In a recent interview, Circle II Circle/Savatage singer Zak Stevens told Rockoverdose.gr, that Jon Oliva is really inspired and is currently writing “a lot of good music.”

 
Rock Overdose: What news from the band can you share with us?

Zak Stevens: “Well, we are just kind of talking about what the next phase can be. We are meeting very soon. TSO starts a tour here. The rehearsals start on November 1st, so that’s when we’re gonna have our meetings about what we are gonna do next. There’s lots of different things out there. Will it be something like a tour or do we wanna start making an album? We have to talk about all that. Everybody is excited to do a lot of different things. The best thing is that the Wacken show really lit a fire and it got us getting together and discussing what is the order of business. We can do something smart that will get everybody fired up and keep things rolling. Keep the iron hot and get out there and rock. I got my own idea of what exactly I would like to do, but I have to share it with the group. But at least we don’t have TSO touring next spring, so that leaves it open for some very good stuff. We’ll let everybody know what we come up with in fall, leading in to next year. There’s a lot of good music, I’ll tell you that much… There’s a lot of good music being written right now.”
 
Rock Overdose: You’re writing new material?

Zak Stevens: “Yeah. Jon is writing a lot of material that we don’t know where it’s gonna land exactly, but at least I can tell you that he’s very excited and very inspired right now. He’s very excited about what he is writing. He’s been writing stuff and calling me: ‘Oh my God, I think I just wrote the best song since ‘Streets’ or ‘Gutter Ballet’. And I’m like: ‘Oh, my God.’ It’s pretty exciting, what’s going on behind the scenes right now.
 
Stay tuned for the full interview on Rock Overdose.

QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton stopped by the Guitar World studios recently to show off some riffs from the band's new album, "Condition Hüman", as well as some classics, like "Silent Lucidity". Check out the footage below.

"Condition Hüman" was released on October 2 via Century Media. The CD was recorded in part at at Uberbeatz Studio in Washington with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who has previously worked with ROB ZOMBIE, HATEBREED, SOULFLY and SHADOWS FALL.

Singer Todd La Torre told Billboard.com about "Condition Hüman": "Each song individually is its own story, which does not have to directly relate to the next song. However, each song is harmonious to a larger picture, which is the human experience, mortality and how each of us perceives the world around us based on our own observations and experiences, thus shaping human behavior."

Added drummer Scott Rockenfield: "This record [is], 'Wow, OK, now we know what we can do together.' We know we have chemistry with Todd, and we wanted to take the band even one step further, which was really dig into everything that we know that we're doing and that we have fun doing, and pull out all the stops, I guess, in a way of things we didn't really visit on the first record [with La Torre]. We wanted to dig deeper more into the elements of QUEENSRŸCHE."

Regarding the more aggressive musical direction of "Condition Hüman" compared to that of 2013's "Queensrÿche", Rockenfield said: "Our fans love metal, and we've been pretty good at doing metal in our past, so [we thought], 'Let's have fun with some of that again. Let's do it and see what it means for us.' We definitely had conscious discussions about it, and now that we have Todd, Todd loves metal, so it was easy to have that conversation about pushing the band in a little bit of that direction."

He added: "I think we wanted to show our fans that we can be a metal band and a rock band, and that we can also write songs that have writer dynamics. I still think we're doing everything within all the realms of what QUEENSRŸCHE is known to be doing. This record is just another extension of that for us."

Each episode of Digital Tour Bus's "Crazy Tour Stories" features a touring act giving you all the details about one or more wild things that have taken place while on tour. In this episode, which was filmed on July 12 in Tinley Park, Illinois, singer Liv Jagrell of Swedish heavy rockers SISTER SIN shares on crazy thing that happened while the group was on the road.

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

Jagrell told Examiner.com about "Black Lotus": "We always grow a little bit more into the metal scene for each record we do. But that's our roots. It's the really old kind of metal stuff. But also we get some inspiration from newer bands like ARCH ENEMY and IN FLAMES and stuff like that too."

She continued: "I feel that we tried to get heavier on this record than the previous record. Also, the production of it we draw to the heavier kind of sound, and I really like that because I'm into the heavy kind of music."

Regarding the recording process for "Black Lotus", Jagrell said: "We had limited time in the studio comparing to previous records. We had to find a way to make it work in the short amount of time that we had. So instead of doing the drums first, then bass, the guitar, and the vocals last, we actually did… well, we did do the drums first, of course, but then we kind of did vocals; and guitars we sometimes put after the vocals, and for us that was new. We had like two studios, so we worked simultaneously. I think it was good that we did some of the guitars after the vocals, because then we could actually work the guitars with the vocals better than we've done on the previous records. So that was kind of new."

KISS kicked off the Australian leg of their world tour last night (October 3rd) in Perth. News.com.au remarked that the band “spared no effort or energy in pulling out all their signature gimmicks just as big and as loud as ever.” A complete photo gallery can be found at News.com.au.

KISS’ Perth setlist:

“Detroit Rock City”
“Deuce”
“Psycho Circus”
“Creatures of the Night”
“I Love It Loud”
“War Machine”
“Do You Love Me”
“Hell or Hallelujah”
Guitar and Drum Solos
“Calling Dr. Love”
“Lick It Up”
Bass Solo
“God of Thunder”
“Shandi”
“Cold Gin”
“Love Gun”
“Black Diamond”

Encore:
“Shout It Out Loud”
“I Was Made for Lovin' You”
“Rock and Roll All Nite”

Check out fan-filmed video below:

Photo courtesy of KISS’ Facebook page.

Saigon Kick guitarist Jason Bieler has released another song via his Owl Stretching side-project. Check out "Shepherd Of Death" below:

Shepherd Of Death by Owl Stretching

Bieler recently released yet another five song Owl Stretching EP, this one entitled Delumination. It features five previously released singles:

Delumination EP by Owl Stretching

The tracklist is as follows:

"Fall To Pieces"
"Hell"
"Come Up Hitting The Jack"
"Curtain Closed"
"High"

This brings Bieler's EP count to seven. Go to the official Owl Streching Bandcamp page here for the complete catalogue.

Saigon Kick will be playing a massive completely free show on the streets of downtown Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Broward County today (Saturday, October 3rd) at 10:30pm. There will be three stages set up on SW 2nd Street from the Broward Center to the railroad tracks and Saigon Kick will be playing the east stage.

In addition, frontman Matt Kramer has issued the following update.

"So, I have a pretty cool musical announcement to make. If you know me, you have all heard about my jazz big band that I have been sitting very quietly on for years now. Well, the time to debut this live is upon us. For the Broward County 100 Year Anniversary on October 3rd, I will be debuting my solo big band to the public on the main stage at 8:00pm sharp. This is a big dream of mine to make happen in a very artistic way. I have only brought this to life twice and both times private events for the Seminole Tribe for tribal members only. Please try your best to come early and support this act along with a full Saigon Kick concert to follow. Best of all, this is a free concert so bring the whole family!"

Saigon Kick performed at The Social in Orlando on May 30th. Founding members Matt Kramer (vocals) and Jason Bieler (guitars) were backed by Jonathan Mover (drums) and Jason Rosner (bass), who replaced the recently departed Phil Varone and Chris McLernon respectively. Fan-filmed video from the show can be viewed below:

Australian thrashers In Malice’s Wake will release their new full-length album, Light Upon the Wicked, later this year by Punishment 18 Records. The tracklisting for the album has been released and it’s 40 minutes of pure fast Australian thrash metal. Furthermore, the cover was created by artist Nick Keller well known for his work for Dawn Of Azazel, The Black Dahlia Murder, Bulletbelt.

Engineered by the revered Chris Themelco (Monolith studios), Light Upon the Wicked retains an organic sound while roaring like apocalyptic thunder. 

Tracklisting:

“Onward Human Suffering”
“Bear The Cross”
“In Darkness”
“Light Upon The Wicked”
“Echoes Of Evil”
“Hear The Howls”
“Annihilation Frost”
“A Sign Of The Times”
“Indoctrinator”
“The Halls Of The Damned”

(Photo by: Jake Lowe Photography)

Pembroke, ON heavy/doom metallers Goat Horn will reissue their 2001 debut album Voyage To Nowhere and have released a video for the track “Eternal Quest For Eternal Happiness” featuring archival footage.

"We'd like to share this ancient archival footage pieced together by our good friend Craig Rose down at Rose management to commemorate the 14 and a half year anniversary of the first Goat Horn record. Available on wax for the first time on October 16th, 2015 via Uncle D Records / Basemen Metal Records" -Jason Decay (vocalist, bassist)

Voyage To Nowhere was originally released in 2001 and for the first time Uncle D Records will be releasing the vinyl LP of this Northern Ontario classic slice of Canadian heavy metal.

“Jason dug up some of the earliest footage he could find and the two of us sat at my place piecing this together over a few days." -Craig Rose

Touching The Divine (out now) is the third studio album from Intelligent Music Project and the second all-star line-up, creating a remarkable infusion by its author and producer's musically erudite and unconventional style, and the full creative input of the legendary musicians. The production features session aces Simon Phillips (drums and percussion), Nathan East (bass) and Tim Pierce (guitars), and the remarkable voices of John Payne (ex-Asia) and Toto's Joseph Williams, who bring their own flavour to all 14 equally outstanding pieces in the album.

Intelligent Music Project III is showcasing the chemistry and versatile style that went into IMP II - rich and layered, guitar-centric, melodic-progressive sound. Catchy tunes, and dynamic riffs melt flawlessly with Payne's and Williams’ trademark vocals while the immaculate Phillips – Pierce – East stamp their blueprint on the record all the way through.

The band's overall musicianship blends impressively with the complexity of musical arrangements, including unforgettable symphonic expansions. Matching the classic rock energy and instrumental charge with his lyrical patterns, rapt and diverse music theme development is the signature style that propels this all-star project of Milen Vrabevski, author and producer of Touching The Divine.

Watch a new EPK below:

Featuring:

Simon Phillips - drums and percussion
Nathan East - bass
John Payne - lead & backing vocals
Joseph Williams - lead & backing vocals
Carl Sentance - backing vocals & ad-libs, lead vocal part on track 7
Tim Pierce - guitars

Gorod will unleash their new album, A Maze Of Recycled Creeds, in North America via Unique Leader Records, and in Europe via Listenable Records on October 16th. Check out some video footage from the studio sessions below:

Now three-years in the waiting, the near-fifty-minute-long work of diabolic genius is based on unfathomable fantasies created by various secret societies and mystical orders, and spews forth eleven tracks of arthritis-inducing riffs, spiraling, harmony-rich fret decompositions, surgically-precise time shifts, blasts, brawn and an incessant barrage of malicious vocal onslaughts. Elaborates the band of the record's concept, "A Maze Of Recycled Creeds speaks of the fraternity of the Rose-Croix, specifically via the works of Sâr Merodack Joséphin Péladan (1858 -1918), a peculiar 'guru' claiming to have divine origins from Assyria..."

A Maze Of Recycled Creeds tracklisting:

“Air de l'Ordre”
“Temple To The Art-God”
“Celestial Nature”
“Inner Alchemy”
“The Mystic Triad Of Artistry”
“An Order To Reclaim”
“From Passion To Holiness”
“Dig Into Yourself”
“Rejoice Your Soul”
“Syncretic Delirium”
“Celestial Nature” (Alt Version)

"Temple Of The Art God" lyric video:

 

 

 

Swedish atmospheric doom metallers, with strong sludge and post-rock influences, The Moth Gatherer, will release their second full-length album, The Earth Is The Sky, on November 27th via Agonia Records. In anticipation, the band has revealed a brand new track, "Pale Explosions", which is available for listening below. The track features guest vocal appearence by Thomas Jäger from Monolord.

The Swedes took their time after A Bright Celestial Light - their warmly received debut album - was released in 2013. While the effort was immediately slated as a solid first step for a newcomer, the band quickly focused on their next chapter and devoted two years to perfect their vision. In return, The Earth Is The Sky feels more mature and multi-dimensional, with a breathtaking effect. Based on the formula of progressive riffs and twists through tempos, the album makes use of hypnotic passages mixed with tranquil moments and lusciously vibrant heaviness. On top of that, The Moth Gatherer contionues to experiment with different influences and emotions, to invoke a galvanizing response.

Commented the band: "The Earth Is The Sky is an album where we tried to take everything as far as we could. There where points during the recording where we honestly spoke about giving up and calling it a day, it felt like we would crumble under the album. But we suffered through. The result is a desperation about how humanity drags it all to the end. Where A Bright Celestial Light was an introvert journey into decay, The Earth Is The Sky is a journey to the highest point on Earth where you sit down and contemplate about our existence while watching the flames from the burning world.”

The Earth Is The Sky features some notable guests, including: David Johansson from Kongh, Wacian from Code, The Cuukoo from Terra Tenebrosa as well as Thomas Jäger from Monolord.

The album was recorded recorded over a period of two years in three different studios and mixed & mastered by Karl Daniel Lidén (Dozer, The Old Wind, Switchblade, Terra Tenebrosa). The artwork has been made by SCG, while Swedish printer, EJG, prepared the layout, creating an exclusive painting for each of the six tracks the album features.

Trackslisting:

“Pale Explosions”
“Attacus Atlas”
“Probing The Descent Of Man”
“Dyatlov Pass”
“The Black Antlers”
“In Awe Before The Rapture”

“Pale Explosions”:

Available formats:
- CD
- black LP
- green LP
- blue LP
- yellow LP
- digital

Pre-orders available soon.

Band lineup:

Alex - Bass and Vocals
Victor - Guitars, Electronics and Vocals
Svante - Drums

 

Romania-based thrash/death metal band, Decease, have released a new music video, for their track “Hypnotic Paranoia” (see below), featured on the group's second studio album, Age Of The Covenant, released last November via Hatework Records\ACM.

The Age Of The Covenant cover art was created by Alex Boca, the same artist who made the cover of the band’s first album, Exhort To Obliterate. The instrumental part of the album was recorded with Marius Costache at Next Dog Studio (the drums) and No City Studio (guitar, bass) in Bucharest, and the voice parts at LiveSet Studio, Cluj-Napoca. Age Of The Covenant was produced by Hatework and Asociatia Culturala Manifest.

 

 

Tracklisting:

"Intro"
"Hypnotic Paranoia"
"Consume The Weak"
"The Covenant"
"Breeders Of Malevolence"
"Global Annihilation"
"Human Scum"
"Cerebral Stagnation"
"Causal Nexus"
"Outro"

"Hypnotic Paranoia" video:

"Consume The Weak" video:

"The Covenant" lyric video:

 

Iowa-based powerhouse, For Today, have released a video for “Bitter Roots”, a track from their new album, Wake.

Commented singer Mattie Montgomery: "Our new song “Bitter Roots” is a dramatic departure from much of what For Today has been known for. We decided to break the mold and simply write what was inside us, without worrying about fitting in a particular genre box. While it's very different, we love the song, and we're so excited to share it with the world."

Wake is available on CD (also as an exclusive CD/t-shirt bundle) as well as on vinyl (black, red) and as digital download. Order at this location..

Tracklisting:

“No Truth, No Sacrifice”
“Broken Lens”
“Forced into Fire”
“Deserter”
“Bitter Roots”
“Wasteland”
“Hopeless Ambition”
“Determination”
“Flooded Earth”
“Time and Tide”
“Two Brothers” (Bonus Track)
“Without You” (Bonus Track)

“Forced Into Fire” lyric video:

“Broken Lens” video:

Teaser:

Studio webisodes:

Part 1:

Part 2:

 
For Today hit the road on October 1st for an album release tour. They will be traversing the country on a headline run with Fit For A King, Gideon, Phinehas, and Silent Planet in tow. The tour kicked off in Tulsa and winds through the country for the entire month of October before wrapping in Albuquerque on November 2nd.

German Wolf metallers, Varg, will release their Rotkäppchen EP on October 9th via Napalm Records. The release comes as limited edition deluxe DIN A5 mediabook with 24-pages.

The EP includes special bonus gems, as well as two brand new songs; “Ein Tag Wie Heute” (featuring Dom R. Crey of Equilibrium) and “Abendrot”, which won’t be found on the upcoming Das Ende aller Lügen album. Check out the new “Rotkäppchen” video below.

EP tracklisting:

“Rotkäppchen 2015”
“Ein Tag wie Heute”
“Abendrot”
“Red Riding Hood”
“Rødhette”
“Rotkäppchen 2011”
“Rotkäppchen 2015 Karaoke”

“Rotkäppchen” video:

Varg will release their new album, Das Ende Aller Lügen, on January 15th via Napalm Records. This album is already being called a new milestone in Varg’s history!

Although Varg are more monstrous than ever, Das Ende Aller Lügen is perhaps one of the best examples that the calm always comes before the storm. These calming moments prepare the listener for the coming thunder. Today the wolves have released their album artwork and tracklisting, which can be found below.

Tracklisting:

“Der große Diktator”
“Das Ende aller Lügen”
“Revolution”
“Streyfzug”
“Achtung”
“Dunkelheit”
“Totentanz”
“Einherjer”
“Wintersturm”
“Ascheregen”

Varg on tour:

October
2 - Geiselwind, Germany - Monster Festival
16 - Stuttgart, Germany - LKA Longhorn
17 - München, Germany - Backstage *Extended Show
18.10.2015 CH - Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7 *Extended Show
19 - Berlin, Germany - Postbahnhof
20 - Frankfurt, Germany - Batschkapp
21 - Saarbrücken, Germany - Garage
22 - Hamburg, Germany - Markthalle
23 - Oberhausen, Germany - Turbinenhalle *Extended Show
24 - Leipzig, Germany - Hellraiser *Extended Show
25 - Wien, Austria - Gasometer *Extended Show

Fan-filmed video footage of W.A.S.P.'s October 3 performance at Väggahallen in Karlshamn, Sweden can be seen below.

W.A.S.P.'s new album, "Golgotha", was released on October 2 via Austria's Napalm Records.

W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless told Ultimate Classic Rock about the six-year gap between the release of 2009's "Babylon" and the arrival of "Golgotha": "That gap, we originally started in spring of 2011 and we went and did the 30th-anniversary tour in 2012 and then, the following May, I broke my leg pretty badly and we lost the rest of that year, so if you put it all together, it's about two years of work spread out. Those gaps in time, be them planned or unplanned, ended up being a good thing because it gave us the luxury of time I've never had before. We were talking about it a couple of months ago when we mixed the record. Had those gaps not happened, this record wouldn't have turned out the way it did. It gave us the ability to sit back and really question it and said, 'Is this what we want to do? Is this what we want to sound like?'"

Regarding the new song "Last Runaway", Lawless said: "Forty years ago I came to Hollywood as a teenager. Terrified and scared out of my mind, I had no idea what waited there for me. The song 'Last Runaway' is an intensely personal account of what happened to me, not only then but over the years and the success that followed after. Be it a kid looking for success in the music business or any life-challenging endeavor that someone would 'run away' from in life, I'm certain that everyone can relate to this story one way or another. It's another kid 'chasing the dream' and trying to survive it in the process. We've all been there."

Drummer Mike Dupke recently left W.A.S.P. after a nine-year stint with the band. He has since been replaced on the road by YNGWIE MALMSTEEN drummer Patrick Johansson and, more recently, by Randy Black (PRIMAL FEAR).

Progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER have been working on the follow-up to 2013's self-titled album since January at Cove City Sound Studios in Glen Cove, New York. The band's guitarist, John Petrucci, tells Revolver magazine: "The new album will be a further progression of the band's creative identity.

"Every time that we go into the studio, we always try to make something that's better than the last."

He continues: "Everybody in the band has this kind of attitude where we love doing what we do, we're very lucky to be able to do what we do, and we feel that the best is still to come. That's partially why we self-titled our last album, because it signified a new beginning, and the strength of the belief that we have in the future of the band."

Regarding the songwriting process for the new CD, Petrucci says: "A new album project is like a fresh and inspiring blank canvas, and I love that every couple of years you have the opportunity of reinventing, trying something new and starting from scratch. But given the history of the band, you do have to take all of that into account and consider what we've done already, what we haven't explored yet, and what will not only keep us interested and fired up, but will also keep people who listen to the band excited, as well. You really have to deliver the goods — you can't rest on your laurels, you can't get lazy."

DREAM THEATER's new album is tentatively due in early 2016 via Roadrunner.

"Dream Theater" sold around 34,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 7 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD, which arrived in stores on September 24, 2013 via Roadrunner, earned DREAM THEATER its second Grammy nomination, for "Best Metal Performance" for the single "The Enemy Inside".

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY guitarist Woody Weatherman has told West Michigan's Revue that the four-piece version of the band — featuring Pepper Keenan on guitar and vocals — hopes to hit the studio soon to record another album with John Custer, C.O.C.'s perennial producer.

"With our last record [with Pepper Keenan], [2005's] 'In The Arms Of God' — we want to pick up where that left off," he said. "We were on to something there, and then [Hurricane] Katrina happened [in New Orleans, where Keenan is based]. Then the band went on hiatus and we never picked it back up until 2010 when we started doing the three-piece stuff."

Weatherman believes "In The Arms Of God", which featured GALACTIC's Stanton Moore on drums, wasn't promoted properly. "We put a lot of effort into that and it took some doing to get it done," Weatherman said. "But I think it didn't get a fair shake. We got cut off from supporting it."

Keenan played his first full show with CORROSION OF CONFORMITY since 2006 on March 7 at Manchester Academy 2 in Manchester, England.

Speaking about the differences between writing music for CORROSION OF CONFORMITY and DOWN, Keenan told "Maximum Threshold": "The biggest difference with the C.O.C. stuff is that I'm singing, so my brain acts differently towards that writing songs for Phil [Anselmo, DOWN frontman] to sing. It's two different entities. I don't know how I split it in half, but I do it. I just go off the catalyst of what the last C.O.C. record was, which I thought was an extremely strong record. So we're just gonna shoot for that angle. And those guys have got a bunch of great riffs, and it's a different machine."

Keenan joined CORROSION OF CONFORMITY in 1990, but he did not become the band's lead singer until the recording of "Deliverance", which came out in 1994.

Banger TV recently conducted an interview with vocalist Chuck Billy of San Francisco Bay Area thrashers TESTAMENT. You can now watch the chat below.

Asked what still excites him about playing music, Billy said: "It's the enjoyment that I had when I started it. My mom said, 'Don't be a singer. Don't be a musician. Go to school.' But this is what I love. And she's proud of what I've done and accomplished, sticking with what I do, 'cause I put my all into it."

He continued: "Anything you do in life, the more you do it, you get better at it. Especially a band like us, we started and went through this whole scene back to where we are today, from the early '80s to the '90s, where metal wasn't happening, reviving back in 2000 and coming back strong again. And I think we are at our peak right now. Speaking for myself, I feel I'm singing better than ever."

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."

TESTAMENT bassist Steve DiGiorgio and drummer Gene Hoglan were forced to miss the band's appearance at the Heavy Montreal festival in early August due to their touring commitments in Europe with DEATH TO ALL (DTA). Replacing them at the show were Tilen Hudrap from VICIOUS RUMOURS on bass and Alex Bent from BATTLECROSS on drums.

KITTIE's cover version of the DAVID BOWIE classic "Space Oddity" can be streamed using the widget below. The song is featured on "A Salute To The Thin White Duke - The Songs Of David Bowie", which was released yesterday (Friday, October 2) via Cleopatra Records.

KITTIE drummer Mercedes Lander stated about the band's inclusion on the album: "Cleopatra actually approached our label, eOne, for us to do the tribute. Morgan [Lander, guitar/vocals], Tara [McLeod, guitar], and I chatted about what song we wanted to do, we had a list of songs to pick from and narrowed it down to one or two. We thought that 'Space Oddity' would be the song that would translate the best, and it would be easy to 'KITTIE' the song up. We went into Beachroad Studios with [producer] Siegfried [Meier] in December and got it done in one day."

"A Salute To The Thin White Duke - The Songs Of David Bowie" track listing:

01. Modern Love - ROGUE WAVE02. John, I m Only Dancing - JESCA HOOP03. Letter To Hermione - DUM DUM GIRLS04. Heroes - THE TULIPS05. Ashes To Ashes - ICKY BLOSSOMS06. Starman - THE DEER TRACKS07. Rebel Rebel - THE KVB08. Cat People (Putting Out Fire) - MAGIC WANDS09. Blue Jean - ELECTRIC SIX10. Jean Genie - HEARTLESS BASTARDS11. Suffragette City - UME12. Fame - THE VACANT LOTS13. Space Oddity - KITTIE14. Moonage Daydream - BOY HITS CAR15. Absolute Beginners - COVES16. Changes - THE MUFFS

KITTIE will release a career-spanning documentary next year. The trailer for the film premiered on September 25 in London, Ontario, Canada's historic Hyland Cinema in conjunction with the Canadian premiere of "Nintendo Quest: The Most Unofficial And Unauthorized Nintendo Documentary Ever!" as part of the London Comic Con convention.

The film aims to deliver a certain perspective to the band's unique audience. It contains footage from all eras of the band and features a number of band members both past and present. It's rare that a band takes the time to catalog their entire career on video, but that's exactly what KITTIE did and it's another reason this film will be special. You will see the evolution of the band, and their music on screen.

KITTIE last year raised $40,000 via a crowd funding campaign for the documentary.


The Songs Of David Bowie by Kittie

Poland's Top Guitar conducted an interview with MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson at the fourth annual Warwick Bass Camp, which took place from August 31 to September 4 in Markneukirchen, Germany. You can now watch all three parts of the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET)

On the most important thing when you want to play heavy metal on bass:

"Well, there's two sides of it. Probably the most difficult part is to get a sound in a band, because guitars are really big, they're really loud; drums now have gotten very big and powerful, starting probably with some of the early IRON MAIDEN records and then certainly once we got into Vinnie Paul and a lot of that PANTERA production. Man, the drums just got huge, you know. And so getting a sound that works is a big part of it; it's as much a part of it as it is the notes you play, because metal, you're really creating a big sound. It isn't just, 'Here's the notes,' or, 'Here's the melody,' it's really a unique thing. And it's funny, because a lot of these jazz guys that are here at the camp… I'll be sitting down riffing through something. I ended up using a pick for most of my career, just because it helps me get that sound, and it's really a part of it. People come by and go, 'Man, dude, no one does that.' And I realized that that's kind of what I've grown up doing and I've developed my own thing. That's why I always like it when I see Kyle Sanders, for instance, from HELLYEAH playing with great finger playing and great tone. And he knows all the old KISS songs that we all know, yet he does his thing, which is very new, and he's got a fresh outlook on it. And the guys in MESHUGGAH, all these guys really get these really big, cool bass sounds. They have a real presence in the band. To me, I think that's a part of it — to really have a presence in the mix."

On what he still wants to accomplish in music:

"It's funny, I just kind of live day by day. An e-mail shows up, the phone rings, a things happens, and I just kind of really try to live in the moment. It's funny, I wrote that autobiography, 'My Life With Deth', and one of my tentative titles was gonna be 'All The Best Things That Happened To Me Were None Of My Ideas'. Because that's kind of how it works, especially in the creative domain like we live. A guy says, 'Hey, dude, come over here and play a part.' And, 'Hey, can you come over here?' and next thing you're on a tour, next thing you're in a studio. And I think that's… To stay out of your head and stay out of your ego and stay out of… you know, 'Is this gonna further my career?' Or, 'How am I gonna look?' I see a lot of people get caught up in that, and I've done it myself over the years; it's kind of human nature to do that. But I think staying out of here [points to head] and staying down here [points to chest] is the real answer."

On who the greatest bassist in heavy metal is:

"It's hard to say there's a greatest, the best… those kinds of things. I would say… Look, Steve Harris [IRON MAIDEN], to me, really changed the presence of bass in metal music. He was the guy that came… And, again, a lot of this is just, at my age, when I very impressionable, this group IRON MAIDEN came out, and next thing you know, the songwriter and the guy upfront with his foot on the monitors, who was almost like the lead singer of the band, was the bass player. [And I thought], 'Wow! This is awesome.' And I'd been listening to RUSH, and Geddy [Lee], of course, had a huge impact on me. Of course, Gene Simmons [KISS] before that. And Gene's a great bass player, man. He writes cool stuff, his bass lines are awesome and he breathes fire and spits blood while he does it. [Laughs] And, of course, Geezer Butler [BLACK SABBATH] and Bob Daisley, who played on those Ozzy [Osbourne] records and wrote a lot of that stuff. I like songwriter bass players; it's kind of a trend I've noticed. You know, Phil Lynott, Sting, Paul McCartney… on the more mainstream side of it. You know, there's something about guys that write that are… There's something different about how they weave themselves into the songs."

MEGADETH's 15th studio album, "Dystopia", will be released on January 22, 2016 via Universal Music Enterprises / Tradecraft / T-Boy Records.

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