Kaaos TV conducted an interview with vocalist Anders Fridén of Swedish metallers IN FLAMES on October 16 at Rytmikorjaamo in Seinäjoki, Finland. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the online debate among IN FLAMES fans over the band's setlist:

"I don't have Facebook myself. I don't read what's going on. I hear what you journalists say, 'cause, I mean, I don't find time to watch everything everybody writes. But there will always be a debate, I know… That's how it is, and in a way, it's cool. It's amazing that people care enough."

On why IN FLAMES decided to change up the setlist for the current tour:

"I just had an idea of changing... switching some songs, and I had a long list of songs that I presented to the guys at the last show of this summer. I said to them, 'Okay, pick what songs you wanna do,' and made it happen. I mean, I don't wanna play the same thing again and again and again, and I thought doing a club tour like this, it would be a good time to change some of the songs. And it also keeps us on our toes as well. 'Cause, really, there's so many riffs and so many words that are just in my head right now."

On whether he is satisfied with the response to IN FLAMES' latest album, last year's "Siren Charms":

"Yeah. We're still here, right? [Laughs] So, you know, it's good. We've been traveling like crazy. We've done a lot of shows since the release of the album. We've been all over the place. I'm happy. I'm still doing what I love, which is creating music and playing my songs in a lot of continents. So I'm stoked. Again, I don't read what everyone's writing, but as far as I know, there's people that love us, there's people that hate us — just the way it should be. I'd rather split opinions than nobody cares about it. I'm not here to please people. I'm here to deliver good melodies. And if you like it, fine. If you don't, I can't help you."

"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. The CD was released in the U.S. on September 9, 2014 via Sony/RED. The effort 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.

POISON frontman Bret Michaels has told the Lancaseter Eagle-Gazette that the band is still together, despite the fact that is focusing on his solo career.

"We have never broken up, even though we all go on and do other things," he said. "We are brothers. Next year will be the [32nd] anniversary and I'm sure we'll do something special."

In a recent interview with Sleaze Roxx, POISON and DEVIL CITY ANGELS drummer Rikki Rockett spoke about the formation of THE SPECIAL GUESTS, the new band featuring Rikki alongside fellow POISON members Bobby Dall (bass) and C.C. DeVille (guitar), plus vocalist/rhythm guitarist Brandon Gibbs (CHEAP THRILL, DEVIL CITY ANGELS).

"When I was out touring with DEVIL CITY ANGELS, Bobby Dall came to one of the shows we played in Florida and jammed with us," Rikki said. "He got the chance to get to know Brandon a little bit. We got offered some shows that [POISON singer] Bret [Michaels] either really wasn't interested in doing or if he had shows of his own scheduled — I can't recall exactly. In any event, Bobby and I looked at each other and said, 'Why don't we just get Brandon to do them?' Now we'd never call it POISON, but we did think it was good to offer the promoters a chance to work with the three of us with Brandon fronting the band. They took it — we did it and the response was amazing. It makes you really think. Is this something that we could do moving forward? I think we could."

Asked if it's frustrating for him, Bobby and C.C. to continue waiting for Bret to play the occasional gig with POISON while Michaels continues to tour the U.S. as a solo artist, Rikki said: "It's very frustrating and that is the main reason that I started DEVIL CITY ANGELS. I like to play and record music. That's become a little bit of a problem recently."

According to Rikki, he doesn't have a clear idea as to why Bret is continuing to avoid any touring and recording activity with POISON, but he makes the following educated guess: "I just think… I don't know for sure, actually. I haven't spoken with Bret in months and months. I just think that at this point in time, he just prefers to do his own thing."

Rikki continued: "Bret has his own way of doing things and I'm getting the feeling that he'd prefer not to deal with the three of us if he can avoid it. Look, I'm making that up in my head. I can't think of any other reason."

Asked if he thinks there's some damage being done to the POISON name with Bret going out performing "watered down" versions of POISON songs, Rikki said: "The number one complaint that I've heard about Bret's show is that he doesn't play 'Bret material' and he plays 'POISON material.' I've heard that over and over from fans. I haven't stepped out of POISON until DEVIL CITY ANGELS — because I believe that a band is more potent when you keep it together. I'm very loyal like that. I've been practicing jiu-jitsu for 16 years now and I'm driving to Santa Monica, which is 42 miles from me each way, because I'm that loyal to my team. That's the kind of person I am. Having said that, there isn't a whole lot you can do when everyone don't feel that way. I think we are kind of at that point — if we're going to continue with POISON, we have to look at other ways that we can do this. Brandon isn't a bad choice. It's all I can say."

POISON appeared at the 2013 Indy 500 Miller Lite Carb Day, but has otherwise been mostly playing private shows, including one this past January. The band's last major dates were with LITA FORD and DEF LEPPARD as part of the 2012 "Rock Of Ages" tour.

Michaels is continuing to focus on his solo career and recently released the video for "Girls On Bars", his new rock-and-country-crossover track which was written with Grammy Award-winning songwriter Luke Laird.

Former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Gilby Clarke was asked by The Times Of India if he would be part of the GN'R reunion, following reports that long-estranged singer Axl Rose and guitarist Slash had recently repaired their relationship. Clarke, who was not an original member of the group, said: "Of course, it was a great band. If Slash and Duff [McKagan, bass] came back, it would be special. I would hope I could be a part of it if that ever happened."

He continued: "I had a great time during those years. We were young and didn't give a shit what anybody thought. Most people's memories are of the drama and negative shit. I remember being a part of a very powerful musical unit. Everybody cared deeply about the live shows and the music that was recorded. I enjoyed that. I really felt we were on the same page musically and were passionate about our performances."

Clarke told podcast host Eddie Trunk earlier in the month about the possibility of a reunion of GUNS N' ROSES' classic lineup: "It's strange. I mean, obviously, we've all heard [the rumors]. I actually did not know the news that Slash and Axl had talked, I didn't know, and I see him all the time. I don't know… I mean, obviously, it would be great for music if it did happen."

Clarke added that he has not heard anything about a reunion from anyone in the band and said that he didn't think a reunion would actually happen. "No, I really don't," he said. As for whether he might be asked to participate, Clarke said: "I think if it happened, obviously, it would be great, but I've got to be realistic. The fans want the original five guys, and I do too. It was a great band, [and] it would be great to see that. If it did happen, I would definitely be available to do it."

Clarke replaced founding guitarist Izzy Stradlin in the GUNS lineup in 1991, during the "Use Your Illusion" tour, and stayed with the band for three years.

He has continued as a producer and solo artist since then, while also playing in ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA, HEART and other acts.

Clarke reunited with GUNS members Slash, Steven Adler, Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan at the band's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction in April 14, 2012, although he himself was not inducted as part of the band.

Slash's revelation in August that he and Axl had repaired their relationship after nearly 20 years immediately led to speculation about the classic GUNS lineup reuniting, although Slash has refused to speak about the matter.

Photo credit: IndiePower.com

Swedish heavy metal defenders (of the faith) Ram are ready to unleash their latest batch of heavy metal anthems to the masses. Entitled Svbversvm, this fourth studio longplayer will be released on October 30th as a limited CD & DVD Digipak as well as on jewelcase-CD and on vinyl. The album is streaming in full below. 

RAM recenlty released a clip of "Awakening The Chimaera." Taken from the bonus DVD, X Anniversary, A Decade Of Heavy Metal Tyranny Concert, which comes free with the limited edition digipak of Svbversvm, the performance was filmed on Friday, September 13, 2013 at a hometown show in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Comments RAM on Svbversvm: "This album is the rebirth of Ram, a natural step to take after Death. For this album we went back and rediscovered the mass of notes, lyrical ideas and sketches that were created at the very birth of Ram, from around 99-01. We saw that these ideas were more valid than ever and still very inspiring. We are very pleased with the album that is the product of 4 months of being locked up in the studio and offering our very last drop of sweat and blood for it to become the most massive Ram production ever. This is our latest assault upon the rotting world, may it be a dagger in the heart of the powers that may be! SVBVERSVM is at hand!"

Svbversvm tracklisting:

“Return Of The Iron Tyrant”
“Eyes Of The Night”
“The Usurper”
“Enslaver”
“Holy Death”
“Terminus”
“The Omega Device”
“Forbidden Zone”
“Temples Of Void”
“Svbversvm”

Full album stream:

"Awakening The Chimera" live clip:

“The Usurper”:

“Eyes Of The Night”:

The limited first edition of Svbversvm will be released as a Digipak with a bonus-DVD. The bonus-DVD is entitled X Anniversary, A Decade Of Heavy Metal Tyranny Concert and was filmed on Friday, September 13th, 2013 at a hometown show in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Bonus DVD tracklisting:

“Sudden Impact”
“Judgement And Punishment”
“Blessed To Be Cursed”
“Under The Scythe”
“Defiant”
“Awakening The Chimaera”
“Machine Invaders”
“Ghost Pilot”
“Death”
“Forced Entry”
“Flame Of The Tyrants”
“Infuriator”

Pre-order at this location.

 



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The female fronted symphonic power metal band Kerion has released a lyric video for the track "Heart Of Steel". The track features guest vocals by Rachel Aspe (Eths).The upcoming album CloudRiders Part 2: Technowars will be released on October 30th in Europe and North America through Beyond The Storm Productions.

The album includes impressive performances by guests like Elisa C. Martin (Dark Moor, Dreamaker), Rachel Aspe (Eths), Phil Giordana (Fairyland), Raphael Dantas (Caravellus) and Fil Palmer (Replosion). The production was once again handled by Willdric Lievin and the artwork was created by Genzoman, famous for his involvements with World Of Warcraft and Marvel.

CloudRiders Part 2: Technowars takes you on a majestic journey filled with symphonic power metal, cinematic influences and even some electro influences. Kerion boldly steps out and call this style “Comics metal.”

Tracklisting:

“Riders Theme (Intro)”
“The Legacy”
“Take Me On!”
“Rise Of The Rebellion”
“Iron Soldier”
“Heart Of Steel (Metal Heart)”
“Spirit Of The Wood”
“In Silence”
“The Brotherhood”
“Riding Clouds”
“Children Of Sky And Sea”
“Technowars”
“Riders Theme (Outro)”

"Heart Of Steel" lyric video:

“Riding Clouds” lyric video:



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Virginia rock & roll hooligans Satan's Satyrs will release their new album Don't Deliver Us on October 30 via Bad Omen Records. The underground trio, featuring Electric Wizard bassist / vocalist Clayton Burgess, recorded the album in Nashville, TN. A new track in “Germanium Bomb” is streaming below.

When asked about the new album, Burgess said, "We wanted to recapture the primitive thrust of rock 'n' roll with our sound. I've watched Tony Iommi rip into the opening chords of ‘War Pigs’ from 30 feet away. I've had Bobby Liebling look me straight in the eyes as he sang ‘All Your Sins’. I've had my hair stand on end and felt strange frissons from the music which means so much to me. My ultimate desire is to reach people in the same way with our music. That's what I strive for.”

Tracklisting:

“Full Moon And Empty Veins”
“Two Hands”
“(Won’t You Be My) Gravedancer”
“Spooky Nuisance”
“Germanium Bomb”
“Creepy Teens”
“Crimes And Blood”
“You-Know-Who”
“’Round The Bend”

“Germanium Bomb”:

“Full Moon And Empty Veins”:



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Bay Area tech death/thrash metallers, Insanity, are set to release their first full-length album since 1994. Visions Of Apocalypse will be released on CD on November 13th on Unspeakable Axe Records. A vinyl LP version on Dark Descent Records is also in the works, tentatively set for a late year release. The title track is streaming below.

Innovators of the blast beat and influencers of the likes of genre godfathers like Napalm Death, Insanity have survived repeated tragedies and setbacks since forming in the mid-80s. The Bay Area metal masters should need no introduction, but somehow after 30 years they are still one of the most unsung bands in the underground.

In 2015 they are finally returning to sand-blast the ears of loyalists and unbelievers alike. The long-in-the-works album Visions Of Apocalypse was begun years ago, with original drummer Bud Mills involved, until his untimely passing from cancer in 2007. Through this loss and subsequent lineup changes, the band persevered, led by original guitarist and longtime vocalist Dave Gorsuch, with Juan Casarez stepping behind the kit.

In mid-2015, the final tracks were laid down and at last the album was completed. 

Tracklisting:
 
“Sacrefixion”
“When”
“Sociopath”
“Mortification”
“Disillusioned”
“Dread The Dawn”
“Tired”
“Blind”
“Visions Of Apocalypse”

"Visions Of Apocalypse":



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Kosta Bayss, the one man behind Canadian symphonic black metal band, Episcopal Holocaust (established in 1994 as APVTH) has just released his 10th album (3rd as Episcopal Holocaust), titled Fuck Your God. He composed, produced, and performed the album himself, and features Patricia Pons of SynlakrosS on guest vocals for two tracks.

With the launch of this album, Episcopal Holocaust has released the fourth single, titled “The Immaculate Deception” (feat. Patricia Pons).

Tracklisting:

“The Great Heresy”
“The Subjugation Of Christian Scum”
“Carving Out The Eyes Of A Priest”
“The Immaculate Deception”
“Fuck Your God”
“The Hierophant And The Heretic”

“The Immaculate Deception”:

“The Subjugation Of Christian Scum”:



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The Sword will participate in the November 27th Black Friday Record Store Day celebration by releasing a limited edition double vinyl picture disc of their current record High Country.  The disc will be limited to 1,000 copies. High Country was released on August 21st and debuted at #17 on the Billboard Top 200 Album Chart. For more on Record Store Day visit this location.

                               
The band is currently on tour with Kadavar and All Them Witches as support (October 9th through November 4th). Royal Thunder will open the second leg of the tour, which begins in New Orleans on November 18th and ends December 19th in Corpus Christi.

October
27 - Seattle, WA - Neumos
28 - Vancouver, BC - Rickshaw
29 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom
30 - Boise, ID - Neurolux*
31 - Salt Lake City, UT - Club Sound*

November
2 - Denver, CO - Gothic*
3 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad*
4 - Lubbock, TX - Jakes*

*dates without Kadavar
 
November
18 - New Orleans, LA - One Eyed Jacks
19 - Atlanta, GA - Masquerade
20 - St. Petersburg, FL - The State Theatre
21 - Jacksonville, FL - Freebird Live
23 - Birmingham, AL - Satum
24 - Nashville, TN - Exit/In
25 - Asheville, NC - The Orange Peel
27 - Chapel Hill, NC - Cat’s Cradle
28 - Charlotte, NC - Neighborhood Theatre
29 - Washington, DC - Rock & Roll Hotel

December
1 - New York, NY - Webster Hall
2 - Boston, MA - The Sinclair
3 - Albany, NY - Northern Lights
4 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero
5 - Buffalo, NY - Town Ballroom
6 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
8 - Pittsburgh, PA - Mr. Smalls
9 - Cleveland, OH - Agora Ballroom
10 - Ann Arbor, MI - Blind Pig
11 - Grand Rapids, MI - Pyramid Scheme
12 - Chicago, IL - Thalia Hall
13 - St. Louis, MO - The Ready Room
15 - Memphis, TN - 1884 Lounge
16 - Little Rock, AR - Juanita’s Cantina & Ballroom
17 - Oklahoma City, OK - ACM
18 - San Antonio, TX - Paper Tiger
19 - Corpus Christi, TX - House of Rock



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Canadian symphonic black/death metallers, Erimha, impacted the metal scene after the release of Reign Through Immortality in 2013, and their participation on the 2014 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Equipped with their evocative and melodious new album, Thesis Ov Warfare, the band transcends previous works to cultivate a grand, gloomy, and dramatic score. The full album is streaming in full below via the YouTube playlist.

On the album’s title, vocalist Gore states, “We’ve always seen life as a war and the writing process for this record was not an exemption. Thesis Ov Warfare is clearly an analysis on how to handle your pain and keep on fighting towards your goals, so you can finally see beyond your pre-set boundaries and reach a new level of freedom.”

Additionally, Erimha have announced their first tour in support of Thesis Ov Warfare, beginning November 18 in London, Ontario.  The tour marches across the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia before ending in New Brunswick on December 7th. More North American dates to be announced soon.

Tour dates:

November
18 – London, ON – Grinning Gator
19 – Windsor, ON – Venue Music Hall
20 – Guelph, ON – District
21 – Hamilton, ON – Underground
22 – Toronto, ON – Nocturne
24 – Bellville, ON – The Belle Pub
25 – Oshawa, ON – The Atria
26 – Ottawa, ON – House Of Targ
27 – Montreal, QC – Les Katacombes
28 – Drummondville, QC – Pub Heriot
29 – Sherbrooke, QC – Le Bar Magog

December
3 – Quebec City, QC – L’Anti
4 – Halifax, NS – Gus’ Pub & Grill
5 – Moncton, NB – The Esquire Tavern
7 – Fredericton, NB – The Capital Bar

Pre-orders for Thesis Ov Warfare (in stores October 30th) are available now at Victory Merch and include an instant download of the track "The First Law" (streaming below). Digital pre-orders are also available at iTunes, Amazon Music, Spotify and Google Play with instant track download for “The First Law”.

Thesis Ov Warfare album stream:

 

 "The Mark Of Liberation":

 



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Chaos Records has announced the release of the debut album from the Dutch dark and intense death/doom project called Confrontation entitled Aggregat 4. The album contains eight tracks and over than 40mins of ultra-heavy riffs exposing desolation of war and death. 

The lyric theme from Confrontation music is about exhausting battlefields and the use of frightening military weapons during WWII.

“Katyusha BM”:

Confrontation is:

Sven Post: Drums, Bass, Guitar
Roy Grimreaper: Vocals



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Italian rock/metal band, Secret Rule, are working on their new album, be released in 2016. An update from the band follows.

“The first great news for this album is that Sander Zoer (ex-Delain, Leah) will play the drums. The sound will be really powerful and aggressive, melodic and with many different influences. So, if you are looking for cool metal music, stay tuned!”

The following is a short video from Sander. Check it out and stay tuned for updates.

(Photo - Sandra Ludewig)



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The debut album from Polish up-and-coming death metal act, Kult Mogił, is now complete and will be released at the end of this year through Pagan Records. The band has unveiled the artwork and tracklisting for the full-length, entitled Anxiety Never Descending.

Made up of six new tracks, the music found on this album creates an atmosphere of a reeking graveyard; a soundtrack to your damnation and slow death. The band commented: “We hope that - if we can put it this way – this record will not make dying any easier for you”.

The ghastly music this group creates should appeal to fans of Portal, Bölzer, Dead Congregation, Cruciamentum, Necros Christos and Cultes Des Ghoules.

Regarding the band’s name, the members explain that Kult Mogił does not translate to “sepulchral cult”. Instead, “cult of graves” is more fitting and understood as a “burial place with or without tombstones” as opposed to “the cult of dead ancestors”.

Anxiety Never Descending tracklisting:

“Anxiety Never Descending”
“Threnody”
“Serene Ponds”
“Początek Wrażeń”
“The Width Of A Forehead”
“Palliative Messiah”

More details including the release date, pre-orders and the first sounds from the grave shall be announced soon.

 



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BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne has confirmed to NOLA.com that the band's "The End" tour, which starts January 20 in Omaha, Nebraska, will, as the title indicates, be the last time the group hits the road.

"It's the end of SABBATH, believe me," Ozzy said, adding that the group has opted against recording a final album after scoring its first No. 1 and winning a Grammy Award with 2013's "13".

"In December, I'll be fuckin' 68 and I think it's time to call it the end of the day," he added. "I'm not saying I won't get on stage with Geezer [Butler, BLACK SABBATH bassist] or Tony [Iommi, BLACK SABBATH guitarist] or any of them some time, but officially we're going to be done.

"I don't want it to dwindle and dwindle and play just for the sake of making another fuckin' sack full of cash. So it's time, and then I'll go back to doing my own thing."

Iommi said in a recent interview that BLACK SABBATH's upcoming farewell tour is truly its last because he is not physically capable of doing it any longer. Speaking with the Birmingham Mail, Iommi explained, "I can't actually do this anymore. My body won't take it much more."

Iommi, who was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2012 and was treated all through SABBATH's extensive 2013 world tour, admitted that he was worried the rigors of the road could bring the disease back. He revealed: "I don't want that creeping back again, and all the traveling involved in SABBATH tours increasingly takes its toll. That's why we're going out on one last tour, to say our farewells. And then it very definitely is the end. We won't be doing it again."

The legendary guitarist continued: "Don't get me wrong, I still love gigging. It's all the traveling and the exhaustion that goes with it that's the problem. That side of things has a big impact on me… I love being up there onstage, playing with SABBATH. What I don't love is all the other stuff necessary to enable that to happen."

Iommi was also hospitalized recently with back problems, and he still requires blood tests every six weeks to monitor his lymphoma.

"The End" tour will encompass about a year, including breaks.

The original lineup of SABBATH reunited in late 2011 for the "13" album and a world tour. Although founding drummer Bill Ward was on board at first, he dropped out over what he called contractual issues. Ward will apparently not be part of the farewell tour either.

Thrash metal giants Exodus are about to hit the road in support of headliners King Diamond on their Abigail In Concert 2015 US tour. The tour kicks off this Thursday, October 29th in Denver, CO, and includes several Exodus-only headlining off dates. On this tour, the band will play select tracks from the Exodus archives plus new Blood In, Blood Out tracks for the first time ever, making this a historical run for the ages.
 
Vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza states, "We can't wait to get out there with King Diamond and thrash you all! Keep your ears open for some extra special surprises too - diehard Exodus fans should not miss this opportunity to hear new and classic tracks we've never performed live before now."

Tour dates:

October
29 – Denver, CO – The Fillmore Auditorium
31 – Salt Lake City, UT – The Complex

November
2 – San Francisco, CA – The Warfield
4 – Fresno, CA – Strummers (no KD)
5 – Los Angeles, CA – Wiltern Theatre
6 – Los Angeles, CA – Wiltern Theatre
7 – Ramona, CA – Ramona Mainstage (no KD)
8 – Tucson, AZ – Rialto Theatre
9 – Las Vegas, NV – House Of Blues
10 – Phoenix, AZ – Joe’s Grotto (no KD)
13 – San Antonio, TX – Aztec Theater
14 – Austin, TX – Sidewinder (no KD)
15 – New Orleans, LA – Civic Theatre
16 – Atlanta, GA – Tabernacle 
17 – Charlotte, NC – Amos’ Southend (no KD)
18 – Washington, DC – Black Cat (no KD)
19 – New York, NY – Playstation Theater (*formerly Best Buy Theater)
20 – New York, NY – Playstation Theater*
21 – New York, NY – Playstation Theater*
22 – Stafford Springs, CT – The Stafford Palace Theater (no KD)
24 – Boston, MA – Orpheum Theater
25 – Philadelphia, PA – The Fillmore
27 – Chicago, IL – Aragon Ballroom
28 – Detroit, MI – The Fillmore Ballroom
29 – Milwaukee, WI – The Rave Bar (no KD)
30 – St. Paul, MN – Myth

December
1 – Kansas City, MO – The Riot Room (no KD)
2 – Tulsa, OK – Brady Theater
3 – Little Rock, AR – Revolution Music Room (no KD)
4 – Houston, TX – House Of Blues
5 – Dallas, TX – House Of Blues

February
25 – Birmingham, UK – Asylum
26 – Newcastle, UK – Riverside
27 – Aberdeen, UK – The Tunnels
28 – Glasgow, UK – The Cathouse
29 – Belfast, UK – Limelight

March
1 – Dublin, UK – Button Factory
2 – Liverpool, UK – O2 Academy
3 – York, UK – Fibbers
4 – Nottingham, UK – Rescue Rooms
5 – London, UK – Underworld
6 – Brighton, UK – The Haunt
8 – Southampton, UK – Talking Heads
9 – Bristol, UK – The Fleece
10 – Plymouth, UK – The Hub
11 – Cardiff, UK – The Globe
12 – Gwynedd, UK – Hammerfest
13 – Southend, UK – Chinnerys
14 – Vosselaar, Belgium – Biebon
15 – Copenhagen, Denmark – Lille Vega
16 – Gothenburg, Sweden – Sticky Fingers
18 – Seinajoki, Finland – Rytmikorjaamo
19 – Helsinki, Finland – Nosturi
22 – Uppsala, Sweden – Katalin And All That Jazz
23 – Oslo, Norway – Inferno Festival
24 – Malmo, Sweden – KB
25 – Amsterdam, Netherlands – Melkweg
28 – Munich, Germany – Backstage Halle
29 – Stuttgart, Germany – dasCann
30 – Aschaffenburg, Germany – Colos Saal
31 – Bochum, Germany – Zeche



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Blackjazz trail-blazers Shining have revealed a brand new concept-based video for "The Last Stand”, a track from International Blackjazz Society. The video depicts a fight to the finish, giving us a rare glimpse into the mythology and values of the International Blackjazz Society.

In the video, directed by Mitch Massie, who created clips for The Dillinger Escape Plan and The Locust, we witness the ritualistic fight of a society member, attempting to advance to the highest rank within the organization. As symbols of their respective membership, levels are painted in blood on the backs of each contender.

Our hero, belonging to the Level 5 "Cikada" part of the Middle Echelon, needs to defeat his opponent, who belongs to "1:4:9" Level 9 and is therefore part of the Upper Echelon of the IBS, in order to achieve the highest rank of the Society. The video concludes by demonstrating how the legendary and honorable "1375" rank is attained; our hero faces and fulfills the virtuous deed of sacrificing one's own life… under the axe.

"To celebrate the release of Shining's new album International Blackjazz Society, we are very happy to give a bit of an insight into the proud roots of the elusive organization that our new album is named after," says Jørgen Munkeby, Shining mastermind and Blackjazz instigator.



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British AOR band Blood Red Saints will release their debut album, Speedway, on December 4th in Europe and North America. The album’s lead track, “Kickin’ Up Dust”, is streaming below.

Blood Red Saints is a new band formed in late 2014 by singer Pete Godfrey and bassist Rob Naylor. Pete made his recording debut on the October 2014 In Faith album, but hungry to be in a 'band' rather than a project, Pete formed Blood Red Saints with Rob from the band Angels Or Kings and quickly got to work writing their debut album.

“I went in to the In Faith knowing it was a project,” says Pete Godfrey. “We were offered shows but we couldn't find any common ground to move forward. That was the moment where I decided I wanted to be in a 'real band', one that goes out and plays live and has that 'us against the world' mentality. Without doubt, we are going to play live. We have a launch show December the 4th in Bolton, UK then we are playing the JSY/ARFM charity show in Derby at the end of January and also HRH AOR in March - working on more shows right now!”

Blood Red Saints lineup was completed by another former In Faith member, Pete Newdeck (also from Eden’s Curse and currently the vocalist for Tainted Nation) on drums and Lee Revill on guitar (ex-Gary Hughes). “Pete and I quickly became good friends,” says Pete. “It was a simple choice on my part to want him involved. Rob Naylor I knew from the 1990's, but we became friends last year, we just gelled as far as wanting the same things musically, again. Lee Revill was talked about by everyone on the local scene, his reputation was that of a phenomenal guitar player who hadn't made the jump from local bands. He is our secret weapon, unbelievably talented and not precious or egotistical at all, a genuine nice guy also!”

The search for a name ended with the chance discovery of a semi legendary Speedway team, “The Blood Red Saints”. BRS were formed in the late 1920s in Brooklyn, New York. Their leader and icon, 'Freddie Rendetti' became synonymous with the team. Freddie was a fiery colorful character who ultimately lived the fast life a little too fast.

No history of the Blood Red Saints can be complete without the inclusion of James Martin of Vega. James was instrumental in getting the band signed and – together with his twin brother Tom, he also co-wrote two songs on the album. Harry Hess from Harem Scarem took care of the mastering of the album.  

The band’s debut album is an impressive slice of classic British AOR, following in the traditions of early Dare, FM and Newman, though according to Pete, “if you were to take elements of Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Winger, FM, mix them all together, I think that is pretty much where we are. Our intention was to have great songs and next we want to take them out live and put on a great show!”

Speedway tracklisting:

“Kickin' Up Dust”
“Mercy”
“Best Of Me”
“Dangerous”
“Love Set Me Up Again”
“Better Days”
“The Best Thing”
“Unbreakable”
“Wrapped Up In These Arms”
“Cgrnr”
“Feels A Lot Like Love”
“Faith”

“Kickin’ Up Dust”:

Trailer:

Blood Red Saints lineup:

Pete Godfrey – vocals
Lee Revill - guitars
Rob Naylor – bass guitar
Pete Newdeck - drums

 



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All-star progressive metal band, Waken Eyes, will release their debut album, Exodus, on October 30th in Europe and North America via Ulterium Records. A new video for the track “Palisades” can be found below.

Exodus is a very impressive and diverse album that will surely appeal to fans of progressive metal, progrock and melodic metal. The album has a great mix of catchy melodies, challenging instrumental parts and epic cinematic movements that will surely capture the attention of the musical community. Everything comes together perfectly in the title track that ends the album with its 18 minutes long epic filled with melodies, progressive parts and a good dose of feeling.

Exodus was mixed and mastered at Fascination Street Studios (Opeth, Symphony X, Kreator) in Sweden and the layout was made by Jan Yrlund (Delain, Korpiklaani, Apocalyptica). Check out an album teaser below.

Tracklisting:

“Cognition”
“Aberration”
“Deafening Thoughts”
“Back To Life”
“Palisades”
“Cornerstone Away”
“Still Life”
“Arise”
“Across The Horizon”
“Exodus”

“Palisades” video:

“Back To Life” lyric video:

Album teaser:

Exodus can be pre-ordered at the Ulterium Records Store, here.

Waken Eyes is:

Henrik Båth (Darkwater) – Vocals
Mike Lepond (Symphony X) – Bass
Tom Frelek – Guitars/Keyboards/Orchestration
Marco Minnemann (The Aristocrats, Steven Wilson, Joe Satriani) - Drums

 



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EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee has released her cover version of the PORTISHEAD song "It's A Fire" via her newly launched YouTube channel. Check it out below.

Lee and Grammy nominees Dave Eggar and Chuck Palmer, in collaboration with former "Riverdance" stars and fellow Brooklyn artists Hammerstep, recently composed an original song for a brand new short film that combines sci-fi, martial arts and neo-Irish dance. "Indigo Grey: The Passage" is a seven-minute audio-visual experience that premiered at the 2015 Los Angeles International Short Film Festival and has so far been officially selected to screen at 14 international film festivals.

Written and produced by Hammerstep founders Garrett Coleman and Jason Oremus, "Indigo Grey: The Passage" was directed by award-winning, Brooklyn-based filmmaker Sean Robinson — who describes the short film as being about "taking risks and exploring the lines between fantasy and reality."

"Indigo Grey: The Passage" was officially released online September 13 and can be seen below. The film is based on Hammerstep's "Indigo Grey" — a live, immersive show experience, set to open in New York City in 2016. Stay tuned to www.hammerstep.com for more details.

EVANESCENCE recently parted ways with guitarist Terry Balsamo and replaced him with Germany's Jen Majura.

EVANESCENCE will re-emerge after a three-year hiatus with select, intimate shows scheduled this fall in Nashville, Dallas and Los Angeles. The influential, Grammy-winning band last performed live in November of 2012.

The members of DEF LEPPARD recently spoke to U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine about their favorite songs on the band's new, self-titled album. Check out the clip below.

"Def Leppard" will arrive on October 30 via earMUSIC. The CD was written and recorded in three separate sessions over the course of the past year and a half.

"Def Leppard" track listing:

01. Let's Go (5:01)02. Dangerous (3:26)03. Man Enough (3:54)04. We Belong (5:06)05. Invincible (3:46)06. Sea Of Love (4:04)07. Energized (3:23)08. All Time High (4:19)09. Battle Of My Own (2:42)10. Broke 'N' Brokenhearted (3:17)11. Forever Young (2:21)12. Last Dance (3:09)13. Wings Of An Angel (4:23)14. Blind Faith (5:33)

Total running time: 54:24

DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen told Billboard about the band's decision to make the new album a self-titled affair: "We started out sitting around, writing all these stupid names down like we normally do, and I said, 'Why don't we call it 'Def Leppard'? 'Cause who knows if there will be another DEF LEPPARD album, per se, the way the industry is, and the fact that this record actually represents us. It doesn't represent someone else's idea, a label or a business agenda or anyone else's idea of what DEF LEPPARD is. This is actually DEF LEPPARD's version of DEF LEPPARD, and it was actually scary. This had never happened before in our career. This is the first time we've ever done an album for us, not to please anyone else, hence the title."

Regarding the songwriting process for "Def Leppard", Collen said: "It's the freest, most liberating thing we've ever done. It's the first time we've ever done an album where there weren't any constraints. We didn't have a record company or an executive at a label going, 'OK, we need this, we need that' or 'OK, the concept of the album is gonna be blah, blah, blah...' It was the first time we were allowed to be an artist, going back to the [LED] ZEPPELIN, BEATLES, [David] Bowie, [THE ROLLING] STONES thing. When the STONES did 'Wild Horses' and 'Brown Sugar', they just had some great ideas and were like, 'Oh shit, we want to go record this,' so they did. That's really refreshing. So we pretty much did that and just followed the muse."

The album is the band's first studio effort since "Songs From the Sparkle Lounge" in 2008.

Canadian rock legends RUSH will release their "R40 Live" concert film in November.

A performance clip of the song "The Spirit Of Radio", taken from "R40 Live", can be seen below.

All roads have led to this. Forty-one years in the making, RUSH's "R40 Live" tour took a very real journey back through time. Beginning with the grand design: a state-of-the-art stage set that pivots, rolls and dives, and brings "Clockwork Angels" in to bombastic, colorful life before marching stridently back in time (through theatre stages, a panoply of band and fan shots, the accrued memories of a life spent playing live) to a mocked-up school gym and the band playing there; a solitary bass amp set on the chair behind Geddy Lee, a mirror ball spiraling crazily above, casting thin rods of light like a light rain across the crowd, "Working Man" coming to a shuddering halt as the band's beginning becomes their end.

RUSH recorded and filmed "R40 Live" over two sold-out shows in the band's hometown of Toronto at the Air Canada Centre on June 17 and June 19, 2015 in the middle of their "R40 Live" 35-date North American tour.

"R40 Live" had the trio of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart, performing a career-spanning live retrospective, celebrating their 40-plus years together. The epic live shows by the Rock And Roll Hall Of Famers were captured with 14 cameras to present the band feature-film style.

The center-point of this tour was the remarkable setlist, coupled with their idea of a "de-evolution" set design. When the band opened the show with cuts "Headlong Flight" and "The Anarchist" from their most recent studio recording, 2012's "Clockwork Angels", they did so with all the bells and whistles from that extensive tour. They worked backwards through their catalogue as the show progressed, the innovative set design making for constant visual eye-candy, as stagehands exchanged the gear and props on stage to resemble the era-correct tour staging in accordance with the songs being played.

The first set featured the infamous dryers on stage while they played "Roll The Bones", "Subdivisions", and for the first time ever live, "Losing It" featuring violinist Ben Mink, who appeared on the original studio recording from 1982's "Signals".

The second set opened with classics "Tom Sawyer", followed by crowd favorite "The Spirit Of Radio", but also included "Jacob's Ladder", which hasn't been performed live since 1980 on their "Permanent Waves" tour. The last few songs of the "R40" were set against the persimmon curtained theatre-looking stage, with the crowd raising their lighters and camera phones to "Closer To The Heart", and then Alex and Geddy appeared with their signature doubleneck guitars as they played "Xanadu", into the epic "2112" and encored with "Lakeside Park/Anthem" and "What You're Doing/Working Man".

The concert film also includes the the band's renowned tour videos, highlighted by "Roll The Bones (R40 Live)", that features an array of special guests in the rap part of the song: Jay Baruchel (SHE'S OUT OF MY LEAGUE), Les Claypool (PRIMUS), Peter Dinklage ("Game Of Thrones"), Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, AUDIOSLAVE), Chad Smith (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS), "The Trailer Park Boys", and Jason Segel and Paul Rudd ("I Love You, Man"). It is the first time the band put the song back in the setlist since the "R30" tour, a full decade ago. During the "R40 Live" tour, "Roll The Bones" gained new life and became a fan-favorite with an arena sing-along to the chorus "Why are we here? Because we're here — Roll The Bones."

Singer/bassist Geddy Lee explained how the large group of cameo appearances came about: "We had this older video of an animated skeleton doing the 'rap' part of 'Roll The Bones', and felt it was time to update the concept for this tour. So after a lot of joking around with our show design team, we thought it would fun if we called upon some of our well-known pals and see if they wanted to have some fun with the lyrics. There were so many good and funny moments that it was hard to choose, some really hilarious and outrageous stuff! I'm so glad it worked out as it brought a big smile to the faces in the audience (and to us) every single night!"

"R40 Live" audio was produced by RUSH and David Botrill, and mixed by David Botrill (TOOL, MUSE); the film was directed by Dale Heslip, and produced by Allan Weinrib. The live photograph on the cover of "R40" was shot by baseball Hall Of Famer Randy Johnson, who captured the band in a rare moment when both Geddy Lee and Alex LIfeson were on Neil Peart's drum kit riser.

"As a friend and fan of RUSH, and the passion I have for photography to capture moments, it's great that both can blend together in a lasting impression, here for the world to see," commented the self-described 6' 10" ninja in the photo pit," who was on a portion of the tour in his new role as photographer.

"R40 Live" will be released on November 20, 2015, and will be available in the following configurations:

* 3-CD/1 Blu-ray set* 3-CD/1 DVD set* 3-CD set (audio only)* Single-disc Blu-ray* Single-disc DVD

Pre-orders from the band's site feature each configuration bundled with a special "R40" All Over t-shirt.

On October 22nd, Germnan metal legends Helloween performed in Jakarta, Indonesia at Basket Hall Senayan. Fan-filmed video of the show is available below.

The setlist on the night was as follows:

"Eagle Fly Free" 
"Dr. Stein"
"My God-Given Right"
"Steel Tormentor"
"Mr. Torture" 
"Waiting for the Thunder"
"Straight Out Of Hell"
"Heroes"
- drum solo -
"Where The Rain Grows"  
"Lost in America" 
"Russian Roulé"
"If I Could Fly" 
"Power" 
"Halloween" / "Sole Survivor" / "I Can" / "Are You Metal?" / "Keeper Of The Seven Keys"

Encore:
"Future World" 
"I Want Out"

Back in June it was revealed that German metal legends Helloween were collecting material for their so-called Hellbook to celebrate their 30th Anniversary. The book will be released this week on Halloween (October 31st). A digital preview is available at this location.

Bassist Markus Grosskopf comments: "For us, this book is highly emotional and evokes a thousand memories. Good moments as well as not so good ones are captured here. Thirty years of Helloween on almost 500 pages – and no end in sight..."

Watch the band's official website for updates.

On August 29th,  Helloween headlined the Moscow Metal Meeting. Classic Rock Russia has since posted a seven-minute documentary, which can be seen below. Directed by Inna Ford, it includes both live footage and an interview with Helloween guitarists Michael Weikath and Sascha Gerstner.

Remaining 2015 Helloween tour dates, in support of the band's new album My God-Given Right, are as listed:

November
13 - Hard Rock Hell 9 - Pwllheli, United Kingdom
14 - Ferienpark - Weissenhäuser Strand, Germany



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Each episode of Digital Tour Bus's "Bus Invaders" takes you inside the touring vehicle of one of today's top touring acts. In this episode, which was filmed on August 22 in Franksville, Wisconsin, BUTCHER BABIES frontwomen Carla Harvey and Heidi Shepherd show you around their tour bus prior to the band's appearance at WIIL Rock Fest 2015.

"Igniter", the new video from BUTCHER BABIES, can be seen below. The song is taken from the and's second album, "Take It Like A Man", which was produced by Logan Mader, who has previously worked with FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, DEVILDRIVER, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY and GOJIRA.

Shepherd stated about the "Igniter" clip: "We've all been in that different state of consciousness where rage over takes over your body and mind. 'Igniter' is about these emotions and about that last straw that breaks you.

"We were so lucky as to film this video during our live performance at the Download festival, Metal Hammer Boat and the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards. As it shows our intense live energy on the stage, it also shows our goofy off-stage personalities."

Added Harvey: "'Igniter' is a song about the anger and frustration that we can let consume and even destroy us at times.

"When we first started BUTCHER BABIES, I was in a much darker place and often let that rage overtake me, but after six years of having a healthy outlet for those feelings through our music, I'm a completely different person.

"I love that the video for 'Igniter', shot while we toured the U.K. this summer, shows a juxtaposition of on stage rage and our off-stage fun personalities. It speaks volumes to the release that music provides not only for the listener, but the creators."

STONE SOUR's next covers EP, "Straight Outta Burbank", will be released next month as part of Record Store Day's annual Black Friday bonanza. The effort will include cover versions of songs by BAD BRAINS, THE ROLLING STONES, SLAYER, MÖTLEY CRÜE and IRON MAIDEN. Making a guest appearance on STONE SOUR's rendition of THE ROLLING STONES classic "Gimme Shelter" will be HALESTORM singer Lzzy Hale.

Now in its eighth year, Record Store Day is an annual day-long celebration of record store culture taking place on the third Saturday in April, with an annual Black Friday event occurring the day after Thanksgiving. This year, RSD has named Dave Grohl as Record Store Day Ambassador 2015.

Look for 5,000 copies of "Straight Outta Burbank" arriving on vinyl on November 27.

For more information, visit www.recordstoreday.com.

During a September 15 appearance on the Des Moines, Iowa radio station Lazer 103.3, STONE SOUR singer Corey Taylor stated about "Straight Outta Burbank": "It's done, it's mixed. We've got the album artwork all together. And it's awesome. It's really, really, really good."

He continued: "We're actually more into this one than we are [STONE SOUR's first covers EP, 'Meanwhile In Burbank…']. And that's nothing against the first one; the first one's super solid. This one, man, is so diverse, but it all feels really, really good. We're really stoked about it. We're doing everything from THE STONES to SLAYER. Like, it is on. It is so on, it's not even funny."

In a recent interview, Taylor said that the band's third covers EP — titled "No Sleep 'Till Burbank" — will also feature five songs, and will include new versions of tracks from the following artists: VAN HALEN, VIOLENT FEMMES, BUZZCOCKS, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE and AC/DC.

Released this past April as a Record Store Day exclusive , "Meanwhile In Burbank…" contained songs originally done by BLACK SABBATH, JUDAS PRIEST, METALLICA, KISS and ALICE IN CHAINS.

Asked why STONE SOUR decided to release three separate EPs of covers, Taylor said: "This is something we've been talking about for years. And we decided, instead of putting it all on one, and trying to make that work, we were, like, 'Let's have fun with it.' It was kind of the same spirit of why we wanted to do 'em in the first place — is 'cause we wanted to have fun, just to kind of take the edge off, take the pressure off and just go in and have fun and kind of show the world what got us into making music in the first place. So we broke it up into three. That way, we could kind of play with the artwork, make it fun for the fans, and just have a good time with it. 'Cause we're making our nut on covers. But at the same time, when you do something like that, you wanna represent to the best of your ability. And by spacing it out and letting the fans get into five at a time, nothing gets lost in the shuffle. It just felt like by doing it that way, people would have time to digest each five before the next one comes on."

Regarding the "Burbank" tie-in in the titles of the three EPs, Taylor explained: "[Burbank, California is] where [STONE SOUR drummer] Roy [Mayorga] lives, and we did all the music in his home studio. So I was just, like, 'Dude, the title's gotta be, 'Meanwhile In Burbank…' And then it just became, like, 'How can we play on that?' 'No Sleep 'Till Burbank'… 'Straight Outta Burbank'… It was just hilarious. At one point, I wanted us to dress like a black metal band in his front yard and play volleyball. Because there's this giant palm tree in the front, and there's always sun and people walking their kids, or whatever, and we're dressed like MAYHEM. And we didn't have time, 'cause [STONE SOUR bassist Johny] Chow is out with CAVALERA [CONSPIRACY], and Roy's been doing some stuff. So we just didn't have that time where we were all in the same state. But I was, like, 'We've gotta remember that one, 'cause that could be rad.'"

On its last North American tour, STONE SOUR played a different cover every night, including songs that made the EP such as METALLICA's "Creeping Death", KISS's "Love Gun" and JUDAS PRIEST's "Heading Out To The Highway".

Taylor is currently on tour with his other band, SLIPKNOT.

Guitarist Christian Martucci joined STONE SOUR in late 2013 as the replacement for Jim Root, who was fired from the group after deciding he wanted to sit out the band's last tour in order to start work on the next album from SLIPKNOT, of which he is also a member.

Jack Antonio recently conducted an interview with KORN bassist and STILLWELL guitarist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu for the "Do You Know Jack?" radio show (Facebook page). You can now listen to the chat using the Spreaker widget below.

Speaking about KORN's upcoming follow-up to 2013's "The Paradigm Shift" album, Fieldy said: "It's definitely bringing it back to the integrity of KORN. It's everything that you would think we would sound like."

Fieldy also talked about the KORN songwriting process. He said: "Honestly, we write very old school. Like, we're all in the studio right now, and each guys plays his own parts. So we sit as a band and we write together. And then Jon [singer Jonathan Davis] does his vocals. So everybody just plays their own parts; they create their own parts. Like the way bands used to do it back in the day — where they stand in a room and jam out as a band. That's how we do it."

A producer has already been selected to helm KORN's new CD, but KORN guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer recently said that the band "is gonna wait a couple more weeks before we announce that."

KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch said in a recent interview on "You Don't Know Jack" that the material the band is writing for its twelfth album is “heavier than anyone's heard KORN in a long time." He added, "We're really pleased with what's going on. We just want everyone to be happy with the album. We want everybody to be smiling at the end of the process, so we do have other things to consider. But, yeah, we're gonna come out heavier than anyone's heard KORN in a long time, I think. And just the beginning stages are proof of that to me."

Welch was asked if some recent performances of KORN's 1994 self-titled debut in its entirety had led the band back to a heavier sound. He replied, "I think it's helped being on the SLIPKNOT tour last year and seeing the crowd and just seeing Jonathan [Davis, singer] lead the arena in all the arenas we played. I think it sparked and reminded everybody in the band what KORN started out to be."

KORN earlier in the month launched a North American tour on which the band is performing its debut album in its entirety at every stop. The trek kicked off on October 1 in Chicago, winding down a month later on October 30 in Oakland.

JUDAS PRIEST bassist Ian Hill says that the band hasn't decided yet whether it will continue touring in support of its 2014 album "Redeemer Of Souls" through 2016 or if it will return to the studio to make a follow-up record.

"We've got a few more territories to cover — or re-cover, [since] people wanted us to come back — and then we'll take a little time over Christmas and into the New Year and see where we stand: if we're gonna continue to tour or if we wanted to get some new material together and get a new record done," Hill told "That Metal Show" co-host Eddie Trunk. "It's up in the air at the moment. We like to finish one project before we start another one. So we'll have more of an idea where we are probably February, something like that."

According to Hill, there is no shortage of ideas for new JUDAS PRIEST material, especially from the band's latest addition, guitarist Richie Faulkner, who joined PRIEST in 2011 as the replacement for K.K. Downing.

"Richie's nearly always got a guitar in his hands and I'm sure some ideas for new material will come out of that," he said. "Rob [Halford, vocals], I think, he's coming up with lyrics all the time as well, and I'm sure Glenn [Tipton, guitar] has his ideas too. The writing process has always been the three songwriters, really — I mean, I don't do any anymore. But Rob, Glenn and Richie, they go off and get their ideas together, and then the three of those will get together and kick around the ideas and make songs out of those various bits, and then Scott [Travis, drums] and I will get a copy of that, and then we'll add our parts to that."

Halford recently told the Q104 radio station in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada about JUDAS PRIEST's plans to record the follow-up album to "Redeemer Of Souls": "Well, you know, in rock and roll, you've gotta kind of strike while the iron is hot, and that iron has been burning hot for decades for PRIEST now. It doesn't show any sign of cooling off, I can tell you that. The cool thing about where we're at right now is, of course, having Richie [Faulkner, new PRIEST guitarist] with us and having gone through that first writing experience together [on 'Redeemer Of Souls']. We were so motivated to keep writing as we were going along, but our label had a time schedule for us to keep, so we had to put the brakes on and start recording the songs that we'd written. And with that in mind, we're raring to go again, and I'm sure there'll be another PRIEST record in the not-too-distant metal future."

Asked whether he feels that "the clock is ticking" on JUDAS PRIEST's recording and touring career, Rob said: "Yeah, the clock is ticking, [but] we’re trying to hold it back. [Laughs] But it's great, man. I've gotta tell you, this band is having the time of its life, and we're very excited to be back out on the road after a short break from our last show, in Wacken in Germany at the big heavy metal festival there in front of eighty thousand heavy metal maniacs. So we're still bringing the fire and the metal with us wherever we go."

"Redeemer Of Souls" was released in July 2014. The follow-up to 2008's double-disc concept album "Nostradamus" was billed as a return to JUDAS PRIEST's heavy-metal roots.

"Redeemer Of Souls" sold around 32,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 6 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Jeff Waters, guitarist and vocalist for Canadian thrash legends Annihilator, has checked from the road in Europe:

"Just finished the Polish shows!! WOW! I've not been able to really sing. Terrible nose/throat cold from cold air drafts in the bus. For the last three shows, our Polish and Czech fans had taken over 50% of the singing for me. And fuck, they kicked ass! Getting slowly better, fixed the cold air drafts on the bus and let owing forward to Germany and many more shows ! METAL!"

On October 16th, Annihilator performed in Belgrade, Serbia at Dorn Omladine in support of their new album, Suicide Society. Fan-filmed video from the show is available below.

The setlist on the night was as follows:
"King of the Kill"
"Snap"
"Suicide Society"
"Creepin' Again"
"No Way Out"
"Set the World on Fire"
"W.T.Y.D."
"Never, Neverland"
"Tricks and Traps"
"Bliss"
"Second to None"
"Refresh the Demon"
"Ultraparanoia"
"Brain Dance"
"Phantasmagoria"
"Chicken and Corn"
"Kraf Dinner" / "21" / "Reduced to Ash"
"Alison Hell"

Encore:
"Human Insecticide"

Suicide Society is Annihilator's 15th studio album. A full album stream can be found below.

As usual, guitar wizard Jeff Waters handles all songwriting duties, plays all guitar & bass, engineers, produces, mixes and masters Suicide Society… and Waters 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.

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 Staley, Osbourne, Hetfield and 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”!”

Tracklisting:
"Suicide Society"
"My Revenge"
"Snap"
"Creepin’ Again"
"Narcotic Avenue"
"The One You Serve"
"Break, Enter"
"Death Scent"
"Every Minute”

Album stream:

EPK:

"Creepin' Again" lyric video:

Concord Records released Perfectamundo on October 23rd. It’s the debut solo album from Billy Gibbons, ZZ Top guitarist/vocalist and Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee, who is backed by a handpicked group of musicians dubbed The BFG’s on this unique outing.

Speaking with Greg Prato for Long Island Pulse, Gibbons talks about the new album, and ZZ Top’s plans for the future. Read an excerpt below:

Q: Why a solo album now?

A: “It was catalyzed by an invitation to the Havana Jazz Festival. I certainly wanted to attend but it got me thinking that it would be appropriate to come up with something fitting, something lively that would be compatible and somewhat removed from the ZZ Top sphere.”

Q: How did writing Perfectamundo differ from a ZZ Top album?

A: “We thought about the rhythmic structure first and built things around that as opposed to dealing with the melody first.”

Q: Do you think there are more solo releases in your future?

A: “Our plan is to have no plan. We’ll of course keep the ZZ train on track and when an idea or project comes along that looks appealing, there’s no reason not to jump in and see where things take us. It’s a wild ride and we have no intention of getting off any time soon.”

The full interview can be found at this location.

As the title may suggest, the album takes on a bit of an Afro-Cuban flavor that may come as a surprise to some Gibbons fans and followers.

Even before the blues-rock/hard-rock great’s first recordings back in 1967 with the Moving Sidewalks, his legendary pre-ZZ Top Houston psyche-punk garage band, Gibbons studied Latin percussion in Manhattan with none other than its preeminent virtuoso, “Mambo King” Tito Puente, a friend of Billy’s bandleader dad. Puente taught the young Gibbons the essential Latin rhythms via conga, bongo, maracas and, most importantly, timbales. “Banging away on ‘em came back like riding on a lost bicycle,” Gibbons relates of his return to the genre by way of Perfectamundo.

But the concept for Perfectamundo, which was produced by Gibbons and Joe Hardy and recorded in Houston, Los Angeles, Austin and Pontevedra, Spain, originated with Gibbons’ invitation to perform at the 2014 Havana Jazz Festival, delivered by his Argentine-born, Puerto Rico-raised friend and musical collaborator Martin Guigui. While he was unable to make it to Cuba, Billy did commence exploring the potential for an Afro-Cuban inflected album project at his Houston studio. Soon after presenting his engineering crew with a business card from a newly opened Cuban eatery called Sal Y Pimienta (salt and pepper), the first track finished for Perfectamundo took its title from that card.

He followed this with a “Spanglish” version of Louisiana swamp blues maestro Slim Harpo’s classic “Got Love If You Want It” and an Afro-Cubanized take on the Lightnin’ Hopkins blues staple “Baby Please Don’t Go”, thereby fully merging Gibbons innate Houston blues tradition with Cuban rhythms. With the first three tracks ready to go, he sought further guidance from Guigui as well as Chino Pons, a Cuban friend who heads his own quartet in New York.  “Chino, so to speak, sprinkled holy water on our efforts and expressed confidence that we were headed in the right direction—and that bit of affirmation gave us the impetus for more forward motion,” says Gibbons.

BFG & Co., then, includes Guigui on piano and B3, B3 player Mike Flanigan (who has joined with Guigui in backing Gibbons on recent solo dates), vocalist/bassist Alex Garza and drummer Greg Morrow, with co-producer Hardy offering additional guitar, keys, bass and vocals, and Gary Moon also supplying additional guitar play. Besides guitar and vocals, Gibbons himself contributes bass guitar, B3 and piano parts as well as Timbales and other percussion instruments. Chino appears, too, as part of the seasoned Cubano Nationale Beat Generator percussion ensemble. Altogether, the group displays a rare understanding of Cuban music of the pre-revolution 1950s, and is also learned in the rock and metal exemplified by the likes of ZZ Top and Led Zeppelin—all of which is uniquely reflected in Perfectamundo.

There’s even some hip-hop courtesy of Houston’s Garza, a/k/a Alx Guitarzza, which surfaces on the title track, “You’re What's Happenin’, Baby” and “Quiero Mas Dinero”. Other standout cuts include “Pickin’ Up Chicks on Dowling Street”, which is pure Billy Gibbons; the mysterious “Hombre Sin Nombre”, the hard rock “Piedras Negras”, and the smoking B3-stoked, almost instrumental album closer “Q-Vo.” And Gibbons turns to a Houston classic of another sort in his simmering and slyly percussive cover of Roy Head’s horns-fueled 1965 hit “Treat Her Right”.

While the album is in fact his first solo release, Gibbons has been quite active of late apart from his continuing endeavors with ZZ Top comrades Dusty Hill and Frank Beard—though it must be made clear that Perfectamundo is accompanied by the blessings of both.

Tracklisting:

“Got Love If You Want It”
“Treat Her Right”
“You’re What’s Happenin’, Baby”
“Sal Y Pimiento”
“Pickin’ Up Chicks On Dowling Street”
“Hombre Sin Nombre”
“Quiero Mas Dinero”
“Baby Please Don’t Go”
“Piedras Negras”
“Perfectamundo”
“Q-Vo”

“Treat Her Right” video:

BARONESS has revealed the cover for the band's fourth album, "Purple" (due on December 18 through Abraxan Hymns), via a time lapse video that shows John Baizley's process for creating the album artwork. This clip follows fans piecing together quadrants of the album cover that were revealed via t-shirts shipped last week as part of the band's deluxe album pre-order bundles. Baizley has done the artwork for all of BARONESS's releases as well as fine art and album art for bands including SKELETONWITCH, BLACK TUSK, KVELERTAK and KYLESA. The latest video is part of a series of clips the band is sharing with fans, documenting the making of "Purple", from lineup changes, to recording and now artwork. All four already released videos as well as the video for "Chlorine & Wine" are viewable via YouTube. Pre-order packages for "Purple", which feature an instant download of "Chlorine & Wine" as well as a limited-edition colored vinyl version of the new album, two picture discs, t-shirts and other unique items, are available now. Digital pre-orders, which also include an instant download of "Chlorine & Wine", are available via iTunes, Amazon and Google Play.

BARONESS will head out on a series of intimate club shows in late November, with the bulk of the tour already sold out.

BARONESS is John Baizley (guitar, vocals), Pete Adams (guitar, vocals), Nick Jost (bass, keyboards) and Sebastian Thomson (drums).