Alright now… won’t you listen? With those simple words and that monster riff from the song “Sweet Leaf”, Black Sabbath laid the blueprint for stoner rock, a genre known for being as obsessed with fuzzed-out guitars and skull-rattling rhythms as it is with the sweet, sweet cannabis leaf. And listen we did, through the hazy smoke of more than 4 decades of brilliant alums, as Black Sabbath introduced us to our minds and then proceeded to blow them wide open. Now, the next generation of stoner and hard rock bands gather together for this epic salute to the originators on a 2CD set called Sweet Leaf - A Stoner Rock Salute To Black Sabbath, available now courtesy of Deadline Music.

The album features exclusive recordings by Pentagram, the legendary underground Virginia-based quartet who pioneered the metal genre alongside Sabbath in the early ‘70s. Pentagram, still fronted by wildman Bobby Liebling, turn in a superb version of the 1971 classic “After Forever”. Meanwhile, Canadian hardcore band Cancer Bats, who have their own Black Sabbath cover band called Bat Sabbath, take us on a journey to the vast inner reaches of our minds in “Into The Void”. Bringing an international flavor to the proceedings is Norwegian experimental collective Ulver, who prove you don’t need heavy guitars to create a dark moody track (though trumpets can help) on their killer version of “Solitude”.Throw former Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde and Alice In Chains axeman Mike Inez jamming with Captain Kirk himself William Shatner on the perennial favorite “Iron Man” and you’ll see why this collection is a can’t-miss treat for any fan of Black Sabbath or stoner rock music.

Tracklisting:

Disc 1
“Into The Void” - Cancer Bats
“Dirty Women” - Mos Generator
“Changes” - Bloody Hammers
“The Warning” - Wo Fat
“The Writ” - Stoned Jesus
“Hole In The Sky” - Scorpion Child
“Hand Of Doom” - Death Hawks

Disc 2
“Lady Evil” - House of Broken Promises
“Planet Caravan” - Machuca
“Sleeping Village” - Witch Mountain
“Electric Funeral” - Solace
“Solitude” - Ulver
“After Forever” - Pentagram
“Sweet Leaf” - Weedpecker
“Paranoid” - Golden Void
“Iron Man” - William Shatner feat. Zakk Wylde & Mike Inez

Buy the CD here. Buy the digital album here.

 



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The release of Find Me's new album, entitled Dark Angel, is scheduled for December 4th in Europe and North America. The album track “Let Love Rule” is now streaming below.

Find Me is a collaboration between Swedish musician, songwriter and producer Daniel Flores (Issa, The Murder of My Sweet, Seventh Wonder) and singer Robbie LaBlanc from Blanc Faces. The partnership was put together by Serafino Perugino with a vision to unleash another AOR behemoth. Find Me’s debut album, Wings Of Love received excellent reviews and left fans begging for more music from the duo. No demands could have been easier to fulfill as the two guys just love working together and finding the right songs for the group from contributors the likes of Alessandro Del Vecchio, brothers Tom and James Martin (Vega, Issa), Soren Kronqvist (Sunstorm), Niclas Olsson (Alyson Avenue) or Philip Lindstrand (Strong) is never a problem.

“Serafino of Frontiers and I searched for new songs and fresh ideas from writers from all over the world”, tells drummer and producer Daniel Flores. “I personally was searching for a musical challenge and Serafino with his golden ears is always looking for the next big song. It’s the combination of the two mentalities, with Robbie’s ability to sing and work on melodies that made this album what it is.”

According to Robbie LaBlanc: “Daniel really understands how to create an awesome AOR record. He allows me some flexibility in the melodies and is a pleasure to work with and a true pro.”

The result is once again a delightful and massive melodic rock record, chock full of mighty anthemic AOR songs with Robbie’s soaring lead vocals and amazing performances from Daniel Flores and guitarist Philip Lindstrand! Sonically, this powerhouse album sits in between the classic sound of Journey and Giant and newcomers like W.E.T and Eclipse.

“To be honest, in the first album, all involved tried to find the right combination of all the elements we love in AOR music” adds Daniel. “Now we feel more confident on what people will like. Productionwise everything just came naturally in place in this recording. Also Robbie sings even better than on last record and that's no small accomplishment really.”

“I feel I connected with these songs really nicely” adds Robbie. “It's funny of all the demos I received from Daniel I think we only changed one key. It's like they were written right for me!”

“I hope we get to give the AOR fans the same feelings they got when they discovered this music for the first time,” concludes Daniel, “We try to remind people of how the old records where done in this style, with the same mentality and complete devotion but with the cutting edge sound and quality engineering that technology has brought to date. Also, we hope to have chances to play for the fans live next year.”

Tracklisting:

“Nowhere To Hide”
“Let Love Rule”
“Forever”
“Another Day”
“Dark Angel”
“Bleed In The Rain”
“Face To Face”
“Where Do I Go”
“Midnight Memories”
“Don't Slip Away From Me”
“Did You Feel Any Love”
“I'm Free”

“Nowhere To Hide” lyric video:

Trailer:

Find Me is:

Robbie Lablanc - Lead and background vocals
Philip Lindstrand - Rhythm and lead Guitars, Bass
Sören Kronqvist - Keyboards
Daniel Flores - Drums and Keyboards

Additional musicians:

Angelica Rylin - Vocals on "Another day"
Christopher Vetter - Lead guitars and Clean Guitars

Backing vocals: Robert Lablanc, Philip Lidstrand, Thomas Vikström, Angelica Rylin, Redas Jefisovas and Daniel Flores.



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The video game nerds known as Psychostick have posted their new music video, “Megaman”, a tribute track to one of the greatest classics and it's all written to a parody of Heart's “Magic Man”. Check it out below and find your old school game consoles.

A free download of the track is available at this location.

In additional news, the band will ending their 2015 touring with dates with Soil.

December
10 - Cudahy, WI (Milwaukee) - The Metal Grill
11 - Ringle, WI - Q & Z Expo Center
12 - Spring Lake Park, MN (Minneapolis) - POV's 65



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Swedish metal band Steelwing will release their new album, Reset, Reboot, Redeem, on November 20th. It was recorded, mixed and co-produced by Swedish death metal legend Fred Estby (Necronaut, The Dagger, ex-Dismember) at Gutterview Recorders, with additional parts recorded by Nicko DiMarino in Deep Blue Studios where the band's early sound was once formed.

Today, the band release the first album preview, featuring snippets of the first five songs on the new album. Listen below:

The album artwork was created by Swedish artist Sandra Österberg Brolin.

Tracklisting:

“Carbon Waste Lifeforms”
“Reset, Reboot, Redeem”
“Ozymandias”
“Och världen gav vika”
“Architects Of Destruction”
“Network”
“Like Shadows, Like Ghosts”
“Hardwired”
“We Are All Left Here To Die”

“Och Världen Gav Vika”:

"Reset, Reboot, Redeem”:

"We envisioned a gritty attitude and more organic drum sound for these songs, so naturally we turned to Fred who is known for delivering just that. Since we have grown up listening to Dismember, it was truly an honor to work with him. I knew the new material would be very demanding to sing, so we decided to record the vocals with Nicko, an old friend of the band who has been with us from day one. We know we can always trust his ears and skill when the going gets tough."

Conceptually Steelwing continue to develop on the post-apocalyptic themes of the previous two albums. Where Lord Of The Wasteland focused on Mad Max-esque highway marauders and Zone Of Alienation described mutant-infested havens in outer space, Reset, Reboot, Redeem takes on a more serious misanthropic note: the current flawed state of mankind must be sacrificed to pave way for a trans-humanistic new breed - or all life on Earth will face extinction. One of many firsts for this album is a song in the band’s native tongue: “Och världen gav vika” (translation: “And the World Collapsed”).

 



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The official lyric video for the song "Scars" from METAL ALLEGIANCE, the all-star metal band consisting of a rotating cast of musicians, including members of MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, can be seen below. The track is taken from METAL ALLEGIANCE's self-titled debut album, which was released on September 18 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment.

Brought together by METAL ALLEGIANCE principal partner Mark Menghi, the project's original material came together from the creative minds of David Ellefson of MEGADETH, Mike Portnoy of THE WINERY DOGS, and Alex Skolnick from TESTAMENT, alongside Menghi. The four writers then reached out through their metal rolodexes to a diverse lineup of performers, each adding their own personal musical stamp to the collection of nine original songs.

"Scars" features guest appearances on vocals by Mark Osegueda (DEATH ANGEL and Cristina Scabbia (LACUNA COIL).

In a recent interview with I Probably Hate Your Band, Menghi stated about the songwriting process for "Metal Allegiance": "We wrote the majority of the lyrics for the record. In particular, Dave Ellefson and I co-wrote a lot of the lyrics to the record. We based it off our personal experiences in life, some of the fucking crap we went through. For example, with 'Can’t Kill The Devil', he had two lines for that song: 'Can't kill the Devil, the Devil never dies.' And when he said that to me, I was, like, 'Just stop right there,' and an hour later, I came back with all the lyrics for the song. And I basically told a tale, I told a story about the Devil. We all have a Devil in our life. I told a story about my Devil and combined it with his."

The standard edition CD of "Metal Allegiance" features nine original songs. A digipak edition was made available that features an all-star tribute to Ronnie James Dio with a cover of his classic song "We Rock" as well as a 45-minute behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of the album. A double vinyl version was also made available that features all 10 songs as well.

LAST IN LINE — the band featuring DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell alongside fellow founding DIO members Vinny Appice, Jimmy Bain and Claude Schnell, plus singer Andrew Freeman, who has previously fronted HURRICANE and LYNCH MOB — has set "Heavy Crown" as the title of its debut album, due on February 19, 2016 via Frontiers Music Srl. The CD was recorded at a Southern California studio with producer Jeff Pilson, a veteran bassist who has played with DIO, FOREIGNER, DOKKEN and T&N, among others.

LAST IN LINE recently filmed music videos for the songs "The Devil In Me" and "Starmaker" with director Thomas McNeely. The first clip is expected to make its online debut later this month.

Speaking to JAM Magazine, Vivian stated about the formation of LAST IN LINE: "That came about by accident and not design. A few years ago, DEF LEPPARD were on hiatus, and I got a call from Scott Gorham from THIN LIZZY asking if I'd be interested to go on tour and play guitar with THIN LIZZY. So, of course, I said yes."

He continued: "THIN LIZZY were such a hugely influential band to me, and the guitar players in that band — Scott Gorham and Brian Robertson, and then, in later years, Gary Moore — were a huge, huge influence on my playing. So, for me, to be on stage with Scott and with Brian Downey, the original drummer, playing those songs really re-ignited my passion for playing my instrument again. So when I came home from that tour, I called Vinny Appice and Jimmy Bain, the original drummer and bass player from the DIO band. Vinny and Jimmy and I wrote and recorded the first three DIO albums with Ronnie Dio; we did the 'Holy Diver' album, the 'The Last In Line' album and the 'Sacred Heart' album. So, I just wanted to play guitar again. So we went into a rehearsal room and we started playing this stuff. And it had been over 27 years since we played [together], but it could have been 27 minutes, because the chemistry was still there and it was very immediate. So, one thing led to another. We kind of said, 'Wouldn't it be great if we actually had a singer to kind of complete it, to round it out?' And Vinny suggested this guy called Andrew Freeman that he knew, and Andy only lived about ten minutes away, so he literally called him there and then. Andy was available, Andy drove down to the rehearsal room, and he started singing. And I just got goosebumps on my arms, because it was so emotionally powerful to be able to play these songs again with Vinny and Jimmy. But Andy was bringing an equal amount of passion and power to it that Ronnie would have brought, but he had a totally different sound to his voice, a whole different tonality. And that really got me thinking about… If he had walked in there sounding just like Ronnie, it would have been creepy. But the fact that he had equal power but sounded totally different got me thinking that this would be a different kind of a take on these original songs."

He went on to say: "So we booked some shows, and we played songs from the first three [DIO] albums. We called the band LAST IN LINE after the second DIO album. And the response was really, really, really good. And we weren't thinking about doing new music, but we actually got offered a record deal by an Italian label called Frontiers Records. So, we thought, 'Well, why not? If somebody is offering us a budget to make the record.' So we went in the studio and we started writing, and it was very immediate, it was very, very easy. In fact, [the songs came together] the way they did when we were writing 'Holy Diver'. It all started with Jimmy and Vinny and myself getting into a room, just the three of us, exchanging musical ideas. And Ronnie would come down later and we'd play him what we had and he would sit in the back of the room with a notepad, and he'd write lyrics and then he'd get up and he'd sing. And within four or five or six hours, we'd have [a song written]. And that's kind of how this happened."

Regarding the collaboration with Pilson, Campbell said: "I've known Jeff as a musician and as a friend for years, but I had no idea how great a rock producer he is. And he really blew me away. It was the perfect marriage between us. And the record, we knew it was gonna be good, but it far exceeded all of our expectations. So we are extremely excited about it."

Vivian also explained the decision to wait until next year before releasing the LAST IN LINE debut. He said: "The reason why we're waiting 'till 2016 to release it is because I want to be available to tour the record. I think it deserves being given the opportunity." He added: "In fact, the very first single we're gonna do is… DEF LEPPARD is going on a cruise in January, for four or five days, out of Miami, and LAST IN LINE is gonna be one of the guest acts on the cruise. So that'll be the [launch gig for] the band [in support of] the new record."

Asked if the LAST IN LINE material sounds like the classic DIO albums, Vivian told Eddie Trunk I na recent interview: "The majority of it… Well, actually, I wouldn't say the majority of it… I would say a good 50 percent of the songs would sound right at home on those first three DIO albums, and the others have a bit more of a modern edge to them. I mean, when you get Vinny and Jimmy and I playing, it sounds like the early DIO records, 'cause that's what it is. Obviously, Andy is a very, very different singer, he's got a very different instrument, and he writes lyrics very differently. I'm very, very impressed with where Andy has gone lyrically on the record, too; that's another thing. So it's great. It is so epic sounding. We've got some amazing songs on this, and I'm hyper excited about it, as you can probably tell."

Fan-filmed video footage of RATT's November 6 performance at Ferg's Sports Bar & Grill in St. Petersburg, Florida can be seen below.

RATT guitarist Warren DeMartini filed a lawsuit in September against the group's drummer, Bobby Blotzer, claiming that the drummer is falsely advertising his "tribute band" as the real thing.

Blotzer announced on September 23 that he was taking control of the RATT name and was planning to hit the road with a new version of the group, which played shows earlier in the year under the name BOBBY BLOTZER'S RATT EXPERIENCE.

WBS, Inc., the company which manages the business and operations related to RATT, was originally formed by Blotzer, DeMartini and singer Stephen Pearcy. Pearcy lost his share of the name in court after splitting with the group in 2000. He returned to the band in 2006 but exited again last year. Blotzer has since expressed his desire to keep RATT alive with a new singer, but explained that DeMartini did not want to tour as RATT without Pearcy.

According to the lawsuit, Blotzer held an annual WBS shareholder meeting on September 3 at Jerry's Famous Deli in Studio City, California in which he elected himself chairman of the board and president in place of DeMartini while DeMartini was elected "vice president of guitars."

On September 10, DeMartini's attorney sent a letter to Blotzer's lawyer claiming that the shareholder meeting held a week earlier was "defectively noticed" and insisting that all action taken at the meeting is "null and void."

DeMartini is seeking damages and attorneys' fees.

Blotzer's revamped RATT is rounded out by Josh Alan (SIN CITY SINNERS), Scotty Griffin (ex-L.A. GUNS), Doc Ellis (Jizzy Pearl's LOVE/HATE) and 22-year-old guitar hero Blaze.

Drummer Daniel Svensson of Swedish metallers IN FLAMES has announced his departure from the band to focus on his family life.

His statement reads as follows:

"Time to turn the page…

"I have decided to close my chapter in IN FLAMES after finishing up this current tour.

"It has truly been a fantastic journey and I want to thank Anders, Björn, Peter, Jesper and Niclas from the bottom of my heart for all great memories and experiences that we've shared during the last 17 years (!) together.

"It's hard to leave what have become my second family, but now it's time for me to take care and spend more time with the most important people in my life — my wife and my three daughters.

"Perhaps some of you of will see me again, as I will start my very own brewery in a very near future. Something I am just as passionate about as IN FLAMES.

"I wish my friends in the band, the whole crew and everyone that’s working for IN FLAMES the very best in the future.

"To you, all fans around the world, I want to say, thank you, massively, for all the support you have shown during my years in the band."

In a 2014 interview with Metal Ignition, Daniel stated about his drumming approach on IN FLAMES' latest album, "Siren Charms": "This time, on 'Siren Charms', most of the songs weren't even written when we entered the studio, so I really had to push myself, 'cause I only had two weeks to record all the tracks and come up with fills and stuff like that. But when [IN FLAMES guitarist] Björn [Gelotte] has a riff, or presents a riff, we both know how the drums should sound like for it to be 'IN FLAMES-ish.' And then I try not to overplay and make too many weird and fast drum fills. I try to make them more melodic and fit the music more than [make them] fast or whatever. I think it's easy to ruin a song, or ruin the balance of a song, so you have to try to write tasteful fills. And that's my approach [to] drumming."

"Siren Charms" sold around 9,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 26 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released in the U.S. on September 9, 2014 via Sony/RED, the CD was recorded at Hansa Tonstudios (DAVID BOWIE, DEPECHE MODE, U2) in Berlin, Germany. The cover artwork was created by Blake Armstrong of Space Boy Comics.

Italian metal monsters Media Solution migrated to Los Angeles, CA in 2014 to bring their unique brand of groove influenced dominance states side.
 
In 2015 the band teamed up with legendary producer Ulrich Wild (Deftones, Pantera) and Mikey Doling (Snot, Soulfly), creating an EP with anthems of dark celebration that explore the more lascivious corners of humanity. Set for release in April 2016 the band has just inked a deal with Pavement Entertainment to bring the release to the masses.
 
The band will embark on a brief European tour this month before beginning promotions for the upcoming release. World renowned director Nathan Cox (All That Remains, Korn, Disturbed) has been tapped to film the band's first single off the release.

Tour dates:

November
20 – Turin, Italy – Blah Blah
21 – Turin, Italy – Manhattan
23 – Zurich, Switzerland – Dynamo
25 – Cottbus, Germany – Quasimono
28 – Chatillon, Italy – Hibou
29 – Bruino, Italy – Vecchia Maniera 

December
4 – San Diego, CA – Soma
6 – Fullerton, CA – Slidebar



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The Art Gates Records team has announced atmospheric extreme metal outfit MartYriuM as the new artist to join its international roster of talents.

This five-pieced combo was formed by Count Mortem in 1999 in Malta. The style diversity of the band contains Industrial elements combined with black and death metal influences. Each song has a unique dramatic passage to set up a dark mood, along with brutal growls, clean vocal decorations shredding riffs and occult lyrical concepts.
 
MartYriuM appear on stage as a female fronted band, behind pale corpse paint portraying an image of modern black metal subculture. What captivates the people during a MartYriuM gig is the hellish chaos spawned from stage, invoked by the coming together of a restless energy united by each member.
 
In words of the band: "We are proud and excited to join the dynamic range of metal that makes up the Art Gate Records horde and unleash the infernal melodies and agonizing screams, the heart and soul of our forth full length studio opus."

 Rotting Christ, Purgatory, Eluveite, Cadaveria among many others are some of the artists this infernal outfit toured with, acquiring a noteworthy experience in their live shows. With a large discography behind them:  Withering In Voluptuous Embrace (2000), Carnage Lit By Darkness (2005), 'Awakening The Ancient (2010), MarTyriuM is ready to release their fourth and new album through Art Gates Records worldwide in 2016.



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Italian composer and bass player, Alberto Rigoni, has announced that worldwide-known bassist Anna Sentina will appear as a special guest on one of the songs on his upcoming album, Bassorama.

Anna has already recorded some amazing bass riffs and a video teaser can be viewed below:

Anna Sentina says:  "It was a pleasure working with my friend Alberto. He really is a hard worker and I had a ton of fun writing a couple solos for Bassorama. The songs are very well written and super catchy. Alberto is a great bass player, good friend, and humble person. I can't wait to hear the final result"

Alberto Rigoni’s Bassorama album will be released in the course of 2016 (TBA) and more special guests will be announced in the next months.

Meanwhile, “Bass Guy”, first single from the album, has been released and the official video can be seen below:

 



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Brazilian metal band Amenize have released a brand new guitar playthrough for their latest single "Black Sky" featuring guitarist Marcelo Brain and bassist Ricardo Strani. The single comes off their sophomore album, Black Sky which dropped on October 15.

 

"For all the music nerds out there (like ourselves) we're releasing our first guitar and bass playthrough of the title song 'Black Sky'. As a progressive metal band, I think it's very cool for the fans to see how the song is actually played. Hope everyone enjoys it." -Guitarist, Marcelo Brain

 



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Swedish female-fronted heavy rockers SISTER SIN have called it quits.

The band says in a statement: "We know this may come as a surprise to many of you; honestly, it kinda took us by surprise too. What was supposed to be a short eight-week break suddenly and unfortunately turned into the demise of the band.

"We have been touring and recording in a relentless schedule since 2008 and I guess we burned the candle in both ends and hit a wall. When we finally had the opportunity to step back and get some perspective, the motivation for some members in the band just wasn't there anymore…

"[We] would like to take this opportunity and thank our beloved road crew, Victory Records, Danger Music, Artery Foundation, TKO and all other great people and companies we worked with these past seven years as a professional touring act. Most of all, we would like to thank YOU; our dedicated, devoted, loving and caring fans around the globe! We've truly been blessed to be able to travel the world and meet so very many of you Sinners. Together we managed to sell tens of thousands of albums and achieve what most young bands only can dream of in this day and age. You truly are the sole reason we pushed on for as long as we did and we will cherish the memories forever and never forget your unconditional love!

"It is our hope that the flame will burn once again and hopefully resurrect this Swedish bastard sometime in the future. Time will tell… For now, au revoir."

SISTER SIN's fifth studio album, "Black Lotus", was released on October 27, 2014 via Victory.

Earlier this year, SISTER SIN drummer Dave Sundberg told Dead Shot about the band's journey since its inception in 2002: "I'd like to see it as pre-record and after, basically. The first years up until 2008, when we signed with Victory, we just rehearsed, recorded demos, you know. It wasn't really serious or took up any time. After we released 'Switchblade Serenades' in 2008, we have lived and breathed SISTER SIN every minute. We did a lot of groundwork, touring-wise, since 2008 and it been a lot of hard work. We did countless of European and U.S. tours in order to make a name for ourselves and also be able to make a living from off the band. It's been a long road, but the last two years we're really starting to reap the fruit after paying the dues for so many years."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD has contributed a brand new track called "Jade Helm" to accompany a portion of the multiplayer soundtrack for Call Of Duty: Black Ops III, the third installment in the Black Ops sub-series developed by Treyarch. You can now listen to the song below.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD said in a statement: "On November 6, you can pick up a copy of the game and check out our instrumental score while you play multiplayer or in your personal bunk inside the Safe House of the Campaign."

Call of Duty: Black Ops III wasreleased for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. This game is a sequel to Call Of Duty: Black Ops II, which came out in 2012.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD is no stranger to showing up in video games and singer M. Shadows told The Pulse Of Radio a while back about the experience of being digitally captured for an appearance in Call Of Duty: Black Ops II: "We had two full days of motion capture, so the band went in there, put on silly outfits and we danced around and pretended like we were playing in front of an audience. Hopefully none of those pictures will leak. But we did that, and then we went in there and for vocals I had to sit there and put my head in this vise, and they did motion capture of me singing the words a bunch of times. Between acting and pretending that you're playing onstage when there's nobody there, it was a pretty fun experience."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD recently parted ways with drummer Arin Ilejay and replaced him with Brooks Wackerman (BAD RELIGION).

M. Shadows said: "Brooks' name has always been in the mix. It was one of the names we were throwing around when Jimmy [original drummer James 'The Rev' Sullivan] passed away in terms of who was going to step up for [2010 album] 'Nightmare'. We felt Mike [Portnoy, ex-DREAM THEATER] was the right choice and we still feel that way. But at the time, our tour manager brought up Brooks' name as well. But at the time, he was also busy with BAD RELIGION and it was also…. People were going to look at it differently because he was a punk drummer at this point."

Speaking about former drummer Arin Ilejay, whose exit after four years was announced this past July even though he had been out of the band for a year, Shadows explained: "It just became increasingly difficult to be on the same page, not only touring, but with writing and just where we want to take things." Shadows continued: "We said, 'Listen, we can ride this thing out the way it is right now and we'll be fine or we can shake the nest a little bit and we want to fire on all cylinders again. We want to be the baddest band on the planet. We want to just dominate onstage.' And I came up with the idea that I really want to talk to Brooks and see if there's any chance and see where he's at in his life right now."

Wackerman added: "I've been a fan of the band for a decade and when [Shadows] gave me the call last year, I was absolutely thrilled. I was yearning for something new, a different style and during that time is when I got the call." Regarding the band's next album, Shadows said: "The idea of the last record was a very stripped-down sound and the idea of the next is a not very stripped-down sound."

In addition to playing with BAD RELIGION, Wackerman has in the past played with SUICIDAL TENDENCIES and INFECTIOUS GROOVES, while also doing session work for KORN, Avril Lavigne, TENACIOUS D and others.

Video footage of ONCE HUMAN, the new band featuring former MACHINE HEAD and SOULFLY guitarist Logan Mader, performing on October 31 at Adrenaline Sports Bar And Grill in Las Vegas, Nevada can be seen below.

ONCE HUMAN's debut album, "The Life I Remember", was released on September 4 via earMUSIC. The cover artwork for the CD was created by Seth Siro Anton.

When people think of Logan Mader, they remember the flying dreads, a flying V, and deadly volume, performing with the likes of MACHINE HEAD and SOULFLY. It's hard to believe, but it's been 12 years since Mader set foot onstage. Now an in-demand music producer/mixer who has worked with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, GOJIRA and PERIPHERY, he had written off the performing part of his life and settled behind the scenes.

Former Roadrunner A&R chief and current Nuclear Blast Entertainment head Monte Conner sent newcomer and multi-instrumentalist Lauren Hart to Logan Mader for a production deal. A creative spark between the two forged the nexus of ONCE HUMAN, as Hart moved from guitars to vocals, unsheathing a throat-scarring level of vocal brutality that completely contradicts her soft appearance. Unexpectedly, the result brought Mader back to creative life as both artist and performer.

"This music that we've been writing is undeniable to me," Mader told RockRevoltMagazine.com. "It got me real excited. It has this crazy intuition and excitement that I haven't felt for many years, [that] I haven't felt since the beginning of MACHINE HEAD. I felt something. This is something special and I need to do this. It was like an inner voice telling me that this is my shit. It's the combination of our musical chemistry, it is ONCE HUMAN. [Lauren] and I write all the music together and all the lyrics. She came to me with this really brutal metal. She comes from a more black metal/European style. My inner guitar player, my real passion (as a player) is that kind of music. So, combining that with where she comes from, is what ended up shaping the ONCE HUMAN sound. Incidentally, it is really brutal and heavy, and dark, often beautiful at times. It allowed me to do the kind of guitar riffs that are really mean and have a lot of attitude, and are really expressive in a rough guitar riffs sense."

Asked about the similarities between his and Hart's musical visions, Mader said: "It's kind of like what I was just talking about. My natural inclinations plus the music she is passionate about; the music that she loves. The thing that I found intriguing and magnetic about that is that she did not come to L.A. to become famous and make whatever kind of music it would take to get famous. She didn't care about that at all. She wanted to do the music that she was passionate about. Incidentally, the kind of music that we are doing is the least profitable genre of music. [Laughs] People don't do it to get rich and famous. They do it because they love it. That was refreshing to me. For me, that was important as well, because I fucking love music. The reason I started playing music in the beginning was not because I have an agenda to become famous and make money. It was because I had a passion for it; a real passion. It's something that you can't deny within yourself."

In a recent interview with Sonic Cathedral, Lauren shared the story of her engagement to Logan. She said: "We knew from the first couple of months that this was it. I have never felt so connected to anyone. Okay, I know this is going to sound strange, but have you heard about people who say there is electricity … like a spark? Well, I didn't think that was real. I thought anyone who ever said that was mental as shit, or maybe they watched too many chick flicks. I was working with Logan, and we never really shook hands or anything. A couple of sessions in, I was done with the session and we were going to say goodbye, and we went in for a hug. It was the first time we actually made contact, and it was literally like lightning struck. We both jumped back after the hug, and we couldn't look each other in the eye. I just walked out like, 'Okay, goodbye!' And he was like, 'Okay, goodbye!' We didn't talk about it until a little while later when I asked Logan: 'Did you feel that?' And he said: 'Yeah, I felt that.' It was literally a spark. Ever since that lightning moment, we just knew: 'This is it; this is the person I'm going to be with for the rest of my life.'"

She continued: "We went to the Wynn in Las Vegas. He took me to the Wynn hotel, which I'd never been to. I love the Wynn! They treat you like a princess, and there's good food. I don't gamble, but Logan likes to play a bit of poker. He is good at it, and I like to watch him play poker … well, I like spending time with him no matter what. The second or third time we went to Vegas, he took me out to a really nice dinner and then to the Bellagio. Do you know the water show? He proposed to me there. 'You can be engaged to me now.' [Laughs] He kind of just demanded it, and he gave me this beautiful ring. That was it. All my dreams have come true because of him. I did not believe in soulmates until I met Logan ... I know we were pre-destined to be together." ONCE HUMAN's current lineup is rounded out by Skyler Howren on guitar, Damian Rainauld on bass and Dillon Trollope on drums.

Rob Zombie and former MISFITS guitarist Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein joined John 5 (ROB ZOMBIE, ex-MARILYN MANSON) on stage on Thursday, November 5 at the Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California to play a cover of the MISFITS classic "Vampira". Video footage of the performance can be seen below.

Zombie recently finished editing his sixth live-action feature film, a horror thriller called "31".

He told Louder Noise that his new studio album will probably come out next March, and that he intends to either shoot a series of videos or a movie to accompany its release.

Doyle's latest album, "Abominator", was made available worldwide on iTunes and all digital music services on July 30, 2013.

The effort, which has been called "perhaps the best MISFITS-related record in over a decade," also featured Alex Story (CANCERSLUG) on vocals, "Left-Hand" Graham on bass and Dr. Chud (MISFITS) on drums.

John 5 celebrated 11 years of solo work with a "Greatest Hits Vol. 1" album. The set includes a live DVD, featuring footage of John 5 in concert. John 5 also released three brand new singles, the first of which came out in October. The album was made available digitally on iTunes and Amazon from October 31, and the physical copy with the DVD will be sold from the official John 5 store from Black Friday (November 27).

Spain's EMP Live has uploaded video footage of ANTHRAX's November 2 concert in Valencia. Check out the clip below.

ANTHRAX will release its long-awaited new album, "For All Kings", on February 26, 2016 via Megaforce in North America and Nuclear Blast in Europe.

Beginning in the fall of 2014, ANTHRAX — Charlie Benante (drums), Scott Ian (rhythm guitar), Frank Bello (bass), Joey Belladonna (vocals), and lead guitarist Jon Donais — took their time in the studio recording the follow up to their Grammy-nominated, critically acclaimed 2011 album, "Worship Music". The band recorded some 20 original songs, almost twice as many as they had ever brought into the studio in the past. In terms of how the new music sounds, Bello said: "The thing about ANTHRAX...we have this heavy, thrashy music and Joey's powerful and melodic vocals. I love heavy music, but I also love melody, so the challenge is to blend them together so they sound like ANTHRAX. I think we've done a really good job of that on the new album."

A new ANTHRAX song, "Evil Twin", taken from "For All Kings", is now available digitally, and can be purchased via Apple Music, iTunes and Amazon.

Musically, "Evil Twin" is a full-on thrash-metal tune that blasts off with a raging guitar riff, accelerates expeditiously and is completely uncontrollable.

"Yeah, that opening riff is really evil," laughed Benante. "We had done a lot of touring with DEATH ANGEL and EXODUS, so I was in a really thrashy state of mind when I starting writing the riffs for that song. I think along with Scott's lyrics and Frank's melodies, we came up with a really great, old-school thrash metal feel."

As Bello put it, "it's a song that begs to be played live."

Lyrically, the track unapologetically denounces the self-righteous religious extremists who spread their bloody terror under the guise of a Holy War.

You represent your discontentSlaughtering the innocentInsolenceYou're no martyrs

"I was very affected by the Charlie Hebdo massacre as I have been with all of the shootings that have taken place at schools and movie theatres," said ANTHRAX's lyricist Scott Ian. "I can't figure out what would cause someone to think that was the right thing to do. 'I'll show the world, I'll make my God happy.' It's just such bullshit. I'm not bagging on religion, that's not my intent, but people who go to that extreme, who feel they have become judge, jury and executioner over their fellow man because you or I don't believe the same thing they do, I think that's the 'Evil Twin' of humanity. Writing words about that is my only catharsis."

ANTHRAX has joined "Big Four" comrades SLAYER on a seven-week European tour that kicked off on October 25.

Legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore will perform RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE material at what will probably be four shows next 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.

As previously reported, the two concerts in Germany will take place at the Monsters Of Rock festival on Friday, June 17, 2016 at Freilichtbühne in Loreley and on June 18, 2016 at Festplatz am Viadukt in Bietigheim-Bissingen.

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

Blackmore recently told Billboard.com about his plans to revisit RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE classics: "I'm now 70, so I just felt like playing some rock 'n' roll for a few days. We're going to do four or five dates" — most likely in England, Germany and Sweden — "of just playing the old rock stuff, PURPLE stuff and RAINBOW. I'm doing it for the fans, for nostalgia, and the singer I found is very exciting; he's a cross between [Ronnie James] Dio meets Freddie Mercury. So this will mean exposing a new singer to the masses, and I'm sure he'll become pretty famous because of his voice."

Blackmore plans to film and record the performances for future release.

Blackmore 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 nine studio albums, with a new CD, "All Our Yesterdays", having arrived on September 18.

Over the past few months, RAINBOW has been the frequent subject of reunion rumors, with singer Joe Lynn Turner — who fronted RAINBOW from 1980 until 1984 and was a member of PURPLE from 1989 until 1992 — repeatedly claiming that Ritchie was "intching" to play rock music and insisting that he was in talks with the guitarist about a renewed collaboration.

1965 marks the starting point of one of the most successful rock bands of our time. Hailing from Hannover, Germany, the SCORPIONS embarked on a journey that would lead them around the globe and would establish them as one of the greatest rock bands of all time.

With the November 6 release of the 50th-anniversary deluxe editions, the SCORPIONS celebrate their impressive achievements and open their vaults to unleash hitherto unreleased songs, alternate versions of big hits, rough mixes and rare live concert footage.

In addition to dozens of previously unheard studio tracks and live recordings, all CD releases are contain extended booklets featuring rare photos and, single covers, backstage passes and additional liner notes by Edgar Klüsener, a former editor in chief of Metal Hammer who has followed the band's career closely over several decades. Five of the eight albums are accompanied bya DVD that contains live concert footage from the respective period, together with TV performances and in-depth interviews with the band. In these interviews, they talk about the background history and the creative process of each of these albums: "Lovedrive", "Blackout", "Love At first Sting", "World Wide Live" and "Savage Amusement".

The remastered LP formats are released on 180-gram vinyl in a sleeve replicating the first pressing. They also come with an audio CD, featuring the original track listing and the same bonus audio as the CD formats. A limited and numbered deluxe box set will contain all remasted vinyl discs.

SCORPIONS said: "It's hard to summarize 50 years in words, but listening back to all those songs — many of them them previously unreleased — recorded in one of our most creative periods, really took us back in time. This was a very heartfelt project for all of us. It brought back great memories whilst we rediscovered our musical DNA by listening to the archives, selecting dozens of unreleased songs and early versions of well-known SCORPIONS anthems. We really worked on the material to improve the sound quality, but always taking great care to preserve its original feel."

"Blackout" reissue track listing:

01. Blackout02. Can't Live Without You03. No One Like You04. You Give Me All I Need05. Now! 06. Dynamite07. Arizona08. China White09. When The Smoke Is Going Down10. Blackout (previously unreleased demo song)11. Running For The Plane (previously unreleased demo song)12. Sugar Man (previously unreleased demo song)13. All My Love (previously unreleased demo song)14. Searching For The Rainbow (previously unreleased demo song)

Audio samples of the "Blackout" reissue are available below.

Professionally filmed video footage of ARMORED SAINT performing the song "Reign Of Fire" at this year's Bloodstock Open Air festival, which was held August 6-9 at at Catton Park, Derbyshire, United Kingdom, can be seen below.

Asked how he stays in shape for the road, ARMORED SAINT singer John Bush told The Front Row Report: "Vocally, it's a challenge. I'm 52 years old, and singing 'Raising Fear' when I was 24 was… you know, a long time ago. So I try to change things up a little bit, although, of course, I wanna sound as true as possible to the original recordings. I've had some vocal troubles prior to this tour [with SAXON] starting, and I was quite concerned, actually, but I seem to be coming out of it, luckily. Being a singer is kind of annoying; you know, you can't… you've gotta take care of yourself. You're not the bass player, and nothing against bass players, but it's a different type of working. This [points to throat] is your instrument, it's in body, so I kind of try to eliminate coffee, which is a drag, 'cause I love coffee. I try to not eat any spicy foods. I take antacids, because it helps with reflux. And [I] just really [try to] be meticulous about working with my voice. I haven't drank anything for a while, but I still like to drink, and I wanna drink, and as soon as this tour is over, I will. But, yeah, just taking care of yourself. I didn't always do that in the early days of ARMORED SAINT and even in my days with ANTHRAX. I probably am, vocally, in the best health of my life."

Regarding his views on illegal music downloading, Bush said: "I think it's important to buy records. I still try to go to a record store, Amoeba in L.A., and purchase records. I don't know… You can't walk into a 7-11 and steal a Butterfinger. Why should you get music for free? This is what people do to earn a living. So I don't understand that. Stream music… that's fine. Tape trading, things like that, to turn people on, fine. But I still purchase records. I just bought the last FAITH NO MORE record. I wanna buy records. So this is how you earn a living. If you don't do that, then there won't be any more bands. Look, what does a CD cost? 15 bucks? It's like four Frappuccinos for you and your buddies, which people will buy at Starbucks every day. So just buy records, buy t-shirts. I think that you have to kind of give some money to bands so they can continue making music and be bands. You know, to stream music, to hear stuff to see whether or not you wanna buy it, I totally understand that, 'cause I do that. I'll go to iTunes, or wherever, and I'll check out a band I've heard of, and if I don't like it, then I may not invest the money, but if I like it, then I'll go buy the record."

ARMORED SAINT's seventh studio album, "Win Hands Down", was released on June 2 in North America via Metal Blade.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's song "Nightmare" is featured in the new trailer for Call Of Duty: Black Ops III, the third installment in the Black Ops sub-series developed by Treyarch. Check it out below.

As previously reported, AVENGED SEVENFOLD has contributed a brand new track called "Jade Helm" to accompany a portion of the multiplayer soundtrack for Call Of Duty: Black Ops III.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD said in a statement: "On November 6th, you can pick up a copy of the game and check out our instrumental score while you play multiplayer or in your personal bunk inside the Safe House of the Campaign."

Call of Duty: Black Ops III is expected be released for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and PC. This upcoming game is a sequel to Call Of Duty: Black Ops II, which came out in 2012.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD is no stranger to showing up in video games and singer M. Shadows told The Pulse Of Radio a while back about the experience of being digitally captured for an appearance in Call Of Duty: Black Ops II: "We had two full days of motion capture, so the band went in there, put on silly outfits and we danced around and pretended like we were playing in front of an audience. Hopefully none of those pictures will leak. But we did that, and then we went in there and for vocals I had to sit there and put my head in this vise, and they did motion capture of me singing the words a bunch of times. Between acting and pretending that you're playing onstage when there's nobody there, it was a pretty fun experience."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD recently parted ways with drummer Arin Ilejay and replaced him with Brooks Wackerman (BAD RELIGION).

Ilejay was AVENGED SEVENFOLD's drummer for four years, playing on 2013's "Hail To The King" album. In announcing his exit, the band thanked him for his "positive energy" but added that it "needed to move in a different direction."

Ilejay was the second drummer to sit behind the kit for AVENGED SEVENFOLD since the death of founding member James "The Rev" Sullivan in December 2009.

The band recorded its 2010 effort "Nightmare" with ex-DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD has reportedly been working on material for its seventh album, but has not revealed any details about the project yet.

Fan-filmed video footage of ANNIHILATOR's November 4 performance at 013 in Tilburg, The Netherlands can be seen below.

ANNIHILATOR's fifteenth studio album, "Suicide Society", was released on September 18 via UDR Music. As he has in the past, guitar wizard Jeff Waters handled all songwriting duties, played all guitar and bass, engineered, produced, mixed and mastered "Suicide Society", and he is also back commanding lead-vocal duties, as he did on the critically acclaimed "King Of The Kill" (1994), "Refresh The Demon" (1996), "Remains" (1997) and other ANNIHILATOR albums over the years.

Waters previously stated about his return to vocal duties: "Dave [Padden, ANNIHILATOR's vocalist from 2003 to 2014) and I have, essentially, been ANNIHILATOR since 2003 but he resigned last December, citing having had enough of touring, being away from home and other commitments. I thank him for his 11 years with ANNIHILATOR. That said, ANNIHILATOR and I are known for never giving up and, occasionally, coming up with something even better than its former offering(s): this is undeniably the case with 'Suicide Society'!"

With "Suicide Society", ANNIHILATOR goes headfirst into some of the most technically perfect, crisp, and crushingly taut, riffage Waters has ever produced. Although Waters' vocals keep traces of stylings from his "King Of The Kill" album, they now evoke a surprising blend of legends such as Layne Staley, Ozzy Osbourne, James Hetfield and Dave Mustaine. This, in a twisted way, mirrors Waters' signature blend of riffing, drums grooves and bass; all drawing from multiple sources and genres.

Waters has built a worldwide reputation as being a premier guitarist and songwriter; the conciseness and arrangement of "Creepin' Again" is both an air-guitarist's dream and a sharp reminder of this. The gloriously-brutal thrash of "My Revenge" calls up a vintage of '85 with the technical chops of 2015. The neo-classic title track defiantly expresses anger at the state of world affairs, while offering up hope in closing. With the multi-layered power of the anthem "Snap", Waters illustrates the diversity of ANNIHILATOR's sound, without sacrificing one decibel of attack.

"Metal fans will likely sport evil, satisfied grins on their faces, when they hear this record" chuckles Waters, "but in the words of Joe Perry: 'Let the music do the talking!'"

ANNIHILATOR's touring lineup includes drum monster Mike Harshaw, who continues on for his fourth year with the band, new guitarist Aaron Homma, and bassist Rich Hinks.

THE CULT will release its tenth album, "Hidden City", on February 5, 2016 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.

"Hidden City" is described as the final part of a trilogy that began with the 2007 album "Born Into This".

Speaking about the new CD, Astbury says: "I find today’s gurus are trying to peddle some cure, product or insight as if it's a new phenomenon. My place is to respond, not react, to observe, participate and share through words and music. There is no higher authority than the heart."

"Hidden City" track listing:

01. Dark Energy02. No Love Lost03. Dance The Night04. In Blood05. Birds Of Paradise06. Hinterland07. G O A T08. Deeply Ordered Chaos09. Avalanche Of Light10. Lilies11. Heathens12. Sound and Fury

The song "Dark Energy" can now be streamed below.

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

THE CULT is preparing for a run of six dates with spiritual cousins and legendary iconoclasts PRIMAL SCREAM. Kicking off on November 12 at Portland, Oregon's Crystal Ballroom, the trek will see both bands will be celebrating their unified solidarity and their forthcoming albums.

The details are as follows:

Nov. 12 - Crystal Ballroom - Portland, ORNov. 14 - Showbox Showdo - Seattle, WANov. 15 - Queen Elizabeth Theatre - Vancouver, BCNov. 17 - Warfield Theater - San Francisco, CANov. 19 - House of Blues - San Diego, CANov. 20 - Palladium - Hollywood, CA

"Choice Of Weapon" sold around 11,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 34 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was made available on May 22, 2012 via Cooking Vinyl.

After 15 years and 10 CDs as guitarist, producer and composer for the German heavy metal institution RAGE, and with hits penned by him like "Down", "Soundchaser", "War Of Worlds", "Straight To Hell" (well known from the German blockbuster movie "Manitou's Shoe"), "Carved In Stone", "Forever Dead", "Empty Hollow" and "Cleansed By Fire", Victor Smolski now continues his musical career with his new group ALMANAC. The guitar virtuoso's composition "Suite Lingua Mortis" was first released on the successful 2006 RAGE record "Speak Of The Dead", and it helped build the classical foundation for the new, more versatile yet even playful LINGUA MORTIS ORCHESTRA sound. Their "LMO" release in 2013 scored them a big success by outselling RAGE's most releases and charted in Germany at #24 on the official album charts. In comparison to RAGE, "LMO" offered fresh song material entirely composed by Smolski, a new musical concept combining heavy metal with classical music, songs written especially for a band and orchestra plus several male and female singers sharing the lead vocal job.

This success story now continues with ALMANAC who add a powerful touch of heaviness to LINGUA MORTIS ORCHESTRA's unique sound. The Belarus-born guitarist Smolski with this new group is joined in this new group by former LINGUA MORTIS ORCHESTRA bandmembers Jeanette Marchewka (vocals) and the symphony orchestra Orquestra Barcelona Filharmonia and White Russian Symphony Orchestra. New in the lineup are bass player Armin Alic, drummer Michael Kolar and keyboardist Enric Garcia. Two high-class singers David Readman (PINK CREAM 69) and Andy B. Franck (BRAINSTORM) complete the extremely prominent lineup. Most recently, ALMANAC have signed a record deal with the world's leading heavy metal label Nuclear Blast. Their debut album, called "Tsar", will be released in March 2016.

The band gives some insight into their studio work in the form of their first studio trailer, which can be viewed below.

For all the members of ALMANAC, "Tsar" is a new, exciting, and very interesting chapter. Traditional metal in conjunction with classical music, world music and elements of Russian folklore with a modern sound all make ALMANAC a compelling and absolute listening experience.

Singer David Readman states: "When I was first asked by Victor to join the band, I felt very honored to be a part of a new great band. I have to admit I was very uncertain where we would go musically with the band, and this was my feeling even as I entered the studio a few weeks ago. As soon as we started to record, it was very clear to me that this would be a great collaboration of musicians creating a masterpiece… The whole experience from the first pre-production recording in my home studio and writing lyrics to finally getting the real emotion on tape with Seeb and Victor was an evolution. Some records are difficult to make, but this was just easy!”

Fans with an interest in deeper subjects including history and culture will also be able to dive into a new world with "Tsar", which combines historic and modern parallels that will surprise many. From the warlike nomadic horsemen in the steppes of Russia, to the tsardom, Ivan the Terrible, warlike Cossacks who dominate the Tatar, the siege of Constantinople and the Mongol invasion are stories about battles, wars, intrigue, conquest, terror, power and love that can be heard vocally using the different styles of the singer's voices.

The first phase is already complete, and now the band is currently engaged in working on the arrangements of the songs. Victor Smolski says: "We're thrilled about this first release and of the many albums to come, commencing from March 2016. Also we are very eager to let loose the mighty power of ALMANAC to the people, on as many different platforms as possible as well as on stage."

Vocalist Andy B. Franck adds: "Vocal recordings for the very first ALMANAC album are done... and I can't believe how amazing all of the songs are. Incredibly intense, melodic, extremely powerful, aggressive and symphonic... all in one. Victor has created a monster of an album... it's great beeing a part of it!"

ALMANAC has just been confirmed for the Winter Masters Of Rock in Zlin, Czech Republic on November 15.

Fan-filmed video footage of THE WINERY DOGS' November 5 performance at The Canyon club in Agoura Hills, California can be seen below.

THE WINERY DOGS is the power trio featuring drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB), 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.

The Billboard 200 ranks the most popular albums of the week based on multi-metric consumption, which includes traditional album sales, track equivalent albums (TEA) and streaming equivalent albums (SEA).

"Hot Streak" was released on October 2 in North America on Loud & Proud Records via RED (a division of Sony Music Entertainment) and in the rest of the world via earMUSIC. It was preceded by the first single, "Oblivion", which was made available on August 25 at radio. A double vinyl edition of the new album is also in the works and is due out in early November.

"Hot Streak" shows the powerfully pedigreed trio's initial burst of collective chemistry was no accident, from the strum and headbang of "Captain Love" to the propulsive uplifting vibe of "The Bridge" to the introspective acoustic harmonic convergence of "Fire". If these three DOGS thought they captured lightning in a supper dish the first time around, "Hot Streak" barks ups the aural ante into exciting new territory. "I feel we've taken the band to another level," explains Kotzen. "The compositions are stronger on this album. I feel more connected lyrically and musically to what I did on this record than on the last one. We've widened the musical scope of the band on this record and moved it forward." Portnoy adds: "Everything on this album was more of a collaboration than on the first album. There's just a natural chemistry. The three of us really mesh very, very well, both musically and personally. The mission of this band is to write catchy songs, and not have the musicianship overpower that." "I'm glad we're not playing it safe and just doing songs that automatically fit in the category of what we did on the first record," Sheehan concludes. "Some of them are a little different, and we definitely took chances. And you have to do that — otherwise, you don't grow."