Vocals
Walter "The Scorpion" Hernández - Electric/Spanish Guitars
Gustavo Feanor Acosta - Bass, Piano, Keyboard, Percussion & Harp
Frank Gilchriest - Drums & Percussion



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Brazilian power trio, Nervosa, will release their second studio album, Agony, on June 3rd via Napalm Records. Agony was mixed and mastered by Andy Classen. The cover artwork and tracklisting can be found below.

Agony tracklisting:

“Arrogance”
“Theory Of Conspiracy”
“Deception”
“Intolerance Means War”
“Guerra Santa”
“Failed System”
“Hostages”
“Surrounded By Serpents”
“CyberWar”
“Hypocrisy”
“Devastation”
“Wayfarer” (Bonus Track)

This South American riff tornado is in flawless shape. With nods to Kreator, Slayer and more, this new album is really just the tip of the iceberg here, and the Brazilian squad continues to drag its fans down into a malicious maelstrom full of old school darkness.

Pre-Order your copy via the following links: North America, Rest of world.



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