THE WINERY DOGS guitarist/vocalist Richie Kotzen, who made a name for himself via his hard rock, blues-influenced solo albums, has released a new solo DVD, titled simply "Live", via CD Baby. The set, which was made available in Japan under the title "020215BLITZ-RK", features footage of Kotzen's concert on February 2, 2015 at Akasaka Blitz in Japan.

Speaking with The Boca Raton Tribune, Kotzen stated about "Live": "I did [a concert DVD] years ago in Brazil and it was a great show but the cameras that were used were lower resolution and it wasn't a high-def thing and the audio was okay, but it wasn't that great. This time, we were able to go in with great cameras and great audio equipment, and they really capture what I do with my band. It's an exciting DVD. I play at a level that I don't really reach when I play with THE WINERY DOGS, just by the nature of the kind of music that we do on the trio, so i think it's going to be very interesting for people to watch me playing in that environment."

"Live" track listing:

01. War Paint02. Love Is Blind03. Bad Situation04. Cannibals05. Walk With Me06. Fear07. Doing What The Devil Says To Do08. Peace Sign09. Drum and Bass Solo 10. Help Me11. Remember12. Fooled Again13. You Can't Save Me14. Go Faster

The "You Can't Save Me" performance clip from the "Live" DVD can be seen below.

Kotzen's 20th solo album, "Cannibals", was digitally released on January 8 via his Headroom-Inc label.

THE WINERY DOGS, which also features drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, ADRENALINE MOB) and legendary bassist Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, TALAS, DAVID LEE ROTH), released its sophomore album, "Hot Streak", 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.

Fan-filmed video footage of TESTAMENT's October 11 performance at The Republik in Honolulu, Hawaii can be seen below.

Sitting behind the kit for TESTAMENT at the Honolulu show was Alex Bent (BATTLECROSS, DECREPIT BIRTH).

Bent previously played with TESTAMENT on August 8 at the Heavy Montreal festival at Parc Jean-Drapeau in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He was filling in for longtime TESTAMENT drummer Gene Hoglan, who was forced to miss the gig due to his touring commitments in Europe with DEATH TO ALL (DTA).

A new TESTAMENT studio album is currently being written for a tentative early 2016 release.

TESTAMENT guitarist Eric Peterson recently told Lithium Magazine about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the band's follow-up to 2012's "Dark Roots Of Earth" album: "We're still working on it. I would say, probably, realistically, we're about halfway done. It depends on how it could just come to us and be done when I get home, or if you hit certain obstacles and different shows come up and tours. But I think the juices are starting to flow now… 'cause it's been so long, and we've been busting our balls and trying to get this record done, and I think we're getting it back into the whole vibe of what we really wanna do. 'Cause, I mean, we're on our eleventh record, and we're into this, like, 25, 30 years now. It's kind of, like, there's so many bands doing what we do, our style of music, and, I think, a band like us, when you've been around this long, you don't wanna just put out the same thing; you don't wanna do the cookie-cutter kind of thing, where you're just, like, 'Let's just copy what we did before.' For me, it's gotta come from the heart. So that's why it's taking so long. I think everybody will be stoked when it comes out."

Regarding the musical direction of the new TESTAMENT material, Eric said: "When you're beginning [as a band], you're just evolving — you're not thinking about it — but once you get to a certain plateau, you start going, 'Okay, do we wanna sound like our older stuff, or are we gonna do something like the new bands are doing now?' Like, 'You guys have gotta sound like this,' or, 'You're gonna do this. You're gonna do that.' So, I think where we're at, we're kind of choosing what record we wanna sound like, and then when I go to write songs, they don't sound like that. 'Cause it's just, like, you can't do that. Who knows what I was doing or what I was thinking when I wrote that? So, I mean, it's gonna come out. You do your best of what you're into at the time, and I really like what I'm creating right now. The stuff that I've written so far is a lot more thrashy. And Chuck is on the edge of whether he wants to do 'death' vocals or clean vocals. I prefer when he's more of a singing style and using the 'death' stuff to throw it over the fence."

According to The Bern Report, ALICE IN CHAINS singer William DuVall joined a talented group of musicians at the Adler Theater in Davenport, Iowa Friday night (October 23) at a Bernie Sanders event called "Rockin' The Bern". The free show featured artists and cultural leaders that included legendary guitarist Wayne Kramer, singer/songwriters Marshall Crenshaw and Jill Sobule, Iowa's own BROTHER TRUCKER and Matthew Grimm, punk icon Walter Schreifels (QUICKSAND), Lisa Kekaula and Bob Vennum (THE BELLRAYS), Sean Kelly (THE SAMPLES), Ryan Miller (GUSTER), Eric Gardner (STREET SWEEPER SOCIAL CLUB) and Brad Jones.

Said DuVall during his performance: "For quite awhile now, I've had to listen to a lot of mean-spirited talk from people who do not agree with us, saying they want their country back. But, of course, by 'back,' they mean 'backwards.' The thing is, I don't wanna go backwards. 'Cause that's one of the reasons why I'm here tonight — 'cause I'm 'feeling the Bern' and I wanna take it forwards."

Check out William DuVall singing Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" and Bruce Springsteen's "Born In The USA" below. Video is courtesy of Bernie 2016 TV.

ALICE IN CHAINS recently completed a 19-date summer tour that launched on July 17 at the Pala Casino Spa & Resort near San Diego, wrapping up in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania on August 16.

The band donated two dollars from every pre-sold ticket to a fundraiser in memory of a fan named Stefan Dayne-Ankle, who passed away after a battle with leukemia.

The dates marked the first tour for the band since they hit the road back in 2013 and 2014 in support of their latest album, "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here".

"The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here", sold 62,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The disc followed up 2009's "Black Gives Way To Blue", which was the group's first all-new collection of material in 14 years. That CD opened with 126,000 units back in October 2009 to debut at No. 5.

ALICE IN CHAINS was previously in the Top Two with its self-titled 1995 set, which debuted at No. 1 on that year's November 25 chart, according to Billboard.com. It would be their final studio release with singer Layne Staley, who died in 2002.

"The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" was ALICE IN CHAINS' second album with William DuVall on vocals.

WD & presidential candidate Bernie Sanders. Davenport, Iowa. Oct. 23, 2015. pic.twitter.com/awjfMk9WCB

— William DuVall (@WilliamDuvall) October 24, 2015

Fan-filmed video footage of STAIND frontman Aaron Lewis performing a new song called "Lost It All" on October 22 at Brewster Street Icehouse in Corpus Christi, Texas can be seen below.

Lewis is currently working on the follow-up to his first full-length country album, "The Road", which came out in November 2012 via Blaster Records through Warner Music Nashville. The new CD is tentatively due in early 2016.

"It's more good old fashioned traditional country — something that I feel like the country genre needs desperately," Lewis told the Caller-Times about his new music. "There ain't much country in it at the moment."

Asked how the country-music scene has received him so far, Lewis said in a recent interview: "The fact that radio hasn't really come around to playing my songs yet, there is a little bit of a backlash there. It seems like the artists that I end up playing with and doing shows with are fans of what I do. It's just one of those weird things. It's such a good-old-boys network in Nashville, it's so political in Nashville, and I'm not one to necessarily play along; I tend to stick to my guns, and sometimes that's not what they want you to do."

He continued: "Nashville is a machine. It has the writers that write all the songs, and then it has the performers that go into the studio to record them and then go out on tour and play them. And I don't want anything to do with somebody writing songs for me… I'm certainly not gonna change what I'm doing in order to get on radio."

STAIND has been mostly inactive since 2011 and Lewis said in a recent interview that the band is probably going to stay that way for the foreseeable future. Asked by Shout Out Minnesota if the group has any plans, Lewis replied, "Not for a while. Mike Mushok, the guitar player, signed with another band and their new [album] just came out and he’s gonna be busy for three records with that band."

Mike Mushok is now playing in SAINT ASONIA with former THREE DAYS GRACE frontman Adam Gontier. The band's debut album came out July 31.

But Lewis maintains that fans have not seen the last of STAIND, saying, "We didn't break up and at some point STAIND will come back out. I don’t know if we’ll record a record or tour or what the deal will be… so this is what it is for a while."

STAIND has released seven studio albums dating back to 1996, with 11 Top 10 rock singles and four No. 1 tracks to their credit.

The song "Gods" from English musician, singer and guitarist Billy Morrison — featuring a guest appearance by legendary BLACK SABBATH frontman Ozzy Osbourne — can be streamed below. The track is taken from Morrison's second solo album, "God Shaped Hole", which was released today (Friday, October 23) via his own King Mob Music label.

Morrison — who currently plays guitar in Billy Idol's band and co-wrote songs on Idol's latest album — is joined by Idol bandmates Steve Stevens and Erik Eldenius, JANE'S ADDICTION's Dave Navarro and Ozzy (lead vocals on "Gods", a Morrison/Osbourne co-write) for the new album. "God Shaped Hole" — co-produced by Morrisson and Erik Eldenius — was mixed by Mike Clink (who produced GUNS N' ROSES' landmark debut album, "Appetite For Destruction") and John Spiker. "Initially the plan was simply to record an EP of covers, but as with everything, the plan grew," Morrison explains. "I had a song I had written with Steve Stevens that I wanted to sing on, so that got thrown into the pot. Erik [Eldenius] threw some ideas at me, and we started to record originals as well. My two best guitar mates from the two bands I'm in, Dave Navarro (ROYAL MACHINES and previously with CAMP FREDDY) and Steve Stevens, also both appear on the record, quite simply because they are awesome friends and did it without question, they showed up, did their thing, and supported me. And then I got a text from Ozzy, wondering where I had disappeared to... I told him I had decided to record a solo album, and the next text back from him was, 'Well, I wanna sing a song on your record!'" Morrison explains the inspiration behind "God Shaped Hole" which features 10 tracks — five originals and five cover songs (track listing below). "The five original songs were written with the spirit of independence that was so important at one time in music, and the complete autonomy and freedom that comes with a project like this," he says. "The covers are not huge hits, and most are by bands that never received the recognition they deserved. This record comes from a place inside me — thanking and paying respect to bands and songs that truly made me want to play, to perform and to do it my way." Beyond his commitment to music, Morrison is an accomplished artist who has been featured at the Branded Arts exhibition at Mann's Chinese Theater, in the 2015 LA Art Show and at The Village Studios. His new exhibition DIS-EASE — a gallery of the rocker's original collection of fine art — will debut Wednesday, September 2 at Mouche Gallery in Beverly Hills, California. A large-scale piece of the "God Shaped Hole" will be on display at the show. "The 'God Shaped Hole' artwork is all original acrylic on canvas pieces, painted by me in the same independent spirit as the music was recorded," says Morrison. "I have found painting to be extremely valuable in my life — a creative outlet that no one else is involved with — no managers, agents, band mates or unwarranted opinions! I have collected art for years and loved pop art since I first heard the VELVET UNDERGROUND sing about drugs and transvestites when I was 12 years old. From there I learned about Andy Warhol, fell in love with graffiti, followed the early career of Banksy, became close friends with Shepard Fairey and eventually picked up a paintbrush last year. My paintings are just images I love, and the fact that other people like them, buy them, appreciate them, that is all 100% bonus for me. The process when I get it right is as satisfying as writing a great song. Marrying the music and art together in this package seemed the obvious thing for me to do." "God Shaped Hole" will be available via iTunes and Amazon for $9.99, with individual tracks available for 99 cents, with the exception of "Gods", which is only available as an album track. A Friday, October 16 pre-order ($8.99) of the album will include two Instant Gratification tracks, "Baby Hurricane" and "Alone In A Crowd", when the album is pre-ordered. In addition, a limited number of "Art Packs" will be available Friday, October 9 for pre-order here. This exclusive hard copy physical CD (numbered and signed) includes a fine art 18" x 24" lithograph print of the album cover (numbered and signed), handwritten lyric sheets, glossy (signed) photograph and set of four Billy Morrison guitar picks.) "Art Packs" are available at $175 + shipping and will be shipped on within two weeks of purchase.

"God Shaped Hole" track listing: 01. Goodbye Jimmy Dean (BOYS WONDER)02. Baby Hurricane (FLESH FOR LULU)03. Cinnamon Gin04. Alone In A Crowd05. Housewife (WASTED YOUTH, UK)06. Hold It Down (SENSELESS THINGS)07. Methadonia08. You Are In My Vision (Gary Numan and TUBEWAY ARMY)09. Ordinary Girl10. Gods

"Communion", the new video from MICHAEL SCHENKER'S TEMPLE OF ROCK, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's second album, "Spirit On A Mission", which was released in March. The CD features twelve 12 classic rock guitar-driven songs that highlighted Schenker's distinctive and dynamic guitar playing, valiantly underpinned by the ferocious rhythm section of Herman Rarebell and Francis Buchholz, the same rhythm section that originally performed together on the SCORPIONS' 1979 album "Lovedrive".

As previously reported, MICHAEL SCHENKER'S TEMPLE OF ROCK's November 19 concert at Joy Eslava in Madrid, Spain will be professionally filmed and recorded for a new DVD, to be released in early 2016. In addition, the band will enter the studio in the spring to begin work on its third album, tentatively due in 2017.

"We have got two albums done now, 'Bridge The Gap' and 'Spirit On A Mission', with the same lineup — Doogie White [vocals], Herman Rarebell [drums], Francis Buchholz [bass], Wayne Findlay [guitar, keyboards] and myself — and it's developing into a very stable band," guitarist Michael Schenker told Metal Shock Finland.

"Spirit On A Mission" was recorded at Kidroom Studios in Münster, Germany; the same studio where 2013's "Bridge The Gap" album was laid down. The CD was produced by Michael Voss and Michael Schenker, and engineered by Voss.

Former RAINBOW singer Doogie White was described by Schenker as an "extremely creative individual with a fantastic range and a voice that never stops". "How many people do you know that can sing nine shows in a row, without a day off and still have a voice with a range like his?" said Schenker. "He's a real trooper."

In the four-minute clip below, METAL ALLEGIANCE members David Ellefson (also of MEGADETH), Alex Skolnick (also of TESTAMENT), Mark Menghi and Mike Portnoy (ex-DREAM THEATER; also of THE WINERY DOGS) discuss whether BLACK SABBATH should play its final reunion shows without original drummer Bill Ward.

Ward once again insisted in a recent interview that he is quite capable of playing a full concert with the group, despite the bandmembers themselves saying the opposite. Ward stepped away from the SABBATH reunion in early 2012, while the group hinted that he was not in good enough physical shape to either record or tour.

Speaking with Rei Nishimoto of Ghost Cult magazine, Ward said: "I was never in a position where I was never able to drum. It's really sad that those statements made about me that inferred that I wasn't able to drum.

"When I'm in the studio, I can play in the studio. I was laying down tracks. We settled in 2011. By August 2011, I was already training and getting trained. You have to ramp up to go out on tour so that takes a different attitude. I started getting into shape for a tour. Touring is completely different to me than being in the studio. So I was already doing that work."

He reiterated: "Never at any time was my drumming impaired, my health impaired or my ability to play drums. I'm so angry about those suggestions and that was going on."

BLACK SABBATH singer Ozzy Osbourne told The Pulse Of Radio during the band's last tour that Ward was not in shape to participate. "Bill Ward has got the most physically demanding job of the lot of us, 'cause he's the timekeeper," he said. "I don't think personally he had the chops to pull it off, you know. The saddest thing is that he needed to own up to that, and we could have worked around it, whether we had a drummer on the side with him or something."

Ward was reportedly insulted when SABBATH offered him a contract stipulating that he would only play a portion of the show each night, with another drummer along to take over.

Brad Wilk played drums on SABBATH's latest album, "13", while Tommy Clufetos was behind the kit for the group's world tour.

Drummer Chason Westmoreland has left HATE ETERNAL due to "family matters." Stepping in for him during the band's North American headlining tour with MISERY INDEX, BEYOND CREATION and RIVERS OF NIHIL will be Hannes Grossmann (OBSCURA, NECROPHAGIST).

Commented HATE ETERNAL's Erik Rutan: "Hannes is an incredible drummer, amazing person and absolute professional.

"We had the fortune of touring with OBSCURA many years ago and got to witness first hand the kind of pedigree Hannes is as a musician.

"Rehearsal is going great and we could not be more excited about getting out there on our first headlining tour for our new album, 'Infernus', with Hannes behind the kit! Hope to see you all out there on the road!"

Added Grossmann: "I'm absolutely stoked to play with HATE ETERNAL.They're an iconic and genre-defining band in death metal. Erik and J.J. are phenomenal players and great guys.

"We've been rehearsing all week at Mana Recording Studios, and it has been amazing thus far.

"I worked really hard to play these songs the right way and I can't wait to finally present it to fans across North America. See you on tour."

A native of Las Vegas, Nevada, Chason Westmoreland had been playing drums since the tender age of five and had toured with such renowned acts as FALLUJAH, BURNING THE MASSES, ENFOLD DARKNESS and OCEANO.

HATE ETERNAL's sixth full-length album, "Infernus", was released on August 24 via Season Of Mist. The CD was recorded at Rutan's Mana Recording Studio (CANNIBAL CORPSE, MOUNTAIN GOATS, GOATWHORE) in St. Petersburg, Florida. The cover artwork was created by renowned artist Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with TESTAMENT, ICED EARTH and SODOM, among many others.

Fan-filmed video footage of CRADLE OF FILTH's October 22 performance at Academy 2 in Manchester, England can be seen below.

CRADLE OF FILTH's eleventh studio album, "Hammer Of The Witches", was released on July 10 via Nuclear Blast. The CD marks the first release with CRADLE OF FILTH's new lineup, which includes new guitarists Ashok (of Czech groups ROOT and INNER FEAR) and Richard Shaw (of English acts EMPEROR CHUNG and NG26).

Asked what inspired the songs for "Hammer Of The Witches" cover, CRADLE OF FILTH singer Dani Filth told HorrorNews.net: "It was an amalgam of lots of different things, I suppose. When I began writing the album, I had a new clip of about four songs before I started coming up with an idea. You could say it is well hilted in the medieval. I mean, there is a track called 'On Christian Soldiers', which is about the first crusade and draws comparison with modern day — as do a lot of the songs, but I think the medieval scenario is the vibe that suits the material. I was working one day in my office and I have a library of books. I saw the 'Malleus Maleficarum', which is the medieval, gothic book about witchcraft that translates to Hammer Of Witches, meaning it was a tribunal, like a punishment for witches, and the book itself was like a weapon against witchcraft. Obviously, hundreds of thousands people throughout Europe were put to death throughout the inquisition period and this book was partly responsible for that, I should imagine. But, anyway, we saw it as the weapon being in the witch's hand. It is retribution, revival, reprisal, revolution and revenge. We can say that, because we are not a Christian band. So that was our interpretation of that. Then those things of revenge, revival, demonology, witchcraft which were also influenced by the area in which I live in England, which is known as a witch county."

Regarding whether he looks at "Hammer Of The Witches" as CRADLE OF FILTH's finest effort so far, Dani told RockSverige.se: "That's a little hard to say. We never come out of the studio unless we are 100 percent happy. We're really proud of this one. Whether it's our finest album? Well, at least for the last ten years, I would say. That seems to be the premise and the opinion of the journalists I've spoken to. Whether it's our best overall, I don't know. It needs to sink in and people need to hear the album with the special-edition tracks as well. Those particular songs didn't even know they were gonna be special-edition songs. The track list wasn't carved in stone 'till close to the end of the mix, actually. It was a band thing and we had to have two songs as bonus material and everybody had good points about all of them, but two didn't make the grade. But somebody might prefer one or both of the songs. Unfortunately, it's the way it is. We actually turned down three songs that were written for the album. We made a conscious decision not to spread ourselves too thinly. One of the tracks was one of my favorites, but that just proves there's democracy in this band. Everybody contributed and that's testament to that the album is killer."

"Money Shot", the third album from PUSCIFER, the Arizona-based electro-rock band fronted by TOOL's Maynard James Keenan, can be streamed in its entirety via Pandora. The CD will be released on October 30 via Puscifer Entertainment.

The official video for the "Money Shot" title track can be seen below. The clip was directed by Tim Cadiente and PUSCIFER, and it features the Flying Caliente Brothers, Clifton Collins Jr. ("Westworld", "Pacific Rim") and Jacob Vargas ("Sons Of Anarchy", "Traffic").

"Tossing out a few more cryptic Luchador-flavored bread crumbs with this one,” says Maynard James Keenan. "Confused? Don't tweak your noodle. As with all of PUSCIFER's and Billy D's journeys, linear has no place here. Just embrace the chaos and enjoy the ride."

To promote the "Money Shot" release, PUSCIFER will return to the road, kicking off a six-week outing on November 1 at the Monster Mash festival in Phoenix. "As is the Modus Operandi of PUSCIFER, there will be a whole new show to accompany the 'Money Shot' release. We've been leaving a few clues here and there as to what it may entail," said Maynard James Keenan. "As usual, we prefer to Show rather than Tell. Odds are if you've been a fan of the diverse nature of our performances in the past, you'll want to go ahead and place those bets." It's no surprise that Keenan choose to debut the electro rock band-meets-comedy troupe on a Las Vegas stage (PUSCIFER's first shows were at The Pearl Theatre in the Palms Casino). In the intervening years, we've met a cadre of characters including Billy D and Hildy Berger, Major Douche, Peter Merkin and spent time around a campfire, with an Airstream trailer in the background, as audiences enjoyed a Sonoran sunset. PUSCIFER, who thrive on the element of surprise, have revamped their stage show, with no spoilers to share, we can only say it exceeds the production seen in recent outings. The live lineup for the "Money Shot" tour includes Keenan, Mat Mitchell, Carina Round, Jeff Friedl, Mahsa Zargaran and the newest addition, Paul Barker (MINISTRY, LEAD INTO GOLD). "Money Shot" physical pre-order packages are available now via Puscifer.com. The various offerings include both signed and unsigned copies of the new album as well as an instant download of "Grand Canyon". "Money Shot" track listing:

01. Galileo02. Agostina03. Grand Canyon04. Simultaneous05. Money Shot06. The Arsonist07. The Remedy08. Smoke And Mirrors09. Life Of Brian (Apparently You Haven't Seen)10. Autumn Photo credit: Tim Cadiente

Legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore will perform RAINBOW and DEEP PURPLE material at what will probably be four shows next year in Europe. The first two announced concerts in Germany so far 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.

Tickets for the Monsters Of Rock festival go on sale on November 6.

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 declined to reveal the other musicians that will participate in the shows because contracts are still being negotiated, but said that none will be known names from his previous groups. He 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.

Former SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison has completed work on a new studio album with producer Kato Khandwala, who has previously worked with THE PRETTY RECKLESS and WE ARE THE HARLOT. Joining Jordison in the project is singer Kalen Chase, who has toured with KORN as a backing vocalist and percussionist.

It is not presently clear if Joey's new album will be made available as the sophomore effort from SCAR THE MARTYR, which was the name of Joey's project that released a self-titled debut CD in 2013.

Singer Henry Derek Bonner quit SCAR THE MARTYR in April 2014 and has since joined ACT OF DEFIANCE, the new band formed by ex-MEGADETH members Shawn Drover (drums) and Chris Broderick (guitar). Bonner told BLABBERMOUTH.NET at the time that he was leaving SCAR THE MARTYR "due to personal differences, artistic direction and a slew of business decisions that I cannot simply ignore."

SLIPKNOT announced in December 2013 that it had parted ways with Jordison, one of the band's founding members and key songwriters. SLIPKNOT singer Corey Taylor told Metal Hammer that firing Jordison after 18 years was "one of the hardest decisions" the group ever made, adding that Jordison is "in a place in his life" which is "not where we are." Taylor said he could not get into specifics for legal reasons, but admitted, "It's when a relationship hits that T-section and one person's going one way and you're going the other. And try as you might to either get them to go your way or try and go their way, at some point you've got to go in the direction that works for you. This is me speaking in the broadest terms, with respect to Joey. I guess to sum it up, it was one of the hardest decisions we ever made."

Taylor said that the band is "happy right now and we hope that he is . . . he's just in a place in his life, right now, that's not where we are."

The singer would not answer whether drug use played a role in Jordison's dismissal, and confessed that he had not been in touch with his former bandmate. Taylor said, "I haven't talked to Joey in a while, to be honest. That's how different we are. It's not because I don't love him and I don't miss him. And it is painful; we talk about him all the time, but at the same time, do we miss him or do we miss the old him? That's what it really comes down to."

SLIPKNOT's new drummer is Jay Weinberg, son of longtime Bruce Springsteen drummer Max Weinberg.

SCAR THE MARTYR's self-titled debut album sold around 3,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 129 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was made available on October 1, 2013 via Roadrunner Records.

California-based extreme metal titans SUICIDE SILENCE have released a video clip for a live performance of the song "Sacred Words". Check it out below.

This version of the song was recorded at the band's RockPart festival performance on August 9, 2015 in Hungary. It is featured on the digital-only "Sacred Words" EP, which will be released on October 23 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment.

"This track has been an evolutionary track for us and a step in our connection to you guys out there who listen to us," comments vocalist Eddie Hermida. "This one goes out to the mothers and fathers out there who allow us to be us."

The "Sacred Words" EP features the title cut as well as various previously unreleased songs, including three live tracks taken from RockPart,

"Sacred Words" digital EP track listing:

01. Sacred Words 02. Inherit The Crown (live) 03. Cease To Exist (live) 04. Sacred Words (live) 05. Sacred Words (We Are Strong Remix) 06. Sacred Words (instrumental)

"You Can't Stop Me", SUICIDE SILENCE's first album to feature vocalist Hernan "Eddie" Hermida and their first since the tragic loss of singer Mitch Lucker, was released in July 2014 via Nuclear Blast Entertainment.

"You Can't Stop Me" was produced and mixed by Steve Evetts (SEPULTURA, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN), who worked with the band not only on "The Black Crown", but also on some instrumental demos for the new CD just prior to Lucker's death in the fall of 2012.

Mitch Lucker died November 1, 2012 after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle crash in Huntington Beach that Halloween night.

Metaleater publisher Tony Antunovich recently conducted an interview with former ACCEPT and current U.D.O. frontman Udo Dirkschneider. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below.

Speaking about the difficulties U.D.O. has faced in touring America, Udo said: "We tour a lot with U.D.O. And it's a shame. I mean, we tried to come to America also with the 'Decadent' album [2015], but the offers… I mean… Sorry, but… The offers they gave us. We said, 'No. Sorry, but for this offer, we cannot come to America and make a tour in America.' And they came up with some stupid things, like, 'Hey, why you are not taking American musicians?' and blah blah blah. And I said, 'Hey, sorry, I have my own band. I don't wanna be a singer with always foreign people around me. I mean, U.D.O. is a band. And they came up with stupid ideas. And I said, 'No no no. It's just not possible to come over with my own band, and there's a money problem. They don't offer enough money that we can do a tour in America, and that's the only problem. We tried very hard. And then, of course, on the business end, normally, in the old days, the record companies, they gave you support money, but this is also over; they said, 'No,' they don't do this anymore."

He continued: "Believe me, Canada and North America, they are the only two countries where we have a problem to tour. I mean, we get a lot of offers — we can do a tour for two months in North America, with all these offers and what they gave us — but money-wise, it doesn't work. I mean, South America is not a problem. The whole Europe… all the Eastern countries… And now we go back to Japan on the next tour. I mean, everything's easy. But it's a shame. I would love to do a tour in North America. But we're still working hard on it."

As previously reported, Udo Dirkschneider will embark on a special tour next year during which he will perform ACCEPT songs one last time before he closes the chapter for good.

During this ACCEPT "farewell" tour — which the 63-year-old German singer will perform under the DIRKSCHNEIDER banner (not U.D.O.)— Dirkschneider will only showcase songs from the Udo era of ACCEPT. The German rock staple will close a huge chapter of music history forever. In the early '80s, the Solingen-raised singer skyrocketed to worldwide acclaim with the band ACCEPT and with his unmistakable voice, he had several hits such as "Balls To The Wall" and "Princess Of The Dawn". Now he has announced that he will perform these much-loved hits on this special tour one more time before he removes them from the setlist forever.

After this tour, Udo will only play songs from his extensive library of U.D.O. material.

A guitar belonging to SLIPKNOT's Jim Root was allegedly stolen last night (Thursday, October 22) from the band's jam room at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon while the group was on stage. The thief made off with Root's custom satin silver Fender (with a "a patina copper pick guard"), causing the guitarist to write on Instagram: "Fucking thieves. Nothing worse."

Root's longtime girlfriend, Cristina Scabbia of LACUNA COIL, also took to Instagram to urge fans to"keep an eye around the city and Internet and help us find [Jim's] guitar and whoever stole it (or simply take it back)!" She added: "If you're a real fan, I can understand you want to have something that belongs to your idol… But that's the wrong way to do it and it is depriving another person of something that might means memories and something more than an 'item!'"

She continued: "If whoever got this guitar is reading this, PLEASE take it back or send me a private message! We can all do something stupid and taking it back is what can bring a lot of honor back to you. From zero to hero! Think about it and be a man."

SLIPKNOT took six years to make its latest album, ".5: The Gray Chapter", and that time was filled with tragedy and turmoil. Root said in an interview with Music Radar that he wrote most of the music on the new disc, saying, "When you had Paul [Gray; late bassist] and Joey [Jordison; fired drummer] writing, you had to find your place . . . With '.5', it seems like I, basically, did the whole record. That's why last November (2013), I really put my nose to the grindstone and put together enough arrangements so that we could finally get going."

".5: The Gray Chapter" is the first new SLIPKNOT record since the 2010 death of Gray and the 2013 dismissal of Jordison.

Legacy Recordings, the catalog division of Sony Music Entertainment, has announced the label's lineup of collectible 12", 10" and 7" vinyl releases created especially for Record Store Day's Black Friday 2015, celebrated this year at the nation's independent record stores on Friday, November 27, 2015.

For RSD Black Friday 2015, Legacy is catering to connoisseurs of classic sounds delivered old school, offering a range of RSD exclusives and numbered limited vinyl editions.

Legacy's RSD Black Friday 2015 releases include JUDAS PRIEST's "Painkiller" (25th Anniversary) 10-inch Die Cut Buzz Saw EP. Commemorating the 25th anniversary of PRIEST's "Painkiller" album, Legacy Recordings is releasing this 10-inch die cut buzz saw EP, including the album's Grammy-nominated title track, "Painkiller".

In a 2012 interview, JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford stated about "Painkiller": "We'd had a lot of adventures with our music, we'd done a lot of different things. I don't think that we felt that we strayed the course, but I think we all agreed that we wanted to make a defining metal statement. And, for a lot of our fans, that is the one — 'Painkiller' is the metal album for JUDAS PRIEST. It's just such a fierce, really in-your-face type of display, right from the opening cut, where we had Scott Travis, our drummer, who's been with us now forever, Scott opens up the record in a really signature drum sound, and then that screaming guitar of Glenn [Tipton] and then the vocal approach. And just that one song has become like a metal anthem in terms of extremity. And so, the rest of the record, as it progresses, is very precise. To me, it's like a kind of an amped up, jacked up 'British Steel', if that makes sense. Because 'Night Crawler' is just amazing, in terms of its riffs and its melody. 'All Guns Blazing', 'Between The Hammer & The Anvil'… They've all got that type of attitude that 'British Steel' had in terms of the musical, melodic content, which is very, very important for any band. I think it's very important to get as much melody as you can in any song that you write, because if you've got melody, then you've got a memory attached to it, and there's a lot of that through 'Painkiller'. So 'Painkiller' was a very solid, important metal album for JUDAS PRIEST."

RockSverige.se has uploaded a mini-documentary on HAMMERFALL's summer 2015 European festival appearances. Check it out below.

HAMMERFALL's latest album, "(r)Evolution", sold around 1,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release.

The band's previous CD, "Infected", opened with around 1,700 units back in 2011. The CD debuted at No. 16 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

HAMMERFALL last year parted ways with longtime drummer Anders Johansson and replaced him with David Wallin (PAIN).

Regarding the band's new drummer, HAMMERFALL guitarist Oscar Dronjak said: "Pontus [Norgren, guitar] has known him for years; he's a good friend of Pontus from before. Joacim [Cans, vocals] and Pontus sat down with David and had a cup of coffee and just talked about it, and their gut feeling was to go with David. I didn't even meet him until we started rehearsing for the first shows in November [2014] — it was the first time I met the guy — but I trusted their gut feeling. And I think that was a wise choice. David is a great guy. He's really fun to have around, and he plays excellent drums. The drums make the sound of HAMMERFALL bigger and better. It's really, really cool having him as the drummer… We did a tour in Latin America; that was the first thing we did with him. It was an interesting time. If you don't know somebody, you don't know really what's gonna happen, but he fit really well into the group."

Fan-filmed video footage of MEGADETH's October 21 performance in Brisbane, Australia can be seen below.

After the Brisbane concert, MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine uploaded a video message to his Periscope account in which he claimed he "fired" his guitar tech, whom he called as a "total waste of skin and life." Mustaine went on to "apologize" to the MEGADETH fans in Brisbane, explaining that "deserve way better than this jerkoff did tonight." He added: "MEGADETH is much better than what we appeared tonight." He then got one last dig in, saying to the video camera: "But you know what the funny thing is? He has to live with himself. And as of like right now, I'll never see his stupid ass again."

MEGADETH's current touring lineup is rounded out by founding bassist David Ellefson, LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler and Brazilian guitarist Kiko Loureiro, best known for his work with ANGRA.

Due to his LAMB OF GOD schedule, Adler was unable to play with MEGADETH in China and Japan earlier in the month and was temporarily replaced by Tony Laureano (ex-DIMMU BORGIR, NILE, ANGELCORPSE), a veteran extreme-metal skinsman who has worked as MEGADETH's drum tech since 2011.

Adler made his live debut with MEGADETH in July at the Festival D'été De Québec (also known as by its acronym FEQ, or Quebec City Summer Festival in English), in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada.

MEGADETH's fifteenth studio album, "Dystopia", will be released on January 22, 2016. The follow-up to 2013's "Super Collider" was recorded earlier in the year in Nashville, Tennessee and was mixed by Josh Wilbur, who has previously worked with LAMB OF GOD, ALL THAT REMAINS and GOJIRA.

"Holocaust", the brand new video from Hungarian extreme metallers EKTOMORF, can be seen below. The song is taken from the band's new album, "Aggressor", which will be released on October 23 via AFM. The CD was once again produced by Tue Madsen at Denmark's Antfarm Studio (DARK TRANQUILLITY, HEAVEN SHALL BURN, SICK OF IT ALL).

"Aggressor" track listing:

01. Intro02. I03. Aggressor04. Holocaust05. Move On06. Evil By Nature (feat. George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher)07. You Can’t Get More08. Emotionless World09. Eastside10. Scars11. Damned Nation12. You Lost13. You’re Not For Me14. Memento

"Evil By Nature" features a guest appearance by CANNIBAL CORPSE vocalist George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher.

Commented EKTOMORF guitarist/vocalist Zoltán Farkas: "We are friends with the CANNIBAL CORPSE guys since a long time. Last year in November, I spoke to George about doing a song together. The recent Budapest show of CANNIBAL CORPSE then was the perfect opportunity to meet and record his parts. So I took small home recording studio gear with me and recorded vocals with George in the dressing room before their show. It was fun and turned out killer! The song's title is 'Evil By Nature' and you can be sure that it will smash your face!"